Chapter 8

Something odd was going on in Sector W. Something wasn't right. Numbuh 363 threw down his helmet angrily onto the floor of the treehouse, before scrambling up the ladder to the top bunk of his bed. He didn't know what it was, but he was going to find out. That was his mission for tomorrow. Heaving one, last, satisfied sigh, he fell asleep.

Unfortunately for Numbuh 363, his planned mission had to be put on hold when the treehouse alarms began to blare out the news of an "official" mission.

"What!" Numbuh 363 eyes blazed in barely-restrained fury. "That amateur Sector F thinks that they can beat us? When did you get the report?"

"Promptly 8:30 this morning, Numbuh 363," chirped Numbuh 83. Holy crud, thought Numbuh 84. Stop sounding like such a girl!

"And they said, what exactly?"

"That they can beat us in any challenge, any day. That when and if, we both become actual sectors in the KND….um…" Paddy stopped, bewildered by the red veins in Harvey's eyeballs stretching bigger…and bigger….

"Go on, 85!" Numbuh 363 screamed in anger. "What EXACTLY did they say!"

"That they'd kick our sorry butts all the way up to Moon Base." Lee said coolly, reading over Paddy's shoulder.

"Impossible! How dare those bald-headed, Uno-imitation, overachieving -!

"This isn't Sector V, 363," Numbuh T said, grinning. "It's Sector F."

"F for FAIL! As in, we will participate in their challenge, and we'll beat them at their own game! Numbuh T, take us to the location of the challenge."

"Seriously, 363? Are you going to really jump in at any old challenge -" Numbuh 363's eyes bulged in horror.

"Um, you know what?" Numbuh T scratched his head. "Never mind."

----

"A mission! It's been forever since we've gone a mission, you guys!"

"Cool it, Numbuh 83." Numbuh 83 grinned at Lee, not at all offended by his words.

"Aww, Numbuh 84, what's wrong?" She hopped into the seat next to him, and swung her legs carelessly. "It'll be fun!"

Lee wished he could feel as carefree as the girl who sat next to him, swinging her legs without a worry in the world. Did she not realize that Numbuh 363 knew something was up? Wasn't she worried that any day now, Numbuh 363 would find out she was a girl? Then what? Numbuh 363 wasn't the forgiving type.

With himself, Paddy, and Tommy running interference, they had managed to deter their leader from finding out that rainbow monkey Sonya hid in her room, from seeing Sonya whenever her hat flew off her head showing her long, blonde hair, and…Lee smacked his forehead, of course the beach incident when she met Sector W as Sonya…not Sonny. It was a miracle that Numbuh 363 hadn't discovered Numbuh 83's true gender.

"Don't worry, Numbuh 84." He felt Numbuh 83 whisper into his ear. "If Numbuh 363 hasn't found out yet, he won't ever find out." He looked at her incredulously.

"How did you…?" She laughed.

"We're seven years old. How many things can we be worried about?" He smiled. She was right.

----

"Area marked for landing…" muttered Numbuh T. He fiddled with the controls, while concentrating on the murky waters of the Amazon River. It's waters churned threateningly, and a bloody piranha jumped out of the water, trying to evade the sharp teeth of its own bloodthirsty colony. "Ready, Numbuh 85?" Paddy pushed buttons and turned knobs

"Ready!"

"Ready, 83, 84, 363?" They nodded grimly. Numbuh 363 growled low in his throat.

"Ready, Numbuh T." Tommy maneuvered the flying vehicle into landing position; feverishly praying that the F.L.O.A.T. mechanism he had added recently would work.

"Um, you've landed this thing before, haven't you Numbuh T?" He ignored Paddy's question.

"Numbuh TTTTTTT!" Sector W shrieked in panic, as the H.O.V.E.R.K.A.R. lurched and flipped twice before smoothly landing onto the river. To Tommy's relief, the F.L.O.A.T. worked fine.

As Tommy crowed about his flying expertise, his teammates staggered out of the H.O.V.E.R.K.A.R., wanting to vomit up the morning's Rainbow Munchies cereal. When he said he was probably going to be better than his brother and The Kid combined, Sector W gave him dirty looks. When Tommy suggested that they go on more around the world trips, it was just too much.

Before Sector W, could smack him, the jungle echoed with the cackling sound of a laughing man. Sector W was instantly on alert.

