Chapter 13
Beginning of the End Part 4
Chris, now the sole one awake in the van belonging to one Sebastian Saga, continued her drive through the jam-packed roads of California. Her dry, red, and irritated eyes struggled to stay focused on the road, and as she was about to yawn, she was suddenly forced to slam down on the brakes to avoid rear ending another car. In the aftermath, her head shot toward her somehow still snoozing passengers.
"...That was close. I should've had Sam draw me a map," she said wearily, yawning a second time. "Where the heck is this place?!"
She drove past an ice-cream shop she was certain she had seen three times before and growled. Sam and the others insisted she wouldn't be able to miss WOOHP when she approached it, but no matter how many times she circled around its supposed location, she found nothing. Shaking her head, she stopped at a red light, giving her a chance to think.
"What the heck am I even doing? It's like I'm being dragged on a wild goose chase. Is that what this is? Were Sam, Alex, and Clover just screwing with me with all this WOOHP nonsense? I seriously don't know anymore. I'm too tired to make sense of things right now. I'd be far easier to just go home and forget this whole thing."
Though the traffic light changed to green, Chris and the van remained in place. Exasperated, she placed her forehead against the steering wheel and took another gander at the resting girls that claimed themselves her friends.
"They seemed sincere enough in their intentions. Besides, they don't seem like the sort of people who would stab me in the back. Does that mean I can trust them? I can't even trust myself at the moment with my memory in a haze like this. Am I really Christine? Am I really a spy? Am I really apart of all this?"
Who was Christine? From the people she met up to now and the story Sam, Alex, and Clover spun, she surely wasn't anyone pleasant. Maybe it was better Chris couldn't recall a thing about her past. It was thanks to her that Jerry Lewis, and likely the entire world, was in peril. Taking down this Scar was her priority now, but how would she feel if she got her memories back?
"...Maybe I should've just stayed back at that diner on that dusty, dirt road. I wouldn't be any trouble to anyone there. I wouldn't have to fight idiots and weirdos constantly either. This Scar guy and everything else has nothing to do with me anymore..."
She might have desired to believe her own claims, yet inside she knew they weren't true. Whether she liked it or not, this entire, bizarre state of affairs was her problem to deal with. She would never be satisfied unless she took care of them with her own, two hands. On top of that, there was a history between she and Scar, a bitter one at that. Not remembering every detail of it did little to saté her rising anger, and without warning, she punched a close-by window.
"W-What the...?" she questioned. For a split second, she pictured the face of a man smirking at her from under a mask. "Who...was that? ...Scar?"
By now, there was a sizable line of cars behind the motionless Chris. The blaring of their horns snapped her back to reality.
"W-Wha? Huh? Where's the fire?" asked a groggy Alex, rubbing her eyes.
"Yeah? What's up, Chris?" asked Clover alongside a stretch and a yawn. "I was totally having a dream about a cute boy just now!"
Sam, now up as well, said, "Everything okay, Chris? You seem kinda upset."
"Y-Yes, I'm fine. I'm...sorry for waking you all up."
As she pressed her foot on the gas and got the van moving again, the others looked at each other and silently debated if they should press the issue.
"Hey, wait a sec!" yelled Alex out of the blue. "How comeshe gets to drive?!"
"I don't think that's important now, Alex," said Sam. This response wasn't enough to stop Alex from pouting and crossing her arms.
"Huh? We aren't at WOOHP yet?" asked Clover.
Chris stiffened on the spot at hearing this. "...Come again?"
Clover hesitated before innocently replying, "I-I was just asking if we were...uh...at WOOHP yet..."
For a moment, Chris said nothing. Whether this was bad or good, Clover didn't know.
"...If we were at WOOHP, don't you think you would know?" said Chris finally. Her calm speech didn't raise any red flags, yet a chill still shot down Clover's back all the same. "Therefore, we can't possibly be there yet. Got it?"
"H-How come you're so grumpy all of a sudden?!"
"...'Grumpy?' 'All of a sudden?'" Chris gradually and methodically rotated her head to Clover, scaring her friend half to death because of her grim expression and blood-red eyes. "Ofcourse I'm grumpy! I've been driving around this city like a blooming idiot for ages now, and I haven't had a wink of sleep in hours! So yes, excuse me if I'm a bit irritable at the moment!"
Chris, foaming at the mouth, bashed on the van's horn repeatedly to get the slow driver in front of her to move aside. She was tempted to just drive right through them.
"J-Jeez..." said Clover, who shook a little. "I-I was just asking..."
"H-Haha. T-Try to relax there, Chris. I get that you're tired, not to mention there's probably a lot of stuff bothering you about all this, but we need to focus if we're going to save WOOHP and stop Scar, alright?" said Sam carefully.
"...Alright," Chris replied after a sigh. She could hardly keep her eyelids open at this point. "...Could you three just promise me something before we get there? I gotta get this off my chest while I have the chance."
"S-Sure, Chris," replied Sam, raising an eyebrow. "As long as it's something we can do."
"And as long as you aren't asking to borrow any of my clothes," said Clover. When the others glared at her, she put her hands up and replied, "H-Hey, I-I was totally joking just now! Just...trying to kill the tension! Jeez!"
"You so weren't," Alex said under her breath.
"...If I do happen to get my memories back and decide to turn against you three, I want you to take care of me," said Chris. Her friends were left taken aback.
"'Take care of you?'" repeated Sam. "C-Come again?!"
"Yeah, what's that supposed to mean?!" asked Alex.
"...You girls know exactly what I mean," replied Chris. Trying to explain herself while keeping a vigilant watch on the road was a bit challenging. "Look, as strange as it sounds, you three know me better than I know myself right now. You know what I'm capable of. If I were to have a change of heart about this whole 'save the world' thing, I'd only end up making things worse than I already have. That's why I'm saying to just take me out if I get in the way if the opportunity arises. I get that this is something I'm asking a lot of you three, but honestly, you're the only ones I trust at this point."
"Uh...seriously?" said Clover in the wake of a short pause. The casual response left Chris flabbergasted. "Trust me, Chris. You're thelast person who'd wanna help Scar!"
"R-Really?"
"Yeah!" said Alex. "Jerry told us what Scar did to you and your parents before we lost contact with him!"
"Me and my...parents?"
"That's right," said Sam. "I-I know it's a bit too late to say this, and it's not like we had anything to do with it, but...we're sorry, Chris. No one should have to go through what you and your parents did! Actually, we're not just doing all this to save Jerry and WOOHP! We're also doing this because we're your friends! Even if you've done some awful things in the past, we'll stand by your side! And we'll make sure Scar doesn't get away with this! I know we've only know you for a little while, but that's honestly how the three of us feel! Like I said, you might've done some bad things while working for SOAP, but that doesn't make you a bad person, Chris!"
She, along with Alex and Clover, looked ready to burst into tears at any moment. Chris wasn't even sure what they were referring to, yet she felt ready to cry herself and even wished to thank them for their kind, selfless words. It was a strange sensation for sure, but this more than anything convinced Chris her friends were telling the truth.
"Uh...WOOHP should be on the left," Sam informed Chris as she composed herself.
