Post by CCACorn26 on Mar 26, 2008 13:34:42 GMT -5
Well, what do you know? I suppose this will be an inevitably serious revelation of my reflections about Nigel/Rachel and Wally/Kuki. Very well. Let the transfer of my fanfiction timeline to this Panda Warriors forum begin. I trust that the characterizations were consistent in both "parallel" stories… as were the lyrics to Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the U.S.A.", one of my top three favorite songs.:
"Massacre in New York City (Nigel/Rachel)"
The bald British boy glided down to the Earth's surface on his jet boots, the serene blue sky above him a stark contrast to the horrific scene he would behold when he landed. There had been a catastrophic attack in New York City, located at the eastern end of Sector V's jurisdiction. As far as he knew, 10 men from the Middle East had commandeered two airplanes and done the previously unthinkable: fly them, fuel, passengers, and all, directly into the tallest twin skyscrapers in North America, completely demolishing those magnificent works of engineering. The casualties were staggering: almost 3,000 men, women, and CHILDREN -- including, as it turned out, two undercover Kids Next Door spies working in different floors of those skyscrapers -- simply gone. Numbuh 362 had taken her personal ROADSTAR down from the Kids Next Door Moonbase to survey the damage, but the sights and sounds of the KND's lunar headquarters still loomed quietly in Nigel Uno's mind even as the Earth drew ever closer to his scope of vision. Numbuh Two was not up to cracking any of his usual bad jokes, and Numbuh Three began sobbing uncontrollably on Numbuh Four's shoulder when they realized what had just transpired. Numbuh Five had been attempting to smoothly rally morale among his sector, but he could tell beneath that red cap of hers that she was as upset as the others. Even Numbuh 86 wasn't her usual self: she managed to conduct a review of Global Command's weapons arrays without yelling at any male operatives who'd made a mistake on something… even Numbuh 60. It might have been just as well, for very fortunately -- miraculously, perhaps, given the extraordinarily dire circumstances -- there weren't any.
Finally, Nigel touched down in the field he was aiming for, his Supreme Commander sitting calmly yet gravely nearby, the ROADSTAR humming several yards away. The sight before his sunglass-cloaked eyes was enough to sicken and infuriate him to no end: a gigantic cloud of smoke blanketing the normally busy city as though a new volcano had erupted. How could this level of evil be possible? He began to walk over to Numbuh 362, known to him as Rachel McKenzie. She'd grown to be an especially trusted friend ever since his dad, a.k.a. Numbuh Zero, stopped Grandfather from Senior Citizombifying the entire planet and he and she stopped Father from treacherously using that tag game to infest that KND compound with broccoli. This, however, was unlike both of those incidents.
"Hey, Rachel?" Nigel asked tentatively. "May I... sit down here?"
"Oh, hey, Nigel," Rachel replied, a small smile showing itself on her face as she turned to face him, her shoulder-length blonde hair drifting gently in the breeze. "To tell you the truth, I could use some company."
So the commander of Kids Next Door Sector V sat down on the grass next to the Supreme Leader of the Kids Next Door, taking in the appalling, monstrous, unimaginable scene before them. In the distance, ambulance sirens wailed forlornly, no doubt signaling the continued search for anyone who had escaped the collapse of those skyscrapers, the preeminent symbols of that major city's skyline. Above them, a lone statue of an unknown woman silently watched over the entrance to the harbor, a crown of rays of light perched on her head, a stone tablet held close to her in her left hand, a torch symbolically burning held high up to the sky in her right hand.
"They were two of our best spies, Nigel, and... they enjoyed simply being kids, particularly those stories they told sometimes during a round of ice cream," Rachel's mournful voice pierced through the silence between her and her companion. "I dispatched Numbuhs 1938 and 1941 to those skyscrapers to investigate some reports I'd picked up about a possible new weapon being tested in or on those buildings and involving ‘birds of steel…’" Her voice slowly but surely started to break; tears began to form in her brown eyes. "I should've seen this coming..."