"Who's there?" Numbuh 363 asked angrily. "And what are you laughing at? Come out, you coward!"

The thick fronds of a jungle fern parted to reveal an educated-looking man, with horn-rimmed glasses, and a book under his arm.

"So, you are the infamous Sector W." Harvey sneered.

"So, what's that to you, adult." The adult flipped through his little, brown book. "Ah..you must be Numbuh 363. Leader of Sector W, name Harvey McKenzie, yes, yes! Sister is the Rachel McKenzie, Numbuh 362, the Soopreme Leader of the Kids Next Door…and has a fear of being touched." The man glanced sideways at the boy in the helmet, and reached for him.

"Yah! Don't touch me!" Harvey squealed. The man smirked. His smirk sent shivers of fear through Sector W.

"Next, Numbuh 84. Tactical Yo-Yo Specialist, name Lee Jameson. Catchphrase: cool. Numbuh T. 2x4 Technician, name Thomas Pennywhistle. Older brother is Numbuh 2, Hoagie Pennywhistle Jr. of the Kids Next Door, also a 2x4 Technician. Numbuh 85. Head of Diversionary Tactics, name Patrick "Paddy" Fulbright, sister to Francine "Fanny" Fulbright, who is the current Head of Decommissioning, Numbuh 86, at the Kids Next Door Moon Base. She hates boys, and you…ah…mwahaha…ha..ha..MWAHAHAHA!"

Sector W shrank back in fright, but continued to listen in horrified fascination. "You received that horrible haircut from your father, Mr. Boss. You were a freak show for months!" Paddy seemed to shrink as he hunched over, trying to hide from the bad memory.

"Hey! Don't make fun of him!" The man in the brown suit whirled in surprise.

"You! Who are you?" Numbuh 83 glared.

"Numbuh 83 of Sector W!"

"Numbuh 83!" yelled Numbuh 84 in exasperation. "Don't tell him!" Sonya looked down, embarrassed that she gave herself away. The man flipped through his little book quickly, thoroughly, and came to his conclusion.

"You must be new. I don't have any data on you." He rubbed his hands together gleefully. "But that's all right. A surprise makes things more interesting."

Numbuh 363 narrowed his eyes. "Who are you? How do you have so much data on us, on the Kids Next Door?"

"Let me introduce myself." He straightened his coat collar, and smoothed his tie. "I am Uncle."

----

"Uncle…" Numbuh 363 shook his head as the rest of the sector looked on quietly. "Are you related to Father?"

"Precisely, and I invited you all here today, to personally exterminate you, like the little termites you are."

Paddy shook. "S-s-s-ector F decided to challenge us, and that's why we're h-here. Right, guys?"

Numbuh 84 shook his head slowly. "Don't you get it yet, Numbuh 85? That was a lure to bring us here…it's a trap." Lee slowly looked around.

"And he's trapped us good." Tommy said grimly.

"What do you mean, Numbuh T?" Sonya whispered frantically. "Can't we take off on the H.O.V.E.R.K.A.R.?"

"Good question, Numbuh 83, was it?" Uncle rummaged into his pockets, and brought out a complicated-looking remote. "With this remote," he pressed a button, and a cage shot out of the underbrush, and nearly trapped Paddy, "I control everything in this part of the Amazon," he pressed a series of buttons, and ropes flew out from the branches above, toward Numbuh 363, surrounding him, entangling his arms and legs, as he flailed helplessly.

"Help! Helppp meeee!" Numbuh 363 choked out as the ropes began smothering him, entwining around the thick bulge of his neck, and rendering his stubborn fingers useless.

Sector W rushed to help, when they too, were caught up in the weaving masses of jungle vines.

"Already?" The man commented, bored. "You may be Sector W, but it's clear that you're not yet part of the Kids Next Door." Sector W struggled fruitlessly, as they hung in the air.

"Numbuh 363, what do we do?" Paddy cried. The man laughed.

"Nothing. There is nothing you can do. Except..." The man dangled the word tantalizingly in the air. Numbuh 363 looked at his teammates, Numbuh 85 shrieking, Numbuh T panting, Numbuh 84's yo-yo as helpless as its owner, and his newest recruit, Numbuh 83, with eyes that were wide and terrified. Numbuh 363 slumped in defeat.

