Reloading: Kids Next Door mission...
Operation: R.O.O.K.I.E., Chapter Six
Rookie Obtains Opportunities - Kooky Introductory Escapades
Writing Operative: Vtbots
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After an unpleasant defeat at the toy store by their enemies, the Kids Next Door returned to their Treehouse. A troubled Kenny holds an ice pack covering the majority of his face, which received punishment from Laura Lumpin's vicious form, The Big Badolescent.
The Kids Next Door minus Numbuh One are in the same room, the living room, with him. Numbuhs Two, Three, and Five stare as Numbuh Four paces back and forth in front of the Badolescent's victim.
"So yer sayin' that ever since that sneaking mission you fell for that Delightful dork?" asks Numbuh Four, strong Australian accent evident.
"Uh-huh..." mumbles the other boy, still groaning from the pain.
"Awright, then... Why? What's so good 'bout her that made you like her that much, huh?"
Kenny just shrugs. "Dunno. Happened as soon as I saw her."
"Great. Love at first sight." He shows his opinion on it by sticking his tongue out and pointing his finger to it.
"Eh, I don't blame ya for falling for her, Kenny," says Numbuh Two, smiling. "I always thought she was kinda cute."
"Aw man, you too!?" says Numbuh Five, crossing her arms. "What IS it wit' that girl that you guys see in her?"
"Relax, I'm not falling for her. Plus, I was trying to cheer Kenny up."
Numbuh Four smirks at the dark girl's outburst. "Geez, Numbuh Five, no need to get so jealous."
"Jealous? Ppptttbttt, puh-leeze!"
"Poor Kenny..." says a downed Numbuh Three, surveying the damages done to the boy. "Want me to kiss your lil' boo-boos so they'd feel all better?"
"Thanks, but I don't think it'll help me for what's coming next."
Just then, Numbuh One emerges from the entrance of his bedroom quarters. With a stern expression he makes a "Come here" motion with his finger.
"Speaking of which..."
Kenny sighs, tosses the ice pack to the nearest operative, and follows Numbuh One to his room. The rest of the Kids stare after them... debating whether or not to eavesdrop.
* * * * *
Kenny, sitting on a chair in front of a desk, wrings his perspiring hands as he becomes interested with the perfectly sturdy wooden floor, shame and nervousness attacking him from all angles. He hasn't felt this nervous or even afraid since that darned math test back at school. Though at school he had the bell to aid his escape. Here, however, there is no escape, and escape attempts probably should not even be considered; no need to bring himself into even further trouble...
Numbuh One stands staring out the window beside the desk, his arms folded behind him in his usual way.
With a heavy sigh and without turning to face Kenny, he says calmly, "So, Kenny, mind explaining what happened back there?"
"We... had a mission failure..." squeaks Kenny. Somehow Numbuh One not even facing him makes him feel even more nervous.
"Right. And why is that?"
"Because I have a crush on an enemy, and that is wrong."
"... that's not it at all, Kenny."
"Huh?"
Numbuh One turns around and walks in front of the desk in front of Kenny, facing him with a serious but knowing look. He calmly places his hands on the desk and sighs.
"I know how it is like to be in love."
"You do??" says Kenny, surprised.
"Yes. I have a girlfriend of my own, named Lizzie. When I saw her for the first time I didn't think too much about her. But then, after several meetings and getting to know each other..." He produces a small photo of Lizzie, who is giving a peace sign and a cute smile that seems to say 'You're ALL mine, Nigey!' "I started experiencing feelings I never experienced before."
"Did your heart beat fast?"
"Mmhm..." he says, dreamily looking at the picture.
"Did your palms become sweaty?"
"Mmhm..."
"Did your legs feel like they could give out?"
"Mmhm..."
"Did any of those other signs of a crush happened that I don't feel like listing anymore?"
"Yes, yes, yes!" the leader shouts all giddy.
"That's exactly what I felt when I saw Charlene! Wow, we both like someone. We finally have something in common! ... Numbuh One?"
Numbuh One is humming as he continues to stare mesmerizingly at the photo. He is obviously daydreaming about the girl in the picture...
"Hey Numbuh One!"
"Wha!? Oh, uh, heh, sorry!"
He returns the picture to its rightful place and stands in front of the rookie again.
