Link has been reestablished. Now resuming tranmission

Contrary to popular belief, and the occasional KND She-said-He-said Gossip article, Kuki was not an idiot. She knew this and her friends knew this, so that was okay with her. Others could say what they want, it never bothered her too much. Sometimes she'd get a bit grumpy at the rudeness, but hey, kids were kids.

Kuki was not an idiot, but there were times she felt like one. Like just a few minutes ago when she realized how stupid it was to think the Delightful Children would ever once consider someone beyond themselves.

And just like right now, as she realized how stupid it was to walk into unknown, hostile territory with no weapons, Intel, or backup.

Not one of her brightest ideas, but she was optimistic.

After a short climb and quick jaunt through the study, Kuki found herself back in the winding hallway of the manor. She hugged the wall tightly, inching across at snail's pace to avoid detection. No mind addled teens or adults had passed by recently, so she hoped that was a good sign.

The door to the dining hall was in sight and she had to take a few calming breathes to alieve her growing anxiety. She could hear her common sense throwing a fit; she should turn back, escape while she could, and get reinforcements. While that was the logical thing to do, she couldn't bring herself to leave. People needed her help (even though 90% were villains), and there was no telling what those twins would do while she ran away.

Besides, if the Delightfuls ever got wind that she turned tail after she charged in to prove them wrong, she would never hear the end of it from them next time they met. It would be on and on with we-told-you-so jibs and how they knew she couldn't handle those two girls on her own.

Well, she would sure show them, the meanies.

"-not fair I tell you!"

"Oh come now, Sasha-"

"Don't oh come now, Sasha me! I really mean it!"

Kuki's breath's hitched. Their voices were slipping out of the door and were getting louder with each step. The young girl had a moment of doubt but squished it down and continued on. She would find a way to beat them. There was always a way.

With the grace of a shadow, Kuki crept to the door, gently pressing into the frame to peer inside. The crack widened, and her narrow view expanded until she could witness most of the scene before her.

The dining table was gone, nowhere in sight, and two cushy Victorian style chairs took its place. In each of them sat one of the twins, the two bickering to pass the time. Around them, standing in place and staring off into space, were a few guests. Kuki only recognized Cree and The Steve; the other villains were those her sector did not encounter often enough to care about.

Between the twins, a glass table stood erect with a simplified arrangement of treats and tea they had earlier, though no doubt shortened to only accommodate two. The only sweet worth mentioning specifically was the Delightful cake; still imprisoned in glass and acting more like a trophy than a sweet.

That weird, jade tea pot from earlier was filled to the brim with tea, and next to it sat the clear sugar container. Kuki grimly noted that it was much fuller now. Selina snapped her fingers, and one of the adults reached for the kettle, pouring her and her sister a modest cup.

"Have some tea," Selina said. She brought her cups daintily to her lips and took a quiet sip. "Anxiety is most unbefitting of you."

"Yes, but I can't help it," Sasha whined before taking a shaking sip. Her jitters lessened the more she indulged, but her face still carried signs of melancholy. "We went through all this trouble, sullied our own hands, and for what?"

Selina quirked a brow.

"Nothing, Selina. Nothing!" Sasha snarled. "You said this would lure them here for sure!"

"I said this would be perfect bait. I gave no guarantee the brats would take it."

"Well they didn't!" Sasha wailed, childishly kicking her feet. Selina rolled her eyes, but Sasha was far too caught up in herself to notice. "I wanted revenge so bad and now I won't get it. I actually think I may cry." Her lip quivered, eyes watering and cheeks flushing. Suddenly her face went dry as she looked to the quiet Steve expectantly. "You there, cry for me."

"Sure, Madam Sasha," Steve said, voice devoid of emotion. "Boo-hoo. Boo-hoo-hoo. Like, wah, and stuff."

"Ugh, that's enough," Sasha groaned, pushing him down. Steve did not respond or move to lift himself as Sasha snapped her fingers for Cree to produce a hanky. "You call that crying? Honestly, I have to do everything myself."

Sasha broke down into a pathetic display of tears and Kuki fought down the urge to scoff.

Sheesh.

She sized them up with a scrutinizing gaze, carefully noting every ruffle of their dresses and curls of their hair. The twins looked no older than she, only more uptight and haughty.

Okay, so they had weird soul-stealing sugar powers. It wasn't the weirdest thing she had encountered. It was weird. Very weird and very creepy. But it wasn't the weirdest, so maybe things weren't as grim as they appeared. Besides, that trick only worked if she drank their tea, which thankfully, she hadn't. So she was safe, right? Right.

This planning thing was easier than she thought. Maybe she could convince Nigel to let her think up the strategy next time he got fussy. But that would come later. Now, she had to sneak in there and save the day.

And save the day she would! Perhaps if she poked around some more, she could find another way into the dining hall. She would be doubly careful, extra sneaky, and everything would be all hunky-dory again.

