#Knd story

[theweebnextdoor]

Operation: S.E.C.R.E.T.S

Sunnie☀️: Started this story sometime last year but decided to start posting the chapters on here as well. Hope you enjoy the chaotic adventures my ocs go through and be able to get to know them a little more.

Operation: S.E.C.R.E.T.S

Sector

Enlisting

Child

Recruit

Ensures

Trouble

Surfaces

A new girl claiming to be family shows up on the Uno's doorstep but not everything is as it seems as she trains to be an operative. Meanwhile, an adult with a connection to this child becomes involved in the DCFDTL's lives as trouble ensues.

Chapter 1: Knock, Knock, Knockin' on Uno's Door

The evening had been quiet minus a few lousy villains trying to sneak into the treehouse. Thankfully their defense system made sure to alert that someone was on the property and was immediately dealt with. It wasn't too much for one kid to handle himself seeing how all his teammates were in their own respective homes on a school night but he could do without the minor annoyances. Things would quiet down soon but he wanted to be able to update the computer system of some of the newer villains they had fought recently. Even if they had defeated those adults and they weren't a threat at the time there was a good chance they would strike again soon enough so they had to collect as much information on their enemies to ensure another victory by the Kids Next Door. From now on there will be no more distractions.

DISTRACTION DETECTED!!

Dropping his clipboard in surprise, the boy groaned that it was the phone of all things interrupting him. Not wanting to hear it keep ringing he rolled his chair to the other side of the computer and picked up his phone, telling himself that it had better be important. "Hello?"

"Oh, good! So glad you picked up Nigel, honey!"

"Mom? I told you not to call me unless it was an emergency and besides I'm very busy trying to-"

"You'll consider it an emergency if you don't hurry down here and eat your dinner before it gets cold, young man! We're going to spend some family time together."

The boy knew he wouldn't be able to get out of it. Sure he could refuse and just find something to eat in the treehouse once he was finished with his work but he would be in trouble for not listening when he did finally go downstairs. Hearing that there was a dessert after was enough to convince him to stop his work for now but he would be sure to return once he had been full and satisfied.

"Okay, okay I'll be down in five minutes." He sighed as he began saving the information he had already typed up as he held his handmade phone between his ear and shoulder so he could hear his mother speak.

"Wonderful! We'll wait for you until you come down. Love you, honey!"

"Love you too, Mom," Nigel muttered before hanging up. He sighed as he made sure the defense system would stay on while he left the base of his treehouse. It was highly unlikely that there would be any more unwanted visitors for tonight but he couldn't be too careful. Once everything seemed to be in order, he made his way to the elevator and hit the button for house level.

"Ugh, the things I'll do for cherry pie." He put his head in his hand in slight disbelief at himself as the doors closed.

Like his mother had said his parents had waited for him, welcoming him as he sat down. Nigel said hello to his parents before beginning to tune them halfway out as he focused on his food instead. He picked up a spoonful of mashed potatoes with gravy, making sure to push his asparagus away. No way he was going to let those vile things contaminate the rest of his dinner more than it already had.

His father talked about another fishing trip they could take next weekend and he only got a few bites in before the doorbell rang, setting off an alarm system he had his teammate install. Jumping from his seat, Nigel made his way to the door before one of his parents could get there first. In case it was another adult villain he would be sure to deal with them with one of the weapons he kept hidden in the house. When he did open the door the alarm shut off and he was ready to question what the person wanted but grew confused when a woman he never saw before with long black hair stood at their doorstep.

"Oh! Um, hello young man but are either of your parents home?" She seemed like she didn't expect a kid to answer the door so he could guess that she didn't come here on Kids Next Door business but still raised a brow at her as he answered that they were.

"Nigel ol' boy, don't just stand there. See what the nice lady wants." His dad had left the table to see what was happening, only to find his son glaring at some woman in a pantsuit. He didn't know what he was going to do with that boy.

"Hello sir, are you by any chance a man named Monty Uno?"

"Why, yes I am." He answered and Nigel stepped to the side to observe. "Is there a problem of any kind I can help you with?"

"My name is Patricia Foster. I work for social services and it has come to our attention that you have a long-lost relative in the system that has been orphaned recently and it states that we track down any potential family members to see if they would be willing to take the child in even if temporary or else they will remain in foster care until further notice. No decisions have to be made right away but I have brought the child here with me so you could meet her in person."

Stepping to the side, Patricia showed that there was indeed a child standing behind her who looked up at the man with a sheepish smile as she took one of the hands resting behind her back and gave a little wave.

Both Nigel and his father stood there not saying anything for a moment. Neither one was sure how to properly take the information in. Finally, Monty called for his wife over his shoulder, hoping that she could help address the situation.

"Jen dear, could you please come in here for a moment?"

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

They were all seated in the living room with Nigel sitting on the couch next to his parents while they looked through some of the paperwork that this Patricia woman was showing them. He tried to sneak glances but his main attention kept going back to the girl sitting on the ottoman on the other side of their coffee table. They were supposed to be related in some way? She had been observing what the adults were doing as well and when she went to move a strand of brown hair behind her ear her eyes suddenly locked with his. Giving a little wave, she mouthed, "Hi" to him, and smiled when he awkwardly waved back.

"As you can see here it says that her dad's second cousin twice removed matched your info." Patricia passed the letter to Monty along with a document of a family tree showing that Nigel's father and this girl did share the same bloodline.

"I guess this is what we get for skipping out on your last few family reunions otherwise we might have already met-." Nigel's mom paused for a moment realizing she didn't catch the child's name and looked to her for an answer.

"My name is Robin. Robin Hughes." The girl answered, biting the inside of her cheek for a moment before speaking again. "So what happens now? Is this where I'll be living or will I have to keep staying in foster care?"

Monty and Jennifer could both hear the nervousness in Robin's voice and looked at each other wondering what on earth they should do. Everything checked out and this girl needed a proper living situation but could they take on another kid out of the blue like this?

"I think if Robin will be more comfortable knowing she's around family then she can have a place here with us. We'll do what we can to make the proper arrangements for this young lass."

"What? Dad don't you think this is all just a little too-" Nigel didn't get a chance to voice his opinion that he felt something was fishy about this whole thing as Robin suddenly jumped up.

"Really? Thank you so much! You don't know how much this means to me! I know this is a lot and I'm sorry to spring all of this on you.." Robin looked to her feet and shifted.

"I can drop Robin here off tomorrow along with the paperwork I will need you to sign claiming to be her new legal guardians." Patricia stood up from the chair and began organizing her copy of the files into her briefcase while Jen took Robin to the kitchen for a moment to get her a slice of pie to take with her.

"Dad, I'm not so sure about this. I'm all for helping out another kid. It's what I do but they don't just show up at your doorstep and suddenly start living with you this fast. At least I don't think they do.." He didn't know how all this was supposed to work but sharing his home with a girl they just met seemed a little weird.

"Nonsense, Nigel ol' bean." His father waved him off. "I know this will take some time to get used to but I'm sure you'll learn to love having a new playmate. You and she appear to be the same age so she'll even be in the same class as you."

"We'll need to make arrangements to have her enrolled in a new school but we'll worry about all of that once Robin has settled in here." Patricia closed her case, having gathered everything, and smoothed out her pants. "It was a pleasure to meet you, folks."

Patricia shook Monty's hand before saying that she was going to warm up the car and just have them send Robin out once she was finished.

Shutting the car door after slipping into the driver's seat, Patricia threw the briefcase in the back before reaching up towards the top of her head. Pulling on her hair it completely slipped off to show that it had been a wig this whole time and her natural red hair was pinned up underneath. Grabbing her phone she quickly began typing a number and spoke once she heard someone answer on the other end.

"Step one has been completed. She's in.."

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

"So a total stranger is going to be staying in your house?" One of Nigel's best friends, Wally, questioned trying to understand the situation his leader was in even though it had been explained twice already.

"Maybe she will be our friend and I can invite her to my Happy Tea Time Rainbow Monkey Party!" The raven girl, Kuki, giggled to herself not paying attention to the eye roll Wally gave her.

"What did you say her name was again? Raven or something?" Hoagie questioned his friend as they neared the street the treehouse was on. It was after school now and they were walking home while Nigel told them to watch out for this girl when she arrived.

"Her name is Robin. At least that's what she claims to be called." Nigel responded, lifting his sunglasses as they began to slip further down the bridge of his nose. "I just don't get it. Yesterday I was an only child living with my parents and now today I have to share the space with my so-called long-lost- I want to say, Cousin?"

"Maybe you're thinking about this too much Numbuh 1. I mean you have a long-lost cousin on your mom's side and she's a member of the Kids Next Door." The dark-skinned girl of the group, Abigail, reminded him as she twirled a red lollipop between her fingers before putting it back in her mouth.

"Numbuh 10 didn't come to live with me in less than twenty-four hours of meeting her." Numbuh 1 pointed out to his second in command. "Don't you agree it's a little bizarre?"

"Maybe it is but Numbuh 5 thinks you're too tense even more. Ever since that last attack with the Delightful Children you've been a little on edge. I know you went through a lot and it took over a month for us to rebuild the tree house but you need to chill man. If this girl is your cousin and needs a place to crash then as members of the Kids Next Door, Numbuh 5 says we give her a chance and welcome her. She still is just a kid after all."

Numbuh 1 had to admit that Numbuh 5 was right. Maybe he was overthinking this too much. He had been even more suspicious of adults ever since transforming into one himself and having to face their greatest enemy so far. Father. There was no reason to take it out on a fellow kid.

"I suppose you make a good point Numbuh- Hey!"

The four members looked to their leader wondering what caught his attention all of a sudden. They followed his gaze ahead of them to see a car parked in front of his house. She was here already? Numbuh 1 motions for his teammates to follow him as he crept closer and stood on his tiptoes to peer through the side window. The others crowded around him trying to take a look as well. Nigel didn't see any signs of Robin. Only Patricia was sitting with his mom at the kitchen table; talking and laughing with a cup of coffee in each of their hands.

"Hey move it, would ya?!" Wally yelled, jumping to try and gain some height over his taller friends. He tried to elbow Hoagie to the side only for his friend to tell him to watch it and shove him back.

"Would you two knock it off?" Numbuh 1 warned moving the sleeves of Kuki's green sweater from his face while her chin rested atop his bald head, having hopped up on his back so she could get a good view too.

Numbuh 5 stood back with her arms crossed while the other four tried to squeeze around the window. If they kept at it the two women would hear them and see that they were trying to spy on them. Having finished her lollipop, Numbuh 5 pocketed the stick to throw away later when she saw a figure moving toward her friends. "Uh, guys?"

"Can someone just-!" To try and share the space Wally jumped on top of Hoagie but in doing so he made the other boy lose his balance and crash right into the other two, sending them all into a heap on the ground.

⋆⋅☆⋅⋆

"What was that?" Patricia questioned from inside, having heard a noise. Jen only shrugged with a smile before continuing her story.

⋆⋅☆⋅⋆

"Get off me!" Nigel lay face down beneath the weight of his friends trying to lift himself. He was able to prop his elbows when a pair of black shoes came into his field of vision and he looked up to see Robin standing over them with a box in her arms.

"What are you guys doing?"

"Oh! Um-." He began as he felt his teammates move their weights off him. "Nothing?"

Robin raised a brow at him then chuckled before shifting the box to one arm and offering her free hand to help him up. "Good to see you again Nigel." She smiled.

"It's good to see you too Robin." He responded before clearing his throat. "These are my friends." Nigel pointed his arm to the other four behind him. He introduced them each by name along with their respective Numbuhs 2 through 5 as they waved and gave hellos of their own. "And this is Robin. The girl I was telling you guys about."

