Sector SA, Part 5: Hunger Strike

Chapter 5: Hunger Strike

Sector SA

It was a weekend night, so none of the members had to go home for school. The four kids spent the night here, fast asleep. It felt good not to burden their selves with a flight home, but there was a downside: the Midnight Snacker. A creature that roams the treehouse in search of food, and in its quest bites one of the kids.

Nagisa startled awake when he heard his door open. He hid under his blanket, hearing a pair of bare footsteps walking toward him. He felt it climb on his bed, and the Midnight Snacker pulled the cover down without asking. Index was crouched over him with closed eyes and an open mouth. "It's okay if I eat Nagisa…" she told herself in her sleep. "He has 2 more extra lives. Aaaaahh…" She moved in for the bite.

"YOW!!!"

After Index had awoken by Nagisa's scream, he rubbed medicine over the sores on his forehead before leading her to the kitchen. "Index, your eating obsession was kinda funny at first, but it's starting to get old." Nagisa said, beginning to enter the code for the fridge. "And your biting's starting to hurt. If you weren't a nun, I would say you're a vampire."

Goombella peeped up and said with a wry smirk, "Maybe she just has a bad… habit." Nagisa stared at her with disbelief. "…I'm also here for a snack. Shroom Shake please."

Nagisa opened the fridge—he gasped. "ALL THE FOOD'S GONE!"

"Oh yeah… I thought I tasted apple pie mixed with shroomy pickles." Index smiled sheepishly. "I musta solved the code in my sleep."

"But you didn't even see me change it!"

"I listened to the sound of the beeps from the hallway. Beep, bop, boop, beep, that way I could narrow down the digits. Just in case."

"That food was supposed to last us a week, at least…"

"What a rip off, I'm still hungry." Index said, rubbing her tummy.

"GRRRRRR!" Nagisa shot her a deathly glare.

"Um… I think Moonbase serves breakfast on weekends." Goombella said, trying to calm the tension.

Moonbase, the next morning…

Sector SA ordered orange juice, Rainbow Munchies, eggs, ham, and waffles in Moonbase Cafeteria. "Mmmmm." Index sighed with delight while chewing a syrup- and butter-soaked waffle. "This is why Arceus designed syrup and butter as 'good morning' food." She chugged down the glass of OJ. "And why He made juice the color of the sun. Isn't breakfast wonderful?"

Contrary to her bright spirits, her three friends stared at her in irritation from the opposite side of the table. They haven't gotten their orders, yet, they let Index eat first. "Index… you have a problem." Nagisa told her.

"Whaddo you mean?"

"This eating thing; it has to stop!"

"You want me to stop eating?!"

"No! I want you to tone it down! We can't keep spending money on food every couple days that we don't get to eat! Heck, I can't believe you haven't gotten fat. Or go to the bathroom very often."

"The weirdest part is you're a nun, and you never thank Arceus for your meals." Goombella commented.

"That's not true! Arceus knows that I'm thankful for my meals." She folded hands and smiled at the ceiling. "I thank him for giving me tastebuds and putting so many wonderful foods in the world for me to eat. One day, I hope to taste all the foods." She faced them again with her normal expression, "Besides, I'm always hungry. I can't help that."

"My mom once said the more we eat, the hungrier we become." Nagisa said. "Because our stomach keeps expanding. 'Certainly not healthy for a young lady.'"

"And isn't gluttony one of the Seven Deadly Sins?" asked Goombella. "Does your church know you overeat?"

"Well, they might… My mom is a nun, so I was born in the church. When I was little, all I liked to eat were sweets and bread, and I turned down vegetables. So she did a thing where she forbade me from eating for three days. I was so hungry and I felt shriveled up… After the three days were up, she gave me spinach to eat. I remembered how yucky it tasted when I had some for dinner before… but when I ate it then, it was so delicious. That's when my mom told me that food wasn't something to take for granted. I should be thankful for all the food that I can eat and I shouldn't be picky."

"As touching as that is, I think you misunderstood a little." Nagisa replied. "Being picky is one thing, but going overboard is another. You still take it for granted by eating too much."

"It's only taken for granted when I'm not thankful for it, which I am! And I still fit in my swimsuit and only eject a little when I use the bathroom, so I think I'm balancing it out okay."