Kuki turned to sneak off, but squeaked as she bumped into something. "Oh, excuse me. I'm just trying to sneak into…"

Her voice grew quieter she her eyes trailed up the length of the man and his armor. Her eyes met with those of Mr. Fizz, the adult staring blankly down at her.

"Oh poop."

"Maybe we're not looking hard enough," Sasha said. Her tissue dabbed at her eyes and she held off another wave of sobs. "Where have we not looked?"

"There's no telling," Selina grumbled. She loved her sister, truly she did, but the sap had a terribly one-track mind. "For now, it's best to postpone our search."

"Postpone!? Are you crazy? You can't possibly be giving up on getting even with those-"

"I WANT TO MAKE THEM PAY AS MUCH AS YOU DO!" Selina exploded, and Sasha quickly moved to cower behind her chair. "Not a night goes by where I don't dream of cornering them with looks of abject horror carved into their faces. But we're wasting time looking for those brats when we could be harvesting more sugar!"

"Madam Selina, Madam Sasha."

Selina paused her tirade to school her features. Once she had settled, Sasha meekly repositioned herself while her sister greeted the return of their new minion. "This had better be good."

Mr. Fizz marched into the room, the ground shaking under the weight of his soda-suit. "I have apprehended a child."

Sasha blinked. "A child? Don't you mean children?"

"No," Fizz replied as he presented his bounty, Kuki squirming in his bottled grasp. "Just the one."

"You idiot," Selina hissed, her fists trembling and nostrils flaring. "There were six of them!"

"Now hold on, Selina, look," Sasha quickly said, trying to defuse her sister before another outburst spewed forth. "He brought the sweet one, see?"

Selina took a moment to recognize Kuki. Her expression softened with a smile and Sasha was awash with relief. "Oh, so he did. I suppose that'll do. Don't just stand there, bring her here."

Kuki tried her best to escape as Fizz moved closer, but it seemed pointless. Before she knew it, she found herself again in the twins' presence, only under more serious circumstances. Their mindless drones looked on passively and the two just sat in their seats with smug sneers.

"It was Kuki, wasn't it? I was always good with names," Selina joked. Kuki responded with a childish raspberry and Selina's eyebrow ticked. "Disrespectful little whelp, aren't you?"

"You know how kids are, dear," Sasha said airily. She leaned forward, hands on her knees as she puffed her cheeks. "Where are your friends? Did they leave you all alone?"

Kuki huffed and looked away.

"You poor, poor thing." Sasha giggled. "Their loss, but don't you fret. We have just the thing to cheer you up!"

Selina made a hand motion, and Cree responded. The teenager poured a fresh cup of tea and passed it to her master. Selina took it and gestured for Fizz to lower Kuki closer. "It's very rude to deny a cup when offered, but seeing as it's your first party, we'll let it slide. We're nothing if generous."

"Very generous," Sasha said with a mad grin. "Now be a good little girl and drink up."

Kuki looked at the tea with a disgusted look. "No thanks. It's icky."

"I wasn't asking."

"No!"

"Be reasonable, it isn't that bad," Selina intoned, waving the cup hypnotically in front of her face. "Discounting those nasty little side effects, I think you'll find our tea to the most delicious refreshment you've ever had. We're not cruel, sweetie. We stand for nothing but the best for those under our future employ."

"She's right, you know. It's only fair you sample what you'll soon be serving us." Sasha reached up to pinch Kuki's cheeks and ignored her wince. "Don't make us forcing you. Isn't there anything we can do to butter you up?"

Kuki gulped. She could feel the heat radiating from the cup; her taste buds screaming at the thought of it. However, the longer she pondered, the more her mind wandered. Her eyes slowly moved from the tea to Fizz, and she took a quick headcount of those around the sisters.

"Uh, how hot is it?" Kuki asked? "Is it really, really hot?"

"Is that all?" Selina rolled her eyes and lifted the cup up to Cree. "Blow on this, will you?"

"No, no, no! That's not it," Kuki interrupted. "I like my tea hot. Really, really, really hot?"

"Ah, a girl after my own heart!" Sasha excitedly reached for the tea, Selina releasing it without struggle. Sasha held the cup in her hands, steam rising and becoming more prevalent the longer she held it. Satisfied, she presented it to Kuki with a proud smile. "A little trick I learned for when the brew goes cold. Here, do try it!"

Kuki gingerly took the cup, holding it with an awkward smile. She braced herself, extended her pinky, and quickly downed the entire drink. The twins looked on wildly as they pressed their fingers together. Now all Kuki had to do was swallow.

Only, Kuki didn't swallow.

Kuki spat the scalding tea into Mr. Fizz's face.

"AHH!" the man screamed. The drink hissed against his thinly mustache, and he dropped Kuki as he attempted to wipe off his face with his over-sized gauntlets. "IT BURNS!"