Chris nodded and turned the van down the specified street before parking. She then took heed to the remains of a building. From the size of the rubble and debris, she judged the edifice must have been rather tall.
"Are they doing construction over there? Strange. I don't see tape or anything signifying..."
"N-No way!" Sam cried, making Chris turn to her. "I-It'sgone!"
"What's gone?"
Clover, pulling at her blonde hair, added, "Seriously?! This so can't be happening! How could it just disappear like that?!"
"What's the problem?" asked Chris again.
"D-Did Jerry say anything about moving?! Do we have the right address?! Oh my gosh! Do you...do you think he was kidnapped by aliens?! Maybe the whole building was abducted!" whispered Alex. She was on edge now, scrunching up in her seat with a paranoid expression on her features.
"I-I don't think so, Alex," Sam replied. "Maybe...!"
Having enough of being ignored, Chris yelled on spur of the moment, "SERIOUSLY! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU PEOPLE GOING ON ABOUT?!"
Her friends half near died of fright from this, so she calmed down and apologized, blaming her behavior on her sleep-deprived state.
Sam told her, "WOOHP should beright here, yet it's gone! Someone destroyed the building!"
"...Scar," muttered Chris.
Sam nodded. "Yeah, that's what I'm thinking. I didn't think he'd go this far though."
"N-Never mind the building! Where's Jerry?!" said Clover. "You don't think he was stillin there when the building went down, do you?!"
"I-I don't think so, Clover." Sam was mostly saying this to convince herself.
"Neither do I," said Chris, surprising the others some. "...I don't remember too clearly, but something tells me this Scar isn't the type of guy to end things like this. If he really has a grudge on your Jerry, he'd want to get rid of him in a more extravagant way. Letting him get crushed by a collapsing building isn't that. No, I think this is just Scar's way of telling us he knows we're coming and that he's serious about stopping us. Anyway, that's all just a theory of mine. Take it with a grain of salt."
"Whoa, Chris! It's kinda scary when you talk like that! You'd totally make a good baddie!" said Alex. "Well, I guess you already are one. Or were, or...whatever! Man, this whole amnesia thing is really annoying!"
"Tell me about it..."
"Even if that's true, what are we supposed to do now?!" Clover threw her arms up in frustration. She hadn't been this peeved since missing a sale at The Groove she had been waiting on for months the other day. "Assuming Jer is alive and well, finding him is so gonna be a pain! He could be anywhere in the world!"
"You're right. We might've been able to track him with our X-Powders, but those are in the past now." Sam tapped her finger against her chin. Thinking she and the others out of tight situations was her specialty, though she was drawing nothing but blanks currently. "Chris, you got any ideas?"
"Me? Well..." Chris frowned and awkwardly shuffled in her seat. She hated being put on the spot like this, especially when she was just as stumped for answers. "S-Sorry, I really don't remember anything else about that Scar guy. M-Maybe if you give me some time..."
She flinched when Alex grabbed her by the shoulders out of the blue. Chris couldn't complain once she saw the conviction etched into her friend's face.
"Come on, Chris! You gotta try and remember as hard as you can! Weneed you!"
Chris, slightly weirded out, slowly nodded. "...Fine. L-Like I said, just...give me a moment."
She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and channeled every ounce of brain power she had. She and Scar had a history together spanning years. Assuming that was the case, rousing those memories to the surface should have been a piece of cake. However, after moments of straining and grunting, absolutely nothing came to her.
...This is beginning to become rather annoying. What is it? What is it I can't remember? I'm starting to think I don't want to remember.
In spite of her struggles, there was one thing in particular that stuck with her. It was hazy, but she could recount being in extreme peril, a bright flash of light, and then...nothing.
Does...that light have something to do with my amnesia? Scar...yes, Scar. He...did something? Something to my memories? I...
The more she dwelt on the matter, the more it felt as if a jackhammer was grinding against her skull. Unable to bear the pain any longer, she gasped and opened her trembling eyes.
"You okay?!" asked Clover.
"H-Huh? Yeah, sorry." Chris nodded to confirm her speech. "Guess I was thinking a little too hard there. Heh."
"Remember anything important?" asked Sam.
"Not...really. Well, I confirmed that I really don't like this Scar person, so there's that."
"Oh well! I guess we're just gonna have to track that guy the old-fashioned way," said a sullen Alex. "If I was a bamillion year old English dude like Jerry, where would I be?"
"That's easy! Just think of the most boring place in the world !" joked Clover.
"Then I guess The Groove's out," said Sam with a laugh and a smile. "I don't suppose we could just go to England and double check every tea party?"
"...I envy you three," said Chris. The others gazed at her for clarification. "Sorry. I just couldn't help noticing you girls can still joke and laugh with one another despite everything basically going to hell in a handbasket. I may not remember much about my past life, but I can tell I never got the chance to do much of that."
"C-Chris..." Sam started. She didn't get to finish her sentence because the van she and the others were in began to rock back and forth all of a sudden. "Yeah, I got a bad feeling about this!"
As the van shook again, Alex shouted, "Seriously! Not cool! Is there like an angry mob outside or something?!"
"Oh! It could be some of my adoring fans!" stated Clover. "I sent a tré cute picture of myself to Malibu Monthly and...!"
"Not now, Clover!" shouted Sam as the van jerked a third time. "As interesting a story as that sounds, we've got bigger problems on our hands!"
Those 'bigger problems' emerged as red nails stabbing their way through the roof. "...Next time you get one of those 'bad feelings' of yours, Sam, keep it to yourself!" said Chris.
The person slicing through the vehicle, a red head, peeked in and waved.
"Hello, ladies! Missed me?!" he inquired.
"Manny Wong?!" Sam exclaimed in complete shock. "He's...!"
"I don't need to know." Chris hastily waved her hand in Sam's face. "I'm just going to assume you guys foiled whatever stupid thing he was scheming, threw him in jail, and now he wants you three dead."
Manny had to squint through his purple shades to get a good look at Chris. "What's this? There are four of you now? Ah! You must be the girl Scar told us about!"
"Um...'us?'" inquired Alex.
Unfortunately for Sam, Alex, and Clover, Manny Wong wasn't the sole individual from their past dropping by for a visit. They discovered this after a red boot extended its way through the front window of the van and out the back. Although shaken up, everyone present avoided it in time.
"Man! A few inches closer and we'd have shoeprints right through us!" exclaimed Sam.
"You've gotta be kidding me," said Clover weakly in response to the confident-looking man standing outside. "Yves Mont Blanc!"
"Wait,the Yves Mont Blanc?" asked Chris, rubbing her peepers. She had to have been imagining things, she thought. "The famous shoe designer?!"
"Y-Yeah! He's totally...! W-Wait! You're telling meyou of all people know who that is?!"
"What? I'm not allowed to buy a pair of shoes every now and then?!"
"Sorry to 'step in' so suddenly, ladies!" taunted Yves in a thick, French accent. His shoe retracted into a more manageable size as he lowered his leg. "We meet again at last! I've a bone to pick with you three and...!"