"Spreading rumors about me already, eh Numbuh 1?" Robin joked using his codename that she learned.

"Ooh! Robin, your hair clips are so pretty! Can I try them on? Please! Please! Please!"

Robin turned to see the bubbly Japanese girl bouncing on her feet. She was the cutest thing but she didn't give in to her request.

"Sorry, Numbuh 3 no can do but thanks. They are pretty, aren't they?" She smiled, hovering her free hand over the clip that was pinned to the left side of her hair. It was merely a gold-colored barrette that mirrored the one on the right. They held importance and no one could wear them but her.

"What's that?" Nigel questioned, nodding towards the box that had 'Robin's Stuff' written on the side.

"Oh! Just the last of my belongings. Your dad is upstairs trying to make sure that the sofa bed still works." They didn't have another actual bed for her to use on such short notice but this would do for now.

"Hey, maybe once you're finished we can all hang out and get ice cream or something?" Numbuh 2 suggested, thinking that they were lucky to have such a cute girl staying here.

"I'm lactose intolerant but I'll take on your offer to hang out." Robin smiled, saying that she would be right back before turning and making her way back into the house.

"What does lacruz indolent mean?" Wally questioned out loud, completely mispronouncing the words.

With a sigh, Numbuh 5 corrected that it was lactose intolerant and it meant that she couldn't digest dairy products well which included ice cream. It would make her sick.

"That's a bummer." The blonde mumbled.

"Well, it looks like it's official." Numbuh 1 said as he watched Patricia walk out with Robin, hugging the child before stepping into her car and driving off. Before they had fallen from the window he was able to see some papers with his parents' signatures on them. "Robin is a part of the family now."

-End Transmission-

Sunnie☀️: I don't think we ever learn Mrs. Uno's real name. If it was brought up and I don't remember, feel free to correct me, but I chose Jennifer cause that's the name of her voice actor. Let me know what you think of the first chapter and I will have the next one posted soon.

[soapyakships]

Please.... don't forget it again......

[rochichan]

nigel's in space

[roguephenon]

There’s a story some kids tell…

A story about a boy, a book, and a tree.

A story of an evil fiery adult who refused to grow up and the twins, hooligans, and delightful little children whom he snared in his shadow.

A story of the operatives lost in the ashes when that same bitter adult tried to burn it all down.

A story of Soopreme Leaders and the burden they bore to keep a dream alive.

A story of two outcast aliens cutting through the vines of deceit and false science for a planet they learned to call home.

A story about a boy who stopped fighting. A story about a girl about to lose her way.

A story about delinquents and the labels society gave them:

The "Quiet One."

The "Tough Guy."

The "Flirt."

The "Doofus."

The "Leader."

This is a story about those five kids who lived next door…

"Are there no fighters left here anymore? Are we the generation we've been waiting for? Or are we patiently burning Waiting to be saved?

Our heroes, our icons have mellowed with age Following rules that they once disobeyed They're now being led when they used to lead the way..."

[torra-and-the-toons]

As is tradition on my blog, Torra must carry someone like a precious little cub and unfortunately, that someone was Nigel.

Help him

[kommandonuovidiavoli]

Sorry for all the asks but What happened to Numbuh 60?

The man himself!

[numbuhbee]

Operation: CATS

[cadybear420]

Male Kaine Bell/Fang Zixin/Camilo Mora CG but he's in Female Kaine's Casual Outfit, edits by me

This was weirdly fun to make

Serve absolute fucking cunt, boy

[numbuh]

Man Decom got to be the crazy thing to think about from the point of view of someone not affiliated with the knd. Like if your the parents are sibling just one day they have a complete different personality almost like they’re a different person.

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i have had a lot of fun approaching decom from almost a horror lens. i believe this kind of thing scares knd kids too. becoming a teen doesn't make you evil or boring by default, and even though a lot of operatives believe it does... it's no fun to consider that memory wiping is to blame. sure, you forget a lot about being a kid, but why does the "old you" have to go? how much are you truly sacrificing? is it guaranteed your personality will change a lot, or is it unpredictable? how different would you be as a teen if you never joined the knd to begin with?

kids and adults alike hate the unknown. they hate not having all the answers. i don't think that the average operative knows every single thing about decom, just as we the viewers don't. it would be easier to sway fugitives if there weren't questions you could ask about the science And ethics of it. someone else takes away your memories. it's knd tradition. it protects knd secrets and proves your loyalty to the cause. what more do you need to know?

it's no surprise that some operatives would have a lot of questions or try to avoid their fate at the expense of everyone else. then there's those who know they'd end up going traitor if they think about it further... so they just act like it's Totally Not Scary and "i just don't get it, why would they do this? teens, am i right? lol"

meanwhile, as you brought up, the friends/family of decommissioned operatives may be very, very confused. there's no reason why they would just forget (xyz) over night. did something happen? previous birthdays were never as jarring.

which is scarier: not knowing what happened to your friend or kid, or not knowing what happened to you?

[numbuhinfinitys]

「 ✦ Lore & Arc's ✦ 」

┏━━•❅•°•❈•°•❅•━━┓

Lore

Reyna Rossel

More coming soon...

Arc's

Memories Recom.

More coming soon...

Au's

Love Switch

More coming soon...

┗━━•❅•°•❈•°•❅•━━┛

[fallen-gabrielle]

I have a hurt/comfort AU/fic for KND where Father becomes amnesiac. Not decommissioned, just amnesiac.

The story starts with a fight between Nigel and Father, and it escalated quickly where Nigel accidentally hurts Ben too hard to the point he almost died. Nigel called an ambulance because even if he hates his uncle, there is a line he won’t cross (can’t say the same for Ben but that’s why he’s a villain). Anyway, Nigel warns his dad about it (Monty and his wife are recommissioned in this AU for giving expositions and maximum angst). Nigel see that Monty is super protective of his brother and worries a lot about him and Nigel feels bad about the situation. Ben is in a coma for a few days.

During that time, Monty takes the DC under his custody because yes, the social services can still be dicks. And that my headcanon about the uno bros and the social services is always the main backstory for them in my stories/AUs. At first, the DC fucking hate Nigel for almost killing Father and living under the same roof is not easy for either of them. Nigel’s parents do appease the tensions though.

Once Ben wakes up, he’s got amnesia from the physical trauma. But he didn’t just forget a few things, no no, he forgets pretty much his whole life: he ‘s back when he was around 8 years old, when Grandfather was still in power. So before the Kids Next Door nor the social services dramas. Idk, he has a lot of issues, his subconscious brought him back during a time when he was feeling slightly fine, and that meant when he was with Monty. So of course when Monty learns about that, he gets the most brilliant dumb idea… to lie to Ben. He’s going to pretend that they were never separated by the social services and that the original KND operatives didn’t treat him like dirt (both are the reason Ben became evil in my headcanon). Everyone else was just sitting like ‘that’s a bad idea’, especially the DC because they know their father well, and he doesn’t like when people lie to him. But since the doctors said it could be dangerous to force Ben to remember everything at once, the family accepts to lie to him for the time being.

So Ben goes live with his brother too, the whole family is reunited. Ben learns to know his children and it’s super cute, fluffy, and sappy. They are of course kinda afraid of him but this Ben is actually very nice. After some time, the DC actually prefer their father like this. They also start to hate Nigel less cuz they have a better dad now. Nigel realizes that Ben was indeed a different person before becoming Father. At this point, Monty already told Nigel about all the angsty stuff that happened, so Nigel starts to have genuine sympathy for Ben. The whole family spends quality time together, it’s nice, Monty is happy to see Ben happy.

Of course the KND are aware of Father’s condition and asked Nigel to watch over him to find the right moment to send him to the artic prison, but after a while, Nigel isn’t on board with it anymore. While he does want to send Father to the artic prison, he just doesn’t want to do when Ben is in this state. Ben still needs medical attention cuz his physical trauma was kinda severe, and it would be too easy to trap Father when he’s powerless (amnesiac!ben means he’s also unaware he has powers). Nigel learned to know his uncle better and doesn’t want the knd to give him a second reason to hate them. Nigel wants to avoid the original drama that solidified Father’s hatred for the knd. The organization pressures Nigel to choose his side, even his friends of Sector V start to look down a little on him for sympathizing with their worst enemy.

And since it’s me we’re talking about, there will be a moment where everything turns into shit eventually. But honestly, I haven’t really thought about the actual ending of it. Ben does start to remember everything: the feeling of betrayal and abandonment from his brother, the social services and the knd in general, and of course, that it was Nigel who put him in this state (even though it was really an accident). He gets his powers back but doesn’t control them well (doesn’t remember much on how to control them, plus the emotional and psychological pain messes with it). Nigel tries to reason with him, and has to explain the whole truth cuz Ben was not doing well about the feeling that everyone just straight up lied to him. It kinda works, but the knd show up, ready to capture Ben. Nigel is exasperated by their actions cuz he was trying to prevent his uncle from becoming Father all over again. Ben was confused as to what to think about his nephew after he revealed everything but Ben still chooses to protect Nigel from the knd and that where the story ends.

There’s a lot of super sweet moments in this story between the characters, but also some angsty ones. Monty gives Nigel the cold shoulder at the beginning but then apologize to his son for exemple. I just wanted a story where Monty and Ben could be happy together and stuff. Nigel learns that not everything is black and white and there’s nuances everywhere, the DC get to be actual kids and have fun with their father, playing games and whatever. Ben being in general wholesome is always one of my favorite prompts.

[theweebnextdoor]

Operation: S.E.C.R.E.T.S

Operation: S.E.C.R.E.T.S

Sector

Enlisting

Child

Recruit

Ensures

Trouble

Surfaces

A new girl claiming to be family shows up on the Uno’s doorstep but not everything is as it seems as she trains to be an operative. Meanwhile, an adult with a connection to this child becomes involved in the DCFDTL’s lives as trouble ensues.

Chapter 4: May I Have This Dance?

"Come on. Come on. Where is he?" Robin had been trying to secretly keep an eye out for the mailman while also helping Nigel with a few chores they had to do. She planned to offer to check the mail and casually slip the invitation in along with it but he was running later than usual today. She hoped that he was still coming cause otherwise he won't be back till Monday and she would have to come up with a different strategy. Until then she had spent most of the morning with Nigel and now they were sitting together at the kitchen table, eating a late lunch while chatting.

"The others have finished their chores as well and will arrive shortly." He spoke, taking a bite from the plate of chicken nuggets they were sharing.

"Cool. So about my training-" Robin began. "When will I be able to start?"

"It's not as simple as that, I'm afraid. There are usually a lot of other kids trying to get in at the same time and some don't make it right away. How well you do on the written test will determine if you may proceed or not."

"Boo! You didn't mention having to take a test first." Robin gave a little pout which Nigel sighed at.

"I suppose if I'm being honest I still don't know how I feel about you being here but what I don't doubt is that you'll become an operative. I guess if your heart is really into joining the KND, you're not so bad after all."

Robin could tell that he was having an inner battle with himself over this. He still wasn't fully able to trust her just yet but it seemed he was willing to give her a chance to prove herself. Not like he had much of a choice with everyone else being on board with her.

"Aw, that's the nicest thing you've said to me." Robin smiled and wrapped one arm around his shoulder.

"It's so nice to see the two of you getting along."

Jen came into the kitchen carrying a brown paper sack, having gone to the market to pick up a few things this morning. Having Robin here now was a lot to take in and she knew her son needed time to adjust to the change.

"I think after I put these away I'll grab the mail and then work more on my crocheting. Do you kids have a fun day planned?"

"Our friends will be over soon so I'm sure we'll be keeping busy." Robin took one last bite of her nugget, offering to grab the mail for Jen so she didn't have to.

"Took him long enough." Robin thought, seeing the mailman in the distance.

