The funny thing about working for WOOHP, which the spies tended to forget much of the time, is that working late on a school night tends to show the next day. Such was the case with Sam and Clover, who dragged their feet through the halls and saw the world through a sleep-deprived daze. Thanks to rush jobs with makeup and hair, they could easily have been extras in a zombie movie. And after almost getting their butts kicked last night, they felt as bad as they looked.
Alex, on the other hand, seemed unaffected by last night's events. She merrily trotted down the halls alongside her friends with books in hand. She paused and looked back while she let Sam and Clover catch up.
"Come on you guys! It's almost noon. Surely you can't still be tired?"
Sam caught up and started fixing her hair. In her rush to get ready, she only had time to tie it back in a messy ponytail. "Alex, by the time I got to bed, the sun was coming up. Do you really expect me to function normally after staying up so long I saw the sun rise?"
Clover yawned and said "Yeah. Could you lend us some of whatever you're running on?" Clover's hair was similarly messy, only hers was hidden beneath a headscarf.
"I dunno, I think I might still need it for a little while."
"Why? I thought we were friends."
"Well…" Alex pointed her thumb to her left. Sam and Clover looked that way to see Mandy striding very purposefully toward them.
"Oh, this is just all I needed," said Sam.
"Remember guys," said Clover, "I can't be held responsible for whatever I do to her."
Mandy stopped in front of them and glared at Alex.
"Um, is there something you want to tell me?"
"Yeah, I had the strangest dream last night."
"Oh, that's nice. Look, we've really got to get going, so if you want to catch us after school…" she started to turn away, but Mandy caught her arm.
"Not so fast, Alex. You'll listen to every word I have to say, got it?"
"Y-yes ma'am!"
"Good! Now where was I?"
"You … were about to thank me for being so nice to you and were gonna treat us to ice cream?"
"Yeah, that's it" Mandy opened her mouth to go on, and then she realized Alex almost pulled a fast one on her. "No, that's not right! Oh yeah, I had the strangest dream last night. I dreamed I was falling off a really tall building, and then you flew up and saved me!"
Clover shifted her weight and tried to hide her surprise. She remembered? "You don't say?"
"If it had been David or Kyle I wouldn't have been surprised, but seeing you rescue me in that dream is just too freaky! I'm going to see my psychiatrist right after school because of that." She spun about, took a few steps, and then turned back. "By the way, if this is some sort of prophetic dream, then I don't want any part in the future!" She turned back and stormed away.
Sam started coming out of her sleep-deprived haze now that she had something to focus on. "She was conscious during that whole episode?"
"I guess so," said Alex. "Or maybe the drugs were wearing off."
"Either way, she didn't mention anything before that, so she'll probably just write it off as a dream."
"Let's hope so," said Clover. "I don't want her involved with WOOHP at all after last time."
"Amen to that!" said Sam and Alex, recalling Mandy's brief employment with WOOHP.
They exited the building and found a spot beneath a tree to plop down on. Alex reclined on the thick grass and Sam leaned against the tree.
"So, when are we working on your portfolio, Clover?" asked Alex.
Clover was just about to pop a piece of candy in her mouth when Alex's question registered. "Oh no! David! I totally forgot to call him!" She opened her compact and took a look at herself. "Aaah! I can't get any modeling work done looking like this! I'm a total train wreck!" She picked up her cell phone and rapidly dialed David's number. "Hi David! It's me Clover!…Yeah…Are you sure?…No, that's fine…Okay, maybe later? No? When?…I see. Talk to you later, David." She ended the call and hung her head. "Sam?"
"Yeah?"
"You're my friend, right?"
"Of course!"
"Then
do me a favor and shoot me right now."
"Well I don't have a gu-" Sam shook her head "Clover, snap out of it! What happened?"
Clover took her time replying. "David says that since Mandy didn't call, and I didn't call, he's got some other project to take care of. Something about volunteer work at a hospital."
