Author's note: Numbuh .3 is canonly unnamed, so using the name Ashley for her.

"C'mon, y'guys know the protocol! If we're not sure we gotta tell on a KND operative, we put it to a vote, ok?! My vote's don't tell.'

"Tellllllldonttelllllltellllldonttellllll.."

"Any YEAR now, Leonardo!" Numbuh .5 yelled impatiently.

"Don't tell," Numbuh .4 stated, wincing as he shifted on his colorful crutch from the KNDfirmary. The KNDfirmary didn't exist yet at the Seventh Age's founding, but it didn't take long for medics to join the KND, as they realized they wouldn't be able to function good without kids with deep knowledge of physiology and stuff beyond what they learned in third-grade science class. In fact they had reasons to think that the teachers were purposely teaching them wrong stuff to make kids dumb so they'd be more vulnerable to adult attack. But then they had taken learning things into their own hands. The adult villains had gotten so mad when they'd beat up some KND members and hours later they had been back fighting again! "I'm of course looking at it from a strategy point of view, if I can, Numbuh .1. Can you imagine what'd happen if the adults got a hold of him? A real live..."

"Lenny!" Numbuh .3 interrupted, also getting a little exasperated by Numbuh .4's not wanting to het to the point.

"Ok, ok! A real live mon-ster?" Lenny had hesitated for so long because some people didn't think of himself as human though he was, so he was sensitive about using the word to refer to other people, even when it was an objective fact. Not just anybody could burst into flame and survive. "I mean, from what Bruce told us he's a really chill monster, but stil, what if the adults got him on their side? It'd be the end of the Kids Next Door!" Lenny worriedly waved the one arm that wasn't using the crutch.

"We're not at that point in the agenda yet, Numbuh .4!" Numbuh .5 knocked her least-injured fist on the tree stump that served as a table within the larger tree. We're doing voting now so AFTER we can talk about that next!" Numbuh .5 was determined to keep the meeting on task. She was also not in a good mood because she also had gone to the KNDfirmary and was bandaged like a neon mummy. "Ashley, your vote!"

"Pass."

"David?"

"...I knew there was something up with him..he knew things he couldn't have, not unless he was at the treehouse before."

"Knew things? Like what?"

"That Sector E doesn't have a leader, because Numbuh 0 is cautious of leaders."

Numbuh .5 looked puzzled. "Numbuh 0 is cautious, and uhh..ya lost me there."

"I think suspicious is the word you want, David," chimed in Lenny from across the tree trunk that was the table.

"Right, whatever."

"But why did he leave in the first place?"

Numbuh 2 narrowed his green eyes in hostility.

"It's obvious. The other operatives didn't trust him and told him not to come back. So he went to the adults...and they told him to wear a disguise and join the Kids Next Door...to infiltrate us from the inside."

Numbuh .5 gasped in shock. Numbuh .3 nodded gravely, crossing her arms. Numbuh .1 stayed quiet gloved hands on the tree trunk table.

"Now hold on!" Numbuh .4 stood up in protest "I know you infilttate the adults sometimes David, but for him to do the same to us doesn't make any sense."

"Like this is your field, Lenny.." Numbuh .2 tolled his eyes. He was in no mood.

"Yes, my field is empathy. You should try it sometime," Numbuh .4 cast a sideling glance at Numbuh .2

"Was that supposed to be an insult?"

"CHICOS!"

"So if I were a mysterious monster kid that could catch fire without needing to go to a hospital, and the adults got ahold of me, the first thing I'd do is..."

"Lenny, come on, it's almost 3AM," Numbuh .3 urged in agitation.

"..Burn down the treehouse!"

"Hm. Hadn't thought about it," Numbuh .2 replied. "Still, Numbuh 0 said we need to inform the entire Kids Next Door of any KND member who becomes a threat to the organization. And that fire power of his qualifies him as a threat."

"So the rumors were true. Numbuh 2, Ben I mean..really did come to the treehouse before we arrived and came back in disguise for some reason," Numbuh .1 said. "We don't know why he came back..but He felt bad about it. ..and he took the KND oath of loyalty again! He really wants to stay in the KND!" Numbuh .1 blurted, punching the tree stump table.

"But he could have hurt someone! He could have hurt ANY of us, a lot WORSE than even the adults did!" Numbuh .2 argued back, raising his voice full of stern fear, and confusion. He was the only one sitting down, so weak from the fight two days ago that he was in a wheelchair, in calm, pastel colors. His billard stick was in a pouch in the back of the wheelchair. He had lost two days' practice with it and was extra on edge. Besides, he felt he was the only one looking at this logically.

"Fine, then I want him to stay in the KND!"

"This is what's good for the TEAM!" David yelled this time, roughly, almost a growl. Numbuh .1 shrank back a little. He was the rough kid around here, but seeing David get kinda mean like that surprised him.