"That's the other thing, it defies any laws of physics. You're like one of those anime protagonists that has a 'black hole' stomach and eats cartoonishly large amounts of food."

In a faraway universe

"Achoo!" A boy in a straw hat sneezed. "Hey Natsu, you feel anything weird?"

"Yeah, this meat is too squishy." A boy with strawberry hair was chewing sirloin.

"Ruby, pass me seconds!" a white-haired boy requested while swallowing three bananas.

Back to Moonbase

"You know, I'm glad you phrased it that way." a new voice said. Sector SA turned and found Emily Garley, the scientist with crown-shaped blonde hair and light blue eyes behind big square glasses. "There's no force in this universe that can't be explained with science."

"Even that whacky stuff Zach does?" Goombella asked.

"Clearly a logical explanation. (Haven't found it yet, but still.) I couldn't help but overhear your conversation, and I feel the strong desire to research this phenomena. Is it true that Index is able to consume large amounts of food without ailment?"

"She swallowed an entire fridge's worth of food while sleepwalking." Morgiana answered. "Did you use the bathroom since then, Index?"

"Not really."

"Interesting." Emily took notes. "You know, there's a theory that spacebenders have pocket dimensions for stomachs, ergo they're able to consume huge amounts."

"Index is a lightbender, sister, try again." Goombella remarked.

"Look, why don't you let me help find the source of this phenomena? Come to the Undersea Lab and we'll X-ray Index."

"I don't wanna be X-rayed!"

"Honestly, I kinda wanna check it out." Nagisa replied. "See where all that food actually goes. All in favor?"

"AYE!" Goombella jumped, and Morg raised her hand.

"You guys are the worst." Index folded her arms. "I'd like to see YOU go three days without eating."

"Did." said Morgiana.

"I hope you kids aren't leaving without paying." The waiter, Numbuh $2.00 Tip, an American boy, approached.

"Oh, of course." Nagisa smiled. "Here." Each member set some money on the table. Nagisa left yen, Index left pounds, Morgiana left riyals, and Goombella left coins.

"Sigh… This job pays less than my allowance." Numbuh $2.00 sighed.

Undersea Lab

Index begrudgingly complied with her friends' request and took part in the experiment. She stood inside a chamber with a viewing window as her body was X-rayed. "If I catch a disease because of this, I'll haunt you guys from the afterlife."

"You're starting to sound less and less priestessy." Goombella replied.

"The scan is picking up eggs, bacon, juice… pretty much everything Index had for breakfast." Emily reported.

"But where's everything else?" Nagisa asked suspiciously.

"When you all are done looking at my insides like a bunch of creeps," Index stated, "I still want my dessert! I noticed Moonbase had cakes-" A wormhole seemed to open in the X-rayed stomach and sucked the food down.

"HOLY WOW!" "WHAT THE HECK?!" Emily and Nagisa exclaimed.

Index's stomach growled. "I'm hungry again."

Emily rewound the recording on the small computer. "I…I don't believe it. It seems to be some type of… black hole!"

"Index's stomach… is literally a black hole?" Nagisa questioned, struggling to process this.

"Maybe she IS a spacebender!" Goombella beamed.

"Impossible!" argued Index. "The priests at my church can sense Element Chi inside people, they would've known if I was a spacebender."

"What an astounding phenomena." Emily said. "We have to research this wormhole! According to the scans, none of Index's organs are damaged by it. Maybe it only swallows things that she eats."

"You mean this wormhole's been stealing all my food this whole time?! GET IT OUT OF ME!" Index flailed her arms.

"Emily, what do we do about this?" Nagisa asked.

"Well, our first priority is determining where the wormhole leads. Who here is up for a Fantastic Voyage?"

"NOT IT!" Goombella yelped.

"You want us to go inside Index?!" Nagisa exclaimed in disgust. "Why don't YOU do it?"

"Because I need to program the shrink/grow settings and determine how much time the sub will need to stay small. And what if I get trapped in an alternate universe and eaten by lizard people?! No one will be able to report the data! That's why it's safer to send guinea pigs. Besides, she's your teammate."

"NAGISA!" Index's skeleton banged on the X-ray window. "You had better get inside my belly and stop this wormhole or I'll send you in by pieces!"

