Things weren't the same as they had once been at the Sector V Treehouse. Nigel Uno, also known as Numbuh 1 to the KND Operatives, had been chosen to go into space to work for the Galactic Kids Next Door. Numbuh 5 had taken command of Sector V on his parting orders, and for months things were fine, although they had all missed Numbuh 1 terribly.

And then it happened. Numbuh 362, the soopreme leader of the KND, had stepped down. Numbuh 5 ended up becoming her successor, and tearfully left Sector V for the Moonbase.

Sector V now consisted of Numbuh 2, Numbuh 3, and Numbuh 4. They hadn't yet received a new operative for their Sector, and they didn't much mind, despite the dwindling members. They missed their old teammates too much to care.

"It just ain't the same 'round here without Numbuh 1!" Wally complained loudly one day.

"Or Numbuh 5!" Kuki added, sharing his sentiments.

"I know guys, but they just couldn't pass those opportunities up. You're only a kid once, right?" Hoagie told them, quoting Nigel from just before his departure. Just then, the intruder alert blared, startling the three operatives. "Kids Next Door, Battlestations!" Hoagie shouted, having reluctantly and somewhat unwillingly taken command after Abby had left. Each member grabbed a weapon, spinning to face the main door as it slid open. They stared forward in shock as they saw the intruders, unable to say a word.

David and Ashley stood in the doorway, looking back at them quietly. They no longer wore their snobbish Delightful Children outfits, instead looking much more casual than the team had ever seen them; David in a red and black sweater and baggy pants, while Ashley wore a baggy shirt that hung below her shoulders and an undershirt with baggy pants as well. Her hair was also up in a ponytail, having tired of having her hair down long.

"The Delightful Children?" the team shouted in surprise, having thought their enemies had already met their demise when they'd stopped showing around after Numbuh 1's showdown with them. The three operatives raised their weapons, frowning deeply.

"Wait!" David piped up. "We're not here to hurt you. We…Actually need your help," he informed them, him and Ashley holding their hands up.

"You, needing our help?" Wally asked, raising an eyebrow at him. "Why should we trust ya?"

"Hey, they look different!" Kuki exclaimed, smiling. "And there's only two of them here," she observed.

"If you haven't noticed, we're no longer Delightfulized," Ashley informed them, frowning. "Somehow, we're back to our…old selves. We don't know how, all we know is we woke up in a cave, and the others weren't there. We had nowhere else to go and so we came here," she huffed. David nodded.

Hoagie lowered his weapon a little, though he was still wary of them. "So…You're not evil anymore then?" he asked.

"No, we're not," David answered, shaking his head. "Please, we need your help. We have nowhere else to go…Father will re-Delightfulize us if he captures us. We don't want to be your enemies anymore," he said, frowning at the thought.

Hoagie just looked thoughtful. "Ya can't be considerin' helpin' them, can ya Numbuh 2? They tried to kill us so many times!" Wally exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air.

"Well…It is our job to help kids," Hoagie pointed out. "And we don't exactly want the Delightful Children back either, especially when we're down in team members…So, I guess that just means one thing," he said. "…We'll help you. Make yourselves comfortable, I guess?" he added awkwardly. "But don't get too comfortable! We'll be keeping our eyes on ya, ya dig?"

"Thank you, Hoagie Gilligan," Ashley said, bowing a little.

"Do me a favour, and stop calling me 'Hoagie Gilligan'. That's creepy," Numbuh 2 shuddered a little. "Just Hoagie or Numbuh 2 is fine."

"Sorry," Ashley nodded. "We're just glad…Maybe we can find the others soon, too…"

I know, I know, another short chapter. We'll get to the good stuff soon, I swear! Promises. Also I'm like half sorry that I'm really centralized on David, but he's my favourite DCFDTL...