Transmission 5: The Point that Connects
Up in the KND Moonbase HQ's TND extension, an agent runs through the halls, carrying a data disc. She is a member of the Global Intelligence Section under Herbie's command. Swiftly, she makes her to an elevator and it takes her down to the center of a skyscraper designated "Science Tower". The agent is in such a hurry she nearly jumps out of the elevator as the doors open and rushes through a hallway filled with Science Section agents and KND Scientists. But as she clears a corner, she runs headfirst into someone, knocking them both to the floor. "Urgh…ah, sorry, I was in a hurry and didn't…*gasp*" the agent realizes who she knocked down and quickly helps the person up. "Supreme Commander, I'm so sorry! I didn't…"
"Oh, it's fine, don't worry." Eliza replies casually as the agent apologizes again, despite Eliza's insistence. "Calm down, okay? Where were you going anyway?"
"Uhm, I was ordered to deliver…" suddenly, the agent straightens herself and offers the disc to Eliza. "Numbuh Iota-3 wanted you to have this! I was told you were headed to the labs so that's why I ran…"
"*giggle* then you bumped into the right girl. What's the disc about?"
"It's an intelligence report. He didn't tell anything else."
"*sigh* Iota-3's really starting to sound and act like Gamma…okay, you can contact Iota-3 and tell him the message was delivered. I'll take a look at it once I'm done at the lab."
"Yes, Ma'am! And sorry!" the agent salutes Eliza and quickly dashes away.
"I said it was okay! Yeesh, just because I'm the Supreme Commander, everyone treats me like royalty…just like back home…" Eliza mutters and continues her way to the TND Central Science Lab. This massive facility covers 6 floors of the Science Tower and is the TND's counterpart to the KND's Deep Sea Science Lab. A large set of four elevators run the height of the lab and they are always moving. Eliza boards one of them and goes to the lab's 3rd floor designated as "Special Research", a floor only accessible to those with special clearance. After exiting the elevator and passing a bio-metric scanner, Eliza walks through a sliding door, beyond which is a small lab belonging to the TND's Global Science Chief. "Hello? Numbuh Omicron?"
"Aye, be right there, Supreme Commander." a Scottish voice replies and then, a portly teenage boy wearing a lab coat, brown gloves, large brown sneakers, brown pants, appears from behind an opened door near the back of the lab. He is Kieran MacTavish, TND codename Numbuh Omicron. A former KND operative like everyone else in the TND, he was known as Numbuh 2x4 back then and was one of the KND's most brilliant minds. After turning 13, he served as a technical adviser for the Teen Spies before becoming TND Science Chief. Now, he holds the title of Global Science Chief. "Sorry about that, Numbuh Alpha, I'm knee deep in research so I forgot we had an appointment."
"No worries, Numbuh Omicron. What were you doing in there?"
"I'm trying to figure out how to create portals remotely, without the need of a Portal Disc. Imagine if we could make a portal anywhere we wanted. It would save so much time and resources."
"I'm guessing you've been going through Numbuh 2's old notes if you're working on portals."
"Aye, that's right." Kieran replies as he adjusts the large 2x4 apparatus on his head, which has multiple lenses and a small engine built into it. "Anyway, I've got the pod ready, so whenever you're ready, we can start." Kieran gestures towards the large armored door to his left.
"Let's get it over with." Eliza nods and Kieran opens the door. Inside is a metal and aluminum pod big enough to fit a person. Kieran walks over to the control panel while Eliza climbs inside the pod and lays on her back.
"Commencing body scan." A red laser scans Eliza's body from head to toe, followed by a green and blue laser. Then, a black, hydraulic arm mounted device connects to the pod. A low humming sound is heard as the pod vibrates slightly before the device is removed. "Toxin scan complete. Alright, it's done." Kieran presses a button, and the pod opens.
"*sigh* You'd think after doing this a million times I wouldn't get antsy in there…" Eliza frowns slightly as Kieran gives her the test results. "No traces of S.I.N…."
"Nope. That's what I've been telling you, Numbuh Alpha. Numbuh 1 purged all of it."
"Then why do I keep having hot waves? And why don't I feel anything when I touch something hot? I know there's something wrong with me!"
"I wish I could answer that, but you know as well as I do that Father didn't leave anything we could use to properly examine you at his lab. For all we know, that could just be a permanent after effect." Kieran gestures but Eliza lowers her head and removes her white shades, revealing her Delightfulized, blank, blue eye.
"THIS is a permanent after effect!" she points at her eye angrily. "The Silhouette Suit is still inside me, I just know it! What if…what if it suddenly just appears and takes control of me again?" she wraps her arms around her shoulders as the thought of the Silhouette Suit scares her to her core.
"Calm down, Numbuh Alpha. I understand what you're going through, but yelling isn't going 'ta help. I'll try to come up with a more powerful scanner."
"…sorry…I know you're doing all you can for me…I just…I've got a million things to worry about and this is just making me feel worse."
"Maybe you should take a break, Supreme Commander. You're gonna burn yourself out if ye keep micromanaging everything."
"I'm not microma…ah, whatever. I'm going to read Numbuh Iota-3's intelligence report. Sorry I lost my cool." Eliza puts her shades back on and quickly leaves the lab while Kieran can only shake his head.
"You're not running this organization alone, Numbuh Alpha. Don't forget that."