"Siiiigh… I guess I have no choice."

"I'll come with you." Morgiana offered.

"Heh. Thanks, Morg."

"Remember, you two, this isn't a date." said Goombella. "But if it were, it'd be the totally weirdest date ever."

"Perfect!" cheered Emily. "Let's lay Index on a table and get you guys in the ship."

They were led to a bigger room with a large, gray boxed-shaped ship with headlights. "This is an upgraded model of the Kids Next Door's classic I.T.S.I.B.I.T.S.Y.." Emily explained. "This version hovers and can submerge, too. Every treehouse has one in case operatives ingest hazardous materials. In the olden days, we only used them for vegetables, huhu! But lately, we've been using them to kill germs and… kids or pets who eat small toys on accident. I'll stay in touch with you and instruct you on what to do. For now, try to determine where the wormhole leads. Once you do, you can make your way out of Index's body."

"Okay. Ready, Morg?" asked Nagisa.

"I am."

"Good luck!" Goombella winked. So glad I ain't goin'.

After the two were settled in the ship, Emily set the shrink ray for 30 minutes and zapped it down to half an inch tall. She lightly picked the ship up and put it in a glass of water. "Here, Index." Emily gave it to the nun. "Take a drink and lie back down."

Index looked at the tiny ship on the surface and took a small drink. She swallowed and laid flat on her back. "Ahhh… I ate my friends. It was only a matter of time."

The submarine traveled down to the stomach in seconds as they switched on the headlights. "Well, at least I have a good reference for my biology report." Nagisa joked to Morg, who didn't react.

"Nagisa, there's the wormhole!" she pointed.

The stomach shone blue from the wormhole's light. It was massive from their size, burning wonder into their minds. "Alright, you found it." Emily responded. "One of you needs to put on a suit and fly in while the other holds the rope to pull you back. Use the handheld scanner to examine the area within."

"I guess I'll go." Nagisa volunteered. "Wish me luck, Morg."

"Be careful."

Nagisa donned a gray scuba suit with a helmet and jetpacks. Morgiana held onto the attached rope and watched her friend float to the vortex. The light grew brighter in Nagisa's eyes, and he braced himself for the new world he was about to enter.

When he passed, he collided with a mountain of chewed mush. "Ew, gross!" He looked around, repulsed at the giant globs of dissolving food. "This is so disgusting! Where am I?" He activated the handheld scanner. The stomach was projected on the small screen, and the rest of the body followed suit. The screen depicted a chubby girl laying down. "I'm still inside Index? That can't be right. Unless… Morg, pull me back." He tugged the rope.

Morgiana felt this and pulled her end. However, the portal seemed to push Nagisa away from his end, so Morgiana was forced to pull harder. "Hnnnnnnn…!" To her relief, Nagisa came out of the portal, and she quickly pulled him back to the sub.

"Is everything okay down there?" Emily asked.

"We're fine." Nagisa answered, taking his helmet off. "I just came out of the portal. According to the scan, it connects to another Index's stomach.

"Another Index?" Morgiana questioned. "How is that possible?"

"I still don't know what's causing the wormhole, but I think I know who's behind it: Index's Negative."

Moments later, after resizing

"You think the wormhole's connected to my Negative?" Index asked.

"What other explanation can there be?" Nagisa replied. "I think we should pay a visit to the Negaverse. We can ask Cheren to get in contact with Nerehc, and he could tell us if he knows Index's Negative."

"Sweet, we can get that cake while we're on Moonbase!"

"You know it's just going to go through you." Goombella reminded.

"I know, but I can still savor the frosting." Index said dreamily.

"Look at this picture, though." Morgiana pointed at the handheld scanner. "This person looks like Index, but… she's bulkier."

"You would be too if you ate as much as she did." said Goombella.

KND Moonbase

Sector SA explained the situation to Cheren, who found the idea of a wormhole in Index's stomach to be both humorous and downright weird. Cheren agreed to take them to Nerehc using the mirror in his office. Since the mirror had become a portal, this signified Nerehc was in his office right now. He invited Sector SA through the portal, entering Nerehc's office in the DNK Moonbase.

Nerehc was laying on a pile of unfilled paperwork when he looked up and saw them. "We need to design something for you to knock on when you enter a portal."

