I think the title should give what this one is about. But yes, it is FINALLY time for Operation Z.E.R.O! Let's begin!
As Cree ducked into yet another alleyway, she tried to process what was going on.
The day began like any other day. Wake up, go to school, probably get into another spat with Chloe, yadda yadda. However, at some point, the sky turned dark and an army of old people zombies suddenly came out of nowhere. Cree had been lucky to get away in time but it felt like everywhere she went, there were more of these zombies waiting around every corner. Cree had almost been caught quite a few times, but, thinking quickly, she had faked using her prosthetic as a cane.
How that actually worked still surprised her.
Still, Cree had her doubts her luck would hold out forever. From what she could tell, just about everyone she knew had seemingly been transformed.
"Cree! You're still normal!" A voice from behind her called out. Turning around, Cree was relieved to see Numbuh 1.
"Thankfully. Not exactly ready to be that old and wrinkly for a long time." Cree responded, trying to crack a joke. "So, you got any idea what's going on here?"
"It's a bit of a long story," Numbuh 1 warned her as he continued to fiddle with what Cree quickly realized was a tracker that he had hooked up to the Recommissioning Module.
"Just give me the short version." Cree said. "Since it looks like I'm just about the one ally you have left."
"Sadly, you happen to be correct." Numbuh 1 said before beginning to explain. "Father managed to reawaken an ancient evil, Grandfather, who is turning everyone into these Senior Citi-Zombies. I believe that the only way to stop him is to find the person who was once Numbuh Zero!"
"Dang. I thought that whole story was a myth," Cree admitted. "But if you think you've got the evidence for it, then might as well trust ya."
"Well, luckily for us, I do have a lead on where Numbuh Zero is! Follow me!" Numbuh 1 smugly declared before pointing in another direction. With a roll of her eyes, Cree followed after him. However, the location they ended up in was both all too familiar and shocking all the same.
"Uh, kiddo? Pretty sure this is your house," Cree pointed out after Numbuh 1 knocked on the door. This seemed to snap Numbuh 1 out of his excitement, causing him to realize that he was, in fact, standing in front of his house.
"But why would Numbuh Zero's DNA lead me here!?" Numbuh 1 exclaimed. "Unless…" He didn't have time to dwell on that, however, as Monty Uno opened up the door.
"Well, Nigel old bean! Isn't this a nice surprise! I thought you were off playing with your friends!" Monty greeted his son.
"Yes, but we need you to come help me and Cree with something!" Numbuh 1 said quickly. He had no idea if there were any more Senior Citi-Zombies nearby and so he wanted to get to safety as quickly as he could. Almost instantly, the zombified Toiletnator tried to charge them, only for Cree and Nigel to quickly slam the door in his face.
"Now, Nigel, if the chap wanted to come in, there was no need to be rude," Monty chasisted his son.
"Actually, sir, we were all playing tag and he was it," Cree quickly spoke up as she tried to hold the door shut.
"Well then! Nigel must be lucky to have you watching his back!" Monty commended her. Cree couldn't help but smile at that. Sure, she knew Nigel could hold his own, but she liked being a protector. Made her feel good. Still, she didn't have much time to dwell on that, considering how they quickly discovered that the KND hamsters were able to be zombified as well.
"Cree, heads up!" Nigel called out as several hamsters lunged for the older girl. Cree was quick on the draw, however, and was able to block with her prosthetic, resulting in several hamsters quickly getting stunned. It wasn't hard for Numbuh 1 to finish them off with the 2x4 vacuum he had on him (Cree would fully admit she forgot the names of about half of the KND's weaponry), blasting them into yet another attacking citi-zombie, allowing them to finally make it to the treehouse.
"So…now what?" Cree asked. "Even if your dad really is Numbuh Zero, he's not gonna be much help like that."
"I know! That's why I want to recommission him!" Numbuh 1 declared. However, when he and Cree turned back to where Monty had been standing, they instead saw an opened hatch. "Uh…I didn't actually know that was there."
"Great…" Cree groaned as she and Nigel looked inside. What they found was a very long looking slide. "This can't be that bad, right?"
"Stupid stupidly fast slide!" Cree grumbled as she picked herself up off the floor. It was then she noticed where she, Numbuh 1 and Monty had landed. It was some sort of hidden storage room. The fabled Book of KND was seated on a pedestal. Cree couldn't help but begin to leaf through it. Her hands were literally shaking. Every operative dreamed of being the one to find it.
"Hey, dad?" Numbuh 1 asked as he walked over to his father, who was still very confused over everything. "I know you don't really understand what's going on, but I need to bring out a hero inside of you. We need your help."
"I don't really understand much of his," Monty admitted. "But if it will make you happy, then I'll do whatever you need."
