Songs used:
-Chad vs Chuckie: "Panther" (Arrangement Cover 2022) by Otera
Transmission 13: What I was, What I am
As the setting sun slowly peeks from under the rainclouds, Chad walks silently through the suburbs. He had left the Cleve base after storming out of Rachel's quarters, but he is not angry at her, since his mind has been occupied by other thoughts. While at the Moonbase, he learned about his parents, Adult Super Villains Destructo-Dad and Mega-Mom.
To his shock and disbelief, while he been away with the GKND, both of them were Erased by the Splinter Cell and now they are kept in a hospital, both suffering from retrograde amnesia, like every Erasure victim, leaving Chad with essentially no close relatives in Cleve. During his time in the GKND, he had gotten used to living without any adults but the news about his parents have left him devastated and furious. They too were victims of the GKND's schemes and there is nothing he can do about it, not until S-26's disc is deciphered.
"I guess I really don't have anywhere left to go here…" Chad thinks as he stops at an intersection just as a small red Mini slows down to let him cross the street but as he does so, Chad's eyes are drawn towards the red car, and he gets a glimpse of the driver. "No…no way…" his face turns pale as the puzzled driver looks back him, but Chad quickly walks away and disappears behind a corner. Leaning against the wooden fence nearby, Chad can't believe his eyes. "Nu…Numbuh 1…" he thinks and peeks into the intersection, but the red Mini has already gone. "That's right…you don't have your memories either…" He clenches his fists and then continues on his way, towards a minimart near the edge of the suburbs. The rain has stopped but the frigid wind hasn't and Chad stuffs his hand into his red and white jacket's pockets to keep them warm. However, he is being watched by a sharp pair of eyes.
"This is Numbuh Chi-4 to base. Target hasn't made contact yet." an invisible teenager speaks to his wristwatch. "But he is being followed. The local cell has definitely noticed him."
Hunching his head down slightly, Chad wanders into the minimart and buy's a bottle of soda, which makes him feel nostalgic. "Hmph, tastes better in gravity, that's for sure." he smiles slightly as he takes a good sip. After emptying the bottle, he moves on, towards Cleve's center when suddenly, he sees a single teenager standing in a street corner. He is wearing a similar red and white college jacket, his brown hair is in a slight pompadour and his light blue eyes are faintly squinting at Chad, who's expression turns serious. "That's…" Chad thinks but ignores the teenager and walks past him.
"Chad Dickson." the teenager says and eyes Chad, who stops and looks over his shoulder.
"Hmm? What do you want?" Chad replies bluntly as the teenager smirks and walks up to him.
"Hey, is that any way to talk to your old pal? I heard you were back in town."
"Do I know you?" Chad glares at the teenager, isn't intimidated at all.
"Aw come on, did you really forget me? Chuckie Cavallaro, your old teammate." Chad continues to glare at the teenager but then, a smile appears on his face.
"No way, it is you, Chuckie! Sorry, man, I didn't recognize ya. Come on, gimme five!" the teenagers share a laugh and Chuckie puts his arm over Chad's shoulders.
"Man, it's been too long buddy! We figured you only left for that exchange program for a year."
"Yeah well, I decided to stay longer." Chad replies sheepishly as Chuckie gestures with his left hand.
"You didn't join the Ninjas there though. What's up, did ya quit or something?"
"Ah…no…I was just ordered to stay undercover, that's all."
"Then why didn't you come back, man? We lost The Steve and then those TND creeps showed up, Cree quit and Father brainwashed us."
"I was Delightfulized too! I couldn't do anything about it." Chad lies convincingly.
"Really? Damn, so was I. But it's great to have you back, dude. We could use your help to get back at those Teens Next Door punks. They've kicked us out of McClintock and Hendrie, so we gotta hide outside the city now."
"That so…" Chad crosses his arms as Chuckie points at a parked car nearby.
"Come on, let's catch up more at the Hideout. Those TNDorks could be spying on us right now."
"…okay. Let's go." Chad nods and follows Chuckie into the car under a pair of watchful eyes.
"He's made contact. Handing tracking over to Numbuh 6 and pulling back. Numbuh Chi-4 out."
After a 10 minute drive, Chad and Chuckie reach the western outskirts of Cleve and the car stops at another minimart. "So how did you know that I was back?"
"The Recon guys intercepted a TND message about you being here. I'm the leader of this Hideout so I wanted to check if it was true. Man, we've missed you." Chuckie nudges Chad with his shoulder as they enter the minimart.
"Welcome to the Kids are Brats Minimart!" the teenage cashier salutes Chuckie, who salutes back.
"Call the elevator, I'm bringing a special guest today."
"Special?" the cashier notices Chad and freezes from shock. "No…no way…you're Chad Dickson!"
"In the flesh…" Chad replies, not appreciating the hero worship one bit.
"Come on buddy, loosen up. We've got a sweet welcoming party ready for you." Chuckie says as he leads Chad into the elevator behind the cash register.
"Right…" Chad nods but then, a slight frown appears on his face. "They're still so damn sloppy." But as the doors close, an invisible creature jumps in and climbs into the elevator's ceiling, and it stares intensely at the two teenagers. The elevator takes the duo deep underground before coming to a stop at sub-floor ten. "How deep are we?"
"Don't ask me. The Nerd Troop designed this place, not me." Chuckie replies nonchalantly as they exit the elevator and enter the Ninja Hideout's main hall, a huge open space filled with skate ramps, snack and soda bars, sofa's, TV's, beanbags and most importantly, other teenagers. "Ahh, feels great to be back, right?" Chuckie pats Chad in the back, but his friend does not reply. He simply looks around as a wave of nostalgia sweeps through him. Chad had spent two years hanging around in these Ninja Hideouts, plotting with his fellow teenagers how to defeat the Kids Next Door, or so he had them think. "Yo, everybody, look who I found!" Chuckie shouts, catching everyone's attention.
"Huh? No way! It's Chad!"
"Really?"
"Dude, where have you been?!" A huge crowd of excited Ninjas swarm the surprised Chad, who is unable to reply.
