For the Numbuh C4 series I'm trying to get a realistic take on certain subject matter like 'how does the KND do this?' or 'How would they approach homelessness?' Those are things that make the KND interesting, because they help kids but to what extent?Anyways, here's the next chapter.

Kids Next Door Moon Base

Both Carol and Rachel found themselves in the Moon Bases' cantina. Today's chef special: Fish & Chips. Both the Spy Sector Leader and Prospector Leader grabbed themselves a trey and stuck the fish and French fry plater onto their respective treys. They walked up to the cash register and paid for their meals then walked over to the tables and grabbed a nice table by a window.

"You know, I've always found it so scary." Rachel said as she looked out the window into the void. Carol looked at her friend oddly as she poured ketchup all over her fries. "Space I mean."

Carol ketchup soaked fry and threw it into her mouth. She chewed thoughtfully, contemplating Rachel's words. "Guess so."

Rachel chuckled. "Look at you Carol. Look at us!" The blonde kept laughing. "Who would have guessed we'd both be where we are now?"

"We've come a long way from Arctic Training, Rache." Carol smiled softly, thinking back to their time running drills as cadets in that too cold for comfort environment.

Rachel pulled out a pair of utensils she'd acquired up at the cash register and began to cut up her fish. "I took a look at the list of operatives you have under your command." She said, catching Carol slightly off guard. Carol mentally pinched herself, she was talking to the Spy Sector Leader after all, and of course she'd know everything about her team.

"I mean no offense, but you've got quite the oddest skill sets under your command." Rachel said before biting the piece of fish on her plastic fork. "Numbuh 49, he's an Astrocartographer? Are you sure you don't need any other specialists?"

"I've got a weapons specialist, an ordinance specialist and a ninja cat girl." Carol said after she finished chewing, not being one to speak with her mouth full. "Don't tell me little miss 'Rules' is doubting my team's ability to get the job done?" She asked feigning insult.

"My point is, maybe you could use a little support." Rachel spoke seriously. "Given some of your team's recent adventure into space…"

"Pimple Goat Monsters, eek, gross." Carol shuddered.

"Things will come up and you don't want to be undermanned." Rachel took another bite out of her fish. "You've got recruiting power. I may or may not have gone ahead and assembled a list of potential candidates to add to your roster."

"This wouldn't be you trying to create a sphere of influence, now would it?" Carol said jokingly.

"No, but I would like it if you kept me and the rest of Global Command updated with your progress." Rachel said, causing Carol took look at her friend with confusion. Rachel turned out the window once more, looking out to the void. "It's gotten worse, you and I know that. Leviathan is a threat that needs to be taken care of both quickly and discretely."

Carol cut up her fish with her plastic knife and fork. She harpooned a piece with her fork and dabbed it with ketchup. "Look, I get it, sometimes my guys get wrapped up in their messes. But Leviathan is a top priority. I've got said 'Astro-Cartographer', on monitor duty, keeping an eye out for anything abnormal and possibly related to a Teen Intelligence Agency."

"At least take a look at the names on the list." Rachel withdrew a folded up piece of paper from her black spy outfit pants pocket. She placed it on the table and slid it for Carol to take.

"I'll take a look at it after lunch." Carol's eyes narrowed slightly. She took the paper and slid it into her own pocket.

After that the two colleagues sat there with the only words exchanged being the sounds of their chewing. What was once a merry reunion between two friends deescalated to that of a superior and her subordinate.

New York

The boy who'd seemingly lost his memory wandered the sprawling streets of New York. He'd spent the cash he'd found in the wallet at some hotdog vendor. Now that he had a full stomach, it was time for him to get down to business.

First thing on his plate being: Find out who he was.

The boy sat on a bench near a busy sidewalk, lost in thought. 'Grit…' He tugged at his hair as he tried his best to remember his name. 'Griffon? No. Grendel? No.'

The boy rolled his eyes at his unsuccessful attempts. 'Man this is hard…' He sighed.