"Don't blame yourself, Rachel," Nigel countered in as comforting a voice as he could muster... as he wrapped his right arm around her and she accepted the gesture by laying her head on his shoulder, his voice almost immediately shifting to mounting fury as he continued, "Blame the cowardly barbarians" -- the last two words he spit out of his mouth with all the anger he had building inside of him -- "who didn't even have the decency to show their faces to the city they attacked and wounded."
The two prominent Kids Next Door operatives sat there in the grass overlooking the darkened city for a few moments, lost in their thoughts. As a tear leaked out of Rachel's left eye onto his shoulder, Nigel felt his left hand shake as it became a fist. At that moment, he hoped, indeed, prayed -- perhaps more for the sake of those responsible for this act of war than for Rachel's sake -- that they dared not lay a finger on his commander. May whatever deity these thugs worshipped have mercy on them if they did, because Nigel Uno most definitely would not.
As their eyes closed, their contemplations were then accompanied by a strange song that had just begun playing on the radio in Rachel's ROADSTAR. It began softly and melodiously, and then its chorus -- solemnly accompanied by steady drums and violins -- slowly floated into Nigel and Rachel's minds as they felt themselves sway from side to side:
*If tomorrow all the things were gone I'd worked for all my life
And I had to start again with just my children and my wife,
I'd thank my lucky stars to be livin' here today,
'Cause the flag still stands for freedom, and they can't take that away.
And I'm proud to be an American where at least I know I'm free.
And I won't forget the men who died who gave that right to me,
And I gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today,
'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this laaaaand.
God bless the U.S.AAAAAAA..
From the lakes of Minnesota to the hills of Tennessee,
Across the plains of Texas, from sea to shining sea,
From Detroit down to Houston and New York to L.A.,
Well, there's pride in every American heart,
And it's time we stand and say
That I'm proud to be an American where at least I know I'm free.
And I won't forget the men who died who gave that right to me,
And I gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today,
'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this laaaaand. (Love this land.)
God bless the U.S.AAAAAAA..
And I'm proud to be an American where at least I know I'm free.
And I won't forget the men who died who gave that right to me,
And I gladly stand up (cymbals crashing) next to you and defend her still today,
'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this laaaaand. (Love this land.)
God bless the U.S.AAAAAAA.!!!!!!*
Nigel and Rachel opened their eyes and looked at each other soberly, tears visible on each other's cheeks. Never in their young lives had they heard a song as powerful and true as the one that just reached out to them via Rachel's radio.
"Come on, Rachel. Let's head back to the Moonbase," Nigel offered as he politely took Rachel's hand and helped her off the still-drifting grass.
"I agree, Nigel... and thank you," Rachel responded warmly.
"For what?" Nigel questioned, tilting his head curiously.
"This time together. I really needed some encouragement after this," Rachel affirmed.
Nigel smiled in consolation. "I think both of us needed it."
Hand in hand, Nigel Uno and Rachel McKenzie walked over to the ROADSTAR and climbed aboard. Rachel activated its space travel mode, and they lifted off back to the awaiting lunar headquarters of Kids Next Door Global Command, certain that they would face any challenges these new villains threw at them together, further augmented by Numbuhs Two, Three, Four, Five, 86, and 60, as well as the rest of the Kids Next Door.
THE END
===========================================================================
"Massacre in New York City (Wally/Kuki)"
The fun-loving Japanese girl waited apparently thoughtfully outside the office of the Supreme Commander of the Kids Next Door, her normally carefree demeanor significantly diminished as she looked around her. Her four Sector V friends wore expressions of grim concern as they remembered Numbuh 362's haunting request over the Moonbase intercom several minutes ago:
"Attention, Kids Next Door Moonbase. Sector V operatives..." A long pause, followed by a barely discernible sigh of resignation. "Please report to my office immediately. Numbuh 362 out."
