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[CCACorn26]

Sept 15, 2009 19:19:49 GMT -5 prettywitchiusaka said:

Wow, this is gettign really intense! Poor Sonia though, I sure hope Lee can put a smile on her face. Because given their current circumstances, I can only imagine that things are going to get really ugly from here.

Indeed. If Nam Myung-Sung upholds Moon Hwan-Il's ban on Christmas, Yipper Cards, and Rainbow Monkeys but also includes his own brand of adult tyranny, then Nam's challenge to the Kids Next Door will that much more formidable and existential. Wally and Kuki themselves don't quite realize the magnitude of this crisis just yet, but Nigel and Rachel may be on their way to explaining their research to those two romantically popular Kids Next Door soon enough.:



“Vultures and Lovebirds at the Dragon’s Mouth”
Chapter 5: “Confrontation at a Park -- and a Warehouse”



Wally, Kuki, and Haneul huddled together as they walked through the bustling streets of Tokyo, having left Tokyo Station a very long way behind them via a new bullet train ride to a different section of the city, perhaps well away from those mysterious uniformed kids from Wally and Kuki’s train ride before their lunch at that food court. They looked around at the people either walking about or stopping to look at whatever interested them, from adults to teens to even quite a few kids, taking in bits and pieces of the city that many of these people called home. While some looked with admiration at a few trees standing along the middle of the sidewalk, others pointed to certain items viewable through a couple of glass windows that revealed a high-tech store between a couple of rather different stores, maybe eager to check it out for themselves. Wally and Kuki didn’t mind these various activities as they proceeded on their way to their new destination, their respective bags tucked firmly behind their shoulders, Kuki directly between Wally and Haneul, so that even though their minds may have been somewhere else, they could still realize that they needed to stay together until Wally and Kuki managed to figure out exactly what to do with Haneul. As for Haneul herself, she was at this point in time content to watch Wally and Kuki as the last two kids looked at each other at least once in a way that made her wonder whether they really could be together as a couple someday, just as she and her special friend could be together if those two kids ever met again. Of course, had Wally and Kuki realized the diametric backgrounds between Haneul and her special friend, then while Kuki would have gasped with horror at the separation inherent between those separate backgrounds, Wally would have just gagged with disgust at the feelings apparent between these two kids, whoever they really were... then gasped with amazement at who Haneul’s special friend was. Wally, Kuki, and Haneul finished crossing the street along which they’d been walking and now stepped onto a new sidewalk denoting another street ahead of them to the right, some new words from the first two kids interrupting Haneul’s thoughts about not just her special friend, but also the possible conflict brewing over their land, a war in the middle of which that friend could find himself caught, if the many rumors she had overheard from him were correct.

“Ugh. I don’t believe this,” Wally said with disbelief.

“Something wrong, Wally-kun?” Kuki asked cheerfully, miraculously enough.

Wally sounded as though frustration had been building inside him as he countered, “Did ya see those dumb electronic billboards outside Tokyo Station?”

Kuki tilted her head for a second, thinking through her best male friend’s question, and her face lit up as she replied, “Oh, yeah!! That slow-dancing scene was sooo romantic, right?”

Wally rolled his eyes and exhaled with impatience. “I’d figured you’d say that, Kuki-chan... but I thought I was gonna catch slow-dancing-kissy-face-itis again!!! Anyway, where the crud are we goin’?”

“To the park, silly!!” Kuki exclaimed with a wide smile on her face. “I heard the cherry blossom trees are really pretty right about now, so why don’t we take a look about them while we’re here?”

The disbelief and skepticism on Wally‘s face was instantly discernible as he said, “You want me to look at a bunch of cruddy trees in some cruddy park? If I wanted to do that, we could’ve stayed in Gallagher.”

“Well, excuse me, buster, but I’ll have you know that cherry blossoms are the prettiest trees I’ve seen anywhere,” Kuki said. “You can sit down underneath them and think about someone you love...”

“Great. Now I’ve got a reason to hate cherry blossoms even more,” Wally muttered under his breath, then said aloud, raising his hands and waving one randomly toward the end of his second sentence to emphasize his point to his best female friend, “Okay, okay, I get it. Cherry blossoms are great, yadda yadda yadda. Now, come on, Kuki. At least we’ll be clear of those three weirdoes.”

Kuki switched back to her usual happy face and giggled once more. “Okey-dokey. Maybe we can even find Hannah’s special friend while we’re the--” As soon as she realized what she’d just said, she gasped with remembrance, turning to face the girl she’d just thought of. “Oh, my goodness, that’s right!!! We haven’t talked a lot about your special friend yet, Hannah. You wanna tell us what’s he like?”

By now, all three kids had stopped, and Haneul looked a bit reluctantly between Wally and Kuki for a few seconds before answering, “Um… maybe we should head for the park first so I can clear my thoughts…”

Kuki nodded hopefully. “Okay, and once we get there, you can tell us all about your special friend, and maybe we can help you find him, so that you two can be together.” She turned back toward Wally. “Just lead the way, Wally. We’re right behind you.”

“Eh… whatever,” Wally muttered to himself, starting to walk ahead once again. “Let’s go.”

“And… thank you for everything so far,” Haneul added later, maintaining her pace and mustering a small smile. “I just know that once you two meet him, we can all become friends… right?”

Kuki nodded joyfully and confidently while Wally simply nodded affirmatively, both eager in their separate ways to help Haneul with this problem of hers, if Kuki perhaps slightly more eager than Wally. The three kids continued on their way down the sidewalk, at times shifting their eyes to their right at either the vehicles cruising through the street or the people walking briskly by on the other sidewalk, but generally focusing ahead of them, avoiding the few men, women, and children almost zipping past them in both directions. During the few minutes that passed whilst Wally, Kuki, and Haneul proceeded toward that aforementioned park, it seemed as though the flow of people had begun to slow to a trickle, perhaps indicating a certain quietness floating about the air. Sure enough, the couple of birds singing merrily as they glided downward directly to Wally, Kuki, and Haneul’s left and the people scattered across various walkways beyond the fence separating the grass from the sidewalk told those three kids precisely where they needed to go in a way that might have been even more amplified by the arched sign directly over a walkway, welcoming all who wished to partake of the beauty within that spacious area.

“‘Welcome to Tokyo Park’. Yay, we’re here!!!” Kuki exclaimed enthusiastically.

Wally paused to look around for a few seconds. “Yeah. Looks like we’re clear. Let’s head inside.”

Wally and Kuki exchanged separate looks with each other, Wally’s one of sober affirmation, Kuki’s one of energetic anticipation, before heading steadily toward the walkway leading into the park, followed quietly and calmly by Haneul. As soon as they all passed the arched sign above them, Wally and Kuki began to shift their eyes back and forth, slowly but surely digesting even more the firm beauty of Tokyo Park. Cherry blossoms dotted the area around them, creating the perception of massive flowers with petals under which many people could stand and sit, which, as it turned out, was exactly what some people were doing at this very moment. Some kids could be discerned in the distance gripping a railing, over which they were pointing out what could have been some small flowers or animals that had caught their attention. Overhead, some small clouds and cloud wisps drifted by, not noticeable enough to alter the general disposition of the people scattered throughout the walkways deeper into the park, the park itself reinforced by the bright sun in one area of the sky. In all, it was an afternoon that Wally and Kuki found perfect to enjoy, but Haneul could not have been more struck by the contrast between this park and the place her special friend had described. As it was, Haneul was certain that Wally and Kuki would not have been able to imagine such a place of torment and misery for people of all ages, including kids, from an outright ban on Yipper, Rainbow Monkeys, and even Christmas[/b][/u], of all possible days of genuine joy, to defiance of a nation whose power and goodness within a specific idea would have boggled beyond all possible imagination the minds of the people around Haneul’s special friend. The two of them had shared a special friendship that some of her friends back home even speculated was becoming romantic, just as Wally and Kuki themselves now perceived, but some weeks ago, the boy had told Haneul of several reports he’d heard regarding the person whom his grandfather, who’d been a sort of rival to three other powerful men associated with that mysterious person, had served. Haneul had worried about that boy ever since, but as she, Kuki, and Wally found a bench next to a large cherry blossom deep inside Tokyo Park, she had a certain reason to smile to herself, almost instinctively thinking that Wally and Kuki would be able to help her.

“Look!!!! Aren’t the cherry blossoms pretty?” Kuki asked optimistically, setting her bag down before sitting down at the bench.

Wally looked around slowly, uncertain whether to simply snort to himself or nod at the park around them, but as he set his bag down next to Kuki’s, his focus wasn’t any less clear. “A bit too pretty, if ya ask me… but if you and Hannah wanna look around and smell the flowers, then I guess I’ll stay here and keep an eye out for any trouble.”

“Oh, stop worrying so much, silly. What do you think this is, a typhoon or something?” Kuki asked just as optimistically, looking between Wally and a small bird fluttering away toward a new tree in the distance.

Wally settled for folding his arms in front of him as he began looking around observantly, that last question having filtered into the back of his mind. “Girls. I can never figure ‘em out…”

In the meantime, Kuki had turned her attention back to Haneul, apparently interpreting Wally’s gesture as being what he would do. “So, Hannah, what do you wanna do first?”

“Well… I’ve been thinking about my special friend quite a lot in the last few days and weeks,” Haneul said openly, just enough for Wally and Kuki to pick up on her voice.

Wally did a sharp double take, then narrowed his eyes with annoyance. “Oh, right. So, who the crud is this ‘special friend’ of yours?”

Haneul felt her apprehension resurge inside her once more as she looked Wally and Kuki, and in turn, Wally and Kuki looked back at her with genuine curiosity, the curiosity of two kids who’d just stumbled onto a great mystery that they might have been closer to solving than they thought upon first discovering it. For her part, Haneul had kept her memory intact for what she perceived to be exactly the right moment to reveal what she knew about her special friend, perhaps including what anyone else might have considered to be a dark secret regarding his grandfather’s rivals, especially one who possessed a truly cruel eagerness to exceed a man who may have been about to suffer a fate that would have chilled Wally and Kuki once they realized it. Thus, Haneul looked directly and seriously between Wally and Kuki, her eyes instinctively telling both kids that she wasn’t joking under any circumstances.

Haneul nodded to muster a final boost of self-confidence before saying, “Well, first, I want to thank both of you for letting me come with you and now, listening to me.” She paused to allow her seriousness to sink in just a little more. “His name is Tong Min-Ki, but I usually call him Michael. We’ve been really good friends ever since we first met two years ago. We often told each other not to worry, because we believed that everything would be all right in the end. Unfortunately, he disappeared a few weeks ago, but we always did smile at each other so that we could stay strong.”

“Awwww, that’s so sweet!!!” Kuki chirped innocently. “Do you know where Michael went?”

Haneul paused to collect her thoughts, this time uncertain about whether or not she could safely reveal the information in her mind’s eye. “He... told me that his grandfather was facing severe pressure from three rivals who each considered him weak, especially one who wanted to dominate others around him by force, if he could.”

The last part of Haneul’s statement caught Wally’s attention sharply and instantly, and he did one double take toward the girl to indicate that new focus, muttering the first statement to himself before asking his question aloud, “I smell a new adult villain... So, who the crud are these rivals to Michael’s grandfather supposed to be?”

“That is none of your concern,” a young male voice said darkly, penetrating the air loudly enough to get Wally, Kuki, and Haneul’s attention.

Wally, Kuki, and Haneul whirled in the direction of that voice… and stopped. Wally felt himself begin to raise an arm defensively, while Kuki got up and stood next to Haneul, confusion doubtlessly clear between both girls. However, the concern on Haneul’s face would have told Wally and Kuki that the three kids now standing together in front of them were not friendly kids. While Kuki simply had a look of wonderment at what these strange kids may have wanted, the look of ominous recognition on Wally’s face -- after about three seconds -- also indicated a heightened sense of alarm, especially given the all-black uniforms that the two boys and the girl were wearing.

“You,” Wally growled silently. “The creepy kids from the bullet train. Who the crud are you, anyway?!”

Kuki rubbed her temple skeptically. “Um, do you guys know the Delightful Children from Down the Lane? You kinda remind me of them.”

The boy in the middle of those three kids, presumed by Wally and Kuki to be the leader, tilted his head with confusion during his first question, then refocused it back with sternness. “The ‘Delightful Children from Down the Lane’? The only children I’m thinking of at the moment are standing around me, but it will be delightful, as you say… if you hand over the girl.”

“I knew it,” Wally said even more defiantly. “You guys are up to somethin’.”

Meanwhile, Kuki had turned toward Haneul -- only to frown with concern. “Hannah, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“Figures,” the girl said with contempt. “General Nam was right about the girl and her special friend, but also that pathetic grandfather of his.”

“General Nam?” Haneul said with a surge of realization -- and fear. “That can only mean one thing…”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold it,” Wally interrupted, pointing between the three uniformed kids. “You creeps sound like ya already know Hannah and Michael. What the crud are ya plannin’ to do?”

The second boy snorted with disappointment. “I was afraid of this. These two kids will want to help General Tong, which means they’ll now be intervening with our plan.”

“Hey!!! Just what do you think you’re doing?!?!” Kuki asked as bravely as she knew. “Hannah and Michael have been really good friends for a long time, so you can’t just keep them apart!!”

The first boy raised an eyebrow with intrigue intermixed with annoyance. “Oh? Can’t we? I can assure both of you” -- he pointed between Kuki and Wally -- “that this is far bigger than you can ever imagine. My two comrades and I will prove that.”

Wally and Kuki exchanged looks of tremendous skepticism before turning toward the three uniformed kids and asking in unison, “So, who are you?”

The three uniformed kids looked between each other, deciding within their separate minds that their discussion had taken long enough to reach this point, then stood solidly together as they faced Wally and Kuki directly and began speaking, the two boys before the girl:

“I’m Dan.”

“I’m Dim.”

“I’m Sun.”

The last six words Kuk Dan, Bok Dim, and Wong Sun said as though they were making an announcement in front of a large crowd, perhaps confounding Wally Beetles and Kuki Sanban but certainly alarming Sang Haneul even more. “And we are… the New Korean Order!!!”

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“I wish Numbuhs One and 362 were here.”

“Well, it doesn’t look like we’re goin’ anywhere anytime soon.”

Hoagie and Abby sat secretively against a massive crate in an unknown square area close to the street in front of them after having peeked around it at three groups of kids in all-black uniforms, their new weapons back at their sides, several more crates and steel containers scattered about the open area in front of a warehouse that appeared much more ominous against the night sky overhead. Around the area, the three groups of kids stood with defiant -- and deafening -- silence between them, as Hoagie and Abby had first observed when they first caught up with those two kids from that intersection earlier. As soon as the two Kids Next Door arrived, they caught a new group of kids racing toward them from the opposite direction, so they saw an opportunity to jump behind the crate so as to avoid being detected. As it was, though, a few minutes passed, and Hoagie and Abby were left to conclude that whoever they were chasing might have already moved on… only to realize that they were more likely to stay put for quite a while. The generals mentioned between what came to sound like three groups of kids sounded strange enough to Hoagie and Abby, but when the two kids whom they had pursued to this site mentioned a “New Korean Order”, their suspicions skyrocketed, their minds immediately having turned to that trip taken by their two Sector V comrades to Japan earlier this evening. They ended up contacting the Moonbase to alert their sector leader and their Supreme Commander to this developing problem, and as might have been expected, they were relieved to learn that the Moonbase was sending reinforcements. As Hoagie and Abby looked up at the night sky without a word, their minds continued churning once again at this increasingly sinister yet still certainly mysterious turn of events.

“Man, Abby. Can you believe this?” Hoagie asked with sincere surprise.

“Huh? Believe what, Hoagie?” Abby asked in reply.

“First, Numbuh One and Numbuh 362 disappear without a trace yesterday, and now, these guys show up,” Hoagie said, then paused for a few more moments as another idea came to him. “Come to think of it, we didn’t see Numbuhs 83 and 84 at all yesterday, either.”

“Hey, yeah, you’re right,” Abby affirmed, pointing at Hoagie as a new idea came to her. “Did you see how quiet those two were right around lunchtime today? It was like they’d just seen a ghost.”

Hoagie nodded grimly at Abby. “Yep, and let’s not forget Numbuhs 60 and 86. They’ve have been rather quiet about this, too.” He raised his head slowly to peek around the corner of the crate. “Do you think they found something big about those guys?”

Abby peeked past Hoagie, catching the three groups of uniformed kids still glaring at each other after having exchanged presumable insults this whole time. “Boy, Numbuh Five has a feelin’ we’re about to find out.”



END OF CHAPTER 5
===========================================================================
“Vultures and Lovebirds at the Dragon’s Mouth”
Chapter 6: “Lovebirds to the Left, Renegades to the Right”



The Supreme Commander’s personal ROADSTAR hurtled swiftly toward Earth, carrying Nigel, Rachel, Lee, and Sonia within it, seated exactly as they were when they headed to Pyongyang to confront the Dear Leader of North Korea for what might very well have been the last time before his demise. Whereas during the ROADSTAR flew solo during that mission, this time, an assortment of Kids Next Door ships traveled behind and around it as escorts, having mobilized while both the most prominent leadership couple and the youngest couple know within the Kids Next Door had raced to retrieve the same weapons they had used to shock and freeze those guards at Moon’s headquarters into unconsciousness. Meanwhile, Bartie Stork and Virginia Sims, the main officers on the Moonbase bridge, had taken the liberty of calling Patton Drilovsky and Fanny Fulbright, the main deputies of Kids Next Door Global Command, back from a special review of the new weapons arrays at the Kids Next Door Arctic Training Base. Fortunately for Bartie, Virginia, Patton, and Fanny, as well as Nigel and Rachel, all of the new cannons and turrets -- whether they fired beams of ice and electricity intertwined with each other or simple flames, pulses and spheres of shadows, energy from light or the sun, or even sprays of bubbles -- were discovered to be working without any malfunctions. Nigel and Rachel both commended the Kids Next Door scientists for their work, realizing that those new weapons would be vital in a crisis similar to the one now unfolding after what was beginning to sound like the demise of Moon Hwan-Il. Thus, Rachel maintained her grip on the vehicle’s steering wheel, Nigel looked directly ahead of both of them with eyes narrowed expectantly, and Lee and Sonia sat behind both Kids Next Door commanders and between four ice/electric beam laser rifles, looking ahead intently, exactly as it was during that Pyongyang mission, having left the Moonbase far behind them, all grimly eager to defeat those generals’ minions right in Sector V’s hometown, then, if possible, gather more clues about how to defeat those generals themselves.

Nigel looked down at the small device in his hand, now displaying a map of a massive square area that featured two blinking white dots directly below a smaller rectangular structure, most likely a crate, and several clusters of blinking black dots moving erratically about the square area in front of a bigger rectangular structure, most likely a warehouse, as well as a lone blinking black dot staying still directly below the structure, another battle likely brewing at that warehouse once they arrived. “It looks like Numbuhs Two and Five are still staying out of range of those kids. However, while Two and Five have those brand-new shadow pulse guns, none of those uniformed kids seemed to have any weapons on them. Defeating them might be easier than we thought.”

Rachel nodded almost imperceptibly. “Maybe, but since our East Asian sectors failed to get any response from North Korea whatsoever, we’ll have to assume that those kids have never even heard of the Kids Next Door before.” She let a small smirk drift onto her face. “Good thing Numbuh 101 had the KNDNA Tracker with him when he was visiting the Moonbase.”

“Oh, yeah. That was pretty cool, letting us track Numbuhs Two and Five’s location,” Lee said observantly, pausing with calm admiration as he pondered the two Kids Next Door leaders ahead of him.

Sonia frowned with concern. “I hope Numbuhs Two and Five are okay… and Numbuhs Three and Four, too…”

Lee turned toward Sonia with confusion. “Numbuhs Three and Four? I think both of them were talking about heading somewhere, maybe Tokyo, but I can’t quite remember…”

Sonia looked at Lee with all the optimism that she could muster, which might not have been much. “I just hope those two have fun in Tokyo…”

Meanwhile, Nigel and Rachel had managed to overhear that exchange, or at least, the part about Tokyo had gotten their attention, as their shared looks of bewilderment might have indicated. “What did you two just say?”

“Sorry, Numbuhs One and 362,” Sonia said as truthfully as she could. “We were just talking about Numbuh Three and Numbuh Four. I think they left for Tokyo a few hours ago.”

Lee smiled calmly. “It might be cool if they found something new while they’re there…” After pausing for a few seconds, he blinked a few times, feeling something pushing against his mind. “Uh, did we tell them about this ginormous North Korea crisis?”

Rachel and Nigel looked at each other, dread bubbling up within their eyes at the answer to that question. “No, we didn’t.”

Realizing the possible danger almost instantly, Rachel slammed her pointing finger onto the activation button for the ROADSTAR’s intercom, and after it beeped, Nigel spoke into it with certain concern and determination. “Numbuh Three, Numbuh Four, this is Numbuhs One and 362. Do you read me?”

“Oh, hey there, guys,” Kuki’s voice penetrated through the intercom, cheerful as ever… then strangely more nervous, for some reason. “Uh, do you guys wanna get over to Tokyo Park really quickly? Wally and I have a problem.”

An unsettling silence crept between Rachel, Nigel, Sonia, and Lee for about a second before Rachel asked, “What kind of problem?”

A snort of disgust was audible, followed by Wally’s voice. “These three cruddy kids wearin’ these stupid black uniforms just showed up outta nowhere and confronted Kuki and me just after we entered Tokyo Park. They’re right in front of us right now.”

Rachel and Nigel both began to narrow their eyes with indignation and deliberation as he verbally took over by saying, “Wait a minute. What has this trio of kids been telling you?”

“Well, to start, I first saw them when we first got onto the bullet train to Tokyo, and they seem a bit too familiar with the girl we first met at Tokyo Station for my liking,” Wally replied steadily.

“Yeah, and these meanieheads are talking about Hannah and her special friend like these two don’t deserve to be together,” Kuki said with frustration, which turned into puzzlement during her next couple of sentences. “They want us to hand Hannah over to them, and they don’t really like Michael or his grandfather either… Oh, yeah. They called themselves the ‘New Korean Order’.”

Lee and Sonia gasped with audible astonishment and alarm at those last three words, disturbingly recognizable as they were, but Rachel regained her usual aura of strictness immediately. “What? If that’s the case, then reinforcements will be on their way to Tokyo shortly. Until we arrive, both of you may use any means at your disposal to defend Hannah from Nam Myung-Sung’s spies.”

At the mention of that last name, Wally began to ask, “Huh? Who the crud is this ‘Nam Myung-Sung’…?”

It was Kuki who went a bit ahead in trying to figure out Nigel and Rachel’s idea -- after a pause of ten seconds. “Uh, some kind of new soup?”

