The five operatives sat on the balcony outside the entrance, watching for the ship as they discussed how they would inspect their assigned sectors. Their eyes crinkled as they laughed (not even caring if Numbuh 2 was making bad puns again), softening as they felt heavy weights lifted off their chests. The wind bantered along, caressing their faces with its cool and soft fingers as it danced throughout the surrounding area. The leaves whispered their encouragement, their lighthearted laughter echoing the operatives' as it flew onward into the sweet mid-morning sky beyond their reach.
After a few minutes, Numbuh 4 jumped up, his eyes hardening, his grin widening, and his body firing up at the prospect of action waiting just ahead with Sector EL. "I'm gonna show them my awesome moves, my great prowess, and my unbreakable spirit," he stated, his voice swelling with each word as he pointed his thumb at his chest, "and they're gonna love it so much, that thing won't have control over them!"
"I hear you, Numbuh 4," the bald British boy replied, turning his head, "but remember. That thing might have origins we don't know about, and it could bring you down as well."
"It'll be easy," the Australian operative replied, his fists and feet flying enthusiastically at an imaginary opponent, "I'll just fight it off and poof! It's all gone! Nothing to worry about!"
"It's not like that," Nigel replied sharply, his hands clenching into fists. "Listen, Numbuh 4. These strange readings aren't something that can simply be fought off. They're much sneakier, more elusive. Didn't you hear what Numbuh 362 said?! WHATEVER'S IN THOSE WALLS CAN SCRAMBLE YOUR BRAINS!"
Numbuh 4 froze, his skin rapidly tingling. "Oh, that," he replied, his eyes darting from side to side as he forcefully pulled the corners of his mouth upward. "Well, in that case…" he continued, the determined gaze slowly returning to his eyes, "that's gonna be a new opponent that's really tough to beat. But once I find a good strategy, I'll kick it out of that Sector EL and they'll be on their way to the top!"
"That's more like it," Numbuh 1 said, the tone in his voice slowly cooling to a warm level. "Now remember, Wally: this enemy is a very dangerous one, and it can't just be brought down by punches or kicks. You'll need to use your mind as well as your body, and you'll definitely need to collaborate with the members of Sector EL to find out what's causing it. Once you've got it, let everyone put their moves together and it won't be as unstoppable as you think. It might take some work, but if you put in the effort, it can be beaten. Are we on the same page?"
"Yes, we are, Numbuh 1," the Australian boy replied, resuming his fake fighting. "We are indeed."
"Good," the British boy nodded, turning back to wait for the ship. "I'm glad you understand."
Thirty minutes later
The operatives were still sitting on the balcony (Numbuh 4 included), happily discussing how their assigned sectors would do well in the inspection. They chuckled at the end of a lot of their sentences, their voices rays of sunshine illuminating a dark room, occasionally exploding into loud laughter lacing the skies with a bright vibrant rhythm. They occasionally sparred with each other, their moves quick like bullets in the wind, their adrenaline pumping faster than racecar engines, their clothes playfully caressing their skin, and their pretend battle cries escaping their lips at a louder volume than the birds screeching overhead. They also tested out some of their new gadgets, the whirring motors tasting the succulent breeze, sharing their ideas for how they'd use them in the inspections when the time came.
As this was happening, however, they heard a slowly droning sound in the distance, captivating their attention. The sound grew louder, its waves burrowing into their ears and tickling their brains, gradually hypnotizing them toward what looked like a shiny metallic blue bird gliding toward them. The object reflected a sparkling light back to the numbuhs' eyes, inviting them to join in on its mission to circumnavigate the globe. This light sliced through the sky, its source humming a merry tune as it approached the wooden balcony, caressing the operatives' heartstrings as it flung the breeze and its fragrance their way. It grew bigger and bigger in their view, looming closer and closer like a tiger stalking its prey, its quadrilateral eyes shooting promising glances the kids' way as it locked it sights on the huge structure waiting just ahead. The wings slowly approached them; the flashing edges creeping toward them like freshly sharpened knives; causing the operatives to slowly back away before it made a sudden turn to its left; revealing an array of hinges, buttons, flashing lights, panel lids, and the huge white initials KND. One of the hinged panels opened and extended toward the balcony, revealing three uniformed operatives who stepped toward the members of Sector V.
"Is everyone ready?" the foremost one asked, nodding his head.
