Transmission 23: Hidden Conflict
"Report from the Reconnaissance Division: 5 E.N.R.O.A.C.H.E.R.'s lost, 1 recovered, along with 70 captured Earth KND Operatives."
"5 lost? Are you kidding me?" Numbuh Aerook throws his arms in the air as he, Exa, Lyrical and Geo-4 stand on the bridge of the GSF's Treehouse.
"How they did we lose 5 already? This was just a recon run, right?" Lyrical asks Exa, who stands silently with his arms crossed.
"…it was…but I'm pretty certain the O.M.E.G.A. Numbers had something to do with our losses…"
"Sir, we're receiving more information from the Reconnaissance Division: Only one E.N.R.O.A.C.H.E.R. was destroyed by the O.M.E.G.A. Numbers. 3 were lost to teenagers who used Silhouette Suits and the last one fell to the Moonbase's shield."
"Si…Silhouette Suits?! But I thought Father was defeated?!" a frightened Geo-4 shouts.
"Calm down. Numbuh Shrike's report mentioned that Omnius had managed to create an artificial Silhouette Suit that the so-called Teen Ninjas are using. This is all within expectations." Exa says coldly but neither Aerook or Geo-4 are convinced.
"What do ya mean 'within expectations'?! I say we blow that planet up right now!"
"Calm down, you idiots!" Lyrical hits her staff's blunt end into the floor, silencing Aerook and Geo-4. "Don't tell me you're scared of something like that? We're the GSF, we've faced way worse opponents than a bunch of powered up teenagers."
"Indeed, Lyrical. We'll simply need to adjust our strategy from here on. We have plenty of E.N.R.O.A.C.H.E.R.'s and we succeeded in destroying their underwater Treehouse. That will both slow down their 2x4 technology development and because we captured their comrades, it will affect them mentally as well."
"Then what are we gonna do to those captured operatives?" Aerook asks skeptically as Exa start leaving the observation deck.
"Numbuh 74.239 said he had plans for them. Numbuh Lyrical, I'm going to make my rounds, you're in-charge until I return."
"Yes, Sir!" Lyrical and the rest of the bridge crew salute Exa as he leaves the bridge, but his calm demeanor has not sat well with Aerook.
"Why the heck is he so casual about this? We lost 5 top-of-the-line E.N.R.O.A.C.H.E.R.'s that were made specifically for us and he says we're okay? I'm not buying it."
"Exa knows what he's doing and besides, we can't attack the planet directly before S-26 and A64 arrive, don't forget that." Lyrical says coldly as she gazes at a screen which shows the Earth. "I wanna attack that planet too, Aerook, don't get me wrong. They have something that belongs to me and I want it."
Meanwhile, Exa heads down to the bowels of the Treehouse and enters his modest private quarters, which has only a small bed and a GKND S.C.O.P.E.J.E.C.T.O.R. communication device mounted to the ceiling. There are no video-games, holo-books or even toys, which is not normal for a GKND operative, but it suits a solitary person like Exa very well. He does not care what others think of him and likewise, he is not interested about other people. The very fact he is a Pantherian who became an officer and rose to the rank of GSF Sector Commander is unheard, as Pantherians are mostly treated as nothing more than thugs and hooligans who only know how to fight and act like animals. Thus, Numbuh Exa has learned to keep to himself and only talks with others on official business. Now, standing alone in the darkness, he presses button on his gauntlet and activates the S.C.O.P.E.J.E.C.T.O.R.
"This is Galactic Central Communication Center. State your codename and purpose."
"GSF Commander Numbuh Exa. I wish to speak with the Galactic Supreme Leader Numbuh Aleph Zero."
"…Identity confirmed. Please wait a moment."
"Understood." Exa replies and waits patiently until a voice responds.
"Numbuh Exa." the monotone, composite voice of the GKND's Supreme Leader speaks to Exa, who immediately kneels down.
"Supreme Leader."
"Why have you contacted us?"
"I wish to give my report in-person."
"Very well. Proceed."
"Thank you." Exa stands up and explains in detail what has happened since his Sector arrived to the Solar System and the Supreme Leader listens silently. "…and that is my full report."
"Interesting. As expected of Numbuh 274's home planet. It was the correct decision to give this mission to you, Numbuh Exa."
"I'm grateful…but I have many questions. Would you please listen?"
"Go on."
"There are…some aspects of this mission that I am…uncertain of. I completely understand if I won't get an answer for this but…why exactly was Numbuh 74.239 assigned to my Sector? Aside from the obvious of course."
"…Numbuh 74.239 is a very valuable member of the Galactic Science Division and his expertise on Earth is invaluable for the success of your mission."
"…I see. Then, another question: 3 of our E.N.R.O.A.C.H.E.R.'s were destroyed by enemies who had Silhouette Suits. While the data shows that one fell against teenagers who used S.I.N. or Silhouette Infused Nutrients, two were defeated easily by teenagers who had no trace of S.I.N. in their bodies. Do you understand what I mean?"
"Yes. You were correct in contacting us about this. Galactic databases indicate the only ones who could in theory still possess such powers on Earth are the Delightful Children from Down the Lane. However, they are not part of the Uno bloodline and disappeared 4 Stellar Cycles ago."
"What if they somehow came back? That would mean the planet has two Galactic-Level threats present."
"Indeed. Earth is far beyond any hope of saving itself. For now, continue with the original plan. Once Numbuh S-26 and Numbuh A64 return, we will brief you personally on any changes, understood?"
"Yes, Supreme Leader."
"Do not speak of this to anyone, Numbuh Exa."
"You have my word." Exa salutes as Aleph Zero ends the call. Then, the GSF's commander walks over to the small window above his mattress-like bed and stares into the void. "This operation still stinks…and I don't like it." then, he is snapped out of thoughts when someone calls him. "Numbuh Exa here."
"This is Numbuh 74.239. I was told you were making your rounds?"
"Yes, what is it?"
"Oh, I just thought I'd inform you that we have moved the prisoners to the detainment block."
"Were they contaminated?"
