Post by numbuh12 on Jul 16, 2006 3:03:59 GMT
The idea of the whole "air tag" thing belongs to one of my internet friends, Cybra. Mr. Warburton also gets credit for all of the characters mentioned. Other than that, this idea was originated by me. Enjoy!
*************
Numbuh 5 sat out on the balcony of the tree house, her legs dangling over the edge. Kicking her feet almost absently, she gazed up at the bright full moon silently, watching her breath appear in the slightly chilly air. From a distance, she seemed at peace, with her shoulders relaxed, her arms resting on the balcony rail, her normal red hat resting on her head. However, if one were to come up close, they would realize that Numbuh 5 looked more restless than anything else. Her eyebrows were furrowed, her lips pursed, and her dark brown eyes were cloudy with indecision. She seemed to be pondering something, but one could only guess what it was.
The truth was, Numbuh 5 had been bothered by something for hours, something that confused and bewildered her. It didn’t make any sense, and that bothered the quiet girl. She had almost gone to Numbuh 1, her leader, about it, but realized very quickly that that would be a mistake. The whole thing seemed embarrassing to her, and the last thing she wanted was for Numbuh 1, or any of the other Sector V operatives, to make fun of her. However, that still meant she was stuck wondering what on earth she was going to do.
“Numbuh 5, yo just actin’ silly. Just get over it and move on,” the African American eleven year old told herself under her breath. She was about to get up and move off to her room, when a familiar male voice rang out behind her.
“What was that, Numbuh 5?”
She was able to control herself enough to not jump, which was her initial reaction. Composing herself quickly, she turned to face a pair of black sunglasses that almost glinted in the moonlight that shone down on the two of them. The boy was bald, and was wearing his usual outfit of khaki shorts and a red turtleneck. He was wearing a red jacket, which he had unzipped.
“Nothin’, Numbuh 1. Numbuh 5 was just bein’ silly,” she said calmly, looking Numbuh 1 straight in the eye. Or, Numbuh 1’s black tinted shades, that was. She hated those sunglasses sometimes…..she was tired of not being able to really SEE her leader the way she wanted to.
She silently hoped that he would go away, but instead Numbuh 1 stepped closer to her, stopping until he was only a few feet behind her, looking shocked. Numbuh 5 raised an eyebrow, confused.
“Numbuh 5, you must be freezing!” Numbuh 1 exclaimed. “Why aren’t you wearing a jacket?”
Feeling a little stupid, Numbuh 5 looked away, thankful that the night was hiding the slight flush that was appearing on her cheeks. She felt like rubbing her arms, but she refrained herself. “Numbuh 5 didn’t think about it, I guess,” she muttered.
There was silence for a moment. Numbuh 5 was starting to think that her leader had left, but then she felt a hand land almost hesitantly on her shoulder. She winced.
“Numbuh 5,” she heard him say carefully, as if unsure of what he wanted to say. Even though she couldn’t see him from the way she was positioned away from him, she could tell that Numbuh 1 was having trouble on what to say.
After a minute, he finally said softly, “Why are you out here looking at the stars?”
She answered him truthfully, not only because she secretly wanted to, but because she couldn’t think of anything else to say to him in response. “I was just thinkin’, Numbuh 1. About…”
Numbuh 1 squeezed her shoulder slightly, as if to encourage her. She took a deep breath, and, still not looking at him, said quietly, “Ever since you and Numbuh were playing….that game you two like to play, air tag, earlier today.....I’ve been feeling odd.”
Behind her, Numbuh 1 blinked, confused and caught off guard at the unexpected answer. He racked his brain trying to think of why Numbuh 5 could possibly feel bothered about the fact that he and Numbuh 2 had fooled around playing a game of what Numbuh 2 liked to call “air tag,” when Numbuh 2 would strap in one of his many 2 x 4 flying contraptions, and Numbuh 1 would use his special boots to fly around in the clouds and tag one another while hiding from each other in the clouds. Numbuh 2 always won, of course. The plump, light hearted Hoagie would always rule the skies. But it was still something fun that the two of them liked to do together occasionally.
Breaking away from his thoughts, he looked down at the top of Numbuh 5’s hat. He hated that hat sometimes….he was tired of not being able to really SEE Numbuh 5 the way he wanted to.
“Why does thinking about that make you feel odd, Numbuh 5? I’m afraid I don’t understand,” Numbuh 1 said quietly.
Numbuh 5 chucked humorlessly. “Numbuh 5 doesn’t understand it that much either,” she muttered. “But I think it might have something to do with…” she broke off.
“Tell me, Numbuh 5,” said Numbuh 1 patiently.
“Well…..when Numbuh 5 was younger, she….wished that she could fly like you and Numbuh 2 did today.” She had never felt so embarrassed, but there was no taking back her words now.
