Songs featured:
Chad vs the Sponsor: "Smell of the Game" by Daisuke Ishiwatari
Car ride home: "Blue Skies" by Stephanie Cook
Transmission 19: Black Fire, Orange Lightning
In an instant, Chad and Corvus are enveloped in a sphere of orange energy emitted by Chad's O.L. Ring, blinding everyone. Then, the sphere fades away, revealing Chad wearing Corvus as a set of red armor. Just like at GKND's Void Prison a year ago, Chad and Corvus have merged, and Chad immediately starts hovering thanks to the glowing, orange techno-organic wings on his back.
"Wha…what the heck…" Maurice, having regained consciousness stares at his old friend in disbelief and so do the others.
"How did they do that?"
"Don't ask me, mon…this is crazy…" Keith replies to Patton as Chad confronts the Sponsor.
"Hmm, interesting. However, you're mistaken if you think you can defeat me…GUARGH!" suddenly, Chad disappears and starts attacking the Sponsor from multiple directions, subjecting his foe to repeated slashes from his orange arm-blade. "Guh…urgh…how…?" Leaving visible tears in the Sponsor's Silhouette Suit, Chad attacks relentlessly at the speed of light, refusing leave his opponent a single chance to counter.
"How much time do we have this time?"
"5 cycles, give or take." Corvus responds through telepathy, causing Chad to smirk under his black faceplate.
"That's more than enough." Still moving too fast for anyone to even perceive him, Chad changes direction and rams into the Sponsor, sending him flying into the southern wall with such force that he flies cleanly through not just it, but multiple other walls behind it as well.
"URRGHH!" he groans as he disappears into the darkness and is swallowed by a massive dust cloud. However, Chad is right to not lower his guard and tries to locate the Sponsor using his visor's HUD.
"Come on, don't tell me you're through already."
"…grr…GRRRAAARGHH!" Suddenly, the dust ignites, creating a massive explosion that blasts the southern wall apart but thanks to his incredible speed, Chad is able to create a large shield of electricity to stop the blast wave from hitting his allies.
"Ghh…Yeah, I figured…"
"Looks like he's out for blood now. Incoming." Then, out of the dust and rubble, a massive black hand appears and slams into the shield, breaking it instantly.
"You ready for round two?!" Chad taunts the Sponsor, who floats out of the rubble while the black hand retracts back into his Silhouette Suit.
"To think you could turn from a minor annoyance into an interfering pest in the blink of eye…but it makes no difference. I will not lose to an inferior creature like you, no matter what kind of power you possess!" the Sponsor lifts the concrete rubble off the floor and sends them hurtling towards Chad, who evades with ease.
"Come on, that all you got?!"
"As a matter of fact, no!" the Sponsor teleports and appears right behind Chad and grabs him with telekinesis. "Doesn't matter how fast you are if you can't move! Now fall!" the Sponsor reforms his right arm into a flame covered black sword and stabs it through Chad but to his disbelief, the area he stabbed has turned into pure electricity and thus, his attack has caused no damage.
"You're not the only one who can turn intangible! Fry him!"
"EAT THIS!" Chad points his palms at the Sponsor and unleashes a combined, point-blank lightning blast at him, enveloping his foe in electricity.
"AARRRGHHH!" the Sponsor screams in pain but manages to pull back his right arm and then mirrors Chad's attack by releasing a stream of fire from his own palms. Below them, Maurice realizes what is about to happen and gestures everyone to find cover.
"Get down!" just then, Chad and the Sponsor are trapped in a sphere of fire and electricity, followed shortly after by another explosion which further damages the hangar and destroys the armored partition completely, revealing the empty other half of the hangar. Then, as the dust settles, Chad and the Sponsor fall to the ground but get up almost instantly.
"Urgh *pant*…this…this is impossible…no living being on this planet should be…able to…resist…my power…" the Sponsor clenches his fists and straightens himself up as Chad does the same.
"That Suit of yours is strong…I'll give you that…*pant* but we're not gonna lose to you."
"Such disgusting confidence!" the Sponsor teleports to Chad and they start fighting at close-range, exchanging blows with one another while Chad's allies can only watch.