"I'd say we are!" Numbuh 1 replied, a huge smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, the others jumping up and cheering in agreement.
"That's great to hear," another one replied, motioning the others on board. "Numbuh 362 sent us here to pick you guys up, so what are we waiting for? Let's go!"
The others quickly ran toward the interior of the ship, enthusiastically cheering and bantering about whatever was on their minds, their hearts beating quickly and their feet springing. They all jumped into their seats, Sector V greeting the other inspecting operatives on board, and everyone playing with their gadgets and fidgeting uncontrollably with their fingers. They shot jokes back and forth about everything from chili hot dogs to pencil sharpeners, laughing loudly at various times, and swung back and forth in their chairs, their bodies hitting the structures below and behind where they sat. After a few minutes, a low tremor began sounding underneath everyone's feet, slowly quieting down their party and cuing the lights around them to gradually intensify.
"Attention, everyone," the pilot of the vehicle announced, her voice echoing throughout the hull of the ship, "this is your captain, Numbuh 1477, speaking. As you all know, today is inspection day, which means you're going to go down and inspect the sectors you were assigned—yes, that's what Numbuh 362 told me. I strongly recommend using these parachutes underneath your seats—you don't want to fall down and cut your inspection short. I'm sure many of you know this by now, but you'll all need to fasten your seatbelts and stay seated during turbulence, and if you have to get out of your seats for any reason, just let me know on the walkie-talkie near your seat and our crew will turn your green light on."
"Oh boy!" Wally shouted, his legs tempted to pump out their pent-up energy. "We all get to jump from the ship and see the sectors up close! It'll just be like those wrestling moves I see all the time on TV!"
"That's only part of it, Numbuh 4," Numbuh 1 assured him, the glimmer in the Australian boy's eyes echoing in his. "You'll need to be careful to land exactly where Sector EL's treehouse is located, or it'll prolong your investigation unnecessarily."
"I got it," Numbuh 4 responded, his grin exposing his mostly white teeth. "It's still gonna be fun to jump down!"
"And when your numbuh is called," Numbuh 1477 continued, "this means we've reached your chosen sector, and it's your cue to jump out and land precisely where that sector's treehouse is located. Be sure to open your parachute at the right time—too early or too late might mean you end up in the wrong location. When you get down there…well, you know the drill. Inspect the sector and report back to High Command. Everyone got it?"
A chorus of voices affirmed the statement and nodded their heads, their eyes shining brightly at the prospects of their upcoming journeys.
"Good," Numbuh 1477 replied, doing a thumbs-up. "Now let's get going to the next sectors. And remember, give a good report to Global Command with constructive feedback. Don't insult your sectors! Numbuh 1477 out!"
With that, the ship flew off, its windshield bubbling with laughter as if it couldn't wait to dive in to wherever it was scheduled to stop next.
Sunderland, England
Three hours later
After the ship had made many stops around the world in places from Botswana to Guyana, picking up and dropping off the operatives, it finally arrived over the English city of Sunderland, waiting to begin its visit to the treehouse of the mysterious Sector EL. It cast a huge shadow above the buildings, the darkness looming over them like an orca seeking its next meal underneath the waves, the hum of its engines melodically keeping it afloat as it proceeded toward the treehouse in question.
The operatives still inside continued talking about their scheduled endeavors, their voices still bubbling with laughter, their energy still clawing to escape the confines of their bodies, and the air around them light with a certain carefree spirit who always knew how to lighten up wherever it stopped next. Their feet rapidly hammered the ground, the springs inside eager to propel them right through the ship's ceiling. Their hands fidgeted rapidly, their control over them gradually decreasing the closer the vehicle got to its destination neighborhood. Their hearts also started thundering like blast beat drums, striking their ribs as if threatening to jump outside of their bodies as the laughter inside them increasingly turned up its pressure. Especially that of a certain blond Australian boy, who was scheduled to make his grand entrance at a certain treehouse any time soon.
"What's Global Command talking about with all this smiling and giggling again?" Wally asked, the fire in his eyes intensifying.
"It's what the operatives are doing, Numbuh 4," Numbuh 1 replied, his face slowly releasing its tension. "That's the atmosphere in this treehouse." He turned toward his combat specialist teammate, the light in his eyes dimming the longer he thought about what Numbuh 362 had said about these readings. "Or at least, that's what they want us to think. That enemy must have grabbed them really well—like Numbuh 362 said, they keep claiming everything is all right, but I have suspicions everything is not how it seems."
