Chapter 11
18 hours ago.
"Harvey how could you?" Numbuh 362 looked at her younger brother in shock.
"I know, I know! I screwed up big."
"Are you up here begging for my help?" She demanded angrily. "Because what am I supposed to do about this?"
"Ya…ya mean you don't know?" Numbuh 363 was in shock. "I thought you knew how to do everything!"
"Ugh. Harvey."
"Numbuh 363!" Numbuh 363 corrected angrily. His sister ignored him.
"My friend, Numbuh 86 is on the decommissioning squad, so I'll go talk to her, but I don't think she can do anything about descheduling your teammate's decommissioning." Rachel sighed as Numbuh 363 frowned and stomped away.
"Really. He is sometimes so impossibly demanding. I mean - what does he think I can do about this?" Numbuh 362 shook her head. But anyway, I'll try.
----
Sector W solemnly watched the sky.
"I…I guess Numbuh 83 is probably decommissioned by now." Numbuh 85 said cautiously.
"Yeah." Numbuh 363 said, shortly. I guess my sister couldn't do anything after all. He sighed unhappily. He took a deep breath. "Let's go, guys." He finally said.
"Go where?" Numbuh T asked in confusion. "I didn't think we had any missions today."
"We're missing a Boy-Girl Relations Officer now." He tried not to flinch when he felt Numbuh 84's gaze. "Yeah. So, that's our mission for today. So, um. Let's go."
His sector trudged behind him silently.
----
16 hours ago.
"I'm sorry, Numbuh 86, but apparently, my little brother got himself into some kind of mess, and I need your help."
"What kind of help?" Numbuh 86 asked suspiciously. It was clear that although she trusted Numbuh 362, she thought that Numbuh 363 was a completely different story.
"Well…he scheduled one of his teammates for decommissioning." Numbuh 362 continued with difficulty. "But now, he regrets it. He left it up to me to ask you, can you stop Numbuh 83's decommissioning?" Numbuh 86 looked uncomfortable.
"I'll tell you the same thing I told my little brother. Once you're scheduled for decommissioning, you get decommissioned. There's no way out of it, I'm afraid, unless you run for it."
"Oh." Numbuh 362's face fell. "I see. I should have figured you couldn't override the system. Thanks anyway, Numbuh 86." Numbuh 86 nodded uneasily.
----
"What do you think guys? We need a boy on our team who is an expert on girl policy. I bet that brown-haired guy can do the job."
"Maybe."
"Not sure."
"He's missing something. I don't know what though."
"How about him?" He tried to energize his uninterested teammates. "Him? Him?" Distressed, he tried to point out possible new recruits. "Him? Him?" Then he saw the girl who started it all. He paused before deciding to say, "Is that Sonya?" All heads snapped toward the direction he was pointing.
----
12 hours ago.
"What are you doing here, Numbuh 86?" Numbuh 362 rubbed her eyes, tired after filling out so much paperwork. "It's the middle of the night."
"Numbuh 362. You better not tell anyone about what I'm about to say." Numbuh 86 scowled fiercely. "Got it?"
"Pinky promise, Numbuh 86." Numbuh 362 cocked her head, puzzled. "But what is this about?"
"I can't do anything about Numbuh 83 being decommissioned, but there's something you can do to get her recommissioned." Numbuh 362's eyes widened. She had heard about a recommissioning module in the possession of the Kids Next Door…
"I see that you're aware of it. In the Kids Next Door Seriously Cool Museum of Artifacts and Stuff, there's a recommissioning module on display. It's supposed to be broken…" She shrugged her shoulders in a carefree way, "…but it's not. All you have to do is sneak in and take it, bring it to me, then after I'm done, put it back."
"Is it possible?" Numbuh 362 wondered aloud.
"Completely."
"Is it allowed?"
"Not really." Numbuh 86 frowned. "So you better keep your lips, zipped!"
----
A mysterious figure landed in front of Sector W before they could reach their former teammate.
"Who are you?" Numbuh 363 asked rudely. "Move. We're busy right now."
"Ugh. Harvey. Sometimes, I really can't believe you." The figure pulled off a ski mask revealing Numbuh 362.
"Hey, sis!" Harvey was instantly all smiles. "What's up?"
"Is that her?" She asked. "Numbuh 83?" She cocked her head toward Sonya, who was rather busy at the moment.