Finally free, Kuki landed onto the ground. Her tongue lolled from her mouth, using a hand to fan it off while she swung her leg under Fizz's heels. The man teetered over, falling towards the sisters. Selina and Sasha yelped, the former grabbing the container and the latter snatching the kettle as Fizz crashed through the table.

The commotion spurred Cree and Steve into action. The two teens jumped into the fray to subdue the girl who so crudely insulted their mistresses. Cree's hand robotically moved to activate her BRA, but Kuki anticipated that. She moved to intercept Cree and caught her wrist. She sailed over the teen, bringing her arm with her, then pivoted on her toes and tossed Cree into Steve.

Kuki stayed in motion, but skidded to a halt as a group of villains blocked her path. She turned, only to freeze upon seeing the Toiletnator aiming his two-ply rolls. He fired, but Kuki nimbly dodged, and the villains behind her became entrapped in coils of the paper themselves.

The girl rolled over to the downed Mr. Fizz as he shook off the tea and tried to stand. Kuki forced his face into the rug and grabbed his arm to aim his soda gauntlet at the recovering teenagers. She fired, and Cree and Steve were pressed into the wall by a torrent of sticky root beer.

"Rah!" Toiletnator was stubborn, even under someone else's sway, and blindly charged to pummel the defiant girl. Kuki saw this and swiftly crawled onto Fizz's back. She ripped off the panel of his jet-pack, and called forth memoires of when she would watch Hoagie rewire HIPPIEHOP during repairs.

With a twist there, and a short zap to the caffeine nozzle, Fizz's rockets bubbled to life. Kuki waited until the Toiletnator was right on top of them, then flipped away as she kicked the jet-pack into overdrive. Without warning, Fizz shot off, crashed into the lavatory based villain, and the both of them went flying wildly into the air.

Fizz and Toiletnator went barreling through the nearest window and off somewhere into the night. Kuki panted with exhaustion as she looked around. The rest of the adults were still tangled in toilet paper, and Cree and Steve mildly struggled to free themselves from their sticky confines.

Okay, so that was over. Now she just needed to beat the twins.

"See? This is what happens when we draft help from the riffraff."

Kuki twirled as she heard Sasha speak, but found that aside from the incapacitated villains, she was alone.

"Tut, tut, tut. I bet she thinks she's earned a treat."

Kuki slowly backed up, eyes wildly looking for the two. Their voices seemed to be coming from everywhere at once. The hairs on the back of her neck stood and she sporadically turned to see Sasha appear. The girl had a face-splitting grin as she used the kettle to pour tea into her palm. The scalding brew hissed as it coated Sasha's hand and spilled to the floor, but the girl seemed completely unfazed.

"Oh yes," Sasha crackled. She stopped pouring and balled her fist, the tea slipping between her fingers. "A treat!"

Sasha swung her fist in an arch, a long tendril of tea whipping out and cracking Kuki across the face. The child's vision blurred as her world went spinning. She fell to the ground and quickly held her burning cheek. Tears threatened to spill as she bit down her whimpers and refused to show weakness.

The Delightfuls had the right idea. Once she got out of here, she would swear off the tea for the rest of her life.

Yet as a shadow loomed and she looked up to see Selina looking down at her, she found herself wondering if she would get out of this at all.

"I'm starting to remember why I hate children in general," Selina mused as she rolled a cube of sugar between her fingers. She tossed the cube into the air, the item exuding a bright, white light as it landed in her palm. She clenched down, and after a blinding flash, a scythe of pure sugar appeared in her grasp. She twirled the instrument and held the blade to Kuki's neck. "You're all so disobedient!"

"And that, sweetie, just will not do," Sasha added as she joined her sister. She knelt down, bringing the kettle with her. She prodded Kuki's chin with the spout, her eyes gleaming with deadly intent. "You looked parched."

"We insist that you drink to your heart's content," Selina said as she pressed the scythe deeper into Kuki's skin. "Or else you'll come to find our hospitality most hostile."

"That is a most amusing statement coming from you two."

BAM

Kuki opened her eyes to see Selina and Sasha knocked off to the side. Their refined images shattered as they yelped and tumbled across the dining hall, rolling and lurching while their dresses knotted and tangled. They finally stopped, bodies meshed into each other as they laid there; humiliated to be caught off guard in such a manner.

She slowly sat up, at a loss for words as her apparent saviors stood next to her. The Delightful Children stared at the twins, almost bored as they waited for them to right themselves.

"Shall we educate you on true hostility?" they asked with level gazes, their faces stern and carrying sharp glares. "We find ourselves eager to impart our knowledge upon your faces."

Selina blinked as she mentally replayed the last twenty seconds. "Did you just smack us with a giant coffee mug?"

"Oh look, it can pay attention," they scoffed. They looked to Cuppa Joe's mug they acquired before storming in, then simply tossed it off the side uncaringly. "Crude, but more than effective against the likes of you."

