Transmission 28: The Observers
As night falls over Cleve, below the ruined remains of the Delightful Mansion, the Delightful Teenagers from Down the Lane have made their way down the collapsed hallways and corridors with little effort, thanks to their Silhouette Suits. "It looks like those teenagers were very thorough…but not thorough enough." The Delightfuls grin eerily as they phase through a collapsed corridor and arrive in-front of a sealed door, which they promptly demolish with telekinesis and enter the dark space beyond it. "Excellent. The laboratory is still intact." Rubbing their hands together gleefully, the DTfDtL hover to the center of Father's secret laboratory, which is still in pristine condition, apart from the large, shatter glass container near the back wall.
"Did you find what you were looking for?" the cold, emotionless voice of the alien villain Omnius speaks to them through telepathy.
"Yes. Everything we need is here Omnius, thanks to the Cosmo metal you provided to Father. We shall move the lab right away. Is the ship in position?"
"The Ice Cream Men have moved it above the Mansion."
"Eh-heh-heh, perfect. We'll begin extraction now." Then, the Delightfuls remove their Silhouette Suits and Bruce brings his ornamental wristwatch closer to his mouth. "Gentlemen, activate the Cloak Field and lower the arms, and be quick about it. We don't want any unnecessary attention."
Then, in the sky directly above the ruined Delightful Mansion, a black silhouette appears briefly, before disappearing into thin air while the ground begins to shake, followed by the manic laughter of the Delightful Teenagers from Down the Lane.
…
Sunday morning stars off gray and gloomy while the temperature begins getting closer to freezing. At the TND's Cleve base, Rachel arrives through a portal earlier than usual and quickly heads to her own room, without saying a word to anyone. The previous day's events are very fresh in her mind and despite being hopeful that her friends will finally get their memories back, she is not happy over the orders Eliza gave her and Patton about cutting contact with Nigel and the others before they are Recommissioned. However, she quickly pushes these thoughts aside and focuses on the task at hand: contacting all the TND Observers scattered around Cleve and passing Global Command's new orders to all of them.
After sitting in-front of her L.U.N.C.H.B.O.C.K.S. for an hour and a half, all that remains are the designated observers for Sector V and Fanny. "*sigh* Finally…" she leans back on her desk and takes a deep breath when suddenly, Rachel hears a knock on her door. "Come in."
"Looks like you've been busy, Numbuh Epsilon." Chad says as he enters the room, much to Rachel's surprise.
"Numbuh Delta? What are you doing here? I thought you stayed behind at the Moonbase?"
"Nope. My parents moved back to our old house, so I'm gonna be operating from Cleve. Besides, I'm a member of this Sector, or did you forget?"
"No, of course not." Then, a familiar face peeks from behind Chad's back.
"My, what a cozy room you have, Numbuh Epsilon." an intrigued Cygnus says while waving her metal wing at Rachel.
"Why is…she here?"
"Oh, it's not just me. All of us came here to visit. Numbuh Delta has agreed to be our guide for the day." Cygnus replies cheerfully while pointing at the hallway behind her, where the other O.M.E.G.A. Numbers, Numbuh 9L and Vine are waiting.
"Well, I'm off. Gotta get this field trip over with." Chad salutes Rachel and leaves the room, while Rachel stands up and contacts the Switchboard.
"Switchboard, this is Numbuh Epsilon. Send a message to Sector V's and Numbuh Beta's observers and have them brought to the base."
"Yes, Ma'am." a member of the Sector's Communications Section replies before Rachel hangs up and sighs once more, clenching a printed copy of the orders she had received.
An hour later, Rachel sits silently in a small briefing room with Patton, who has noticed her strained demeanor. "I guess you're still pissed off about the orders, right?"
"Not pissed off, I just don't agree with them. But I understand it's for the best, so I won't complain." Rachel says stoically, causing Patton to shrug.
"Hmm, that so? Well, let's just enjoy the time we have till we gotta do the 'you-know-what' to them." Patton's laidback attitude does not sit well with Rachel but she refrains from commenting on it.
"Did you order the orbital strike on the Delightful Mansion?"
"Yup, while you were in doing paperwork. It's a crater now, all the way to the submarine dock." Patton replies casually before their conversation is stopped by the sound of a knock on the briefing room's door.
"Enter." she says with a commanding voice as two members of the of Intelligence Section walk in, followed by a group of five others. Among them is Bradley, Sector V's honorary sixth member, the ever-boisterous Tommy, who marches in theatrically and Shaunie Fulbright, Fanny's youngest brother but two other new faces have come with them: Joey Beetles, Wally's 6-year-old little brother, who is wearing an upside down colander on his head and large goalkeeper's gloves in his hands. The other one, wearing an oversized light purple hoodie, deep dark blue jeans and white shoes, is Mushi Sanban, who clearly not happy about being anywhere near the boys, much less anyone else in the room.
"Agent Vigilante, reporting!"
"Numbuhs 82 and 4.4 from Sector CL also reporting." Tommy, Shaunie and Joey salute Rachel and Patton, who do the same, but Mushi does not say a word and continues to glare everyone venomously.
"At ease, you three. Now, take your seats, we've got important business to discuss."
