The family is the country of the heart.

Giuseppe Mazzini

Wally awoke, warm and comfortable. The pain he'd felt a few hours ago seemed so far away, as if it had never happened at all. As long as he kept his eyes closed, he reasoned, he'd stay cozy. He groaned and ran his hand through his now dry hair. Then he ran his hand down his stomach, feeling the grooves of a zipper. Cautiously, he opened his eyes.

He was in his pajamas in the Kids Next Door infirmary.

Had it…could it have all really been a dream?

A gasp. "Ooh! Numbuh Four's awake!" It was Kuki.

He looked up to see her smiling over him. In her hands was one of her many rainbow monkeys.

"I brought Scrumptious Surgeon Rainbow Monkey to make sure you got better!" she said.

The others came piling in. Wally noticed that they were all in their pajamas, and, now that he took the time to notice, so was Kuki.

"Numbuh Four!" Hoagie cried. "You GOTTA tell us about your fight with the Toiletnator!"

"Numbuh Five wants to know how you got one-upped by him!" said Abigail, smirking.

"Hey! That's not wha–ngh!" Wally clutched his throat, grunting in exasperation.

"No talking!" Kuki said, waving the doll in his face. "Scrumptious Surgeon Rainbow Monkey says so!"

"You can tell us about it later, Numbuh Four," Nigel said. "We just wanted to make sure you were alright. Thanks to you, the Toiletnator is safely imprisoned in the Kids Next Door Arctic Base."

"I'm fine!" He squeezed his eyes shut as he said it, fighting the pain. He managed to open one and continue talking. "What I wanna know is how the crud we're all wearing our pajamas!"

"Dude!" Hoagie said. "We were swimming in toilet water!"

"Yeah! But...how did I…"

"Don't worry," Abby said. "Numbuh One and Numbuh Two took care of that."

He sighed in relief. "Oh. Well, what happened to the school?"

"Numbuh Three and I unclogged most of the toilets," Nigel said.

"Blegh!" Kuki interjected. "That was sooooo gross!"

"Indeed," the leader said. "Before we finished, though, Numbuh Five escaped and drove the Cool Bus through the door."

"How did ya get out?" Wally asked her.

She folded her arms and shrugged. "The Toiletnator didn't block the stairwell. Numbuh Five just climbed up to the roof and jumped down. Kinda messed up our ride, though."

Hoagie gave a thumbs up and winked. "Don't worry, I'll fix her right up!"

"After that," Nigel said, "we went to go find you. We didn't expect both of you to be unconscious, though."

"Well excuse me for fighting a guy who's nuts!" he cried, flinching at the pain.

"They're all nuts, remember?" Nigel said. "That's why we fight them."

"Yeah, but he was BEYOND nuts! He was crazy loco SCARY nuts! Ya shoulda heard 'im talk!"

"You can tell us everything he said after you've recovered," the leader said squarely. "Until then, get some rest."

"…Foine." They filed out. Before leaving, Abby ruffled his hair affectionately, laughing.

Kuki set down her doll on his bed. "I'm gonna leave him with you, okay?" Without a backward glance, she skipped merrily out of the room.

Wally sighed. He was stuck in a bed, but he wasn't tired; he'd almost been beaten by the most pathetic villain in history; and now he had to stare at a stupid doll.

"Cruddy rainbow monkey," he muttered, kicking it off the bed.

Nigel, Hoagie, Kuki, and Abigail walked into the living room and sat down on the couch, exhausted from the mission. It wasn't that late in the day, but none of them thought it would be a bad idea to go to bed early.

Still, Attack of the Giant Ninja Robots was on television tonight, and they didn't want to miss that.

"Numbuh Three," said Nigel, "can you go get us something to eat?"

"Okay!" she said, jumping up and walking to the kitchen.

"Numbuh One," Abby said, "shouldn't you have told Numbuh Four what he said?"

"The Toiletnator?" She nodded. "I…don't think he needs to know."

"Numbuh One, he swore he'd kill Numbuh Four's whole family," Hoagie said. "I know I'd want to know about something like that."

Nigel took off his sunglasses and cleaned them on his shirt. "Look, the Toiletnator's locked up, and he's not getting out for a long time. Why worry him?"

"Because," Abby said, shooting out her hand and snatching the glasses away from him, "that's not for us to decide!"

Nigel looked back and forth between the two operatives. He felt their gazes bore into him, suffocating him.

"Alright, alright!" he cried. "We'll tell him tomorrow." He reached for his lost item, but Abby held them back and raised an eyebrow. "Fine, I'll tell him tomorrow!"