An hour later, Eliza is sitting in the Supreme Commander's quarters made specifically for her. Resembling a lavish 5-start hotel suite located at the very top of the tallest skyscraper in the Moonbase's teenage extension, it gives her a full view of everything that's happening in the space around the Moonbase. As she lounges on an easy chair, she inserts the data disc into a L.U.N.C.H.B.O.C.K.S. she has on her lap. "Okay, what do you have for me Herbie." The report appears on the screen and Eliza quickly reads through it. "*sigh* the Teen Tornado showed up…I thought he was Erased by the Splinter Cell…how the heck are all these adult and teen villains suddenly popping up…at least they got RT 89 out of there, even though Rachel got a broken rib and a concussion...maybe I should've gone there myself, then she wouldn't have gotten hurt…" Suddenly, Eliza remembers what Kieran said to her and leans back on the chair so her red hair fully covers her eyes. "I'm not micromanaging anyone…I just…don't…want to let everyone down…I need to repent for everything I did…" her voice starts to shake as faint tears appear from under her shades.
…
It's now Thursday evening, second week of the school year. After officially becoming a part of Nigel's group of friends, Wally feels slightly more relaxed at school. He doesn't have to watch over his shoulder every other second, even though Ernest's thugs continue to harass him. Somehow, hanging around with Nigel, Abby, Hoagie and Kuki feels very natural to him but he doesn't know why. Now, after another rather uneventful day at school, Wally is lying on his bed, reading through old comics. When he was forced to move a year ago, his father had rented their house to his twin brother and Wally's uncle, Lou Pottingsworth III, who kept it in pristine condition. Even now, Wally can smell the faint odor of detergent hanging in the air. Then suddenly, Hoagie calls his cellphone. "What's up?"
"Hey Wally, are you free tomorrow after school?" an unusually excited Hoagie asks over the phone.
"Yeah, I guess."
"We were planning on going to The Point tomorrow and we thought if you'd like to join?"
"The Point? What the crud is that?"
"It's a place we hang out." Hoagie's explanation is very vague, but Wally shrugs and put his left hand behind his head.
"Sure, got nothing better to do anyway."
"Great, let's talk more tomorrow." Hoagie quickly hangs up and Wally puts his phone away. He grabs the pile of comics and puts them into a cupboard opposite to his bed but as he tries to close the drawer, a small object wrapped in newspaper falls from the drawer, piquing Wally's interest. A small note is taped to the paper that has the words "Never Forget" written on it. "Huh? Forget what?" After ripping the paper off, he realizes it's a photo album and upon further inspection, Wally notices that the cover reads "V".
"'V'? What the heck?" As he starts going through the pages, he is shocked. He is in every picture but can't remember any of the events depicted in them. Even more distressing is the fact Nigel, Kuki, Abby and Hoagie are also present in the pictures. "The crud is this?" Wally panics and puts the album into his school bag. "I gotta show this to the others!"
…
The boy has a dream: He is sitting in a huge living room with many couches. On those couches with him are four other kids. He can't tell who they are, but he feels at ease with them. It's as if they had been there with him through his whole life.
Friday morning. Wally arrives to the parking and waits for Hoagie's van which parks next to him. "Mornin'."
"Yo. Hey, I'll tell ya more about the Point during lunch, okay?" Hoagie says as the boys load the bike into the van.
"Got it…"
"Something wrong?"
"Nah, it's nothin', I didn't sleep well, that's all."
Morning periods come and go but Wally is troubled. The photo album in his bag nags him, but he can't bring himself to showing it to the others, not sure how they'd react to it. As he walks to the cafeteria, Kuki waves from a table near the back. He orders the same sandwich and sits opposite to her. "Look! We got lucky! People always want this table because it's right next to the window." Kuki says with a smile as Wally fidgets slightly.
"Right…"
"Hmm, is everything okay?"
"Yeah, it's fine, just tired…"
"Are you still jetlagged?"
"No, that's not it…"
"Hmm…" Kuki looks at Wally with a worried expression. "You can always tell me if something's troubling you. That's what friends are for right?" Kuki's gesture surprises Wally, who hesitates and then, lifts his head.
"…Fine. I think I have memory loss or something…"
"Huh?"
"All the memories I had before I moved to Australia 1 year ago are gone. I know I lived here, in this town, in that house since I was 3, but nothing else." Then, Kuki's eye light up and she leans forward over the table.
"You too?" her brown eyes stare at Wally, who jumps up in surprise.
"What?!"
"Yeah. You see, I can't remember anything before my last summer. I know I had birthday parties, but I don't who gave me the gifts. I remember being on the beach, but I don't know who was with me." her revelation puts Wally at ease slightly but before they can continue, Abby and an ashamed Hoagie approach the table with treys in hand.
"Let's talk about this some other time." Wally whispers to Kuki, nods back enthusiastically.
"Okidoki!"
"Heh, you guys actually got the best one in the house. You know hard it is to get this table?"
"She found it." Wally points at Kuki, who giggles slightly. "What took you guys so long?"
"Hoagie's pants go stuck in his locker and the key broke." Abby says casually as Hoagie shakes his head in shame.
"I've never been so humiliated." he slumps down on a chair next to Wally while Abby sits next to Kuki.
"So, Hoagie told me that you're going with us to the Point today?"
"What, really? Yay!" Kuki's eyes widen in excitement as Wally scratches the back of his neck.
"Yeah, but what the heck is that place?"
"Uhm…that's kinda hard to explain. We go there to have fun on weekends." Kuki says but this only makes Wally more confused.
"Right…"
"You'll see. Trust me, it's a great place." Hoagie says as he stuffs curry into his mouth.
