**In order not to cause confusion, this takes place right after Operation: I.N.T.E.R.V.I.E.W.S. when Numbuh's 2-5 were old and the movie was in live- action for periods of time. Numbuh 1's whereabouts were unknown, however older Abby received a call from Numbuh 1 telling to meet at the moonbase** This story is based on original age (s) of KND.
Operation: C. O. N. T. I. N. U. A. T. I. O. N. S.
Child
Operative's
New
Though
Is
Nice
Unbelievable
And
Totally
Involved in
Our
Neat
Sector V
"Alright Number 1, we'll meet you there. See you soon," Abby said. She hung up the call and went to tell the others. Walking the fastest she could (because when you're that old, running's never really an option), she finally reached her husband and other two old friends walking towards the exit.
Whether Father's temporary way of reversing the old KND operative's minds worked or not, (or whether they ever really were decommissioned is unknown) when they heard Abby talking about Number 1 saying to meet them at the moon base, they all got excited and started walking and talking faster, wondering all one thing. Why? All of them were so glad they tricked Father just then. Abby was the most excited because she hard from Number 1 right after, without fail. The four old operatives never saw Number 1 again after that one time when he was promoted, but now suddenly they would. However, one member just had to ruin the moment.
"Oh please, how are we even going to get there? We aren't kids anymore. Isn't it time to move on?" a sour old Kuki said.
"As if. Love, it will never be time to move on," her husband, Wallabee Beatles replied back.
"Yeah, Kuki, this is Number 1 we're talking about here. We have to see him. We have to continue being who we are, why stop time now?" Abby asked Kuki. As Kuki got older, she became less hopeful (or so it always seemed) and Wallabee Beatles seemed to often get a bit more hopeful than her.
The old friends walked to the studio parking lot together. Outside the doors in an empty lot was the one and only tricked out car-like rocket the old adults ever knew too well. Despite its old look, it was beautiful.
Old Hoagie opened the doors to the vehicle and old Wallabee and Abigail stepped in but Kuki Sanban stayed outside of it.
"How do we even know it will work?" she asked expressionless. "How do we know it won't?" old Hoagie replied back to her. Wallabee pulled his wife into the vehicle and the four noticed how much more cramped it was now. "How do we drive it?" someone asked. "How about this?" Hoagie offered as he noticed a piece of paper attached to one of the controls. The paper had instructions on how to drive the vehicle smoothly up to the moon base incase the four had forgotten. The note also said that it had been programmed to auto pilot and all they had to do was press the big red button to turn it on.
"Here we go!" and they were on their way up to see their childhood memories.
"Hello everyone," Nigel said with a smile but without an overly excited tone to his voice. Before Abigail, Wallabee, Kuki, or Hoagie could say anything, Nigel and a few other operatives pushed them further into the moonbase. Eventually the four old operatives were standing in front of a huge machine with one door to it and many guards surrounding it.
"This is our newest invention. Well, maybe not the "newest" but definitely the best one we have. It must be guarded at all times, this is the most high tech equipment we currently have. Do any of you know what it is?"
"No," Abigail said uneasily.
"It is an age changing machine and a new ultimate decommissioning/ recommissioning machine. It can change anyone's age and can decommission as well as recommission large group of kids, teenagers, adults, and senior citizens all at once depending on the group. I have been in it myself so I know its power. Many of the operatives you will see and meet, you know and will remember because they also went into this machine to change back to a kid after experiencing adulthood or teenager-dom. Are you four ready?"
Without even one thought occurring, the four adults were pushed into the large machine and had the door shut behind them and locked. The husbands and wives looked at each other. They all looked at their clothes once more knowing that in just a few seconds, all they knew was about to change forever.
The brightest flash of light suddenly appeared for a quick moment and it seemed the world was spinning. The next thing the four knew, everything was pitch black.
Suddenly a door opened and light shined through. A hand extended out towards them.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Ohh… what happened?" asked the little Japanese girl in green. Kuki had a major headache as did the rest of them.
"Woah… I feel different," the pudgy little boy said.
Suddenly another little girl gasped and another little boy started to smirk. There, in front of them all was the boy who mattered most. Nigel Uno.
"Hello guys!" Nigel said, this time with a huge smile and the happiest tone they ever heard from him.
"Numbuh 1!" Abby said excitedly as she ran to hug him.
"Number 1!"
"Numbuh 1!"
All of the kids reunited and talked amongst themselves, all hugging each other and celebrating.
"Numbuhs 2, 3, 4, and 5…. so great to see you all again!"
"Same! So Numbuh 1, what happened? I feel so weird."
"Me too!"
"Same here.
"Yeah, what happened?
Numbuh 1 took the time to explain to the other four that this machine was actually invented years ago by KND. It could decommission and recommission large groups of people at once and also recover old memories without needing to be recommissioned. It could also transform people's ages as Numbuhs 2, 3, 4, and 5 just had done but wouldn't allow them to remember memories of being older.
"So we're back to the same age, eh?" said Numbuh 4.
"Yes, and this won't be permanent but we'll all age together. Currently, we technically just turned "11" all at once. I say "we" because I also went into that machine just moments before you did. I don't have the same side affects because I'm used to it. I've been in there many times already to escape adulthood and so have all the other old operatives. Remember 86? 156? 362? All the rest?"
The four replied in unison with "Yes".
"They all went through this machine too. We're now a remade self generation. I know it sounds confusing but it's the truth," Numbuh 1 started. Then he continued, "Also, there's another reason we brought you here… but I cannot tell you until I know if you all remember every single thing happened to you as a teenager through adulthood."
The four replied that honestly they didn't remember a single thing. Then Numbuh 1 continued explaining.
"Lately, many operatives have been going missing. This has been going on for sometime now. I haven't been back to Earth since a few months ago to check out the treehouse with some other operatives for a test run. Other members brought the car over to the stu… never mind that," Numbuh 1 started explaining but stopped himself (knowing Numbuhs 2-5 wouldn't remember all that occurred at the studio prior to this visit). "
"So, all the kids have gone missing?" Hoagie asked unsurely.
"Yes, and we needed our good old troops back. We had mostly all of them back except you guys. Also, we missed you here. I also have some more news… I am going back to Sector V. Our old team needs to be together again. Will you all join me?"
Three weeks later
"So… Numbuh 1," Numbuh 5 started saying, "We were adults, huh?" Numbuh 1 just looked at Numbuh 5 and said "yes" but nothing more or nothing less. Sector V was pretty quiet up there in the treehouse. Numbuh 5 was just sitting around reading some magazine, Numbuh 4 was watching TV, Numbuh 3 was in her room playing with Rainbow Monkeys, Numbuh 2 was busy designing a new catapult- like invention, and Numbuh 1 was just sitting around, looking like something was bothering him but he couldn't say what.
"Hey Numbuh 1, you okay?" asked Numbuh 5.
"Oh, yeah, of course."
"You don't seem like it."
"Well, I am. Actually, I think we need to talk about it. Do you know where Numbuh's 2 and 3 are?"
"Yeah, in their rooms… Numbuh 4's right over there," Numbuh 5 pointed.
Numbuh 4 was still watching TV, completely absorbed in whatever he was watching. Numbuh 5 went to get the other two from their rooms. When all five were together, Numbuh 1 began speaking.
