To the Stars

Nigel Uno stood at the edge of a wide, blue window, staring out into the vastness of space. His gaze was fixed on a small, blue dot. A small, blue sphere swiftly vanishing into the surrounding darkness. A small, blue dot, dwarfed by vastness of the cosmos around it and the very window Nigel stared through.

A small, blue dot that had held all his life for twelve short years.

"I must leave now." The statement made him turn, and he saw Numbuh Infinity gathering up his papers from the desk. "I hope you understand everything."

Nigel nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Excellent. Well, I'm afraid this is where my role ends." Numbuh Infinity glanced around the room and sighed. "A pity… Every time I step aboard this ship, it amazes me." He paused at the door. "I envy you, in a way, Numbuh One. I wish I could journey, as you are about to."

That caused Nigel to raise an eyebrow. "You're not part of the GKND?"

"No." Infinity smiled, a trifle sadly. "I am merely an ambassador, one of a privileged few within Earth's KND who know of the Galactic Kids Next Door, and help them to select their candidates." He stepped through the door. "Make those of us on earth proud, Numbuh 1."

And the doors whished shut and Nigel's last link to his old life was cut. He swallowed a lump in his throat and glanced about the room. The Galactic Kids Next Door. He thought to himself. Five minutes before, he hadn't even imagined such a thing could exist. Now he was sitting in a vast blue room, waiting for his new commander to come through the doors and examine him.

Nigel Uno turned back to the glass, rubbing his hands over his face. What have I done? He thought to himself. Why did I go? I've just left behind everyone, everything I ever knew.

Nigel's smooth bald head fell forward to rest on the glass. "I don't even know when I'll come back…" He whispered. "Or IF I'll come back…"

"You may… someday." Came a reply.

Nigel whirled around. Standing, just in front of him, was a tall, pale boy wearing blue sunglasses. His white hair contrasted sharply with the dark trenchcoat he was wearing, and he stood sharply at attention.

He seemed unperturbed by Nigel's surprise. "Earth is one of our more regular stops." He commented, walking to stand by the glass next to Nigel. "A base of operations, and yet also a place constantly in need of aid." He smiled dryly. "Some even say it is where the Galactic Kids Next Door originated." He straightened. "Yes, you shall probably return."

"But when?"

"A few years. Maybe more."

Nigel groaned, turning back to the glass, watching the small blue orb disappear. "A few years…!" He sighed. What would happen in that time? They would be all decommissioned, would they even remember him?

"If only…" He chewed his lip, thinking. "If only… I'd had more time, some kind of warning…." He felt his shoulders collapse.

"No one gets a warning." He heard the strange boy respond. "No child ever knows the day, or time, they will depart. It is not given to them." He looked over at Nigel. "Be grateful. Most do not even manage to say farewell to your friends, as you did."

"But it was so fast…" Nigel shook his head. "And I didn't say goodbye to… to so many people. What'll they think?"

The boy shrugged. "If they know you well enough, they will know that you didn't leave without a good reason."

"What reason did I have?" Nigel looked over at his companion. "Why did I just hand away half my life?"

The boy chuckled. "You ask me as if I should know the answer."

"I don't!" Nigel hissed, fighting to keep himself under control. He had never lost his temper in all his years in the KND, and he wasn't going to now. "Why did I? For all I know I might just've been swept up in the spur of the moment, or just overimpressed by the whole thing, or maybe just power-mad! I've always had a thing for being so important, being at the front! Is that why I went aboard? To be important? To be the one they choose? Why?"

"Those probably helped." The boy nodded dispassionately. "But if that was the case, why was your first thought for your friends, and family? Why didn't you just run up right away? And did not your Father, and your Mother, who had no such feelings, tell you to go on also?"

It occurred to Nigel that this boy knew an awful lot about him, and he did not answer.

"More to the point, however." The boy brushed some dust off his gloves. "I would say you did it for the same reason we choose you, Nigel Uno."

"And what was that?" Nigel growled, staring back at the glass. The green dot was very small indeed now, scarcely distinguishable from a star.

"Because you are devoted to the Kids Next Door. And you always will be." The boy turned and gripped Nigel, forcing him to turn and look at him. "You have friends, and family, and more ties than you even know of, but your soul belongs to the Kids Next Door. You have a passion to help others, a passion of service, and in a large degree, all the rest is simply icing on the cake."

The boy let go. "You have the soul of a child, Nigel, and the devotion of an adult. Only you can ever know why you choose as you did, but I can guess you did it because you saw the ability to serve as never before, and yet remain a child."

Nigel looked out once more. The green spot had all disappeared. He turned back to face the boy…

And he was gone.

The doors whooshed open, and Nigel swung round to face them, hand instantly snapping into position, eyes quickly appraising his new commander.

Before him stood a tall, imposing teenager, dressed in a smart red and black suit, with epaulettes on his shoulders and medals on his chest. Brown hair sprouted messily from under his hat, and his whole bearing was one of powerful leadership.

"Report Cadet!" He snapped in a deep, rasping tone, and Nigel was instantly brought out of reverie.

"Numbuh 1 of the K…. of the Terran Kids Next Door, reporting for duty, sir!"

"Terran!" The teenaged general grunted. "Doggone it, but it feels good to see you, son! We need some more terrans on this here flybuggy!" He stuck out his hand. "At ease, Numbuh 1! I am your commanding officer, Captain Stephen Kirkpatrick. But you will refer to me by my code name, Numbuh 100!"

A/M: Okay, not much, but we needed some more closure to INTERVIEWS. And I'm not doing much because I'm contemplating writing a fanfic about the adventures of the GKND, and this might be the first chapter.

I'm also thinking of writing one about Abby and the others back on earth, and what they do. Not sure which I'll do first. But I was screaming to write something with INTERVIEWS.

Cover Credit goes to Krossfire of DevART

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