"You know," Stella grumbled, "when I signed on to join WOOHP, I did not expect to become a cat burglar!"

Carmen looked across at her. "We're not cat burglars," she replied. "We're just having a nosy around this place to see if there is anything untoward going on."

Gabriella nodded as she worked carefully with the Hairpick Lockpick to unlock the skylight window on the roof they were currently occupying. If Jerry's Intel was right, than the thieves who broke into WOOHP's archive facility were hiding out in this audio store and have most likely hidden their ill-gotten gains inside. While everyone was currently unsure what it was exactly that the crooks had made off with, Jerry was fairly certain that it was not going to be good for the health of everyone if it fell into the wrong hands.

"We'll just have a quick look around, then report back to Jerry," Gabby said. "It shouldn't take too long to scope the place. And besides, we don't want to be late meeting up with our daughters."

Carmen and Stella nodded. Facing a horde of crazed super villains was a more preferable prospect compared to facing the wraith of three miffed superspies. Sam, Clover and Alex were still slightly mad at their mums after the whole SUDS episode, especially after finding out that after all the grief and turmoil the girls had been put through, their mums had the nerve to try and keep secret the fact that they had decided to become full-time WOOHP agents themselves. Although the girls were quick to forgive and move-on, Gabby, Carmen and Stella still felt rather guilty abut the way they behaved and decided that from now on, they would let the girls know in advance when they were next planning to visit, lest they end up getting grounded by their own daughters again! The mothers had in fact arranged to drop in on the girls' penthouse in an attempt to mend fences, when they got a call from Jerry on the way over, asking them to investigate this rather bizarre robbery, the trail of which led to the 'Pop N' Rock' store at the Groove.

At last, the lock clicked open, and Gabby carefully and quietly lifted the skylight open. Using their Expandable Cable Bungee Belts, the three spies gently lowered themselves through the open window and onto the floor below.

"Okay," whispered Gabby, "Let's fan out and see if we can find any clues as to who's behind all this."

But before the three of them could take another step forward, a battery of dazzling lights suddenly illuminated the spot where they were standing. Momentarily blinded, the spies did not realise until a moment too late that a circle of metal rods had emerged from the floor around them, caging them in. They had walked straight into a trap!

A cold chuckle came out of the shadows. "Well, well. It seems that we have visitors."

Gabby, Stella and Carmen turned towards the direction that the voice had come from. A figure could be seen lurking in the shadows, wearing what appeared to be a hood and cloak, his face obscured by the shadows.

"I had been expecting WOOHP to send its best agents to investigate my little heist," the voice continued with an air of malevolence. "But they clearly regard this caper as being beneath them, otherwise they would not have sent three bungling, conceited amateurs like you in their place." The cold chuckle came again. "A mistake that they will soon come to regret."

Stella glowered furiously at the figure. "Didn't anyone teach you some manners? Just who do you think you are?"

With a cold laugh, the figure stepped into the light. The moms stifled an urge to scream, their anger immediately replaced by mind-numbing fear. The figure was hideously burnt, like a walking corpse, and his eyes seemed to bore straight into their souls.

"Who am I you ask? Oh my dear ladies, allow me to introduce myself. I am the Master. And you will obey me."