"Hey, hey, give him some space. He just got here. Sorry man, everybody's been super hyped since we got word you came back."
"No, no, it's cool." Chad replies vaguely and looks around the Hideout. "It hasn't changed at all…"
"Heh-heh, we like sticking with the same décor. But anyway, let's go grab a few sodas and catch up, okay?" The boys walk over to the nearest cooler and grab soda while the other Ninja watch in silent awe. To many of them, Chad was a role-model and a hero. He had after all managed to come really close to destroying the KND before he had even joined the Ninjas. "So, tell me man, what did ya do abroad?"
Chuckie and the other Ninjas bombard him with questions and Chad answers as vaguely as he can before turning the conversation around. "Okay, enough about me. What are you guys gonna do now? Like ya said, there aren't any Ninjas in Hendrie and McClintock."
"Aw man, we got really close to kicking the TND out of Cleve but they beat us. We even had one of those Really Really Incredibly Destructive Machine-thingies."
"How did you get that? Father's out of the picture." Chad asks as a glint appears in Chuckie's eyes.
"Heh, get this. We got a new sponsor. No idea who they are, but they've started giving us Father's old tech and this."
Chuckie pulls out a small vial of black liquid from his pocket and dangles it before Chad's eyes. For a split second, he twitches but quickly regains his composure. "…What's that?"
"Silhouette Infused Nutrient or just S.I.N., my man. You take one small sip and it juices you up! Gives you the same kinda powers as Father had." Chuckie says gleefully, causing Chad to frown.
"Really?"
"Yeah, trust me. With this stuff, we're gonna take down the TND and then those KNDorks too. We just got a fresh shipment of it last week, right under the TND's nose, hah-hah."
"What do you mean by that?"
"We've got special portals in our Hideouts. But only objects can go through 'em. But I don't know any of that fancy tech stuff, you're gonna have to ask the nerds about it."
"Right…" Chad crosses his arms and stares at the vial. "Do you…use that?"
"I've taken a few sips. You can't drink too much or it drains you dry. But once you get a taste for it, ya just can't stop, man." Chuckie smirks and stuffs the vial back into his pocket. "We've got tons of S.I.N. down in the storage floor to keep us going for months. It's our ticket to revenge, buddy."
"Sure…" Chad stands up and prepares to leave, much to the Ninja's confusion.
"Huh? Hey, where are ya going?"
"Sorry Chuckie, but I'm done with being a Ninja. So I can't join you. That's why you brought me here, right? To recruit me." Chad eyes his old friend sharply, prompting Chuckie to stand up and put his hand on Chad's shoulder.
"What are ya saying? We need you. You're one of us." Chuckie's sincere expression pains Chad, but he firmly shakes his head.
"No. After everything I've been through, I don't wanna have any part in this."
"You ain't the only one here who's had it tough. Come on, think this through." However, before Chad can reply, a girl's voice heard from the crowd.
"Lemme through! Move it!" Chad immediately recognizes the voice as an 18-year-old teenage girl with short brown hair and wearing a deep red t-shirt over a black top, blue jeans and white sneakers, pushes her way through the crowd.
"…Stacey…" as the name escapes Chad's lips, the girl marches up to him and delivers a powerful slap across his face, nearly knocking him off his feet.
"CHAD DICKSON!" she shouts and glares furiously at the stunned boy. "You've got some nerve showing your face here." the girl puts her hands on her hips and her murderous glare sends chills down not only Chad's but also every other boy's spine.
"Ow…Stacey…what the heck are you doing here?" Chad asks as Stacey Cane, his ex-girlfriend from Hendrie middle school 5-years ago frowns furiously at him.
"I'm asking the questions here!" she shouts while pointing at Chad. "You disappear just like that to some foreign school exchange without telling me AND not answering any of my calls. And now you decide to come back."
"Well, lots of stuff happened and…"
"Oh really? Then why don't ya enlighten me?!" Despite being known to his fellow Ninjas as a no-nonsense and serious teenager, even Chad had trouble dealing with the temperamental Stacey. "Do you have any idea what we've been through?!"
"I was Delightfulized too, dammit!" Chad shouts back as Chuckie and the crowd quickly step back. "Gah, I didn't come here to get yelled at." Chad tries to walk away, but Stacey steps in-front of him.
"Oh no you don't. You owe me an explanation for not contacting me for 5 years!"
"I don't owe you anything! I'm not dating you anymore either. I moved on."
"So did I, but I at least deserve an explanation!" Stacey doesn't back down no matter how hard Chad tries, and his patience is running thin.
"Argh, forget it! Chuckie, it was nice seeing you again, but I'm not joining the Ninjas anymore. See ya." Chad shouts but then, he is stopped by two Ninjas wearing heavy, Football Team variant B.R.A.'s.
"No can do, buddy. Now that you know about this place, we can't let you leave."
"Huh? Oh, I get it." Chad clenches his fists and turns around to face Chuckie and Stacey. "You guys aren't giving me a choice here, that it?"
"Bingo. I know you'd never snitch, but we can't take any risks, man. If the TND learn about this place, they'll smoke us out and we'd be left without a Hideout again. We can't lose this place, Chad, it's the only thing we have left."
"…not my problem." Chad attempts to force his way, but a heat laser whizzes past his head, stopping him on his tracks. As he looks over his shoulder, he sees Chuckie pointing his B.R.A.'s wrist-mounted laser cannon at him.
"It is now, Chad. Don't make me put you in the dungeon. You don't belong there; you belong with us." Chuckie pleads to Chad, who can tell he is pained by the prospect of detaining him. However, unknown to anyone, a pair of eyes are observing them from the Hideout's ceiling.
"Oh, so you used to run with these people, 274? No wonder you were with the Intelligence Division."
Then suddenly, a panicking member of the Ninja Nerd Troop runs into the main hall. "Co…Commander Cavallaro!"
"What is it?!"
"The…the TND are coming this way!"
…
Back at Cleve Sector's base, a frowning Rachel enters the Switchboard, where she is greeting by Angelie, Numbuh Nu-5 and Keith. "So, what's the situation?"