"So, uh, you're going to boot me out for falling for a Delightful Child or what?"
"Boot you out?" Numbuh One looks at him incredulously. "For a crush? Why would I boot someone out for that? Even if one of my teammate's crush IS an enemy, particularly one of the Delightful Children, I wouldn't take them out of the Kids Next Door for that."
"You don't mind me liking-liking her?"
"Well, I do find it a bit strange to see someone in love with any of those goody-goody dorks, but otherwise... nah."
Kenny breathes a relieved sigh, sinking in his chair in new relaxation...
"--BUT!"
Kenny shoots right back up and looks nearly panicked as Numbuh One walks around the desk to stand by Kenny's side, crossing his arms and staring down at him like a leader would his comrade when they do something not so good.
"What I DO mind is that your little distractions and loss of complete concentration and focus allowed the Delightful Children to get away with the toys, depriving innocent kids of them all!"
Kenny can't help but *gulp!*
"I may be in love, too, but I learned to set that aside as best as I can during a mission and retain my focus."
"That's easier said than done, you know!" frowns Kenny. "Besides, you never had to actually ATTACK your crush!"
The commander pauses and then coughs sheepishly.
"Okay, okay, point. But you still had to have known what was on the line. Remember, she was an enemy on the battlefield."
Kenny looks down, kicking his legs, and nods agreeably. Seeing his current state, the bald one sighs and puts a hand on his shoulder sympathetically.
"Listen, everyone makes mistakes, even Kids Next Door. We've all had to deal with errors our whole lives as operatives. But people who make mistakes often learn from them. And I would like you to do the same.
"I don't mean stop having a crush on that girl. I mean keep your focus on the battlefield in spite of your crush. You will learn to do so in no time, trust me."
Kenny takes in the commander's advice slowly and carefully. Smiling, he nods in understanding and says he'll try.
"Good."
Numbuh One smiles proudly at the trainee and walks to the entrance of his room. When he opens the door he takes a sidestep as Numbuhs Two and Four fall over in a two-person pile. They glance up at their glaring leader and they laugh sheepishly.
"Heh heh... lunch is ready!" says Numbuh Two nervously.
* * * * *
The next few hours in the afternoon pass by pretty much uneventfully. Uneventfully as in no new missions to take care of, for it was very eventful for the rookie. Kenny Rangsey's training becomes tougher and more complicated than ever, making him feel like he's being punished for causing the mission's failure. Throughout the afternoon training...:
In the training room Numbuh One has him shoot targets blindfolded to practice using his 'instinct' in cases where your sight is impaired in some way. Not an easy task.
At the base's ports Numbuh Two teaches Kenny how to ride their vehicles. Then finds himself almost crying each time whenever Kenny nearly crashes due to his terrible driving.
Back in the training area Numbuh Four forces Kenny to once again train in hand-to-hand combat. Four decided to hold nothing back this time, and Kenny almost runs away screaming from his ferociousness. Kenny finally gives in but not without a bit of scolding for allowing the enemy the pleasure of their opponent's submitting.
Still in the same area Numbuh Five trains him some more in the sneaking department, such as avoiding searchlights, guards (they use fake wooden adult robots as their pretend guards), and cameras. Way easier said than done, certainly tougher than his first 'real' mission in the Delightful Children's mansion. He literally had to flatten himself against the wall just to evade those blasted searchlights!
Even Numbuh Three has him working it hard, being mostly pressured by Numbuh One. Back in the plains area where Kenny first learned how to be dropped down from a capsule, she has him running around in a track-and-field course, but with a twist. Besides the usual obstacles he must also duck and dodge the projectiles from their 2x4-style ray guns grafted on the field! Obviously this whole course is meant for Kenny to practice escaping a hectic enemy base. Fortunately he has Numbuh Three, in a cute little athletic getup, run along with him, cheering him along the way.
When all that is finally over Kenny is given a break. He crashes to his room and falls on his back on his bed.
'Man, training was tough today!' he thinks. 'It's a good thing they were each with me through the whole thing or I would've been lost! I wonder if they are being harder on me because of what happened earlier today?'
