Author's Note: I live!! Fear not, good citizens of Internet-land! I have vanquished the evils of stress and Writer's Block and returned to fanfiction in a blaze of glory! But will Jenny and the gang be as lucky with Grimalda?

Before you read on to find out, please go back to chapter eight. I added two extra pages onto it, showing what happens immediately after Grimalda's entrance. It may clear up what's happening here. Sorry for any inconvenience!

Chapter Nine: Wet Warfare 

Jenny crouched on the floor beside Brad and shook him back and forth. His fedora was missing and his spiky red hair was sticking up in odd directions, his shirt was smeared with ash, and his head bobbed floppily as the robot girl shook him. The festive atmosphere in the living room had been replaced with one of confusion and fear. The costumed teens that had previously been dancing around, laughing at monster movies and wolfing down junk food were now stumbling around and babbling to each other, trying to make sense of what had just happened. Some of the kids ran from the room hoping to escape but couldn't get near the front door. The shimmering screen Grimalda had erected blocked the doorknob and would not break no matter how hard it was pounded, kicked or shoulder-slammed.

Brad made an odd moaning noise and stirred slightly "Oooh, my achin' everything . . ." He slowly lifted his hand to his forehead and pushed himself into a sitting position. "Jeez, I'm feeling bruises in places I didn't even know I had . . ." He blinked a few times and squinted around the room, then did a double take and shot into a sitting position when he saw his friend. "Jenny! You've gotta do something! Enchantra's crazy twin sister's here looking for you!!"

"I know, Brad, I know!" Jenny replied. She was still wearing her Grim Reaper disguise but was speaking in her normal high-pitched soprano. "I heard what she was saying from the bathroom! Mom tipped me off about her earlier, too, so I had some time to prepare my secret weapon."

The boy's bruised face broke into an excited grin. "Ooh, what is it? You have something to melt her with? Wait, let me guess! You've got a super soaker limb! Oh! You transform into a giant water cannon! That's it, isn't it?"

Jenny's eyes shifted uncomfortably in the skeleton mask's eyeholes. "Um . . . not exactly." Brimming with curiosity, Brad leaned in closer as she slid a hand inside her robe, expecting her to produce a large and intimidating gun of some sort. Nothing could have prepared him for what was really there, though. His jaw went slack with shock when she held out her hand to reveal . . . a bright yellow rubber ducky.

"That's it?!" he exclaimed incredulously. "That's your secret weapon?? A bath toy???" He threw his hands up in despair. "Everybody, start writing your wills! We're officially doomed now!"

Jenny was about to make a snappy retort, but a terrifying voice beat her to it. "Silence!!" it bellowed. The entire room fell into absolute quiet as Grimalda stepped through the kitchen doorway, her thin yellow eyes blazing with anger. "How can I continue my search for XJ-9 with you mortals howling and chattering like a troop of monkeys??"

Jenny's eyes narrowed into angry slits of their own. So this was her enemy, the vengeful twin sister of Enchantra. She could see the family resemblance in her sharp facial features and gaunt body, but while Enchantra's hair and skin had been abnormally violet in tint Grimalda's complexion had the colorless pallor of death. Her eyes were sunken into dark circles on her cruel face. Her midnight black hair nearly swept the floor and the skull-shaped baubles she wore added another level of morbidity to her appearance. "Brad, stay back." Jenny ordered. "This is about to get ugly." Before he could question her she stood up and brandished the yellow rubber ducky in her hand dramatically over her head. "Grimalda, say hello to my little friend, Mr. Quackers!"

Just as Jenny had thought, Grimalda hadn't noticed who she really was. The colorless sorceress arched one eyebrow at her oddly, then broke out into cold, mocking laughter. "Ha ha ha!! How amusing! You challenge me with a child's toy! Such an admirable attempt at bravery, yet so pitiful!"

The robot girl smirked to herself behind her mask and approached her enemy, who showed no sign of being intimidated. "Obviously you don't know what kind of toy this is!" She aimed the rubber duck's beak and gave its body a quick squeeze. "Eat my watery justice, witch!!"

Grimalda finally realized she was in danger when a thin stream of water squirted toward her ashen face. Her hands flew up protectively and a shield of black energy blocked the liquid from making contact with her. Several more squirts followed until the black barrier surrounded her slight form and lifted her completely out of harm's way. The kids watched in awe as a large black shadow slithered across the ceiling and down the opposite wall, then formed into a pool on the floor. Amazingly it twisted and swirled upward with a life of its own and formed into the familiar shape of the ghostly raven haired woman. "Impossible!" she shrieked. "You know the sorceress's weakness to water! How could you know that which has been kept hidden for centuries?!"

"I thought you'd never ask." Jenny replied boldly. She yanked the skeleton mask from her face and pushed back her hood, her paint glimmering with reflected light as she tossed her black robe onto the floor. With a quick whir and snap her pigtails returned to their usual standing positions. She spaced her feet apart in a combat pose and held the yellow squirt toy out aggressively. "Here I am, witch! Come and get me if you can!"

The ghostly woman's features twisted into a frightening expression of pure hatred as she recognized her enemy. She raised her hands and formed a ball of crackling blue flame between them. "Foolish machine! I am Grimalda the Grim, the new most powerful sorceress in the world! No insolent android or puny bath toy shall defeat me!! I shall send both of you to the junkyard as heaps of smoldering ash!"