"Yea! It's fun!" Kuki says enthusiastically as Wally shrugs and starts to make his way towards the exit.
"I'll pick you up at 17:00!" Hoagie yells after him and Wally gestures back.
"With my bike."
"With your bike." Hoagie gives him a thumbs up but as Wally leaves the cafeteria, the others huddle together.
"It's kind of ya to invite him but are they gonna let him in?" Abby says to Hoagie who puts up his hands.
"Don't ask me! Even I don't know how they decide who goes in and who doesn't." his answer doesn't convince Abby, who lifts an eyebrow as she finishes her lunch.
"And what if they don't?"
"Then…we'll figure out something else. Look, leaving him out of it doesn't feel right. I'm sure Nigel would agree with me on this." Hoagie insists while Abby leans back on her chair and looks at the cafeteria exit.
"Well…let's hope yer right."
…
As the clock hits five, Wally is lying in his bed when he hears the sound of a van stop by his house. "Wallabee, your friend's here!"
"Comin' mom!" As he jumps out of his bed, he sees his backpack lying next to the door. After a bit of hesitation, he takes it and runs downstairs. Outside, Hoagie has already opened the rear doors and lowered the ramp when Wally exits the garage with his bike. Then, with the bike loaded on to the van, they set off. "So, where is this place?"
"Close to the suburbs. It's only open during evenings." Hoagie replies as they drive towards the silent suburbs.
"Hey, this better not be a bar. You know we're underage right?"
"Hah, no it's not a bar."
"And who's going there with us?"
"Well, you and me, the girls, Nigel. Rachel, Patton and Fanny were supposed to come to but something came up and they had to cancel."
"Right…" Wally rolls his eyes as Hoagie drives van through the suburbs, past a field and under a highway bridge. Then, the road becomes single lane as a dense pine forest looms over both sides, forcing Hoagie to put on the van's high beams. "How far is this place anyway?"
"Not far. Just up this hill." The road undulates slightly until finally, they reach a building that resembles an old, disused gas station. Abby's car is already parked there. The girls and Nigel are already waiting next to the door, guarded by a porter in his mid-20's.
"This looks like a cruddy dump." Wally says skeptically as they join up with the others.
"Oh no, this place is more than meets the eye." Hoagie says while humming a tune. Wally huffs and notices that the others have changed their looks slightly: Abby has her hair in a loose ponytail and instead of a blue and white top, she has a blue t-shirt on. Nigel is wearing a red turtleneck and has sneakers instead of the black shoes. Finally, Kuki wears black shoes, black tights, a purple skirt, a long-sleeved purple blouse with a black belt going around her abdomen but retains her ponytail and scrunchie. "Hellooo ladies. You're lookin' fine tonight." Hoagie winks and points at Kuki and Abby with finger pistols.
"*giggle* Thanks, Hoagie." Kuki smiles at the compliment but Abby is not impressed.
"Wow, ease up on the moves Romeo." she says with her arms crossed.
"Oh come on, it a was compliment."
"Whatever. Let's get a move on before the band starts playin'."
"What the crud was that all about?"
"Don't mind him. Hoagie gets excited every time we come here." Nigel replies as the teens line-up in-front of the door and the porter lets them in one by one. However, when it's Wally's turn to go, the porter stops him.
"Hey?! What's the big idea?"
"Wait. What's your name?" the porter says sternly.
"Wallabee Beetles." Wally grumbles and he can see the others waiting inside, their gazes fixated on him. He then looks at the porter again who presses his right index figure against an ear-piece in his right ear.
"This is the moment of truth…" Hoagie whispers while the others look on, waiting anxiously.
"Beetles huh…alright, you're on the list. Go on in."
"Wha…what list? What kinda freaky place is this?!" Wally shouts but then he sees his friends smiling, followed by Hoagie and Kuki dragging him inside.
"Hey, what are you standing around for? Let's go."
"Yeah, this is gonna be fun!" they say to Wally, who is getting more confused by the second.
"Where the heck are ya taking me?!" he keeps shouting but the others just laugh.
"Trust me, you're gonna love it." The porter closes the door behind them, and another door opens next to the empty counter. Behind the door is a long staircase going down into the basement, but it seems to go much deeper than one would expect. At the bottom is a third, reinforced door with a small speaker and microphone that comes to life when everyone arrives to it.
"Leave this to me. Hey, a table for five." Hoagie steps forward and talks to the door.
A gruff voice answers him. "Well, well, Gilligan. Looks like you brought the whole gang here. Wait, that's a new face."
"Heh, he was on the list."
"Right. Come on in." The door slides open and Hoagie leads everyone inside.
Wally's jaw drops at the sight before him: They have arrived in to a massive underground room with a row of booths running along the south and western walls. In the north-western corner is a bar counter and covering the north-east and the eastern wall is a stage while in the middle is a slightly recessed dance floor lined with rails. Between the stage and the counter in the northern end is an open door that leads to a T-shaped corridor with many doors running along both sides while the lighting is dark with a tint of green. "Whoah…"
"Heh, surprised? We started coming here a year ago. Abby heard about it from a friend, and she dragged us here. We come here once in a while to hang out." Hoagie says as the group sit down in a U-shaped booth in order: Nigel sits in the middle with Hoagie and Wally to his right and Abby and Kuki to his left. Wally looks around and notices there aren't a lot of people in the room with them but those present seem to be enjoying themselves.
"So, is anyone gonna tell me what's going on here?!"