"Hey! What's the big idea?!" Manny hollered at him. "You nearly hitme, you shoe-brained idiot!"
"Pardon? I cannot hear ze words of a lowlife manicurist!"
Manny's eyelid twitched. "'L-Lowlife manicurist?!' I guess the stench of your hideous shoe designs has finally gone to your head! If you're going to torture us all with those ugly boots by swinging them around, you couldat least have the decency to hit someone!"
"Hmph! Maudit! How would you like it if I put zese boots through your teeth, Nitwit of Nails?!"
"I dare you to say that again, you French...!"
"Knock it off!" cried a purple-haired woman wearing a dress styled after a lush, green plant. "I swear, babysitting you is beginning to drive me mad! Remember what we're here to do! Scar said he would reward us handsomely if we took care of those meddlesome pest over there! He didn't say anything about squabbling with each other."
Albeit ready to claw each others eyeballs out, Yves and Manny heeded their compatriot's advice and calmed themselves.
"Even Violet Vanderfleet is here?!" Sam wasn't sure whether to be afraid or depressed. "This isn't good. We're hardly in any condition to take the three of them on. Besides, we still need to find out what happened to Jerry and Scar!"
"Um...m-maybe if we just stay put, they'll go away?" suggested Clover. "They seem to be having a lot more fun beating each other up anyway!"
Her idea fell apart at the seams, mostly due to the van being snatched right into the air by something unseen. Chris again figured she must have been hallucinating when she checked out the window for the source of the disturbance.
"Is that a giant, venus fly trap?!"
"That is so a giant, venus fly trap!" answered Clover, her jaw lowered in awe.
"ABANDON SHIP!" cried Sam.
The plant in question let out a tremendous hiss before swallowing Sebastian Saga's van whole. Luckily, the four spies were able to leap out of it well in advance.
"Did you just see that?!" asked a wide-eyed Alex. "I'm totally glad that wasn't my car!"
"I never thought I'd see something with a bigger appetite than you, Alex!" exclaimed Sam. Alex simply frowned at the remark.
"You've gotta be kidding me," said Chris in deadpan fashion. "Seriously, a line has got to be drawn somewhere! Now giant plants are trying to kill us?! This is nuts!"
"I...uh...guess we're gonna need to find another ride..." Clover chuckled timidly as she spoke.
"You won't have to worry about that, girls! You won't be getting out of here in one piece anyway!" Manny Wong bellowed their way.
"Zat is right! And once we take care of you silly girls, I'll finally be able to get back to plotting how to properly punish all zose who ridiculed my shoes!" said Yves Mont Blanc.
"Not to mention I still need to destroy all the ignorant fools who dared question my beautiful nail designs!"
"Meanwhile, your destruction will allow me to get revenge on all the men in the world who had the nerve to dump me!" added Violet. Being aware of all the condemnable glances being thrown her way, she promptly cleared her throat and added, "I-I mean...all the men in the world who had the nerve to dump women in general! R-Right!"
"Sure, lady..." Alex rolled her eyes.
"I've just got one question before we get started," said Chris. "Areall the villains you three face this hopelessly insane?"
Overhearing this, Violet growled. "'C-Crazy?!' How dare you! There have been a lot of girls out there that've been hurt by selfish jerks! What's wrong with trying to get justice for them against the vile male population?!"
"As much as I want to believe in your intentions are pure, I legitimately can't take you seriously when you're working with two of those so-called 'vile males.'"
Violet turned her head back at Manny and Yves, who both shrugged.
"Don't get the wrong idea, little girl! T-This is just a temporary truce until we all get what we want! A-Anyway, you're beginning to get on my nerves! Just who are you anyway? Scar said to destroy you, but nothing other than that."
Chris answered, "Heh. I'm still trying to figure that out myself."
"Eh? She's a...how you say...a strange one indeed," said Yves.
Leering at his freshly polished fingernails, Manny replied, "Seriously. No wonder Scar wants her gone."
This claim tugged at Chris' heart. It was hard enough trying to accept that Scar had put a price on her head to begin with. Not knowing the reason made it ten times more infuriating. The mere mention of Scar's name tended to have that effect on her though, a subconscious one she honestly couldn't explain considering she could barely recall the man. Balling her shaking hands, she began to scowl at Violet, Yves, Manny, finding them all repulsive out of the blue.
"...What's your problem?" asked Violet, flinching some.
Chris forced herself to grin. "...Nothing. I'm just flattered you all think so highly of me is all."
"'Flattered?' Interesting, considering you're about to become plant food!"
The meaning behind Violet's threat escaped Chris until she detected a shadow looming over she and the others. The massive plant from earlier unleashed a shrill yell while it lunged its mouth at the four. At the last second, Chris shoved her companions aside, leaving her to be eaten alone.
"CHRIS!" Sam, Alex, and Clover all shouted.
Violet, snickering, said, "That wastoo easy! I hoped she'd put up a better fight!"
Her confidence waned once the plant that was enjoying its meal started to act strange. Its color changed from green to red, and after it bellowed an anguish-induced cry, it exploded. Chunks of it flew everywhere, coating those close-at-hand in a slimy, green substance.
"... 'Ew' so doesn't begin to describe how nasty this is!" howled Clover. Her facial features changed to one of repulsion when she placed her fingers in her hair, feeling the plant juice enveloped in every strand. "I'm totally gonna have to wash my hair formonths to get this groady stuff out!"
"Ugh! It tastes as bad as it looks!" said Alex, spitting some out.
Sam brushed some off of her clothing. "...This is so not how I envisioned my day today..."
Chris, covered in slime from head to toe, stepped out of the remains of the plant. The only thing everyone else could make out on her face was her wrath-filled eyes.
"...Alright, that pissed me off," she admitted.
"How in the...?! Y-You should be getting digested right now!" said Violet. "How did you escape my precious plant so easily?!"
"I had to use some imagination," Chris told her, displaying her laser pen. "Guess your plant had a bad case of heartburn."
Violet grumbled at the remark and then faced the motionless Yves and Manny.
"Well?! Don't just stand there, you blithering fools!" she screamed. "Attack!"
"Have you forgotten, madame? We are not your henchmen!" Yves shot back.
"That's right!" added Manny. "We'resupposed to be workingtogether here!"
Violet's entire face became disturbingly scarlet. "I DIDN'T ASK FOR YOUR WORTHLESS OPINIONS! JUST GO BEFORE I HAVE ONE MY PLANTS EAT YOU TWO NEXT, YOU BLITHERING IMBECILES!"
Hugging each other out of fear, Manny and Yves swallowed their prides and did as she commanded.
"Incoming, girls!" said Sam.
"Looks like they're finally getting serious," stated Chris as she put up her dukes. "Good. I need to work off some steam from nearly being turned into lunch."
Clover said, "Only you could sound so casual after something like that!"
"Did you guys say something? Hey, why's it so quiet?" asked Alex, who was having difficulty getting something out of her ears. "Ew! I think some of that gunk got in there!"
"Yeah, could you stop! I'm seriously trying not to throw up over here!"
Manny Wong brandished his nails and slung them at oddly chatty spies. They responded by going off in different directions to dodge.
