Operation: TIME-TRAVEL (WIP)
Fandom: Codename: Kids Next Door
Rating: PG
Pairings: 3x4, Cree/Chad, 1xLizzie, implied 2x5 and 1x5 and 1x86, MushixTommy, implied MushixSandy, 23x35, and a few OC pairings
Comments: The second chapter of Operation: TIME-TRAVEL; both original and revised. Revised is currently a WIP.
Operation: TIME-TRAVEL
Today or
In time
Many
Erupt
Time
Rocks
Aviators
Very crazily
Even
Loony
By Ahhelga
Chapter 2 - A Passageway of Errors
(BEGIN CHAPTER)
“What are all of you staring at?” the girl said annoyingly.
“At you, sis...” the boy said, stepping into the light.
He didn’t look like her (except for the pointed up nose) but they were siblings, the five made out. He had bangs just like Kuki’s but had short hair. He had a green sweater and blue jean shorts. She had an orange Hoodie and black pants. They now were staring at the boy.
“Why are you staring at my bro now?” the girl said.
“You two look like Numbuh 3 and Numbuh 4!”
The kids glanced at each other, confused. They didn’t know who they were.
“These two...” Abby pointed out at Kuki and Wally.
The four faced each other. The boy was parallel to Kuki and the girl was parallel to Wally. Kuki bit her lip and squealed at the boy in front of her. He grinned and shook her hand, saying nothing. The girl rubbed her chin and stared at the blonde boy, pulling one of his hairs.
“Ow!” he said. “What’cha do that for?!”
“I just wanted to...” she said, shrugging, dropping the hair strand. “You’re hair is exactly like mine!”
“Numbuh 5 thinks she knows what’s going on here...” Abby muttered, smirking, almost chuckling.
“Well, then, what is going on?” Hoagie questioned.
She turned to him, “Oh, you’ll learn in time, but I think you’d be a bit...odd about it... I’m sure Numbuhs 3 and 4 will...”
“So...I’m Willy, and this is Calli!” Willy said. “Um...wanna get some candy?”
“Willy!” his sister said. “Geez, you know that we’re only supposed to have it when Numbuh 70 says so!”
“Why?” Hoagie asked as the two turned. “Why do you need permission?”
“Well, it’s a long story...” Willy said. “And you probably wouldn’t wanna hear it.”
“We have all the time in the world...” Wally said. “It’s not like we’ll be able to leave here.”
“So c’mon! We’ll talk over candy!” Willy exclaimed with a big smile on her face.
“Candy!” Kuki said happily. “Candy! Candy!”
“Fine...” Calli said. “Let’s go.”
They walked up to the house that they in front of. It was 2-story and white. Although, half of the house was painted all over on, while the other remained plain white. The paint on the left side was in abstract form and almost breath-taking.
“Like it?” Calli said. “Well, mom made it. She’s quite an artist. I’m the fighter type, like my dad.”
“What ever...” Wally muttered.
Willy put his hand on the handle, and stopped.
“Well?” Nigel said. “What’s keeping you?”
The raven-haired boy sighed impatiently. He then glanced at his sister who was giving the team annoying glances. It put the KND in a spot.
“Well, this is,” he said simply.
He pulled on the handle and the team fell through the ground of the porch. Abby was holding down her hat as she continued to fall, as Hoagie was pretending to fly in the air. Nigel held his glasses and just continued to fall. Kuki and Wally were holding onto each other, holding with their life. Their yells filled the passageway they were fall through. And very faintly, Nigel could see the two kids looking down, almost smirking.
Calli turned to her brother as soon as the opening closed up. He sighed, like he hadn’t wished he had done that.
“Well, I guess we’ll see them later...” the boy said.
“Yeah,” replied the girl. “Let’s get inside.”
They turned the handle and stepped into a hallway. On the left side was a bordered door that led to a small group of people talking. On the right was a stairway with many artworks on a wall that had a painted scene of climbing a mountain. Willy turned to the left and into the room with the people. It was the kitchen.
“Mom?” he called.
A woman with her hair free and let down, causing a bit of a fly away, and wearing a very exotic outfit, banged her fist on the desk, making the man beside her jump slightly.
“But that never happened!” she exclaimed. “It wasn’t in mine or Wally’s mind though!”
“But...bra stands for something!” said the man beside the man next to her. “I know it!”
He had a grey turtle neck sweater and dark shades. His khaki colored pants also gave the professional look. His bald head was one of the most noticeable, however.
“Look, look!” said the man between them, had said rather loudly. “I dunno what you all think, but this arguing is getting no where!”
This man had a blonde bowl cut hair on his head with two sticking up strands. He had a white shirt over an orange sweater, and his ripped jeans were worn. An annoyed look was worn on his face, though.
A calming voice was heard, which turned heads. “Listen, Wally’s right. But...we still have to remember. It’s part of us. So...a little arguing won’t hurt...”
She had a red cap covering her eyes. Black hair was pulled back into a loose bun against her neck, and she was clearly African-American. She had a knee-length skirt and an overly large T-shirt that would cover up her large frame. At first glance it looked like she was simply obese but to the trained eye it was a baby growing in her belly. This woman was pregnant.
“How come you’re not speaking, Hoagie?” asked the first woman. “You’ve been quiet all this time. Surely you remember something. You were the one who suggested suggesting.”