"I can answer that question." A curly haired, African American young man with a noticeable burn scar on his left cheek and wearing a baristas outfit, approaches the table.
His presence makes Abby noticeably excited. "Maurice!" she stands up and runs to hug the boy, causing Hoagie to twitch slightly. She then brings him to the table, but he does not sit down.
"How you all doin'?" the young man called Maurice asks the teenagers.
"Good evening, Maurice."
"Hiii!"
"Hi…" Hoagie says with his shoulders hunched down.
"Looks like you brought someone new with ya." Maurice makes eye contact with Wally and they shake hands. "The name's Maurice."
"Wallabee Beetles. Wally's fine."
"Gotcha. Did this place surprise ya?"
"A cruddy lot." Wally replies bluntly, amusing Maurice.
"Hahaa, well don't worry. The Point is a hangout place for the city's teenagers. All the money we make here goes to support teenagers and young adults around the world if that makes sense to ya. Anyway, if you need anything, come to the counter." Maurice salutes the group and walks away but this only causes Wally to ask more questions.
"Who the heck was that guy?"
"Him and Abby go way back. Maurice used to date my sister but then they had a nasty breakup or somethin'. We keep in touch."
"Right…"
Suddenly Hoagie stands up. "I'm gonna get something to drink, You guys want anything?"
"Get me soda with extra lemon.
"Apple soda!"
"I'll have a cherry soda."
"Water." Wally's choice surprises the others.
"Water? Boy, nobody drinks water here."
"Not feelin' like havin' anythin' else." Wally mutters as he remembers what is in his backpack.
"O…kay. Well, I'll go to the counter then."
As Hoagie leaves, Kuki and Abby head to the dancefloor. "Come on, the band's gonna start playin'."
Now only Nigel and Wally remain at the booth. "Is everything alright? You seem a bit out of it."
"What? Nah, I'm fine…" Wally says, but the photo album is the only thing in his mind.
"Your expression tells otherwise. You know you can just say it if you don't like being here. Hoagie really wanted to bring you…"
"I said I'm fine! It's not about this place…Sorry." Wally snaps at Nigel before slumping backwards.
"It's alright." The boys sit and watch as Kuki and Abby are in-front of the stage, listening to the band while Hoagie argues with Maurice at the counter.
"What heck is he doing over there?"
"Ah, well he must be trying to barter with Maurice. Hoagie always prides himself with having a great business eye."
"Heh, right." Soon enough, Hoagie returns to the booth with a trey full of drinks, including a pint full of root beer.
"I can't believe that guy. He's merciless with those prices."
"Be glad we're allowed to drink soda in here. The laws are pretty strict about soda." Nigel says while drinking his cherry soda.
"Yeah, I know but still. Where did the girls go?" Wally silently points at the dance floor.
"Oh right. Well anyway, these are on me. I got a good deal for fixing my uncle's washing machine the other day." Hoagie starts downing his root beer but as he notices the girls approaching, he turns towards Wally. "By the way, I wanted to ask you before but, have you ever had a girlfriend?" His question makes Wally almost choke on his water.
"Guh…*cough*…WHAT?! Why do you wanna know?"
"Come on, you can tell us." Hoagie says with a grin as Wally sighs and lowers his head.
"…fine. Never have. The scar doesn't help either."
"Yeah, that scar is pretty metal. Where did ya get it?"
"Dunno. Dad says I just came late home one day with this in my face." Wally points at the scar but then out of nowhere, Nigel has a visible twitch as he looks at it.
"Dude, you okay?" Hoagie nudges Nigel, who shakes his head and for a split second, his eyes seem as big as saucers before he gathers himself.
"Ah don't worry, it was nothing."
"Hey, looks like our drinks are here." Abby says as the girls return to the booth.
"You guys better appreciate this. I paid for them."
"Of course, we do, baby." Abby taps Hoagie on the cheek before taking a long sip.
As the others start talking with each other, Wally looks away, glancing at the backpack next to his seat. After a while it becomes apparent to the others that something isn't right with him.
"Hey man, you keep spacing out. Is something wrong?"
"Yeah, if ya got somethin' to say, speak up."
"…"
"Wally?"
"*sigh*…Okay, I need to come clean with you guys."
Wally lifts the backpack from under the table and pulls out the album before putting it on to the table. Everyone notices the label on the cover that reads "V". "An album? Why did you bring this here?" Hoagie says, having finished his pint.
Wally then goes to explain what he told Kuki earlier, about his amnesia, which puzzles the others. "That's really odd…You see, I've had that same problem as well." Nigel says while Abby nods in agreement.
"Yeah, Abby's memories are a mess too."
"You too? Weird, I don't remember anything from my elementary and middle school years, At least, nothing solid. They're all blurred." Hoagie says as Wally feels relieved.
"*sigh*, I thought I was goin' mad." his reaction causes the others to laugh slightly, but then Nigel's expression becomes serious.
"It is quite peculiar that all five of us have no memories between the ages of 6 and 15."
"Yeah, but what's the album got to do with this?" Hoagie asks, prompting Wally to offer the album to him.
"See fer yourself." Hoagie lifts an eyebrow and then opens it but as he does so, his face turns pale.
"Hey, what's with that face?" Abby leans over the table as Hoagie starts stuttering.
"Why…why am I here? Wha…why are there pictures of me in Wally's photo album?!" he points at the pages in shock.
"What? Lemme see that…you're right, it is you. And that's me!"
"Hey I'm there too! I used to wear that sweater all the time!" Kuki leans over the table and points at a picture of her smiling while holding a purple Rainbow Monkey.
