Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC. Everything else belongs to their perspective owners.
***The Delightful Children From Down the Lane are the most underappreciated characters in the entire show. After being Delightfulized by Father, they were forced to harm their previous fellow KND operatives. Then in Operation Z.E.R.O. when they were temporarily turned back into the Sector Z selves, they helped save the Earth before being turned back to their Delightfulized selves where they were then shunted into an escape pod and blasted off into deep space. And even though their last words to Numbuh 1 were 'Tell the Kids Next Door we miss them!', did he? No. The fact that Father is Nigel's uncle and the secret identity of the Delightful Children goes unmentioned for the rest of the series. As if that isn't enough, in Operation I.N.T.E.R.V.I.E.W.S., when they were battling Numbuh One on the roller coaster of the lavatory themed rainbow monkey amusement park, he jumped off right before the ride fell into a giant toilet where the DCFDTL supposedly died. No one cared or bothered to un-Delightfulize them before this happened. And that really pisses me off. So I wrote a colelction of drabbles, in one of which they actually get cured like they should have been with a well deserved redemption arc with the help of my OC and Sector Z's leader, Numbuh 0.6, Lauren Styx, named for no other reason than the fact that Styx sounds like six.***
Origin of Sector Z
"Fantastic mission you guys!" Numbuh 0.6 crowed with glee from the captain's chair of their 2 by 4 tech jet.
"All thanks to you, oh, glorious leader." Numbuh 0.5 quipped from the controls.
"Numbuh 0.5 I'm in too good a mood to be bothered by sarcasm. It'll be a while before Sticky Beard shows his ugly face around here again."
"Here here!" Numbuh 0.2 cried, not looking away from the navigation screen.
"To celebrate, I say we make a quick detour to the candy store, see if we can procure some root beer floats." Numbuh 0.6 suggested.
"Root beer floats? Now you're talkin'. You really are in a good mood." Numbuh 0.1 replied, cracking a grin.
"I'll say. Who are you and what have you done with our leader? The real Numbuh 0.6 would be insisting that we get back to the Treehouse immediately and train until dawn before filling out paperwork and organizing our files during the rest of the day." Numbuh 0.3 pointed out from her second in command spot, a cheeky grin plastered on her face.
"If that's what you prefer to do, by all means be my guest. But I'm not touching a single pen until I've downed a root beer float." Numbuh 0.6 replied, stretching hugely. It had been a rather rough mission and in the fight she had been in the heart of the battle, at one point taking on three candy pirates at once. Work this tough easily drained your average ten year old, even if the ten year old was a KND operative.
"Numbuh 0.6, we are approaching our destination. Dulce's Candy Emporium is directly below us. How shall we proceed?" Numbuh 0.2 asked in a mock serious tone.
"Excellent work, Numbuh 0.2. I suggest parking because we're gonna be here a while." Numbuh 0.6 commanded.
The jet quickly touched down on the ground before Numbuh 0.2 initiated the ship's cloaking device to make sure no teenagers or adults got wind that the KND were in the area, even if they weren't on a mission. Adults were always looking to pin something on innocent kids, after all, regardless of whether the kid in question was innocent or guilty. Before exiting the ship, the six operatives loaded themselves down with extra weapons, holstering various blaster rays, slipping nun chucks up their sleeves and umbrella swords down their backs, as well as various gadgets into any spare room their pockets offered.
Once they were all loaded up, Numbuh 0.6 looked each of her teammates in the eyes, her smile widening with each individual her eyes passed over, and said "Time for our second mission of the day, guys. Make it a good one, and I might forget we have paperwork to fill out."
At that, the rest of her team cheered before running out of the ship and storming into the candy shop. They each grabbed a bag and quickly began filling them up with a wide variety of candy from different bins. They grabbed handfuls of every kind of candy imaginable, from bubblegum to chocolate bars, from coconut clusters to lollipops, they filled their bags until they were practically overflowing. Upon having done that, they casually made their way to the back of the door where they entered a password and received admittance into a root beer speakeasy. Given that they were all under the age of thirteen, which therefore meant that their consumption of soda was illegal, they had to drink it in private.
Numbuh 0.6 walked approached the bartender, flipped her hair out of her eyes, and said "A round of root beer floats for me and my team, on me."
"Aw, you don't have to do that, Numbuh 0.6." Numbuh 0.5 told her.