The dismal tone in the Supreme Commander's voice was instantly clear to the girl's ears and mind, and if there was one thing that Kuki Sanban disliked seeing or hearing greatly -- other than insulted Rainbow Monkeys -- it was a friend who was upset about anything. The rumors and speculations had been spreading, and none of them were pretty.
"Hey, Kuki..." the short blonde boy next to her interrupted her train of thought. "Are you all right?"
Kuki looked down at Wallabee Beetles, known to her as Wally, the boy she had a crush on, her face now betraying a sort of fear. Sector V was her team, but they along with 362 were also her closest friends, and she was always concerned about them in her own way even now.
"I don't know, Wally," Kuki said uncertainly. "Abby, what do you think was wrong with Numbuh 362 when she called us over the intercom?"
Abby, a.k.a. Numbuh Five, turned to Kuki from blankly facing the automatic door, the brim of her red cap covering her eyes, and shook her head. "Girl, Numbuh Five is as confused and clueless 'bout all this as you are."
Just then, the door to Numbuh 362's office opened, indicating to Sector V that she was ready to talk to them. They steadily filtered inside, the bald boy with sunglasses perched on his nose leading the way. Numbuh 362 was standing in front of a large window and staring at the revolving Earth, her arms tucked strictly behind her back.
"Numbuh 362? Rachie?" Kuki tentatively asked as her sector leader, Numbuh One, better known as Nigel Uno, began to smile at her use of that nickname... only to return to his previously sober demeanor. "What's wrong? Did you lose some...?"
Kuki didn't finish that last question, nor did she have to, because at that moment, Numbuh 362 turned around to face Sector V. The expression on Rachel McKenzie's face was enough to chill all of them exponentially, especially Kuki. It was the face of a girl absolutely overwhelmed by the news she was about to tell them. Kuki was certain now: something was seriously wrong, and Sector V was about to find out exactly what it was.
"There's been a catastrophic attack at the eastern end of Sector V," Rachel almost whispered to five subsequent gasps of shock, her voice hoarse as if she was about to cry.
"Attack? Wh-what do you mean 'attack'...?" Hoagie Gilligan, a.k.a. Numbuh Two, inquired hesistantly, his goggles hiding the fear in his eyes.
Rachel paused for a very long moment before regaining her composure, or at least appearing to do so. "Two airplanes... at least 10 men from the Middle East hijacked them... and crashed them into those twin skyscrapers in New York City. Both buildings have collapsed. Almost 3,000 fatalities were counted so far... and they came from all around the planet."
Hoagie's jaw dropped at the last two sentences Rachel just said. Nigel might have developed a calm expression, but even his sunglasses couldn't hide the total indignation emanating from him. As for Kuki, her chin started to quiver while she wrapped her arms around Wally as tightly as she could. Wally didn't even try to budge; a level of anger that he'd never felt before froze him in place.
"All those people... all the children... simply gone...?" Kuki stammered, her eyes large with total terror, her body shaking similarly... until she burst into tears and buried her head onto Wally's shoulder.
Ignoring Kuki's helpless wailing for now, Wally turned to Rachel and practically demanded, "Do we know where these creeps are now, Numbuh 362? I want to beat the crud" -- the last word he declared while punching into his right hand -- "out of 'em if it's the last thing I do!!"
"No, lad, we don't," a voice as dismal as everyone else's had been turned everyone's heads and eyes -- except Kuki's -- to the doorway, through which Fanny Fulbright, a.k.a. Numbuh 86, the current Global Tactical Officer for the Kids Next Door, had just walked, a clipboard firmly grasped in her left hand, her face as furrowed with anguish as that of Numbuh 362. "I conducted the review of our weapons arrays exactly as ye ordered, Numbuh 362, ma’am. They're all green across the board, as even Numbuh 60 reported… but I more than likely wouldn't have yelled at any boys who'd messed somethin' up."
