(laughing nervously, then clearing throat) Well, perhaps I had more time to think through this first part than I estimated when I first thought of this story idea. I will be eager to think through the concluding part and have it ready to post as early as tonight, so stay tuned.
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“Presidential Conventions, Unconventional Adventures”
Chapter 1: “A Fork in a Road through a Bridge”
“Something wrong, Numbuh 35?”
“Uh... sorry, Numbuh 23. It looks like another report from Sector MN.”
Virginia Sims’ confusion deepened visibly as she walked up to Bartie Stork’s console on the bridge of the Kids Next Door Moonbase. Both of them were fine with watching the bridge around them while their fellow Kids Next Door operatives worked at
their respective consoles, from weapons arrays to launch and docking bays. Perhaps in striking contrast to Bartie and Virginia’s puzzlement, no other Kid Next Door typically present on the bridge had reported any observable -- or observably serious -- problems with whatever he or she was responsible for tracking. Being the most important base of operations of the Kids Next Door, the Moonbase required a certain special level of care and maintenance so that it was always prepared to tackle any direct challenge to it, so a lack of unusual activity anywhere within the KND’s lunar headquarters was generally considered a good thing by the operatives aboard it, whether they were assigned to it or just visiting it. Kids Next Door spaceships came and went, including two that happened to be drifting silently along certain parts of the viewscreen above Bartie and Virginia, prominently displaying the revolving blue-green planet that those prepubescent spies really called home. As for Bartie and Virginia themselves, even though they generally liked spending time with each other, they were just as eager as their Kids Next Door friends and comrades to simply do their duties to protect the ability of kids everywhere on Earth to have fun being kids. As Virginia began standing right next to Bartie, her eyebrows furrowed with skeptical curiosity at the console before them, they wondered what for the life of them could cause the Minnesotan Kids Next Door -- and another Kids Next Door sector right in the middle of a group of mountains -- to send as many “special reports” as they had up to this moment.
“Huh? Between those guys and Sector CO, that’s the fifth special report in the past three days,” Virginia said, rubbing her temple skeptically.
Bartie shrugged hesitantly. “Maybe we should inform the Supreme Commander and Sector V about this.”
A small, wry smile crossed Virginia’s face as she remembered what Bartie meant, especially the certain moments that both of them had stopped a couple of times whenever these two kids were in the Moonbase cafeteria together. Rachel McKenzie and Nigel Uno were two brave, smart, and stern commanders within the Kids Next Door, perhaps particularly famous ones. Nigel’s sector was as loyal to the Kids Next Door as they could ever be, something Rachel admired greatly. As the leader of Sector V and the Supreme Commander of the entire organization, respectively, Nigel and Rachel both to maintain a level of seriousness between them Bartie and Virginia were not certain they could expect of any other Kid Next Door they knew of. It might have been appropriate that Nigel and Rachel had been getting somewhat friendly with each other within the months since Father unleashed Grandfather on the planet that Bartie and Virginia knew and loved greatly and deeply, almost completely wiping out the Kids Next Door and Senior Citizombifying -- or at least trying to Senior Citizombify -- anybody who had
ever[/b] been a kid. With Grandfather thankfully taken out of the picture once and for all and Father reduced to, well, a shadow of what he used to be, Nigel and Rachel were left to research any new villains that might prove to exceed Grandfather in hatred of kids, unimaginable though that possibility was to them and their friends. Unfortunately for Nigel and Rachel, they succeeded, and some of the villains they discovered had reportedly been expressing some interest in whatever was happening in both Colorado and Minnesota, something Bartie and Virginia were increasingly determined to simply learn about for themselves.
“Good idea. Whatever Sectors CO and MN are trying to get us to pay attention to, it’s gotta be big,” Virginia said.
Bartie nodded a bit more certainly now. “I think you're right.” He pressed the intercom button on his console. “Bridge to Supreme Commander.”
A familiar, distinctively authoritative female voice echoed across the bridge, causing several operatives to smile to themselves with confidence. “Go ahead.”