Nigel chuckled in his mind before answering steadily and gravely, “Don’t worry, Wally and Kuki. We’ll explain everything once we arrive.”

“In the meantime, make certain that those kids don’t do anything to harm your new friend or her special friend,” Rachel finished. “ROADSTAR out.”

When Rachel pressed the activation button to end that transmission, she and Nigel looked alertly between each other and Lee and Sonia in the back, both Kids Next Door leaders now more enthusiastic than they’d guessed about their priorities, and Nigel nodded at her dutifully, despite the snort barely escaping him. “We’ll have to split up. Numbuhs Two and Five are facing a larger group of enemies, but Numbuhs Three and Four just encountered several more kids working for Nam. I’d like to have a little word with him if we get a chance to meet him.”

Rachel smiled gravely at Nigel. “Don’t worry, soldier. We just might get that chance soon enough. For now…” She pressed the activation button again. “Attention, Moonbase attack fleet. There’s been a slight change of plans. Nigel and I need attack squadron 6-Platinum to come with us immediately. Attack squadrons 36-Diamond and 21-Pearl may continue on toward Gallagher and help Numbuhs Two and Five taken down those three groups of kids at that warehouse.”

“What about you?” a single Kid Next Door aboard one of the ships escorting the ROADSTAR asked.

“A smaller group of kids just confronted Numbuhs Three and Four in Tokyo Park, so we’ll need to take care of them, as well,” Nigel followed up, mentally taking note of the faint gasps he and Rachel now detected over the intercom. “Once Rachel and I finish matters there, we’ll rendezvous with the rest of you at the Kids Next Door Super-Convention Center for a special briefing. ROADSTAR out.” The single beep signaling the end of that transmission left the two commanding Kids Next Door silent at each other before he asked with a strangely calm, confident, and loyal smile, “So, feel like taking on three generals at the same time?”

Rachel had a calm, confident, and authoritative smile of her own as she replied, “Try to keep up… and keep an eye on your teammates.”

With that small exchange taken care of, Rachel veered the steering wheel rather sharply to the left, taking the ROADSTAR toward a new destination as Nigel began pressing some buttons on the device to switch the map to one of what appeared to be an even more massive rectangular area containing several curved lines and smaller oval and square areas within it and Lee and Sonia looked on with unshakeable resolve, if in their minds. Its wings slicing through the space around it, its rocket engines roaring at full power, the ROADSTAR darted away from the rest of the combined Kids Next Door fleet, followed by one group of ships, leaving those two other attack squadrons to continue barreling onward toward the initial showdown planned at that warehouse in Sector V’s hometown. Even though Nigel, Rachel, Lee, and Sonia knew the most about the adult villains whom those uniformed kids at both that warehouse and Tokyo Park served, all of those young spies were no less eager to rescue their fellow Kids Next Door before it was too late.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wally and Kuki looked between each other with barely concealable relief as Haneul eyed both kids with even less concealable confusion and Dan, Dim, and Sun eyed Wally, Kuki, and Haneul together with observable suspicion. While Wally and Kuki were utterly perplexed at just how much their two superiors seemed to know about their new enemies already, Dan, Dim, and Sun were utterly perplexed at just who those strange kids defending their target were. First, Wally and Kuki mentioned the “Delightful Children from Down the Lane”, as if there actually weren’t any children, delightful or not, down the lane from Tokyo Park, or even in the park itself, and now, Wally and Kuki had been revealed to know two kids who seemed to know more than they were supposed to about that trio’s leader, which, for practical purposes, was nothing at all. Haneul guessed in her mind that whoever those two kids talking from that communicator were, they would be just as eager as Wally and Kuki were to help her find her special friend, but to the trio of kids pursuing her, it was at least inconvenient that they had been standing amidst all these people -- who, amazingly, still seemed to be enjoying themselves instead of gathering around the two groups of three kids each to learn just what said kids were arguing about -- as long as they had been. Dan, Dim, and Sun looked around past Wally, Kuki, and Haneul, seeing four kids running after each other in one direction and an older boy and an older girl, perhaps teenagers, holding hands as though they were in love in another direction. Then, as the three New Korean Order kids turning back toward Wally, Kuki, and Haneul, the sternness in that trio’s eyes was enough to make Wally and Kuki stand defensively ahead of Haneul, remembering that once that girl and her special friend were destroyed, the last of their leader’s rivals would be history.

“Well, this is just great,” Dim muttered with a hint of sarcasm. “Our new targets have friends in high places, and they’re on their way here now.”

“That may be, but we have finally encountered our target,” Sun said with hints of increasing confidence. “General Nam should be doubly happy to learn that we managed to defeat these two kids in the process.”

“Oh, no, ya don’t,” Wally snapped back, more ready to fight with each second that passed by as he faced Kuki sharply. “Kuki, hand me my bubble beam cannon, then take Hannah and get outta here.”

“Wait!! Wally, what about you?!” Kuki asked with mounting alarm. “Are you gonna be okay?”

Wally nodded rapidly a couple of times. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. Just go ahead. I’ll catch up with you girls later.”

Kuki frowned as she looked back and forth between Wally and Dan, Dim, and Sun, and about ten seconds later, when she turned toward the trio of uniformed kids one more time, she felt her eyebrows furrow with determination as an idea came to her -- perhaps hinted by the foot now stepping forward confrontationally against the NKO kids. “No. I’m not letting you face these meanies alone. We’ll defend Hannah together.” A new cheerful smile replaced her determination, if that were even possible. “Maybe I’ll need to get my Brave in the Face of Certain Doom Rainbow Monkey if we meet this Nam guy in the future…”

Wally couldn’t resist rolling his eyes at his best female friend’s usual comment about Rainbow Monkeys. “Right. Just hand me my bubble beam cannon, then get out yours.”

“Okey-dokey!!!” Kuki replied heartily, following her best male friend’s instructions, so that soon enough, both of them each held bubble beam cannons in their hands, aiming directly at Dan, Dim, and Sun, standing protectively close to Hannah. “Don’t worry, Hannah. We’re gonna be okay. So, when do we start fighting these guys?”

Dan felt himself straighten strictly as the answer escaped his mouth, separating his fists as though he were readying himself for battle. “Right… now.”

As soon as those two words evaporated into the air around him, Dan unfurled his arms toward his sides like wings and charged toward Wally, Kuki, and Haneul, who froze with urgent alarm as Wally and Kuki stood together, forming a small barrier, if not much, to protect her. Dim and Sun also readied their fists and feet to join the fight at what they perceived to be the right moment, taking them one step closer to completing their objective here by taking down the short mushroom-blond-haired boy and the taller flowing-black-haired girl literally standing in Dan’s way. As it turned out, however, neither New Korean Order kid had too long to wait for results, for just one moment before Dan could reach their target and her defenders, Wally and Kuki opened fire, letting loose two beams of bubbles that converged to send Dan flying backward -- and crashing after Dim and Sun barely managed to get out of the way. Realizing that they’d succeeded in buying some time, Wally and Kuki nodded at each other first and Haneul next before dashing to retrieve their separate bags. Neither Wally nor Kuki wasted any time in starting to barrel away from that bench, cueing Haneul to catch up to them before all three kids burst away from Dan, Dim, and Sun... who were now each starting to struggle to get up. Dan snapped back into consciousness first, blinking thrice as he happened to catch Wally, Kuki, and Haneul barreling deeper and deeper into the park, catching a few double takes from anyone whom those three passed by. A few more seconds passed, a bit more rapidly than they might have been supposed to, before Wally, Kuki, and Haneul disappeared from Dan’s sight, but if he was quietly infuriated by this setback, then Dim and Sun’s voices would focus that fury back toward their original mission almost like a laser, to use an American invention.

“Dan, all you all right?” Dim asked abruptly.

“What should we do now?” Sun asked just as abruptly -- with hints of mortification.

Dan glared silently at Dim and Sun. “What do you think?” As soon as he straightened himself out, he pointed in the last direction in which he’d seen that girl and her new friends take off. “They mustn’t be allowed to escape. Dim, Sun, get them!!!”

Thus did Kuk Dan start racing in that direction after the New Korean Order’s female target and her evident protectors, with shouts of affirmation from Bok Dim and Wong Sun as they took off after those three kids themselves, ominously served as all three prepubescent spies for Nam Myung-Sung in destroying Sang Haneul so that only Tong Min-Ki would be left. Assuming that those two other generals hadn’t destroyed each other already, the stage would be set for a battle that would permanently determine who would get the opportunity to control the entire Korean Peninsula and who would deserve a place in the ash heaps of history. That scenario in itself assumed that Dan, Dim, and Sun would be able to catch Haneul, Kuki, and Wally, but by now, those last three kids had been running far into Tokyo Park, far enough that they barely managed to stay out of those first three kids’ sight, staying together the whole time. Whereas there had been quite a lot of other people of all ages scattered about the area near the entrance to the park, this area didn’t seem to have as many people within it at all, so that maybe there’d be less unwanted interference for Wally, Kuki, and Haneul. A few enclosed ponds were visible, with a small assortment of multicolored fish in each pond, weaving and swimming around each other to the delight of the handful of people who were observing them at the moment. Wally and Kuki looked behind them, still carrying their bags at their backs and holding their bubble beam cannons at their respective sides, then began to slow down, cueing Haneul to do the same thing, and they stopped in right in the middle of a large, flat intersection of pathways that branched out in at least five directions, with virtually no trees anywhere, which might have proved to be more useful than either Wally or Kuki guessed.

“I think… we lost them…” Kuki panted, then wiped her free hand across her forehead, taking care not to fire it at any time. “Whew!!! So, what do you wanna do now, Wally?”

Despite steadily regaining his breath, Wally could not resist exhaling before he began, “I don’t know, Kuki. We might hafta just wait until Nigel and Rachel show up.”

“Um... Kuki? Wally?” Haneul said with hesitance that was barely discernible beneath her sincere astonishment. “Thank you for defending me from those New Korean Order kids, but… who are Nigel and Rachel?”

Wally and Kuki looked at each other nervously, realizing that Haneul had been in front of them during that sudden exchange right through Kuki’s wrist communicator. The two romantically popular Kids Next Door looked around the clear area, seeing nobody else pay any attention to them, then steeled themselves to tell their new friend what they thought they could for now. Nonetheless, before Wally nor Kuki could start saying anything informative, a new series of beeps from Kuki’s wrist told all three of them that they might have to wait just a little longer… or not.

“Wally, Kuki, come in,” Nigel’s voice pierced through Kuki’s wrist communicator just as authoritatively as it did before. “If you can hear this transmission, then respond now.”

“Hey there,” Kuki began calmly and cheerfully at first, shifting toward a somewhat more serious tone as she continued, “It looks like we’re all right here, and Hannah’s still with us.”

“Yeah. I’m still a bit outta breath, but other than that, I’m just fine,” Wally said a bit quickly toward the end, steadying himself as he continued, “So, where the crud are you guys, anyway?”

An authoritative, grim -- and strangely alert -- chuckle from Rachel pierced through that communicator before she answered, “You don’t have to say anything more, Kuki and Wally. We’re tracking three New Korean Order kids closing on your position, and we have Moonbase attack squadron 6-Platinum escorting us even as I speak. Just sit tight, and we’ll be there in a matter of minutes.”

Wally and Kuki looked at each other with mounting relief and enthusiasm, and Haneul could only find herself smiling as she felt their relief enter her mind, as well, even if she didn’t quite know what she was expecting. Neither Wally nor Kuki knew just what this New Korean Order was, but if it was enough to get the attention of the two most serious, no-nonsensical kids that both of them knew, then it must have been really bad. The winged vehicle escorted by a group of strange ships of various shapes and sizes racing toward Tokyo Park and the larger group of strange ships racing across the night sky over Sector V’s hometown toward a certain warehouse would have given Wally and Kuki at least some hints of just how bad, if for reference in the future, while also alerting Haneul to an organization that she had never heard of before... until now.

The five words penetrating through Kuki Sanban’s wrist communicator after about seven minutes alerted her and Wally Beetles to a sudden wave of reinforcements from the air, perhaps startling Sang Haneul, just as it would have startled not just Kuk Dan, Bok Dim, and Wong Sun as they made their way toward their targets, but also the three groups of uniformed kids working for Nam Myung-Sung, Cho Hui-Jong, and Yun Dae-Yong -- and that single uniformed kid working for Tong Ki-Bak -- as they all froze with shock outside that warehouse, spoken jointly yet separately by Nigel Uno, Rachel McKenzie, Hoagie Gilligan, and Abby Lincoln as the Kids Next Door ships glided or raced toward their destinations, Sector V’s “other” main couple speaking just as firmly as the Kids Next Door’s most prominent leadership couple when they realized what was about to happen:

“Kids Next Door, BATTLE STATIONS!!!!!!!”



END OF CHAPTER 6

[prettywitchiusaka]

Ooh, this is getting really good! I can't wait for the next two chapters! Oh, BTW, I'm just LOVING how in-character all teh characters are here. You really have a good grasp on these characters C7, good work man!

[CCACorn26]

Thank you for your compliment about the character development for my favorite characters, but in consideration of the rate at which this story is progressing, I find that it may be more appropriate to post one chapter at a time, starting at this one.:



“Vultures and Lovebirds at the Dragon’s Mouth”
Chapter 7: “The Rise of the Kids Next Door”



The resulting onslaught proved too much for the groups of uniformed kids scattered in two places at once, each working for a different general of what used to be the Korean People’s Army. As soon as Dan, Dim, and Sun emerged onto the clearing where they’d barely managed to catch Wally, Kuki, and Haneul, the three kids working for Nam and the supposed New Korean Order suddenly found themselves jumping or flying backward in one direction as a volley of laser beams of either ice and electricity intermixed together or sunlight and flames by themselves engulfed that trio of uniformed kids before they could even begin to encircle the trio of kids right in front of them. A similar scene had ensued outside that warehouse as Hoagie and Abby leapt forward from their waiting spot behind that massive crate and opened fire on the three groups of all-black-uniformed kids scattered about the almost empty area in front of that large warehouse, aiming and hitting with all the precision that those two Kids Next Door could muster. The ensuing beams of shadowy circles sent those uniformed kids flying a certain distance or scurrying for any kind of cover, and any thoughts on their part about a possible escape route came too late as the ships of Moonbase attack squadron 21-Pearl formed a semicircle to give Hoagie and Abby enough firepower to successfully block that way away from the area, which left attack squadron 36-Diamond to pummel the eight uniformed kids from above, using ship-based weapons similar to the ice/electric laser beams that had begun overwhelming Dan, Dim, and Sun. During the confusion, the one boy whom Hoagie and Abby had spotted running away from those two New Korean Order kids as though he were in trouble in the first place raced for the door, headed into the warehouse, and slammed the door shut until he perceived the battle to be over, so that once Hoagie and Abby realized that they’d managed to spot him sneaking into that dark warehouse, they would be able to get some flashlights that the members of 6-Platinum had thankfully remembered to bring along, thereby making that last uniformed boy a bit easier to find.

Yet, if that boy thought that the two strange kids behind that crate and those ships from the air were odd enough, then he would never have imagined the volley of meteors now flying directly into Tokyo Park at the three kids working for the boy’s leader’s rival, after a lapse in the previous volleys that cued Wally, Kuki, and Haneul to dart away from those volleys’ overall paths -- and consequently, out of that latest volley’s way. Dan, Dim, and Sun tried desperately to get out of the way, but they wound up crashing into or falling atop each other as they barreled further and further away from their targets with all the speed they could muster, no doubt vowing within their minds that Wally and Kuki would pay dearly for this interference. Wally, Kuki, and Haneul peeked their heads off the ground and turned slowly toward Dan, Dim, and Sun, staring blankly as the three kids who’d been chasing them across Tokyo Park hurried away into a small forest in the distance, perhaps to battle another day. As relieved as Wally and Kuki were that their pursuers had given up trying to capture their new friend, Sector V’s main couple was increasingly relieved as they turned their eyes skyward, in no less than the direction of those volleys, then began to discern a group of ships that might have become increasingly recognizable as they drew closer and closer. Sure enough, it was only a matter of seconds before the Supreme Commander’s personal ROADSTAR zoomed overhead, escorted by a small but unmistakable group of Kids Next Door ships, including one new large ship that Wally, Kuki, and even Haneul guessed had fired those meteors at Dan, Dim, and Sun, a small but critical victory to ensure Wally and Kuki’s new friend’s safety. As those ships began hovering over the stony clearing, the ROADSTAR streaked a bit upward, then turned around and started to glide almost majestically downward, unfurling its wheels to their original positions while tucking its wings into its sides, an awe-inspiring sight for Wally and Kuki. Finally, the ROADSTAR touched down on a straight path off in another direction, racing along the stony pathway until it came to a stop directly in front of the most romantically popular couple within an organization that Sang Haneul was about to become aware of, starting as Nigel Uno and Rachel McKenzie stepped commandingly yet soberly out of their respective seats at the ROADSTAR’s front, followed loyally and just as confidently by Lee Curtis and Sonia Mason out of the back, all carrying those ice/electric beam laser rifles from their previous mission.

“Hey, Nigel and Rachel!!! Thank goodness you’re here,” Kuki began cheerfully as ever while waving at Nigel and Rachel, then gasped while eyeing Lee and Sonia behind. “You brought Lee and Sonia, too? Yaaay!!!! Now we can introduce you guys to our new friend, Hannah Sang.”

Wally nodded a bit dully, his mind implicitly concentrating on other matters. “Yeah, it’s great to see ya guys here... and, uh, I guess Kuki’s right about Hannah over here.”

“Oh, come on, Wally!!! Where’s your enthusiasm?” Kuki asked a bit playfully.

“Well, don’t look at me. You’re the one who brought her to our table back at Tokyo Station and offered to give her some of our pizza,” Wally shot back a bit defensively.

Kuki giggled even more cheerfully, if that were possible in these circumstances. “And you’re the one who offered to protect me and Hannah when Dan, Dim, and Sun first showed up.” She wrapped her arms around Wally. “Thank you for doing that, Wally. It was sooo brave and sweet of you…”

As Wally felt Kuki’s oversized sweater sleeves around him, he didn’t know whether to blush heavily or struggle to break free, even if he might have been doing both at the same time. “Kuki… I… can’t breathe… Not in front… of our… sector leader… and our… Supreme Commander…”

Rachel stared soberly between Wally and Kuki together and Haneul alone separately before clearing her throat. “Both of you can drop the hug now, Kuki and Wally.” She nodded to herself at Wally and Kuki’s initial puzzlement. “It’s about time all three of you, including Hannah” -- she nodded respectfully at Haneul, who nodded back with some confusion and uncertainty still lingering in her -- “learned exactly why Nigel and I have begun tracking Nam Myung-Sung and his rivals.”

“Excuse me,” Haneul interrupted humbly, raising her hand just as hesitantly to gain Nigel and Rachel’s attention, then paused to gather her thoughts more firmly, and she ended up asking as deliberately as she could, “Do the two of you know the name of the main rival to Michael’s grandfather?”

Lee and Sonia looked fearfully at Hannah as they tried to figure out what that last part could have meant, but it was Wally who held up his hand as if to stop this discussion at its current position, despite still being locked in Kuki’s hug. “Hold it. We've been talking about Michael's grandfather ever since those NKO freakazoids started chasing us, so who the crud is he?”

“Hey, yeah, that’s right,” Kuki added, now letting go of Wally. “Those three meanieheads, Dan, Dim, and Sun, sounded like they really hated the guy, and Michael, too.”

It was Nigel’s turn to clear his throat, and to emphasize his seriousness, he tucked his hands behind him. “Erm, right. You can let Hannah speak now, guys. She might know more about our new enemies than Rachel and I expected.”

Wally and Kuki looked quizzically at their sector leader and their Supreme Commander before turning their eyes toward Haneul, and if all three of them were even more confused at just what was going on, then Wally and Kuki could only look at each other with encouragement intermixed with some concern at the nods of positivity intermixed with dread from Lee and Sonia. Haneul found herself reassured to a certain degree by the authoritative calm behind Nigel and Rachel’s combined sternness, as though she could trust them, as well as the two younger kids behind these two increasingly evident leaders, just as she had already trust Wally and Kuki. Then, Haneul stepped forward a few steps to confirm her thoughts.

“Um... I would like to thank your friends for letting me spend time with them, and I want to thank the rest of you for chasing off those three kids working for General Nam,” Haneul began with mounting self-confidence, clearing her throat once before continuing, “So, my name is actually Sang Haneul, but all of you can call me Hannah.”

“Okay. Nice to meet you,” Sonia said a little more optimistically. “I’m Sonia.”

“The name’s Lee. It was pretty cool to kick those kids’ butts,” Lee said with a chuckle of satisfaction.

“Hmm... Ah, yes. Very well, Hannah,” Nigel answered dutifully, making the proper introductory gestures as he continued professionally, “I am Numbuh One, the commander of Sector V, and these are my friends and teammates, Numbuh Three and Numbuh Four. Numbuhs 83 and 84 are beside us, and Numbuh 362 is our Supreme Leader. We work for a global organization called the Kids Next Door, and Rachel and I have recently taken an interest in certain events involving General Nam Myung-Sung, his three rivals... and especially their now-late boss.”

“Um, late? Did Nam’s boss arrive late for some kinda super-secret meeting?” Kuki asked offertorily.

Wally grunted a bit impatiently while folding his arms. “Cruddy adult villains, doin’ this or that to kids…”

“I’m afraid that this may be a lot worse than being late for any meeting,” Rachel said. “In the past few weeks, Nigel and I have been investigating a crisis developing within the power structure of North Korea, a country that has been completely hidden from the world for the past 60 years.” She nodded to take note of Wally and Kuki’s gasps of alarm intermixed with pure incomprehension at such an inconceivable idea. “We have reason to believe that this crisis is powerful and dangerous enough to spread across the Korean Peninsula, given the apparent death of North Korean Dear Leader Moon Hwan-Il.”

Kuki gasped with abrupt alarm, displaying itself in the ensuing frown on her face. “Y-you mean… somebody died[/b]?”

Wally shrugged his shoulders and snorted indifferently. “So, when’s the funeral? It’s not like he doesn’t have anybody to replace him.”

“Wait,” Haneul said. “Did you just say, ‘Moon Hwan-Il?’” She seemed to begin thinking aloud as she said to herself, “Michael told me that his grandfather mentioned working for Moon, but he didn’t think highly of him...”

“Um... sorry, Hannah. I’m afraid you lost me,” Kuki said with sincere uncertainty.

Wally had blinked his eyes with mounting astonishment at Haneul’s last observation. “Hold it. Did Michael’s grandfather know this Moon Hwan-Il guy?”