Selina found her face twisting into a venomous snarl as fury clouded her thoughts. She looked ready to explode on the five arrogant brats, but found herself thrown away as Sasha rose and beat her to the punch.

"How dare you!" Sasha raged, chest heaving as the Delightfuls looked on unimpressed. "You're going to wish you ran while you had the chance. What do you think you're doing!?"

"We came to have a tea party," they wryly said. "What do you think we're doing?"

"Isn't that adorable?" Selina jeered as she dusted herself off and joined her sister. "They came back to save their little friend."

"Don't waste our time with such drivel. We've come to take back our cake by force." Their eyes shifted to Kuki as they acknowledged her. "Besides, if we're not mistaken, Sanban gave us her word that we would leave this place with her together. We won't stand for someone to weasel out of established oral contracts."

Despite their emotionless words and indifferent stares, Kuki couldn't help but smile.

"Oh, gag me," Selina said. "The nerve of some people; marching in here like they own the place. You cretins have no idea whom you're messing with."

"We have a general idea, and we're far from awed," they scoffed. "It should be no trouble to remind a couple of uppity housemaids of the pecking order."

Selina and Sasha tensed, their faces livid as they glared at the five. The sheer audacity these children had was beyond infuriating, and their own intent bordered on murderous. "What did you call us?"

"It's rather funny, honestly," they Delightfuls continued, gaining devious little smirks as they rattled the twins' egos. "Behind that flimsy veil of superiority, you two are nothing more than a pair of servants who forgot their true place in life. You got lucky, slipped out of your collars, and now you roam around pretending to be of high society. It's hilarious." They paused to laugh for effect. "To think we were so apprehensive of you. You two numbskulls haven't changed in the slightest."

Selina looked ready to retort, but stopped as she narrowed her eyes. Their words cut deep and sounded almost personal, yet that should be impossible.

They had already established that they knew nothing of them, so they couldn't possibly know their history. Selina peered off to the side, her mind taking a moment to contemplate the situation before studying the Delightfuls long and hard.

The resemblance was too uncanny, yet it couldn't possibly be them.

Could it?

"You…y-you insufferable hoodlums!" Sasha, however, appeared too far gone in fury to give their insults any deeper level of thought. "You think you can just waltz in here, crash our party, and insult us? We are ladies of the highest degree and DEMAND that you grovel and show us proper-"

"We tire of your theatrics!" the Delightfuls growled as they stood between the girls and Kuki. "Might we suggest you stop being such bores and reveal your true selves?"

Kuki blinked, confused, then gasped. With tremendous effort Lenny broke from the group, stepping forward as his fists clenched. "We remember you now."

Constance followed suit, moving to the opposite flank of her Delightful sibling. "We know your little charade."

David cracked his neck as he broke and moved into the looser stance. "We beat you once."

Ashely smirked, crossing her arms as she mirrored the others actions. "And when we destroy you this time?"

Bruce nodded his head, taking point of the V formation. "It shall be most delightful."

Sasha's eyes widened. The full weight of their defiance making more and more sense.

They looked just like…but they weren't.

…but those eyes, those voices, and that rebellious attitude.

She raised a shaking finger, lips moving but no sound being produced as she wrapped her mind around the revelation that thundered in her mind.

"It's them."

Sasha turned to look at Selina, the girl giving a small, cute smile. Every passing second, her smile grew and grew until it reached devilish proportions. "The little liars, it really is them!"

Her sister's words bolstered her affirmations, and Sasha found her lips twitching until she burst out laughing, clapping her hands like a toddler during Christmas.

Kuki felt a shiver go up her spine, feeling something very off about that laugh. Selina was no better, the girl simply crossing her arms and letting a dark smirk adorn her face. The Delightfuls stood vigilant, yet Kuki noticed how tight their postures became.

"It's them! It's them, it's them, it's them, and oh it's too good to be true!" she said with a cheery giggle. Sasha danced around, her exuberance off-putting to everyone present minus Selina. She gave one last little twirl before eyeing the five with a toothy grin. "WE FOUND YOU!"

"We have missed you so very much," Selina said, "our ever so elusive Sector Z."

Kuki audibly gasped, looking at the Delightfuls in a new light.

She had heard the stories, every operative and their sibling had heard the stories. Stories of the legendary Sector Z and how they mysteriously vanished without a trace.

Five folktales and five omens that shadowed the Kids Next Door.

It was only recently under Numbuh Three-Sixty-Two that the sector itself had been taken off the blacklist, superstition going only so far these days.

But now, after all this time, she discovered that Sector Z wasn't missing at all.

They were simply living right down the lane.

"No way," she said, her voice painted with shock and awe. "You guys are the missing Sector Z?"

Constance quirked a brow as she regarded Kuki. "It appears Nigel has been keeping secrets. How like him to keep such information to himself."