"As I told you all before, for a few months now a few Kids Next Door operatives have been missing…" Numbuh 1 started saying while pacing around, "Only a few days ago had there been a report on another operative gone missing. So far there's only been about eight or nine operatives missing. I say only because as the days go by, it seems more and more of them go missing. We don't know who will ever go next and who is doing this or why."
"So why'd you call us over then?" Numbuh 4 asked with an annoyed tone signaling he didn't really care at this point.
"Well Numbuh 4, the point is that we should do something about it. We need more operatives. The KND Academy had even been shut down temporarily because we need kids fill in the missing kids in different sectors!" Now, Numbuh 1 was getting aggravated and a bit anxious at once.
Then he continued on.
"The KND Academy was getting too many kids… so much training in so little time, everything was a mess. Then we decided to do something so much more simpler."
"Which is what Numbuh 1?" Numbuh 2 asked.
"To train each new operative at whatever Sector they're at. All the kids from that particular Sector train the new ones. Isn't it simple?"
"But then what's the real problem?" asked Numbuh 5.
"The problem is how many kids have gone missing so far! We never know who's next… who's doing this or why! It just happens and so far it can't be stopped!"
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Numbuh 3 stared out the window while playing with her Rainbow Monkeys. She hummed to herself while fooling around, and singing to herself. Meanwhile, down below the treehouse, passing right by the window, was a girl.
The girl walked down the lane, looking at all the houses and way down the lane to a big mansion. It was the only one she had seen so far, and most certainly not the strangest thing. The girl walked up to where a huge tree stood. This tree was massive and had different vehicles and objects poking out of it from it all over the place. The weirdest thing was that it was on someone's actual property too. Literally.
The girls' hair covered her face and she wore a red shirt and blue shorts. She had the height of just a kid, but looked more like a teenager. Very much like a teenager in fact.
After Numbuh 3 got back from playing with her Rainbow Monkeys elsewhere, she went back to the window. There she saw the girl, and started waving frantically.
"Hi! Hi there!" Kuki said continuously.
"Who are you waving at?" Numbuh 1 asked sharply.
"I dunno, some girl outside…" Kuki started and then continued waving.
Numbuh 1 looked outside the window and noticed the girl. She looked up but her face couldn't be seen. "C'mon guys, we're going outside," he said.
"Yay! Outside!" Numbuh 3 cheered. Numbuh 4 rolled his eyes and groaned. Numbuh 2 just looked at him and the five kids headed outside to meet this mystery girl.
"Hi!" Kuki said so happily.
"Um, hi," said the girl.
"What's your name?" Kuki asked her.
"Andrea."
"Andrea what?" Kuki asked in her little prying tone of voice.
"Um, Andrea Brehansen… what's your name?
At this point, Numbuh's 1-5 were all outside. A bit intimidating for the girl, she moved back a step. Kuki grabbed her arm and said, "My name's Kuki!"
"Numbuh 3!" someone shouted out.
"What? I'm making friends!" she shouted back.
"Numbuh 3?" the girl asked, obviously confused.
Of course, leave it up to Kuki to spill everything even when she's not supposed to. That included this time as well.
"Yeah! We're a part of this organization called the…" but by this point Kuki was cut off.
"KUKI WILL YOU BE QUIET!" Numbuh 1 shouted
Everyone looked at Numbuh 1, a bit stunned and surprised. Then it was Numbuh 5's turn to take action.
"I'm Numbuh… I'm Abby. What's your name?"
"Andrea Brehansen. Why do you guys call each other 'Numbuh… whatever'?"
"Umm… well…" Abby started saying but then was cut off by the young Australian boy.
"Are you a cruddy teenager or what? Who the heck are you and why are you here?" Numbuh 4 interrupted rudely.
"I'm just a kid guys. My name's Andrea Brehansen and I'm only here because my family's having a party down the street. I don't live around here, just visiting. I got bored of the party so I decided to take a walk and I saw this totally awesome tree house right here. This is awesome! So, I know the girls… Kuki and Abby… right?"
Now it was Numbuh 2's time to make an introduction. "Right. I'm Numbuh 2, and this is Numbuh 1, 3, 4, and 5."
"HOAGIE!" Numbuh 1 shouted again.
"What?" Numbuh 2 asked in response. Clearly he made the same mistake as Kuki in telling this mystery girl more information than needed to be given out.
"Look, I don't know who you are or what you're doing here but you don't look like a kid to me. What do you want?" Numbuh one said seriously.
Numbuh 5 stayed cool.
"Don't worry Andrea, he's just a little freaked out about some stuff. So you don't live around here… you say you're a kid… right?"
At this point, Andrea smirked and flipped over her long and curly hair. The kids of Sector V could now see her face and seemed more convinced of her being a teenager. At the same time they were stunned.
"Liar! You're a teenager aren't you?" Numbuh 1 cried out.
"No, no I swear I'm not, actually… I'm twelve. I don't ever want to be a teenager though. My birthday is in a few weeks. I'll be thirteen but I don't want to be. I don't even hang out around teenagers and I don't even have any siblings."
Kuki and Abby seemed to believe this but Numbuh 1 obviously didn't. The other two guys just stared at what they saw. A kid, or so she said, that looked like a teenager. That was weird.
"I think she's right guys," were the words coming out of Abby's mouth, "She can dress like a teenager but that doesn't mean she is one. And also, she looks pretty sincere."
"She's about as tall as us anyways," Kuki offered as a possible suggestion as well.
"Pretty," Numbuh's 2 and 4 said together.
Nigel, Kuki, Abby, and Andrea just stared at them. Then Andrea was pulled over by Abby and was whispered to. It took just about a minute and meanwhile Kuki looked at Wally while tapping her foot.
Giggles were heard coming from the side. Andrea and Abby were smiling and then Abby pushed her forwards towards two of the guys that could help make a difference and one other girl who could like her if she said she liked anything Rainbow Monkey style.
"Hey Wally, hey Hoagie. What's up?"
Andrea sure knew how to work a small crowd. Especially one of two eleven year old boys.
"H-h-hey…" Hoagie was stammering.
Andrea fixed her long and curly hair again from her face, uncovering pretty eyes and a pretty smile. She fixed her shirt and batted her eyes perfectly.
"Um, can you two strong, smart boys do me a favor?"
"S-s-sure…" Wally stammered this time.
Andrea made sure to tell Wally she wasn't girly at all and mentioned how tough he was. For him, that was an amazing compliment that totally got him to focus on her more.
"I don't think Nigel likes me very much. That is his name right? Well, Abby told me you're a part of this organization of kids… Kids Next Door? She told me you can all help me if you work together. She told me I can be included… please? I can learn fast, and I promise I won't tell anybody. I can keep secrets." Andrea was getting good at persuading the boys. They were agreeing to everything until she mentioned joining the KND. Then Wally lost it.
"You told her what?!"
"Hey, relax Numbuh 4, I got a plan and we could use her. What do you say Numbuh 1?"
As Numbuh 1 was considering this, Numbuh 4 was ticked off, and Numbuh 2 was still looking happy and surprised at once, Andrea went over to Kuki to talk about Rainbow Monkey collections. They laughed and smiled and talked until Numbuh 1 called them all over.
"Let's go upstairs guys. We need to talk… Andrea, come as well."
The plan was simple. Numbuh 5 and Numbuh 1 explained it to Numbuh's 2, 3, 4, and Andrea. Numbuh 1 agreed to Abby's plan because it made sense, he did always agree that she was the only one in the group with common sense.