"…waste of time…" Mushi mutters under her breath as she and the boys sit down around the table while Bradley jumps on it.
"I'm sorry I had to call you observers here on such a short notice, but this is in an urgent matter." Rachel says and passes everyone a copy of Eliza's orders. "Two days ago, we got our hands on something that will let us Recommission everyone who were partially Erased a year ago, which includes your observation targets Numbuhs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and Beta. The Science Section have said the device will be finished within three weeks, so until then, continue to keep an eye on your targets. However, pay close attention for any fits."
"Fits? What does that mean?" Tommy asks.
"Because they're partially Erased, their memories have not been destroyed, unlike what happened with Numbuh 1000 and Father. That means they'll suffer painful headaches, uncontrollable crying or in the worst case, faint if they encounter something that might trigger a memory. See for yourselves." Patton explains and turns on the large screen behind him and Rachel, which then shows everyone the headache fit Nigel, Hoagie, Kuki, Wally, Abby and Fanny had in Cree's room, which the TND had bugged, thanks to Maurice.
The sight of them writhing in pain on the floor shocks the observers and Tommy immediately stands up. "Wha…this can't be real, right?"
"It is real, we've seen it with our own eyes yesterday." Patton replies sternly and turns off the video. "You guys have done a good job keeping them in the dark about their past up to now, so don't make any slip ups. Just observe them and give us reports like before."
"O…of course! The Tommy will make sure Hoagie will be all right!" Tommy puffs his chest while Shaunie and Bradley nod firmly but neither Joey nor Mushi have been able to stomach what they have just seen.
"And you two?" Rachel asks, prompting both to nod back as well, albeit hesitantly. "Don't worry, it won't be long before they'll get their memories back." Rachel tries to smile a bit to assure Joey and Mushi that their older siblings are not in any danger from their condition. "Okay, if you don't have any questions, you're dismissed. Mushi, we'll have a portal ready for you so you can go back home."
"Sure…" Mushi replies silently as she follows the other observers out of the briefing room and the moment the door closes behind them, Rachel sighs heavily and slumps down into her chair.
"Are you sure it was okay showing that video to them?"
"We needed to get our point across. Especially to Numbuh 4.4 and Mushi. Those two aren't on good terms with Numbuh 4 and Numbuh 3, remember?"
"I hope you're right…"
Meanwhile, Sector V and Fanny's observers walks silently through the hallway towards the elevators, though Mushi keeps her distance from the boys and Bradley. "Alright guys, we need to stay extra vigilant from now on!" Tommy declares as they board the elevator.
"That's right! I'm gonna keep an extra eye on big sis." Shaunie replies while Bradley hisses while gesturing with his cybernetic arm.
"Just a bit more and our job is done. Then everyone will get their memories back!" However, Joey and Mushi do not share Tommy's enthusiasm at all as the elevator soon stops and they walks out to the corridor that leads to the Portal Hub.
"…stupid…"
"Hmm?" Shaunie and Tommy look over their shoulders towards Joey, who is clenching his fists.
"I don't wanna do this stupid stuff anymore…"
"Hey, what do you mean by that, Numbuh 4.4? Didn't you see the video?"
"I don't wanna help Wally!" Joey shouts and stops his feet, prompting the boys to turn around while Mushi observes silently.
"Hey, you don't really mean that."
"I DO!" Joey shouts at Tommy and grits his teeth. "Why do we have to help them? They're just a bunch of dumb teenagers!"
"…" Tommy lowers the lid of his fedora slightly before casting a serious glare at the 6-year-old. "…THE TOMMY is a dumb teenager too, you idiot. Did you forget what happened last year?" Tommy says grimly, reminding Joey how he was mind-controlled by the Splinter Cell, who hated teenagers. "It doesn't matter if they're teenagers, your brother and his friends saved the world, Numbuh 4.4. So don't say that in-front of me ever again." Startled by Tommy's reply, Joey looks away, feeling ashamed. Then, Tommy turns around dramatically and walks away, followed by Mushi while Shaunie stays behind with his Sector teammate.
"Look, I'm a little brother too, so I get it, but teenagers aren't our enemy anymore."
"…but…but…"
"Just be patient, they'll get their memories back soon. Now come on, let's go back to the Treehouse." Shaunie pats Joey in the back and starts leading him down the corridor.
"…I want soda…"
"Good idea!"
Meanwhile, a flustered Tommy stomps through the corridor towards the Portal Hub while Mushi walks behind him. "Argh, kids…"
"You're a kid too."
"Hey! The Tommy is 13, which means he's a teenager now!" Tommy snaps at Mushi who rolls her eyes.
"Sure don't act like one." her attitude angers Tommy, but he refuses to get into an argument with the former troublemaker.
"The Tommy is not in the mood to bicker with you. I need to go back to work."
"Whatever. At least this dumb job is gonna end soon."
"Hey, aren't you worried about your sister at all? You saw that video, right?"
"What, you want me to cry my eyes out or something? Fat chance."
"I'm serious! What if they have an even worse fit?"
"Hmph." Mushi huffs loudly, further frustrating Tommy as they descend down a spiral staircase into the Portal Hub.
"Your sister's a hero, aren't you forgetting that? Without her and her team, we'd still be Delightfulized."