"Well commander, Numbuh Delta succeeded. We've located the Hideout and sent the air units to storm it. Numbuh Zeta is with the Heavy Troopers at the Portal Hub, waiting for you." Angelie replies as Rachel nods.
"Good." she replies as Keith putsh his hand on her shoulder.
"Hey, Epsilon, you okay with doing this?"
"Right now, my own opinion doesn't matter. Even if that plan I read in the transfer orders was completely insane."
"Well, it got us this far. Now it's up to the guys out in the field."
"Oui, Commander. If we can secure that Hideout, we'll get the information we need." the ever-serious Numbuh Nu-5 says as Rachel nods.
"I know. Agent Hermit, you're coming with me. We're dealing with a group of veteran Ninjas."
"Sure thing, mon." Keith nods and follows Rachel out of the Switchboard, but her demeanor still worries Angelie.
"I hope this works…"
"It has to. Otherwise, we'll never find out how the Ninjas are moving S.I.N. to Cleve." Nu-5 says sternly as Angelie sighs.
Down in the Portal Hub, Rachel and Patton don their B.R.A.'s while Keith readies his Stupefier Pistols. "Once Scout Team W's portal is up, we'll storm the Hideout. Our objective is to secure it and destroy any S.I.N. they've got stored in there. Is that clear?!"
"YES, MA'AM!"
"Good. Then get ready."
"Hey, Numbuh Epsilon…" Patton tries to say something to Rachel, but she brushes him off.
"We'll talk after the operation. You and Delta have a lot of explaining to do." she hisses to Patton, who silently nods before donning his helmet and reading his rifle.
Across town, inside the Ninja Hideout, panic fills the main hall. "Oh man, like what are we gonna do now?!"
...
"Calm down! We do what we've always done! Send those TND punks packing! Ready the outer the defenses!" Chuckie takes command as the Hideout is rocked by consecutive shockwaves.
"Commander! They've started firing on the minimart!" another Ninjas shouts over the radio as Chuckie runs over to a computer terminal and contacts the Hideout's control room.
"Put the whole Hideout on max alert! We can't let 'em get down here! Scramble every Bike and Van we got!" Then, as the Ninjas prepare to defend their Hideout, Chuckie turns towards Chad. "Chad, take this!" he tosses a spare B.R.A. to him and points at the armored door nearby. "I know you don't wanna run with us anymore but use that if the TND attack you. There's a shelter and an escape tunnel behind that door. Get outta here!" Chad grips the B.R.A. and then looks around.
"…sorry Chuckie…"
"Don't worry about it, dude, just run!" Chuckie smiles faintly and disappears into a side tunnel. Then, Chad grabs Stacey's hand and starts dragging her towards the armored door.
"Huh? Hey what are you…let go!" she shouts but Chad ignores her struggling as he opens the door.
"You're not a part of the Combat Arm, right? Get out of here before the TND arrives!" Chad shouts and pushes her through the door. "I'll look for another way out."
"Chad! Wait!" But Stacey's ex-boyfriend doesn't listen and closes the door in her face, leaving the former cheerleader stunned.
"Okay…let's do this." Chad thinks and jumps behind a large hollowed out van before pressing a button on his 2x4 wristwatch, turning himself invisible. Then, Chad gets up and runs towards another door across the main hall and forces it open where he is met by a descending corridor. "This is Numbuh Delta to Scout Team W. I'm in."
"Roger. Meet up with Numbuh 6 and head into the lower levels. We'll prep the Portal for the infiltration team." a girl replies over the radio.
"Roger, standing by." Chad ends the transmission and goes behind an empty steel box nearby before activating his own, custom gray and red B.R.A. Its design is similar to Patton's B.R.A but with a much sleeker design and has the same visor/facemask combination as Eliza's armor while the right wrist mounts an armored gauntlet with a small gun barrel and a backwards pointing blade built into it. Listening to the commotion silently, Chad takes a deep breath. "Sorry…but I'm putting an end to my past with the Ninjas for good." he thinks before being reminded of the sincere smiles of his old Ninja comrades, especially Chukie's. Both of them were Ex-KND operatives who kept their memories and they had been as close as brothers while Chad was a Ninja. "We'll be enemies from now on, old pal."
Suddenly, Chad is snapped back to reality as a mechanical arm pokes at his leg. "Hmm? Ah, you're Numbuh 6, right?" he asks the small, half-robotic skunk staring intensely up at him. Numbuh 6, also known as R.O.B.O.-B.R.A.D.L.E.Y. is former honorary member of the KND but now serves the Cleve Sector as a member of their elusive Scout Team W. The left side of his body is fully constructed from 2x4 cybernetics, giving him a powerful, three-fingered mechanical arm with a shovel and a glowing red eye. "Okay, lead the way." the skunk nods and start running down the hallway, followed by an alert Chad.
Outside, a squadron of 2x4 ships from the Cleve Sector continue to bombard the minimart, which is returning fire with its defensive laser turrets while a swarm of Battle-Ready Cycles fly out of a nearby carwash. "Here they come! All ships, begin Phase 2!" the pilot of the lead TND ship, a F.L.I.E.R.P.L.A.C.E, shout and the ships begin to turn, as if to go around the mart.
"Let's shoot these suckers down!" the eager Ninjas immediately follow the TND's ships as Chuckie observes the battle from Hideout's control room.
"Commander, all non-active Ninjas and teenagers have fled the Hideout." a Nerd Troop member says to Chuckie, who nods.
"Alright. Now we can get serious. Have you spotted any ships carrying their agents?"
"No. They're only attacking us with fighters."
"Huh? That's weird. Keep your eyes open."
"Co…COMMANDER!" another Ninjas shouts in horror while pointing at her computer screen.
"Hey, quit with the yelling. What's up?"
"The…the TND are inside the Hideout!"
"What? Lemme see…No…NO DAMMIT!" Chuckie shouts as he sees TND agents jump out of a portal right in the middle of the main hall. "Seal all the doors and get the transfer portal ready. We gotta get the S.I.N. outta here before they find it! Dammit, they tricked us…"
"Okay!" the Ninja replies as Chuckie stands up and fully activates his B.R.A.
