MY BEST FRIEND IS A SECRET AGENT, Book 3: How C.H.I.P. Took on C.H.I.M.P. and...

Chapter 4: "Freaky and Fuzzy"

That night, I sat in my basement, stewing that I hadn't won First Prize in the science fair.

In fact, I hadn't won any prize in the science fair. After my Tornado Toothbrush 6000 nearly self-destructed in front of everybody, I pulled it from the competition, not wanting to tarnish my record with a Second or Third Prize trophy, or, God forbid, Honorable Mention.

And it wasn't even my fault! Okay, maybe I shouldn't have tried to break the one-second toothbrushing barrier. Forcing so much power and speed into a small handheld device was like flying too close to the sun. But was Edison wrong for trying to electrify the world? Was NASA wrong for trying to fly to the moon? There are many failures on the road to success, so I decided to see today as just a small setback. With drive and persistence, someday I would be able to make an electric toothbrush that could brush your whole mouth in under a second but this time without sending your false teeth flying across the room.

Feeling better, I leaned back in my chair to try to solve my other big problem: how to get the C.H.I.P. 1.0 microthingy back from Gert von Brugen.

But then I noticed something on TV that made me even more nervous than the thought of Gert von Brugen playing with my technology. On VNN, Anastasia O'Neil was at Vortville Prison doing a report:

Seth Mindwarp was being released on parole!

That's right, the very same Seth Mindwarp who tried to take over the whole town with his evil Freaky Fuzzies, hypnotizing all the kids and imprisoning all their parents. I couldn't believe it. How could they let the wackiest of wacky bad guys free?!

Holding a paper bag full of his belongings, Seth Mindwarp stepped out of the prison gates. Anastasia O'Neil ran right up to him and asked, "Mr. Mindwarp, what are your plans now that you're out on parole?"

What were his plans?? The same as before, to take over the world with his evil little robots and turn kids everywhere into mindless drones who live only to do his bidding!

"Well," Seth said in a surprisingly calm, non-evil voice, "to be a responsible, model citizen, to obey all the laws of the lovely town of Vortville, and to spread peace and harmony wherever I may go."

My jaw dropped to the floor. What a load of dog poopie! Did he really believe that Vortvillians would buy his massive lie? I mean, how could he believe that even Anastasia O'Neil would buy it? I was sure that she, being a seasoned reporter, would roll her eyes and set Seth straight.

"Well, there you have it," Anastasia said to the camera, "Seth Mindwarp is completely rehabilitated! Parents and children everywhere can sleep soundly knowing that Mr. Mindwarp is free on the streets of Vortville, but no longer bent on revenge, chaos and evil."

Say what now? Once again, I was gobsmacked. I knew Seth Mindwarp wasn't cured. But apparently everybody else was fooled, including a supposedly tough reporter who should have known better! And, with that, Seth got into a taxi and rode off to this place called a halfway house where ex-criminals live and try to blend back into normal society. Good luck with Seth, I thought. I hoped someone planned to keep a close eye on him!

Just then, the TV cut to a commercial. It was actually a commercial for Mindwarp Industries, the toy company that Seth Mindwarp used to run! But, after the whole Freaky Fuzzy fiasco, a new boss took over, and she wanted to totally change the image of the company. She wanted people to have positive thoughts about Mindwarp Industries and not just automatically assume that every toy they made was going to twist their minds and fry their brains.

"Welcome to the new Mindwarp Industries, a kinder, gentler toy company," the new CEO said in a soft, warm voice. "When your children play with a Mindwarp Industries toy, you can rest assured that it's a good, caring and special toy. We make toys that will put a smile on your face and love in your heart. No toy from Mindwarp Industries will ever harm, imprison or hypnotize you or your children ever again. That's our sincere promise to you, the citizens of Vortville."

Then the lady announced the opening of a brand new Mindwarp Industries Museum, built right next to their headquarters building. The museum was really cool and modern-looking, inside and out, and everything was really bright and pretty - except for the Freaky Fuzzy wing. The new CEO knew people would never completely forget about the evil Freaky Fuzzies, so the museum had the deactivated Fuzzies on display in kind of a darker, more serious area. She wanted people to know that Mindwarp Industries was aware of its past and never intended to repeat it.

But, as I watched the commercial, I wondered if a certain ex-CEO of Mindwarp Industries might have some new ideas of his own!