Of Fragile Leaders and Terrorists

[prettywitchiusaka]

At this point, it is almost impossible for them to create a bond of love from their already existing one. But even with this in mind, Patton is still determined to protect the two things that are closest to his heart, despite agreeing with Rachel on how to handle this situation. As I said before, you really won't be able to see how this resolves until chapter 8, but for now all I can say is you'll have to see for yourself...

[prettywitchiusaka]

Well, after a few days of waiting, here comes chapter seven. Enjoy!

Chap. 7: Insecurities, Locations and Messages

The following day, Rachel sat at the desk in her office, her head resting on her hands as a melancholy expression lay carved into her beautiful face. Although suppost to be working on the big pile of paperwork piled up on her desk, she could not help but allow her mind to drift off to others thoughts. What occupied her mind at this time was the threat Alpha had put on the KND, having attacked Sector K only a few hours ago. Everyone had received minor injuries, but this still didn't do anything to calm the young Supreme Leaders nerves as she focused on Alpha, and the things he had done.

"Eight sectors", she thought to herself in a melancholy tone.

"Eight sectors and one officer he's taken down in the last week...and not a single trace of pattern", she continued to think, slight anxiety overtaking her as she did. Sighing, she rested her forehead in her hands as she continued to think, the look on her face not budging an inch.

"What should I do?...Everytime he attacks, he leaves no indication or trail, making it difficult to track his next move...", she thought to herself as she let out a small sigh.

"Maybe facing him myself isn't the right thing to do...But what choice do I have?...I mean...I can't protect my own operatives or the ones I love on my own", she continued to think, Alpha's words from his hacked transmission running through her head as she did.

"I refused to give into his threat...but with all that's happened...maybe he's right...I've caused so many problems for the Kids Next Door...and none that I could fix...Maybe I am just a terrible leader...", she continued to think in a melancholy tone. A knock at the door however, brought her back to reality.

"Come in", she answered in the best optimistic voice that she could.

Upon hearing this voice, the knocker obeyed and opened the door. A small look of surprise however, became apparent on Rachel's face as she saw that her visitor was none other than Herbie.

"Numbuh 65.3. What are you-"

"Sir, come quick", he began in a breathless, almost excited voice. "Numbuh 74.239 and I found something you might be interested in."

...........................................
Meanwhile, Patton walked down the corridor to Rachel's office, a look of sorrow and disappointment clear on his handsome face as he did. Although on his way to return the stolen evidence( which were safely tucked away in his backpack), his mind could not help but wander over to Rachel...and how he felt about the situation. Rachel was as strong, confident kid, and he knew he should respect her decisions. But at the same time, he could not help but feel the need to intervene somehow. He knew that was selfish of him, but he knew he must. For while the Kids Next Door held a very special place in his heart, so did she.

"What do I say?...She's going to want some explanation", he thought to himself in a whispered, melancholy tone, trying to come up with an answer as he neared his destination.

"Rachel...I'm sorry I stole the vidence", he began in his head. "But...I had to. I know you need help even though you refuse to admit it, so that's why I did what I did. I know I'm impulsive and I don't think things through most of the time...but I care about you...I want to protect you...and the Kids Next Door from this scum...I couldn't let you die...And all because I...because I...Oh god, she's never going to believe me", he thought to himself as he neared his destination.

But as he did, the young Drill Sergeant noticed the young blonde and Herbie running down the corridor towards him.

"Sir-"

"No time to talk", Rachel quickly replied as she and the nerdy boy continued to run down the corridor, causing Patton to stare in confusion.

................................................
A short while later, they arrived in the bases monitor room. Upon entering, they were greeted by a seated Numbuh 74.239. Happy to see they had arrived, he greeted them with a big, yet devious looking smile.

"Well, it's about time you showed up", he said in his high-pitched voice. "I was beginnign to think you'd stopped off for a snack."

"Well duh, of course I wouldn't be back with her right away. Her office is 11.9 minutes away from this place", the nerdy boy replied in a tone of disbeleif. "Did you honestly think we'd come back in 5.7 minutes or something?"

"Anyway", Rachel replied before that question could be answered. "What exactly is it you guys want me for?"

"Well Sir, the answer to that is simple. Are you familiar with hack codes", the redheaded nerd asked.

"Well of course", she replied in a matter of fact tone. "Part of a spys job is to hack computers for information. Why?"

"Oh, no reason", he replied in a slightly thingyy tone. "Except that Numbuh 65.3 and I were able to find a way to hack Alpha's communication system and contact him."

"Really?! Are you serious?! But...how", the young blonde asked in a surprised yet excited tone.

"Well it's really quite simple. Numbuh 65.3 got a hold of the transmission and we traced it back to its destination."

"I can't believe you went to all this trouble. Thank you so much", she said in a grateful tone as she gave Numbuh 74.239 a hug, causing him to blush a light shade of pink as she did.

"Ah Sir, shouldn't we be hacking his transmission right about now", the nerdy boy asked.

"Oh, right. Sorry", she replied as she let go of her operative. "Numbuh 74.239, install that hack code."

"Yes Sir", he replied, all the while saluting his superior.

The redheaded nerd then began to type in the code, immediately pressing the hack button right afterwards. After a few mintues of nothing but static, a picture of Alpha apperared on the screen( working on some type of bomb device). Now feeling like she had a victoryf or the first time in a long time, Rachel felt confidence and thingyiness overtake her as she opened her mouth to speak.

"Hello Alpha", she said in a thingyy yet confident tone, causing him to turn around in a surprised manner.

"What!? But...how!? Oh forget it", he yelled in a confused tone, regaining his stern composure as he did. "I should've expected a clever little spy like you would be able to trace back a hacked transmission to its place of origin."

"Thank you, but while I may be clever, it also helps to have loyal nerds on your side", the young blonde replied as a small smirk apeared on her face, the two operatives waving at him in the background as this occurred.

"Charmed", he replied in a sarcastic tone that caused the young Supreme Leader to regain her stern composure. "Although how a pathetic leader like you could have such followers is beyond me."

"All leaders have people who are willing to help them when necessary, even if they don't ask for it", Rachel sternly said as she tried to defend herself.

"Oh please", Alpha said. "Although I must admit, I'm impressed. I figured you would have cracked after the fifth attack, and yet you're still standing."

"I don't give up that easily", she sternly replied.

"As I recall", you don't indeed. And yet that hasn't done you much good either", he replied in a snarly tone.

"Alright, so I've made mistakes as a leader! At least I've tried to atone for them", she barked at him.

"True, but atonement can only last so long. After all...how many times can the Kids Next Door forgive your mixed acts of courage and cowardice", he asked.

"Everyone has mixed feelings of courage and cowardice whenever they set their mind to do something, and you're no different", she sternly replied.

" What", he asked in an angered tone.

"You heard me", she bravely began. "You keep attacking sectors to weaken me, hiding behind your attacks like a faceless coward! If you really had any courage, you'd take me down yourself!"

"Is that a proposition", he asked in a low, curious tone.

"One I've been meaning to make for a long time", she sternly replied.

"Very well, I'll take your proposition and fight you myself. You're weak enough from the sector attacks so this should work to my advantage", he said in a confident tone that caused slight anger to boil up inside of the young blonde. "Name your battlefield."

"The rebuilt Kids next Door gihugicarrier at high noon today", she replied in a low, stern tone.

"Very well...see you soon Numbuh 362", he replied in an arrogant tone.

Once that sentence was uttered, the hacked transmission ended. As it did, a moment of silence broke out amongst the three allies, one that was only broken once Herbie spoke up.

"So, you're going to face him yourself after all", Herbie asked in a concerned tone.

"That was always the plan", the young blonde replied sternly. "Numbuh 65.3, put Numbuh 86 in charge for now. Don't tell her where I've gone off to, I don't want her following me for her own sake."

"What should I tell her then", the nerdy boy asked.

"Tell her I'm on break", she sternly said as she walked over to the door, only to stop and look back at her fellow operatives with a small smile.

"By the way, thank you both for all your help", she said in a very sweet tone.

"Ah, don't mention it Sir", the redheaded nerd replied.

"Yeah, we're glad to help you Sir. Now you better get going, you only have 1.6 hours until your confrontation", the nerdy boy sincerly replied, pointing to his watch to indicate the time as he did.

"Right", Rachel quickly replied.

And with that, the young blonde ran down the corridor and back to her office to prepare for her confrontation. But as she rounded the corner, a familiar person jumped out of the rafters and landed onto his feet. That person was none other than Patton, a look of anger and determination clear in his gentle black eyes as he looked up at the corridor she had just run down.

"Not on my watch", he said in a low, angered voice, now determined to stop his friend and superior once more.

End chap. 7

[CCACorn26]

Talk about a new twist. Rachel intends to confront Alpha about his attacks against the Kids Next Door... one day after her argument with Patton. Herbie and Numbuh 74.239 were happy to help Rachel as they knew how. Unfortunately, one person is preventing her from reaching that confrontation, and she may not be too happy to see him standing in her way. I sense a rather deep argument between Rachel and Patton in the next chapter, and even then, if Alpha senses anything between them, then he might attempt to use it to his advantage.

[prettywitchiusaka]

Thanks about the twist. I hadn't really intended for it to be a twist, but if you want to think of it as one, by all means go ahead.

