Title: The Indigo Children, Part 8

Fandom: Codename: KND

Characters: Numbuh 10, Numbuh 85

Prompt: #18 (black)

Word Count: 374

Rating: T

Summary: They are young and strong but somehow they still need to find where they belong. A new generation of the KND begins. A chance meeting between two operatives who could never give up on the decommissioned.

Author's Notes: Part 8 of 10. CRACK. CRACKCRACKCRACK like cocaine.

Sometimes Paddy goes to a soda bar and orders four shots of Mountain Dew. He has the bartender line them up in a row, drinks two, and leaves without drinking the others. It's a strange custom for a kid to leave soda untouched, and the bars he's become a regular at usually leave him be.

He's in Los Angeles one night, though, on a priority mission, and after it's over he goes to a soda bar and gets his four shots like always.

A girl comes in just as the bartender is lining up the four drinks, and takes the seat directly to Paddy's left.

Jaw clenches, unclenches like his sister. That seat is meant for someone else.

"You looking to get hammered, kid?" she says, ordering a Mountain Dew (vintage, he notes) with ice for herself.

"I only drink two."

"Ah, and your imaginary friend drinks the rest?"

He gets a good look at her now and realizes it's Numbuh 10, two days away from thirteen and still prettier than most other girls. She doesn't smile when she says that, though, so he infers that she's here to forget too.

"What was his name?" Paddy says, because he is a selfish child who is angry that someone has disrupted his ritual.

Now he sees that her make-up is smudged and she's been crying.

"Andrew."

She rubs her eyes a little. "What was her name?"

Paddy doesn't say anything, just takes a sip of his Mountain Dew.

"…him."

"What?"

"Him. He's gone now, though."

"Oh. So you're…"

"I'm ten. How should I know?"

"…oh."

Paddy looks at the third shot of Mountain Dew longingly. "You know I'm the Supreme Leader, right?"

Numbuh 10 looks concerned, since she doesn't know what Paddy's getting at. "…yeah."

"What if I said you could remember Andrew without going traitor?"

"Is that even-"

"Yes. I'll put through the papers, if you like."

"Please."

She leaves then, leaves Paddy to think maybe he did the wrong thing, but he thinks Harvey would have approved in his own twisted way.

The night isn't as dark as it used to be. It was black back when Paddy Fulbright drank soda with his leader.