"No, thankfully. We'll keep them there before we probe their minds. Since they do not have the Adulthood Virus in them, they could be put to good use."
"I wouldn't hold my hopes up about that, Numbuh 74.239."
"Don't worry, I'll persuade them. And if nothing else works, we can simply…Decommission them and send them off to a resource planet afterwards." 74.239 says coldly and Exa is not at all happy with his suggestion but keeps his mouth shut.
"…do what you must."
"Of course." 74.239 hangs up but Exa is left frustrated by what he heard and Aleph Zero's answer earlier isn't helping at all.
"They have an ulterior motive. That's the only reason the Supreme Leader avoided my question."
...
Within the following three weeks, the GKND send two more waves of E.N.R.O.A.C.H.E.R.'s, which cause more damage but they are repelled without further abductions, but it is quickly coming clear to the KND and the TND that they cannot keep up with the attacks unless they improve their defenses. In the immediate aftermath of the first attack, Global Command implemented an emergency order, which mandated that all KND Treehouses install the same barrier shield system that the Moonbase uses, but due to the complexity of the system, deployment has been slow. However, thanks to Jacques' executive order, their ranks have risen immensely as many former KND operatives are Recommissioned and placed into the TND while those operatives who were turning 13, automatically joined the TND. However, these numbers do not include those who were Decommissioned and later joined the Ninjas and those who were Erased, since their memories were destroyed.
It is now Wednesday and after another particularly difficult day, the group in-charge of deciphering the disc S-26 gave to Chad have gathered at the Moonbase's No. 10 hangar, which no longer houses the shuttle as it was moved to the Moonbase's central lab for analysis.
"Argh, this ain't goin' anywhere. Numbuh Gamma, why the heck did you have to make this thing so damn difficult to decipher?!" Maurice shouts angrily as he, Scorpius and Numbuh Vine are losing their minds over the disc Numbuh S-26 gave to Chad. "We know how the code language works but none of these sequences are makin' any sense." he laments as Vine crosses her tentacles and shakes her head in frustration.
"I'm about to blow my top too. We've been trying to unlock this thing for three weeks…"
"While S-26's reasons for making this difficult were logical, I am unable to comprehend why deciphering this is proving to be such a challenge." Scorpius says while staring blankly at the disc, which is connected to a portable 2x4 computer system.
"Yo, how long are ya gonna lay there? Help us out, Delta." Maurice gestures to Chad, who is lounging on a sofa nearby while Corvus floats above him, observing the others.
"Give me a break, I just got back from destroying that E.N.R.O.A.C.H.E.R. that was gonna attack Sector X."
"We know, but you're a part of this team too, Numbuh Delta." Vine remarks but Chad does not budge from the sofa and keeps staring at the ceiling. "Delta!"
"I heard you, but I don't have any idea how to break open that disc."
"None of us do, but we have no choice, we GOTTA decipher this disc somehow. Aren't ya forgetting that it holds the cure for Erasure AND Gamma sacrificed himself for this?" Maurice snaps at Chad, who frowns as he is reminded of S-26's words back at the Void Prison.
"…there's no way I could forget it. He said it to my face."
"Then get your bum ass off that sofa and get over here!"
"Yeah, yeah…" Chad mutters and joins the others while Corvus huffs to himself.
"You really left us with a puzzle alright, S-26."
However, despite Chad's help, another hour goes by and they haven't made any progress. It is as if the disc is mocking them and even the emotionless Scorpius is becoming confused. "This is truly illogical. We have applied every possible code language combination at it and yet it does not react at all. Just what did S-26 do to this disc?" the insect alien says while staring at the disc while Maurice crosses his arms.
"…Maybe we're looking at this the wrong way…" he mutters and sits down in-front of another computer terminal. "Everything in the disc is written in GKND code language, which you guys know well. But the code is totally scrambled…"
"What are you suggesting?"
"Nothin' solid yet, Scorpius. It's just…these patterns remind of something S-26 did back when he was with the TND…" Intrigued, Scorpius floats over to Maurice's terminal as the former spy types slowly. "When we recruited Sector V a year ago, S-26 was the one who gave them the location of our old base…and he did it with code…" Maurice mutters as he brings up a copy of the message Sector V received when the TND contacted them via cellphone. "I told him he was nuts when he showed this to me. Numbuh Alpha and Epsilon also said there was no way anyone in Sector V could make anythin' outta this gibberish." Maurice shows the message to the rest of the team.
"Huh? What does that even mean? It's totally unreadable." Vine squints at the screen and the others are also having a hard time understanding the text.
"So he has done this before? As expected of an Intelligence operative. But where are you going with this?" Scorpius asks, prompting Maurice to zoom on the picture and then, he inverts and mirrors the image, causing Chad to instantly recognize the code.
"No way, that's Teen Ninja code!" he shouts, startling the aliens.
"Ninja code? Are you serious? Why would he use something like that in such an important message?" Vine asks Maurice, who smirks back.
"Because, S-26 wanted to test them. He'd never seen Sector V face-to-face but he had heard the stories and read the reports. I tell ya, he spent two months studying their files non-stop. I guess he figured that if they could break his code, they'd be worthy of joining the TND." Maurice explains as Scorpius finally connects the dots.
"Then this is also a test to us. And you have just found the key." he quickly returns to the bigger computer terminal and brings up the disc's code in holograph form. "Now to apply the same method here." Scorpius inverts and mirrors the code, causing the disc to make a clicking sound, to the surprise of everyone.
"Are you kidding me? That's all we had to do?!" Chad throws his hands in the air, but Scorpius quickly brings the others back to Earth before they get excited.
"No. The code is still unintelligible, but we seem to have unlocked a way to access the disc's firewall. Now we must go through every strand of code and perform the same action on all of them. This will take some time, but I doubt it be difficult now that we have a way of understanding the code."
"*yawn* Then you guys won't need me anymore, right? Because I'm gonna head back to Cleve. I need to…visit my parents." Chad's expression becomes slightly pained and Maurice puts his hand on his friend's shoulder.