"I know, but I want to treat you guys tonight. Anything you guys want tonight, it's on me, so drink up." Numbuh 0.6 replied before gesturing towards the vast array of sodas, giving her team permission to go nuts.
Upon seeing this, the bartender said "You guys are the best sector this side of the galaxy. You even give Numbuh 11's Sector V a run for their money. And you look like you just got back from a pretty nasty mission so anything you operatives want to drink tonight, it's on me."
"Hey now, you don't have to do that, Numbuh 1920." Numbuh 0.3 told him.
"Yeah. I was supposed to be the hero of the night." Numbuh 0.6 added with a grin.
"I insist. Either you take me up on my offer, or I'll charge you extra for your drinks." Numbuh 1920 said, giving them an ultimatum, as well as a flashy grin.
The six kids all smiled at him before Numbuh 0.6 gratefully said "You've got yourself a deal, Numbuh 1920. We'll take one round of your finest root beer floats, then."
"Coming right up, guys." He replied in a cheery voice.
It wasn't long before all six of them held frosty root beer floats in their hands. Once they were all seated at a table, Numbuh 0.6 raised her glass in the air and cried "To my teammates! The bravest Kids Next Door operatives since Numbuh 0! Braver than all the other agents combined. I don't know where I would be without you five always having my back, and I'm glad I don't have to worry about such things because we're a team and that's never going to change. I couldn't ask for a better one, I wouldn't want to be on another team, and I wouldn't trade any of you for anything in the world. I love you guys. To Sector Z!"
"To Sector Z!" Numbuhs 0.1 through 0.5 cried out, clinking their mugs against Numbuh 0.6's as they did so. After wiping away a few loose tears, the six of them chugged down their root beer floats, eagerly read to take up Numbuh 1920's offer of the all they can drink soda night.
After draining the dregs on her fifth root beer float, Numbuh 0.6 wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, pushed her mug to the side, and said "All right, team. I say we call it a night. The world isn't going to save itself from adult tyranny and we need our sleep."
"Oh, okay, Numbuh 0.6. I guess you're right." Numbuh 0.3 replied with a slight sigh of disappointment.
Numbuh 0.1 drained his mug and added "Yeah, we should probably stop now before Numbuh 1920 throws us out for drinking up all of his stock."
"It's his own fault if we did, promising six starving KND operatives unlimited rounds of soda." Numbuh 0.4 pointed out as the rest of his teammates laughed.
The laughter dying down, the six of them scraped their chairs backwards and left, their candy bags draped over their shoulders. They boarded their ship and Numbuh 0.5 booted it up, the ship quickly taking off into the darkening sky. It wasn't long before the ship landed on the dock of the Sector Z treehouse. The sun had fully set by then and the stars were slowly twinkling their way into existence. The members of Sector Z exited the jet and went their separate ways to their rooms, ready for a full night's sleep.
Alarms wailed throughout the treehouse as an emergency communication call was picked up by Sector Z's satellite. Numbuh 0.6 flew out of her bed and into the main room where the two way television communication device was located. The rest of her team filed in after her. After doing a quick head count, she saw that the other five had walked in, so she answered the call. Numbuh 663, the leader of the Kid's Next Door, appeared before them. "Numbuh 663, sir! What's the emergency?" Numbuh 0.6 asked with a two finger salute.
"Numbuh 0.6, we've received intel that Father is working on a new type of device that transforms Kids Next Door operatives into adult loving, rule following, goodie two shoes."
All the members of Sector Z gapsed in horror. "Father has gone too far this time." Numbuh 0.4 exclaimed, smashing his fist into his palm.
"Yeah! Turning kids into delightful little brats. Blegh!" Numbuh 0.2 added in obvious disgust.
"That's the point. It's probably the worst crime against kid-manity since the founding of the Kids Next Door which is why I'm sending our best sector to take care of the problem. That's where you six come in. I need you to sneak into Father's base and destroy this alleged machine before he gets the chance. Do you think you can handle it?"
Numbuh 0.6 dismissively waved her hand as she replied "My team can handle anything, Father included. Trust me, Numbuh 663, when I say that you are correct in saying that my team is the best. We'll have that machine dismantled in no time."
Numbuh 663 cracked a grin as he replied "I'm glad to hear you say so so confidently, Numbuh 0.6. Make us proud. Over and out." With that, the screen went black.