She had the invitation tucked inside her pocket and once she grabbed the other bills she added it along with them before going back inside. Nigel was standing in the kitchen waiting for her, watching as Robin set the envelopes on the table except one.

"Here Nigel, this came for you."

He mumbled thanks and was about to open it when he saw who it was from. He suddenly kept it at arm's length away from him and grabbed Robin's arm, quickly dragging her along with him as he headed for the elevator to the treehouse. Jen called after them to have a good day, unaware of her son acting strange.

"Whoa Nigel, what's wrong? Did your college acceptance later turn you down?"

Nigel told her this was no time for joking around and that she might have to be decontaminated, making her raise a brow. She didn't expect this reaction from him.

"I'm just saying it should be illegal to make us do chores on a Saturday. It's not right!" They could hear Numbuh 4 complaining to the others as they stepped into the room and Nigel quickly set to work. They must have got here just before the two of them did.

"What's with him?" Abby asked as she walked up to Robin, noticing how their leader was acting all serious.

"No clue." Robin shrugged. Maybe this wouldn't be as easy as she thought.

An alarm was suddenly set off putting all operatives into action. The only thing Robin could do was to follow them and hope Nigel was ready to open the invitation already. They ended up in the briefing room where he stood with a blue apron, yellow oven mitts, and a pair of tongs to protect himself from a piece of paper that it held.

"Bad news team, we have just received a dangerous item in the mail that you'll want to take a look at."

Abby started to read it out loud only for Nigel to swat her hand away and yell for her not to touch it.

"What?" Abby narrowed her eyes at him and put her hands on her hips. "It's just an invitation."

"An invitation to the Kid's All Town Cotillion!" Kuki squealed in excitement and waved her sleeves in the air as the others processed that they were invited to the biggest shindig in town.

"Read the fine print!" Nigel ordered them to take a closer look and at the bottom, it showed that it had been signed by the Delightful Children From Down The Lane.

"Aren't those the kids you mentioned before?" Robin questioned, remembering how Nigel accused her of going near them a few days ago. "Kids can host these things? Kind of impressive."

"Does that mean we can't go?" Kuki sadly asked, sensing that her leader wasn't happy about this and thought maybe he wouldn't let them be included in the fun.

"Of course, we're going!"

Everyone's frowns were instantly turned upside down and Robin joined in on the cheering. Nigel said that they would only go to their soiree as a mission to figure out what they were really up to and he proposed that they couple up to avoid suspicion. At that moment Abby leaned against Hoagie and Wally grabbed Kuki's hand, leaving only Nigel and Robin.

"Don't look at me, dude. I'm going solo on this one." Robin put her hands up as if to say he better not even think about it. Even if they weren't related like she said it would still be weird.

"Ooh! Ooh! You should call Lizzie!" Kuki giggled.

"Who's Lizzie?" Robin asked, noticing how Nigel was starting to act a little sheepish, piquing her interest.

"Nigel's girlfriend," Hoagie answered with a snicker.

Robin's eyes lit up as she suddenly turned back to Nigel again. Why was she only just now hearing about this?

"You have a girlfriend?" She grinned, making him lean back away from her as she moved closer to him in excitement.

"Why do you act so surprised? I-It's not a big deal!

Nigel sighed and placed his hand on her shoulder to gently push Robin away so he could move past her and grab the phone. He knew the others paired up quickly on purpose so he would have no choice but to ask Lizzie. Then again it was probably best that he did. If she found out that he took someone else to the Cotillion even if it was for a mission, she'd never let him hear the end of it.

"A lot of people are going to have dates, Robin." Hoagie pointed out and asked if she was sure about going by herself. "I'm sure we could call someone up in the Kids Next Door that could go with you."

"I don't do blind dates and yes I'm sure," Robin told him. It didn't matter to her that she would be the only one without a date. If she had been around longer and knew more people maybe she would have considered it but for now, she would be happy to just steal a dance with one of them. Besides, having an actual date would only distract her from her real mission.

"Lizzie? I-It's Nigel."

They all began to smirk and snicker in his direction which earned them a glare. While Nigel was asking his girlfriend to go on a date- sorry, mission with him; Robin stopped to wonder about something she probably should have already considered by now. What the heck was she going to wear?

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Kuki had come to the rescue with that, letting Robin borrow a light lavender top she had with her extra clothes she kept at the treehouse to go with a dark indigo skirt Robin owned that had ruffles at the bottom with an extra lining of lighter ruffles underneath to help give it a little poof. It was complete with a black vest with gold buttons that matched the black dress shoes she wore. There wasn't a whole lot she could do with her hair being short but she still slicked back the top half while having a few loose curls towards the ends. She of course kept her gold hair clips in.

As promised they had picked Lizzie up at 7:00 and she happily greeted all of them. She paused and narrowed her eyes seeing a new girl sitting near Nigel and asked who she was. There was some confusion when Kuki told Lizzie that her name was Robin and that she was now living in the same house as Nigel. Seeing that Lizzie was about to get angry, Abby jumped in and said Kuki left out the part that the two of them were related, and Robin required a new living situation so they took her in. Seeing how Robin wasn't some girl trying to steal her man, Lizzie offered her a smile and sat next to Nigel, complimenting her on her outfit.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

"Thank you so much for the corsage, Nigie!" Lizzie admired the flower pinned to her dress as they exited the ship onto the front lawn. Nigel corrected that it was a two-way communicator which Lizzie had fun testing out.

Robin giggled at their interactions with each other and followed them all inside. The Delightful Children were there to welcome all of the guests that passed through. They smirked as Sector V and company entered the party.

"Well, well, well if it isn't Nigel Uno and his little playmates."

"Listen you snotty little punks." Nigel waved his finger accusingly toward them and grabbed the side of his sunglasses to peer over the top. "I've got my eye on you and I don't blink."

The Delightfuls simply brushed off his threatening tone and gave their best welcoming smiles.

"Relax Nigel. We only wish to have fun with our guests for whom we provided free food and entertainment."

"So?" Hoagie shrugged as it sounded good to him. "Let's party!" He followed Abby, Kuki, and Wally further down the hall while Lizzie coaxed Nigel to come along too.

"Aw come on Nigie, it'll be fun!"

He started to walk alongside her but stopped, hearing the Delightful Children call after him. "Good luck on your date, Nigie." They teased as he grumpily stormed away.

Robin tried to suppress her laughter by putting her hand to her mouth. Thankful that Lizzie had him distracted, Robin took that moment to turn her head to the five kids hosting this shindig. They wouldn't be able to discuss anything further with eyes and ears all around but when they gave her a wink, Robin knew everything was good to go and smiled back at them before turning and running after the others.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

The Delightfuls certainly knew how to throw a party. Now that everything was fully set up, the place looked even better than it had yesterday when she came over. The red carpet leading to the ballroom was a nice touch. Nigel reminded everyone that they were on a mission and to keep their eyes open. Abby and Hoagie wasted no time in checking out the snacks being served while Wally and Kuki made their way onto the dancefloor. Robin did a quick scan of the room. There were a lot of kids here. How was she supposed to persuade all of them to have their "picture" taken without Sector V catching on while also acting like she was enjoying the party with them? The Delightfuls would need a few minutes to set up so she supposed that the last part didn't need to be an act even if just for a moment.

"Stop!"

Over at the refreshment table, Nigel quickly stopped Abby from consuming any more of the punch and quickly ran a test on the beverage. He acted like it was spiked with something but the readings showed that it was just what it looked to be. It was even his favorite; cherry flavored.

"Look Numbuh 1, I am keeping my eyes peeled." Abby crossed her arms. "But I am telling you this is just a dance! You seriously need to chill."

"Yeah, just kick back already!" Hoagie told him, taking another one of the little finger sandwiches. "Enjoy your date."

Hearing her calling for him, Nigel turned to the direction Lizzie was standing and saw her waving for him to come over. Things were never this simple when it came to those Delightful brats and he would continue to figure out what was going on but he supposed he owed his girlfriend at least one dance.

Robin took that moment to make her move. She did tell herself she would dance at some point and all she needed was a partner. Going over to the refreshment table that was being cleaned up by one of the servers since Nigel spilled most of the punch, she tapped Abby on the shoulder and bowed, offering her hand out to her when she turned in her direction.

"May I have this dance, my lady? You don't mind if I steal your date for a moment, do you Numbuh 2?" Robin looked back up at him, getting a thumbs up as an answer since his mouth was full.

"Numbuh 5 would love to dance." The other girl answered with a smile.

Abby took Robin's hand and the two of them moved to the center of the room. Lifting their hands into the air, Robin went on her tiptoe and allowed Abby to spin her with her skirt twirling around as they ended up face to face with each other again. Robin's hand rested on her shoulder while Abby had hers on Robin's waist; their other hands were still locked together. They moved around the room at a fast pace, stepping to the beat of the music being played. From the corner of her eye, Robin could see some kids came to crowd around them but paid them little mind. Placing both hands on her shoulders, Robin allowed Abby to lift her into the air as they both spun around with a laugh. Robin was placed back down and with a few more steps, the song came to an end as Abby dipped Robin into a final pose; the onlookers clapped for them.

"Not bad Lincoln," Robin smirked. "We didn't have to rehearse that or anything."

"Numbuh 5 doesn't dance often," Abby admitted. "But my brother used to let me stand on his feet when I was younger and would dance with me so I kind of just copied what I remember him doing." That seemed so long ago but was still a fond memory that they shared.

They turned to a commotion nearby and looked to see Nigel pointing one of their 2x4 technology weapons toward one of the servers who had only tried to offer him some shrimp, freaking the poor man out. Abby sighed and shook her head. So much for him chilling out.

"You might want to take that away from him before he hurts someone," Robin suggested.

Abby nodded and excused herself to go over to the table where her leader and his date were sitting. Now that she was gone, it was time for Robin to put her effort into her part of the deal.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

She went around and tried to mingle with other kids, introducing herself and saying that she loved someone's dress or dance moves as a conversation starter to get them comfortable with talking to her before she would let it slip that she heard there was this beautiful set up where they could have their pictures taken. A lot of them took her suggestion to check it out and invited some of their other friends to come along, making her job a little easier. At one point she did notice the number of people seemed to slowly disappear but no one else did for some reason.

"Hey, Robin!" She turned her head to see Kuki and Wally walk up to the refreshment table where she had been taking a break from secretly manipulating other kids to sip on some punch.

"Oh, hey guys! Isn't this party great?" Robin smiled, noticing how Kuki had a firm grip on Wally's arm while he tried to squirm away.

"The greatest!" Kuki giggled, tightening her hold. "I was wondering if you wanted to come along with Wally and me to take photos together?"

"I already told you! I don't care about having my picture taken!"

Honestly, it wouldn't have been so bad but he heard the scenery they had to stand in front of was covered in flowers and that was too girly for his taste. Why couldn't there be options at least? Like a backdrop with a monster truck? Plus he knew Kuki would try to make them pose in a cute mushy way and he wasn't going to stand for it.

"It won't hurt you to take one photo, Numbuh 4." Robin reached her hand out and playfully ruffled his blonde hair. "I'm sure it would make Kuki happy and it would me too."

Wally grabbed her hand and shoved it away but not in a mean manner as she caught a glimpse of a smile coming from him when she did that.

"Alright, alright! I'll do it." Wally gave in much to Kuki's joy. "Let's get this over with."

"You guys go on and get a head start," Robin told them. "I'm going to find the others so we can all take a group photo together."

"Ooh, that's a great idea!" Kuki jumped up and down as she agreed. "We'll meet you guys there!"