As for what is going to happen between Rachel and Patton in chapter 8, and what Alpha has in store for these two, you'll just have to wait and see. I'll try and have chapter 8 up by either Friday or Saturday of this week, so you don't need to wait that long to know what happens.

[CCACorn26]

Ah. Well, if Rachel believes that confronting Alpha sooner will reduce the casualties, then that assumption may be more understandable than I initially predicted. Ironically, I may have actually experienced a similar reaction in pondering some scenes from my past fanfictions, more specifically, scenes related to timing. Take the time that you deem appropriate in setting up that confrontation. I should find it intriguing to analyze.

[prettywitchiusaka]

Oh don't worry, I'll take my time with it. Now granted, she'll be facing off with him in chapter nine, but that doesn't mean that I won't take my time setting up the confrontation until it boils down to the fight itself.

[prettywitchiusaka]

Well after a few days of waiting, here comes chapter eight. Enjoy!

Chap.8 : The First and Last Kiss

Awhile later, Rachel was in her office, silently packing what she would need for her confrontation into a small aquamarine bag on her desk. The silence however, was interrupted by the sound of footsteps, which the young blonde grew suspicious of. She turned around, but suspiciously went back to packing upon seeing no one there. The footsteps however, did not cease. Assuming that it was an intruder, the young blonde threw at them a powerful round house kick. One that was only stopped as the person grabbed her foot. Surprised, she look to see that the 'intriuder' was none other than an angry looking Patton.

"Numbuh 60", she said in a surprised tone as he let go of her foot, allowing her to put her leg onto the ground. "How did you get in here?"

"Through the back door", he replied in a low, angered tone. "But that's not important, what's important is that I need to talk to you."

"Look, I'd love to talk right now, but I can't", she replied in a stern yet calm manner as she went back to packing.

"Why? Too busy packing for your confrontation with Alpha", he asked in a low, angered tone that caused her to gasp upon hearing his question. Regaining her stern composure, she turned to face him.

"How do you know about that", she asked in a stern yet angered tone.

"The amazing Numbuh 60 never reveals his secrets", he replied.

"Was the amazing Numbuh 60 hiding in the rafters above head", she asked in a suspicious tone that caused the room to go silent for a moment.

"The amazing Numbuh 60 refuses to acknowledge this", he replied in an emberassed tone as another moment of silence came between them.

"So in other owrds, you're here to stop me", she asked.

"Yes", he angrily replied. "You can't face him on your own."

"Oh, and why not", she angrily asked.

"Because you'll be killed if you do", he angrily stated.

"That's a risk I'll have to take. And if you're offering to help, my answer is still no", she replied in a stern yet angered tone.

"If you don't want my help, ask someone else. But you need help taking this guy down", the raven haired boy angrily replied.

"For the last time, no! I refuse to let anymore of my operatives fall victim to his wrath", the young blone angrily stated, her voice raising in tone as she did.

"Why are you so intent on fighting him yourself when you know you stand a chance of being killed", he asked in an angry tone.

"Because it's my burden", she said in a stern yet angered tone that caused a look of slight surprise to form on her friend's face. "Besides, it doesn't help that I'm beginning to think that Alpha's right. Maybe in relaity, I am just a terrible leader...But even so, if I have to take him down the hard way...I'll take myself down with him...Not for the glory...but for my own beliefs and what my operatives mean to me."

"So you'll die, for honour", he angrily asked.

"I will die doing what I think is right", she angrily replied.

"But if you-"

"I know my place", she yelled at him. "Maybe it's time you learned yours.

With that, the young blonde went back to packing her bag as Patton stood there blankly, shock continuing to run through his body as her words continued to echo through his head. But as they did, her words didn't bring him sorrow, they only brought him more anger and determination.

"I know", he said in a low tone, one that caused her to turn and face him once more.

"What", she asked.

"I know where my place is...beneath you...But even so, I'm determined to stop him myself", he asid.

"You can't", she angrily stated.

"I don't care", he yelled.

"You're going to defy my orders", she yelled back.

"Damn straight! I may be impulsive and irresponsible, I may very well be a fool, but I refuse to believe that I'm worthless! I refuse to bow down to Alpha, or any threat ever again! I refuse to let the Kids Next Door or humanity fall once more! And I will protect you", he yelled.

"You can't protect me", she yelled back at him.

"I can and I will, because I refuse to let you die, Patton yelled.

"Why are you so adament about making sure I don't die", Rachel yelled back.

"Because I love you", he quickly yelled back.

But upon saying those three words, the young Drill Sergeant put his hand to his mouth as the young blonde just stood there frozen solid. Both felt shock come over them, but while Patton's shock came from what he had impulsively blurted out, Rachel's came from the words she had not expected to hear. As this occurred, a moment of silence broke out. One that was broken however once she spoke up.

"Is that true", she asked in a low, surprised tone. "You...you love me...?

And asked she that simple question, Patton began to try and find his words, trying to come up with a good answer. And yet as he did, no words came out of his nervous self. And only because he kept wondering, should he really say it's true...or should he say it isn't? He really wasn't sure until he saw the look on wonderment in her beautiful eyes and made his decision, his feelings now overtaking him as he opened his mouth to speak.

"Yes...", he slowly replied, his voice cracking as he did. "It's true...I love you Rachel...These feelings I have for you...I don't know when they started...But for the past few years I haven't been able to think of you as just my friend...I've also thought of you as someone precious to me..."

"I've tried so hard not to think like that", he continued in a sincere yet saddened tone as she continued to stare at him. "I've tried so hard to convince myself that you're just my friend and nothing else. But no matter how hard I try not to I...I...I can't help but be attracted to you that way..."

"I know it's wrong to feel this way about you...I know it's against the rules...hell, I know it goes against my code of conduct as a Drill Sergeant. That's why I know I should just tell you how I feel and risk everything I have with you", he said as he walked over to the still shocked Rachel.

"But once I start to think about that...I start to think about your traits", he said as he caressed her soft cheeks in his gloved hands, causing her to blush a light shade of pink as she became entranced by the deep look of love in his eyes. " Traits like your warm smile...or your beauty...or your intelligence and maturity...or your stern and assertive composure...or your courage and your ability to never give up...or your gentle, nurturing heart and your passion for justice...all these traits that make me love you..."

" I think about them...and it makes me want to take you into my arms and protect you from the world", he said in a sincere, whispered tone as he wrapped his arms around her slender body, increasing the shock and surprise she felt as he did.

"So please Rachel...don't face him directly...please find another way", he softly pleaded. "I know that's selfish of me...but I don't know what I'd do if I lost you...because you mean everything to me..."

And as he spoke those words, a moment of silence broke out amongst them as they continued their embrace. As the moment continued on, the young blonde felt herself become calm as she continued to rest her body against his warm chest, the deep, true feelings of love he had confessed to her continuing to echo in her head as she did. After awhile though, she felt herslef being pulled back to the cold, harsh reality of Alpha's threat. Although she wished she could stay in his arms for awhile longer, the young Supreme Leader eventually ripped herself out of Patton's embrace, surprising him in the process. Upon catching her breath from the shock, the young blonde then opened her mouth to speak.

"Th-thank you for being honest about your feelings", she said in a shaky voice. "But I'm sorry Patton...not even confessing your love is enough to make me change my mind."

"But I can't just-", he began in a desperate tone as she put her fingers to his lips, silencing him in the process.

"Besides...if you really loved me, you'd respect my wishes and let me fight him on my own", she replied in a sincere tone that caused Patton to stare and sigh, for he realized that she had a point.

"I know it's hard for you to accept that I'm rejecting your offer, but you're just so strong and kind Patton, I'd never forgive myself if anything happened to you...or any of my operatives for that matter", she replied in a sincere tone, turning to finish packing as she did.

As she did, Patton felt himself slip back into a sorrowful state, or at least until he began to think about what she had just said. That line...she had used it once before when they were arguing at Arctic Base. The line being that she can't risk him or any of her operatives dying along with her. But as he analzyed them, he could not help but notice two things. One was that it almsot felt like she had added on the last part of that sentence, and two was she had put him before her operatives when talking about it. Having drawn a conclusion, the yougn Drill Sregeant chuckled deviously as he looked up to face her once more.

"You know, you never told me just why it is you didn't want me to go with you. Maybe it's a deeper reson", he said in a low, flirtatious tone that caused her to turn and face him once more.

"What do you mean", she asked.

"What I mean is that you don't want me to go because you return my feelings. You love me...as much as I love you...", he replied in a flirtatious tone that caused the young blonde to blush a light shade of pink, a moment of silence coming upon them as this occurred.

"D-Don't be ridiculous", Rachel slightly stuttered in an emberassed manner, ending the momentary silence. "I don't think of you as anything more than a friend and fellow operative."

"Really", he said in a suspicious yet devious tone. 'Then why did you add on that last part of that sentence?"

"So that you wouldn't think I was being selfish", she replied in a low, nervous tone.

"I'd never think of you as selfish Rachel. In fact...your sleflessness is one of the many things I love about you. But that aside, why would you care if I thought you were being selfish", he asked.

"I don't", she sternly replied.

"I think you do", he deviously replied.

