Disclaimer: I don't own Codename: Kids Next Door. The only thing I do own are my OCs.

Author's Note: Hey guys! Okay, some of you might recognize this story since this is actually a revised version of a story I previously posted. After rereading it, I decided it could use some improvement and, well, here's the result! I hope you like it! (=

April 3, 2038:

Time machines can kill you.

In fact, there are two ways it could do that. The first and most well known way is that if you mess up the time stream too much, you could wind up never being born. Anyone who's ever seen a sci-fi movie could tell you that. Pretty awkward way to go, but not too painful. Probably.

Then there's the second, tragically overlooked possibility.

It could make the inventor kill herself out of pure frustration when the stupid, cruddy thing refuses to work!

"That's what they'll say at my funeral," a young girl thought irritably to herself as she made what must have been the eleventy ka-billionth adjustment to the small machine she was working on. "Poor Carolyn! So young, so full of potential! May she rest in peace."

The girl, Carolyn, sighed, reaching for the pair of goggles she wore around her neck and pulling them securely into place over her eyes. She then flipped the device onto it's back and, after a brief moment of hesitation, pressed a button on the side. She held her breath, waiting anxiously.

Nothing happened.

Carolyn groaned out loud, shoving the goggles back off as feelings of disappointment and annoyance swept over her. She reached across her desk for her notebook, ripping out and tearing up yet another sheet of paper on which a series of complicated designs and equations were written. With a huff, she flung the shredded remains in the air, before sinking back down in her seat and dropping her head onto her desk, grumbling angrily to herself.

She just couldn't understand it. She'd been working on the machine for weeks, spending endless hours and trying out countless ideas in an attempt to get the device up and running. What was she doing wrong?

Carolyn wasn't sure how long she stayed with her forehead glued to the desk before she became aware of a sharp, triple tapping sound coming from the back of her room. It stopped for a moment before starting up again, louder then before. She ignored it, choosing to remain exactly where she was, even as the noise abruptly stopped and was replaced first by the slight creaking of a door opening, and then by the thump-thump of footsteps approaching her, the sound muffled by the thick carpeting. A hand lightly touched her shoulder.

"Numbuh 108?" a familiar voice asked. "You okay?"

Carolyn sighed, at last lifting her head to look at the girl who'd entered. "Sure, fine," she muttered dishearteningly. "If ya consider thoughts of suicide alright, then yeah, I'm just perfect!"

With that cheerful comment, she allowed her head to flop back onto the desk with a loud thud. The other girl patted her back, smiling sympathetically.

"Why are you so determined to make this thing work?" she asked, picking up the device and turning it over in her hands. "If it's bothering you so much, why not just quit?"

The words made Carolyn spring to her feet, snatching her machine back from the other girl's hands. "Are you crazy?" she yelled. "Do you have any idea how much work I've put into this? Three months! Three months, Liana! There ain't no way I'm quitting now, especially with the 2x4 Technology Convention just two weeks away!"

The other girl, Liana, raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were banned from that competition," she remarked. "They actually changed their minds after what happened last time?"

"Um…well, no… not exactly," Carolyn admitted. "See I kinda went up to Moonbase a few days ago and asked the Soopreme Leader if he'd let me back into the competition. We had a long talk, and he was actually pretty cool about it."

"So he let you back in?" Liana asked in surprise, but Carolyn was already shaking her head.

"No. He said that he couldn't risk another incident like last year, and that he was sorry… and also that if I didn't stop clinging to his legs and begging him to change his mind, the competition wouldn't be the only thing I got kicked out of." Carolyn finished the words with a sheepish smile as Liana stared at her in shock.

"You actually be… never mind!" Liana muttered, rolling her eyes. "So how exactly are you planning on entering if you're still banned then?"

Carolyn waved a hand dismissively at her. "Oh, I'm not too worried about that. If this ends up working, it'll prove it's own worth! They'll be begging me to accept the first place trophy!" she declared. Liana only shook her head.

"Uh huh," she muttered. "Well, either way, you should take a break. You've been up here all day! Why don't you come hang out with us for a while, huh? Have a cookie. Watch Arica scream at Zane for something stupid he did. You know, relax."