Numbuh 0.6 turned around so that she facing her teammates, all of whom were looking especially eager for their newest mission. "You heard Numbuh 663, guys. Father is up to his most diabolical plan yet and it's up to us to stop him. If we fail, he may turn every kid on Earth into adult loving dorks, and bring an end to Kids Next Door as we know it. And we can't have that."
"You're darn right we can't. Father's had some pretty crazy schemes in the past but this takes the
cake. The man is crazy with a capital K." Numbuh 0.3 told them fiercely.
"Let's take his machine out already, then, before he gets the chance to use it." Numbuh 0.1 suggested.
"I agree with Numbuh 0.1. We need to destroy that chamber before it can be used against us." Numbuh 0.5 added, adjusting her glasses as she did so.
Numbuh 0.6 pondered the input from her teammates before clearing her throat. "I agree with all of you. Let's suit up and take out that machine immediately. If we go now, we'll finish with enough time to go see the newest
Rainbow Monkey movie."
"We better hurry then. It'd be a real shame if we missed that movie." Numbuh 0.4 sarcastically
quipped with an exaggerated eye roll.
Numbuh 0.6 clapped him on the back as she laughed. "We know deep down you love Rainbow Monkeys so don't try to hide it." This resulted in yet another eye roll. Numbuh 0.6 managed to quit laughing and ordered "All right, Sector Z. Suit up and meet me in the hangar in T minus fifteen minutes." The six of them went their separate ways, running to various parts of the treehouse in order to weapon up. Numbuh 0.6 strapped two blasters to her waist before loading herself down with other various weapons. Once suited up, she sprinted towards the hangar before joining the others outside of a jet. After everyone was on board and in their various positions, Numbuh 0.6 declared "Take up to Father's mansion, Numbuh 0.5, and initiate
our cloaking device. We definitely need the element of surprise on our side." Numbuh 0.5 instantly followed her superior's instructions and in an instant, the ship was invisible to everyone below. It wasn't long before they were on the outskirts of father's mansion.
Sector Z exited their ship and silently ran across the pavement, switching from asphalt to grass after a while. Stealthily they slid in through the main door, careful not to draw attention to themselves or set off any boobytraps. "Be careful guys." Numbuh 0.6 murmured softly as they approached the door that led to Father's lab. If the machine was anywhere in the mansion, the lab was the best bet. Numbuhs 0.5 and 0.4 aimed their blasters down the hallway, guarding the backs of their teammates as they picked the lock.
Once the lock was picked, Numbuh 0.6 slid the gadget back into her pocket before quickly snatching her blaster up in her hands. Checking to make sure all of her teammates had their guns at the ready, Numbuh 0.6 nodded towards the door before raising her leg and kicking it open. The door flew back with a loud bang and Sector Z quickly diving into the room. After a second of scanning the room, Numbuh 0.6's eyes landed on a large chamber. Deciding it was the machine that turned kids into mind washed zombies, she smiled. Father was nowhere in sight so it was the perfect time to destroy it. And what better way was there to destroy an adult made machine than six Kids Next Door operatives?
"Is that...?" Numbuh 0.5 trailed off, denoting to the contraption.
Numbuh 0.6 nodded. "I think so. Father's nowhere in sight so let's take it out while we have the chance."
"And how do we do that, exactly?" inquired Numbuh 0.1, eagerly fingering his nunchucks.
"I say we beat into eleventy billion pieces!" Numbuh 0.3 suggested, she too was clutching her weapon excitedly, ready to do some serious damage to anything that was a threat to kid kind.
"Best plan I've heard all day. Let's go for it!" Numbuh 0.2 encouraged.
Numbuh 0.5 unconsciously spun her own weapons between her fingers and added "It's been a slow week. I could use some action!"
"Yeah, c'mon, Numbuh 0.6!" Numbuh 0.4 pleaded, his fists clenching in his boxing gloves.
They all looked towards their leader. Numbuh 0.6 pulled a bowstuff out from her belt and ran a finger along it before smirking. This was going to be fun. Smirk widening, she commanded "Tear it down!" Twirling the bo staff over her head, she jumped into the air, spun around, and slammed the staff onto the machine, creating a serious dent in the surface. She was about to give it another hard whack when a voice shouted "Stop!" Whipping her head around, Numbuh 0.6's face fell.
