Post by CCACorn26 on Mar 31, 2008 11:30:00 GMT -5
Well, well. Talk about something different. I was pleasantly shocked to realize that the first fanfiction about this specific couple to appear in the Codename: Kids Next Door shipping fandom is simply part of a timeline of stories devised by me... and beginning with an event obviously influenced by September 11, or so GoldenFlither from the Codename: Kids Next Door Fan Forum told me. (clearing throat to turn focus back) If you're a fan of Numbuh 65.3, Lizzie, or both, then this story's for you.:
“Dates among Disturbances”
Chapter 1: “Meeting at the Park”
The round, buck-toothed boy sat by himself on a bench in the main park of Gallagher, Ohio, his eyes turned upward to the clear blue sky, his hands tucked behind his head in deep thought. The grass around him stood almost completely still, and some birds chirped overhead before they touched down on the branches of a nearby tree, perhaps to strengthen their nests. Quite striking to him was the simplicity of this scene in contrast to the hustle and bustle of the Kids Next Door Moonbase... between four and three weeks ago. He did not entirely imagine that his boss, the KND Supreme Leader, and the commander of Sector V would jointly announce an acting project based on William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet… as a way to relieve Kids Next Door operatives of boredom that had been mounting since about two months before the announcement. What a truly amazing result the Moonbase’s communication officer had observed by Wallabee and Kuki’s conclusion: not only did Numbuhs Four and Three, cast as the title references to Romeo and Juliet, admit their feelings for each other, but also Numbuhs Two and Five, cast as Lord Hoagie and Lady Abigail Montague, and Numbuhs 60 and 86, cast as Lord Patton and Lady Francine Capulet, began to grow closer to each other themselves. As Herbert, known in the KND as Numbuh 65.3, stated in pleasant disbelief after playing Wallabee Montague’s (literally) priestly confidant and advisor, “Numbuhs One and 362 orchestrated a masterpiece” that even now led him to wonder if he could find a girlfriend for himself. In particular, there was one girl around whom Herbert acted rather bashfully... and as Herbert continued looking skyward and thinking about Wallabee and Kuki’s significance for him, that girl happened to walk up to him from the stone path in front of the bench.
“Hi, Herbie,” the red-haired, double-ponytail girl greeted Herbert, using his nickname calmly yet cheerfully.
Herbert jumped slightly and blinked his eyes a few times in initial confusion. He brought his hands down from behind his head, turned it toward the direction of the girl who just spoke... and smiled nervously. Standing slightly off to his right with her hands tucked neatly behind her back was none other than Lizzie Devine, the girl with whom he’d been eager to spend his free time this warm day.
“Uh… hey, Lizzie,” Herbert replied reluctantly. “Nice weather, isn’t it?”
“Uh-huh. I can walk outside, chat with my friends, and just have fun on this beautiful day, if I do say so myself,” said Lizzie happily… before taking some steps toward the bench. “Do you mind if I sit next to you? You look like you could use some company.”
A barely noticeable blush lined Herbert’s cheeks as he closed his eyes and then gestured for Lizzie to sit next to him. “Nope, not at all. I wasn’t really expecting anyone else here, so... go ahead.”
Lizzie nodded perceptively, a smile crossing the front of her face, then sat down on the bench next to Herbert. Anyone looking in their direction would have simply taken note of two ordinary kids relaxing on a bench thinking about whatever kids their age liked to think about. Herbert and Lizzie looked straight ahead, admiring the general stillness of the park before them... other than various small creatures running to and fro, such as a squirrel that was gathering some acorns scattered across the grass.
“So, what brings you down here to Gallagher? I thought you’d be busy working up at that Kids Next Door Moonbase by now,” Lizzie commented curiously, turning to face her male friend, generally aware of his life at the Kids Next Door’s most important headquarters.
Herbert turned to Lizzie, hesitating at her question... and remembering several pieces of information that were much more grim than a Shakespearean romantic drama. “Uh... well, to make a long story short, life on the Moonbase started getting kind of boring again, even after Numbuhs Four and Three finally admitted their feelings for each other in that play Numbuhs One and 362 organized and codirected.”