"Sorry to interrupt your super busy schedule, Nerehc." Cheren remarked. "This is Sector SA. They're here because of a stomach problem."

"I ain't a doctor."

"Listen, we need you to take us to Index's Negative." Nagisa gestured at the latter. "Do you have an operative like her?"

Nerehc cocked a brow. "Boy, don't we. Yeah, I recognize her—by far the laziest operative we have. She's not even emo, she's just a slob. She works for Sector AS – which you probably know as Sector -SA. I would guess it's in the same place as your sector, just reversed, but if you want, I could take you."

"That'd be nice." Nagisa chuckled, thinking he might get lost in this mirror world. "We'll explain on the way."

Sector -SA

Contrary to the scorching desert in the Posiverse, Nega-Sector SA's treehouse was located in a frosty snowfield, in what they believed to be the same general area relative to the other universe. Nerehc landed the R.E.P.M.A.C.S. in the hangar and began to trek the hallway. "Shouldn't you have called and told them you were coming?" Morgiana asked. "It feels rude to come unannounced."

"Did you already forget what universe you're in?" Nerehc asked. "They won't care, anyway. Nothing motivates this sector. No inspiration whatsoever. Not to mention they're just weird." They passed by Allebmoog, a blue Abmoog with no feet and very long arms that she used to walk.

"Well, there's another Goomba to be jealous of." Goombella commented.

"Anyway, I think this is the culprit you're looking for." Nerehc indicated a couch facing a TV that displayed a first-person shooting game. They walked around to see the fat slob on the couch: almost every part of Xedni's body was pudgy, her belly sticking out of her black sweater and white pajama pants.

Nagisa checked the scanner's screen. The image on it matched Xedni's posture exactly, from the still position of her arms holding the game controller and her dull green eyes. Xedni glanced up at her guests. "Oh, hey Supreme Leader. Do you have pizza?"

"YOU!!" Index grabbed her opposite by the neck furiously. "YOU'RE the one who's been stealing my FOOD!"

"Uh…are you my Positive?" Xedni asked lazily. "BUUUURP!"

"Uck!" Index waved by her nose. "Your breath smells like waffles! …!" She wept: "Those are my waffles. . . ." She shook Xedni crazily, "GIVE ME BACK MY WAFFLES!"

"Index, calm down!" Cheren pulled her off. "Xedni, we're given to understand there is a wormhole linking your stomach to Index. Do you know anything about that?"

"No way, man. And my name's not Xedni, it's-"

"NOT IMPORTANT!" Index cut. "Fine, if you don't believe me, I guess you won't mind if I eat THIS!" She raised a bitten blue Skypian Apple, the one Nagisa's mother bit days ago.

"Ironically, the only item in the fridge she didn't eat." Goombella said.

"Ha-omp!" Index ate the whole apple in one bite. She smirked at Xedni, and the others were surprised at the fact Index wasn't shrinking.

A puff of smoke consumed Xedni, dropping her controller as she became as small as a hand-size ball. "I KNEW IT!" Index grabbed the tiny Negative and squeezed her. "Do I need to SQUEEZE the truth out of you?!"

"Fine, you got me!" Xedni conceded. "I like to eat, but it's always a chore to go to the fridge and get somethin'. I got Sipa to take me to your room in the Posiverse and make some sorta body-link spell while you were asleep. All I gotta do is wait for you to eat, then I get full."

"Was that the same day all my church stuff was magically taped to the ceiling?!"

"I dunno… I forget what day that was. Who are you again?"

"Xedni, don't you realize what you've been doing?" Nagisa followed. "You're driving Index to near starvation, and look what's happened to you because of her eating habit!"

"Bro, I don't care. I don't do much around here, anyway. I just get my friends to do stuff."

"Hi!" a peppy voice greeted behind them. "Who are you guys?"

A friendly girl in a soft purplish dress jogged in, her sky-blue hair flowing. She wore skinny blue jeans and sandals that matched her blue, long nails. "Hello there! I'm Asigan!" she greeted them, her blue eyes sparkling.

Nagisa choked on his breath. This girl was… "No… you can't be…"

"Oh! You look just like me!" Asigan noticed. "Are you guys… our Positives?"