Numbuh 1 blinked, looking up out towards the adjoining houses of the neighborhoods down below. He looked back down at Numbuh 5, trying to make sense of what his team member was saying.
“But Numbuh 5…..you’ve seen Numbuh 2 and I do that all the time during missions.”
“Yeah, Numbuh 5 knows, but…..today it was…it was different, or somethin’.” She moaned, putting her head in her hands. She hated talks like this, especially since it was with Numbuh 1, whom she had always silently admired for his leadership skills and bravery (although he DID sometimes panic in the middle of a mission, but who didn’t?)
Numbuh 1 was starting to get an idea of what was going on, but he didn’t say anything. He wanted to hear this from Numbuh 5 herself. He was concerned about her, and he could never leave a mystery alone until it was solved. His hand still on her shoulder, he asked, “How was it different?”
Numbuh 5 raised her head, took a deep breath, and tried to focus. “Well, when Numbuh 5 could actually see you, you two weren’t as focused as you are during missions. Today you just seemed….carefree. Relaxed. And I guess Numbuh 5 wishes that she could feel that way too.”
Ha. He was right in his assumptions. Even though she couldn’t see him, Numbuh 1 smiled, squeezing her shoulder again. “You wish you could fly through the air and feel like Numbuh 2 and I did?” he asked for clarification.
Numbuh 5 sighed. “Yeah, that’s how Numbuh 5 feels.”
Thinking for a minute, a smile slowly grew across Numbuh 1’s face. He was getting an idea that would help make his teammate feel better. He would have to be persuasive though; Numbuh 5 could be as stubborn as he himself was.
“Would you like to?” he asked her.
Numbuh 5 finally turned to him, irritated, which caused Numbuh 1 to remove his hand from her shoulder. “Would Numbuh 5 like to what?” she asked irritably.
Numbuh 1, instead of answering her, calmly removed his jacket and held it out in her direction. Numbuh 5 looked at it, bewildered.
“Numbuh 1?”
“Take it,” he said softly. “You’ll need it.”
Numbuh 5 took the jacket, but didn’t put it on. “Need it fo’ what?”
In response, Numbuh 1 folded his arms across his chest, a cocky grin on his face. He silently clicked the heels of his boots together two times, which, like every time he did that, made Numbuh 5 think of Dorothy Gale from the movie The Wizard of Oz. He rose into the air, flames emerging from the soles of his shoes. He glided around Numbuh 5, stopping right in front of her, floating roughly 20 feet above the ground. He smirked at the shocked look on Numbuh 5’s face. The girl was still holding the jacket in her hands, almost limply.
“Come on, Numbuh 5. Put on the jacket and let’s go.” Numbuh waved a hand impatiently in her direction, looking almost bored.
Numbuh 5 stood up, holding the jacket in one hand, glaring at the boy. “Numbuh 1, WHAT are you talkin’ about? Go where?”
“Well, duh,” Numbuh 1 said, as if Numbuh 5 were slow. “Go out there, where the park is. That would be the best spot, I think.”
“Numbuh 1, in case you haven’t noticed, Numbuh 5 doesn’t have the equipment that you do! Haven’t you been paying ANY attention to what Numbuh 5’s been sayin’?”
Numbuh 1’s smirk vanished, to be replaced by a small smile. Numbuh 5 instinctively took a step back, surprised.
“Of course I have,” he said softly. “I’m going to take you on a ride to the park so you’ll feel better.” He held out his hand to her, lowering his head so that Numbuh 5 could see his eyes.
Numbuh 5 refused to act like one of the helpless, wimpy damsels that she had watched in movies in the past. Her look softened, but she still didn’t put on Numbuh 1’s jacket OR take his offered hand.
“How in the world could you carry me? Do you even know if those shoes can hold that much weight?”
Numbuh 1 shrugged, as if the thought didn’t matter to him. “No, I suppose not. I’ve never had to carry anything that heavy in the past.”
Numbuh 5’s eyes nearly bugged. “You might drop me, you fool!”
“Oh, don’t be stupid. Even if I did, I’d make sure you wouldn’t hit the ground.” He looked at her pointedly, his hand still extended towards her. “Numbuh 5, do you want to go or not?”
Despite her feelings on the matter, she still hesitated. She glanced at the jacket in her hand, as if it held the answers to her questions. Her leader’s voice made her raise her head again.
“Do you trust me?”
She looked at him for a minute in silence, feeling defeated. The truth was she DID trust Numbuh 1. He was her leader; he had led her and the other Sector V operatives through countless dangerous missions, and she had never doubted him. The person she didn’t trust was herself.
Finally, sighing, she put on the jacket, zipping it up slightly. Numbuh 1’s smile grew. Looking at him with an indescribable look on her face, Numbuh 5 reached out and placed her hand in his.