"Look, the botttom line is that I don't love you that way", Rachel said in a stern yet annoyed tone. "Besides, even if I was, what would I possibly find attractive about you romantically?"

"Well..", he began in a low, romantic tone as he moved towards Rachel, surprising her in the process. "I'm brave...and strong...and noble..and devious...and compassionate...and understanding...and sympathetic...and caring...and gentle...I may be a little impulsive...but my heart is in the right place...Not to mention I'm...irressitably handsome..."he finished in a whispered tone, one that the young blonde was unsure on how to respond to.

"Well...I will admit that I've always liked those traits about you...", she confessed. "And I've always thought you were quite handsome...especially those strong...gentle...hypnotic black eyes of yours...But..."

"But...", he replied in a low, confident tone.

"But...", she replied in a low, melancholy tone.

"But...", he replied in a low, almost impatient tone.

"But...", she replied as she became entranced by his gentle black eyes, him in turn becoming entranced by her beautiful chocolate brown eyes.

As silence came upon them once more, the young Drill Sergeant caressed her soft cheek and leaned in, preparing to kiss her soft lips. Unable to resist temptation, the young blonde closed her eyes and leaned in, preparing to meet with his lips. But as she did, her eyes noticed the time on the clock, which was only fifteen minutes to one. Realizing that she now had limited time to get to the Gihugicarrier, the young blonde quickly pulled away from his handsome face, surprising him once more.

"I have to go", she said in a soft, sincere sounding voice.

"What? Why", Patton asked in a disappointed tone.

"I told Alpha I'd meet him on the rebuilt Gihugicarrier at high noon and I don't have much time left...I have to go", she replied in a sfot tone that caused Patton to softly sigh.

"I understand", he replied in a soft tone as he flashed her a small but genuine smile, one that caused her to blush as she returned a warm, genuine smile.

Shortly after wards, the young blonde turned back to her desk and finished packing her bag, sliding it onto her back right afterwards. The young blonde then turned to face her friend one last time, a sad looking smile present on her face as she did.

"Well...goodbye Patton...", she replied in a melancholy tone as the room went silent for a moment.

"Goobye Rachel...", he replied in the same melancholy tone, a sad smile too was present on his face as the room went silent.

"I'm glad I had someone like you as one of my closest friends...", she replied.

"You're welcome...and I'm happy that I met you...", he replied.

"Well then...I should probably get going...", she replied.

And with that, the young blonde walked away from her friend and over to the door. As she did, all Patton could do was stare at her, wishing that he could at least have one last moment with her as she put her hand on the knob. But to his surprise, she let go of the knob and walked back over to him, a sorrowful look present on her beautiful face as she continued to stare at him.

"But just in case I don't ever come back...", she whispered softly as she closed her eyes and gently yet passionately kissed him. Although taken aback by this, the young Drill Sergeant eventually gave into his desires and kissed back as he wrapped his arms around her slender waist, Rachel resting her hands on his warm chest. And so the moment of eternity began as they continued their kiss, stopping only once to readjust their liplock.After what seemed like an eternity, the two children broke their kiss, continuing to become lost in each other’s eyes as if the moment had never ended.

“Oh Rachel...” Patton whispered in a romantic tone as he went to kiss her again, happy that one of his dreams had finally come true. But as he did, he felt himself become stopped by a set of soft fingers. Opening his gentle black eyes, he came to face Rachel, tears welling up in her beautiful chocolate brown eyes as she stood to face and confuse him.

“Goodbye Patton...”, she said in a low, weepy tone as she tore herself out of his arms and ran for the door, a few stray tears escaping her eyes as she opened the door and ran out of her office, slamming the door shut in the process.

And as she did, Patton just stood there in silence as the scene replayed over in his head, a saddened look clear in his gentle black eyes as well. Sighing, the young Drill Sergeant allowed a stray tear to fall down from his face as he felt his heart break, angered and saddened by how things had worked out between them. But little did he know that Rachel felt her heart breaking as well as she continued to run towards the docking bay, angered and saddened by how things had worked out between them as well.

End chap.8

[prettywitchiusaka]

Hello everyone. Today I bring you none other than chapter nine, the first chapter to begin the showdown between Rachel and Alpha. Enjoy!

Chap. 9: Courage and Cowardice Part 1

High noon, it wasn't exactly the warmest part of the day, but it was neither the coldest. This was the thought that circled through Alpha's head as he stood on the rebuilt Gihugicarrier, awaiting the arrival of his target. His wait however, came to an end as a familiar R.O.A.D.S.T.A.R. landed on one of the platforms. After putting her vehicle in park, the young Supreme Leader jumped out of the driver's seat and landed on her feet, a stern look of anger present clearly detailed on her beautiful face as he just sneered at her.

"Well, looks like you decided to show up", he said in an arrogant tone.

"I'm not a coward like you Alpha. I face my problems head on instead of running from them", Rachel replied in a stern yet powerful tone.

"Attacks maybe. But when it comes to personal problems, you run away like a scared litle girl who's lost her mommy", Alpha replied in a snarly, almost mocking tone.

"Call me whatever you want, but a leader is still alowed to make mistakes", she barked in an annoyed manner.

"True, but a good leader would never allow their organization to go to hell in the midst of a personal crisis or belief. A true leader would cast aside those problems for the future of their organization...instead of turning yellow", he replied.

"You say I'm a coward", she asked in a now aggravted tone. "What about you!? Instead of facing me head on, you kept attacking my operatives even though you have respect for our cause! I don't understand why you would do something like that!"

"Because you're fragile", he replied in a calculating tone.

"Wh-What", she asked in a rather shocked tone.

"You see, the thing is is that while you're both strong and powerful physically and mentally, emotionally you're like glass, easy to break", he stated. "I knew you'd refuse to give up without a fight, which is why I decided it would be better to face you indirectly as opposed to directly. With that in mind, I attacked your loud mouthed friend first as a second warning and then slowly worked my way down to sectors you had no personal connection to so as to leave no trail."

"After awhile, I figured going after Sectors W and V was the perfect ploy. Because while you share a close bond with all six of those operatives, you're particularly close to Numbuh 0's son and that mutant freak, which I knew would have a huge affect on you", he finished in a stern tone as the youung blonde continued to stand there, shock clearly detailed on her beautiful face as she did.

"So yes, I underdstand I'm being hyocritical. But as far as I'm concerned, when accomplishing your goals, you have to work with what you have", he replied in a thingyy tone. "Besides...your incompetence and weaknessess we're so obvious...I just had to use them to my advantage."

Pulling out a specialized gun, Alpha confidently leaped into the air and flew towards the still stunned Rachel. Snapping out of her stunned state in time to see him coming towards her, the young blonde threw her arms up as a defense guard and flung him away before he could shoot, causing him to land on his feet. Pulling out a SCAMPP from her backpack, she backflipped over her opponent and landed on her feet, taking at shot at him as she did. Dodging her attack, he ran towards her and went to deliver a punch to her face, only to have it be stopped by her throwing up a rising block.

The battle then continued on as the two opponents continued to intently duke it out with their fists and feet, all the while shooting at each other every now and then. The pattern was broken however once Alpha shot a painful lazer beam at Rachel, causing her to collapse hard onto the ground and her gun to slip out of her hand and land not too far away. Notcing this, the young Supreme Leader quickly brought herself to her feet and ran towards the gun as Alpha threw a granade at her. Noticing the granade, Rachel leaped for the gun, just as the device hit the ground and set off an explosion, causing Alpha to smirk from underneath his scarf. But as the smoke cleared, he became surprised to find that his opponent was nowhere to be found.

"Alright Numbuh 362, come out where ever you are", he yelled in an annoyed tone as he began to look fro her. But what he didn't know was that Rachel was hiding behind one of the large buildings, catching her breath and resting up.

"You can't hide forever", he yelled as the young blonde continued to catch her breath, all the while sighing.

"What do I do", she thought to herself. "His weapons are more advanced than mine, and I can't keep attacking forever...Maybe I should just-"

"Wait a minute", she continued to think, her photographic memory beginning to analyze their recent fight. "His self made technology and his target aim was quite impressive, but his martial arts skills were a little weak."

"Which means", she thought to herself as she reloaded her gun, a wide smirk emerging on her face as she did. Meanwhile, Alpha continued to search for the young Supreme Leader, becoming annoyed that he hadn't found her yet.

"You know, you might as well come out. You're only proving further that you're a coward and a hyprocrite", he said in a snarly tone, taunting her once more.

"Funny", replied a voice that surprised him as he turned around, only to find a stern looking Rachel standing atop one of the buildings and pointing her SCAMPP at him. "I was thinking the exact same thing about you."

Firing his lazer gun at her, the young blonde dodged the lazer and leaped off the building. As she shot her gun at Alpha, knocking his gun out of his hand in the process. Once she was close enough, Rachel sent a powerful round house kick to her opponent, knocking him onto the ground in the rpocess. But as Alpha went to get up, the young blonde pinned him to the ground and grabbed his mask and hat with her hands, shocking him.

"Wha-What are you doing?!", he screamed in fear and anger.

"Revealing my attackers identity before I inicitate the final blow", she replied in a calm, thingyy sounding voice as she sneered at him.

