Mask - "Masters of cheating"
Notes: English isn't my first language. This story is written as a prototype for a season one episode of the cartoon. It takes place in the district of France called "Nord" ("north") in which I live. All the characters and the company Nord-construct are fictive. Lille, Lesquin and its airport, Wasquehal, La Pilaterie and Boulevard de Metz do exist.
Matt, Scott and T-bob are in a hotel room in the city of Lille.
Scott: What are we doing in this city, Dad?
Matt: I don't know yet, Scott. Venom has been located in northern France, and I'm waiting for Duane Kennedy's instructions.
Matt's computer case emits a beep sound and he opens it. Duane appears onscreen.
Duane: Matt, one of our informers saw a man he thought was Mayhem, but he's not sure, in Lille, talking with a man named Hubert Delebecque. I've also learned that Hubert's son, Marc, has entered a competition to get a job at Nord-construct, a powerful construction company which recruits its executives through a series of exams. There are five very difficult exams which consist in writing dissertations about the construction business. So far Marc has sat for three exams, and the graders found his papers so incredibly good that they suspect he has cheated. But they can't prove it. (Pictures of Hubert and Marc appear onscreen as Duane speaks.)
Matt: Really? Why do they think so?
Duane: Because Marc, contrary to the other contestants, isn't known to have made high level studies. Also, a few years ago, Hubert created a construction company but it closed down because it couldn't compete with Nord-construct. If Marc passes these exams he might be likely to get a job at Nord-construct. And in my opinion, his father wants him in so he could spy on them. And maybe Venom helped Marc to cheat.
Matt: OK, Duane. Mask is going to investigate this case. Computer, select Mask agents best suited for this mission.
Computer: Bruce Sato, mechanical engineer and design specialist, vehicle code name: Rhino.
Alex Sector, computer and communications expert, Rhino systems commander.
Hondo McLean, weapon specialist, tactical strategist, vehicle code name: Hurricane.
Matt: Personnel approved. Assemble Mobile Armored Strike Kommand.
Cut to an old abandoned house in Lille. Mayhem, Gorey, Dagger, Rax and Vanessa are in there.
Mayhem: This cheating device of yours has been working like a charm, Gorey.
Gorey: I'm glad you appreciate it, mister Mayhem.
Dagger: I'm bored. How long will we have to stay in this city?
Mayhem: Only two more exams to go, and Hubert will pay us the rest of what we're due. His son's gonna pass these exams for sure.
Cut to Boulder hill's briefing room. Matt is talking to Bruce, Alex and Hondo through the giant screen.
Matt: ...If you leave now, the next exam should have begun but not be over when you arrive.
Alex: All right Matt. Prepare to energize masks.
The masks are energised and the three Mask agents take them. Then they are seen driving Rhino and Hurricane out of Boulder hill. Back to the hotel, the following day. Matt is wearing his Thunderhawk outfit. His computer case emits a beep and he opens it. Alex, who is inside Mask's transport jet along with the rest of the team, appears onscreen.
Alex: Matt, we're approaching Nord. We're going to land at the airport of Lesquin, a few miles away from Lille.
Matt: Perfect. Nord-construct's headquarters is located in an industrial zone named La Pilaterie in the city of Wasquehal, near Lille. See you there. (He closes the computer case.) I'm sorry Scott, but I'm not taking you with me.
Scott: But Dad, this doesn't appear to be a very dangerous mission.
Matt: When Venom is involved, danger is to be expected.
T-bob: And when Scott's involved, it is too!
Cut to transport jet landing at the airport, dropping off Rhino and Hurricane and then blasting off. Bruce and Hondo are driving while Alex is in Rhino's computer room.
Alex: The computer will lead us to Matt.
Cut to the industrial zone, a few minutes later.
Alex: This is it, guys. La Pilaterie.
Rhino and Hurricane stop next to Thunderhawk which is parked on one of the zone's car parks. Matt opens one of Thunderhawk's doors. Bruce, Alex and Hondo get out of their vehicles.
Alex: Hi Matt.
