now loading:
kids next door mission
operation: u.n.o.
uncovering
numbuh
one
writing operative:
imagigirl20
Nine Years Ago
"Aww, who's a happy little chap?" Monty Uno said, holding his infant son in his arms.
The child giggled happily, waving his arms. Monty chuckled.
"Our son certainly is a fiery one, eh dear?"
"Oh, do be careful, Monty", said Mrs. Uno, her British accent as posh as her husband's. "We wouldn't want him to get too excited before bedtime!"
"Yes, of course."
Monty carefully placed Nigel back in his crib, tucking him under a warm blanket. As Mrs. Uno turned out the overhead light, the little baby yawned and closed his eyes.
"Out like a light, eh what?" Monty whispered, careful not to make too much noise as he got out of the chair by the crib and headed for the bedroom door.
"Goodnight, Nigel old bean", he said as he closed the door.
…
Just down the lane, Benedict Uno stared out the window through a pair of binoculars at his brother and his happy little family. He growled.
"It's just not fair", he said to himself. "How is it that Monty got the wife and kid? I'm so much better-looking than my brother! I have a full head of HAIR, for crying out loud!"
He sighed and slumped his shoulders, trudging over to his high-backed chair. He sank into it, holding his pipe between his teeth.
"Why couldn't I find a wife? Why can't I have a kid? Why can't I have five kids? Five perfect, appreciative children who never ask any difficult questions and would always do exactly what I ask of them?"
Then, he sat up.
"Yeah. Why can't I?" he said, snickering darkly.
…
Across town, at the park, two little girls (one dressed in red, the other in blue) sat on the swings, hugging Rainbow Monkeys in their respective dress colors to their chests as they swung back and forth.
"Rainbow Monkeys, Rainbow Monkeys, oh-so-very round and super chunky!" the girls sang in unison. "Bringing love wherever they go, every-"
Suddenly, there was a flash of black smoke, and then a tall, lanky figure dressed head to toe in black was standing in front of them. The girls gasped as they saw a pair of fangs gleaming in the moonlight.
"Those who lie to their parents and stay out past curfew shall feel the wrath of…Count Spankulot!"
The girls shrieked and tried to run, but the spank-happy vampire was too quick for them. In another flash of smoke, he was standing in front of them once more. With a wicked laugh, he grabbed the girl dressed in blue and threw her over his knee, smacking her rear end with his white-gloved hand.
"Ow! Ow! Ow!" the girl cried, kicking her legs to try and get away.
"Help!" the girl in red cried out, before being grabbed by the vampire as well.
"Hey! Spankulot!"
"Eh?"
The vampire turned to see five kids standing behind him. One tall kid had hair long enough to cover one of his eyes (Numbuh 0.1); another was wearing a metal bowl with rubber flaps hanging over his ears (Numbuh 0.5); one of the girls had long blonde hair and was carrying a multi-colored umbrella (Numbuh 0.3); the other girl was wearing dark shades and had pigtails (Numbuh 0.2); and a blonde boy with nunchuks narrowed his eyes at the villain (Numbuh 0.4). All of them wore the letter Z on their combat outfits.
"Sector Z of the Kids Next Door!" Spankulot said.
"That's right!" said the blonde girl.
"Let those kids go!" said the girl in sunglasses.
"The only heinie getting smacked tonight will be YOURS once we're through with you!" said the tall boy.
"Bring it on!" Spankulot said, shrouding himself in his cape and raising his eyebrows.
With a yell, the five kids rushed forward, firing their weapons. The battle was over in mere minutes.
"You have not seen the last of me, Kids Next Door!" Spankulot vowed before he disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
"Thank you, Kids Next Door!" the girls said in unison.
"Don't mention it", said the kid in the bowl helmet.
"You kids had better get home now", said the tall kid.
The two girls nodded and scurried off.
"Nice work, team!" said the tall kid. "I know we normally go by our codenames, but I just gotta say: Alessandra, way to distract the Count so that Constance could trip him! And Bruce, great job making sure the kids were out of the way. Oh, and Lenny, NICE hit with the Splanker! Oh yeah, we sure showed HIM!"
"Well, we couldn't have done it without your great leadership skills, David", said Alessandra.
The others nodded and voiced their agreement.
"Welp, I guess it's time to head back to the treehouse, team. Kids Next Door, move out!"
"Yessir, Numbuh 0.1!"
As the kids headed back to their transport and flew away, Benedict smiled. He had seen the whole thing from his telescope.
"Perfect", he said. "Now to guarantee my success."
Benedict walked across the living room to the bookshelf by the fireplace, where had stashed a blueprint he had been working on. He took it down and spread it across the dining room table.
"Once my machine is up and running, I will have the perfect family; not my stupid brother!"