And with that, Rachel pulled off his mask and hat. But as she did, shock overcame her as a look of horror and disbelief formed on her beautiful face, for his true identity was someone she was not expecting. Alpha...was one of her own operatives...

"I...I don't believe it...", she replied in a shocked tone as she stood up and slowly backed away. "Numbuh...48 Flavours..."

"Well...you seem pretty shocked", he replied as he stood up and took his scarf off, only to reveal a devious looking dmirk on on his face. "But then again, you porbably weren't expecting one of your own operatives to be the culprit."

"But...But why...", she asked in a whispered yet shocked tone.

"Because I despise you, and your political views", he screamed at her, finally allowing all of his built up rage to come pouring out.
"You and your pacifistic views have caused nothing but trouble since you were given the title, and you continue to do so! The rest of the Kids Next Door may be willing to forgive you, but I never will! That's why I did this, so that I could destroy you and save the Kids Next Door from the utter destruction you bring!"

"Half of the things that threatened the Kids Next Door after I became Supreme Leader were entirely coincidence and out of my control! None of those were my fault", she sternly yelled at him.

"Not your fault", he screamed in rage as he went to attack her.

"Who didn't believe in Numbuh 0", he screamed as he sent a punch to her, only for Rachel to dodge his attack.

"Who thought the teens wanted peace with us", he screamed as he tried to kick her, only for Rachel to crouch down and dodge.

"Who couldn't handle the pressure anymore and let a villain run the organization", he screamed as he went to deliver another punch, only to have Rachel back flip and dodge.

"Who foolishly sacrificed themselves just to buy their own friends some time", he screamed as he continued to attack her viciously, only to have all his offensive attacks be blocked by Rachel's defensive moves.

"Who surrendered the MoonBase to Grandfather", he screamed at the young Supreme Leader, his sentence catching her off guard as he viciously punched her in the face, causing her to collapse to the ground. But before she could bring herself to her feet, the redhead boy viciously pinned her to the ground.

"Don't you see all the pain and suffering you've caused", he screamed as he pulled out a switch blade from his utility belt, surprising her in the process. "You don't deserve to live or to lead anyone! No one wants a pathetic wretch like you! No one needs a pathetic leader like you!

And as that sentence was uttered, Rachel felt herself go into shock, his words continuing to echo in her head. As they did, she thought of her mistakes, her blunders, the people she had inadvertantly hurt, and all of the suffering she had caused. Maybe Numbuh 48 Flavours was right. Maybe she was just a terrible leader. Or at least...that's what she thought as him bringing the switch blade down brought her back to reality. Traumatized, she closed her eyes in fear as she awaited her death, not even attempting to resist any longer.

End chap.9

[prettywitchiusaka]

Well after a few more days of waiting, here comes the second to last chapter, as well as the continuation from last weeks cliffhanger. Enjoy!

Chap. 10: Courage and Cowardice Part 2

Traumatized, she fearfully closed her eyes as she awaited her death, not even attempting to resist any longer. But what confused her afterwards, was that she only heard the blade come down, she never actually felt it pierce into her body. Surprised by this, the young blonde opened her eyes to find herself being held in the strong arms of Patton, who looked down to smile at her.

"Well if it isn't Numbuh 60", Numbuh 48 Flavors remarked amusingly. "Come to save you're precious
princess?”

"You're right on the money", the raven haired boy replied in a low, angered tone.

"P...Patton...Wha-What are you doing here", Rachel asked in a shocked tone.

"Well...remember when we were saying our goodbyes, and you told me to follow you in secret in case you needed back-up", he asked.

"I never told you to follow me in secret in case I needed back-up", she yelled at him as she clenched her fists in annoyance.

"Well you didn't tell me not to", he said as a wide smirk appeared on his handsome face, annoying her even more.

"I can't believe you disobeyed me again! How many times do I have to say it before it gets through your thick headed skull that I didn't want you to get involved", she yelled.

"I'm sorry", hew said. "ut I refuse to believe that there's nothing I can do to help you, or the Kids Next
Door.”

And with that, he gently put the still shocked Rachel onto the ground. He then turned to face his smirking foe and pulled out a GUMZOOKA, aiming it at his opponent as a look of pure hatred became clear on the young Drill Sergeant's face.

"Numbuh 48 Flavors/Alpha, for terrorizing the Kids Next Door and threatening Numbuh 362, I hear by order you under ar-", he fiercely began before he stopped to clutch his side, wincing in pain as he did. Worried that he might he hurt, Rachel quickly rushed over to the side he was clutching, only to see a deep, bloody gash there as he removed his hand from the wound. But as Patton continued to hold up his gun towards his foe, all the young blonde could do was stand there in horror as she watched blood drip from the wound, unsure of what to do.

"Patton...", she whispered as she covered her mouth with her hands in shock, all the while Numbuh 48 Flavors stared at this sight in amusement.

"Wow, what a gash, and to think you wouldn’t have that if it weren't for her" the redhead remarked. "But then again, it only makes sense that someone as stupid as you would love and be loyal to a worthless, pathetic, wretched leader like her."

"Shut up", the young Drill Sergeant replied in a low, angered tone.

"Why should I ? It's your fault for choosing to follow a leader with no charisma", he continued on.

"I said shut-up", Patton yelled. "Don't insult her in front of me, unless you want the sh*t beaten out of you!

"Oh, how threatening", he mocked. "I'd be really scared, if you were able to hold yourself up straight! You might as well just give up."

"Never", Patton replied in a low tone.

"Never", Numbuh 48 Flavors asked.

"Never", the young Drill Sergeant yelled. "I know I'm irresponsible, I know I'm impulsive...but I'm not worthless. I will protect the Kids Next Door from threats like you."

"I will protect my beliefs, the beliefs and lives of innocent bystanders, and the lives of those I love, even if it kills me", he stated in a determined tone, one that caused Rachel to go into shock once more.

"You really are a fool", the redhead boy snidely remarked. "It's no wonder Grandfather tricked you so easily into joining him."

Upon hearing that sentence, anger and hatred overtook the young Drill Sergeant as he ran over to Numbuh 48 Flavors to deliver a punch, ignoring the pain in his side. Numbuh 48 Flavors however, stopped the punch with his own hand as he went to deliver a kick to his opponent head. Patton however dodged the kick as the two boys began their own brawl of fist and feet. As their brawl fest continued, all Rachel could do was stand there as she gazed in horror at the scene unfolding. Patton was risking everything for her, he had even been hurt trying to save her. And for that, she knew his life could not end in vain. 'I have to do something' was the thought that ran through her head as she ran back to her ROADSTAR. As she did, the battle continued on until Patton went to deliver a punch to his opponents head, only to stop and wince in pain from the gash wound. Seizing this as the right opportunity, the redhead boy throughly kicked his opponent right in the side where his gash was, causing him to collapse to the ground in more pain. But before he could get up, Numbuh 48 Flavors pined him to the ground and began to advance on him with his switchblade.

"Say goodbye", he snidely replied as he threw the blade towards his weak opponent, Patton closing his eyes tight as he prepared for more pain. But upon hearing metal clash, the young Drill Sergeant opened his eyes to witness Rachel struggling to hold back the blade with her Yield Staff.

"Leave him alone", Rachel said in a struggling tone. "He's done nothing to you."

"True", he calmly replied. "But his death will prove to be the final nail in your coffin."

"What", she asked.

"You see, I was aware that you were in love with someone because of the look of love in your eyes, the only question that remained was who was it that had captured your heart", he said.

"At first I thought it might be Nigel Uno, but then I remembered your relationship with spiky over there and pieced it together. And now that I know your true soft spot, I can finally terminate you properly", he replied in a dark tone. One that although surprised Rachel, also gave her determination as she used her staff to throw him across the platform.

"You're not terminating anyone today", she screamed at him.

"Well we'll just have to see about that, won't we", he said in a thingyy, confident tone.

Running towards each other until they collided, the two opponents continued their brawl of fists and feet, her staff and his switchblade clashing with each other every now and then. Still determined to help her though, Patton clutched his side and began to crawl over towards the fight, continuing to ignore the pain in his side as he did. Noticing this, the young Supreme Leader Shooed Numbuh 48 Flavors's switchblade away with her staff and turned to face him, a concerned look clear in her eyes as she did.

"Patton, stay back", she yelled out of desperation as the redhead slashed her right cheek, causing her to scream in pain and the raven haired boy to stare in shock and horror at this sight. He then kicked her to the ground and pinned, surprising Rachel and fueling Patton's determination to help her once more.

"Looks like it's the end of the line for you", Numbuh 48 Flavors said a thingyy tone as he continued to sneer at her.

"Actually...I wouldn't count on it", she replied as she began to sneer at him, confusing her opponent.

"Let him have it", she replied in a stern tone that confused him once more. But before he could ask, the redhead boy found himself being picked up by the collar and pulled up. Upon realizing what was going on, he became shocked to find himself face to face with an almost smirking Nigel Uno.

"Hello Numbuh 48 Flavors. Here's a little something courtesy of the Kids Next Door", the British bald boy calmly said as he punched his fellow operative in the gut, sending him flying across the platform screaming as he did.

He flew over towards a grinning Hoagie, who attacked him in the back with his SPLANKER. This sent Numbuh 48 Flavors flying towards an angry looking Kuki, who caught him in her long sleeve covered
hands.