"That is unmistakably me when I was ten. I still have that turtleneck somewhere…" Nigel crosses his arms and then looks at his friends. "I think we should discuss this somewhere private. It's wise to look any further into this here. We'll just make a scene if we stay here."
"Aww, but the band's going play my favorite song!"
"This has become a more serious matter than we thought, Kuki. We should leave immediately." Nigel stands up, followed by the others but as they leave the room, Maurice contacts someone with his smartphone.
"Yeah, it's me. Did you catch what they talked about? Huh? He had a…okay, I get it. No, don't interfere with 'em. This is Numbuh Epsilon's responsibility anyway. Let her know about this as soon as ya can. Right, Numbuh Sigma out." Maurice hangs up and looks on silently as the doors close. "So that's what she did…clever girl."
…
Outside, at the parking lot, the teens gather next to Hoagie's van. "So, what are ya plannin', Nigel?"
"Well Abby, I think we should investigate this. If Wally already has one, then it would make sense that the four of us should have something similar. I suggest we each go to our homes and see if we can find anything. After that, let's meet and discuss this further."
"Oh, oh, sleepover!" Kuki says excitedly while jumping up and down.
"Yeah, but where?" Hoagie asks, prompting Abby to smirk and point at him.
"At your place."
"Why my place?"
"Cuz, Kuki's parents aren't gonna let us use their guest room, so that makes your place best choice."
"Good point Abby, Hoagie's basement has enough room for all of us. Right then, we'll split up in pairs: Hoagie and I will check my house and then we'll go to his home. You girls should do the same on your end."
"Aww, I wanted to ride in Wally's motorcycle…"
"NO!" Wally shouts on reflex, much to Abby's amusement
"There's yer answer." she nudges Kuki while Wally puts on his motorcycle jacket.
"I guess I'll go home and pick up some stuff…"
"You know where Hoagie lives?"
"Uh…no…"
"Then stick with me and Kuki. Besides, Abby lives closer to your house, so we can meet up on the way."
"Oh, okay."
"Sounds like a plan. Let's get this show on the road." Nigel puts up his fist ceremoniously.
"Man, when he gets this much into it, he sounds like a military officer giving orders." Hoagie chuckles as Abby smirks back at him.
"Heh, ya got that right."
10 minutes later, Hoagie and Nigel arrive at the Uno residence as the clock hits 19:00. While Hoagie stays in the van, Nigel jumps out and runs inside where his father, Monty Uno is sitting in the living room, doing a crossword puzzle. "Ah, Nigel old bean, you're back already." he greets his son while Nigel takes off his shoes.
"Just for a moment Dad. I'll be spending the night at Hoagie's place."
"Ah, well have fun. Why not take the sousaphone with you? A good sleepover should always have some live music, 'ey?"
"Maybe some other time. Oh yeah, where do we keep our old photographs?"
"Hmm…Ah, they must in the attic though I do remember you putting some in your safe a few years back."
"The safe…of course! Thanks Dad!"
"Glad I could be of help, son." Nigel runs up to his room and a few minutes later, he runs back downstairs with a backpack, leaves the house and climbs back into the van. But as they drive through the suburbs, Hoagie notices Nigel's serious expression.
"Any luck?"
"Yes…let's hurry!"
"Well, you better buckle up, cuz this baby's gonna go 90!" a manic smile appears on Hoagie's face.
"90? But thought you said this van can only do sixtyyyyyyy…" Nigel is pushed against his seat as Hoagie suddenly accelerates and speeds through the streets.
Finally, the boys reach Hoagie's house, where Wally's bike and Abby's car are already parked. After he drives the van into the garage, the teens gather in-front of the front door. "So, did you find anything?" Nigel asks the girls, who both nod.
"Sure did."
"Yup."
"Right, then that leaves only Hoagie."
"Well, I gotta tell mom first. Then I'll let you guys go to the basement." Hoagie leads everyone inside and goes to talk to his mother, Betty Gilligan, who is watching TV. "Hi mom, uhm…my friends are coming over for the night. Is that okay?" Betty stares at her son for a second but then smiles happily.
"But of course, Hoagie. They'll sleep in the basement, right?"
"Yeah, that was the plan."
"Alright, just remember not to make too much noise down there and don't stay up late."
"Aw come on, tomorrow's Saturday. We'll be fine."
"*chuckle* Fine then. Enjoy yourselves."
"Thanks mom." Hoagie lets the others in.
"Good evening Mrs. Gilligan. I hope we won't be too much trouble."
"Not at all." While Hoagie climbs the stairs to his room, the others go to the opposite direction. As they enter the basement, Wally's jaw drops again. The room has two large sofas, many beanbags and a massive plasma screen, 4K TV hanging on the back wall. Below the TV is a table with old and new video game consoles.
"Crikey, this is a pretty swanky basement…"
"Cool ain't it? All four of us helped decoratin' it. Abby brought the TV."
"I brought the beanbags!"
"And I brought the sofas. Everything is secondhand of course."
"The beanbags aren't!"
"Yeah, ya bought so many Abby had to take some to her home." Abby smirks as she and Kuki lay down on the beanbags while Nigel sits on a sofa. Wally, however, stays standing in the doorway.
"Wally come on, sit down!" Kuki says enthusiastically.
"Oh right…" But before Wally can do so, Hoagie arrives with a small parcel in his hands.
"Heh, looks like you guys are already making yourselves at home." He says as he sits down on a beanbag.