Standing in the doorway was Father, his black form encompassed by fire. "Stop right now!"
"Or what?" Numbuh 0.6 asked him, her hands on her hips.
"Don't test me, little girl. Trust me when I say you don't want to fight me."
The members of Sector V exchanged a quick glance before Numbuh 0.4 said "Guys, I think we better listen to him. After all, we're clearly at the disadvantage here." His voice dripping with sarcasm as he finished, Numbuh 0.4 took another crack at the machine, hitting it hard with a blaster.
At that, Father sent a fireball at him. The operatives jumped out of the way just in the time, the fireball sizzling harmlessly over their heads. Father approached, breathing heavily. After a moment he smiled and clasped his hands together, his breathing returned to normal. "Hello, children. I take it you're here in regards to my latest invention: the Delightfulization chamber?"
"Is that what you're calling it, you sicko? Well, we've got news for you. You're not going the get the chance to use it." Numbuh 0.3 remarked confidently.
"Yeah! We'll destroy that machine before a single kid falls victim to it." added Numbuh 0.5.
Father laughed then, a deep, maniacal laugh. Sector Z exchanged confused glances before 0.1 asked loudly "What's so funny, creepy?"
Father stopped laughing suddenly, and replied "You children thinking you have the upper hand is what's so funny, especially when you've so easily fallen for my trap."
"Hold up just a sec-" Numbuh 0.6 began, raising her weapon.
Father swept his hand through the air, effectively cutting off the rest of her declaration, and throwing the six kids into his contraption. Before any of them could react, the door slammed shut. The six of them quickly began banging on the door, screaming to be let out. Father only laughed as he began turning the machine on.
As it was booting up, Numbuh 0.6 quickly turned to her teammates and cried "We need a way out now! This machine is going to start literally any second now. Ideas?"
"The wiring! Maybe we can rewire it!" Numbuh 0.2 shouted, pointing at an access panel that was jutting out of the wall.
Numbuh 0.5 pushed her way to the front, ripping the screen away from the wires. She skimmed the wiring before demanding "I need something to cut these wires with now!" Numbuh 0.1 quickly procured a pair of clippers which Numbuh 0.5 made quick work of. After a suspenseful second of waiting, the inside of the chamber went dark, the hum of energy coursing through it went quiet, and the door fell open with a dull clang.
The six operatives flooded out and turned their weapons onto Father who was staring at them in pure, undiluted fury. "You kids still look a little under cooked. Allow me to finish heating you up!" And with that, he held out his arm as a wave of fire poured from his fingertips, making a beeline for Numbuh 0.5.
Numbuh 0.6 tackled her to the ground and out of harm's way, causing the fireball to fly over their heads, singeing a painting hanging from the wall instead. Father's eyes became dangerously narrow slits as he turned toward the leader of the group. She pulled her weapon out from around her back and yelled at her teammates "Run while he's distracted! I'll hold him off and meet up with you guys at the treehouse later!"
"No way! We're not leaving you behind, especially not here!" Numbuh 0.3 argued, grabbing Numbuh 0.6's arm.
Numbuh 0.6 stared at the fingers wrapped around her wrist before yanking her arm free. "Don't undermine my authority, Ashley. Get out of here with the others now! There's no time to argue with me!"
"We're not going anywhere!" Numbuh 0.2 passionately insisted.
"Yeah! We belong here, fighting by your side!" added Numbuh 0.1, coming at Father from behind only to be knocked in the head by a fireball.
"Numbuh 0.1!" Numbuh 0.6 cried out in mourning. Her eyes hardened as she dealt Father a series of blows. "You guys go now!" she maintained her consistency as she continued, "I won't take no for an answer. I've almost got him and I won't risk any more of you getting hurt. Get out while you still can. I promise to meet up with you shortly."
Numbuh 0.3 held her gaze for a moment, a look of understanding forming between the two girls. Without hesitation she broke the gaze and commanded "You heard Numbuh 0.6. Let's clear out team!" By this point the
rest of the team was too injured to fight back and ran out of the house, boarding their ship so that it was ready to take to the skies as soon as Numbuh 0.6 finished off Father.