"Aww, cheer up!" said Alex. "There's always the next big scheme to get on a date with David!"
"Yeah, I've never known you to give up on boys for too long," said Sam. "Why don't we try cracking this case to get your mind off of him?"
Clover sighed. "Alright, but I know it's pointless trying. I'll never have another chance with him! We're just not destined to be!"
Alex placed a hand on Clover's shoulder. "Whoa, calm down Clover. It's just one guy."
Sam opened her Compowder. "Yeah, lighten up. It's not like he's off-limits now or something."
"Thanks, you guys. But I know in my heart it's just not possible! Our fates are not written together!"
Sam sweatdropped. What a drama queen. "Anyway, let's see if we can get somewhere on this case." She dialed Jerry's office. The tone rang several times, but Jerry didn't answer. "That's odd, Jerry's never this late on the horn." She let it ring a few more times, and then it picked up. "Finally! Jerry' what…GLADIS, what are you doing there?" Instead of Jerry's familiar visage, they were greeted with GLADIS' uninviting stare.
"I'm sorry," she began, "but Jerry is currently away at an important meeting. Would you like to leave a message?"
"No, we'll just…wait, you might be able to help us."
"Service is my primary function. How may I be of use?"
"You have access to WOOHP's database, don't you?"
"Of course. All of WOOHP's history, research, and communications files are open to me."
"Good. One of the clones we're chasing mentioned something about a legacy. Any relevant info in the database?"
"Searching." It took a full minute for GLADIS to complete her search. "One relevant file found."
"Good, can you display it for us?"
"Negative. File is under level 10 encryption. Unable to access contents."
Sam was shocked. "What? I thought you said you had access to all of WOOHP's database?"
"I do. But some files are kept under high-level access that I cannot open without direct permission from Jerry himself."
Sam sighed. "Well what can you tell us?"
"Nothing."
"What? Why not?" asked Alex.
"Level 10 files may not be discussed outside WOOHP HQ."
"So if we were in the building…"
As if to complete her thought, tree branches reached down and snatched the girls up. In a flash of green, they found themselves transported into Jerry's office, sans Jerry. GLADIS orbited over his desk, lights blinking and antennae spinning. She looked excited for a faceless machine.
"Now, you wish to discuss the file?"
After the girls untangled themselves, Sam answered, "Yes, please."
"Very well." Gladis projected a table full of information, too much to take in at once. "The file in question is codenamed "Legacy." Though I lack access to the contents, there are some clues you might be interested in."
"Show us."
The display changed. This time it showed a layout of the entire WOOHP facility. "The file is located within WOOHP's research department. Specifically, genetics."
"WOOHP does genetic research?"
"Of course. You are well aware that we keep many specimens here, and we often must back you up with biological data on your missions."
"So it helps to study what the bad guys are doing to be prepared for them next time."
"Correct. Now, the file in question actually has a counterpart."
"I thought you said there was only one?" said Clover.
"Only one file that matched the keyword. However, the file was also referenced with another, also under high security. It relates to this section of the facility." The map of the compound shifted and spun until a glowing orange area appeared. Whatever it was, it was deep below ground.
"Unfortunately, this area is highly restricted. Only authorized personnel may enter."
"What's in there?"
"I don't know. It's level 10 security. If you want to find out, you'll have to sneak in yourselves."
"Why sneak in when we can just ask Jerry?" said Alex. "Surely he'll let us know if it's important to the case?"
GLADIS was silent for a moment. "As you humans would say, I'm not so sure about that."
"Huh? Why?"
They waited for GLADIS to answer, but she didn't say any more. Alex turned to Sam. "Sammie, why won't she answer?"
Sam pursed her lips. "Like any organization, WOOHP probably has secrets to keep. It's possible GLADIS has told us all she can."
"Then what do we do?"
Sam studied the map. "We need to get into that area, but we've got to have clearance first."
"Shouldn't our WOOHP badges be enough?" asked Clover.
