Chris meditated in the Tortuga's shell. That was his method of possibly controlling his darkness. Unfortunately, Aviva and Koki were making so much noise on the computers.
"Hey! What's with all the noise?" Chris complained. "Some people are trying to meditate around here."
"Sorry, Chris. We're making the Tortuga a security program."
"Really? What for? We already have tons of security in the Tortuga," Clarissa asked, carrying Mina on her back.
"No, I mean a program to handle the security for us. That way we don't have to keep resetting it."
"You mean like an A.I.?" Chris wondered.
"Well, the basic is to be a program able to handle all the defense systems in the Tortuga," Aviva said. "That includes locking all entrances, lower tellurium power, stuff like that."
"Well… that sounds promising," Chris admitted. "But can you please make just a little less noise? I haven't been meditating well these days, no matter what I try."
"Okay, okay… I'll try to- Ouch!" Aviva held her finger.
"You okay?" Mina asked.
"Yeah… just a little cut." Aviva showed her finger. Meanwhile, a drop of her blood got on the hard drive and it started sparking a bit. "Ai, dios mio." Aviva grabbed a napkin and wiped the blood off. She inspected the drive. "Looks okay. Hope nothing changed the programming."
"Agh! Not again!" they heard Martin yell in dismay.
"Uh oh, I better get out there to help thaw the ice." Koki got up from her seat and headed outside. Chris and his sisters followed shortly after.
"Wait for me, guys! This is the best time to test the program!" After hitting a few keys, she reinstalled the drive before going after her friend. The drive started to glow a mint green.
Martin sighed sadly. For the third time, he froze the water he was NOT supposed to freeze. "What's the damage?" Koki asked as she came out.
"Nothing serious," Ven assured. "Just a mishap."
"More like a failure," Martin said shamefully. "I can't control it." His pearl earring was grey.
"Easy bro. It takes time to learn a technique."
"It's not a technique."
"But it's something similar."
"Kids, kids. You both rule. Don't you think you should take a break? You're sweating."
"Koki's right, bro. Maybe it'll be better for us."
"Amigos, we finally finished it." Aviva showed up. "Come over to see a very special surprise!" The team quickly followed her back to the ship. It was locked. Chris was about to pull out his Creaturepod, but Aviva signaled him to wait.
"Voice recognition required," a computer-like female voice said, surprising the team.
"Aviva Corcovado here."
"Voice recognized." The door opened.
"Ta-da! A special security program! Now we don't have to worry about locking down everything at once!"
"We call it MAS-P. Main Artificial Security Program," Koki announced.
"Wow..." the Kratt Bros said.
"Oh, Master Martin Kratt. You have a little mud on your face."
"I do?" He brought a hand to his cheek. There was some dried mud on it. "How did..."
"MAS-P can use the security cameras like its eyes. It can see everything going on, in or outside the Tortuga."
"Incrible, querida," Ventus commented.
"Gracias. Of course, Koki helped me out with its programming."
"Wouldn't it be more like "her"?" Sam asked. "It does sound like a girl."
"True. Okay then. MAS-P's a girl. And she's the ultimate defense program."
"Is she only for security purposes?" Clarissa asked.
"Well... If we add more functions to her, I think she can do more. But it took weeks just to build her base program. Maybe some time later this month."
"Yeah, my fingers are still sore from being at the keyboard everyday," Koki complained. "Finally, I can take a break."
Suddenly, an alarm rang.
"Villain attack! Two villains detected at 44 meters from current location," MAS-P announced. "Repeat: two villains detected at 44 meters from current location!"
"She works perfectly!" Mina commented.
"Which of them?" Jimmy asked.
"Analyzing data… Ms. Amelia Cutter and Mr. Klaus Donata."
"So Amelia decides to show herself again," Samuel said. "Let's go see what she's planning now!"
"Wait. Can you and Ven stay here and help hold the fort in case future predators attack?" Aviva asked them. "Plus, Chris might be needing help in training later."
"Okey-dokey, querida!"