To Be Continued....
*************
Numbuh 5 sat out on the balcony of the tree house, her legs dangling over the edge. Kicking her feet almost absently, she gazed up at the bright full moon silently, watching her breath appear in the slightly chilly air. From a distance, she seemed at peace, with her shoulders relaxed, her arms resting on the balcony rail, her normal red hat resting on her head. However, if one were to come up close, they would realize that Numbuh 5 looked more restless than anything else. Her eyebrows were furrowed, her lips pursed, and her dark brown eyes were cloudy with indecision. She seemed to be pondering something, but one could only guess what it was.
The truth was, Numbuh 5 had been bothered by something for hours, something that confused and bewildered her. It didn’t make any sense, and that bothered the quiet girl. She had almost gone to Numbuh 1, her leader, about it, but realized very quickly that that would be a mistake. The whole thing seemed embarrassing to her, and the last thing she wanted was for Numbuh 1, or any of the other Sector V operatives, to make fun of her. However, that still meant she was stuck wondering what on earth she was going to do.
“Numbuh 5, yo just actin’ silly. Just get over it and move on,” the African American eleven year old told herself under her breath. She was about to get up and move off to her room, when a familiar male voice rang out behind her.
“What was that, Numbuh 5?”
She was able to control herself enough to not jump, which was her initial reaction. Composing herself quickly, she turned to face a pair of black sunglasses that almost glinted in the moonlight that shone down on the two of them. The boy was bald, and was wearing his usual outfit of khaki shorts and a red turtleneck. He was wearing a red jacket, which he had unzipped.
“Nothin’, Numbuh 1. Numbuh 5 was just bein’ silly,” she said calmly, looking Numbuh 1 straight in the eye. Or, Numbuh 1’s black tinted shades, that was. She hated those sunglasses sometimes…..she was tired of not being able to really SEE her leader the way she wanted to.
She silently hoped that he would go away, but instead Numbuh 1 stepped closer to her, stopping until he was only a few feet behind her, looking shocked. Numbuh 5 raised an eyebrow, confused.
“Numbuh 5, you must be freezing!” Numbuh 1 exclaimed. “Why aren’t you wearing a jacket?”
Feeling a little stupid, Numbuh 5 looked away, thankful that the night was hiding the slight flush that was appearing on her cheeks. She felt like rubbing her arms, but she refrained herself. “Numbuh 5 didn’t think about it, I guess,” she muttered.
There was silence for a moment. Numbuh 5 was starting to think that her leader had left, but then she felt a hand land almost hesitantly on her shoulder. She winced.
“Numbuh 5,” she heard him say carefully, as if unsure of what he wanted to say. Even though she couldn’t see him from the way she was positioned away from him, she could tell that Numbuh 1 was having trouble on what to say.
After a minute, he finally said softly, “Why are you out here looking at the stars?”
She answered him truthfully, not only because she secretly wanted to, but because she couldn’t think of anything else to say to him in response. “I was just thinkin’, Numbuh 1. About…”
Numbuh 1 squeezed her shoulder slightly, as if to encourage her. She took a deep breath, and, still not looking at him, said quietly, “Ever since you and Numbuh were playing….that game you two like to play, air tag, earlier today.....I’ve been feeling odd.”
Behind her, Numbuh 1 blinked, confused and caught off guard at the unexpected answer. He racked his brain trying to think of why Numbuh 5 could possibly feel bothered about the fact that he and Numbuh 2 had fooled around playing a game of what Numbuh 2 liked to call “air tag,” when Numbuh 2 would strap in one of his many 2 x 4 flying contraptions, and Numbuh 1 would use his special boots to fly around in the clouds and tag one another while hiding from each other in the clouds. Numbuh 2 always won, of course. The plump, light hearted Hoagie would always rule the skies. But it was still something fun that the two of them liked to do together occasionally.
Breaking away from his thoughts, he looked down at the top of Numbuh 5’s hat. He hated that hat sometimes….he was tired of not being able to really SEE Numbuh 5 the way he wanted to.
“Why does thinking about that make you feel odd, Numbuh 5? I’m afraid I don’t understand,” Numbuh 1 said quietly.
Numbuh 5 chucked humorlessly. “Numbuh 5 doesn’t understand it that much either,” she muttered. “But I think it might have something to do with…” she broke off.
“Tell me, Numbuh 5,” said Numbuh 1 patiently.
“Well…..when Numbuh 5 was younger, she….wished that she could fly like you and Numbuh 2 did today.” She had never felt so embarrassed, but there was no taking back her words now.
Numbuh 1 blinked, looking up out towards the adjoining houses of the neighborhoods down below. He looked back down at Numbuh 5, trying to make sense of what his team member was saying.