"Now or never, kid," Cree assured Numbuh 1, placing her hand on his shoulder. Numbuh 1 nodded, turned back to his dad and fired the recommissioning module. Within seconds, Monty Uno was enveloped in its glow. When it settled, he suddenly seemed more aware and confident.
"I've got a real hankering for some blurpleberry ice cream!" He declared. "Closest thing to the fourth flavor I've ever tasted." Cree's jaw was on the floor. Numbuh Zero was real and he was standing right in front of her.
"This is so cool!" Numbuh 1 gushed, all previous seriousness and bravo gone in favor of childish giddiness. "Everyone is gonna be like 'oh you're so cool Numbuh 1'! OH MY GOD MY DAD IS NUMBUH ZERO!"
"Indeed, and now that I'm back, status report Numbuh 1," Numbuh Zero ordered. Almost instantly, Numbuh 1 and Cree snapped to attention.
"Our arch-enemy, Grandfather, has been turning everyone into Senior Citi-Zombies and is planning to take over the world," Numbuh 1 quickly reported. "Myself and Cr-no, Numbuh 11, are among the few survivors." Cree felt her heart swell at being addressed by her old codename. She never thought she'd hear it again.
"Hmm, I should have known Grandfather would try to conquer the world again. He won't quit unless he gets his hand on the Book of KND," Monty revealed as he handed the book to Numbuh 1. "We're going to need to get help. Follow me, you two!"
"But…we're just about the only people he hasn't transformed yet!" Cree protested.
"Any Kids Next Door operative would attack us on sight!" Numbuh 1 chimed in.
"Who said anything about getting help from the Kids Next Door?" Monty cryptically asked before heading off. Cree and Numbuh 1 could only shrug as they followed after the older man.
"Are we getting help defeating Grandfather or making it easier for him to get his hands on us?" Cree deadpanned. Numbuh Zero had led them straight to the Delightful Manor.
"Why are we going to Father's mansion?!" Numbuh 1 protested as he made sure no Senior Citi-Zombies were following them. "He's our enemy!" Numbuh Zero paid neither of them any mind, instead forcing the door open.
"Hey," Father greeted them. Cree had to bite back a laugh at the man who had given her a literal panic attack only a few months ago slumped in a chair, wearing a bright neon pink and yellow robe while enjoying ice cream. "Sorry about the mess. I don't give a doo-doo anymore."
"Ben!" Numbuh Zero ordered. "Take that ridiculous suit off!"
"What, this?" Father asked as he held out the robe. "It brings out my eyes."
"Not that one! This one!" Numbuh Zero replied as he pulled Father's shadow suit off, revealing a normal looking man under it. "Say uncle, Nigel!"
"But we haven't lost yet," Numbuh 1 protested.
"I'm still trying to get over the fact he's normal under the shadows," Cree admitted. "Like, are we sure that's the same person? One's scary and one's…not."
"First of all, rude," Father deadpanned before turning back to his moronic nephew. "And I thought you were supposed to be smart! I'm your father's brother, Benedict. The coward who didn't join the rebellion and all that."
Yet again, Numbuh 1 found his brain on the verge of imploding. "But-but if you're my uncle, then that makes Grandfather my actual grandfather!"
"What are you, captain of the obvious club?" Father deadpanned.
"Nigel, I know this is a lot of life changing information to take in, but we kinda need you to breathe," Cree said as she tried to comfort the other boy, since Numbuh Zero was too busy hyping up his brother, or at least trying to.
"Come on, Ben!" He declared. "Pappy will be coming here and we have to do something about it! And we need you and your so-called children to do it!"
"How about THIS!?" The Delightful Children declared as they blasted a large laser cannon at Numbuh Zero, prompting Numbuh 1 and Cree to tackle him out of the way. The Delightful Children seemed ready to fire another shot, but Father grabbed the laser away from them.
"No! We have to help them!" Father insisted.
"But Father! They're our sworn enemies!...Or at least Numbuh 1 is," The Delightful Children protested.
"Yes, I know, but right now, Pappy is the bigger problem!" Father replied. "I thought he would help me take over the world, but he's nothing but a big jerk! Plus, you like being feared and respected by your peers, right?"
"Yes Father," The Delightful Children responded.
"Good, so we help uncle Monty," Father bluntly replied.
"Yes Father," The Delightful Children responded again, only to this time shove Father back. "Right after we blast these KNDoofuses!" They didn't have a chance to fire again, however, as they took notice of Numbuh Zero aiming the Recommissioning Device at them.
"Blas this!" He replied before firing. Cree was fully planning on this to do nothing other than stun them, but when the light died down, five people she'd been wondering about for years stood at attention.
"The members of Sector Z thank you," Numbuh 0.3 declared as she stepped forward.
