Chapter 23: Sector W

Chapter Text

Harvey Mackenzie, Sector Leader of Sector W, looked like someone had given him a double wedgie. There were bags under his eyes and his usual military bearing was gone. He listlessly shuffled out of the shuttle with Number 84 (a small Asian kid named Lee) and Number 83 (a little blonde girl with pigtails who usually wore pink but now wore white) flanking right behind him.

"Number 5." Harvey said then saluted, not even a scowl on his face. Number 5 returned the salute, "Number 363."

The two were silent for a whole minute before Sonia spoke up. "Thanks for having us over and inviting us over to your treehouse." Harvey looked down at the floor, still in a stupor. Sonia nudged her Sector Leader, who was stirred slightly from his lethargy. "Don't touch me…" Harvey said weakly. He looked up at her and suddenly his whole demeanor changed.

"I told you to change out of those robes!" Harvey said angrily. His anger was actually worse than when someone touched him as he began raging against Sonia. "No one in my Sector wears those robes!"

"But Moon Base standing orders say that you're not supposed to mess with ... kids like me's robes, my Daddy says it makes me special."

"Sonia, so help me, go back into the Shuttle and change out of those robes or else!"

Sonia shrunk back at Harvey's wrath while Lee stood with his back against the shuttle doing tricks with his Yo-Yo. Usually he would get involved but now he just manipulated his Yo-Yo, paying no attention to the maelstrom of fury.

Just then Number 5 cleared her throat. "Excuse me Number 363, if you don't mind me asking, what exactly are you doing here?"

The signature scowl was back on his face. "Moonbase has ordered us to help you with the Delightful Children's cake."

A smug smile snaked it's way onto Harvey's face for the first time all day.

"Apparently they don't think you old geezers can handle doing this alone, so they ordered us to come out and help you all out with your canes and adult diapers."

Number 4 began to growl. "Who are ya calling old, pipsqueak?"

Number 363 actually had a couple of inches on Number 4. He smirked at Wally and said, "Looks like Grandpa's going though some shrinking at the moment." Harvey began to laugh and Number 4 was just starting to curl his hands into fists. Number 2, who had strategically placed himself between Number 4 and Number 363, was getting ready to stop his best friend from attacking a superior officer, but to Hoagie's surprise Wally was remaining relatively calm, looking down at the floor as Harvey walked right past him.

Number 5 led Harvey out of the hanger but slowed her pace just outside the door, making Harvey trip and almost bump into her. "Sorry." Abby said, unable to keep the smile out of her voice. Sonia and Lee exchanged a glance and snickered and the Rest of Sector V did the same.

From atop the hangar, one teenage girl watched the meeting from a catwalk.

"What we've gathered from our previous intelligence report is that Father is indeed building a Super Cake like he did with The Cake Five Station." Abby paused for full effect, looking at the six other kids sitting inside the tire. Ever since they got into the Bridge, things had settled down a bit. Harvey went from belligerent to business-like. He didn't like Sector V and the feeling was mutual.

(It was a shame too. Sector W of Washington DC could've had a friendly rivalry with Sector V if it wasn't for Harvey. They both raced for the cake during the Scavenger Hunt and it was fun competing against Sonia and Lee, but Harvey had to make things too personal. Now, though, he was remaining silent.)

Abby went on. "According to the report, Father is using a old family recipe that he managed to dig out of a family vault. It's the same one used by the Mother of the Annoyingly Cute Triplets from Upon the Hilltop."

Number 2's eyes bulged slightly from under his pilot's code goggles. "So it's Cake 5 but bigger and with Father's Nana's recipe? Well, that's just the icing on the cake isn't it?"

Number 5 pulled her hat down over her head. "C'mon..." she said in exasperation. Everyone was less than amused with the pun expect for Number 84, who gave Number 2 a high five. Harvey glared at Lee, who just stared right back at him unflinching.

"Anyway," Abby said loudly, trying to move on before Harvey had one of his tantrums, "as Number 2 so... wittingly put it, it's just like Cake 5, only bigger and with Great Grandmother's Recipe. Now what I propose is a—Yes, Number 83?"

Sonia was raising her hand high up in the air. Abby sighed, half at being interrupted again and half at the fact that yet another Kids Next Door Operative was wearing tithing whites.

"Uh, Number 5, I've been trying to tell Harvey this all morning, but I think this whole mission might be unnecessary."

Everyone watched Sonia dig out an invitation from the pocket of her white robes. Sonia cleared her throat and began to read.

"October 4th, Masters Lenny, David and Bruce and Mistresses Constance and Ashley invite every child in town to celebrate the start of their giving by giving them a piece of our most delicious birthday cake. No gifts please: The Delightful Children From Down the Lane."

You could have heard a pin drop in that room for a solid 30 seconds before every kid in the tire except for Abby and Harvey started cheering.

"Alright! We're going to be able to get a piece of those creep's cake without a fight!" Number 4 shouted excitedly, jumping up and down.

"Man, it looks like every kid in town is going to be able to have some cake and eat it too!" Number 2 joked, making Lee burst out laughing.

"Party! Party! Party!" Number 3 chanted, seeming oblivious to the fact that there were references to a tithing party.

The occasion was more obvious for Sonia, who exclaimed, "See Harvey! I told you that tithing was going to make the world a better place. Even the Delightful Children have become nice!"

Abby was the only one who noticed the way Harvey looked a little sick at that. She was about to try to calm the room down and get a better look at that invitation when the base's door opened.

Miracolina stood in the doorway. All eyes turned to look at the teenage girl, who was waiting for everyone to fall silent. When they finally did, she spoke.

"Pardon the interruption, but when you all are done I need to speak with Abby and Harvey."

Number 5 looked up at Miracolina, betraying nothing. Harvey looked up and his face went pale.

"What is she...?"

"Fine!" Abby said quickly, "Just wait outside and Number 5'll be there."

Sonia pointed at the older girl's robes. "You're a tithe like me! You help people!" she chirped innocently.

When Miracolina noticed Sonia, her impulses wanted her to grimace. Instead she kept it together, no need to upset the girl. She could be discussed with the Sector Leaders. Miracolina channeled all the adults who had ever told her how wonderful being a tithe was for her response to Sonia.

"That's right, and I'm doing what tithes do right now, which is to help people. Your Sector Leaders need to know something really important."

She winked at Sonia and smiled at her. Wally thought the wink was for him, so he winked back and received an elbow from Kuki for his troubles.

Before Harvey could start blowing up, again Abby concluded the meeting as fast as she could. "The Delightful Children have invited us to many parties. Number 5 thinks that y'all have a pretty good idea what that means. It means trouble for any kid that goes to that thing. We're going to go and if they're plotting anything we're going to stop them!"

This caused a wave of cheers from the other kids. Abby was about to say let's make Number 1 proud but then she remembered...

She got Harvey out of there as fast as she could and motioned him into Number 1's empty room, where she and Miracolina told him everything.