Once her teammates were gone, Numbuh 0.6 smiled slightly at Father before letting out a feral growl. He had nearly converted her and her friends from adult hating Kids Next Door operatives to adult loving goodie two shoes. Now was time for payback. With a furious scream, Numbuh 0.6 swung her staff at Father, putting all of her strength behind the attack. Father ducked out of the way, flipped to the other side of Numbuh 0.6, and went to attack her from behind. In reply, she raised her ice cream blaster and shot three rounds at Father, taking out his fireball and hitting him in the face all at the same time. Father screamed in indignant rage, his flames increasing in size by eleventy fold. He slowly made his way towards her, Numbuh 0.6's ice cream balls proving ineffective against him, melting several feet away from Father due to the sheer heat of his flames. Tossing her useless ray gun aside, she tried her gumball blaster. However, the gum simply melted, leaving hot, sticky residue all over Father's carpet. This resulted only in his increased anger. Numbuh 0.6 soon found herself without any blasters as they had all been used up or proved ineffective against Father. All she had left was her bo staff. Given that it was a glorified stick, sticks were made of wood, and she was up against Father whose power was pyrokinesis, she was at a complete disadvantage. Still, she gripped her bo staff, ready for Father's attack. However, he did something unexpected: he laughed.
Father stopped his approach, he was laughing so hard. After a moment he regained his composure and spared a glance at Numbuh 0.6. She still looked ferocious and ready to attack him, her bo staff at the ready. Father grinned and asked "Do you really think you still have a chance? Your teammates have left so it's just you against me, you're out of weapons except for that stick of yours, and I have you backed into a corner. What could you possibly do to escape at this point?"
Numbuh 0.6 smirked then. "You really underestimate us, don't you, Father? Just because we're kids you think us incapable of doing virtually anything. Well, you're wrong. We're capable of so
much, beating you included. Even if it's just me against you, the fact that you underestimate me puts you at a disadvantage. So that's why I know I'm going to escape under your hot headed nose." And with that, Numbuh 0.6 sprung forward, her bo staff held high over her head. She brought it down with all of her might, aiming right at Father's head. When it was an inch above his head, Father's arm shot out and gripped the bo staff, wrenching it out of Numbuh 0.6's hands. For the first time that morning, she was truly afraid and her face read as much. Her eyes followed the bo staff's flight trajectory as Father flung it to the opposite side of the room. His let out a mirthless chuckle as he turned back to face Numbuh 0.6. Her fearful gaze quickly melted away, replaced by the stony look of a true KND warrior. If it came to a fist fight, she wouldn't last long, however she was smaller and quicker than Father so if she could get on his other side she could make it to the door and get on her ship before he could catch her. Steeling herself, Numbuh 0.6 inhaled deeply before diving past Father, springing forward, and running towards the door. She nearly made it out of the lab when the door suddenly slammed shut. Numbuh 0.6 was running so fast and the door closed so unexpectedly that she had no time to stop. Shutting her eyes, she braced herself before colliding with the door. Upon contact with the door, Numbuh 0.6 went crashing into the ground, everything fading to black.
Numbuh 0.6's eyes slowly fluttered open, her eyes rapidly blinking against the bright light. With a groan she sat up, wishing her massive headache would disappear. She must have left the lights on in her room before falling asleep. Numbuh 0.6 went to stand up, ready to turn the lights off and go back to sleep. However as she tried to move, she was pulled back by restraints. Confused, she took in her surroundings and realized she wasn't in her room. Her face falling, Numbuh 0.6 recalled the events from earlier. She wasn't in her treehouse. She was in Father's mansion, probably locked inside one of his cells. Looking at what was wrapped around her arm, Numbuh 0.6 felt nauseous. It wasn't a restraint, it was a syringe. Her eyes followed the IV tube to see what it was hooked up to. The fluid was a clear liquid and there was no label anywhere to be found telling her what the pouch contained. Sick to her stomach at the thought of Father injecting her with some mysterious liquid, Numbuh 0.6 attempted to clear her head. She couldn't very well escape if she wasn't completely focused on doing so. Slowly, she grabbed the needle and slowly began pulling it out of her wrist. Suddenly the door banged open. Numbuh 0.6 quickly dropped her hands in her lap.
Father strolled in, head held high, chin in the air. "Ah, Numbuh 0.6, Lauren, may I call you Lauren? Oh, who am I kidding? I can call you whatever I want. I'm glad to see you're awake." He caught her spare a glance towards the IV. His eyes widened with delight before explaining "I see you've noticed my little experiment."