"You…you've been them all this time?" Cree softly managed out.
"The Delightful Children from Down the Lane are Sector Z!" Numbuh 1 babbled out as he grabbed at his father. "Dad, the Delightful Children from Down the Lane are Sector Z!"
"How did you know?" Father had to ask. Monty had literally just met these kids and was able to figure it out, yet no Kids Next Door operative had in over five years.
"Come on, Ben! Five kids with that kind of technical knowledge and strategy! Had to be one of your delightfulization experiments gone horribly wrong," Numbuh Zero replied smugly
"You mean went horribly RIGHT!" Father declared with a cackle. "My first Delightfulization chamber blew a fuse! Increasing its power eleventy billion fold! I lost the machine, but gained five perfect delightful children!"
"Wait a second, so that warehouse from all those years ago…when the fuse blew," Cree slowly began putting the pieces together. "You…you weren't the ones walking away from me!"
"We saw it all," Numbuh 0.2 responded as he looked at the floor. "We screamed at our new selves to help you, but they didn't even care."
"Crud…now I feel like garbage," Cree admitted. "All this time, I was hating the wrong people."
"If it means anything, whenever we saw you and saw what that fire did to you, we always wished we could have been there to save you," Numbuh 0.1 assured her. Cree allowed herself to smile. Even if it came with the reveal she'd been hating the wrong people all this time, Cree felt validated now that she finally had the full picture.
"Wait, but I thought the effects of what happened to us were permanent," Numbuh 0.4 spoke up.
"They are, you could turn back at any time. I'm sorry," Numbuh Zero revealed sadly. Sector Z, Numbuh 1 and Cree shared mournful looks before a determined Numbuh 0.1 spoke up.
"Well then let's use the time we do have!" He declared with the conviction of someone who'd been waiting a long time to fight on the side of good. "I wanna do something good before I have to wear those dorky outfits!"
"What's the plan!?" Numbuh 0.2 asked for everyone.
"Grandfather is coming here!" Numbuh Zero revealed. "He wants the book of KND and he will stop at nothing to get it,"
"Hide it again!" Numbuh 0.1 offered up. "That worked last time!"
"Yes, but now he knows it exists and he will stop at nothing to get it," Numbuh Zero pointed out. "Now, if you all recall, there is a way to fire the moonbase like a rocket. Aim for here and try to get Grandfather as close as possible to the decommissioning chamber. Ben and I will keep him here for you
"Roger that, Numbuh Zero!" All seven operatives declared with a salute. Sector Z led Numbuh 1 and Cree to a nearby ship, which they quickly launched upwards.
"So…were you serious when you said you could see everything that the Delightful Children could?" Cree asked.
"All of it," Numbuh 0.1 repeated. "Everything they did to other kids."
"How did you not go insane?" Numbuh 1 had to ask.
"Oh we came close," Numbuh 0.3 replied. "But knowing that the Kids Next Door would always be around to stop us gave some comfort." She then turned to look at Cree. "I know you were always older than us but it's so weird seeing you so much bigger. And with all the…ya know."
"Just call it what it is," Cree replied. "Scars. The missing arm. I've come to terms with it."
"Are you worried Father's gonna question why a teenager was working with Numbuh 1 and Numbuh Zero?" Numbuh 0.4 asked.
"Considering that he saw the recommissioning device, gonna just let him assume that I was another recommissioned operative," Cree responded. "Besides, with how quickly Grandfather spread, he might assume that Numbuh 1 and Numbuh Zero were picky enough to just take everyone not infected.
"Let's just hope he does…" Numbuh 1 said as he narrowed his eyes. "We're almost there. Is everyone ready?"
It was a unanimous answer.
The plan was simple. Everyone had to spread out, seal off any access ports or anything that could screw up their launch and then the first one to the bridge got started on the targeting. Cree, who hadn't been in the moonbase in years, found herself getting lost more than she cared to admit.
"Sometimes I wish they had a map or something to this place," Cree grumbled as she finally made it to the bridge, only to find the one sight she didn't want to see.
Abby (and also the other members of her sector but mainly her) as a Senior Citi-Zombie.
Sector Z, who had beaten her there, were already engaging the zombified sector, which let Numbuh 1 work on the computer. Still, as much as she hated it, Cree knew what she had to do.
"Sorry about this Abby," She mumbled under her breath before blindsiding her sister with a kick to the sides.
"Well, if it isn't my not so older sister!" Abby cackled as she turned to face her "older" sister. "You really think you stand a chance when you're one limb down?" Cree flinched a little at that one. She knew Abby would never say something like that, but didn't make it hurt any less. However, even after losing her arm, Cree was still considered one of the greatest fighters in the history of the KND and clearly, she needed to remind her sister of that fact.