"Perhaps it's for the best," David politely interrupted. "The last thing we need is the losers next door staging a faulty rescue mission."

"We implore you to reconsider. You brats are going to need rescuing once we've had our way with you," Sasha said as she flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Ah, but that just isn't your style, is it now, Numbuh 0.2?"

"It's David."

"If that's what you want on your tombstone, so be it." Selina chuckled, lightly covering her mouth as she smiled. "I've waited so long for this."

"But has it truly been that long? I mean, look at them," Sasha said. "The only thing that's changed of them is their new wardrobe. You must share your beauty secrets, darlings."

Kuki frowned. "What does that mean?"

"None of your concern," Bruce quickly shot down before refocusing on the main threat. "If we're done reveling in nostalgia, can we get this over with? Father will be most displeased if we miss our curfew."

Suddenly, Sasha's smile became far more restrained. Her easy-going posture tightened and she snapped a hand to her hip. "My word, such callous disregard for all the trouble we've endured to fashion this reunion."

"Isn't it obvious?" Selina said, her stance and change in voice mirroring the girl beside her. "Under the shallow layer of posh and pamper those recalcitrant little deviants have not changed a bit."

"Sister, I believe it's time for us to give them a schooling." Sasha smirked, fangs jutting from her lips as her eyes began to eerily glow. "And sometimes the most inestimable lessons are the most laborious."

"True," Selina agreed, a pink aura radiating from her skin as she shared a look with her sister. "Shall we, Sasha?"

"Of course, Selina."

Kuki shielded her eyes as the swirling energy around the twins became blinding. Once the flash died down, she rubbed at her eyes and looked for the sisters again. Her head tilted in confusion, not seeing the two little blonds anywhere. Did they run away?

She was about to ask the Delightfuls if they scared them off, but noticed the five staring intently at a spot not too far away. Kuki followed their line of sight, and her eyes widened as she saw two completely different people.

Two girls, much older looking teenagers, stood as they idly sipped away at their tea. Their silvery curls bounced with every step they took, and their crimson skin was far too detailed for them to be suddenly flush with sunburn.

Kuki shivered as spade tipped tails coiled around their feet, the appendages stretching and flexing in freedom. Both girls looked identical, with only slight cosmetic and clothing differences.

This was definitely not a good thing.

"Who are you?"

"Perhaps proper introductions are in order," the one dressed as a maid laughed. "I am Lady Sasha."

"And I am her darling sister, Lady Selina," Selina clarified as she adjusted the tie of her butler unifrom. "And we are the Charming Servants of the Lower Circle."

Sasha smirked. "Or we used to be, anyway."

Kuki tapped her foot, the name not registering in her memory. "Servants?"

"Yes," Lenny answered. "These two demons used to prepare tea for the Annoyingly Cute Triplets who lived Upon the Hill. Their mother used their services to insure the triplets and any other children would remain under her control."

"I do so miss Mistress Dearest, she knew how to keep a brat in line," Sasha reminisced with a sad smile. "Such a shame her and our charges fell the day of the Alamode."

"A shame for her. We, on the other hand, saw an opportunity," Selina said. "With Dearest and her Triplets gone, we had no one to serve, yet our contract remained active. The decades we spent wallowing searching for someone proper to serve was agonizing. Ah, but then came the faithful day we discovered our wonderful new masters."

"Ourselves, of course," Sasha grinned, fangs jutting out. "For the following centuries we threw fabulous tea parties, taking the sugars for ourselves to brew our concoction to perfection. Everything was going so splendidly."

Selina's face fell into a sneer as her gaze settled on the Delightfuls. "That is until Sector Z happened."

Kuki looked to her temporary allies. "What did you guys do to make them so mad?"

"We beat them, obviously," Constance answered. "We were foolhardy idiots back then. Risking our very lives to protect ungrateful children from these two without asking anything in return. Ugh, we were so sentimental back then. Disgusting."

"Oh, that makes sense," Kuki mumbled to herself. The reasoning behind this elaborate event was much more obvious now. "But if they wanted to get you guys, why did they go through all this trouble and steal your cake."

"Sector Z went missing; from you and us," Selina answered. She motioned to the cake. "We needed a way to flush them out of hiding. Sector Z's one fatal flaw was their love of cake. Always searching for the grandest pastry and sharing it amongst anyone. We knew in order to bring them to us, we had to entice them with something they could never refuse."

"Then we heard about the Delightful Children and how they had the best cakes around. We knew then we found our perfect bait for cake lovers of all ages," Sasha said. "Knowing beforehand that they and Sector Z were one in the same would have saved us trouble, but truthfully? I find this turn of events much more satisfying."

Bruce growled. "The only satisfying thing about this disaster is the fact we'll have the pleasure of wiping the floor with you two a second time."

