THE DELIGHTFUL MANSION'S FRONT LAWN. MONTY IS STRIDING TOWARDS THE FRONT DOOR, FOLLOWED WITH SOME HESITATION BY NIGEL.

Ten of the treehouse hamsters are squeaking for Nigel's attention. Joaquin tugs at his sock. Nigel's grasp of Hamsterese is limited, but he can recognise a message like 'This is too dangerous. Call for back-up." when he hears it.

NIGEL (to Joaquin)
Keep a distance, Joaquin. I may need your help. If I do, I'll call you.

Monty barges into the house. He moves through the lobby and enters the living room. There, the Delightful children are sitting cross-legged on cushions, playing marbles.

MONTY
You must be the Wigglesteins. Where are your parents?

The Delightful Children study Monty. Their lips curl into a smirk when they see Nigel enter.

DELIGHTFUL CHILDREN
Father is in a meeting. Would you like to make an appointment?

MONTYQuite so. I'd like to make an appointment for now.

NIGEL
Tell them to go find Father, dad. They have to do as you say.

Monty nods.
MONTY
Right. I'm giving you brats an order. Find your father and bring him out here.

The Delightful Children look very discomfited.

FATHER
That won't be necessary, Monty.

Monty, Nigel and the Delightful Children turn their heads towards the living room's staircase. Father is standing at the top of the structure.

Father floats through the air towards Monty and Nigel.
FATHER

So, the prodigal brother returns.

NIGEL
(astounded)
Brother? Father is my…uncle?

Father floats to the ground.
MONTY
(half horrified, half intrigued).
Ben? Is that you?

FATHERYou don't recognise me? Of course you don't. You forgot about me thirty years ago.

MONTY
What have you done to yourself?

FATHERGaining power, mostly. I've become more powerful than Numbuh Zero could ever have dreamed of.

The mention of 'Numbuh Zero' strikes a familiar chord with Monty. Countless memories of children addressing him as Numbuh Zero echoe in his mind. Could Numbuh Zero be his past self? Impossible, otherwise he'd remember it more clearly.

MONTY
You've got some nerve accusing me of forgetting about you. You abandoned me and Pappy when we were thirteen. Remember?

FATHER
You left me no choice. I asked you not to choose the Kids Next Door over me. You didn't listen.

Meanwhile, Nigel advances on the Delightful Children.
NIGEL
Make with the age cigar, Delightful Children! I'm an adult: you have to do what I say.

Very reluctantly, Lenny removes the cigar from his jacket's inside pocket and holds it out. But before Nigel can take it, Father snatches it away with a fire tentacle.

MONTY
I still don't understand why you abandoned us.

FATHER
You chose to be decommissioned, and it destroyed you. It left you a shell of your former self.

MONTY
Decommissioned?
FATHER
(gestures towards Nigel dismissively)
It's what people in the Kids Next Door do to kids who turn thirteen. They remove their memories of the organisation.

NIGEL
So that's your excuse for becoming a supervillain, is it?

FATHER
(shouting)
Don't patronise me, Nigel Uno! If you went through what I did, you'd become a supervillain too. And I'll prove it.

Father zaps Monty with the cigar, turning him into a thirteen year-old child.

Nigel
(screaming)
Dad, no!

Monty
(tersely, looking himself over)
This has to be a dream.

Nigel charges at Father, but the villain zaps him too, turning him back into a child.

Nigel looks himself over, astonished, then runs to check on Monty.

Father pockets the cigar.
FATHER
I am most…disappointed in you, Nigel. I was hoping you'd become an adult, but you've only changed on the outside.

Father telekinetically summons a phone to him and dials a number.

FATHER
Good evening officers. This is Benedict Wigglestein. A pair of young hooligans have trespassed onto my property and assaulted my children.

Father listens to the receiver's response.
FATHER
Yes, if you could come collect them, that would be very convenient.

Father listens.
FATHER

Five minutes? Perfect

Father hangs up.
FATHER
The police will take you snot-nosed brats off my hands in a few minutes. Until then…

He zaps Monty and Nigel into elderly people.

FIVE MINUTES LATER. THE DELIGHTFUL MANSION'S FRONT LAWN

As the hamsters watch from a distance, Monty and Nigel (both children once more) are being led to a police car by two police officers. They're in handcuffs.

Monty and Nigel take a seat in the back of the car. Monty is very pale. He looks wildly around him.

MONTY
Officer Mikado, it's me, Monty Uno! We played cards last month!

In the driver's seat, Officer Mikado, a middle-aged woman with short blond hair, scrutinizes him.

OFFICER MIKADO
(giving a good-natured chuckle)
I know Nigel Uno alright. But I don't think I've ever seen you. You must be Nigel's…brother? Cousin?

Monty tries to escape, despite still wearing handcuffs, but Nigel half-heartedly restrains him.

MONTY
I know this sounds crazy, but Benedict Wigglestein zapped me into a child with a cigar! He's the real criminal! His children attacked my son with a giant robot!

OFFICER MIKADO
(laughing heartily)
Definitely a relative of Nigel. If I had a dime for every time he's tried to sell me a crazy story about an evil adult attacking him, I'd be a millionaire.

Monty reclines into the seat. He makes a very forced, borderline maniacal smile.

MONTY
(breathing deeply)This isn't happening. This isn't happening. This isn't happening. This isn't happening. This is all a dream.

Nigel
(sounding blasé)
So where are you taking us, Mrs. Mikado? Jail?

Officer Touton, Mikado's partner, addresses him. He's a man in his mid-twenties with a bushy beard.

OFFICER TOUTON
That's the plan. The law calls for a minimum sentence of six months in juvenile hall for underage criminals.

Meanwhile, Monty is still repeating "this isn't happening." Nigel places a hand on his shoulder.

NIGEL
Relax, dad. This is routine business for me. My friends will come to save us.