"Exactly, mon," Kevin Trevor Brown-Addae, Numbuh 1-Love, added, "that there treehouse has some serious black magic going on inside. The ladies are all like, 'Mi deh yah, ya know,' hoping they can escape its gaping jaws, but the beast just won't let them go, you know."
"And they just sit in its stomach enjoying all the sweets it has to offer," Samiah binti Sulaiman, Numbuh 3481, the tactical wood toy specialist and one of the tactical fast food specialists of Sector MY, chimed in, fiddling with the spinning toy in her hands. "It seems like a really nice place inside, but there's this stomach fluid that keeps dripping on them to make them eat even more." Her mouth suddenly sprung into a curve wide enough to accommodate a soda can. "More than all the satays Rahman and I ate at last year's Hari Raya," she continued, her palm barely suppressing her giggles.
"Those sure were yummy," her brother Rahman, Numbuh 3245, another tactical fast food specialist of that sector (and one of the hamsters' primary caretakers) agreed, rubbing his belly. "I can't wait to try the delicious food of Sector İZ! I've heard they've got awesome lahmacun, savory lamb köftas, spicy dolmas, seriously sweet yayla…" He paused when his sister shot him a slightly hardened glance with a sly smile. "Sorry. My bad. I hope Sector EL can somehow escape from there."
"That's what Numbuh 4's going to help them do," Fiona Gellar, Numbuh 5546, the sports combat specialist of Sector CAN, noted, looking straight at Wally. "He's going to find out the source and stamp it out using his fighting skills in ways we don't expect—like some that don't actually involve fighting! Isn't that right, Wally?"
"I…I guess so," Wally replied, slightly shaking at the Irish-Canadian girl's words. His hands formed into fists. The familiar exhilaration of beating up his opponents built inside him, preparing to hit him with an all-powerful wave, but a tingling sensation under his skin started to dissipate that wave as he looked around for the imaginary opponent. He wanted to give the enemy a whumph, and a kapow, and a thwack, and a grrrrr, and the old thumpah-whumpah, but today's mission wasn't about that—this was a highly evasive enemy, one only visible to the naked eye via its effects. "I'll just have to find another way to destroy that cruddy enemy," he sighed, looking down at the floor. "I don't know how I'm gonna do it, though."
"You'll find out soon enough," Nigel replied in a strong warm tone. "That enemy has managed to slip past Numbuh 3/4 Time and everyone else at Global Command, and not even the most skilled Kids Next Door decoders can trace its source. It's preparing itself to spread elsewhere, and there's no way we know of that can stop it—you'll be the first to do this, Numbuh 4. The threat is growing by the hour, and there's not much time to waste. I'll need you on your best game to take it down, not just for Sector EL or Sector V, or even the Kids Next Door, but for all of kiddom. Affirmative?"
"Affirmative!" the Australian boy shouted, enthusiastically throwing his fists into the air.
Just then, the intercom came on again. "Attention, everyone," Numbuh 1477 announced, her voice tinged with an infectious lighthearted energy that quickly spread itself throughout the vehicle. "We've arrived at a good point above Sector EL's treehouse. The wind is heading east at about fifteen miles per hour, with a 5% chance of light rain and several clouds hanging below us. The seatbelt sign is on, but you know what to do if you need to get out of your seats." She paused for a few seconds as she regained her breath and turned on Numbuh 4's green light. "Now one more thing before we go—are you ready to get down there and inspect them, Numbuh 4?"
"You bet I am!" Numbuh 4 shouted, a huge smile taking up about half his face as he unbuckled himself and jumped out of his seat. "I'm ready to kick some butt in unexpected ways and make some evil cry!"
"I'm right there with you, Numbuh 4," Numbuh 1477 replied, "but aren't you forgetting something?"
"What is it?" Numbuh 4 asked, pulling on the strings of his hoodie as he stopped halfway to the end of the cabin. He felt up his sleeves and pant legs, his fingers brushing all the familiar tools and gadgets stored in his pockets. His eyes scanned the space around him, the many different faces staring in anticipation, the lights flashing on the walls, the door soon to open, but he couldn't quite piece together what exactly he was forgetting. He took all these items out of his pockets, his eyes carefully combing each one to ensure it was in tip-top shape, but he couldn't find anything he could have forgotten. He had all his clothes on, all his gear was there and accounted for, and he'd even brought a few snacks and wrestling books in case he got bored. The sharp frantic pattern of thoughts gnawed away at his mind, eager to get out into the world surrounding their owner, quickening as he struggled to find exactly what it was that Numbuh 1477 was talking about. "What are you talking about?"