Bartie suddenly paused for a few seconds, a bit reluctant to sound excessively worried. “You and Sector V might wanna get up here quickly. We’ve got another strange report from Sector MN.”
A familiar, authoritatively British male voice echoed across the bridge instead of the first one, adding bemusement into the smiles of confidence between some of the other operatives... even if they happened to miss the inquisitive tone to that voice. “What do you mean by ‘
another strange report’?”
Virginia let out a wry chuckle. “Neither of you are gonna believe this, but this is the fifth special report between Sectors MN and CO in the past three days. We even saved or recovered each report to prove it.”
“What?” the authoritatively British male voice said a bit more firmly than it already was. “You don’t say. In that case, the two of us will head up there as soon as we can, as will the rest of my team.”
Commanding -- and commandingly conclusive -- confidence was audible in the simply authoritative female voice. “Just keep those reports intact, and Numbuh One and I will attempt to discover what they really mean once we arrive.”
“Sounds kinda cool,” a familiar -- and familiarly young -- male voice that neither Bartie nor Virginia had expected added eagerly, something normally direct for that boy.
“I hope those two sectors are all right with whatever‘s going on,” a familiarly young female voice jumped in timidly and innocently, as might have been… normal for that girl.
“Don’t worry, Numbuhs 84 and 83. The Kids Next Door will have a plan for this,” the British male voice concluded as dutifully as that older boy could.
It was left to the simply authoritative female voice to follow a single beep that signaled that older girl’s new thoughts -- and orders. “Attention, Kids Next Door Moonbase. Will Numbuhs Two through Five of Sector V please report to the bridge A-S-A-now? Thank you for your cooperation. Numbuh 362 out.”
Another single beep indicated the Moonbase intercom’s deactivation, implicitly signaling to Bartie and Virginia to turn toward the Moonbase viewscreen, thinking about the blue-green planet still revolving serenely to their minds. They remembered the adventures they’d heard about Sector V, considered to be the Kids Next Door sector that had many more successful confrontations against enemies who threatened certain aspects of freedom for kids… and perhaps ended up getting closer to each other in the process. In fact, Nigel and Rachel seemed perfectly fine to allow Sector V’s most famous couple to receive the biggest amount of romantic speculation among their friends. Wally Beetles and Kuki Sanban were almost complete opposites of each other in their points of view and thoughts, from chocolate chip for Wally and strawberry for Kuki to arguments between hard action and soft Rainbow Monkeys. A bit of irony might have been present whenever Hoagie Gilligan and Abby Lincoln thought betw een each other about what their two Sector V friends might look like as a couple. Quite a few times, Hoagie and Abby teased Wally about his feelings for Kuki if she was off somewhere, but Hoagie and Abby seemed just as happy to simply spend time with each other and chat about certain events they’d observed, simply taking it easy. Lastly, Lee Curtis and Sonia Mason were speculatively popular among some segments of the KND… if in their own way. Between Lee’s typically smooth thoughts and actions and Sonia’s innocent concern for her friends, some believed that those two really young Kids Next Door could become the next Wally and Kuki, growing closer to each other in whatever new adventures they had together. Whatever was going on in Colorado and Minnesota would be no exception to Bartie and Virginia as they and everyone around them heard two doorways on opposite corners of the bridge open. They all looked in the general direction of those bridge doorways… and felt themselves stand a bit more loyally than they already were. Through one doorway stepped Rachel and Nigel together, followed by Lee, then Sonia, and through the other doorway stepped the rest of Sector V, Hoagie first, Abby next, and finally, Wally and Kuki. All eight kids wore faces of serious resolve as Nigel and Rachel stepped forward as if to take charge of the situation themselves, letting the curiosity among some of the other operatives stand as it did.
“All right. It looks like all of us are here,” Nigel began. “Numbuhs 35 and 23, do you still have those reports from Sectors CO and MN?”
Virginia pressed a button to display the proper files on Bartie’s console, then nodded affirmatively once. “Yep. We’ve got ‘em right here” -- her eyebrows furrowed once, twice, or thrice as she began eyeing them more closely -- “and it looks like there’s quite a lot of activity going on in both Denver
and St. Paul at the same time.”