Haneul looked between Wally and Kuki to her side and Nigel, Rachel, Lee, and Sonia in front of her for about seven seconds, taking note of the mixed concerns of alarm and resolve within the eyes of all six Kids Next Door present, but also the mounting outrage within Nigel and Rachel’s eyes, and she nodded to herself as a new wave of thoughts came to her. “Yes, and Michael mentioned a sort of power struggle in the wake of an increased level of weakness on Moon’s part. At least three different generals have begun fighting each other for control of North Korea and eventually the entire Korean Peninsula, and one of them in particular sees Michael’s grandfather as a genuine threat to his plan.”

Nigel nodded gravely, remembering a couple of documents recovered and confirmed by the Kids Next Door’s East Asian sectors. “I see. Is Nam Myung-Sung this general?”

“Yes, and the other two are Cho Hui-Jong and Yun Dae-Yong,” Haneul said, then paused as she detected a certain level of disbelief surfacing in Nigel and Rachel’s eyes. “Is something wrong, Nigel and Rachel?”

Rachel tried to clear her throat to recover her traditional strictness, but she was unable to suppress the dread churning in her mind. “No, Hannah, we’re okay, but thank you for your concern. Now, what about this grandfather of your special friend, Michael? Do you know what happened to either of them?”

Haneul nodded honestly, perhaps at both parts of that observation. “It’s Tong Min-Ki, actually, but he thinks Michael is okay. As for his grandfather... his name is Tong Ki-Bak.”

The silence surrounding that pathway clearing in Tokyo Park did nothing to quell the disbelief and alarm that skyrocketed between Wally, Kuki, Lee, Sonia, Nigel, and Rachel as those Kids Next Door mentally digested what they had just heard from Wally and Kuki’s new friend. After several weeks of extensive -- and secret -- investigation by the five Kids Next Door sectors of East Asia, Nigel, Rachel, Lee, and Sonia had just received a personal confirmation of their disturbing, to say the very least, discovery regarding the coming crisis on the Korean Peninsula. Wally and Kuki found themselves unable to resist thinking back to that first encounter with Dan, Dim, and Sun, right before Nigel and Rachel had first contacted the two Kids Next Door, all during this intended vacation in Tokyo on Wally and Kuki’s part. The two kids regarded to be KND’s most romantically popular couple and the two kids considered to be younger versions of that romantically popular couple looked fearfully at the KND’s most prominent leadership couple, who now had more soberness intermixed with disbelief, dread, and a hint of outrage between them than either of them had thought possible up to now, already trying to determine where to proceed next.

“I don’t believe it,” Nigel said as steadily as he could. “Rachel, do you realize what this could mean?”

Rachel nodded strictly, those same documents shining more ominously clearly than perhaps darkened crystals, and as she stated her next three sentences, she couldn’t resist pausing between each sentence to emphasize the gravitas all of them were beginning to sense. “You can believe it, Nigel. All of us can believe it. The same general who’s targeting his main rival in order to dominate the Korean Peninsula -- and maybe even East Asia, too -- just dispatched three of his kid minions to capture the girl closest to the grandson of that rival.” A strange beeping from her wrist interrupted her current thoughts. “What is it?”

“Numbuh 362, ma’am, this is attack squadron 21-Pearl calling from Sector V’s hometown,” a serious female voice pierced through Rachel’s wrist communicator. “Those uniformed kids have been knocked out, and Numbuhs Two and Five would like to speak with you and Numbuh One about that boy who was hiding inside the warehouse. He kept muttering about a boy named Michael and some girl who I guess is Michael’s ‘special friend’.”

“Did the boy mention who sent him to America?” Nigel asked authoritatively.

“Yes, sir. He traveled to Gallagher, Ohio, on authorization from General Tong Ki-Bak, and he said, ‘The country is crumbling under Nam Myung-Sung’s wrath, and unless he is stopped, East Asia will crumble, as well. Protect Michael and Hannah... before it’s too late’,” a male voice no less serious replaced the female voice, disbelief audible in both voices the whole time. “Numbuhs Two and Five are wondering if you guys know anything about either Michael, Hannah, or any other targets Nam might have in mind.”

Nigel and Rachel looked at each other with somewhat triumphant yet still sober smiles, recognizing the new circumstances before them, then looked around to note the smiles of relief and optimism on Wally, Kuki, Lee, and Sonia’s faces, not to mention the smile of innocent relief surely crossing the face of Haneul herself. Only yesterday, Haneul had been eluding a group of kids who’d been pursuing her relentlessly, and meanwhile, Nigel, Rachel, Lee, and Sonia had been pondering Moon’s words from that conversation in his office all the way to their return to the Moonbase. Nigel and Rachel turned their faces skyward after about twelve seconds, not blinking even once as they saw Sector V’s personal SCAMPER and the ships of attack squadron 6-Platinum still hovering, ready to escort them and their formerly endangered comrades to wherever they needed to go. Nodding to themselves at this successful retrieval of a critical piece to the puzzle that was the crisis on the Korean Peninsula, Nigel and Rachel faced each other, then looked down at her wrist communicator, still active for that transmission on the other side of the Pacific Ocean.

“Understood. Tell Numbuhs Two and Five that Numbuhs Three and Four first found Hannah at Tokyo Station and held off three kids working for Nam until we arrived. Once we finish here, we’ll be on our way to the Super-Convention Center for a special briefing about this crisis in North Korea and our next course of action,” Rachel said firmly. “Numbuh 362 out.”

“YAAAAAY!!!!!” Kuki exclaimed while throwing her arms into the air enthusiastically. “Did you hear that, Hannah? Now you can meet even more of our friends!!!”

“I know, right?” Sonia asked innocently. “I just hope any other kids across North Korea can be cheerful again…”

A calm yet strangely bitter smile crept across Lee’s face while he said, “It might be really cool to kick Nam’s butt into a gazillion pieces.”

“All right. If the rest of ya are in this, then so am I,” Wally said more intensely than before, perhaps given what he’d just interpreted from these events. “I don’t know about this cruddy romance, but NO ONE gets away with threatenin’ my friends!!!!”

“I think we can all agree with that sentiment,” the leader of Sector V said, then exchanged smiles with his Supreme Commander and practical girlfriend. “So, Rachel, shall we proceed to the Super-Convention Center?”

The Supreme Commander of the Kids Next Door chuckled banteringly at her top sector leader and practical boyfriend, the Kids Next Door’s new mission materializing within both their minds at once. “Gladly, Nigel. Gladly.”

“Um… forgive me for asking this, but are you two supposed to be a couple or something?” Haneul asked less shyly than before, but simply politely, pointing between Nigel and Rachel.

Nigel and Rachel stared blankly at Haneul while Kuki and Sonia snickered as quietly as they could and Wally and Lee simply rolled their eyes, but it was Nigel who cleared his throat before replying, “That may be, but for now, we have a new kid to retrieve and, quite possibly, three new adult villains to take down once and for all.”

It was Rachel who smiled strictly but now more warmly as she said conclusively, signaling to everyone else that they were one step closer to taking action against those “three new adult villains”, “No need to worry, Hannah. As of this moment, you are under the protection of the Kids Next Door.”



END OF CHAPTER 7



Quiet this and at least the next chapter may be, sort of like a "calm before the storm" moment. I imagine that while Nigel and Rachel take care of the information, Wally and Kuki will be happy to introduce Hannah to the rest of the Kids Next Door, adding a sort of humanity to this developing mission.

[prettywitchiusaka]

You're welcome about the characterization. And I don't mind you putting up one chapter in teh least right now.

This chapter was pretty good especially the ending. I just LOVE it when characters get asked by others if they're together or not, only to fall silent upon hearing said question.

[CCACorn26]

Sept 17, 2009 18:26:14 GMT -5 prettywitchiusaka said:

This chapter was pretty good especially the ending. I just LOVE it when characters get asked by others if they're together or not, only to fall silent upon hearing said question.

It may be a safe bet that Nigel and Rachel's romantic friendship will provide a source of light against the darkness encroaching across the Korean Peninsula. Such inspiration may be vitally important for the Kids Next Door's morale as the story takes a series of serious turns, starting here.:



“Vultures and Lovebirds at the Dragon’s Mouth”
Chapter 8: “Preparing for War”



“Aw, man. This is really[/b] bad.”

“What’s happening now, Bartie?”

“Uh, sorry, Virginia. According to Sectors KR and JP, the activity on American communication channels across the Pacific Ocean is beginning to skyrocket.”

“What? Those guys? If they keep this up, their transmissions are gonna skyrocket... and that’s assuming they didn’t already.”

Bartie Stork nodded with caution and resignation at Virginia Sims as she approached his console on the bridge of the Kids Next Door Moonbase, the console beeping steadily yet almost ominously to the two Moonbase bridge officers to indicate a new joint transmission from the two Kids Next Door sectors who’d been closest to the helter-skelter surrounding the Korean Peninsula -- and now surfacing in Sector V’s hometown. Even before those three groups of kids working for each of those generals for the apparently-now-Dead Leader of North Korea had been spotted, Bartie and Virginia remembered not just the many secret discussions between the leader of Sector V and the three main operatives of Kids Next Door Global Command, but also the steady increase in Kids Next Door transmissions from across East Asia. Between that mission to North Korea’s capital yesterday and those weapon reviews and tests at either the Moonbase or the Arctic Training Base in the past three weeks, including even those new shadow pulse guns released last week by the Kids Next Door’s scientists, it hadn’t taken either Bartie or Virginia long to guess that something really, really, really big was going on, maybe something that could exceed Grandfather’s rampage across Earth all those months ago, eerily enough. The KND’s Antarctic and lunar headquarters were already on standby, but with the departure of the KND’s most prominent leadership couple and its youngest couple back to Earth, Bartie and Virginia were left to monitor the situation themselves while waiting for the KND’s other most prominent leadership couple to arrive. Neither of them had long to wait, for about one minute after that latest transmission from the Korean and Japanese Kids Next Door, the automatic door on the right side of the bridge from behind Bartie and Virginia slid open, causing the operatives scattered across the rest of the bridge to turn from their consoles in that direction... and salute. Through the open doorway stepped Patton Drilovsky and Fanny Fulbright, their faces as firm as their feet, perhaps militarily so compared to their Supreme Commander and her top sector leader.

“At ease, soldiers. You may return to your posts,” Patton said, cueing everybody who’d been saluting to follow his order while he and Fanny walked briskly toward the center of the bridge. “Numbuhs 35 and 23, what’s the current situation?”

Bartie typed a few commands on his console to pull up the information he needed, frowning with some confusion as he replied hesitantly, “Uh, the ROADSTAR split off with attack squadron 6-Platinum toward Tokyo, and 36-Diamond and 21-Pearl continued on to Gallagher. Apparently, it wasn’t just Numbuhs Two and Five, but also Numbuhs Three and Four who ran into Nam’s minions.”

Fanny snorted and crossed her arms impatiently. “And how do ye suppose those imbeciles got themselves into trouble this time?!”

Virginia looked down at that console, then walked back to her own, perhaps to analyze that information herself, “Huh. That’s interesting. According to these transmissions between Tokyo and Gallagher, Numbuhs Three and Four found a girl being targeted by Nam, and Numbuhs Two and Five found a boy working for Nam’s most hated rival. All of them are headed to the Super-Convention Center right now.”

A nod of approval accompanied the smile on Patton’s face as he said, “What do you know? Sounds like Sector V did pretty well.”

“Oh, really? Well, speak for yerself,” Fanny said pessimistically, shaking her head negatively to reaffirm that pessimism. “I still can’t figure out which of Moon’s decrees was worse: the one banning Christmas, or the one banning electricity.”

At the mention of those two examples of Moon’s brand of adult tyranny, Patton narrowed his eyes with barely perceivable outrage. “That selfish, rotten, miserable little tyrant. I don’t know who he thinks he is, but to tell you the truth” -- he punched his left palm with his right fist -- “I don’t really care.”

“Well, in that case, neither do I,” Fanny said with grave bemusement. “Those scientists managed to fix whatever bugs they found in the Arctic Training Base’s new weapons arrays, but I’ve got just one question for ye, Numbuh 60.”

Patton looked at Fanny with a raised eyebrow. “Is something up? I’m all ears.”

Fanny had her arms unfolded and one eyebrow squinted with skepticism at Patton as she asked, “Did ye really have to yell at those cadets when I was standing right beside ya[/b]?!?!”

Patton smiled confidently. “Well, don’t worry about me, Numbuh 86. In fact, if what Numbuh 23 said is true, then we might be closer to giving Nam the butt-kicking of his life than we thought.”

“Then it’s a good thing that Numbuh 35 is keeping track of Numbuh 362 and Sector V right now,” Fanny said, skepticism intermixed with some amazement barely visible in her eyes. “Who knew that boy could do an even better job of keepin’ an eye on our Supreme Commander?”

Before Fanny could explain her point to Patton any further, a series of urgent beeps from directly in front of both of them alerted them to a new problem that didn’t seem coincidental at all to this crisis. Bartie and Virginia’s fingers flew across their separate consoles, typing the necessary commands to determine the cause of the beeps. As they did so, the Moonbase viewscreen suddenly shifted from the Earth to a smaller screen showing a digitized version of the planet that the Kids Next Door called home, zooming in on the northern part of the Pacific Ocean. The two clusters of dots leaving Alaska and Hawaii for what appeared to be East Asia could only add to Patton and Fanny’s confusion, along with the looks of increasing alarm on Bartie and Virginia’s faces as they scanned their respective consoles, the information now revealing itself to them adding a special sense of urgency that crept across the Moonbase bridge.

“Well? What’s going on?” Fanny asked, impatience emergent within her voice. “What the heck is that loud beeping?!”

Patton pointed toward the two clusters of dots with strictness yet confusion. “And what are all those dots doing leaving Alaska and Hawaii?”

It took Bartie about six seconds to respond, but when he did, a gulp of mounting fear preceded it. “Oh, no. Uh, those dots are American bomber planes, and I think I just learned why they’ve been activated now: Sectors KR and JP just intercepted at least a dozen images in a row of several large groups of tanks, helicopters, missile launch vehicles, and fighter planes activating across North Korea. One of those groups appears to be leaving Water’s Turmoil Missile Base and heading for Wind’s Howl Missile Base.”

Patton tilted his head slightly, then blinked his eyes once rapidly as a new memory came to him. “Wait a minute. Water’s Turmoil is Cho’s headquarters!!!”

Fanny snorted with a diminutive hint of annoyance. “Well, that took ye long enough to figure out. Now, what could possibly persuade Cho to move against Yun before Moon has even given up the ghost?”

“Got it,” Virginia said suddenly, pausing for several seconds to let her next discovery sink in with greater effect. “We might wanna rethink that last part, because according to these news reports coming out of Pyongyang, Moon Hwan-Il is already dead.”

A collective gasp echoed across the bridge as Patton and Fanny asked together, “What did you/ye just say?!”

A skeptical frown crossed Virginia’s face while one of her eyebrows arched slightly upward. “Okay, this is weird. It looks like somebody in the Korean People’s Army is accusing America and Britain of plotting ‘to assassinate Comrade Moon.’ Whatever made them think that is beyond me.”

“Oh, boy. This looks like it could turn into an all-out war,” Bartie muttered with mounting alarm, facing Patton and Fanny with all the gravitas that he could muster. “Should I put our East Asian sectors on Code Double-Omega?”

Patton narrowed his eyes deliberatively, still eyeing the dots on the digitized globe as they crept toward their destination -- and remembering that special code. “Go ahead, and contact the Super-Convention Center once you’re done. We better let Numbuhs One and 362 know about this right away.”

“Well, there’s a good call,” Fanny said. “Maybe we’ll learn somethin’ about that girl and that boy Sector V managed to rescue.”

Patton crossed his arms with slightly greater solemnity, perhaps increasing slowly with each passing moment. “Well, Numbuh 86, North Korea may be collapsing, but it’s not collapsing without a fight.”

“Yer right, Numbuh 60. Yer too right,” Fanny said, following suit... with a trace of genuine fear.

Patton Drilovsky and Fanny Fulbright stared stonily at the digitized global map, and Bartie Stork and Virginia Sims continued either reading or typing through their consoles, all four of them as increasingly alert as the bridge operatives looking with apprehension at the Moonbase viewscreen before returning to their own consoles. As storm clouds began to appear within their minds over the Korean Peninsula, some of those operatives could only think back to the last time a Code Double-Omega had been activated: that massive attack by all of the Kids Next Door’s sworn enemies at once. If that code was accurate, then the results of the collapse of North Korea could be more catastrophic than any of them ever imagined.

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“Dang,” Abby began slowly. “Are you two sure ‘bout this?”

Hoagie gulped. “Man. This takes adult tyranny to a whole new level.”

Abby and Hoagie’s disbelief was as palpable as the rest of the Kids Next Door around them as they all sat clustered together in an area of benches overlooking the main floor of the Super-Convention Center, a series of flat-screen monitors at the opposite end, recently constructed in case of emergencies. Beside Hoagie and Abby, Kuki was hugging Wally with nothing less than terror at what Nigel and Rachel, now standing as authoritatively as but also more sternly than ever next to each other at the center of the main arena, had described -- with sad nods from Lee and Sonia, now standing somberly to the side as Nigel and Rachel presented their research about North Korea so far, as well as the seemingly accelerating timeline of events associated with it. Standing near Nigel, Rachel, Lee, and Sonia were the two kids whose initial arrival had sparked their actions in the first place, sincerely grateful as those two kids separately were for the Kids Next Door’s help. Haneul still had her outfit from before, as did the boy next to her, now identified as one Hun Jin-Chang, but known simply as Chang with his approval. It had felt like a long ride for all of them as the two Kids Next Door fleets converged on the KND’s main gathering spot for special events from their separate locations earlier, and the clear night sky over New York City as the two fleets arrived did nothing to alleviate the disquiet brewing between each and all of those operatives -- and their two guests -- whilst they made their way toward their respective areas, with Wally, Kuki, Hoagie, and Abby each training their eyes on Nigel, Rachel, Lee, and Sonia slightly more than on Haneul and Jin-Chang. Yet, if some in the audience of prepubescent spies could still remember something about the serious exchange between Nigel and Rachel during that tag game before Grandfather’s rampage across Earth, then Haneul and Jin-Chang were happy simply to be among these odd but well-intentioned kids, picking up Nigel and Rachel’s seriousness right away, striking as it was compared to Wally and Kuki’s simplicity and Hoagie and Abby’s calmness. Thus, there stood the two Kids Next Door leaders, Nigel with his hands tucked firmly behind him and Rachel with her hands rested on the platform before her, their fellow Kids Next Door stunned beyond their comprehension at the evil of North Korea’s most powerful figures... and frightened to the innermost parts of their souls of the possible true extent of that evil.

“All th-those kids... w-w-without anybody to talk to... or Rainbow Monkeys to love...?” Kuki managed to speak, her lips quivering for a few seconds before she burst into tears and buried her head on Wally’s shoulder. “How cruel can Moon and those generals get?!?!?!”

Ignoring Kuki’s virtually uncontrollable sobs for the moment, Wally settled for punching his open left palm with his right fist and cracking his knuckles there all at once. “That does it. I’ll give those generals enough knuckle sandwiches to break their teeth” -- he held up a fist to emphasize his point -- “if it’s the last thing I ever do!!!”

“Don’t worry, team,” the leader of Sector V replied professionally. “Numbuh 362 and I were able to learn about the missile bases serving as the headquarters for each of those generals.”

The Supreme Commander of the Kids Next Door smiled wittily to herself before her face hardened just as professionally once more. “Fortunately, Numbuh One and I are convinced that Tong is the one good adult among these evil adults. Furthermore, now that Chang” -- she nodded with acknowledgement at Jin-Chang, who simply nodded back -- “is also under our protection, we can figure out a way to reach Mountain’s Light Missile Base, then retrieve Michael. Chang, would you like to say a few words?”

Nigel, Lee, and Sonia followed Rachel in eyeing Jin-Chang with tremendous interest, and in turn, the rest of Sector V followed their sector leader and their Supreme Commander, themselves followed by the rest of the Kids Next Door in the audience. Jin-Chang looked around, first at Nigel and Rachel, then out toward the audience, a smidgen of uneasiness present in his eyes, maybe justifiable given what these kids must have thought of a man who had plunged his country into utter darkness -- quite literally, in fact. Jin-Chang couldn’t help smiling at Haneul’s innocent concern for Michael, and as he reached into his pocket and gripped the object he’d expected to feel there, he found himself ready in his way to further inform these “Kids Next Door” about the evil about to be unleashed on the Korean Peninsula, from the view of one who’d enforced it. Jin-Chang solemnly and deliberately walked one, two, three, four, then five steps forward... and stopped, projecting as best as he could the impression that he had nothing to lose.

“Yes. I would,” Jin-Chang began, speaking a little more unsteadily than he would have liked as he continued, “I will start by saying that I cannot thank you enough for hearing me out. Your Numbuhs Two and Five were quite gracious, and your Numbuhs Three and Four seemed to be quite friendly to Hannah before that confrontation with those three kid minions.” He let out a sigh to steady himself further. “I am truly sorry that all of you were dragged into this mess.”

“Uh, it’s okay, dude,” Hoagie said with sincere puzzlement and sympathy. “Maybe we can extend the range on our new meteor cannon ships to target Nam’s headquarters without getting shot down.”

Abby had her arms crossed with thoughtful approval as she opened her eyes and turned to Hannah directly. “Well, I’ll tell you what: this Michael sounds like he’s gonna be one lucky guy once he and Hannah get together.”

Jin-Chang simply glanced at Hannah, who had a quiet blush to herself as he responded, a bit more steadily than before, “Ah, yes. Michael has mentioned Hannah more than once, and he sincerely likes her, quite a lot, to be exact. In fact, that is why Colonel Kwak Ji-Chin dispatched three spies to Tokyo, most likely the ones Numbuhs Three and Four encountered in Tokyo Park.”

By now, Wally had folded his arms, pessimism and indignation bubbling within him. “Dumb colonel, and dumber kids... I still think they’re all quacks, and I’d really like to kick and blast their butts.” He got the impression that someone was looking directly at him, and when he looked around, he saw Hoagie and Abby -- with raised eyebrows. “What? What the crud did I say?”

Abby rolled her eyes. “Figures. You know, for once, I actually agree with that first line, although I might have expected it from Numbuh Two.”

Hoagie raised his hands defensively. “Hey, don’t look at me, Numbuh Five. Maybe once we defeat Nam, we’ll be able to bring Christmas back to North Korea.” Switching mental tracks, he faced Jin-Chang down in the arena. “So, Chang, did you learn anything else about this guy?”

Kuki sniffled, despair and alarm present on her face. “Oh... I wish we could help those kids...”

“Yes,” answered Jin-Chang, his voice now completely firm and sober, a single device similar to the one Nigel and Rachel had retrieved from Moon’s office now visible in his hand. “Your Super-Convention Center’s computer system should be able to restore the data, so that all of you can understand it.”