Carolyn couldn't help but smile at the tempting offer. Now that Liana had mentioned it, the idea of a break did sound really good right about then.

And yet…

Almost subconsciously, her eyes drifted back towards the machine that lay on her desk, still inoperative and, as far as Carolyn could tell, far from completion. Her smile quickly turned into a frown, and she picked up her tools once more.

"Maybe later," she mumbled briefly, going back to work.

Liana frowned, visibly disappointed by the response. She suddenly stood up straighter, her tone becoming sharper, more commanding.

"Numbuh 108!" she barked, and Carolyn winched, hearing her friend use her 'leader' voice. "You need a break! Don't make me have to order you to relax!" she threatened.

Carolyn rolled her eyes, turning to face Liana. "I'm fine, Numbuh 483," she insisted. "Look, I'll come down in a few minutes alright?"

With that, Carolyn went back to tinkering with her machine. Liana hesitated for a few moments before sighing, blowing a strand of brown hair out of her face.

"Fine," she relented at last. "But just a few minutes! Otherwise I'll send Numbuh 127 to come drag your butt down for some ice cream whether you like it or not! Got it?"

Carolyn shook her head, but smiled nonetheless. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. Would you just go already?" she asked, waving her friend off as though tired of her. Liana rolled her eyes, smiling good-naturedly as she stood up and started heading out. She stopped however when she got to the door, looking back at Carolyn.

"What is that anyways?" she asked suddenly.

"Huh?" Carolyn glanced up from her work, her brow furrowed slightly with confusion.

"That," Liana repeated, motioning toward the device. "That thing you've been obsessing over! What is it?"

"Oh, this?" Carolyn replied, looking suddenly nervous. "It's just… uh… a transporter! Yeah that's it!"

Liana frowned, looking skeptical. "A transporter?" she parroted.

"Yeah, it… transports people and… stuff." Carolyn insisted, mentally slapping herself for coming up with such a lame excuse and hoping that her leader bought it.

Liana hovered at the doorway a little longer, looking uncertainly at the machine, before finally shrugging. "Alright then," she said. "Just wondering. I'll see you downstairs then."

"Sure," Carolyn replied, waiting until the door was firmly shut before she relaxed, letting out a deep breath. She knew that her leader would never approve of her making a time machine, and she was relieved that she'd managed to avoid telling her.

For now anyways.

After leaving Carolyn's room, Liana made her way down to the main room of the treehouse, already occupied by five other kids. Two boys were playing a video game, clutching their controllers as though their lives depended on it as they tried to beat each other. A third boy watched them, leaning against the wall and playing with his yo-yo.

In another corner of the room, a girl was sprawled on a sofa, her eyes shut and her head bobbing up and down as her fingers repeatedly tapped the armrest in rhythm with the music she was listening to. Sitting at a table nearby was another girl, busy pouring imaginary tea into the plastic cups she had set up on the table, all while chatting animatedly to the Rainbow Monkey in front of her, speaking to it as though it were an actual person. She stopped however when she saw Liana enter the room.

"Hey Numbuh 483!" she greeted. " Where's Numbuh 108? I thought you were going to go get her."

The words caught the attention of the rest of the team, who immediately stopped what they were doing, their eyes turning inquiringly toward their leader, who just shrugged.

"I tried, but she wouldn't listen," Liana confessed. "She just said she'd be down in a couple of minutes."

"Which means we'll see her in a couple of days!" One of the boys who'd been playing the video game scoffed, the comment earning him a glare from his leader. "What? It's true!"

"Hmm… maybe she'll come out if I ask her to play with my Happy Forever Rainbow Monkey with me!" the girl with the Rainbow Monkey suggested, beaming excitedly at the thought. The first boy rolled his eyes, making a sound of disgust.

"Please! If I were her, I'd stay in my room just so I wouldn't have to do that!" he retorted. "There is no way she's gonna come out just to play with that cruddy old toy!"

"Will too!"

"Will not!"

"Will too!"

"Will not!"