"Get every Ninja we have to the main hall, now!" he shouts while dashing out of the control room. "You aren't gonna take this Hideout from us!" Chuckie clenches his fist as he runs through the corridor and enters a high-speed elevator.
In the main hall, led by Rachel, the TND's heavy troopers, Keith and Patton have successfully entered the Hideout. "Numbuh Zeta, I'm leaving the upper floors to you and the Heavy Troopers. Agent Hermit, you and I will rendezvous with Scout Team W and head to the lower floors."
"Fine by me. Let's go!" Patton nods and charges towards a group of Ninjas surging from one of the corridors leading to the main hall while Rachel and Keith slip away. They break open a closed armored door and enter another downwards leading hallway.
"This is Numbuh Epsilon, Scout Team W, do you copy?"
"Scout Team W here, we see you." a boy with slight Irish-accent replies and soon, Rachel and Keith are meet by three teenagers, all wearing a standard set of TND B.R.A. "Commander, Numbuh 6 made contact with Numbuh Delta and they're heading to the lower floors." the boy wearing a lime green B.R.A. says while the other, shorter teenager wearing a deep blue B.R.A. nods.
"I picked up a bunch of Ninjas up ahead. They're hiding something down there." he says while gesturing with his 2x4 yo-yo.
"Good work guys. Agent Hermit and I'll take the lead. Cover us."
"Yes, Ma'am!" the girl with visible blond pigtails and wearing a pink B.R.A. replies and the three teenagers turn invisible while Rachel and Keith move ahead. They don't have wait for long as Ninjas appear at the other end of the hallway.
"Hey, it's the TND! Get 'em!" they immediately split up with one half firing on the intruders while the rest fly towards them, armed with their combat staffs.
"Ya, mon, been a while since I got to see some action!" Keith shouts excitedly as he points his Stupefier Pistols at the Ninjas and begins Stupefying them left and right while Rachel dashes past them and knocks out every Ninja at the end of the hallway with a concentrated shockwave. "*whistle* Flashy." Keith says as the continue on to the lower levels.
After clearing a few more hallways of Ninjas, Rachel orders a halt, and they duck into a side corridor. "How many floors do we have left?"
"3. Numbuh 6 couldn't map the lowest one because it's protected by something." the pig-tailed girl says as Keith snaps his fingers.
"That's gotta be the place where they're storing the S.I.N."
"Exactly, Agent Hermit. Since they're not moving them to the upper levels, they must have some kind of transport system down there. Be on your guard." Rachel stands up and readies her laser lance while Keith spins his pistols.
"Heh-heh, this is getting good.
…
Meanwhile, Chad and Bradley have kept themselves hidden from the Ninjas, who are filling the tunnels, ready to attack anyone on sight. "Why do you have to go so far for that…poison, Chuckie?" he thinks while allowing a group of Ninjas to walk right past him. However, as he approaches an armored door, he notices something familiar in it. "Hm? What a minute…?" crouching in-front of the door, Chad puts his hand against it and gently taps the door. "…seriously? This is…Cosmo Metal…how the heck did the Ninjas get their hands on this?" he thinks while looking around cautiously. Then, Chad firmly presses the door with his palm, creating a short burst of EMP but the door's electric lock doesn't open. "Thought so. Numbuh 6, contact the others and tell them we found the storage level. I'll figure out a way to open this door." Chad says without batting an eye on the skunk, who nods and scurries away while Chad stands up and closes his right fist, causing the blade on his gauntlet to flip forward. As it begins vibrating, Chad eyes the door before stabbing the weapon through the door's hinges and then pries it open. But before he steps inside, he notices the same metal embedded into the walls as well. "Where did they get enough Cosmo Metal to line this entire floor?"
Just as Chad enters the storage floor, Chuckie also enters from the other side, B.R.A. fully activated apart from the helmet. Before him is a large, warehouse-like room with a large circular depression on the concrete floor and the back wall is lined with containers holding S.I.N. "Is the Portal up!"
"Yeah, boss! We're moving the S.I.N. out right now!" a Ninja replies near a purple portal, very similar to the TND's portals but it's smaller and appears to be swirling counterclockwise. Chuckie then runs to an observation platform to oversee his comrades tossing sealed, reinforced containers full of S.I.N. through the portal. "We're halfway done!" But then, the generator-like device next to the portal is hit by a burst of EMP, causing the portal to disappear.
"NO!" then, out of the shadows steps out Chad, his face covered by his mask and visor, pointing his gun-sword at the Ninjas. "Dammit, one of them got inside!" Chuckie draws his combat staff, which has a drill-shaped tip and points it at Chad. "You just made the biggest mistake of your life, coming here, TNDork!" Jumping from the observation deck to the walkway, Chuckie takes a stance while Chad flips his blade forward and points it at Chuckie. "Raaah!" using his jetboots, Chuckie dashes forward and attacks Chad with his staff, completely unaware who he is fighting against The two teenagers are equally matched, though Chuckie relies more on brute force while Chad counters with his superb technique. "Damn you TND, you never leave us alone!"
"Not as long as you keep using S.I.N.!" Chad replies with a distorted voice thanks to his mask and flips his sword backwards before firing Stupefying beams from the gauntlet's gun barrel, forcing Chuckie to jump down from the walkway and Chad quickly follows but the moment he lands, 10 Ninjas jump out from behind the containers and from other entrances, surrounding him.
"Told ya coming here was a mistake, teen traitor! You can't beat everyone here by yourself!" Chuckie gestures with his combat staff, but Chad isn't intimidated at all.
"Hmph, I can take you all on." he deploys his sword again before taking a stance, gesturing to Chuckie with his left hand to attack him, if he dares.
"Get him!" the Ninjas attack all at once but suddenly, the roof shatters above them, filling the storage area with dust. "*cough* *cough* what the heck?!" Chuckie looks up and sees two silhouettes falling from the hole in the ceiling.
