Songs featured:
Overlay theme: "Burning My Soul" by J-CROWN & TaKu
Nigel and Chad vs S-26: "00 Gundam" by Kenji Kawai
Numbuh Alpha's transformation: "Pressure" by Nobuko Toda
Transmission 38: Collapse
The battle between the GKND and the combined KND and TND forces rages around the Moonbase as the humans throw everything have at their alien foes but so far, the Galactic Subjugation Force has suffered far less losses than their Earth counterparts. Standing on the bridge of the GSF's colossal Treehouse, Commander Numbuh Exa watches the battle when he is hailed by Numbuh Geo-4, who is serving as a liaison between the Treehouse and Numbuh Tera's Infiltration Team. "Commander!"
"Yes, Geo-4?" Exa replies calmly.
"Report from the Moonbase: Numbuh Chaff and Numbuh Noxious are closing in on the teenager side's sub bridge. Numbuh Vile, Numbuh Ivy and Numbuh Swath are making steady progress towards the Moonbase's Command Center. It's only a matter of time before their defenses collapse."
"What about Numbuh Tera's team?"
"No reports from them yet. I tried to call them but nobody replied." Geo-4's answer catches Exa's attention and for a split second, the Terramorph notices his lips pucker.
"Alright. Carry on." he says, prompting Geo-4 to salute before going back to his duties. Then, Exa contacts Numbuh Infinity and Numbuh 74.239 on a private line. "I just received word that Numbuh Tera's team has not reported in. Care to explain?"
"Are you getting worried, Numbuh Exa?"
"I am not in the mood for snarky comments, Numbuh 74.239." Exa's cold tone makes 74.239 twitch as Infinity joins in.
"They were sent to detain Sector V and the O.M.E.G.A. Numbers so their task is much harder than the other's. For now, we'll just have to wait."
"Yes, but since you are in-charge of their mission, I assume you have a Plan B incase anything happens."
"Numbuh S-26 can handle anything they can throw at him. He is our secret weapon after all." Infinity says calmly, but Exa is not convinced.
"He is strong, that's for certain, but you are putting too much responsibility on his shoulders."
"You should worry about sticking to our schedule! Leave this to us." an irritated 74.239 snaps at Exa, who does not react to his defiant tone.
"Very well. Let's hope for all of our sakes your confidence is warranted." Exa says and hangs up. Then, he looks towards the big screen, which is showing the Moonbase, encased inside its powerful Barrier Shield. "If Tera's team hasn't responded, then it can only mean one thing…"
…
"…No…" Numbuh S-26 mutters as Nigel points his left fist up towards the tunnel's ceiling.
"OVERLAY!" upon saying the command, both Nigel and Libra are encased in a bright red energy sphere. "UAAAARRGHH!" his screams echo throughout the tunnel as everyone watch in stunned awe. Then, after a few seconds, the sphere fades away and from it, appears Nigel, clad in bronze and red armor that covers his arms up to the elbow, shoulders, chest and back, and legs up to the knee while his upper arms, legs from the knee up and his hands are pitch black with yellow lines running across them. His head meanwhile has a bronze armor that covers his ears down to his chin while his bald head is exposed, but pitch black and lastly, his sunglasses are replaced with black framed shades that have a red, reflective visor.
Looking slowly down at his hands, Nigel realizes what happened as he hears Libra's voice in his head. "Overlay complete. We'll only have 5 cycles until our merger ends so let us not waste time." Libra says to Nigel as the Omega symbol on his chest armor blinks.
"Right…wait, how are you talking to me?"
"Through telepathy. We'll explain the details to you later, our foe is approaching!"
"Ghhh!" Nigel moves his right arm's round, drum-shaped gauntlet over his head just in time as Numbuh S-26 punches him, creating a bright flash upon impact.
"How?! How is this possible?!" an unexpectedly agitated S-26 shouts as Nigel reels back his left hand and punches S-26 before he can evade, knocking the Luminosian away.
"I…I hit him!"
"Our merged form's armor can withstand far stronger attacks. You should have no problem countering S-26's light-based attacks now. However, fire by itself will not work on him, use temperature control to generate ice instead."
"Understood!" Nigel replies as the two large, sideways pointing turbines on his backpack start spinning before swiveling backwards, propelling Nigel towards a stunned S-26. "Now it's our turn!" Pointing the silver-colored nozzles on both his wrists at S-26, Nigel fires a burst of ice shards, akin to a shotgun blast.
"Grrr…" turning himself into a streak of light, S-26 tries to evade, but when the shards fly around him, he realizes all of them have reflective surfaces and S-26 begins bouncing between the shards, trapping him. "No!"
"This is your chance!"
"Have a taste of this!" Nigel then fires bright red heat rays from the nozzles, which not only vaporize the ice shards but also hit S-26, who for the first time since the battle began, takes actual visible damage.
"GUARGH!" he screams and collapses onto the floor, while behind Nigel, his teammates cheer loudly.
"Alright! Give him one for me too!"
"He actually damaged that guy!"
"Hah-hah, get 'im Numbuh 1!" Wally, Hoagie and Abby shout together while Numbuh 9L meows excitedly.
"Mau!" she waves her tails as a stunned Numbuh Vine watches the fight from her friend's back.
"Nigel was compatible…with Libra…no way…" however, she cannot help but feel admiration for her ex-boyfriend.
"That bald guy was Libra's partner? You gotta be kidding me!"
"Our *ZZZTT* chances of escape have *ZZZTTT* increased." a spasming Scorpius notes to Leo and Cygnus, who are both awestruck by Libra's actions.
"Their loyalties lie with us, huh? I never had any doubts about you, Libra." Cygnus thinks as a smile appears on her beaked face.
Kuki meanwhile continues to clench her upper right arm and looks on, feeling conflicted. "Could…I do that too…?"
"Of course you can. You have my O.L. Ring. Use it and we'll have the advantage over the GKND." Virgo remarks but Kuki refuses to give the O.M.E.G.A. Number a reply, knowing that the alien has ulterior motives.
On the other side of the bridge, Chad and Numbuh Tera's duel has been halted by Nigel and Libra's merger and Corvus, having also heard Libra's declaration, thinks back to all the times he had mocked the former Science Operative over the past 3 months. "So, Libra resonated with him…"
"I figured as much. Hah-hah." Chad says and takes a combat stance. "What, feeling scared, Numbuh Tera?"