Matt: Hi guys. (He shows them the windows of a room on the first floor of one of Nord-construct's buildings.) The exam room is there. I'm gonna take a look at Marc's behavior. Mask!
He receives his mask and stands in front of one of the room's windows.
Matt: Spectrum, on.
Spectrum enables him to see through the curtains. Marc is sitting at his table, looking relaxed, not doing anything. Everybody but him has started to write.
Matt: He hasn't written anything yet.
Cut to a flat outside the industrial zone. A man is writing things on the keyboard of a computer which is connected to an electronic device that transmits everything he writes to Marc. Back to the exam room. Matt is still looking through the curtains. Marc starts writing without any hesitation while looking discretely at the ordinary analogue watch he's wearing.
Matt: Hey, this is weird. He's started to write as if somebody was telling him what to write.
Bruce: It doesn't prove anything yet. What do you think, Hondo?
Hondo: Well I don't know, I've never dealt with that kind of cheating in my highschool.
Matt: Alex, can you check if there's any transmission wave emitted toward the exam room?
Alex does so using Rhino's computers.
Alex: There is one. It's emitted from a place which is, according to the computer, a flat in Lille on Boulevard de Metz.
Matt: I'm gonna try and jam it. Spectrum, on.
Using Spectrum, Matt jams the transmission and looks through the curtains once again. Marc looks surprised.
Matt: Hey, he's starting to panic. Let's wait until he gets out of the exam room.
Some time later. Marc gets out of the exam room and takes his car.
Matt: Let's follow him.
Thunderhawk, Rhino and Hurricane follow Marc's car from a distance. Marc eventually stops his car in front of a house in Lille. Cut to inside the house.
Hubert: What are you saying!? I hope you were able to write as much as you did during the previous exams?
Marc: Relax, the system ceased to work for only a few minutes.
Hubert: Well, we're going to see that Mayhem anyway.
They get out of the house and get in Hubert's car.
Matt (talking to Bruce, Alex and Hondo through their car computers): This is Hubert, Marc's father.
Hubert's car starts and Mask follows it until it arrives in front of Venom's hideout.
Matt: Spectrum, on. (He sees the five Venom agents inside the house.) Venom's in there.
Cut to inside the house.
Mayhem: What can I do about it? There must have been some outside interferences.
Hubert: Well, if this happens again, my son might not be able to pass the final exam. Tomorrow, I want you to stay near the exam room to ensure that everything's OK. Or else, I won't give you any more money.
Hubert and Marc get out.
Rax: So what do we do, Mayhem?
Mayhem: Tomorrow, Dagger and I will go to La Pilaterie. The rest of you will go to Marie's flat and stay there for the whole time of the exam. I hadn't expected we would have to do this, but maybe someone deliberately created those interferences.
Dagger: At least we're gonna have something to do.
Mayhem: Try to do it right, this time!
Rax: We're lucky Marie is on vacation, so Jean can use her... well, Hubert's flat!
Cut to Mask driving back to the hotel.
Alex: What do we do next, Matt?
Matt: I don't know yet. Venom might have guessed we're after them. I've got to think of a plan.
Later, in the hotel room, Scott and T-bob are in bed and are going to sleep.
Scott: How are things going, Dad?
Matt: If we're lucky, this mission will be completed tomorrow, Scott.
Matt turns off the light and joins Bruce, Alex and Hondo who are sitting at a table in the hotel's restaurant.
Matt: The next and last exam is tomorrow afternoon. Before going to La Pilaterie, we'll take a closer look at this flat on Boulevard de Metz.
The following day. Thunderhawk, Hurricane and Rhino are seen rolling then stop at a car park in front of the building on Boulevard de Metz.
Matt: Spectrum, on.
Matt flies to the window of the flat from which the transmission wave was emitted. Through the curtains, using Spectrum, he sees the man who was communicating the answers to Marc. He is sitting, reading a newspaper and the computer is no longer there. Using Spectrum, Matt takes a picture of him.
Matt: Nothing particular in there.
Cut to Rhino's computer room. Alex is reading information displayed on the computer's screen.
Alex: The computer is telling us that this flat is currently being rented by a certain Marie Descamps... and owned by Hubert Delebecque!