As his mind floods back into the events at the toy store, he begins to ponder about the apparent rivalry between the Kids Next Door and the Delightful Children. Why are they fighting? How long have they been fighting? Is there any chance of them making up and maybe even becoming friends anytime soon?
Then his mind flashes to Charlene. Now that the others are wise to his feelings toward her he does not need to worry about hiding them anymore. There's still the matter of handling those feelings, though... as well as finding a way to express them to his actual crush.
"That's it!" Kenny shouts, shooting up in bed. "The best way to make me feel better about all this is if I were to tell Charlene herself how I feel about her! Then I can concentrate much better on becoming a Kid Next Door!"
But then another negative thought strikes the shy boy.
"But... What if she doesn't like me back? What if she hates me? She probably already does now that she knows I'm with the Kids Next Door..."
But he shakes his head, frowning.
"No, I can't let negative thoughts get to me. I must go through with this. But if confessing my feelings really doesn't work... then perhaps my consolation prize would be to at least attempt in bringing a little peace between the Delightfuls and my friends. Or at least try to find out why they fight and how long they've been going at it. But how AM I'm going to do all that, anyway? I'd have to go to their mansion. Simply asking Numbuh One just won't do.... Oh, man," Kenny shakes his head in disbelief, "I can't believe I'm actually doing this...."
Moments later, the door opens and Numbuh Three merrily strolls in carrying a small tray with milk and cookies.
"Hi, Kenny," she says sweetly as she enters, "you must be really hungry from all that hard training today, so I thought you'd like a... snack?"
But Kenny isn't there.
* * * * *
It's the early evening and in the large living room, the Kids Next Door's rivals delight in their precious new toys that they "got" from the store. Well, except for Naomi, who decides to spend this time reading yet another book nearby, sitting on a plush chair, lamp light shining down on the reading material.
"You see, my siblings, it was all worth it!" says a proud Brandon, making moves with his navy blue yo-yo.
"You got that right!" agrees the football-helmeted Jason, blasting away on his new GameKid Neo. "Man, the graphics are sweet on this thing!"
"I'm confident we have way more toys than those Fools Next Door now. Ha. That'll show them how much better we are."
Charlene, however, barely listens to the gloating of her leaderly brother. Instead, she just sighs, gets up and starts toward the stairs.
"Where are you going? You hardly touched your new hoola-hoop."
"I'm a little tired from all that has happened today," she says in her light yet mature voice. "I think I will take a little nap."
"At nighttime?" Jason replies, his obscure eyes staring in confusion. "Well, all right. But don't be late for dinner; it's the first time we get to enjoy a whole pizza without you-know-who!"
"It's the first time we get to enjoy a pizza, period," Brandon corrects.
So Charlene nods and continues onward to where she said she wanted to go to. Not bothering to kick off her shoes she collapses unto her bed, rests her head on the double pillows and pulls the covers over her. But more is on her mind than a quick nap. Like will the tension between Brandon and Nigel she saw earlier today continue? And why didn't that new kid, Kenny, attack her when he had the chance? Not that there is any complaint that he is the reason she and her siblings got away. And lastly... will Jason try to order those yucky anchovies?
These questions gradually fade away as she cuddles a random Rainbow Monkey on her bed and her eyelids become heavier.
* * * * *
"Ohhhh, I just know I'm gonna get into big trouble for this!" Kenny exclaims to himself as he stares up at the Delightfuls' mansion. He has a tie-dyed backpack strapped on, the same backpack he wore on his very first mission. "I seemed to've more guts than brains to actually ditch the Treehouse! I wonder if they've noticed I'm gone yet? Oh well, can't think about that now."
Kenny peeks into the window by the entrance doors. He can just barely spot the boy Delightfuls playing with their newly-gained toys, and that glasses girl once again reading. But Charlene is nowhere in sight.
The rookie makes an assumption that the girl he seeks must be in her bedroom. So he produces from his backpack four suction cups all hooked by leather straps. After equipping them on his hands and knees, he takes a breath and scales the mighty household. He first checks the lower levels as he crawls on the walls, peeking inside the windows. Avoiding detection, all he manages to run into are the reading room, a hallway, a bathroom, and the kitchen. Maybe there's more, he's not sure.