"Grrrr, none of this would've happened if we had just executed you back then!" the enraged Kontion roars and charges at Chad with his large mechanical fists, prompting Chad to leap into the air.
"6 cycles left."
"Still plenty of time! Eat this, furball!" Chad dives on Numbuh Tera, who lunges up and prepares to hit Chad with his fists yet again, but he clamps his orange talons around both fists and begins crushing them. "Say goodbye to your weapons!"
"RRRAAAAAHHH!" with brute strength alone, Tera breaks free from Chad's hold and aims his right fist directly at Chad's chest. "You're mine!"
"Haah!" Then, Chad drives his arm blades into the robotic fist from both sides before unleashing an electric surge directly inside it, subjecting Numbuh Tera to an immense shock.
"UUUUAAARRGHHH!" he screams and writhes in agony as his gray fur is singed and the fist blows up in his face. Chad then pulls back his arms and the former warden falls motionlessly back down with a loud thump, alarming Numbuh Dirus, who saw everything.
"Numbuh Tera!" she immediately disengages from her fight with Rachel and rushes to Tera's side. "Hey, say something!" however, she quickly realizes that Numbuh Tera is both severely injured and unconscious, as is Numbuh A64, who is lying on the floor not far from Tera. "No…nononononoNO!" Dirus shouts and bares her teeth at the hovering Chad. "DAMN YOU, TEENAGER!" she leaps into the air and tries to attack Chad, who slips to the left, letting Dirus pass him before performing a swift chop with his left hand, slamming Numbuh Dirus back down as well. "Uargh! *cough* *cough* *groan*…"
"You guys are done. Why don't you take your buddies and scram." Chad glares at the Lycan, who glares back, but Chad's attack has weakened her significantly.
On the other end of the bridge, Numbuh S-26 slowly stands up, holding his left shoulder. "…" despite not showing an inch of emotion on his face, in his mind, the Luminosian is furious. "No…how did this happen…the O.L. Rings were supposed to be sealed in their laboratory…unless…they saw through us…of course…they took the rings and are carrying them…" then, he straightens himself and notices that both Numbuh A64 and Numbuh Tera are out cold while Numbuh Dirus is barely able to stand. "What an utter farce…" he then turns his attention towards Nigel and gathers energy into his fists. "All I must do is defeat you, Numbuh 1. Your last gamble will not pay off." Turning his entire body into solid light, he teleports right up to Nigel and before he can react, pummels Nigel repeatedly at light speed.
"GUAH!" the impacts slowly push him backwards, but Nigel uses the thrusters built into the soles of his armored legs to get away, only for S-26 to instantly catch up and hit him in the chest with both legs. "Urgh!" Nigel strikes the bridge, the impact creating a small crater on the bridge.
"Numbuh 1!" his teammates shout as Nigel gets up and gestures with his left hand.
"Stay back!" then, S-26 rams into him, engulfing them both in a bright explosion, alarming the others. "*groan*…dammit…" Nigel slowly gets up and guards as S-26 continues his relentless attack with a volley of high-speed punches.
"Surrender, NOW!"
"NEVER!"
Unable to do anything but watch as their leader struggles against S-26, the other members of Sector V become frustrated. "Dammit, is there anythin' we can do to help him? At this rate, Numbuh 1's gonna get his ass kicked!" Abby kicks the paved floor in frustration while Kuki picks up Bradley and looks on wistfully.
"But we're no match against him…" she laments as Hoagie notices the various cracks on the bridge and the two knocked out GKND operatives.
"Guys, let's go to the Moonbase instead. That way is pretty much clear now and this bridge isn't going to hold much longer."
"But we can't leave Numbuh 1 behind!" Wally says to Hoagie, who points at their fatigued leader.
"We're just getting in his way if we stand here. He can't go all out!"
"…Numbuh 2's right. Let's get the heck outta here while he keeps Gamma or 'whatever he's called now' busy." Abby puts her hand on Hoagie's shoulder and looks at the other sternly.
"Your suggestion *ZZZTT* is logical. Giving them space to fight will allow Numbuh 1 and Libra to defeat S-26." Scorpius remarks as Cygnus notices that the effects of the paralyzing beam are starting to weaken.
"I agree. This paralysis is starting to wear off now, so we should take this chance." she says to Leo and Virgo, who do not respond but Cygnus can tell at least Leo agrees. Virgo however grows frustrated by the minute.
"Grrr, at this rate, they'll figure out I took the ring…but Cygnus is right, the paralysis is going away…I'll have to act." she thinks as the group begin making their way to the other end of the bridge.
"I'll keep an eye on them." Rachel says and stops near the exhausted Numbuh Dirus, allowing the others through. Chad also catches on to their plan and flies across the bridge to help Nigel.
"Hang on!" he shouts and drives Numbuh S-26 away from Nigel with a lighting blast. "How you holding up?" Chad asks but can tell that S-26's attacks and the Overlay process itself have drained Nigel's strength greatly.
"*pant*…Could be better…but I can still go on…*pant*…"
"We'll take him down together, Numbuh 1. If we let him loose inside the Extension, it's game over for all of us."
"I agree." Nigel replies as S-26 recovers from Chad's attack and to their shock, splits himself into two identical copies. "Oh for Pete's sake…"
"Even against two Anti-Adult Soldier forms, I'll win. Nothing will stand in the way of the GKND!" the Luminosian declares with a synchronized voice and attacks both teenagers with a barrage of light bullets.
"Don't falter, Numbuh 1. Only one of them is real. Our sensor array can identify the correct S-26." Libra tells Nigel, who creates two ice shields around his arms to block the barrage while Chad turns himself into pure electricity, evades the bullets and attacks the copy closer to him.
"RAAAAH!" he repeatedly slashes the duplicate with his electrically charged arm blades, preventing the duplicate from becoming intangible and forcing it to evade instead.
"Let's keep this one busy until those two can identify the right target!" Corvus says to Chad, who agrees and intensifies his attacks while Nigel duels the other S-26.
"Grr…you're starting to annoy me!" Nigel shouts and fires to ice shard blasts at the copy, but this time, S-26 weaves through and turns his right arm into a light blade.
