Listen, y'all, I don't own KND, and I ain't makin money offa this. I write for kicks and kicks alone, so don't sue me, cause y'all don't want to pay a lawyer to sue me for eighty-something cents and a cheap Avon pocketwatch.

Operation ROULETTE

Rogue

Operative

Unleashes

Long-range

Evil

To

Terminate

Everyone

The day started pretty well. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and the members of the Kids Next Door were all at their favorite places. Numbuh One, Nigel Uno, was off with his girlfriend at an amusement park. Numbuh Two, Hoagie Gilligan, was at his favorite soda hole, happily talking Yipper cards with the bartender. Numbuh Three, Kookie Sanban, was at the toy store, stalking a new Rainbow Monkey. Numbuh Four, Wallabee Beatles, was at a local gym mauling a punching bag. And Abigail Lincoln, Numbuh Five, was walking down the street. She was headed to a new ice cream stand to try out their merchandise. Local adult activity had tapered off, so the kids weren't packing. Abby was the only one who viewed this as a bad thing, and even though Numbuh One had given orders not to carry, Abby was reassured by the weight of the bubblegum pistol in her pocket. She'd took it as a souvenir after stopping the Six-Gum Gang from stealing kids' homework. It was hers, and not subject to the restriction. She was unnerved by recent events.

The first sign of anything odd was the sudden defeat of the adult duo, Wink and Fibb. They'd been found in their house, pockmarked all over with red welts. It was odd that neither one remembered anything about what happened save a sound like buzzing or rattling just before it happened. The room was immaculate, but under the couch was found a small ball of yellow plastic. The lab was working out what it was. The next week, three more villains were found in the same condition. The Toilenator, Grandma Stuffem, and Mr. Boss were all taken down. All recounted either silence, a small pop, or the buzzing noise just before the attacks. All the Kids Next Door were joyful at the ends of their enemies, but Abby could see a pattern emerging. The person or persons doing these jobs was skilled,and they were getting more and more brutal with each attack. Wink and Fibb had been clean, but as each fell, the condition of the adults afterward got worse, although the scenes were always spotless. The attackers picked up their ammo. At least most of the time. This latest attack had indicated that the shooter had swapped weapons. Stickybeard the pirate and his entire crew had been decimated in one night. They were found writhing in agony where they fell, a small lead pellet imbedded in their bodies. The shooter had hit each one in an acupuncture point. Abby was genuinely happy that these guys were on her side. Or so she thought...

Nigel was just getting back to the treehouse when his communicator beeped. It was a small, useless looking message, but it made him shiver to his bones.

Snakebite.

Snakebite. The word shot fear through Nigel Uno's heart. It had happened. He'd known it would. Thirteen was just too uncontrollable. He'd seen him work. His thoughts were interrupted by the communicator. A new message appeared. Call team. New mission. Op Code is: Charlie, Delta, Whiskey, Tango, Tango, Mike, Bravo, Golf. Saddle up, Uno.

He made the calls. First to Abby. She was the one he trusted most. "Numbuh Five, we have a new mission. Very high priority. Meet me back at the treehouse. I'll call the rest of the team while you're en route."

"Roger, Numbuh One." Abby was nervous. Nigel's voice had had a slight note of fear in it, and when a leader as staunch as Nigel Uno was afraid, then it was for very good reason.

When Abby reached the treehouse, Numbuhs One through Four were waiting. "Sit down, everyone. We have a new mission. It just came in from Moonbase. We're to track down a high-profile target."

Abby sat up. "Who?"

"An operative of ours. His name is Jack Thompson. Numbuh Three-oh-eight. He's with a recon unit stationed in Italy, at the ruins the adults call Monte Cassino. His unit was out on maneuvers and got hit in an ambush. Jack went missing. His squadmates are at Moonbase, got took there for treatment and debriefing. We are to find Jack and bring him in. Are we clear on the objective?"

"Sir, yes, Sir!" came the response.

"Good. These guys got hit hard, so Numbuh Two, I want our best weapons onboard the transport. And all of you, we will be wearing armor. So get your gear together, folks! We saddle up in the morning! Abby, stay here. I need to talk to you." Everyone rushed off to prepare. Abby was left sitting on the couch.

"So, Numbuh One. Who are we really after? Numbuh Five does not like being lied to."

"And I don't like lying to you, or anyone else. But it was needed. There is no Jack Thompson. Or a Numbuh 308. Those are just two of our target's aliases. His real name is Caleb. He goes by his handle, Cain, or his codename, Thirteen Black. He is, or was, a member of a top-secret section of the Kids Next Door known as the "Gambit Squad." They are the most ruthless team in the entire organization. Ten kids, organized and trained in the most modern tactics of war, outfitted with weapons the rest of the KND only hear of in whispers, and answerable to no one but the head of the KND himself. They don't have regular Numbuhs. Being the Gambits, they took codenames from casino games, mostly card games. There's Blackjack, Spades, Ace, Shooter, King, Craps, Wild Card, Flush, and Dealer. Our man is the only one with a roulette name. He's Thirteen Black. And of the ten, he's the deadliest."

"What's his specialty?"

"He's a sniper."