Transmission 29: What We Lost
After taking his friends home, Hoagie parks his van inside the garage and lets out a loud yawn. "Oh man, that was way too much fun for one day…" he mutters as he leaves the garage and walks through the laundry room towards the living room, where his brother Tommy is laying on the couch.
"Huh? Hi Hoagie…" Tommy replies sluggishly as he channel-surfs.
"What's up? I thought you were in your room, as usual."
"Mom's forcing me to clean it, so I have to wait until the floor dries…"
"Heh, serves you right, that place is a real mess."
"Hey, yours isn't any better!"
"Yeah, yeah…" Hoagie drops his backpack and slumps down on the recliner next to the sofa. "Ugh, my arms hurt…"
"Hey Hoagie, uhm…have you…been feeling okay?"
"What do ya mean? I'm totally fine, Tommy."
"Oh, right…I just thought that…maybe the exams drained you or something…"
"Nah, I'm not Nigel or Abby, those two overwork themselves all the time."
"Okay…" Tommy nods, but he knows Hoagie is not telling the truth, having seen the recording of his brother's headache fit. "Uhm…when are you going to let me try your van?"
"You're still 13, Tommy, so no way. Besides, don't you want your own car?"
"Yeah, but your van's really cool."
"Heh, thanks, I'm glad you like it at least…" Hoagie is reminded of the fact that Abby hates his van and suddenly, he gets an idea. "Tommy! If you're not busy, can you give me a hand? I need to go to the junkyard, right now."
"Huh? But I'm watching TV…"
"I'll let you choose the music." Hoagie winks at his brother, who is immediately sold.
"Well…okay, let's go! But…why are we going to the junkyard?"
"I was thinking of giving my van a makeover. I'm gonna turn it into a hybrid-minibus. With removable seats and a new sound system."
"Wow, that sounds awesome!"
"Then let's get moving!" The Gilligan brothers tell their mother that they're heading out and before she can say anything else, they've already ran to the garage and taken off.
…
Meanwhile, up in the Moonbase, Eliza is going through yet another test, regarding the Silhouette Suit implanted into her by Father a year ago. As she lays inside a cylindrical machine, Kieran and his team perform various scans on her in an effort to see if she could be cured. "Okay, we're done. I'm opening the hatch." Kieran says over a loudspeaker, as Eliza has to be kept in a separate, reinforced room with F.R.A.P.P.E. freeze-rays turrets in case something happens.
"…right…" Eliza replies silently and climbs out of the scanning machine. She is wearing her now partially activated green and white B.R.A., without its shoulder armor plates and gauntlets. "How'd it go?"
"Well, it's definitely there, but we've got no idea how Father put that into your DNA."
"I thought so…feels like this is only leading to dead ends…" Eliza laments as she stands up. "Numbuh Omicron, can we try the thing I suggested?"
"Absolutely not! The risks are too high, for us and especially for you, Numbuh Alpha. What if ye lose control and go wild? I'm not sure even those freeze-rays will stop ya if that happens."
"But I want to learn more about it, Numbuh Omicron! I can't just act like the Suit isn't there anymore." Eliza pleads to Kieran, who frowns and crosses his arms in disapproval.
"*sigh* I understand, but it's too dangerous."
"Come on, lets try just one drop, that's it." Eliza looks intensely across the room towards the armored glass, behind which Kieran is sitting and try as he might, he can't ignore Eliza's all penetrating gaze. "I know the risks, Numbuh Omicron, but we have to face them, otherwise, we won't make any progress."
"…fine, but just ONE DROP, that's it, alright?" he glares angrily towards Eliza, who nods back. "The Kid would kill me if he were here…" Kieran mutters while typing on his console.
"What was that?"
"Nothing! Numbuh Pi-99, get me a vial of S.I.N. from the research lab, ASAP."
"On it, Chief!" the New Zealand-native Numbuh Pi-99 replies and soon, she returns with a small, sealed metal box in her hands. "Here you go, Chief."
"Thanks. Okay, Numbuh Alpha, stay still." Kieran opens the box and pours a single drop of S.I.N. into a tube next to his console while a robotic arm extends from the examination room's ceiling.
"I'm ready." Eliza takes a deep breath and move her left wrist forward as the robotic arm descends towards her. At the very tip of the arm is small plastic tube, which stops right above Eliza's wrist and S.I.N. droplet falls onto her skin. "Urgh…" Eliza grits her teeth as the drop causes her wrist to slowly turns pitch black.
"Numbuh Alpha!"
"I'm fine! I can…do this…" Eliza grabs her wrist with her right hand just as her left hand turns black with a blue outline. "Ghh…come on…" She clenches her now Silhouette Suit covered hand into a fist while a strong, burning sensation runs through her entire body, causing her to recall how the Silhouette Suit was activated at the Ninja base in Mexico. "Urgh…Argh!" her hand is enveloped in blue flames, prompting Kieran to grabs the trigger for the F.R.A.P.P.E. turrets but then, Eliza's hair also turns pitch black and so does the upper left side of her face and she begins hearing a deranged cackle in her head.
"KYAH-HAH-HAH-A-HAH!"
"No…no…you won't…control me!" she screams and punches the floor, creating a bright flash which blinds Kieran and his science team, stopping him from using the freeze-ray turrets.