"Will you shut up?!" Mushi's face takes an Oni-like visage as she yells at Tommy, scaring both him and the agents manning the Hub. "That's all you keep talking about, how 'my sister's team is sooo great' and how they 'saved the world'! I don't care what she's done! It's not my problem she has memory loss! She never cared what I did, so why should I care about her problems?" Mushi shouts furiously but Tommy manages to pull himself together and stand his ground.
"You owe it to her! She did so much for you and all you do is complain! Do you really hate her that much!?" Tommy's question surprises Mushi, who can't find the words to reply, so instead, she throws more insults at Tommy before marching through the same portal she entered the base from, leaving both Tommy and the hub crew stunned into silence.
"…Grrr…STUPID BRAT!" Tommy yells and stomps his foot furiously. "You're so damn ungrateful!"
…
Later that day, at the Sanban residence, Mushi is lying on the sofa, staring at her smartphone and chats with her boyfriend, Sandy. For the past two hours, she has done nothing but complain to him about unimportant things, since she can't talk about her Observer's position. Then, she hears footsteps coming the stairs. "Mushi! I can't find the Christmas decorations. Have you seen them anywhere?"
"*sigh* Mom said they're in the attic…" Mushi replies to her big sister lazily, prompting Kuki to stop and turn around.
"Oh! Thanks Mushi!" as she quickly runs back upstairs, Mushi sits up and squints at the stairs.
"It's not even Thanksgiving and you're already going nuts about Christmas…" she thinks and turns her attention back to her phone while Kuki rummages the attic, accompanied by plenty of noise. Soon, Mushi hears a loud, cheerful shriek and more footsteps, followed by humming until finally, Kuki comes downstairs holding a large cardboard box. "Don't tell me you're gonna start decorating?"
"Of course not, silly. I'm just looking for something, that's all." Kuki replies as she sits down on the large lounge chair opposite to the sofa and begins going through the box' contents. Despite trying her best not to show it, Mushi can't help but become curious about what her sister is doing.
"…what are you looking for?"
"An old Christmas photo." Kuki replies, her face glued to the box.
"Photo? But isn't that box full of decorations?" Mushi raises an eyebrow at her sister, who nods back.
"I know, but I already checked the albums yesterday and mom said there were some in this box…Oooh! YAY! Found it!" Kuki pulls a green framed photograph from the box, which shows her as a 10-year-old, posing with four other kids, all of them are wearing Christmas hats or other holiday-related accessories. "Aww…it's sooo cute!"
Seeing her sister gush over the picture, Mushi is reminded of her job as Kuki's observer and puts away her phone. "…Uhm…Kuki?"
"Yeah?" Kuki turns her wide-eyed gaze towards Mushi, who suddenly remembers that only a year ago, Kuki wore goth clothes and wouldn't have been caught dead showing such a cheerful expression.
"Ah…It's…forget it." Mushi shakes her head and stands up, but then, Kuki puts the box and photo away and looks into her sister's eyes.
"Mushi? Something wrong?"
"Nno, I'm fine…"
"But you're all red! Ohmygosh, are you sick?! Kuki stands up and tries to try Mushi's temperature, but she violently brushes Kuki's hand aside.
"DON'T TOUCH ME, BAKA!" Mushi shouts, startling Kuki. "…I said I'm fine, I'm not…sick…" then, Mushi runs out of the living room, leaving a stunned Kuki behind.
"…Mushi…"
…
As evening falls, the O.M.E.G.A. Numbers, Numbuh 9L, Numbuh Vine and Chad have gone back to the Moonbase after spending the day at Cleve Sector's base. "*yawn* Finally! That was soo boring!"
"Maybe for you, Leo, but I found the visit very enjoyable!"
"Yes, since that base is in Numbuh Delta's home Sector, it's important we become familiar with it." Libra notes as Virgo leaves the others behind, receiving a slight glare from Corvus.
"I will go to the lab and provide assistance to Numbuh Omicron."
"We shall accompany you." Libra says to Scorpius and one by one, the rest of the O.M.E.G.A. Numbers separate while Corvus, 9L and Vine stay behind with Chad.
"It won't be long before they show up…" Chad mutters as he stuffs his hands into his pockets.
"And there's so much to do…" Numbuh Vine laments while Corvus crosses his arms.
"I'm gonna be honest, your preparations haven't gone that well so far." Corvus says grimly, prompting Chad to sigh heavily and look up at the ceiling.
"No point saying that now. Or are you already giving up?"
"No way. But we all know those E.N.R.O.A.C.H.E.R.'s are just gonna get stronger after every fight, because they pass on battle data to the new ones, not to mention to the GKND themselves, so they'll know our weak points when they eventually attack."
Even though Chad wants to say otherwise, he knows exactly what Corvus means. However, suddenly, a familiar face appears ahead of them, leaning against the hallway wall.
"Hola."
"What's up?" Chad asks The Kid, who has been grounded for a week because of the loss of his fighter. "Must be boring just sitting around."
"Tell me about it, hermano. The science guys said they wanted to analyze my scrapped plane or something, so I've been stuck on the ground."
"Why aren't ya using a 2x4 ship in the meantime?" However, The Kid quickly shoots down Chad's suggestion.