"STOP IT!" bellowed Numbuh .5, her voice vibrating in the treehouse walls. "The votes are in! 3 to 1 with one pass, that means we don't tell! Now, second point on the agenda! And I'll ask Numbuh .2 'cause he's feeling the most strongest about this."

"He can't come back to the Treehouse."

"Exile from the Treehouse of Coolness is de facto decomissionment. We might as well tell on 'im right now if we're gonna not let'im back in the Treehouse!" Numbuh .5 countered. Part of being Sector leader was knowing all of the KND rules, and Numbuh .5 knew the KND rules and what they meant on a practical level, not only from the Seventh Age but as far back to the Third Age!

"Hm.." Numbuh .4's concern was the adults turning the monster loose onto the KND, but since no one else was worried about that and were more worried about the monster doing damage just on his own, he put together a friendlier suggestion. "What if we put fireresisting flooring in the verrry bottom room of the treehouse, a room that no one's using much? We could meet him there, explain to him what the deal is-delicately," Numbuh .4's brown eyes narrowed and glared at David. Usually he glared up but David was in the wheelchair so he was glaring down. "And fireresisting walls, too! And the ceiling too!"

There was a moment of quiet pondering. The 3AM outside noises seeped through the outermost Treehouse wall. Ashley spoke up, yawning as she steadied herself on the handle of her dusty umbrella with threads from their enemies' clothes still left on it. Numbuh .3 cleared her throat and spoke up.

"If we want to keep Numbuh 2...Ben's problem-'" After the battle two days ago Ben had told Numbuh .1 his name, and now Sector Z knew his name since Numbuh .1 didn't keep confidentialness. "Then we can't do the ceiling-the next floor up is the Treehouse of Coolness Training Room, and they need the floor to be completely wood, for the KND inductees who have PTSD from the concrete factory floor..." she paused, her tone noting the ridiculousness of having this debate over an unproven son of Grandfather, the Evil King of the World, who had caused so much misery and hurt to kids everywhere. But, being of cool judgment, she stayed impartial. " And I don't feel like getting lectured by the New KND Member Orientationer, Numbuh 50, do you?"

"...Not particularly.." Lenny lowered his head in resignation. He always took it personally when his designs or suggestions weren't accepted. But he understood that this time it was for a good reason and not like last time when he wanted to put a cotton candy machine on the top floor of the Sector Z treehouse, hook it up to a tube that connected to all of their rooms, so they could eat cotton candy while still in bed!

Numbuh .5 wasn't good with battle strategy and stuff, and she came off as kind of abrasive, but as leader she knew each of her teammates' personalities and tried to get them all to work together as best as she could.

"Oye, Bruce, ya said that Ben's fire was just enough to melt the soccer ball?"

"Yeah, and his shirt too. It wasn't a big fire." Bruce was rubbing his eyes. He was usually in bed by 11:26 but obviously was awake for the emergency meeting. His tone sounded defeated, or indifferent, indifferent because it was defeated.

"Then we can put in fire-resistent floors and walls, and just SKIP the ceiling! Motion to do THAT! Any objections?" David still looked skeptical, but then shook his head with the others.

"Ok, motion is-" Numbuh .5 raised her arms, the sleeves of her olive green dress rolling down to her big elbows.

"Motion to amend the motion," Numbuh .3 stood up sharply, holding her umbrella vertically out in front of her in a somewhat authoritic pose.

"Motion to amend the motion approved!"

"Look, though we don't want to hurt Ben, he is a serious liability. So I motion that we have him train with us, in secret, so we can see exactly what his powers can do. All we really know is that he can set himself on fire without hurting himself. That way if he has any other surprises we'll know about it and be able to put in counter-measures to keep all of us safe while going easy on-well, me and Constance don't know him too well but you guys made friends with him right?"

Bruce had thought Ben hopeless at first but with a little help got the groove down and during the fight against the villains he had proved himself. And on a more mushy note, definitely Ben wanted to be his friend, and that hit Bruce in the soft spot, tough and rude as he was. Lenny nodded affectionately as he felt Ben really appreciated his work as Sector Z's Creative Design Specialist and also didn't make fun of him for being a darker brown. Ben himself was kind of a light light brown but sometimes it was just a shade or two that could make the light kid get all mean but that wasn't the case with Ben. And, Ben was a monster. As long as they didn't follow adults, monsters were cool with him and pretty rad and sometimes he wondered what it'd be like to not be human and be able to make those who had hurt you cower and beg forgiveness for every time they threw you against lockers and got you sent to detention! David looked a little guilty. He was the first to really bond with Ben but now he felt like was his enemy. So, Ashley's compromise was welcomed.

All five members of Sector Z chorused,

"No objections!"

"Alright, all motions are voted on, so this meeting of Sector Z is ADJOURNED! Lets get some cookies n' cream soda!"

"YEAH!"