"Dammit! Numbuh Alpha! Answer me!" he shouts over the loudspeaker but then, the light begins to fade. "Numbuh Alpha!"
"I…I'm okay…" Kieran hears her voice and stares frantically at the examination room, where Eliza is standing next to a small crack in the floor. Her hair and face have reverted back to normal, but her fist is still covered by the Silhouette Suit. "*pant*…I'm alright, Numbuh Omicron…" she replies and looks intensely at her Suit-covered fist, causing it to slowly return back to normal but she then collapses on her knees, exhausted by the ordeal.
"No, you're not! Wait there, we'll get ye a stretcher!"
"I'M FINE!" Eliza shouts and stands up, showing no signs of using the Suit. "It…it worked, Numbuh Omicron." she gives Kieran a thumbs up with her left hand, but he does not share her elation.
"Supreme Commander, that was way too risky."
"But I managed to control it! Just like Nigel did!" Eliza yells excitedly but Kieran shakes his head.
"This time…Numbuh Alpha, we'll need to analyze all the data before we try this again, okay? You understand right?"
"Yeah…*pant* of course…I think I'll go rest a bit…"
"You better." Kieran replies while Eliza leaves the examination room, but as she walks through the Moonbase's hallways, she can't get over how exhilarating the feeling of using the Suit felt like.
"If I can control this power…I'll be able to do so much more…" but as she passes a mirror in one of the hallways, a reflection of her fully activated Silhouette Suit appears, a menacing grin on its face.
…
"Hoagie? Hoagie P. Gilligan Jr., WAKE UP!"
"Huh? Ahh, oh no!" It's Tuesday morning and as Hoagie is woken up by his mother, he realizes he has overslept badly.
"It's 10:30! You're late!"
"I know!" Hoagie shouts as he scrambles out of his bed. He had stayed up late in the garage, sorting parts for his van and now, he has missed the first two periods completely.
"Hoagie, what have I told you about staying up late?!" Betty shouts at her son as he runs to the bathroom.
"Sorry mom! I promise I won't do it again!" Hoagie yells while frantically brushing his teeth and combing his auburn hair.
"Tell that to your teacher. Did you forget the alarm?!"
"I don't remember! Oh man, I was supposed to pick up Wally…" Hoagie mutters as he runs down the stairs and into the garage, without eating anything and aggressively backs his van outside before speeding away towards the school. "They're gonna have my head for this…" Hoagie thinks as he finally arrives at the school's parking lot and finds an empty spot but as he runs through the front doors, the lunch bell rings. "I missed the first three periods…way to go, Gilligan…" his shoulders slumped, Hoagie makes his way to his locker, when he hears a familiar voice.
"Hey, where the crud where you?" Hoagie looks to his left and sees Wally and Nigel approach him.
"Oh, hi guys…Sorry I kinda…overslept…"
"Damn straight you did! I had to call Nigel to pick me up." Wally replies as he opens locker while Nigel crosses his arms.
"And I was already at school when he did, so we were both late from the first period."
"I'm really sorry guys…" Hoagie lowers his head in shame, but Wally pats him on the back.
"Ah, don't sweat it. Bein' late ain't a problem for me."
"Well, it is for me. I've got to keep my attendance up and being late for class is going to show on my record." Nigel's complaining further dampens Hoagie's already miserable mood, prompting Wally to berate Nigel.
"Hey, give him a break. You want him to feel even more cruddy?"
"Oh, right, sorry Hoagie. Shall we get lunch?" the moment Nigel mentions food, Hoagie's face lights up and he starts nodding.
"Sure…okay, let's go! I'm starving!"
"Heh, I bet you do." Seeing his friend happy again makes Nigel smile as the boys head into the cafeteria and after picking their lunch, they find an empty table. "So why did you oversleep, Hoagie?"
"Uhm…I was working on my van…" Hoagie replies sheepishly while wolfing down his lunch.
"Huh? Haven't ya worked on it enough already?"
"Oh, Betsy 3 is never complete. Right now, I'm thinking of cleaning it and putting some removable seats in the back."
"So, you're turning it into a minibus? That's not a bad idea."
"Yeah, Nigel, with more seats, it'll fit more people. And, since the seats are removable, I can still haul stuff in it."
"Heh, you always come up with crazy ideas." Wally chuckles, cheering Hoagie up a bit.
"You gotta be a bit mad when you're a genius like me."
"So that's why you were late, Mr. Genius."
"Wha...?!" Hoagie yelps slightly and notices Abby standing behind him, accompanied by Kuki and Fanny. "H…hi Abby."
"Where were you, Hoagie? The biology teacher was really angry when you didn't show up for class." Kuki asks as she sits down next to Wally while Abby and Fanny sit next to Nigel.
"He stayed up all night messing with his van again." Wally gestures to the girls and Abby immediately shakes her head in disapproval.
"Boy, ya know you can do that in the weekend, right?"
"I couldn't help it! I got an idea that I really wanna go through with." Hoagie replies as he eats his fish sticks while Nigel adjusts his sunglasses slightly.
"Well, turning your van into a minibus isn't a bad idea, but staying up isn't worth the price." he says while Kuki becomes intrigued.
"Ooh, you're building a minibus?! That sounds cool!"