'Yea I need help with this…' The boy turned to the crowd of pedestrians walking by. He waved his hand in front of a man wearing a long coat and hat. "Hey, mister! You mind giving me a hand?"

"Bug off kid." The man sneered and continued on his way.

'Rude.'

The boy tried flagging down another passerby. Some just kept walking, as if he wasn't there. Others just brushed him off. "If you need help go to a police station you urchin." Another adult spat inhospitably.

The boy just glared as he was brushed off once more. 'Police station? Hm…' He thought. 'Where the heck is that?'

The boy got up and stood on the bench and held his hands over his mouth like a cone. "Hey! Does anyone know where the Police Station is?!" He shouted over the crowd of walking pedestrians.

One Mother and her daughter walked up to boy. "You need to get to the Police?" The mother asked.

"Yes ma'am." He nodded courteously.

"A couple blocks down that away." The little girl, probably a year younger than the boy pointed down the street.

"Thanks!" He smiled. With that, the boy took off running.

It was then the little girl noticed the boy's lack of clothing. He was in only in a t-shirt and pants, nothing else. The mother and her daughter were then back on their way. The mother went on busying herself by talking about their good deed, helping the boy. The little girl dug into her pocket and withdrew a tiny remote.

She hit a button on the remote, producing a microphone to speak into. "Civilian to KND, there's something odd going on, you might need to check it out. Some boy with no shoes needed help and is heading to the 13th precinct."

Not too far away, a pair of teens shadowed the boy. They watched him walk off. And soon, just like a predator hunting its prey, they followed.

Rhode Island

Former Sector Q Tree House

Current Prospector Tree House

When Carol returned to the Tree House, she couldn't help but feel put off by her conversation with Rachel. She exited her personal transport, a normal S.C.A.M.P.E.R. and was greeted by a dark haired boy who desperately appeared to be in need of sleep.

"Jeez, Numbuh 2030, if you need to take a nap just do it." She said to the boy.

The boy, Numbuh 2030, shrugged. "How'd it go?"

"We're now officially our very own Sector!" She said victoriously.

The pair began to walk out of the tree house hangar, to a more preferred space to continue their conversation. "You hear from the others?" Carol asked.

"Josh, Vana and Terry are still enroute back from their adventure." Numbuh 2030 answered. "You can expected them back at base tomorrow, but I'd give them a day or two off."

"Ah yes, Numbuh 832, 5-10 and 94's soon to be famous Pimple Goat Monsters adventure." Carol said in a praising yet shuddering tone.

"Yup." Numbuh 2030 nodded.

"So we're three operatives short 'til tomorrow?" Carol asked.

"Four." Numbuh 2030 corrected.

Carol looked to the boy sympathetically, after all, he had been there when Numbuh 3:16 died. The Prospector leader dug into her pocket and pulled out the paper Rachel had given her. "Here."

"What's this?" Numbuh 2030 asked as the operatives found their way into the Tree House's Recreation Room.

"A list of your new teammates."

"Please tell me she isn't replacing us?!" A female voice called out from the sofa. Reclining on the couch sat a girl with black curly hair and wore a simple green t-shirt and tan shorts with a purple bandana hanging around her neck. The girl was just flicking through various channels on the Rec Room's TV.

"No, Numbuh 322, I'm not replacing you." Carol spoke a matter of fact.

The girl on the couch, Numbuh 322, tapped the 'off' button on the remote, powering off the TV. She then spun around, throwing her elbows on the back of the couch and faced the two operatives. "Neat, I was just getting used to these digs."

"When should we expect these new recruits?" Numbuh 2030 asked as he looked over the sheet of paper.

"They don't know yet." Carol answered. "That's why I need you two to head out and recruit them yourselves."

"Ugh." Numbuh 322 groaned.

"Where'd you find the time to make the list?" Numbuh 2030 asked.

"I added a few names on my way home." Carol answered simply. "But, for the most part, they're all suggestions from Numbuh 362."