"I am not an experiment, Father. I am a Kids Next Door operative and if you don't let me leave now I can promise you you will regret it. Especially when my team comes looking for me." she confidently snapped at him, tired of how he was talking to her as though she were no more than a mere baby.
"You mean the team you gave direct orders to to stay away from here until you came to them? Would they really disobey their beloved and trusted leader so quickly?" Father asked in a weak attempt to get a rise out of her.
"You wish, Father. But if you're not going to let me go, the least you could do is tell me what the crud you're injecting me with." Numbuh 0.6 told him with a sigh of defeat.
Father leaned against the counter, delicately fingering the IV pouch, contemplating the question she had asked him. Finally he released the bag and replied "Well, since you little brats destroyed my Delightfulization chamber, I had to resort to plan B on turning children from disobedient to delightful. So I thought what better way to turn kids into adults then take adult DNA and insert it into children? And what better adult to take DNA from than myself, the best adult on this gosh darn planet?"
Comprehension dawned on Numbuh 0.6's face as her eyes flashed from the IV pouch to the needle pumping her body full with it. "Y-your DNA is inside me?" she shrieked, pulling at the cord in desperation.
Father cackled at the terrified child, gleaming immense pleasure from her patent terror. "You can
relax. It doesn't seem to have worked anyway. I've been injecting you with my DNA for days now and there's been no change. But that's obvious because if there had been some form of change you would currently be a lot more pleasant."
Numbuh 0.6 scowled and dangerously hissed "Nothing you ever do to me will make me like you. The only way I'll ever become an adult at the hands of you is if you hold me prisoner here until I am one. But trust me when I say this: I will escape long before that happens."
Father smirked at her before taunting "We'll see how cocky and disrespectful you are after another round of injections. I'll leave you alone to your transformation."
Numbuh 0.6 huffed in reply, otherwise remaining silent. Choosing to ignore this, Father walked out of the cell, locking the door behind him. As soon as Father was gone, Numbuh 0.6 yanked the needle out of her wrist. She let out a gasp of pain before sucking in a breath, clamping her mouth shut with her hand. But Father didn't return, apparently oblivious to her escape plan.
Once she was free from the IV, Numbuh 0.6 took stock of herself. She was still in her own clothes, her bo staff still secured in her belt. But that was the only piece of 2 by 4 technology she had on her because the rest had been used up in her previous battle with Father days ago. "I can't complain. I have one weapon at least." she whispered under her breath. She then surveyed the room. Apart from the metal framed bed and the IV drip, there was a small lab table with various syringes and slender, metal tools. There was also a stack of files. Numbuh 0.6 flipped through the files and saw they were on her and the other members of Sector Z. Frowning, she tucked the files inside her jacket. Sure, Father could have backup files or means to get another copy, but it felt good all the same taking the ones he had, knowing it would irritate him more than anything else.
Giving the room one more once over, Numbuh 0.6 decided it was time to bust herself out. The cell had no windows and only one door, a door that was currently locked. Selecting one of the sharper metal instruments on the table, Numbuh 0.6 quickly jammed it into the door jam, wiggling it around before the lock finally broke. The door slid open by a few inches with an eerie creak. With a cringe, Numbuh 0.6 waited for Father to come running but he must have been too far gone to hear her escape. Giddy with pride, she pocketed the metal instrument incase any other locks required picking, gripped her bo staff with both hands, and sprinted out of the cell. She kept to the shadows, crouching as low as possible while maintaining a consistent speed. Fortunately, she made it to the main entrance without running into Father. She pushed her way outside only to see something that made her heart sink.
Sector Z's main jet was parked out front. Heart pounding, she ran inside and called out for her teammates. "Numbuh 0.3! Numbuh 0.1! Numbuh 0.2! 0.5! 0.4! Are you guys in here?" She practically turned the ship upside down looking for them but the search was fruitless. None of her teammates were on board. That meant they were all inside Father's mansion.
As much as she didn't want to go back inside, nothing was more important than her teammates safety. Even if she got hurt or worse along the way, it didn't matter as long as they were alright. Gritting her teeth, and even more thoroughly infuriated with Father, she pushed past the entrance, making her way back inside. Numbuh 0.6 crept through the entrance of the mansion before making her way down the hallway, keeping to the shadows as she did so.