The KND Supreme Leader looked over Numbuh 86's report, set it at her desk, and began to walk out, but not before giving one last set of instructions to keep the normal flow of business going as far as it could. "I'm going out to get some air. Fanny, you think you can take charge of the Moonbase until I get back?"
"Aye, sir. If anything else happens, you'll know." With a sigh followed by one last salute, Fanny wished her immediate superior and long-time friend off, and Rachel McKenzie walked off in the direction of the personal spaceship hangar, leaving Fanny and the five operatives of Sector V standing by themselves in that office to absolute silence... other than Kuki's sobs of despair mixed with stark fright.
"W-Wally... I'm s-s-s-scared..." sniffled Kuki softly as she tried to stop crying on her best male friend's shoulder... to no avail.
"Numbuh Five totally agrees with you, Numbuh Three, but we gotta be strong. We can't have the younger operatives gettin' upset by what just happened," Abby spoke up at hearing Kuki's cry.
"I hear ye, lass," said Fanny grimly and wearily. "I don't think we've ever seen THIS level of evil before."
Hoagie could only nod his head. "Yeah. At least Grandfather made everything all 1920s-ish. These bad guys would sacrifice their lives and modern technology to destroy every-- Hey, where'd Numbuh One go?"
Hoagie, Abby, and Fanny looked around, leaving Wally to comfort a still-sobbing Kuki as best he could. Sure enough, the leader of Sector V was nowhere in sight. He'd apparently walked out of the office while they were musing over these utterly heartless attacks taking the lives of at least 3,000 men, women, and, yes, even children.
"Hmm. Knowin' him, probably to give Numbuh 362 some encouragement," answered Fanny in observation. "That boy certainly has a penchant for wantin' ta cheer her up when she's feelin' down." She began to crack a small smile on her face. "It's a penchant they'll need more than ever after this, that's for sure."
"Amen, girl. Amen," affirmed Abby. "I'm gonna head to the cafeteria to think this headache off."
"Good idea. Maybe I should go see if there are any 2 by 4 devices I need to fix. See ya, guys," Hoagie offered. "What about you, Numbuh 86?"
Fanny exhaled as she considered her options at that point. "I'll be in me office if ya need anythin'. I'm not sure when Numbuhs One and 362 are gonna return."
"Right," Abby accepted the Irish girl's answer as she began to head to the cafeteria. "See ya later, Numbuh 86. Stay cool."
Fanny smiled at the stout boy wearing goggles and the smooth-talking girl with a red cap perched on her head as they walked out of the Supreme Commander's office and then in separate directions, then followed suit back to her own office. All that time, though, Kuki had been hugging Wally -- still tightly but not as before -- as both of them turned their eyes toward the still-revolving Earth, no doubt as completely aggrieved and outraged by the monstrous attack on those twin skyscrapers by now as they and their comrades, nay, their friends were since they first learned just what happened.
"W-Wally... do you think the Earth's gonna be okay soon?" Kuki questioned in a small voice as she nuzzled her left cheek against Wally's right.
By now, Wally's eyes now hardened into a look of total determination. He mentally vowed never to let any of his friends down no matter what, especially the girl whom he strangely developed a crush on during their adventures as Sector V operatives, also hoping that he would never, ever have to cross paths with whatever thug caused this unimaginable evil.
"I don't know, Kuki..." Wally answered cautiously, then permitted himself a small smile as he turned to her. "But at least for now, we've got each other, right?"
Kuki nodded happily while Wally began to grip her hands, which were clasped tightly onto his left shoulder. They stared out into space at the still-beautiful blue-green planet, the office of the Supreme Commander of the Kids Next Door completely still and silent around them. They were unaware of the details of the villains who had unleashed this unconscionable massacre on people who were simply going about their daily business, but Wallabee Beetles and Kuki Sanban would ultimately not be deterred. Their love for each other -- though they might not have admitted it themselves yet -- would light the way for their friends aboard the Kids Next Door Moonbase, thus augmenting in this dark hour the solidarity of the Kids Next Door.