"The feeling is mutual." the copy swings the blade at Nigel, who rotates his left-side turbine forward, causing him to turn 90 degrees, evading the strike, before grabbing the copy with his right arm. Then, both punch each other in the face and Numbuh S-26 turns himself intangible to break free from Nigel's grip, followed by another barrage of punches, but Nigel super-heats his left fist and launches a spinning fireball at S-26.
"Hmph, predictable!" S-26 allows the fireball to go through him and attacks Nigel once more, only to be suddenly hit by another, unseen fireball, stunning him long enough for Nigel to grab the duplicate again.
"Target identified!"
"You're the real one!" at this close range, his foe cannot dodge in time as Nigel shoots a bright red heat ray through S-26's left shoulder and to the teenager's surprise, both S-26's scream in pain and stop in place. Seeing his chance, Chad impales the other S-26 with his arm blades and hits it with an electric surge.
"GUUUAGHH*ZZZZTT*! ARRRGHH!" both duplicates spasm wildly before they fall apart into energy and reformat into Numbuh S-26 a short distance away. "*pant*…Libra…" the Luminosian hisses while holding his injured left shoulder. "…you saw right through me…"
"Hah, blame the GKND for making the O.M.E.G.A. Numbers so powerful!" Chad mocks S-26 before landing next to Nigel, who is nearing his limit.
"*pant*…*gasp*…Dammit…I can't…keep this up…" he mutters and collapses on one knee as his Overlay form begins to emit sparks.
"You gotta get outta here, Numbuh 1. You can't handle Overlay yet."
"No…I won't falter…until my team is safe…" Nigel replies as he looks weakly over his shoulder towards the other end of the bridge. But then, a light beam flies past both teenagers and strikes the wall right above the Moonbase-side door, sending debris plummeting towards Nigel's friends. "NO!"
"Look out!" Abby shouts as the debris falls on the group, before they are engulfed in a cloud of rubble and dust. Rachel, standing guard on the middle of the bridge, freezes as the dust cloud covers the Moonbase-side entrance while both Nigel and Chad are unable to comprehend what just happened.
"*pant*…I told you…nobody…leaves this bridge…" Numbuh S-26 says to them, pointing his right hand at the teenagers. "You might have injured me…but you will NOT defeat me." he groans and begins glowing brightly.
"Gah, dammit, he's gonna use that! Get back!" Chad jumps in Nigel's way and launches a lightning blast at Numbuh S-26, who covers himself in a bright light aura and charges at Chad and Nigel.
"FALL!" S-26 howls as Chad's attack is brushed aside.
"MOVE!" Nigel shouts and pushes Chad aside as S-26 hurtles towards him. "Libra, right now, give me everything you've got."
"Understood. Channeling all power into the Burster Bunkers."
"NOBODY MESSES WITH MY FRIENDS!" Nigel pulls his arms back, as the air around his hands begins to freeze. "HAAAAA!"
"GRAAAHHH!" Then, Nigel strikes his palms into S-26 right as the latter rams into him, creating a massive steam explosion that knocks Chad and Rachel off their feet.
"NIGEL!" Rachel screams in despair as the bridge shakes and the column of steam rises up the tunnel.
"No…no way…" Chad mutters and stands up, only to see a figure standing in the steam cloud. "…hah…You…you jerk…don't scare me like that…" a smile appears on Chad's faces as the steam cloud evaporates, revealing an exhausted Nigel standing before Numbuh S-26, who has been encased in ice.
"*pant*…we did it…but…is he…?"
"No. Numbuh S-26 is very much alive but but frozen solid. We only immobilized him, for now." Libra replies to Nigel, who smirks and falls on his back.
"That's…a relief…urgh…" he groans as the merge breaks, separating him from Libra, who appears above him. "Hey…we make a pretty good team…"
"Yes we do. You are an excellent partner."
"You're not bad yourself…*pant*" Nigel replies as Chad and Rachel rush to his side.
"Numbuh 1!" Chad helps Nigel to his feet and grabs his right shoulder. "You crazy punk, what the heck did you do?"
"I knew…*pant* we couldn't beat him in a straight fight, so I froze him instead…Libra said Gamma isn't dead."
"Hah-hah, only you'd be crazy enough to pull something like that!" Chad laughs and slaps Nigel on the back before Rachel puts her hand on his left shoulder.
"…You actually took him down…"
"It was a gamble…but it paid off…" Nigel replies to her before their attention is turned to the Moonbase end of the bridge, which is still clouded in dust, but their worries quickly fade as green energy blades cut through the dust, clearing the rubble.
"Holy crud, that was way too close!" Wally exclaims as he helps Kuki back to her feet while Abby wipes the dust off her cap.
"Yeah, too close. I guess we owe you guys another one." she says and eyes Cygnus and Virgo, who used their magnetism and shapeshifting respectively to protect the group from the debris.
"Don't mention it. It's what allies do, right Virgo?" Cygnus says to the green energy alien, who huffs but then, the entire tunnel starts shaking, followed by an announcement over the intercom.
"All hands, evacuate the tunnels immediately, I repeat…"
…
10 Minutes ago.
As Numbuh Tera's infiltration Team enter the connecting tunnel, at the same time, up on the Teen Extension's Central Operations Room, Eliza and the rest of the command crew are overwhelmed by reports of GKND robots invading the Moonbase as well as the deteriorating status of the space fleets, all the while trying to deal with the virus infecting the Sooper Big Computermabob. "40% of the Combined Space Fleet has been taken out! At this rate, they'll break through." an agent says to Herbie and Eliza, who shakes her head.
"They're trying to crush us from both outside and inside…dammit…" Eliza mutters as Herbie walks over to the holoprojector table, a grim expression marking his face.
"We can't keep this up forever." he then brings up a 3D image of the Teen Extension, which displays the levels they've lost contact with. "If we lose the Science Tower, this battle will be over for us, you realize that too, Supreme Commander?"
"I know. Which floor was Agent Halcón on?" Eliza asks the agent in-charge of the Extension's internal communications.
"68th floor, Ma'am." the agent replies before Eliza walks over to the holoprojector table and puts her hands on it.
"The 68th floor is right near the Science Tower's central shaft, which means they'll reach the Tower soon. We should…"
"Supreme Commander! We've lost contact with the Extension's sub-bridge!" the same agent Eliza just spoke with interrupts her, his words shocking everyone in CO-room.
"What? You can't be serious!" Eliza shouts and runs over to the agent, who points at a nearby computer screen, which is showing error messages.