"Yeah, I know right? I'm gonna install a sick new sound system and internal lighting too."
"You gonna get rid of the smell too? Ya know Abby can't stand that stench from your van." Abby's snide remark puts Hoagie on the defense, and he taps the table with his hand.
"Hey, I've washed Betsy Mk 3 a million times. She doesn't stink anymore thank you very much." however, Abby does not believe him and simply changes the subject.
"Sure. Anyway, you guys ready for the afternoon?"
"Afternoon? What do ya mean?" Wally asks while Abby sighs.
"Did ya forget already?"
"Nigel got permission to check our student records from middle-school, silly." Kuki explains to Wally as Hoagie gets excited about the prospect.
"Oh yeah, that's right. This is gonna be interesting." while he rubs his hands together, Fanny becomes confused and nudges Abby.
"Why do ya guys wanna see yer old school records?"
"We're trynna figure out what we were like back in middle school. You wanna come with?"
"Ah, uhm, okay, sure."
"I was about to ask that same thing, Fanny. Well, with that settled, let's meet up in the school's archive room after the last period."
Then, Fanny fidgets slightly and looks at her friends. "Guys…can I say somethin'?"
"Sure thing girl, what's up?"
"Yesterday, I was cleaning our attic and found some stuff from when I was a kid…" her words immediately peak Nigel's interest, prompting him to lean forward slightly.
"Really? What did you find?"
"Just some junk. Dad said I didn't let him throw them out when I was in middle school."
"What kind of junk?" Kuki get curious and stares intensely at Fanny.
"Agh, just some toys and some worn out Rainbow Monkeys, that's it." but upon saying the magic words, Kuki's face lights up as she stands up and leans heavily across the table, startling Fanny.
"Ooh, I wanna see the Rainbow Monkeys! What were they?"
"I don't remember! I'm not a Rainbow Monkey fanatic like you." Fanny pushes her back to her seat, but Kuki's switch has already been flipped.
"But Rainbow Monkeys are sooo adorable! They spread love and…" Kuki's endless rambling immediately causes Wally to visibly gag which doesn't go unnoticed. "Wally! I saw that!" she yells and turns to face Wally.
"Yeah, so? You know I hate to those cruddy monkeys!"
"They're not "cruddy", they're Rainbow Monkeys!"
"Like I care. They're still stupid."
"Don't you dare call Rainbow Monkey's stupid!"
"Oh yes, I will! They're cruddy stupid!"
"No, they're not!"
"Yes, they are!"
"NO!"
"YES!"
While Wally and Kuki argue loudly, the others move slightly away from them, and Nigel continues the conversation. "Anyway, was there anything there that…stood out?"
"Well…I found a helmet made from a colander that had the number 86 in it…don't know what it means though…"
"A colander?!" Nigel jumps up as he remembers the picture he found that shows Rachel wearing a colander.
"Hey, sit down will ya? And what's with that look?" Abby snaps at him and Nigel sits back down but he is visibly shaken.
"Ah…it's nothing…Sorry."
"Nigel?" then, Nigel leans back on his chair and crosses his arm while looking at Fanny seriously.
"Don't throw that helmet away. I've got a feeling it's important somehow…"
"But it's just junk, what's so important about it?"
"Because we don't remember our childhood, Fanny. Anything connected to our past is important. Like I said, don't throw it away, it's a valuable clue."
"Ehm…sure, whatever." Fanny replies as Abby takes sip of orange juice and and glances at Nigel, who is staring at the table with his arms crossed, clearly thinking something.
"Don't blow yer brain out over this, Nigel…" she thinks and snaps her fingers, catching Nigel's attention. "Yo, Nigel, why'd ya get freaked about that colander thing?"
"…because I found some old photos and in one of them, Rachel is wearing a samurai-like helmet made from a colander…"
"Wow, it must've been the hip thing to do I guess…but why do you have a picture of Rachel? Were we friends with her too?" Hoagie asks Nigel, who shakes his head.
"I don't know…and frankly, I'm hesitant to ask her about it…"
"Abby says we keep them outta all this for now."
"I have to agree with Abby on this, Nigel. At least, until we find more clues."
"Yeah, I think that's for the best." Nigel nods but before he can say anything else, the argument between Wally and Kuki comes to a swift end, as Kuki takes on her oni-like visage and roars at Wally, silencing both him and their friends.
"NEVER, EVER, CALL RAINBOW MONKEYS STUPID, WALLY!"
Under her demonic glare, Wally visibly shrinks in his seat and gives in. "Okay, okay, fine!" he replies quickly, causing Kuki to revert back to her normal self.
"Good. So, what were you guys talking about?" Kuki turns towards her friends, who are all staring at her in shocked silence. "What?! Did I say something?"
"Ah…nothin', it's nothin' Kuki." Abby replies while Hoagie has to wipe his forehead.
"Man, she is scary when she does that…"
"You said it, Hoagie." Nigel replies, feeling equally bewildered by Kuki's hidden side.
…
The day's final period ends and Hoagie and Wally head towards the faculty office, where Abby, Kuki and Fanny are waiting by the door "Dude, not gonna lie, I don't like going to the faculty office. It usually means trouble."
"You're tellin' me. I spent way too much time in there back in Australia."
