Always

Ch. 2

A/n:

Chapter two. Enjoy!

PREVIOUSLY:

"Oh give it up already." Number one said blankly, lifting a weapon created by father. It was what seemed to be a flamethrower. "You tried this before [making Nigel return to the KND]. It didn't work before, Number Five. And it won't work this time, either."

Number Five shivered at how coldly he addressed her and blew her off.

"Third times the charm? Join us again, Nigel." Number Three spoke. Nigel shook his head, and fired at Number three. The ball of fire from the weapon soared past Number three's shoulder, and she screamed, moving to the side just in time. The fire disintegrated the second she was out of its range.

"I refuse."

"THAT'S IT!" Number four burst, charging towards Nigel. "I'll defeat him MYSELF!"

But he didn't have to. Numbers two, three, and five charged in, ready to fight Number One.

Number One smiled bitterly at them. He wasn't allowed to miss them. He wasn't allowed to fear them at all.

"Glad to see you're serious now."

He prepared his weapon, and fired at them.

Number five dodged a fireball and ran towards Nigel. Beside her was Hoagie, on her other side was Number three. Number four was far ahead of them, charging straight for Nigel with his weapon positioned in front of him.

Number one moved rather fast to avoid the spanker. Everywhere Number Four aimed, Nigel one seemed to maneuver out of.

"Stop…moving!" Number four yelled. Nigel didn't listen and flipped himself under number four's jumping figure, sliding across the wet grass to a large tree directly across from the other operatives. He stood himself up and glanced them over. Number four was panting, looking like a deer in headlights. Number three was just standing there; number two looked like he didn't want to believe anything. Number five was slowly approaching Number four. Nigel closed his eyes, then opened them with an exhale of air.

"Number four, that move was very predictable." He retorted.

"PREDICTABLE MY BUTT!" Number four yelled. Number five placed a hand on his shoulder, as he flailed about and tried to get at Nigel.

"Calm down, number four." She said.

"Yea!" Number three chirped in. Number four grumbled something under his breath. Number one wasn't able to hear it. He let out a sigh, before he stood himself back up.

He fired his weapon at an unsuspecting Number four. Number four dodged it, yelped from the heat, and charged recklessly at Nigel again.

Nigel took one- two hits from Number four's spanker. Number one winced in pain, and stumbled backward to the forest. Number four was close on his tail.

"OY! I hit 'im! C'mon!" Number four yelled to the rest of Sector V. Number one lent against a tree, held his weapon at the ready, and waited.

Just before they got past the tree Nigel was behind, he shot a ray of fire, engulfing a long pathway in fire, blocking their approach, that could not be overcome.

"Hey! What the- where is he…?" Number four spoke.

"Number five! T-The thing we were supposed to protect, where was it…?" Number two's voice quavered as he asked. Nigel recognized the realization immediately, the realization that this battle was already over.

"We was supposed to protect the…" Number five's eyes widened, although number one couldn't see. "…the playground…"

"That's correct, Number five." Number one said, stepping out from his position behind the tree, on the opposite side of the fire as his friends were on. He aimed his weapon at what seemed to be a quaint, abandoned little wooden park. In seconds it was in flames. Nigel's face faltered for just a minute.

He didn't like to see the cinders bounce over the rotten wood, to see the swings fall and the metal melt. He hated the sight of the rising smoke, reaching up to the sky, as if to tell god just what he, Nigel Uno, had done.

He closed his eyes, turned back to the others, and his face was just the same as it was before.

"You lose." He said blankly, slipping into the trees. A shuffle later, and some kind of rocket moved through the wood, obviously carrying number one on it. As he grew farther away, the fire wall that had separated the others from Nigel faded to ash at their feet.

"I can't believe it!" Number four exclaimed. "How could he- to that playground! It was being built 'fer those kids we found awhile back? Wasn't it? He helped ORGANIZE the building of it!" Number four said. Number three sniffled. Number two bowed his head, and Number five mirrored number two. Her head shot up, and the fire was back. Only this time, it raged in her eyes.

"It was, number four." Number five said. "We tried convincing him to come back. He blew us off, and burnt the playground." Number five glared at the air in front of her, as the smoke from the burning playground caused her eyes to well up with tears.

"He won't get away with it." She hissed. The others exchanged glances, before they nodded firmly, and held their hands up for a high five. All four of them clapped hands, as if Nigel was never supposed to be there in the first place.

"The playground?" Sneered Father. "Did you burn the playground?" he emphasized the word 'playground' loudly. The entire building shook with the disappointment in his voice, for what he expected to hear.

"Yes." Came Nigel's reply.

"WHY YOU INSOLEN-" Father started, leaning up. But he caught himself.

"What?" Nigel asked. "I just told you that I succeeded."

The delightful children simultaneously looked at father. Father was flabbergasted. His accomplices had never succeeded in a mission against the KND before. Then he nodded, and stroked an invisible beard in his silhouette. "Really?"

"Yes, really." Nigel glared up at Father. Father smirked, although that wasn't visible. However his eyes pointed up, and his cigar lifted to his mid cheek.

"Excellent." Nigel went to leave. Father cleared his throat.

"Nigel, you know why I wanted you, out of all the operatives in the Kids Next Door." Father said. "You were the best."

