To her friends she was known only as MOM. It was her code name at the Centre, where she did volunteer work, and it fooled her friends in assuming that it was some sort of daycare. It was a strange code name, as she didn't like kids that much.
They weren't really her friends, more her classmates, as she didn't really have many friends, since she didn't socialize often. She would skip parties and divert all her attention to her Centre work. Her work there was more important to her than anything else, although there was one boy whom she fantasized of everyday: Jake Pulse, the dream boy of Torrington.
The other girls told her she didn't even have a chance, and she knew it was true. He could have any girl from Torrington he wanted, even the prettiest student the school had to offer, so of course he wouldn't even glance at her. He didn't even know her real name, even though they were lab partners in chemistry. She could have been very pretty herself, but she didn't care much at all about make-up or fashion.
But she didn't have to worry about that anymore for that day, as the anticipated bell denoting school's end finally sounded. After making sure no one was following her, she went to the secret spot in one of the girl's washrooms where a portal to the Centre would open exactly at 3:05 PM.
She stepped in, and even though she had been volunteering for several weeks, she was still fascinated by the scenery: upside-down escalators, aliens working with computers, all of the things that she once thought were mere childish dreams were here, at the Centre.
She went through the standardized security system, and had her name and title verified, like a real employee. Proudly, she rode the elevator to the main office to receive her official assignment. The head of the corporation was a young woman, GRAN, still in her twenties. MOM looked up to her, and dreamed of being like her one day. She would accept any task from her, even an extremely dangerous and exciting mission, yes, even cleaning the bathrooms.
Everyday, she hoped she might be given a U-Watch, and go on her first mission, but instead she held in one hand a bucket of water and a mop in her other. She couldn't blame her, remembering her first day at the Centre, the first time she was allowed to hold a U-Watch. She ended up going wild with a turbo bungee and destroying an extremely fragile and important experiment that GRAN had been labouring over for many hours. Luckily, GRAN was kind and forgave her, but ever since, she had been on cleaning duties, patiently waiting for her second chance.
While she was mopping the tiled floor, she suddenly heard the alert siren sound: "Warning! Warning! Gastromo has escaped! I repeat, Gastromo has escaped!"
The Centre was in chaos, and everyone, except MOM who was transported to a safe area, was ordered to search for the dangerous specimen Gastromo. Despite their efforts, they didn't locate him, and while no one was watching, GRAN gave her secret information.
"Gastromo is a giant slug creature," she whispered. "It seems he's escaped from the Centre. What we know about him is that he seems to consume large quantities of iron, and causes animals, especially dogs, to cower. When you have time, just take a look here and there. You can't tell anyone. It's a secret between the two of us. And remember, he's too dangerous for you to face alone. If you spot him, call me right away. You must avoid physical contact."
MOM was too excited, like a little girl, that she might have left without really hearing that last part.
The next day at school, the other students watched her suspiciously as she diligently searched through garbage cans, vents, the girls' washroom, the guys' washroom; however, she didn't find any trace of Gastromo.
She was still searching, scanning her surroundings carefully, and didn't notice someone creep in from behind. She screamed and nearly fell, but was saved by Jake's graceful reflexes and muscular arms. Something about him seemed different today. He was stronger, nicer, more charming, like the perfect gentleman.
"Are you all right?" he asked, concerned.
"Yes, I'm fine," she replied weakly.
"What are you doing here?"
"I was searching... I mean, I was just on my way to my locker to get my books for next class."
"Too bad. I was hoping you could ditch class with me."
"I've never missed class before."
"I wanted to go the museum to check out those new meteorites they just got. I heard you were into that kind of stuff."
"I didn't know you liked those things too."
"Then should we go?"
"Really? Like a date? No! I didn't mean anything..."
"Yes, it would be like a date."
She felt herself forget everything, and completely change. On their way to the museum, they passed a man walking his dog, a fierce one. Jake emitted a strange noise, almost like a growl, that seemed to silence the dog. He told her he didn't like dogs, and she didn't question him on the matter. She noticed him twitch a few times too, but he told her he just had a slight headache. At the museum, they skipped all of the other attractions and went straight to the meteorites.