"Heck no. I like building my planes. And some of the parts from my Valkyrie II are still okay, so I wanna put 'em to use, but those scientists ain't letting me." The Kid shakes his head, showing how frustrated he is about the situation.
"Tough break then." Chad says and walks past The Kid with his alien friends, but then, The Kid grabs his shoulder. "Huh?"
"Hey, got a minute? I wanna ask you something." Noticing The Kid's serious expression, Chad stops and turns around.
"What is it?"
"Not here. Can we go somewhere private? You know, incase the GKND's spies are around." The Kid asks cautiously.
"Ookay, let's find an empty room or something." Chad nods and after a bit of searching, they find an vacant rec room nearby but after going inside, The Kid locks the door. "Hey, what's with you all of a sudden?"
"I uh…I was gonna tell you guys about this earlier but…who's Vermillion?" The Kid's questions causes the room to fall into silence and he notices that everyone's faces have turned pale.
"Ve…Vermillion? Where'd you hear that name?" an agitated Corvus asks while Chad crosses his arms.
"It…it was the pilot of that black fighter…they contacted me when we fought."
"WHAT?! Then why didn't you tell us before?!" Chad grabs The Kid's shoulder and shakes him violently, prompting the Latino pilot to push him away.
"Hey, hey, calm down! Why'd you go loco all of a sudden?!"
"You were contacted by the GKND and you didn't tell anyone, that's why! What did they sound like?" Chad replies and tries to calm himself down.
"I dunno, robotic I guess."
"Meow, mauw!" Numbuh 9L gestures with her left paw, prompting Vine and Chad to nod.
"Yeah, they were using a voice-changer. Makes sense since you were fighting against a R.A.Y.-W.I.N.G.E.R. They're assigned to only the best agents." Chad then turns his attention to the silent Corvus. "What do you think?"
"The only reason they'd be asking about Vermillion is that they're trying to find her…but why? Vermillion is an adult now."
"Hey, why don't ya explain who the heck is this 'Vermillion'?" The Kid throws his arms in the air while Numbuh Vine frowns and starts explaining.
"We're referring to Numbuh Vermillion. She was a very famous GKND operative, actually more like a legendary operative, like Numbuh Zero."
"She was an Orninyxian like me and Cygnus, but way more special. She had supernatural powers, like precognition and she could control rainbow-colored fire that made her invulnerable to all attacks. You can probably tell why she became a legend." Corvus takes over and eyes The Kid. "Her exploits are still used in teaching material in the Galactic Cadets Next Door Academy. She was Decommissioned over 40 Stellar Cycles ago which is about 40 Earth years, and hasn't been heard from since…but the question here is, why did the pilot mention it to you?"
Suddenly, a thought pops up in The Kid's head, but he quickly shakes his head. "How would I know?"
"Yeah, that is a bit vague on their part. But thanks for telling us. We'll need to look into this as well." Chad says while Numbuh Vine lowers her pot slightly.
"*sigh* Just another thing we need to do I suppose…" Vine laments, prompting 9L to nudge her.
"Mrrauw!"
"She's right, no use complaining, Numbuh Vine. Kid, did your fighter's blackbox survive the fight?"
"No, it's busted." The Kid replies to Chad, who shakes his head.
"Damn, that would've been useful…anyway, next time a GKND operative talks to you, tell us sooner, okay man?"
"Yeah, yeah…" Then, Chad pats The Kid on the shoulder and leaves with Vine and 9L but as Corvus moves past The Kid, he notices from the corner of his yellow glowing eye that The Kid's expression has become that of shock and horror, which he notes immediately but does not say anything before leaving The Kid by himself in the room.
"Ghh…no way…no way…nowaynowaynoway…does this…mean I'm…some sorta…alien?" he looks at his hands in shock as a faint vision of his mom appears in his head. "No…mama's a human…and so is papa…right?" he mutters before shaking his head and walking out of the room, unaware that Corvus had turned himself into electricity and had eavesdropped on him.
"Hmm…so that's how it is…I'm gonna have to keep an eye on you, Ace The Kid."
…
The girl has a dream: She is sitting in-front of a large TV. On its screen, she sees different scenes play out and all of them seem familiar. First, she is standing on a massive stage, with many eyes staring at her. "Congratulations on your graduation. Now, we will assign to your new…" The voice cuts off and another scene plays out. She is surrounded by many stuffed animals but all of them have been ripped apart and eaten by something. "Toys? I don't want new toys…I WANT REVENGE!" "Hey, that's me!" The girl thinks as the TV vanishes and she is taken to a room with a massive window, from which, she can see the Earth. In-front her are two teenagers, a boy and a girl, but she can't tell who they are. However, her heart skips a beat when the boy talks. "Uhm…take this! It's my mom's…she gave it to me back in March…I uh…want you to have it…for good luck…" The boy gives the girl a shiny green, four-leaf clover pendant. As the scene fades away, the girl starts feeling incredibly happy and warm inside until she hears a heart-breaking scream. "NOOO! Why?! You promised you wouldn't…leave me! YOU PROMISED!" The warm feeling is replaced by painful sadness as everything goes blank.