"See for yourself. All out internal communications also went down with it. Only the open emergency channel is working." then, a massive explosion shakes the entire Moonbase, followed by a bright flash as the unmanned O.B.S.E.R.S.T.A.T.I.O.N.'s powering the Barrier Shield are taken out one by one.
"The shield! It's gonna fall apart!"
"No…" Eliza shakes her head and takes a few steps back. "…"
"Supreme Commander, there is still one way we can turn this around. We detach the Extension from the Moonbase. That way, we can force the GKND to split their forces and allow the Moonbase to us all of her firepower on their Treehouse." a stone-faced Herbie says to Eliza, who turns to face him, her eyes filled with with disbelief.
"Detach the Extension?! But our comms are down! We'd have let the KND know and contact the Science Tower as well. The Extension's control system is there."
"Then somebody has to go to the tower and let them know. If we allow the GKND's raiding party to occupy the Extension, we'll lose this battle, Supreme Commander." Herbie remarks, silencing Eliza. She then looks around the CO-room, at every agent operating their terminals, officers giving orders to their subordinates and then at Herbie, who notices a slight twitch on her face. "…Wait, Supreme Commander, you're not thinking of…"
"If someone has to go, then I'll do it. Numbuh Iota-3, do whatever you can to re-establish contact with the fleet and the KND. I'm going to the Science Tower." Eliza says and draws her sword.
"No, Supreme Commander, you need to stay here! You're…"
"Numbuh Iota-3, we can't ask any of the agents here to do it, they've got their own jobs. And since Numbuh Epsilon isn't here, that makes you my vice-commander. I know you can handle it." Eliza walks over to Herbie and grabs his shoulder. "I can take care myself out there."
"Hold up mon, what about the sub-bridge?" Keith interjects and puts his hand on the table. "Somebody's gotta go there and check it out too. We don't know if it's been taken over yet, cause Numbuh Zeta and Beta are there."
"And I'm guessing you're volunteering to go there?" Eliza asks Keith, who nods.
"Ya mon. I gotta agree with what Numbuh Epsilon said earlier. I ain't gonna sit around and do nothing while everyone else is fightin'. So leave the sub-bridge to me." with a strong conviction, Keith eyes Eliza and then Herbie, who shakes his head in protest, but Eliza nods instead.
"Then we'll leave it to you. But if everything's okay in there, come back here, understood?"
"Loud and clear, Numbuh Alpha." Keith salutes Eliza before dashing out of the CO-room. Then, the TND Supreme Commander turns her attention to Herbie.
"…" the Global Intelligence Chief clenches his fists as a grimace appears on his face. "We lost you once already, Numbuh Alpha. Don't make us go through it again. Numbuh 1 would skin us all if he knew about this."
"He would, but Nigel's not here. I'll be fine. I'll do my job and you do yours, Vice-Supreme Commander." Eliza smiles weakly and then exits the CO-room as well, leaving Herbie biting his lip.
"Dammit…why does nobody follow protocol in here…*sigh* but we wouldn't be teenagers if we did everything by the book…" he mutters before clearing his throat. "Alright people, you heard the Supreme Commander, we need get the comms back online, not matter what! The fight isn't lost yet!"
"Yes, Sir!"
As the command crew get back to work, Eliza runs through the empty hallways, towards the Science Tower. With the elevators not working, she has to fly through them using her TND B.R.A.'s jetboots and force open closed doors. Then, after reaching floor 106, she suddenly stops, having heard faint explosions coming from up ahead. "…the Tower's west entrance is there…" she mutters before reaching for her utility belt and taking out a very small white vial. "*exhale* You can do this…you've praticed…just…one drop of S.I.N., that's all…" opening the vial's lid ever so slightly, Eliza opens her mouth and a tiny black droplet falls into it. "*shiver* Gh…Urgh…" a faint, dark blue outline appears around her while the ends of her orange hair turn black. "Okay, let's do this." Eliza stands up, fully activates her B.R.A. and starts running again as a massive surge of energy goes through her body.
Ahead, she can see a group of I.N.V.A.D.O.B.O.T.'s trying to enter the west entrance, which is heavily defended by guards and any agent able to wield a weapon. "Hold the line! We can't let them get through, no matter what!"
"There's too many of them!" then, the agents notice a blue flash coming from behind the TV-headed robots, followed by the sound of metal being ripped and sliced apart as Eliza sweeps the through I.N.V.A.D.O.B.O.T.'s with her blue sword in the blink of an eye, destroying them.
"Su…Supreme Commander!"
"What are you doing here?!"
"I need to talk to Numbuh Omicron right now!" Eliza says forcefully, startling the guards.
"Ye…yes Ma'am!" one of the guards' points at a control panel next to the sealed armored door behind him and Eliza swift walks over to it.
"Numbuh Omicron?! This is Numbuh Alpha." she says while hiding her face behind her B.R.A.'s mouth guard. Then, Kieran's face appears on the screen and he answers in his Scottish accent.
"*ZZZZTTT*…buh Alpha?! What are ye doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in the…?"
"That's not important! What's the situation in there?"
"All external entrances to the Tower have been sealed. We had to lock them from the inside."
"Good. You need initiate the Purge Protocol right now."
"Pu…Purge Protocol?! Have ye lost your mind?! We can't do that without approval from Numbuh 81!"
"Listen to me!" Eliza shouts at the screen, scaring Kieran. "The GKND are after us! If we separate the Extension from the Moonbase, that'll force them to split their attack."
"…that's too risky! If we separate while the shield is up, it'll seriously damage the Extention."
"The shield is barely holding together, the GKND are taking down the O.B.S.E.R.S.T.A.T.I.O.N.'s as we speak! This is the only way we can turn this battle around; do you understand?!"
Eliza's intimidating tone does not sit well with Kieran, who folds his arms and glares at her, reminded of the fact her appearance was used to trick Sector V. "Numbuh Alpha, are you sure about this?"
"Yes." However, their argument is suddenly interrupted by Kieran's deputy, Numbuh Pi-34.
"Chief! We've got two heat sources flying up the Tower's shaft. They'll reach the loading bay any minute now!"
"The loading bay?! Ach, dammit, they must be trying to hit us from our only weak spot…"
"Leave them to me, Numbuh Omicron! You handle the separation!" Eliza interrupts, frustrating Kieran further.