"Yeah, but…but you're a girl."

"Of course! I mean, I am at heart. I really like your hairdo!"

"Ah ha…thanks." Blushing, Nagisa scratched one of his pigtails. "Um, so what do you like? I like action anime and assassins."

"I'm not too into that stuff, but I like a good fantasy! My main hobby is swimming."

"Oh! That's cool."

"I'm a waterbender, too! Do you have an element?"

"No, but I…I think I could make a good fearbender."

"Hehe, that sounds neat! So, what're you guys here for? Could I get you anything?"

"We don't have time for that!" Index yelled, still clutching Xedni. "Listen, Xedni, I don't know what they teach you in this universe, but in my world, gluttony is a sin, and you're a big sinner!"

"NOW she brings it up." her friends chorused.

"You make me wanna puke up every meal I had. Knowing ALL my food was going to you, I've never been more disgusted. It makes me not wanna eat."

"Uh… you have to eat sometime. Or you'll starve."

"I don't think so. I am officially going on a hunger strike and SO are you." She whipped around, raised Xedni high, and asked her friends, "You with me, guys?! WHO'S ready to go on a hunger strike?!"

"NO WAY! We're not the ones who need to learn a lesson!" four of the kids said at once, while Morg shook her head in disagreement.

"And anyway—um, Xedni," Nerehc followed, "I think an exercise routine would do you wonders. DNK is changing for the better, so you need to catch up."

"It would be great if you could become more active." Asigan agreed. "And… clean after yourself."

"Got that, Xedni?" Index glared. "You're not getting one bite until I decide you earned it."

"Okay, whatever… Wanna play a game with me?"

"The only game we're playing is the PAIN GAME!"

Moonbase Gym

"Come on, Xedni, don't you know how to raise a fist?!" Index shouted while throwing punches at her (normal size) opposite. The nun donned her green top, white skirt, and green gym shoes, and both were wearing boxing gloves. All Xedni could manage were lazy arm swings, but Index jumped around and punched her from all sides. "A FIST, Xedni, it's when you bend your fingers into a ball!"

"I know what it is, I've seen it in my game. …I don't remember what button to push, though."

"Maybe it's 'P' button, FOR PUNCH!" Index punched her in the fat head. "Does that jog your memory?!"

"I've never seen Index so pumped up about anything." Nagisa said.

"The safety of her food is on the line." Goombella winked. "She's doing this for herself, too."

"Yeah, but forbidding herself from eating? How long do you think she'll last?"

"Her record is three days." Morgiana said. "She'll have to be hungry by then."

On the second day, Index took Xedni to the soccer field near her church. Index ran five laps around the field while Xedni made it halfway. "If those legs had as much muscle as fat, you would be faster than me."

"I'm tired…" Xedni moaned, her legs wobbling like jelly. "I just thought about jelly… Can we eat?"

"NO EATING. You've been pigging yourself out for months without chewing your own food. The only way to show you how precious food is is to make you go without it!"

Xedni was forced to stay with Index during their days of exercise, and was ordered to do push-ups for the first half hour while Index slept. Her friends and family helped keep Xedni away from anything edible, and Index restrained herself as well, no matter how much her stomach grumbled during the day and night.

Two more days passed; Xedni noticed Index was slacking in effort, likely starved from lack of food. When they were racing around the soccer field, seeing this gave Xedni the motivation to keep running. She thought passing Index would earn her something to eat. Index stopped to catch her breath, and seeing Xedni run by put a smile on her face. When they returned to boxing on the Moonbase, both girls fought with weak, lazy fists; they had no gas to burn off, little water to sweat, and the fact they had any energy at all was amazing.

At Sector SA's treehouse, the two attempted jumping up the central pillar like Morgiana. They fell extremely short of the latter's record—they were so tired, they barely got their toes off the floor. They collapsed on their backs, deader than sticks in a desert. They were so hungry, they were shriveled. Seven days without food and little water.

"Ulp… What's your name again?" Xedni asked.

"Index…" she replied tiredly.

"Index… Sorry for taking your food. I guess I thought… you would be okay with it. Sharing the same stomach. I think I was gonna tell you, but I… forgot."