Jin was about to hand the device over to Nigel and Rachel so they could inspect it themselves when a distinctly recognizable female voice with an Irish accent flooded the arena through the loudspeakers alongside the flat-screen monitors. “Moonbase to Super-Convention Center. Repeat: Moonbase to Super-Convention Center.”

Nigel raised one eyebrow, noting the urgency within that voice. “It’s Numbuh 86, but why would she and Numbuh 60 contact us here and now?”

“They must have something urgent to tell us,” Rachel said, then pointed toward the flat-screen monitors and commanded more loudly, “Onscreen.” At that order, the top left flat-screen monitor blinked once to reveal the bridge of the Kids Next Door’s lunar headquarters, with her two main bridge officers and her two main Global Command deputies mustering stares of determination -- and what looked like fear to Haneul, but Jin-Chang even more so. “This is the Super-Convention Center. Did you guys find anything?”

Bartie was the first to respond, if nervously. “Yes, ma’am. Uh, we just detected an attack force moving out of Water’s Turmoil Missile Base and heading toward Wind’s Howl Missile Base. We think that Cho is about to launch an attack on Yun.”

“And that’s not all,” Virginia said with simple seriousness. “It looks like Moon really is dead, and according to Moon Kwang-Tan Pyongyang Hospital, his heart completely shut down somewhere around twelve-forty-five hours, Pyongyang time... yesterday.”

Patton nodded, taking his turn to respond directly, resolve steely yet also burning brightly in his eyes. “Don’t worry. Sectors C, KR, PH, JP, and AU have already gone to Code Double-Omega, and it seems that the United States Pacific Command is on high alert, too.”

In the meantime, Nigel tilted his head, that time ringing a distant bell in his mind, and all of about seven seconds later, he pulled his right sleeve back to reveal the watch on his right wrist, then looked with dread at Rachel, Lee, and Sonia, the first kid among those three sharing that same dread as he said, his volume increasing steadily, then a bit more sharply, “Wait a moment. That was around the time we left Moon’s office to head back to the Moonbase!!!”

“Not cool,” Lee said calmly, folding his arms in front of him demonstratively.

“I hope Michael and his grandfather are gonna be all right...” Sonia said timidly, her voice almost a whisper, her mind clearly sensing the storm about to break out across the Korean Peninsula.

Rachel exhaled wearily as she looked between the flat-screen monitors, Jin-Chang, Haneul, and the audience of Kids Next Door, all looking either supportive of their most prominent leadership couple, afraid for their East Asian comrades, or both, before eyeing Nigel, Lee, and Sonia, their mission slowly but steadily beginning to materialize between each of their minds. “It’s worse than I thought. If what Numbuhs 23 and 35 just said is correct, then the four of us were the last people to see Moon Hwan-Il alive.”

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The man walked wordlessly down the stony corridor, his shoulders straightened militarily, projecting the confidence of a conqueror whose time had finally arrived. Behind him to his right walked a man whose loyalty and obedience had proven invaluable to his full plan, taken without even a smile. Neither of them knew exactly who those two kids were who’d, rather unbelievably, paid the formerly-beloved Dear Leader of North Korea a visit -- mere minutes before his death, if the reports from the first man’s spies at the main hospital for a capital about to be as reduced to rubble as the hospital itself were correct. However, if the United States of America and the United Kingdom of Great Britain really had struck again, then North Korean General Nam Myung-Sung and Colonel Kwak Ji-Chin would certainly not be deterred in their ultimate quest, unveiling the genuine glory of Korea straight from the humble Dragon’s Shadow Missile Base. Thus, Nam and Kwak approached an arch that led outside the main building around them, stepping out toward a balcony overlooking a vast sea of soldiers, missile launch vehicles, and tanks all lined up in a flawless formation that could have made Nam smile proudly, if he predisposed toward such a gesture. Overhead, multiple squadrons of attack and transport helicopters buzzed in place, not enough to conceal the groups of fighter planes racing even further overhead, all sharing a common mission that would activate as soon as their leader issued his final instructions.

“My fellow soldiers!!” Nam began. “Today, after these many years, our ultimate victory is at hand. The time has come to bury the ignorance of the Moon dynasty and build a new empire under submission... to Allah!!!” He had outstretched his arms at the last two words, and as soon as those words vanished into the air, a collective cry of, “Allah is great!”, erupted from the army, repeated three times before the soldiers fell silent, awaiting the next words of their true leader, who had a certain addition to his plan in mind that only he knew of, utilizing this conflict as an ominously excellent cover. “Go, and strike terror into the heart of the Great Enemy, for now, THE KOREAN WAR BEGINS AGAIN[/b][/u]!!!!!!!...”



END OF CHAPTER 8

[prettywitchiusaka]

Sory about not replying any sooner, I had a girls night out with my mom and my cousin last night and we kind of got back late.

But other than that, this is getting more and more intense by teh second! I sure hope they're attacking America and teh U.K. just because they assume that Nigel and Rachel may have killed him though. Because if so, they're going to need more than sheer will to save three countrys all in one day.

[CCACorn26]

Sept 19, 2009 7:54:21 GMT -5 prettywitchiusaka said:

But other than that, this is getting more and more intense by teh second! I sure hope they're attacking America and teh U.K. just because they assume that Nigel and Rachel may have killed him though. Because if so, they're going to need more than sheer will to save three countrys all in one day.

It would seem that you've just caught a rather specific feature of my fanfiction model, with regards to the new character types being introduced: if the Kids Next Door -- or, more likely, Nigel and Rachel -- defeat a villain who's already well-known somewhere around the world, then any allies or other enemies of said villain will likely perceive that the Kids Next Door's respective countries of origin and/or descent found a secretive way to attack them directly. Needless to say, unfortunately, the villain's allies are angry that said countries are trying to stop them, so they strike back. In the case of Nam Myung-Sung, such a response can only be bloody, as his rage will practically demand.:



“Vultures and Lovebirds at the Dragon’s Mouth”
Chapter 9: “The Blame for the Train Wreck Falls Plainly on Nam”



The coated man walked purposefully toward the roofed terminal, his cowboy hat reinforcing his glasses in masking the sinister aura within his eyes as he felt his left hand gripping the reason for his presence here as though he depended on its lack of exposure. The starlight in the night sky above paled in comparison to the lights illuminating the booths and benches -- and the few people scattered about the terminal -- before his eyes, but it would have seemed appropriately dim to match the nature of his mission. He marveled at the sincere openness and generosity he perceived from the people around him before he made his trip here, thinking that maybe it would have been even more pronounced in daytime, at least in this country at this moment. However, to the man, this generosity merely allowed him to contemplate his “schedule”, as he put it if anyone happened to get nosier than he would have liked, in peace. Thus did it come to pass that at this train station, only the people with whom he was supposed to conduct this mission, with authorization from a location within a country one ocean away from the intended destination of the man’s upcoming train ride, knew of his true identity, if at all, and despite whatever contempt they may have held for the ultimate leader of that country -- contempt that he and the general for whom he had been working and spying shared intensely -- An Kwan-Cho also shared with both the American Emirates’ Army and its fellow “Sharia terrorists”, if a certain news organization working against them could be believed, common enemies in the intolerable United States of America and its slightly though not much less intolerable allies, especially the United Kingdom of Great Britain, Japan, and the Commonwealth of Australia. With each step An took, the booth in front of him drew closer, and he felt his grip tighten around the handle of his suitcase, its contents explosively clear within his mind. At long last, An reached the booth’s checking window, taking note of the woman behind it, and after reaching into his right pocket for about one second, he removed a single slip of paper and handed it to the woman through the opening on the counter below the window, feeling a flash of anticipation in his eyes before the woman’s voice interrupted his thoughts.

“Sir, here’s your ticket. You’re free to go,” the woman said with weary politeness, sliding the ticket back under that opening. “Have a pleasant night, and enjoy the trip to Los Angeles.”

An bowed his head slightly, perhaps to express his awareness of the woman’s exhaustion... or perhaps to further hide that sinister aura as he now accepted the ticket back from the woman, then pivoted his feet away from the booth. He walked cautiously down the waiting platform, seeing the passenger cars neatly lined up to his left, not minding the few people traversing the platform around him -- or the strange music and noises coming from a car closer to the locomotive, perhaps suggesting a party of some kind. The two men with trench coats and two women with headscarves standing closest to the last car in the train An found much worthier of his attention as he approached them, his anticipation churning more tumultuously in the depths of his mind with each step... until he stopped.

“You’re early,” said the woman farthest to An’s right, her arms crossed dourly. “The train doesn’t leave for another two minutes.”

“Indeed,” An replied, the volume of his voice signaling that all of them would need to avoid any suspicion for this mission. “However, they say a lot can happen in two minutes.”

The man next to that woman narrowed his eyes with annoyance that barely registered in his voice, just as low in its volume. “Do you have the package?”

An narrowed his glass-cloaked eyes more sinisterly than before at that question, remembering everything he had done to assemble the object in his suitcase, then speaking about twenty seconds later, “Yes.” He paused to let his demeanor sink in. “I had to call in a few favors to acquire one of the main components... but the package is right here. General Nam is counting on you.”

His arms folded in front of him, Abdul-Mahdi Kincaid, the man directly in front of An Kwan-Cho, presumably the leader of this quartet within an organization that not even the newest President of America was aware of, nodded once, narrowing his eyes almost malevolently as the time of their joint mission approached. “Then, my friends, let us waste no more time. Allah willing, the American Emirates’ Army shall derail the Great Enemy very soon.”

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The silence that fell upon the Super-Convention Center -- and the Moonbase bridge -- could have been mistaken for the silence of a cemetery with a daytime gust of wind as the last exchange between Nigel, Rachel, Lee, and Sonia sank into the minds of the rest of the Kids Next Door and their two guests. Kuki’s hugged her best male friend even more tighter as she felt a shiver run down her spine, but somehow, even Wally found himself unable to decide whether to try relaxing his best female friend’s grip on him... or stare with dread intermixed with exasperation at Nigel and Rachel. Meanwhile, Sonia wrapped her arms around Lee, who gripped her hands gently to reassure her that he was here for her. During any ordinary moment, as the Kids Next Door may have considered it, the combination of the gestures between these two pairs of kids would have elicited chuckles of delight, but as the KND’s two most prominent leadership couples recognized, this was not an ordinary moment by any possible measure. Some gulps and whimpers could be heard across the audience in the minute that passed, but if Jin-Chang shared their alarm and concern, then he was able to remain solidly determined, utilizing the data on the device still in his hand, incredibly enough to him. It had been a treacherous struggle to sneak back out of the main building of Dragon’s Shadow Missile Base after retrieving that device perhaps about twelve days ago, if Jin-Chang’s memory was still accurate, and even when he’d been able to disguise himself and touch down in this town called Gallagher, it didn’t take long for him to realize that North Korea’s spy networks in America were showing signs of being compromised, most recently evident in that confrontation outside that warehouse. It took even less time for Jin-Chang’s thoughts to focus back on the arena around him as he heard a now-familiar yet quiet voice from the audience out in the benches in front of him, Haneul, and the four Kids Next Door near them, and he felt his grip tighten around the device as though his life depended on it.

“Uh, so... this Moon Hwan-Il guy...” Hoagie said slowly. “He’s really...?”

It was left to Abby to slap Hoagie over the head with her cap, and after his brief yelp of pain, she snapped, “Boy, you better get a hold of yourself if you think anybody else here’s gonna die.”

“I can’t help it if I’m scared to death,” Hoagie said, looking at Abby with sincere worry. “Besides, how can I share hot dogs or pizza with anyone, even you?”

Abby looked visibly off her guard at that last question, but she couldn’t resist an urge to let her eyes relax as she calmly placed a hand on Hoagie’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. We’ll get through this... together.”

Hoagie eyed Abby hesitantly. “Do you mean that?”

Abby nodded, a smile of calm reassurance on her face. “Yeah... but let’s save that for later.” Clearing her throat to shift her attention away from that exchange, she turned her face back down toward the arena. “So, Chang, what about that device ya got there?”

Jin-Chang looked down at the aforementioned device. “Ah, this. About a month ago, General Tong began to suspect that Nam’s true plan goes beyond simply dominating the Korean Peninsula, so I was dispatched to Dragon’s Shadow to retrieve whatever information I could, then sneak it into the United States, if necessary. I snuck into the main building after I saw Colonel Kwak and a few other officers talking outside it, but I wasn’t able to find any other documents. I had to take this device with me so that I could analyze it myself.”

“So, how did Nam get his hands on that device, anyway?” asked one of the other Kids Next Door in the audience.

Jin-Chang tilted his head toward the general audience thoughtfully for a few seconds. “If I had to guess, then it was probably the same way Moon got his hands on that recording device he gave to Nigel and Rachel to assist their mission. I can attempt to download the device’s contents into your computer now, if you wish.”

“Are you nuts?! That device might have a computer virus on it!!” Fanny exclaimed.

“I don’t think so. If those documents we saw are correct, then Nam doesn’t even know what a computer virus is,” Patton said, folding his arms to indicate a hint of amazement that he didn’t show easily. “I’m pretty amazed, to tell you the truth.”

Bartie glanced downward, presumably at his console, then looked back up, facing the Super-Convention Center once again. “Uh, I don’t see any problem with our security systems, so it looks like we’re okay.”

Having done the same thing, Virginia nodded calmly. “Yeah, kid. Go ahead.”

Jin-Chang looked around and felt a smile of confidence begin to creep across his face at the nods of encouragement from Rachel, then Nigel, followed by Lee and Sonia. Haneul had clasped her hands shyly, humbly, and together in front of her, as if to add her silent encouragement. Feeling himself become more secure about his surroundings, Jin-Chang stepped forward and handed the device to Rachel, who placed the device next to the set of buttons used to assist in that presentation earlier. Next, she pressed a new button within that set to reveal a hidden slot on the platform of her podium, causing Nigel’s eyebrows to arch upward with curiosity, and inserted the mysterious device from Dragon’s Shadow into that slot. When Rachel finished pressing the necessary buttons to complete the upload, her and Nigel’s anticipation was as grim as everyone else’s at the windows now popping up on the top right flat-screen monitor.

A different Kid Next Door scratched her head and frowned. “So, what does it say?”

The Kids Next Door’s most prominent leadership couple exchanged nods with each other, perhaps to reaffirm the bond that many of their friends in the audience had sensed, as the windows began to overlap each other. The front window displayed what appeared to be a few names each followed by words and sentences that suggested a conversation about certain topics, almost cordial at some points, almost angry at others, but mostly serious, especially given a few of the sentences in the exchange. Strangely enough, only one of the more common names spotted looked like it came from North Korea, and that name was Nam Myung-Sung. At least four other windows were visible behind the one in the front, but enough of the window at the back of this “stack”, for practical purposes, was visible to persuade Nigel and Rachel regarding their next course of action in this new round of research.

“You know, that first window looks like a transcript,” Patton said, visibly pointing up toward the viewscreen, most likely at that same set of windows generated by Jin-Chang’s device’s upload.

“Maybe that’s because it is,” Fanny countered matter-of-factly. “What on Earth could Nam possibly be doing transferring money into Iran and Saudi Arabia’s main banks?”

“What, indeed,” Nigel said, narrowing his eyes with thoughtfulness and suspicion. “According to a flight log intercepted and confirmed by the new Iraqi Kids Next Door, a little over a year ago, Nam made a secret visit to the headquarters of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution to conduct a special review of some new missiles they’d purchased from him three months before. During his stay in Iran, he developed an interest in the rules practiced by both the Revolution Bank and the Kingdom Islamic Bank. This conversation with the GIR’s leadership about three weeks ago indicates that Nam is still a little furious at America for the KIB’s crash... nine months ago.”

Rachel nodded. “As for those rules, Nam realized that some of them matched Moon’s past decrees, more specifically, the bans on transactions with either the Rainbow Monkey Corporation or the Yipper Corporation. When he returned to North Korea, he began initiating his own bans on products either containing pork or made in Israel, and his soldiers went along. He must be trying to extend his sources of money beyond his investments and bank accounts in China, and as Nigel and I discovered, he has found some seriously sinister friends to help him.”

“Wow. Was Nam up to anything else during this little visit?” asked a third Kid Next Door in the benches.

“No, but as Rachel and I said, since that time, Nam has been deepening his spy networks in China, Japan, and even America,” said Nigel. “The Korean People’s Army been on high alert for Moon’s death for quite a while, and with Numbuhs 35 and 23’s news, North Korea is even closer to collapsing than we thought.”

“Which brings us to this window,” continued Rachel, pressing a few buttons to access the window farthest behind that transcript, and as soon as it moved to the front of the top right monitor, its features became clear. “It looks like a map of the Earth, with many red lines branching out from North Korea and many green lines coming out of the Middle East. This must indicate the paths of both Moon’s spy network and the Sacred Strugglers.”

“Numbuh Five thinks these guys are seriously messed up,” Abby said, loud enough for only her and Hoagie to hear.

“I hear you,” Hoagie replied while nodding at Abby’s comment, then leaned his head slightly forward to glance at the map a little more closely and said, “Hey, guys, check out that curved line in the southwestern United States.”

“You mean this line?” Rachel asked commandingly, pressing the buttons once more to zoom in on the aforementioned section of the world, then narrowing and widening her eyes deliberatively at the North Korean flags, similar to those banners and that symbol in Moon’s office, as well as the strange crescents-and-stars directly next to each of those flags… and said, “That’s odd. There aren’t any stops along that railroad between Denver and Los Angeles, so Nam wouldn’t be interested in it unless…”

Nigel exhaled through his nose with dark suspicion. “Unless whatever he wants is on the train along that railroad, but why would he focus on America’s trains when he can simply target Japan’s bullet trains?”

“Excuse me. Did you just mention trains?” Haneul asked sincerely and politely, turning everyone’s focus toward her. “Uh, Michael also mentioned railroads within North Korea, but as far as he could tell, the only railroad connections that go outside that country go to China.”

“Indeed,” Jin-Chang replied. “I was about to enter Dragon’s Shadow’s main building to pick up that device when I overheard a different conversation mentioning a rumor that some new group of Sacred Strugglers had been formed somewhere inside the United States to… target this country’s rail system.”

Nigel blinked rapidly a few times, then steeled himself. “Really? If that’s the case, then I fear we may have just found their intended target.”

Picking up on that cue, Rachel took all of fifteen milliseconds to point at the top left monitor, her eyes hardening with urgency. “Moonbase, scan the southwestern United States for any activity related to the New Korean Order or the Sacred Strugglers and authorize Sectors CO and HW to investigate it.”

The tension in the seconds that passed may have been palpable, but somehow, the beeps from the bridge after just three seconds and the alarm and horror on Bartie’s face when he and Virginia finished their respective scans four seconds later could only magnify it. “I don’t believe it. We just detected an explosion about 24 miles west-southwest of Denver… right along the railroad on that map.”

Virginia’s face was calmer as she and Bartie mentally noted the gasps both around the Moonbase bridge and at the Super-Convention Center, but it might not have amounted to much, for she continued, increasingly hesitant toward the end, “I’m sending the nighttime overhead image to you guys now. I’m not certain yet, but the wreckage looks like a… passenger train.”

The fury and dread across both the Kids Next Door’s most important base of operations and its most important meeting area outside said base of operations could only begin to mount as the bottom left flat-screen monitor flickered to life, displaying the aforementioned area of the United States as tracked by the Kids Next Door satellite no doubt orbiting over North America by now. It was nighttime, most likely even late in the night, so not many objects were visible in that image... or so the Kids Next Door, Haneul, and Jin-Chang perceived at first. The satellite image visibly zoomed in once, twice, and thrice, displaying as a point of reference a curved white line to represent that railroad on that map stored in that device. When it stopped, presumably at its highest possible zoom-in, the attention of every kid looking at that satellite image was on a small cloud barely visible next to several rectangular shapes scattered near each other, not much more visible than that cloud. Nigel and Rachel could sense the disgust and indignation between both of them as the two Kids Next Door leaders locked their eyes between that cloud and those shapes.

A gulp of disbelief could be heard in the audience, followed by a female voice that seemed younger -- and justifiably terrified. “Is… Is that…?”

Rachel nodded slowly, sharing that disbelief and balancing, or at least to balance, it… with justifiable outrage that seemed to slightly amplify the presence of her command helmet. “It’s smoke. Smoke from the explosion. We had to zoom in a few times to see it, but it’s there.”

Meanwhile, Nigel’s outrage was more visible behind his sunglasses, but something about one of the days indicated on the map still visible on the top right monitor kept pushing at the back of his mind, as though another clue could be found within it. “Wait a moment. That day below the map of the world looks familiar, but where have I seen it before…?”

It was Jin-Chang who managed to catch the significance of the aforementioned day, the dread on his face perhaps even more pronounced than that of everyone else around him. “Day? Of course. That day was in front of me the whole time during that mission…”

“Wait. Chang, what are you talking about?” asked Haneul, no less politely than before.

“Oh. My apologies,” Jin-Chang replied, saying more loudly to get the Kids Next Door’s attention once more. “Nigel, Rachel, do you remember the part where I overheard Colonel Kwak and those officers talking outside Dragon’s Shadow’s main building?” When both Kids Next Door commanders nodded, he turned back toward the map and simply said, “This is what they were talking about: a final showdown with General Tong to destroy him and Michael so that the New Korean Order can ascend. Given the time that has passed since then, I’d say that conversation puts this showdown as happening... three days from now.”

“Three days?” Nigel and Rachel repeated in unison before Rachel’s pointing finger flew across the button panel to activate the top right monitor again, this time shifting toward a new window... consisting of several short paragraphs typed by Nam, perhaps indicating his thoughts. “This looks like a journal entry between four and three weeks ago. It seems that Nam has yet to decide whether he hates Moon or Tong more for their ‘ignorance.’”

Nigel’s chin rested in his right hand, which in turn rested on his left fist as his eyes glanced through the journal page intently, and a few critical sentences leapt out at him. “You’re right, but according to Nam, it won’t really matter. According to that section” -- he pointed at the sentences he’d caught -- “the demise of General Tong, Michael, and even Hannah will only be the first step toward his final plan... and it all comes together on that day, three days from this moment.”

Wally’s voice was as defiant as his punched palm as he said, with Kuki having let go of him already, “All right, then. This is it. If this Nam Me-What’s-His-Name thinks he can take over the world, then he’s gonna have to go through me!!!”

“And me!!!” Kuki exclaimed no less defiantly but more cheerfully. “Don’t worry, Hannah and Chang. We’ll protect Michael and his grandfather, and then, Hannah and Michael can be together forever, and North Korea can see Christmas again!!!! YAAAY!!!!!”

Rachel couldn’t help chuckling and rolling her eyes warmly. “What would we do without Numbuhs Three and Four?” She faced the Moonbase bridge at the top left monitor. “Numbuh 86, how soon can you and Numbuh 60 have those other new weapons ready to deploy?”