"If they try to get in the Tortuga, hm, I'll strangle them," Sam commented.
"Let's go, Wild Kratts!" Martin exclaimed, and everyone else left.
"I hope things will go smoothly," Ven said to Sam.
"Me too." Unseen to them, a small short circuit happened. The lights turned off for a moment, then returned.
"Uh… weird."
"I better check the tellurium crystals," the shark mutant said, heading to the engine room. Unknown to either of them, a small load bar came up on Aviva's monitor. It was quickly filling in green.
Amelia activated a brand-new device she and Klaus built during the events of their first meeting. Since then, they've been living together.
"Come, mein armee! Come and aid us! Willkommen!"
David and the team spied from bushes, trying to get a good sight of Amelia.
"There she is. She and Klaus opened a portal close to that small cabin. But how?"
"She has been working with Klaus, remember? He's a prodigy in technology," Aviva reminded them.
"I say we prepare for anything. If she's conjuring more Future Predators, it'll be a matter of time before she tries attacking us, or worse, other creatures!"
"Let's find out for sure. Bites, it's up to you," Koki told Bite-Size. The brown bat saluted and flew to the cabin to further investigation.
"I hope they're doing fine," Ventus said, playing with his wind powers while Sam rested in a hammock. The Earth Guardian from the future focused on the tree that grew in the HQ. It began shaking a little.
"Hm, guess my own powers are getting a bit rusty," he commented.
"I can help with that," Chris offered. When he touched the tree however, poison ivy grew around the trunk. He backed away in shock.
"Uh, maybe after you learn to control your own powers again, bro," Ven said.
"Masters Vincent Kratt, Christopher Kratt and Samuel Jawclaw..." they heard the program call for them. "Can I talk to you?" Sam, Chris and Ven turned to the screen. To their surprise, there was a young girl standing in the screen.
She looked about Sam's age with short, wavy, turquoise hair with sky blue eyes. Her skin was tan, but had a greenish hue. There was some teal plating on her cheeks, very similar to the Tortuga.
She wore a white tank top under an open blue green jacket. Her pants were matching jean capris. She had white ankle length socks and teal convers.
"... MAS-P?" the Kratt in white questioned. "Is that you?" The program brought "her" legs into a cross leg position. "She" averted her gaze.
"I-if it's all right, Master Vincent, I want to be called M.A.T.I."
"M.A.T.I.?"
"Main Artificial Tortuga Intelligence. Mistresses Aviva and Koki programmed me to be a simple security program. I don't know how... but I can think by myself now." The A.I brought her legs to her chest.
Sam just stared at her look. "Oh my... she's gorgeous..." he mumbled.
"Define "gorgeous", Master Samuel," M.A.T.I. asked. The bros looked at the Neo-Human. Sam's eyes widened in surprise.
"You heard me?"
"Affirmative. Now, please, can you define "gorgeous?""
"Uh… forget what I said. Wow, that's awesome! The crew really needs to-"
"No! I mean... not now."
"Why?"
"I'm scared of what they'll think if they found out that they created a "living" program instead of what they intended."
"Don't be like that, M.A.T.I. They won't be so mean to you. And by the way, stop calling us masters. You're our new friend. Call us Ventus, or Ven if you want, Chris, and Sam," Ventus requested.
"Is it really okay?"
"Of course." The program weakly smiled at that statement.
"Thank you... friends."
Bite-Size entered the cabin through a small hole, and looked from behind the cuckoo clock.
"Wow... it's bigger inside than outside."
"Mein lieber Klaus, since we met, my stay back in my home timeline has been really less unbearable."
"Amelia, meine liebe, my life has also been magnificent since I met you. Mother will sure love to meet you personally."
"Sheesh." Bites made a disgusted face. "You've gotta be kidding me," he squeaked under his breath.
"The portal is working at full power. We won't even need to leave our love nest. Our predators will annihilate anyone that tries messing up our brilliant plans." The bat left the place, not wanting to hear or see anything else.