Brad's eyes grew wide in alarm. He turned around and waved his arms frantically at the other kids who were gawking at the scene before them. "Fireball! Everyone run for your lives!!" He dove for cover behind the stereo system while the rest of the kids ran away screaming or ducked behind whatever piece of furniture was nearby. As the fireball streaked toward her Jenny raised her empty hand and fired a laser from the center of her palm. The blast struck the flaming orb dead center, creating a bright burst that lit the room with daylight and rattled the windows. From his hiding place Brad peeked around the armrest and could see the battle raging on. Even at this time of life threatening danger he couldn't resist watching. Jenny had chosen to conserve Mr. Quackers' water supply and was jabbing at the witch with a tazer gun deployed from her left hand.

Brad twisted his eyebrows in confusion as he watched. Why wasn't she using her lasers or other cool weapons? He heard a whimpering sound behind him and noticed a tiny freshman girl in a pink fairy costume. She was curled up into a tight ball, her shoulders heaving with terrified sobs. The pathetic creature made him understand at last why Jenny wasn't going all out. She was trapped in a house full of innocent kids. There was no way she could use her weapons without the risk of hurting a bystander.

Meanwhile Jenny was dodging a lightning bolt as a list of her options raced through her mind in mere nanoseconds. Grimalda seemed to have the same powers as Enchantra, including fireballs and teleportation. If Jenny wasn't careful their fight could drag on as long as her fight with Enchantra had and possibly even destroy Sam's house. But she remembered that she had a tool ready for just such an occasion. If she timed it right she could end the fight right away and with no casualties to the kids or the house.

The elbow joint of her extended arm popped and the casing slid open allowing wires and tubes to slide out from inside. Within seconds her limb had transformed itself into a large ray gun with a paralyzing beam. By the time Grimalda saw the gun's barrel aimed at her it was too late. Jenny fired a beam of white energy that struck her directly in the abdomen. Every last nerve in the woman's body went numb and her muscles turned to gelatin. She flopped onto the carpet in a helpless heap of purple fabric and black hair, unable to even move her tongue or eyelids. Without the help of her voice she could not recite the necessary recovery spell and had to wait for the sharp tingling in her body to fade. With a determined scowl Jenny raised the rubber ducky and aimed its beak at the woman's face. "This ends now, witch."

Suddenly something cold and wet splashed over the robot's metal head and seeped into her joints. Her arms, legs and pigtails shuddered and jerked wildly as violent bursts of electricity blazed through her wires and circuitry. Warning signals and safety alarms went off in her head as her pupils shrank into tiny blue dots. Then suddenly her body ceased all movement and tipped over onto the carpet, landing with a creaking THUD.

Brad gasped in horror from behind the stereo. The Crusts were standing over the fallen robot holding a large and empty punch bowl between them. They grinned and laughed wickedly at their opponent who lay twitching and shuddering on the floor. "Not so fast, Jenny!" Brit sneered. "We don't want you killing off our best chance at finally destroying you!"

"Why those rotten little . . ." Brad growled, clenching his fists tightly. He slammed one down on the carpet angrily, striking something hard and plastic. To his surprise it was his squirt gun, the one he had dropped in his battle with Don Prima. His bristly face broke out into an elated grin as he scooped it up and dashed from his hiding place. Brit and Tiff's victorious laughter was cut short by spurts of water striking their heads and backs. The snobbish girls shrieked as their make-up dripped from their faces. Jenny managed to turn her head enough to see what was going on. Brad was standing over her with his squirt gun in hand and shooting at the two girls relentlessly until they crumbled into pathetic piles of soggy misery. Then he turned his weapon away from the dripping devil girls and aimed at the witch. "Don't even think of casting any spells, lady, or it's a watery grave for you!"

Grimalda's yellow eyes observed the scene intensely. Feeling returned to her limbs and face, giving her enough strength to force herself to her hands and knees. Her nerves and muscles were responding to her brain's commands again, but she was not recovering as quickly as Jenny. The robot had failsafe mechanisms installed to deal with the frequent shocks she received, and was rising to her feet once more with Mr. Quackers in hand.

They had the sorceress cornered and she knew it. But to their surprise she smiled. "It would appear I have made the same mistake my sister did. I underestimated you and failed to consider your allies."

Jenny and Brad stared back at the witch in confusion but did not lower their weapons. "What are you saying?" Jenny questioned warily. "Are you surrendering? Enchantra never would have done that!"

Grimalda chuckled coldly. "That was the biggest mistake she made. I am not nearly so arrogant as that."

Brad was not convinced. "She's lying, Jenny! Come on, let's get rid of her once and for all!"

"No." Jenny replied flatly. Brad stared at her in shock as she lowered the rubber ducky to her side, her mouth set in a determined line. "It's too dangerous. We can't afford to risk any more lives." He held her gaze a moment longer before he thought of the frightened young girl who had been hiding with him behind the stereo system. Clenching his teeth tightly he lowered the plastic gun and tucked it into the holster at his belt.

Grimalda looked far too triumphant for someone who had been defeated, but she kept her word. Swirling black mist twisted around the woman's violet cloak and ebony hair, enveloping her gaunt form. "I take my leave of you now, XJ-9. You and your allies have proven to be worthy adversaries. I hope that one day we shall meet again." Her voice faded away along with the black haze, leaving only thin wisps of shadows and an echo in her wake. "You win, little robot . . . for now."

To be continued . . .