"Alright, you go do that. Just make sure ya let Cleve Sector know you're comin' over."
"Obviously." Chad nods and leaves the hangar with a silent Corvus in tow, while the others start applying Maurice's new method to slowly unlock the disc.
Using the Moonbase's Portal Hub, Chad goes back to Cleve Sector where he is greeted by Keith in the hallway that leads to the hangar. "Hey, mon, any luck with the disc?"
"Numbuh Sigma managed to figure out something about it, but it's still gonna take time."
"Ah, okay. Well, at least it's a start. So, what brings you here, Numbuh Delta?"
"I uh…I came to check on my parents…" Chad's reply makes Keith's smile fade away and he nods back seriously.
"Oh, gotcha. Take your time, mon." Keith says and walks past Chad before looking over his shoulder. "I'll tell the Commander that you're here on private business."
"Thanks." Chad smiles weakly before heading to the opposite direction, towards the hangar, where he climbs into his personal dark red and gray Battle Ready Cycle. "Flight control, this is Numbuh Delta, requesting permission to take-off."
"Roger that, Numbuh Delta. Stand by, we've got an incoming personnel transport. We'll inform you when the course is clear."
"Copy." Chad replies and leans back on his seat while crossing his arms. He is still worn out from fighting against the E.N.R.O.A.C.H.E.R. earlier and he hasn't slept well either. "*yawn* Man…how long are they gonna keep harassing us…"
"Until they know all the planet's weak spots." Corvus replies as his face appears on the Cycle's display, startling Chad.
"Gah! Why do you always gotta freak me out like that? Warn me next time you sneak inside the electronics!"
"Hmph, I do it because I need you to stay sharp. You never know if the GKND send another E.N.R.O.A.C.H.E.R."
"Yeah, yeah…" Chad sighs and grabs the Cycle's handles again. "Hey, I've got a question for ya."
"Hmm?"
"Are there other people on Earth who are compatible with you O.M.E.G.A. Numbers?" Chad's question surprises Corvus, who crosses his clawed hands and lifts an eyebrow.
"How should I know? You're gonna have to ask Libra or Scorpius about that."
"Then how are we compatible? Is it totally random who you O.M.E.G.A. Numbers can partner with?"
"I said I don't know. The GKND left out those details…but it can't be random. Libra said we O.M.E.G.A. Numbers know when we find a compatible partner. We feel it in our symbols." Corvus points at the Omega symbol on the left side of his chest. "The more it blinks, the higher the compatibility rate or something…"
"Have the others mentioned anything about that blinking?" Chad asks and Corvus shakes his head.
"No…but now that you mentioned it, I'll have to ask. If all six of us get compatible partners, that would make fighting the GKND way easier." Corvus replies but the conversation is cut short by another transmission from flight control.
"Numbuh Delta, the route is now clear. You can head into the airlock."
"Roger that." Chad flips the Cycle's ignition switch and flies it inside the airlock, which fills with water and then, the outer door opens, allowing Chad to fly out of the base, out into the later autumn sky. "We need to mention this to the others, Corvus. It's like you said, if all of you have partners, we'll be stronger."
"Sure." Corvus replies stoically and phases out of the Cycle's electronics to take a peek outside just as they fly over downtown Cleve. "So, this is your home?"
"It used to be…my house is in the suburbs, but nobody lives there now." Chad replies as he lands on a parking lot and with the flip of a switch, disguises the Cycle into a car. "You can look around if you want. I need to visit the hospital, but you'll probably find me because of this." Chad gestures with the O.L. Ring in his right hand at Corvus, who nods and flies away while Chad drives through the town towards the hospital. After parking the disguised bike, Chad heads inside and gives the names of his parents to the receptionist.
"The Dickson's…floor 5, room 23."
"Thank you." Chad then boards an elevator that takes him to the 5th floor but as he trudges silently through the hallway, the doctor in-charge of his parents greets him.
"Ah, Chad Dickson. Great timing. I was just about to get someone to call you."
"Call me? Did something happen to mom and dad?" Chad becomes alarmed but the doctor gestures him to calm down.
"No, no, nothing bad. Actually, I have great news. We have decided to send your parents' home."
"Re…really?"
"That's right. While it has proven to be impossible to get rid of their retrograde amnesia, they have recovered enough that they can go back to their day-to-day lives. Of course, it will be difficult, since they can't remember anything before two years ago, but otherwise, they are all right. Now, I must stress that you must keep them company as much as possible so that they'll get used to living normal lives again. But no need act any differently of course."
"O…okay…" Chad becomes stiff and clenches his fists while the doctor puts his hand on the teenager's shoulder.
"I won't lie, it will be difficult to adapt to this, but you will get used to it. Right now, your parents need you by their side."
"I know…" the doctor smiles let's go of Chad's shoulder before walking away.
"We'll inform you when they'll be sent home, so that you can be present."
"Got it." Chad replies and walks over to room 23. The door is slightly open and Chad carefully peeks inside, where he sees his parents sitting around a round table, staring at tablets. Then, from the corner of his eye, Chad's father notices him.
"Hmm? Well, hello there, Chad." the fact he isn't addressed as "son" still makes Chad slightly uncomfortable as he greets his parents.
"Hi, mom, dad." he says with a strained voice and walks inside. "I uh…heard they're sending you home."
"That's right, Chad. We'll be moving home by the end of the week." Chad's blond-haired mother replies. It still feels unreal that these two kind adults once went by the names of Mega-Mom and Destructo-Dad, notorious Adult Super Villains who fought against the KND numerous times and were among the strongest, thanks to their armor suits which featured Stupefier weapons, the very weapons that the TND use today.
His relationship with them had always been strained, especially since they were very demanding and tried to always control Chad's life, such as deciding what clubs he could join in school, what instrument to play, what music to listen to and what sports to play. It had become unbearable by the time Chad had become a Teen Ninja and he would spend more time away from home that he used to. Now however, they were very kind and mellow and Chad still isn't sure how to feel about it.