A man, a fair-skinned one, had turned to the group around the kitchen table. His tan cap kept his reddish-brown hair in place, not covering the eyes like the female who addressed Wally. Instead, what was covering his eyes was a pair of goggles. He had his hands stuffed into his pockets of his khaki shorts that were equally as baggy as his sky-blue button up shirt.
“I’ve been thinking...” said the one referred as Hoagie.
“Well?” asked the man with the shades. “Tell us what you’re thinking about.”
Hoagie turned to him. “Listen, Nigel, I think its best not to say all of our memories...”
Nigel, the one with the shades, gave a slight sigh. It was true; he had to keep a few of his memories to himself...especially the ones with Lizzie and Abby.
“Mom, dad!” called Willy again.
Finally, all five turned to him. He was a bit shy around them, but knew none-the-less that they were important... He shook the mind off and breathed in. Going to do what he was hoping for.
“Willy, you remember Hoagie, Abby, and Nigel, right?” asked his mother in return, the first lady (no, not president’s wife).
“Uh duh, I only see them almost every other day, Mom...” he replied. “Me ‘n Calli were wondering if we could have some friends over...”
“Sure,” replied the blonde man (named Wally). “You know that you can bring any friend here. Isn’t that right Kuki?”
“Yeah...” Willy’s mom said, addressed as Kuki. “Is it Carol again? She’s so sweet, and a little like me when I was younger...”
Willy blushed five different shades of red. He heard his sister giggle in a maniac way. Scowling, he let himself say what was to be said.
“No, they’re new friends...” he muttered. “More club members...”
Abby had smirked. “Aw, shucks. Isn’t it cute that they have a little club for all the kids in the town?”
“Cute?” the word had come from Calli. “Our ‘club’ is not ‘cute’.”
“For cripes sake, just all of ya shut up, and let them have what they want!” Wally exclaimed.
Calli had smirked and grabbed her brother’s wrist before leaving. The rest turned to each other, in a hopeless way.
After the eerie silence stopped, an accented voice was heard, “I have something to say...”
They landed with a plop! onto the hard cement floor. Luckily, there were mats for cushioning, so they weren’t hurt too much. Groaning, everyone started to stand. Nigel was the first to straighten their self up. The others stood and turned to him, not sure what to do. It was a bit of a mix up. It seemed like the kids had welcomed them.
Nigel adjusted his glasses and stared at his team. “Well team, we were in some sort of way ‘betrayed’. Those kids have captured us, and we have no way out...”
Once he had started saying “Well team...” a certain Asian found that the mat was bouncy, and starting bouncing up and down. Wally kept glancing at her, wanting to laugh at her obliviousness that they were trapped.
“So...” Nigel continued. “This cold room can make us very uncomfortable, and unfortunately suffocate us if there’s no air hole. Everyone clear that we have to find secret passageways and doors?”
“Yessir...” they replied, save Kuki who was jumping still.
Nigel stood in front of walls, stopping to check for anything (while a carefully placed finger rest on his chin). Hoagie was “investigating too hard” if you would say it like that. His butt was in the air, and his nose was to the ground, the only thing separating his face and the floor was a thick magnifying glass, which he had found in his utility belt. Wally was banging on walls, hopefully pressing a secret passageway door. Abby consulted others and put two and two together. Kuki...was still jumping on the mats, not caring that she was going 46 MPH in a matted elevator.
Yes, that’s right, everyone hadn’t noticed that maybe with a certain amount of numbers of tapping (or in this case, jumping), the mats will go through the floor and surround up to form an elevator that went sideways. Kuki hadn’t noticed either.
“So, guys, what are you-” she glanced around to find that she was surrounded by mats. Only one window let her see, and she could see that there was a door ahead...
“So it seems that girl got the first exit before the others ...without consulting them...” Calli muttered under her breath.
“Uh...Cal, I think she didn’t know about it,” said her brother breathlessly. “Can’t you see that she looks scared?! She even was jumping when the thing happened!”
Calli raised an eyebrow at him, still maintaining that bored expression. “Yeah, so?” she mouthed, taking a sip of her Ultra-Sip-Cup she got at the liquor store, 24-7. “Mm, Blurpleberry.”
Her brother rolled his eyes. Both he and she turned to the screen they were watching. The latter keeping a smooth mind about the upcoming events.
“Hey, where’s Numbuh 3?” cried Wally.
“And Numbuh 2...” said Nigel in an alerted way.
“Things are getting fishy,” followed Abby.
“Guys, I don’t like this one bit...” whimpered Wally, sliding his back down against the stone wall. “It’s seems like it’s getting darker, and spookier, and all our friends are missing...And this room is driving me nuts! Gah!”
He turned around, bumping his head on the wall purposely, Saying a word with each bump.
“I-Can’t-Take-This-Where’s-Numbuh-3?” he said, banging.
“Oh, shush yourself, Numbuh 4, hurting will do ya no good...” she scolded him.
“But I don’t like this place one bit!” he exclaimed, getting more and more worried by the second. “It’s creeping me out!”
“Us too, Numbuh 4...” whispered Nigel.
Abby and Wally turned to him, but Nigel was gone. He had disappeared. It was like he went through a wall or something. Abby started to look scared now. Wally fell on his knees, afraid. He started muttering things under his breath about dying and being alone. Abby also could’ve sworn she heard “can’t say it to Numbuh 3 now”.