"I don't think so. That whole area is dedicated to research. I don't think our field badges will get us in there. Not as spies."
"Then we need to get in as researchers."
"Exactly. But where do we get the I.D.s? Our Compowders can disguise us, but they can't replicate an ID card or whatever they use down there."
"Hey GLADIS," said Clover. "What can you tell us about the security system?"
After a moment, GLADIS answered. "The security system is mostly card-based. You typically need only swipe a security panel with the proper-level card, and the door will open. Some systems also incorporate keypad combinations. Most general-purpose doors use the card's PAN (Personal Area Network) to open automatically when you near them."
Alex heaved a sigh. "So we're still short three cards. Where do we get them?"
A mischievous grin crossed Sam's face. "How else? We'll have to steal 'em."
-
Jeanine yawned as she left her workstation. Twelve hours of continuous work, mostly with her eye pressed against a microscope, had taken its toll on her. She took some comfort in having the next two days off, but she still looked forward to her bed most of all.
She approached the door to her workstation. The door picked up the signal her I.D. card was emitting and automatically opened for her. She crossed the office, waving goodbye to the other workers just beginning their shifts and pulled her I.D. card from its tether. She swiped it at the first security station. A second later, the computer confirmed her identity and opened the door. She stepped out into the hallway and headed for the elevator. She needed to use the bathroom badly, but the security on this floor was so tight the employees had to go to the less-secure floor above for bathroom breaks. It was aggravating, but necessary considering what they kept on these floors.
Jeanine used her card again at the elevator and rode it up to the next floor. She hung a left from the elevator and entered the ladies' room. She hung her coat on a hook and paused. Protocol dictated she takes her I.D. card with her, but she wasn't worried about theft. Not so much as a paper clip had been stolen in months. She shrugged her momentary worry off and entered a stall.
Unbeknownst to her, the vent cover over the door began to move. It shook a few times, and then was drawn into the vent. A few seconds later, a dark-haired teenager in a yellow jumpsuit crawled out of the vent. She silently let herself out, suspended by a wire. She gave a signal with her hand and slowly descended headfirst. Without warning, she fell a few feet, stopping with her head a few inches from the floor. She released her breath and looked angrily up at the vent before returning to the task at hand. She stalked over to Jeanine's lab coat and took the I.D. card in hand. She removed a device from her belt and slid the card through it. When an indicator on the device glowed green, she gave a signal to the vent opening and the wire tightened up and started pulling her up. Just as her feet left the floor, she heard a toilet flush. Her eyes widened with panic and she hastily signaled her friends in the vent to pull faster.
Jeanine exited the stall and paused. Something wasn't quite right. She couldn't put her finger on it, but something wasn't quite right. She looked around the room, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. A soap dispenser was empty, but that was about it. She shrugged and stepped up to a sink to wash her hands. While she scrubbed, she studied her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes were bloodshot and framed with lines. The eyepieces from the microscope had left rings around both eyes, and her hair was a mess. As she dried her hands, she debated with herself whether to take a hot bath first or just go to sleep. She put her lab coat back on and stopped. Was that vent always like that? She looked closely at the vent. She thought it was crooked a second ago, but now it looked normal. She stared intently at the vent for a moment, and shrugged.
"I need a vacation," she said to herself and left the bathroom.
As soon as the door closed, three sighs of relief emanated from the vent.
"Well, that's over." Said one voice. "Let's get going."
"Uhh, Sammie? I think I'm stuck."
"What?"
"I
can't turn around!"
"Don't turn around, just back up!"
"Hey! I'm still back here, you know!"
"Sorry! Clover, start backing out."
"I…I can't! This pack is caught on something."
"Look, just…I can't get it unstuck!"
"Just use your laser."
"Not in this vent I'm not! Someone will notice."
"Well we can't just sit here all day! I'm already getting sore from lying here."
"And I'm all dirty from crawling around in this dusty old ventilation!"
