Fanfic Recs / Unwind

Operation U.N.W.I.N.D.

Author: Emerald Butterfly, Mr. Lloyd

Summary: Uncharted New Worlds Include New Dangers

Notes: This is definitely an unexpected crossover, but it works amazingly well. Sector V from Codename:Kids Next Door winds up facing threats from another world.

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/33764725/chapters/83929483

tropes used

• Beware The Nice Ones: Number 3 takes down the Interesting Twins all by herself in combat and cheerfully skips off like nothing happened.

• Color Symbolism: Averted with the Delightful Children, who suddenly wear only white but are still just as devious as ever.

• Conveniently Cellmates: Numbuh 274 and Miracolina are briefly imprisoned next to each other just long enough for a meeting. Connor, Risa and Hayden are also in a cell with each other.

• Crossover: the whole story is a crossover.

• Did You Just Flip Off Cthulhu?: Harvey retaliates against Roberta’s blackmail by saying that his sister would rather be tithed without anesthesia than give in to the demands. Roberta tells him that she’s going to keep that in mind.

• Fun with Acronyms: The title actually stands for Uncharted New Worlds Include New Dangers. A clever tribute to Codename: Kids Next Door’s title cards.
  • Also found in several weapons and vehicles.

  • A creepy experiment in Father’s lab is labeled “Project MMS 2”. It might not be a coincidence that the boy inside is eerily similar to Starkey, who had the same initials.

• 5-second foreshadowing: Numbuh 5 meets Numbuh 362, who’s wearing white robes. There’s also a single line mentioning plans for “when I’m not Numbuh 362 anymore.”

• Limited Special Collector's Ultimate Edition: Numbuh 3’s looking forward to a Rainbow Monkeys cartoon episode. It’s been advertised for weeks with instructions for all the kids watching to make sure they watch it… at 2 AM when their parents are sleeping. It’s supposed to be a huge deal. See also Very Special Episode.

• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Numbuh 2 downloads information from Father’s computer on Roberta Griswold, Proactive Citizenry and Father’s plans for his next move onto a flash drive… only to accidentally leave the flash drive plugged into the computer when everyone has to make a run for it.

• Unwitting Pawn:
  • Plenty of this one to go around.
  • First there’s the Delightful Children From Down the Lane, who are pretty much human puppets to begin with. They’ll do literally anything Father tells them and are easily made into tithes.

  • Numbuh 5 is talked into going on a mission with her sister and the Teen Ninjas, who claim this mission has nothing to do with the Kids Next Door. It’s a nasty surprise(though not exactly shocking for Numbuh 5) when she finds out the house they’ve broken into belongs to a senator who is trying to protect kids.

  • While Cree is trying to manipulate her younger sister, she’s a pawn herself. Father has her steal information, commit various crimes and makes her the new leader of the Teen Ninjas with a strange catch.

  • Even Rachel McKenzie isn’t immune to these tactics. Her “retirement” plans turn out to be something sinister and when she gets suspicious of Roberta’s plans, she suddenly disappears from the hotel where she’s staying.

  • Numbuh 83’s parents decided to tithe her. She honestly believes it’s a good thing, which makes it even worse for Harvey, who can’t stand to lose anyone else.
• Rage Breaking Point:
  • Hilariously shown when Father discovers the Delightful Children left their toenail collection in the living room.

  • Numbuh 4 beat up Jenkins the Butler for threatening Numbuh 3.

  • Also Numbuh 363, who has to be physically restrained by Numbuh 5 to stop him from attacking his sister’s suspected kidnapper.

• What Have I Done: Four of the main characters make fun of the Delightful Children for wearing white robes. They’re horrified to find out what those robes are for.
  • It’s even worse for Numbuh 5, who saw Numbuh 362 wearing the same robes later that night.

• What We Have Here Is A Failure To Communicate: Numbuh 4 thinks Numbuh 6 the skunk is getting a promotion. He’s hilariously surprised when he realizes the job is for him.

• You and What Army?: The juvie-cops try to detain several Teen Ninjas, who call for backup. Dozens of heavily armed reinforcements show up.
  • Also shown when Roberta taunts Harvey, assuming he’ll either fall for the blackmail or fall apart.

Awesome

• The title. It’s done in classic KND style.

• Numbuh 5 and Numbuh 4 getting the rest of Sector V back on their feet.

• Numbuh 5 beating everyone in the candy bar in a root beer drinking contest.
  • And then sharing her prize!

• The Mansion Rescue Scene!

• Numbuh 4 risking his life for Miracolina even though she’s a total stranger and a “cruddy teenager”.

• 362 slowly putting the pieces together.

• Don’t underestimate Kuki Sanban. Number 3 takes down the Interesting Twins all by herself in combat and then she just merrily skips off like nothing happened.