"Will too! Nobody can resist a Rainbow Monkey!" the girl insisted.

"Ugh!" the boy finally groaned, standing up to face the girl. "Would you give it a break Kimi? Nobody cares about your stupid, cruddy Rainbow dorkies!" he snapped.

Instantly, everyone else in the room winced, knowing the boy had gone too far.

"Oh, you've really done it now Zane," the boy with the yo-yo muttered.

Meanwhile, the girl, Kimi, who had gone silent at Zane's outburst, slowly stood up, her lips pressed into a thin line, her eyes shadowed by her long bangs. Her left hand was clenched into a fist, and she placed the teacup she held in her right down on the table with deliberately exaggerated care before at last looking up. Her face was red with rage, her eyes alive with flames as she glowered at Zane who, seeing this, flinched, and started to back away as she advanced on him.

"Don't… you… ever… call… a Rainbow… Monkey… STUPID!" she shrieked, leaping at and attacking Zane.

Liana groaned as she watched her teammates fight. Or, at least, Kimi was fighting. Zane was too busy trying to defend himself from the girl's fury-induced blows to strike back. Liana was just about to order them to cut it out when the TV screen suddenly flickered with static, the graphics of the video game replaced with the face of a young boy, his expression anxious and worried.

"Sector V? Sector V, can you hear me?" the boy yelled, his tone holding an edge of desperation.

Liana quickly rushed to the front of the screen as Kimi, who had managed to pin Zane to the ground, instantly released him and leapt to her feet, her anger replaced with sudden curiosity.

"Soopreme leader, sir? This is Numbuh 483 of Sector V. What's going on over there?" Liana demanded.

The Supreme leader of the Kids Next Door looked deeply worried as sounds of children yelling could be heard in the background. "We're in trouble," he explained hastily. "The Teen Ninjas are attacking Moonbase! We need you guys to get up here ASA-NOW!"

Before anyone could respond, the Supreme leader turned to look at something on his right. His eyes widened and he leapt out of the way just as something crashed into the monitor, causing the screen to suddenly return to static.

"Numbuh 573? Numbuh 573!" Liana yelled at the screen.

"It's no use," one of her teammates replied, shaking his head beside her. "We've lost the transmission."

Liana frowned and then nodded firmly, switching into leader mode. "Alright guys! You heard him! We need to get to Moonbase right now! Numbuh 127," Zane looked up as Liana called on him. "Go get Numbuh 108. The rest of you, follow me to the C.O.O.L.B.U.S."

Everyone nodded and they all headed to the C.O.O.L.B.U.S., with the exception of Zane. He ran up the stairs and through the hall until he reached Carolyn's room. Once there, he knocked urgently on the door.

"Numbuh 108! Numbuh 108, open the door, now!" he yelled, banging on the door a few more times. Inside the room, Carolyn groaned and placed the time machine back on the table, getting up and opening the door to her room.

"Yeesh, Zane! I heard you the first time! You don't have to try and knock my door down!"

Zane shrugged. "Sorry, Numbuh 108, but we just got a transmission from Moonbase! They're in trouble and they need us there right away!"

Carolyn's mood instantly went from annoyed to serious and she quickly nodded, stepping out of the room. Zane rushed ahead and Carolyn had just begun to follow him when she stopped suddenly, glancing back toward her room.

"Numbuh 108!" Carolyn looked back to see Zane standing halfway down the stairs, looking at her impatiently. "You coming or what?"

Carolyn hesitated and then, on an impulse, ran back to her room and grabbed the time machine, hiding the small device underneath her jacket before rushing after Zane. She didn't want to just leave it there and after all, it wouldn't hurt to bring it.

Or so she thought.

Transmission interrupted…

Ending A/N: IMPORTANT! Okay well I hope you guys liked this chapter! I was wondering though… would you guys prefer if the children went back to the past, or if the original kids next door (the ones we all know and love) should go to the future. I'll probably write a sequel after this story so it's not that important, but I'd really like to know what you guys think so please go to my profile and vote on it!

Anyways, please review! This chapter was a pain to write and I'd really like to hear your thoughts on it and your guesses as to who's who! (=