“But Numbuh 5…..you’ve seen Numbuh 2 and I do that all the time during missions.”
“Yeah, Numbuh 5 knows, but…..today it was…it was different, or somethin’.” She moaned, putting her head in her hands. She hated talks like this, especially since it was with Numbuh 1, whom she had always silently admired for his leadership skills and bravery (although he DID sometimes panic in the middle of a mission, but who didn’t?)
Numbuh 1 was starting to get an idea of what was going on, but he didn’t say anything. He wanted to hear this from Numbuh 5 herself. He was concerned about her, and he could never leave a mystery alone until it was solved. His hand still on her shoulder, he asked, “How was it different?”
Numbuh 5 raised her head, took a deep breath, and tried to focus. “Well, when Numbuh 5 could actually see you, you two weren’t as focused as you are during missions. Today you just seemed….carefree. Relaxed. And I guess Numbuh 5 wishes that she could feel that way too.”
Ha. He was right in his assumptions. Even though she couldn’t see him, Numbuh 1 smiled, squeezing her shoulder again. “You wish you could fly through the air and feel like Numbuh 2 and I did?” he asked for clarification.
Numbuh 5 sighed. “Yeah, that’s how Numbuh 5 feels.”
Thinking for a minute, a smile slowly grew across Numbuh 1’s face. He was getting an idea that would help make his teammate feel better. He would have to be persuasive though; Numbuh 5 could be as stubborn as he himself was.
“Would you like to?” he asked her.
Numbuh 5 finally turned to him, irritated, which caused Numbuh 1 to remove his hand from her shoulder. “Would Numbuh 5 like to what?” she asked irritably.
Numbuh 1, instead of answering her, calmly removed his jacket and held it out in her direction. Numbuh 5 looked at it, bewildered.
“Numbuh 1?”
“Take it,” he said softly. “You’ll need it.”
Numbuh 5 took the jacket, but didn’t put it on. “Need it fo’ what?”
In response, Numbuh 1 folded his arms across his chest, a cocky grin on his face. He silently clicked the heels of his boots together two times, which, like every time he did that, made Numbuh 5 think of Dorothy Gale from the movie The Wizard of Oz. He rose into the air, flames emerging from the soles of his shoes. He glided around Numbuh 5, stopping right in front of her, floating roughly 20 feet above the ground. He smirked at the shocked look on Numbuh 5’s face. The girl was still holding the jacket in her hands, almost limply.
“Come on, Numbuh 5. Put on the jacket and let’s go.” Numbuh waved a hand impatiently in her direction, looking almost bored.
Numbuh 5 stood up, holding the jacket in one hand, glaring at the boy. “Numbuh 1, WHAT are you talkin’ about? Go where?”
“Well, duh,” Numbuh 1 said, as if Numbuh 5 were slow. “Go out there, where the park is. That would be the best spot, I think.”
“Numbuh 1, in case you haven’t noticed, Numbuh 5 doesn’t have the equipment that you do! Haven’t you been paying ANY attention to what Numbuh 5’s been sayin’?”
Numbuh 1’s smirk vanished, to be replaced by a small smile. Numbuh 5 instinctively took a step back, surprised.
“Of course I have,” he said softly. “I’m going to take you on a ride to the park so you’ll feel better.” He held out his hand to her, lowering his head so that Numbuh 5 could see his eyes.
Numbuh 5 refused to act like one of the helpless, wimpy damsels that she had watched in movies in the past. Her look softened, but she still didn’t put on Numbuh 1’s jacket OR take his offered hand.
“How in the world could you carry me? Do you even know if those shoes can hold that much weight?”
Numbuh 1 shrugged, as if the thought didn’t matter to him. “No, I suppose not. I’ve never had to carry anything that heavy in the past.”
Numbuh 5’s eyes nearly bugged. “You might drop me, you fool!”
“Oh, don’t be stupid. Even if I did, I’d make sure you wouldn’t hit the ground.” He looked at her pointedly, his hand still extended towards her. “Numbuh 5, do you want to go or not?”
Despite her feelings on the matter, she still hesitated. She glanced at the jacket in her hand, as if it held the answers to her questions. Her leader’s voice made her raise her head again.
“Do you trust me?”
She looked at him for a minute in silence, feeling defeated. The truth was she DID trust Numbuh 1. He was her leader; he had led her and the other Sector V operatives through countless dangerous missions, and she had never doubted him. The person she didn’t trust was herself.
Finally, sighing, she put on the jacket, zipping it up slightly. Numbuh 1’s smile grew. Looking at him with an indescribable look on her face, Numbuh 5 reached out and placed her hand in his.
To Be Continued....
), and love how you made it play such an important role. Which kid wouldn't love to play air tag?? And the way you described Abby being envious of them playing it made a lot of sense, by how you compared it to being free and relaxed.
