"So that's the situation." Numbuh 362 said after explaining the bargain struck between Emma Frost and "Father" over his lending of the ex-Kids Next Door Operative Cree Lincoln to the Hellfire Club.

"But why are we here?" Naomi asked softly. "I'm not an X-Man and…" And my family is the Hellions. She couldn't say it but everyone who knew her knew what she was thinking.

"Well," Daria said. "We were tapped for this mission since we know the X-Men."

"It was our idea to deputize the rest of you." Quinn added.

"You're friends and we can trust you. Besides, it would be easier to explain having you over at the Xavier Institute than random KND agents." Brittany finished. "We can just pretend that we're having a play date or something and that our father sent us over to the institute rather than deal with us ourselves."

"It's not like it's without precedent." Daria admitted.

"Gee, I wonder why…" Spyder drawled.

"But why me?" Naomi insisted. "Why are you trusting me?" She asked a little hesitantly.

"Because Spyder said you were a good person." Brittany said. "And Spyder isn't wrong about that sort of thing."

"We wont put you in a position where you have to go against your friends in the Omega Hellions." Quinn promised. "They're not even involved in this plan anyway."

"We promise." Daria said. "We really need your help. Cree and Father are bad news; regardless of whose side they're on. Will you help us?" Naomi looked down for a moment then raised her head again and nodded once. Spyder grinned.

"But why didn't you tell Jamie?" Katie asked. She and Molly had taken to exchanging emails with the triplets after they had met and had a good idea about what went on at the Institute. "He's in the right age range to be trusted by the Kids Next Door and he lives at the Institute."

"Well…" Quinn winced. "As much as we love Jamie we have to admit, he's something of a blabbermouth."

"Plus our superior ordered us not to tell him. Something about boys being stupid." Brittany shrugged.

"You mean that Numbuh 86 brat?" Spyder asked. As she was the first to arrive she had gotten a feel for some of the KND officers. "That red-headed Scottish girl?"

"Sounds like Rahne." Molly said. Spyder snorted.

"Rahne may be able to turn into a wolf." Spyder told her. "But Numbuh 86 is the one who's a real bi—"

"AHEM!" Numbuh 362 coughed, interrupting Spyder. "At any rate, our intelligence tells us that Cree is going to infiltrate the Xavier Institute and gain the X-Men's confidence by pretending to fall in love and date one of the X-Men."

"But who would be so stupid to fall for such an obvious…oh who am I kidding? Its Bobby isn't it?" Daria asked. Numbuh 362 nodded.

"Affirmative."

"There's a shocker." Spyder said in a tone of voice to suggest that it clearly wasn't.

"So are we just going to go over to the Mansion to beat up Cree?" Molly asked a little eagerly, punching her fist into her palm for emphasis.

"Close." Numbuh 362 said. "We need you—all of you—" she added, looking around. "To go to the Institute to sabotage her date with Bobby. Hopefully she'll reveal her true colors without us having to reveal the existence of the Kids Next Door." In truth, the Kids Next Door were really hoping they wouldn't have to reveal themselves to the X-Men. Good guys or not, they were still teenagers.

"We'll get right on it." Trinity said. "When's the next shuttle down to Earth?"

"Shuttle?" Naomi asked, paling. "Can't we just teleport down or something?"

"We can't use Joe technology." Numbuh 362 reminded her. "That was part of the agreement…and that agreement is the only thing keeping Trinity from stealing all our technology."

"We wouldn't take all of it." Trinity said weakly. Numbuh 362 raised a critical brow.

"Hmmm…at anyrate the next shuttle leaving Moon Base leaves in half an hour. I guess you can show them around a bit until then." She said, indicating Trinity's assembled group.

"Okay!" Trinity chirped. "Come on! We want you guys to see the munitions locker!"

"Yay!" Spyder exclaimed as they stampeded past Numbuh 362.

"Hey! That's not what I meant!"

000000000000000

After being chased away from the armory, the triplets settled for showing everyone the Kids Next Door Hall of Fame.

"And this is Numbuh 201's team." Quinn narrated, indicating a picture of half a dozen kids led by a mischievous looking boy wearing a red hat. "They rallied the kids of their school together to stop an insane, recess-hating lunatic from using a device that would've eliminated summer vacation by pulling the moon into a new orbit."

"Over here is Numbuh 18 and his team." Daria said, pointing to a picture of a buck-toothed kid in a silly pink hat. "He—somehow—stopped a deranged clown from ruining summer vacation in his home town by sticking them all in some 'Camp Learnatorium'." She shuddered.

"And this…" Brittany shuddered. "…is Numbuh 666." It was a picture of a blond girl in a pink dress with a flower on the front. Judging on that alone, she didn't look so scary. But when you look at her emotionless face, practically emitting a dark aura around her…everyone shuddered.

"You'd think she was best friends with death, the way she acts." Quinn noted.

"Hey, anyone want to go see the research and development team?" Daria asked. "We've still got a few minutes before the shuttle leaves."

"Sure." Molly shrugged.

"What're they like?" Katie asked as they headed towards their lab.

"Well…" Brittany started as they opened the door to see two kids arguing furiously.

"You are stuuupid! My idiot sister is smarter that you are!" A diminutive boy with red hair who wore glasses and spoke in an unidentifiable accent sneered.

"Leaping leptons! I didn't think the universe could cram so much ego into such a little frame!" The other boy, with a large heard and hair shaped so that it vaguely resembled an ice-cream scoop.

"You're big fat head, Mr. Spoofy Hair!"

"Numbuh 824.67! Numbuh Square Root of 2! Knock it off!" A third boy, this one African-American and wearing a blue shirt and jeans ordered. "Don't make me call Numbuh 362 and tell her that—hey Daria! Quinn! Brittany! Hello!" He waved when he noticed them.

"Hi Wade!" Brittany said.

"You mean, Numbuh Pi." Quinn corrected her.

"Or is that Numbuh 3.1415926535897932?" Daria asked. "Whichever you prefer."

"I'll answer to all three." Wade grinned. "How are you guys?"

"We're fine." Quinn said.

"Work troubles?" Daria asked, grinning. He shrugged.

"Ego problems. You know what some kid geniuses are like." He said mildly, throwing them a look. They just snorted.

"Oh before we forget." Brittany said. "Everyone, this is Wade. One of the best Kids Next Door inventors and computer geniuses in the organization."

"Dare I ask who you three think the best is?" He asked knowingly. Trinity just grinned. "I might've guessed."

"Well, you are a genius." They giggled.

"Very funny."

Molly, Katie, Spyder, Naomi, Penny, and Torpid just stared as Trinity and Wade started speaking technobable to each other as the other two KND scientists started arguing again.

Finally, however Trinity's communicators beeped. It was Numbuh 362. "The shuttle's prepared to leave." She told them. "Get on board."

"Right." Trinity said as they bade their goodbyes and led their group to the main hangar.

"Cree is moving faster than we thought." Numbuh 362 said as they boarded the shuttle. "So I had to send in a team ahead of yours to begin the operation."

"Cree's pretty dangerous though." Daria pointed out. "Who did you send?"

"Don't worry." Numbuh 362 grinned. "We've sent our best."

At the Xavier Institute, five ten-year old children gathered, peering through binoculars and spy equipment as they prepared to infiltrate the mansion. Their leader, a bald-headed boy with dark sunglasses spoke into his own communicator.

"Sector V is ready to begin."