"Yeah! We'll show them, new Sector Z friends," Kuki cheered. She raised her fists into the air. "Kids Next Door-"

"There will be none of that!" the Delightfuls protested in unison, causing Kuki to flinch. "This revelation changes nothing. We are not in the Kids Next Door and we are NOT Sector Z!"

"Such denial, it's almost sad," Selina said. She snapped her fingers, her sugar scythe flying back to her hand. "But not as sad as the humiliation you put us through! It matters not who you are or who you were, by the end of tonight the only thing you brats will be is dead."

Sasha held her hand out, the spilled tea collecting around her fingers. The mixture gave off steam as it solidified in a long whip. "Indeed. Talk is so dull, I do believe we'll vent our frustrations through actions now."

"Resorting to violence? How barbaric," David scolded. While he talked, Kuki watched as his hand slowly moved to his pocket. "In matters such as these, we think a mature, rational discussion is in order-TAKE THIS!"

"Gah!" Sasha hit the deck and Selina yelped as whatever David tossed smacked against her forehead. She held her head, eyes twitching as she watched some small, beeping device fall to the floor. "THAT WAS A CHEAP SHOT YOU LITTLE-"

"NOW!"

All at once the Delightfuls sprinted into battle, the five running and jumping up to tackle the twins while they were distracted.

Sasha, still low to the ground, positioned herself on all fours, and pounced. She twisted herself between their formation, turning around to snap her whip around David, Constance, and Ashley. With an insane cackle, the demon spun around in the air, slamming the three through one of the random paintings dangling from the wall.

Selina simply reeled back her scythe, preparing for a swing as Bruce and Lenny honed in. Thinking quickly, Lenny tossed his football helmet towards the attendant, and Selina stumbled as it knocked against her skull. Bruce brought down his heel, connecting where the helmet landed, and used the force to knock Selina off her feet.

The other three Delightfuls groaned, pushing aside a tattered Picasso and trying to regain their balance. David was the first to notice Sasha sprinting to them, and reached to a still intact Dali frame and chucked it. Sasha feel into a cartwheel, cleanly slashing through the painting with her whip. With extreme difficulty, the three split. Sasha brought her whip down a second too late, leaving a deep gash in the wall. Eyes wild, the first two she noticed were David and Ashley, and she giggled with manic glee as she gave chase.

Constance stumbled away, having to lean on a nearby chair for support. She held her head, feeling a tad faint. Splitting up for this long was a horrible idea. She felt two hands lift her up, and she glanced to see Kuki fussing over her.

"Are you alright?" Kuki asked as she inspected the girl. She didn't appear to have any external injuries, but then again, she was no expert on Delightful physiology. "Any physical or emotional boo-boos?"

Constance weakly pushed Kuki away, her eyes desperately scanning the room for something. "Where is…the kettle?"

"Kettle?"

"The tea kettle, you idiot," Constance said, voice getting weak. Darn it, they thought they could hold out a bit longer. "We need it to beat them."

"Oh, right," Kuki nodded, face filling with understanding. Only for it to lose its understanding a moment later. "Hey, how did you guys beat them last time anyway?"

"They're lowly house servants; they have rules they must abide," Constance groaned. David and Ashley were faring poorly against Sasha; she could feel it. "Their magic was meant to serve the Triplets. Servants serve others, never-AH!"

Constance crippled over in pain, feeling it moment before it happened. Kuki, however, was taken completely by surprise when the bodies of David and Ashley were thrown into them. The youngest of sector V went flopping off to the left, while the three of the former sector Z whined and moaned in a heap.

"I think you've lost your touch, Numbuh 0.3. You were so frustratingly nimble last time," Sasha sneered as she pressed a foot onto Ashley's back. She spared a glance to David, grinning at the tears in his suit. "Though poor Numbuh 0.2 is no better. I say, you've all gotten spoiled and out of shape."

Sasha suddenly ducked, avoiding Constance's sloppy jump kick. With a flick of her fingers, Sasha's whip clutched the girl's heel and flung her upwards. She kicked Ashley away as her free hand rose to catch the Constance mid-air, her nails digging into her neck.

"Tsk, tsk, Numbuh 0.5, I'm sorely disappointed in you. Look at you, gasping for air. You had better resilience than that when you hit me with the broadside of a cinderblock." Her grip tightened and Constance cried. "You thought I'd forgotten about that, didn't you, you rotten little pest!?"

Her tirade was cut short when a heel slapped her in the back of her head. She stumbled, dropping Constance and nearly tripping over herself. She dizzily spun around, searching for her assailant, only for the small, angry, mass of Kuki to barrel into her side.

"Leave her alone, you big fat jerk!" she said, launching into a series of punches, chops, and kicks. Sasha, still dazed from the blow to the head, took more licks than she would ever admit in private company.

Acting on pure instinct, the demon roared and slapped wildly, catching Kuki by surprise.

"I've just about had it with you!" she yelled as she curled her whip around the child's waist. She harshly beat her into the wall, then lifted her high into the air before sending her plummeting to the floor. "STAY DOWN!"