Since more kids were needed in the Sectors of KND, and Andrea was already there, she would be accepted into Sector V. First, Andrea would go up to the moonbase with the five (because it would be too risky to leave 2, 3, and 4 by themselves on Earth with operatives gone missing lately), and she would be put into the new machine to turn her back to eleven years old instead of her having to turn into a teenager so soon. With her being a kid, she could be a part of the KND and wouldn't have to be decommissioned at all. Then after she turned eleven, each member of Sector V would teach her an important skill (considering they did close down KND Academy).
Numbuh 1 would teach her commands and strategies. Numbuh 2 would teach her all about the technology and defenses, etc. Numbuh 3 would be distractions and Numbuh 4 about how to fight. Numbuh 5 would cover everything about KND history and review with her about what she learned.
As for Andrea's number….
"What's my number gonna be?"
Abby and Nigel hesitated but then Abby came up with a solution.
"You can be…. Umm… How about… Numbuh 6?"
"Oh cool! It fits perfectly! 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6! Thanks," Andrea, now Numbuh 6 was so pleased.
"Wait," Kuki cried, "What about R.O.B.O.B.R.A.D.L.E.Y.? He was Numbuh 6 right?"
"Well Numbuh 3, we haven't seen him in a long time… besides, Numbuh 6 does fit her well, I must agree… maybe it will be for the better like Numbuh 5 suggested…" Nigel trailed off.
"Don't worry Numbuh 3," Numbuh 2 reassured, "R.O.B.O.B.R.A.D.L.E.Y. could be called… uh… 6.1 or something if we see him again."
"Oh okay…." she said sounding disappointed but then happy again when it was mentioned Andrea would now stay with them. She was needed at KND, especially Sector V.
For the time being, more than she would ever know.
"Wow, the moonbase… this is awesome! I never even knew something like this was possible!" Andrea exclaimed. Obviously thrilled, and a little nervous, Andrea kept on walking with the rest of Sector V to the great machine.
"Apparently, as Numbuh 1 says, we were all in it before, it's quick and painless… at least what I can remember," Numbuh 2 told her.
"Wow, it sure is big…" Andrea's voice trailed off.
"It needs a lot of power to work," Numbuh 1 quickly explained.
The machine's door was pulled open and Andrea was told to step in. Guards around the machine watched as she stepped in. Before closing the door, Andrea told her new found friends and fellow operatives that she would try so hard to be the best operative she could be. The door shut closed right after.
All of the correct dials, buttons, and levers were set and someone pressed the switch that would activate the machine. Apparently, after a brief yet detailed conversation with Numbuh 1, the machine would allow her to remember all she had witnessed already because she technically was never really a teenager or adult. She would still remember that now she was a part of worldwide kid's organization, more importantly, this particular team of now 6 kids.
Andrea, all alone in this big contraption was excited yet scared. She had only just met these kids and now was about to change her life forever. Still, she didn't seem to mind. These kids made her feel good, like she was included in something so amazing, and she was.
Suddenly a bright light flashed and she couldn't see a thing. It didn't hurt, but it certainly wasn't comfortable at all. Then, she was in this pitch, black darkness. A darkness that surrounded her completely and seemed to have eaten her alive. A massive head ache, like a huge wave knocking against her and throwing her off balance, struck her. She moaned and tried to stand, noticing at that very moment that a crack of light had just shown, and a hand was there to greet her.
The next day
"No, no, no… Numbuh 6, that isn't the same thing," Numbuh 1 was explaining to her. He was attempting to teach her about different strategies she could use when defending herself or anyone else. "You have to just jump and kick. It's so simple!"
, suddenly
Andrea, a bit frustrated by Nigel's way of teaching, continued to try and actually started looking improved.
"There you go! Almost got it. Well, now I'm handing you off to Numbuh 4. Numbuh 4, good luck," Nigel said to the angry looking Numbuh 4.
"Yeah thanks, now I have to teach her how to fight. Only girly-girls don't know how to fight," Numbuh 4 dragged on.
Numbuh 6, not pleased by being called a girly- girl, suddenly took Numbuh 4's arm and kicked him down all at once. It wasn't a really impressive move, but it certainly got everyone's attention.
"Woah."
"Wow."
"Pretty good," Numbuh 5 smiled.
Numbuh 2, hearing what Numbuh 4 said about girly-girls asked, "Wait, but isn't Numbuh 3 a girly---" but was too soon cut off.
"Girly--- what?" Numbuh 3 bounced in all cheery.
"Oh nuthin, just talking about how girly-girls like you can't fight," the Australian boy talked back.
"I can so fight! Watch me---" then Kuki was cut off by Wally.
"No thanks Numbuh 3," he retorted yet again. Then Numbuh 5 suggested they practice in Wally room (considering his room was like a giant arena).
As a good idea that it was, both Numbuh's 4 and 6 went to his room to practice. Of course, Kuki wasn't completely oblivious and noticed how Numbuh 4 looked so comfortable around new Numbuh 6.
"Numbuh 5, why isn't Numbuh 4 paying any attention to me lately?" the little Japanese girl asked innocently.
Hoagie, not even trying to act sympathetic just said, "Does he ever pay attention to you?" Of course Hoagie knew that they both liked each other but he wasn't ever really supposed to tell anything about Numbuh 4 liking Kuki. It pretty much went against everything Numbuh 4 ever believed in.
"Well, Numbuh 3… Numbuh 4 just… he just… well… actually, good point. You know, it's just what guys do," Numbuh 5 played it cool as usual.
Kuki of course wasn't sure what Numbuh 5 meant.
"Whatcha mean Numbuh 5?"
"I just mean that maybe since Numbuh 6 showed up, Numbuh 4 is… let me just put it this way, she doesn't do anything that Nubmuh 4 doesn't like."
"Ohhh….. I don't get it."
Numbuh 5 sighed and then tried again. This time, explaining it as clear as she possibly could. Numbuh 3 looked a bit hurt, but after some advice from Abby, decided to try it out.
Approaching Numbuh 4 when both him and Numbuh 6 were done practicing, Kuki said, "Numbuh 4, I can fight."
"So, what does that have to do with anything?"
"I can prove it. I'm not a girly- girl, am I?
"Uh, yeah you are. What are you talking about?"
With her best attempt, Numbuh 3 let out a small scream and kicked the air. Nearly kicking Numbuh 5 (who ducked right on time), Numbuh 3 spun around quickly while just about to lose her balance. Luckily, Numbuh's 4 and 5 caught her before she fell.
"Woaahhh!" Kuki was flailing her arms, trying to find her balance as Numbuh's 4 and 5 grabbed her arms.
Numbuh 2 whispered something to Numbuh 6 who started to smile, pretty soon everyone was smiling, then laughing. It was for no apparent reason, but it was still funny.
The newest member of the team called over to Numbuh 4. "Hey, thanks Numbuh 4, so… what should I do next?"
Numbuh 5 suggested Andrea sit with her and cover everything she had learned during that one day. A lot of things had happened and still, much needed to be done and covered. Numbuh 6 was doing pretty well for her first day and actually, it was just getting started.
Three Days Later
According to Sector V, being a part of the Kids Next Door was a big time commitment and Numbuh 6 now knew that. Not having any siblings, like Numbuh 1 (who before was the only kid in Sector V who was an only child), she had no one to tell her parents what became of her. How did she manage to stay here with her new found friends? Andrea told her parents she wanted to stay where her grandparents lived (which was at the house with the party down the street). No one knew for sure if it worked or not, but no one really cared.