"Will you two just calm down? We'll get out of here, just let me think."
-
Some time later, the spies were disguised as lab technicians and walking up to the first security checkpoint. Thanks to Alex's card duplicator, they now had fake I.D.s using other WOOHP employee security data. They had made sure to collect three different I.D.s to allay suspicion as they went through the security gates.
As they approached the first gate, Sam whispered to her friends, "Just stay calm and act natural. A friendly smile goes a long way."
They each walked up to the gate and showed the guard their cards in turn. With each one, the guard smiled and let them through, and they returned the smiles.
"Well, we're in," said Alex as they walked away from the gate. "Now what?"
"We get to the bottom of this," said Sam. At the end of the hallway was a row of elevators. Each elevator had a card reader mounted on the wall beside it. Sam swiped her card in one slot and the door opened. Inside the elevator was another card slot beside the floor buttons, all of which were dark. Clover swiped her card and waited.
"Level A access confirmed." Said a monotone female voice. "Please select floor." The entire panel lit up.
"Let's see, the area GLADIS mentioned was on…this floor." She pressed the button for the 30th floor basement. The elevator doors closed and with a slight shudder the elevator descended deep into WOOHP's basement.
Alex leaned against the polished wall of the elevator. "So what are we looking for?"
Sam watched the floor indicator. "To be honest, I'm not sure. We need to find a map or something down there."
"Great, I didn't do so well in geography class."
After what felt like an eternity, the elevator stopped.
"Basement Level 30," said the voice as the doors opened. "Critical Storage."
"Wonder what that means?" said Clover as she stepped out of the elevator.
The spies were met with a single room once they stepped out of the elevator. The walls were featureless concrete, except for the opposite wall, which was brushed steel. The only feature in the room was a small console atop a pedestal in the middle of the room.
Sam stepped up to the console to examine it. She noticed a card slot on one side. Otherwise, the console was featureless.
"Well, let's find out what this does." She swiped her card and the console came to life. The display showed three triangular icons labeled, "Transport," "Map," and "Communications." Sam touched the map icon and a holographic display of the entire floor materialized in the air.
"Wow, this place is huge!" The map glowed at one spot, indicating their location. The rest of the floor was composed of large rooms connected via various accesses. Sam started examining the console again.
"What are you looking for?" asked Clover.
"Controls. Switches, knobs, something to manipulate the map. I can't find any."
Alex approached the hologram and stared at it. She pointed out a room that was far bigger than any of the others. "What's this room?" She stumbled as she reached, causing her hand to pass through the hologram. As it did so, the room was highlighted, and the map swiveled as her hand passed through it. An indicator with a name attached to it appeared, labeling the room "Scylla."
"So that's how it's done," said Sam. You manipulate the map itself. She reached up and touched another room. It started glowing and another indicator appeared. That room was labeled "Climate Control." Sam then touched the room again, this time slowly moving her hand to the right. The map dragged to the right along with her hand, and only stopped when she quickly withdrew it.
"Cool!" said Alex.
"Okay, start searching the map. See if you guys can find anything useful."
The girls circled the map and started highlighting the various rooms and corridors. Every so often they turned the map to reach rooms they couldn't.
"There!" exclaimed Clover. "I think I found something."
Sam and Alex walked around to where she was standing. A medium-sized room was highlighted. The text pointing to it read "Legacy."
"I think we've got our destination," said Sam. "Now how to get there?"
She returned to the
console and exited the map. The hologram dissolved and vanished. Sam
selected the transport icon and a small hologram with a list of
options appeared.
"Let's see…ah, here we go." She
selected the Legacy option and the hologram disappeared.
Alex was puzzled. "Did you do something wrong, Sammie?"
"I don't know. I'm not even sure how this works."
The steel wall on one side of the room began to move. It lifted straight up to reveal a tramcar waiting for the spies on the other side.