"*sigh* Fine…but we're going to issue a Moonbase-wide alert first. I don't want anyone in the tunnels before we initiate the protocol."
"Right. I'll head to the loading bay!" Eliza exclaims before hanging up, leaving Kieran shaking his head.
"Our battle plan is going straight to the dogs…there's no way Numbuh Iota-3 would've allowed this…" he mutters as his deputy comes to his side.
"Chief, what do we do now?"
"…We'll follow Alpha's order. Get me a microphone, I'll do the alert myself."
"Yes, Sir!"
…
Present
"We will commence Purge Protocol shortly. All personnel, evacuate the connecting tunnels right now, I repeat…"
Kieran's words are heard clearly throughout both the Extension and the Moonbase, alarming everyone, not least, Sector V's group, who are still stuck on the largest bridge. "Purge Protocol?! They can't be serious?!" Rachel exclaims as an exhausted Nigel struggles to stay up.
"What…does that mean?"
"It means they're going to separate the Extension from the Moonbase. So, we need to get out of here, right now!"
"You got to be kidding me! That wasn't part of the plan!" Chad shouts as Nigel shakes his head.
"The plan must've been thrown out of the window. Regardless, let's join the others!" Nigel says and starts limping towards the Moonbase-side of the bridge, only to nearly lose his balance but Libra manages to grab his shoulders from behind. "Ugh…thanks…"
"We will take you to the other side." Libra then lifts Nigel off the ground and carries him while Rachel and Chad follow. Meanwhile, Numbuh Dirus, who is barely able to stay on her feet, looks around in disbelief. All of her teammates have been defeated, even the formidable Numbuh S-26, who is trapped in ice. Then, she notices the three teenagers approaching her.
"Grr…I'm not gonna let you pass…*groan*…no…" she hisses before realizing the futility of her situation. "…we…need to retreat…" she then presses button her left gauntlet, causing Numbuh Tera and Numbuh A64 to disappear into booger clouds before pulling herself up. "Don't think you've won yet! This war has just begun, teenagers!" she declares loudly before using her remaining strength to jump over Nigel and the others, before landing next to the frozen S-26 and grabbing his icy prison. "We'll come back and finish the job! I swear it!" then, Numbuh Dirus and S-26 also vanish into booger clouds as Chad looks over his shoulder.
"…but next time…We'll be ready."
"And then we'll give them payback." Corvus agrees with the teenager while on the other side of the bridge, Hoagie opens the armored door with his E.Y.E-W.A.T.C.H.
"Alright, everyone inside the airlock!" he shouts but while the others do so, Virgo notices Nigel, Chad, Rachel and Libra approaching them.
"Now's my chance!" with everyone's attention focused on the door, she stretches her left arm and slips it into the rubble pile on the left side of the door and then loops it under the bridge. "You almost caught me, Corvus, almost." turning her hand into a massive sledgehammer, Virgo hits the bridge from below, causing cracks to form in the middle just as Nigel and Libra cross it.
"Woah! The bridge!" he shouts to Rachel and Chad just as Virgo hits the bridge again, shattering the bridge from the middle.
"Oh crud! The bridge is goin' down!" Wally points behind the others, who also see the collapse.
"Guys!" Abby instinctively tries to go help them, but Hoagie and Numbuh 9L pull her inside the airlock, followed by the rest. "Hurry!"
"*gasp*!" Rachel suddenly feels the bridge fall from underneath her and tries to turn on her B.R.A.'s jetboots but they are not working, a result of being damaged during her fight with Numbuh Dirus.
"Rachel!" Nigel shouts after her, unable to use his Suit due to exhaustion but then, Chad, still in his Overlay form, manages to grab Rachel's left arm and pull her up as the bridge collapses completely. Then, alarm bells start ringing inside the tunnels.
"Dammit, it's starting!" Chad then flies back to the closer, Extension-side of the tunnel but Rachel starts gesturing towards the other end.
"What are you doing?! We need to go there!"
"I can't carry you if I turn into electricity, so we don't have enough time!" Chad replies and lands on a small ledge left behind by the bridge and opens the air lock, while on the other side, Libra manages to carry Nigel to the opposite airlock, and they join their comrade as the door close behind them.
"Numbuh 1!" Abby and her teammates come to Nigel's side as Libra lowers him down. "You okay?!"
"Been better…what about you guys?"
"We're fine, thanks to you, Boss." Abby says and pat's Nigel's shoulder while Hoagie grabs his other shoulder excitedly.
"That was the coolest thing I've ever seen! You turned into one of those superheroes from my comics!"
"You really showed that lightbulb what for!" Wally also joins in to cheer for Nigel, who turns his attention to the O.L. Ring in his left wrist.
"…Yeah…but we can talk about that later."
"What happened to Rachel and Chad?" Kuki asks Nigel but Libra answers in his place.
"They flew back to the Extension-side. We do not think they are in any danger."
"But man, that bridge was more damaged than I thought. It felt pretty solid when we crossed it."
"Then our battle must've damaged it further. Anyway, we need to plan out next move. We're now inside the Moonbase after all." Nigel says, before the Omega symbol in his O.L. Ring starts blinking and yellow line runs from it along his arm, shoulder and neck before reaching his ear before a distorted sound echoes in his head.
"…buh 1…can…ou hear me?"
"Huh?! Whose there?!" alarmed by the voice, Nigel looks around the airlock frantically, confusing his teammates.
"What the heck are ya talking about now, Numbuh 1?" Abby lifts an eyebrow as Nigel puts his hand over his left ear.
"I hear a voice…" then, Libra gestures for him to calm down.
"Do not be alarmed, it is most likely Numbuh Delta. He is talking to you privately through the O.L. Ring. We cannot hear it."
"What? Seriously?" Nigel then focuses on the voice as it becomes clearer.
"Numbuh 1! Answer!"
"Numbuh Delta?"
"Alright, it worked. You guys okay?"
"Everyone is accounted for. And you? How's Rachel?"
"She's fine, but she wants join you guys."
"That's impossible now."
"Yeah, it is. I can hear the bridges collapsing in the tunnel. Listen, Numbuh 1. You guys need to get out of the Moonbase. If you can't return to the Extension, head to Earth and meet up with Cleve Sector. That GKND team was after you guys specifically. They're gonna send another team after ya if you hang around in the Moonbase."