Something’s wrong here... thought Abby. If the rest disappeared, then how did Numbuhs 3 and 4 get together? Hm...
“Oh no, Numbuh 5...” said Wally. “We’re the last ones left. I’ll be gone for sure! The stupid ones are always last!”
She now turned to him and raised an eyebrow, still scanning the room. It was as dark as ever, and even as cold. Surely those kids were playing a trick on them. Abby closed her eyes, trying to visualize everything.
“Hey Numbuh 4,” she said turning to him...only to realize that the blonde wasn’t there any more. “Aw man!”
“Ah!” screamed Wally. “Numbuh 5! Are you still there?! I’m blind! Numbuh 1? Numbuh 2?! Oh Numbuh 3 you better be there! Please-oh-please-oh-please-oh-please!”
“Will you shut up?!” called a voice.
In the darkness, Wally turned to the voice, however, didn’t see him. It was so dark, it was impossible to tell if his eyes were closed or not. But he was blinking. Had he gone blind?
“And you’re not blind, short one...” it said again.
“Don’t call me short!” he replied.
A soft chuckle was heard. He was spinning. He didn’t know where to turn, or what to do. He stepped closer to what he thought the voice was.
“Don’t try to find me, I’m not here...” it said.
“Then how are you talking to me?!” he said.
“Haven’t you heard of speakers?” it said, making Wally stop. “Anyway, don’t worry, all your friends are dealing with the same thing... Okay, not the same thing, but we’re asking all of you the same questions.”
“Questions?”
“Yes, questions, and if you would just sit down, I will explain everything...”
A single light shone on a plush chair in the darkness. The light almost seemed blinding and white over the red chair. He walked over to it in the darkness. It was definitely not what he had expected.
“Sit,” the voice ordered very shortly.
“Well?” asked Wally.
“Well what?” it replied.
“Well, are you going to explain or not?”
Sitting, Wally heard a chuckle. Almost immediately, the chair started to move forward (like on wheels), the light shutting off. He had gone “blind” again. After about a minute of “wheeling” or so, a television stopped right in front of him. The static on it was terribly bright, and shone on Wally and the chair. He saw that the floor was paneled and wooden, but that was all he had to look at for then.
“This...will answer everything...” it said.
The static switched to a blank white screen. He had expected it to switch to the speaker and for him to explain everything. But it turned to a picture of someone unexpected: ...
“Father...” said four other voices along with him.
(END CHAPTER)
Operation: TIME-TRAVEL
Today or
In time
Many
Erupt
Time
Rocks
Aviators
Very crazily
Even
Loony
By Ahhelga
Chapter 2 -
(BEGIN CHAPTER)
"Hey, watch what you're staring at," the girl before them said, now with a scowl. She squirmed uncomfortably as she stared at Sector V back. "Why are you staring at me like that?"
"Because you look like Numbuh 4," the boy had said, stepping into the light, and looking like a younger version of his sister, only with darker hair. "See? I told you you look like him!"
At this, Wally reddened up. "I don't look like any cruddy girl," she scowled at this, "especially one that... seems to know us... Hey, how do you know who we are?"
The two kids gave each other wayward glances. It was a look of worry, which, in turn, worried the five other kids. But the boy, who resembled Wally as well, only with dark hair, had spoken up first: "Well, it's a long story, Numbuh 4. And complicated. We can talk it over candy."
He motioned them to follow him. It was obvious the mention of candy got the group in a lighter mood, especially Hoagie. Even while many of their eyes weren't visible, it was obvious that they were twinkling from excitement. All this crazy talk was making them hungry.
But his sister's shrill voice interrupted their excitement, "CANDY?! I don't want my stash to be wasted on them! We only have a few pounds left; that is not enough to last the rest of the week!" Then she talked heatedly under her breath, with "rations" being a common word understood.
The younger boy barely acknowledged her, and turned to the five once more. "Oh yeah, I don't like the fact that, uh, you know our numbuhs. Please call me Willy, and she's Calli." This comment earned a scoff from Calli.
"Speak for yourself, Numbuh 19," she said roughly, as she hastily led the group up to the house painted with odd colors. "And don't think that since you know more, I can't help Sector V as well."
When they reached the door, there was an awkward pause with a just as equally awkward silence. Neither Wally nor Calli said anything, but they both stepped forward so that they were only a couple of inches away from the door, and Willy clutched the knob, but didn't turn it. Sector V found this very peculiar.
"Well, what's keeping you?" Nigel asked, not moving from behind them.
Willy turned to the back of them, and gave them a small, apologetic smile. "I think it's guilt." Calli shot him a stern glance, which went unnoticed by everyone except for Abby.
"Guilt?" Abby asked, still eyeing Calli, who was now turned away from the team. Somehow this was all making her uncomfortable. She managed to choke out the rest of her words. "Guilt...from what?"
"This," was all Willy said before he pulled the doorknob back, locking it into an awkward position.
In an instant, the floor beneath Sector V disappeared and the five of them were falling. It was a narrow corridor, so it was necessary that they had to fall close together. Kuki and Wally screamed for their lives while clutching onto one another. Abby tried to hold onto the walls, but it burned her skin. Hoagie, almost unaware of the situation, was pretending to fly. But Nigel took the chance he got to look up from where they had fallen. Upon looking at the closing entrance, he saw both Calli and Willy looking down with faint smirks on their faces.