"Ask a silly question…"
Unfortunately, the tram wasn't empty. A lone engineer sat in one of the seats, looking at the girls expectantly. They composed themselves and stepped aboard the tram and took their seats. The door closed and the tram started down the rail with a jolt. Soon the girls were traveling down a narrow tunnel.
"You three new here?" the engineer asked.
Clover turned around in her seat to face him. "Yeah, how could you tell?"
"You look like you're looking for something. Only new people have that look on their faces. Where are you heading?"
"The Legacy room" Sam responded.
"Ah, you must be Dr. Parker's people."
Sam had no idea who he was talking about. "Yeah, we just started."
"I figured as much. You'll get used to this place. It's creepy, but you'll get used to it."
The tram left the tunnel and entered a long corridor with a high ceiling. Platforms leading to heavy steel doors reached out to them at regular intervals. Eventually, they passed a huge glass window looking into an underground arboretum.
"What's in there?" asked Sam.
"You don't wanna know," said the engineer. Sam decided to take his word for it and let it pass. The tram passed through another tight tunnel and into a similar corridor. This time, however, only one platform extended from the left, and part of the wall was missing. The missing segments were cross-hatched by lasers. As they came closer to the open section of the wall, they could see water inside the chamber, and construction equipment on the walls. The tram stopped at an intersection right in front of the missing wall, and they saw it opened into a huge underground lake.
"What's in there?" asked Alex.
The engineer sat up as another tram passed in front of them. "Oh, that's Scylla."
"Scylla?"
As if on cue, something enormous broke the surface of the lake. At first it looked like a submarine, but as the water ran off the object, the spies saw this was not so. The massive object was a robot. Its armor was smooth and its body streamlined for underwater travel. It raised itself up on a pair of many-segmented arms and looked around.
"Don't make any sudden moves," said the engineer. "They're renovating its pen, and it gets excited easily."
"Small question," said Sam. "What exactly is it?"
"That is Scylla. Pam, Alice, and Crimson captured it back when they were with WOOHP. We never figured out how to dismantle it, so we built that pen for it. Heck, it's still got a missile launcher attached to one of its arms."
Scylla's eye swung around and pointed at the tram. It seemed to regard the tram with mild interest, and then submerged.
"Why can't you destroy it?" asked Sam.
"It's got a nuclear power source. Even if we did take it apart, we'd just be releasing radiation everywhere."
"You got that name from Homer, didn't you?"
"No, the guy who built it was into classical studies. But don't worry about him, he's not going anywhere for a long time."
"What was his name?"
"Uhh, let me think." The engineer looked up at the ceiling as the tram began to move again. "Oh, it was a guy named Sebastian Scam. Arrogant jerk if I remember correctly."
-
The tram passed through two more similar corridors before finally coming to a stop at a platform.
"Room D-5, Legacy," said the monotone voice. Sam, Alex, and Clover waved goodbye to the engineer and disembarked. The door slid shut behind them and the tram vanished down a tunnel. The girls walked down the platform and towards the heavy steel door. A plate above the door read "Legacy," and a card slot was mounted on the wall next to the door. Upon closer inspection, the door was actually curved outward, apparently part of an airlock of sorts. Sam held her card out and prepared to swipe it.
"Let's get to the bottom of all this." She swiped her card through the device and waited. The indicator flashed several times before turning green. There was a loud "thunk," and the door began to slide away. It opened into a circular room, and as it did so, the door on the other side slid shut.
As they stepped inside, Alex muttered, "Heavy doors."
"No kidding," said Sam as she examined the locks. "These doors are probably composed of two different moving systems, one inside and one outside."
"Why is that?" asked Clover. "This place has more security than Los Alamos."
"It's an airlock. I guess there's something they don't' want getting out."
"Or getting in?"
"Possibly."
All at once, the walls began to move. The outer door closed shut as the inner and outer walls met to shut it off. Opposite that door, the walls opened up. The room beyond was dark, and cold air poured into the airlock.