"What? But what about…"
"We'll be fine. We're gonna keep fighting, and so do you. Now that you can use Overlay, you guys have an edge on the GKND. Master it. We need it to fight off the GKND."
"…right…"
"We're gonna head up to the upper levels and join the others."
"Understood. Good luck, Numbuh Delta. And tell Rachel that we'll see each other again. This isn't a goodbye."
"I'll tell her." Then, Nigel takes a deep breath and looks at his comrades before replying to Chad.
"See you again, old friend."
"Don't get killed out there, Numbuh 1."
"Same goes for you, Numbuh 27…Numbuh Delta."
Then, Nigel's O.L Ring stops blinking, and Nigel hides his slightly teared-up eyes from the others, before exhaling and gathering himself. "Alright everyone, listen up, here's the plan."
…
As the TND prepares to separate the Extension from the Moonbase, inside the Science Tower's central shaft, a highspeed pursuit is taking place.
"Running away is pointless, Ángel! You're staring up a dead end!" the mysterious GKND agent Numbuh Shrike yells after Ace The Kid, who is trying to escape the spy's clutches. However, he has been severely shaken by the agent's repeated claims that he is not human.
"Dammit, dammit, dammit!" he curses, unable to make sense of what the alien operative had told him. "Don't listen to that guy. This is just a GKND trick! It's gotta be!" but then, he sees a ceiling up ahead, forcing The Kid to slow down. "Gah, the loading bay…argh!" The Kid grimaces, having realized he has led Numbuh Shrike straight to the only non-sealed around of the Science Tower. "Great job, you idiot!" then, he lands on the horseshoe-shaped platform surrounding the shaft and readies his weapons as Numbuh Shrike appears before him.
"End of the line." Shrike says and lands in-front of The Kid. "Still trying to deny what I told you?"
"What's there to deny?! All you've been talking is crap! I told you, I'm a human! Not some alien freak like you!"
"Then perhaps I should make you see it with your own eyes." Numbuh Shrike replies and points their right-hand gauntlet at The Kid. "What I have here is an U.N.M.A.S.K.E.R. It will cause your none-human DNA to manifest. Then you'll believe me."
"SCREW YOU PENDEJO!" The Kid opens fire on Numbuh Shrike, who starts flying around the loading bay, easily dodging the barrage.
"You didn't hit me before, you're not gonna do it now either!" Shrike taunts The Kid, lands against the wall and jumps straight at him, forcing The Kid to get out of the way, but the moment Shrike lands, they fire a circular green beam from the U.N.M.A.S.K.E.R.
"Ghhh!" The Kid grits his teeth and dashes to left to evade, only for Shrike to shoot three more rings at him. As the beams approach him, The Kid squints as time slows down for him. He kneels and then, just as the beams are about to him, he jumps over them, followed by a blast from his Stupefier Rifle, that catches Numbuh Shrike off-guard.
"*gasp*" the beam hits Numbuh Shrike's left arm before they can activate their energy shield, leaving the agent's entire left arm, left side and the left thigh stupefied. "Guah!" then, The Kid delivers a powerful kick on Shrike's chest, sending the agent straight into the railing, lining the edge of the shaft. "*cough*…urgh…*pant*…well played…Ángel." the agent hisses at The Kid, who walks right up them and presses the Stupefier Rifle's barrel against Shrike's head.
"*pant*…This ends now, you damn GKND punk…no matter how many times you say that crap, I ain't gonna believe a word. I'm…NOT…AN…ALIEN!"
"*exhale*…Hah-hah…too bad…YOU HIT THE WRONG ARM!" Numbuh Shrike shouts and presses their right hand against The Kid's chest.
"Agh!" The Kid has no time to get out of the way as the U.N.M.A.S.K.E.R.'s ring-shaped beam hits him, subjecting him to immense paint and knocking him to the floor, destroying his B.R.A. completely in the process. "GUUUUARRRRGH! URGH! ARGH!*gasp* AAAARGHHH!"
Unaware of what is happening ahead, Eliza is approaching the loading bay, when suddenly, she hears The Kid's agonizing screams and can instantly tell it is him. "Huh?! Is that…?!" she dashes forward using her Acceleration Boots and enters the loading bay from an adjacent hallway, where she is greeted by the sight of The Kid, enveloped in green energy, screaming in pain. "*gaps* Kid!" Eliza shouts but Numbuh Shrike fires red lasers from their fingertips at her.
"So, you decided to join the party too, Eliza Solis. Well, you came in at the perfect time." Shrike says, having reversed their left side's stupification and gestures towards The Kid.
"What did you do to him?!" an angered Eliza yells at Shrike, her hair turning pitch black by the second.
"Kickstarted his transformation. The person you call 'Ace The Kid' is not who he seems. After all, he is an extraterrestrial like me. The son of a GKND operative to be exact."
"An extraterrestrial?! That's not true! Now let him go or I'll…Ack!" but before Eliza can attack Numbuh Shrike, the spy fires a blue energy bubble at her, trapping the TND Supreme Commander inside it. "Graah! This isn't going to hold me!" she shouts and repeatedly hits the bubble with her sword, but it is ineffective.
"Now, now, why don't you cool off in there and watch. We're getting to the best part." Numbuh Shrike says and points at The Kid, who writhes in pain on the floor. Then, Eliza notices a green glowing bulge appearing from his left shoulder blade. Then, the bulge generates a green, feathery wing that swiftly grows from the shoulder blade, ripping the hole into his flight jacket. The wing is made entire of energy as it spreads out.
"No…" Eliza mutters in disbelief as The Kid's right arm is covered in blade-like energy feathers while his hands digits are reduced to three, each one sporting a sharp energy talon while his right eye is covered by a green flame.
"Guargh! Urgh…argh…*pant*…gah…" The Kid's screams start dying down, before he catches a quick glance of his transformed right arm. "…urgh…wha…what did you…do to me?" he lifts his head and glares weakly at Numbuh Shrike, who stands over him, hands behind their back.
"Hmm, looks like your Ornyxian DNA was so diluted you've only manifested ethereal features. No matter. You're coming with me now to the GKND. We have much planned for you."
"No…I ain't going anywhere…urgh…" The Kid protests and reaches for Shrike with his human left hand, but the alien shakes their head and types on their left gauntlet.
"That's not up to you to decide anymore. You're GKND property."