Then he rememembers that when homes have an upstairs the bedrooms are usually on the upper level. So Kenny scales the walls to that direction. Familiarity to something or someone strikes him during this task but he ignores it as he inspects one window. Looking around he can see that it is a room that is obviously a girl's bedroom.
Kenny taps on the window twice and calls. "Charlene? Charlene, are you in there?"
Kenny presses his face against the window to get a further look inside, and... Bingo! There, in that very bed, is what he can barely make out to be the princess he's been searching for, thanks to the pink bow.
"Zzzzz... Mmmm... Backalley Boys... Mmm... ZZZzzz...." Kenny can very barely hear her mumble.
"She's asleep," Kenny whispers. "So how am I gonna get in there?"
"ZZZzz... you wanna come in..." she mumbles, blushing a bit in her sleep. "Okay... Zzzz... the window's lock... doesn't work well... you can open easy... Gotta... get... fixed... Zzzzzz...."
Kenny blinks a few times, not sure of what to say to the hint the girl somehow gave him. Then he easily opens the window after a little work and hops right in, removing the suction cups and placing them inside his backpack.
His cheeks turn shades of pink as he peers down at the sleeping beauty before him.
'Gosh, she's so pretty...' he says in his mind with a smile. 'Okay, Kenny, one mistake can either cost you your chance of her liking you back... or it could cost you your life. So what are you going to do?
'Hmm. I'll stand on her bed over her and.... No... she'd freak out if she saw some weirdo standing on her bed when she woke up. I know I would. Mmm... Maybe I could prod her a bit and hide. Then come out when she's totally woken up. But how do I do it without scaring her silly?
'C'mon, Kenny, think, think... Hey, I know!'
Backing away from the sleeping girl some, he clears his throat and shouts in a dramatic voice, "Wow, Charlene, there's a Backalley Boy right here in your room! Wake up, quick!"
Kenny takes off just before the girl snaps awake and jumps out of bed. "Justy!!" she almost excitedly squeals uncharacteristically. But a look around tells her that 'Justy' is nowhere to be found. "Huh?"
As the bow girl stands there confusedly, Kenny comes from hiding and sneaks behind and covers the eyes of the slightly older girl.
"Peekaboo!" he smiles playfully.
"Um... waitaminute... A Backalley Boy wouldn't come into my bedroom in the middle of the night... Who's there!?"
"Guess," Kenny says.
Charlene frowns a bit. "Brandon, if that's you pulling another of your stupid pranks..."
"Nope, not him. Guess again," Kenny giggles in a little boyish way.
"Okay... The voice is too high and girly for Jason..."
"HEY!" Kenny frowns indignantly, uncovering the girl's eyes. "I resent that!"
Charlene turns around and is surprised to discover who her visitor is. "Hold on... You're that Kid Next Door!"
She suddenly grabs under her pillow and reveals why it looked unusually lumpy. In her hand is a medium-sized ray gun of some sort.
"Wow!" marvels Kenny. "When Numbuh Two said some girls have big guns he wasn't kidding!"
Charlene ignores his comment and aims her weapon at the rookie. The boy gulps and stares at both the ray gun and his crush. "Hey, you sleep with that under your pillow!?"
"I lost a tooth the other day and Brandon wanted me to hold up the tooth fairy."
"Heh, that's pretty funny," Kenny snickers.
"And profitable if it works," Charlene can't help but smile as well. "You realize how many quarters a tooth fairy has?"
"I heard some tooth fairies give you a dollar."
"Seriously? Maybe I should have brought a bigger ray gun."
"Yeah, probabl-- Hey, wait! We're making conversation with each other!"
Charlene blinks for a second and then exclaims in sudden realization, "Hey... you're right! What am I doing!? HELP!!! Someone's in my room right now!!"
Kenny frustratedly covers her mouth and scowls. "Quiet! You'll get me in even more trouble!"
"You're an intruder in my home!" Charlene responds from behind Kenny's hand. "Also, when you cover someone's mouth, you should press against the mouth so they can't talk!"
Kenny turns his head when he vaguely hears the concerned footsteps and voices of the other four enemies. Kenny faces the girl again and speaks as seriously as possible. "Now listen here and listen good. I don't want any problems with your siblings, especially since I'm a Kid Next Door... even if I am a rookie. So, if you don't want my friends on your tails, you wouldn't get me in further trouble, and you won't scream again when I uncover your mouth, okay? I came all the way here to talk to you, and I'm trying really, really hard to hold in my dumb bashfulness around a pretty girl like you!"
