The standard disclaimer: I do not own the Happy Tree Friends; they are the property of Mondo Media. I own only my own characters and this story. Now here's chapter 23:

23 – RESULTS

"What have you done?" the Mole demanded as soon as he saw Petunia.

"What?" said Petunia, a little dazed after the transfer. She picked herself up from the floor and examined her body to make sure it was all there.

"The most incredible readings have just started to come in" replied the Mole. "In addition to the first bug you placed on the communications system (which is fairly straight-forward), we've just started to get a second set of readings that are completely unexpected. So again I ask you, what have you done?"

Petunia told the Mole everything that had happened. For a long time he said nothing, but just looked at her.

"I never would have believed it" he said at last, "you are the first person I know of who has ever been so close to XL-Jack-3 without his knowing about it."

"That doesn't seem right somehow" said Petunia, "it's almost too easy."

"No" said the Mole, "remember we don't actually know very much about him. We've always accepted the stories of his invincibility, but what concrete evidence do we really have? Getting data on him is so prohibitively difficult that the very few real facts we have are all mixed up in rumors and legends that we've grown to accept as truth. I think the Marauders know it too." The Mole smiled. It was not a very nice smile. "However" he continued, "it would seem that even the best of us make mistakes."

"Sir, you don't have to justify yourself –

"I don't mean me" said the Mole.

"Oh!" said Petunia, with dawning comprehension. At that moment the Mole's personal communicator sounded. The Mole checked to see who was calling, and then activated his end. The projection system sprang to life and a hologram of a porcupine appeared.

"Go ahead Flaky" said the Mole.

"Sir!" exclaimed Flaky, "we're getting the most incredible data coming in. I've never seen anything like it."

"Useful I hope" murmured the Mole.

"We don't know yet" said Flaky, "it doesn't make too much sense so far, and some of it seems to be encrypted; we're not sure how."

"Then make sense of it" said the Mole, "do whatever you need to do to decipher it. I want teams working on this round the clock until the job's done. This data may be the most important bit of intelligence we've ever gotten. If you need extra people, pull them from other projects. I give you the authority."

"Yes sir" gulped Flaky, "what are we dealing with here?"

"That's for you to discover" said the Mole, "and this is receiving the highest classification. No one who is not working on this project is be told anything about it. Make that clear to everyone you use. Keep me posted on anything you discover. That is all." Flaky's holograph vanished.

"It looks like it won't be quite so easy to get the inside information on XL-Jack-3" said the Mole, "but that's not really surprising. I just hope we can figure it out in time."

"Sir, is there anything I can do?" Petunia asked. The Mole looked thoughtfully at her.

"You've done enough" he said quietly but in a voice that held great respect. "Agent PE, if this pans out then you can do nothing for the rest of the war and your place in the pantheon of great heroes will still be secure. I can't think of anything else that you could do which would match what you just did today."

"Thank you sir."

"I suggest you go home and get some rest. You've earned it."

"Home" Petunia murmured, "I haven't seen my house in this city in over a year."

"It's still there" said the Mole with a smile, "we've had it maintained for you ever since you left for Metramegopolis. Standard procedure for all field agents you know."

"Thank you."

"Not all. Good-night Petunia."

Petunia started.

"Sir"

"Yes?"

"You used my name – "

"Yes, you've earned it." There was no higher praise the Mole could give than to use an agent's name rather than their designation. It meant that he recognized their services and considered them equals in the field. There were very few covert agents that the Mole called by name (and only if they were alone), and all of them were the best of the best.

"Good-night Sir" said Petunia with gratitude in her voice as she left the office.

(To Be Continued)