"Tell me. What is it." Numbuh 363 gritted out. "What do we have to do?"

----

The vines brought Sector W and the man to a remote part of the jungle. The vines dropped Sector W only meters away from a cave.

"This is The Cave, the site of your challenge." Sector W looked warily. There were two openings, one with a crudely painted sign that read, ENTRANCE, and the other that read, EXIT. From what they could see, it looked normal on the outside, a hunk of rock with a hollowed out tunnel. However, the rest of the tunnel was hidden in a dark gloom. It could have hidden anything.

"I like to think of myself as a fair man," said Uncle. "Even though I have thoroughly trussed you all up like chickens, and I could destroy you right now, I want to give you kids a fighting chance." He smiled a fake smile. "Okay?"

"Now, the only thing you have to do, no, let me correct myself, the only thing one of you has to do, is walk into the cave entrance, and come out the cave exit. Of course," he added as an afterthought, "no boy has ever come out The Cave again." He smirked.

"Walk through the cave, is that it?" Numbuh 363 said haughtily. "Then as leader of Sector W, I'll accept your stupid challenge." He suddenly paused. "Nobody came out? Ever?"

Uncle grinned. "Never." Harvey paled, quickly regretting that he volunteered himself. Sonya was in deep thought. Subconsciously, her feet shifted, left foot to right. She twisted an imaginary lock of hair behind her ear. Uncle said…no boy…if I'm a girl…would I have a better chance? She bit her lip. Numbuh 84 realized what Numbuh 83 was going to do, too late. Oh no.

"I'll go." Numbuh 83 said quietly. Numbuh 84 blocked her path to the cave entrance. He glared at her furiously.

"Not cool." Sonya looked at him. His shoes stuck firmly into the muddy ground, his arms crossed, his eyes locked on hers. I won't let you go, they said. .

"Please, Numbuh 83!" Tommy and Paddy shoved Lee out of the way, threw him onto the ground, sat on him. "We don't want to die!" They flung themselves at her feet, pleading and begging, despite the warning sparks shooting from Numbuh 84's eyes.

"Guys, stop it!" Numbuh 84 snapped. "Numbuh 83's our teammate. Our newest recruit. Numbuh 83 could die in there!" Tommy and Paddy ignored him, hearing only the words Uncle had slipped. No boy has ever come out alive.

"Please, Numbuh 83, please! You heard what he said…you heard them, right? You go! Please!" Numbuh 363 was taken aback that his teammates were so adamant that Numbuh 83 go. Numbuh 83, the newbie. Numbuh 83, the least experienced of them all. He was also about to protest until he realized that if it weren't Numbuh 83 to go, it would be him.

"Go, Numbuh 83!" He shouted encouragingly, along with Tommy and Paddy. Sonya nodded once, looked at Lee once, and then dashed toward the cave entrance.

"Hey!" Lee yelled at her running figure in panic. "Come back, Numbuh 83, where do you think you're going! Do you think you're being cool? You're not!" Lee struggled violently from under the three bodies of Paddy, Harvey, and chubby, little Numbuh T. "Ugh, get off!" He said furiously. To their surprise, he threw them off, and sprinted toward the cave entrance. He got within a meter, until the trio tackled him again.

----

Sonya continued her mad dash into the cave, despite Numbuh 84's angry protests. The last thing she was able to make out was his threat that she better come out alive, or else. Numbuh 84. Her eyes blurred with new tears, tears that froze on her face when the cave opened up into a grand arena. She cast the torch around wildly, certain that somewhere, there was a monster that would tear her apart.

Thud. Thud. Her eyes darted around and found the enemy. It was a lovable, huggable, monster-sized rainbow monkey. Sonya's jaw dropped. Thud. Thud.

"I'm coming!" The rainbow monkey put one heavy foot in front of the other. "Come and give me a hug!" Sonya turned around to run back where she had come from, but its furry arms plucked her off the ground, and gave her a hug that left her gasping for breath, and her limbs feeling weak. The rainbow monkey studied her form on its hand as she watched it warily. It grabbed her again, a sudden movement that she could barely see. "Rainbow Monkey Tea Time for Meeting New Friends!" It moved through the cave, and dropped her onto a table by a platter full of mega-sized birthday cakes, tiramisus, blueberry muffins, and strawberry cassavas. The rainbow monkey reached for a teacup, and Sonya stared in fascination at the monster Rainbow Monkey who was able to sip so daintily from a teacup the size of its thumb.