"Don't go!" Kuki opens her eyes and notices that her left arm is pointing at the ceiling. "Eh? What was that…?" Kuki mutters as she gets up and picks up her phone. A week has passed, along with Thanksgiving and Black Friday and now, it is Monday, 1st of December, 08:34 in the morning. "Oh no! I'm going to be late!" Kuki jumps out of her bed and after a quick shower and a change of clothes, she runs downstairs.
Her father Kani has already gone to work but Genki is still sitting in the kitchen, typing on her laptop. "Morning Kuki."
"Hi mom!" Kuki quickly grabs an apple from the fruit bowl next to the fridge and sits down opposite to her mom, who is squinting slightly.
"You missed your alarm again. Did you stay up late?"
"No, I just…had a bad dream, that's all."
"A nightmare?"
"I don't know why…but I keep seeing them…"
"Hmm…is it about that?" Genki points at Kuki's wrists but she quickly denies it.
"No, no, it's not about 'that'. They're different…kinda like memories that I can't remember…" Kuki replies as she bites down on her apple, but then she notices that Genki's expression has changed.
"I see…"
"Mom…uhm…was I different in middle school?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean I…one of my friends said he used to be delinquent, but…I…can't remember anything from middle-school…" Then, Genki puts her hand on Kuki's shoulder and looks her in the eye. "Mom?"
"I'm sorry Kuki, but even I don't know what exactly happened, or why, but I know that you had a sudden change in March last year."
"March?!" Kuki stands up in shock, startling her mother.
"Yes, something made you change your appearance, and you stopped frowning. That's the way you've been ever since."
"Wha…what did I look like in middle-school?"
"Oh, I think I have picture of you in my laptop…here we go." Genki turns her laptop towards Kuki and what she sees surprises her: It's a picture of her family taken during a trip to Japan. She is standing next to her sister, Mushi, and has a murderous frown on her face. She is wearing purple and black clothes, long black gloves, black leather boots and her hair is much shorter than it is now, and her face is partially covered by it. She also has an odd medallion around her neck, that resembles a black gem.
"No way…I looked like a goth…"
"Yes, you started dressing like that two weeks after your…" Genki is unable to even say the word, but Kuki knows what she means.
"Whoah…can you send this to my phone?! I wanna show it to my friends!" She asks enthusiastically.
"Why of course." Then, their conversation is stopped by the sound Kuki's phone ringing.
"Oh no, it's Abby!" Kuki runs out of the kitchen but before she can open the door, Genki yells after her.
"Kuki! Aren't you forgetting something?!"
"What? I've got my bag, my keys, my…" But Genki points at her neck and she realizes her four-leaf clover necklace is still on her nightstand. "Oh my gosh, I forgot about that!" Kuki screams and rushes upstairs and then nearly jumps down after retrieving her necklace.
"Have fun, Kuki!"
"Thanks mom!" Kuki shouts from the door before running across the front yard and frantically hopping into Abby's convertible. "Sorry! I overslept!"
"Heh, I kinda guessed. Don't worry, Abby's gonna get us there in time." Abby smirks and accelerates down the street. As they drive towards the school, Abby notices Kuki's troubled expression. "What's up, girl? You got somethin' in your mind?"
"Uhm…I'll tell you later…" Kuki says stoically and Abby shrugs.
"Sure…"
Lunchtime and Kuki is the first one of her friends to arrive in the cafeteria, so quickly secures the table next to the big window. As she waits for the others, she looks at the picture her mother sent her. "I didn't know I could make that face…" She thinks as she stares at her 12-year-old self. Then, her attention is drawn to the cafeteria entrance, where Wally and Hoagie are being accosted by two former members of the Football Team, but Wally's glare is enough to send them away. Then after the boys have grabbed their food, Kuki waves at them from across the cafeteria. "Over here!"
"Aw, sweet. Look Wally, she got us the best seats again." Hoagie nudges Wally, who nods, and the boys sit down opposite to Kuki. "Nice job getting this table. It's been ages since I got see that view."
"What's so great about that? It's just the cruddy courtyard."
"Yeah, but it beats staring at a wall." Hoagie replies as he eagerly chows down on his meatballs and mashed potatoes while Wally lets out a loud yawn and frowns.
"What's wrong?" Kuki asks as Wally rubs his eyes slightly.
"My little brother kept makin' noise in his room the whole night…cruddy brat thinks he's the only one livin' in the house…"
"Why?"
"Dunno. He didn't even open the door, he just said to 'mind your own business, teenager.'"
"Oh yeah, I remember his door read something like 'Teens and Adults not allowed!'" Kuki says as Wally leans back on his chair.
"Yup, he won't let anyone inside, except mom. Hah, he freaks out every time mom goes in there with a vacuum cleaner." Wally chuckles and starts eating his lunch.
"Well, my brother's got a major 8th grader syndrome going on. I don't get why he wears that fedora and trench coat all the time and why he keeps speaking in 3rd person."
"Heh-hee, I think he gets it from you! You did wear a detective costume in one of those pictures."
"Hah, I totally forgot about that! You were sittin' in the janitor's closet all serious-like and had a sign in the door." Wally and Kuki snicker but Hoagie doesn't find it funny.
"Hey, we don't know why I did that! Maybe it was a Halloween costume…"
"Why the crud would ya trick or treat from a janitor's closet?"