Robin watched as they walked away together. Kuki still had her grip on him in case he changed his mind but he didn't fight it this time and even leaned a little closer to her touch. She seemed too excited about the photos to pay attention to the gesture. Before Robin could gush at the adorable sight too much, she quickly set her now empty cup down and went in search of Abby and Hoagie.

She didn't know how she was going to get Sector V to go into the photo room but Kuki made it sound like it was her idea so they shouldn't expect she was plotting anything. She found Hoagie dancing or at least trying to. He nearly tripped over his own feet but laughed it off and started moving again. His cheerful mood seemed to be contagious as Abby laughed along with him.

"You two look like you're having a good time." Robin greeted.

Hoagie asked if she was here to steal him away for a dance this time and gave her a suave smile to try and charm her but was turned down.

"Maybe after Numbuh 2. I came over to tell you guys that Numbuh 3 wanted to take some group photos with everyone. Have any of you seen Numbuh 1 around?"

"Last I saw, Lizzie dragged him out on the balcony," Abby answered. "Want me to grab them for ya?"

Robin shook her head and told her she didn't have to. "You already tried to take his weapon away so I can check up on him this time. Numbuh 3 and 4 are waiting if you guys want to head over."

Hoagie nodded and left with Abby trailing behind him. Robin waited until she saw them disappear into a room before making her leave as well. She knew Nigel wouldn't be as easy to convince. Lizzie might have been able to help with that but there was no way Nigel would just stand there and allow the Delightful Children to shoot him with their ray. She supposed seeing all of his friends turn delightfulized and helpless without his team was also an option so she left him alone for now. Before she left she did take a peek out on the balcony and they were out there like Abby said. Lizzie was leaning her head against Nigel's shoulder or at least she thought she was before she realized it was only a dummy version of him and the real Nigel was off to the side with some machine and a pair of headphones on.

"Way to kill the mood, Nigel." Robin thought, leaving before he could notice her presence. "Looks like it's my turn to become a little..delightful."

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Robin stepped into a room where a pair of clothes were waiting for her. When she asked to borrow their look, the blonde female Delightful allowed her to have an extra sailor dress that she had for this moment. It fit better than she thought it would, seeing how Robin was a bit shorter. Fastening the buckle on the shoes, Robin got up and stood in front of a full-length mirror. She didn't bother doing anything with her hair, figuring that part didn't matter but her eyes were a different story.

All the kids that have been delightfulized appear to have icy blue eyes now. Robin's brown eyes would stick out like a sore thumb if she were to come face to face with Nigel like this but luckily they came up with a plan. Along with the dress there sat a pair of glasses that she slipped on. They seemed normal at first but by pushing a small button on the side, the lenses lit up with a hologram that focused on her eyes and made them look like a different color. Some kids had glasses appear with their delightful look so it shouldn't be questioned why she suddenly had them.

"Is it bad that I find this kind of cute?"

Robin shook her head and told herself that she didn't have time for this. Leaving the dress she came here with folded over a chair, Robin opened the door and peeked out. No one was in the hall so she saw her chance and took it. She ran out and intended to find a different way that led to the photo room where she would hide in wait for her next move. While she was walking, Robin froze when she began to hear voices and carefully looked around the corner to see the one person she had to avoid right now.

"Oh, Nigie! I love this song! Come dance with me!" Lizzie urged, pulling on his arm.

"Hang on Lizzie. I want to vacate some of the areas near the ballroom to double-check that nothing funny is going on." Nigel was opening and closing doors, heading straight towards where Robin was.

"You've been in work mode most of the night and we haven't had the chance to dance all that much. Can't you take a break? Please? For me?"

Lizzie tried to give him her best puppy dog look which seemed to work as Nigel gave in to her. Robin watched as Lizzie lit up and grabbed his hand, leading him back in the opposite direction.

"Thank you, Lizzie." Robin thought before she was on the move again.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

"This is an improvement for you, Robin."

The child rolled her eyes slightly at the Delightful's comment on her appearance. Of course, they would think that.

"Don't get used to it." She told them, before asking about Sector V. "Besides Numbuh 1, were the others already taken care of?"

When she went to sneak into the room, she found that there were no kids in there besides the five up on the platform above. She wondered if they saw through the plan and ran off but then again she hadn't seen anyone who had come into this room come back out.

"Oh, yes. They are lying in wait with the others ready to serve us." The Delightfuls explained before snapping their fingers.

One of the curtains opened up to show a bunch of the kids she had talked into coming in here standing there with motionless expressions. Being the only one not among them, Robin stiffened as their eyes focused on her, feeling the need to hide.

"Relax, Robin. Now that they have been affected, they have no recollection of what is happening right now so you have nothing to worry about just yet."

Feeling her shoulders relax, Robin looked from the kids up to the Delightful Children. If it was so easy to change a person's entire structure like this, she couldn't help but wonder if it had once been the same result for them. Had they always been known as the Delightful Children From Down The Lane?

"We couldn't have done this without your help." They spoke. "We have to admit, we're kind of impressed at how many brats you were able to send our way. We believe our thanks are in order."

"I'm sure some were gullible enough to come on their own." Robin reached up to play with the scarf tied around her neck. "I only did what I had to for us to succeed. There's no reason for you to thank me."

She appreciated that they recognized her efforts but she was ready to wrap things up soon. They didn't have to wait too long as she heard Lizzie's voice again. Man, she's had to try and avoid them a lot tonight. Moving quickly, Robin disappeared into the crowd just as the curtain closed behind her.

"Okay, now wrap your arm around me and hold my hand like this." She heard Lizzie instruct.

"Oh, this is stupid." Nigel frowned and was going to ditch this whole thing if his girlfriend hadn't pulled him back to her.

"Oh, come on Nigie! It's not a date without an official picture."

He was almost going to give in and wrapped his arm around her as she had asked but when he looked up into the evil eyes of the ones hosting this party he knew it was a trap and pushed Lizzie out of the way.

"What are you doing?" The Delightful Children asked in an agitated tone as they missed the shot. "Stand still!"

"What is your problem?" Lizzie questioned, completely oblivious to what was happening.

"That is not a camera!" Nigel tried to explain but those brats beat him to it.

"A neural suggestion ray. You know your mind control devices." They smirked as he figured it out a little too late. "But we're afraid that puts you sadly in the minority."

Hearing something behind him, Nigel and Lizzie both turned to see all the other guests appear and they had all been delightfulized. How could he have let this happen? There were too many distractions going on even though he knew they had been up to something. He should have been more cautious.

"See? They all had their picture taken!" Lizzie huffed.

She still didn't get it.

"Fiends!" Nigel yelled, pointing at them. "You said you only wanted to have fun!"

"This is fun." They insisted that it was for them and with Nigel outnumbered even more fun was about to be had. "Delightfulized minions! Take them!"

"Join us!" The mindless kids all around them spoke at once as they began to move toward them.

He had to find his team or at least a way out of there until he could come up with some sort of solution to this mess. Grabbing Lizzie's hand, he ran through a door that wasn't blocked off and led them both down a hall with the kids following them, coming out of every door they had passed. Nigel opened one door to try and take a shortcut to lose them only to come face to face with his team who had been turned into minions just like everyone else. He saw Robin standing right beside them and slapped his hand to his forehead.

"Oh, great! How am I supposed to explain this to my parents?"

He had no time to worry about that right now. He had to get him and Lizzie somewhere safe even if just temporarily. The only place he could think of was a closet. It wasn't the best hiding place and since she was the only one with her mind still intact, Robin pointed everyone in the direction they should go. It helped that Lizzie wasn't being quiet making it that much easier for the kids to be led right to them. Standing from a distance, Robin watched as Kuki opened the closet door where Lizzie was trying to take Nigel's and her picture. A big flash went off and Robin's eyes widened as it was strong enough to turn his team back to normal.

"That's some flash!" Hoagie complained, rubbing his eyes and wondering where he was. Hadn't they just been getting ready to have their pictures taken in the photo room?

"Ah, crud!" Robin whispered under her breath and backed away until she reached the end of the hall where she high-tailed it out of there before they could notice her and her odd behavior. She had to change back and fast.

Lucky for her, Nigel had his attention on installing Lizzie's camera to his weapon to make the flash even more powerful. He should have guessed that one would neutralize the other.

"Alright! It's time to get this party really started!" He began as he aimed his handheld ray toward a group of kids. "So.. Let's dance.."

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Nigel went all around and took pictures of every kid that they had come across. His teammates helped by letting him know if he missed someone and even held a kid or two in place if they had to, to speed things up. After a good while they all ended up in one room together with everyone seeming to be back to normal. Nigel did a double-take around the room to make sure they were all here and narrowed his eyes slightly as he saw Robin make her way toward the front of the crowd, rubbing her head. He didn't recall seeing her turn back but everything had happened so fast. He hadn't paid attention to every single group of kids he had taken a shot of. Just as long as he knew they weren't delightful anymore. He guessed that she had been among them somewhere and was too focused on his mission to notice her till now.

Damn, those glasses gave her a headache. They were great for her disguise but not so much for her eyes. She had to blink a few times to try and focus again but at least it made her look confused like everyone else. She was about to ask Wally if he remembered anything only for her eyes to widen and snap her head in Nigel's direction when she heard him explode in rage.

"IT IS NOT A DATE!!" His anger was directed at Lizzie and he continued to go off on her. "It was never a date and even if it were a date, I don't care! I have more important things to worry about than someone who's..who's..DATE CRAZY!"

He stormed out of the room leaving everyone in an award silence beside the sniffles that came from Lizzie. The rest of Sector V made everyone back off knowing she needed space right now.

That was harsh. Robin understood why Nigel was so upset. Lizzie had been getting in the way all night and certainly wasn't the brightest but Robin couldn't help feeling bad for her. He could have at least waited until they were alone so he didn't humiliate her in front of all these people. It probably wouldn't help anything but Robin walked up to Lizzie and tapped her on the shoulder, offering her a cup of punch when she glanced up at her. Lizzie wiped her tears and smiled small at the kind gesture.

"You okay?" Robin carefully asked, knowing it was silly to ask.

Lizzie gave a slight nod as she looked down at her reflection shining in the punch. Instead of drinking it, she pursed her lips together before straightening up and stomping in the direction Nigel had gone; holding her dress up with one hand so she wouldn't trip.

"Robin, what happened?" She heard Abby ask and her gaze was torn away to see her and the others standing there. "I thought you were going to get Nigel for the group photo but he said he never saw you and you had been turned delightful as well."

"I lost sight of him after Lizzie dragged him somewhere else." Robin quickly came up with a lie, hoping they would buy it. "I went to find you guys to help me look but when I went to the photo room you weren't there and after that, everything has been a blur up until now."

"Those punks must have got you when you went to check up on us," Wally grumbled, referring to the Delightful Children. Even if the result would have ended the same he still said that he would get back at them for zapping her when she least expected it. They were used to the Delightful Children pulling stunts like this and should have believed Nigel. Robin was new to all the chaos they went through and he hated knowing that they took advantage of his friend.

Robin started to tell him that it wasn't necessary when the sound of an explosion got their attention and they turned to see the Delightfuls running through in a panic as they headed for the front door. Nigel and Lizzie followed after them in a hurry, yelling for everyone to run. The sound of another explosion boomed through the mansion and you didn't have to tell them twice. Everyone rushed towards the exit all at once and while it was a bit hectic, they all ended up on the hilltop outside at a safe distance. Parts of the mansion shot up into the air and were turned into fireworks that nearly everyone "oohed and awed" at.

Robin was one of the few that wasn't smiling. Her head was tilted up to watch the fireworks but she couldn't focus on them. The mission had failed. Of course, it wouldn't have been that simple. It never was. All she wanted was to see her dad again but it looked like she was going to be sticking around for a while longer. Her gaze lowered and she looked at the Delightfuls. They were the only ones who knew how she was truly feeling right now but they couldn't give her comfort. More like they wouldn't as they turned their heads away from her.

