A/N: Here's the last chapter! I hope you like it!
7:45 A.M. WOOHP, Saturday
"Where are Sam and Alex now?" Clover asked.
Jerry looked up from his computer. "Give me one moment to figure that out." He said, typing rapidly. "Here we go." The files for Alex, Sam, and Clover appeared before them through a projector, including all their records. The GPS function for Sam and Alex came up. "That's odd. They're at home."
Clover continued to watch the screen while Jerry looked at his computer. A few minutes later, she cried, "Jer, look!" The dots were moving away from the house and towards the storage units, and quickly.
"Now we know where Scam is." Jerry said as the dots stopped at one of the warehouses. "We can expect them to act soon, so go get the protective cover for your suit. As long as you're completely covered, you can't be affected by the solution. I'll have agents ready to fight until we find a way to counter-act Scam's mind control solution. As for me, I'm going to stay here and look for a cure. Once you bring me a sample, try to help Alex and Sam. Good luck."
8:00 A.M. Unknown Warehouse, Saturday
"Group B is ready for action, sir." Alex reported.
"As is Group A." Sam said.
Both groups were lined up in battle formations. Tim Scam walked between them, inspecting his army. It was small, with only about thirty people. "Remember your objective. Take control of WOOHP, but don't go into Jerry's office. Sam and Alex will handle that. I will be watching your progress and help when needed. Oh, I almost forgot." He said. "Clover is to be brought to me. Now go!"
Fifteen minutes later, the army reached WHOOP. Alex entered her passcode, and everyone filed in behind her, Scam at the back of the group. "Attack!" he cried as the door closed behind him. The students separated into small groups and began streaming through the building, covering every floor.
An alarm sounded, and several WOOHP agents ran out to the main floor. It appeared to be clear of intruders, so four of them ran to the upper levels. But one of them stayed behind, wanting to double-check everything. As he looked in one of the corners, someone jumped up from behind the desk and slowly walked over to him. She grabbed his arm to flip him –
"I don't think so." Clover said, tripping the attacker. As she hit the ground, her face was revealed. "Alex!"
She looked at Clover for a second, then rolled to the right and stood up. The agent, who had jumped when Clover entered the room, now stood next to her as the girls looked at each other.
"Alex, I don't want to fight you." Clover said.
"Then you won't have to." Alex replied. She brought out a vial of Scam's solution, unstopped the top, and threw it at them. Clover shivered when it touched her suit, but was otherwise fine. The agent was still, looking at Alex. She motioned her head, and Clover found herself trapped in his arms before she knew what was happening. As his grip tightened, it got harder and harder to breathe. 'Think.' She thought. 'Oh, I remember! Sam stopped what she was doing when Alex said something on the balcony.'
"Alex, help!" Clover cried. Alex blinked and widened her eyes in surprise and confusion, then ran to her and kicked the agent. He dropped Clover, and Alex kicked him in the chest, sending him to the ground, where he stayed put. Clover stood up, and Alex walked over to her.
"What happened?" Alex asked.
"You were under Scam's mind control solution. He's trying to take over WHOOP. Before we do anything else though, we have to go see Jerry."
"To give him a sample?"
"Yeah."
"Why don't you just use your Compowder to analyze it and send him the data?" Alex asked.
Clover smiled and brought her Compowder out. "That's a great idea." She scooped some of the liquid from her suit onto the device and forwarded the results to Jerry. "There. And you'll need this, Alex." She reached into the Jetpack Backpack and pulled out a spray can. "It's a cover for your suit." She said, spraying it over Alex. It'll keep Scam's solution from affecting you again."
"Thanks." Alex said. "What do we do next?"
Clover put away the can. "We find Sam. And I think I know where she'll be." She said, going into the elevator.
"Now how did I guess you would be here?" Clover asked as she and Alex walked out of the elevator.
Sam whipped around from outside the door of Jerry's office and glared at Clover. "You shouldn't be here Clover. Scam is waiting for you downstairs."
"And I thought he would meet me here. Oh well. We can find him after we get you cured."
"But first we need to talk to Jerry." Alex said. "And you're coming with us." She jumped and kicked at Sam, making her duck. Then Clover tripped her, and she went to the floor.
"Gotcha!" Clover said.
"Not so fast!" Sam grabbed her ankles and yanked her down next to her, rolling over and pinning her down.
Alex turned around and watched as her friends rolled on the floor, constantly changing places as they struggled for control of the situation. Movement at the corner of her eye made her look away, and she saw Tim Scam round the corner from the stairs. "I'll be right back Clover!" she said. She raced toward Scam as he calmly walked in her direction, smirking slightly. A few paces away from each other, both stopped. "It's no use trying to get into Jerry's office. Clover is healing Sam, and then you'll have to face the three of us, no mind tricks."