"These meteorites are high in iron, aren't they?" he asked.
"You're right. You know your stuff really well," she praised him, adoring his intellect. Suddenly, she realized something horrifying. "Oh my gosh! What time is it? I have to go to the Centre?"
"Centre? What's that?"
"Oh! It's a daycare! I volunteer there after school! I have to go! Bye! It was really fun today!"
After she left, he gobbled up the meteorites. Grinning, he followed her to her secret entrance to the Centre.
Panting, she bowed in the main office. GRAN was disappointed in her, as this was the first time she had been late; however, she put needless scolding aside for more important matters.
"Did you find Gastromo?" she asked.
"I'm sorry," MOM apologized. "I couldn't find him."
Once again, she was cleaning bathrooms, but once again, the siren sounded, warning that Gastromo was present in the building. There was also another announcement, requesting for her to report to the main office. She told herself she was going to be given her first mission, to hunt down Gastromo.
When she got there, she was surprised to see both GRAN and Jake. There was also something strange about them. Green things were on their bodies, yet they didn't seem to care, and Jake's skin was almost green, like a slug.
"I'm very disappointed in you," GRAN said in a strange voice. "It looks like you aren't Centre material."
Painfully, MOM realized, "You are... Gastromo!"
"Oh, did I hurt your feelings," he laughed. "Don't tell me you really thought I wanted to go on a date with a girl like you."
"You used me to take over the Centre!"
"That's right. Thanks to your help, I got the iron I needed. Now I've gained control of the Centre's most dangerous opponent. Once everyone here is under my control, I'll be able to do whatever I want."
"I won't let you."
"And what's a little girl like you going to do about it?"
He tried to grab her, but she was quicker than he had expected. She rolled underneath his arm, then ran straight at GRAN. She grabbed her U-Watch, then quickly used the turbo bungee to avoid Gastromo's next attack. Clicking on the watch, she opened a door containing a blue portal, and disappeared inside. He tried to follow, but it closed.
"Where is she?" he demanded. GRAN angrily went to the main computer and opened a similar door. They both followed. MOM was cornered.
"You can't run away anymore," he told her.
"I wasn't running," she replied strongly. "This is the cafeteria, and here's what's on the menu!" She threw packets of salt at both of them, causing the green entities to leave their bodies, and forcing Gastromo out. Quickly, she activated the U-Watch's net function and trapped the slug. It wasn't exactly how she imagined her first mission.
After Gastromo was moved to a holding cell, MOM was called to report to the main office once again. This time, there was no excitement, or hope of a mission. She sadly anticipated being fired, and having her memories altered so that she would never remember that the Centre even existed.
"I'm sorry," she said immediately, "it was my fault. You trusted me, and I let you down. I should have realized it was Gastromo right away. The signs were there. Most of all, I shouldn't have believed that Jake actually liked me. I'm truly sorry."
"It's all right," GRAN said kindly. "I realize you were in a tough situation. I was once a student myself."
"How is he?"
"His memories were altered so that he wouldn't remember anything about the Centre. Unfortunately, he seems to have forgotten about agreeing to go on a date with you. I'm sorry."
"No, it's my fault."
"Don't beat yourself up. I thought you did well. Using salt to cancel out the iron's cloning process was a stroke of genius. Even I hadn't thought of that."
"Then... I?"
"That's right. I want you to become a fulltime employee here at the Centre."
"Thank you. I promise I won't let you down again. Now I understand why you never let me go on a mission, even though I had the talent. I thought the work here at the Centre was all for fun. From now on, I plan to take it seriously."
"I'm glad you understand, but please try to take your other life less seriously."
"I will."
It wasn't long before she became the new head of the Centre, and against everyone else's strong protests, hired the super energetic and completely reckless Martin Mystery along with his sister (to keep him in check) as the newest agents.