Disclaimer: I don't own Codename: Kids Next Door with all of that legal stuff. I do own Numbuh 2845, even if it was just a random series of numbers I punched on the keypad.

Vigilante

September 1, 2006

Ever since Numbuh 5 was a little girl, she had loved candy. She adored candy. It was her life and dream. Still, at Twelve years, eleven months, and two weeks, she has a passion for candy. Every morning, when she would swipe some candy from Ms. Thompson's desk, she would lay it all out on the table during the recess and share it with her team: Cherry for Numbuh 1, Blueberry for Numbuh 2, Strawberry Lime for Numbuh 3, Orange Rasberry for Numbuh 4, and of course, Blurpleberry for Numbuh 5.

To Numbuh 5, She enjoys swiping the candy. It makes her so happy to see us chillin' over one of our favorite pastimes of candy. It helped relax her, for all its sugar, because it's only then that Numbuh 5 knows that the world is all right. In fact, one of the reasons she just doesn't buy the candy is because she knows it's for some ones special. She knows and believes that every rightful kid in the universe deserves a bit of candy, to savor the sweetness of life—especially in the KND case, just before they decommission you. The candy is all about that thing, you know, life. It's a reward for existing as a kid.

But Numbuh 5 has noticed some things. Like, when you become thirteen, you stop liking candy. You start liking all those "healthy" adult foods, with low fat and empty calories, whatever that means. Cree started eating salads for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And with the occaisional waffle, she didn't ask for her once usual syrup, but for low calorie orange juice and margarine. What was margarine? Is it even a form of butter? Numbuh 5 guessed she would soon know.

Numbuh 5 was pretty bummed when hearing this, but stumbled across a memory from the past that would help her escape past the life of a near vegetarian (no offense to vegetarians, they're cool). She remembered Stickybeard. He had once asked her to be first mate of his Ship—to be a candy pirate. She had pretty much downright refused. But things change. Alliances form where enmity once strode. It was something called…politics… it was an adult term, but she would know soon enough.

But a snag cut into the plan.

In order to keep her promise to Stickybuns, she would have to remember it. And unfortunately, in two weeks, she wouldn't. Numbuh 5 had some thinking to do. She couldn't betray the KND. It was like her second home, since Cree had taken over her first one. And she would never, ever follow in Cree's steps. It was downright wrong. And yet, there was the candy. And even if she did make it to Stickybun's crew, how would she gain anything for the real soul of the candy: the kid of the candy. She couldn't.

September 18 2006

The radio creaked with static. "Numbuh 2845 to Numbuh 86, we have a runaway."

"What's the location, Numbuh 2845?" It was September 18. Please don't say it.

"Sector V, ma'am, sir, ma'am." He paused. "Wait, we have a report coming in from the leader of Sector V. He's—"

"DON'T PUT HIM ON HOLD. DON'T EVEN LISTEN TO HIM. GIVE HIM DIRECTLY TO ME!"

"Yes," said a terried Numbuh 2845, "ma'am, sir, ma'am."

"NUMBUH 1, WHAT IN THE BLAZES IS WRONG WITH NUMBUH 5!"

"I don't know Numbuh 86!" Came the frantic voice of the bald boy in sunglasses. "She's gone haywire. She's beating us like a severely jacked up wack-a-mole machine. We need back-up!"

You don't need back up, you need the entire KND, muttered Fanny. "Okay, Numbuh 1, here's what you need to do to keep her there. You need to—"

"OH MY GOD!"

"WHAT IS IT, NUMBUH 1? ANSWER ME!"

"SHE'S RUNNING OFF WITH… STICKY BEARD?"

"Crazy girl! That ship's the fastest in those waters. And with your crew all beaten, you can't catch her."

"We can still try. We always have the COOLBUS on the ready."

"It's not enough manpower, Numbuh 1. I'm afraid we're going to have to let her go. I'm sorry."

October 31: Halloween at the Treehouse

"Hey, Numbuh 1," said Numbuh 4, looking up, "what's that?" just as 4000 tons of candy fell on top of him.

Sector V looked at the gargantuan pile before them in astonishment. It was huge! Who would give them something like this? No one would dare. Not even an expert prankster would give up this much candy to dump something on Numbuh 4. And then one looked up and saw a tint of red in the moon chuckling with all the world's delight.

"I think I know." And threw up a piece of blurpleberry candy into the air, only to a second later realize that it didn't come down.

End