She grinned and tossed them onto his lap. "Well alright!"

Kuki came running in with a large bowl in her hands. "Popcorn!"

Before she could make it to the couch, however, the alarm sounded. In an instant, the force was up and ready, looking in all directions for whatever had set it off. The popcorn lay ignored on the floor.

Wally came running out of the infirmary. "What's going on?"

"I…don't know," Nigel said, scanning every angle for signs of adult interference.

The HQ computer's voice came from everywhere at once. "Incoming adult transmission."

The five ran to the computer room, each curious as to which adult would possibly want to talk to them for.

Nigel growled at the screen. "Father!"

Father never failed to impose a sense of inadequacy in his enemies. The black figure was sitting behind a desk in what they were certain was his house, grinning smugly. His pipe was dangling from his mouth, as always. Hands folded in front of him, eyes sparkling mischievously, he spoke.

"Hello, Kids Next Door. Did I catch you at a bad time? You look like you were just about to take a nap."

Nigel forewent the pleasantries. "Don't play games, Father. What do you want?"

"What, Nigel, you don't want to talk?" he said. "You don't want to reminisce on the good ole days? And I was so looking forward to it. And I even brought all my friends to talk to you too. Why, there's me, my children, Cree Lincoln…"

"I'm ending this," Nigel said, reaching for the keyboard.

"…Elizabeth Devine…"

Nigel took a step back as though he'd just taken a punch to face. All he knew at that moment was the deepest darkness. His mind refused to accept what he'd just heard, try as he might. His heart sank so far down his stomach he could hardly speak. He froze, though his hand shook visibly. Seconds passed in silence before his eyes slid upward to the grinning maniac.

"Wh…What…"

"You know," Father said, "she was the hardest to capture. Some of you must have rubbed off on her, Nigel. She kept kicking and screaming—" He snapped his fingers, fire appearing on the index. "—so I had to shut her up."

Nigel's mouth was open in sheer astonishment. "You…"

"I what, Nigel?"

He found his voice, fueled by pure hatred. "WHERE IS SHE?"

"Now, now, Nigel, you need to respect…your…ELDERS!" His fist came down on top of a button that lay on his desk. On the wall behind him, the curtains pulled away.

"Mushi!"

"Tommy!"

"…Joey? You SICK FREAK!"

Four of the prisoners were hanging, wrists and ankles chained, from the wall. The infant had been grabbed by Father from off screen. Tommy, Mushi, and Lizzie looked at the Kids Next Door longingly.

"Hoagie, help me!"

"Kuki…"

"Nigie! Please come! Please!" She was sobbing. "I don't want to be here anymore. I want to go home. I want to go ho–"

"SILENCE!" Father threw his chair down and faced them, fire brimming from every pore on his body except his arms. Joey stirred and began crying. "SHUT UP!"

"Don't yell at hi–AGH!" Wally clutched his throat, wincing.

"You'll never get away with this!" Nigel screamed.

"Don't worry, Tommy, big brother's gonna rescue you!"

Kuki and Mushi simply stared at one another; no words were needed.

"Let them GO!" Nigel said.

Father placed Joey on the desk and walked over to where Lizzie was hanging. Hand aflame, he waved it past her face, then again, but closer.

"Quiet, or she dies!"

The group stared helplessly, forcing themselves into silence. This was like nothing they'd ever experienced.

"That's better," he said, picking up the chair and sitting down. "I'm a bit surprised at you, Abigail. Not even a peep for your dear sister. Is your relationship really that strained?"

She stared coldly at Father, arms folded.

"It's a trick."

Father laughed. "Oh no, my dear Abigail. It's very, very real. Isn't that right, Cree?" They all looked at the teenager, whose head hadn't lifted once since the beginning. She hung there like a corpse—appropriately.

"Ah ah ah," he chided. "Now you're messing with the plan. We can't have that…" He was beside her in an instant. With his left hand he grabbed her hair and jerked her head upright. She looked detached from reality; her eyes were open, but unseeing. Heating up his right hand, Father dug his thumb into her forehead.

Her scream pierced their ears and their hearts, echoing madly through their heads. Kuki and Hoagie had to look away, too appalled to witness such an atrocity.

Abby just stared.

Father turned back to the screen and saw her. His grin faded.

"Nothing? I'm disappointed in you, Abigail. Familial love should know no bounds."

"It's a trick," was all she said.

Joey's cries, having been drowned out by Cree's screams, once again made themselves distinct. Wally clenched his fists, blinking back tears, fighting with all his might to not cry out.

"Numbuh One," he pleaded. "Do something."