"Stop it! Don't take him! KID!" Eliza screams from the bubble, catching The Kid's attention and he makes eye contact with her just as Numbuh Shrike places a small L.O.G.P.O.I.N.T.E.R. on The Kid's wrist. "Don't…don't go!"
"…Miss…Commander…I'm sorry…I screwed up…"
"KID!" Eliza pounds her fists against the bubble as The Kid is enveloped by a blue light, before vanishing right before her eyes. "NO!"
"Don't worry, you'll soon join him. The GKND are also interested in you and your powers…hmm?" but then, as Numbuh Shrike turns their attention to Eliza, they notice her hair has turned completely black and the black S.I.N. inside the white vile seeps out and merges with Eliza. Then, the moment she lifts her head, her pitch-black, blue-outlined Silhouette Suit covers her completely.
"RAAARRGHHH!" she shatters the bubble and unleashes a torrent of blue fire at the GKND spy.
"Woah!" Shrike jumps out of the way just in time, as the flames incinerate the railing behind them. "What's happening?! I thought your powers were dormant!"
"YOU'LL PAY!" Eliza screams with distorted voice and pulls out her sword, enveloped in blue flames.
"Argh!" Numbuh Shrike takes off with their rocket boots to get away, but Eliza teleports right in-front of them and swings her flame-covered sword vertically, right across the agent's chest plate. "GUARGH!" the alien feels immense pain as the flames melt through the armor, followed by Eliza grabbing Shrike's throat and slamming them against the floor. "Urgh! *cough*…*gasp*…"
"Grrrrr!" with a menacing snarl, Eliza lifts Shrike off the ground, her hand wrapped around their neck. "You…will never…get away with this!"
"Urgh…need…to escape…" Shrike reaches for their left gauntlet and manages to warp away just as Eliza is about behead the alien. Then, she drives her sword into the concrete floor and roars, engulfing herself in blue flames.
"RRRRAAARGHH!" as fire spews out of her body, Eliza is consumed by rage, grief and sorrow over her failure of saving The Kid, the image of him disappearing right before her eyes burned into her mind. "…hah…hah-hah…all of them…I'll destroy them!" she cackles as a deranged smile appears on her face but then, Eliza's attention is drawn to an emergency broadcast from the Extension's intercom system.
"To anyone who can hear this! The GKND are attacking the sub-bridge! We need help! Can't hold out much longer!"
Recognizing the voice as that of Patton, Eliza grabs her sword and turns to face the hallway she has come from earlier. "…they'll burn…hah-hah-hah…" she mutters and transforms into a ball of fire before flying into the hallway, destroying any I.N.V.A.D.O.B.O.T. she encounters, but nobody else in the Extension has any idea, that a long dormant monster has just been unleashed.
…
Meanwhile, inside the Moonbase, Sector V, the remaining O.M.E.G.A. Numbers, Numbuh 9L and Numbuh Vine are running through the empty hallways, their destination: the Moonbase's main hangar. However, Nigel has to ride on top of Numbuh 9L due his exhaustion. "I'm sorry you have to do this."
"Mau!" 9L replies and taps Nigel's bald head with her left tail. "Meow."
"She says it's not a problem, you are friends now." Numbuh Vine translates to Nigel, who nods back.
"Alright then."
"So how long are we gonna wander around this place?!" a frustrated Leo asks the others.
"What, you getting tired or something, Fang-Face?"
"Hah, in your dreams, Mop-Head. I'm surprised you're able to stand after that beating you took back there!"
"At least I did something, unlike a floating cat who got taken out right when those aliens showed up!"
"Grrrr, you're asking for it!"
"Will you two shut yer mouths?! We ain't got time to argue right now?!" Abby silences Wally and Leo, having grown tired of their bickering. "Man, it feels like we've got two Numbuh 4's here."
"Don't compare me to that human!"
"Leo!" Cygnus snaps and smacks Leo's head with her metal wing, silencing the former Pantherian.
"Hah-hah, you're not kidding, it sounds like Numbuh 4 is arguing with himself." a snickering Hoagie says to Abby, who scoffs when suddenly, the group hear a loud explosion coming from a nearby corridor. "Uh…what was that?" he asks as Scorpius' single yellow starts glowing.
"Scanning…GKND I.N.V.A.D.O.B.O.T.'s located. They are moving through the corridor. Also, I have identified an approaching human."
"Then let's stop!" Nigel shouts, prompting the group to do as he says. He then climbs down from 9L back and walks over to the corridor, peeking into it from behind a corner. "Hmm…are those…I.N.V.A.D.O.B.O.T.'s coming this way?" he asks Scorpius, who shakes their head.
"Negative. It appears they are being engaged by KND guards further down the corridor. However, considering our current situation, it would be illogical to go assist them at this time."
"*sigh*…you're right, even if I don't like it. We have to get to the hangar, that's our priority."
"WAAAHH!" the conversation is halted by a loud scream echoing through the corridor, and its maker is none other than a panicking Tommy. "YAAAHH! HELP ME!"
"Tommy?!" Hoagie exclaims as his brother approaches them and Nigel manages to grab the 13-year-old's cape and pull him aside.
"Tommy, what are you doing here?" he asks as Hoagie's brother still tries to flee.
"I don't wanna be abducted! You're not taking me!"
"TOMMY!" Nigel snaps at him, causing Tommy to come to his senses.
"Huh? Nu…Numbuh 1? GUYS!" tears start filling Tommy's goggles as he runs over to Hoagie.
"Hey, calm down, Tommy. What happened?" Hoagie grabs his brother's shoulders as Tommy shivers.
"The…the aliens…they showed up and…started capturing people! Then they sicked their robots on the others!"
"As expected, the GKND has sent retrieval teams here as well. Who did they take?" Libra asks Tommy, who clenches his fists.
"They…took all the TND liaison agents near the tunnels. All 20 of them! I tried to fight back but they were too strong! Especially that big bear-like monster and the trench coat-wearing guy shooting lasers!"
"Numbuh Tera and S-26. They captured them before coming after us…" Cygnus laments while Wally starts shaking his fists.
"Gah, of course it was those guys!"
"Their actions are logical, since they attacked us from this side of the tunnel." Scorpius remarks as Nigel walks over to Tommy.
"Did they appear from inside the Moonbase?"
"Ye…yeah…I don't know how though…"
"Most likely a GKND spy let them in. The GKND cannot leap blindly into a Treehouse, they need a safe anchor point to do it." Libra says to Nigel, who folds his arms.