"Well, don't just stand around, Chad. Sit down." his bespectacled, big-nosed father says while pulling a chair out for Chad, who nods awkwardly and sits opposite his parents. "So, how is it going for you? Have you thought about your…studies?"
"No…I still need time to figure out what I wanna do…" Chad replies silently.
"That's alright, take as much time as you want, Chad."
"Yeah…thanks…" Chad looks down at the floor as his parents glance at each other.
"Uhm…Chad?"
"Yes, mom?"
"We're sorry if you're not…happy with how things are…we wish we could…communicate better with you but…"
"No!" Chad jumps up, startling his parents. "Don't…don't apologize. Losing your memories wasn't your fault and you can't do anything about it, I get it." Chad stutters while clenching his fists. "Things…things could be much worse…"
"Chad…" his mother stands up and puts her hand on her son's shoulder.
"It's enough for me that…you're here. Even you don't remember me or anything else, it's fine." then, small tears start forming in Chad's eyes as he tries his best not to cry. "So just…don't worry about me. I can…take care of myself now…I'm not a kid anymore." but then, the tears start flowing down his cheeks, prompting his mother to give him a hug and Chad's father joins in as well. As the family shares this tender moment, Corvus is observing them from a window with his arms crossed.
"Another reason to fight for your planet, I suppose…"
After calming down, Chad spends the next hour with his parents but is still unsure how to act around them. However, because of his TND duties, Chad is not certain he can be with his parents as much as the doctor wanted. Then, he bids them farewell and leaves the hospital before meeting Corvus in the parking lot. "You sure you don't want to spend more time with them?" Corvus' question surprises Chad slightly, but then he remembers that the O.M.E.G.A. Number lost his own family when the GKND Decommissioned Avialus Proxima.
"I'll go see them again. I'm still trying to get used to them not being Adult Super Villains."
"That so? Right." Corvus replies silently as Chad hops inside his disguised Battle Ready Cycle and drives off back towards downtown. As he cruises the streets, the scenery brings back memories of Chad's time in the Ninjas. All the street corners, parking lots and parks that fly by were all places he used to hang around with his fellow Ninjas but now, the memories only make him sad.
Soon, he approaches the Super Mall, Cleve's largest shopping center which was also one of his favorite hangout spots. However, as he drives past the massive parking lot, Chad notices a group of teenage girls leaving the mall and among them, is a familiar face, wearing a dark red winter jacket, earmuffs, dark blue jeans and tall white winter boots. "St…Stacey!" he slows down and from the corner of his eye, sees that the girls begin separating, with Stacey crossing the street behind him, prompting Chad to quickly switch lanes and perform a U-turn, startling Corvus.
"Huh?! Hey, what the heck are you doing?"
"I need to…confirm something." Chad replies and starts slowly following Stacey as she walks on the sidewalk, listening to music from her smartphone. Then, Chad turns the Cycle invisible and parks it on the side of the road. "Guard the Cycle. I'll call you if something happens." Chad says quickly and climbs out of the Cycle, leaving Corvus behind.
"Grr…I knew you'd do something like this. Well, I guess this is a good chance to try this trick. Initiate Eagle Eye Function." the alien mutters and his eyes start glowing brighter before his view changes to that of what Chad is seeing. "So, that's what this is about. Don't get carried away, because I'm gonna be really pissed if you get caught again."
Meanwhile, Chad shadows Stacey, using his 2x4 wristwatch's stealth cloak to stay invisible. Ever since the Ninjas fled the Ice Cream Factory, Chad had been wondering what happened to her and the others but because of the constant E.N.R.O.A.C.H.E.R. attacks, Chad had been unable to track the Ninjas down and now by chance, he had found perhaps the one he was worried about the most.
Then suddenly, Stacey looks over her shoulder, causing Chad to freeze despite being invisible before Stacey turns to the right and enters a side alley. Not wasting a second, Chad quickly follows her there but the moment he enters the side alley, Stacey stops after passing a long dumpster and turns around, aware that someone is following her. "…" she squints before activating her left hand B.R.A. gauntlet and pointing its heat laser cannon down the alley. "I know you're here! Show yourself! You didn't think I wouldn't notice that U-turn?!" she glares while taking a firm stance.
Then, she receives a response. "Fine, you caught me." Stacey's eyes widen as she recognizes the voice while Chad decloaks right in-front of her.
"…Y…YOU!" Stacey grabs her left wrist and points the cannon straight at Chad's face as he puts his hands up.
"Hey, hey, calm down, I didn't come here to pick a fight, Stacey."
"That's what you said before you let yourself get caught last time, traitor." Stacey hisses at Chad.
"This time it's different! I just…I just wanted to talk, that's all." Chad says cautiously but Stacey refuses to lower her weapon.
"Shut up…you're gonna lead your TND buddies here, aren't you? Like you did before."
"I won't! Gah, will you just let me speak?! I've been worried about you, that's all!"
"Worried? Oh, don't give me that crap! Why would you be…worried about…me…?" Stacey's voice becomes shaky while Chad lowers his head.
"I really was. Ever since you guys fled, I wanted to know if you were okay but…"
"You were too busy going after the other Ninjas?!"
"NO!" Chad shouts back at Stacey while clenching his fists. "I couldn't care less what the Teen Ninjas do now. I've got bigger problems to deal with…*sigh*…look, all I needed to know was that you are okay, that's it. I won't bother you anymore." but before Chad can turn around and walk away, Stacey lowers her gun.
"…you think you're the only one who has problems now? We lost everything. The Ninja's split up and now we're treated like traitors…"
"What? Split up?"
"That's right…no way were we going to follow that Father-lookalike…" Stacey mutters and her revelation surprises Chad but at the same time, he feels relieved.
"That so? Well, that means I don't have worry about you anymore. See ya around." Chad smiles slightly over his shoulder but then, a laser shot lands next to him. "Huh?!" he turns around and sees four dark silhouettes standing on the roof of the building to his right.
