“No…we can’t have that kind of fluid in the system”.

Hoagie reached over and yanked the container out of Wally's hands. A loud echo filled the room as it fell on the floor, a thin metal could be seen lining the room.

Number 4 stood there with his hands in the air surprised by how quickly Number 2 managed to grab the bottle.

“And Why not, you said it had to use some liquid to keep it cool or whatever. And besides you asked for my help and if you’re gonna be a bloody pain, I’m gonna leave”, He said as he chased it across the floor.

The bottle lightly knocked into the side of the machine that Number 2 was tinkering with.

Wally shuffled across the room, miffed at the fact that he had to chase his soda down.

Number 2 slowly turned towards him, wrench and screwdriver in hand.

“Alright fine, You stand in front of the pipes and start it up with, CHERRY SODA FOR COOLANT”.

The screwdriver whistled as it cut through the air, so fast he didn’t realize that Number 4 had to duck to avoid the tip.

The machine sang in a high pitch tone as the screwdriver left a 3 inch gouge down the left side.

Wally blew off the fact that his nose was almost removed.

“That’s a problem because”! He smugly said in the corner, thinking he won the argument.

Shaking his head lightly so Number 4 wouldn't notice, Hoagie could think of nothing better than currently teaching his friend a science lesson.

“You know Number 4 what was I thinking, fill it up and start it up. I’m gonna head upstairs to make sure the computer fires up the way it's suppose to”.

A smile came over Wally's face as he spoke, "I don't know why we had to donate OUR HAMSTERS to power the new tree house being built downtown".

Hoagie truned around setting the screwdriver and wrench and a nearby counter top."Number 362 wanted a new sector in to help us with Father and whatnot, I think it's called sector V.II or somthing along those lines, I don't know".

He quickly came out of his conversational trance when he remembered what number 4 was doing. "I'm gonna check that computer"! He said as he slipped around the corner,

“That idiot, he'll find out” he mumbled.

His walk quickly transformed into a sprint as it echoed through the halls of the massive base all the way to the main chamber.

--

A quick hiss and a pop and the machine's radiator was sealed.

“Alright the cruddy sodas in now I’ll start it up and show Number 2 how right I was”. He reached over for the start button, "what if Number 2 is up to something".

He thought and paused for a second. "He's done that before... NO with something

this big, he wouldn't foll around".

His finger mashed down the rubbery button and the machine started flawlessly.

--

“I don’t know number 1, Number 5 thinks….” .

She was quickly interupted

“EVERYONE OUTSIDE NOW, RUUUUNNN”!

Number 1 jumped on the back of the couch ready to spring to action.

“Number 2 what’s wrong”!

Haogie didn't stop, he barreled through the room with every intent to get himself out. He had warned his teammates.

--

Wally began to leave the room when he realized he was hanging from the overhead light. The overhead radiator whistle had gone off and scared the crap out of him. He looked over at the whistle to verify that's what had gone off,

but not before noticing that the light cord above him was slowly ripping.

"Crud, that things loud", he stated before falling to ground. Rubbing the pain out of his back before he made his way over to the pipe he began to beat it furiously with the bottom of his fist, after all what else was he suppose to do.

"Man is this getting louder"? He began to kick the under pipe, failing to notice the steam gauge which was slowly getting more and more into the red.

"Hey whats this"? He finally picked out the gauge after he smashed his thumb on it. It was small round and had numbers running from 0 to 350.

"Why's the pointer getting closer to 300 and whys it red"? He thought as sweat ran down his forehead, panic began set in.

"Maybe this is why I should have paid attention in his metal shop class".

--

Number 1 managed to get a grip on his friend but was unable to stop him. Hoagie cut around the first turn, pin balling Number 1 on the wall. He still didn’t let go. The rest of his teammates in pursuit. There was no way

he’d let go, it's an adult mental attack, it had to be. Breaking into the sunlight, and drug down the wooden platform Nigels teeth knocked like a rib board. Trying to pull himself onto Hoagie's back a sharp pain pierced the right side of

his face, but there was no time to react and just as quickly his gut turned green. Looking straight up, the clouds and the tip of the ship on the Treehouse grew smaller he soon realized that number 2 had jumped the

railing. He then saw 3 and 5 jumping over as well with a pair of jetpacks.

"Wait a second", a wave of horror passed in his mind.

“What if we twist over and number 2 lands on me”. Before he could finish this thought a huge thud hit his back knocking the wind out of him. Regaining himself Number 1 rolled over only to find out that the reverse had happened, he

landed on his fat little freind instead. "Dodged that one".