THE END
So there we go: a new evil is about to ascend, starting with an event inspired by the barbaric airplane jihad attacks of September 11, 2001... and darkening the world that the Kids Next Door know. Stay tuned for more components of my fanfiction timeline.
"Massacre in New York City (Nigel/Rachel)"
The bald British boy glided down to the Earth's surface on his jet boots, the serene blue sky above him a stark contrast to the horrific scene he would behold when he landed. There had been a catastrophic attack in New York City, located at the eastern end of Sector V's jurisdiction. As far as he knew, 10 men from the Middle East had commandeered two airplanes and done the previously unthinkable: fly them, fuel, passengers, and all, directly into the tallest twin skyscrapers in North America, completely demolishing those magnificent works of engineering. The casualties were staggering: almost 3,000 men, women, and CHILDREN -- including, as it turned out, two undercover Kids Next Door spies working in different floors of those skyscrapers -- simply gone. Numbuh 362 had taken her personal ROADSTAR down from the Kids Next Door Moonbase to survey the damage, but the sights and sounds of the KND's lunar headquarters still loomed quietly in Nigel Uno's mind even as the Earth drew ever closer to his scope of vision. Numbuh Two was not up to cracking any of his usual bad jokes, and Numbuh Three began sobbing uncontrollably on Numbuh Four's shoulder when they realized what had just transpired. Numbuh Five had been attempting to smoothly rally morale among his sector, but he could tell beneath that red cap of hers that she was as upset as the others. Even Numbuh 86 wasn't her usual self: she managed to conduct a review of Global Command's weapons arrays without yelling at any male operatives who'd made a mistake on something… even Numbuh 60. It might have been just as well, for very fortunately -- miraculously, perhaps, given the extraordinarily dire circumstances -- there weren't any.
Finally, Nigel touched down in the field he was aiming for, his Supreme Commander sitting calmly yet gravely nearby, the ROADSTAR humming several yards away. The sight before his sunglass-cloaked eyes was enough to sicken and infuriate him to no end: a gigantic cloud of smoke blanketing the normally busy city as though a new volcano had erupted. How could this level of evil be possible? He began to walk over to Numbuh 362, known to him as Rachel McKenzie. She'd grown to be an especially trusted friend ever since his dad, a.k.a. Numbuh Zero, stopped Grandfather from Senior Citizombifying the entire planet and he and she stopped Father from treacherously using that tag game to infest that KND compound with broccoli. This, however, was unlike both of those incidents.
"Hey, Rachel?" Nigel asked tentatively. "May I... sit down here?"
"Oh, hey, Nigel," Rachel replied, a small smile showing itself on her face as she turned to face him, her shoulder-length blonde hair drifting gently in the breeze. "To tell you the truth, I could use some company."
So the commander of Kids Next Door Sector V sat down on the grass next to the Supreme Leader of the Kids Next Door, taking in the appalling, monstrous, unimaginable scene before them. In the distance, ambulance sirens wailed forlornly, no doubt signaling the continued search for anyone who had escaped the collapse of those skyscrapers, the preeminent symbols of that major city's skyline. Above them, a lone statue of an unknown woman silently watched over the entrance to the harbor, a crown of rays of light perched on her head, a stone tablet held close to her in her left hand, a torch symbolically burning held high up to the sky in her right hand.
"They were two of our best spies, Nigel, and... they enjoyed simply being kids, particularly those stories they told sometimes during a round of ice cream," Rachel's mournful voice pierced through the silence between her and her companion. "I dispatched Numbuhs 1938 and 1941 to those skyscrapers to investigate some reports I'd picked up about a possible new weapon being tested in or on those buildings and involving ‘birds of steel…’" Her voice slowly but surely started to break; tears began to form in her brown eyes. "I should've seen this coming..."
