A/N: This story takes place before any of them had names, since it sounds like they were named around 12 and the story takes place when they're 9. Just in case you don't know their numbers;

.01: Spaceboy

.02: The Kraken

.03: The Rumor

.04: The Séance

.05: The Boy

.06: The Horror

.07: Vanya

"I read about this game in a book," .01 said.

It was the only time that the Hargreeves children were outside the manor; recreation hour. At all other times they were kept strictly under lock and key. They figured this was normal for nine year olds. Currently they were all gathered around .01. .02 loitered on the edge of the crowd.

"What's it called?" .04 asked excitedly.

"Cops and Robbers," explained .01, "Basically there are two teams. One team is the cops and the other is the robbers. The cops try to capture the robbers by tagging them. If they're tagged then the robber has to go to jail. They can be freed if a member of their team tags them. It's called a jailbreak or something."

"Sounds kind of pointless," .05 frowned, "How do you win if the robbers can get out of jail?"

"Well," .01 continued, "If all the robbers aren't in jail at the end of recreation hour, then they win. And the other team wins if all of them are in jail. Besides, it'll be fun since we can do stuff other kids can't."

"Let me get this straight," .02 said, cleaning his nails with a steak knife, "This is going to take the entire hour?"

"You're not allowed to have that," .01 said disapprovingly.

.02 shrugged. To tell the truth recreation hour for him was generally spent trying to figure out which kitchen knife was easier to throw. So far he'd gotten stuck between the fish knife and the steak knife. He'd already liberated the steak knife and put up a few targets. He'd made plans to get the fish knife from later. That way he'd be able to figure it out that day. He couldn't do this if he was playing some sort of stupid game.

"I'll make it worth your while," said .01, turning back to the others, "Winning team gets the other team's chocolate cake!"

There was a murmur from the rest of them. During the rest of the week, dessert was generally an over-sweetened but weak-in-flavor pudding. Only on Wednesdays were they allowed the good dessert; the chocolate cake. Say what you would about the rest of the Academy food, the chocolate cake was heaven. The idea that they could get more was groundbreaking.

Not so for .02. This was pointed out by a rather smug .03.

".02 doesn't have his chocolate cake anymore," she said, "So one side would only get two pieces while the other would get three. That's not fair."

"Wow," .02 said, rolling his eyes, "You're a math genius. .05, you should really start getting lessons from her."

"Well you don't have your cake anymore," she insisted, turning red.

That was true. Sometime Tuesday morning he had accidentally stepped on one of .03's feet in the halls. She had started wailing loudly and saying that he'd done it on purpose. He'd insisted that he hadn't and she'd said that he had. So he'd pulled her hair to get her to shut up.

In hindsight that hadn't been very smart. Yet, it had seemed like a good idea at the time. It had actually been kind of funny. .06 and .05 had certainly thought so. Even .04 had had to stifle a giggle. Pogo wasn't so amused though. So in the end .02 had gotten his dessert taken away for the only night that he cared about.

"Don't worry," .01 said, "If he loses then he can give his chocolate cake to me next week. After all, we're going to be the captains."

Grimacing in disgust .02 glared at .01. Why did he have to be captain? Why did Space get to decide this in the first place? Besides, .02 wasn't exactly a team player. It wasn't like he wanted anyone to be on his team either. He either didn't like or wasn't close to any of them after all. .02 was about to point this out when .05 said;

"How come he's captain?"

"'cause we're the strongest," .01 announced confidently, "Now line up so we can pick teams."

"I'll give you something to pick," .02 muttered under his breath.

Now he didn't really have any choice. Reluctantly he trudged up besides .01.

"We've got an uneven number though," .05 pointed out.

"I'll referee!" volunteered .04.

.04 was always volunteering to referee. It was his way of trying to stay out of conflict. Coward.

"I'm the cops team!" .01 said, "So I get to pick first!"

.02 shot him an ugly glare. Once more, why did he get to pick first? Ignoring the look .02 was giving him he said;

".03!"

Tossing her hair .03 got up and stood by .01. She looked at him in an I'm-gonna-get-you type of way. He was tempted to pull her hair again. Instead he looked back at the rest of them. The logical choice would be to pick .05. As Hargreeves had rubbed it in several times a day, their numbers signified who was stronger. He was a devious little jerk too, which helped. Just as he was about to call it out, movement caught his eye.

.07 was standing down at the end of the line. She was looking at the ground and drawing circles with the toe of her mary-jane in the dirt. Upon closer inspection he could see that she was biting her lip and looking very much like she was trying to hold back tears. At first he wondered what her problem was. The game hadn't even started yet. Then it hit him.

In all the games that they had ever played, .07 had been picked last. Why shouldn't she have been though? She was the weakest. .07 didn't even have any powers to help her be fast, agile, or to even give her some sort of an extra edge. There was nothing that would save her from being the last kid.

Once or twice he'd heard violin music coming from her room. It had sounded kind of pretty. Every now and then he'd seen her reading. Of course, the only books that Hargreeves let them read were about Military history, so she couldn't be too terribly smart. In other words, she wouldn't be useful in a game. Apparently she knew that and was bracing herself to be the last kid standing there.

.02 was more then ready to get back at .01 for making him play this stupid game in the first place. For that he'd need a strong player like .05. Even .06 would do. Anything would be better then having the worthless player on his team. Yet…she just looked so darn pitiful standing there, tracing shapes with her shoe. Before he even knew what he was saying he called out;

".07!"

She looked up, slightly dazed. Out of the corner of his eye he could see a similar look coming from .01. He could've kicked himself. None the less, it wasn't like he could take it back.

"Are you coming?" he snapped, "Or are you just going to stand there?"

Still looking confused .07 scurried over and stood next to him.

"Your turn," .02 said to .01.

".05!" said .01.

Now there was only one choice left, but .02 said it anyway.

".06!"

.06 trotted next to .07 and beamed at her. It appeared that he really didn't mind being picked last, or being on the weaker team. Whoop-dee-doo for him. .02 could feel a studying look coming from .01. The moron probably thought that .02 had some sort of super-secret strategy up his sleeve. Oh, he wished.

"Jail's that pine tree over there," .01 said, pointing, "Got it .02?"

Everyone looked over at a very tall pine tree on the edge of the estate.

"I got it, I got it," snapped .02.

"You get five minutes head start," said .04 excitedly, "And that starts…now!"

Both .06 and .02 sprinted off in as far away from the tree as possible. .02 had barely gone nine yards before he realized that .07 wasn't with them. Looking behind him he saw that she was struggling to keep up. Sighing in frustration he went back and grabbed her arm before continuing. Now he was going to lose this week's and next week's chocolate cake. Crap.