Just then the other two had made it down aswell. Nigel expected a sigh of relief from the two but instead received a gap mouth and a pointed finger straight in his direction.

As he reached up, he felt a 2 inch long splinter buried in his face. No not a splinter a whole piece of wood! At least that's what the whole team thought.

Looking down Nigel slowly worked up his words and anger.

“NUMBER 2,... WHA...WHAT...HAPPENED”! The area shook.

A ripped shirt and a cracked left lens didn't help the situation. His jaw snapped together so tightly and fast, bone could've snapped from the pressure.

--

Slowly rising up to his feet because of the pain in his back Number 2 turned toward the tree house, oblivius of what he had done to his leader.

Jumping up and grabbing the straps attached to Hoagies goggles he began to to attempt to choke his teamate.

“NUMBER 2,... ANSWER ME”. Kuki ducked down to avoid the scene as Hoagie tried to say something,

“oo..g…k”.

They would've have never noticed if he hadn't of pointed at the power center of the treehouse. Quickly trying to locate where his finger was pointing,

a small poof of blueish smoke ejected from the bottom left hand side of the Tree house. Kuki still had her face covered.

Number 1 slowly turned, you could hear his neck creaking as it swiveled around.

“That’s...that's what this was all about”, a sigh seperated the sentence.

Nigel could not keep his composure over this one. Still on number 2's back he yanked his head backwards to get a better look.

“YOU DID THIS TO MY FACE, FOR THAT”

His finger snapped from the Treehouse to his face.

Hoagie finally noticed his injury and realized what he had done to number 1, but was quickly changed back to the more pressing matter.

“It’s….gg..not…..ghhr….ovegg…et”,

Nigel still hung on firmly as Hoagie tried to shift his attention back to the tree house. Through the commotion however Number 5 had worked her way over trying to pull her leader off her teamate.

“Will you two stop, come on now number 5 Say's stop you two”!

She gave up astonished at Number 1's strength. She thought back to her hulk comics only to pull a cheap laugh out of the situation.

Suddenly she was shook out of her day dream when the whole left side of the tree house blew overtop all of their heads, the explosion was massive enough to throw number 1 off number 2's back.

They all watched in amazement as their tech, weapons, and new power section rained down on top of them in pieces. Kukie uncovered her face just in time to witness a broken S.P.L.A.N.K.L.E.R fall in the middle of the circle that they

had formed. She soon Realized someone was missing, "wait, where's number 4". She vigorously began to look all around! Abby with the most surprised look went to grab the busted weapon right when Wally fell from the sky and

finished what the explosion had failed to do to the weapon.

Anger quickly turned to shock, then just as fast turned back to anger and was now about to fall on the new skyborne victim.

Number 2 quickly jumped onto the situation trying to get some attention off himself.

“Oh man you’re dead now number 4”. Trying to conceal a grin as he said it.

Wally turned to hoagie as he was rubbing his throat while his hoarse words came out.

“You could’ve explained to me why, you fat tard”. he was still on the ground trying to get up.

Astonishment overcame the group at this comment, all except Number 1.

Number 4 always had an attitude but his anger seemed greater than Nigel's, Almost. Then again he did become the first kid bullet.

Rolling towards Number 1, he began to talk.

“Number 1, I can expla ……mmhh…he...mmm...ahaha”.

He stayed on the ground pounding his fist in his usual overactive form of laughter,

“I didn't know you were a farmer Number 1”.

His fat finger was learing at Number 1’s face.

Everyone else took a few steps back, besides Number 3. Number 4's talent of perfect timing happened in both good and bad situations.

Kuki cautiously reached over and tapped his shoulder. Wally wiped his eye's and answered “…mh….yeah”,

Wally looked ahead of himself and saw number 1 in all his glory then remembering and realized that he was steaming red, tense, and violently shaking. The blond haired kid's demeanor turned over.

Number 1 took a deep breath, cupped his hands and calmed his shaking, then spoke.

“Number 2, 4 I want to know exactly…I mean EXACTLY…… what happened NOW!!”

Number 4 got to his feet and slunk up in front of his leader while Abby grabbed Hoagie's ear and drug him up on Wally's left. Quietly they spoke back and forth exactly what had happened in the new power center.

After a brief pause Nigel covered his face and spoke.

“O.K., Im just going to say this, Number 4 your genius befuddles me, 2 what where you thinking. You knew what was going to happen why did you let him do it”.

Dumbfounded the two stared at the ground.

Abby then spoke up, “Number 5 thinks we need to contact Moonbase for repairs and your um… medical treatment”.

Number 5's strategy of changing the subject had worked.