"So, were you like a big time delinquent back then or something?"
"I just didn't get along with people, that's all." Wally replies nonchalantly as the boys arrive to the faculty office's door.
"Okay, now that we've got everybody, let's go." Abby says and knocks on the door, but no one responds. Then, it flies open and Nigel walks out, carrying a box.
"Ah, good timing guys. I decided to pick our files beforehand so we can look at them in the Stu Co room."
"But what if Patton and Rachel are in there?"
"Don't worry Hoagie, they both went home already. Said they had things to do." Nigel replies and closes the door behind him, before he leads the group up to the Student Council room. Once inside, he puts the box on the table, and everyone gathers around it.
"Man, this is kinda exciting." Hoagie says as Nigel hands everyone their files. They start reading their middle-school school records in complete silence and the atmosphere becomes tense.
"So uhm…who wants to go first?" Nigel says cautiously after 10 minutes while the others seem to hesitate.
"Well…I can go…you were right Nigel; I did get held back by a year. I…man…this is really tough to read…it says here I bullied other students and 'actively resisted authority' …and I…purposefully failed exams…" Hoagie stutters as he shows the file to his friends. On the top left corner of his 7th grade report is his school photo, in which he stares coldly at the camera. He is stocky and is wearing black goggles with yellow lenses, a blue shirt and dark blue suspenders that hold up his dark brown pants, but everyone's attention is drawn to the red samurai helmet on his head.
"What's with the helmet though?" Wally asks but Hoagie shakes head.
"I don't know! I guess I had a super bad case of 8th grader syndrome or something…" he replies, feeling ashamed and puts the file on the table upside down.
"Then that means you were a delinquent, just like your mother said. Interesting…because on mine it says I had perfect behavior marks and no complaints from any teachers…but somehow…this whole report seems eerie…" Nigel also shows his 7th grade school photo to the others, where he is seen wearing a clean, dark gray jacket over his red turtleneck but his friends notice the similar, cold expression on his face that Hoagie had, though Nigel's is far more menacing.
"Wow, you look really evil, Nigel."
"Yes, Kuki. I agree. But it doesn't make any sense. If I had such perfect marks in everything, why do I look like that?" Nigel scratches his chin as Wally gestures to everyone.
"Then listen to mine. It says here that I punched a teacher once. And got involved in fights all the time. They even threatened me with juvie…aw crud, I was like that before I went to Australia…"
"Did you get held back?"
"Uhm…no. I barely passed everything…I think…" Wally says to Nigel, but Hoagie becomes annoyed by their contrasting reports.
"Huh? That's not fair! You did all that and didn't get held back but I did? How?"
"Don't ask me! I don't cruddy remember!" Hoagie and Wally start to argue but Nigel slams his hand on the table, silencing them.
"Calm down! The bottom line is that you two were delinquents while I wasn't. Can you show us your school photo?"
"Eh sure." Wally shows the photo, in which, he is glaring murderously at the camera, his hair is scruffy and is only barely in a bowlcut and he is wearing a black leather jacket over an orange t-shirt. However, he does not have the scar on his otherwise bruised face.
"Dude, seeing you without that scar feels weird." Hoagie says as he eyes the photo, prompting Wally to nod.
"I know right? Kinda like how you aren't wearing your cap in your pic."
"That confirms our theory that you got your scar on the spring of 8th grade." Nigel concludes as the boys then turn their attention to the girls, who for the most part have remained quiet and after exchanging looks, Fanny goes first.
"Mine's pretty…normal. Nothing except for a few truancy marks, that's all." Even her school photo is normal, down to the frustrated frown on her face.
"Heh, you got that right. You always look like that."
"What did you say?!" Fanny furiously snaps at Hoagie, who immediately goes under the table.
"Waah! Sorry, it was just a joke!"
"Hmph!" Fanny crosses her arms and huffs while Hoagie gets back up.
"So now we have two 'normal' students and two delinquents." Now everyone looks at Abby and Kuki, who both seem reluctant to share their files.
Then, Abby sighs heavily and straightens her back. "Fine, Abby's turn…aw man…this is so embarrassing…I…I got held up too…"
"I was right!" Hoagie points at Abby across the table, earning a disapproving glare from her.
"Yeah, yeah, will ya shut up? Anyway, Abby's file says she…got held back for skippin' school and stealin' stuff from other kids…and I got kicked out of the Karate Team for sending my opponent to the hospital cuz I used an illegal move or something…"
"Wow, that's definitely not you Abby." Hoagie says in awe, but Abby feels even more embarrassed.
"Tell me about it…how could I do all those things…?"
"It's too late to ask that now, Abby but this does shed some more light on our past. That makes three delinquents out of five." Nigel takes another look at his file while Kuki fidgets on her seat.
"Uhm…I…" Kuki puts her hand over her left wrist, which Wally notices and his expression becomes serious. "I…it says I…I was a loner and missed 2 months for school…" Kuki shows her picture, which to everyone's shock isn't the one where she is wearing the goth outfit. Instead, she is wearing a worn long-sleeved green sweater and her hair has been cut very short and is very uneven and scruffy. Her expression however is even more shocking. It's not the glare she had in her goth photo but instead, it's a sad expression, as if she was tormented.