"Did ya find anything?"
"Yeah, but it was wrapped in newspaper, and it had this small note saying 'Never forget'."
"Abby had hers in a drawer in her nightstand with the same note."
"Mine was under my bed in a box. I wonder why I never took it out…"
"And mine was in a locked safe. I somehow remembered the password." Nigel then instructs everyone to form a circle with the beanbags and asks Wally to put his album into the middle. The others do the same, but they immediately notice something.
"Wait a minute! Why do you guys have the same album as me?"
"That's really freaky…They're all the same type and have the same manufacturer. I bet they were bought from the same store too…" Hoagie scratches the back of his head.
"They have the same name too: 'V'. What does that mean?" Kuki asks.
"It's the Roman numeral for five and there's five of us…" Nigel picks up his album and begins to go through the pictures. Kuki, Abby and Hoagie do the same while Wally keeps his shut.
"Hey, I saw this in Wally's book!" Hoagie points at picture where he and Wally are sword fighting with cardboard rolls.
"That ain't right…No way, that's same picture as mine." As they study the albums, they realize that all five have the same pictures in the same places and the same amount as well. An eerie silence falls in the basement.
"Dude, this is some conspiracy level stuff…"
"It's as if these albums were created to recall something…"
"Yeah, but why?" Abby adds.
"This is super spooky…" Kuki then notices Wally fiddling with his album. "Uhm, Wally, what are you doing?"
"There's somethin' in the back cover...come on, get out you stupid…" he manages to pull out a small envelope from a small pocket glued into the back cover.
"What'cha find?"
"An envelope and a note…" Nigel's lift's an eyebrow.
"Now that looks suspicious. What does it say?"
"Uhm… 'Wally, you weren't present when we made these so we wrote this for you instead. Don't lose your ferocity and toughness. You where the bravest of us but now, you were the first one to go. We hope to see you again someday, because without you, it's not the same. You don't know us when we meet and we won't know you either but we will always be friends.'"
"Wow…that was kinda touching…" Hoagie blows his nose while the others are also bewildered by the note's contents.
"PS…WHAT THE CRUD?!" Wally's face flares up red and for a split second, he looks at Kuki before he stands up.
"What, tell us the rest." Hoagie asks but Wally quickly stuffs the note into his pocket.
"NO WAY!" Kuki also stands up and tries to take a look.
"Let me see."
"I SAID NO!"
"Aw come on!" As Kuki and Wally argue, Nigel finds the same pocket in his album.
"Look! I have one too." he waves a white envelope to the others. This prompts Kuki, Abby and Hoagie to search their album's back covers and sure enough, they all have the same envelope. Nigel opens his first. "Let's see…"
"Hey Nigel, even though you've forgotten that these events ever happened, we hope that by reading this, you'll at least understand. As our leader, you were the best. Your iron will kept us going when all hope was lost. We hope that you'll remain a great leader when we meet again. PS…HUH?!" As with Wally, Nigel's face also turns red.
"Lemme guess, there was something private in there?" Abby smirks.
"…private…information…" Nigel stutters and folds the note in his vest's breast pocket.
"Okay my turn: "Hoagie, your memories are gone but this album should at shed some light into your past. You where the mechanical genius who could turn junk in to anything. We hope that you continue to invent new things and tell us jokes when we meet again. PS…WHOAH, WHOAH, WHOAH!" Hoagie springs up, his goggles fog up and he has a silly smile on his face.
"Boy stop doin' that face, yer creepin' me out." Abby's demands go on deaf ears as he remains in a complete trance. "Guess it's my turn…"Abby huffs and opens her envelope.
"Abby, you won't remember anything that happened in your childhood. You valued those memories more than the rest of us. You where the cool big sister to us. You kept us in in-line but you were also the most fun to be with and we admired you for that. When we meet again, stay as the same cool Abby we knew. PS…WAIT A MINUTE, WHAT DID I JUST…?!" Like the guys before, her face also glows red and she pulls down her cap to cover her embarrassment. "Aw man…that's just…." Abby mumbles and shakes her head.
Kuki becomes irritated by everyone not finishing their letters. She stands up and opens hers.
"You guys are such scaredy cats! Here, I'll read mine fully: "Kuki, you didn't want to lose these precious memories, but you had no choice. Your friends where the most important thing to you. You made us all smile with our ever-happy personality, and you nursed us when we hurt ourselves. Please remain… *sob*… cheerful and never lose that smile…PS…" The others stare at her in silence as she remains still.
"Uhm…Kuki?" Suddenly, Kuki's face flares up and she faints on a beanbag. Then, Nigel recovers his composure and puts the note back into the envelope.
"Well…in-light of this…I believe we should all agree that the remaining contents of the notes should be kept…private."
"Agreed!"
"Yeah, absolutely!"
"…Sure…" Hoagie still has a funny grin on his face.
"Snap out of it Goggle boy! We gotta wake up Kuki!" Abby hits Hoagie with her cap while Nigel and Wally chuckle slightly. But the atmosphere in Hoagie's basement has become tense. Everyone is struggling with the knowledge they've learned through the albums. As Nigel sits back down on sofa, the closed album in his hands, Abby tries to wake up Kuki who collapsed after reading her note while Hoagie and Wally both are dumbstruck by the notes. "Argh, that's it! Hoagie, don't ya have any snacks in this place?!"
"Huh? Oh right!" Hoagie puts the note back into the envelope and begins pushing one of the sofa's, behind which, is a small door. He hunkers down in-front of it and pulls out two grocery bags full of chips. "Ta-daa! I always have some snacks ready in my secret stash for emergencies."