The British kid looked up from his glasses, and to the rest of the team. He then looked back at a blinking screen and called the chubbier kid over to discuss it.
"Team, it looks like we're going on our first mission in days. I know it's been a while…"
"A while? This happens more than every few days?" and astonished Numbuh 6 asked.
"You'd better believe it," someone said in reply.
"So as I was saying," Numbuh 1 continued, "we have our mission, now let's go!"
As any kid knows, it's never easy to make room for any newcomers, especially if you haven't known that newcomer for a particularly long period of time.
This however, didn't stop Sector V one bit. Numbuh 5 so generously invited Andrea to share her room until she got one of her own. For Andrea, that was such a nice thing to do, and she also couldn't wait to have her own personalized part of the giant treehouse with her new number marking it like the others had. Everyone's personality was different.
Numbuh 1 was truly committed to everything he did, Numbuh 2 towards everything tech, gizmos and gadgets, as well as any flying or moving vehicles, Numbuh 3… well that was more or less self explanatory (Rainbow Monkeys and other various girly items), Numbuh 4 was all about the tough guy act, and Numbuh 5 was just cool, calm, and in style.
So what was Numbuh 6?
For now, she pretty much followed in Numbuh 5's footsteps. Now it was officially decided that only half of this team had any common sense. Exactly three kids. Numbuh 5 liked that about Numbuh 6, they matched and complimented each other quite well.
Both girls had long brown hair and wore gold earrings (although Andrea had an extra set—4 earrings). Their style was simple and comfortable yet stylish and yes, both had common sense and often thought things through.
These were the thoughts going through Numbuh 6's mind at the time.
"Why do you look so upset?" Numbuh 5 asked her new friend and teammate.
Although Numbuh 1 discouraged leaving operatives alone without the rest of the team since the disappearing KND members started happening (and still was), he didn't think Numbuh 6 was ready yet to battle the DCFDTL. She needed to start with something less dangerous and that most certainly was not it.
So Numbuh 1 thought someone had to stay behind with her, someone who could do pretty much everything and handle anything. Originally it was going to be Numbuh 2, but he and his amazing inventions would have been needed and besides, Abby offered to stay.
"Well," Numbuh 6 started saying, "Wouldn't you be upset too if you didn't or at least couldn't prove to you were ready to fight? I haven't gotten a real opportunity yet!"
"Well, you know, the DCFDTL are really tricky for your first time… maybe it's good you wait a while."
"But Abby, I can't wait anymore! I've been here for a few days now and I've done nothing but stay in the treehouse the entire time! I want to experience what you always do."
"It's never easy at first you know."
"Trust me, I know. Actually, there's something I've never told you guys."
"What is it?"
"I'm tougher than I look, and I love to spy on other people."
"Wow, really?"
"Yeah, I never said anything about it, the spying, because I didn't know if it would come in handy for anything."
"Of course!" Abby let out a small laugh, "You're a part of this now! You can tell me anything."
"When I get really mad, I get extremely mean and tough. I wish there was a way I could show you how into this I am… how can I show the others I'm ready to go on the next mission?"
Abby made a sly smile and of course, being none other than Numbuh 5 herself, came up with a great plan the two girls would start later on. No matter if it was risky or not, Numbuh 5 knew it had to be done.
If she didn't do it with Andrea, no one would.
Night
"So Numbuh 1, tell us again about fighting the Delightful Children," Numbuh 5 asked appearing intrigued considering she wasn't there to fight them this time.
"Yeah tell us… what's it like?" Andrea was so eager to hear about it.
"Alright, well, the Delightful Children had some new machine---"
"That was super big!"
"Yes, thank you Numbuh 2… as I was saying, they walked down the lane and---"
"They tried to blow us up!"
"Uh-hm… yes, thank you Numbuh 3… so yes, they tried to blow us up but then we used---"
"We used the new mini cannon Numbuh 2 was workin' on and we beat those Delightful Dorks! It was awesome!"
"THANK YOU NUMBUH 4!" Numbuh 1 became just the slightest bit agitated about consistently being cut off.
Then he cooled down.
"So as I… we… were saying, we totally beat them. Not their best fight though, I suspect something's up."
Nigel titled his glasses and looked towards Abby and Andrea. Andrea gave a small, cheery, little wave (much like Kuki does often to Wally) and Abby just looked around the room and talked to the rest of the guys.
Quickly, Nigel put back on his glasses, and walked out of the room.
Numbuh 6 just sat around, resting up for that she knew tonight would be exciting and she needed her rest. She and Numbuh 5 were going to do something that they shouldn't.
Meanwhile, Numbuh 3 skipped over to Numbuh 4, acting all jolly as usual.
"Numbuh 4---"
"Now what?"
"I was just wondering if you wanted to play Rainbow Monkeys with me."
"Do I ever want to play anything girly, let alone with you?"
"Oh stop it, silly! So do you want to play?"
"No, of course not. That's a stupid question."
"Are you sure?"
"Would you just go already!"
And once that was said, that was that.
Walking with rapid yet sneaky steps, Numbuh's 5 and 6 rushed over to the gate bordering the Delightful Mansion. It was getting darker out, perfect for snooping around. Making sure there weren't any traps what so ever, and that they didn't make a single loud noise, both girls hopped over and started making their way through the yard.
Walking at a steady pace and almost tip-toeing, Numbuh 5 stopped abruptly and peered into one of the nearest windows. "This is it… look! There they are!"
Numbuh 6 was astonished at what she saw. Five almost ordinary looking kids all in some sort of a clump were standing in front of a huge chair with a man sitting on it, back slightly faced to the window both girls were looking in to. These kids wore evil grins upon their faces and all appeared around the same age. The only difference was that they wore clothing not so child-like, more proper so to speak. Talking to the man in the chair, their lips all moved in perfect unison, never failing to miss even a single word.
Peering though the window as her friend was, Numbuh 6's eyes wandered all over the inside of the room. It looked fancy but not quite elegant, dull yet not boring.
Numbuh 6 suddenly crouched down below the window, hidden from sight except Abby's. "Wow, you'd think they look so innocent."
"Oh please, maybe to you right now they do… but you just don't know these guys yet. Trust me, their bad news for everyone."
"I can somewhat imagine, I mean, kids that wear those type of clothes and have those evil looks on their faces are definitely leading to trouble."
Both girls smiled at each other and then peered into the window again, searching to find anything that would seem interesting or out of the ordinary. As Numbuh 5 was about to start saying they should leave, Numbuh 6 told her to stay. Inside, the Delightful Children and Father were planning something. Numbuh 5 knelt back down to her place and knew something was starting to take place.
The Delightful Children all grinned and gleamed with pure evil shining through. "Yes Father, we will do exactly as you say. Those Kids Next Door won't stand a chance against us this time."
They emphasized "chance" when they spoke and ended up laughing evilly towards the end.
Father also found himself chuckling along. "Well good. This time, they definitely won't be expecting it!"
"Of course, and Father, may we use the new machine this time? It would certainly help us in defeating those pesky, terrible kids."
"Well, I suppose so, but no scratches this time!"
Slightly taken aback (in fear as well), the five Delightful Children returned to their usual firm stance and simply replied with a smirk, "We won't."
Both Numbuh's 5 and 6 looked at each other. Numbuh 5 suddenly looked worried. "We've got to tell the others!"
"Right behind ya, Nubmuh 5."