Matt projects the picture of the man in the flat.
Matt: Can you tell us who this man is?
Computer: Name: Jean Legrand. Former employee of Nord-construct. Was fired after being caught stealing money from them. Has achieved high-level studies.
Matt: This explains it all. Bruce, Alex and I will go to La Pilaterie, the exam will begin soon. Hondo, you'll stay here and try to see what goes on in that flat during exams.
Matt, Bruce and Alex leave. Hondo and Hurricane stay on the car park. Shortly after, Manta lands on the building's roof with Vanessa and Gorey onboard and Rax parks Pirhana behind the building. They don't notice Hurricane. Cut to the flat. Jean opens the door, Gorey (carrying the computer), Rax and Vanessa get in.
Rax: Hi, Jean.
Gorey installs the computer. Cut to La Pilaterie. Thunderhawk and Rhino are hidden inside a hangar near Nord-construct's buildings.
Matt: Spectrum cannot jam a transmission wave for a long time, so I'll wait until Marc should be writing the last part of his disseration, just before the conclusion. If he can't write the final part of it, he might be in trouble.
Switchlade and Jackhammer arrive at Nord-construct's building and stop near the exam room.
Cut to the flat, some time later. Jean has been handwriting for some time.
Jean: I'm done. I'm gonna start transmitting.
He turns on the computer and starts typing on the keyboard.
Jean: By the way, when do I get paid?
Rax: Mayhem will give you a percentage of what Hubert will pay him for introducing you to him.
Cut to the exam room (Marc is starting to write) and then to Mayhem calling Vanessa using Switchlade's computer.
Mayhem: Vanessa! Is eveything OK at the flat?
Vanessa (through a talkie-walkie): Yes it is!
Inside the hangar.
Alex (talking to Matt and calling Hondo at the same time): Matt, Hondo, the transmission wave is being emitted again. From the same place as before.
Hondo takes a tracksuit he was keeping inside Hurricane and puts it over his clothes. He walks into the building and take the elevator as if he lived there. The elevevator goes up to the floor of Hubert's flat, the door opens and Hondo notices that the flat is guarded by many Venom soldiers. They look at him.
Hondo: Oops, wrong floor.
Hondo goes back to Hurricane and calls Matt.
Hondo: Matt, I can't do anything. Too many Venom agents in there.
Matt: OK, join us at La Pilaterie. We may need some reinforcement.
Hondo starts Hurricane but quickly gets stuck in a traffic jam after he's got out of the car park.
Some time later inside the hangar.
Matt: It's time. Spectrum, on.
Spectrum jams the transmission and Switchlade's computer detects this.
Mayhem: Ah! Some interference. According to my computer, it comes from inside this hangar.
Mayhem dons his mask. Switchblade takes off and Mayhem destroys the doors of the hangar, revealing Mask.
Mayhem: Mask! I knew it.
Matt stops jamming the transmission. Jackhammer transforms. Mayhem and Dagger shoot lasers at Mask to stop them from getting out of the hangar. Mask avoids the lasers. While Mayhem is busy with Thunderhawk, Bruce pushes Jackhammer away with Rhino's battering ram bumper.
Bruce: Lifter, on.
Lifter gets Thunderhawk outside the hangar. Thunderhawk takes off. Matt shoots a laser that damages one of Switchblade's blades. Switchlade changes to jet mode. Meanwhile, Rhino gets out of the hangar and Jackhammer goes back towards Mask.
Mayhem: All right, Dagger. All we have to do is keep them busy for a little while.
Matt: I can't jam the transmission wave and fight them at the same time.
Cut to the same place, moments later. Thunderhawk/Rhino and Switchblade/Jackhammer are still chasing one another.
Matt: I've got to stop them. Soon it will be too late to make Marc fail this exam.
Matt manages to hit one of Switchblade's two reactors. The other one still fuctions and ensures Switchblade is still flying. Hondo in Hurricane finally arrives.
Mayhem: Ha! Your reinforcement is too late.
Hurricane transforms and Hondo fires a laser that damages one of Jackhammer's wheels. Jackhammer stops.