Benedict rolled up the blueprint and went over to the fireplace, hitting a secret button within the bricks. The flames died out and the opening expanded, revealing the entrance to his secret lab in the basement. All throughout the night, Benedict used his expertise to complete his maniacal machine. At a little before sunrise, he wiped his brow and admired his work.
"It is finished!" he proclaimed. "And now to test it…"
Benedict went over to a large animal cage by his lab table, where a big black dog was resting.
"Now, Ben", he said, nervously opening the cage, "this won't hurt a bit. If you could just-"
The dog snapped up, running for Benedict, who ducked out of the way as the dog ran past him and straight into the machine before he could stop himself.
"Good dog", said Benedict, closing the door. "Now, just hold still…"
Benedict made his way to the control panel for his machine and inputted the startup code. As the machine whirred to life, the large black dog started pawing at the door and whining. Suddenly, a blinding red light hit him and he howled. The dog shook his head as his entire furry body started to glow, and he rose into the air.
"Yes", Benedict said, watching with wicked glee. "Yes…YES!"
As the machine wound down, the howling stopped. The door opened and steam escaped from the hatch. Gone was the large mutt that had previously occupied the space; out stepped a large black purebred poodle devoid of all emotion with glassy blue glowing eyes.
"My machine…it works!" Benedict said. "It works, it works, it works! Now all I need is-"
The dog started to growl, and that same red light overtook his body. As the dog shook his head back and forth, his features changed.
"No. No no no NO!"
With a final flash of red light, the large black mutt was once again standing in front of Benedict, none too happy about being a lab rat.
"Um…nice doggy?"
The dog growled and lunged at Benedict, who raced for the steps. As he reached the door, he slammed it closed on the large dog, who yelped.
"Drat", Benedict said to himself. "The machine's effects were temporary, and only lasted for a short period of time. If I want this to work, I'm gonna need a lot more power. It's a good thing I know just where to get some…"
…
The next day, Sector Z was in the middle of having breakfast when an alert rang out across their treehouse. Numbuhs 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5 made their way to the main base where Numbuh 0.1 was waiting.
"Warning", said their computer. "Incoming transmission from: Numbuh 198."
"Onscreen!" Numbuh 0.1 said.
A large projector moved down the wall and showed the face of a 10-year old girl wearing a green sweater and a large metal helmet.
"Sector Z!" she said. "We need you."
"Numbuh 198!" Numbuh 0.1 said, saluting her. "What can my team do for the Kids Next Door Supreme Leader?"
"Listen up, guys", said Numbuh 198. "Global Command has just been informed that there's a large shipment of broccoli coming in, and it's being delivered to your sector!"
"Aw, man!" said Numbuh 0.4, punching his palm. "Not broccoli!"
"Ugh, I HATE that stuff!" said Numbuh 0.3, cringing.
"Yeah", said Numbuh 0.5. "NOBODY likes broccoli."
"I couldn't agree with you more, Numbuh 0.5", said Numbuh 198. "That's why I need Sector Z to stop that shipment! No kid should EVER have to be subjected to that torturous, disgusting green stuff."
"Say no more, Numbuh 198", said Numbuh 0.1, "Sector Z is on the case!"
He ended the transmission.
"C'mon, guys! We've got some greens to get rid of. Kids Next Door: Battle stations!"
…
It wasn't long before Sector Z was able to intercept the truck headed into their town using the F.L.I.B.O.T (Flying Locomotive Intercepts Broccoli Ongoing Transport). But when they cut open the roof of the truck, they were surprised to find it empty.
"Hey!" said Numbuh 0.4. "What's goin' on around here?"
"Uh, Numbuh 0.1?" Numbuh 0.3 said fearfully. "I don't like the looks of this."
"Agreed", said Numbuh 0.1. "Maybe Numbuh 198 got the coordinates wrong."
"Oh no, my dear children."
Sector Z gasped and looked up to see Numbuh 198 smiling down at them menacingly from a computer screen.
"You're right where I want you."
"Numbuh 198!" Numbuh 0.2 said.
"What's the meaning of this?!" demanded Numbuh 0.5.
"Oh, I'm afraid your fearless leader never sent you that message, kids", said Numbuh 198.
Just then, her face blurred out and morphed into that of a dark-clad figure with expertly coiffed hair and burning yellow eyes.
"I did."
"Kids Next Door!" Numbuh 0.1 called. "Retreat! Numbuh 0.2, recall the F.L.I.B.O.T. quick!"
"Roger that!" said Numbuh 0.2, but it was too late.
BAM! The hole the team had cut into the roof was suddenly covered by a large sheet of metal and bolted down.
"You brats aren't going anywhere", said the figure, and then he began to cackle.
"Try to find a way out!" Numbuh 0.1 called. "Don't give up, team!"
Green smoke began to fill the storage unit.
"Knockout gas, sir!" Numbuh 0.5 coughed.
"What do we…do…", Numbuh 0.4 mumbled, sinking to his knees.