Checking each doorway for sounds of her friends, Numbuh 0.6 paused outside of Father's laboratory. Pressing her ear against the door, she recognized Father's voice as he ranted away to who she presumably guessed was her teammates. She heard Father say "...and while your precious leader is subject to my experimentation, you five will help me test out my new Delightfulization chamber." Numbuh 0.6's face pale as she heard him say that.
She broke down the door at the sound of a struggle. Running her fastest, she arrived just in time to see them thrown inside and Father turn the contraption on. Numbuh 0.6 paused, paralyzed with fear, managing to scream at the same time it blew up. She felt so consumed by rage that she exploded in the literal sense, her body completely engulfed in flames. In the next second, Numbuh 0.6 was on top of Father beating the ever loving snot out of him. For all she knew, her friends were all dead. After all, the Delightfulization chamber had blown up with them all packed inside. So she acted without thinking, laying fiery blow after blow onto him. Numbuh 0.6 had tears streaming out of her eyes and was so entirely engulfed with rage that she didn't notice that she and Father had been joined by five individuals.
When the perfectly in unison "Hello, Father," filled the room, her heart stopped and she froze, giving Father enough time to throw her off of him. Numbuh 0.6 crashed into the wall, hard, and collapsed onto the floor. Shaking her head, she jumped up, a ball of fire at her disposal, ready to throw it right at Father. But when she got a sight of who Father was standing in front of, she doused her fire.
Numbuh 0.6 was staring at her teammates, but they had been Delightfulized. Their KND battle wear was replaced by preppy uniforms. Numbuhs 0.3 and 0.5 were wearing light blue and white shirts and matching skirts.
Numbuhs 0.1, 0.2, and 0.4 were all wearing dark blue suits. Their hair was suddenly well kept and in bland up-dos, their weapons and gadgets dissipated into thin air. If Numbuh 0.6 hadn't personally seen her teammates turn into these carbon copied zombies herself, she wouldn't have believed they were her teammates given that they looked nothing alike.
The five of them moved forward as one, stopping just a few feet away from where Numbuh 0.6 currently stood. "Well, well, well, if it isn't Number 0.6. Someone's been a very naughty girl. You need to chill out!" They shouted in perfect harmony just as Father began walking towards her.
Things were looking bleak and Numbuh 0.6 only had a few seconds at best before she'd be captured. She had no weapons other than her bo staff and she wasn't about to attack her teammates with a weapon. Rummaging through her pockets, she pulled out a narrow, cylindrical device. Her eyes widened at the find. It was the perfect solution to her current situation. A few months ago, Sector Z began developing a device that would erase the minds of teenagers and adults alike so that if caught, KND operatives would simply need to flash it at the capturer to erase their minds for the past few hours, giving the operative a chance to escape. As Father and her delightfulized teammates approached, Numbuh 0.6 held the device up and clicked the button. White light filled the room and they all went to shield their eyes.
She took their moment of distraction to escape the mansion. Heart pounding as adrenaline coursed through her body, Numbuh 0.6 flew into the ship. Tears streaming down her eyes, she blinding flew off to the Kids Next Door Moonbase. It wasn't long before she arrived.
"Numbuh 0.6! You better have a good reason for practically crashing into our Moonbase and storming in here like you own the place!" Numbuh 274 exclaimed, stepping in line behind her.
"Listen, Numbuh 274, I don't have time for this. I need to see Numbuh 663 immediately." Numbuh 0.6 explained, hating that of all the operatives she could have run into, it was the most stuck up one.
"Numbuh 663! The leader of our entire operation has much more important things to do with
his valuable time than putting up with you." He shouted at her.
Numbuh 0.6 snapped at that. She turned around and slapped Numbuh 274 across the face as
hard as possible, leaving a red mark on his cheek.
He held his face in his hands, a few tears leaking out of his eyes, and exclaimed "Ow!"
"There's more where that came from if you don't shut up!" Numbuh 0.6 began, yelling hotly at him. "My teammates lives are in serious danger, not that it's any of your business, and I need to speak with Numbuh 663 before it's too late. So I suggest you get out of my way, Chad, before I slap you so hard I send you into orbit!"