"You've got some nerve showing your face again." a cold but familiar voice says as the four strangers jump down from the roof and land around Stacey. Chad immediately recognizes the one wearing a yellow-horned helmet as none other than Chuckie.
"Hmph, I figured you'd be here too." Chad smirks as all four Ninjas point their weapons at Chad. "Look, I said what I wanted to say, so I really don't want to fight you guys again."
"…you think you can just walk away now?" Chuckie glares at Chad from under the lid of his samurai helmet and his former friend steps back cautiously. "After everything you've done?"
"Well, what are you gonna do about it? Attack me? You know what happened last time." Chad's reply angers Chuckie as he steps forward, pointing both of his heat laser cannons at Chad.
"If you're trying to piss me off, you're doing a damn good job. You were trying to flush us out again, weren't you?"
"No. I just happened to see Stacey walk by, that's all. I'm off duty right now anyway." but Chad quickly realizes that he can't talk his way out of this. Chuckie and the other three Ninjas are too incensed by his mere presence. "*sigh* you know what, forget it, I don't need to explain anything to you anymore. I'm bailing." Chad says before turning his back on the Ninjas and starts walking away.
"…damn you…" Chuckie aims his cannons at Chad's back but does not fire, despite every fiber in his body telling him to shoot his former Ninja comrade while Stacey stands behind him, hiding her eyes under her brown hair.
"GO TO HELL, TRAITOR!" suddenly, one of the other Ninjas fires both of his cannons at Chad, startling Chuckie and Stacey but before Chad can properly react, Corvus swoops in and blocks the lasers with an electric blast.
"Grrr, you were counting on that, weren't you?"
"Not really, but thanks." Chad replies stoically as Corvus huffs and points an electric ball on the Ninjas.
"You don't mind if I shock 'em? I was getting bored." Corvus starts gathering more electricity into the sphere while Chuckie and the Ninjas are visibly intimidated by the alien's show of force.
"Don't!" Chad raises his voice without look back. "It's a waste of time. I didn't follow Stacey here just to pick a fight. Let's go back to base."
"Gah, fine." Corvus replies and shatters the sphere but then, Stacey lifts her head and runs past Chuckie.
"Huh? Hey! What are you doing?!" Chuckie yells as Stacey approaches Chad but Corvus moves between while showing off his talons.
"Chad!"
"Hmm?" Chad stops while Stacey clenches her fists and speaks.
"Was this…really all you wanted to know?!"
"Yeah. You guys are safe and aren't working for that sponsor anymore. That was it. So, now I can move forward without any worries." Chad replies as he walks away while Corvus backs off, vanishing into thin air.
"Chad!" Stacey yells after him one last time and Chad responds with a simple wave.
"Take care of yourself." he says before leaving the alley while a conflicted Stacey turns her back on him and walks past Chuckie and his guards.
"…I'm going home. Don't shadow me again." Stacey mutters but Chuckie does not reply.
"Ghh…why aren't we going after him?! This is our chance to get back at him for…"
"No. We're done here." Chuckie snaps at the Ninja who fired at Chad and flies away, prompting the others to follow him while Stacey walks silently through the alley, as a single tear runs down her cheek. While she cannot forgive Chad for everything he did, she also realizes that he was willing to let the Ninja shoot him in the back, as if he had deserved it. But in the back of her mind, Stacey can't help but feel sad that Chad had, in a sense, bid farewell to her and the rest of his former comrades.
Meanwhile, Chad has taken off in his Cycle and now flies over Cleve, back towards the lake. However, Corvus is still bothered by what happened at the alley. "You were gonna let that Ninja shoot you, weren't you?"
"…"
"If I wasn't connected to you, I wouldn't give a damn what happens to you, Numbuh Delta, but since I am your partner, I'd appreciate a heads up next time."
"Sorry." Chad replies silently as Corvus squints at him.
"Don't tell me, you're feeling guilty about your old buddies?"
"I betrayed them. All of them. They've got every right to hate me, Corvus. And…you're right, I was gonna let myself get shot. It's just that…when I saw their faces I felt so…sad that things had to end up like this…"
"Leave your sappy stories for later. We've got way more important things to worry about than your past." Corvus says bluntly, causing Chad to chuckle slightly.
"Hmph, yeah…I know. You can't change the past, no matter how hard you try. All we can do now is move forward. And…I think I finally got closure. I've got a proper reason to fight now."
"Good." Corvus huffs as they arrive at the lake, while Chad reminisces about his time as a Ninja.
…
For the past three weeks, Wally has been busy with his daily make-up studies, tutored by his friends. While he gets along fine with everyone else, on the days where he must work with Fanny, the tension is visible and due to their clashing personalities, they talk only when it's necessary. Apart from that, he slowly completes the make-up assignments, though only barely. At the same time, he has to deal with silent but persistent glaring and whispering from the other students, since by now, everyone knows what happened at the sports festival. However, he and his friends have notices that both Rachel and Patton have been absent more than usual.
Thursday comes around and as the lunch bell rings at McClintock High School, Hoagie and Wally enter the cafeteria. After getting their lunch, they see Nigel and Patton sitting in a 6-person table. "Would you look at that, Patton actually showed up for once. Let's go there, Wally."
"Yeah." The boys walk over to the table and notice Nigel and Patton's serious expressions.
"Hey guys, what's with the grumpy faces?" Hoagie says as he and Wally join their friends.
"Hi Hoagie…" Nigel mutters as he leans against his elbows. "We've hit a bump…"
"A bump? Where? Ya get hit or something?"
"It's a figure of speech, Wally. He meant a virtual bump."
"I don't get it." Wally shrugs while Nigel buries his face into his hands.
"*sigh*…it's about the Christmas party…"
"WHAT? What about the party?! Don't tell me you're not gonna hold it?!" Hoagie panics as Nigel shakes his head.
"Well…we can but…it won't be as I envisioned it…" Nigel replies laconically.
"What do ya mean?" Wally asks as Patton lifts his head.
"In all previous parties, there's been a guest band or the school's own band club that hold a short concert as a party opener but…" he explains as Nigel throws his arms in the air.