"Your parachute, Numbuh 4," the pilot responded, briefly pausing to blow her nose. "It's under your seat."
"Oh, right," Wally said, his adrenaline clawing at his chest as he rapidly shot back to get it. He slowly reached below his seat, his heart beating rapidly as feeling around for the handle, and sharply yanked it out once he grabbed it. "Now I've got everything."
"You surely do!" Numbuh 1477 replied, her voice ringing out energetically as she pressed a button. The walls slowly whirred open, a crack of light slowly flooding the cabin. The groan ascended at a steady pace, the heavy palms of its hands excitedly shaking the floor below, chattering everyone's teeth in anticipation of what would happen next. A sharp blast of air barreled its way in, its claws pulling their loose hair strands upward and slamming into their faces as if shouting out their enthusiastic morning greeting. "Now are you ready?" the pilot asked Numbuh 4, her beaming smile beckoning him forward.
"I sure am!" Wally yelled, bounding toward the opened space like a kangaroo toward a high dive.
"Good to hear!" Numbuh 1477 said, her voice blasting with a rare earth-shaking enthusiasm and her heart thundering as she put the ship in gear.
The blond Australian boy stopped as soon as he reached the edge of the floor, his spirit burning with the energy associated with a high-stakes wrestling match on TV. His feet firmly planted themselves onto the floor, their pressure radiating throughout his body like an electromagnetic beam pulsating throughout a metal conductor. He slowly inhaled, his gaze hardening as he looked at the sky below, and looked back at the operatives slowly nodding him onward, their eyes softly glowing at their friend. Numbuh 3 felt her fingers twitching uncontrollably, her chest heavy with the urge to pull the Australian boy close to her, but the seatbelt sign above her flashed its silent reminder to wait for when she was deployed at Sector PEZ. The green sweater-wearing Japanese girl moved back in her seat, her breath quickening as she fought the instinct to get out and wrap her oversized sleeves around Numbuh 4, tears slowly climbing into her ducts as her smile stretched further across her face.
"Good luck, Numbuh 4," Kuki burst out, waving as her tears gently traced the contours of her skin.
"Thanks, Kuki," Wally replied, a few subtle flutters propelling his heart upward. "I promise I'll do good."
"I know you will," Numbuh 3 chuckled, her voice simultaneously breaking and fluttering. "Let me know how this inspection goes."
"Will do that," Numbuh 4 responded, trembling a little as he turned back to the vast outdoors waiting for him. "You'll also have to let me know how yours goes."
Numbuh 3 just smiled, both laughing and sobbing at this comment.
"Sounds good, Kuki," Wally replied, readying himself to make his descent. "I'm going down there to beat the stuffing out of that invisible enemy, so I'll see you when I'm done. Numbuh 4 out!"
With that, he jumped out the door, the wind flapping his clothes as he sped through the clouds. His heart pounded intensely against his chest, hitting his ribs the further he progressed to his target. The pressure pulled back his skin like elastic, his eyes shaking, his breath quickening, and his hair plucked upward by invisible hands. His adrenaline also surged, pumping through his blood like loose electricity, and rapidly spreading a fierce thrill through his body as he cut through the air toward Sector EL. The ground below loomed closer, the invisible enemy waiting, ready to test his strength. But Wally had one thing on his mind—he was going to prove that no matter how tough this enemy was, he was tougher.
He let out a huge whoop of exhilaration as he descended through the vast blue, the wind rushing past him like a roar of battle. His eyes locked onto the target he was due to hit, every other sound and movement fading as he sped further downward. He could already feel this enemy's presence in his blood, creeping in the air, invisible yet undeniable. But Numbuh 4 wasn't afraid—this was what he lived for. He was going to make that enemy wish it had never shown up at Sector EL's treehouse in the first place, and maybe—just maybe—he'd put that sector on top of the KND like he'd promised. Little did he know, however, that an unusual surprise awaited him in that treehouse, the operatives there would take him on an adventure neither he'd never forget, and the events would surely go down as some of the most unusual ones to ever happen in the history of the Kids Next Door.