"Don't you just love fireworks?"

The Delightfuls' attention was turned to some boy standing near them as they glared at him. Parts of their mansion were being destroyed and Father would be furious at them once he came home so, no. They didn't love fireworks.

Robin sighed and looked back towards Sector V only to see Nigel had already been watching her as he held hands with Lizzie and her eyes widened as they locked eyes with each other. Robin wasn't sure what her expression was reading right now but she knew it wasn't good. Before anything else could happen, she felt someone grab her hand and glanced beside her to see Kuki before she was pulled closer to the group.

"Hey, Lizzie! Do you still have any more film left?"

"Most of it had been used up," Lizzie said, checking where her camera was set at. "But there should be enough for one more picture." She smiled knowing where Kuki was going with this.

Just like they had originally planned, they all came closer together for a group shot. Nigel's focus was still on Robin as she stood beside him now. Something was wrong and the feeling he got about Robin when she first stepped into his home came creeping back up. Why had she been looking at the Delightful Children like that? Her expression was almost unreadable but he could have sworn there was pleading in her eyes almost as if she was asking for help and then slight fear when she turned to him instead. He had no idea what was going on but he was going to get to the bottom of this and-

"Nigel! Pay attention!"

He jumped as Lizzie yelled in his ear. Sighing, Nigel put on a fake smile for the camera knowing that the girl next to him was doing the same. There was nothing more he could do tonight but he was going to have someone up in the Global Command do some digging on her. He had to know if she was really who she said she was or if there was something bigger going on that he didn't have the answers to just yet. This was far from over.

Flash!

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Robin's fingers traced over the edges of the picture as she sat on the windowsill of her room. They had let her keep it and soon after the fireworks ended they all decided it was time to head home and call it a night. After dropping Lizzie off, they returned to the treehouse where Robin excused herself and said that she was going to bed. She hated to admit it but part of her did have a good time with them tonight. She just got caught up in the act she told herself. She couldn't let herself get attached to them. Moving the photo, it was shown that she had two of them and the one she had in front of her now was different. It was a picture of her parents holding her when she was still a toddler. She missed them both so much.

"Don't worry Dad." She sighed as she turned to look up at the stars, knowing he was out there somewhere. "I promise I'll get us home soon.."

-End Transmission-

[midnight-the-goth-artist]

I am redesigning all my KND OCs and rewriting their stories. I’m gonna start from scratch

[thetooncrew]

anyway. lupin the third if he was a codename kids next door

[roguephenon]

Now resum-

Link has been reestasblished. Now resuming-

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December 31st, 1999

2134 hours EST

on the night of the Great Junior High Rebellion...

...the night something ended

Somehow, fate—but mostly a faulty escape shuttle, let’s be honest—brought her back here, and you know what? It was fine. It was perfect.

The perfect place for hope to die.

The grove was quiet and barren, devoid of life despite its existence to save it.

The Medical Boo-Boo Grove—her Medical Boo-Boo Grove.

A place where the Kids Next Door would heal and protect the children the world turned its back on.

The kids too scared of adult doctors.

The kids who had no home, no family.

The kids who had nowhere else to go.

It had been a dream.

Her legacy.

She had built this place. She had tended the soil with her hands, pouring her heart into every 2x4 beam, stitch, and seed she planted. The dirt in her nails never faded completely.

It was supposed to be a sanctuary.

It was supposed to be the fulfillment of a promise—

“...b-but that never mattered to you, did it? WE NEVER REALLY MATTERED AT ALL!”

—a promise she broke.

Her knees buckled, and her body stumbled forward. The snap of a twig broke the silence before she hit the ground. The wet thud jarred her ribs, but the physical pain was a whisper compared to the roar of her breaking heart.

She failed them.

Constance. Lenny. Bruce. David…

“I WON’T leave you behind! I promise! Cross my heart and hope to die!”

Her breath hitched, her voice breaking on the name she hadn’t spoken in years. “...Alessandra.”

Sector Z.

Their laughter. Their trust. Their dreams.

Gone.

They had been everything to her, and she had failed them.

But it wasn’t just them.

The sharp crackle of static cut through her memories. She blinked, disoriented, as her fallen communicator hissed to life beside her.

“Zzzztz—COME IN—bzzzZZt—anyone? PLEASE!”

The frantic, panicked voices clawed at her, pulling her back to the present.

“TEENAGERS EVERYWHERE!” another operative shouted, the fear palpable even through the distorted signal.

“W-We lost Sector B…WE LOST SECTOR B!” a terrified shriek echoed.

“I WANT MY MOMMY!” sobbed another voice before a fresh burst of static drowned it out.

“Where’s the Supreme Leader!?”

Her chest tightened.

The metallic tang of blood filled her mouth, but she barely noticed. Each voice sliced into her, a fresh wound layered on top of the old.

Kids—her kids—were falling.

“S-She’s gonna save us, right? She’s gotta!”

Her fingers twitched toward the communicator, her body trembling as if it could barely obey her. Her lips parted, ready to speak, ready to do something.

They needed her. She needed to save them…

“I-I’m scared!”

She needed to save them.

“HELP ME!”

SHE NEEDED TO SAVE THEM!

“NUMBUH BEYOND, PLEASE HELP—”

The cry dissolved, swallowed by the deafening roar of an explosion.

Static.

Static.

Static.

Her hand faltered, falling limp against the floor.

Her vision blurred, tears mingling with the blood trailing down her cheek.

This…rebellion was supposed to save them all.

Make those stupid Important Ones step in. Make them shut it all down before any more kids got hurt. Make it all end.

Make it all stop.

But the voices wouldn’t stop.

They clung to her, clawing at her, dragging her under.

Her kids were scared.

Her kids were screaming for her, their Supreme Leader.

Her kids were dying, and she—

What had she done?

The Important Ones—the Galactic Kids Next Door...they wouldn’t care about Earth, her kids.

What had she done?

The static became a symphony of anguish, a chorus of despair she couldn’t escape.

What had she done?

The Grove’s walls closed in, and the dream she had built was now a mausoleum for the promise she shattered.

What had she done?

The voices grew distant, fading into the void. As the light of the Grove flickered, so did she. The warmth of life ebbed, leaving only the cold certainty of what she had wrought.

What had she done?

The whisper of a child's laughter ghosted through her thoughts. Or was it a memory? Did it matter anymore?

What had she done?

She closed her eyes, her tears finally ceasing. Somewhere deep within, where even guilt couldn't reach, she remembered the dream she had once believed in.

The dream of the Kids Next Door…

For a moment, the chaos faded, and there was only the Grove.

The promise.

...she solved the puzzle. Figured it out too little too late. She gave up on believing. She broke the promise.

The Kids Next Door…the dream didn’t fail her.

“I don’t want to stop you. Please…don’t make me.”

It was she who failed the dream.

“…what have I done?”

Static.

Static.

Static…

And then, silence….

V

You don’t wash clothes on New Year’s Day.

You don’t sweep, you don’t wipe, you don’t dust, you don’t clean. You don’t do a thing.

You don’t wash clothes on New Year’s Day.

“You gon’ wash a loved one away,” her Momma would use to say. As a child, she never quite understood the saying. To her, it just meant a lazy day to start the year. A day with no chores and a day where you can play, play, play. An epilogue to Christmas: a kid’s dream come true! Other parents would make their kids tidy their rooms, ‘out with the old, in with the new!’ Adults would make other kids sort their dollies, make up their beds, take out the trash—all sorts of boring, no-fun things.

But not her Momma. No siree. Like she always said, you don’t wash clothes on New Year’s Day.

“You gon’ wash a loved one away.”

Mrs. Kingsly’s hands stilled, a tear escaping her cheek as she folded up a hand-me-down tuxedo.

She never really understood it, not until last New Year’s Day. Not until she stood at the washing machine, detergent in hand, scrubbing out the smell of smoke and sweat stains from her husband’s police uniform. It seemed like such a small thing—just one load of laundry, one mundane task—but the memory haunted her now how the water swirled red and grey, how his faint smell disappeared as if erased.

“Momma was right,” she murmured, clutching the tiny tuxedo. “I washed him away.”

With a steadying breath, she continued her labor. A hymn was ready on her lips, filling the lonely apartment with a bittersweet melody of loss and hope. The celebrations on the streets below were the backdrop to her solo symphony—a little performance to cherish what was gone and encourage the love that would never die.

Mrs. Kingsly finished folding the tuxedo. A proud smile creased her lips. The little suit was much too tiny for any grown adult but the perfect size for a growing boy. The memory of her son fussing over wearing the thing at his Daddy’s graduation flickered in her mind, and she lovingly chuckled as she remembered the pride her baby boy tried to hide when her husband remarked how good he looked in it.

She eased back into the recliner, cradling the tuxedo in her lap. With this, all the laundry was dried, folded, and put to rest. There was nothing left to wash away tomorrow.

The rattling of the window startled her, and her eyes darted to the ceiling. Muffled yet hurried footfalls thumped, thumped, thumped on the second floor before she could hear the faint creak of the bedsprings.

Ah, she wondered when her little pride and joy would try to sneak back in after curfew.

Yet, her heart grew restless as she rose. Her son, her baby was home, but something was wrong.

Something was very, very wrong.

Guided by the instincts only a weathered mother could know, Mrs. Kingsly gripped the tuxedo as she climbed the stairs to her son’s room.

The smell of smoke reached her first. It wasn’t the lingering scent of her husband’s uniform from a year ago—it was fresh, sharp, and clinging to the air. Her heart raced.

Something had happened.

“Jerome?” she called softly. “Baby, you alright?”

The sight nearly knocked her off her feet when she opened the door. Her son lay curled into himself, his face buried in the sheets. His slight frame shuddered with sobs; the sound muted but sharp as glass. His clothes were filthy, smudged with soot, and streaked with sweat, and the smell of fire hit her full force.

“Jerome?” she called as she eased the door open. “Baby, what you doin’ up so late?”

“Baby,” she whispered, rushing to his side. She gathered him up in her arms, clutching him close as his tears soaked into her gown. “Momma’s here. Momma’s got you.”

Jerome didn’t speak for a long moment. His body trembled against her, and all she could do was rock him, humming the hymn that had carried her through her grief.

Her son leaned further into her, his body trembling as moisture from his tears pooled against her gown. A tense minute passed only sounds of immeasurable grief spilling from him like a fresh, warm wound.

She waited. She would wait for as long as he needed.

A hiccup. And then—

“…gone,” he whispered. “Rebecca…she’s gone.”

For a moment, Mrs. Kingsly couldn’t breathe. The name echoed in her mind, simultaneously summoning the ghost of a thousand memories.

Rebecca.

The little girl with the fierce brown eyes and the gap-toothed grin. The one who refused to say goodbye the day her husband’s transfer had uprooted them from New Jersey to New York City. Jerome had wailed the entire car ride. His face pressed to the window as though willing her to appear. They had driven nearly halfway before the sudden banging in the back of the moving truck stopped them. And there she was—Rebecca. Dirty-faced, arms crossed, declaring she wouldn’t let Jerome leave her behind.

Mrs. Kingsly had been torn between scolding her for the recklessness and admiring the depth of her loyalty. Her husband had laughed the entire ride back, shaking his head as Rebecca sat smugly beside Jerome, their hands clasped as though daring the universe to separate them again.

Even after the move, they’d remained inseparable. Two peas in a pod, her husband would say. Partners in crime. They’d shared everything: inside jokes, scraped knees, and sleepovers that became whispered conspiracies. And when they joined that “kid club” they were always going on about, Rebecca had somehow become Jerome’s leader. At first, Mrs. Kingsly had found it amusing how seriously they took it.