"... Pretty??" Charlene blushes, surprised.
Kenny stops, uncovers her hand and backs away as he realizes what he just said. "Uh... I just unwittingly confessed my feelings before I even confessed 'em, huh?"
"Feelings?"
"Yeah. See... I like you. A lot."
The bow girl doesn't know what to say. Rubbing her hand under her elliptical chin contemplatingly she stutters for a bit. Meanwhile the voices and footsteps are becoming closer.
"Umm... Um.... NEVER MIND!! IT WAS A BAD DREAM!!!"
And with Charlene's very abrupt shout the annoyed grumblings of the Delightfuls and their steps are heard fading away.
"Warn me when you do that," Kenny groans, rubbing his ear painfully. "Now, where was I? Um, I like you a lot, Charlene," he shyly continues, scratching behind his head.
"And you came all the way up here... to tell me that..."
"Yeah, mostly. No, most definitely." He decides to get to the other reason he's here later.
The source of Kenny's affections sinks down on her bed as his words penetrate through her mind, stunned and at a loss for words.
"Wow... I've never... I mean... No one... not even my siblings..."
"What do you mean?" says Kenny, sitting down beside Charlene and filled with curiousity.
"Well, my 'Father,' he wasn't a very kind person. I don't think he ever said two kind words to any of us. My siblings and I are close... but we don't really know what to do... So I don't think we're as close as we could be."
"Well, your dad is gone now, right?" the boy says. "Maybe this's the time when you guys can become closer. Y'know, like real brothers and sisters."
"But that's just it, we don't know what real brothers and sisters are like..." she replies softly. As she says this her hostility towards her 'enemy' fades like the wind, her voice softens like a pillow, and her normally blank, emotionless bright blue eyes gradually become more and more watery.
"Really?" Kenny asks. "Your father never taught you? He never let you guys have any fun or gave you presents or even love or anything like that?"
"... no ..." she says, barely above a whisper. A sad tear streams slowly down her cheek. "None of those things. He never gave us anything *sniff* out of the goodness of his heart... if he even had one. Not even *sob* that new cat plush I've always wanted; he was always all business with us. I doubt he even cared for us. In fact... whenever we majorly fail in destroying the Kids Next Door, he punishes us... s-s-severely."
The Delightful girl's body trembles in sorrow and in the horrid memories of her father's harsh punishment inflicted on her and her siblings; memories she wish would just vanish like they never happened.
The Kid Next Door trainee solemnly stares at the sobbingly girl beside him, overcome with sympathy and anger. Sympathy for the Delightful Children and most of all Charlene, anger for the things their 'father' had done and did not do. He's filled with so much of both that he does not seem to notice or care that the Kids Next Door stated that the Delightfuls have little to no emotions.
Taking a bold step, he slowly reaches out until he has his hand cupped over the little girl's soft, smooth hand. She does not resist.
"That's... That's terrible."
Charlene doesn't respond except with more sniffling. Kenny wishes there is something he can do. Something to make her feel better.
Anything...
"Um, Charlene? Is it okay if I do something your father never would?"
"*sniff* What?"
He responds with yet another bold move... by hugging her affectionately. Charlene's eyes widen, perplexed, and she blushes feverishly. But she doesn't attempt to break the embrace. She just lets him hug her for what feels like an hour even though it has only been several seconds. Something about this moment brings out a feeling inside. A warm, comfortable feeling that she very rarely experiences... if she ever experienced it before at all.
Kenny reluctantly lets go and looks at the girl, concerned. "You better now, pretty gal?"
Charlene smiles, teary-eyed. "Yes... a little bit."
Kenny returns the smile. "Then I feel better, too."
* * * * *
Meanwhile downstairs...
"Brandon, isn't it pizza time yet?" Jason inquires impatiently.
"Yes, it is. It's getting close to the time the movie comes on, so let's order now."
"Execellent," says Naomi, who finally decided to join her brothers. "Remember to order two boxes. And a pizza just wouldn't be the same without pepperoni."
"Yes, I know. I suppose one box could have sausage topping, too. But what extra topping should the second one have?"