Scam laughed lightly. "Oh, Alex, you do have a lot to learn. Have you checked on your friends' progress?"
Alex looked over her shoulder and saw Sam standing over Clover, a defiant gleam in her eye. Then she felt overwhelming pain in the back of her head, and darkness over took her.
"Sam."
Clover looked up at her friend from a half-upright position. Sam had pinned her down pretty quickly, not being as gentle as Clover was, and had sprung up almost immediately. "Please don't make me fight you anymore. Let me help you. Jerry can find a cure if you go in with us and give him some time."
"Why would I want to do that?" Sam said. She backed up and jumped up to kick Clover in the chest, but Clover blocked with her forearms. Then she threw a punch at Sam and grabbed her wrist, stopping her from punching back. Sam retaliated by yanking her wrist free and tripping Clover, forcing her to her knees while controlling her arm.
"Oh!" Clover cried as she hit the floor. "Sam! Please! Don't do this!" Her voice reflected her urgency, and made Sam pause.
"No-I…" Sam looked unsure, but not as much as Alex had. Then she shook her head and looked at Clover with a confused and startled look. Her expression quickly changed to one of shame as she let go of her friend, and she ran into Jerry's office without looking back, slamming the door behind her.
Clover stood up and turned around to see where Alex was and found Scam stepping over her as he made his way towards her. An irrational protective urge entered her, and she raced past him to see if Alex was alright. "Alex? Are you okay?" she said, kneeling down next to her.
Alex's eyes fluttered open after a few moments, and she sat up with a gasp. "Ow." She said, rubbing the back of her head. "Remind me to never look away from Scam again. Did you cure Sam?"
Clover helped her up. "That's the weird part. I don't know. She had me down on my knees with my hand behind my back, but she let go when I cried out and got that same look you had, but a second later she ran into Jerry's office."
"Well let's go!" Alex said as she grabbed Clover's hand and led her back to the door. It opened with ease. The scene inside was a bit of a surprise, and both girls stopped and stared at Jerry. He was standing in the middle of the room, his suit looking a bit ruffled but otherwise fine. Tim Scam was tied to a chair next to him, his eyes barely open. And Sam…
"I see you've revived Alex, Clover." Jerry said. "Well done."
"What happened, Jer?" Alex asked, walking over to him.
"Well, Samantha ran in very quickly and told me about the scene in the hallway. I had figured out that the mind control solution can be rendered ineffective if the ties of friendship are not easily severed. This is especially true when one of the friends of the affected people is feared to be in danger or pain. The faster you come out of the spell, the stronger the friendship is. I can develop an antidote, but it won't be ready for about an hour, so all of the affected students are being round up and put in the detention center until it is ready. We'll modify their memories after this ordeal has passed. Sam, it's safe to come out."
"Are you sure?" came a timid response.
"Of course."
Sam appeared from inside of a closet, stepping carefully towards everyone else. "I don't feel completely like myself yet, but I'm not under Scam's complete control either. I was hiding so I wouldn't hurt you guys if I lost control again."
Clover looked at her in shock for a minute, and then walked over to her. "Sam," she said calmly. "How can you think you would do that? Alex can agree with me that it wasn't your fault."
"I'm sorry for whatever I did to you guys."
Alex walked over to them. "Don't worry about it. Besides, everyone is safe and we have Scam in custody again."
Scam chose that moment to groan and snap fully awake. "You've got a nice punch, Jerry." He said.
Jerry cleared his throat. "Yes, well… thank you. It would be best for you if you explain yourself now rather than later. Why did Sam not feel completely restored like Alex did? I know that all of the girls have an equally strong relationship with one another."
Scam laughed a bitter laugh. "You could say that." He paused, and when no one said anything, said, "Fine. She "woke up" twice before we started this attack, so I developed a solution twice as strong as the last one. It looks like it worked pretty well."
Jerry looked seriously at the girls. "Do you have any questions for him? I don't think you'll be seeing him for a long time."
Sam laughed. "I think I've seen enough of him for now, Jer." She looked at Scam. "I promise it won't go as easily next time. If there is a next time."
He waited until she turned away, then said, "Thank you for your participation girls. It's been a lot of fun. And Jerry." He looked at the older man with malice. "You better keep working on those punches. They're getting weaker than they used to be."
The girls proceeded to move into the hallway while Jerry interrogated Scam for his motives. Alex shut the door behind them. "So do you think Scam will give us more trouble?" she asked.
"I don't think so." Clover said. "But if he does, we'll be ready for him. One good thing that came from this though," she said, looking from Alex to Sam, "is that we're closer than ever. Right?" she smiled hopefully.
"Yeah!" Alex said.
"Absolutely." Sam said with a laugh. Everything was back to normal, and possibly, if not assuredly, better than ever. "Let's go home, girls."