She could still picture Rebecca in her living room, sprawled across the carpet with Jerome as they scribbled in notebooks or argued over… something. Missions, she thought they’d called them. Her husband would glance over the top of his newspaper and tease the two of them mercilessly.

“Jerome, boy, when you gon’ ask her to the movies? Or you waitin’ for her to ask you first?” he’d say with a wink.

Jerome would turn red as a tomato, while Rebecca would roll her eyes with that confident sass, claiming, “I’m too busy running importanic meetings, Mister Kingsly, but I’ll keep him in mind.”

And now… she was gone.

Something twisted and writhed in Mrs. Kingsly’s chest, a sharp and ruthless pang that dragged her back to another night. Another room. Another silence.

She remembered sitting on this very bed, Jerome clinging to her as she broke the news his father wasn’t coming home.

His small, trembling voice had asked, “Gone where Momma?” as though it were a place he could visit.

She remembered his tears, the way he’d shaken his head like he could deny the truth right out of existence, how she’d had no words to give him then—nothing but the fragile promise that she’d be there for him, that they’d face the world together, even when it felt like it was falling apart.

And now, here they were again.

She clutched Jerome tighter, her hand rubbing circles into his back as she struggled to steady her voice.

“Oh, baby,” she murmured, her voice trembling. “I’m…so sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”

Her mind raced, desperate to piece together what had happened. What had taken this child—this girl she’d all but welcomed into her family—and stolen her from the world? From Jerome? Her instincts screamed for answers, but she swallowed them down. Right now, her son needed her.

“W-What happened?” she asked softly, though she already knew he wouldn’t tell her—at least, not yet.

Jerome shook his head, his sobs breaking into hiccups.

She pressed her lips to his forehead, her tears spilling over. Little Rebecca gone. Just like him.

Not again.

God, not again.

But she didn’t say any of it. All she could do was hold him, rocking gently as though he were still small enough to fit in her lap. As though she could shield him from the world, even now.

She whispered the hymn again, which had carried her through nights like this. Loss, love, and hope were all tangled in the melody. As she sang, she prayed—for Rebecca, for Jerome, for the strength to keep them both alive in her heart.

But it was hard. Lord above, how much strength did she have left to give? Once again, her boy was subjected to this nightmare, and she was powerless to stop it. He was just a child—a kid. He didn’t deserve this, the cruelty of a world determined to take everything from him.

And here she was, the parent, the mother—the adult, yet she could do nothing! She had no answer! No answer that could make it all better. No perfect solution that washed away the pain. The hymn died on Mrs. Kingsly’s lips as she began to spiral. Not again. Not again.

God, please, why did this have to happen again!?

“Momma?”

Her eyes snapped to her son, keeping her insecurities and fears silent to keep the facade. To be the adult her child needed her to be.

“Can…can you tell me a story?”

Mrs. Kingsly’s breath caught in her throat.

“A story?” she asked, her voice trembling, uneven.

Jerome nodded, his cheek still pressed against her chest. “Like you used to. A…a happy one. Please...”

She stared at him, his plea settling over her like an iron shroud. A happy story. One where everything turned out alright. Where no one was “gone.” Her first instinct was to comply, to give him the comfort he desperately wanted. But as she opened her mouth, no words came.

Her adult mind rebelled against the lie. How could she promise him a happy ending when she knew better? When she’d already lived long enough to see how cruel the world could be? She thought of her husband, the way she’d held his badge that night when the officers had come to her door. The way she’d had to bury the light in her own heart to tell Jerome that Daddy wasn’t coming back.

And now, Rebecca. Another life stolen too soon, another piece of her son’s innocence shattered. Wasn’t it time to prepare him for the truth? To teach him the harsh lessons of reality that would make him stronger, even if they hurt now?

Her mouth trembled as she tried to form the words, to summon the courage to say, Jerome, the world isn’t like those stories. But then—just as the words teetered on the edge of her lips—something stopped her.

A voice. Quiet but insistent.

“No. Tell him the story!”

Her brow furrowed. The voice wasn’t hers—not the weary, world-worn mother she’d become. No, it was younger. Lighter.

A voice she hadn’t heard in a very long time.

“What story?” she whispered aloud.

“You know the one,” the voice urged, gentle but firm. “THE story.”

“I… I don’t remember,” she stammered, tears welling in her eyes as frustration and grief battled within her.

“Yes, you do,” the voice insisted, softer now. “You’ll always remember. Because you’ll always remember HIM.”

And just like that, the memories began to rise, hazy at first but growing sharper and warmer, like sunlight breaking through a clouded sky.

She remembered him. Not the man who begrudgingly carried a badge and a gun, who had kissed her forehead before every shift, promising to return safely. No—before all that. Before, life had grown complicated and heavy.

She remembered the kid he was before. His boyish grin as they raced through towering treehouses, the loops, and the laughter echoed across endless candy-cane valleys. She remembered the thrill of rebellion, of fighting against tyranny for the simple joy of being a kid, for the belief that they could make the world better!

And she remembered that day under the most giant tree she’d ever seen. The sunlight danced through the leaves as he read from an old, weathered book he’d found. She didn’t remember the title—maybe it never had one—but remembered the story. And most of all, she remembered the light in his eyes as he shared it with her.

He had told her, closing the book with a satisfied thud. “Because that’s how the story always goes. Duh!”

Jerome stirred in her arms, his quiet sniffles pulling her back to the present. She blinked, the weight in her chest still there but somehow lighter, gentler.

The voice of her inner child didn’t speak again, but that was okay.

She knew now what to do.

Her arms tightened around him as she cleared her throat, steadying herself. “Alright, baby,” she said softly.

Jerome lifted his head slightly, his red-rimmed eyes meeting hers, searching. She gave him the best smile she could muster. “Once upon a time,” she began, the words tentative at first, like a language she hadn’t spoken in years. “There was a tree.”

Jerome blinked away tears. “A tree?”

“The biggest tree you could ever imagine, so big and gihugic that it touched the sky! And under that tree, there was a boy and a girl…”

The story spilled out of her, not perfect or polished, but warm.

The memories of her youth wove themselves into the tale—the treehouses, the candy, the rivers of ice cream. She spoke of courage, friendship, and a world where kids could be heroes and win.

And in her heart, she prayed it was enough. Enough to give Jerome the strength to face tomorrow, to believe in a happy ending, even if she wasn’t sure it existed anymore—

“You sound like an adult,” was the final cheeky giggle from inside.

Mrs. Kinglsy laughed as she finally remembered.

“There is a story some kids tell…”

present day

IV

It wasn’t the fall that killed you; she knew that all too well. And she had fallen. She knew that much. So, given all the context clues, what came after the fall…that should be death. Dying.

Was this dying? Felt like it.

“Cree? … Cree!”

Cree. Was that her name?

“Dammit, hang in there, Cree!”

The voice kept calling her that, and that voice sounded so confident. So cool. A voice like that couldn’t be wrong. She must be Cree.

Yet, ‘Cree’ felt right and not right. Like, it was only half of something. Half of who she was. She tried to reach for that other half in whatever achy void she wound up in. But it was so slippery, like trying to catch smoke. For her life, she couldn’t get a grip on that other half that would make her complete.

“I got you, Cree…”

There was that voice again. She…liked it, honestly. It reminded her of things. It made her think. It made her…

It made her remember that day on the Moonbase.

The world around her shifted, dissolving into smoke that reformed into cold, steel-gray walls. The sharp tang of burnt circuitry and scorched metal filled her senses.

She stood in the control chamber, or rather, watched herself stand there, frozen like a ghost in her past. Her younger self was alive with fury, a fire in her eyes that burned too brightly and hot to be contained.

Except this time, Cree wasn’t swept up in the flames. She was outside of it, distanced as if she were a bystander watching a car crash.

She hovered behind the moment, trapped in her past but helpless to intervene. The scent of scorched metal clawed at her throat. The alarms were deafening. Kids scrambled for safety, terror etched into their faces, and she—the girl she had been—moved through it like a storm.

“Stop,” Cree whispered, though she knew it was pointless. The memory marched forward, uncaring.

Her younger self smirked, reveling in the destruction. A flicker of satisfaction passed over her face as she shoved past panicking operatives. She was a force of bitterness, her pain a serrated blade gouging anything in reach. Cree wanted to turn away, to close her eyes and block it out, but the memory wouldn’t let her.

And then he came—the owner of the voice.

Numbuh One-Hundred burst into the room, his helmet gone, his face flushed with determination and dread. Cree felt her heartache for what she’d done to him and how he’d looked at her that day.

Please. His voice cracked through the chaos. I know this isn’t you.

The younger her hesitated—just for a moment. The fire in her eyes faltered, flickered as if part of her wanted to reach out, to take the hand he offered.

But then she spoke her words, a dagger aimed at them both. “This has always been me.”

The scene dissolved in a blur of violence and fire.

“Stop it!” Cree screamed, reaching for her past self, for One-Hundred, for anyone who would listen. “This isn’t me! It wasn’t me—it wasn’t—”

The memory shattered like glass, leaving her alone in the darkness.

“No,” a voice whispered. “Not alone.”

Cree turned and saw her.

A child sat hunched in the void, knees drawn to her chest, her face buried in her arms. The girl’s uniform was too big for her frame, and her hair was loose and messy. She looked so small, so fragile.

Cree didn’t need to see her face to know who she was.

Numbuh Eleven looked up, tears streaking her face. Her eyes were wide, glistening with anger and shame. “Why did we do it?” she choked out. “Why did I ruin everything?”

Cree hesitated, her steps slow as she approached. “I…” She swallowed hard. “I don’t know. I thought… I thought we had to. That it was the only way to—”

“To what?” The girl’s head snapped up, her tear-streaked face twisting in anger. “To save our own butts? To hurt everyone? To screw up everything? To betray Abby!?”

“BECAUSE I HATE YOU!”

Abby’s name was a twisting knife to her gut. Cree swayed, holding her head as the bitter proclamation her little sister had once bellowed hammered into her skull.

“She’ll never forgive us,” Numbuh Eleven said, her voice cracking as the screams of the past echoed like thunder. “She’ll always hate us. And you know what? She should!”

Breathing was labor. The torrent of shame and loathing aimed to suffocate her where she stood. “A-Abby…”

“BECAUSE I HATE YOU!”

“BECAUSE I HATE YOU!”

“BECAUSE I—”

—a bright red hat fluttered through the gale and landed in Cree’s hands.

She gasped.

"And when you come back from this, cause girl, you better come back from this, Cree…" Her smirk morphed into a vulnerable, hopeful smile. "…Cree will be here. If you still want her to be."

The older woman gasped as the younger girl collided with her with a fierce hug.

Abby sniffled into her sister's chest. "Abby thinks she's cool with Cree stickin' around ... if you wanna."

Cree's expression broke, eyes welling with hers and lips wobbling as she crushed her sister into her frame.

“Abby doesn’t hate us,” Cree said softly, taking the hat and kneeling before her younger self.

“Yes, she does!” Numbuh Eleven shouted, her tiny fists pounding against her own legs. “She has to. After everything we—”

“No.” Cree’s voice was firm this time. She reached out, hesitated, and then placed the hat on the child’s head before her hands gently rested on Numbuh Eleven’s shoulders. “Abby doesn’t hate us. She’s hurt, yeah. Angry? Totally. But she doesn’t hate us.”

“How do you know?” Numbuh 11 whispered, her voice trembling.

Cree’s mind flashed to that moment, to Abby’s arms around her, her forgiveness like a lifeline she hadn’t known she needed.

“Because she told me,” Cree managed a small smile. “We made mistakes—horrible ones. But we’re trying to fix them. And Abby…” She smiled faintly. “Abby believes we can.”