Then they broke out into a run, running towards the gate leading to their freedom from the mansion.
Too bad they couldn't make it out quick enough. Standing right in front of them was one of the hugest machines both kids had ever seen, let alone one of the biggest Numbuh 5 had ever witnessed the Delightful Children From Down the Lane in. This machine was extremely big, blue colored, and looked extremely dangerous (more threatening than usual). How? It looked to plain and simple for the Delightful standards despite the height and width of it.
"Where did you come from?" They said with roaring voices. Then the chase began.
Numbuh 5 motioned for Numbuh 6 to hurry and jump the fence because nearby gates were rapidly closing. However, Numbuh 6 couldn't make it to the fence on time since the really big new machine was blocking her path. Numbuh 5 yelled out, cheering for Numbuh 6 to reach her but on several attempts failed. Once the Delightful Children got their hands on her (rather, the machine picked her up), Numbuh 5 hopped the fence and shouted, "Don't worry Numbuh 6! I'm going to get help, just hold on!" and ran without stopping until she reached the tree house where she knew the help that was needed would be.
"Ahh! Numbuh 1! Numbuh 1!! Guys!!" Numbuh 5 shouted frantically. The other 4 kids stepped out of various rooms and places they were in to reach Numbuh 5 and her terrifying screams and pleads for help.
"What is it Numbuh 5?" Nigel was worried.
"It's Numbuh 6," Abby was panting now and gasping for her breath.
"What is it?"
"We went to the… Delighful… and then they… but we were caught… so we… and running… and "ahh!"… and they… I said… she screamed… they used the machine… and she went… I couldn't… and I ran here!!" Abby scrambled and mixed up all her words and sentences.
"What are you saying Numbuh 5?" Numbuh 1 was getting even more ancy now.
"I think what she's trying to say is that she and Numbuh 6 went to the Delightful Children's mansion and then they were seen and caught so they started running and screamed, then the Delightful Children attacked them and Numbuh 5 said something to Numbuh 6 but she ended up screaming and the Delightful Children used some sort of a new machine to take her away while Numbuh 5 ran over here to get help because she couldn't do anything else about it," Numbuh 2 spoke fast and to the point.
At that moment, the rest of the kids stared at him quizzically, wondering how he could have obtained all that information from the small amounts provided by Numbuh 5. That didn't matter for long though, until Numbuh 1 shouted out, "Kids Next Door, battle stations!"
Of course at that point one certain little Japanese girl had to ask, "Does that mean I have to stop playing Rainbow Monkeys now?"
"Ahh! Let me go!"
"Oh look, a new member to those stupid Kids Next Door."
"Let me go!"
"Why should we? I think we should get to know each other better."
"Yeah right, as if."
"How about we start now?"
"No way. I'll get out of here, you'll see."
"Oh, I don't think so Numbuh 6. It is Numbuh 6, isn't it?" The Delightful Children laughed and raised Numbuh 6 higher on the machine's great arm to reach their level.
"Why do you want me? What's so special about me?"
"Nothing, which is exactly why we need you. C'mon."
"Where are you taking me?" A worried expression came upon Numbuh 6's face.
"Oh you'll see. Trust us, once we're through with you, the pain you feel will be gone and you can be just like us. Won't that be Delightful?"
While heading to the Delightful Mansion, Numbuh 2 spoke up. "Hey Numbuh 1, I thought we got rid of the Delightful Children at that Rainbow Monkey park a long time ago. Didn't we?"
"Apparently they got back out somehow… they always do."
"Well that stinks! I'd have thought we… you got rid of them once and for all!" The Australian boy kicked the ground hard and crossed his arms.
"So did I, but we don't have time to worry about how they lived or escaped or whatever right now, we have to focus on saving Numbuh 6," the young and focused British boy replied.
"What do you think they'll do to her, Numbuh 1?" Kuki came in closer to the group while they tried to figure a new discreet way in.
Acting as a lookout, Numbuh 5 questioned this too.
Numbuh 1, clearly looking a bit baffled himself replied, "I… I'm not entirely sure. What I do know is that if we don't get in there and start looking for her now, chances are we won't be able to find her soon."
The five kids busied themselves all trying to find a way in that wouldn't trip off any alarms or signals as to they were there. Finally Numbuh 4 found a vent on one side and Numbuh 1 found a window that was open just a crack.
"Alright, Numbuhs 3 and 4, you go through the window and see where it takes you, Numbuhs 2 and 5, you come with me.
"Aw, no! Can I please have someone else? I don't want to be stuck with her all by myself!" Numbuh 4 complained.
"Well under these circumstances I would split the team in half but currently THERE IS NO HALF! Numbuh 4, just make due with what you have."
"But all she talks about are girly things! She's driving me nuts!"
"Alright, Numbuh 5, you go with them. Now everyone, stay together since this the Delightful Mansion after all. Don't split up for a second. We have to find out what they are doing in there and what they've done with Andrea."
Only Numbuh 5 seemed to have noticed that Numbuh 1 called Numbuh 6 by her first name for what was one of the only times since they all had met her.
"What is this?"
"This is our new and improved Delightfulization Chamber, get in."
"What? Why? What are you going to do to---"
"Get. In. Now!"
With that the Delightful Children pushed Numbuh 6 into the newly built and improved Delightfulization Chamber. Father, standing in the shadows to observe all that was occurring, pushed the door and locked it, laughing evilly alongside his children. Numbuh 6 banged on the door yelling and tried to get out but failed at her attempts.
"Children, push the button and pull that lever! Let's see our chamber work for the first time!"
"Yes, Father," the Delightful Children laughed their devious and cynical laughs alongside their Father.
Before Numbuh 6 could even let out another cry for help, a huge light started to spin, picking up speed with each turn. As soon as it seemed too bright to see in that small, contained chamber, Numbuh 6 felt as though she had suddenly acquired a huge headache. Different colors of flashing bright lights passed before her eyes and Numbuh 6 felt as if a very miniscule electric shock had just run through her body. Although it wasn't painful, it was scary, and that's what made her really scream by that point.
Steam was collecting in that small chamber so fast. It was dark and she couldn't see much except for the faint lights between the cracks of the door. Then her mind went blank for just a second and the door opened.
Six evil faces starred at her, all grinning from ear to ear at their major accomplishment, one that they were almost sure wouldn't fail them again
"Numbuh 6!"
"Numbuh 6…?"
Nigel and Hoagie kept calling out her name, but kept on getting no response. They searched a few places in the mansion, but hadn't found Andrea yet.
"Numbuh 1, do you think we'll find her?"
"Of course, besides, as a part of Kids Next Door we have a job to not leave any of our fellow operatives behind, no matter how old, new, or young they are. We just have to find her… but the question is where would she be? Better yet, why would they take her?"
"Maybe because of all the missing kids lately?"
"That's true, but Numbuh 6 is still new… she hadn't even been on a real mission yet!"
"Well it could be because she and Numbuh 5 were snooping around…"
"But they also just as easily could've captured Numbuh 5. I believe her story completely but something doesn't add up. With the powerful machine Numbuh 5 claimed they had been using, they could have also caught her no matter how far away she was. She just said Numbuh 6 got trapped there and that's why she was caught first. I just don't understand Numbuh 2."
"Maybe you don't need to understand, maybe we just have to find her first and then see what's been happening… if that makes any sense. Wait, now I'm confused…"
"Enough talk Numbuh 2, we've got to keep moving."