Number 2 quickly pulled out a leftover communicator and handed it to Nigel in an attempt to try to relieve some pressure, however he just quickly grabbed it out of 2's hands and strutted away.

Knowing is injury he realized 86 would turn sick at the sight of the splinter but at the moment he didn’t care he just wanted to get everything in order.

He flipped on the pager,

“Moonbase this is Number 1 come in”,

White noise at first, then a picture with no one in it. As he looked closer he could clearly see, but barely hear number 86 screaming at someone in the background. He took advantage of this and cut his injury out of

the picture. No sooner did he do this number 86 swung around and responded, “WHAT”!

“Number 1 reporting sir were requesting grade 5 repairs on the sector V Treehouse”.

Cutting straight to the point, he wasn’t in the mood for messing with her which he liked to do so much. His teammates stood barely visible behind him, only Kuki could be fully seen on 86’s screen.

Her full attention was now on Nigel, the kid she a screaming at was slowly crawling off screen.

“Grade 5 repairs, what happened. We didn't get a signal from your security system”?!

86 calmed down a slight bit because the last grade 5 repair happened over a year ago and curiosity had overtaken her.

“What happened there number 1, I need a full report to send that kind of team out”?

Nigel took a deep breath.

“Well we were working on our new power system so the whole Treehouse was shut down, That’s why u didn’t get a signal”

Nigel paused for a second

"Go on number 1", 86 said with her hands on her hips.

His stomach lurched,

“then this happened” slowly the communicator turned as the tree house was revealed to his superior. Meanwhile Rachel was in the next room and she had overheard all the commotion. The repairs she heard requested in the next

room had cought her attention. However she was filling paperwork so she didn’t hear what sector was requesting them, she just blew it off for the time being. Finishing off the work she made her way into the main room, her timing

couldn't have been more perfect as the screen panned across Nigel's face.

86 was in shock, "I've never seen an adult do this kind of damage before". She reached for the phone to contact the repair section

“O.K. number one we’ll send a teeeeeeeam”

Suddenly Nigel Witnessed 86 fly into the side of the room and land in the commanding swivel chair.

“86, ar you alright”!!

But his satement was quickly cut off.

“Nigel are you ok I saw your face what happened”?!

This was the only thing 362 noticed when the communicator panned over.

Nigel jumped back, her quick actions shook him up.

She soon realized her reaction grabed everyones attention and slowly backed off the screen a little, in a panic she tried to regain her composure.

“Uh,uh,…is Everyone alive”?

Confused by the first question and her eagerness to change it, he jumped and answered the second question.

“Yeah… uh everyone’s fine”.

Only now his face was in full view and everyone on the bridge could see his injury.

“Oh my god, Number 1 were sending a medical team down now”,

Once again forgetting there were other people in the room she jumped back up into the monitor. Number 1 could see nothing but her face.

He stammered overwhelmed at how scared she looked. “Rachel I'm fine". He hated seeing her this way. "Uh, and the repair crew right”? He managed to squeak in.

The rest of sector V began to chuckle under there breath they’ve heard the rumors spreading around. Rachel froze oncsreen with a very worried look in her eye, only to be knocked off the panel by 86.

“Were going to send both crews down number 1”.

She stated while fighting to hold 362 down at the same time. She tried her best not to look directly at Number 1s injury, but it was all to easy to see on the huge screen. She noticed the splinter was starting to turn sick and was

severely grossed out by it, her face turned white on Nigels moniter.

“Thanks 86”. He replied, holding his concern for Rachel.

86 weakly saluted and went to hit her end transmission button, but not before Nigel made out a faint voice in the background.

“I’m going down with the medical team, your not stopping me”.

The end transmission screen then blinked. Nigel stared at the screen for a minute, then turned to his team who quickly but not noticeably tried to seem like they weren't listening.

A Little miffed but not caring he ran back to his house to grab a pair of unbroken sunglasses and unripped shirt. After all he knew

who was coming, he has to look his best.

--

Nervously tapping the counter in the bathroom on the ship bound for sector V’s area, Rachel thought back to what she had done in front of everyone. She looked in the mirror trying to contemplate what she had done.

“Man, I remember that rumor that got around”, she thought to herself. She moved all her weight to her left foot and leaned on the counter.

“But I’ve never done anything in front of anyone to make it seem true, till now”. Her heel dug in.

She felt as if she could never look Fanny, her best friend in the eyes ever again.

Her train of thought was shattered by the sudden stop of movement. She panicked

“All right when you see him just help him on the stretcher”, she repeated this in her head all the way to the hatch of the ship.