"Take this you big meanie", she screamed as she violently threw him into the air and down towards Wally, who swung him with a baseball bat over towards a stern looking Abby.

"He's all your girl", the spunky African American screamed out as she brutally kicked him over towards Alex, who caught him with her telekinesis as her eyes began to glow a menacing shade of pink.

"My friends went easy on you...but just because they did, doesn't mean I will", she replied in a low, angered tone as she violently flung him into one of the buildings. She then proceeded to violently fling him across the platform into another building and then finally telekinetically flung him to the ground in a violent rage. As he winced in pain on the ground, the mutant brunette aimed a ball of pink telekinetic energy at him in case he should attempt something, the rest of her team doing the same as they pulled out their 2x4 weapons as they circled him. At the same time, a now eye bandaged Fanny appeared to complete the circle, a wide smirk on her freckled face as she aimed her trusty MUSKET at him.

"Well, well, well, Numbuh 48 Flavors, I should have guessed", the Irish redhead replied in a snarly tone as she sneered at the rather surprised operative.

"But...But that's impossible", he replied. "How did-"

"Let's just say I decided to take my friends advice and decided to call them for help while you and Numbuh 60 were ducking it out", replied a voice that cut him off. Turning around, the surprised redhead turned around to see a thingyy looking Rachel staring down at him. "Numbuh 86, you know what to do."

"Numbuh 48 Flavors", Fanny began in her shrill voice. "For threatening our leader and attackin' the Kids Next Door, I hear by sentence ye' ta' be scheduled for immediate decomissionin!"

"Immediate decommissioning", he screeched in disbelief.

"Take him away boys", fanny shouted as two Decommissioning Squad operatives ran out of her ship.

"No. no", Numbuh 48 Flavors screeched as the two operatives cuffed him, beginning to squirm and struggle as they began to take him towards the Irish redheads ship.

"You think it's over", he screeched at Rachel as he was hauled away. "You think you've won?! Well you haven't, because I'll be back!

"And if not me, then someone else! Because son enough you'll be exposed for the wretched leader you are! No one will bow to you, no one will love you, no one will save you! You'll be disposed of and forgotten, just like every other incompetent leader in history", he screamed as Rachel stood there with a stern look on her face, taking in his hurtful words as he was hauled in the vehicle, never to be seen again. Shrugging off what he hd said to her, the young blonde then turned to face her friends with a reassuring look on her beautiful face.

"Thanks for coming just in time guys. I can't believe I’m saying this after refusing all your offers, but I couldn't have done it without you guys", the yung blonde happily replied.

"It's okay Rachel. Besides, we're always ready to be of service to you", Nigel genuinely replied as the rest of his sector nodded their heads in agreement.

"True. Although don't be expecting' us ta' come racin' te' help ya' at the last minute again anytime soon", the Irish redhead teased.

"I'll try to keep that in mind", Rachel playfully teased back. "How's your eye doing by the way?"

"Oh...the doctors said I need to keep the patch on for about another week", she began in a slightly melancholy tone. "But other than me' depth perception bein' a little wonky, my vision in this eye'll be fine.

"I'm glad to hear that", the young blonde replied in a sincere tone as her eyes glazed over. "Still though...I'm sorry you got hurt because of me...that all of you got hurt because of me..."

"Ah don't worry about it. Besides, we'd rather be the attacked while you're the target...ye' selfless dunce", Fanny replied in a very sincere tone. Touched by her friends words, Rachel immediately hugged her friend as a way of saying thank you. Although taken aback by this, the Irish redhead hugged her friend back as a gesture of saying you're welcome.

"Hey, where's Kuki", Wally asked in a concerned tone that alerted the rest of Sector V and their two superiors. After a panicky moment of looking around, the small group sighed in relief upon seeing Kuki happily cleaning and bandaging up Patton's wound.

"there, that should keep it nice and clean until we get you up to Global Command", the little Asian girl happily chirped.

"Thanks Numbuh 3", the raven haired boy replied as he flashed her a small smile at her.

"Oh, don't mention it", Kuki gleefully said as she blushed a light shade of pink, causing Wally to become slightly jealous as he watched this little scene.

"So Numbuh 362, do you want us to take Numbuh 60 back to MoonBase with us", Hoagie asked in a helpful tone.

"Thank Numbuh 2, but I'd rather take Patton up there myself", Rachel replied. "He and I have a lot to talk about..."

"Alright then, we understand. Come on guys, let's go", the sector leader ordered as he and his teammates began to walk back to the SCAMPER, devious grins plastered on their faces, for they all had a hunch as to what their leader meant.

"See ya' later", Fanny said to her friend.

"You too", the young blonde replied as she watched her friend walk back to her own ship. Once they were all inside, the two vehicles immediately took off and began to head straight for Global Command.

Once they were gone, the young blonde quickly ran over towards Patton. Collapsing to her knees, she took him into her arms and cradled him. Knowing she couldn't hold them back any longer, she allowed salty, hot tears to flow down from her beautiful chocolate brown eyes. Feeling his heart break as he continued to listen to her sobbing, the young Drill Sergeant wrapped his arms around her body in an attempt to comfort her.

"Shh...it's okay...", he whispered in a soothing tone. "It's all over...he can't harm you now..."

But even as she listened to his comforting words, tears ceased to fall from the young Supreme Leaders eyes as she continued to cry, her feelings towards the situation now mixed and confused.

End chap. 10

[prettywitchiusaka]

At long last, the final chapter. Enjoy!

Chap. 11: Atonement

The infirmary corridor was quiet, quiet enough that i8t could be considered spooky. This was the thought that circled through Rachel's head as she walked through the dark corridor, her footsteps being the only visible sound present. But even in the dimly lit corridor, there were two noticeable things that stood out about her. One was the visible bandaged gash on her right cheek, and the other was the visible look of melancholy on her beautiful face as her mind drifted back to the guilt she felt over the whole situation involving Alpha. This look remained on her face as she came to stop and face the door leading to Room 119, the room she had been informed Patton was staying in.

After hesitating for a moment, the young blonde opened the door to the room to see Patton sitting on a stretcher, wearing a white shirt and pants. Upon seeing her enter, the raven haired boy flashed her a small but sincere smile. His smile not only caused Rachel to blush a light shade of pink, it also caused her to flash a smile back at him.

"Hey", he greeted in a low, almost flirtatious tone.

"Hey", she greeted in a low, melancholy tone. Walking into the room, she closed the door behind her and walked over to the infirmary bed, seating herself next to Patton as she did. After doing so, a long moment of silence then immediately plagued the room, one that was only broken once Rachel spoke up.

"So...how are you doing", she asked in a slightly nervous tone.

"Ah...I'm okay. I've been better though", he replied.

"Are you alright", the young Drill Sergeant asked as he began to gently stroke the cut on her cheek, silencing her. As he did, a small sigh escaped his lips as a look of regret became clear in his gentle black eyes.

"To think if I hadn't distracted you, you might not have this", he whispered in a tone of regret.

"It's alright...Besides, it's not like it will take long to heal", Rachel replied with a small smile as a moment of silence came upon them once more.

"Does it hurt", the young blonde innocently asked as she gently touched his wound, ending the silence. Upon feeling her soft fingers add pressure to the wound, he winced in pain, giving Rachel her answer as she breathed a deep sigh.

"Now you see why I didn't want you getting involved", she asked in a melancholy tone that caused him to sigh deeply.

"Rachel...I knew from the start what the consequences would be if I tried to help you...but even then I was willing to risk everything just to keep you safe", he calmly replied.

"Wait. So you knew the whole time what the consequences were, but you did it anyway", she asked.

"Yes, because I love you and because I knew you needed help", he replied. "Is that a problem?"

"Yes it's a problem", she began in an annoyed tone. "Because you almost got yourself killed for no reason! I was doming just fine when you showed up."

"He was a bout to kill you when I showed up" he replied rather ruthlessly. "You're lucky I showed u just in time before he could pierce that switchblade into you!"

"I would have preferred to have been hurt or even killed instead of you getting hurt or almost killed! You I can';t stand it when you put your life on the line so recklessly", she shouted, her building anger becoming more obvious by the second.

"Well I'm sorry you can't that about me, but at least I have enough courage to die for those who deserve better", he yelled back as a moment of silence came between them.

"Just don't ever do it again", she replied in a stern yet angered tone as she turned away, crossing her arms as she did.

"That's not really something you can turn into an order", he sternly replied. "but then again, if it were a rule, you probably wouldn't break it", he said, his sentence causing Rachel to turn and face him once more.

"Are you accusing me of being a hypocrite", she asked in a furious tone.

"I might as well", he yelled back. "You have a problem when I put my life on the line for others, and et you have no problem sacrificing yourself for other!"

"That's because it's different", she defensively yelled

"Hoe is it different", the raven haired boy angrily asked.

"Because I'm a leader" she yelled. A leader is supposed to sacrifice herself for the greater good of her people."

"But why", he angrily asked. "Why do you have to-"

"Because I can't be responsible for the deaths of other people", she screamed, causing Patton to stare in shock as a moment of silence came upon them. As it did, all Rachel could do was sigh as she tilted her head away from his gaze, a melancholy expression visible on her beautiful face as she opened her mouth to speak.