"This is just like when Numbuh 1 fought Father…" Rachel thinks but quickly turns her attention back to Eliza, who has stopped moving and the blue-outlined Silhouette Suit is no longer spreading but still covers 70% of her body. "Eliza? Eliza! Talk to me!" but like before, the moment Rachel tries to reach out to Eliza, the blue flames surge towards her. Then, she is joined by Maurice and Patton, who is holding up an injured Keith.
"How is she?"
"I don't know…the Suit's almost covered her completely." Rachel replies to Maurice as Cygnus and Numbuh 9L, carrying an unconscious Leo in her mouth, also come to their side.
"Incredible, they're able to fight that monster on equal terms…" Cygnus mutters as Maurice nudges the swan alien.
"So that's what you guys meant by merging, right?"
"Yes. Though Libra and Scorpius are more familiar with its mechanics. When merged, we O.M.E.G.A. Numbers not only grant our powers to our partners but the merged form is able to perform beyond what we could do by ourselves. Truly a magnificent sight to behold."
"Then it looks like those two really saved our butts this time."
"Yes, but only if Delta and Corvus are able to defeat our enemy within their time limit. The merger causes a lot of stress to both parties so it can only be used for a limited time."
"Well let's hope they haven't hit their limit yet…but…it's strange…"
"What is?" Patton asks as Maurice eyes the Sponsor.
"That guy…he's kinda familiar…he's not Father, that's for sure…but…this isn't the first time we've met this guy. The way he speaks, and acts reminds me of…somebody…" Maurice says sternly as a scary thought pops into Rachel's mind, but she does not voice it as her thoughts are solely focused on the silent Eliza.
Meanwhile, Chad continues to duel with the Sponsor. Both have forgone from using their electricity and fire powers respectively and are now simply brawling at high speed. "This guy's really something…I've never seen a teenager this strong…"
"Me neither…I never fought Father directly, but I'm starting to understand…still…he's…familiar…" Chad replies to Corvus through telepathy.
"What do you mean?"
"These moves…I know them…it's like I'm…in my…Cadet's Next Door Fighting exam again…"
"This ain't the time to start reminiscing! Watch it!" Their conversation is interrupted as the Sponsor performs a faint and manages to land a clean hit on Chad's armored chest plate, slamming him into the ground.
"Ghhh…damn…" but before he can move out of the way, the Sponsor traps him with telekinesis, stopping his movements once more. "No!"
"*pant*…Enough of this…time to finish you off…Chad Dickson…" The Sponsor lifts his arms up and generates a massive red ball of fire over his head.
"Oh great! He's got us!"
"No way I'm gonna lose here!" Chad starts generating electricity from his body but because he can't move his arms, he can't direct it towards the Sponsor, who chuckles.
"Hmph, your pointless struggle ends now. You couldn't beat me back then and you can't do it now either…UARGH!" suddenly, the Sponsor is struck from behind by a stream of swirling, blue fire that causes him to lose his concentration, thus freeing Chad from his telekinetic grip.
"Now's your chance!" reacting quickly, Chad stands up and puts his hands together, causing his arm blades to move forward, covering his fists before an electric sphere is generated between the blade tips.
"GOTCHA!"
"NO!" the Sponsor hurls the sphere towards Chad, who fires a beam of plasma from his arms and the beam instantly vaporizes the fire sphere. "I WILL NOT LOSE!" the Sponsor counters Chad's with a condensed heat ray and their beams clash, lighting up the damaged hangar. "Ghhh…you're just a human…I can't…be defeated by you!"
"Think again!" Chad yells back and applies full thrust from his wings to stop himself from losing ground while the Sponsor anchors himself to the floor with telekinesis. However, the deadlock doesn't last long as a second stream of blue fire strike the Sponsor and as he looks to his right, he sees Eliza pointing her left arm towards him. The Silhouette Suit still covers the left side of her body, but it seems that she is in full control.
"Eliza…" a speechless Rachel stutters as Eliza walks past her and fires a blue heat ray at the Sponsor.