"That's not the point! Ugh, just thinking about it is embarrassing…"
"I wish Mushi would be like that…she's always glued to her smartphone and she never even speaks to me…Every time I try she just calls me names and leaves…" Kuki laments, reminded how Mushi yelled at her a week ago on Sunday and the constant cold shoulders she receives from her.
"That's right, you have a sister. You haven't met her, have ya Wally?" Hoagie says as he bites down on a meatball.
"Nope."
"She's in 5th grade and she already has a boyfriend…."
"What's so weird about that?"
"She's been dating him since she was 5!" Kuki's explanation causes both boys nearly choke on their lunch.
"*cough* Gah…What the crud? 5?"
"Wow, that is some commitment. What's the guy's name?"
"Uhm…I think it's…Sandy? He always wears a bucket on his head…"
"Hahaha, a bucket? Oh, that's rich!"
"I've got picture of him, here!" Kuki shows them a picture from last summer: It's a sneaky selfie of Kuki and Mushi, who has her back turned to her sister, but her boyfriend, the freckle-faced, brown-haired Sandy is clearly visible.
"Holy crud! He really has a bucket on his head! Hah-aha-hah-hah!" Wally nearly falls off his chair while Hoagie has to remove his fogging goggles.
"Yeah, that is a 100% weird!"
"Come on guys *snicker*, don't laugh…it's…it's not that funny…AH-AH-HAH-HA!" Their combined laughter echoes in the cafeteria, causing some students to stare at them.
"What the heck are you guys laughin' about?!" Abby shouts as she and Nigel approach the table, tray's in hand.
"Ohhohohoh…sorry…Kuki just showed us a picture of her sister's…hah…boyfriend…ahahah, buckethead…" Hoagie has a hard time speaking over his laughter as Abby sits down next to Kuki and Nigel next to Hoagie.
"Huh? You talkin' about that creep who calls himself King Sandy?"
"King?! WA-HA-HAHA!" Wally laughs even louder and holds his stomach while Abby nods twice.
"Yeah, the guy's notorious for messin' with other people at the beach. Abby met him once, when he and his cousins tried to steal my parasol."
"No doubt it didn't end well for them?"
"Heh, ya got that right, Nigel. Abby sent that twerp and his cousins packin'. But man, your sister's got a weird taste in guys. Kinda like you."
"Eh?! Wha…what do you mean?!" Kuki's face turns from joy to embarrassed while Abby snickers at her reaction.
"Heh, you figure it out." she eyes Wally, who is trying to pull himself back together from all the laughing.
"Oh crud, that was hilarious…" he pants and turns his attention to Hoagie and Nigel while Kuki looks at him at glance and then stares at her knees in silence. While the boys start chatting about random topics, Abby notices Kuki's mute behavior.
"Kuki?"
"Oh uhm…well…it's…it's about what I said earlier…I uh…my mom told me something about me in middle school."
"Huh? Really? Hey guys, listen to this! Kuki's got somethin' important to tell us." Abby taps the table, interrupting the boy's enthusiastic conversation about video games. "Go ahead." Abby nudges Kuki, who takes out her phone.
"Uhm…well, remember when Nigel said we should ask our parents about middle-school? I…uh, my mom showed me a picture of me when I was twelve…here." she explains and shows the picture of her in goth clothes to the others.
"Huh? No way, is that really you?" Hoagie squints his eyes slightly while Abby also takes a closer look.
"Man, that's a nasty face you're makin' girl."
"You had a cruddy goth phase? Hah, that's funnier than Hoagie's detective get-up!"
"You're the one to talk, Mr. Huggikins." Abby's jab causes Hoagie and Kuki to chuckle while Wally sinks to his seat.
"Why'd ya have to remind me…"
Nigel meanwhile looks at the photo with a serious expression. "So, this was taken when you were 12?"
"Yeah, I was on 7th grade…"
"7th grade? How the crud were you on 7th grade when you were 12?"
"I started elementary school when I was 6."
"Hey, that reminds me, Abby and I are both 17 already. Why are we all on the same grade?" Hoagie's question causes the gears in Nigel's head to turn, and he crosses his arms.
"An excellent question. Why indeed…the four of us started high school on the same grade…so it must mean you two were held back in middle school or maybe even earlier." Nigel lowers his glasses slightly and eyes Hoagie and Abby, who immediately starts shaking her head.
"Held back?! No way! Abby's never done anythin' to get held back."
"Then why are we on the same grade? Unless you started elementary a year later than normal... Hoagie, didn't you say you were a delinquent in middle school?"
"Oh yeah…hey, does that mean I got held back because of that? Cool!"
However, Abby does not share Hoagie's enthusiasm. "What's cool about that?! That's gonna be on your permanent record…oh man…if Abby got held back, she's gonna lose it…" Abby laments and slumps down on her seat, covering her face in shame.
"But it is! Man, I must've been a real bad boy back then…"
"If we get our hands on our school records, we might learn why…" Nigel mutters silently.
"How do we do that? You gotta have the principal's permission to see them." Abby says to Nigel, who looks back sharply at his friends and smiles slightly.
"Leave that to me. I'm sure the new principal won't mind I if I'm the one asking."