"I see, just like how our portals used to work…we'll need to let the others know once we get out of here…"
"Are you guys leaving?" an alarmed Tommy asks Hoagie, who nods.
"Yeah, those guys you saw earlier beat the stuffing out of us and we're trying to get to the hangar. Then, we'll head back to the Extension. What about you?"
"I…I got separated from Sonya, Lee and Paddy when those aliens showed up…I've been running away from those robots since then…but hey! If you guys are looking for a ship, then I've got one waiting in the main hangar!"
"Tommy, you sure it's big enough for all of us?" a skeptical Hoagie squints at his brother, who smirks and puffs his chest.
"Of course! After all, it was given to…The Tommy!" he proclaims confidently, as if the panic he had only a moment ago never happened, amusing the others.
"*chuckle* My, your brother has spunk." Cygnus remarks and 9L nods in agreement.
"Mau!"
"Yup, that's your little bro alright, Numbuh 2." Abby nudges Hoagie, who rolls his eyes.
"Tell me about it…"
"Okay, let's focus people. Tommy, since you have a ship, lead the way. We're in a hurry."
"Leave it to…The Tommy, Numbuh 1!" Tommy replies and runs ahead, while the others follow. However, Virgo has her mind set elsewhere.
"For once, I hope the GKND take out that Extension so I don't get my cover blown, not yet. Especially since Corvus is still back there."
Soon, the group arrives to the Moonbase's main hangar, which is buzzing with activity as damaged ships and re-armed ships fly in and out. Not wanting to draw anyone's attention, Nigel has Tommy lead them to his ship a quickly as possible and after climbing a long set of stairs and taking an elevator, they arrive in-front of a large airlock, beyond which, sitting in a dock made of an upside down harbor crane, is none other than the ship Tommy helped Hoagie build a year ago after Sector V had reunited and fled the Antarctic Prison: the M.O.S.Q.U.I.T.T.O.H.-W.A.S.P.
"Tha…that's my baby!" Hoagie shouts and presses his face against the window next to the airlock.
"Hah-haa! The Kid told me look after her after he got shot down. Said he wasn't worthy of her or something…"
"Wait, you mean Mister 'I'm way too Cool' said that? No way." Wally remarks as Nigel walks over to the airlock.
"Okay then, let's go inside and take-off as soon as possible." he says and turns on the retractable tunnel that then connects to the W.A.S.P.'s hull hatch. Then, everyone follows him into the tunnel, though 9L has to crawl due to her size, but manages to enter the W.A.S.P. after a bit of wiggling. Then, Nigel leads everyone to the bridge and sits down on the captain's seat, which is large brown armchair. "Alright, Numbuh 2, you take the helm, Agent Vigilante, you'll be the co-pilot. Numbuh 4, weapons systems are yours, Numbuh 3, you handle communications and Numbuh 5, you're in-charge of radar."
"Roger!" the teenagers reply together and take their seats, with Bradley taking his usual spot on Kuki's lap while Nigel turns his attention to the aliens.
"You guys can either stay here or head to the passenger bay. I don't want to sound rude but uh Numbuh 9L, you're a bit too big to be on the bridge.
"Meow…" 9L shakes her head and heads down to the passenger bay, followed by Vine, who is hesitant to make eye contact with Nigel while the O.M.E.G.A. Numbers stay on the bridge.
"I must say, this ship is very impressive." Cygnus remarks as she floats behind Hoagie's seat.
"Heh-heh, of course she is. I designed her."
"And The Tommy helped build it!" Tommy says from his seat.
"Yeah, yeah. Okay guys, buckle up. We're taking off." Hoagie says and fiddles with the control panel before turning on the ship's six heliojets. Then, the M.O.S.Q.U.I.T.T.O.H.- W.A.S.P. detaches from the dock and the ship glides out of the hangar, passing the golden statue of Numbuh 0 on the way.
"Hey, look at that!" Hoagie points at the smaller statue standing in-front of the larger statue's feet, depicting 5 familiar looking teenagers.
"Oh yeah, the KND made that for your guys." Tommy explains as Wally rubs his eyes.
"We've got our own statue? No way…"
"Well ain't that nice of 'em." Abby smirks while Nigel and Kuki eye the statue in silence, but then, they are snapped back to reality when the once mighty Barrier Shield covering the Moonbase fades away, follow by six simultaneous explosions between the Moonbase and the Extension as the tunnels connecting them are reduced to dust, followed by the Extension separating from the Moonbase.
However, as it drifts away, the massive GSF Treehouse fires two large round objects from the huge twin-barreled cannon next to the domed bridge. The objects slam into the Extension and begin pushing it away from the Moonbase, dragging it away from the Moon's gravitational pull and instead, sending the Extension on a slow collision course with the Earth.
End of Transmission 38
Afterword: I'm back to a "normal" writing rhythm so I might post more than one chapter this month. Anyway, big moments and revelations came to light in this chapter.
Yes, Ace The Kid is a half-alien in this fanfic. Since he was a pretty minor character in the show, it's given me a lot of freedom to interpret him. His alien design (the one wing and three-fingered hand) is based on Ravemon from Digimon (one of my other childhood obsessions, I made a fic about Digimon too, go check it out if you're interrested.) Other major design inspiration for his alien form was Marco from One Piece, and if you know what powers Marco has, you can get a pretty good picture of what kind of powers The Kid might exibit in the future, as well as what kind of bird his mother was based on.
Nigel is our second main character to use Overlay after Chad and as I previously mentioned many chapters ago, Overlay and the O.M.E.G.A. Numbers are based on Cross Fusion/EM Wave Change and the FM/AM Being from Mega Man Star Force and Battle Network. Nigel and Libra's merged form is basically the opposite of what Chad's Overlay form is, which is speedy and slick and based on Beast Out Falzar and Black Ace. Nigel's on the other hand is mainly ground-based and bulkier, it's design based on Red Joker, specifically the leg armor and the cylinder-shaped arm gauntlets, the "Burster Bunkers". His backpack is also inspired by Red Joker but even more so, the 00 Gundam, because the turbines can rotate a 180 degrees forwards or backwards. Hence why I chose battle theme for Nigel and S-26 to be "00 Gundam" by Kenji Kawai, it fits perfectly.
During this month, I might have some concept art for this chapter prepared but it's not guaranteed.