When Calli turned to her brother, she noticed a hint of regret in his face. She furrowed her brow. What was there to regret? This was necessary procedure. For some reason, the way he was acting rubbed her the wrong way at that moment, and she found herself disliking him.
Calli sighed and said, "Let's get inside."
Willy nodded silently as he unlocked the handle of the doorknob, and turned it normally. The door had opened without even a creak, and a hallway was revealed on the other side. The hallway seemed simple enough. A staircase was on the right, an entrance to the left, and down the hall, a couple more doors. From the door frame on the left, a few shouts were heard, and murmurs of agreement. It was the kitchen.
"Mom?" Willy called out. "Mom?"
The two kids turned to the kitchen and paused to stare at the adults preoccupying the room. There were five adults, all surrounding a table that was cluttered with papers, photos, and obscure objects like a mustard container. The adults simply continued bickering, not hearing the young boy.
One of the men, the one with messy blonde hair and an orange long sleeved shirt, pounded hard onto the table, making the rest of the five jump. "But that couldn't be anything, because we searched and searched and there ain't no trace of it!"
This apparently caused a reaction, the most apparent one being of a man across from him with thick rimmed glasses and a shaved head, who yelled loudly, "But it's in my mind though!"
"What if it was just your memory?" remarked a distinctly Asian woman next to the blonde man, "I mean, Wally and I might not have been there."
The other woman across from her said softly, "No. No... I distinctly remember. We all knew that 'bra' had to mean something." She paused, fiddling with the rim of her red cap, and continued, "We shouldn't fight over it. We're still figuring this all out." Then, tenderly, she stroked the underside of her enlarged belly, which stuck out like a sore thumb. This woman was pregnant.
Willy started walking up to the table, as they continued to discuss...whatever they were discussing. Apparently it had gotten all of their undies in a bunch, and Willy learned to stay out of these types of things when they arose... which was often. So, their conversation had gone in and out of his ear.
"Listen, you guys..." Willy heard faintly from the remaining man as he made his way to the Asian woman. "I don't think we should share all of our memories... Something... just doesn't feel right, you know?"
And just as Willy was about to ask his mother something, she burst out with a shriek. "What?! You were the one who suggested this some time ago, and it was you who arranged this, and you who got us sucked into this... this... conspiracy!"
The "you" she was referring to gave an audible sigh, and he slipped off his tan beanie to give his hair a quick run through. Even though his eyes were completely covered with a pair of aviator goggles, it was obvious that he was going through a mental debate. He stood up slowly, though not so carefully as to not wrinkle his half-way buttoned over-shirt, and shoved his hand in his pocket. He froze though, and turned to the man with the shaved head and khakis. "Nigel, you have to understand me when I say some things are not worth sharing."
At this point, Willy felt it was appropriate to intervene. "Mom," he said, tugging on the Asian woman's sleeve, "Calli wanted to bring friends over, and I wanted to too."
Calli, who still stood in the doorway, felt put on the spot as the woman's eyebrows raised at her instead of the young boy. They shared the same eyes, but Calli had never felt so shaken by what her mother's had to offer. "Is it Alex?"
The young girl shyly replied, "No. Just some new friends."
But quite suddenly, the older blonde man interrupted, "What? Are they checked out? Are they able to come over? Did they tell their Guardians?" He sat up more alert now, his green eyes peeking through his blonde bangs, and rolled up his long sleeves up to the elbows.
Willy shifted his attention to the man, aware of the discomfort radiating from him, and rested his hands on his jeans, "Yes, yes, and yes, they're checked out, Dad. We wouldn't bring anyone untrustworthy into this house. We just wanted to know if it's okay."
"S'long as it's before you kids' curfew, they can stay," responded their father, whose Australian accent was now noticeable.
Calli lit up. She took a few steps to take Willy's arm, and hurriedly replied, "Okay! Thanks, Dad!" Just as she turned, with Willy's arm captive, a figure went in her way.
"Whoops, sorry," said this new person who entered. They paused, then looked up at the five gaping adults at the table. Then, with an accented voice, a response came, "Wally, Kuki, I didn't know you had kids."
For the second time within the hour, a thump! was heard, only this time, it echoed. And it was an easier landing.
This had come somewhat of a surprise, seeing as how the kids they recently met had seemed to be welcoming. It was disappointing, really. This "time" was so intriguing, especially Numbuhs 18 and 19. But apparently, they were a pair of Kids Next Door members that simply didn't care about treaty fellow kids well.
Nigel sighed audibly as he tried to get the rid of the crick in his neck. "Well, team, it seems we've been betrayed. No Kids Next Door member would ever treat us like that. The only explanation would be that they're adults in disguise."
"Actually Nigel," Abby interrupted, "I don't think it's as complicated as that..." She was massaging her own pained body parts.
"Uh, guys," Hoagie interjected, "I'm all for trying to figure this situation out, but I think we have bigger things to worry about."
Just as he said it, seat belts shot out of the walls to lock on each of the team. It took some struggle, but they were eventually pinned to the wall by the seat belts. Suddenly, the walls that they were pinned to started to take shape of seats, and they were thrust backward into their own tunnels.