"I'm not the best. I just did what you told me. Technically, I'm the worst Kids Next Door operative, after today." He shook his head. Father sat upright.

"YOU ARE NOT AN OPERATIVE OF THE KIDS NE-"

"SHUT UP!" Nigel yelled, releasing all his pent up anger about fighting his teammates, burning the playground, and just about everything else at father. The delightfuls merely observed. They had nothing to add, and they didn't have the gall to stand up to father. Or the right, seeing how they always lost. They admired Nigel, in a way.

"I had to attack my friends today. I had to burn down a playground that I was constructing, and I never wanted to hurt any of my friends! You didn't see how they looked at me." Nigel hesitated. "They looked at me like they'd lost all hope. The looked at me like…I…" He never finished. Was the enemy, he wanted to say.

Unfortunately, it was the sad and incomprehensible truth, at least to him.

A sad part of him wanted to believe that his teammates would figure out why he did it. But they didn't. And that hurt him almost as much as those glares that he knew he deserved did. That they'd stopped believing in him.

"But you know it's worth it." Father cooed. "You know that you're doing this because you-"

"I KNOW why I'm doing it." Nigel said. "So don't remind me."

Father snickered, as the large doors slammed and an exasperated Nigel stormed outside. The delightfuls looked at Father.

"Why is he helping us?' They asked. Father glanced down. "What did you do to make him turn against his friends like that?"

Father grinned down at them.

"It's a secret."

Moon base was buzzing with activity. The operatives were cleaning up, preparing for an attack any minute. They had to waste forces on defending their secret passages, because no one knew what Nigel would tell father, what path he'd take to ambush them. Outside the supreme commanders office, the operative Number five had conversed with, the operative who deemed her the most likely candidate for becoming the supreme commander, stood with Number five again.

"Number five." he said. "You can't go inside." He took his glasses off and placed them in the pocket of his lab coat. "Not even Number 363 is allowed to see her, and he's her brother."

"Why?" Number five asked. "If I'm supposed to be the supreme commander, shouldn't you listen to me, Seamus?" She snapped his name like it was a bullet.

"Number five, call me number 67. Really, we need to be on a formal basis on moon base." The operative sighed. "But you aren't the supreme commander yet."

"Yet." Number five repeated. "If I do become the Supreme commander, you better watch yo' back." She said. Seamus gulped.

"F-Fine. I'll let you talk to her, just this once, number five." Seamus caved in, opening the door. Number five nodded, and slipped inside.

It was dark. The scratching of papers was the only sound.

"Supreme Commander?" Number five asked in a husky voice.

"Seamus? Or is it Patton…" Number 362 muttered. "Whoever it is, go away."

Number five blinked. She sounded like Rachel, she looked like Rachel…but she seemed different. The Rachel Number five knew and respected was much stronger sounding, would be on her feet and out participating outside, not locked in her office, filing papers. In this situation, she'd spring up at the mystery guest and prepare to attack, not play guessing games as to who had entered her office.

"It's Number five."

"Oh!' Rachel gasped. "Well, what is it you want, Number five?" Rachel asked. Number five walked into the office and slammed her hands on the desk. Rachel blinked.

"If you don't wise up, Supreme Commander…" Number five said, "then I'll wind up taking your place. As the Supreme Commander of the Kids Next Door."

Rachel blinked. Then, she looked down. "I don't want too…anymore…I…"

"What are you talking about, you don't want to?" Number five said. "Does this have to do with Nigel?" Rachel blinked, then stiffly recoiled.

"If it does," Number five said, "You need to fight against him. We have to show him he's wrong, and…she sighed. "He's become an enemy, number 362. You don't sit and cry over enemies. You fight them."

Number 362 patted her papers.

"Number five, I think it's best if you left." She said coldly. "You may believe that…" She locked eyes with number five. "But I don't."

Number five grimaced.

"Then fight him yourself, Supreme Commander. Fight him yourself, and then tell me he's not an enemy."

Number five slammed the door. Rachel went back to her paperwork, holding her forehead up with her palm. Seamus groaned. "Number five, what was that about?" He asked. Number five shot around so fast he nearly missed being slammed in the jaw by her braid.

"She's changed, you're right." Number five said. "I officially accept being the new supreme commander, if the opportunity falls onto me."

Seamus beamed. "That's wonderful news. We'll hold the anointing ceremony tomorrow. You will then, officially, become the new supreme commander."

Number five nodded, and shook Seamus's hand. "Number five won't do anything' to you, Number 67, she swears." Seamus nodded.

"Yea, I knew it was an empty threat."

"Explains why you let Number five in without a doubt." Number five grinned.

"You can look really scary sometimes, Number five." Was Seamus's counter. Number five then sobered up.

"And what will happen to Rachel, Number 67? After I take her position…what will happen to her?"

Seamus looked at his feet.

"She'll be decommissioned….right after you take the position as the new Supreme Commander of the Kids Next Door."

A/N:

Thanks for all the reviews! Yea, I just wanted to try writing something dark. Sorry if you don't like Nigel as a traitor; but this story is pretty fun to write, and I hope it's an interesting read.

Ohh, cliffhanger! Haha…I love cliffhangers…in my own stories. Sorry, next chapter will hopefully be worth however long I make you wait.

I know exactly where I'm going with this. Exactly! : D

Hope you stick through it!

Please review!

~ lazypencillender