Chapter 3. Watering the Flowers

Numbuh 1 led the rest of his sector through Father's labyrinth of a mansion. Each of them was armed and tried to make every step as quick and quiet as possible. They continued down seemingly endless hallways lit by rows of chandeliers and lamps. All of the time, their bodies were as steel traps, ready for any sign of movement to let loose.

After a while, the hallway opened up into a large, cavernous room with a gargantuan machine with a metallic, padded helmet lying, attached, beside it. Numbuh 2 went to investigate the piece of machinery.

"Whoa!" he whispered in wonder, "What a piece of work."

He ran his fingers over the steel covering painted dark violet. He tried to figure out what it would take to destroy it, or at least shut it down.

Numbuh 3 came over and tried the helmet on. "Ooh! This is sooooo comfy!" she squealed quietly in delight.

The helmet was the same color as the rest of the machine. It covered not only the top of Kuki's head, but her eyes as well. She suddenly fell to the ground in a heap. Numbuh 4 ran to her side with a frightened-out-of-his-wits expression on his face.

"Kuki! Are you alroight?" Numbuh 4 asked in panic as he scooped her onto his lap. He removed the helmet immediately and stared down at her face.

Numbuh 3's eyelids fluttered and she woke up to see Numbuh 4 staring worriedly at her.

"Hi Numbuh 4!" she said and gave him a big hug.

"Aw, how sweet,"

All five operatives turned around to see Father staring down at them with fire in his gaze. Before they could move, Father trapped them in a flaming cage.

"Numbuh 362 won't be getting help from any of you. All of you can just watch while I destroy her little by little. Won't that be fun?"

With that, Father approached the machine and picked up the helmet. He sat down in his chair and put the helmet aside. "I'll give your weak leader a bit of time before I visit her again."

Something was bothering Numbuh 362. She had to tell someone about it.

"Numbuh 86, come here please."

"Yes, sir?"

"When you tried to wake me up—"

"Oh, sir, I'm so sorry—"

"No, no Fanny, it's alright, I think it helped me find out some thing important out."

"What's that?"

"Well, before you tried to wake me up, Father had me pinned on my back. But then, out of the blue, I began slapping him, but I wasn't doing it. Next thing I knew, I was waking up with sore cheeks."

Numbuh 86 thought over it for a few seconds before her eyes opened wide in realization. "So, if we wanted to beat him, we would have to…oh."

"Yes, beat me." Numbuh 362 sighed sadly.

"But, Numbuh 362, there has to be another way."

"I wish there were. But I have an idea."

As the sun set on the earth, Numbuh 362 got ready for bed, but she wasn't going to sleep in her bed. She went up to the moonbase greenhouse, home to many exotic and beautiful plants. Numbuh 362 dropped down gently onto a bed of flowers. She closed her eyes and drifted off with the aroma of the sweet flowers all around her.

Father stood there watching as she walked in her dream toward him. She held a stem of jasmine in her hand, a confident smile on her face.

"I've figured it out Father, have you?"

"If you mean the fact the Kids Next Door will fall, then yes."

Numbuh 362 took a sniff at the jasmine and merely answered, "Not quite that,"

"Well then, I'll prove it to you." Fire surrounded Father as he flew toward Numbuh 362, who merely stood there. As if on cue, a streak of water flew at Father, drenching him twice over. Numbuh 362 laughed as the water doused Father's fire, she had won.

Numbuh 362 woke with a splutter as she sat up. Numbuh 86 was spraying water at Numbuh 362 with the garden hose. Numbuh 86 laughed happily as she turned off the hose and tossed a towel to her boss, who was in her swimsuit.

"We sure showed Father, didn't we Numbuh 362?"

Numbuh 362's hair was dripping over her face as she smiled. Fanny could not see the solitary tear that fell down Numbuh 362's cheek. She knew the worst was soon to come. A single rinsing off would not drive off Father, and she couldn't continue on with only short naps to make up for a full night's rest. Something had to be done, and Numbuh 362 was regretting what she knew it had to be. Her own team would have to turn against her, and not hold back. Whatever was done to her in her sleep was done to Father.

She took a deep breath, it had to be done. But not now, tonight was a small victory, which should be greeted with laughter, not tears. But how dearly she wished she could sleep.

But there was something else Numbuh 362 wasn't aware of, and it was important.