Rating: PG
Pairings: 3x4, Cree/Chad, 1xLizzie, implied 2x5 and 1x5 and 1x86, MushixTommy, implied MushixSandy, 23x35, and a few OC pairings
Comments: The second chapter of Operation: TIME-TRAVEL; both original and revised. Revised is currently a WIP.
Operation: TIME-TRAVEL
Today or
In time
Many
Erupt
Time
Rocks
Aviators
Very crazily
Even
Loony
By Ahhelga
Chapter 2 - A Passageway of Errors
(BEGIN CHAPTER)
“What are all of you staring at?” the girl said annoyingly.
“At you, sis...” the boy said, stepping into the light.
He didn’t look like her (except for the pointed up nose) but they were siblings, the five made out. He had bangs just like Kuki’s but had short hair. He had a green sweater and blue jean shorts. She had an orange Hoodie and black pants. They now were staring at the boy.
“Why are you staring at my bro now?” the girl said.
“You two look like Numbuh 3 and Numbuh 4!”
The kids glanced at each other, confused. They didn’t know who they were.
“These two...” Abby pointed out at Kuki and Wally.
The four faced each other. The boy was parallel to Kuki and the girl was parallel to Wally. Kuki bit her lip and squealed at the boy in front of her. He grinned and shook her hand, saying nothing. The girl rubbed her chin and stared at the blonde boy, pulling one of his hairs.
“Ow!” he said. “What’cha do that for?!”
“I just wanted to...” she said, shrugging, dropping the hair strand. “You’re hair is exactly like mine!”
“Numbuh 5 thinks she knows what’s going on here...” Abby muttered, smirking, almost chuckling.
“Well, then, what is going on?” Hoagie questioned.
She turned to him, “Oh, you’ll learn in time, but I think you’d be a bit...odd about it... I’m sure Numbuhs 3 and 4 will...”
“So...I’m Willy, and this is Calli!” Willy said. “Um...wanna get some candy?”
“Willy!” his sister said. “Geez, you know that we’re only supposed to have it when Numbuh 70 says so!”
“Why?” Hoagie asked as the two turned. “Why do you need permission?”
“Well, it’s a long story...” Willy said. “And you probably wouldn’t wanna hear it.”
“We have all the time in the world...” Wally said. “It’s not like we’ll be able to leave here.”
“So c’mon! We’ll talk over candy!” Willy exclaimed with a big smile on her face.
“Candy!” Kuki said happily. “Candy! Candy!”
“Fine...” Calli said. “Let’s go.”
They walked up to the house that they in front of. It was 2-story and white. Although, half of the house was painted all over on, while the other remained plain white. The paint on the left side was in abstract form and almost breath-taking.
“Like it?” Calli said. “Well, mom made it. She’s quite an artist. I’m the fighter type, like my dad.”
“What ever...” Wally muttered.
Willy put his hand on the handle, and stopped.
“Well?” Nigel said. “What’s keeping you?”
The raven-haired boy sighed impatiently. He then glanced at his sister who was giving the team annoying glances. It put the KND in a spot.
“Well, this is,” he said simply.
He pulled on the handle and the team fell through the ground of the porch. Abby was holding down her hat as she continued to fall, as Hoagie was pretending to fly in the air. Nigel held his glasses and just continued to fall. Kuki and Wally were holding onto each other, holding with their life. Their yells filled the passageway they were fall through. And very faintly, Nigel could see the two kids looking down, almost smirking.
Calli turned to her brother as soon as the opening closed up. He sighed, like he hadn’t wished he had done that.
“Well, I guess we’ll see them later...” the boy said.
“Yeah,” replied the girl. “Let’s get inside.”
They turned the handle and stepped into a hallway. On the left side was a bordered door that led to a small group of people talking. On the right was a stairway with many artworks on a wall that had a painted scene of climbing a mountain. Willy turned to the left and into the room with the people. It was the kitchen.
“Mom?” he called.
A woman with her hair free and let down, causing a bit of a fly away, and wearing a very exotic outfit, banged her fist on the desk, making the man beside her jump slightly.
“But that never happened!” she exclaimed. “It wasn’t in mine or Wally’s mind though!”
“But...bra stands for something!” said the man beside the man next to her. “I know it!”
He had a grey turtle neck sweater and dark shades. His khaki colored pants also gave the professional look. His bald head was one of the most noticeable, however.
“Look, look!” said the man between them, had said rather loudly. “I dunno what you all think, but this arguing is getting no where!”
This man had a blonde bowl cut hair on his head with two sticking up strands. He had a white shirt over an orange sweater, and his ripped jeans were worn. An annoyed look was worn on his face, though.
A calming voice was heard, which turned heads. “Listen, Wally’s right. But...we still have to remember. It’s part of us. So...a little arguing won’t hurt...”
She had a red cap covering her eyes. Black hair was pulled back into a loose bun against her neck, and she was clearly African-American. She had a knee-length skirt and an overly large T-shirt that would cover up her large frame. At first glance it looked like she was simply obese but to the trained eye it was a baby growing in her belly. This woman was pregnant.
“How come you’re not speaking, Hoagie?” asked the first woman. “You’ve been quiet all this time. Surely you remember something. You were the one who suggested suggesting.”