"You're not taking my rainbow monkey!" She beat the boy up. He was twice as tall and twice as wide. He staggered away after pleading for mercy. Numbuh 362 nodded approvingly.
"She seems she could handle the Kids Next Door."
"Yeah, that's her." Harvey shrugged. "I admit she's all right, for a girl." Numbuh 362 completely ignored his remark.
"Sector W, you've got to bring her to Moon Base to Numbuh 86. Persuade her, kidnap her. Do what you've got to do…because," she smiled triumphantly, "Numbuh 86 agreed to recommission her." Everyone stared at her in shocked silence.
Numbuh 363 was the first to react. He looked at his sector once, then deliberately, he marched over to the girl. She whirled around, wary, when she felt him coming her way.
"Want to join the Kids Next Door?" Sector W was just as shocked as the girl.
"What's that?" She backed away a step, holding the rainbow monkey as if she was worried that this new boy would try to take it away.
"It doesn't matter what it is right now because you're coming with us whether you like it or not," said Numbuh 363, in all his arrogant glory. Numbuh T palmed himself on the forehead.
"Numbuh 363! That's not the way to approach this." He turned to Sonya. "The Kids Next Door is this really awesome organization that fights against adult tyranny, and protects kids everywhere!" Numbuhs 84 and 85 nodded enthusiastically.
"It's the coolest thing in the world!"
"You have to join!"
"You've gotta!" Sonya was bombarded with their pleas. She backed away another step anxiously. How much trouble would she get into if she said no? She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.
"Well," she went on as bravely as she could, "why would I even want to join?" Amidst the shocked silence that followed, she bit her lip. Uh oh. Harvey crossed his arms, his feelings hurt. How DARE this girl refuse an offer to join Sector W! How DARE she!
"Good! I didn't want a stupid girl on our team, anyway!" Sonya stiffened.
"What?" Her voice was dangerously quiet. She heard the rest of the boys frantically whispering.
"What does he think he's doing?" Tommy whispered to Lee.
"No…I think this will get her to join, even if he doesn't know it." Lee answered in reply.
"Anyway, the Kids Next Door is something you should really consider…" tried Paddy desperately, but Numbuh 363 interrupted with a sneer.
"Girls can't match boys in any stinkin' way." Sonya furiously grabbed a startled Harvey by the collar.
"What did you say?" Harvey gulped as he saw her eyes light up dangerously.
"I - I - I want you on our team?"
"That's what I thought." Sonya promptly dropped Harvey onto the ground. She would show them girls were just as good as boys. She cocked her head to the side. "I'll join if you guys still want me to."
"Yeah." The boy in the ushanka smiled at her. "We do." She looked at him curiously, but he had already turned away, embarrassed that she might see his red face and wonder about it. He had remembered the shouted confession he had made that morning, a confession that everyone had heard. Not how he would have preferred to do things.
"This is great!" The chubby boy in pilot goggles clapped her on the back.
"You're be okay soon, Numbuh 83!" A red-haired boy stood next to her, his eyes watering. "I'm so glad you're going to be back on the team!"
"I'm Sonya…" Sonya said, confused. Numbuh 83? Huh? The red-haired boy continued on heedlessly.
"Now all we have to do is take you to the Moon Base, and then my sister will recommission you, and then you'll get your memories back!" Huh? Sonya wondered uneasily. Then she looked at the rest of the sector who seem unsurprised by this strange bit of news. Are they crazy? Numbuh 363 could see she was having second thoughts, so he moved quickly for his mustard gun. He pointed it at her threateningly.
"Hey!" Sonya said in shock. "What do you think you're doing?"
"You were just thinking about running away, weren't you?" Numbuh 363 accused. "We can't have that now, can we?" Sonya stared at the yellow barrel of the gun. What was he planning to do? Her feet began to shift nervously.
"Numbuh 84?" Numbuh 363 barked. "Get her." She whirled around toward a boy. He had a yo-yo in his hand.
"Sorry," he apologized in advance. He spun the yo-yo, and threw. The string wrapped around her legs, and her arms, rendering her body immobile.
"You'll thank us for this later." Numbuh 363 said unapologetically. Her eyes landed on the buck-toothed leader. She looked at him, irritated.
"You're so annoying, beaver-teeth!"