“Assuming there aren’t any foul-ups, no later than the evening after this one,” Fanny said loyally, caution rising as she went on, “Ye guys might wanna get some rest first, though.”

“No need to worry about us, ma’am,” Patton said. “We’ll continue monitoring the Korean Peninsula and giving you the latest information comin’ outta there.”

“Understood. We’ll prepare for this mission at once,” Nigel said, feeling the determination across the Super-Convention Center arena, however weary he and his comrades and friends were, but no doubt eager to be ready for that showdown as it approached. “All right. Is everyone sure you’re up to this?”

“You can count on us, sirs,” Hoagie replied rapidly steadfastly. “I’ll get to work on those new weapons first thing in the morning.”

Abby chuckled a bit more energetically than she expected. “Whoo-hoo. Just say the word, Numbuhs One and 362. We’re behind ya.”

“So, do you think you’ll be all right, Rachel?” Nigel asked, a calm smirk on his face as he turned toward his practical girlfriend one more time.

Rachel returned her practical boyfriend’s smirk with her own, replying more authoritatively, “You can believe it, Nigel.”

The last six words out of Kids Next Door Sector V leader Nigel Uno and Kids Next Door Supreme Commander Rachel McKenzie’s mouths would supercharge not just their fellow Kids Next Door, from Wally Beetles and Kuki Sanban to Lee Curtis and Sonia Mason, but also the two kids who’d further revealed to them from their separate perspectives the emerging evil of North Korean General Nam Myung-Sung in the wake of the demise of Moon Hwan-Il, toward preparing to counter that evil, confident that they knew enough about it to seek its downfall so that freedom itself could shine across the northern part of the Korean Peninsula:

“Kids Next Door, prepare for battle!!!!!!”



END OF CHAPTER 9

[prettywitchiusaka]

My goodness, this just keeps getting more and more intense by the second. Even with Kuki's cute little remark about bringing Maneul and Michael togetehr and bringing back Christmas. I can't wait for more!

Really? Well, it's neic to know that I've stumbled upon a part of your fanfiction model. And I've got to say, it's quite interesting.

[CCACorn26]

Dramatic intensity, or serious adventure? You may consider this chapter a transition into the last remaining chapters for this story, with the pressure against Nam Myung-Sung ratcheted up even further.:



“Vultures and Lovebirds at the Dragon’s Mouth”
Chapter 10: “North Korea Crumbling, Beijing Betrayed”



If the Kids Next Door’s double onslaught against their counterparts in what had become the four main factions of the Korean People’s Army proved to be overwhelming to those all-black-uniformed kids, then it would have seemed quite harmless compared to the combined onslaught of the United States Pacific Command and the South Korea-United States Combined Forces Command... in the wake of not only two separate movements and a wave of attacks by Korean People’s Army units respectively surrounding Water’s Turmoil and Wind’s Howl Missile Bases that many experts about this desolate country might have rightfully considered suicidal, but also a passenger train attack by a new and formerly unknown group of Sharia terrorists that really was suicidal and had help authorized from none other than Dragon’s Shadow Missile Base. Explosion after explosion erupted across the central section of the Korean Peninsula, mostly the southern part of North Korea down to its southern border, as American and South Korean fighter planes screamed and American attack helicopters, fixed-wing gunships, and bomber planes of currently active varieties cruised through the sky, firing missile after missile at and dropping bomb after bomb on their targets, all after a barrage of rockets and artillery shells had been detected flying directly into an American base near the border’s midpoint. As soon as that barrage’s points of origin were traced, three in a triangle south-southeast of Water’s Turmoil and another two almost directly south of Wind’s Howl, the collective fate of the Korean People’s Army units that initiated that barrage was almost severely obvious, at least, to the North Korean soldiers who perceived that the terrible punishment of the guardian of freedom was the last thing they would ever[/b] see in this world. Missile and rocket launch vehicles, tanks, command centers, communication towers, bridges, supply depots, factories, power generators, reinforcement routes, shipyards, warehouses, minefields -- all succumbed to the lightning assault from America and South Korea. It helped neither the Korean Liberation Alliance nor the Korean Mandate of Paradise that their separate attack forces had collided around 20 miles west of Wind’s Howl, and so, while those two Korean People’s Army factions were engaged in something close to a stalemate, a veritable juggernaut of American troops, tanks, planes, and helicopters barreled north, northwest, and even west-northwest, their bombardment or reconnaissance assisted tremendously by equipment designed to jam signals of any kind across whatever defense grid was still functioning for those two factions.

As for Pyongyang, the city that once embodied the tyranny of Moon Hwan-Il and his father before him, it could now be more aptly described as beginning to embody the collapse of that tyranny. One by one, the buildings that bleakly carried and served Moon’s whims and wishes fell to the volleys of missiles hitting it from the southwest, south, and southeast as increasing numbers of American fighter planes swung toward and raced over what used to be North Korea’s capital, firing their usual weapons just as they had near the border, staying high enough to avoid the cruise missiles smashing into the now-empty buildings from which Moon projected and unleashed his power with every ounce of ruthlessness that he had. One missile even crashed into the office where Moon had been sitting when Nigel, Rachel, Lee, and Sonia confronted him for the first, last, and only time, and milliseconds later, the office erupted into flames. The exact same fate befell the giant statue of Moon Kwang-Tan standing in the center of the city, and perhaps as a cruel and cruelly apt metaphor for anyone who might have gazed at the statue with awe in the past, no one was present anywhere around the square to witness the statue’s destruction. The few North Korean fighter planes that even tried to take off to challenge America’s control of the skies over that burning city instead got blasted to bits, one as it was in the middle of taxiing to the runway at that airbase, and the other planes there simply sat parked in their positions the whole time, becoming sitting ducks for the American fighter planes still buzzing that airbase and now joined by a single fixed-wing gunship, then another, fresh from their sorties against a series of stone clusters that some holdouts from the burgeoning KPA split were intending to use to ambush American tanks and armored vehicles traveling along the nearby highway… which, perhaps conveniently for the gunship crews, led straight to Pyongyang, now considered to be one of the main prizes to capture in this war. The two gunships flew far apart, just enough to give each other the necessary room to open fire on any Korean People’s Army units either still scattered around the area or, more likely, making their way toward the city along whatever roads they could still access.

“Cowboy, this is Crusher. Come in,” said the second gunship’s pilot over the first gunship’s intercom, using the respective codenames for each aircraft.

“Go ahead,” answered the first gunship’s pilot. “I’m reading you loud and clear.”

“I’m tracking five trucks approaching the city on a road out of the north-northeast and another five on the way about one mile up. Enemy personnel are setting up to assist,” said the other plane’s pilot. “Permission to engage?”

“Roger that. Stand by,” said this plane’s pilot swiftly and calmly, then turned behind him. “Where does that road lead?”

The plane’s navigator took three or four seconds to respond, but when he did, a wry smile was barely cracking across his face, muttering before speaking more loudly, “What do you know? The road leads right to Dragon’s Shadow.”

The gunship’s pilot nodded firmly while turning to face directly in front of him. “Okay. Crusher, this is Cowboy. Enemy ground units confirmed along the road. Permission granted. Let’s take ‘em out.”

Like a duo of eagles steadfastly searching for any intruders that had devastated their territory, the fixed-wing gunships turned rightward toward their new targets, their crews readying their guns and missiles along the way. Less than a mile to the west, the last of the KPA fighter planes still unaffected by the American fighter planes’ bombardment exploded, leaving the airfield ripe for an eventual -- and complete -- takeover by American ground units. A bit further to the east-southeast and southeast, the American and South Korean army and air force units pounded any North Korean air defense remnants still visible on America’s detection grids across the peninsula, gradually encircling Cho Hui-Jong and Yun Dae-Yong’s attack forces, which were practically deadlocked west of Yun’s base of operations. Cho and Yun themselves could only await their respective factions’ downfall, perhaps even sensing it as American special operations teams had already snuck into the country ahead of the actual assault, securing the nuclear missiles stationed at Water’s Turmoil and Wind’s Howl Missile Bases, all under authorization from President Ghalib Oredinga himself. As the waves of American fighter planes, fixed-wing gunships, and attack and transport helicopters continued charging forward across the mountainous landscape, the two fast-attack submarines off the peninsula’s west coast continued firing torpedoes at any KPA gunboats and mini-submarines that tried to chase them off, and the three airborne laser planes almost in a triangle at their positions around South Korea waited for what could easily be the unthinkable, there was one conclusion to make between them and the KPA remnants at Mountain’s Light Missile Base: the demise of Moon Hwan-Il might have been peaceful, but the demise of North Korea itself would be more violent.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

“How soon can you complete the preparations?”

“Assuming that the Americans don’t intervene, everything will be in place at midday tomorrow.”

“Is that so, Colonel? By any chance, what do you call not only their bombardment of every valuable target between that border and those two missile bases, but also their takeover of your now-former capital?”

“The removal of three albatrosses, Excellency, sir. I assure you and your generals here that those cretins are worth nothing to General Nam.”

The man stood with his eyes slightly narrowed and his hands tucked behind his back as he noted mentally -- and a bit dismissively -- the words of the man standing behind him to his left. While both men stood in front of an electronic map indicating the major countries of East Asia but illuminating one country that had been served by the second man -- and was now increasingly ceasing to exist -- the room around them was lit with substantial activity from the first man’s top generals and the room’s equipment. One general showed another a report about some new deployments of their country’s armed forces, murmuring about possible inconveniences in those movements for the conflict that everyone in the room was tracking, and three more were sitting together in front of a massive flat-screen monitor, whispering to each other at times about the analysis conducted by the reporter shown on the monitor or simply mentally digesting the developments they’d individually and collectively witnessed within the past couple of days. Some of those generals had even glanced at the two men near that map in the center of the room, recognizing the link between the man next to their practical leader and the man in the middle of the current conflict, whose whereabouts no doubt many around the world were trying desperately to figure out, including even the news organization visible on that monitor. As for the man directly in front of the map, he could certainly remember the first call he’d gotten from the People’s Liberation Army, right while he was wrapping up a visit to the Middle East to expand his country’s influence in that region, thereby countering the influence of the country widely considered to be the global superpower -- and the guardian of freedom. It had been quite notable that one of the four most powerful countries in the Middle East, three existentially opposed to the last one, had formed an alliance with the country now on the verge of being erased from future maps of East Asia, a country located on no less than the man’s doorstep and embodied at this moment by his guest. As Chinese President Zhu Ganglong narrowed his eyes at the small blue stars creeping together over the central portion of the Korean Peninsula, no doubt representing that nuisance of a global superpower and its ally, and New Korean Order Colonel So Bo-Jang focused on a special red dot in the northwestern area of that peninsula, one of them may have seemed perilously more certain than the other about the ultimate outcome of this conflict.

Zhu exhaled through his nose humorlessly. “Look at it.”

“The peninsula?” So asked with puzzlement.

Impatience flashed for a millisecond across Zhu’s face before he replied, “No, Colonel. East Asia.” He felt himself slowly raising his right hand before clenching it into a fist. “After centuries of keeping to itself, China is back, ready to match America in the realms of wealth and power.”

So nodded, a little more firm than he was before. “Indeed, Excellency… and you made it happen. The New Korean Order is grateful for your assistance to us.” He snorted with contempt as the very individual who’d held his true leader back came to his mind. “I won’t miss that old fool or his father.”

The President of China remained silent for all of three seconds before saying, “Tell me something: How do you intend to fight a country that just decimated two of your main rivals and might very well be trying to figure out how to enlist the aid of your remaining rival against you at this very moment?”

The liaison of -- and, consequently, the People’s Liberation Army’s link to -- the anticipated ruler of the New Korean Order looked utterly flummoxed, his voice betraying hesitation on his part. “That’s why we’ve built our forces to counter the Americans, sir. It is only a matter of time befo--”

So was never able to acquire the time to regain his thoughts and sufficiently explain them to Zhu, because at that moment, the overhead lights, flat-screen monitors, and computer consoles across the room, located in none other than the practical headquarters of the PLA, flickered, then went completely dark. Murmurs of concern intertwined with short yells of annoyance but also silence from the PLA commanders scattered about the room as Zhu lowered his right fist to his side while clenching the left one and straightening his shoulders. It helped neither of them that the electronic map had also gone dark, removing the last possible source of light from that room, but all of two minutes later, the lights flickered back on, as did every other piece of equipment that needed electricity to run, with more than a few grunts of suspicion between some of the PLA commanders. So could only frown at this turn of events, thinking that he needed to return to the NKO’s base of operations for Nam’s ultimate plan, whatever it was, but the now-practically-former North Korean soldier felt the frown deepen in his mind five minutes after the electricity returned when another PLA officer, presumably of lower rank, bolted through the main doorway.

“Excellency, are you all right?” asked the PLA aide, running up to So and Zhu before slowing down as he passed a square-shaped electronic table.

“I was standing here the whole time, Lieutenant,” Zhu said matter-of-factly, his impatience slightly more audible as he asked, “Now, would you care to explain why the Great Hall just lost its power?”

The lieutenant gulped, sensing the disapproval of the PLA commanders around him at his nervousness. “I’m afraid we were just sabotaged. The guards managed to shoot the saboteurs before they could escape, but…”

“But what?” Zhu asked with sharp indifference.

The aide glanced with a hint of anger in his eyes at So before turning back to Zhu with as much soberness as he could muster. “Before the saboteurs went down, one of them yelled, ‘Zhu is ignorant, but Allah is great!’, and the other screamed, ‘Long live New Korea!! Long live the New Permanent Ruler!!’. As if that wasn’t enough, when we searched them for clues, we found this” -- the aide reached into his pocket for a second, then held out his hand toward Zhu and So and opened it to reveal a strange crescent appearing to alternate between a large red field sandwiched between two blue fields at its edges and attached to a single white star with a ring of gold around it -- “in the second saboteur’s pocket.”

While Zhu folded his arms in front of him with annoyance that he didn’t bother trying to conceal, So took the symbol from the aide hesitantly and held it in front of his face, studying its features with increasingly fearful recognition. The suspicion building within Zhu’s mind magnified that annoyance, more and more perceivable to his generals across this special underground room for China’s armed forces, even if some of them chose simply to ignore it. As for Zhu himself, he realized that something seemed unusual about So ever since he’d stepped into this room, and when So closed his hand around the symbol and shoved it into his pocket, the Chinese President felt his distrust of the NKO liaison shoot toward the room’s ceiling.

“Colonel So… have you figured out what that symbol is?” the PLA aide asked, pointing at So for a brief moment with a mixture of puzzlement, politeness, and impatience before letting his hand drop back to his side.

So’s gulp could have given away a hint that he was running out of options, evidenced clearly and presently by Zhu’s increasingly icy glare. “Th-this is… This is the symbol of General Nam’s coming reign. We were unable to find the symbol for Eternal Leader Moon Kwang-Tan, but General Nam already had this symbol authorized for his men…”

The PLA aide shifted his eyes between So and Zhu once before clearing his throat. “There was one more thing, Excellency: two PLA officers went missing from their posts late yesterday afternoon, so we tried to locate them. Unfortunately, we did not succeed, but when we examined the identification cards we found on the two saboteurs… the results matched perfectly.”

Zhu turned sharply and directly to the aide, while So followed suit more slowly, both men slowly starting to grasp that aide’s last sentence. The PLA generals and admirals that had begun focusing back on their previous activities found themselves riveted enough by that exchange to turn their heads toward the center of the room, seeing Zhu, So, and the aide next to the still-blinking electronic map. The second that passed felt more like a minute to some commanders, to others more like an hour, but Zhu simply felt his blood beginning to boil with ire at the implications of that last piece of information, slowly but surely shifting his eyes back to So, who found himself unable to suppress the fearful gulp coming out of him. That ire manifested itself when Zhu grabbed So by the throat and began lifting him off the floor, glaring more icily than ever up to this point, taking one almost bloodcurdlingly deliberate step forward before stopping.

As Zhu faced So, but perhaps directed his next question more toward the aide, his voice could have chilled anyone else hearing it, other than the generals and admirals around the room. “Are… you… telling me… that the general we trusted to control North Korea has BETRAYED us?!?!”

“I’m sure… General Nam has an explanation for this…” So gasped. “It must’ve just been… two renegades acting on their own…”

That answer only infuriated Zhu even more, manifested when he tightened his grip around So’s throat even further, making So’s gasps that much more urgent, at least to So. The aide had stepped back a couple of steps by now, uneasy about this latest turn of events in the collapse of North Korea as perhaps a few of his superiors around him. Then, perhaps sensing a new solution, Zhu moved his arm swiftly to the right and let go of So’s throat, sending So flying a few inches before the hapless colonel landed unsteadily on the floor. While So’s hand instinctively went up to his throat to make sure that he was regaining his breath properly, Zhu was now standing almost ruthlessly straight, his eyes narrowed at that special red dot on the electronic map.

“That’s strange,” said one of the PLA admirals looking at a console near the main doorway, pressing a few buttons here and there with mounting urgency. “We just lost contact with Dragon’s Shadow Missile Base, but we’ve yet to detect any American jamming signals across that area.”

The aide followed the rest of the PLA commanders in focusing on that admiral before he turned toward Zhu and stood straight. “Erm... Excellency, do you have any new orders?”

The next two sentences from Chinese President Zhu Ganglong would not do much to disturb the members of the Central Military Commission across this underground room, as well as that lower-ranking aide, communicating his sheer exasperation together with a raised fist and clenched teeth at the last five words, filling New Korean Order Colonel So Bo-Jang with absolute dread at his likely fate, amplified by, among other things, the seconds that ticked by on a set of clocks lining the wall above that console and indicating times in Beijing, New York City, London, Tokyo, and Sydney:

“I don’t care how many of his investments and bank accounts you must freeze, how many of his loyalists you must wipe out, or how many of our units you must mobilize. Find Nam Myung-Sung… and crush him into dust.”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wally exhaled while clasping his hands behind his head. “Man. Can you guys believe this?”

“Believe what?” Kuki asked with innocent sincerity next to Wally.

Wally turned to Kuki to say something, but paused for a second to gather his thoughts before he felt he was ready. “Well, Kuki-chan, you wanted to take me on a vacation in Tokyo two days ago, but now, here we are, right in the middle of this cruddy pile of junk.”

Kuki let out a giggle that could have easily been miraculous, given the aforementioned “pile of junk” -- and others like it around them. “Yep, Wally-kun. We’re right here with each other, and our friends are with us, too.”

Wally happened to catch Lee and Sonia’s chuckles -- and Haneul’s nod -- of agreement with Kuki’s observation as all five kids around a campfire they’d constructed to give a little more light to the starlit -- and gloomy -- area around them, each recalling the tumultuous couple of days that had passed up to this moment. While Hoagie and Abby had gone to successfully test the Kids Next Door’s new light flash cannons, Nigel, Rachel, Patton, and Fanny had begun gathering every piece of information they had retrieved about North Korea into a special database, with more bits and pieces coming in from not just East Asia, but also the western United States and even the Middle East through the day yesterday. Just as those two leadership couples finished compiling that database, the Kids Next Door’s scientists announced that they’d finished adapting the cloaking field on the ROADSTAR to every Kids Next Door SCAMPER, including Sector V’s. Haneul and Jin-Chang had accepted Sector V’s offer to stay at their treehouse until the Kids Next Door were ready to proceed, and when Jin-Chang revealed an abandoned village less than two miles north-northeast of their projected destination, the stage was set for a special mission to the missile base now designated as the headquarters for Tong’s United Korea, a moment made all the more dramatic by the continuous bombardment by America of targets belonging to either Cho’s faction, Yun’s forces, or any KPA remnants still loyal to the Moon dynasty. In the end, with one last message from Patton, Fanny, Bartie, and Virginia -- and a call from Herbie and Lizzie, of all people -- wishing Nigel, Rachel, the rest of Sector V, Lee, and Sonia success and the best of luck, those eight Kids Next Door took off from the Moonbase aboard their respective ships, picked up Haneul and Jin-Chang at Sector V’s treehouse, and headed for the Korean Peninsula at full speed, eventually touching down without being detected. With Nigel and Rachel staying at the Kids Next Door’s new command tent farther down the clearing in that village to keep track of the practical war now exploding across the southern part of what increasingly used to be North Korea, Jin-Chang heading out to scout the rest of the way toward Mountain’s Light before returning, and Hoagie and Abby simply looking around at the abandoned village, Wally, Kuki, Lee, Sonia, and Haneul were left to sit together under the night sky above them, clearing their minds as best they could.

It was Haneul who spoke first to break the silence, which felt something like and in fact was a minute in length. “So, I’m curious, but do you know how Nigel and Rachel became as close as they are right now? At least, they seem really close to me…”

“Oh, yeah, Nigel and Rachel,” Kuki replied. “Well, the Kids Next Door were playing a game of tag one day because Rachel had given up being the Supreme Leader. Then, Nigel went and convinced her to stay on, but unfortunately, at the same time, he and Lizzie weren’t working out, so they broke up.” She let out another giggle, perhaps natural to someone like her. “Don’t worry, though, because Lizzie’s with Herbie now, and those two are getting along just fine.”

Wally nodded with simple affirmation but crossed his arms with simple skepticism. “Yeah, I think that’s it. I’ll tell ya, Hannah: Nigel and Rachel are okay, but you really don’t wanna mess with them. Either they’re on some cruddy romantic date” -- he still found himself unable to resist shuddering inwardly at that thought, calming down just a bit more rapidly as a new thought that he admired much more entered his mind -- “or some new adult villains just showed up, and they’re tryin’ to figure out how to stop ‘em before it’s too late.”

“Which is why we’re here,” Kuki said happily to Wally as if to wrap up that thought, then clear the way for a new one. “Do you think we should go see what they’re doing? Maybe they found something else about this Nam guy. Good thing I brought my Brave in the Face of Certain Doom Rainbow Monkey this time.”

This time, a chuckle of strange acceptance escaped Wally as he glanced at Kuki. “Ya never get tired of mentioning those Rainbow Monkeys, do ya? Well, I don’t know what else Numbuhs One and 362 learned, but I’m gonna help ‘em kick Nam’s butt every way I know how.”

Sonia nodded forlornly, her arm wrapped around Lee’s, turning her mind toward the coming showdown -- and its possible consequences for not just Haneul, but maybe even the Kids Next Door as an organization. “I hope we can defeat him before he causes any more damage.”

Lee managed to reach up to gently pat Sonia’s arm, then smile reassuringly before going on, “It’s cool.” He paused to allow a strange enthusiasm to linger in his eyes before he continued, “Nigel and Rachel are both pretty cool themselves, but Christmas in Korea might be even cooler once it comes back.”



END OF CHAPTER 10



Hmm... First the Kids Next Door, then the United States of America, and now, the People's Republic of China. The way I sense the course of my story, once Nam reveals his final plan, practically the entire planet will want him defeated or even destroyed. Nigel and Rachel will and should have a big day ahead of them.