"Bites? What did you see in there?" Koki asked, lifting her hand for him to land.
"You look like you've seen a thousand rattlesnakes, buddy," Martin commented. When Bites told them what he just saw, they all gasped.
"So, M.A.T.I… since you're able to think for yourself… do you have any creatures you like?" Chris asked.
"Well, I do like gazelles and marine creatures, especially parrot fish," the program said meekly, showing an image of a parrot fish. "But, I think it's really either that or whale sharks. They have that cool pattern, after all." A whale shark picture came up.
"Guys!" Aviva called on the screen. M.A.T.I stayed silent. "You will not believe what Bites saw in Amelia's place!"
"What, Aviva?"
"First, she's conjuring an bigger army of Future Predators. Second… she and Klaus are DATING!"
"They're WHAT?!" Sam shrieked. "Geez, who knew Amelia could love? Right, M.A.T.I.?" He covered his mouth with his hands.
"Maddie? Like in Maddie, the fox? She's here?"
"Uh..." Sam gulped. "F-forget I said that!"
"U-uh, I think it's best that you all return to HQ!" Ven stepped in. "If Amelia's forces catch you, I don't want to know what they'll do!"
"Uh, too late to worry!" Martin gulped. "We've been detected!" A Future Predator started sniffing something in the air.
"Run!" Aviva gasped. The team escaped as fast as they could.
Amelia and Klaus came out of their cabin.
"Looks like we've got snoopers," Klaus growled. "May we send our army now?"
"Ja."
In the HQ, Sam shivered in fear. He could not take Elsa's reprehensive stare.
"What's going on, Samuel?" Elsa asked, seeing through his face that he was clearly lying. "I know that expression."
"Uh, what is she doing?" Chris asked David.
"She's giving him her "I-know-you're-hiding-something" stare," the Time Guardian explained. "Living with him for four years makes you able to tell when he's lying."
"V-Ven, Chris and I promised to keep her a secret until she was ready to show herself, okay?" Sam finally confessed.
"Who are you talking about?" Clarissa questioned.
"... Me," M.A.T.I. admitted, fearing her friend was going to be scolded. However, she did not appear on the screen.
"MAS-P?" the techno girls gasped. Green letters suddenly came up on the screen.
"Yes, Mistresses?" She still didn't show her form.
"I… created something AWESOME! I never thought I could be able to create an A.I.! It's incredible!" A green "!" popped up on the screen.
"B-but how?" Koki asked.
"Hmm... remember when my finger got cut while we were creating her?"
"Don't tell me that somehow, a drop of blood ended up mixing with the data we were using to program her?"
"Big cliché alert and most probable explanation," Martin said.
"Does that mean she can control anything here?" David asked.
"Well, she's pretty much able to control the Tortuga itself," Ventus explained.
"She has access to the ship's network and functions. I guess you can say she is the mind of the Tortuga," Chris added.
"I... even gave myself a form." She finally showed them her programmed form, not making eye contact with the crew.
"Wow... You're beautiful." Aviva and Koki smiled. M.A.T.I. blushed.
"You really think so, Mistress?" the A.I. finally truly spoke.
"Of course. And you can drop the "mistress" thing. Just call us Koki and Aviva."
"You know what, M.A.T.I?" Aviva said, surprising the A.I. that she's using her chosen name. "Guess you don't have to be stuck in the Tortuga's structure forever."
She rushed to the garage, and brought up some mannequin pieces, along with some spare parts. "I was going to use these parts to build a mannequin… you know, for the good of Jimmy. But I guess they fit you better."
"Really?" M.A.T.I. asked, expressing her happiness. Koki installed a pendrive in the Tortuga's keyboard, and M.A.T.I. entered it.
Aviva set all the pieces in place, and Koki installed the pendrive in the back of the head. Once M.A.T.I entered that new structure, it started to glow green.
Once the glow ceased, the team gasped in admiration. It didn't look anymore like a bunch of spare parts: there in front of them was M.A.T.I, in the same style of her data form, smiling sheepishly at them.
