Color of faith

Forgotten

Disclaimer: I do not own the Kids Next door… Naturally, the Kids next door own me, remember?

Abby hadn’t realized the hour when she was done doing paperwork to appeal Heinrich’s freedom… She didn’t have any time to waste if what Heinie said was true: She couldn’t believe Heinrich was bribing her into this. She was lost in thought, even, that she wouldn’t have seen Hoagie sitting there in the empty wheel if he hadn’t spoken. “Where were you?”

“Yo boy, what’s up?” She set the bait for him to calm down.

“The sky!” He cracked up. “No seriously, what were you doing, I’m curious” He added in good humor; now that was better.

“Numbuh five was just doing some boring paperwork on a prisoner in artic prison, numbuh two” She answered in a glad tone and left to her room to “hit the sack” as she told him.

Paperwork… yeah… Why shouldn’t paperwork smell of cologne or bruise lips? This was not fishy at all; he thought sarcastically. There was a strange pang of discomfort numbuh two felt at the idea of what Abby could be doing until now with that insufferable blond snob.

The next morning they sat in the kitchen for breakfast; Hoagie, Kuki and Abby had gotten up early that day; note that early means before Nigel did in their sector: They had been staying often these days, adults were moving less and less, and in contradiction to all logic they had been required to hear more and more reports from Moonbase and Nigel had to fill all this mysterious paperwork now.

“Why Heinrich?” Asked Hoagie for the 4rth time with different words this time: He had tried discretely, in conjunction, randomly and now, bluntly. “I mean the KND scientist are after this too and we both know Heinrich is not the only scholar in the world!”

“He’s the only one Numbuh five knows” She said patiently, in fact she had made nothing on him asking; why should she?

“But you can have anyone you want!” Hoagie said with a mixture of reason and something he couldn’t place in his voice. Then he tripped over his own words: “Any-Any scholar, you can have any scholar you want” He muttered in correction. The kitchen went still.

“Numbuh five did more in Guatemala than look for candy, Numbuh Two.” She said bluntly as well. He didn’t breathe until she got up to hear numbuh one’s boring morning speech, he was afraid something bad would happen if he did. It was moments later, when numbuh four had already gotten up he decided to go to the meeting room… Odd, numbuh one wasn’t there yet?