A man, a fair-skinned one, had turned to the group around the kitchen table. His tan cap kept his reddish-brown hair in place, not covering the eyes like the female who addressed Wally. Instead, what was covering his eyes was a pair of goggles. He had his hands stuffed into his pockets of his khaki shorts that were equally as baggy as his sky-blue button up shirt.
“I’ve been thinking...” said the one referred as Hoagie.
“Well?” asked the man with the shades. “Tell us what you’re thinking about.”
Hoagie turned to him. “Listen, Nigel, I think its best not to say all of our memories...”
Nigel, the one with the shades, gave a slight sigh. It was true; he had to keep a few of his memories to himself...especially the ones with Lizzie and Abby.
“Mom, dad!” called Willy again.
Finally, all five turned to him. He was a bit shy around them, but knew none-the-less that they were important... He shook the mind off and breathed in. Going to do what he was hoping for.
“Willy, you remember Hoagie, Abby, and Nigel, right?” asked his mother in return, the first lady (no, not president’s wife).
“Uh duh, I only see them almost every other day, Mom...” he replied. “Me ‘n Calli were wondering if we could have some friends over...”
“Sure,” replied the blonde man (named Wally). “You know that you can bring any friend here. Isn’t that right Kuki?”
“Yeah...” Willy’s mom said, addressed as Kuki. “Is it Carol again? She’s so sweet, and a little like me when I was younger...”
Willy blushed five different shades of red. He heard his sister giggle in a maniac way. Scowling, he let himself say what was to be said.
“No, they’re new friends...” he muttered. “More club members...”
Abby had smirked. “Aw, shucks. Isn’t it cute that they have a little club for all the kids in the town?”
“Cute?” the word had come from Calli. “Our ‘club’ is not ‘cute’.”
“For cripes sake, just all of ya shut up, and let them have what they want!” Wally exclaimed.
Calli had smirked and grabbed her brother’s wrist before leaving. The rest turned to each other, in a hopeless way.
After the eerie silence stopped, an accented voice was heard, “I have something to say...”
They landed with a plop! onto the hard cement floor. Luckily, there were mats for cushioning, so they weren’t hurt too much. Groaning, everyone started to stand. Nigel was the first to straighten their self up. The others stood and turned to him, not sure what to do. It was a bit of a mix up. It seemed like the kids had welcomed them.
Nigel adjusted his glasses and stared at his team. “Well team, we were in some sort of way ‘betrayed’. Those kids have captured us, and we have no way out...”
Once he had started saying “Well team...” a certain Asian found that the mat was bouncy, and starting bouncing up and down. Wally kept glancing at her, wanting to laugh at her obliviousness that they were trapped.
“So...” Nigel continued. “This cold room can make us very uncomfortable, and unfortunately suffocate us if there’s no air hole. Everyone clear that we have to find secret passageways and doors?”
“Yessir...” they replied, save Kuki who was jumping still.
Nigel stood in front of walls, stopping to check for anything (while a carefully placed finger rest on his chin). Hoagie was “investigating too hard” if you would say it like that. His butt was in the air, and his nose was to the ground, the only thing separating his face and the floor was a thick magnifying glass, which he had found in his utility belt. Wally was banging on walls, hopefully pressing a secret passageway door. Abby consulted others and put two and two together. Kuki...was still jumping on the mats, not caring that she was going 46 MPH in a matted elevator.
Yes, that’s right, everyone hadn’t noticed that maybe with a certain amount of numbers of tapping (or in this case, jumping), the mats will go through the floor and surround up to form an elevator that went sideways. Kuki hadn’t noticed either.
“So, guys, what are you-” she glanced around to find that she was surrounded by mats. Only one window let her see, and she could see that there was a door ahead...
“So it seems that girl got the first exit before the others ...without consulting them...” Calli muttered under her breath.
“Uh...Cal, I think she didn’t know about it,” said her brother breathlessly. “Can’t you see that she looks scared?! She even was jumping when the thing happened!”
Calli raised an eyebrow at him, still maintaining that bored expression. “Yeah, so?” she mouthed, taking a sip of her Ultra-Sip-Cup she got at the liquor store, 24-7. “Mm, Blurpleberry.”
Her brother rolled his eyes. Both he and she turned to the screen they were watching. The latter keeping a smooth mind about the upcoming events.
“Hey, where’s Numbuh 3?” cried Wally.
“And Numbuh 2...” said Nigel in an alerted way.
“Things are getting fishy,” followed Abby.
“Guys, I don’t like this one bit...” whimpered Wally, sliding his back down against the stone wall. “It’s seems like it’s getting darker, and spookier, and all our friends are missing...And this room is driving me nuts! Gah!”
He turned around, bumping his head on the wall purposely, Saying a word with each bump.
“I-Can’t-Take-This-Where’s-Numbuh-3?” he said, banging.
“Oh, shush yourself, Numbuh 4, hurting will do ya no good...” she scolded him.
“But I don’t like this place one bit!” he exclaimed, getting more and more worried by the second. “It’s creeping me out!”
“Us too, Numbuh 4...” whispered Nigel.
Abby and Wally turned to him, but Nigel was gone. He had disappeared. It was like he went through a wall or something. Abby started to look scared now. Wally fell on his knees, afraid. He started muttering things under his breath about dying and being alone. Abby also could’ve sworn she heard “can’t say it to Numbuh 3 now”.
