Chapter 7: For the Longest Time
The spies fly quietly to WOOHP. Jerry has tried to contact them via x-powder, but in order to keep the secrecy up, they do not answer.
Jerry tries to employ transponders in the WOOHP equipment the girls have, to track them down, but he cannot raise a signal, as they are jamming the tracking frequency as well. After an hour of fruitless trying, Jerry feels that he has lost his three young charges.
Sadly, Jerry makes a note to himself to contact the stone engraver tomorrow. By policy, he has to wait twenty-four hours, before he can start the procedure to add any names to the internal Wall Of Outstanding Human Protectors, or WOOHP Wall. There is only one person on that wall now: Stan, who lost his life in one of Tim Scam's recent schemes to take over the world (The Committee fanfic). Now he'll have to add three more!
The most difficult part follows that, however. He'll have to tell their parents about their secret lives as spies, and also break the news of their deaths. That definitely was something he dreaded to do, but it had to be done. And he had to do it. Quietly, Jerry told GLADIS he was taking the rest of the day off, and he left for a deserted beach, to be alone with his thoughts.
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Meanwhile, the spies are trying to figure out how they can remain undetected at WOOHP. After all, WOOHP employs security cameras in all of their halls and air vents too, as well as on the roof. They land at a secluded parking lot of an out-of-business Mall, and brainstorm, as they watched workmen adding a room to a house across the street.
"Do we have any old reflective suits? We could walk right in if we do!" stated Alex.
"True, Alex, but they control those things like the gold at Fort Knox! We don't have any!" answered Sam.
"What if we cut the power to WOOHP?" asked Clover.
"No, because WOOHP has an electrical generator encased in concrete three feet thick! We'd never be able to knock that thing out!" answered Sam.
Quietly, the spies racked their brains, when the same idea struck them, as they watched the room being added to the house.
"We can tunnel to an internal wall at WOOHP…" started Clover.
"…and break through the floor without being seen…" added Alex.
"….and use the digging bit in our boots to climb up the I-Beams to the nineteenth floor…" continued Sam.
"…where we can crawl over to room 1917…" said Clover.
"… and watch who comes in, and listen for Myster…." continued Alex.
"…and surprise him as we break through the sheetrock and catch him red-handed!" finished Sam.
The three spies smile at one-another, and get on their cycles.
They land in a heavily wooded area of the park across the street from WOOHP and hide their cycles. This time Clover starts drilling the hole across the street, into WOOHP.
Breaking through the floor into a wall was the easy part. Climbing nineteen floors in such a confined space wasn't. It took over two hours to get to the nineteenth floor, and an additional twenty minutes to get to a wall in room 1917. The vigil begins.
Room 1917 is a very busy lab, with communication research being done at every table.
The spies monitor all of the communications, until they hear the one they have been waiting for.
"Jared! Have you arrived at our San Diego safe house?"
"Not yet, Myster! Traffic's been unusually heavy! We're about three hours away!"
"THREE HOURS? What's the delay?"
"There was a major accident on the interstate, and a bunch of minor accidents on the access roads! We are barely crawling along!"
"Very well! Let me know when you arrive!"
Whatever you say, Boss! thought Jared with a twisted grin.
But Jared knew that there was no accident. He, Laslo, and Barbara were taking the diamonds, and heading for Mexico, where THEY'LL write the ransom notes and get paid, cutting Myster out totally!
The spies identify, at long last, Myster. He is Jake Lalbrooke, a Communications Engineer, and long time WOOHP employee. And they realized now how important it was for them to maintain their communication black-out. Jake was constantly monitoring all WOOHP communications, on their frequency! He would have been tipped off instantly!
"Should we nail him now?" asked Clover.
"No," said Sam, "let's let him incriminate himself! Alex! Call in for WOOHP to get the diamond thieves!"
"But won't Jake hear me on his radio?" Alex asked.
"Exactly! He'll then shutdown all his communication equipment, and try to leave the room! That will be caught on the security cameras, and he'll hang himself!" replied Sam.
"Okay, Sammie! Here goes!" and Alex activates her WOOHP tracking beacon for WOOHP Security.
Jake's reaction is instantaneous! He quickly shuts down his transmitter, but continues to monitor his receiver.
"Clover, let him know we are coming to WOOHP to get Myster!" said Sam.