"How about ham?" Nathan the tall boy suggests.
"Or extra cheese?" Jason pipes in.
"Why not extra sauce?" says Naomi.
"Because the sauce won't matter when you're tasting that delicious cheese melting in your mouth! Ahhhhhhh... the power of cheese!"
Brandon the blonde boy fingers his chin contemplatively.
"This is a tough choice to make," he says. "Perhaps we should ask Charlene for her opinion. Yes, that would be a good idea."
* * * * *
"Hey Kenny... may I ask you something?" Charlene asks, idly playing with her precious locks, much to Kenny's admiration.
"Sure, what?"
"Why do you want to be a Kid Next Door? It's dangerous work and you can land into lots of trouble; especially since you're fighting against those you are supposed to obey."
"One, to finally have friends. Two, to prove myself. And most of all, three, the same reason as the other Kids Next Door. Didn't they tell you?"
"To fight for kids' rights and freedom..." she sighs as if repeating something she has heard too many times, which she probably has.
"That's right. And aren't you kids, too? Why are you fighting those who are trying to save you?"
"Because we obey adults like children should, and we don't go fighting them like you Kids Next Door do, for we know how much trouble we would get into. We are order as you are to chaos. I guess you can say we are polar opposites. So... we oppose each other like opposites do."
"So that's why," Kenny nods. "Tell me something, though. Are you and your brothers and sister doing all that because that's what you truly believe in? Or are you just doing this because your father told you so?"
Charlene opens her mouth... but not one word comes out. She slowly closes it and looks down with a bit of a frown.
"Now that's just weird. You hated your dad yet you're still doing things he told you to do. How ironic."
"W-W-Well...! We're the Delightful Children! I mean, if we just up and went on your crusade we would not be the Delightful Children From Down The Lane, we would be... we would be..."
"Kids Next Door," Kenny finishes for her.
"Yes..." She sighs and flops on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. "Now you see? It is because of what we stand for that we are fighting. It has always been that way; ever since they first appeared."
Hearing that Kenny, too, flops down onto the softness of the girl's bed, staring at the ceiling and sighing. 'Well, there goes the chance of making peace between the Kids Next Door and the Delightful Children,' he says to himself. 'Oh well. I guess they won't make-up anytime soon. But I hope they would someday. Besides, it can't be that bad. I mean, I don't think they fight 24/7.'
Then Kenny gets an idea. Sitting up he looks down on the prettiness that is Charlene and inquires, "Y'know, when you guys and my friends aren't fighting, why don't we go somewhere sometime? You know... just the two of us? Like... like to an ice cream parlor... or maybe a movie... or something. I mean... if it's okay with you that is..."
Charlene sits up in bed and stares at the slightly younger boy, surprise and confusion mixed in her eyes. "Are you... Are you asking me out?"
Kenny shyly turns away from her, his cheeks turning a shy shade of crimson. "I know it must be strange-- A Kid Next Door and a Delightful Child together. My friends thought so, too. But... maybe they wouldn't mind if we're not in the middle of killing each other, huh? Besides, it'd be nice to get out of this big place once in a while, wouldn't it? Especially with someone who likes you a lot."
Now it was Charlene's turn to blush. Unconsciously playing with her sandy blonde locks she replies, "Yes, it would be nice. My siblings and I were thinking of exploring the world since we could hardly ever do much of that at all. Perhaps that is why Naomi has been reading all those books. And..." she smiles, "you have been very kind to me, Kenny... and I really like that."
Kenny smiles excitedly. "Sooooo...?"
"So... I guess... I mean... I suppose... we... could...."
At that moment the knob turns and the door creaks open, and from there emerges...
"Hey Charlene, we were wondering what kind of topping you would prefe--"
The Delightful Children are stunned to see their visitor. A familiar visitor. An unwelcomed visitor. A visitor that is unwelcomed is an intruder!
"YOU!" the four Delightfuls yell at the surprised Kenny. "What are you doing here!? What are you doing in our sister's bedroom!?"
"Um... er..."
"That rude boy must be spying for the Kids Next Door!" scowls Naomi.
"And trying to harm our sister as well!" Brandon scowls as well.