Kuki crashed into the floor, her body going limp as she groaned into the carpet. Satisfied, Sasha returned her attention to the three only now just getting up behind her. "Now where were we?"

Bruce ran like the wind, like lightening as he weaved around Selina's strikes. He saw a stray foot stool, slid under it, and grabbed it before he righted himself. As he came up, he tossed it towards his foe, only for her to slice through it with ease. She was unnervingly close, and after a second, he winced as his tie was cut off.

"I'm not holding any punches this time, boy," Selina said as she brought up her scythe. Coming up from the rear, Lenny attempted to hit her while her sides were exposed, but she only laughed as brought her blunt end down upon his head and he went out like a light. "Seems Numbuh 0.4 isn't as head strong as he used to be."

Bruce backpedaled on his hands as Selina buried her scythe into the floor. She jerked it free, a veil of sugar dusting off the weapon, but she recovered and stalked after the boy. He crawled under the table, trying to gain a moment to recover, but he screamed as Selina cut through the wood, one section at a time.

"And you've grown so meek, Numbuh 0.1," Selina taunted as she chopped through the hardwood, Bruce crawling back further and further to get away. "No bravado? No witty remarks? No scathing banter? What was it you called me? Ah yes, a sunburnt hag! Come on, insult me!"

Bruce whimpered as he ran out of cover, backing into the wall and watching as the table was cut down to size as Selina got closer.

"I haven't cut your tongue out yet! But don't you worry. When I get my hands on you, I'll make you pay for every offense. Every humiliation! When I get you, I'm going to cut you into little-"

SLICE

"-itty-"

SLICE

"-BITTY-"

SLICE

Wince.

Bruce braced himself, waiting to be chopped to bits like some carrot on a cutting board. Only, the pain never came. He slowly opened his eyes to see Selina smiling warmly at him as she held her scythe up high.

"Pieces."

SLICE

Bruce narrowly avoided his head been torn off, ducking just in time for the sugary blade to tear into the wall. Strings of his golden hair fell as he lurched forward, hoping escape between her legs. He frantically crawled only to find himself going nowhere. He looked back to see Selina had bent over, gripping the cuff of his collar and her scythe stuck into the wall.

"There's no running away this time."

With tremendous effort, Selina slung Bruce across the dining hall, the final Delightful Child collapsing next to his fallen brethren. He looked up through pained eyes, his siblings by fate laid bare on the floor, their clothes soaked with boiling tea and skin marred with bruises. After taking in their current state, Bruce fell silent as he stared down into his hands. It was just as he suspected.

Selina and Sasha were the same as ever.

"Oh dear sister," Sasha said as he sauntered up to them, her condescending stare igniting their ire. "This was just absolutely…disappointing."

"I'd hate to agree, but you're right," Selina said with a displeased sigh as she joined her demonic twin. "After all these years, after all this planning and anticipation, this what we get? I feel cheated." She held her hand out, and her scythe dislodged itself and flew to her grip. "They're not even the same annoying brats anymore. They've gone soft and have been spoiled. Not even worth harvesting."

"So this is what the great Sector Z has been reduced to," Sasha said, prodding David gingery with the tip of her toe. "I suppose it is fitting. Not how I quite expected, but at least they finally learnt their place."

"Yes. Licking at our heels, begging for mercy."

Kuki groaned as she came to, her head pounding and body crying at every twitch. She gazed up to see the twins circling the Delightfuls, and she struggled to rise to save them before it was too late.

"Leave," she said, shakenly lifting herself on her elbows, "them alone. Ow."

"We'll deal with you momentarily," Selina said dismissively as she and Sasha prepared to finish off the five before them. "For now, say your goodbyes to Sector Z."

The demons expected a range of reactions. Fear, groveling, crying; you know, the standard. However, they could say with utmost certainty that they did not expect the Delightful Children to burst with mocking laughter.

"W-why are you laughing?" Sasha asked, completely aghast. Their volume rose in intensity, and her already red skin seemed to glow with rage. "WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING!?"

"Because you two are so disillusioned that it's almost sad," they said, Selina and Sasha feeling uneasy as they resorted to speaking in unison once more. "Sector Z this, Sector Z that. My, you two are obsessed. Hanging onto old grudges seems to be the only way to cope with your inferiority."

"Infer-" Selina could not even finish that sentence as her vision clouded over. "STOP MOCKING US! YOU BRATS ARE SECTOR Z AND WE'RE GOING TO MAKE YOU PAY!"

"We grow tired of these silly games." All at once, the five rose collectively as if waking up from a mid-afternoon nap. Kuki and the twins watched as they all slid back into a cohesive unit, drawn to each other by some invisible magnetism that was uncannily beautiful to watch in motion. "We even gave you a sporting chance to show us your improvement, but it appears we were correction in our prior assessment."