"Don't blame yourself, Rachel," Nigel countered in as comforting a voice as he could muster... as he wrapped his right arm around her and she accepted the gesture by laying her head on his shoulder, his voice almost immediately shifting to mounting fury as he continued, "Blame the cowardly barbarians" -- the last two words he spit out of his mouth with all the anger he had building inside of him -- "who didn't even have the decency to show their faces to the city they attacked and wounded."
The two prominent Kids Next Door operatives sat there in the grass overlooking the darkened city for a few moments, lost in their thoughts. As a tear leaked out of Rachel's left eye onto his shoulder, Nigel felt his left hand shake as it became a fist. At that moment, he hoped, indeed, prayed -- perhaps more for the sake of those responsible for this act of war than for Rachel's sake -- that they dared not lay a finger on his commander. May whatever deity these thugs worshipped have mercy on them if they did, because Nigel Uno most definitely would not.
As their eyes closed, their contemplations were then accompanied by a strange song that had just begun playing on the radio in Rachel's ROADSTAR. It began softly and melodiously, and then its chorus -- solemnly accompanied by steady drums and violins -- slowly floated into Nigel and Rachel's minds as they felt themselves sway from side to side:
*If tomorrow all the things were gone I'd worked for all my life
And I had to start again with just my children and my wife,
I'd thank my lucky stars to be livin' here today,
'Cause the flag still stands for freedom, and they can't take that away.
And I'm proud to be an American where at least I know I'm free.
And I won't forget the men who died who gave that right to me,
And I gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today,
'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this laaaaand.
God bless the U.S.AAAAAAA..
From the lakes of Minnesota to the hills of Tennessee,
Across the plains of Texas, from sea to shining sea,
From Detroit down to Houston and New York to L.A.,
Well, there's pride in every American heart,
And it's time we stand and say
That I'm proud to be an American where at least I know I'm free.
And I won't forget the men who died who gave that right to me,
And I gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today,
'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this laaaaand. (Love this land.)
God bless the U.S.AAAAAAA..
And I'm proud to be an American where at least I know I'm free.
And I won't forget the men who died who gave that right to me,
And I gladly stand up (cymbals crashing) next to you and defend her still today,
'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this laaaaand. (Love this land.)
God bless the U.S.AAAAAAA.!!!!!!*
Nigel and Rachel opened their eyes and looked at each other soberly, tears visible on each other's cheeks. Never in their young lives had they heard a song as powerful and true as the one that just reached out to them via Rachel's radio.
"Come on, Rachel. Let's head back to the Moonbase," Nigel offered as he politely took Rachel's hand and helped her off the still-drifting grass.
"I agree, Nigel... and thank you," Rachel responded warmly.
"For what?" Nigel questioned, tilting his head curiously.
"This time together. I really needed some encouragement after this," Rachel affirmed.
Nigel smiled in consolation. "I think both of us needed it."
Hand in hand, Nigel Uno and Rachel McKenzie walked over to the ROADSTAR and climbed aboard. Rachel activated its space travel mode, and they lifted off back to the awaiting lunar headquarters of Kids Next Door Global Command, certain that they would face any challenges these new villains threw at them together, further augmented by Numbuhs Two, Three, Four, Five, 86, and 60, as well as the rest of the Kids Next Door.
THE END
===========================================================================
"Massacre in New York City (Wally/Kuki)"
The fun-loving Japanese girl waited apparently thoughtfully outside the office of the Supreme Commander of the Kids Next Door, her normally carefree demeanor significantly diminished as she looked around her. Her four Sector V friends wore expressions of grim concern as they remembered Numbuh 362's haunting request over the Moonbase intercom several minutes ago:
"Attention, Kids Next Door Moonbase. Sector V operatives..." A long pause, followed by a barely discernible sigh of resignation. "Please report to my office immediately. Numbuh 362 out."
The dismal tone in the Supreme Commander's voice was instantly clear to the girl's ears and mind, and if there was one thing that Kuki Sanban disliked seeing or hearing greatly -- other than insulted Rainbow Monkeys -- it was a friend who was upset about anything. The rumors and speculations had been spreading, and none of them were pretty.