“Really? I always thought Wally and Kuki made a good couple. Anyway, Herbie, please continue with that story of yours,” requested Lizzie as surprisingly calmly as she did. “I mean, Nigel was always telling me about how the Kids Next Door’s mission is to protect kids’ ability to be kids by battling adult tyranny.” A few seconds passed before she mentally recomposed herself. “I don’t really blame that Rachel girl for taking an interest in him because of that attribute of his, what with being the Supreme Leader of the entire Kids Next Door and all. Didn’t you tell me once about that?”
Herbert simply nodded in acknowledgement of Lizzie’s implicit acceptance of Nigel Uno and Rachel McKenzie’s… romantic friendship. “You’re right, Lizzie. As for the adult tyranny we Kids Next Door operatives were used to battling, that’s just it. There’ve been virtually no attacks by any of the KND’s sworn enemies anywhere since the Great New York City Airplane Massacre three months ago.”
“Wow. Those ‘Sacred Strugglers,’ if that’s what they call themselves, must not realize that by crashing airplanes into the tallest twin skyscrapers in North America and murdering almost 3,000 people of all ages, they managed to scare the worst villains in Kids Next Door memory completely out of the picture,” Lizzie commented, a hint of considerable contempt and amazement in her voice, a look of intense concern and interest on her face.
Herbert thought through Lizzie’s recollection of that unimaginably evil attack for a few moments, then exhaled before continuing, inevitably pausing a few times here and there to demonstrate how unbelievable he considered the information he was about to reveal to his female friend. “Unfortunately, it gets worse. Numbuhs 362, One, 86, and 60 learned that Iranian President Ali Muhammad Teherani, who practically gave the green light for that double airplane attack, believes that by wiping the United States of America and its allies off the map, he can bring about the appearance of somebody called the ‘Hidden Imam…’ and therefore the end of the world about three months from now.”
Lizzie gasped in utter shock… mixed with outrage. “Th-that’s horrible!!!”
“You said it,” Herbert stated dismally. “I overheard One and 362 -- or Nigel and Rachel, if you prefer -- tell 60 via intercommunication between the Moonbase and the Arctic Training Base that they’d be in the rec room near the Supreme Commander’s office watching a speech by Teherani in front of that global assembly in New York City this morning. With those two doing that, 86 heading off… somewhere, Numbuh 101 conducting some weird calculations with the KNDNA Tracker, and Numbuh 23 apparently making a new confectionary treat to show Numbuh 35, I figured I might as well take my own break and shuttle down here from the Moonbase so I can spend some time with…” He blushed again, fully conscious of the person he was thinking of.
Lizzie smiled in recognition of that last incomplete yet conclusive statement. “You don’t have to say anything else, Herbie.” She got up from the bench, walked in front of Herbert, and extended her right hand toward him. “So, what should we do first?”
Herbert simply looked at Lizzie for several more seconds before smiling back, mildly accepting her hand with his left hand, and getting up from the bench himself. “Do you… want some ice cream, Lizzie? I’ve got some money to pay for it.”
Lizzie chuckled somewhat more happily than before. “I’d love some. So let’s go." Her eyes darkened somewhat to indicate her new sentiment. “And if that Teherani creep does anything to ruin our date, he is seriously[/u] gonna regret it.”
Herbert chuckled eagerly yet nervously at Lizzie’s last remark, and both kids began to walk away from the bench and onto the stone path, continuing to hold hands along the way. All they wanted for now was some quality time together, and not even Teherani’s stated goals and corresponding actions would change that, as apocalyptically evil as they were. In this case, these two kids’ priority was a simple round of ice cream at whatever ice cream store existed in Gallagher, Ohio. Would Lizzie Devine and Herbert grow closer to each other over this round of ice cream? In fact, would the agenda of the Iranian President and all his associates, allies, and underlings actually make such a simple activity more meaningful? As Herbert and Lizzie proceeded out of the park, they were certain of at least one thing, namely that they were about to find out.