Dagger: Mayhem, help me.
Switchblade goes just above Dagger so he can hold on to it. Then Switchblade goes away but starts malfuctionning due to the damaged reactor. It loses altitude and Dagger jumps off it just before it lands a short distance away from La Pilaterie. Mayhem calls Vanessa.
Mayhem: Swtichblade won't start. Vanessa! We're stuck near La Pilaterie. Come and pick us up now!
Cut to Vanessa going to the building's roof through stairs, getting into Manta and making it take off.
Back to the Mask vehicles which have remained near the exam room.
Hondo: Sorry guys, I wish I could have been here earlier. Matt, there isn't that much time left before the exam's over. Jam the transmission wave!
Matt: It's too late, Hondo. It won't be enough to make Marc fail this exam. But I've got an idea.
Cut to the flat.
Jean: I'm almost done. I'm writing the conclusion.
Thunderhawk, Rhino and Jackhammer are seen being parked on the car park in front of the building. Matt gets out of Thunderhawk.
Matt: Spectrum, on.
Matt flies to the flat's window, looks through the curtains and takes a picture of Jean with the computer, Rax and Gorey. At the same time, Manta, in plane mode (with Vanessa, Mayhem and Dagger onboard), approachs the building and shoots lasers at Matt. He avoids them and gets back to Thunderhawk while Hurricane, after transforming, distracts Manta using its own lasers. Manta goes hiding behind the other side of the building. Mayhem calls Rax and Gorey.
Mayhem: Rax! Gorey! What are you doing? Mask is here. Take the computer with you and let's get out of here!
Cut to the flat.
Jean: I'm done.
Rax: How convenient.
After putting their masks on, Gorey takes the computer, then he and Rax take the elevator to the first floor, then walk up to Pirhana. Gorey puts the computer into Pirhana's side-car and sits on the cycle behind Rax. Pirhana rolls up to the Mask vehicles. Hurricane and Pirhana start shooting at each other.
Mayhem: Knock it off, Rax. The plan will succeed anyway.
Manta and Pirhana leave. A few hours later, in the hotel room, Matt and Duane are talking through Matt's computer case.
Duane: Matt, I've asked the graders to give me their first impressions on Marc's paper. They think it's very good!
Matt: Don't worry, Duane. Marc won't pass this exam.
The following day, Matt, Bruce, Alex and Hondo, wearing their masks, ring at the flat Jean rents in an other building. He opens the door.
Jean: Who are you?
Matt: We're part of a secret organization and we're investigating a case of cheating at a recruitment exam. You are accused of having helped one of the contestants to cheat with the help of a crime organization named Venom.
Jean: Recruitment exam? Venom? What's all this about?
With Spectrum, Matt projects the picture of Jean with the computer, Rax and Gorey.
Jean: Oh, no!
Some time later, Marc rings at Jean's door. Jean opens the door.
Marc: Hi, Jean. What was it that you had so important to tell me?
Jean sits on his sofa with a resignated look on his face. The Mask agents, who were hiding in a separate room, go back to the flat's main room.
Marc: What the heck?
Matt: Sit down, please.
Marc does so.
Matt: You cheated at the recruitment exam you sat for yesterday, didn't you?
Marc: I did sit for a recruitment exam, but I didn't cheat.
Bruce: Marc has explained us how you cheated.
Marc (to Jean): You told them all... Er, I mean, you told them what?
Matt: Jean, tell us how he cheated once again.
Jean: The answers appeared on his watch, in which an electronic device is actually hidden. He could see the answers thanks to the special contact lenses he was wearing, but they were invisible to other people.
Marc looks at his watch and a worried look appears on his face as he realizes he's made a mistake not removing it.
Matt: Would you mind if I take a closer look at this watch?
Marc: No! Er... Yes! Er... Oh well... I did cheat at this exam.
Bruce: By the way, how did you communicate the dissertation subjects to Jean?
Jean: He would send me a coded message by moving the hands of his watch. The computer would indicate me what moves he would make.
Matt: Well. My mask has filmed all of this. This should be enough to keep Nord-construct out of trouble.
THE END