"IMPOSSIBLE! UAAARRGHH!" Overwhelmed by both the plasma and the blue heat ray, the Sponsor is struck by both attacks simultaneously and for a split second, his Silhouette Suit flickers, allowing Chad to see a glimpse of the person under it before the blast propels the Sponsor back into the destroyed southern wall. Then, Eliza collapses as her Silhouette Suit faces away, but now, she has a thin black streak running the whole length of her hair.
"Eliza!" Rachel screams and manages to catch her friend before she hits the floor while Chad collapses on one knee.
"*pant*…time's up…" engulfed by a bright light once more, Chad and Corvus are separated and both are exhausted, mentally and physically.
"…that was…nuts…"
"You said it…but…looks like you really could handle yourself…" Corvus' compliment causes Chad to chuckle weakly as his legs give away completely.
"Hah-hah…never thought…you'd…say that to me…"
"Don't worry…it won't happen again…"
"Sure…*pant*…urgh…" Chad replies and turns his attention towards the hangar's collapsed hangar's south wall.
"You think he…bought the farm…"
"No…not a chance…argh…" Chad tries to pull himself up, but he has no strength left in his body to do anything. Then, his heart sinks as the Sponsor clampers out of the rubble and dust. "Crap…" Chad's mind starts racing as he realizes they are sitting ducks. If the Sponsor attacks again, they're done for.
"Urgh…*cough*…damn you…Chad Dickson…" the Sponsor lifts his head and Chad notices that the upper left side of the Sponsor's face is visible.
"No way…you're…"
"This…isn't over…I may…have lost…this round…but…we…will not lose the war…you can count on it!" the Sponsor says with a raspy voice as a purple vortex appears below him and his unconscious subordinates.
"Are those…portals?!" Maurice shouts as the Ice Cream Men, Lunk and a Stupefied Teen Tornado are swallowed by the purple portals and lastly, the Sponsor himself sinks into one as well. Now, the only ones left in the hangar are the TND and their alien allies.
"We…did it…did we?"
"…I dunno Numbuh Zeta…this whole thing…feels like a defeat…" Maurice says and slowly walks over to a kneeling Chad, who is staring intensely at the ground while clenching his fists. "Hmm? Hey, you okay? You look like you saw a ghost."
"Not a ghost…but I saw someone…the Sponsor's identity…"
"Huh?! What?! Who was he?! Tell me!" Maurice grabs Chad by the shoulders and looks him in the eye as a single name escapes Chad's lips.
…
"Welcome back, David." a composite voice says to the Sponsor as he appears from the portal. He has arrived to a large throne room, it's walls lined with paintings and photographs while a massive window illuminates the room. Standing before him are a group of four people standing very close to each other as if they were connected to each other. Then, the Sponsor stands up and his Silhouette Suit fades away, revealing his identity:
He is David, one of the five Delightful Children from Down the Lane, only he is not a child anymore, he is a tall, lanky teenager wearing a deep dark blue school uniform while his light brown bowl cut hair covers his blank, blue eyes, a mark of his permanent Delightfulization. The other four approach him and they are also revealed to be the remaining four members of the Delightful Children, the short, blond-haired Bruce, who is holding a short cane, the taller, blond-haired Alessandra, the tan-skinned Constance, who wears red-rimmed glasses and her hair is pulled back into two braids and finally, the dark-skinned Lenny, who no longer wears his red football helmet and retainer, which have been replaced by teeth braces. Each of them is also wearing the same school uniform as David, while Alessandra is wearing a dark blue beret.
"The Ice Cream Factory was overrun." he says to the other Delightfuls, who nod emotionlessly.
"Yes, a most unfortunate turn of events but only a minor setback. We can establish a S.I.N. factory elsewere."
"Chad Dickson has also joined our enemy and he has brought allies from the GKND."
"Indeed. We saw and felt it. But don't worry, we will eventually make him repay the pain he put you through tenfold."
"The Ninjas are nearing the end of their usefulness as well. Their leader isn't as compenent as we hoped."