"Guess those aren't just for show then," said Chris. It would be her flesh the razor-sharp nails pierced rather than the concrete ground if she wasn't careful.
"En garde, little lady!" Yves said to her. He took her off guard and would've taken her head off with his red boot if it weren't for Clover dragging her down before tragedy could strike.
"Thanks," Chris told her. "Man, this really is nuts. First it was an overgrown plant, now it's fingernails and designer shoes."
"Uh...you know, you kinda get used to it after a while!" said Clover.
Chris doubted that very much.
"Hey, Chris! You still got that pen?!" asked Sam.
"Er...yeah, it should be...hey, wait a sec!" Checking every pocket and opening on her clothing, Chris became alarmed when she noticed her laser pen was gone. "Where did it...?!"
"Hmm? What's this?" Violet reached down and picked up something that rolled at her foot. Humored by her luck, she held up what Chris so desperately desired. "I believe you dropped something!"
"Dammit! I must've dropped it when Clover saved my skin just now!"
Any hope of retrieving it vanished when Violet had a smaller one of her plants eat it.
"Good boy!" she said, petting it tenderly.
"...Any other ideas, Sam?" asked Chris. Irritation riddled her speech.
"That pen was like our only chance of winning!" cried Alex.
"Not to mention I totally never finished that shopping list I was writing!" added Clover.
"Seriously! All of you need to calm down!" Sam yelled. Her friends, despite having lingering complaints, piped down and nodded at her. "Don't you girls see how silly you sound?! We don't need gadgets to win! If using stuff like that was all it took to be a spy, anyone could do it!"
"Yeah, but...!" Alex started.
Sam cut her off with, "It takesbrains too! The gadgets might've helped us with all those missions in the past, but we don't have them here, so we can't rely on them! What wedo still have though is our heads, and if we put them together, I'm confident we can get out of any mess!"
"...You certainly are the optimist. That was well said however, Sam," said Chris after a brief pause. "That all sounded like something out of a bad family flick, but I guess I'm a sucker for cheesy stuff like that."
"Thatwas kinda corny," chimed Clover. She then stuck her tongue out playfully and added, "But yeah, I guess you've got a point, Sammy!"
Alex nodded. "Right! No gadgets then! Er...what do you suggest we do though?"
"Er... about that. I still haven't actually thought of anything!" said Sam. The others fell on their heads in disbelief.
"Aw. That speech was rather...touching!" said Violet Vanderfleet sarcastically, taking a step toward her foes. "In the end though, it doesn't matter what you brats say or do! You three could barely beat us last time on that blimp when you had your fancy gadgets! What exactly do you think you can without them?! Manny! Yves! Show these girls how serious we are this time!"
On cue, Manny began slinging nails at Chris and the others once more.
"Alex! Handle him for the time being!" said Sam.
"Right!" Alex replied. She lunged fearlessly at Manny, dodging a seemingly endless supply of nails as she did so. "Say, you wouldn't happen to have any in a shade of yellow, would you?"
"I certainly do! Here! I'll give you a free sample!" yelled Manny. He retrieved a bottle of bright and glittering nail polish of the requested color ahead of slinging it on the ground. The second Alex's feet came in contact with it, she slipped and slided all over e.
"This would be totally fun if I so weren't about to be killed!" she hollered.
"Got you!" said Yves Mont Blanc, ready to strike.
"Not so fast!" cried Clover. She nailed him across the chin using a swift kick, nearly taking his head off in the process.
"Clover! We meet again it seems!" he said as he held the afflicted area.
"How could someone so good at making shoes be so totally twisted?!"
"It's simple really! While you in particular have always appreciated my work, Clover, the world at large does not! Zat is unforgivable! Thus, zey must pay! I will destroy anyone who gets in my way of accomplishing zat, even my own fans!"
Clover shrieked and ducked when Yves extended a boot at her. "Hey, watch it! My hair's already messed up enough thanks to that stupid plant! W-Wait a sec! Are those your new designs?! Oh my gosh, they areso cute! Can I buy a pair?!"
Stopping, she slapped herself on the face.
"W-What am I saying?! Get it together, Clover! You'll have plenty of time to go shoe shoppingafter you take care of this wacko!"
With Manny Wong and Yves Mont Blanc busy fending off Alex and Clover respectively, Violet Vanderfleet was left alone to deal with Chris and Sam, or at least, that's what Chris assumed.
"Huh? Where the hell did Sam go?!"
"Well, look at that! It appears your friend has left you high and dry!" taunted Violet alongside some haughty laughs. "I suppose she's as good at running away as she is at making speeches!"
"And it seems you never know when to shut your mouth, lady! Sam or no Sam, I'm still taking you down!"
Finding and chewing out Sam would have to come another time. Beating Violet senseless was at the top of Chris' list of things to do at the moment. However, right as she readied to go on the offensive, someone catapulted off her left shoulder, knocking her off balance.
"W-What the..?!"
It was Sam. Armed with a grocery bag full of items, she reached into it and brandished a silver can. She aimed it threateningly at Violet, who smirked.
"And just what are you going to do with that? Style my hair?"
"While you do need a new hairdo, lady, that isn't what I had in mind!"
Violet was hit with a full blast of the spray, and she coughed while fanning the purple-colored vapor away.
"Huh? Are you just messing with me or something?" she asked Sam. Her lips then curled into a frown. "You'll pay for that! No one makes a fool of me!"
In a rage, Violet sicked one of her plants on Sam, or at least that's what she tried to do. Much to her horror and confusion, her shrubbery were withering and dying at an alarming rate.
"W-What is this?! What's going on?! How did you...?!" With widening eyes, she caught a closer look at the can in Sam's grasp. "W-Weed killer?! You went out and bought weed killer?! You've got to be kidding me!"
"That's right! Still wanna try using those overgrown dandelions now?" asked a jubilant Sam.
Violet, backing away, retorted, "C-Curse you! How could my wonderous plants be defeated by a dumb, little trick like that?!"
She continued to back pedal, all the while trying to think of some way to turn things back toward her favor. It was then she bumped into someone. Turning around to learn the individual's identity and chastise them for their clumsiness, she hastily swallowed her tongue.
"Well, well, well. Who's plant food now?" asked Chris, cracking her knuckles. Her expression was absolutely sadistic, leaving Violet powerless to do anything but cower in terror. "I'm going to enjoy this."
Sam turned away from the scene as the sounds of Violet Vanderfleet being beaten senseless resounded. She nevertheless peeked a couple of times and cringed, questioning how human bones could bend so effortlessly and in a wide variety of directions.
"Ah! I nearly forgot! Alex!" Sam pulled another item from her plastic bag and chucked it. "Catch!"
"Got it!" said Alex. Expecting a weapon to defend herself with, she instead pondered why she held a tiny bottle filled with a clear substance. "Er...is this what I think it I?!"
There was no time for her to open it and confirm her suspicions, not with Manny Wong desiring to claw her to pieces anyway.
"What's the matter, little girl? Scared yet?" he jeered. "I want you to see some of my new designs up close and personal!"