Chad opened his mouth to respond before thinking better of it and shutting his lips. Numbuh 0.6 grumbled under her breath as she continued her run to Numbuh 663's main room. She burst through his door to see him sitting at his desk, filling out paperwork. Upon seeing her, he pushed the paperwork aside and asked "Numbuh 0.6! To what do I owe the pleasure?"
Numbuh 0.6 ran up to him and slammed her hands on the desk. "It's Sector Z! I... I think I'm the only member left."
Numbuh 663 looked at her, then, his eyes widening in confusion. Gesturing at the chair in front of him, he said "Numbuh 0.6, I think an explanation is in order here. Please, sit down and tell me exactly what happened."
Numbuh 0.6 obliged, sitting on the very edge of the chair before recounting the events of the past few days, focusing especially hard on the events of the morning. When she finished, Numbuh 663 frowned deeply. But before he could reply, Numbuh 0.6 added "Due to my failure as the leader of Sector Z and the Delightfulization of my teammates, which I take full responsibility for, I formally resign from the Kids Next Door. However, I request not to be decommissioned so that I may keep an eye on my delightfulized teammates to make sure Father doesn't hurt them, that they don't hurt others, and that I may work on a cure for it."
Numbuh 663 pondered what Numbuh 0.6 had just told him before taking a deep breath and saying "I can't have you resign from the Kids Next Door, you'd never be able to rejoin if you changed your mind. And don't say you wouldn't because the second you get your teammates back to normal you'd want to. However, it would be best if you remained under the radar, so for the time being I could fix our systems so that the KND would be unable to officially recognize you as an operative, therefore our funds, weapons, technology, and resources will be unavailable to aid you on this mission. Sector Z will be deemed lost, the reason will be left shrouded in mystery. After all it would cause too much of a panic if the other sectors knew what Father was capable of. I'm relying on you to keep me updated on any plans Father might have to use this Delightfulization device on a global scale if it comes to that, or any progress you make on fixing your former teammates. Apart from that, you are to have zero contact with me or any other Kids Next Door operative. Given that the rest of your team is 'lost', it would be best if you followed suit."
Her eyes holding his pointed gaze, Numbuh 0.6 nodded slightly. "I understand. I'll stay out of the picture. Thank you for this, Numbuh 663. I promise I'll keep a watchful eye on Father and let you know when I come up with a plan to turn my teammates back into regular KND operatives. I'll work on it until I die so that no team ever has to go through the same experience as mine did, or the same guilt I now have as a result. I just hope I can repay my teammates for what I've caused them by finding a way to turn them back to normal, even if I repay them by just a fraction. That would be enough."
Numbuh 663 placed a hand on top of Numbuh 0.6's and sincerely told her "You have nothing to feel guilty about. This was Father's doing, not yours. Besides, you did us all a favor by coming here instead of staying back there. Had you stayed there you would most likely been caught and Delightfulized yourself and no one would be able to report on Father or tell the story of your Sector. But rest assured Sector Z won't have been Delightfulized in vain. While you work on a cure for your former teammates, I'll have our top scientists work on an anti delightfulization machine just incase."
"Thank you, Danny. I promise I won't let you down." Numbuh 0.6 told him confidently. Her head held high, she stood up. The two shook hands for a brief second. "It was an honor serving the Kids Next Door." she told him as their hands fell apart.
"Likewise, Numbuh 0.6. You truly are the best agent this operation has seen since Numbuh 0 himself. Your leadership over Sector Z has brought forth many a victory for our operation and the downfall of adult tyranny across the globe. I fear for kid kind now that Sector Z is out of commission." Numbuh 663 told her honestly.
Numbuh 0.6 smiled slightly before suggesting "You can always issue a new Sector Z."
This was met with a sad smile. "I think it would only be right if Sector Z faded into legend along with its former members. That is the best way to honor what happened to your teammates. What happened to them, I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. For a KND operative to slavishly obey adults..." Numbuh 663 trailed off in patent disgust. Upon seeing the look of shame that flashed on Numbuh 0.6's face, his face fell slightly before smiling and saying "But I trust you'll soon find a way to right their unfortunate situation, Numbuh 0.6."
Her face filled with determination as she replied "There's no doubt that I will right the wrong I was powerless to prevent. Even if it's the last thing I do." With that, she did a one eighty and walked out of Numbuh 663's office. She leapt into her ship before zipping off to Sector Z's treehouse, ready to do whatever it took to undelightfulize her teammates.