"David…help", said Numbuh 0.3 as she passed out.
Numbuh 0.1 shook with effort as he tried to stay awake.
"Don't try and fight it, my boy", said the figure. "Just enjoy the ride. And have a nice nap."
With a groan, the last member of Sector Z sank to the floor of the truck.
…
"Numbuh 0.1…Numbuh 0.1, can you hear me?...Numbuh 0.1, wake up!"
"Huh?"
Numbuh 0.1 slowly returned to awareness, finding himself locked in a cell with his team. As he looked around, he noted that all of their weapons were gone.
"What happened?" he said, rubbing his head. "Where are we?"
"The mission was a fake", Numbuh 0.3 recalled. "Numbuh 198 never contacted us."
"It was all a trap", said Numbuh 0.5, "a trap meant to get us here."
"But where is here?" said Numbuh 0.1. "And who was that guy on the screen?"
"I'm glad you asked."
The figure suddenly appeared outside of their cell, staring at each of them.
"The reason for your presence here will soon be clear to all of you. As to who I am, well…just call me…Father."
"Yeah, right!" said Numbuh 0.1. "Like we'd ever wanna be your kids."
The other members of the team nodded and jeered at Father, whose eyes narrowed.
"I didn't ASK what you wanted!" he suddenly exploded. "Pretty soon, it won't matter what you want, because you'll be under my control!"
"I don't think so!" Numbuh 0.5 said. "The Kids Next Door will-"
"The Kids Next Door have no idea where you are", said Father, "and I intend to keep it that way. As far as they're concerned, Sector Z has taken an unauthorized mission into deep space…and they're NEVER coming back. As for your moms and dads, they'll all think that you ran away to Saskatchuan."
The figure cackled as the team exchanged nervous glances.
"So, now that that's taken care of, let's get to it. Shall we?"
Father pulled out a remote and hit a button. Suddenly, the floor underneath the team opened up and they fell through it screaming. They landed with a thud…directly in the center of Benedict's machine.
"We gotta get outta here!" said Numbuh 0.4, and ran for the door.
WHAM! It was sealed shut.
"I'm afraid there's no way out, children", said Father, who was now standing outside the machine in front of the control panel.
"What are you gonna do to us?!" Numbuh 0.2 said fearfully.
"Let's just say, the experience you're about to have is gonna be…delightful", said Father, and he cackled once more before turning on the machine.
A bright red light flooded Sector Z's prison, and they screamed as it overtook them.
"What's…happening to me?!" Numbuh 0.1 yelled as his clothes were torn away and replaced by a blue suit with a red tie.
"We're…changing…into dorks!" said Numbuh 0.4 as his hat disappeared and his hair became expertly coiffed.
"What…IS this?!" Numbuh 0.3 struggled as her hair became neatly brushed and tied with a large pink bow.
"I…HATE dresses!" said Numbuh 0.2, her combat gear replaced with a pale white dress with a single blue stripe across the middle.
"Noooo!" Numbuh 0.5 yelled as his metal hat turned into a red football helmet that completely covered his shoulder-length dark hair.
"Yes…YES!" Father yelled excitedly. "It's working! By tapping into the power plant across town, I've managed to generate enough power for my Delightfulization Chamber to work on the most defiant of kids: these snot-nosed KND brats!"
Just then, the machine began to make a strange sound.
"What?"
Father looked over at the power supply, and saw it begin to spark.
"No. No! Not again! Not THIS time!"
Father wrapped his hand around the Overdrive lever.
"You…will…WORK!"
As he sent more power to the machine, it died and went dark.
"NOOOO!"
Sector Z gasped as everything reverted to normal.
"Hey! I'm back!" said Numbuh 0.4.
"Me, too!" said Numbuh 0.3.
"Oh, thank goodness", said Numbuh 0.1. "Alright, team. Now let's try to find a way out of-"
A flash of red light, brighter than before, blasted them with full force. The kids screamed as they once again donned those horrible outfits. But somehow, the effects of the machine were a lot worse. Hairstyles and outfits changed, yes; but the kids also found that they could no longer stand away from each other. Slowly, their individual screams became synchronized.
"What's happening to us?!" they said simultaneously. "What have you done?! Kids Next Door! HELP US!"
BAM! The machine's top flew off, causing the whole thing to fall apart, and the power went out not just in Father's house but on the whole block. Having been prepared for this to happen, Father's backup generator kicked on. He tentatively took a step toward the ruined machine and saw the five children (the boys in blue suits, the girls in white dresses) with their hands on their knees and breathing heavily.
"...children?"
At this, the kids stopped and straightened up as one group. They slowly turned around, and Father's eyes widened. Gone were the members of Sector Z, replaced by emotionless, rim-rod straight-postured children with a presentable appearance, their eyes glowing a bright light blue.
"Hello, Father", they said as one. "Are we your…delightful children?"
transmission interrupted