"As long as they keep the Teens Next Door occupied, they are still useful. Besides, we need them in order to convince the herd to follow us once the time arrives, David."
"Yes. However, I was unable to retrieve Eliza Solis."
"Unfortunate, but now that her Suit has been awakened, it will only drive a deeper wedge into the TND, just as we planned. But most importantly, we got what we wanted."
"Did they find out?"
"No. Whoever brought down their communications systems made our job much easier. Constance was able to successfully retrieve this." the girl in question, Constance reaches for her uniform's pocket and shows a pitch black pipe with a red outline held inside a small glass container.
"Father's pipe…"
"Indeed and it will be too late for them to realize we stole it from their Sooper Secure Vault. Now we can move on the second stage of our plan. Heh-heh-heh-heh!" the five teenagers start cackling as David joins them and they all turn to face the large window. "Now all the pieces are in place."
"Don't get overconfident, you haven't won yet." a black and purple, yellow-eyed shadow appears from the ceiling and looms over the Delightful Teenagers.
"No need to worry, Omnius. We are not children anymore."
"Hmph, yes." the shadowy Omnius crosses his ethereal arms and looks on as the Delightfuls place the glass container on a pedestal and turn to face him.
"How long until the Galactic Kids Next Door arrives?"
"They will arrive to the edge of this Solar System any day now."
"Excellent. That means more distractions for the TND and KND."
"Just because they are kids, don't underestimate them, Delightful Teenagers. They can easily destroy this planet with the push of a button if they wanted to."
"Yes, of course. Then let us hope our dear KND will protect the Earth, for the time being."
…
Meanwhile, somewhere over the Atlantic ocean, the damaged R.A.Y.-W.I.N.G.E.R. glides low over the waves, it's pilot sitting in the cockpit with their arms crossed. "So, Jammer failed…I'll need to report this to the GSF at once…but now I've confirmed that Numbuh Vermillion's son is on this planet." the pilot presses button on their right armrest and a faint silhouette appears on the screen on their dashboard. "This is Numbuh Shrike. Target identity confirmed. Jammer failed to destroy the Vault."
"Understood. We'll relay the information to Numbuh Exa ASAP. Head to these coordinates and stand by for remote L.E.A.P." a mechanical voice replies.
"Orders received. Moving to designated coordinates." the pilot hangs up and puts the R.A.Y.-W.I.N.G.E.R. into a steep climb that takes the ship all the way to space.
2 hours later as the TND and KND inspect the factory, Maurice and the others have returned to the Moonbase, where the unconscious Eliza has been taken to the TND's lab for examinations. As she lies motionless in the same pod she had been using before, Kieran and Maurice watch over her behind an armored glass wall. "Not the way I thought this day would go…"
"You got that right, Numbuh Omicron. We got our asses kicked, even though we drove the Ninjas out of that factory. And now Numbuh Alpha's Suit is back…" Maurice replies to Kieran, who removes his 2x4 headgear and frowns.
"She knew…she knew all along that the Suit was still inside her…all this time she kept telling something was wrong but I didn't listen…dammit…some Science Chief I am, couldn't even figure out you needed S.I.N. to awaken it…"
"Don't beat yourself over this, Numbuh Omicron. The Suit might be back but she was still able to control it…a little at least. And, aren't ya forgettin' that Numbuh 1 controlled his? If he could do that, than you can be damn sure Alpha's gonna do it too." Maurice grabs Kieran's shoulder and looks him in the eye but the Scottish agent shakes his head.
"I admire your optimism but…right now…I can't share it…so much crap happened today."
"Yeah, it's a been a pretty crappy day, but we can move on from this. This ain't the first time we got our teeth kicked in, remember?" Maurice reminds Kieran of last year's events and the Science Chief sighs.
"That, I can agree with."
"Heh, right on. Now stop sulkin'. Focus on what's important right here, right now." Maurice says and points at the unconscious Eliza.
"Yes, you're right. I can't let the others see me like this. I'll go over see the tests now."