Hints of hesitation could be seen in Bartie’s eyes as he glanced down at those files. “Uh, the reports describe two...
ginormous[/b] groups of mostly adults, but also some teens and even kids. One group is gathering at Denver’s Invesco Field, and the other group is gathering at St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center. According to Sector CO, there’s a really big drawing of an all-blue donkey at one of Invesco Field’s sides, and Sector MN saw a really big drawing of an all-red elephant at the front of the Xcel Energy Center.”
“Ooh, two parties going on at the same time? Yaaaaay!!!!” Kuki exclaimed cheerfully, earning stares of incredulity from more than a few operatives on the bridge... before she calmed down. “Maybe I should bring my Ready to Dance Rainbow Monkey along, but which party should I visit?”
Wally squinted with skepticism at his best female friend. “Numbuh Three, you’ve been talking about that cruddy Rainbow Monkey ever since ya convinced me to buy it two weeks ago.”
Kuki let out a happy giggle that left her best male friend staring even more incredulously. “Thank you sooo much for getting it for me, Numbuh Four. It was sweet.”
Wally found himself starting to choke as Kuki wrapped her arms around him as tightly as she could, presumably to indicate just how happy she was. “I can’t breathe... you can cruddy let go of me now...”
Meanwhile, Rachel had rested her chin on her hand thoughtfully, having a hunch about exactly what was happening at the two aforementioned locations, and she cleared her throat to focus when Kuki let go of Wally, still retaining her perpetual smile. “Do Sectors CO and MN know what kinds of adults are supposed to show up in Denver and St. Paul?”
Bartie began typing a few commands on his consoles, Sectors CO and MN’s special reports sliding atop each other... but then, something about a certain page on a report from yesterday caught his eye. “I don’t believe it.” He turned back to face the Kids Next Door’s most prominent leadership couple, disbelief visible on his face. “There are chefs from across Colorado and Minnesota, delegates and volunteers from every state in America, talk radio hosts, and reporters and analysts for Fox News Channel, the Cable News Network, the National Broadcasting Company, the British Broadcasting Corporation, the Information Telegraph Agency of Russia, China Central Television, and even the Arabian Peninsula News Agency.”
Abby shook her head with cool disapproval intermixed with surprise. “Numbuh Five thinks there’s been a lot of talkin’ about whatever this is.”
“I’ll say,” Hoagie said. “I have to wonder about all those news organizations...”
Virginia happened to press another button to turn to another page, and a smile of astonishment crossed her face. “Yep, and you guys are gonna love this.” She paused to more successfully take in the information she’d just accessed. “Both events are supposed to start three days from now, and two adults who are supposed to be speaking at the Xcel Energy Center are Daniel Wolf and Joseph Armstrong.”
Nigel and Rachel blinked with astonishment, as though a puzzle they’d been trying to solve was suddenly much clearer than it once was, and both Kids Next Door commanders turned upward to look at the Earth before Nigel stated deliberatively, “I knew it. If both the President and the Vice-President of the United States are involved, and those groups representing each and every state in that country are what I think they are, then there’s only one activity that Sectors CO and MN could be describing.” He turned solemnly and professionally to his Supreme Commander and practical girlfriend. “Shall we inform the others of what we learned?”
Rachel smiled warmly yet commandingly at her top sector leader and practical boyfriend. “Exactly what I was thinking.” The two of them turned back toward the Earth in the Moonbase viewscreen, and her voice carried no hesitation in it as she said firmly and conclusively, “The event about to happen in Denver is the 2008 Democratic National Convention, and the event about to happen in St. Paul is the 2008 Republican National Convention. The Democratic and Republican Parties are holding these conventions to officially choose a person to represent each party in this year’s American presidential election. One of these two individuals will replace Wolf as President of America.”
Abby shook her head with bemusement. “Man, Numbuhs One and 362. I had a feelin’ that you two would be interested in this.”