"Hey, Kuki..." the short blonde boy next to her interrupted her train of thought. "Are you all right?"
Kuki looked down at Wallabee Beetles, known to her as Wally, the boy she had a crush on, her face now betraying a sort of fear. Sector V was her team, but they along with 362 were also her closest friends, and she was always concerned about them in her own way even now.
"I don't know, Wally," Kuki said uncertainly. "Abby, what do you think was wrong with Numbuh 362 when she called us over the intercom?"
Abby, a.k.a. Numbuh Five, turned to Kuki from blankly facing the automatic door, the brim of her red cap covering her eyes, and shook her head. "Girl, Numbuh Five is as confused and clueless 'bout all this as you are."
Just then, the door to Numbuh 362's office opened, indicating to Sector V that she was ready to talk to them. They steadily filtered inside, the bald boy with sunglasses perched on his nose leading the way. Numbuh 362 was standing in front of a large window and staring at the revolving Earth, her arms tucked strictly behind her back.
"Numbuh 362? Rachie?" Kuki tentatively asked as her sector leader, Numbuh One, better known as Nigel Uno, began to smile at her use of that nickname... only to return to his previously sober demeanor. "What's wrong? Did you lose some...?"
Kuki didn't finish that last question, nor did she have to, because at that moment, Numbuh 362 turned around to face Sector V. The expression on Rachel McKenzie's face was enough to chill all of them exponentially, especially Kuki. It was the face of a girl absolutely overwhelmed by the news she was about to tell them. Kuki was certain now: something was seriously wrong, and Sector V was about to find out exactly what it was.
"There's been a catastrophic attack at the eastern end of Sector V," Rachel almost whispered to five subsequent gasps of shock, her voice hoarse as if she was about to cry.
"Attack? Wh-what do you mean 'attack'...?" Hoagie Gilligan, a.k.a. Numbuh Two, inquired hesistantly, his goggles hiding the fear in his eyes.
Rachel paused for a very long moment before regaining her composure, or at least appearing to do so. "Two airplanes... at least 10 men from the Middle East hijacked them... and crashed them into those twin skyscrapers in New York City. Both buildings have collapsed. Almost 3,000 fatalities were counted so far... and they came from all around the planet."
Hoagie's jaw dropped at the last two sentences Rachel just said. Nigel might have developed a calm expression, but even his sunglasses couldn't hide the total indignation emanating from him. As for Kuki, her chin started to quiver while she wrapped her arms around Wally as tightly as she could. Wally didn't even try to budge; a level of anger that he'd never felt before froze him in place.
"All those people... all the children... simply gone...?" Kuki stammered, her eyes large with total terror, her body shaking similarly... until she burst into tears and buried her head onto Wally's shoulder.
Ignoring Kuki's helpless wailing for now, Wally turned to Rachel and practically demanded, "Do we know where these creeps are now, Numbuh 362? I want to beat the crud" -- the last word he declared while punching into his right hand -- "out of 'em if it's the last thing I do!!"
"No, lad, we don't," a voice as dismal as everyone else's had been turned everyone's heads and eyes -- except Kuki's -- to the doorway, through which Fanny Fulbright, a.k.a. Numbuh 86, the current Global Tactical Officer for the Kids Next Door, had just walked, a clipboard firmly grasped in her left hand, her face as furrowed with anguish as that of Numbuh 362. "I conducted the review of our weapons arrays exactly as ye ordered, Numbuh 362, ma’am. They're all green across the board, as even Numbuh 60 reported… but I more than likely wouldn't have yelled at any boys who'd messed somethin' up."
The KND Supreme Leader looked over Numbuh 86's report, set it at her desk, and began to walk out, but not before giving one last set of instructions to keep the normal flow of business going as far as it could. "I'm going out to get some air. Fanny, you think you can take charge of the Moonbase until I get back?"