Standing on the ladder the first thing she saw was all the debris, lying on the ground. She then spotted the group of knd operatives. Then Number 1, she slowly

worked her way over to him trying her best not to trip on all the garbage. Nigel was deeply confused by this, he had seen the way she reacted on the transmission, and now she was calmer than ever. Is she doing this on purpose?

"Just help him on the stretcher”, kept going through her head. She jumped to attention when she realized Nigel was 3 feet in front of her.

“Oh, good to see your fine Number 1, I mean Nigel” She stammered

“Couldn’t be better, and it doesn't matter what you call me I don't care ”, he kept the same smile on his face as when she landed, but was still confused.

“Good to hear”, she did nothing but smile and wave the medics over. The panic was still in her however, after all the injury was worse in person.

“Wow, does it hurt”, Nigel could tell she was holding something back, she was to ancy.

“Only if I accidentally hit it, other than that its not that bad”, he said as he prodded at it, grimacing at the pain.

His Attention was quickly caught at the amusement of how the rest of his teammates were arguing with the cleanup crew about who should do the majority of the work.

“I’ll help you onto the stretcher”, She grabbed his arm pulled which made jump back to attnention, literally it scared him.

She then took the time to peer at the damage done to the whole Treehouse.

“At least the bedrooms sections are o.k.”, She went to say something else when she was rudely cutoff.

--

“Unfortunately Nigel's teammates can’t go back in”. A stern voice came out.

A tall thin boy with green pants and tan shirt came from around the corner of the ship, he had a rolled up blueprint in his left hand and a huge thick eraserless drafting pencil sitting on his right ear.

Nigel spoke up. “Who are you and why can’t we stay in our Treehouse”. The boy’s response to Nigel’s low tone comment was swift.

“Two things, I keep my number to myself and my close friends, second only your team can’t go back in”. Nigel and Rachel looked on puzzled and went to speak when the both of them were cutoff.

“Don’t even ask it’s because your rank allows you in, you Nigel are the lowest rank needed to enter Grade 5 construction sites. Congratulations”.

The boy turned around and waved the rest of the group sitting in the aft end of the ship over to the damaged tree house.

“Well where’s my team suppose to go then”. Nigel glanced over the boy's shoulder only to be momentarily amused by the fact that Abby had talked her way out of the cleanup.

He was snapped back to attention when the strange boy spoke again, “That’s not up to me that’s up to her”. He said as he pointed at Rachel while not bothering to make eye contact with them.

Nigel looked over at her eager for a response.

"I guess we'll give them a break, have sector Q and W switch patrol in this area”.

Nigel shrugged as he spoke.

“That works”

“Very well then I’m off, and it looks like your off to medical”, The strange kid turned as white as 86 did as he headed toward the Tree house.

“well, He’s …Different”.

"That's the first time I've ever talked to someone from the construction sector" Rachel stated.

No sooner could she get that out Number 1 was quickly laid down by the medical team, even though he knew he didn’t need it.

But Rachel stated it as a direct order. He went along for the ride into the aft end of the ship. The hatch slowly closed and soon the ground grew smaller and the sky grew darker as they were both on there way back to the moon

base. There were 3 wall mounted chairs in the rear next to nigels stretcher, Rachel sat in the closest one to him. The next two filled with medical personal. She was careful to keep quite as well as not to make eye contact.

Nervousness ran through her whole body, afterall the rumors on her end were true. However Nigels end was still a mystery to her.

They both sat for another 2 minutes before a thought passed through her mind. “Well I guess if anything’s going to happen, it’ll happen now”.

As the two began to relax, an accidental glance was met between the two of them, and Just as quickly turned the other way. However it took a nanosecond for the two to realize that the breif moment they shared was the most

enjoyable part of the trip. The silence in the air was thick after that, but a new essence was added to the room. Nigel however began to use this to go over what had happened. He thought back to the moment, the glance.

Rachel, was just as well running the moment through her head.

Her eyes, he thought. It was always the eyes. It was his weakness he couldn’t help but think about her face now. He always had something for Rachel, even before he broke up with Lizzie. But after that quick glance it had most

certaintly grown.

Rachel however loved that bald head, and not to mention the wonderful way he treated her when she needed help the most.

But all in all their was something in that moment that just made there feelings for each other grow even more, but neither one of them new that the same thing had happened for the other.

Nigel finally broke the Silence.

“Rachel”

“Yeah”, Inside she perked up careful not to show it.

“I… uh,... never mind”. Rachel gave him her full attention. But then disappointed, but held it inside easily.

"I wonder if anything will happen when we get back".

Ran through her head all the way back to the base.

If I get enough positive comments I will finish the next chapter

Thankyou