And now we return to the events of canon…or rather, the aftermath of one, which Firecracker has some very choice words about.
In spite of everything he just did, Chad Dickson, formerly known as Numbuh 274, couldn't help but smile to himself.
Sure, he had to completely torch his legacy in the Kids Next Door and burn his bridges with just about everyone, but in the process, he ensured that Cree wouldn't be able to enact her plan to launch the Moonbase into the sun. Granted, there were more hiccups than he'd intended (thanks Numbuh 86), but overall, he made sure that everyone was safe and that Cree's intended plot had failed. As a bonus, he managed to get himself inducted into the Teen Ninjas with no trouble, allowing him to act as a further saboteur to their organization.
"Not bad for a first mission with the Teens Next Door," Chad said to himself as he entered the Teens Next Door hideout.
"Always the picture of subtly, eh Numbuh 274?" Firecracker noted from her position on the couch.
"Oh, like you're one to talk," Chad replied as he held his arms out. With a chuckle, Firecracker hopped up and pulled Chad into a hug.
"While I still think there were better ways to stop Cree, nice job stopping her in her tracks," The older girl commended her younger friend. She'd been the one to discover the plan, having overheard Cree chatting about it with a couple Teen Ninjas a few weeks prior. The Teens Next Door had scrambled to come up with a way to stop it, but it was Chad to be the one to put a plan into action, at the cost of his reputation in the Kids Next Door.
"Before you ask, yes, the loss of my reputation hurts…a lot," Chad admitted as he looked down. "But I knew there was no other way to prevent a complete surprise attack."
"Yeah well, next time, maybe don't rely on that overzealous decommissioning officer to spot holes in a plan," Firecracker replied. She knew about Numbuh 86's reputation, something that admittedly surprised her considering that the Numbuh 86 she remembered was a pretty big sweetheart. Chad's intended plan was for Numbuh 86 to maybe get a couple operatives and then realize what was up. Instead, she dutifully decommissioned everyone, including Sector V, who she was the same age as.
Neither Firecracker nor Chad even wanted to try and think about the mental gymnastics one would need for that to make sense in someone's head.
"At least Numbuh 1 managed to escape," Chad noted.
"Told you that kid was going places," Firecracker said with a smile. "His whole Sector really. It takes a special amount of talent to beat you and return the Moonbase to the moon while 4/5s are decommissioned."
"Yeah, yeah," Chad said with a wave as he removed his old helmet and armor. He wished so badly for it to be sitting in the Kids Next Door Museum, but again, you had to make sacrifices sometimes. "But that's taken care of and I also managed to convince Cree to get me into the Teen Ninjas."
"Damn, the great Numbuh 274, having to lose fights?" Firecracker asked with a laugh. "How on Earth will you cope?"
"Oh shut it you," Chad replied as he playfully tossed one of Firecracker's empty soda cans at her, causing her to fall back onto the couch with a laugh.
"Oh no! Now he's betraying us! Someone help!" Firecracker playfully called out, which only prompted Chad to toss another can at her with a laugh. It was good to have a friend back.
Once everyone had a chance to welcome Chad into the Teens Next Door's ranks, various snacks and drinks were pulled out for everyone to enjoy. Considering the stigma of decommissioning, it was rare for operatives to make it into the Teens Next Door, so it was worth a celebration every time one did. Especially one of Numbuh 274's caliber.
"Hey Chad! Your replacement has already been announced!" An operative called out.
"Who is it?" Chad asked as he took another sip from his soda, taking some joy in the fact he could legally enjoy it.
"Says here it's Numbuh 362," The operative replied. Chad smiled at that, taking solace in knowing that the Kids Next Door would be in good hands. Numbuh 362 was one of the operatives he'd taken under his wing and he knew she was a strong leader and spy, so he had no doubts she'd do great.
"Glad it was a good one," Chad responded. "I trust Numbuh 362. She's a good leader. Has a pretty good mission success rate too."
"Huh…says here she wanted the job," Another operative noticed. This prompted a spit take from several people.
"What!?" Firecracker sputtered as she coughed several times from the spit take she'd just performed. "Who actually wants that fucking job!?"
"...I did," Chad reminded Firecracker, who had the decency look embarrassed.
"...Okay but most people don't." Firecracker sheepishly pointed out. It wasn't much of a secret that, when compared to pretty much any other role in the Kids Next Door, the job of the Supreme Leader was terrible. It might look impressive on the surface, but you also rarely, if ever, went on missions, you had to manage thousands of kids with the attention spans of insects and paperwork took up most of your day…and night. "I know I'd make a terrible Supreme Leader."
"That's just because you can't blow up the paperwork," Someone else commented, prompting a round of laughter from the Teens Next Door members who were present.
"Oh believe me, there were days I really wanted to!" Chad commented, prompting more laughter.
"So…uh…Chad," Firecracker began. Everyone turned to her. "We know today probably wasn't the best 13th birthday…but we still wanted to do something for ya. I know this is kind of an unconventional birthday party, but we wanted to know…do you want, like, the song and whatever?"
"I'll pass on the song, but I wouldn't mind making a wish," Chad admitted. There was some more laughter, but everyone was willing to oblige. Thomas and another operative grabbed one of the larger cupcakes that had been brought in for the party while Firecracker pulled out a candle and lighter, which she set on the cupcake before holding it out to Chad, who took it with a smile before blowing it out.
"It would appear our birthday boy already knew what he desired from the magic of the flames!" Thomas marveled. "So, if you don't mind me asking, what did you wish for?"
"C'mon man! You know the rules. If I talk about it, it doesn't come true," Chad replied with a laugh as he turned to look at a nearby monitor that showed a picture of the moonbase…and with it, the stars beyond.
I like to think that all Teens Next Door members get a little birthday party upon introduction. Since the day probably wasn't going all that great for them. The only reason you didn't see it with Firecracker was because I wanted to focus on her reuniting with Thomas.