Spyfall

Smuggler's Run

Britney looked closely through the periscope of the WOOHP submarine, scanning every inch of Long Beach Harbour for any sign of the nefarious Natalie Valentine. It had taken days for Britney and Carmen to find some clue as to the evil cologne creator's whereabouts, but at last they finally managed to get a lead when one of the dockhands in the area reported briefly spotting a woman by Valentine's description lurking about the harbour during the night. It seemed likely that Valentine was planning to smuggle herself out of the country via one of the boats dotting about the place, so Britney and Carmen had hidden themselves under the waters and were now discreetly surveying the area in case Valentine reared her head again. But as the hours passed, they were both beginning to think they were chasing a wild goose.

"Oh, I'm starting to think that this Valentine lady is never going to show," sighed Britney. "I sure hope the girls are having a better time at Mali-U than we are having here."

"I'm just hoping they're not feeling mad about being made to be sit this mission out," added Carmen glumly. "I'd hate for Alex to think that I'm interfering with her life again."

Britney looked at Carmen with a curious expression on her face. "What do you mean by that? This isn't about that time you, Gabby and Stella made the girls quit WOOHP during the spy-ssassins incident is it? The girls told me that they forgave the three of you for all that ages ago."

"Well, it's not just that," said Carmen a little shamefacedly. "A few months before that mess, my husband and I had received Alex's report card, which stated that all her grades were F's. Instead of checking first to see if it was all a mistake on the part of Bev High, we went and told Alex what a disappointment she was to us and had her sent to Dorsal Academy all the way in England. It was only afterwards that we found out that there had been a big mix-up at school. Alex had actually gotten A's and B's, whilst all those F's really belonged to that awful girl, Mandy."

"Oh boy, that does sounds like a really major mistake," said Britney. "I can see why you're worried that Alex may still be feeling a bit resentful."

"Yeah, but do you know what the worst part is?" continued Carmen. "A short while after Gabs, Stella and I officially joined WOOHP, I discovered that the headmaster of Dorsal Academy was in actuality an absolute nutcase who had been secretly turning all his students into human/dolphin hybrids, including Alex! I mean, what kind of a mother sends her child to such a terrible place without getting all the facts straight first?"

"You couldn't have known," said Britney understandingly. "And that's nothing compared to some of the blunders I've made over the years. There was this one particular time when I got careless with handling the WOOHP virtual training helmet and ended up with the personalities of three super villains in my brain! I'd still have them running around in my head if it wasn't for your daughter and her friends."

"Oh my, that must have been a harrowing ordeal for you," said Carmen.

Britney nodded. "I have to admit, it was a pretty nasty experience. The point is that we all make mistakes, but we also learn from them to try and ensure they don't happen again. I know that sounds a bit cliché, but that's the way life works. Besides, Alex once told me that she really looks up to you, especially after the way you saved her and the others from the clutches of Mandy's evil band."