"Oh crud…" Wally clenches his fist slightly while Abby puts her hand on Kuki's shoulder.
"Kuki?"
"I…" Kuki visibly shivers, and Nigel looks at her sharply.
"Do you remember something?"
"I…I know why I look like that…I was bullied in middle school…my mom told me."
"Aw man…wait, you don't think we…?"
"Not a chance, Hoagie. There's no way any of us would bully Kuki, never!"
"Then is that why you missed school? You don't have to answer it you don't want to, Kuki." Nigel asks carefully as Kuki squeezes her left wrist even harder. Then, she takes a deep breath and looks at her friends.
"I…I've told Abby and Wally about this before but…I think you guys should know too…I…" She puts her left hand on the table and pulls back her sleeve and what her friends see horrifies them. Kuki closes her eyes and shows the scars that riddle her wrist as Abby looks Kuki with a worried expression while the others remain silent.
"The reason I missed school was because I was bullied so bad…I tried to…ki…" Kuki tries her hardest not to cry as Abby puts her other hand over her exposed wrist.
"It's okay Kuki. We get what ya mean."
"I…wanted to tell you all but I…"
"You're not alone anymore! We're with ya!"
"I know, I know…Thanks…" Kuki replies as she swallows her tears, feeling relieved she was able to tell such a difficult thing to her friends but while Abby and Fanny comfort her, the boys huddle together.
"Uhm…so you knew about…that, right?" Hoagie nudges Wally who looks away, clenching his fist while Nigel stares at the table with his arms crossed.
"It's starting to come together…Based on what we've read and what Kuki told us…I think 8th grade wasn't the only time we were separated." Nigel says sternly as Abby and Fanny let go of Kuki but stay by her side and listen.
"Why's that?" Hoagie ask as he picks up his file.
"Hmm…I'll need to confirm something first. But we'd need our albums for that…"
"I…I have mine with me." Kuki says as she wipes her eyes with a handkerchief and takes the photo album from her bag.
"Excellent." Nigel says sharply as Kuki hands him the album. He then scrolls through to the very end of the album and opens the second to last page.
"Look here. These pictures were taken when Wally, Kuki, Fanny and I were 5th graders and Hoagie and Abby were on 6th grade before you got held back." Nigel shows the page to his friends and immediately, they notice something.
"Wait a minute. Don't we look really happy in those photos?" Hoagie points at a group picture of the five teens, smiling happily, apart from a 11-year-old Wally, who is struggling to free himself from a 10-year-old Kuki's tight hug.
"Yeah, you're right. What the heck happened to us?" Abby says as she eyes her picture, which she has refused to show to her friends. In the said picture, she is dressed like a pirate and instead of her cap, she has a red kerchief on her head.
"Whatever it was, must've been something really bad. And the fact that Kuki was bullied means we didn't spend time with each other anymore. Argh, I thought this would give us some answers but I'm only getting more questions!" Nigel says frustratedly and slumps back down on his chair. "Guys, we need to look at the 8th grade reports too."
"Ugh, do we have to?"
"What, are you afraid we'll see more pictures of you as a pirate?" Hoagie says as he shows Abby's picture to everyone, which he swiped from her while she wasn't looking.
"HOAGIE! Give it back or Abby's gonna make ya regret it!" Abby stands up and takes the report from his hands.
"Aw come on, it wasn't bad! You looked pretty cool in that outfit." Hoagie's completement only makes her feel more embarrassed as Abby sits back down and glares at him.
"Guys, this is serious. Can we please concentrate on these reports?" Nigel says as he takes his 8th grade report, but apart from appearing a year older in his picture, nothing catches his eye, until he reads the last paragraph.
"What's this…hmm…guys, I found something." Nigel gets everyone's attention and reads the end of his report aloud. "'Skipped multiple days of school between March and May and missed the last week of school. Did not attend graduation due to being involved in an incident'."
"Ya missed the graduation cuz of an incident? What's that mean?" Abby adjusts her hat slightly as Wally remembers something.
"No way…Nigel, didn't ya say your uncle's mansion blew up in May?"
"There's no way that's a coincidence…" Fanny mutters as Nigel looks at his friends.
"Check your reports. If all of us missed the graduation, then we'll know exactly when we lost our memories." The others do as their told and read through their 8th grade reports and sure enough, all of them, including Fanny's report, state that they were absent from their graduation because of an incident.
"This is really creepy. Does this really mean we lost our memory in the explosion?"
"All the evidence points to it, Hoagie." A faint grin appears on Nigel face as the gears in his head begin turning. "Everything is starting to make sense, at least somewhat. While we don't how and why we lost our memories, we now know for certain that it happened on the last week of 8th grade, at my uncle's mansion when it exploded. That is the only possible reason why we had that fit." he puts his hands together while his friends feel overwhelmed, but also slightly relieved.
"Man, I never thought we'd get involved in something like this…" a bewildered Hoagie leans back on his chair while Abby looks on silently.
"I…I'm just glad we're back together again. I can't imagine what it was like for us back in middle school…"
"You said it Kuki…" Abby replies as Fanny puts down her report and eyes Nigel.
"So, what are you gonna do next?" she asks him.
"*cough* Well, right now, I think we should stop for the day. I'll take these back to the faculty room." Nigel gather's the reports and puts them back into the box, but not before he takes a picture of the school photos with his phone.