The younger Numbuh Eleven's sobs softened, her tears still flowing but her anger ebbing away.

“I know it’s hard,” Cree continued, pulling her younger self into a hug. “But we can’t keep hating ourselves. We’ll never make it if we do. I…I think it’s time to let go, girl.”

Numbuh Eleven clung to her, gripping Cree’s arms tightly. “Do you think we can? Do…you think we can be better?” she asked, her voice small, uncertain.

Cree held her close, her heart aching as she whispered, “We have to try.”

The void began to fade, light creeping in at the edges. The child in her arms grew faint, like a shadow dissolving at sunrise. But she didn’t feel the loss. For the first time in years, she felt whole.

As the darkness disappeared, a single thought followed Cree back into the waking world.

It wasn’t the fall that killed you—it was never the fall. It was the failure to rise again.

“CREE!”

With a pained groan, she rose. Her eyes fluttered open, her body heavy and stiff as though weighed down by the remnants of the void she had just left behind. Her vision swam, but the familiar hum of machines and the sterile smell of antiseptic told her everything she needed to know. She was in a hospital.

“Cree, baby, are you okay? Talk to me!”

Her mother’s soft voice, laced with her gentle accent, pulled her back to reality. Blinking against the bright light overhead, Cree turned to see her mother leaning over her, her warm brown eyes filled with worry. Beside her stood her father, looking just as frazzled but attempting to mask it with an air of bluster.

“You gave us quite the scare,” her mother murmured, cupping Cree’s face with both hands and brushing a stray lock of hair from her forehead.

“She’s fine now,” her father said, though his tone betrayed the tension in his shoulders. “A Lincoln always bounces back. Isn’t that right, kiddo?”

Cree’s throat was dry, and her voice came out hoarse. “Yeah. Sure, Dad. Bounce right back.”

The doctor at the foot of her bed cleared his throat. “It was a bit touch and go for a while there. But, with rest, I’m confident she’ll make a full recovery.” He adjusted his glasses and added dryly, “And once again, I’d like to remind Mr. Lincoln here that it’s against practice to operate on one’s own family. Even if that family is as stubborn as their daughter.”

Her father waved a dismissive hand. “Against practice? Ridiculous! If I had been the one handling this, we wouldn’t even be here dilly-dallyin’. No touch and go—just go! She’d have been up and at ‘em already. With the energy, the walking, and a clean bill of health—d’ooh, you know what I’m talkin’ about!”

The other doctor sighed, accustomed to his colleague’s antics, and scribbled on his chart. “I’ll leave you to it, then.”

As her father launched a spirited debate on hospital policies, Cree let the background noise fade. Her mother’s soft hands cupped her cheeks again, grounding her.

“Ma fille,” her mother said gently, her brow creased with worry, “are you truly alright? You scared us so terribly.”

Cree gave a weak smile, trying not to flinch at the tenderness. “I’m fine, Mom. Just glad you’re worried about my bruises and not, y’know, how I got them.” She chuckled nervously. “That’d be one hell of a story.”

Her mother raised a skeptical brow but didn’t push. Instead, she smiled and ran her thumb gently across Cree’s temple. “Rest, then. You’re safe now.”

The word safe gnawed at something in Cree’s chest. She wasn’t sure if she deserved it.

Still, she nodded, leaning into the comfort of her mother’s touch. Then, a thought struck her, sharp and clear. She blinked, her body stiffening. “Wait… how did you even find me?”

Her mother smiled, a soft, knowing curve of her lips. “Ah, that is thanks to the young man who brought you here.”

Cree’s heart skipped a beat. She tilted her head, her mind racing. “Young man?”

Her mother stepped aside, and Cree froze.

Standing near the doorway with his arms crossed and his gaze steady was a face she hadn’t seen in years.

“Yo, Cree,” he said, his voice calm, carrying that same confidence it had in her dream.

She gasped, her throat tightening. “Steve?”

III

Dave watched Lizzie go, futile pleads for her to stay dying on his lips as she finally disappeared in a swirl of light particles and boogers. He turned his gaze downward, the blades of the grass swaying gently in the breeze.

Numbuh Seventy-Two-point-Four-Three-Nine was a kid of science. Sturdy arithmetic and rooted logic were his guiding stars, never failing him until the moment he crash-landed into this planet. He panicked. He short-circuited. Why, he even made desperate, sobbing cries to the great Mother Tree light-years away. They all went unanswered, and he was left alone stranded on a backwater planet.

Ah, but that summation was wholly inaccurate, wasn’t it? 

He had Numbuh Vine, his fellow cadet, taking charge to alleviate his anxieties despite her leaves quivering in fear. He had Jerome, a plucky human operative who rescued them without needing incentive and introduced him to the wonderful world of tofu burgers and Doctor Time-Space. Even now, years later, he had all these weird yet endearing human Earth child scientists who valued him as a colleague—a friend.

It had not been arithmetic and logic that granted him these gifts. No, he had to admit finally, it had been something else entirely. Something that could defy even the foundational laws of the universe. 

Something that could persist even when all else failed!

And now, here at the end? 

With his two best friends at odds, his entire science department scheduled for shadow decommissioning despite his opposition, and the ecosystem of Earth’s outlier of a Kids Next Door on the verge of being harshly course-corrected by his superior’s Machiavellian design? 

Dave was beginning to wonder how much of that something was indeed left…

… that “something” that only kids like himself once dared to believe in, despite all arithmetic and logic.

“The computer did excellent work for us.”

Dave nearly jumped from his human disguise, Numbuh Infinity suddenly cutting through the silence. He followed his partner’s gaze to the boy on the cliffside. Ah, yes. The unfortunate and unsuspecting root of their current moral dilemma. Nigel Uno. Aka, Numbuh One. Aka, the illustrious leader of Sector V. Aka, the recently discovered son of the great Numbuh Zero who led the charge against Grandfather. Aka, the shiny new operative, the Important Ones, had to show off like a mint-condition Yipper card.

Aka, they ended up meddling in the boy's life for the “greater good of it all.”

“…yes,” Dave calmly responded as he genuinely began to process what they had done—what he had done. “Now, all of Numbuh 1’s ties are severed.”

Infinity tilted his gaze to the stars. “He’s ready.”

Dave looked to Nigel and then to Rachel's retreating figure in her ROADSTAR. He thought of Lizzie’s heartbroken face and then shifted his eyes towards Infinity as he recalled a night that seemed a lifetime ago—another night when higher powers had other machinations for a boy and a Soopreme Leader he cared deeply for.

Dave wasn’t sure if any of them were ready for how this story would come to an end—

—Dave jolted upright in bed, his heart racing and sweat soaking through his pajamas. The nightmare had felt so real, so vivid, and now, in the quiet of his room, he couldn't shake off the fear it had left behind. He fumbled out of bed, his movements erratic as he tried to ground himself in reality. His room, a sanctuary for a science fiction nerd, was cluttered with posters of distant galaxies, models of starships, and shelves crammed with books on alien civilizations.

His hands trembled as he scrambled for his journal, the familiar leather cover a comfort he desperately sought. He scribbled furiously, hoping that the act of writing would calm his racing thoughts. Words flowed onto the pages, but the relief was fleeting. His anxiety remained, gnawing at him.

Frustrated, he slammed his fist against the wall, the impact sending a jolt through his arm.

The room seemed to spin for a moment, and then, with a soft click, a hidden compartment in the wall popped open. Dave’s breath caught in his throat as he stared at the small, dusty space revealed.

Among the forgotten items, a single photo had fallen out.

Dave’s hands shook as he picked it up, his gaze drawn to the image. It was a photograph of him as a young child, standing between two other kids. One was a boy in a tuxedo; the other was a girl with glasses, red pigtails, and a yellow shirt and blue skirt. They held a birthday cake that looked oddly made from dirt and fertilizer.

In the photo, he and the girl are laughing, their joy palpable. The boy in the tuxedo is smiling slightly, a faint but genuine expression of happiness. Dave’s eyes well up with tears as he stares at the picture, his chest tightening with an emotion he can’t quite understand.

He didn’t remember these people or know why the image stirred profound sadness and longing. But as he held the photo, tears began to stream down his face, his sobs breaking the silence of the room. He clutched the photograph to his chest, feeling a deep, aching sense of loss, though he couldn’t quite grasp why.

The memory of the nightmare, the feeling of disorientation, and now this photo seemed to merge into a swirling fog of confusion and pain.

Dave sank to the floor, his emotions overwhelming him as he cried.

II

With each step she took down the corridor, Rachel felt more like she was walking into hell itself.

The building lightly rumbled every other second as the grinding of metal sang muted in the background. No doubt the entirety of Evil Adult Industries was shifting, preparing to launch itself to greater heights—probably literally, if the popping of her ears was any indication.

Yet Rachel felt numb to it all. The skyscraper could morph into a death station, and she wouldn’t even muster to blink. The girl continued, putting one foot neurotically in front of the other undisturbed. She journeyed deeper into the abyss and couldn’t be bothered to turn the other way. Any thoughts or voices of protest sprung from somewhere deep inside had gone deathly quiet.

This was the path she’d chosen, and now she had to walk it alone.

Rachel stopped at the threshold of a steel door. Noticing her reflection in the metal, her head tilted slightly as she stared at it. The twin lines of scars on her cheek. The red cut weeping under her eye. The tears in her tank top and leggings and the dirty tiger-striped cloth staunching the bleeding on her bruised arm. Rachel didn’t know what to make of the girl staring back at her. She didn’t even feel like she was staring at all. She was right there, like some specter observing from on high. 

Was this her? Was this what had come to? Was this who she was now?

Not a kid, not a teen, not even an adult. 

Something else and disfigured entirely.

She toyed with the grim conclusion that what she saw wasn’t worth saving.

“WELCOME, MS. MCKENZIE.”

The door swooshed open, and Rachel stared dead ahead into the field of soulless red eyes, listlessly watching her. Seated around the sleek, ebony table of the conference room were a dozen or so chrome androids. Beyond the red beady dot eyes, their faces were blank—empty of any betrayal of simulated emotion.

Rachel slowly blinked as one rose to greet her. Its stride was uncannily human, moving like a flawlessly operated puppet guided by invisible string. It stood before her, a little too close, its hand raised for a shake. “WE ARE THE BOARD OF EXECUTIVES 2.0. PLEASURE TO MEET YOUR ACQUAINTANCE!” The words practically buzzed with enthusiasm, but its voice lacked any warmth. It was all too robotic—too perfect.

Carefully, Rachel analyzed the android, noting the business-suit-and-tie decal molded into its chest. Her brows knitted together as she eyed the eerie metal simulacrum, her hands still at her sides.

The android pulled its hand back, a slight hum of gears punctuating the gesture. “OH! PERHAPS A SHAKE ISN’T NECESSARY! WE’RE SIMPLY EXCITED TO BE OF SERVICE!”

Unspoken questions danced in her eyes as she surveyed the room.

“WE WERE BROUGHT ONLINE WHEN YOU INITIATED THE SATELLITE'S LAUNCH.”

Rachel suppressed a shiver. Not even five seconds in, the thing had a complete read on her, answering her silent thoughts. 

She barely had time to process the oddity before another android chided, “WE ENJOY HELPING! WE'RE SO GLAD YOU'RE HERE. DID YOU KNOW THAT WE ARE 67.493940% MORE EFFICIENT IN EVIL LEGALESE, SINISTER ADULT SPREADSHEET MANAGEMENT, AND FINE PRINT ENTRAPMENT FOR ALL MANNER OF SHADY BUSINESS CONTRACTS?”

The enthusiasm was impossible to miss. It wasn’t just the words but the unrelenting cheer in the delivery.