[prettywitchiusaka]

I agree with you there. Thisd chapter was pretty good, and I can't wait for the next.

[CCACorn26]

Sept 22, 2009 7:39:58 GMT -5 prettywitchiusaka said:

I agree with you there. Thisd chapter was pretty good, and I can't wait for the next.

(nodding gratefully) No need to worry, either about these last few chapters (hint, hint) or that last one. Nigel and Rachel might have a few more surprises up their sleeves for Nam... which not even the other Kids Next Door, Hannah, or Chang know about yet. One might sense a new acceleration to the course of this story even before those surprises are revealed, starting now.:



“Vultures and Lovebirds at the Dragon’s Mouth”
Chapter 11: “Guiding the Kids Next Door to the Romantic Light”



The boy stood solemnly next to the man sitting in a revolving chair, the boy’s arms tucked behind him, the man’s arms sitting atop the armrests on that chair, their outfits much more different from each other than their shared demeanor. Around them, or more specifically, their platform, the silence in the command room of the man’s base of operations could have easily disturbed anyone else, as though something forebodingly dire, something which the boy, the man in that chair, and the other men sitting at different consoles arranged about the room had been anticipating for at least seven weeks, was approaching. Whereas the boy wore a t-shirt with a plain blue field at the front and a red field just as plain at the back and solid jeans, the men all wore military-style uniforms and hats, with the man sitting at the center of the room having a line of stars at his cap and a special name tag, perhaps emphasizing the importance of the event to take place at that control room during the middle of the day, along with the squadrons of helicopters and fighter planes buzzing through the sky above the base, beyond the command room’s windows, with some mountains visible in the distance. Anyone glancing at this for the first time might have suspected that the man had just received special orders from whatever leader he followed to prepare for a massive attack, and even though United Korea General Tong Ki-Bak, his men, and even his grandson, Tong Min-Ki, were in fact readying their minds for a great battle, that leader, North Korean Dear Leader Moon Hwan-Il, had been declared dead… only a short couple of days ago. With Moon out of the picture, there was nothing left to prevent the Korean People’s Army from disintegrating into factions led by its four most well-known generals -- and North Korea from disintegrating into chaos. Only Dragon’s Shadow and Mountain’s Light Missile Bases were left after the United States and South Korea plowed right through Water’s Turmoil and Wind’s Howl Missile Bases, with only a few survivors from either of those factions who’d surrendered, and Dragon’s Shadow had gone completely silent yesterday afternoon, leaving Mountain’s Light relatively cut off from the rest of the world. As Tong sat and Min-Ki stood as they were at that platform and Tong’s soldiers sat as they were at their consoles, a strange beeping from one of the consoles in front of Tong and Min-Ki to their right drew their attention toward it, perhaps indicating help from a source that neither of them would have expected.

Tong narrowed his eyes with some confusion before asking, “What is that?”

The officer in charge of that console began typing at it, interpreting the frequency as best he could. “It sounds like some kind of transmission… but I can’t figure out what it is.”

“Could it be the Americans?” Tong asked further.

The communications officer shook his head, but just barely. “I don’t know, sir, but this frequency is not like anything we’ve been hearing south of us.”

The commander of Mountain’s Light Missile Base leaned back in his chair thoughtfully as his officers turned toward him from their seats, awaiting his next orders. Nary a word had been uttered about this missile base, so most people might have assumed that it had gone even more silent than it already was in the wake of Moon’s demise. Tong himself remembered a special mission he’d authorized for one of his prepubescent spies to the headquarters of his archenemy about a couple of weeks ago, the last he or his officers would hear from -- or of -- that boy. Yet, the murmurs from Tong’s grandson during the ten that passed would present for those soldiers a possible new -- and uplifting -- dimension to that transmission.

“Wait a minute…” Min-Ki whispered with a strange level of awe, his mind somehow sensing a positively familiar presence in that transmission. “Is it possible…?”

Puzzlement -- and curiosity -- on his face, Tong faced Min-Ki. “Did you say something, my grandson?”

Min-Ki stared blankly, hesitating as he then scanned the command room, then cleared his throat soberly. “It’s okay. Hannah might be closer than I thought…”

At the mention of that very familiar name, Tong felt his curiosity inch upward. “What? Are you sure?”

After sensing his mind churn for several more seconds, Min-Ki nodded rapidly -- and steadfastly. “Yes. I can’t figure out why now, but she might be… at the other end of that transmission!!”

Tong furrowed his eyebrows a few times before turning toward his communications officer. “Patch it through. Let’s see what they have to say.”

The Mountain’s Light communications officer looked between his commanding officer and the boy next to him, confusion almost written on his face. Next, he nodded dutifully and began typing several more commands into his console, clearing up the unknown transmission. It was left to the officers to ponder the thoughtfulness they’d sensed from their commander’s grandson these past few weeks, given Min-Ki’s friendship with a girl who could very easily outdo the misery they’d witnessed -- and imposed[/b] -- under the Moon dynasty… assuming, of course, that a certain general who wanted Tong, Min-Ki, and Min-Ki’s special friend destroyed didn’t get his way. The communications officer even considered offering Min-Ki some advice about staying faithful to that girl at any cost a few days after Min-Ki appeared at that missile base for the first time, but sure enough, Min-Ki maintained a certain level of optimism within that time that more than a few officers admired. As the communications officer’s console beeped to signal that it had accepted that transmission, however, no one in that command room would guess how steadfast both of those kids -- or whatever friends the girl had made during this time -- were, had been, and would be.

“Mountain’s Light Missile Base, do you read?” a young female voice with an unmistakably American accent -- and a strangely authoritative tone -- inquired over the now-activated communications console. “If you can hear this transmission, please respond.”

Tong felt himself leaning slightly forward and began rubbing his chin once, then nodded, almost sharing his grandson’s strangely certain demeanor. “This is the commander of Mountain’s Light Missile Base. Identify yourself.”

“General Tong Ki-Bak?” asked a new voice, this one male with a distinct accent, perhaps British, leaving the officers to look between each other with confusion before he continued confidently, “Don’t worry. For now, we are simply friends of Hun Jin-Chang and Sang Haneul, and Jin-Chang is leading us to your base at this moment.”

The surprise on Tong’s face at the mention of those two names was as evident as the surprise on everyone else’s faces as he responded, “Wait a minute. Are you saying that you have Jin-Chang with you right now?”

“That is correct, General,” a thankfully familiar male voice responded. “Everything is fine. My new friends are here to reunite Haneul with Min-Ki, then help you defeat Nam however they can. We are approaching from a pathway to the north, and we should reach the base’s perimeter in about four minutes.”

“Hold on,” one officer said abruptly, blinking his eyes to attempt to register the words of the strange kids over that intercom. “They’re here?”

“How could they…?” another officer said a little more quickly.

Tong ended up having to slice his hand through the air to silence the ensuing murmurs from several other officers. “Enough. I’ll handle this.” He stood up from his chair and took one step forward, then another, all the deliberation that he could muster entering his mind. “All right, Jin-Chang. I will have the guards at the northern gate confirm your claim. What should they look for, and what did you mean when you mentioned defeating Nam?”

A moment of silence that might have masked a certain dread on Jin-Chang’s part did nothing to silence that dread in his voice. “There are exactly ten kids in our group, and I should be in front with the two kids who spoke to you earlier. That said, I’m afraid we may have to act quickly.”

“Why do you say that?” the communications officer asked.

What sounded like a grim breath echoed through the intercom, followed by three seconds of silence, then Jin-Chang’s sober voice. “We learned that Nam is planning a showdown at this base at midday today. We must stop him before he activates his final plan.”

Tong had looked down at the watch on his left wrist during that last sentence… only to feel his eyes widen with realization before whispering somewhat loudly, “What? That’s less than three hours from now!!” He focused directly ahead of him, even with his voice clearly addressing the entire command room. “Very well, Jin-Chang. Once you and your friends clear the northern gate, bring them to the front door of the main building. Min-Ki and I will be waiting for you there.” His voice was no less clear through Nigel’s handheld communicator. “In the meantime, whatever you do, do not[/b][/u] attempt to communicate with anyone else. I don’t want anyone learning your location until you reach the base. Tong out.”

The handheld communicator fell silent in the Sector V leader’s hand as he looked his between his Supreme Commander, their guide to this remaining missile base, and the rest of their friends behind them. The eight Kids Next Door within that group each carried their usual weapons in their backpacks, field-tested until they were error-free, and while Jin-Chang had offered to alert the rest of them to any obstacles along the way, Wally and Kuki were charged with personally safeguarding Haneul with their bubble beam cannons. Whereas Hoagie and Abby had traded their shadow pulse guns from their first encounter with those North Korean spies for flame rifles, it was up to Lee and Sonia to each take one new light flash cannon with them, thereby leaving Nigel and Rachel with their trusted ice/electric beam laser rifles. In addition to those weapons, however, the Kids Next Door had been putting together a plan that only Nigel and Rachel knew fully even during their stay in that abandoned village last night -- and those two commanding kids would activate when the time was right. The ten kids proceeded cautiously yet hopefully down the rocky pathway in front of them, the mountains towering around them in the distance, the grass dotting that pathway’s sides, and the few clouds drifting overhead as quietly unsteady as those kids’ minds.

“All right. You all heard the general,” Rachel said as Nigel put that communicator into his pocket. “From this point forward, we’re on radio silence until we reach the base. Is that clear?”

“Yes, ma’am!!!” yelled the rest of Sector V, Lee, and Sonia in unison.

“Did you hear that, Hannah?” Kuki asked Haneul immediately. “We’re almost there.”

Wally made a skeptical grunt. “Yeah. Almost. I still wonder what the crud Nam’s plannin’ to do…”

“Just stay with Numbuh Three and Hannah, Numbuh Four. We’ll find out soon enough,” Nigel replied, looking between Rachel, Jin-Chang… and a split in the pathway that had just caught his attention. “So, Chang, do you know which way leads to the northern perimeter?”

Jin-Chang walked ahead of Nigel and Rachel and pointed between the two pathways, furrowing his eyebrows at the possible routes… then closed his eyes and nodded to himself abruptly, remembering the most recent exploration mission he’d taken for Tong around this area. “The pathway to the left leads to the hangars. The one on the right will take us closer to the main command building.”

“Then Kids Next Door, move out!!” Nigel yelled while pointing at the appropriate pathway, and as the rest of the kids behind and around him surged down it, passing some shrubs along the way, he turned toward his Supreme Commander and practical girlfriend, smiled mischievously, and asked, “So, Rachel, mind if I let you go first until we reach Mountain’s Light?”

An authoritatively playful chuckle escaped Rachel’s mouth as she returned her top operative and practical boyfriend’s glance with her own, both as distinctly eager as their friends -- Kids Next Door or not -- in reaching that destination and proceeding from there, but also aware of a few surprises that would prove highly useful later as the showdown commenced. “I could tell you to try to keep up, Nigel, but as long as we remember what we’ve got planned, I think we’ll be just fine.”

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Min-Ki stood alongside his grandfather as they waited along the walkway outside Mountain’s Light’s main command building, escorted by five guards. Around those seven individuals in the distance, soldiers of this faction of what used to be the Korean People’s Army could be seen racing about the base, all preparing for the possible showdown with the only other KPA faction left, the faction whose leader had harbored an almost satanic grudge against a man who simply wanted freedom and peace for the Korean Peninsula, as Tong and his deputy could recall, if a bit wearily. Two more attack helicopters could be seen taking off from their launching pads, no doubt joining the attack helicopters already in the air. Perhaps all of them had suspected that Nam Myung-Sung wanted this type of showdown, but none of them knew exactly when he would launch his attack. Mountain’s Light’s commanding general would get a chance to ask his formerly lost spy -- a friend to Min-Ki at this base, at that -- about that plan soon enough, because while he and his guards stood straight, Min-Ki happened to turn his eyes leftward, catching sight of a small convoy of trucks approaching the main command building via the road in front of it. Tong’s ears picked up the sound of those three trucks one second later, sensing visitors within them. The trucks began to slow down and spread apart as they turned slightly to their right, aligning themselves with the walkway... until they came to a complete stop. The right and left front doors at the first truck opened first, and out stepped the two United Korea soldiers in charge of the convoy, their determination as certain as their relief at what -- or who -- they were about to introduce to their leader.

The officer who’d been sitting next to the driver stepped forward. “General Tong, sir, we have Jin-Chang and his friends with us. We found some of their belongings a bit odd, but other than that, they’re fine.”

“Good. You need not say anything more,” Tong said firmly, then turned toward the back seats of that truck, catching the two other passengers... and nodded.

At Tong’s nod, the right back door opened to reveal a strange boy who looked to be about as tall as Min-Ki but instead wore an all-red sweater and khaki shorts that seemed to project purpose and resolve. Tong and the five guards were struck that the boy’s demeanor could’ve easily matched, nay, exceeded their own seriousness, perhaps indicated by his black sunglasses, but they were even more struck that the demeanor of the girl now taking the boy’s hand and stepping out of the truck and next to him seemed to match his, perhaps indicated by her strange helmet. While the backpacks behind the two kids inspired puzzlement alongside the soldiers’ strictness, the boy emerging from behind the truck, having exited through the left back door, inspired a much greater sense of familiarity among the soldiers standing around him as he jogged next to the bald boy and the shoulder-length-blonde-haired girl, and so, the all-black-uniformed boy and the two non-KPA kids stood deliberately before Tong, Min-Ki, and the soldiers of United Korea, ready to tell their story -- and thereby fully make their case.

“Hun Jin-Chang reporting back for duty, General,” Jin-Chang said while saluting.

“At ease, Jin-Chang,” Tong said militarily. “Are these the two kids with whom we spoke earlier?”

“Yes, sir. The two kids who found Haneul are with her in the second truck, and their other teammates are in the last truck,” replied Jin-Chang.

Tong said nothing, merely turning toward the two non-KPA kids and then nodding permissively. “You may bring your friends out now.”

The two kids nodded at each other and each raised one thumb of approval directly toward the other two trucks in that convoy. At that signal, the middle truck’s right back door opened to reveal a girl who instantly caught the younger Tong’s eye, followed by another pair of strange kids, a mushroom-blond-haired boy who appeared to be shorter than the flowing-black-haired girl who cheerily, impossible though that might have looked around this missile base, jumped onto the sidewalk next to that boy and that first girl. While the Mountain’s Light commander’s grandson let out a small gasp at the first girl, her visibly shorter black hair readily familiar to him, the last truck’s back doors opened, and out stepped four more kids, two on each side, each with his or her own backpack that surely contained whatever equipment they’d brought with them, all no doubt accompanying the first four strange kids. As Sector V leader Nigel Uno and Kids Next Door Supreme Commander Rachel McKenzie stood commandingly yet also smiled patiently and warmly as they were, Lee Curtis, Sonia Mason, Hoagie Gilligan, and Abby Lincoln began to gather next to Wally Beetles and Kuki Sanban, perhaps even more enthusiastic than those two Kids Next Door commanders, allowing Sang Haneul to face Tong Min-Ki directly. Tremendous relief was palpable between all of them, thorough disbelief was slightly more palpable between the last two kids, and pleasant puzzlement was perceivable in the eyes of United Korea General Tong Ki-Bak, all at this moment.

“Hannah?” Min-Ki asked, raising his hand with uncertainty. “Is that really you…?”

Haneul nodded solemnly. “Mm-hmm. It’s me, Michael. Your special friend.”

With Nigel and Rachel nodding soberly, Haneul began walking forward, each step as gentle yet purposeful as but also more confident than the last. Hoagie felt his right eye begin to moisten at the sight and an unknown hand begin to rest on his shoulder, and turned to see Abby smiling smoothly and approvingly at what all of them were seeing. Kuki and Sonia looked ready to burst into tears of joy themselves, perhaps Kuki more so than Sonia, but Wally and Lee found themselves barely able to refrain from shuddering or groaning inwardly, eager simply to be done with this moment. At some point during Haneul’s walk, Min-Ki took a few steps forward himself... until both kids were directly in front of each other. Nobody needed any cueing as Haneul wrapped her arms around Min-Ki and closed her eyes, and with steady rounds of applause going up from some of the soldiers around his grandfather, Min-Ki was left to wrap his arms around Haneul with gentle reassurance, so that everyone here would get a greater taste of the friendship they’d shared for these past two years.

“I’m so glad that you’re safe,” Haneul whispered. “Thank you... for being here. My new friends managed to track this base, and now, we’re here.”

Min-Ki let out a quiet breath, then gripped Haneul’s shoulders gently to push her back slightly, looking at her eyes directly. “I’m happy that you found me, but what are you doing here?”

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have worried about you so much, but I couldn’t take the thought of losing you…” Haneul said, feeling her eyes beginning to tear up. “Can you forgive me, Michael?”

Min-Ki offered Haneul a new warm embrace as he replied, “No need to worry, Hannah. No matter where I went these past two weeks… your smile was always there.”

At that point, Kuki couldn’t contain herself any longer, and she burst into tears and buried her head on Wally’s shoulder, leaving Wally to cringe inwardly and glance at Kuki before facing the main command building -- and Hoagie to sniffle and reach up to lift a tear from his eye and say, perhaps remembering a certain moment that this moment could outdo, “Beautiful… That was beautiful…”

It was Abby who spoke next, still retaining her smile. “Look at them. Maybe the best couple of kids we haven’t seen, and to think we didn’t even know who these guys were a week ago…”

Those last few words sparked a sudden dose of comprehension in Tong, who cleared his throat. “Yes, of course.” He turned toward Nigel and Rachel, who shared his no-nonsensical look, perhaps to his relief. “Strange friends of Jin-Chang, Haneul, and Min-Ki, you have come to warn me of a pending attack by General Nam, yes?”

“I’m afraid you’re right, General,” Rachel said. “With Cho Hui-Jong and Yun Dae-Yong’s forces already wiped out, you and Nam Myung-Sung are the only main generals left.”

Tong nodded firmly. “Yes, but I do not want control over any part of North Korea. All I want is peace through freedom for our people, the opportunity to think, create, and dream for ourselves of our own willpower.”

“Don’t worry. You may get that chance soon enough,” Nigel said. “Once we’re through he--”

A voice from the main building’s front door interrupted any other thoughts that might have transpired in the minds of every person present here. “General Tong! You must see this immediately.”

The kids and the soldiers all turned their heads to see one Colonel Kim Sam-Jung, the main deputy for Mountain’s Light Missile Base racing down the walkway leading from the main building toward his commanding officer, once again as confused as the rest of his officers. The Kids Next Door themselves could sense the genuine alarm on Kim’s face as he stopped directly in front of Tong, reinforced between Haneul and Min-Ki when those two kids let go of each other and faced him, with Min-Ki still wrapping his arm around Haneul’s shoulder protectively.

“Is something wrong, Colonel Kim?” Tong asked, still retaining his aura of authority.

“We have a problem, sir, and it’s big. Very big,” said Kim with some hesitation… for which he mentally excoriated himself.

If Tong was confused with his deputy’s demeanor, then his face seemed as stoic as his words as he asked, “What is it?”

Kim’s reply would add a sense of sharp urgency to the coming preparations for his fellow soldiers, however hesitant it was. “We just detected a massive attack force of fighter planes, tanks, missile launch vehicles, and attack and transport helicopters heading this way from the west-southwest.”

To gasps from six of the eight other kids, as of yet still unknown to the United Korea soldiers except as the individuals who defended their lost spy from danger due to those three other factions, Tong narrowed his eyes slightly, undeterred by what he suspected of that force. “Do you know where they came from?”

Kim exchanged glances with Min-Ki and Haneul, then looked around at each remaining child present before turning back toward Tong. “Our detection grids indicate that the force originated from the vicinity of Dragon’s Shadow Missile Base.”

After a new round of gasps of alarm with her teammates, Kuki exclaimed, “What do we do about Hannah and Michael? We can’t leave them here!!”

Wally punched his left palm with a burst of energy that even he would’ve considered dramatic, even if he wasn’t much for show. “All right. You have no idea how long I’ve been waitin’ for this!!”

Nigel raised a hand to signal his teammates to stop for now. “Just stay calm, guys. We’ll be confronting Nam soon enough. For now” -- he pointed at Hoagie and Abby -- “Hoagie and Abby, help Wally and Kuki keep an eye on Hannah and Michael. Make certain that you all stay safe.”

“Will do, boss,” Hoagie, Abby, Wally, and Kuki said in unison while saluting.

“Cool. Do you want us to do anything?” Lee asked calmly.

Rachel’s professional smile and subsequent nod would have seemed almost motherly to Tong and his soldiers, if it also served to indicate her inner strength. “All right, Lee. You and Sonia can contact Global Command and get the rest of our friends set up.”

“Oh… I hope all of you guys are gonna be all right…” Sonia said with a timidity intermixed with optimism that seemed miraculous to the soldiers by this point in time.

“And that leaves Rachel and myself,” Nigel thought aloud, his confidence enhanced by seriousness as he faced his practical girlfriend, feeling his backpack behind him -- and their new course of action within his mind. “Shall we proceed?”

Rachel smiled and nodded at her practical boyfriend, feeling her backpack still behind her. “With pleasure, soldier.” She turned upward to face Tong. “General, with your permission, Nigel and I will inspect your command room.”

Tong looked around at each of the soldiers at the three trucks, then turned to Kim, who nodded to affirm his continued loyalty to him, and it didn’t take long for him to contemplate what to do next, given everything he’d just seen. “Very well, Nigel and Rachel. The command room is in there. Just follow us. As for the rest of you… prepare for battle.”

With that order, the soldiers standing at that area yelled their affirmation of their leader’s instructions, saluted, and scattered toward their intended destinations, all to strengthen their current defenses. While Hoagie Gilligan, Kuki Sanban, Wally Beetles, and Abby Lincoln jogged up to Tong Min-Ki and Sang Haneul, symbolizing the protection of the Kids Next Door for those two kids, Nigel Uno and Rachel McKenzie nodded at Hun Jin-Chang, who removed from his pocket the very device containing the information interpreted from the computer system at the Super-Convention Center leading up to this mission. With a waving gesture from Kim Sam-Jung, Tong Ki-Bak strode back toward the main building, followed instinctively by the two kids now assumed to be the leaders of this strange group of children, the prepubescent United Korea operative thought to have disappeared, and those five guards authorized to help defend the main command building from any uninvited guests, all eager to hold the line at Mountain’s Light Missile Base against the clutches of Nam Myung-Sung.



END OF CHAPTER 11

[prettywitchiusaka]

Wow, this chapter wasn't that intense. In fact, it was rather bittersweet. Such a sweet reuniting between Hannah and Michael, but even so, I can only snese trouble ahead.