• Numbuh 362 risking everything because she won’t leave any of the desperate tithe kids behind.

• The entire retelling of the Galactic Transmission video.

• The fight scene with Numbuh 1 and Numbuh 362.

• The description of the giant cake

• Sneaking into a villain’s lair with ice cream trucks.

Funny

• Even with everything that’s going on, this story is still full of hilarious moments.

• Abby tries to get everyone’s attention. Not only does it not work, but Hoagie falls asleep!

• When the treehouse had to be rebuilt, Numbuh 3 put a big pink bow on it. Numbuh 4 immediately got rid of the bow.

• What We Have Here Is A Failure To Communicate: Numbuh 4 thinks Numbuh 6 the skunk is getting a promotion. He’s hilariously surprised when he realizes the job is for him.

• The idea that two of the worst villains imaginable got petty revenge on a 10-year-old and a teenage boy by creating a RAINBOW MONKEY based off of both of them.

• Connor briefly considering throwing his parents overboard.

• Numbuh 2’s puns. All of them.

• Father’s temper tantrum over the Delightful Children leaving their toenail collection in the living room.

• Bradley the skunk growling at Numbuh 3’s new Rainbow Monkey(that looks like Father!) and then stealing the Rainbow Monkey and running away.

• Harvey throws a shoe at his parents while they’re driving because he’s mad. Not as funny when you know why he’s mad, but still.

• Bradley the Skunk secretly sneaking off during a mission… for an ice cream break!

• Risa’s reaction to being kidnapped by aliens.

• The KND reacting to the Rainbow Monkey that looks suspiciously like Father.

Nightmare Fuel

• Where do I even start?

• Kuki’s Rainbow Monkey cartoon special isn’t as harmless as she thought. It features a character strapped to a gurney onscreen who’s taken away and unwound. It’s even worse when you realize who the character is based on: Nigel Uno and Camus Comprix.
• Numbuh 2 accidentally ends up flying over a chaotic site filled with smoke. It’s a clapper attack and the ruined property is later revealed to be the future site of a harvest camp.
• A spy mission at the Delightful Mandion goes very, very wrong. Numbuh 3 and Numbuh 4 are captured by Jenkins, who threatens to dislocate Numbuh 3’s arm if the kids give him any trouble. The two of them find the DCFDTL electrocuting a teenage girl who hasn’t eaten in days.
• Numbuh 2 and 5 end up investigating a secret lab containing terrifying experiments, including a human boy in a capsule of strange green fluid.
• A cell nearby contains something even worse: what’s left of the former leader of the Teen Ninjas, AKA The Steve. He’s on life support, but he’s still alive and fully conscious despite having only his head and parts his chest left.
• It’s even worse for Numbuh 5, who takes pity on The Steve and removes his life support after he silently begs her to. Keep in mind: These kids are 9–12. They’re probably all scarred for life after this mission.

• The Delightfuls have an actual nightmare that makes them wake up screaming. It involves being forcibly separated, which they know is going to happen if they’re tithed. They’re so desperate to stay together and actually fear being separated from each other more than the actual unwinding.

• Numbuh 1 knocking 362 unconscious after her attempt to escape.

• Father turning into a Looming Silhouette of Rage covered in flames when he corners Sector V at the Delightful Children's party.

• The GKND plot itself.

Tearjerker

• Grab the tissues, folks. It’s gonna be a messy one.

• It’s obvious Sector V misses their friend, which makes it even worse when they find out what he’s doing.

• Kuki’s reaction to the TV special. She kept reminding herself that what happened to the character was just pretend. You’re just dreading the moment when she finds out unwinding is real…

• After the episode she tells her Rainbow Monkey(the one named after Wally) that she’s going to protect him.

• Abby expects her sister to attack her at any given moment, but Cree comforts her and lets her vent instead.

• Harvey’s entire chapter.
  • And actually everything that happens to him. The poor kid is losing his big sister and one of his only friends to a villain who taunted him about it right to his face.

  • It’s also implied that he’s pretty much taking care of himself because his parents are too distraught about his sister to do anything.

• Rachel shaking in the chapel and praying after her encounter with Infinity.

• Rachel’s failed attempt at rescuing her new friends. Not only she has to fight the boy she had a crush on, but she’s barely even conscious by the end of the fight.

• Numbuh 1 seems to have given up on his home.

• The DCFDTL are pretending to be fine with being tithes, but their nightmares are bad enough to send them running for help.

• Numbuh 362 changing her mind and still being forced to go through with being unwound.

• The DCFDTL cornering Numbuh 3 and begging her to save them. Numbuh 5 sees them from a distance and assumes they’re attacking Numbuh 3,so she chases them off before Numbuh 3 has a chance to help.

• The moment when Nigel comes home.