"I'm sorry Patton...that's probably not the answer you wanted to hear", she replied in a melancholy yet saddened tone. " Sometimes I wish I could be more selfish...sometimes I wish I didn't have all this courage inside of me...Sometimes I wish I could be like everyone else...But then I see all these people...all these innocent people suffering pointlessly...and I just want tp protect them....That's my whole reason for being so selfless...that's my reason for wanting to be Supreme Leader...That's my reason for everything...But what good can protecting people as a leader do if all I do is screw up?...Numbuh 48Flavors was right about me..."

"Now he's not", Patton sternly replied. "You've got to remember that Numbuh 48Flavors is crazy."

"Yes he is", she screamed as she turned her gaze back towards him, surprising the raven haired boy.

"Patton...I'm a terrible leader", the young blonde continued in a stern yet shaky tone. "I've let me feelings and my beliefs get in the way of this organization, and I've run it into the ground on several occasions as a result. I thought I was protecting people...I thought I was doing good. But instead all I did was hurt innocent lives...and my operatives. I don't deserve to be a leader, I don't deserve to lead anything", she finished in the same tone as she tilted her head away from his gaze once more, allowing tears to fall from her beautiful chocolate brown eyes as she did.

"The Treaty incident...the Tag incident...the ZERO incident...I've screwed up so many times...but why has no one noticed...Why do I keep being forgiven...Why am I constantly being given opportunities for atonement that I don't deserve...", she asked herself in a rather melancholy tone as tears continued to run down her beautiful face. Suddenly though, she felt Patton rest his hand on her shoulder, not that she cared.

"Because you're fair", he replied in a low, yet sincere tone, one that surprised her as she turned to face his gaze once more. "You don't treat us like we're inferior to you, you treat us like equals. You give us a second chance when we deserve one, you get on top of our mistakes, but most importantly, you give it your all yo protect us, just like you do with the people you swear to protect. That's why we can forgive you, that's why you're so loved as a leader...because you give us a chance."

"But having said that, you've got to remember that being a leader doesn’t mean you're a god, you're still just a human. You're allowed to make mistakes", the raven haired boy said, his words now helping to surface a smile onto her face.

"And for the record, it was my fault that the Kids Next Door fell during the ZERO incident...I was the one who laughed at your defeat", he said in a tone of regret.

"True, but even then I sort of created my own downfall. I was the one who insisted on fighting you", the young blonde replied.

"Well if you knew that, then why did you fight me", he asked in a very confused tone.

"Because I thought I could buy Fanny and Numbuh 2 some time...and because I wanted to try and snap you out of it...if I could", she replied.

"How typical of you. Although...you could have spared me the guilt", the raven haired boy replied, his remark causing the young blonde to slightly chuckle at his joke.

"Speaking of which Patton, I have to ask. What Numbuh 48Flavors said back there, it sort of reminds me of that dream you had awhile back. What exactly does it mean", she innocently asked, causing him to cringe as he recalled the words his foe had said to him, words that revealed his hidden secret from ZERO incident he was still not sure how she'd react to. But knowing he couldn't not give her an explanation, the yung Drill Sergeant sighed as he turned to face her once more, prepared to give her an answer.

"It's like I said before Rachel...I did things...things that went against both our morals codes...And because I still don't know how you'll react I don't want to risk what I have with you...especially now because I've told you how I really feel about you...so please just wait awhile longer...I'll tell you when I'm ready", he replied. "Besides, right now I want to focus on you Rachel. I want to know...what's your next move?"

Upon hearing that question, the young blonde felt herself become confused, a look of surprise now apparent on her beautiful face as he continued to stare intently at her. Although not expecting that question, she began to think over what he had asked, wanting to give him the best answer possible. After a few minutes of silent thinking, the young Supreme Leader finally turned to face her friend, prepared to give him an answer.

"Well...up until this point I was seriously considering retiring from my position. But you're right, I'm just human, and I'm allowed to make mistakes. And with that and my passion to protect innocent people in mind, I will continue to lead the Kids Next Door wile seeking a way to make up for my past mistakes...that will be my atonement", the young Supreme Leader replied as a small smile formed on her beautiful face, causing him to flash one back at her.

"Great", the young Drill Sergeant replied as he gently put his strong hand on top of her soft hand. Then if I may ask...can I sort of help you lead the Kids Next Door", he sincerely asked, his question shocking her as silence incased the room.

"Thank you Patton, but I think it's best that you stay away from me in the future...along with everyone else", Rachel replied in a sincere tone.

"What? Why", he asked.

"Because I can't risk hurting anyone else! Patton, I understand that you and everyone else cares about me and wants to help protect me. But you must understand that I'd never forgive myself if I lost you, my friends, or anyone involved with the Kids Next Door", she replied. "Besides, being Supreme Leader is a solitary code of honor, one that requires strength and patience, as well as the ability to resist anything that may cloud my judgement. That's why I must surcome to the idea of isolation", she sternly continued.

"You can't avoid those closest to you ", Patton sternly replied.

"Well I can try", she sternly replied back.

"No you can't", he replied as he raised his voice to a tone of anger, surprising her.

"Look, I know you're scared of losing the ones you care about. But no matter what you do Rachel, Sector V, Numbuh 86 and I will always be looking out for you. Sure we may get battered and bruised, but we don't care...because we care about you...You've touched us, inspired us...and loved us in a way that we can never forget. And as a result...we can't stay away from you...I can't stay away from you...not when we love you in the ways that we do", he said in a low tone as she continued to stare at him, seemingly touched by his words.

"Look", he continued. "I'm not asking for you to promote me or anything...all I'm asking is that whenever you feel like your job is stressing you out, or there's something you're not sure on, or if you just need someone to blow off steam on, I want to be the person you come to when you need help or advice", he replied in a determined tone.

"I can't let you do that", Rachel replied.

"But Rachel-"

"Patton, please understand", she continued, cutting him off as she did.

"I can't allow anything to cloud my judgement...especially not these feelings I have for you...Besides, if anyone found out you were helping me, and you got hurt, and I lost you-"

"Rachel I don't care if I get hurt", Patton interrupted in a sincere tone. "I want to make you happy...I want to lessen your burden...I want to erase the loneliness in your heart..."

"Really", she asked as her voice slightly cracked.

"I meant every word I said to you Rachel...I'd never lie to you", he said in a low, yet sympathetic and romantic tone.

Upon hearing those words, Rachel felt herself become touched by her friends deep feelings and determination once more, so much so that she embraced him into an unexpected tight hug. At first, the raven haired boy was surprised by this action. But upon realizing that it was a hug out of gratefulness and acceptance towards his idea, the young Drill Sergeant couldn't help but smile as he embraced her right back, continuing the tender moment between them.

"Thank you Patton...thank you", she whispered as tears of joy escaped from her beautiful chocolate brown eyes.

"The pleasure's all mine", he whispered as they broke their embrace, becoming lost in each others eyes immediately afterwards as if the moment had never ended.

"You know I was thinking. Now that we're going to be working together more often, I think it's only fair that we realize we make our relationship official" Patton replied in a devious tone, one that caused Rachel to immediately realize what he meant.

"I'm afraid I can't do that. I'd love to, but with us in the positions we're in, it would be impossible. I mean there's so many rules, so many regulations, and so many risks. As much as I'd love to say those three words to you...I'm not prepared to take the risks."
"Alright", he replied in a devious tone as he gently pressed his forehead up against her soft one, causing her to blush a light shade of pink. "I can wait until you're ready. Besides...knowing how you feel's enough for me for now. After all...you are the one who made the first move."

Upon hearing those words, Rachel did nothing more than smile deviously as he leaned in and delivered a short, but loving kiss to her lips, one she accepted wholeheartedly. Upon breaking their liplock, the young couple put the worst behind them.

A leader is constantly defined by acts of courage or cowardice often overlooked by the general public. However, a leader is defined not by what is required of their job, but more so the decisions they make and enact upon those who follow them. Wether or not people agree with a leaders vision is their decision to choose, but a leader cannot truly be judged by the present generation, they can only be judged by the future generation. And like all other leaders before her, this young girl can only be judged by operatives to come. True, she may be fragile, but her strong personality and passion for justice will surely earn her a rightful place in the hall of Kids Next Door fame. Not just among future generations, but also amongst the present generation of operatives who have come to love her.

The End

[prettywitchiusaka]

1Hello everyone, and welcome to a story I wrote awhile back in May. For those of you who read “Of Fragile Leaders and Terrorists”, this is a tie-in story to that story. This story mostly focuses on Patton and how he is not only trying to cope with ZERO, but also how he is trying to prove to himself that he can be more successful in the future. This of course will lead into sort of his driving force behind what he does in th main story, aside from his love for Rachel.

Wether you read this before or after the main story is your decision to choose, but either way I hope you won’t be disappointed. Enjoy!

P.S. This side-story takes place maybe at least one week or so before the main story begins.

Fear, Guilt, Revelation
by Prettywitchiusaka
Creative Consultant: Lord Malachite

There was nothing. Nothing but a hazy, endless abyss as Patton Drilovsky, or Numbuh 60 continued to run. He wasn't sure where he was running to or why he was running in the first place, all he knew was that he was tired and that he had to keep running because for some reason his life depended on it.