Kenny jumps off and begins his defense, "No, no! I'm not trying to hurt Charlene at all, and I wasn't trying to spy, really!"
"Then what are you doing here, then!?" the four Delightfuls chorus again, angrily.
"Uhhhhhh... I... errr... ummmm...."
"Do not worry," says the soft voice of Charlene, getting up off the bed to reach for something in a hidden spot in her dresser. "This problem will be solved shortly."
"Oh, good..." Kenny sighs with relief, his eyes still fixed on the others. " 'Cause I was really hoping that things wouldn't go--"
An odd-smelling vapor of some sort slithers to Kenny as the sound of spraying is heard. Before Kenny could question it his eyes become heavier and the world around him begins to blur.
"Why do I feel... so.... sleepy?" he yawns. He turns around and finds the girl of his dreams holding a small, hi-tech spray bottle of some sort, pointing directly at him.
"Wow... first... ray gun... now... sleeping spray... Wait... you... sprayed me... no... way....."
And with that he promptly falls to the floor in a state of slumber.
"Good work, sister," Brandon congratulates her, standing over the boy with a sneer. "Thought you could intrude in our home twice in a row and get away with it, eh? That should teach you for messing with the Delightful Children!"
"What are we going to do with him?" Jason the football-helmeted kid asks.
"We have to do something," says Nathan. "He's one of them, after all."
"We could try to teach him some manners," frowns Naomi. "I'd certainly like to."
Brandon scratches under his chin, staring down at the sleeping boy again, and grins. "Siblings... I have a plan. Ha ha ha ha ha ha!"
Charlene watches the scene silently.
* * * * *
"He's been gone for almost an hour now!" yells a rather miffed Numbuh One, pacing back and forth in the living room-type area of the Treehouse. "That's a bit too long for a simple going for a walk in the neighborhood, Numbuh Three."
"Well... maybe it's a really slow walk?" she suggests innocently.
"He's run away to see that prissy Delightful girlie dork, I know it!" shouts the Aussie-accented Numbuh Four, punching his fists together. "Why would he ditch us to see her!?"
"Love can do that to a guy, I guess," shrugs Numbuh Two. Numbuh One silently nods in agreement, having experienced the emotion first-hand.
"Numbuh Five suggests you guys calm down," says the red-capped girl. "She's sho' something would turn up."
At that moment a small robotic pod flies into the room. Numbuhs One through Four immediately set themselves for action but Numbuh Five tells them to wait a minute. The top of the strange object opens up, and when it shoots out a navy blue light, a holographic projection of the Delightful Children appears.
"Good evening, Kids Next Door!" greets the Children in their usual monotone and blank stares. The fact that the Kids Next Door now know that they're mostly doing it to spite them irritates them even more.
"What do you creeps want?" demands the leader.
"Ohhhh... We just wanted to inform you that a friend of yours decided to pay a visit..."
Brandon bends down, grabs something and holds that something -- or rather someone, up to the Kids Next Door...
"Kenny!"
"What did you do to him!?" Numbuh Two demands furiously.
"Don't get so uptight. He is only in the middle of the effects of a sleeping spray. He's okay. However, if you want him to stay okay, then you are going to have to meet our demands."
"And what would that be?" inquires the leader with a scowl.
"Oh, nothing much. We just want you to meet us by our favorite playground that is the warehouse we so proudly own."
"Why do a lot of big fights take place in a warehouse?" Numbuh Four wonders. The others simply shrug.
"You have three hours, for we have things to do. So be there!"
Brandon the blonde boy smirks and says in a confident voice, "We'll see who's better than whom for real this time, Nigel boy!"
The aforementioned boy growls furiously as the Delightful Children snicker and then let out a chorus of evil laughter. Though nobody, not even the Children themselves, notice that Charlene appears to be forcing it.
"Can these dorks really be serious?" the Aussie boy wonders.
"Oh, yes, we are serious, very serious. As serious as can..."
Suddenly the ringing of the doorbell is heard and the Delightfuls look to one direction excitedly.
"Pizza!"
As the five dash off-hologram the projection disappears in a quick flash. The other group of kids stare blankly at where the holographic projection was. None know what to say to this, but Numbuh Four sums up their feelings perfectly:
"Those guys... are certified... wackos."
* * * * *
TO BE CONTINUED...