"You - !" Numbuh 363 was interrupted by a choking sound, the kind of sound made when someone was trying hard not to laugh. "Are you laughing at me, Numbuh 84?" Harvey asked in dismay. Lee shook his head, but around his mouth, Numbuh 363 could see the shadows of a smile. Harvey scowled, ready to retort, when he was once again interrupted.
"Aren't you done yet, Harvey?" Numbuh 362's voice called out.
"Yeah! We've got her trussed up like a chicken." They carried the uncooperative Sonya into the H.O.V.E.R.K.A.R.
"This is nice." Numbuh 362 said, appreciatively. "Much better than the S.C.O.O.T.E.R."
"We wanted to upgrade." Harvey boasted. "So we did." Sonya watched in disbelief as Numbuh T drove the H.O.V.E.R.K.A.R. toward the moon.
----
"There's only one rule: Nobody says anything about this to anyone. Capiche?"
"Caposh." Everyone muttered.
"Good." Numbuh 86 walked over to the roped-up girl with pigtails. "Ready?"
"Um…" Sonya was forcibly sat on a chair. Numbuh 86 began to crank the recommissioning module. Sonya heard a humming sound vibrating from the machine, and grew more nervous as the module shook faster and harder, until it finally shot out a bright red light that consumed her. Red, red light that was piercing her brain and...digging. Digging for...something...
Thump. She fell off the chair, unconscious.
"Numbuh 83!" Numbuh 84 ran over. "What the crud happened, Numbuh 86?" He asked in panic. "She's out cold!" Numbuh 86 frowned.
"That was unexpected."
"Numbuh 86!" Numbuh 85 cried out. "You've killed her!"
"No, I didn't." Numbuh 86 snapped. "I've heard stories about others being recommissioned, but they were all perfectly fine. Perhaps it's her age; there aren't any other seven-year olds that had to be recommisioned. Maybe the younger you are, the greater the aftereffects." Numbuh 86 shrugged. "Eh. Who knows?" Everyone glanced at each other, worried.
"Numbuh 86, is she going to be all right?" Numbuh 362 whispered.
"She should be fine after she wakes up. She should also have all her memories back, but we'll have to see." There was a pause.
"When's she gonna wake up?"
"Um...maybe in a few minutes."
"You don't know, do you?" Another pause. "Don't tell Sector W."
----
Ugh. Sonya felt dizzy and nauseous, as if she had just gotten off a roller coaster. And her head hurt. Why? Sonya's eyes popped open. Memories had flooded back into her mind. I'm Numbuh 83. She sat up nervously and looked around.
There was Numbuh 363, snorting a little in his sleep, his head leaning against his sister's shoulder. That was Numbuh T, sprawled out on the floor, his goggles for once, not over his eyes but in his hands. Sonya turned her gaze to the redheaded siblings. One was sleeping with a scowl, her arms crossed, and her back straight against the wall. The other was curled up into a fetal position, a smile on his sleeping face.
And there…was Numbuh 84 sleeping a few feet away.
A memory.
"I - LIKE - YOU - NUM - BUH EIGHT-Y-FOUR!"
Sonya blushed fiercely, and touched her cheeks lightly with her fingers. They were warm.
A memory.
"NUM - BUH - EIGHT - Y - THREE! I - LIKE - YOU - TOO!"
Sonya shook him awake. He stirred and slowly opened his eyes. He stared at her for a moment, dazed.
"Do you remember me?" He asked lightly.
"Num-Numbuh 84." She whispered. He paused.
"Do you remember…everything?" Sonya nodded. She watched as a shy smile crept onto his face.
"Welcome back, Numbuh 83." Her eyes welled up with tears.
"Numbuh 84!" She threw her arms around him, sobbing. "I'm so glad I remember you!"
"I'm glad you remember me too." He said softly. So, so glad.
The rest of the room began to stir from the sound of her sobs, and one cry was soon followed by many.
"Numbuh 83!"
"Numbuh 83's back!" But a cry louder from the others echoed around the room.
"What did I tell you, Numbuh 83? Didn't I say I wouldn't let you down?"
Lee grinned. "That's our helmet-head leader for you." Sonya buried herself in the warmth of his arms, and smiled, content.
"I prefer ushankas."
Tada! It's the end of BND, Sort of. Surprised I finished it? I am! Thanks to everyone for reading all the way through, and take this opportunity to review...it'll be your last. chance. ever!