"Aye, sir. If anything else happens, you'll know." With a sigh followed by one last salute, Fanny wished her immediate superior and long-time friend off, and Rachel McKenzie walked off in the direction of the personal spaceship hangar, leaving Fanny and the five operatives of Sector V standing by themselves in that office to absolute silence... other than Kuki's sobs of despair mixed with stark fright.
"W-Wally... I'm s-s-s-scared..." sniffled Kuki softly as she tried to stop crying on her best male friend's shoulder... to no avail.
"Numbuh Five totally agrees with you, Numbuh Three, but we gotta be strong. We can't have the younger operatives gettin' upset by what just happened," Abby spoke up at hearing Kuki's cry.
"I hear ye, lass," said Fanny grimly and wearily. "I don't think we've ever seen THIS level of evil before."
Hoagie could only nod his head. "Yeah. At least Grandfather made everything all 1920s-ish. These bad guys would sacrifice their lives and modern technology to destroy every-- Hey, where'd Numbuh One go?"
Hoagie, Abby, and Fanny looked around, leaving Wally to comfort a still-sobbing Kuki as best he could. Sure enough, the leader of Sector V was nowhere in sight. He'd apparently walked out of the office while they were musing over these utterly heartless attacks taking the lives of at least 3,000 men, women, and, yes, even children.
"Hmm. Knowin' him, probably to give Numbuh 362 some encouragement," answered Fanny in observation. "That boy certainly has a penchant for wantin' ta cheer her up when she's feelin' down." She began to crack a small smile on her face. "It's a penchant they'll need more than ever after this, that's for sure."
"Amen, girl. Amen," affirmed Abby. "I'm gonna head to the cafeteria to think this headache off."
"Good idea. Maybe I should go see if there are any 2 by 4 devices I need to fix. See ya, guys," Hoagie offered. "What about you, Numbuh 86?"
Fanny exhaled as she considered her options at that point. "I'll be in me office if ya need anythin'. I'm not sure when Numbuhs One and 362 are gonna return."
"Right," Abby accepted the Irish girl's answer as she began to head to the cafeteria. "See ya later, Numbuh 86. Stay cool."
Fanny smiled at the stout boy wearing goggles and the smooth-talking girl with a red cap perched on her head as they walked out of the Supreme Commander's office and then in separate directions, then followed suit back to her own office. All that time, though, Kuki had been hugging Wally -- still tightly but not as before -- as both of them turned their eyes toward the still-revolving Earth, no doubt as completely aggrieved and outraged by the monstrous attack on those twin skyscrapers by now as they and their comrades, nay, their friends were since they first learned just what happened.
"W-Wally... do you think the Earth's gonna be okay soon?" Kuki questioned in a small voice as she nuzzled her left cheek against Wally's right.
By now, Wally's eyes now hardened into a look of total determination. He mentally vowed never to let any of his friends down no matter what, especially the girl whom he strangely developed a crush on during their adventures as Sector V operatives, also hoping that he would never, ever have to cross paths with whatever thug caused this unimaginable evil.
"I don't know, Kuki..." Wally answered cautiously, then permitted himself a small smile as he turned to her. "But at least for now, we've got each other, right?"
Kuki nodded happily while Wally began to grip her hands, which were clasped tightly onto his left shoulder. They stared out into space at the still-beautiful blue-green planet, the office of the Supreme Commander of the Kids Next Door completely still and silent around them. They were unaware of the details of the villains who had unleashed this unconscionable massacre on people who were simply going about their daily business, but Wallabee Beetles and Kuki Sanban would ultimately not be deterred. Their love for each other -- though they might not have admitted it themselves yet -- would light the way for their friends aboard the Kids Next Door Moonbase, thus augmenting in this dark hour the solidarity of the Kids Next Door.
THE END
So there we go: a new evil is about to ascend, starting with an event inspired by the barbaric airplane jihad attacks of September 11, 2001... and darkening the world that the Kids Next Door know. Stay tuned for more components of my fanfiction timeline.