[CCACorn26]

Sept 23, 2009 17:44:57 GMT -5 prettywitchiusaka said:

Wow, this chapter wasn't that intense. In fact, it was rather bittersweet. Such a sweet reuniting between Hannah and Michael, but even so, I can only snese trouble ahead.

Trouble, indeed. Hannah and Michael are finally together, but Nam Myung-Sung is coming... for both of them. At the same time, the most diabolical part of Nam's final plan has remained hidden up until now. Judging from the course this chapter takes, I would safely conclude that Chapters 13 and 14 will be the concluding chapters to this politically and romantically dramatic adventure for the Kids Next Door.:



“Vultures and Lovebirds at the Dragon’s Mouth”
Chapter 12: “Hellholes, Truth, and the Apocalypse”



The tidal wave of aircraft and land-based vehicles of the United States of America, backed as dutifully as necessary by South Korea, had already steamrolled two of the main factions of the Korean People’s Army, taking control of what was left of Water’s Turmoil and Wind’s Howl Missile Bases, but they did -- and, in all likelihood, would have done -- nothing to deter the aircraft and land-based vehicles now either cruising through the sky or creeping along the roads leading away from Dragon’s Shadow Missile Base, all under the orders of the leader of one of the two factions still left. Almost like lines of ants marching toward an unspecified target, dozens of tanks and missile launch vehicles traveled along a highway constructed many years ago but now being put to use. Around them, a handful of animals stopped to stare from their positions, and above them, attack and transport helicopters buzzed forward in numerous groupings, far enough apart from each other to still be able to reveal the squadrons of fighter planes zipping along both sides of the attack force. Perhaps ominously enough, any birds that would have normally been flying through this area of the Korean Peninsula at this time of year had instead completely cleared out or simply taken paths around a much smaller convoy of helicopters flying ahead of that massive force… as though they were instinctively fearful about the person whom those attack helicopters were escorting.

Sure enough, at the center of that convoy flew a helicopter unlike the transport helicopters in the attack force behind it, purchased by its main passenger only one year ago from Europe’s largest helicopter company and modified to become his personal airborne vehicle. That passenger now sat in the helicopter’s center seat, his arms and legs folded firmly, his eyes closed deliberatively, his cape sitting silently behind his old uniform, a trivial setback to be dealt with once the last four components of his ultimate plan were ready to activate. To his left sat the man who’d accompanied him as his deputy for this final battle, having vowed to fight to the finish in the name of submission without any questions. The first man remembered learning about a special friend to the grandson of his most hated rival -- as well as certain feelings that that boy and that girl might have shared for each other. It was though an intolerably powerful force had just emerged to challenge that man’s destiny, so he had dispatched three prepubescent spies, an idea from the last years of Moon Kwang-Tan, to find and destroy that girl before that boy’s grandfather could find a way to reach out to the guardian of freedom itself and its two allies in this region. Between those spies’ disappearance in Tokyo two days ago and reports about a possible confrontation with his two other main rivals as well as the demise of a person who had served his purpose against a country that was on its way to challenging the United States of America itself within that period of time, the man could comprehend the eagerness he would be feeling if he allowed it to display itself in front of his deputy, his pilot and copilot, and even his attack force. As Khaybar One flew emotionlessly over the mountainous landscape, carrying now-designated New Korean Permanent Ruler Nam Myung-Sung and now-designated Permanent Minister Kwak Ji-Chin in its passenger compartment -- and the symbol of the New Korean Order at its sides -- both men shared an almost satanic certainty about the fate of the three people considered to be their most dangerous enemies, as prepubescent as two of those three people were.

“Your Greatness, Minister Kwak, we’re approaching Mountain’s Light Missile Base, right on schedule,” the copilot said calmly from the thingypit, unlike his next sentence. “However, the activity there has started increasing dramatically.”

Nam’s eyes snapped open to look directly ahead, the shapes barely visible far ahead of them beginning to confirm his copilot’s words, but his voice remained cold as he asked, “Is it Tong?”

The copilot could be heard pressing several buttons to clarify the events and increasingly visible shapes ahead of Khaybar One as much as he could... but his answer wasn’t helpful to Nam and Kwak. “It might be, sir, but I’m also seeing some communication frequencies that I’ve never seen before.”

Kwak felt his eyes harden. “How can that be? His Greatness ordered every signal from Dragon’s Shadow Missile Base cut off yesterday.”

The pilot let out a small grunt of frustration before asking, “Sir, do we continue as ordered, or do we launch our attack now?”

“No, not yet,” Nam replied, unfolding his arms and letting them rest in front of him. “Open a channel to Mountain’s Light’s command room.”

Kwak and the copilot both turned quizzically from their respective seats to face Nam, but it was the copilot who spoke first, needing not many words at all to express his confusion. “I’m sorry, sir?”

“Even if Tong suspects that I’ve come to finish him -- and that boy and that girl -- off, he may not want to open fire first,” Nam said. “Do it.”

The copilot nodded, turning his face back toward the controls. “Yes, sir.” He allowed his fingers to type the necessary commands... before hearing an affirmative beep. “We’re through, Your Greatness.”

Nam waited for a few seconds, seeing flash within his mind several other attempts to vent his rage against his most loathed rival, including driving quite a number of loyalists for Tong out of a village a couple of miles north-northeast of Mountain’s Light, projecting all the certainty that he could muster as he began:

“Khaybar One to Mountain’s Light Missile Base.”

The voice that replied over the intercom had an aura of indignation alongside its familiarity. “General Nam. You have a lot of nerve showing yourself at this moment.”

Anyone hearing Nam’s voice next might have thought that it had the charisma of a snake. “Ah, my old friend. How is that missile base of yours?”

“Why don’t you try sparing me the pleasantries for once?” Tong asked with a hint of resentment. “It might do wonders for your honesty.”

Nam snorted. “Honesty? You and I both know why I’ve come to your base. My attack force is behind me at this moment.” He paused sinisterly. “That said, I don’t want to destroy you just yet.”

“Then by all means, tell me: What do you plan to do?” Tong asked with a hint of alertness that neither Nam nor Kwak managed to understand. “You said it yourself. You’ve taken your soldiers far from your main base, so if the Americans suspect something and deploy their warplanes here, then you’re history.”

Nam narrowed his eyes at that last assessment, as biting as he might have considered it. “Ever the pessimist about me, aren’t you? I’ll tell you what: My escorts and I will be arriving at your base shortly. Meet me outside your main building, and I will tell you my true plan. It should be quite… illuminating.”

Silence ensued over Khaybar One’s intercom for all of two seconds before Tong responded, “Very well. We’ll be there, but how do we know that you’ll keep your word?”

Nam’s response may have been biting, but it was certainly instant. “I never said anything about giving you a word to keep. I want simply to prolong your anxiety before I destroy you and those insolent children.” The pause this time seemed to be far more ominous than the last. “Of course, you three won’t be alone in paying the ultimate price for defying and denying submission’s rightful place.”

Nam sliced his hand through the air in front of his throat, signaling to the copilot that he could end the transmission now. Next, Nam clasped his hands together before settling for folding his arms in front of him again, leaving Kwak to glance at him contemplatively for several seconds more before he, too, returned to staring at the sky ahead of Nam’s personal helicopter. The attack helicopter and fighter planes looming ahead of that helicopter convoy either patrolled back and forth or simply hovered in their positions directly west-southwest of Mountain’s Light Missile Base, awaiting the coming storm of missiles from the last remaining faction of the Korean People’s Army. As New Korean Permanent Ruler Nam Myung-Sung, still practically the commander of Dragon’s Shadow Missile Base, and Permanent Minister Kwak Ji-Chin sat looking out at the increasingly numerous aircraft looming closer and closer beyond Khaybar One’s front windows, neither they nor anyone else in either the Permanent Ruler’s personal helicopter itself, its escorts, or the larger New Korean Order attack force anticipated the prepubescent reinforcements that either had managed to sneak into their main enemy’s base of operations without any detection, perhaps strengthening that enemy and themselves as they proceeded, or were waiting for a signal to attack from the two kids who, quite inexplicably, had somehow managed to confront Moon Hwan-Il mere minutes before his demise.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tong, his guards, Nigel, Rachel, Lee, and Sonia stood together at the sidewalk outside the front door of the Mountain’s Light main building, all having heard that transmission from the main adult villain behind this crisis himself. This time, Nigel and Rachel were gripping their ice/electric beam laser rifles, and Lee and Sonia gripped their light flash cannons no less solidly, all looking upward at the sky with grim outrage. In fact, those four Kids Next Door may have been gripping their weapons with greater outrage as their ears picked up Nam Myung-Sung’s voice through that same intercom which Nigel, Rachel, and Jin-Chang had used to alert Tong that they and their friends were coming. As for Jin-Chang himself, he had offered to watch the Kids Next Door’s backpacks in the main building’s conference room, at the end of the hallway leading from the command room, and once Nigel and Rachel had dropped off their backpacks there, followed next by Lee and Sonia, then Wally and Kuki, and last Hoagie and Abby, the rest of those kids split up toward their separate positions until the completion of this mission... or so they thought. Hoagie, Abby, Wally, and Kuki were in the middle of talking with Haneul and Min-Ki about those last two kids’ increasingly likely romantic friendship, with Hoagie and Abby making some teasing comparisons to Wally and Kuki, when Nigel and Rachel sent out the alert that Khaybar One, the apparent name of Nam’s personal helicopter, was heading straight for Mountain’s Light ahead of the rest of Nam’s attack force. As Nigel, Rachel, Lee, and Sonia stood solidly as they were next to Tong but apart from Tong’s guards, the final chain of events they were sensing within their minds once this mission was filed in the Kids Next Door Central Archives up at the Moonbase was getting very long very rapidly… to say nothing of the rest of the world.

“Lee, do you think we’ll be okay once this Nam guy shows up?” Sonia asked with alarm.

“I don’t know, Sonia, but hey, it’s still cool,” Lee said with firm reassurance.

Nigel couldn’t help smiling at Lee and Sonia’s solidarity, perhaps even more appropriate now than it had been in the past. “You know, maybe Numbuhs Two and Five were right.”

Rachel raised an eyebrow. “About what?”

“We didn’t know who Hannah, Michael, General Tong, or Nam were before, but our stated goal is to defend kids from any form of tyranny, no matter how ugly it is,” Nigel said, then felt outrage burning in his eyes. “All those missed Christmases, the total lack of Yipper and Rainbow Monkeys, that train attack outside Denver -- Nam is not[/b][/u] getting away with this.”

Rachel exhaled, grimly affirming Nigel’s stand. “I still wonder how this level of evil can be possible after what Grandfather almost did to not just kids, but all of humankind, and we still don’t know what Nam’s ultimate plan is yet.”

Nigel nodded. “If what Nam said is true, then we’ll find out soon enough.” He then smiled mischievously at Rachel. “I’m going to enjoy whatever victory celebration you decide to hold once this mission is complete.”

“Including pizza, chicken strips, French fries, and soda?” Rachel asked, no less mischievously. “You and your teammates aren’t my best sector for nothing, but if I were you, I’d still stay on my toes until we destroy Nam for good.” Her ears detected several sets of running footsteps behind her, and she smiled at the sight of the people she was thinking of next. “Speaking of the rest of Sector V…”

Nigel turned his head in Rachel’s direction, smiling as Hoagie, Abby, Kuki, and Wally ran up to those two Kids Next Door commanders, holding their weapons firmly. “Oh, good. You’re here. How are Michael, Hannah, and Chang holding up?”

Abby was the first to reply. “Doin’ just fine, boss… other than what lover-boy” -- she flicked her thumb twice at Hoagie with some annoyance -- “tried to do for some of those United Korea girls on our way back up here.”

Hoagie chuckled calmly at Abby. “Well, Hannah and Michael should be safe down that secret tunnel with Chang’s other friends.” He then pointed at Nigel, Rachel, Lee, and Sonia with some commendation. “I’ve gotta hand it to you guys for letting Numbuhs 60 and 86 in on this whole deal.”

“Thank you for that compliment,” Rachel said authoritatively, strangely more certain now about herself than the last time she had faced down a crisis of this magnitude… and if this crisis really was what it was, then its implications for the Kids Next Door might have seemed breathtakingly self-evident. “Now, every Kid Next Door across the planet is on Code Triple-Alpha-Omega in preparation for Nam Myung-Sung’s final plan.”

While the Kids Next Door were talking amongst themselves, an ominously familiar sound had reached Tong’s ears, and as soon as his skyward-turned eyes caught the object making that sound, they narrowed with grim anticipation. “Speaking of that plan, you kids don’t have to wait any longer to find out what it is.”

Nigel and Rachel looked directly at Tong. “Why do you say that?”

Tong simply pointed up at the sky toward that object, cueing Nigel, Rachel, and their friends to follow the direction of that pointing finger… until it stopped at what appeared to be an airborne vehicle with several other vehicles of different design around it. The vehicles inched forward emotionlessly before they began to descend toward the wide road along which the three trucks that dropped the Kids Next Door and Jin-Chang off now departed, revealing themselves to be helicopters that had similar shapes to the attack helicopters of this missile base… except for the one at the center of that formation. The Kids Next Door’s most prominent leadership couple felt their grips tighten around their laser rifles at the aura of animus surrounding that helicopter, as did the rest of its most famous sector and its youngest practical couple with their weapons. As Haneul, Min-Ki, and Jin-Chang raced with the four United Korea spies accompanying them down a tunnel beneath those spies’ base of operations, heading toward a rendezvous point with some more “Kids Next Door”, as their new friends appeared to call themselves, Haneul and Min-Ki found themselves pausing as though a genuinely dark presence was just about to emerge. Sure enough, while the helicopters escorting that differently-designed helicopter had settled for hovering above the area, that helicopter itself continued its descent, unfurling its landing wheels downward… until it touched down along the middle of the road, almost in a straight line in front of Tong, his guards, and the Kids Next Door if they were to walk up to it -- or if whoever was sitting in the helicopter was to walk up to them. The symbol painted on the helicopter’s side caught Nigel, Rachel, Lee, and Sonia’s attention immediately, but they had it to filter into the backs of their minds as the helicopter’s left door opened toward them, letting out a small staircase toward the asphalt, but also releasing an unseen aura that made the two Kids Next Door commanders shudder involuntarily, as though the temperature in their souls had just plummeted. Out from the helicopter down the staircase stepped a man who proceeded to stand to the side at the end of the staircase, standing remorselessly straight as another man, much more menacing in the aura around him and the cape behind him, took each step in front of him with a will of iron, staring icily ahead, aware of his most hated rival in front of him. The man and his deputy walked slowly and wordlessly away from the helicopter, carrying that aura of darkness around him… until they stopped some yards in front of Tong, the leading man’s emotionless eyes masking an almost infernal hatred.

“Well, well,” the man began intently, his deputy now visible a few steps behind him. “After three days of hunkering down since the demise of Moon Hwan-Il… we meet once again.”

Tong nodded gravely at the sinister significance of the two men standing before him and his guards. “Yes, and neither of you has changed a bit… General Nam Myung-Sung, the commander of Dragon’s Shadow Missile Base, and his deputy, Colonel Kwak Ji-Chin.”

Kwak narrowed his eyes and sliced his arm leftward… with ominous defiance. “That’s ‘His Greatness’ and ‘Minister Kwak’ to you, you worthless son of a dog.”

At the eight gasps of outrage from around Tong, Nam shifted his gaze downward… and saw eight kids like none he’d ever seen before, at least in person, and he paused with a hint of curiosity behind his increasing impatience. “And who might these children be?”

Tong took all of one second to shift his eyes toward Nigel and Rachel and back toward Nam again, then let a short snort escape his nose. “They are a group of kids who offered to defend my grandson and his special friend. They didn’t even know who we were or what was going on here before, but when they learned about your activities, they decided to help me take you down.”

“Really? Your taste in companions grows ever more difficult to explain, but it matters not,” Nam said, straightening himself. “Your demise -- and that of Tong Min-Ki and Sang Haneul -- will be marked as the first step of the fulfillment of my final plan.”

Kuki felt herself take one step forward, anger flashing through her eyes. “Hold it, buster!!! What did Hannah, Michael, and all those kids across North Korea ever do to you, anyway?!?!”

Wally snorted defiantly, determination flashing through his eyes no less potently. “So, you’re that cruddy Nam Myung-Sung guy? Well, ya can tell ya little spies that if they ever wanna threaten my friends again, then they’re gonna hafta go--through--me[/b][/u]!!!”

Nam’s glare only remained as icy as ever as he scanned his eyes through the rest of the eight kids standing with Tong, eyeing them as furiously yet curiously as they eyed him… but his words could have been icier. “You surround North Korea with those infernal toy animals, spread that horrendous holiday around the world, with millions upon millions of smiling and laughing children, and extend your ‘protection’ around those two insufferable brats… and you dare[/b][/u] to lecture me about right and wrong, good and evil!!?? You should be grateful that I’m sparing your two new friends the pain and suffering from the flames I’m about to unleash… for now.”

Nigel felt his grip tighten around his laser rifle even further, perhaps leaping ahead of Rachel in his mind. “How typical of a ruthless snake like you. Give us one good reason why we shouldn’t just crush you once and for all!!”

“Hold it, soldier,” Rachel said with a distinctly authoritative tone that Nigel seemed to understand quite well, indicated by respectful silence from him as she began addressing Nam herself, maintaining her grip around her laser rifle. “Now, Nam, you said you’re here to tell General Tong your ultimate plan. Well, whatever it is, my fellow Kids Next Door are preparing to stop you even as I speak.”

Nam paused with curiosity intermixed with mounting annoyance. “Is that so? You can tell your ‘Kids Next Door’ that for refusing to surrender to Allah and the New Korean Order, they will pay… with their lives.” He paused to digest the new looks of greater horror and outrage from those eight kids, closing his eyes before opening them again, an aura of false sympathy practically oozing in his next sentence. “It’s a pity that my two former colleagues won’t be around to witness that plan.”

Nigel snorted. “Moon was right about you. You allowed Cho and Yun to destroy each other so you could concentrate on Tong, Michael, and Hannah. Unfortunately, you forgot a few other things.”

“Like what?” Nam asked bitterly… yet oddly patiently now, having glanced at his watch without any perception from Nigel and Rachel.

“Like those nuclear bombs the United States has been securing across North Korea and a betrayal the People’s Liberation Army has been blasting,” Rachel responded no less commandingly than before. “We may have been too late to stop that train explosion, but you’re not[/b][/u] getting away with this.”

Nam tilted his head and closed his eyes as if he wanted to gather his thoughts once again... but when he opened them again and focused on Nigel and Rachel, the malevolent anticipation within his eyes -- despite his apparent new lack of emotion -- was more than enough to chill Kuki and Sonia, cueing Wally and Lee to each step protectively toward the respective girls. “Your sentimentalities are sickening, but your ignorance is surprising. You may act like kid spies for America’s Central Intelligence Agency, Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service, or Israel’s Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations, but I would judge by your latest words that you don’t know what a diversion is.”

While Nigel and Rachel’s eyes widened with alarm, Hoagie found himself unable to resist gulping with similar fright. “Uh… a diversion?” He turned rapidly toward Abby, whispering a bit loudly, “Wh-what do we do now, Numbuh Five?”

Abby rolled her eyes, then placed a calming hand on Hoagie’s shoulder, just as it was at the Super-Convention Center. “No need to worry, Numbuh Two. If this is the end, then I’m glad you and I were together before we went down fightin’.”

As Hoagie and Abby talked, Nam looked down at his watch, and given the time displayed on it, if he could permit himself even one smile of total malice, then he would more than likely take that chance, but instead, he settled for eyeing all eight kids directly, feeling a certain moment of truth tick ever closer to not just every person standing here… but maybe, just maybe, every person across this planet. “Yes, you heard me. While America was so busy tracking down the remaining nuclear bombs of what will no longer be North Korea, an old friend of mine has been preparing to test four new weapons of mass destruction that will usher in the New Korean Order. America’s defense of freedom may have weakened this world beyond measure, but never again shall that idea poison humankind.” He held the watch directly in front of his face, noting the tiny second hand ticking ominously closer to the minute and hour hands, and the intended time change burned brightly within his mind, yet not so brightly as a certain darker image within it, while he said aloud, addressing the entire combined group of Kids Next Door and Mountain’s Light soldiers, “Once the Namian Imamate arrives, this planet will be cleansed of its impurities, and it begins… now.”

As soon as the word “now” escaped his mouth, the second hand on his watch hit its mark, taking the minute hand with it, cueing Nigel and Rachel to step forward together, with Wally, Kuki, Hoagie, Abby, Lee, Sonia, Tong, and his guards straightening up, bracing for whatever immense darkness Nam had just unleashed. As it was, Nam may have been far more chillingly accurate than the Kids Next Door knew, because while they had been speaking, a different group of soldiers at a different missile base completely outside the Korean Peninsula was sitting or standing at their consoles, looking out at the four circular lids beyond the windows of that base’s control room, all arranged in a straight line from left to right, each indicating a silo built underground and housing the very weapons that would forever remove from the world the symbols -- and centers -- of power of the civilization responsible for imposing that evil idea upon the rest of humankind. The commanding general of that missile base remembered a deal offered by the man supposedly at the center of this new empire to launch China’s newest intercontinental ballistic missiles... for the right price. The resulting payments were more than enough to satisfy that general for the rest of his life, and he considered the destruction of the guardian of freedom to be a special bonus to enjoy. Thus did the commander of this special missile base for those new missiles stare out into the eerily clear sky, his officers sitting humorlessly at their stations, ready to carry out his orders.

“General Bao, the nuclear warheads are secure and armed, and all systems have been engaged,” the technical officer said.

“Status of targets?” asked the base commander.

“Identified and locked, sir,” replied the targeting officer, whose console displayed a map with four dots that blinked together like a collective -- and collectively ghostly -- heartbeat to indicate those targets. “The White House, Washington, D.C.; Buckingham Palace, London; St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City; and the Parthenon, Athens.”

The commanding general paused for a few seconds, letting the moment sink into the consciousness of every person in this control room as he knew how… and then, he spoke, enclosing his hand into a fist with the force of a conqueror who was about to witness a moment of revenge which he’d anticipated for a long time. “It’s time. Launch the missiles… and let the annihilation of freedom commence.”

The officer in charge of the missile launch console slammed his pointing finger onto the launch button, and the silos began to rumble, carrying the collective rage of all those who wanted submission without any criticism and with force whenever possible. Then, one by one, the four intercontinental ballistic missiles rose upward from the silos, each based on Russia's latest design and carrying a single nuclear warhead toward its designated target, and rocketed away into the sky, all under the authorization of General Bao Zhifeng, the commander of Bear’s Revenge Missile Base, a name that Nigel Uno, Rachel McKenzie, and their fellow Kids Next Door all over Earth would have found terrifyingly appropriate for the mission involving those four missiles, one of two primary components in Nam Myung-Sung’s ultimate plan.