"Going somewhere?", replied an old, evil, arrogant British sounding voice that caused the young Drill Sergeant to stop in his tracks. Looking around to see where the voice was coming from, he finally stopped to face the person whom the voice belonged to. And as he did, he could not help but allow his face to twitch into a face mixed of anger and hate, for the person he stood to face was none other than Grandfather.

"You", replied the raven haired boy, his voice clearly filled with hatred and anger as he did so.

"Oh come now my boy", said the satanic demon as he faked a disappointed look on his face. "Is that anyway to treat your enemies? I admit I'm not the most pleasant person you'll ever meet, but even so I'd prefer a little respect from my advisar-"

"Enough cit-chat!", the raven haired boy angrily yelled as he whipped out a 2x4 gun from his cargo pants, aiming the gun at his nemesis. "Why are you here!?"

Upon hearing that phrase, the old villain quickly flew over towards his enemy and grabbed a hold of the gun. Immediately the gun began to slowly change in shape as Grandfather's reality warping powers began to take affect, causing a surprised Patton to throw away the gun before it had any affect on him. Upon regaining his cool, he looked back to face his elderly foe, who now had his trademark evil grin plastered onto his face.

"While I hate to disappoint you, I didn't come here to fight. I came here to talk", replied the elderly villain as he crossed his arms.

"Talk? You?", the raven haired boy asked, chuckling in disbelief. "That's a joke."

"Oh I don't think you'll find this a joke in the least", the satanic demon said rather confidently. "After all...I came to check up on you."

"On me?", Patton asked, a suspicious tone clearly visible in his voice.

"Yes", he replied. "Checking up on you regarding our little deal."

Upon hearing that statement, Patton cringed as the memories of that incident began to resurface. His memories of making a deal with Grandfather to sell his soul, his reason for selling his soul, and the ultimate price that came with it, the damnation of his secretly beloved. Knowing he had the young Drill Sergeant right where he wanted, the elderly villain began to circle the young boy, and evil smirk clearly detailed on his old face as he did so.
"So...how have you been since our little deal?", the satanic demon asked in a curious yet arrogant tone, patiently awaiting his answer.

And after a moment of silence, he finally would receive his answer as Patton opened his mouth to speak.

"I can't let go of what happened", the raven haired boy began in a whispered tone. " I did things...things I would never do...And it doesn't matter wether I was being controlled or not...I should've been able to wake up and protect the ones I love...but I couldn't...I even sold my soul to save the one I love the most...and in the end I betrayed her...My love should have been able to protect her and yet it didn't...it hurt her...

"How tragic", replied the elderly villain as he chuckled evilly, amused by the boys pain. "And I assume your 'precious' beloved is unaware of what you did to save her?", he asked.

"No...", Patton replied in the same whispered tone, his gentle black eyes beginning to cloud over with guilt. "I mean...how could I tell her what I did? I don't know how she'll react. Let alone, I don't know how well she'll react to what I feel about her...what I truly feel about her..."

"I see", replied the elderly villain. 'Oh well, I'm certain that even if she knew, she'd agree that you're an impulsive fool", Grandfather replied in a calm yet thingyy tone, causing Patton to look up in shock as his enemy floated away from him.

"What!?", the young Drill Sergeant shouted in an angry tone.

'Oh come now my boy, it doesn't take a genius to understand that you are ruled my impulsive nature", the satanic demon said in a cynical, yet calculating tone.

"That's not true!", Patton replied in an angry tone.

"But it is", the satanic demon replied in the same cynical tone.

"Wether you are willing to admit it or not, you are impulsive by nature", the elderly villain began as Patton stood there, taking in his enemies words. "There are two factors that always enact your impulsive nature, as well as your ultimate downfall. The first is that you are too selfless" Grandfather replied.

"Too selfless?", the raven haired boy asked, thingying an eyebrow in confusion as he did so.

"Yes, too selfless", the elderly villain continued. "You care too much for the lives of others. So much so that you don't care what happens to yourself as long as they are safe."

A moment of silence occurred as the satanic demon finished his sentence, awaiting an answer from the raven haired boy who was absorbing all of this information. And the thing that the boy realized as he absorbed this information was that Grandfather was right, he was too selfless. Refusing to give in however, he decided that he was ready to tell his enemy his thoughts. Having formulated an answer, Patton looked back towards the man he hated with a violent passion and opened his mouth to speak.

"Fine. So what if I am too selfless? It's better than being an ungrateful, selfish bastard like you", the young Drill Sergeant replied in a rather harsh tone.

"Perhaps", the elderly villain began. "But it doesn't help that you don't think of the consequences in your actions."

"Consequences?", replied the raven haired boy as he stood there in shock.

"Yes, the consequences", the elderly villain continued. "You may be willing to give up your life for someone, but because you're so willing to do so you don't stop to think what might happen if you did this or how they would feel if you did something."
"So what if I sacrifice myself to save others!?", the young Drill Sergeant replied. "It doesn't affect them!"

"But it does", the satanic demon replied. "Whether you knew them or not they'd still be concerned if you died or were even injured trying to save them. But then again, I shouldn't expect someone who sold their soul to save their 'precious' Supreme Leader, only to have the consequences shift to her to understand."

"You were the one who stabbed me in the back with that contract!", the raven haired boy shouted in an angry tone, his hands beginning to clench into fists. " I had no intention of hurting her!"

"True", the satanic demon began. "But your impulsive decision to save her only created consequences for both of you in the long run. But even if she was aware of what had occurred, she probably wouldn't have been happy to hear what you had done. In fact, you're right in not telling her what you did. After all...how would she feel if she knew you foolishly sacrificed yourself for her. And yet you did it anyway because you were afraid of losing her, which brings me us to another impulsive flaw of yours...your fear...

Upon hearing that phrase, Patton felt himself become confused. as well as angered by that statement.

"Wha...What are you talking about!?" the young Drill Sergeant asked in an annoyed tone. "I fear nothing! Not even you!"

"Oh I wouldn't know about that", the satanic demon replied in a thingyy tone. "Impulse is usually generated by fear, and since you are usually controlled by your impulsiveness, it would be safe to say that you have a lot of fear inside of you."

"Oh really?", the young Drill Sergeant replied in a stern yet thingyy tone. "And just how does my impulsiveness prove that I'm fearful?"

"Because of the way you act", the elderly villain replied, causing a look of shock to form on Patton's face as he did so.

"What?", the young Drill Sergeant asked as a look of shock remained on his face.

"Think about it", the satanic demon replied. "Your profession is a Drill Sergeant and yet you allow your fear to rule your better judgment. Though you will not admit it, you're afraid of losing your loved ones, even the lives of innocent bystanders. You're so afraid of losing what you value and your values that you act impulsively, causing you to act foolishly and irrationally. You're even afraid of me."

"I told you, you don't scare me!", the raven haired boy snapped back at his foe.

"Oh but I do, thought you refuse to admit it", the satanic demon began as an evil smirk formed on his face once more. "In essence, that actually makes you quite pathetic for your position. You're a Drill Sergeant and yet you fear me. The mere thought of me and what I can do frightens you. That's not something real Drill Sergeants do. A real Drill Sergeant wouldn't let a villain like me beat him into submission, he would fight me to the end and hold back nothing, something you should've done. But then again, I guess I'm expecting too much from an incompetent, impulsive fool."

The elderly villain continued to smirk at his enemy after finishing his sentence, feeling himself become amused by the boy's pain once more as he watched the young Drill Sergeant's face turn into shock, clearly absorbing everything he'd just said.

"There's no need to deny it", the satanic demon replied as he continued to sneer amusingly at his enemy. "After all...what has being impulsive done for you really? It hasn't done much good for you if anything. All it's ever really done is bring misery to you and those around you. In fact, your impulsive nature is what helped further the downfall of the Kids Next Door. It's quite sad really, you try so hard to be the best you can be, but in the end you're nothing more than an incompetent, impulsive, worthless fool. You can't protect anyone or anything, not even yourself."

Upon hearing that phrase, a look of realization came across Patton’s face as he took in all of this information. After reflecting this information for a minute or so, the raven haired boy realized that hsi enemy was right, he was an impulsive fool. Instead of allowing his bravery to rule over his decisions and values, he allowed his fear to control his actions. Yet in spite of accepting this through shock, there was one thing he refused to believe as true fact, his worthlessness. That he couldn’t protect his values...or those important to him. Now feeling determined once more, he angrily looked up to face his smirking advisary and opened his mouth to speak.

"I don't care!", the young Drill Sergeant shouted back to his enemy. "Even if I am an impulsive fool, I refuse to believe that I'm worthless! I can defeat you, and anyone that crosses my way!"

"I highly doubt that. After all...it was your fault that your beloved was transformed into a shadow of her former self", the satanic demon replied, his physical appearance and arrogant sounding voice beginning to fade as they were replaced by the physical appearance and angelic sounding voice of Rachel herself.

This not only surprised Patton, but caused him to quietly gasp in shock as she stood to face him with a smirk on her face, her beautiful chocolate brown eyes replaced by the menacing golden yellow eyes of Grandfather.

"And in doing so...became my pretty little pawn", she replied in the same cynical tone that the elderly villain would use.