"Hey, what the heck are ya doin'?!"
"I'm taking these as evidence. I'll need to look more into this later." Nigel explains, earning a glare from Abby.
"Just make sure ya don't show those pics of me to anyone, understand?"
"Of course." Nigel replies while everyone starts to leave the Student Council room. As Fanny heads downstairs with Nigel, the others stand in the hallway in silence.
"I'm not gonna lie, I wasn't expecting that…" Hoagie says to Wally, who nods.
"You're tellin' me. All this investigation crud is messing with my head."
"That's Nigel for ya. He loves solvin' mysteries. And when he gets his head into it, he ain't gonna stop."
"Uhm…I just got a message from my mom. She's coming to pick me up so…" Kuki fidgets and looks at Wally's direction
"Why are ya lookin' at me? I'll go with Ho…OW! Why'd you do that?!" Wally shouts as Abby gives him a dead elbow.
"She is offerin' you a ride home, ya blockhead." Abby hisses and glares at Wally, who glances at Kuki and relents.
"…fine…I'll go with ya." Wally's shoulders hunch down slightly as he follows Kuki to the stairs, leaving Hoagie and Abby alone in the hallway. However, as Wally and Kuki walk down the stairs, she takes hold of his left hand and squeezes it hard. "Kuki?" she doesn't answer and hides her eyes under her bangs. "I guess you're feeling like crud too…" Without saying a word, Wally lets her hold his hand all the way to the parking lot.
Meanwhile, Abby and Hoagie have stayed behind in the second-floor hallway. "Uhm…Abby?"
"Hmm?"
"Are you…okay? I mean, we talked about some heavy stuff back there…"
"I'd be lyin' I said I was fine, but thanks. Don't worry, Abby can deal with this."
"You knew about Kuki's…you know…?"
"She told me last year. Abby noticed the scars before that but didn't wanna ask her. But it just makes me so angry…she went through all kinds of heck, and we weren't there by her side…" Abby clenches her fists while Hoagie looks on, feeling equally frustrated.
"Yeah, I get you…but at least we're all together now."
"You're right. And Abby's gonna make sure it stays that way. I don't wanna see her make that face ever again." Abby turns her hat around and starts walking towards the stairs.
"Argh, come on, ask her! It's now or never! You can do it!" Hoagie gathers his courage and grabs Abby's hand.
"Hey, what do ya think you're doin'?" Abby snaps at him but when she looks over her shoulder, she realizes he's looking directly into her eyes.
"Abby! I…can I ask you something?"
"Uhm…yeah sure, shoot." Abby is taken aback by his determined expression as Hoagie let's go of her hand and takes a long, deep breath and closes his eyes.
"I…what I'm trying to say is uh…oh man…I…CANYOUBEMYPARTNERFORTHECHRITMASPARTY?!" Hoagie manages to blurt out the words all at once but as he opens his eyes, Abby is staring at him in utter silence.
Then, she starts laughing wildly. "…ha…HAH-HA-HA-HAH-AH-HAH!" she laughs so hard she has to hold her stomach while Hoagie is stunned and flustered.
"Hey! I poured my soul into that! Why you gotta laugh?!" he yells as his cheeks turn red.
"Hahaha…sorry Hoagie…it's just…ya looked so damn serious when ya said it…" Abby tries to collect herself while a sense of failure starts creep in.
"…then just said no…"
"Haha…what are ya talkin' about? Of course, Abby can go with ya." time seems to stop for Hoagie upon hearing her reply and his legs nearly give away from the shock, but he manages to stay up.
"…wa…wait…WHAT?! Really? You'll go with me?!" Seeing his face light up amuses Abby and she nods.
"Yes, really." then, Abby walks up to Hoagie and puts her right index finger under his chin, causing Hoagie to turn completely red. "Now Abby don't gotta deal with other people askin' me. So you just make sure you behave yoself and don't embarrass me, got it? You're lucky ya get to take me to the party, you know?"
"I…OF COURSE! I won't let you down!" Hoagie replies excitedly, causing Abby to imagine he is a dog wagging his tail.
"Good boy." Abby chuckles softly and starts heading to the stairs when the realization sinks in for both of them. "He actually asked..." Abby thinks when suddenly, Hoagie explodes from unbridled joy.
"…I…I GET TO TAKE ABIGAIL LINCOLN TO THE CHRISTMAS PARTY! WOOHOOO! YEAAH!" Hoagie celebrates and runs past Abby, all the while shouting and cheering loudly like a lunatic. "THIS IS GONNA BE AWESOME! I'M TAKING ABBY TO THE PAR…WHOAAAH! AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH OW, OUCH, OW,!" he trips half-way down the stairs and rolls the rest of the way down, alarming Abby.
"Hoagie! You okay?!"
"I'm okay…WOOOHOOOO!" Hoagie gets up and runs through the main doors while Abby watches on. As the doors close behind him, an odd feeling fills Abby's chest, and she smiles warmly.
"Man, now I know how ya felt, Kuki…"
…
The next day, at the Moonbase, Eliza has called Kieran, Scorpius, Maurice and Chad (with Corvus in tow) to her office while KND Supreme Leader Jacques Duval is attending remotely. "Supreme Commander." the boys minus Jacques salute her and Eliza salutes back.