"Ya hoo! You okay, mon? We came to give you a hand!" Keith shouts as he and Rachel land next to Chad, who straightens himself.
"Took you long enough."
"Blame yourself for charging in alone. Haven't you heard of waiting?" Rachel snaps at him and splits her laser lance in two.
"Hey, hey, quit fighting will ya? We've got a room full of Ninjas to deal with." Keith intervenes and points his pistols at their foes, who have regrouped.
"Argh, you guys just never quit do ya?! Take 'em down! Leave the sword swinging guy to me!" Chuckie yells and booster jumps near Chad and the two 19-year-olds continue their duel.
"Numbuh Delta!"
"I can handle myself, Agent Hermit." Chad replies as his sword once again clashes with Chuckie's staff.
"But we gotta work together on this, mon!" Chad ignores Keith's pleas and kicks Chuckie in the chest, knocking him to the floor but the Hideout Commander rolls to the left and fires an energy web from his staff, forcing Chad to slice it apart with his sword but this gives Chuckie an opening and he strikes Chad with a full body tackle, sending him flying against the nearby container.
"Guargh! Ugh…*cough* *pant*…" Chad groans and stands up as Chuckie approaches him. "He's just as good as he used to be…"
"You TNDorks ruined everything! We lost our turf, our Hideouts and our members because of you! You're not fighting for us teenagers, you're just the KND's lapdogs!" Chuckie shouts and prepares his staff but Chad acts fast, flip his sword backwards and blocks the drill staff with it, causing sparks to fly everywhere.
"You're wrong!" Rachels shouts as she intervenes with her laser swords, having defeated multiple Ninjas by herself already and her sudden attack forces Chuckie to back away. "You Ninjas are no saints! Or have you forgotten about Father's Day?!" Rachel says furiously and attacks Chuckie, forcing him on the defensive while Chad deploys his sword but doesn't join the fight.
"Guh…"
"You tortured kids and teenagers! Some of them were my friends! They were innocent!" Rachel unleashes her rage on Chuckie, cornering him against another container. "The Teen Ninjas are nothing more than bullies and fiends!" her words silence Chuckie while Chad is reminded of what he saw only a few minutes ago. The people he saw didn't act like how Rachel described but Chad did read the reports while at the Moonbase and his mind becomes conflicted. "You deserve everything that's coming to you, Chuckie Cavallaro, former KND operative Numbuh 405!"
"Commander!" suddenly, a Ninja runs towards Rachel and Chuckie, holding a medium-sized vial of S.I.N. "Get out of here! I'll take care of these losers!"
"No, Tucker, that's too much!" Chuckie yells but the Ninja ignores him and downs the entire vial. His arm is immediately enveloped in flames and the Ninja unleashes a stream of fire at Rachel, who jumps out of the way while Chuckie booster jumps onto the walkway. "Dammit…" he mutters and contacts every Ninja in the Hideout. "Abandon the Hideout! Repeat, abandon the Hideout!" he shouts and runs away before Chad can go after him.
"Wait!" Chad shouts but then, an invisible force slams him into the wall. "UARGH!"
"YOU TND BASTARDS ARE GONNA PAY FOR THIS!" Tucker roars as his arms and legs turn black while his eyes become blank and yellow. "RAAAARGH!" He fires flame spheres around the storage room, destroying a few S.I.N. containers in the process. Rachel meanwhile regroups with Keith.
"Yikes, that guy's juiced, mon."
"I've never seen anyone drink so much S.I.N." a horrified Rachel mutters as the rampaging Tucker turns his attention on her and Keith.
"YOU'RE MINE!" he sends a blast of telekinesis at the teenagers, knocking them off their feet.
"Guah!"
"Argh!"
Meanwhile, Chad comes to his senses and readies his sword. While he had encountered all kinds of weird and scary things while with the GKND, even Chad is left speechless by the flame spewing monster before him. It doesn't resemble a human anymore but a black, demonic creature surrounded by fire. "…seriously? Chuckie…you guys can't be this desperate…"
"Numbuh Delta, incoming!" Rachel shouts as the S.I.N. monster prepares to incinerate Chad, who jumps out of the way and tries to hit it with his sword but the monster swipes him aside, knocking the air out of his lungs.
"Guah!" Chad slides against the wall while the monster roars and attacks again but then suddenly, it's body is pierced by a bolt of electricity, staggering it.
"Gah, you're useless!" Chad lifts his head and sees Corvus appear before him.
"…huh? Co…Corvus?! What are you doing here?!" Chad stands up and glares at O.M.E.G.A. Number, who huffs.
"I was shadowing you, to see if your teenager allies were competent."
"RAAARGH!" the monster's roar interrupts them and it proceeds to charge at Chad and Corvus, who smirks and fires a pointblank electric blast, sending the monster flying across the storage area.
"Numbuh Delta, you okay, mon?" Keith says as he and Rachel come to Chad's side.
"I'm fine…Corvus…I thought we agreed you guys would stay in the Moonbase?"
"You expect me to work with a bunch of powerless humans just like that? Not a chance. Why don't you prove your abilities by taking that thing down?" Corvus gestures towards the S.I.N. monster, which is slowly getting up.
"We don't have time to argue with him, Numbuh Delta. If we let that monster leave this floor, it'll go after the others." Rachel shouts and combines her swords into lance mode before dashing forward with her Acceleration Boots, slashing the monster's chest and creating a gash in its Silhouette Suit-like skin.
"Hmph, looks like she has the right idea." Corvus' condescending smirk angers Chad, but he ignores it and follows Rachel while Keith hangs back and begins firing Stupefier beams at the monster. Corvus meanwhile floats up and crosses his arms, observing the battle silently.
"So how do we take that thing down?"
"We need to damage the black aura enough that it'll burn out. S.I.N.'s effects are temporary and more damage we pile on it, the faster it's used up."
"Right, then let's go with Formation 7-Y-B. Try to keep up!" Chad says and flies at the monster in a wide left arc before Rachel can protest.
"Gah, wait, dammit!" she shouts and circles the monster from the right.