Hints of curiosity were perceptible within Hoagie’s current hesitation as another thought came to him. “Wait a minute. If this election is taking place in America, then why are those news guys from Britain, the Middle East, Russia, and China showing up?”
Rachel said nothing for all of five seconds, smiles of irony visible on her and Nigel’s faces as she said, “Funny that you should mention those last four news organizations. Nigel and I have gotten reports from Kids Next Door sectors in Europe, Egypt, Israel, India, Russia, East Asia, and even Australia. Adults, teens, and kids from all over Earth are paying attention to this election because America is considered to be the most powerful nation on the planet. Some have talked about their support for and admiration of America as the guardian of freedom, while others hate America for that same reason... including the Sacred Strugglers.”
Sonia’s eyes had widened with quiet indignation and alarm. “The Sacred Strugglers? Aren't they massacring people to try to get Yipper Cards, Rainbow Monkeys, and music banned in Morocco, Egypt, Turkey, Iraq, and Afghanistan?”
Lee shook his head with grim disapproval. “Massacring people to ban Yipper Cards, Rainbow Monkeys, and music? Not cool.
Not[/b] cool at all.”
“Not cool, indeed, and that might be one reason they’ve been keeping an eye on this year’s election,” Nigel said. “Last week, Rachel and I received two memos intercepted by the Israeli Kids Next Door and sent to almost every major group of violent Sacred Strugglers on Earth. Muslim Brothers’ Society mentor Rasul Malikani, Saudi Arabian King Shafiq bin Abdul-Aziz Al-Saud, and Organization of the Islamic Conference Secretary-General Faisal Tanuri signed one, and Islamic Liberation Party global leader Wasi Suramov signed the other. Between each other, all four of them are demanding to see absolutely no attacks anywhere until after this election. They want to give less violent Sacred Strugglers a chance to deceive Americans into supporting and choosing someone who can weaken the United States around the world, which would leave freedom vulnerable to attack by submission.”
“All of which is why I’d like us to investigate these presidential conventions ourselves. If we can learn what these two conventions are about, then the Kids Next Door might be able to figure out how else the Sacred Strugglers intend to use this election to their advantage,” Rachel continued as commandingly as she usually did, then eyed Bartie and Virginia directly. “Numbuhs 35 and 23, how are Sectors CO and MN preparing for these two conventions?”
At a typed command from Bartie, a new page slid to the top of the console window, and he looked at it intently before answering, “Actually, both sectors have been monitoring the area around those two cities for any sign of activity by any adult villains we’ve fought in the past. So far, they’ve seen nothing. Sector CO is still standing by in case anyone attempts to attack while the Democratic convention’s still going on, though, as is Sector MN with the Republican convention.”
“Huh. That’s interesting,” Virginia said as something about one of the earlier pages on that console came to the surface of her mind. “I remember that one of Sector MN’s members mentioned that his parents will be helping serve food at the Xcel Energy Center. They told him it would be great if he and several friends could come along.”
Nigel nodded as decisively as he could. “Then
that might be our way into the Republican convention site, but we’ll still need a way into Invesco Field. Once we infiltrate the Democratic convention site, we’ll be able to compare both conventions at once.” He turned to look between Lee and Sonia next to him and Rachel and his team at the opposite end of the bridge. “Is everyone willing to do this?”
“YES, SIR!!!” the rest of Sector V, Lee, Sonia, and the other bridge operatives besides Bartie and Virginia yelled confidently while either punching the air or saluting.
Nigel and Rachel smiled at each other warmly before the Supreme Leader of the Kids Next Door asked simply, “Well, Nigel, you ready for this?”
The commander of Sector V chuckled bravely and warmly. “You know it, Rachel. I’m right behind you.”
The last order from Nigel Uno and Rachel McKenzie at that moment would clear their fellow Kids Next Door, their friends, toward investigating not one, but
two gatherings of adults that could very well turn out to be unlike anything they’d ever seen before:
“Kids Next Door... let’s get these parties started!!!!!!!”
END OF CHAPTER 1
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