"They better not be past their date." Abby stands up and takes the other bag.
"Don't worry, they're not. I bought them this week." Hoagie pushes the sofa back to its place and sits down opposite to Nigel, with Wally joining them too. while Abby sits down next to the unconscious Kuki and nudges her.
"Come on girl, wake-up. Hoagie brought snacks." As if by command, Kuki springs back to life.
"Snacks? Yay! I was starving." she smiles and opens a bag of churros. Everyone begins to eat in silence but the only thing in their mind are the notes, the albums and what their purpose is. Then, Wally notices Hoagie reading his album and snickering.
"What's with you?"
"Heh-hee, these pictures are really funny. Look at this!" Hoagie turns the album towards the other two and they stare at the picture.
"Uhm…is that Wally…dressed as a…cat with a flowerpot on his head?" Nigel covers his mouth, unable to stop himself from also snickering.
"What?! Lemme see." Wally grabs his own album and to his horror, he finds the picture. "What the crud?!" he shouts in disbelief as Nigel and Hoagie erupt in laughter. "Hey, it's not funny!" Wally shouts but the boys laugh even louder, attracting the girl's attention as well.
"What are ya hyeena's makin' such a racket for?"
"Hey, check out Mr. Huggikins!" Hoagie shows the picture to the girls as he and Nigel howl even louder. Likewise, Abby immediately starts laughing as Kuki giggles.
"Bahaa, he's havin' a tea party!"
"Aw, you look so cute." Kuki says to Wally, but he is not amused.
"Will you guys stop with the laughing?!"
"But this is pure gold!" Hoagie laughs so hard he collapses on to the floor while Nigel has to remove his sunglasses to wipe his tears.
Glaring the others, Wally grumbles and opens his album to get revenge. "Hey, why don't ya laugh at this!" he shows everyone the picture of someone's naked behind, causing the laughing to stop.
"Why's there a picture of a naked butt in there?" Hoagie says as he wipes his fogged-up goggles. However, Nigel does recognize the butt in question and turns his gaze away, but Abby notices this.
"Aww, I think Nigel knows whose butt that is…" she says slyly and leans towards Nigel who keeps looking away.
"Ho…how would I know?"
"Wait, then…that's Nigel's butt! HAHAHAHAHA!" Wally bursts out laughing while Hoagie starts rolling on the floor, holding stomach while Kuki also joins in the laughter, but Abby has a tough time holding her own laugh.
"Don't worry Nigel…your butt ain't that big…BAHAHAH!"
"To think…whoever made these…put a photo of Nigel's butt in here!" Hoagie kicks the air while Wally is leaning against the basement wall.
Nigel glares at the others and pulls out his album. "I'll show you…Ahaa. Can you guess who the one with the glasses and braces is?!" he shows the others a school photo of Abby in sixth grade, wearing a kerchief over her head, glasses with massive lenses and braces on her teeth.
"Wait a minute, there's no way Abby looked like that!" she shouts as the others start snickering again.
"Man, that is so not you! Those braces are huge!" Hoagie gasps as Kuki eyes the picture.
"I didn't know you wore glasses."
"Abby only uses 'em for studying! Aw man…" she yells while covering her face under her hat.
"BAHAHAA!" Hoagie rolls on the floor yet again. Seeing this, Abby takes her album and starts looking for a picture.
"Oh it's on now…" For the next hour, the five teens try to one-up each other by finding more and more embarrassing pictures but as the evening goes on, the laughing winds down. They become more curious about the pictures. As everyone is sitting on the two sofas, Hoagie points out how everyone has changed.
"Man, we looked so different back then. Wally was super short and…I was fat. You were bald already though, Nigel." Hoagie says while Nigel nods silently as Abby scrolls through her album.
"Yeah, but Abby still doesn't understand why we can't remember any of this."
"That's the thing that puzzles me the most. We are clearly in the pictures, but we don't know the story behind them. For example: this picture is taken at the beach, there's Hoagie in the left corner and there is Wally but…uhm…why is Kuki wearing a wedding dress?"
"EEEHH?!" Kuki shrieks as her face turns red and she buries it into her hands while Wally becomes irritated.
"Why do you have to start this again?!"
"Hah-hah, man, is it me or is Wally blushing in that picture?" Hoagie points at the picture, causing Abby to look slyly at Wally.
"Yeah, no wonder she said ya looked familiar."
"Who gives a crud! I don't remember any of that!"
"No, listen, this is exactly what I'm talking about. We don't know why she's wearing it or why you guys are at the beach. We can't recall any of this."
"But why is it just the memories between 6 and 15-16? That's a pretty specific gap in our memories." Hoagie says as he rolls up an empty bag of nachos.
"Something must have happened to us in our last year of middle school. Some sort of an accident? But then our parents would surely know about it." Nigel crosses his hands as the room falls into silence until Hoagie again breaks the ice.
"But hey, at least we're together again, all five of us now that Wally's back."
"Honestly, I was prepared to spend my time by myself again if you guys hadn't shown up."
"Heh, you almost caused me and Abby to crash on the first day. Man, she was super pissed you know? Shook her fist and anything. Said she was going to give you a smack in the head." Hoagie grins as Abby gives him a dead elbow. "Ow!"
"Boy, why you gotta bring that up now? Yeah, Abby was pissed, but only cuz ya were drivin' like a maniac AND she didn't know ya yet."