Alex, screaming in fright, reflexively held her arms up to shield herself, and in the process, Manny accidentally shattered the bottle Sam gave her. Its contents splattered on him, forcing him to pinch his nose to block out its strong scent
"Wait a second? Is this...nail polish remover?!" he cried. His now bloodshot eyes got a gander of his nails. The fine polish that adorned them was gone."M-My beautiful designs! NO-OOOOOO-O!"
"Um, dramatic much?" said Alex.
While Manny Wong sobbed and bawled like a baby, Clover was preoccupied trying to stop Yves Mont Blanc from kicking a hole right through her.
"Got anything in that magic bag of tricks for me, Sammy?!" she hollered, lowering her head to dodge Yves' protracted shoe.
"Yeah! Try this, Clover!"
"Got it!" Clover happily declared as she caught something. Her excitement waned some when she ascertained what it was. "A...shoe horn?"
Yves laughed. "And just what are you going to do withzat, petite dame?!"
"Oh, youso won't be laughing after I get done with you because this is one accessory I know how to use!"
"H-Hey, what are you doing?! W-Wait a moment! Arrêtez!"
Clover struggled with him to get a hold of his leg. Once she did, she employed her not so harmless shoe horn to wrench the red boot right off Yves' foot prior to grabbing the other shoe and doing the same. The Frenchmen, now barefoot and unarmed, gasped sharply at Clover holding his prized designer shoes up as trophies.
"G-Give zose back! I haven't even finished ze designs yet!" he pleaded.
Clover wasn't listening. Her eyes, sparkling like diamonds, glued themselves completely to Yves' shoes. "I can't believe I got the latest Yves Mont Blanc shoes before anyone else! Everyone at school is going to beso jealous!Especially Mandy! Oh, I can'twait to see the look on her face! Hahahaha!"
"Er...h-hello? I really do need zose shoes back..."
Yves gave up when Clover, squealing at her good fortunes, paid him no mind again.
#
Being tied up and left helpless wasn't what Violet Vanderfleet, Manny Wong, and Yves Mont Blanc had in mind when they decided to ambush Sam and the others. All the same, that was precisely the predicament they found themselves in now.
"Tsk! You girls willpay for this!" said Violet. She squirmed around and attempted to break free of her restraints with no success. "W-What's with these ropes?!"
"Ha! You're crazy if you think you're getting out of that! I was totally the best at tying knots in my old Girl Scout troup!" said Alex proudly.
"You're going to get even more wrinkles if you keep brooding like that, grandma!" said Clover.
"G-Grandma?!" 'Insulted' didn't even begin to describe how Violet felt at this.
"Would youplease stop moving around so much!" Manny said to her. "You're going to make me chip a nail!"
"I'll chip more than that, you...!"
"Pipe down, you two! You'll have plenty of time to argue once you're back under WOOHP custody!" said Sam. "I think they've fought more with each other than us today!"
"Ha! Perhaps you need to get your eyes checked, little girl! Have you forgotten WOOHP is no more?! The remains of it are sitting behind us in fact!" replied Violet happily.
"Haha! Indeed! Good riddance as well!" added Yves.
"Hey, there's always WOOHP Island! I doubt Scar has gotten to that place yet!" Alex reminded them. This effectively shut both their pie holes.
Sniffling, Manny proclaimed, "I don't care where you send us! I'm still in mourning over what you evil girls did to my nails!"
"You're still fretting about that? Even when I chip a nail, I'm not this whiny!" said Clover.
"And that's saying something..." Alex muttered.
"Never mind him and give me back my boots already!" said a glowering Yves.
Clover blew him a raspberry. "Never! Consider them my reward for having to put up with you jerks!"
"Lucky you. All the rest of us get to take away from this is a bunch of migraines," said Chris dryly while she stroked her temples. Leering at the now empty grocery bag Sam held, she added, "I'm wondering how you managed to sneak off to the corner store while no one was paying attention, Sam."
"Uh...yeah, about that..." Sam rubbed the back of her head apologetically. "Sorry. I didn't mean to disappear like that without saying anything, but I knew I had to act fast if I was going to get what we needed before Violet and her cronies caught onto me!"
"It's fine with me. I had a feeling you weren't the type to sneak off and save your own skin."
"That was totally nice thinking, Sammy!" said Clover, giving her friend a thumbs up.
"Hey! I thought you said we didn't need gadgets earlier!" Alex pouted as she said this. "You gave a big speech and everything!"
Sam blushed in embarrassment when Alex and the others admonished her with their staring.
"Y-You really can't count common household items as gadgets, can you?" she stated in her defense.
"I mean, it's basically the same thing the way we used them," said Chris plainly.
Wanting to protest some more, Sam merely shook her head and gave in.
"I'm just glad we won," continued Chris. With her arms crossed, she walked over to the tied up villains and crouched down.
"W-What do you want now?" asked Violet with an air of caution.
"I'm just trying to figure out what we should do with you imbeciles."
Sam, kneeling beside her, answered, "We should question them for information. They probably know who destroyed WOOHP, meaning they also probably also know where Jerry and Scar are now."
Violet's ear jerked as she overheard this. "Ha! You two might as well save your breath! As if we'd actually tell you anything!"
"Oh, so that means you guysdo know something!" said Clover slyly. Violet, noting her errors, snarled under her breath.
"If anyone here should be keeping their big mouth shut, it'syou!" Manny hollered in Violet's direction.
"I dare you to say that again, you nail-obsessed freak!"
"Big words coming from a lady that's been dumped by every man on the planet!"
"Notevery man, just the lousy ones...which is all of them! And another thing...!"
"If you are looking for zat man named Scar, he said he something about going to a nearby university," said Yves Mont Blanc without warning. "Zat wasn't too long ago, so if you hurry, you may be able to catch up with him."
Mortified, both Violet and Manny couldn't fathom why their comrade was spilling the beans on such vital information. Sam didn't either, leaving her just as bewildered and a lot more suspicious.
"You sure are chatty all of a sudden!" she stated. "What gives?"
"That's avery good question!" said Violet through gritted teeth.
Yves moved his head away from her in defiance. "Hmph! Zat is because I've grown more zan tired of having to deal with ze two of your and your constant bumbling! Even if it means going back to prison, I'd happily take zat fate zan align myself with you imbéciles any longer!"
"Sounds good to me. Let's have it then, frenchie," said Chris.
"...Fine. Ask away!"
"Y-You idiot! Don't youdare say another word!" Violet warned him.
"You said Scar took Jerry and went to some university, right? What university?" asked Sam.
Yves mulled the inquisition over. "...I cannot remember which one exactly, but I did overhear him saying it was...how you say...close-by?"
Clover gasped. "Y-You don't think he's talking about Mali-U, do you?!"
"He's gotta be! That's like the only one near here!" shouted Alex.
"Why would he go there though? It doesn't make sense," said Sam.
His logic confounded Chris as well. Though she wasn't familiar with this Mali-U, she couldn't think of anything of importance at a local university other than obnoxious students and long-winded lectures. Still, a man like Scar didn't act without reason.