END OF CHAPTER 12

[prettywitchiusaka]

Oh no! I can't believe that! I sure hope they can stop those missles in time, otherwise there's going to be a huge body count. Still though, it was nice to see Rachel acting like her stern self once more.

[CCACorn26]

Sternness, or something more? Nigel and Rachel don't quite realize that world-ending component of Nam's plan yet, but there will and should be nothing holding them back once they do. I might imagine just how satisfying Nam's defeat will be to the Kids Next Door, the United States, China, and the rest of the world... starting now.:



“Vultures and Lovebirds at the Dragon’s Mouth”
Chapter 13: “Refusing to Falter, Refusing to Fail”



The beeping alarms sounding from the special missile tracking console in the special underground room for the People’s Liberation Army in fact synchronized perfectly -- and ominously -- with the alarm bells blaring in the minds of the two People’s Liberation Army generals flanking the President of China as the three men stared at the electronic map, or more specifically, four red rocket icons that appeared to be scrunched together when they first appeared but had begin distancing themselves from each other as their distance from their point of origin increased, if slowly yet certainly on the map. Those four icons all originated from a single spot in northwestern China, near its border with Central Asia’s largest country… as well as Russia. As each icon rose upward from the blinking crosshairs at that single spot, a single dotted line that curved ever so slightly leftward followed it, tracing the coordinates and the trajectory of those new missiles. While those two generals could only stare in thorough apprehension, whether for themselves or their country, Zhu looked ready to explode with rage. The other PLA commanders present in the room were at their proper stations, every last one of them, tracking their respective departments and divisions across China, as well as the movements of not only the countries of East Asia, but now, the entire Eurasian continent, including any and all units of the armed forces of the United States. It had been bad enough that the New Korean Order’s so-called leader had utterly turned his back on the very country that had committed its money and training to his effort to control the Korean Peninsula on their behalf, but now, as Zhu and his generals continued watching the icons indicating China’s newest intercontinental ballistic missiles loop steadily to the left, the suspicion within their minds at that special missile base rumbled immensely.

Zhu pointed at the blinking crosshairs, his eyes crackling with quiet fury. “Is that facility supposed to be conducting any training exercises at this time?”

One of the officers at the missile tracking console pushed the necessary buttons frantically, and in response, the console began printing out a sheet of paper filled with notes taken from the input data… which the highest-ranking officer at that console grabbed and started to read -- only to feel his face turn ashen with something between embarrassment and horror as he faced the general direction of the electronic map. “No, sir. It’s not.”

“Excellency,” another officer at a different console spoke up urgently, then more steadily toward the end. “Tiger attack squadrons 8 and 24 and Dog attack squadron 512 have just reported in. They are about to cross the Yalu River and ready for final orders.”

The last three words hung in the air throughout this underground room as the other PLA commanders and officers turned unsurely toward Zhu, and when he closed his eyes and paused for what felt like five seconds before opening them again, his response would come to embody the depth of his fury at the blatant betrayal of the reemergence he’d overseen, short and sharp as it was, “Take. No. Prisoners[/b][/u].”

To the members of the People’s Liberation Army’s main decision-making group, their leader did not need to say anything more. The announcement of those new intercontinental ballistic missiles was supposed to take place one week[/b] from now, with Prime Minister Guan Caoling taking charge of the ceremony… and nobody else was supposed to know about those missiles until that ceremony, especially not the Americans. Now, it would only be a matter of time before the world demanded some form of retaliation for an act that nobody within the PLA’s command structure had foreseen, doubtlessly led by that young, irritatingly idealistic new President of America. Chinese President Zhu Ganglong and his operatives within the PLA could only stand bemused and confused that Ghalib Oredinga had campaigned for “Change We Can Trust”, as he or his supporters put it, during that presidential election in America last November, but as Zhu and the top two generals of the People’s Liberation Army continued staring gravely at the electronic map, which now showed the four rocket icons increasingly distancing themselves from each other as they continued arcing leftward toward whatever targets the soon-to-be-former commander of that special missile base had chosen, the two main deputies in the command structure of an organization that none of the individuals in that special room knew about at all had their eyes narrowed at a computerized map showing the same thing -- as did the two main officers at that organization’s most important base of operations. The terror across the bridge of the Kids Next Door Moonbase was even more palpable than the alarm at that special underground room in the Great Hall of the People, but so was the determination in the eyes of Patton Drilovsky, Fanny Fulbright, Bartie Stork, and Virginia Sims. Bartie and Virginia were now at their respective consoles once more, and Patton and Fanny stood together at the center of the Moonbase bridge, all willing and eager to assist their Supreme Commander and the Kids Next Door’s most prominent sector against the man behind all this tyranny.

“What are those things?” Patton asked gruffly.

Bartie typed a flurry of commands to access the proper information, but when he began to examine the information now displayed on his console, he gulped uneasily. “Uh… they’re intercontinental ballistic missiles, Numbuh 60, sir. According to our satellite scans, those missiles took off from that secret missile base at exactly eleven hundred hours, local time… which would mean exactly twelve hundred hours at Mountain’s Light Missile Base.”

Fanny snorted impatiently. “I can see that, ye buffoon. Now, do ya know where the heck those missiles are headed?!?!”

If Virginia’s alarm was less visible, then she wasn’t any less resolute during her answer, some of which unfolded on her console as she spoke. “It’s too early to tell, Numbuh 86, ma’am, but I’m picking up a ton of transmissions between Air Force One, the Pentagon, and the United States European Command. Every major city in Europe is preparing to evacuate as many people as possible.”

Fanny nodded rapidly. “Good. Tell every Kid Next Door stationed in Europe to start doing the same thing, and make sure that no one[/b][/u] gets left behi--” A new round of beeping from the viewscreen caused her to let out a sigh of even greater impatience. “Now[/b][/u] what’s going on!?!?”

“Nothing good,” Bartie almost whispered, his alarm mounting ever further, his eyes darting between his console and the main viewscreen… which now displayed a series of blinking dots that crept eerily across Russia, left to right. “Virtually every intercontinental ballistic missile silo across Russia is activating, and they’re all on standby in case those Chinese missiles land on any Russian cities.”

A growl of indignation escaped Patton. “I see. Contact Numbuh 362 and Numbuh One right away. We better tell them about these missile launches.”

“Got it,” Virginia replied dutifully, letting her fingers fly across her console onto the necessary buttons to activate the Moonbase’s intercom, before a single affirmative beep sounded. “We’re through.”

“This is the Kids Next Door Special North Korea Attack Force,” Nigel’s voice sounded across the bridge. “Moonbase, did you spot anything regarding Nam’s plan?”

Bartie gulped audibly. “Yes, I’m afraid we did. You’re not gonna believe this, but we’re tracking four Chinese intercontinental ballistic missiles heading west over Central Asia.”

Several gasps could be heard over the intercom, but it was Rachel who voiced the horror and disbelief within his comrades, just when they thought it couldn’t shoot any higher. “S-s-say again?”

“That is correct, ma’am,” Virginia replied. “Each of those missiles carries one nuclear bomb, and all of them took off from Bear’s Revenge Missile Base minutes ago. The United States European Command is preparing to activate its missile defense grids, but Russia’s missile silos just went operational.”

Nigel and Rachel looked at each other grimly, with Wally, Kuki, Hoagie, Abby, Lee, and Sonia sharing that leadership couple’s grimness, but outrage began to simmer within their terror and uncertainty when Nam said aloud, “Leave it to the Russians to ally with the American Empire, all in the name of protecting their precious ‘motherland’. Of course, if your friends at the other end of that transmission are correct, then the Russians’ alliance with the Great Enemy means absolutely nothing, for my final plan is almost complete.”

The Sector V leader and the Kids Next Door Supreme Commander felt themselves aim their laser rifles directly at Nam, and Nigel didn’t even try masking his anger. “You mean to tell us that this is part of your twisted scheme?”

Rachel’s tone was no less harsh. “Just when we thought you couldn’t sink any lower, you prove us wrong.”

Kwak felt his eye twitch. “Hold your vile tongues, you prepubescent thingyroaches, befo--”

“It’s fine,” Nam said, holding up an open hand to gesture Kwak to stop, then returned to addressing Nigel and Rachel. “Yes, Kids Next Door, and figuring out my plan took you long enough.”

Nigel snorted with rapid contempt. “Turning your own country into a wasteland, blowing up a passenger train, and targeting two kids trying to find each other weren’t good enough, so you’re dragging THE ENTIRE PLANET DOWN WITH YOU[/b][/u]!?!?!?!?”

Nam narrowed his eyes to slits of rage. “You should be grateful.” He extended his arms in front of him, total revulsion churning within his mind. “All of you are about to witness the end of history -- and the beginning of a new age. For centuries, a single idea has dominated and polluted this world, extending its tentacles into every continent, every country, every city, and even every human heart. Even now, the United States of America and the United Kingdom of Great Britain have come to embody the demonic features of freedom, its civilization, and its deity.” Here, the helicopters that were escorting Nam’s helicopter from before began to assume landing positions around the area, leaving Nam to continue with an almost ghoulish voice, “However, once those missiles detonate at their targets, and as more and more mushroom clouds consume this planet, the annihilation of freedom will begin. From this world’s ashes shall emerge the New Korean Order, and none other than I shall be its Permanent Ruler. I have had all I can take of that idea, but I now have the power to ensure that its agents burn in the fires of my rage.”

Out of the escort helicopters emerged adults and kids whose uniforms Wally, Kuki, Hoagie, and Abby recognized right away, and as Nigel and Rachel returned to glaring at Nam with righteous harshness, Rachel continued with conclusive resolve, “Really? Listen: you may try to take over the entire world. You may terrorize anyone who disagrees with you. You may target Tong Min-Ki, Sang Haneul, and even every Kids Next Door sector across Earth, but I promise you, the Kids Next Door refuse to waver, refuse to tire, refuse to falter, refuse to fail, and above all else, refuse to surrender.” As those five separate declarations of refusal on her part floated into the air, the rest of the Kids Next Door gathered slightly closer together around her, their grips unconsciously tightening on their weapons, their eyes silently crackling but also steeling as she yelled authoritatively and forcefully, “Kids Next Door, BATTLE STATIONS!!!!!!!”

As the Kids Next Door Supreme Commander’s last five words vanished behind those declarations of refusal, the New Korean Order agents escorting Nam and Kwak charged directly at her and the leader of Sector V, and it was as though those two kids had become one person as they opened fire on those agents, followed milliseconds afterward by their comrades. While Tong stood his ground and his guards scattered around him, Kwak darted his head from left to right at the bursts of yellow/blue and gray light, beams of bubbles, and even flames darting toward the agents. Some agents dodged the blasts from the Kids Next Door, others fell or flew to the ground, and still others dashed around him and his boss, punching, shoving, or kicking rapidly through the blasts to get at those kids. Two bursts of gray light converged to knock one NKO girl into a nearby NKO woman, sending both crashing onto the pavement in a heap before the woman pushed the girl off her, then launched herself back into the fight, with the girl and an NKO boy following close behind. Mere seconds had passed since the blonde girl issued her attack order and she and her bald companion -- presumably girlfriend and boyfriend to Kwak -- opened fire, but just before Kwak could adopt a defensive posture, a single alert from the man whose cause he had pledged his life to protect snapped his focus toward an appropriate direction, despite the battle around them.

“Kwak,” Nam said coldly.

Kwak reflexively stood at attention. “Yes, Your Greatness?”

“I’m putting you in charge of dealing with these meddlesome Kids Next Door,” Nam said emotionlessly… while deflecting an NKO agent that was flying toward him with his open palm -- without moving his body even an inch. “Use any means you deem appropriate to eliminate these brats.”

Kwak ducked just as a blast of flames surged past him, and he resumed his position militarily. “What about you, sir?”

Nam narrowed his eyes icily. “I intend to destroy Min-Ki and Haneul myself.”

Kuki happened to catch the last part of that exchange, and she gasped defiantly. “If you wanna get to Hannah, Michael, and Wally, then you’ll have to go through me, ya loveless, disgusting, no-good bullies!!!!”

Kwak’s right eye twitched once with rage, and he reached behind him to pull out a short rod in the blink of an eye. “You have insulted His Greatness for the last time. Now, you shall pay the ultimate price.” He lengthened the rod into a rod for combat, preparing himself mentally and physically to attack. “Agents of the New Korean Order, ATTACK!!!!!”

“Oh, no, you don’t!! You’re not getting Kuki that easily!!!” Wally shouted instinctively.

A millisecond afterward, Wally and Kuki aimed their weapons at Kwak together and opened fire. As Nam stood emotionlessly behind him, Kwak whirled the rod in front of him rapidly to deflect the beams of bubbles threatening to converge on Nam. The bubble beams bounced back toward Kuki and Wally, who immediately leapt to opposite sides before those beams converged on their former spots. Kwak and those NKO agents then charged toward Wally and Kuki, all in front of Nam’s stony glare. The New Korean Order leader slowly revolved his head from side to side to take in the battle around him, from the New Korean Order agents colliding with his enemy’s guards to the flames shooting out of the round boy and the red-capped girl’s weapons toward another agent, and then, pausing to consider his ultimate course of action, he felt his rage beginning to burn in his eyes once more, like a wildfire that refused to die down. Fortunately for him -- but unfortunately for his enemies -- those prepubescent spies appeared to be in no condition to counter the act that would permanently seal his destiny… along with that of the rest of this miserable world. Thus it was that the commander of Dragon’s Shadow Missile Base, the designated seat of his upcoming empire, turned on his heels back toward his personal helicopter, mentally noting his escort helicopters as they took off to resume hovering over the area like before, almost like vultures, and proceeded exactly as he first walked away from it in first confronting his hated rival, managing to dodge at least two of his soldiers who’d been knocked over in some new attack sequences from their enemies before he found himself back at the foot of the staircase leading into his personal transport. Nam leapt onto the first step before ascending the rest of the way into the passenger compartment, and finally, straightening his cape behind him, he made his way to his seat and sat down, the other main activity of his ultimate plan eerily clear in his mind.

“Take us airborne, now,” Nam said glacially.

Nam looked directly ahead as Khaybar One’s pilot and copilot performed their tasks, and a few pushed buttons later, Nam’s eyes tilted upward at the sound of the whirring rotors. The door retracted the staircase as it closed, deflecting any blasts that had been targeting Nam. He could barely perceive the voices of two kids most likely in Tong’s little army as they yelled out to their companions to attempt to alert them to his escape, but as he felt Khaybar One begin to lift off and saw the escort helicopters coming into view beyond the front windows, those voices seemed more and more distant within his mind compared to his final goal.

“Your Greatness, one of our bases south of Dragon’s Shadow just reported trouble,” said the pilot abruptly. “The initial wave of American bomber planes and attack helicopters is moving in, and more are coming up behind them.”

The copilot glanced quickly through his console, digesting the transmissions he was detecting, then turned sharply behind him. “Sir, our attack force has begun their assault on Mountain’s Light’s outer defenses and are spreading out to surround the area. Do we join them?”

Nam continued looking emotionlessly ahead of him, a hint of glacial satisfaction in his eyes as flashes of flames popped up beyond the view from his vantage point, before he made his response, channeling every drop of fury he had boiling and churning within him into that reply with each word, emphasized most severely in the words indicating the codename for the other part of his final plan. “No. Instruct attack units 4-Earth and 5-Fire to join me in commencing Project Twilight. As for the others… continue obliterating Mountain’s Light Missile Base.”

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By now, Europe was descending into chaos from the spreading news about not only the four incoming Chinese intercontinental ballistic missiles launched out of China’s northwestern region, but also all of Russia’s now-activated intercontinental ballistic missile silos, making everyone from Canterbury to Seville to Vienna to Rhodes to Krakow to Copenhagen to Brussels to Aberdeen believe that the world they knew was coming to an end. In virtually every major city on that continent, people ran, yelled, and screamed for their lives, and policepersons scrambled about as desperately as they could to direct those people toward the designated evacuation sites, all with the intent of getting them out of harm’s way while the United States and its allies brought the missile defense grids they’d set up over the past few years online, but a special urgency began to emerge as the missiles’ trajectories became more and more decipherable with each passing second. Transport helicopters from the Royal Air Force descended on Buckingham Palace with utmost precision and urgency, waiting to evacuate the Queen of Britain herself -- and all other members of the British royal family unfortunate enough to have been inside the palace when the first reports about one of those nuclear missiles poured in. A similar scene transpired at St. Peter’s Basilica as members of the Pontifical Swiss Guard jogged militarily down its corridors, signaling to the priests, bishops, and cardinals to evacuate right away. A PSG search party led by a particularly high-ranking cardinal found the Pope kneeling in front of the basilica’s most prominent altar, praying for guidance from Divine Providence, peace for the victims of the terrible darkness covering the Korean Peninsula, and wisdom and fortitude for the soldiers and public officials taking action against that aforementioned darkness. The pleas to evacuate this sacred site, considered to be Western Christendom’s greatest church, could only heighten the Pope’s resolve as he started toward the proper corridors with the search party, then found himself looking out the window from his personal helicopter as it and its escorts sped away to safety.

As for the United States, the country targeted regularly by the two current main enemies of freedom, its top executive leader had already given the authorization to evacuate Washington, D.C., almost immediately after that bailout meeting in the Oval Office those few days ago. The leaders of those car companies had become aptly concerned as they learned more about the developing crisis on the Korean Peninsula, but as soon as news started blaring across America’s airwaves about a passenger train explosion just outside Denver, Colorado, Congress, in a manner of speaking, went ballistic, especially the senators and representatives from that state. Republican Congresswoman Elaine Bradbury and Democratic Senator Marvin Fisher each demanded a crackdown on the charities supporting the American Emirates’ Army, while Senate Minority Leader Ryan Piper raised the possibility of a surprise attack against the Korean People’s Army once the Central Intelligence Agency traced the flow of money and materials for that train explosion back to North Korean General Nam Myung-Sung’s headquarters. The confirmation of North Korean Dear Leader Moon Hwan-Il’s demise and the surprise attack on the American base near the center of the border between the two Koreas accelerated the pace of the crisis toward a potential showdown in East Asia, but as American President Ghalib Oredinga and Vice-President Thomas Cullen sat in their designated positions in the conference room aboard a special airplane modified for the nature of this trip across the Pacific Ocean, usually called the “Doomsday Plane” but at this moment called Air Force One, this time with only Secretary of State Susan Stockton, Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman General Gerard Ridolls, and National Security Advisor Hector Spalding sitting with them at separate points along the elongated table at the center of that conference room, an aura of palpable graveness unlike anything anybody at that table had ever experienced before blanketed the entire room while also being only slightly less perceptible toward the corridor outside, just before the two executive leaders saw the door burst open, revealing the same aide who’d first informed them of Moon Hwan-Il’s death. A face of instant horror was discernible on the aide’s face as he walked around the conference table toward his boss, holding a paper indicating a report that had led him to rush downstairs from the communication room, almost knocking over someone near the staircase’s bottom.

“Mr. President, you need to see this,” the aide said with haste as he handed Oredinga that paper, causing the men and woman around that table to lean toward their leader, then pointed as best he could toward the relevant points, despite being justifiably out of breath. “One of our transport helicopter squadrons picked this up while they were circling southwest away from Mountain’s Light. They double-checked it with another squadron closer to the area, then sent it out to the rest of our forces once they confirmed it. Our fighter planes and fixed-wing gunships are standing by to move in and open fire even as I speak.”

As Oredinga’s eyes scanned through that report, he found it increasingly difficult to steady himself as he digested the implications of that report, noticeable to the rest of his advisors through his increasingly unsteady hands, his mounting outrage shaking and coursing through them as he whispered, “My Lord.”

“Uh, Ghalib, what’s going on?” Cullen asked with dread.

Oredinga looked around the conference room, first at his aide and then at each of his advisors, gripping that report at both of its sides, then sat back and let his hands drop onto the table with enough quiet rage to simultaneously exhaust and inflame his soul, feeling the report drift out of his hands to rest in front of him before he replied slowly but mandatorily, “The New Korean Order has begun incinerating the forestry to the north of Mountain’s Light Missile Base in order to force Tong Ki-Bak’s grandson and a girl with a likely romantic interest in that boy out of hiding.”

While Stockton’s jaw dropped in disbelief, Spalding felt a microscopic twitch in the area of his left eye as he whispered all of three seconds later, “In Jesus’ name…”

The aide tucked his arms behind him as professionally as he could under these circumstances as he eyed his superiors, now even grimmer than they were when he first bounded into the conference room, and he felt as though he’d just learned of a verbal minefield around him as he gulped, then said just a bit more unsteadily than he would have liked to admit, “Mr. President? Do you wish to tell our forces anything?”

Calm fury accentuated Oredinga’s face as visions of his response blazed through his mind. Perhaps most painfully to him and Cullen, it went against the approach to diplomacy he’d advocated during the election last year, but now, the United States of America and its East Asian allies, as well as China and Russia, were bearing witness to the emergence of a man so malevolent, so hateful, so irredeemably despicable that he’d not only launched an intercontinental ballistic missile at the city Oredinga considered to be his main base of operations, a place from which he could go over the details of the bailout compiled for those car companies, among others who’d suffered damage during a crisis that reached a brutal climax mere weeks before the day of the actual election, forever being recognized as the Great Financial Freefall of 2008, but also unleashed a literally infernal attack against a couple of kids who, as far as Oredinga or any of the other individuals present in that conference room knew, meant Nam no harm whatsoever. Even worse, Russia was a few thousand simultaneous intercontinental ballistic missile launches away from wiping out several hundred million people concentrated in a country considered to be the biggest emerging market on the planet, thereby sending the rest of humankind into an age of darkness from which recovery seemed, if at the moment, almost impossible. Such stakes only amplified the force behind Oredinga’s words as he turned toward his aide, sensing his advisors holding their collective breath.

“Skin. Them. Alive[/b][/u],” said Oredinga, pausing before he continued, righteous fury slowly creeping into his voice -- and his now-clenched fist -- as he did so, “Skin ‘em alive. Strike ‘em down. Scour the entire peninsula. Launch every missile, fire every bullet, drop every bomb[/b][/u] in our arsenal if we have to, but I want the New Korean Order reduced to an ash heap. Do I make myself absolutely, perfectly, undeniably clear?”

The aide looked between Cullen, Stockton, Ridolls, and Spalding, whose looks of indignation seemed to echo Oredinga’s, before he turned back to face Oredinga himself and nodded soberly, doing his best to raise no illusions in his mind about the true meaning of those orders for the pilots and soldiers steamrolling toward their final objective, their ultimate showdown to end this threat once and for all. “Yes, sir. I will inform the United States Pacific Command and the South Korea-United States Combined Forces Command at once.”



END OF CHAPTER 13



Thirteen down, one more to go. Stay tuned for the conclusion of "Vultures and Lovebirds at the Dragon's Mouth".