Something’s wrong here... thought Abby. If the rest disappeared, then how did Numbuhs 3 and 4 get together? Hm...
“Oh no, Numbuh 5...” said Wally. “We’re the last ones left. I’ll be gone for sure! The stupid ones are always last!”
She now turned to him and raised an eyebrow, still scanning the room. It was as dark as ever, and even as cold. Surely those kids were playing a trick on them. Abby closed her eyes, trying to visualize everything.
“Hey Numbuh 4,” she said turning to him...only to realize that the blonde wasn’t there any more. “Aw man!”
“Ah!” screamed Wally. “Numbuh 5! Are you still there?! I’m blind! Numbuh 1? Numbuh 2?! Oh Numbuh 3 you better be there! Please-oh-please-oh-please-oh-please!”
“Will you shut up?!” called a voice.
In the darkness, Wally turned to the voice, however, didn’t see him. It was so dark, it was impossible to tell if his eyes were closed or not. But he was blinking. Had he gone blind?
“And you’re not blind, short one...” it said again.
“Don’t call me short!” he replied.
A soft chuckle was heard. He was spinning. He didn’t know where to turn, or what to do. He stepped closer to what he thought the voice was.
“Don’t try to find me, I’m not here...” it said.
“Then how are you talking to me?!” he said.
“Haven’t you heard of speakers?” it said, making Wally stop. “Anyway, don’t worry, all your friends are dealing with the same thing... Okay, not the same thing, but we’re asking all of you the same questions.”
“Questions?”
“Yes, questions, and if you would just sit down, I will explain everything...”
A single light shone on a plush chair in the darkness. The light almost seemed blinding and white over the red chair. He walked over to it in the darkness. It was definitely not what he had expected.
“Sit,” the voice ordered very shortly.
“Well?” asked Wally.
“Well what?” it replied.
“Well, are you going to explain or not?”
Sitting, Wally heard a chuckle. Almost immediately, the chair started to move forward (like on wheels), the light shutting off. He had gone “blind” again. After about a minute of “wheeling” or so, a television stopped right in front of him. The static on it was terribly bright, and shone on Wally and the chair. He saw that the floor was paneled and wooden, but that was all he had to look at for then.
“This...will answer everything...” it said.
The static switched to a blank white screen. He had expected it to switch to the speaker and for him to explain everything. But it turned to a picture of someone unexpected: ...
“Father...” said four other voices along with him.
(END CHAPTER)
Operation: TIME-TRAVEL
Today or
In time
Many
Erupt
Time
Rocks
Aviators
Very crazily
Even
Loony
By Ahhelga
Chapter 2 -
(BEGIN CHAPTER)
"Hey, watch what you're staring at," the girl before them said, now with a scowl. She squirmed uncomfortably as she stared at Sector V back. "Why are you staring at me like that?"
"Because you look like Numbuh 4," the boy had said, stepping into the light, and looking like a younger version of his sister, only with darker hair. "See? I told you you look like him!"
At this, Wally reddened up. "I don't look like any cruddy girl," she scowled at this, "especially one that... seems to know us... Hey, how do you know who we are?"
The two kids gave each other wayward glances. It was a look of worry, which, in turn, worried the five other kids. But the boy, who resembled Wally as well, only with dark hair, had spoken up first: "Well, it's a long story, Numbuh 4. And complicated. We can talk it over candy."
He motioned them to follow him. It was obvious the mention of candy got the group in a lighter mood, especially Hoagie. Even while many of their eyes weren't visible, it was obvious that they were twinkling from excitement. All this crazy talk was making them hungry.
But his sister's shrill voice interrupted their excitement, "CANDY?! I don't want my stash to be wasted on them! We only have a few pounds left; that is not enough to last the rest of the week!" Then she talked heatedly under her breath, with "rations" being a common word understood.
The younger boy barely acknowledged her, and turned to the five once more. "Oh yeah, I don't like the fact that, uh, you know our numbuhs. Please call me Willy, and she's Calli." This comment earned a scoff from Calli.
"Speak for yourself, Numbuh 19," she said roughly, as she hastily led the group up to the house painted with odd colors. "And don't think that since you know more, I can't help Sector V as well."
When they reached the door, there was an awkward pause with a just as equally awkward silence. Neither Wally nor Calli said anything, but they both stepped forward so that they were only a couple of inches away from the door, and Willy clutched the knob, but didn't turn it. Sector V found this very peculiar.
"Well, what's keeping you?" Nigel asked, not moving from behind them.
Willy turned to the back of them, and gave them a small, apologetic smile. "I think it's guilt." Calli shot him a stern glance, which went unnoticed by everyone except for Abby.
"Guilt?" Abby asked, still eyeing Calli, who was now turned away from the team. Somehow this was all making her uncomfortable. She managed to choke out the rest of her words. "Guilt...from what?"
"This," was all Willy said before he pulled the doorknob back, locking it into an awkward position.
In an instant, the floor beneath Sector V disappeared and the five of them were falling. It was a narrow corridor, so it was necessary that they had to fall close together. Kuki and Wally screamed for their lives while clutching onto one another. Abby tried to hold onto the walls, but it burned her skin. Hoagie, almost unaware of the situation, was pretending to fly. But Nigel took the chance he got to look up from where they had fallen. Upon looking at the closing entrance, he saw both Calli and Willy looking down with faint smirks on their faces.