"Ohh… it's so dark down here. I don't like this you guys," Kuki was constantly complaining about how the lower level of the mansion was so dark and spooky. Numbuh 4 lead the way and Numbuh 5 covered the back, all trying to find their way to wherever Numbuh 6 was at.
"Oy, Numbuh 3, stop complaining! We've been in tough spots like this before, why are you making such a fuss now?" Numbuh 4 spoke roughly, yet in a whisper.
"Hey, you two, keep it down! Do you remember, we're sneaking around here? You know, trying to be quiet?" Numbuh 5 was saying in an annoyed tone of voice. Being with these two was like hanging around with an old married couple, only difference was Numbuh 4 couldn't stand Numbuh 3, or at least from what he often expressed.
The three kids continued sneaking around until they ran into two familiar faces.
"Numbuh 1? Numbuh 2? What are you two doing here?" Numbuh 5 was surprised to see them right then and there.
"We were looking for Numbuh 6 of course, what are you all doing here… weren't you investigating other parts of the house?" Numbuh 1 seemed in shock too. Meeting up in one small place in such a big house was unlikely, wasn't it?
"We could ask you the same thing… I'm guessing you didn't find her?" Numbuh 5 looked sort of worried now, as did the rest of them.
"Alright team, let's go together then."
Then they went to continue exploring that oh-so Delightful Mansion.
"Children, this new and improved Delightfulization Chamber is a complete success!" Father yelled out to his children, throwing his arms up high and laughing in his villainous way. "May I present to you… our new family member."
Out stepped a totally transformed Numbuh 6. Her red, short shirt was now completely gone and so were her old blue colored pants. Instead she dressed in the typical Delightful Children uniform (for girls) of a white dress with the blue ribbon cloth belt tied by the waist. Her black shoes were now fairly white and looked completely brand new. The formally known Numbuh 6 was completely changed into something she honestly wasn't.
The sly and obviously evil laugh of the Delightful Children escaped from her mouth as she grinned, laughed, and stood next to Father.
"How great is this machine!" Father exclaimed, more than a question. "Now my new child, go take a place over there with the other Children, you're one of us."
The transformed Numbuh 6 slid right into place. Father then led them to another room in the Mansion, since he was going to explain exactly what this master plan was all about.
The rest of Sector V had figured out at least in which hallway Father and the Delightful Children were in. The question was, in which room were they located? Numbuh 1 walked in front, listening intently as they moved step by step until the kids found the right door. "Shh… keep quiet, I can hear voices in there," Nigel placed an ear up against the wall. The door to the room was just a few feet away but the kids most certainly couldn't be risked getting caught.
"Hey, Numbuh 1, check it out, there's a vent up there," Numbuh for pointed directly up.
"Good idea," Kuki agreed.
Numbuh 4 smirked, "Of course it's a good idea."
"Alright team, let's see where this vent takes us, but watch your step," Numbuh 1 cautioned.
As it ended up being, the vent did lead to many rooms, including the one room Sector V needed to get to. Five heads discreetly peered from inside the vent, looking into the room. Luckily the vent was positioned in a way that Father nor the Delightful Children could see the Kids Next Door. The problem was that it was then that Nigel had realized They couldn't see the Delightful Children from that angle either, only a bit of Father was visible. Luckily, they could hear everything clearly if they all stayed perfectly quiet.
As Abby hushed Numbuhs 2, 3, and 4, Father began to speak.
"My Children, the time has finally come. In the past we never had such great victories with those stupid Kids Next Door! Now we can and will!! All thanks to our new secret weapons and of course one in particular… right there…" Father pointed to the newest Delightful Child (although Sector V still could not see what he was pointing to).
"You see, our newest weapon, right there, is going to help us defeat those bratty Kids Next Door. You might wonder why or how my Children, and I will tell you now, it's guaranteed to work.
Kids always save what they love the most, but constantly try to destroy everything they hate!! Well, with our new secret weapons, and you, they will have no choice but to surrender. How can they destroy you? They dislike us almost as much as we hate them, but they still have certain feelings for certain people, if you catch my drift. We can't lose!
After we launch our plan later, those pesky Kids Next Door will finally understand they can't mess with us! They can not mess with me.
Now come my children, it's time to check up on the rejects of the process."
Numbuhs 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 looked at each other with worry all over their faces. Quickly, they got out of the vent and followed Father down to wherever he and the Delightful Children were headed, making sure not to be seen or heard.
When the Delightful Children had taken Numbuh 6 away, they explained to her everything about the rejects of the previously tested Delightfulization Chamber. It also explained the disappearance of many KND operatives lately.
The Delightful Children had kidnapped various operatives from their Sectors and had been using them to test out the Delightfulization Chamber after it had been "improved". Many of the kidnapped operatives had come out of the Chamber with odd results, and so they were put away, down in one of the lower levels of the Delightful Mansion. After many test runs, the Chamber had been fully compatible with anything that was put into it. It would change that person or object into something completely… Delightful.
However, it wasn't what the Delightful Children had wanted, not what Father had wanted. They wanted to make Sector V pay (considering they were the only Sector that ever actually came the closest to defeating them and lived right next door), so Father came up with a plan. The plan was to choose one of their operatives to completely transform. It would cause the ultimate heartbreak. Also a twist, there was always a twist. How could the Kids Next Door defeat Father and the Delightful Children if their new friend was also to be destroyed in the process? The answer was that they couldn't. Father had thought that plan was just spectacular.
"C'mon guys, we have to keep going!" Nigel called to the rest of the team.
Hoagie, struggling to catch his breath after running after the rest of the kids, leaned against the wall once they had stopped running. "Numbuh 1," Hoagie took a breath, "where are we going?"
"We're going to rescue Numbuh 6, more importantly, we have to find out where those Delightful Children are going."
"Numbuh 1, look!" Numbuh 5 pointed to a door opening and the Delightful Children, backs turned to Sector V, and Father were going in.
"C'mon guys, let's follow go."
In the dark, it's never easy to be completely brave. Especially if you're a certain little girl who happens to be named Kuki Sanban.
"You guys, it's dark down here," she complained.
Numbuh 4 brushed something off his arm. "Ahh! Numbuh 3, stop pulling on my arm!"
"Sorry. So where are we anyway?"
Numbuh 2 had the answer to this. Using one of his newest inventions, a 2 x 4 tech gadget that functioned as a mini portable GPS- like computer, he responded, "Somewhere under the Delightful Children's Mansion… looks like a few floors above the basement, if they even have one."
"Numbuh 1, do you even know where we're going?" Numbuh 5 was getting ancy.
"Yes Numbuh 5, I do, we are following them--- now all of you keep quiet!"
After following Father around, the kids from Sector V came upon an astonishing sight while crouching behind a wall. There were what seemed like hundreds of cells, with a couple of kids in each one. Now these weren't terrible cells, they were equipped with a certain amount of beds in each for the number of kids inside, and each cell had another room in it with a small bathroom and a door covering it. Many broken gadgets were scattered all over the floors by each bed, but the cells weren't drab. They actually looked delightful and even somewhat elegant. They even included tables in each.
What was most shocking was that these kids weren't just any kids that Sector V was seeing. These were all former members of the Kids Next Door.
Numbuhs 1 and 5 gasped, "The missing kids!"
Numbuh 3 broke into small, quietly forming tears and Numbuh 4's face was in utter shock. Numbuh 2 made a surprised face and then started to frown.