Maybe he wants to brush up on his math…
"W-Wait a sec!" she said out loud as something came to mind. "S-Sam! There are a lot of students at this Mali-U place, right?"
"Yeah. Since it's the middle of the day, there should be a lot of classes in session now."
"We need to move then. It's probably obvious to say at this point, but your Jerry isn't the only one who's in danger now if Scar really did go to that place."
"Agh! S-She's totally right!" said Clover, who placed her hands at the sides of her head in a panic. "We can't just let Scar do as he pleases! What'll happen to all the cute boys I haven't dated yet?!"
"Oh no! I totally left Oinky back at the penthouse! No way I'm letting Scar lay a finger on him!" said Alex. Passionate fire brimmed in her eyes; this was personal now.
"'Oinky?'" mumbled Chris.
"I'd explain, but at the moment, we need to get a move on!" said Sam.
"We gotta find a new ride first!" said Alex.
"Leave it to me!" exclaimed Clover. She scanned the immediate area and soon spotted something of use. "Over there! I think that bus goes to Mali-U around this time!"
"It better! Come on!" Sam ordered.
"Ugh. I hate taking the bus. There's too many old guys who like getting all touchy-feely when it's crowded," muttered Chris.
The four dashed off in a flash. This was all well and good, save for the fact they apparently forgot about the still tied up Violet Vanderfleet, Manny Wong, and Yves Mont Blanc.
"...So, they're seriously just going to leave us here?!" said Violet, trying to hold back a rage that was building inside her like a volcano. "...Okay, Violet. No need to get mad. No need to get upset. Everything's okay. That's right. Everything's..."
"They could've at least untied us! Now I'm stuck with you two!" Yves complained.
These words made Violet snap and Yves shrieked like a little girl when she tried ripping his ear off using her teeth, unable to do so with her restrained hands.
"This is allyour fault! You and that stupid manicurist over there!" she howled. Blood rushed to every corner of her face, making it resemble the shade of the crimson rose she wore in her hair. "I swear, I'm going tokill you both long before we get arrested again!"
Manny and Yves, after much begging and pleading, managed to settle her down somehow. A bit of time passed where the three said nothing to one another.
"...Now what?" asked Violet, shattering the silence.
"Oh, I know! I can paint everyone's fingernails while we wait! I've got some new designs I've been cooking up, and now is as good as time as any to try them out!" said Manny.
Violet rolled her eyes and took quite awhile to reply. "...How are you going to do that when OUR HANDS ARE STILL TIED UP, YOU IMBECILE?!"
"...Oh yeah. Good point."
Everything grew quiet again, leaving Violet plenty of time to asses her rather questionable life choices leading up to this point.
"...I should've just become a nurse like Mother wanted..."
#
Considering Dyson Glee was the best runner on the Malibu University track team, most assumed there weren't many that could keep pace with him in the school, let alone the whole state. Dyson himself was finding out otherwise.
As he ran as fast his legs were willing down the expansive hallways of Mali-U, he kept a vigilant watch over his shoulder. The individual chasing after him wasn't far behind; he knew this even without getting a visual of them. Pounding footsteps trailed his own, threatening to near dangerously close if he slipped up even an inch. He tried listening to these noises intently, but the sound of his own sharp breathing made so difficult.
Giving up, he ducked down another corner and stumbled upon something of interest: an old supply closet. He didn't even take the chance to wonder if it was unlocked while he lunged at its doorknob. Relief hit him in waves when he heard the lock click open upon turning it. Closing and sealing the door behind him, pitch blackness greeted him on every side. The sole light was from a crack at the bottom of the door. He didn't mind this though. If he couldn't even see three feet in front of him, he knew his pursuer would be just as blind to his whereabouts. Nevertheless, he became alarmed once more at the unsettling silence outside. The trailing footsteps were so loud beforehand that it made no sense for them to have suddenly vanished.
"...What the hell is going on?" he whispered. "Things around here are nuts!"
Tempted to crack the door open and see the situation behind it, he shook his head and withdrew his advancing arm. While he did so, his elbow hit something adjacent to him, giving him quite the fright. A broom fell over and hit the door, creating a very loud banging sound that Dyson was certain would attract the person after him. He held his breath and waited, not wanting to risk capture by even taking in air.
Come on! Come on! Where are they?! I know they're out there!
On cue, someone began shuffling on the other side of the closet. The shadow of footsteps then appeared at the crevice below the door. Whoever was after Dyson was literally inches away, separated by a now seemingly worthless slab of wood. Still, he didn't budge. After what felt like ages, the person walked off, and he sighed in relief.
"...That was too close. Now that they're gone, maybe I can actually find out what's going on around here."
The second he reached for the doorknob to leave, he heard a distinct giggle that made his blood run cold. Slowly, he shifted his head to the source of the disturbance and found a pair of eyes staring back at him.
"Found you!" said the carefree voice of Tabitha Connor.
Dyson let out a bloodcurdling scream before bursting out of the closet and running back the way he came. He didn't care where he went, so long as it away was from the giggling girl skipping after him.
"Hey, come back!" she shouted. "It's your turn to chase me since I found you! Haven't you ever played tag before?!"
Ignoring these remarks, Dyson said to himself, "Seriously! What the hell is going on?! H-How could that girl have been in that closetand outside?! Does she have a twin or something?!"
He soon discovered that while his theory held some merit, he wasn't exactly on the money. Rather than there being merely two Tabitha's, he managed to stumble on an entire army of them. They responded to his horror-stricken expression by surrounding him post-haste.
"Hi!" they all said in unison.
He tried fleeing the other way, yet another Tabitha brigade was waiting there as well. With nowhere else to run, Dyson, feeling like a rate in a maze, backed into a row of lockers.
"S-Stay back!" he cried, swatting his arm at the air. "Just who in the hell are you girls?!"
"We're Tabitha!" all the Tabitha's informed him, adding, "Tabitha Connor!"
"Tabitha...Connor...?!"
The name did little to answer all of his pressing questions, and he was unable to ask any because a trio of Tabithas apprehended him. He scratched and clawed in an effort to escape, yet he was quickly and easily overpowered.
"Just where are you all taking me?!" he angrily inquired as a Tabitha carried him over her shoulder. "Wait, doesn't this way lead to the school's gymnasium?"
"That's right!" replied the Tabitha holding him. "We're gonna go and have a lot of fun with Mister Scar and the others!"
"'Mister Scar?' Who's that? Your boss?"
The Tabithas collectively giggled instead of giving him a straight answer. While annoyed, he decided it didn't matter in the long run. The gymnasium was just up ahead; he would be able to verify the ongoing situation himself.
"Here we are!" said Tabitha, kicking open the double doors leading into the expansive gym of Malibu University. It was mostly used for basketball or volleyball games against rivals schools, yet Dyson soon saw its services were being used for something entirely different today.
"What the...?!" he said in response to the hundreds of students and staff of Mali-U confined inside. With everyone here, this explained why all the hallways, dorms, and classrooms of the university were so empty when he passed them earlier. "They're...keeping everyone here hostage!"
Tabitha abruptly put him down and patted him on the head affectionately. The gesture left him speechless for a moment.