The girls hugged themselves as they shivered in the cold air. "Wow, it's freezing in there!" said Alex.
"Do we have to go in?" said Clover.
"Do you want to get to the bottom of this case?" asked Sam through chattering teeth.
"Why does everything have to be difficult?"
They stepped into the dark room and paused. As soon as they did so, the room lit up. They found themselves in a huge semicircular room. A platform extended from the elevator, ending in a wider platform with a console on it. The platform was suspended over an impenetrable fog that covered the entire floor. The girls hugged their lab coats closer and walked down the platform. The console at the end was featureless aside from the card slot, just like the one from before.
"Let's see what's behind door number one!" Sam slid her card, and a keypad appeared on the console.
"I.D. confirmed," said a mechanical voice. "Please enter 10-digit access code."
"Uh-oh," the girls said simultaneously.
"Now what do we do?" asked Clover.
Alex sneezed. "We have to get the combination."
"But how? We can't read people's minds. Can we just guess it?"
Sam pursed her lips. "Ten digits and ten numbers. That's a lot of potential combinations, and we don't have time to guess it."
The spies started when the airlock clacked shut without warning.
"Uh-oh, I think we're busted," said Alex.
The airlock opened again, and a bespectacled man with long hair stepped out.
"I was wondering when you three would end up down here."
"Who are you?"
"I'm Doctor John Parker."
"Did you know we were here?" asked Clover.
"Yeah." He started walking toward the girls. "That guy in the tram is my assistant. He's been riding that thing all day waiting for you guys."
"You…you set us up?"
"If you're going to be all negative about it, then yeah. All I did was leave you some clues to get you down here."
"Why?"
"Jerry can tell you better than I can. This was his idea, actually."
"What do you do here?" asked Sam.
"My official title is the Head Biogenetics Research Coordinator for WOOHP. But usually, my main job is taking care of the girls."
Alex blinked in confusion. "Who, us?"
John snorted. "I wish. No, I take care of them." He swiped his card in the console and punched in his combination. A few seconds later, the room was filled with the sound of pneumatic machinery as hundreds of objects rose from the fog. Row upon row of cylindrical objects appeared, lined all the way to the back of the room. A hologram appeared above the console, which John began manipulating.
"Wh-what are those?" asked Clover as the girls looked in awe around the room.
"I'll show you." John cycled through a couple of menus on the hologram and made a selection. A robotic arm lowered from the ceiling and gently picked up one of the objects. It carried the cylinder to the platform and settled it in a receptor the spies hadn't noticed before. Sam noticed a small window on the cylinder, which was covered in condensation.
"If you want to take a look, be my guest."
Sam warily stepped up to the cylinder, wiped the condensation off the window, and gasped. Inside the cylinder she saw a clone of her. She was naked and appeared to be asleep, suspended in a clear fluid.
Sam backed away from the capsule. She looked around the room, and it hit her: this room was filled with hundreds of similar capsules.
"Th…that's me in there!"
"Yep," said John. "That would be one of your clones."
"And the rest of those capsules?"
"Each one contains a clone of one of you three. Each and every one created by Macker the former Safe Cracker."
"I don't get it," said Alex. "Why keep them in here like this?"
"I'll explain everything. But let's do that somewhere else. It's freezing in here." John touched a few icons on the hologram and the arm returned the capsule to its resting place. The rest of the capsules descended back into the fog as he started towards the airlock. The girls followed him to the airlock. Alex leaned against the wall on one hand and her eyes lit up with comprehension. "Now I get it."
"Get what?" asked Clover.
"The name of this room. This is Macker's legacy. All those clones, they didn't have anywhere to go, did they?"
Her words sank into Clover and Sam, and they began burning with rage.
"Exactly," sighed Dr. Parker. "Every so often, the bad guys leave such a big mess behind we can never clean it up. Macker was one of those, and it looks like the damage he's done may be worse than we ever imagined."