"Atta boy." Maurice smirks and slaps Kieran in the back before the Science Chief walks away but then, Maurice's smile fades away and he kicks the ground. "I feel equally crap about this whole thing…and on top of all this…those guys are back…" he thinks and heads over to the closest elevator. "And then there's the Galactic Kids Next Door...we gotta plan ahead."
Across the Moonbase's Teen extension, inside the infirmary, Chad is sitting on his bedside, having been taken there to rest. "This whole thing was my fault…" after learning what happened outside, Chad had realized that had he not sought out the Ninjas, things may have gone differently.
"Don't tell me you're gonna start blaming yourself over this?" Corvus says telepathically as he appears from the ceiling.
"I don't need your opinion, Corvus. Let me be alone."
"Why are you acting like you lost? You guys beat those Ninjas and we drove away that black suit wearing guy."
"Yeah, but at what cost? If I had been more patient, we could've found that factory eventually…"
"Would it have gone any better? I think you made the right choice, speaking from experience."
"Well I don't. They all got hurt because they came to rescue me!"
"Stop thinking so highly of yourself!" Corvus snaps at Chad and grabs him by his collar. "We're both ex-KND and we both know how they operate. Yeah, they found the place because you turned yourself in, but that's not why they attacked that factory! Weren't the Ninjas making something in there?"
"The S.I.N."
"That's right. So stop feeling sorry for yourself. I'm gonna lose my mind if I hear my partner kicking himself all the time!"
"Pa…partner?"
"Don't get me wrong, you're still high on my Most Hated List, but I can at least tolerate working with you. Besides, we'll need to use Overlay again if we meet more of those black suits."
"…"
"Let that sink in. I'm outta here." Corvus let's go of Chad and disappears, leaving Chad by himself. Sighing loudly, he falls on the bed and puts his hands behind his head while looking at the white ceiling. He starts going through his past, how he had risen through the KND's ranks until he became Supreme Leader after Numbuh 100 was Decommissioned, how he had been approached by the GKND, which lead to him "betraying" the KND and joining the Ninjas. As he is reminded of his many battles with Sector V and especially Numbuh 1, he remembers how he met the former operative in Cleve not too long ago, in a rainy intersection. While he would love to speak to his old friend-turned foe again, Chad isn't sure how he would react to seeing him again. Then suddenly, Chad is snapped back to reality upon hearing a knock on his door.
"It's open." Chad says as he gets up while the door opens and Patton enters the room along with Rachel, which surprises Chad. "What are you two doing here?"
"Rachel's got something to say to you." Patton says sternly and steps aside as Rachel walks up to Chad.
"…" she looks Chad intensely in the eye before lowering her head. "I…I'm sorry…about everything I've said…"
"Huh?" Chad lifts an eyebrow as Rachel clenches her fists.
"What you said back there at the hangar…you were right…I…I wasn't able to let go of my grudge towards you and…"
"Don't worry about it." Chad replies calmly, surprising Rachel. "I totally get why you couldn't trust me. Even though I was a double agent, it doesn't excuse what I did. All I wanted back then was to be the best and join the GKND, before I realized who they really were."
"No! What I said was wrong! You've lost your parents to the Splinter Cell and I completely ignored that by saying you couldn't understand! You can't just brush this off…hey!" Chad puts his hand on Rachel's head and rustles her hair.
"That's all in the past. Don't kick yourself over it. And besides, it wouldn't change anything if I started hating you for something like that." Chad then pats Rachel on the head and lets go. "So why don't we start over? We're on the same side now."
"Ghh, you always were so damn laid back."
"Only when I want to, Numbuh Epsilon." Chad chuckles, which causes Rachel to smile slightly.
"How's Numbuh Alpha?" Chad's question makes Rachel drop her smile and look away.
"They're…keeping an eye on her…but we don't know when she'll wake up."
"I see…"
"She's tough, she'll pull through. That's how she's always been." Patton says and Rachel nods back.
"Yeah…but we'll be there for her too." she replies and then, offers her hand to Chad. "I didn't say this to you when you arrived so…I'll do it properly now. Welcome back."
"It's good to be back." the two teenagers shake hands as the bond they shared as kids begins to slowly rekindle. But their moment is interrupted by the arrival of Herbie and Maurice.