"Oi, it wasn't my fault you were driving on the opposite cruddy lane!" The room fills up with laughter but then, Kuki starts to tear up.
"Huh? Hey Kuki, what's the matter?" Abby goes to her friends side and puts her hand on Kuki's shoulder.
"It's just…*sob*…I'm…so happy. I thought…I had no friends when I was little but now…I'm really glad I met you guys, even if I don't remember anything…" she say with a shaky while Abby comforts her.
Then Nigel stands up and extends his right forwards. "This might sound corny, but I'd like to propose a pact." The others stand up and puts their hands on-top of Nigel's hand, even Wally, who hasn't really accepted himself into the group yet. "Let's all promise that from now on, we'll remain friends for the rest of our lives, no matter what."
"I'm cool with that." Hoagie adjusts his goggles with his left hand.
"Sure..." Wally nods hesitantly.
"You know Abby's in."
"And me!"
After a moment of silence, they sit back down, and Hoagie lets out a loud yawn. "Aww man, what time is it?"
"Hmm…oh it's half past one. Well, looks like we had so much fun we forgot the time completely."
"Abby says we hit zzz's."
"Good idea." Hoagie gets up and walks towards the door.
"You gonna sleep in your own bed?"
"Nah, I think I'll sleep here. Can you guys open that other sofa? I'll go get some pillows and blankets."
"I'll come with you!" Kuki says and the two head upstairs while Nigel and Wally open the right-hand sofa into a bed.
"Man, Abby forgot how big this thing was."
"Indeed. I think it's big enough for three people." Then, Kuki and Hoagie return with five blankets and five pillows.
"So, who wants to sleep on the sofa?"
"I think I'll sleep on the un-opened one Hoagie." Nigel says as he removes his turtleneck, revealing a black t-shirt underneath.
"Abby's fine with the sofa."
"Nah, I'll pass." Wally as he grabs three bean bags and makes a mound from them. He then throws the pillow on top of them and takes off his orange hoodie, causing everyone's attention to be drawn to the burn scars in his arms and back of the neck.
"Dude, more scars?"
"Yeah, Dad says a charcoal grill fell on me back in middle school. I don't remember anything about it." He replies nonchalantly but Kuki keeps staring at him as he collapses face first into the pile of beanbags, falling asleep almost instantly.
"Kuki, what are ya standin' there for? Let's go brush our teeth,"
"Oh…sorry." Kuki replies silently and follows Abby upstairs. Then, after 10 minutes, the girls come back to the basement, with Kuki having changed into her light purple pajamas and Abby has put on shorts and a different t-shirt. Immediately, Kuki also makes a mound from the beanbags and lays down on her side, but her gaze is still fixated on Wally. Abby meanwhile let's out a sigh and sees Hoagie standing next to the other sofa.
"Uhm…looks like I'll have to sleep on the sofa too…"
"Yeah, just a sec." Abby grabs the left-over pillows from the sofa and makes a wall into the middle of the open sofa. "You cross that line you're dead." she gives Hoagie a cold glare.
"Ah…yes Ma'am." Hoagie stutters and lies down on the right side of the sofa while Abby lies down on the left and puts silicone earbuds into her ears.
"Good night, everyone." Nigel says as he flips the light switch above his sofa. As darkness falls, everyone has the same dream: Five people sitting in a living room in-front a large TV. They are all in their pajamas but cannot recognize each other. However, they feel happy sitting there, without a worry in the world.
The sun shines through the tiny basement windows, it's blinding light wakes up Wally but as he tries to get up, he smells the faint scent of perfume. His eyes move downwards and at first, he only sees black hair, then a whole head pressed against his chest and a bone-crushing force around his abdomen. His eyes widen as he realizes what is happening and he lets out a loud scream. "YAAAAAAAAA! GET OFF!" Wally's shouting wakes up Hoagie, Nigel and even Abby.
"Boy, why do ya hafta yell the first thing in the…Oh…" Abby begins to snicker along with the two boys.
"Man, you are one lucky guy…AHAHAHA!"
"Stop laughing and help me!" Wally gestures to his friends but to no avail.
"No…I don't think the three of us are going to be of any help…" Nigel tries to stop himself from laughing.
"Yeah…how could we possibly do anything to Sleepin' Beauty over there!" Abby pulls out her phone and snaps a picture, frustrating Wally even more.
"It's not FUNNY! Come on, let go you stupid…" Wally tries to stand up but the one holding onto him is none other than Kuki, who somehow snuck into his pile of beanbags during the night and is still sound asleep.
"…three more minutes…"
"Will ya wake up already, you stupid girl! LET GO!" The combined sound of Wally's shouting and the other's howling laughter finally manages to wake her up.
As her eyes open, she smiles sheepishly. "Oh, good morning Wally…EEHHHHHH!" she realizes what she is doing and immediately let's go, allowing Wally to stand up. He then grabs his hoodie and begins marching upstairs while mumbling to himself.
"Stupid cruddy airhead…stupid…" he slams the door behind him leaving Kuki dumbfounded.
"What was I doing in Wally's bed?"
"Don't worry girl, I've gotta feeling this ain't the first time this happened."
"Yeah, that was really nostalgic."
"You said it Hoagie."
End of Transmission 5
Note: Nothing like a little Sector V bonding to brighten the day (and move the story along). Here's a brief progress update: I've rewritten everything up to chapter 10 and soon the first story arc will be complete as well. I'll also start making more concept art for Beyond once I get some free time. It's pretty hectic at uni right now.