When Calli turned to her brother, she noticed a hint of regret in his face. She furrowed her brow. What was there to regret? This was necessary procedure. For some reason, the way he was acting rubbed her the wrong way at that moment, and she found herself disliking him.
Calli sighed and said, "Let's get inside."
Willy nodded silently as he unlocked the handle of the doorknob, and turned it normally. The door had opened without even a creak, and a hallway was revealed on the other side. The hallway seemed simple enough. A staircase was on the right, an entrance to the left, and down the hall, a couple more doors. From the door frame on the left, a few shouts were heard, and murmurs of agreement. It was the kitchen.
"Mom?" Willy called out. "Mom?"
The two kids turned to the kitchen and paused to stare at the adults preoccupying the room. There were five adults, all surrounding a table that was cluttered with papers, photos, and obscure objects like a mustard container. The adults simply continued bickering, not hearing the young boy.
One of the men, the one with messy blonde hair and an orange long sleeved shirt, pounded hard onto the table, making the rest of the five jump. "But that couldn't be anything, because we searched and searched and there ain't no trace of it!"
This apparently caused a reaction, the most apparent one being of a man across from him with thick rimmed glasses and a shaved head, who yelled loudly, "But it's in my mind though!"
"What if it was just your memory?" remarked a distinctly Asian woman next to the blonde man, "I mean, Wally and I might not have been there."
The other woman across from her said softly, "No. No... I distinctly remember. We all knew that 'bra' had to mean something." She paused, fiddling with the rim of her red cap, and continued, "We shouldn't fight over it. We're still figuring this all out." Then, tenderly, she stroked the underside of her enlarged belly, which stuck out like a sore thumb. This woman was pregnant.
Willy started walking up to the table, as they continued to discuss...whatever they were discussing. Apparently it had gotten all of their undies in a bunch, and Willy learned to stay out of these types of things when they arose... which was often. So, their conversation had gone in and out of his ear.
"Listen, you guys..." Willy heard faintly from the remaining man as he made his way to the Asian woman. "I don't think we should share all of our memories... Something... just doesn't feel right, you know?"
And just as Willy was about to ask his mother something, she burst out with a shriek. "What?! You were the one who suggested this some time ago, and it was you who arranged this, and you who got us sucked into this... this... conspiracy!"
The "you" she was referring to gave an audible sigh, and he slipped off his tan beanie to give his hair a quick run through. Even though his eyes were completely covered with a pair of aviator goggles, it was obvious that he was going through a mental debate. He stood up slowly, though not so carefully as to not wrinkle his half-way buttoned over-shirt, and shoved his hand in his pocket. He froze though, and turned to the man with the shaved head and khakis. "Nigel, you have to understand me when I say some things are not worth sharing."
At this point, Willy felt it was appropriate to intervene. "Mom," he said, tugging on the Asian woman's sleeve, "Calli wanted to bring friends over, and I wanted to too."
Calli, who still stood in the doorway, felt put on the spot as the woman's eyebrows raised at her instead of the young boy. They shared the same eyes, but Calli had never felt so shaken by what her mother's had to offer. "Is it Alex?"
The young girl shyly replied, "No. Just some new friends."
But quite suddenly, the older blonde man interrupted, "What? Are they checked out? Are they able to come over? Did they tell their Guardians?" He sat up more alert now, his green eyes peeking through his blonde bangs, and rolled up his long sleeves up to the elbows.
Willy shifted his attention to the man, aware of the discomfort radiating from him, and rested his hands on his jeans, "Yes, yes, and yes, they're checked out, Dad. We wouldn't bring anyone untrustworthy into this house. We just wanted to know if it's okay."
"S'long as it's before you kids' curfew, they can stay," responded their father, whose Australian accent was now noticeable.
Calli lit up. She took a few steps to take Willy's arm, and hurriedly replied, "Okay! Thanks, Dad!" Just as she turned, with Willy's arm captive, a figure went in her way.
"Whoops, sorry," said this new person who entered. They paused, then looked up at the five gaping adults at the table. Then, with an accented voice, a response came, "Wally, Kuki, I didn't know you had kids."
For the second time within the hour, a thump! was heard, only this time, it echoed. And it was an easier landing.
This had come somewhat of a surprise, seeing as how the kids they recently met had seemed to be welcoming. It was disappointing, really. This "time" was so intriguing, especially Numbuhs 18 and 19. But apparently, they were a pair of Kids Next Door members that simply didn't care about treaty fellow kids well.
Nigel sighed audibly as he tried to get the rid of the crick in his neck. "Well, team, it seems we've been betrayed. No Kids Next Door member would ever treat us like that. The only explanation would be that they're adults in disguise."
"Actually Nigel," Abby interrupted, "I don't think it's as complicated as that..." She was massaging her own pained body parts.
"Uh, guys," Hoagie interjected, "I'm all for trying to figure this situation out, but I think we have bigger things to worry about."
Just as he said it, seat belts shot out of the walls to lock on each of the team. It took some struggle, but they were eventually pinned to the wall by the seat belts. Suddenly, the walls that they were pinned to started to take shape of seats, and they were thrust backward into their own tunnels.