END OF CHAPTER 1
Who knew I’d attempt to extend this Herbert/Lizzie story into a short fanfiction of perhaps a couple of chapters? It seems that I might want to estimate their characteristics a little further. What an unexpected turn of events for my mind, indeed.
“Dates among Disturbances”
Chapter 1: “Meeting at the Park”
The round, buck-toothed boy sat by himself on a bench in the main park of Gallagher, Ohio, his eyes turned upward to the clear blue sky, his hands tucked behind his head in deep thought. The grass around him stood almost completely still, and some birds chirped overhead before they touched down on the branches of a nearby tree, perhaps to strengthen their nests. Quite striking to him was the simplicity of this scene in contrast to the hustle and bustle of the Kids Next Door Moonbase... between four and three weeks ago. He did not entirely imagine that his boss, the KND Supreme Leader, and the commander of Sector V would jointly announce an acting project based on William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet… as a way to relieve Kids Next Door operatives of boredom that had been mounting since about two months before the announcement. What a truly amazing result the Moonbase’s communication officer had observed by Wallabee and Kuki’s conclusion: not only did Numbuhs Four and Three, cast as the title references to Romeo and Juliet, admit their feelings for each other, but also Numbuhs Two and Five, cast as Lord Hoagie and Lady Abigail Montague, and Numbuhs 60 and 86, cast as Lord Patton and Lady Francine Capulet, began to grow closer to each other themselves. As Herbert, known in the KND as Numbuh 65.3, stated in pleasant disbelief after playing Wallabee Montague’s (literally) priestly confidant and advisor, “Numbuhs One and 362 orchestrated a masterpiece” that even now led him to wonder if he could find a girlfriend for himself. In particular, there was one girl around whom Herbert acted rather bashfully... and as Herbert continued looking skyward and thinking about Wallabee and Kuki’s significance for him, that girl happened to walk up to him from the stone path in front of the bench.
“Hi, Herbie,” the red-haired, double-ponytail girl greeted Herbert, using his nickname calmly yet cheerfully.
Herbert jumped slightly and blinked his eyes a few times in initial confusion. He brought his hands down from behind his head, turned it toward the direction of the girl who just spoke... and smiled nervously. Standing slightly off to his right with her hands tucked neatly behind her back was none other than Lizzie Devine, the girl with whom he’d been eager to spend his free time this warm day.
“Uh… hey, Lizzie,” Herbert replied reluctantly. “Nice weather, isn’t it?”
“Uh-huh. I can walk outside, chat with my friends, and just have fun on this beautiful day, if I do say so myself,” said Lizzie happily… before taking some steps toward the bench. “Do you mind if I sit next to you? You look like you could use some company.”
A barely noticeable blush lined Herbert’s cheeks as he closed his eyes and then gestured for Lizzie to sit next to him. “Nope, not at all. I wasn’t really expecting anyone else here, so... go ahead.”
Lizzie nodded perceptively, a smile crossing the front of her face, then sat down on the bench next to Herbert. Anyone looking in their direction would have simply taken note of two ordinary kids relaxing on a bench thinking about whatever kids their age liked to think about. Herbert and Lizzie looked straight ahead, admiring the general stillness of the park before them... other than various small creatures running to and fro, such as a squirrel that was gathering some acorns scattered across the grass.
“So, what brings you down here to Gallagher? I thought you’d be busy working up at that Kids Next Door Moonbase by now,” Lizzie commented curiously, turning to face her male friend, generally aware of his life at the Kids Next Door’s most important headquarters.
Herbert turned to Lizzie, hesitating at her question... and remembering several pieces of information that were much more grim than a Shakespearean romantic drama. “Uh... well, to make a long story short, life on the Moonbase started getting kind of boring again, even after Numbuhs Four and Three finally admitted their feelings for each other in that play Numbuhs One and 362 organized and codirected.”