"No band is willing to make an appearance! It's because of the whole scandal with Ernest's dad…" Nigel says in despair.
"Then why can't you ask the band club?"
"Oh, we'd love to, Hoagie but they were shut down last year because of funding changes…"
"HUH?! Wait, you're not saying…?"
"The former principal diverted the new funds meant for the culture clubs and used them to build that football stadium…" Patton says dejectedly.
"Aw man…why does that guy have to keep haunting us like that…" Hoagie laments and Nigel nods back in agreement.
"Indeed, and since there is no band club anymore, we can't hold the opener…we do have a DJ reserved but it's not the same…this is so humiliating…After all my boasting, the party will be ruined…" Nigel hits his head against the table as Hoagie crosses his arms.
"Hey, I've got an idea!" he snaps his fingers and looks at the others. "Why don't we start a band and perform ourselves?" Wally nearly chokes on his lunch while Nigel and Patton stare at Hoagie as if he was insane.
"Wha…what the crud are ya…*cough*…talking about it?!"
"Are you crazy? There's no way we can do that! I can't even sing!" Nigel jumps up and stares at Hoagie in disbelief.
"But you can play the piano, right?" Hoagie replies sharply.
"Uhm well…yes or…so I've been told…"
"And Wally can play the guitar. I've got the drums covered so that just leaves Patton."
"Me? Uhm…I've got experience with the bass guitar…it's been ages since I played last time though…"
"And there we go; we've got a band ready. All we gotta do is practice and perform, it's that simple." The others stare at Hoagie, who is visibly excited about the prospect.
"Well, you're not wrong but let's be realistic, we've got the exams coming and after that, we'd only have three and a half weeks to practice. It's just not possible…"
"It would be if none of us could play anything but since we can, it's totally different! Come on guys, think about it."
"What do you mean?" Patton leans back on his seat as Hoagie lowers his voice.
"It wouldn't only save the party but we'd also score some extra points with the ladies."
"I knew you had that in your mind, Hoagie…" Nigel shakes his head and stands up. "If that's your only motivation, then I'll have to decline."
"Wait a minute, Hoagie's got a point." Patton joins in and Nigel is not pleased by his comment.
"Are you serious? Don't tell me your also in it just for the girls?"
"I'd be lying if I wasn't tempted by that but look, let's say we do perform. We'd save all the money the Stu. Co.'s allocated for the band fee. That way, we can use that money on something else, like the catering or the sound system for the DJ. Even if our performance was…crap, we could cover that with something else." Nigel crosses his arms and weights his options. "We don't have to be "perfect", just as long as the audience like what they see, it'll be fine."
"Yeah, it ain't a talent show, right?" Wally mutters as the gears in Nigel's head begin to spin.
"You do bring good points but before we do anything else, we should go to the band club's former room and check if we're any good. If we go into this arse first, it won't end well."
"So, you're…okay with my idea?"
"Well, Hoagie, apart from the fact you just want the girl's attention, it's not half bad."
"I'm not that shallow…I just…wanna look cool for once…is that so bad?"
"Of course not. Okay, come to the band clubroom after the last period. It's on the 3rd floor, last door on the right corridor."
"Got it! Oh man, this is gonna be way cool."
"Or a cruddy train wreck." Wally mutters again and Hoagie immediately slaps him in the back.
"We won't know until we try."
After the last period ends, Hoagie runs out of history class, surprising Abby. "Huh? What the heck was he in a hurry for?" she also leaves the classroom and sees Kuki waiting in the hallway. "Hey girl, how did class go?"
"Oh, it was okay I guess…I was hoping to talk to Wally, but he ran out…"
"Heh, Hoagie did the same. Well, since it's his turn to tutor Wally, I'm guessin' they wanna get it over with quickly."
"Yeah, you're right."
"Do ya have club now?"
"No, they're having a coach's meeting today, so they canceled it."
"Then wanna come over to my place? Abby could use some company. Preparin' for those exams is drivin' me crazy."
"Okidoki!"
Up on the 3rd floor, Wally and Hoagie reach the top of the stairs but Hoagie is clearly fatigued by the endeavour. "Haah…aw man, those stairs are murder…"
"You're just in bad shape, Hoagie."
"I'm a thinker, not a sporty guy like you…"
"Right…" Wally rolls his eyes as they start walking down the hallway.
"I don't usually visit the 3rd floor often because…*gulp* this used to be Ernest's turf…" Hoagie's spine tingles at the thought as he and Wally enter the right-hand corridor.
"Ah, so that's why that room had all the instruments." Wally says as he remembers hiding in that very same room during the first week school.
"Yup. The band club used to be really popular before they got shut down by the principal…Hey, the door's open." Hoagie says as they approach the band's clubroom and upon entering, they see Nigel and Patton, accessing the instrument.
"Man, this place is dusty…" Patton says as he makes room by pushing an amp against the wall.
"Indeed…they only do rudimentary cleaning here…ah, there you are." Nigel notices Wally and Hoagie standing at the entrance and they also note the room's sorry state.
"Wow, you're not kidding, this room's a fire hazard waiting to happen.
"We should probably clean up before doing anything. A stray spark could blow this room apart." The others nod and go to a nearby janitor's closet to pick up cleaning supplies and start clearing the dust much to Wally's disappointment.
"Great, I gotta clean at school too…"
…
As the boys are hard at work cleaning the clubroom, Abby and Kuki arrive at the Lincoln residence. "You want somethin' to drink?" Abby says as they enter the house and she goes to the kitchen.
"Oh, thanks! Do you have juice?"
"Lemme see…is apple juice okay?"
"Sure." After taking their drinks, they walk upstairs but as they are about to enter Abby's room, Kuki's eyes are drawn to the closed door right next to the staircase.
"Hey, the heck you spacin' out for?"
"Ah, sorry, I just…" Kuki fidgets as Abby realizes where she was looking.
"Oh…ya noticed my sistah's room…"
"Sorry, I know you don't like to talk about her…"
"Is fine, Kuki." Abby replies solemnly.
