LPS: CFFs - Crime-Fighting Friends

Chapter 6: Mysterious Place

The very next day, Allie and the group started searching for more of Gear's recruits, but they didn't have much luck...until they found an odd clearing near the forest with a large building in the center.

"Seems like a weird place to put a building like this." Jacob commented. "Do you think it's abandoned?"

"Looks like it...it doesn't seem like anyone has cleaned this place in a long time." Bristol agreed.

"Should we go inside and see if any of Gear's recruits use this place as a hideout?" Allie suggested.

"You want to go in there?!" Roxie asked Allie.

"Would you just relax, Rox? Nothing's going to hurt us!" Allie replied.

"I'm just expecting the worst after what happened with Madison..." Roxie admitted.

Allie lead the others inside the building, where it was surprisingly empty. A bunch of old, broken machines were shoved into one corner, and they looked like they hadn't been used in years. It was very clear that whoever used to live or work here wasn't here anymore.

"I wonder what kind of person would own a place like this...and why they would just abandon it..." Bristol thought out loud, just before the door opened behind them and a blonde cocker spaniel walked in. She was wearing a pink and purple dress with light purple bows in her hair.

"That kind of person that owned this place was me...the old me..." she said quietly. "Before I turned nice, I used to be the villain that Gear hired to make his machines. That's why he has a modified model of my Brainwash XL. I gave him the blueprint because I didn't need it anymore."

"And...who are you?" Allie asked the mysterious girl.

"My name is Chloe." she replied. "I may not be truly evil anymore, but Gear wouldn't let me quit. I tried to quit, but he forced me to continue working for him anyway, even if I really don't want to. If you can find a way to defeat him, please do. I don't want to do evil things anymore..."

"We'll do our best, Chloe. You can count on us!" Allie promised Chloe.

"Thank you guys. It's nice to find someone that's actually willing to help me."

Now Allie and friends had a new add-on to their mission: stopping Gear would set Chloe free. All they needed to do was find a way to actually stop him.

"Gear is very smart...so we'll have to be very smart in order to stop him." Allie remarked.

"Right." Jacob agreed, nodding. "So Allie, what's our first move?"

"Our first move?" Allie began. "First, we need to find a way to destroy that modified Brainwash XL. It must be the reason why Maddie's acting different. Let's go. We don't have any time to waste."

Allie walked away in the direction of Gear's lair, with Bristol, Jacob, and Roxie unsurely following behind her. They didn't have a good feeling about sneaking into Gear's hideout, or destroying such a dangerous machine, but they didn't have a choice. The fate of everyone in town was at stake at this point with Madison running around taking people to Gear's lair to get brainwashed.