"Excuse me," Sonya said politely. "I was wondering if you've ever had tea time guests before?" The rainbow monkey nodded its massive head, a grin lighting up its colorful face. "Um, do you know where they are?" The rainbow monkey giggled, a high-pitched, sweet sound.

"Would you like to meet them?" Sonya's eyes lit up.

"You mean they're still alive? I would love to meet them!" The rainbow monkey tittered again.

"Okay!" It's hand shot out and smothered Sonya in its heavy grip. Her muffled shrieks became louder and louder as the rainbow monkey lifted her up with its powerful hands, and dropped her into its mouth. With a start, Sonya rolled away from the white molars that nearly crushed her legs. She screamed as its tongue tried to prod her back to its waiting teeth. Her head ringing in panic, Sonya thought she heard a voice.

"Jump down its throat!" What?

"Jump down its throat, now!" Sonya clawed her way across its tongue, but stopped just short of its trachea. It was an unknown, dark tunnel. Sonya shivered and hesitated, but as the tongue tried to force her back to its teeth, she took a deep breath and dove straight down its esophagus.

----

Numbuh 83's screams rolled out of the cave again and again. Numbuh 84 lunged toward the entrance for the seventh time, but once again, the members of his team held him back.

"Crud! Crud! Crud! Let go before…" he couldn't finish. "Numbuh 83 needs me - us! He needs all of us, you guys!"

"We know, Numbuh 84, we know! But the challenge rules say…"

"I know what the challenge rules say!" Lee snapped. Paddy fell silent.

"Cool it, Numbuh 84. Isn't that what you always say?" Lee's head snapped up angrily, but Numbuh 363 continued, heedless. "You hate it, yeah. We all hate it, but we have to stay out here. If you go in, if anyone goes in to help Numbuh 83, it's over for all of us. Numbuh 83 took the chance, he ran in of his own accord, we all saw that." Lee looked back toward the cave. "Numbuh 84, we have to believe in him. We are Sector W. All of us, you, me, Numbuh T, Numbuh 85, and Numbuh 83. We're all destined to be in the Kids Next Door. So he'll make it out. Don't worry. It's destiny."

But Numbuh 84 was only partly listening. He had become aware that the screaming had stopped.

"Hey, you guys hear anything?" He said strangely.

"Hear what?" Tommy asked. He fell silent. Suddenly aware. Nobody spoke. They waited. From a nearby distance, Uncle chuckled.

"The Cave never lets me down."

----

"Here comes another one!" Sonya fell down the esophagus, and onto a blanket that was held up by boys - all the boys that had failed the challenge. Sonya bounced up and down as these things ran through her mind. Suddenly, she felt herself land on the floor, the blanket suddenly dropped, and herself surrounded by boys…boys with hats, boys with flip-flips, boys with hair as red as Paddy's.

"I'm Numbuh 72," said the boy who seemed to be the leader of the rest. She couldn't help but stare at the shocks of blonde hair that sprung out of his head like bedsprings.

"Numbuh 83. Sector W," Sonya said, still staring. She shook her head. "You guys are still alive? What about your sectors?"

"We're all here. After one of us fails the challenge, that Monster," he shuddered, "storms out of the cave to eat up the rest of the team." Sonya looked around.

"You guys are all in boys-only sectors?"

"We think the rest of our teams are separated by that wall."

"You think?"

"Well, it's soundproof…and Uncle wouldn't want any girls to get mixed in with us." Sonya started in surprise.

"What do you mean?"

"Well…" Another of the boys brought out a clipboard with a thick stack of papers. "Uncle is pretty confident, so he left us with a riddle. If we figure it out, everyone will be freed, but after all this time, we've only figured out one part." Sonya stared at the papers. On the left-hand side were pictures of rainbow monkeys in every edition, on the right was a line.

"For the things' names." Numbuh 72 said in disgust. "But how are we supposed to know that? We're stuck here good." Sonya glanced around the room. No girls. No wonder. Clearly, Uncle would target the boys.

"Who got the one?" Sonya asked. Take-It-Every-Time-You-Go-Anywhere Rainbow Monkey.