"Where is she right now?"
"Outta town, workin' I guess…she only calls Mama and Daddy nowadays…she doesn't even acknowledge Abby anymore…"
"Why? She's your big sister, it doesn't make any sense."
"Tell me about it…I'd like to know myself, but I don't re…" Abby's eyes widen as she puts 2 and 2 together. "Of course! Why didn't I think this before?! How the heck could Abby know if I've got amnesia!" She puts her glass of juice on a coffee table in her room and runs over to her sister Cree's door.
"What are you doing?" Kuki peeks over Abby's shoulder as she kneels in-front of the door.
"Cree always kept her door locked after she turned 13. Abby's gotta hunch that we might figure somethin' about our amnesia if we take a peek at her stuff."
"Oh, good idea…but don't you think she'll get angry about you going through her things?"
"Heh, she can't complain if she doesn't know." Abby winks as she picks the lock with a bobby pin. After a few attempts, she manages to open the door. "Bingo!" she peeks inside the dark room, feeling slightly guilty over the fact she is sneaking into her sister's room. "Okay, let's check this place out…" Kuki nods as Abby switches on the lights but at first glance, it looks like any normal young woman's room.
"Man, Abby forgot Cree still has that butt-ugly bed." Abby gags while pointing at the pink-draped canopy bed, standing opposite to the door. To their left is a wardrobe and a desk in-front of the window and on the other side of the bed, in a corner, is a closet.
"This room is pretty cute!"
"She always loved pink. Yuck…" Abby sticks her tongue out in disgust and looks around the room, trying to find anything out of the ordinary. "Imma check out her desk, you check the closet."
"Okidoki!" Kuki nods and goes around the bed to open the closet door. Abby meanwhile walks over to the desk and begins opening the drawers one by one. However, she can't find anything else than school supplies. "Abby! Look!" Kuki shouts and points at the closet.
"Did ya find anythin'?" Abby turns around and joins Kuki, who is pointing at an empty space at the bottom of the closet. "What the heck is that?" Abby kneels and inspects the odd space: It's the same width as the rest of the closet but it's lined with stainless steel and has an obvious slot at the roof meant for a locking mechanism. The steel feels strong but neither girl can figure out why it's there.
"It looks like a safe or something…"
"Yeah, except they're ain't no lock or anythin' in it." Abby pokes her head inside the steel compartment but doesn't find anything else. "Whatever she kept in there, it ain't here anymore…okay, we gotta dig deeper. This proves she was hidin' somethin'." Abby stands up and goes to look under her sister's bed while Kuki opens the wardrobe. "Damn, this place is empty too…any luck on your end?" Abby crawls out as Kuki digs through the pile of clothes left haphazardly inside.
"Well, your sister's really messy, that's for sure…huh?" Kuki sees a small metal box at the very back of the closet. Glued to its lid is small piece of paper that reads:
"Property of the Teen Ninjas, keep away from under 13-year-olds."
…
Back at the school, the boys have managed to clean the band's clubroom enough for them to use the instruments. "Alright let's see here, we've got an electric guitar, a synthesizer, two bass guitars, a drum kit, rhythm instruments and an acoustic guitar."
"Heh, we've got a lot to choose from." Hoagie rubs his hands together and walks over to the drumkit, which has seen better days. He tries them immediately, startling the others.
"For crud's sake, a little warning would be nice!" an irritated Wally shouts at Hoagie while Nigel rubs his ears.
"At least they work. How about the others?" he asks as Wally picks up the electric guitar while Patton takes the other bass. They test them and apart from needing some tuning, they are in good condition.
"It feels like a million years since I held one of these…" Patton says as he strums the bass.
"How much did you play that as a kid?"
"For a while but then Dad found out and broke it…said it was a waste of time."
"Huh? The heck's wrong with him? Breaking a perfectly good instrument like that!" Hoagie feels offended by what he's just heard.
"He's never been a fan of 'hippie' music. Mom told me it was because he got dumped by his first girlfriend because she liked a rock musician over him."
"Ouch."
"You said it, Wally. But still, it ain't right breaking your bass."
"I got over it." Patton shrugs as Nigel plugs the synthesizer into an electric socket and plays a short tune.
"Hey, you're pretty good with that." Hoagie points at Nigel with his drumstick, while Nigel is surprised that he could actually do that.
"Honestly, I don't even know how I remembered that tune. It just, popped into my mind…"
"Maybe that's the same thing as Wally had about swimming? That you don't remember that you can play."
"I guess you're right…okay, for now, let's just practice a little today. You two still have the make-up studies to finish."
"Aw man, and I was hopin' I'd get to skip that today." Wally complains but Nigel shakes his head.
"Not a chance, even if you're getting close to the end. We'll practice for 30 minutes and then leave. I'll need to talk to the vice-principal about the use of this room in the future."
"If we can't use this room, let's just jam at my place. My garage is perfect for band practice."
"Sounds good. Now, let's play some music, shall we?" Nigel replies as he starts playing another tune on the keyboard.
…
Meanwhile, at the Lincoln residence, Kuki and Abby are inspecting the small box that was hidden inside the wardrobe. "'Teen Ninjas'? Man, I didn't know she hung out with weirdos." Abby eyes the box with suspicion.
"Ooh, I wanna see what's inside!" Kuki removes the lid and inside, she finds to two things: a note and a pink training bra.
"Huh? Why was she storin' her bra in a box?" Abby picks up the garment while Kuki reads the note.
"Abby, listen to this: 'Hail fellow teenager! Congratulations, Cree Lincoln, for escaping the KND and reaching the glorious age of 13. We have acknowledged your request and have accepted you into the ranks of the Teen Ninjas. As a welcoming gift, here is a set of Battle-Ready Armor. May you use to bring misery to the KND and all other snot-nosed brats.'" Both girls look at each other for a second until they burst out in wild laughter.
"Wa-ha-ha-ha-ha, oh man, my sistah WAS the weirdo! 'Teen Ninjas'! Yeah right!"