The lead android, standing at attention, flashed its cold, red eyes and nodded. “IN SHORT, WE ARE FATHER'S DELIGHTFUL EVOLUTION TO THE CORPORATE STATUS QUO. WE WILL MAKE THE HUMAN ELEMENT OF OUR PREDECESSORS…REDUNDANT,” it added, every word oozing with what could only be described as robotic glee.

Another android at the table shot up, raising its hand almost too eagerly. “WE ALSO DO NOT REQUIRE OVERTIME PAY!”

Rachel’s mind raced. "So, the previous board... are they aware of all this?" Her voice was laced with a mix of sarcasm and disbelief.

The lead android perked up, its metallic head tilting slightly as if processing the question with excessive care. “OF COURSE, MS. MCKENZIE. THE FORMER BOARD WILL BE INFORMED OF THEIR DISMISSAL AT THE ANNUAL CHRISTMAS PARTY.” It paused for a beat, and then added with a cheery inflection, “THEY WILL BE GIVEN A GENEROUS SEVERANCE PACKAGE: A 50% COUPON TO PEPPY'S PIZZA PARLOR. SUCH A LOVELY ESTABLISHMENT!”

Rachel blinked in disbelief. “Peppy’s Pizza Parlor?”

The android’s red eyes gleamed even brighter if that were possible. “YES! A FAVORITE OF THE LOCALS. WE’VE RECEIVED EXCELLENT REVIEWS. MANY RAVE ABOUT THE EXTRA-CHEESY 'GOUDA-FATHER’S SPECIAL'. VERY NUTRITIOUS, WE’RE TOLD.”

Another one chirped in to add, “AND WE’RE 46.894% CERTAIN THIS ONE HAS NO AFFILIATION WITH ORGANIZED CRIME!”

Rachel couldn’t help but roll her eyes. That sounded exactly like something Father would do: a slap-in-the-face gesture disguised as generosity. 

What an absolute jerkwad.

“Great. How... thoughtful.” She exhaled sharply. “So, what about me? Are you going to kill me?” Her words were edged with a bitter curiosity as if she didn’t truly expect an answer she’d like.

The lead android's head jerked in a way that almost seemed comically exaggerated. “OH NO, MS. MCKENZIE. WE WOULD NEVER THINK OF SUCH A THING.” Its voice was almost too chipper like it was reassuring a toddler. “YOU’VE DONE NOTHING WRONG! YOU’VE SIMPLY ACTIVATED THE SATELLITE LAUNCH. A VERY IMPORTANT STEP. YOU HAVE CHOSEN CORRECTLY AND FALLEN IN LINE. JUST LIKE A WELL-BEHAVED CHILD SHOULD!”

Rachel stared at the robot for a long moment, feeling a cold chill creep up her spine. “A well-behaved child?” she repeated, incredulous.

The android seemed to think for a moment before responding in a voice that bordered on precociously proud. “DON’T THINK OF IT AS AN INSULT, MS. MCKENZIE. RATHER, A TERM OF ENDERMENT! YOU ARE A LEADER IN THE MAKING. THE FINAL PIECE IN THE EVOLUTION OF EVIL ADULT INDUSTRIES.” It gave a robotic thumbs-up as though it had just imparted some grand truth. “AND YOU’LL BE REWARDED WITH SO MUCH MORE THAN A COUPON. A WHOLE NEW HORIZON AWAITS YOU.”

Rachel clenched her fists, her heart pounding. She stared at the red eyes around the table, each one now fixed on her, waiting for her to react, to fall in line with whatever twisted future they had planned for her.

There was another quiet beat, as if the robots were giving her space to process. “WE’RE HERE TO HELP YOU, MS. MCKENZIE,” the lead android said, its voice dripping with too much sincerity. “WE’RE HERE TO MAKE SURE YOU’RE SUCCESSFUL.”

Rachel couldn’t stop herself from laughing bitterly, the sound like a knife scraping against steel. “Yeah, I bet you are,” she muttered, but there was no actual fire behind it.

The robots led her down a long, cold corridor, each step echoing in the sterile, metallic silence. Her legs felt heavier with every move, and her mind felt like it was moving in slow motion. The deeper they went, the more disconnected Rachel became from reality. It felt like walking through a dream she couldn’t wake up from.

Is this really what she was doing?

The thought echoed faintly in the back of her mind. She couldn’t even remember how she got here—how this had become her life, her fate. Somewhere along the way, she'd stopped fighting. Her resolve had faded like a dream, slipping through her fingers as the cold, mechanical march of time and circumstance had carried her along.

It may be too late to question anything now...

Her gaze remained fixed ahead, but her thoughts were a blur of confusion and resignation. She had already chosen her path by activating the satellite. The consequences were beyond her control, and she could feel it in every step she took: the weight of what she had to do, what was expected of her. The voices inside her head had quieted, replaced by an unnerving silence that left her wondering if she had already lost.

She barely noticed when they arrived at a podium, the bright lights of the stage harsh and sterile in their brightness. The robots stepped aside, their red eyes gleaming in the dimness. One of them immediately approached her, a small metallic tray in hand. Before she could process what was happening, the android began to dab powder onto her cheeks with a gentle puff. The action was smooth, almost practiced, yet completely invasive.

“JUST A TOUCH MORE, MS. MCKENZIE,” the robot said with an uncomfortably cheerful tone. “WE WANT YOU TO LOOK YOUR BEST. AFTER ALL, YOU’RE ABOUT TO EXPOSE THE KND TO THE IGNORANT MASSES. FATHER NEEDS YOU TO REALLY DRIVE HOME HIS ‘I TOLD YOU SO’ SUBTEXT WHEN YOU PRESENT THE EVIDENCE THAT FINALLY BLOWS IT ALL OPEN.”

Rachel blinked, stunned, as the robot finished with a flourish, stepping back with an overzealous nod. “THERE. YOU’RE READY. ALL YOU NEED NOW IS TO SPEAK, AND THE WORLD WILL UNDERSTAND.”

Her throat was dry, her mouth tasting like metal. She didn’t say anything. She couldn’t.

Another robot eagerly approached, handing her a stack of cue cards, the edges of the cards perfectly sharp, like they were freshly printed. The words printed on them were crisp and authoritative, laid out like a carefully constructed script, as if this moment had been rehearsed for longer than Rachel had even known. “YOUR LINES, MS. MCKENZIE,” the android said, its voice tinged with unnatural excitement. “EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO SAY TO THE WORLD IS RIGHT HERE.” It nodded again, its hand hovering just above the cards, as though it wanted to ensure she had them in place.

Rachel glanced at the cards, the words swimming before her eyes. The idea of standing in front of the world to present this truth—Father’s truth—made her stomach twist. But the cards were already in her hands. The lights were already blinding her.

There was no turning back now.

The robots eagerly watched her, their empty eyes fixed on her every movement. “IT’S TIME TO BEGIN, MS. MCKENZIE!” one said. “YOUR AUDIENCE AWAITS. JUST FOLLOW THE SCRIPT, AND ALL WILL BE PERFECT!”

Rachel swallowed hard. She felt the weight of their eyes on her like a thousand tiny pinpricks, all waiting for her to do as they said. It wasn’t even her choice anymore. The script was in her hands, and there was only one thing left to do.

Just get it over with.

The words echoed in her head. She couldn’t think of anything else. She was numb, beyond caring. Slowly, she stepped forward to the podium, the cue cards shaking as she placed them in front of her.

The spotlight burned down on her, her heart pounding in her chest. But when she opened her mouth, she knew one thing: no matter what came next, she had to follow through.

The world was waiting.

Rachel gripped the podium, her fingers trembling, but she didn’t dare look up. The lights were so bright they burned her retinas. The cue cards in front of her were crisp and cold—like they were mocking her. This is it. This is what I have to do. Her breath came in shallow gasps, the air too thick around her, and for a moment, everything felt like it was closing in.

She cleared her throat, a shaky attempt to steady herself. Her hands were clammy, slick with sweat. The words on the cue cards blurred together like they were swimming in and out of focus.

She opened her mouth to speak, but the name almost slipped out.

Numbuh Three-Sixty-Two.

It was so close. The syllables hovered on the edge of her tongue, her chest tightening as the word threatened to break free.

That’s not me anymore.

The weight of the realization slammed into her chest. She had almost said it. She had nearly let the ghost of that person who she used to be slip back into the world, like nothing had changed.

Her head spun. I’m not her. I’m not that person. I’m not— The thoughts whirled in a maddening circle, tight and suffocating, like she was trapped in a cage she couldn't escape. The edges of her vision darkened.

Her breathing grew quicker, the panic building, crawling up her throat like a thorn-filled vine. She almost couldn’t take it. Her hands were shaking now, more than just nerves.

The thought of standing here—of pretending to be something she wasn’t—felt unbearable.

But...what was she pretending to be?

She glanced down at the cue cards, trying to focus, to ground herself in the task at hand. But as she started reading, each word felt like a punch.

A way to bring about the end of the KND.

The unmasking of their lies.

Her voice cracked slightly, just enough to feel like a pain in her throat. She swallowed, pushing on, her gaze never leaving the cue cards.

“The Kids Next Door… is a force of deceit,” she read, but the words didn’t feel like hers.

They felt wrong—like a betrayal. Each syllable lodged itself in her chest like a dagger.

She tried to keep it together, but the tears were already building. She could feel them behind her eyes, threatening to spill over.

No. No. Not now.

The words blurred even more as her vision swam.

Another sentence—another one that felt wrong, like it wasn’t even her voice.

“The Kids Next Door’s continued operation is a danger to our society and must be stopped.”

The words stung, and the tightness in her chest worsened.

She couldn’t stop. She couldn’t keep the tears at bay any longer. One slipped out, then another, until she could feel them streaking down her cheeks, hot against her cold skin. She wiped her face quickly, but it only made it worse. She could feel the burn of them, the shame.

Rachel looked down at the cue cards, her heart pounding in her ears.

She wanted to scream, to throw them all away.

This is all wrong.

None of this is—

She tried again, forcing herself to speak through the lump in her throat. She started over, but her hesitation was like a weight. Her hand hovered over the cue cards, her finger brushing against the text, but her body wouldn’t let her. It felt impossible.

Then came the voice inside her head that had been quiet for so long.

It spoke harshly.

Is this the way?

Her hands clenched into fists, her nails biting into her palm.

Shut up.

Just shut up!

Her chest tightened with a mix of rage and sorrow. The thought of this—of everything she was being forced to do—made her blood burn. She didn’t answer.

She couldn’t.

Instead, she grabbed the cue cards and flung them at the nearest android, the paper fluttering through the air before landing in a heap at its feet.

“A stupid speech is a waste of time,” she spat, her voice shaking. She turned on her heel, not waiting for a response, the weight of the tears still stinging her cheeks. “Take me to the control deck. Now. Let’s get this over with.”

The lead android, ever eager to comply, moved swiftly toward her. “OF COURSE, MS. MCKENZIE. WE WILL ASSIST YOU IN ANY WAY NECESSARY.”

Its voice was so smooth and compliant, following her orders without any kind of drill instructor swarm or sass. Without any booming, impassioned Irish endearments.

Without any warm coal-blue safeguarded for her by a pair of sunglasses.

It made Rachel want to scream, but she swallowed it.

As she followed the robot down the hall, her mind was numb.

This is what I’ve become.

This is who I am now.

She was a cog in the machine now, that’s all she ever was. A puppet in a world that didn’t care about her anymore. A world that took everything from her.

The anger was the only thing she had to hold onto.

It was the only thing she had left.

And there was only one thing left to do…

I

The Sto-ZZZzzztzztzttztztz

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ERROR

[blackcurrant-juice]

i might be slow but i only realized her fes hairstyle is based on her childhood a few hours ago