"Wow... a living A.I," Martin observed her features. "You really outdone yourself, Aviva."
"Well... many scientists discovered things by accident," Aviva said.
"Example: Isaac Newton would've never thought about the possibility of gravity if it weren't for the apple that fell on his head," M.A.T.I stated.
"*chuckle* Even when not in the computer, she still is smart," Clarissa said.
"Probably it was the genetic sample Aviva 'accidentally' passed on to me," M.A.T.I joked.
"Either way, you're-" Sam started, but then remembered the others and shut his mouth. He blushed a bit and averted his gaze.
"Uh, forget what I said." The team just looked at each other in confusion.
"Is that your catchphrase?" Martin asked. "Really catchy." He chuckled.
"Very funny."
Suddenly, a sound was heard from outside. The Tortuga's leg was being crushed!
"Oh, boy. She already conjured her full army!" Aviva saw everything from the cabin. The Predators kept tackling the ship's legs.
"The Tortuga's not going to hold out against these Predators much longer! We have to get this into Angry Turtle Mode!"
"But the command for that is on the bridge! And we can barely stay on our feet!" Koki replied, falling back down at the next body slam from the Predators.
"I can reach the bridge!" M.A.T.I confirmed. "Plus, I believe I have a better way to expel these things!" She ran outside to face the beasts.
*BG music: Daft Punk - Technologic*
M.A.T.I stopped in front of the creatures. Energizing her fists, she attacked them with green lasers.
"What parts were in her mannequin?" the technician asked the mechanic.
"Spare parts from… old robots I built in the past."
Martin, Chris and Ventus sure wanted to help their new friend. So each one got his CPS and a Creature Power with correspondent DNA: respectively porcupine, panther and lion.
"To the Tortuga Rescue!" the brothers said. Each of them helped M.A.T.I. to expel the Future Predators, either by attacking with claws, scaring them with a roar or leaving quills stuck on their body.
Eventually, they all retreated, whining back to their masters.
"M.A.T.I, you. Are. Awesome!" Martin commented.
"And you're out of quills," the A.I. pointed out. The other two chuckled.
"My hero..." Aviva purred close to her "white lion", making Ventus smile confidently.
"OUR heroes," Jimmy corrected. "But there's one thing I'm fearing… if Amelia opened a portal, she can bring more predators and spread them around the world. Who knows how much damage she can cause?"
"You're right, JZ! We need to warn everyone to prepare. Let's activate Operation Thunderdome!"
"Operation Thunderdome?" Samuel wondered.
"You do not know what it is, Sam?" M.A.T.I asked.
"Well, I have just recently joined the team, so I don't know every base of operation."
"It basically consists on traveling around the planet to prepare our allies and the creatures for a mass emergency. It was kept a secret until this moment, since this IS a huge problem."
"How did she know that?" Clarissa asked Aviva.
"Uh, we kinda also programmed every operation code we have into her memory," she explained. "But my, in this case, we should leave right now to start the operation! This is such an alarming situation!"
"In that case, who's up for buffalo berries?" Jimmy called. "We're first heading to the prairie for some buffalo berry pie to celebrate M.A.T.I's birthday!"
"Buffalo berry pie?!" Aviva squealed, delighted.
"Well, I never tried such berries before," David and Samuel said at the same time.
"Trust me. They're delicious. And even better when Jimmy makes the pie."
"And it uses no milk or eggs!" Mina added. "It's practically perfect!"
"A vegan pie? My kind of sweet!" the Time Nymph and shark mutant exclaimed.
"Wait, you're a vegan too, Sam?" Koki questioned.
"Don't let the shark tail fool you. I'm also more than meets the eye," Sam commented. Martin got in his face with an icy stare. After intimidating him, the Kratt in blue smiled and patted his head.
"Phew, glad that ended peacefully," Chris commented to Ventus, who nodded in agreement.
They all prepared for blast off to celebrate the arrival of their new member. One that WOULD be a great help for future adventures.