"Er...y-you still haven't answered my questions! What's going on?! Why did you bring me and everyone else in the school here?! What do you people want?!"
Tabitha, more lost than he was, titled her head. "H-Huh? Slow down! You're making my head hurt! You sure do ask a lot of questions!"
"Of course! I think I have a right to after being dragged here against my will!"
The fact that Tabitha actually looked like she were ready to cry made Dyson relent. At that same moment, an incredibly shrill voice called out to him.
"Hey, Dyson! Over here!" said Mandy in the distance. Dyson wasn't the only one who felt like his ears were bleeding from having to withstand her voice. Those around her had to stop themselves strangling her in an effort to quiet her down. Mandy, flailing her arms to attract Dyson's attention, took no heed of this. "Dyson! DYSON!"
"Should I...really go over there?" Dyson shook his head and opted to go after all. Mandy would seal her lips at the very least. Hopefully anyway. "H-Hi there! It's been awhile! I'm glad to see you're alright, Mandy!"
The second she got the opportunity, Mandy latched herself onto Dyson's arm, threatening to rip it off even. He could tell from the way she gripped it that she had no intention of letting go anytime soon. It was then he debated if he might have been in better hands with the killer androids that brought him here.
"Oh, I'mso glad you're okay, Dyson!" said Mandy. Blushing, she giggled and felt like she was in heaven. Mumbling, she added, "Especially since thatother girl isn't here..."
"'Other girl?'" Dyson repeated. Guessing she meant Chris, he searched around the gym in vain for her, a frown appearing on his mouth. "...She isn't here. Does that mean she got away in time? I sure hope so."
Mandy, irritated he had the gall to think of another girl while in her presence, casually stomped on his foot.
"AGH!" he howled.
"Oops! Sorry!" Mandy said innocently. "I totally wasn't watching where I was stepping!"
"N-Not a problem! Accidents...happen."
"A-Anyway, I wasso scared before you got here, Dyson!"
"I don't see how. You have Trent right there beside you."
Trent weakly smiled. He was gladsomeone was acknowledging his presence since Mandy chose to ignore him for the most part.
"Hey! Stop making that face, Trent!" Mandy shouted at her intern. "For your information, Dyson, Trent hasn't been any help whatsoever! He couldn't even fight off those stupid robots when I asked him to!"
"S-Sorry, Mandy. I guess twenty on one isn't my specialty," replied Trent. There was a hint of snarkiness in his words.
Mandy crossed her arms and replied, "Hmph! That's so not an excuse! ...But Iguess I can forgive you since youdo seem to be sorry about it!"
Despite Mandy's tough girl act, Dyson could tell she appreciated Trent sticking with her during these trying times. He certainly couldn't think of anyone else who willingly would.
"By the way, would either one of you have any idea what's going on?" he asked. "And what's this about robots?"
"How should I know what's going on?! I just wanna go home already!" Mandy whined. Again, those nearby had to plug their ears from her knife-like intonation.
Trent cleared his throat. "Er...what she means to say is that everyone you see here, including us, were dragged here without much of an explanation. Those 'robots' she's referring to is all those girls that look-alike."
"The Tabithas? I see. Thanks," replied Dyson. "I suppose we'll find out why we've been gathered here in due time."
The chatter from those present intensified just then.
"Huh? What's going on now?" asked Mandy.
Dyson pointed forward, saying, "There. Look!"
Look Mandy did, setting her sights on an old man in a suit being lowered from the ceiling by way of a metal chain. Everyone within the gymnasium wasn't sure what to make of this, nor were they sure how to react to another man they spotted standing on the rafters.
"Hello, everyone!" Scar, leader of Spies Organized Against Peace, said to his 'adoring' audience below. "I thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to come here today."
"We totally didn't come here because wewanted to, you freak! I could be out shopping right now!" cried Mandy, steaming like a vegetable.
"Are you the one behind all this?!" asked Dyson.
Scar took a bow and beamed. "My, my. Aren't we all riled up? To answer your question, young man, I am. My name is Scar. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I believe all of you have already met my lovely android assistants."
"Hi again!" said all the Tabithas scattered around.
"So, they really are robots," muttered Dyson.
Scar gestured over to the unconscious old man on the chain. "And it would inconsiderate of me to forget ourother guest here. Ladies and gentleman, this man here is Jerry Lewis,former leader of WOOHP, the World Organization of Human Protection. I apologize on his behalf for him not introducing himself, but as you can see, he's quite incapacitated at the moment."
On cue, Jerry awoke from his slumber, partly because the chatter of the crowd had increased thanks to Scar's words. His vision came back slowly, and when it did, he was puzzled at the hundreds of people peering back at him.
"Scar..." he said under his breath, quickly deducing the situation.
"Ah! Good morning, Jerry! We were just talking about you!" said Scar cheerily.
"You didn't have to bring so many people into this, Scar! I thought it was me you wanted?!"
"Itwas you I wanted, and now I have you. So, what do you think I have in mind now?"
Jerry hadn't a clue. He did however have a feeling it was nothing good.
"Let us outta here!" said someone in the crowd.
"Yeah! You don't have any right to keep us here like this!" stated another.
"Let's just call the cops already!" added a third.
Scar replied, "You're more than welcome to try, yet I believe you'll find the local authorities quite busy in their efforts to round up all of WOOHP's newly freed prisoners. No one will be coming to your aid, but fear not. I have no plans to hurt any of you."
Mandy placed her hands on her hips. "Well, what are you gonna do to us then?!"
"I don't trust him one bit! We should go while the going's good!" declared someone nearby.
"Yeah! We're getting outta here whether you like it or not, pal!" proclaimed the man standing next to him.
"Come on, everyone! Let's go!" said the gym teacher.
Inspired by these remarks, the students and faculty of Malibu University grew loud, rowdy, and ready to strike back. The Tabithas were quick to react, holding back the masses before they could make a mad charge at the exits or Scar.
"H-Hey! Quit shoving!" said Mandy as people brushed passed her to join in. "T-Trent! What are you just standing around for?! Do something!"
"Yes, Mandy!" Trent replied. As he sprung into action, another hyped up group of students trampled all over him.
"That's gonna leave a mark," said a grimacing Dyson. "Still, just who is this Scar guy? What does he want with us? Something tells me we need to get outta here before we find out."
Mandy didn't really care where she went, so long as she was with Dyson. Clutching his arm like a vice-grip now, she gazed at him with hearts fluttering about in her eyes.
"Er...s-stay close, Mandy," said Dyson, although he doubted she would have any problem doing so. "I'm gonna try and bust us outta here while the others confuse those robots! There's gotta be someone on the outside who can help us!"
"Okay, Dyson! Lead the way!" his companion replied dreamily. He wasn't sure she was even listening.
The two were about to execute his plan, but they heard the sound of someone groaning, stopping them.
"A-A little help here?" uttered Trent. Footprints covered his body from head to toe as he lied a broken mess on the ground.
"Right. I sorta...forgot about him," admitted Dyson, feeling guilty.
Meanwhile, Scar remained strangely content in spite of the ongoing revolt below him.