"RAAAARGH!" the monster fires flames into multiple directions but both teenagers weave through the attack while Keith picks up on what they're doing and using his J.E.T.A.B.O.O.T.'s, also joins the fray, firing his pistols widly.
"Come on you laggahead!" Because the amount S.I.N. Tucker drank, the monster only acts on instinct and can't react to their attacks in time, giving Chad and Rachel the chance, they've been looking for.
"NOW!" Chad charges from the left while Rachel strikes from the right, both teenagers slashing the monster with their weapons while Keith continues to blast it with Stupefier beams.
"UAAARGHH!" The aura surrounding the monster begins to flicker and then, it fades while black vapor pours out of Tucker's mouth as his body reverts back, but the S.I.N. has ravaged his body, leaving his emaciated body lying on the floor, barely breathing.
"Woo-hoo, ya, mon, that was some nice teamwork guys!" Keith cheers as Rachel lands and quickly runs over to the defeated Ninja's side.
"…*pant*…this is bad. Agent Hermit, put up a Portal, now! We need to get this Ninja to the infirmary!" Rachel shouts, prompting Keith quickly as his told but while he and Rachel tend to Tucker, Chad removes his mask and visor while collapsing on his knees.
"…guh…dammit…" he laments and punches the floor in frustration.
"Numbuh Delta, focus! This Ninja is in critical condition!" Rachel yells angrily at Chad, who looks over his shoulder and upon seeing the Ninja's drained body, he collects himself and comes to help Rachel and Keith just as medics arrive through the Portal.
"Get him out here. We need to send him to a proper hospital."
"Yes, Ma'am!" the medics shouts as Tucker is pushed through the Portal on a stretcher just as Patton contacts Rachel.
"Numbuh Epsilon, we've got the upper floors secured. The Ninjas turned tail and ran. What's your status?"
"…lower floors secured. We need to contact the base and get Numbuh Pi-2 and Eta-4 here. They have to investigate this Hideout from top to bottom."
"Good plan. I'll pass your order on. I'm coming down there in a bit." Rachel then hangs up and walks up to a silent Chad.
"What was that all about?" her glare causes Chad to look away clenching his fists. "This was YOUR plan, so why didn't you follow it? Why did you charge here by yourself?"
"Hey, give the guy a break, Numbuh Epsilon. We got the job done, right?"
"But at what cost? We could've dealt with the Ninjas without anyone taking S.I.N. but you just had to go solo!"
"Yeah, but…"
"No, Epsilon's right. I got ahead of myself…" Chad gestures to Keith and walks over to the few remaining S.I.N. containers. "I just…when I came up with this plan, I thought I could handle facing Chuckie and the others but…they still think I'm some sort of legendary Ninja who they look up to…they acted like normal teenagers…and then…they do stuff like this…" Chad spreads his arms and sighs. "That's why I came here alone…maybe I was hoping this room was empty but…"
"You can't get naïve with the Ninjas. They only want to hurt others."
"They can't all be bad, Numbuh Epsilon!" Chad shouts, startling Rachel and Keith. "I saw it in their eyes…the Ninjas are just like us, teenagers…"
"Then how do you justify what they did? You read the reports, right? The Ninjas tortured kids for sport, dammit!" Rachel stomps her foot on the floor while Chad lowers his head. "They've left wounds on people that'll never heal. I saw them with my own eyes! That Hideout they had in downtown Cleve, was filled with kids and teenagers, chained and locked away in a dungeon!"
"…" Chad is unable to argue back as Rachel turns her back on him.
"You of all people should know, since you served the GKND, who aren't any better." she hisses and turns her back on Chad, who stands still, his mind full of conflicting thoughts.
"Hey, aren't you forgetting that some our members used to be Ninjas too, Numbuh Epsilon?" Keith crosses his arms and eyes Rachel, who doesn't react. "Yeah, they've done nasty stuff, but not all of them are evil. I thought you stopped seeing everything in black and white." Keith's comments cause Rachel to shudder but before she can say anything back, Patton arrives with the members of Scout Team W.
"Damn, what the heck happened here?"
"You can read the report later. I'm going to inspect the upper floors." Rachel mutters and storms past Patton before anyone can stop her.
"Hey, where are ya going?!" but Rachel ignores her friend and leaves the storage floor. "Don't tell me you guys got into an argument again?"
"Oh, mon, it's a long story."
"…it doesn't matter." Chad says, having regained his composure, and walks over to a generator-like device near the wall. "I know how the Ninjas are moving S.I.N. around."
"Well?"
"Portals."
"Wha? Portals? You gotta be pulling my leg, mon." Keith says while Patton crosses his arms.
"How do you know that?"
"Chuckie talked about it to me, and I saw it with my own eyes. This thing makes them." Chad points at the device and looks at Patton with a grim expression. "And, this room is lined with Cosmo metal, which doesn't exist on Earth. It's used by the GKND."
"Omnius must be behind that. Hmph, looks like we scored a pretty good win this time, thanks to you, Numbuh Delta."
"No, if it wasn't for Epsilon and Hermit, this plan would've failed." Chad says and also leaves the storage room, his head hunched forward, knowing full well that he had hesitated while fighting Chuckie and it almost cost them dearly.
Up in the ceiling, the invisible Corvus eyes the agents before flying after Chad. However, Rachel's words have left an impression on him. "So, there are those types here too? Hmph, interesting."
…
Later that same day, at the Moonbase, Eliza has gathered the TND's chiefs and Chad into a meeting room, apart from Kieran, who is participating remotely. "You all read the report we got from Cleve, right?"
"Sure did. Now we know how the Ninjas are sneaking S.I.N. everywhere." Rosa Zanardi, the Global Armory Chief says while hitting her hands together.
"Not only that, Numbuh Rho, but we also know they use a metal of alien origin to hide it. According to what Libra and Scorpius told me, Cosmo metal is radar absorbent and is immune to EMP, making it perfect material to hide their S.I.N. supplies."