"Aha-ha…ah…and the way it's written! It's so serious!"
"Heh-heh, bein' 13 don't make ya any better than a 12-year-old. She musta had 8th grader syndrome or somethin'!"
"And look! There're even instructions here!"
"No way! What's it say?!" Abby holds her stomach as Kuki tries to read the rest of the note.
"Okay, uhm…'Battle-Ready Armor/B.R.A. operation manual: To operate this essential piece of Teenage Technology, first, wear it and then say/shout: 'Armor, ON!' To turn it off, say/shout: Armor, OFF!'" Ha-ha-ha-ha, this is totally something a 13-year-old would do!" Kuki starts to laugh again, causing Abby to laugh even louder.
"Oh-hoh…aw man, lemme try that!" Abby says jokingly and puts the training bra over her shirt. "Okay…hah…what did it say again?" She snickers as Kuki re-reads the note. "Man, this is so stupid! Alright, watch me do it: Armor, ON!" The moment she says those words, a silent hissing sound is heard from the bra and then, to the disbelief of both girls, charcoal gray and dark red ninja-like armor unfolds from the bra and quickly covers Abby completely. It has reinforced gauntlets, jet nozzles in its soles and a samurai-like helmet that leave only her eyes visible.
"Wow…" Kuki covers her mouth in shock while Abby realizes what just happened.
"Huh…wait, what the?! Wha…what the heck is thing?!" She looks to her right and sees her reflection in a mirror next to the door and panic. "Get it offa me!" She shouts and tries to pull of the helmet and the gauntlets but neither budge.
"Abby, you look like a ninja…hold on, I'm gonna take a picture!"
"This ain't the time for that! Help me get this…stupid…thing…OFF!" Then, as she fiddles with the left-hand gauntlet, a gun-like device pops out from it just as Kuki snaps a picture of her.
"Eh? How did you do that?"
"Don't ask me! Abby don't know how this…wait, why's it glowin'?" The barrel of the gun glows and then, it fires a small, red laser that hits the wall between the mirror and the wardrobe, startling the teens and leaving a visible burn mark on it.
"Ohmigosh! That's like one of those laser guns in the movies Hoagie talks about!" Kuki says wide-eyed but Abby is not amused and tries to push it back into the gauntlet.
"Stop gawkin' and do something!" She pleads as Kuki takes the note and reads it once more.
"Oh, right! You need to shout "Armor, OFF!" to turn it off."
"This better work…Armor, OFF!" Then, as quickly as the armor deployed itself, it returns back into the bra. Abby immediately removes it and throws it onto the floor.
"What…that heck was Cree doin' back then? This ain't somethin' a 13-year-old should have!" Abby shouts as Kuki picks the bra up.
"We gotta tell the boys about this! This is suuuper exciting!" she jumps up excitedly but Abby grabs the bra from her grasp and stuffs it back into the box with such force, that the note falls out and floats under the desk, but neither girl notice this. "Abby, what are you doing?" Kuki ask as her friend closes the wardrobe door and is about to carry the box away.
"I'm gonna hand this over to the police! How could Cree keep a weapon like this in her room!" Abby shouts but Kuki stops her.
"Wait! Don't do that! Maybe this has something to do with our amnesia! Besides, don't you think it's weird she'd keep it here?" Kuki pleads with Abby who looks at the box again.
"…Okay, but I'm getting' rid of it when we don't need it anymore!" she replies but then, Abby notices that the room is a mess. "Aw man, we gotta clean this place before Mama comes home! She's so darn strict about these things…"
"Okay!" Kuki replies with a smile and runs over to the wardrobe to put Cree's clothes back inside while Abby clears the desk. After 10 minutes, they are done, and Abby locks the door behind them.
"Let's show this to the guys tomorrow after school."
"Aw, why can't we do it now?"
"Cuz Hoagie's tutorin' Wally, AND, we've got a crap ton of homework to do!" Abby shakes her head and leads Kuki into her room. She then puts the box under her bed.
"Come on, stop pouting! This algebra ain't gonna count itself you know?"
"Okay…" Kuki replies, feeling slightly let down.
…
The rest of the day goes by quickly as the girls finish their homework while Hoagie ropes Wally to come over to his house to practice more. Then, the clock hits midnight and everyone has fallen asleep. Outside the Lincoln residence, four shadowy figures stand on a tree-branch overlooking the house. "This is Numbuh Chi-3 from Scout Team W, Switchboard, we're in position."
"Roger that, Scout Team W, you know what to do, retrieve the package."
"Okay. Numbuh 6, go inside. We'll keep a lookout."
At the same time, Rachel and Angelie are watching them from the Switchboard. "It's a good thing Numbuh Sigma left that mini camera inside Cree's room."
"You said it, Numbuh Psi. That's what we get for not being thorough enough." Rachel replies and crosses her arms. "We can't leave something like that lying around there." then, Rachel looks over her shoulder and notices Keith and Patton approaching the observation deck. "Right on time."
"You called?" Patton asks as Rachel turns around and hands him a printed paper.
"We got a job from the Intelligence Section. It's a Recommissioning mission."
"That so? Well, lemme take a…hey, this has to be a joke." Patton frowns and points at the paper.
"It's not. Intelligence Section wants him detained, restrained and brought to the Moonbase. He is the last remaining high-ranking member of the Splinter Cell who was not Erased." Rachel says sternly but like Patton, she is not thrilled about this mission.
"Mon, they seriously want us to catch Numbuh 20.000." Keith shakes his head while Patton grimaces and crunches the paper in his hand.
"I thought I'd never have to see his face again…"
End of Transmission 23
Note: Well...it's been a while, hasn't it? I originally planned to release this chapter in the beginning of May but ran into IRL problems and a KND burnout. Every time I tried to work on this chapter my mind just went blank and I couldn't write a single word. I needed to take a break from basically everything KND related to get over this burnout. (I binged Gundam shows for 3 week in-fact).
Anyway, here we are. It's a slower chapter than the previous one and the pace will slightly slow down for a few chapters onwards as well.