Hoagie turned and whispered to Numbuh 1. "What happened to them?"
"They have been turned Delightful. The missing operatives," Nigel lowered his head like the rest of the gang and whispered more to himself, "I'm so sorry."
Meanwhile, Father checked up on the children in the cells. The Delightful Children were nowhere to be seen, not that anyone from Sector V remembered to be on the lookout for them, they were too busy observing this horrible sight.
Father pressed a button and tubes from the ceiling came out and poured food into bowls set on each table in every cell. The children from the shadows all emerged and went to their food. That's when Numbuh 2 pointed something out.
"Hey, they don't look evil at all. Actually, they look pretty scared."
"Numbuh 2, I think you're right… they do look a bit scared. And look at that one, and that one over there, and that other one all the way there, "Nigel pointed out, "Those operatives look just like they did when they weren't turned Delightful. Perhaps there was a malfunction in the machine that didn't fully turn them Delightful."
"That may be true, but what happened to those kids over there?" Numbuh 4 pointed further down.
Numbuh 1 tilted his glasses and looked to where Numbuh 4 pointed, sure enough he was right. The children in the farther cells looked more like the Delightful Children. It seemed the cells were arranged in a way that the rejects of the first few test runs were put in cells closer to where Sector V hid, and the cells farther away were filled with test subjects that ended up being more like what was needed.
The ones all the way down that hall had more accurate Delightful Children clothing and their faces looked more menacing as each cell continued. They grew to stand more and more in clumps rather than to stand by themselves.
As Nigel watched Father leave, he said to the rest of Sector V to head back up the hallway they came from. That's when Numbuh 4 started to quiver and started mixing up his words. His eyes got big and he tugged on Numbuh 1's sleeves and backed up towards the rest of the gang.
"What is it Numbuh 4?" Numbuh 1 demanded.
"Numbuh 1…"
Sector V all looked at Wally. "Yes Numbuh 4?" Nigel was getting a bit impatient now.
Wally struggled to say the right words but finally ended up pointing while shivering and his voice quivered more, "There… there are… um… there… there are… are a bunch of eyes staring at us."
Hoagie peered into the dark, turned to face the gang (looking scared), and noted that yes, there were eyes starring at them. However, one pair of eyes quickly vanished, followed by another, then another, until there were finally no eyes looking at the Kids Next Door at all.
Kuki huddled closer to Wally, and Abby wedged herself between Hoagie and Nigel. Although this wasn't the most dangerous mission they've been on (yet), it was definitely one of the scariest they've been on in a while.
Wallabee Beetles then remembered that he wasn't afraid of anything, or so he always made it seem. He stepped forward, Kuki Sanban reaching out for him ever so slightly as to not want him to get hurt. Knowing it wouldn't matter what she did or said (also knowing she was too frightened out of her mind to go forward with him), Kuki stepped back to where Abby and Hoagie were, putting herself in between them for cover.
Wally took yet another step forward, and clutched his fists. "I don't care who you are, just show your cruddy faces!"
Numbuh 4 looked around but nothing was happening. It felt all of a sudden as though the five kids were all alone in a dark hallway, but was that really the case?
Numbuh 5, checking around the surroundings, whispered almost so silently to her friends, "Are we alone?"
Numbuh 1 also checked around the vicinity, replying to Numbuh 5's whisper, "I don't think we are…"
Out of the shadows, a foot appeared. Then, eyes peered out of the shadows. Soon enough, a voice softly spoke out. "Guys, is that you?"
Everyone gasped, "Numbuh 6!" Kuki was on the verge of stepping out of the group to hug her, when suddenly she let out a small but noticeable yelp.
The newest Delightful Children member stepped further out into the light. "Hello, Kids Next Door."
That sort of maniacal- monotone tone of voice frightened KND's Sector V very much. Nigel was the first to speak up.
"What happened to you?"
The rest of the Delightful Children also stepped out from the deep, depressing shadows.
"She's one of us now. Our experiments worked, all according to plan, and now we've got your precious Numbuh 6."
They all started to laugh, knowing Sector V felt as though it was all their fault.
"Let her go," Numbuh 1 sounded fierce now.
"Yeah, right. We are all happy this way, don't you get it? Now, you Kids Next Door are useless, we will get you… there's no stopping us."
Numbuh 4 clenched his fists again, "Hey, we've beaten you before, we'll do it again!"
"Oh… poor Kids Next Door… you think you will, but you won't. How can you?"
"What the crud does that mean you… you… Delightful Dorks?!"
"Well if you haven't noticed, you are in our house, at the bottom floor where you don't know what lies where… and, you're now outnumbered." The Delightful Children let out some more laughter and grins, all from ear to ear. Their eyes looked heavier, braver, and much more convincing, as well as powerful in some strange way.
"What on earth are you talking about? Sure, there's six of you now and five of us… but that's just one more person, and we're gonna get her back," Numbuh 2 looked mad, just as well as the others were starting to now.
"We weren't talking about us---"
Numbuh 1 cut them off. "Then who are you talking about!"
"Them."
One of the Delightful Children, the one named Lenny, had pushed a button on some sort of a remote. Right then and there, all of the cell doors, the ones containing failed prototypes of Delightful Children additions (the missing KND members), swung completely open simultaneously.
Then another button was pushed, and the Delightful Children rose up what must have been about twenty feet higher off the ground. They stood on a small and sleek little elevator-like contraption that held them high off the ground, far enough to see perfectly how the Kids Next Door would end.
The missing KND members were walking faster now. They all looked like formally dressed zombies, only with familiar faces. As they walked faster towards Sector V, Numbuh 5 remembered the secret 2x4 equipment they brought along. Whispering this into Numbuh 1's ear, he yelled out a command and all five brave little heroes from Sector V fled, shooting down the attacking children and making a pathway to run.
Numbuh 2's new gadgets really seemed to pack a punch. The new Mini-B.I.G. (Mini- Bubble-gum Incomparable Gizmo) had such strong, sticky bubble gum blasting from it that it could hold off at least five kids at once! Everyone was impressed, except of course, the Delightful Children.
"Get them you idiots!!" they cried, "Faster, faster, get them!"
Numbuhs 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 ran and ran until they couldn't run anymore. Gasping, trying to talk in between breaths, Numbuh 2 asked, "Do we even know where we are?"
Numbuh 5 followed up to this question with, "Yeah, Numbuh 1, where are we?"
"I have no clue actually. Somewhere in the Delightful Mansion, yes, but where… I'm… uh… not sure."
"According to our Kids Next Door F.I.N.D.E.R. (Futuristic Indestructible Navigation Detector that's Efficient and Reliable), we are two floors higher than where we were at before."
"Guys, I'm scared, what if we can't find her?" Kuki was scared, and she definitely showed it.
"We already found her, we've just gotta catch those Delightful Children now, send 'em packin'!" Numbuh 4 continued, "But she's got a point though, what if we can't find her? It's a big house ya know."
"As fellow operatives of Kids Next Door, it is our mission, rather, our duty to make sure we save all kids not only from Adult tyranny but from any sort of danger as well."
With that, the five friends continued on their journey to find their friend, and help those missing operatives get back to their old selves.
Numbuh 2 started to look a bit gloomy. He had a small frown upon his face, and although he wore his pilot hat and goggles, it was still noticeable. At least to Numbuh 5 it was. Somehow, she could always pick up on those kinds of things the quickest, perhaps because she was considered to have the most common sense out of the group.