"You forget one thing, Abby," Cree said with a cocky smirk as she got into a battle pose.
"And what's that?" Abby snarled as she charged at Cree, who effortlessly was able to hold her back.
"I know all your moves because I taught 'em too ya!" Cree declared as she surged forward, allowing her to blindside her sister once again. Abby was no slouch in fighting and Cree knew that, but whether from Grandfather's influence causing him to underestimate her or her rapid aging slowing her down, Cree handily won the fight while Sector Z easily handled the rest. Soon, everyone was in a pile on the ground.
"Thanks Cree! You too David!" Numbuh 1 complemented. "Don't know what I'd do without you guys!"
"Well, you better find out soon, because I think we are changing back!" Numbuh 0.2 said as the other members of Sector Z were suddenly dragged back to him by some type of invisible force.
"What?!" Numbuh 1 called out, turning around to see that Sector Z was, in fact, beginning to revert back to the Delightful Children.
"C'mon! Fight back!" Cree begged, even if she had a feeling it was no use.
"Tell...the Kids Next Door...we miss them!" Were Sector Z's final words before the Delightful Children took back control.
"NO!" Numbuh 1 and Cree both exclaimed.
"Oh...yeah!" The Delightful Children as they tackled Numbuh 1 into the computer and began pounding away. Cree rushed to help, but something gave Numbuh 1 a second wind, allowing him to kick the Delightful Children into a nearby escape pod. With a smirk, Cree quickly sealed the door.
"Next stop, WAY down the lane!" Numbuh 1 said as he launched the pod into space.
"Goodbye, Sector Z…we miss you too," Cree said sadly.
"A heck of a lot more than we will miss your delightful selves anyways," Numbuh 1 grumbled as he walked away from the window. He and Cree didn't have much time to breathe however, as a new problem quickly revealed itself.
"Targeting Computer: Destroyed!" The Computer announced. "Targeting Computer: Destroyed!"
"Now what!?" Cree exclaimed. Numbuh Zero was counting on them!
"Then I guess we are just gonna have to do this the old fashioned way," Numbuh 1 said as he activated the manual computer, causing six bikes to burst out of the ground.
"Hate to break it to you, but there's no way we can work these on our own!" Cree snapped. "So now what!?" Numbuh 1 merely pointed to the zombie version of Numbuh 2, who had an inactive birthday suit on his head from getting kicked into a supply closet.
"Maybe we don't have too," Numbuh 1 said with a smirk.
"Kids Next Door…BATTLE STATIONS!" Numbuh 1 sounded off. With a cheer, both his sector and Cree began to pedal as hard as they could. Much to both of their reliefs, the birthday suits did…somewhat work. While no one was fully back to normal, it was enough that they were back on the side of good.
"Gonna be honest, this is just about the last thing I ever thought I'd be doing with ya!" Numbuh 5 called out to her big sister.
"Well enjoy it while you can!" Cree called back. "Because we are never gonna do this again!"
"Hey, Numbuh 5!" Numbuh 4 called out, causing Numbuh 5 to turn to him. "So, what kinda missiles are we firing anyway?"
"There aren't any missiles left, Numbuh 4!" Numbuh 5 replied.
"No missiles? Then what the crud are we firing?" Numbuh 4 asked in confusion.
"US!" Numbuh 1 firmly declared.
"WHAT!?" Numbuh 4 exclaimed. However, there was no time for him to back out, as they were ready to fire.
"FIRE NOW!" Numbuh 2 ordered. Everyone continued to pedal, even if it was now mixed with screams. "HANG ONTO YOUR UNDERWEAR!" Cree felt like she was going to throw up. Everything was moving in slow motion. A part of her was worried this wouldn't even work. Still, she believed in the Kids Next Door. And she was about to let Grandfather win. Finally, the crash happened and everyone was hanging on the remains of the bikes.
"Well done, team," Numbuh 1 said, before Numbuh 2's evil half kicked him again. "Ow! Enough with the kicking already!" Once she regained her barings, Cree decided to head off. The sky returning to normal told her that her time was done.
"Not gonna stay to enjoy the victory?" Numbuh 5 playfully asked her sister.
"I would, but I am supposed to be undercover," Cree pointed out. "Also, I'd rather avoid THAT." She then pointed towards the now back to normal villains, who were quickly swarmed by the recovered operatives.
"Heh, can't argue with that," Numbuh 5 said with a nod. Cree just nodded back as she headed off, hoping she wasn't spotted by the trigger happy operatives.
Besides…she had some more to dwell on.
"Sector Z…I'm not letting you stay like that forever."
Wow this was long. But now Cree knows the truth and she's planning to restore her old comrades back to normal.