"Numbuh Sigma? Iota-3? What are you guys doing here?"
"We were plannin' on speaking with Numbuh Delta but since you two are here, we'll fill you in as well." Maurice replies to Patton as a stone-faced Herbie locks the door and places a TND M.U.F.F.L.E.R. noise blocking gadget on the door.
"Why the M.U.F.F.L.E.R.?"
"Because this conversation is highly confidential, Numbuh Epsilon. You three were inside the factory when it happened, but during the battle, our entire communication system was brought down temporarely."
"Wait, what?! Are you serious?!"
"Yes, Numbuh Zeta. It happened right under our noses."
"How badly were we compromised?" Rachel asks Herbie, who shakes his head.
"A single intruder snuck in and stupefied the Teen Extention's communications relay room's crew before shutting the entire network down." Herbie says grimly as Maurice takes over.
"I wasn't aware of this either until we came back to the Moonbase. Anyway, Numbuh Omicron, Numbuh Vine and the O.M.E.G.A. Numbers caught the guy and you're not gonna believe what that guy was planning." seeing Maurice's grim expression, Rachel walks up to him and looks him in the eye.
"You're not saying...they got to the Vault?"
"The Vault? You mean the Sooper Secure Vault?" Chad asks but both Herbie and Maurice shake their heads.
"No, they were trying to destroy the Memory Vault." Herbie's reply causes Rachel and Patton's faces to immediately turn pale.
"WHAT?! You gotta be kidding me!" Patton shouts as a panicking Rachel almost grabs Herbie by the collar.
"Please tell me they didn't succeed!"
"Calm down you two. Numbuh Omicron and the aliens stopped the intruder."
"What the heck is the Memory Vault?"
"We'll explain that to you later. Anyway, here's the kicker: that intruder was a GKND spy who had disguised themselves as KND Moonbase guard. That's how they got in so easily."
"No!" Chad jumps up and his expression is even more shocked than Patton and Rachel's. "Dammit...I should've figured they still had spies here on Earth..."
"That's why we wanted to talk to you. We were thinking of revealing the GKND's existance to everyone." Maurice says to Chad, who lowers his head and frowns. "Now before ya say anything, lemme explain. There's no way we can flush out all the spies they've got left on Earth. Even the O.M.E.G.A. Numbers said the same earlier. Numbuh Delta, you've gotta be the one to tell everyone. You know the GKND better than any other human, so you're the only one who can do it."
"..." Chad clenches his fists as doubt starts creeping in.
"What about Numbuh Vine, 9L and the O.M.E.G.A. Numbers?"
"Well, Numbuh Epsilon, they said they'd wait until Numbuh Delta makes his choice." Maurice replies and looks Chad in the eye. "I know what you're thinkin'. What if they don't believe ya? We've got enough proof of the GKND to go around but you gotta say it."
"...I'll do it...but can we wait until Numbuh Alpha wakes up? She's a way better speaker than me."
"I'll help you too. We can also ask Numbuh Chi-4 and Numbuh Chi-3 to help as well, since they were with us when we heard Numbuh Gamma's confession a year ago." Rachel puts her hand on Chad shoulder. "Consider this me repaying you for the way I acted earlier."
"Hey, I told you, you don't..."
"Forget it, Numbuh Delta. Once she has that look, it's useless to argue back." Patton smirks, causing Rachel and Maurice to laugh a little while a weak smile appears on Chad's face. However, Herbie remains stoic.
"There's one other thing we need to disguss: the indentity of the Teen Ninja's Sponsor. Numbuh Sigma told me you saw who they were."
"Yeah, I did."
...
However, one person has completely isolated himself from the others and that is The Kid. What happened during the battle has left him in bad shape. Because he had gone after the mystery fighter, the cover he was supposed to provide never materialized and the orbital drop, already suffering from the communications failure, was very close to turning into a failure before the Kid rejoined the battle. While the reinforcements made the difference and the Ninjas were soundly defeated, The Kid is furious at himself for abandoning his mission when he was most needed. Now, he sits inside the cockpit of fighter, floating weightlessly in space, near the Moonbase. "I really messed up this time…that guy was just baiting me…I should've stayed with the others…dammit!" he screams angrily and removes his aviators. "I can't face 'em now…especially not Miss Commander…I'm all talk…nothing else…" he mutters as he looks out into space, not noticing that tiny, glowing green feathers appear from his right palm before quickly fading away.