"Sorry I called you here on such a short notice, guys."
"Not a problem, Numbuh Alpha." Kieran says as Chad crosses his arms.
"So, what's the occasion?"
"Numbuh Omicron, I heard from the Science Section that the Erasure reversing device is complete, is that right?"
"Aye, well…we haven't tested it yet, but we've built it, if that's what you're asking."
"Sweet, looks like we're finally getting' somewhere." Maurice says as Scorpius puts his two smaller hands together.
"While the device is indeed complete, further testing is required to ensure it works without problems. Am I correct in saying that it took many attempts before the Splinter Cell were able to perfect their Erasure technology?"
"Yeah. We know from their records that the first version could only permanently remove KND memories." Eliza nods to Scorpius, who turns his single yellow eye towards Kieran.
"Then may I suggest that we test the device on someone who was exposed to an early version of the Splinter Cell's Erasers. If we can reverse the early version's effects, we can then move on to other victims."
"If you're lookin' for an early victim, I've got a good candidate." Maurice says and gestures towards Eliza.
"We'll need to confirm with them first…okay, moving on. Numbuh Delta, Numbuh Sigma, have you guys found any more leads about the GKND's spy network?"
"Have we ever. Thanks to the info we got from Numbuh 20.000's memories, we know how they've been spyin' on us. Check it." Maurice hands Eliza a memory stick, which she places on the small holographic projector on her desk, which then displays a 3D map of the Solar System, with the the asteroid belt beyond Mars highlighted. "They've got a whole satellite network located inside the asteroid belt. It's called W.E.B.T.O.R."
"All planets with a KND branch have one. It's connected to Earth's computer network, which means they have access to all unencrypted information." Chad says grimly and points at the asteroid belt. "But this is the first time I've seen the system hidden like this. Usually, the GKND disguise the W.E.B.T.O.R. as normal satellites or make them invisible."
"When we arrived here, Libra and I performed a scan of the planet using the shuttle's computer but found nothing in Earth's orbit, which is why we only learned of this now." Scorpius notes as Eliza leans against her left arm.
"So they can see and hear everything that's going on Earth?" she asks Chad while glaring at the hologram.
"Pretty much, but they don't have access to our information network anymore." Chad replies and nudges Kieran.
"Aye, after that spy turned off our communication system, we've done some updates to the shared KNF/TND info network. Took us a month but now it's encrypted…but the O.M.E.G.A. Numbers said the GKND will eventually find a way past it so it's just a temporary solution."
"We would need to either destroy every single W.E.B.T.O.R. satellite inside the asteroid belt or gain access to their Treehouse and disable the system from there to stop the GKND from accessing your networks." Scorpius explains, prompting Eliza to sigh.
"It's better than nothing…have you caught any spies?"
"The GKND are a thorough bunch. We've only caught some chipped kids from the KND side but that's it. One spy teleported themselves out before we could get to 'em." Maurice says grimly while Corvus, having remained silent so far, grunts.
"Hmph, the coward used an E.J.E.C.T.O.R. on themselves."
"I see…well, thanks for the updates, guys. Numbuh Sigma, take Numbuh Omicron and Scorpius with you to meet with the candidate. She's in the Global Armory Center."
"Will do, Supreme Commander."
"And Numbuh Delta, you can head back to Cleve Sector."
"Got it."
"You're dismissed." Eliza says to the boys, who leave while she turns her attention to Jacques. "We're really between a rock and hard place, aren't we?"
"Maybe..." Jacques says and stands up. "Just between you and me…I think the GKND have placed spies within Global Command."
"You really think so?"
"I just…can't find any other reason why we're running into so many problems here. Our intelligence reports aren't arriving on time, 2x4 ships are malfunctioning, we had a small breakout in the Antarctic Prison last week…the GKND is still sabotaging us…" Jacques laments as Eliza leans back in her chair and looks at the 11-year-old boy.
"I can't disagree with that. No doubt they'd place spies in there too..."
"I've even heard rumors that some operatives aren't happy with me…they're calling me 'the teenager's lapdog'…"
"That's stupid! You're equal to me, Numbuh 81 and you don't take orders from me nor the TND either!"
"I know that! But…with everything that's going on…maybe I'm…not cut out to be Supreme Leader."
"Don't say that!" Eliza slams her desk, startling Jacques. "You've earned your position, Numbuh 81. Numbuh Psi chose you to succeed her because of everything you've done for the KND."
"Yeah…she did…I know that…"
"So don't let those rumors get into your head. You're Numbuh 81, Supreme Leader of the Kids Next Door. Every Supreme Leader before you had those same thoughts, but they never gave in. You can ask Numbuh Delta, Numbuh Epsilon and Numbuh Psi if you don't believe me."
"Right…sorry, I need to end the call. I have a meeting with the Science Division. They've been a mess since we lost the Deep-Sea Science Lab." Jacques hangs up, but Eliza is not satisfied with his reply and throws her arms in the air.
"Argh…" she groans and slumps down on her chair. "We're all feeling the pressure here, Numbuh 81…so I understand but…if we give in, we'll lose our planet…" she clenches her fist in frustration, causing her hair to turn black for a split second.