"But we still don't know how they make it, Numbuh Omicron. And we can't use their portals, since they can only transfer inorganic material." Herbie remarks while Patton, who had flown from Cleve with Chad to the Moonbase immediately after the Hideout was secured, puts his hand up.
"Then we just gotta find another one. It worked once already."
"But finding another Hideout is going to be difficult…we can't send you there again or it'll blow your cover." Eliza points at Chad, who shakes his head.
"My cover's still pretty solid, Numbuh Alpha. The reason I came up with that plan was to blow my cover in-front of them but I didn't get a chance. Maybe we can still use it. Chuckie and the others might still trust me."
"No, I can't let you do that, Numbuh Delta. Lightning isn't going to strike twice." Eliza says sternly and leans back on her chair. "Hmm…can we somehow get that portal device they left behind working again?" she eyes Kieran, who crosses his arms.
"Maybe, but the EMP's fried its circuits. We'd have to fix it first…and besides, nothing organic goes through it anyway."
"Yeah but…"
"We shouldn't rush into this, Supreme Commander. We also have the GKND's impending invasion to prepare for." Herbie says and turns his attention to Chad. "How much time did you say we have?"
"3 months. They'll probably arrive to this solar system after New Year's."
"There you have it. I suggest we focus on preparations, Supreme Commander. We've seen what KND operatives with GKND technology can do, so we should prioritize them over the Ninjas." Herbie reminds everyone of the Splinter Cells actions, as they were formed by the GKND in the first place.
"But we can't let the Ninjas just run wild, Numbuh Iota-3! They're backed by Omnius." Rosa slams her hands against the table but Eliza gestures everyone to calm down.
"You both have a point. But we can't do anything until we've deciphered Numbuh Gamma's disc. Plus the KND still don't know about the GKND. I think we should speak with Numbuh 81 about revealing the truth to everyone. The TND alone isn't a match for the GKND."
"Yes…you're right." Herbie lowers his head as Eliza looks sternly at the Chiefs.
"I'll talk with Numbuh 81. Keeping the Ninjas in check is also important."
"Then you can leave them to us, Numbuh Alpha." Patton says while gesturing to Chad. "Numbuh Delta knows them better than anyone here, so I think Cleve Sector should take charge of finding the Ninjas S.I.N. factories."
"Like I said before, I'll do anything you ask of me, as long as I can be of use." a stoic Chad says while the other Chiefs exchange looks before turning towards Eliza.
"I don't see any problem with that, Supreme Commander. Thanks to Numbuh Delta, we already made lots of progress." Kieran says calmly and Rosa nods as well while Herbie remains silent but doesn't object.
"Right, then it's decided. This meeting is over." Eliza says and the teenagers start leaving, except for Herbie, who has a stern expression on his face, which Eliza notices and stays behind. "Iota-3?"
"…I'll be honest, Supreme Commander, I don't like our odds at all." Herbie stands up and walks past Eliza with his hands behind his back. "I've read everything Numbuh Gamma brought back from the Splinter Cell's Orbital Shipyards and it's keeping me awake at night." He says while adjusting his glasses.
"I've read the reports too, Iota-3. We barely took down a reverse-engineered downgrade of a GKND weapon last year. But we can't just duck and hide, can we?"
"No, of course not, Numbuh Alpha. But what can we really do against the GKND?"
"Don't say that!" Eliza snaps at Herbie and turns him around. "Don't ever say that again, you hear me? Of course we'll lose to them with that attitude! What you should be worrying about is how we can beat them. Are you forgetting that the GKND want to destroy our home planet?"
"Yes but…" Then, Eliza puts her hand on Herbie's shoulder and grips it firmly.
"No buts, Numbuh Iota-3. You're our Global Chief of Intelligence and Communications. Information gathering is what you're best at."
"But not as good as Gamma was…"
"Argh, enough, Herbie! You need to get a hold of yourself and focus on what's important. How about you go to the TND Science Lab and talk with Numbuh Omicron. He's been working with the O.M.E.G.A. Numbers non-stop since they agreed to join us. Maybe you could learn a thing or two about confidence." Eliza smiles slightly and leave the meeting room while Herbie sighs.
"Confidence alone doesn't get you results, Supreme Commander. We've both seen what they're capable of."
Out in the hallway leading to Moonbase's Teen extension's cafeteria, Patton and Chad are greeted by The Kid. "Hola, Numbuh Zeta." he salutes Patton, who salutes back.
"Hey, nice to see ya again, Kid. You wanna come with us?"
"Eh, sure." The Kid shrugs and joins the boys but he can tell Chad's troubled. "So, what's up with Mister 'Best There Is'?" he whispers to Patton, who eyes Chad.
"He's just got lot's stuff in his mind, right?"
"Something like that." Chad replies silently as The Kid lifts an eyebrow. However, then Chad stops and turns away from Patton and The Kid. "Sorry, I need to go clear my head."
"Hey, wait a minute…!" The Kid says but Patton gestures to him.
"Don't take it the wrong way. His parents got Erased and he's's a former Ninja so that mission messed with him."
"Yeah, I kinda figured. I admit the guy's got guts marching into a Ninja Hideout by himself."
"And they all still think he's on their side." Patton frowns slightly before he and The Kid enter the cafeteria. Meanwhile, Chad boards an elevator that takes him to the hangar floor, where his escape shuttle is located. As per Eliza's orders, the corridors around the No. 10 hangar are guarded and only a few agents are allowed to enter. However, Chad can't escape the suspicious looks other TND agents have given him, despite the fact his confession was made public. Lowering his head, Chad enters the No. 10 hangar and walks down the stairs to the hangar floor, which has been converted into a makeshift lab while a blue portal juts out of the wall to his left.
"Greetings, Numbuh Delta. How was the mission?" Libra greets Chad, who looks at the alien and shrugs.
"I'm still a bit rusty, but we succeeded and that's all that matters." Chad replies as Numbuh 9L runs over to him and nuzzles his face.
"Meow!"
"Yeah, I'm okay, don't worry about it. Where's Vine?" Chad asks, causing 9L's eyebrows to sink as the cat-alien point at a side door that leads to an observation deck. "That bad huh? Well, I'll go talk to her." Chad then pats 9L's huge head and goes to the observation deck, where a silent Numbuh Vine is staring into space. "Numbuh Vine?"