…
The clock hits two in the afternoon and back at Hydro World, Nigel and his friends gather at the parking lot. They had spent the day in the shopping mall adjacent to the hotel and now, with their luggage and souvenirs in hand, prepare to leave the resort. Fanny herself had already left at 12 when her father arrived to pick her up.
"Man, I gotta say, this was by far, the best hotel I've ever been." Hoagie looks longingly at the top floor of the hotel, where the balcony of the penthouse is visible.
"Yes, all in all, this trip was a great experience." Nigel replies. "A shame Rachel and Patton had to leave early."
"You said it, Nigel. But at least we got some souvenirs for 'em too." Abby says as Wally yawns loudly.
"It would've been better without all the snorin'."
"Hah, you're the one to talk! You snored louder than any of us!" Hoagie points at Wally how glares at him.
"No, I didn't!"
"Yes, you did!"
"Will you two shut yer mouths and get yer bags in the car?!" Abby roars as she opens the trunk of her car, silencing the boys
After a few minutes, they fill up the trunk and the boys squeeze themselves into the back seat of Abby's convertible, now with the added weight of the souvenir bags, one for each occupant. Kuki has Abby's luggage in her leg space and a bag on her lap while Hoagie has two on his lap, Nigel has one and Wally has both his backpack and a bag. The ride home goes much more smoothly, albeit with near silence. All of them are exhausted from the trip but they are also only thinking about their amnesia, each in their own way. Suddenly, a feint sound of snoring is heard as Wally falls asleep, his face resting against the left-side window.
"I told you he snores like a damn air-raid siren." Hoagie mutters, causing the others to chuckle. Kuki then puts a CD into the car's CD player titled: "Abby's fav songs #1." The first song that plays is Stephanie Cook's "Blue Skies" and she promptly starts to sing along. Somehow, the song, combined with Kuki's brilliant singing voice, causes all the tension in the car to fade away as the others silently listen to her for the remainder of the drive back home.
Abby drops off her friends one at a time, starting with Wally, then Kuki, Nigel and Hoagie. As she waves goodbye to her friends, they all know that come Monday, they will have a completely new challenge ahead of them.
However, what they don't know is that what happens in the next two months will change not only their lives but also everyone else's, as a visible rip appears in space at the edge of the Solar System and a giant Treehouse slowly slips out of it
End of Transmission 19
End of Phase 1
Note: Woohoo! We've finally arrived to the end of the first arc! Even though this is by far the shortest chapter up to now, there's even more stuff to unpack here, so let's get through them.
They are back! Yes, the Delightful Children or Teenagers rather, are the other main antagonists of this fanfic. Back when I was working on RETRIBUTION, I purposefully did not include them in the story because honestly, I didn't know what to do with the Delightfuls. However, that changed when I began writing this in 2019 as a stand alone warm-up before I got back to RETRIBUTION. Originally, this fic was just supposed to be an open-ended, silly slice of life/teenager romcom with Sector V in highschool ending up in all kinds of cliche'd scenarios. By the time I reached 500 pages I simply ran out of ideas and decided to put this fic aside so I could focus on RETRIBUTION. While I was writing that, I realized I could turn this into a proper sequel and here is the result. And I'm glad I didn't use the Delightfuls before, since now I can include them into this story. We'll learn a lot more about what happened to them during the past 6 years as the story goes on.
The Delightful's teenager designs themselves are a combination of how they briefly appeared as teenagers in OP: G.R.O.W.-U.P. and a fanmade design by Deviantart user JazzXrawr. Go check out their KND fanart, it's phenomenal.
Anyway, next up will be the second arc and where shit will really hit the fan, that I can assure you. Thank you for reading this far, stay tuned for more Operation Beyond very soon.