Suddenly though, the golden yellow color reverted to her natural chocolate brown color as the young blonde fell unconscious, collapsing into the raven haired boys arms as she did so. After feeling a moment of silence pass by, Patton began to feel his fear escalating as he collapsed to his knees, cradling Rachel in his arms as he began to shake her frantically.

"Rachel!", he shouted. "Rachel, wake up! Rachel!"

And yet he received no answer. Suddenly though, the young blonde awoke, cackling evilly. And to Patton's shock and surprise, she slowly began to transform into her citizombie self. Her warm, passionate chocolate brown eyes were replaced by those horrid, cynical yellow eyes. Her soft, gentle hands were replaced by the clawed, desaturated citizombie hands. Her body aged from a youthful ten year old into the age of an old woman. And her beautiful, innocent face was replaced by that revolting, ugly citizombie face.

Upon seeing her like this, the raven haired boy felt his fear continuing to escalate once more as he came to a realization, he had failed his beloved angel. He couldn't protect her, he couldn't save her, all he could do was...watch as she transformed into this evil hag. Realizing this caused his fear to transform into anxiety, anxiety so high he couldn't help but scream to the top of his lungs in horror.

"RACHEL!", he screamed, knowing that that was all he could do.

"What?", asked a familiar angelic voice.

Upon hearing that voice, Patton began to look around at his surroundings. He lay on the couch of the Global Command lounge room, only wearing his t-shirt and cargo pants with the rest of his accessories off to the side. Then looking up, his eyes widened as he looked up to face a confused looking Rachel, or Numbuh 362, young and not at all hag like. After a small, awkward moment of silence passed between them, the young Supreme Leader opened her mouth to speak.

"Hey", she said. "Sorry to startle you, I was just coming to wake you up and then..."

The young blonde cut herself short as she noticed that Patton was panting heavily, his gentle black eyes clearly filled with fear. Already assuming what might be the cause of his fear but concerned for her friend's well being anyhow, the young blonde sat herself down on the couch and placed her hand on his shoulder, causing the raven haired boy to shift his focus towards her beautiful face.
"Hey", she began, her voice clearly filled with concern. "Did you have a bad dream?"

"Yes", he began in a rather fearful tone. "I had that dream again."

"The one where Grandfather confronts you and-"

"Yes", he replied as he cut her off, turning his gaze away from her afterwards.

"Oh Patton...it's okay", she said in a slightly chipper tone.

"No it's not okay", he said in a stern tone, looking up to face her once more. "Everything he says in that dream is true. I'm a worthless, impulsive fool."

"Even if you are impulsive, you have to remember that you're not a fool", the young blonde stated. "Those are your own fears escalating inside of you."

"I know", he replied in the same stern tone. "But sometimes I can't help but think I am a fool, that in reality all I am is some shriveling, pathetic person who is controlled only by his own fear", the raven haired boy continued, a disappointed look clearly detailed on his handsome face as he turned his gaze away from her once more.

A moment of silence came upon the two friends as she released his shoulder from his grip, saddened that she couldn't help him since he wouldn't let her in. She certainly did not think of him as a fool, but more so only impulsive and slightly fearful, something she wanted to tell him. Yet as this thought circled in her head, so did another thought that couldn't get out of her head. Her curiosity getting the better of her, she opened her mouth to speak, ending the silence momentarily.

"Say Patton", the young blonde began as he looked up to face his friend and superior once more.

"Yeah?", he replied.

"I hope you don't mind me asking this", she continued. "But I am curious, did you happen to see me in that nightmare this time?"

Upon hearing that innocent question, Patton felt himself cringe as he looked up tp face her once more. In spite of feeling a twinge of nervousness come over him as he heard those words, he regained his cool and put on a small smile as he opened his mouth to speak.

"No...of course not.", he said in a very calm tone. "What makes you think that I saw you in my nightmare this time?"

"Well it's just that...I heard you scream out my name when I came in. Did something happen to me in your nightmare?", she innocently asked him.

But as her question reached his subconscious, the raven haired boy felt himself blank out for a moment, unsure of how to answer. True, she deserved an answer. But how could he tell her when she knew so little? How could he tell her that all of his nightmares post-ZERO involved him failing her? How could he possibly know how she'd react to what he would have to reveal to her? Sighing, the young Drill Sergeant allowed his subconscious to clear as he created the best answer he could possibly give, opening his mouth to speak as he did so.

"I can't tell you that", he replied bluntly.

"Why not?", she asked in a confused tone.

"Because I can't", he said.
"What kind of excuse is that?", she asked in a rather stern tone, not buying that line for a second.

"I'm not making up excuses", he said in an annoyed manner.

"You're obviously in pain, so why won't you let me help you cope with that pain?", she asked.

"Because I don't know how you'll react", he said, becoming angrier and angrier by the second.

" React to what?!", she asked, her annoyance clearly becoming more visible by the second.

"I just can't, okay!?", he shouted, causing her to jump back slightly. "Rachel...I did things...things that went against my moral code and probably yours as well...as a result...I'm not sure how you'll react to what I would have to tell you...because I don't want to risk what I have with you...So please...just understand that I can't tell you..."

And with that, he hung his head in misery, beginning to drown in his own sorrow and guilt once more. Although she had to admit that she was curious, Rachel realized that it was best to respect her friend's wishes and not ask. That being said, she rested her hand on his chest and stared at the hanging head, which immediately came back up to face her once more.

"Alright then. I'll pry no further", she began in a sweet tone. "But if you ever feel like opening up to someone, just remember that my ears will always be free to listen."

And as her mouth closed upon saying her piece, Patton felt himself become touched by her words as she stared at him sweetly. Although still feeling guilt and sorrow pass through him, he could not help but feel slightly more calm as he looked into her beautiful chocolate brown eyes, his thoughts beginning to shift towards her...and what she meant to him.

"Rachel", he thought to himself. "I'm sorry I always fail you...I'm sorry I'm not the operative you want me to be. I know I should stop trying to keep you safe, I know I should just risk telling you how I feel and give up everything I have with you, like I should with everything else...But..." he continued to think as he caressed her soft cheeks, surprising the young blonde as he leaned in closer towards her beautiful face.

"Your smile...your beauty...your intelligence...your stern and assertive composure...your courage and ability to never give up...your gentle heart...your passion for justice...I want to protect it all...I want to protect you..." he thought as he leaned in and quickly kissed her soft forehead.

This caused Rachel to blush a light shade of pink as he leaned back, causing her to touch the kiss spot as he smirked at her deviously.

"By the way", he began. "Thanks."

"You're welcome", she said as she rested her hand on her lap once more, smirking back at him as she did so. "I'll be expecting a receipt for the kiss though."

"I'll be sure to send it to you with my next report", he replied in a devious tone.

"So, what was it that you wanted me for?", he asked almost immediately afterwards.

"Well", she began. "We just received a call from Numbuh 600 about ten minutes ago, informing us that you should have returned from your break over an hour ago", she sternly replied as she crossed her arms, causing Patton to cringe as she did so.

"Oh...right...I guess I dozed off", he replied, chuckling nervously as he did so.

"So...", the raven haired boy began as he cleared his throat. "How long was I asleep for?"
"Well...considering that I thought you left at around nine-thirty", she said as the young Drill Sergeant cringed once more with embarrassment. "I'd say about two and a half hours."

"Two and a half hours!?", he shouted. "Well why didn't you...oh right, because you thought I'd left awhile ago", he said as she nodded her head in agreement.

"Yes, I did", she replied.

"This is going to go on my evaluation, isn't it?", he asked in a slightly nervous tone.

"It will if you don't get out of here in the next five minutes.", she said in a sweet yet somewhat stern manner.

"Right", he said nervously as he began to quickly throw on his army green coat, beige beanie, black boots and orange gloves and back-pack.

Once he finished dressing himself, the young Drill Sergeant turned back to face his superior and secretly beloved, who now sat with her arms uncrossed as she stared at him with a genuine look of concern on her beautiful face. Finding her expression calming, he flashed her a small smile as he opened his mouth to speak.

"Well...I'd better get going...Take care", he said in a low, almost melancholy tone.

"I will", she said in a rather concerned tone. "You take care too."

"I will", he replied.

And with that, the young Drill Sergeant began to walk towards the door leading to the corridor. But before walking out of the room entirely, he looked back over his shoulder to take a glance at a smiling Rachel one last time, closing the door a few seconds afterwards.

But upon closing the door, Patton hung his head in despair as he quietly sighed. As he stood there, the very visuals and thoughts from his nightmares began to dance through his head. The words of Grandfather mocking and decoding him, and the visual of Rachel becoming evil before his very eyes haunting him once more. But as these thoughts danced through his head, the raven haired boy realized that what he felt was not despair, but more so determination as he clenched his hands into fists.

"No...", he thought. "Even if it is true...I refuse to believe I'm worthless...I will protect the ones I love...even if it kills me..."

A determined look now present on his handsome face, the young Drill Sergeant began to walk down the corridor leading to the docking bay. The sorrow he had once felt had now faded completely, and in its place came determination. Determination to aspire hope and to never give up his values as a person, determination to protect those he loves, and determination to protect the one that meant everything to him.

The End