Sasha growled. "What assessment? And what do you mean, give us a chance?"

"You honestly think we couldn't crush you before this farce of a battle could start? No, we were simply curious to see if you two developed new tactics to make this a bit more interesting." They all grinned as they pointed off to the left. "Remember the little favor David tossed your way when we arrived?"

Selina followed their fingers, her eyes catching the small beeping device that was chucked at her earlier. She frowned, how could she forget? "What of it?"

As if initiated by her query, the entire foundation began to quake. The ground beneath them trembled, as if the earth had decided to pry itself open to swallow them whole. Everyone but the Delightfuls anxiously looked around, searching for the cause of the disturbance.

"As for the assessment, allow us to make our conclusion," they continued oblivious to the world around them crumbling at the foundation. "You two have fell into stagnation while we have evolved into something you can never hope to achieve."

A large, chrome leg tore through the ceiling and crashed into the floor right in front of the twins. They fell back as the leg dragged towards the wall, easily plowing through it to create a makeshift entry for the rest of the metallic abomination. Selina and Sasha watched in horror as a large, disc shaped machine trampled into their manor, ebony protrusions and flaming chainsaws laying waste to anything that dared stand in its way.

"W-What is that!?"

"Oh! I know!" Kuki spoke up. "It's the Really Really Incredibly Destructive Machine!"

Sasha's voice was reduced to a pathetic squeak. "I beg your pardon?"

"You are correct, Kuki," the Delightfuls chuckled to themselves as they watched their machine craft a symphony of terror and demolition. "We suggest you enjoy the show. It's a rare occurrence indeed when we unleash it upon someone other than you and your associates.

"As for you colds, attacking separately is so passé. Allow us to remedy that. Let us go, me and you," they smirked deviously as they pressed their fingers together. "A little game of just five on two."

The Delightfuls snapped their fingers.

Selina and Sasha dodged as a flaming blade blitzed through the floor between them. Sasha flipped away off her hand, twirling herself and sharpening her whip to slash through the tentacle. She grinned as it went through flawlessly, only to scream as five more tentacles slithered from the cut and slapped her around.

"T-This isn't right!" Selina said as she dodged laser and chainsaws, having to execute a neigh perfect dance of finesse to avoid blows. One mistake would prove extremely fatal. She rotated her scythe to deflect the volley of blows, yet her brow twitched as exhaustion began catching up to her. "This isn't fair!"

"Who ever accused us of being fair?" they said as they started to stroll forward. "You really think we would play by your rules? Come at us with your little whips and blades; we'll simply use some fancy tools of our own."

Sasha was tossed about like a rag-doll, the pain ceasing as she was deposited to the floor. She looked up to see the Delightfuls Children stroking their chins as they studied her. They looked so smug and sure of themselves.

It made her want to rip their faces off.

"We'll give you one chance," they said as they lowered their arms and closed their eyes. "Hit us if you're able."

Sasha grinned, raising her hand as tea curled around her wrist. Before she could even attempt to end them, a leg of the machine crashed in front of her and flicked her over to her sister. Selina panted as the chainsaws let up, only to grunt as her twin was slammed into her.

"Your mistake was coming into this assuming you knew us. You thought we were the same brats who faced you before. What you fail to understand is that we are everything they are not," they ground home as they continued to stroll to the center of the room. "We are refined."

The twins screamed another leg kicked them to the side.

"We are meticulous."

The machine's tentacles coiled around the duo, Selina and Sasha too haggard to stage a proper struggle to their newfound entanglement.

The Delightful Children bent over, picking up the discarded kettle with cheeky little grins. "We are ever so delightful."

Selina vented her screams of frustration. "YOU NO GOOD JUVINLIES!"

"Well-Behaved Juveniles, thank you very much."

Sasha squirmed against her bindings, her tail flinging wildly as she valiantly tried to escape. She saw the five approaching and narrowed her eyes at the jade kettle in their grasp. "Really? Is that your master plan? We won't fall for that trick again, you whelps. Do your worst!"

"Our worst?" They blinked cutely before shrugging. "If you insist."

They shared a gulp as it suddenly got very toasty. The twins careened their necks and paled as they saw a blazing blade inching dangerously close to their heads.

"W-What are you doing? What are you trying to prove?" Selina spluttered, eyes going wild as the blade got closer. Sasha was crying now, and she so desperately wanted her to shut up. "Y-You're Sector Z! You wouldn't resort to this!"

"You still don't get it, do you? Allow us to teach you a lesson. Sector Z is nothing more than a forgotten memory." The Delightfuls began stepping up to the twins, a series of tentacles lowering under their feet to create makeshift stairs. They reached the two demons, the hot flames of the saws reflecting off of their cold, blue eyes.

"We are the Delightful Children from Down the Lane," they said slowly. They leaned back, awaiting their machine to finish the job. "And we're better than you."

transmission interrupted