"Um, me." Numbuh 72 muttered, embarrassed. "That one is my twin sister's favorite. Anyway," he continued, "I don't expect you to know any, but if you did…" he trailed off and stared open-mouthed as Sonya finished filling out the first page, and went to the next.

"No way…" The other boys crowded around Sonya. It was silent, but the atmosphere began to grow heavy with longing and hope. To be free again and play in the grass and shoot each other with water guns. To eat pizza and hamburgers cooked with drippy, greasy oil, not the nasty oatmeal they were rationed out by Uncle every morning. The boys watched in silent awe as Sonya continued to speed through the pages.

"How…?" asked Numbuh 72 in amazement.

"Boy-Girl Relations Specialist," Sonya said curtly.

"Hmm…" Numbuh 72 was deep in thought. There was no way any guy could know so much about rainbow monkeys.

"And it's not because you're a girl?"

"Of course not!" Numbuh 72 hesitated, then reached over to pull off her cap. There was a collective gasp.

" 'Cuz you sure look like one." He said teasingly. To his surprise, Sonya dropped the clipboard and launched herself at him, threateningly holding him by the collar of his shirt.

"You better not tell the leader of my sector…AND THAT INCLUDES ALL OF YOU GUYS!" Everyone quickly nodded, fearful of provoking her further. Sonya dropped the trembling Numbuh 72 onto the ground, readjusted her hat, and proceeded to name the rainbow monkeys.

----

A groaning began. The cavern split open, and the ground shook violently dropping Sector W flat on their faces.

"And it seems that time is already up." Uncle said gleefully. The monster rainbow monkey loomed out of the cavern.

Thud. Thud. Its slow and heavy footsteps brought it closer to Sector W. Uncle watched eagerly as it stopped, lifted its mechanical arms, and tore open its own stomach.

Uncle's jaw dropped.

Boys, boys, and girls poured out of the rainbow monkey, whooping and cheering. It was a chaotic group that ran to reunite with their teammates, and in the midst of it all was Numbuh 83, holding the clipboard.

"Here you go, Uncle!" She threw it like a Frisbee into his stomach. His eyes bulged as he flipped through the completed pages. As he got to the end, a vein bulged on his forehead.

"Vines!" he yelled. He punched buttons on his control, and vines shot out toward Numbuh 83, and wrapped around her petite, little body. As everyone stood frozen in shock, Uncle marched forward, and as Numbuh 83 stared open-mouthed, he pulled off her hat. Yellow locks came tumbling down.

----

"I knew it." Uncle's eyes glowed red. "I knew a boy would never be able to figure it out." But Sonya was not looking at Uncle. She was watching Harvey. His eyes turned from shock to cold fury. His blue eyes made her shiver when he glanced at her, but then he turned to gaze to Uncle.

"Let Numbuh 83 go." His cold eyes seem to glow blue.

"No." Uncle smirked. "As if you brats could do anything anyway."

"If you don't let Numbuh 83 go, we will all fight against you." Numbuh 363 gestured to the assembled kid army. Without another word, Uncle pressed some buttons on his control. The vines freed Numbuh 83, and the ground opened up beneath Uncle, then closed up again. Uncle had disappeared.

A ragged cheer started up among the survivors, and Numbuh T and Numbuh 85 went around to the sectors.

"Can you guys get home? Need any supplies?" Everyone shook his or her head.

"We're future KND. We're always prepared." So grinning, everyone parted ways, until eventually, only Sector W was left. Rather than light-hearted and triumphant, the atmosphere was sullen and full of uncertainty.

Numbuh 363 asked one thing. "So you're a girl?" He said to Sonya as they boarded the H.O.V.E.R.K.A.R. Sonya nodded, too scared to speak. The whole ride home, no one said a word. Numbuh T was unusually attentive in driving the H.O.V.E.R.K.A.R., Numbuh 85 was unduly fascinated in looking out the window. Numbuh 363 sat, arms crossed, eyebrows furrowed, a thundercloud over his head.

Sonya swung her feet. In a bit, she pushed a lock of hair behind her ear, her hat left somewhere in the jungles of the Amazon. Before she could subconsciously bite her lip, Lee took a hold of her shaking hand, radiating warmth and calm. She found the courage to look up from the ground and found the answer in his eyes. I will protect you.