"Well, Scar? What do you intend to do about this latest mishap of yours?" said Jerry.
Maybe chewing that very thought over, Scar didn't respond.
#
Sam, Alex, Clover, and Chris hopped off the bus and directed their attention straight ahead at Malibu University. Without delay, they charged into the campus and instantly noted how empty it was.
"Maybe everyone's in class?" said Chris. "Man, this is a huge campus though. Pretty sure I used to get lost trying to find my classes."
"You remember attending here then?" asked Sam.
"Er...a-a little bit. This place is definitely familiar."
"That's good! That means you're getting some of your memory back!" said Clover.
"Where's that Scar guy?" asked Alex. She checked high and low, even climbing up to a classroom window to peek inside, but couldn't find any trace of their target. "Jeez! Don't tell me we came all the way here for nothing!"
"I don't think so, Alex. Something strange is going on here for sure," said Sam.
"Totally! This place is a ghost town!" said Clover. Sighing, she sat down on a bench, pulled out a compact mirror, and began fixing her makeup. "Ugh! Chris was totally right about all the gropey guys on the bus! We're taking a cab next time!"
"Is thisreally the time for you to be doing that?" Chris asked, frowning.
"Of course! Regardless of the situation, a girl'salways gotta look her best!"
"...I'll keep that in mind."
"Makeup aside..." Sam began. "...We should split up and take a good look around. There's a lot of ground to cover after all. Since it's so quiet, I doubt all the students and staff are in class at the moment, but they may still be here at the school. Chances are, Scar has captured them."
"But why?" asked Alex. "Nothing's he does makes any sense! First he blows up WOOHP and lets all the criminals out, and now he's here at Mali-U!"
"Chris, any ideas?" asked Clover.
"Me again?" Chris replied tiredly. Grumbling, she put her finger on her head to focus her thoughts. "Is there anything of significance at this school?"
"Not really. I mean, therehave been a lot of baddies here over the past couple of weeks, but that's it," said Sam. "Other than that, this is a normal school."
If Sam's claim was true, Chris was even more stumped. She imagined that even if her memories were intact, she still wouldn't have a clue why Scar was doing all this.
"Sorry," she finally said. "Nothing's coming to mind. At this point, we'd be better off not wasting time sitting around and just go confront Scar personally. He can tell us what we want to know."
"Fair enough," Sam answered. "Let's..."
Her sentence trailed off when she noticed a fifth person listening in.
"Tell me that isn't who I think it is!" said Clover.
"It's not who you think it is," replied Alex, smiling feebly.
"I didn't mean for you to actually say it!"
Chris squinted at the tall girl bouncing around in the distance. "Tabitha...Connor?"
Sam nodded. "Seems you remember her. I'm hoping you also remember how dangerous she is. There's probably more of her around too."
"Guess that means Scar really is here," said Clover.
"Maybe Jerry too!" added Alex.
"Huh? What are you four doing there?" asked Tabitha. "Didn't we already gather everyone up?"
"What's the plan, ladies?" Chris said to her friends.
Without another word, Sam, Alex, and Clover let out a war cry and ran headfirst toward Tabitha, leaving Chris both behind and puzzled.
"H-Hey! Wait a sec! Don't just run off like that!" she said ahead of following after them. "Gah! I'm still not even sure what the hell is going on right now!"
The plan to take out Tabitha was simple: hit her hard and fast. Sam, Alex, and Clover knew beating her with brute strength was out of the question, so that left outmaneuvering her and wearing her down. Everything seemed to go well at first; Tabitha couldn't keep up with their swift movements.
"Hey, no fair!" she cried as she shielded her face from their attacks. "There's too many of you!"
Suddenly, Tabitha became faster, fast enough that she began easily parrying the blows thrown her way.
"Agh! We justhad to get her mad!" Alex complained.
"If only I could move that fast while shopping! I'd get everything before everyone during sales!" said Clover.
"Less talking and more punching!" ordered Sam.
The two complied with her orders, yet no matter how hard the three tried, they could no longer land a hit on their foe. As quickly as the fight started, Tabitha finished it, knocking the three in separate directions with a single swipe of her arm.
"That was actually kinda fun!" she exclaimed with a giggle. "Now then, I gotta get you guys to the gymnasium or Mister Scar is gonna be mad!"
A growing shadow however over Tabitha, and at the last second, she blocked a diving ax kick from Chris.
"Huh?! W-With one arm?!" said Chris in total shock. "I put all my weight behind that!"
"Oh, that was a good one! I thought you were going to hit me for sure!" mused Tabitha.
"Tsk! Don't mess with me!"
"Hey, no one likes a meanie!"
Tabitha sent Chris flying with a mere gesture of her hand before the latter could attack again.
Huh?! I… can't break my fall! Dammit, she threw me too hard! How can she be that strong?!
It was only after Chris' body flew through a bench did she stop. As she tried to stand, torrential pain shot through her entire body, and she began coughing violently.
I think I might've broken a bone or two. Are those crushed ribs? ...Yep, those are crushed ribs.
She understood now why Sam, Clover, and Alex had been cautious and attacked in unison.
"Okay, now it's your turn!" said Tabitha, standing over Chris.
"...What?"
"I tagged you, so now you're it! Don't cha know how to play tag? It's like...this!"
A wide-eyed Chris quickly dove aside when Tabitha slammed her hand into the ground, leaving a well-sized crevice in it.
"Now you got it!" said Tabitha. "You have to catch me now!"
"Bite me!"
"Hey, that's not very nice!"
Tabitha was sent skidding backward out of the blue. The culprit, nailing the android in the chest with the help of a flying kick, landed in front of Chris.
"That wasn't very nice either!" whined Tabitha.
Chris blinked a few times. "...O-Okay. Who the hell areyou?"
"Wow, you really are rude, aren't you? Sam and the others told me stories, but I never imagined you were so grumpy!" the girl next to her replied. Smiling, she held her hand out to help Chris up. "Oh, I'm Britney, by the way! You must be Chris!"
"...Tsk. It seems everyone knows my name but me ironically." Chris accepted the kind gesture and grunted some as she forced weight on her spaghetti-like legs. "Yeah, that's me alright. By the way, nice outfit."
The fair-skinned, long-haired Britney wore a blue catsuit that told Chris she didn't care about being conspicuous or not. A jolt to her memory reminded Chris that Sam and the others dressed in similar, and just as bright, clothing when they were out on missions.
"So that's how you know my name. Sam and the others talk too damn much."
"Yeah, they kinda do!" Britney replied. Her voice was sugary sweet, enough so that it actually made Chris grimace. "I wish we had more time to chat, but it looks like we've got other things to worry about!"
Chris moved her head forward and replied, "...Good point."
Tabitha after Tabitha were crawling out of the woodwork. Chris counted over a dozen of them en masse.
"Still think you can fight, Chris?" asked Britney.
"I'll manage. Like hell I'm losing to a bunch of can openers!"
It seemed Chris had no other choice but to place her faith, and her life, in the hands of the mysterious Britney. Hopefully, the ridiculousness of her spy attire had no bearing on her fighting skills.
END