"Heh, you're right. She owes you for helping the police bust Ernest's dad."
"Yes, well, I'll ask her tomorrow. I've got other things to do today." Nigel looks at Hoagie and Wally as he stands up and walks away.
"Oh boy, this is getting good. I can't wait to see what I was like in middle school." Hoagie rubs his hands together.
"Don't get too excited, Mr. Delinquent. If ya got held back cuz ya stole cheese, I ain't gonna let ya live that down."
"Hah…held back cuz of cheese…" Wally tries to hold his laughter while Kuki giggles under her breath.
"Yeah right, they couldn't hold me back a year for that!"
"Ya never know. Now finish yo food, class is gonna start in 10 minutes." Abby says and also leaves the table while Hoagie and Wally hurry to empty their plates.
"I uh…I'll go too…see ya later." Kuki follows Abby out of the cafeteria, leaving the boys by themselves.
"Hey Wally, remember, today's the day we get the band together." Hoagie whispers excitedly to Wally, who's mouth is full of food.
"Yeah, I know, keep your pants on."
…
As the final bell rings at 2 o'clock, Kuki walks out of history class but she was not able to focus on the lecture as her thoughts have been a mess since lunch. "Maybe I was a delinquent too…" she thinks as she walks downstairs and towards her locker. Then, after taking her schoolbag and putting her book into it, she looks around the main hall, trying to find Abby. However, instead of her, she spots Wally and Hoagie running upstairs. While Kuki initially dismisses them, her curiosity gets the better of her and she starts running towards the white-painted concrete stairs that lead to the upper floors. On the way, she must go past other students, which slows her down, but Kuki manages to catch a glimpse of Wally's hoodie on the third-floor balcony. "What are they doing up there?"
As Kuki slowly makes her way up, Wally and Hoagie arrive at the end of the third-floor's right-side corridor and Hoagie knocks on the door of the former band club's room. Then, Patton slowly opens it. "There you are, what took you?"
"Wally kept falling asleep during Mrs. Rainey's lesson, so she yelled at him for like five minutes after class."
"It's not my fault my little bro kept me up the whole night! And besides, where the crud were you today? Ya didn't show up for lunch."
"I was in the Council room, doing paperwork, that's what. Now get inside, Nigel and I were just starting."
"Oh man, this is gonna be awesome." Hoagie says gleefully as they walk in but just as the door closes behind them, Kuki reaches the corridor and hears a faint sound echoing throughout the third floor corridor.
"Hmm?" she walks to the end of the corridor and stops in-front of the door, that has a sign that says: "out of use". Then, she hears the beating of drums coming from behind the door. "Eh? What's going on in there?" Kuki puts her ear against the door and listens carefully.
On the other side, Hoagie starts drumming eagerly, while Patton and Wally tune their bass- and electric guitars respectably. "Man, I don't even know what I'm doin' with this…"
"Here, this book's got a tutorial on guitar tuning. The whole bookshelf's full of these." Patton says and hands Wally a dusty "Beginner's Guide for Guitarists" book.
"Oh crud, how are we gonna make this work before the party?" Wally despairs as he starts scrolls through the book.
"We'll manage, don't worry. I mean, you three have experience with instruments." Hoagie says nonchalantly, frustrating Wally.
"But we've only got three weeks and I haven't played since elementary, Hoagie!"
"Calm down, Wally. Why don't you three just choose a simple song and practice it first?"
"Good idea, Nigel. Let's try "Smoke on the Water"! That's simple." Hoagie shouts from behind the drumkit. "What about you?"
"I'll need to get a feel for the piano first. Besides, that song doesn't have keyboards in it." Nigel says as he puts on a headset and plugs it into the synthesizer on his lap. "Did Uncle Benedict really teach me to play piano…and why?" Nigel thinks as he starts tapping the keys while the other three prepare to play but then suddenly, the door flies open.
"Oh my gosh, are you guys making a band?!" Kuki shouts excitedly from the doorway, stunning the boys completely. "What?!" However, Kuki's smile instantly turns into a pout as she puts her hands on her hips, clearly not happy with their silent reaction.
"Wha…why are you…?" Wally mutters while Patton turns his attention to Hoagie.
"Hoagie, you forgot to lock the door…"
"Why are you looking at me?! I wasn't the…ow man, you're right…" Hoagie puts his left hand over his face upon realizing he indeed forgot to do it while Nigel tries to keep his cool.
"What are you doing here Kuki?"
"Well, I saw Wally and Hoagie running upstairs so I followed you guys! But this is super cool! Are you guys really starting a band?! Wait here, I'll tell the others!" Kuki turns around but before she can do anything else, Wally grabs her from behind and drags her back to the room while quickly locking the door. "Huh? Let go of me!" Kuki struggles free from his grip but Wally steps between her and the door. "Wally! Why'd you do that?!" she stares angrily at Wally, who looks at the others for help.
"Kuki, please calm down. We uh…we'll explain everything, just, don't tell anyone, okay?"
"Eh? Ooh, is this a secret band?" Kuki asks as Nigel turns his gaze towards Hoagie.
"Huh? Why are you looking at me?!"