Meanwhile, Maurice leads Scorpius and Kieran to the TND Extention's lower levels, where the Global Armory is located. This facility has its own Portal Hub, allowing quick transfer of weapons and supplies to TND bases all over Earth. "Who is this candidate Numbuh Alpha mentioned?" Scorpius asks as they exit an elevator together.
"An early victim of Erasure, who lost her memories a year after Numbuh Delta joined the GKND. She's the first person who's shown those symptoms Numbuh S-26 described in his message." Maurice explains right before they pass a security gate that leads to the Global Armory.
"I see…" the alien replies and looks around the massive facility: it consists of two sealed sports stadiums placed on-top of one another, each one housing a large wall of portal gates and an automated sorting system moves supplies and weapons to their designated gates.
"Numbuh Sigma!" a member of the Global Armory Section approaches the trio and salutes Maurice and Kieran. "Do you need something?"
"We're here to see Numbuh Rho and Numbuh Phi. Supreme Commander's orders."
"Oh, alright, I'll call them here, just a second." the agent replies and calls his superior using his P.I.P.E.R. and soon enough, two girls approach them using J.E.T.A.B.O.O.T.'s.
"Numbuh Sigma! Numbuh Omicron!" Rosa Zanardi, Chief of the Global Armory greets the boys as she lands along with another teenager. She has black hair tied into two short pigtails, gold earrings in her ears and she is wearing a red short-sleeved jacket over a red t-shirt, gray shorts, black tights and gray hiking boots.
"Sorry to bother ya like this, but we need to talk with Numbuh Phi." Maurice says and turns his attention towards the black-haired girl.
"Uh…well, what do you need?" she asks cautiously as Scorpius approaches her.
"Is she the candidate?"
"Aye, she's Virginia Sims, codename Numbuh Phi. Officially, she was Decommissioned 4 years ago, but in truth, she was Erased by the Splinter Cell. Numbuh Phi, this is Scorpius, of the O.M.E.G.A. Numbers."
"How do you do…" Virginia says to the alien cautiously, having only seen him before during the joint KND/TND broadcast. "I've…never spoken to an alien before."
"Humans are equally 'alien' to me. Greetings." Scorpius replies in his monotone voice.
"Numbuh Omicron and the Moonbase's scientists managed to build the Erasure reversing device with Scorpius' help and we want you to be the first test subject, Numbuh Phi, since you're one of the first Erasure victims." Kieran explains, surprising the girls.
"What, you guys finished it already?"
"That's right, but we need to put it through some tests first."
"To ensure it works, someone who was exposed to only the minimum amount of Erasure is needed." Scorpius remarks as Virginia starts fidgeting, overwhelmed by what she's just heard. After losing her KND memories, she had been a member of the Teen Ninjas briefly until a chain of events lead her to rejoining her old friends in the TND and she has been a member for a year now.
"Of course, I understand if ye don't want to do it, but if we can restore your memories, that means we'll get everyone else who were partially Erased last year back as well."
"I…" Virginia lowers her head and looks away from the boys while Rosa puts her hand on the girl's shoulder.
"You don't have to decide yet, right?"
"Actually, you do." Kieran says bluntly. "We're running out of time. If the GKND attack with their full might before we've Recommissioned all our agents, we're frankly…screwed." but before the hot-headed Armory Chief can protest, Virgnia stops her.
"I'll do it!" she shouts firmly. "I'll…do it. I want my memories back…and if it can cure my headaches at the same time, that'd be great…" she explains, reminding Kieran and Rosa how frequently Virginia has suffered from Erasure's side effects. "And…I want to talk with Nu…Fanny again…you can bring her back too, right?"
"Yes, once we bring yours back first." Kieran replies, prompting Virginia to nod.
"Okay! Let's do it."
"Awesome. Now we're talkin'!" Maurice hit his hands together while Rosa pulls Kieran aside.
"You sure it'll work?"
"I can't say for certain yet, Numbuh Rho, but we have to take the risk."
"I figured…just don't make the mess in her head worse, okay?"
"We won't, that's a promise." Kieran replies, earning a stern slap on the back from Rosa before she gives Virginia a hug.
"Good luck."
"Thanks…don't worry, I'll be fine."
"Come with us, we'll need to start the test right away."
"Okay!" Virginia replies to Kieran, who then takes her away with Scorpius while Rosa looks on with Maurice.
"It's make or brake now."
"Yeah…let's hope it works…"
End of Transmission 29
Note: Hoagie finally got his big break, didn't he?
With this chapter, I wanted to shed a bit more light on Sector V's teen villain years, because that three year time between I.N.T.E.R.V.I.E.W.S. and R.E.T.R.I.B.U.T.I.O.N. in this AU hasn't really been touched upon properly. Sector V's ages were always pretty vague in the show, and since I'm writing my stories based on the idea that the original series spanned a single year (because the Delightfuls had five birthdays or C.A.K.E.D. episodes) and I.N.T.E.R.V.I.E.W.S. happened a year later, which means now their ages are as follows: Abby and Hoagie are 17, Nigel and Wally are 16 and Kuki is 15.
Numbuh 23 or Virginia also made her return to the story after a long time. Despite only appearing very little in RETRIBUTION, her role in the story has been pivotal and has led up to what's going to happen in the upcoming chapters.