“Really? I always thought Wally and Kuki made a good couple. Anyway, Herbie, please continue with that story of yours,” requested Lizzie as surprisingly calmly as she did. “I mean, Nigel was always telling me about how the Kids Next Door’s mission is to protect kids’ ability to be kids by battling adult tyranny.” A few seconds passed before she mentally recomposed herself. “I don’t really blame that Rachel girl for taking an interest in him because of that attribute of his, what with being the Supreme Leader of the entire Kids Next Door and all. Didn’t you tell me once about that?”
Herbert simply nodded in acknowledgement of Lizzie’s implicit acceptance of Nigel Uno and Rachel McKenzie’s… romantic friendship. “You’re right, Lizzie. As for the adult tyranny we Kids Next Door operatives were used to battling, that’s just it. There’ve been virtually no attacks by any of the KND’s sworn enemies anywhere since the Great New York City Airplane Massacre three months ago.”
“Wow. Those ‘Sacred Strugglers,’ if that’s what they call themselves, must not realize that by crashing airplanes into the tallest twin skyscrapers in North America and murdering almost 3,000 people of all ages, they managed to scare the worst villains in Kids Next Door memory completely out of the picture,” Lizzie commented, a hint of considerable contempt and amazement in her voice, a look of intense concern and interest on her face.
Herbert thought through Lizzie’s recollection of that unimaginably evil attack for a few moments, then exhaled before continuing, inevitably pausing a few times here and there to demonstrate how unbelievable he considered the information he was about to reveal to his female friend. “Unfortunately, it gets worse. Numbuhs 362, One, 86, and 60 learned that Iranian President Ali Muhammad Teherani, who practically gave the green light for that double airplane attack, believes that by wiping the United States of America and its allies off the map, he can bring about the appearance of somebody called the ‘Hidden Imam…’ and therefore the end of the world about three months from now.”
Lizzie gasped in utter shock… mixed with outrage. “Th-that’s horrible!!!”
“You said it,” Herbert stated dismally. “I overheard One and 362 -- or Nigel and Rachel, if you prefer -- tell 60 via intercommunication between the Moonbase and the Arctic Training Base that they’d be in the rec room near the Supreme Commander’s office watching a speech by Teherani in front of that global assembly in New York City this morning. With those two doing that, 86 heading off… somewhere, Numbuh 101 conducting some weird calculations with the KNDNA Tracker, and Numbuh 23 apparently making a new confectionary treat to show Numbuh 35, I figured I might as well take my own break and shuttle down here from the Moonbase so I can spend some time with…” He blushed again, fully conscious of the person he was thinking of.
Lizzie smiled in recognition of that last incomplete yet conclusive statement. “You don’t have to say anything else, Herbie.” She got up from the bench, walked in front of Herbert, and extended her right hand toward him. “So, what should we do first?”
Herbert simply looked at Lizzie for several more seconds before smiling back, mildly accepting her hand with his left hand, and getting up from the bench himself. “Do you… want some ice cream, Lizzie? I’ve got some money to pay for it.”
Lizzie chuckled somewhat more happily than before. “I’d love some. So let’s go." Her eyes darkened somewhat to indicate her new sentiment. “And if that Teherani creep does anything to ruin our date, he is seriously[/u] gonna regret it.”
Herbert chuckled eagerly yet nervously at Lizzie’s last remark, and both kids began to walk away from the bench and onto the stone path, continuing to hold hands along the way. All they wanted for now was some quality time together, and not even Teherani’s stated goals and corresponding actions would change that, as apocalyptically evil as they were. In this case, these two kids’ priority was a simple round of ice cream at whatever ice cream store existed in Gallagher, Ohio. Would Lizzie Devine and Herbert grow closer to each other over this round of ice cream? In fact, would the agenda of the Iranian President and all his associates, allies, and underlings actually make such a simple activity more meaningful? As Herbert and Lizzie proceeded out of the park, they were certain of at least one thing, namely that they were about to find out.
END OF CHAPTER 1
Who knew I’d attempt to extend this Herbert/Lizzie story into a short fanfiction of perhaps a couple of chapters? It seems that I might want to estimate their characteristics a little further. What an unexpected turn of events for my mind, indeed.