"This whole 'keeping the band a secret' was your idea, Hoagie. So, you can explain it to Kuki."
"Gah, fine…" Hoagie sighs and stands up. "Okay, so Nigel couldn't get any band to play at the party, so we were planning on doing it ourselves. All of us got experience with instruments so I figured we could pull it off."
"Oh my gosh, that sounds so cool!" Kuki shrieks and starts jumping excitedly while Patton leans towards Nigel.
"Good thing she's an airhead."
"Yeah…"
"So why are you keeping it a secret? Oh, I know, it's because you want to surprise Abby and look cool in-front of her, right, Hoagie?!" Kuki points at Hoagie, who's face begins rabidly changing color while the other boys stare at him.
"It's too late to deny it anymore, Hoagie." Nigel looks sharply at the goggle-headed boy who is unable to reply.
"Why the crud would ya wanna show off to…hey, do ya have a thing for her or somethin'?"
"Of course he does, silly! Haven't you figured it out yet?" Kuki replis everyone eyes now stare at Wally, who goes on the defensive.
"Stop lookin' at me like that! How would I know that if I don't care about that sorta crud?!" While visibly she doesn't react, Wally's comment frustrates Kuki slightly, much to Nigel and Patton's amusement.
"Sorry, I was wrong, he's the real airhead." Patton says under his breath while Nigel nods.
"You got that right. So, Hoagie, you have anything to say?"
"Huh? Wha…I uhm…yeah so what?! I mean…wouldn't you guys wanna impress the girl you like?!"
"He's got a point. I bet Rachel wouldn't mind seeing you play the keyboard." Patton says while smirking slyly at Nigel.
"Wha…what's she got to do with it?! She's just a friend!" Nigel loses his composure, causing both Wally and Patton to burst out laughing.
"Hah-hah-haa!"
"It's not funny guys!" Nigel shakes his head and stands up. "*cough* Anyway, can you please keep this a secret from everyone else? Excluding Hoagie, the rest of us want to surprise everyone attending the party."
"Hmm…I don't know…" Kuki squints mischievously at the boys but before she can reply, her phone starts ringing. "Oh, that must be Abby! She's supposed to take me home…" Then, Kuki realizes she has a chance to mess with the boys and answers the call while the boys also realize what she's planning.
"Kuki!" Nigel hisses through his teeth at Kuki, who smirks back.
"Hi Abby! Who, me? Oh, I'm just…" Realizing they are in trouble, the boys quickly huddle together.
"She's gonna get us busted!"
"Not necessarily…unless…" Nigel steps forward as Abby's voice is heard from the speaker.
"Kuki? You there?"
"Name your terms." Nigel whispers and Kuki nods back.
"Ah, sorry Abby! I uh…I'm helping Wally and Hoagie with some literature homework, so you can go on ahead. Hoagie's gonna take me home."
"Okay, gotcha. You better be strict with Hoagie, otherwise, he'll drive ya nuts." Hoagie overhears Abby's comment, and his confidence takes a slight hit.
"I'll be fine! He's not a total idiot, unlike Wally."
"Huh?!" Wally becomes incensed by Kuki's jab but he is quickly silenced and restrained by Nigel and Patton, causing Kuki to giggle.
"Heh, ya got that right. Call me later, okay? See ya tomorrow."
"Hai! Bye-bye." Kuki ends the call as the boys sigh in relief, but Wally is still fuming.
"Why'd ya call me an idiot?!" but Kuki only huffs at him and turns her attention to Nigel.
"So, if I keep this a secret, what do I get?"
"Like I said, name your terms…"
"Okay! Hm…let me think…Ooh, I know! I wanna join the band too!" Kuki shouts excitedly, stunning the boys.
"Huh? Why the crud would we…" but Nigel quickly silences Wally and snaps his fingers.
"No, wait…this might actually work." with a glint in his eye, Nigel smiles and gestures to the boys. "She's the best singer in the school after all."
"Hey, I'm not that good…" Kuki blushes slightly from the compliment while Hoagie realizes what Nigel means.
"That's right! If she's our singer, then people won't boo us off the stage! She's gonna be the star of our band!"
"And she can help us with our singing. Me and Nigel are really bad after all." Patton nods as everyone turns their gaze at Wally.
"Wha…what?!"
"You're not gonna object?"
"I…of course not! Not like I have a choice…"
"Yay! Thank you, Wally!" Kuki shrieks happily and tightly hugs Wally while the others snicker at his embarrassed face.
"How the crud can I refuse if she keeps starin' at me like that…"
End of Transmission 28
Note: This was both a very light-hearted and serious chapter + way shorter than the previous ones, with a slight focus on Kuki but also, we got a major hint about The Kid. I won't divulge on it further, but like I stated in a previous chapter, his origins in this AU aren't exactly normal.
We were were also introduced to Sector V and Fanny's "observers", Tommy, Shaunie, Bradley, Joey and Mushi who've been keeping an eye on them since they lost their memories. Rachel and Patton are of course also observers but that was pretty obvious from the start.
One thing I've sadly negleted in my fics is the relationship between Kuki and Mushi, since she barely appeared in RETRIBUTION. However, I will amend that, so Mushi will appear more prominently here, but not as an antagonist like in the show, she's grown out of that.