"He can't do a thing, and he knows it," Father said. "You all must do exactly as I say. First, I want the code to your Moon Base Headquarters."

"I…I can't do that!" Nigel cried.

The villain shook his head. "When you become an adult, you learn that there's no such thing as 'can't'. You'll give me the code, or they all die. It's just that simple."

"How could you…" Kuki whispered.

"How could I? How could I do what, Kuki? Break the 'rules' of warfare? You forget, I'm an adult. I MAKE THE RULES!"

"The code is lollipop!" the leader of Sector V shouted, head down in shame. "It's…lollipop."

Father pressed another button on his desk. A panel slid open and a computer rose up. He typed for a minute, then smirked.

"Access Approved. Now we're getting somewhere."

Nigel couldn't bring himself to face his nemesis, so shaken was he. "What are you going to do with it?"

"It's just the start of my plan, Kids Next Door. You did well. I think I'll be leaving now."

"Mushi!" her sister cried.

"Kuki?"

"Don't forget to love!"

"Tommy! Stay strong and don't give up!"

"Joey…"

"Cree!"

They all looked at Abby, who was staring at her older sister, two twin streams of tears running down her cheeks. Cree looked back, disbelief covering her face.

"Don't die."

"Hahahaha!" Father slammed the desk with his fist, clearly entertained. "That's what I was looking for! Nigel!" The leader stood fallen before him. "I'm going to turn your world upside down. I suggest you take that nap; it'll be the last free night you have for a while."

He hit a button, and the transmission was cut.

Father led the prisoners, chained to one another, back down to their room; he carried Joey, who was still crying. None of them spoke; Father's presence was too unsettling. They knew they were getting close when they saw the red carpet and the dim lights. Being their second time along the hall, they realized that there were other metallic doors, just like theirs, along the sides. They each wondered who else could be held down there.

Father opened their door and shoved them inside. He placed Joey in Lizzie's hands, then walked back out and locked the door. He pressed a series of buttons on the control panel next to it. There was a beep, and their shackles unlocked and fell to the ground. They rubbed their wrists tenderly.

"Good performance today, children," he said, walking away. "Tomorrow's forecast? More of the same! Hahahaha!"

"Stupid Father," Tommy grumbled, sitting with his back to the wall. They were in complete darkness once again.

Cree felt her way to the opposite side and sat down, resting her head in her hands just like before.

"Joey, please be quiet," Tommy said, covering his ears.

"Cree?" Mushi said softly. "How's your forehead?"

"Fine," she said. "Now leave me alone."

"Shh…" Lizzie cooed, rocking the baby back and forth. "It's okay now."

"Geez! What's your problem!" the young Gilligan shouted. "All you've done is mope since you got here!"

Mushi hated the fighting. "Tommy…"

Her voice was hoarse and grating. "Do you really want to know, Tommy?"

"Um…y–yeah?"

"I was Numbuh Eleven…greatest Kids Next Door operative of my time. I did so much for them…and then they just…betrayed me! I turned thirteen, and they wanted to decommission me…me! So I escaped and joined the adults. At least with them I could never turn too old. I'd always be accepted because I'd always be willing to get my revenge against the snot-nosed brats who wronged me.

"And then…" She sniffled. "And then I'm betrayed…again…by my new family. But no, that couldn't be it, because I had to be locked up with no chance of escape!" Tears began rolling down her face, though they couldn't see them. "So now I've lost my very first family, my real family, on top of it all. Betrayed by kids, betrayed by adults, kept from my family…"

She sniffled again and choked back a sob. "Now just leave me alone."

"But, Cree," Mushi said, "we can help! We can escape togeth–"

"NO!" she cried. "There is no 'we'! 'We' do not exist! You are the enemy."

"And what about Joey?" Lizzie said. "Is he an enemy?"

"He's an innocent who never should have been dragged into this. Don't ask stupid questions, Lizzie. No self-respecting teenager or adult would endanger an infant's life."

"Then what about Father?" she asked. "What happened to him?"

"I don't know. And I don't care. My only goal right now is to escape…from this jail, escape from this life…just…everything."

She heard footsteps, and then something soft and light was placed on her lap.

"Cree, um, this is Radiant Regal Rainbow Monkey. He's the only one I could grab, and, well…see, he has a scepter and a crown, and…and you can have him." She walked to the other side and sat back down.

Joey settled down and stopped crying, so they sat and silence. Cree ran her hand along the doll's side, feeling the delicate fur. She traced her fingers around its eyes and mouth, and felt the scepter in its hand and the crown on its head.

Radiant Regal Rainbow Monkey. A gift from the brightest light to the darkest shadow.