"Well… hopefully you learned something." Index sat up and faced her. "I think we both love food, Xedni… but you don't appreciate it enough to even pick some up and eat it yourself. Any person that's able to eat should be thankful for every meal. You shouldn't deny food from others… It's a gift that everyone deserves."

"Yeah… If I had to exercise just a little bit… that'd be better than doing all this. I guess you want to get rid of this wormhole?"

"You said these were created from a magic spell, right? If I remember correctly, the Connecting-Stomachs Spell was created for people who couldn't eat on their own. I can probably dispel it myself." Index crawled to Xedni and folded hands in prayer. "Palkia, thou art the Creator of Space. Please, command the gates that bind us to close." She put one hand over her stomach and another over Xedni's. Her hands glowed white and, while they couldn't see, the wormholes vanished.

Xedni sat up, wondering what just happened. "Anyway… it was nice training with you, Xedni." Index smiled. "Why don't you go home and grab a bite? Make sure to really savor the taste."

Dinner that night

"Ahhhh…" Index just swallowed two steaks, two apples, and cake for dessert. For the first time in months, she was lain on the couch, rubbing her tummy. "I'm stuffed. I don't think I'll ever be hungry again."

"Thank goodness." Nagisa sighed in relief. "Hey Index, what was that thing you did with Xedni, anyway? The praying thing?"

"Oh, it's something the church taught me. I can speak to the gods and ask them to remove supernatural spells. In fact, they said only I can do it because my lightbending gives me a closer connection with the gods. I thought it was weird that the priests never sensed the vortex in my body… but I predict that Sipa set the wormhole to vanish whenever I was near church or talked about church. When I asked Xedni about her, she said Sipa practiced dark magic."

"That's a pretty cool power!" said Goombella. "What else does your church teach you?"

"Nothing else but the basics."

"I see…" Nagisa said with suspicion. "Hey, Index… why wouldn't you let Xedni say her real name?"

"Because Negative names are confusing of course!" Index grinned. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm beat. Time to take a bath, then off to bed!" She hopped up and skipped to the hallway.

Morgiana noticed the inquiring stare on her friend's face. "What's wrong, Nagisa?"

"Um… nothing. You wanna go to bed too, Morg?"

Morgiana blushed. "Go to… bed? Oh, you mean separately. Sure."

"Will you two just kiss?! You're so dense!" Goombella shouted.

"K-Kiss?! What're you talking about?!" Nagisa flushed.

"Agreed. Kissing after a misunderstanding is very unconventional." Morg said.

"Right, what she said! …I think."

"Oh, whatever." Goombella rolled her eyes. "I'm going to bed, too. G'd night!" The four friends turned off the lights and headed for their rooms. (Play "Ending 2" from Fairy Tail.)

As weird as that day was, finding a wormhole in Index's stomach was just a casual day in the Kids Next Door. We didn't ask Index about her name since then, and we kept getting normal missions, each slightly harder, but we were slowly building up our reputation. Goombella, Morg, and I may have had our reasons for joining KND, but Index's backstory was still a mystery. I guess it didn't matter, given all the excitement the other sectors had.

…Eventually, we would learn why Index is called the "Walking Library."

Sector SA: Cast:

Lindsay Seidel as Nagisa Shiota and Asigan Atoihs

Cristina Valenzuela as Morgiana

Monica Rial as Index and Xedni

Lacey Chabert as Goombella

Richard Steven Horvitz as Marvin Frankly and Giz

Sharon Mann as Cheren Uno and Nerehc Onu

Caitlin Glass as Hiromi Shiota

Tara Strong as Makava, Melody Jackson, and Anthony McKenzie

Rickey Collins as Vweeb

Jennifer Hale as Panini Drilovsky, Emily Garley, and Fybi Fulbright

Tom Kenny as Zach Murphy

Benicio del Toro as Taneleer Tivan

Published by Webnovel

Presented by Gamewizard2008

All crossovers and OCs belong to their respective owners.

Sector SA: END

…

Taneleer Tivan stared at the empty yellow capsule. One of eight, once contained the greatest prize in his collection, now gone. The Collector turned and entered the main room of his museum. He approached the cage that contained Horror's Hand. He put his hand to it. "At least… I still have one."

The eye in the hand's palm brimmed pink. Tivan stared into the ocean of nightmares longing to be free.