"Right!" and Clover opened her x-powder, and contacted Jerry. "Jerry?"
At the beach, a startled Jerry answers his wallet communicator. "Clover?" he asks hopefully.
"Yea, Jer! We've been able to trace Myster to WOOHP, in Room 1917! We're going there to nab him!"
"Are the three of you alright?"
"Of course, Jerry! After all, we ARE super spies! Signing off!"
Jerry was elated, ran to his car, and started to speed toward WOOHP Headquarters.
Jake was not, however. He was very visibly shaken, and quickly turned off his receiver and started to walk briskly out of the lab, when all of the sudden the gals break through the sheetrock in front of him.
"In a hurry, Jake?" asked Clover.
"Or should we say, Myster?" added Sam.
"Why…why… that's preposterous! Me! Myster!" sputtered Jake.
"Really? Then would you mind explaining this transmission to Jared, one of the diamond thieves?" asked Alex as she replayed the transmission, with Jared clearly identifying him as Myster.
Obviously, he was had! The other technicians began to surround him.
"So! You're Myster!" said one.
"We've been after you for a while!" said another.
"Wait! I am not!" Jake sputtered to no avail.
Soon Security entered the Lab. Another technician had called them, when the spies broke through the wall.
"What's going on?" asked the Sergeant.
Sam answered, "Sarge, meet Myster! He's been right under our nose all of the time!" as she pointed to Jake.
"Really?"
Jake blurted, " It's a frame-up! I am not Myster!"
But Alex replayed the transmission.
"If you're not Myster, you have a ton of explaining to do!" replied the Sergeant, as he went to put the handcuffs on Jake.
But Jake wasn't going to go without a fight! Seeing he was trapped he quickly whipped out a pistol! But Sam was anticipating something like this, and had already deployed her laser lipstick. She quickly fired, knocking the pistol out of Jake's hand. Immediately, Jake was swarmed by Security!
Just as Jake was hauled away, Jerry arrived! He saw the wall broken open, and heard some of the commotion.
"What's going on?" he asked.
"It's a long story, Jerry!" stated Clover, as she, Sam and Alex filled him in.
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"…and that's when you came in!" concluded Sam.
"You should have told me, you know! I thought the three of you were dead!" Jerry said peevishly.
"Well, Jerry, as you taught us, sometimes you have to keep the secret to yourselves, to catch the big fish!" Clover added impishly.
This conversation was interrupted by another WOOHP agent.
"Jerry?"
"Yes, Wadsworth?"
"We have apprehended Jared Ellis, Barbara Winton, and Laslo Toth, within two miles of the Mexican border, and have recovered all four of the stolen diamonds."
"Excellent, Wadsworth! Thank you! What about the WOOHP diamond?"
"I'm afraid Myster took care of that one, Jer!" remarked Clover.
"Oh, well! I'm sure Dr. Quincy could make another, if he had to!"
As Wadsworth left, Sam said, "I guess that wraps this case up!"
Jerry agreed, "Yes, and it was a fine job, spies! You not only helped recover the diamonds, but captured a long outstanding villain, as well as uncovered a traitor! Very well done!
And he continued, "But next time, please let me in on the plan!"
Alex smiled and replied, "Only if it doesn't compromise us successfully completing the mission!"
Jerry hesitantly nodded his head in agreement.
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The spies decided to hit the Groove, after leaving WOOHP.
"Wow! That was some mission!" remarked Alex.
"I'll say. And Myster right there in WOOHP!" added Cover.
"That was a bit of a surprise," agreed Sam, "but if we look back on his methods, it would have to have been someone connected to a clandestine organization!"
As they are talking, they are approached by an old friend.
"High, girls," said David rather sheepishly, "I wanted to apologize for my rude behavior at the Diamond Jubilee in London. I was under a great deal of pressure at that time, but I shouldn't have taken it out on you three!"
"We understand, David!" said Clover. "Why don't you make it up to us by treating us to a movie and a pizza?"
"That sounds like a great idea, Clover! We can see Sneaks on a Plane and then get a Momma Jane's pizza!"
"Sounds good to me!" replied Sam enthusiastically.
"Count me in, too" added Alex.
As the spies go off with David to enjoy a movie and pizza, each is secretly very happy that he wasn't involved in the diamond thefts, and he really was the guy they've always thought he was.