"Numbuh 362? The Head Spook?" Numbuh 322 raised a questioning brow. "¿Por qué?"

"Because they used to be teammates." Numbuh 2030 answered. He turned to Carol and shook his head. "I count two of Numbuh Infinity's flunkies on this list."

"What?" Carol raised a brow. Numbuh 2030 held up the list and held out his index and middle fingers to two names on the paper. "Numbuh 635 and 741?" She eyed Numbuh 2030 skeptically. "Numbuh 635 is a surfer. And Numbuh 741 is a botanist."

"Trust me, they work for Numbuh Infinity." Numbuh 2030 muttered seriously.

"Sheesh." Numbuh 322 whistled. "What did the Diplomat do to you?"

"That's beside the point." Numbuh 2030 waved his hand. "If we're adding new recruits, then they should people we know." He handed back the paper to Carol.

"I trust Numbuh 362, she would never stir me wrong." Carol affirmed. Then she looked back to the paper and her resolve faltered slightly. "But, if it would make you more comfortable and create a better working environment, I would gladly remove both operatives from the list."

"Thank you." Numbuh 2030 nodded thankfully.

"But, I'm going to add two other names. And you have to recruit them." She said, as she pulled a pen out of her Combat Satchel and began to black out Numbuh 635 and 741's names from the list.

"I see no reason why not."

"Here." She said as she finished scribbling down two names. Carol handed the paper back to Numbuh 2030.

"Numbuh 50 and Numbuh 63?" Numbuh 2030 raised a brow.

"Isn't Numbuh 50 that video game nerd at the Online Hub?" Numbuh 322 asked. "And Numbuh 63 a repairman?"

"Numbuh 50 is the sole inhabitant of the Online Hub. She fights teens where it hurts, their online video games." Carol said matter of fact. "And Numbuh 63 is a 2x4 specialist and Numbuh 50's friend. Recruiting him would lessen the work load on your shoulders, Numbuh 2030 and would smooth over recruiting Numbuh 50."

"They'll do." Numbuh 2030 muttered. He turned to Numbuh 322 and held up the sheet of paper. "Kayla, up for a trip?"

Numbuh 322 leapt over the sofa and snatched the list out of the boy's hand. "You're driving."

With that, Carol watched her subordinates walk off and leave the room. With those two off recruiting, three of her other teammates on their way home from space and their resident cat-girl stuck at school that left one other operative in the tree house. And hopefully, he would have good news.

Carol exited the Rec Room and made her way to the tree House's observatory. When she made it up the stairs, she found the Astro-Cartographer hard at work multitasking. Behind his retrofitted workstation, among what seemed to be a dozen computers and a giant telescope aimed at the ceiling.

"Anything to report?" Carol asked, catching the boy's attention.

Numbuh 49 looked away from his monitors and saluted his superior. "I just flagged something you'd like to see." He pointed to one of his monitors. "Might be nothing…"

"But it could be something." Carol finished the boy's sentence. She walked around his setup and took a look at the monitor.

"A civilian called it in." Numbuh 49 said. "Apparently some kid in New York, wearing nothing but a shirt and pants was asking for the Police."

"Nothing but a shirt and pants?" Carol raised a brow. "It's October…"

"The local KND Sector declined intervention. They're writing it off as just some Homeless kid trying to get some proper help." Numbuh 49 said sounding a slightly disgusted by the Sector's response.

"The KND can't accommodate every homeless kid, Numbuh 49." Carol said sounding equally sad. "Eventually they'll all grow up and be teens. Then what? Do we just kick them back onto the streets?"

Numbuh 49 didn't answer Carol. "So…we gonna look into this one or not?"

"I'll give it a look see, sure. Where was it called in?" Carol turned and began back from where she came.

"Downtown Manhattan." Numbuh 49 called out.

"This shouldn't take too long."

So, I decided that this story didn't need 6 chapters. 3-4 will do just nicely. 'Til next time dear readers!