"Huh? Oh, hi Numbuh 27…I mean Delta." the plantiform alien stutters and turns her eyes back towards the window.
"I guess you're still thinking what Rachel said, right?"
"It's been seven Mega Cycles…seven days but I just can't get it out of my head. She hates us both so much."
"Yeah…we both put Nigel through heck…but I'm not gonna let that bring me down, Vine. We've got too much at stake here."
"I know…"
"I saw my old Ninja allies today during a mission…and they treated me like I never left. I was supposed to blow my cover after the TND attacked but I couldn't do it…" Chad presses his hand against the window while Vine peeks from under her pot.
"Why? I thought you were dead set with cutting your ties with them?"
"I was…but when they smiled and welcomed me in there…I just…it felt like home…My parents got Erased, Vine. I've got nothing left in Cleve anymore."
"Wait, don't tell me you're…" Vine becomes alarmed by Chad's words, but the blond-haired boy shakes his head.
"No way. But that's why I couldn't reveal the truth to Chuckie and the others…next time, I'll have to. The TND is my home now and I want to earn their trust, no matter what. We can't protect Earth from the GSF if we don't work together."
"I know that…" Vine mutters but she can't help but admire Chad's positive outlook, despite the fact he only recently learned about his parents Erasure.
"But you're still sulking here, when you could help Libra and Scorpius with Gamma's disc."
"…Don't remind me…it's just…I was their friend, Numbuh Delta. Even though I was playing a role I…I liked being human…but now…I'm just a former spy who tricked everyone for the sake of the GKND…especially Nigel…he'll never forgive me for it…" Vine hides inside her pot while Chad clenches his fits.
"…you know…I saw him in Cleve…" Vine's pot twitches but she does not say a word. "He was driving a car in pouring rain while I was crossing the street…and I ran when I saw him…I couldn't look him in the eye, even though we're strangers now. But I know one thing, when he gets his memories back one day, I'll come clean to him, about everything. Even if he beats the crap out of me after that. You need to do that too, Vine. One day." Chad says silently and walks away while Numbuh Vine starts weeping silently inside her pot.
Inside the shuttle, Leo, Cygnus, Virgo and Libra have cornered Corvus, who snuck back to the Moonbase by hiding inside Chad's B.R.A. "So Corvus, why don't you explain why you went to Earth, without telling anyone?"
"…" Corvus looks away, trying to ignore Cygnus' sharp eyes.
"Hmph, you just wanted to go fight, didn't ya? Grargh, you could've at least taken me with ya!"
"We doubt that's why he went there, Leo." Libra says and looks Corvus in the eye. "It's because he has your O.L. Ring, isn't it?"
"…if you know the answer, then tell 'em yourself." Corvus hisses to Libra, who does not respond while Virgo rolls her white eyes.
"*sigh* Why don't you swallow your pride and admit you went there to make sure that human doesn't die."
"Huh? What's that mean?" Leo lifts an eyebrow as Cygnus eyes Virgo coldly.
"Explain yourself, Virgo." Cygnus asks, but the amorphous green alien points at Libra.
"Let the expert explain." everyone's attention is turned towards Libra, who lowers their head.
"The O.L. Rings connect us to our partner but that also means our lives are connected. We keep each other alive and if the other one dies, both die." Libra replies grimly, startling Leo and Cygnus.
"Huh? You gotta be kidding me. That's stupid!"
"Is that true, Corvus?" Cygnus eyes Corvus, who puts his hands up.
"The scale head is right. But I didn't go there just because of that. I wanted to see how our 'allies' fight."
"Is that so…well, what is your verdict?" Libra asks, prompting Corvus to cross his arms.
"They know what they're doing. But I'm not sure if they can stand a chance against the Galactic Subjugation Force."
"Then perhaps we can start helping them in future missions? It would benefit us both." Cygnus says, but Virgo huffs and floats away while Leo shrugs.
"They'll just get in my way out there. Besides, humans are weak opponents anyway."
"That's not what I saw, Leo. These Teen Ninjas they faced were…organized."
"Like the Teen Space Pirates?" Libra asks and Corvus nods while crossing his arms.
"Yeah and they use some sort of a drug to gain super powers. I saw it with my own eyes." Corvus' explanation silences the others and even Virgo has stopped dead in her tracks. "The Teens Next Door have their hands full, that's for sure."
"Interesting…then we should do as Cygnus suggested and aid them directly." Libra eyes the other O.M.E.G.A. Numbers and Cygnus immediately nods.
"Absolutely! It beats sitting here doing nothing." she says, brimming with enthusiasm but Leo, Virgo and Corvus do not reply.
"The humans aren't my concern." Virgo frowns while disappearing into the bowels of the shuttle while Corvus sighs.
"I'll think about it." he says as Leo peeks at Kieran and the other TND Scientist working with Scorpius.
"Hmm…maybe I will…but those Ninjas better be strong. I hate fighting weaklings."
"Well, that makes three of us. It's a start." Libra says to Cygnus, who starts gesturing with her metal wings.
"We should speak with Numbuh Delta and Alpha about this. We came here to help them after all."
"Very well. Leo, let us go talk with Scorpius first."
"Huh? Oh, sure, whatever." Leo shrugs and follows Libra and Cygnus out of the shuttle.
"Scorpius?"
"Hmm? What is it, Libra?" the purple, scorpion-like alien asks from behind a computer terminal, his blank yellow eye fixated on the screen before him.
"We need to talk."
End of Transmission 13
Note: New year, new chapter just in time. I had so much fun writing this chapter, because up until now, I've only depicted the Ninjas as the enemy and never explored them from another angle but now that Chad is here, I can delve deeper into the Ninjas and give a different point of view.
Refrence time! The weapon Chad uses while wearing his custom B.R.A. is based on the GN Sword used by Gundam Exia in Gundam 00. I've been wanting to use that design in this story and giving it to Chad just felt right.