"You okay Numbuh 2?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Swell."
"You don't look fine, tell Numbuh 5 what's goin' on."
"It's not that big a deal, really."
"Then in that case, tell me."
"Alright… it's just that what if we find Numbuh 6 and then it's not just the five of us anymore? I really like her but I'm not sure I want a lot of change right now. We just got back to who we are, isn't more change a lot?"
"Aww Numbuh 2, it don't matter if we just got back to ourselves, we've always been just ourselves. Besides, Numbuh 6 won't be taking no body's place, and change is a good thing, we just got to learn to accept it. She's nice, and we all like her."
"I really like her too but Numbuh 5---"
"Just relax, it'll all work out."
"But Numbuh 5 I also really---"
"Shh… hold on."
Up ahead, Numbuh 1 gave them all a signal to remain silent. Noises could be heard up ahead, they were faint, but recognizable.
Numbuh 1 raced to the side of a wall, and hid behind it, sticking close to the shadows as the rest of the kids did.
"Can you all hear them? Alright, team let's think of a plan."
The five kids from all the same unit thought deeply of a plan that would work perfectly, each kid contributing something new. Just like old times.
"Numbuh 4, tie that rope there! Numbuh 2, power that up… now! Numbuh 3, GET OUT OF THERE!" Nigel was spewing out commands each and every second he possibly could.
"Numbuh 1, they're too many over here!" Numbuh 5 shouted to her friends. "A little help here, please?"
Abby's friends quickly ran over to help her defeat the missing KND operatives turned Delightful. As some came running towards her corner, Numbuh 2 stepped into action, followed by Numbuh 1. Numbuh's 3 and 4 backed their friends up, but too many Delightfulized operatives were attacking.
As quickly as he could, Numbuh 1 conjured up a good plan to round up all the attacking children. Swiftly, he gathered all of his friends together and gave the signal. Faster than any of the attacking children could see, so fast that they didn't even have time to react, Numbuh 3 killed the lights while her friends took over with the rest of the plan.
"Don't look so sad Numbuh 2, Numbuh 6 is bound to turn up somewhere," Numbuh 5 tried comforting her friend.
"Oh, it's not that… well there's that and also a few other things…" Numbuh 2 trailed off.
Sector V had succeeded in their plan, tying up the missing KND members, turned Delightful, and finding a more suitable place for them until they could be changed back to normal. As for the Delightful Children, they had escaped. For now.
Walking through dark, eerie halls wasn't quite what Numbuh 1 thought of as a fun time. Even the bravest can get scared and worried, much like Nigel was.
"Well then, what's wrong Numbuh 2?" Nigel joined in the conversation.
"Nothing's wrong, but what if we can't find---" Numbuh 2 was cut off by Nigel.
"We WILL find her. We have to, and we will. End of discussion," Numbuh 1 went back to fully concentrating on plans and where to find Numbuh 6.
"Geez, what's his problem?" Numbuh 4 said with annoyance in his voice, and just a hint of anxiousness.
"He's just cranky!" Numbuh 3 answered for him.
"Alright, well this is getting out of control! We have to find Numbuh 6… where the crud is she? This stinks," the young Australian boy complained.
All five of the kids started complaining right then and there, while walking down creepy hallways and turning corners here and there. Once again, Abby noticed so many things. Just from being with these people, her best friends and teammates, she had learned so much about them. At that very moment, while watching her friends with concerned faces but still looking so brave, Abby felt as though she had seen the future. She had the strangest feeling inside her, but it still felt so right.
Kuki looked at Wally with a nervous smile and stayed close. Although it was obvious to anyone that Wally was trying to back away from her, Abby thought maybe, just maybe, he really did like Kuki being so clingy and showing her affection for him. Abby thought she saw more concern and anxiousness in Nigel's eyes for Andrea than in any of the other kids. He expressed such worry for her that it was almost beautiful.
Last but not least, Abby considered the fact that perhaps Hoagie truly did have something important to tell her, and he might have been trying to for a long time. He met her gaze for a few brief seconds before swiftly and bashfully turning away.
Hoagie couldn't take it anymore. If he didn't tell her now then when would he have the chance?
"I can do this, I know I can… and then maybe after I tell her I'll become the most popular person on Earth. Yeah right…" he thought to himself.
Abby had to talk to him. She had to, otherwise it would eat at her for what would seem like forever. While the kids were rounding a corner, while they were getting ready to launch a final plan because Nigel had said he found the right room with the Delightfulization Chamber, while they all got in their places, Abby walked up to Hoagie.
"Abby…"
"Aww sucks, come here," Abby cut Hoagie off almost immediately.
They hugged like as if there would be no tomorrow. It felt like it lasted forever. Those two hoped it would.
The Next Day
"So Nigel, tell me what happened? I swear I can't remember a thing… only that I was captured and then turned," Andrea chocked on the last few words, "… turned Delightful."
It was almost a whole day since Sector V battled it out with the Delightful Children From Down the Lane. Almost a whole day since they almost lost their newest member, Numbuh 6.
"Well, I'll try and make it short… although I don't know how easy that will be. Here goes.
After we basically searched the whole Delightful Mansion for you and the proper Delightfulization Chamber, we ran into the Delightful Children again and you were a part of them.
We fought them to the best of our abilities, with our 2x4 technology, our strength, and teamwork. Finally we had them defeated, at least for the time being and so we took advantage of it. Somehow we managed to change you back, but the rest of the Delightful Children got away. Maybe since you were so new to being a part of them it was easier to separate you… I'm not sure how or why this happened, but I'm glad it all worked out in the end. Getting you back I mean," Nigel blushed.
"Yeah, and we gave 'em a good butt whoopin' as well!" Numbuh 4 kept going on.
"Oh, be quiet silly!" Numbuh 3 said in response to Wally.
"Don't tell me to be quiet!"
"You need to relax," Kuki touched his shoulders and pulled him into a fierce hug, one Wally didn't pull away from this time.
"Glad to have you back Numbuh 6," Hoagie said. Abby leaned in towards him more and added, "We need you here, after all."
Nigel, sitting next to Andrea and across from Abby, acknowledged Abby's look that seemed to say, "Make your move, we all did, it's your turn now."
He put his arm over Andrea, as Numbuh 5 had told him to do, and looked around for something to distract him. However, it didn't fully work due to the fact Andrea kissed his cheek… and that was a lot better than working or looking for excuses any day in Numbuh 1's book.
"Oh, uhmm…"
"Ooh, Numbuh 1's got a girlfriend!"
"So do you."
"So do you."
"That's me!"
"That's right baby, Numbuh 5's diggin' that."
"Totally. But wait… WAIT!"
All eyes turned to Numbuh 6.
"Yes, what is it, Numbuh 6?" Numbuh 1 asked her.
"What happened to the other KND operatives? The ones from those experiments or whatever…?"
"Oh yes, I forgot to mention to you, we did save them too. While you were recovering in the tree house Numbuh 2 and I sent other members of KND to collect them, running them back through various machines and chambers, turning them all back to normal, healthy, happy kids," Numbuh 1 concluded the story for Numbuh 6.
A joke was then made, and they all laughed.
One new couple hugged. Then another. Then one more did.
Six happy, magnificent children sat around in one room, talked, laughed, hugged, and realized that not only could they save the day altogether as friends, but as much more than that. That's the way it should have been all along.
"This is the way it should be," Numbuh 5 thought out loud this time. Nobody objected to that.