Katy led Carl to her house, where they entered through the back door. She moved a shelf, revealing a hidden door. With a swipe of her card and a touch of her hand to a screen, the door swung open.
"Let's go," Katy said, stepping through the doorway.
Carl followed, his confusion growing as they walked down a hallway and into a large, dark office. "Katy, what is this place?" he asked.
Katy smiled mischievously. "Beatrix, turn on the lights."
The room illuminated, revealing a sleek, high-tech space. Carl's eyes widened. "Katy, what is all this?"
Katy faced him, still smiling. "I was thinking, why hide this secret from my childhood friend who just happens to have gained powers and wants to fight a bad guy?"
Carl's eyes narrowed. "How long has this been here, Katy?"
Katy's smile faltered for a moment. "Well...since I became an agent about a year ago."
Carl's jaw dropped. "You've been an agent for a year and you never told me? Why, Katy?"
Katy shrugged. "Technically, it's one year, three months, and twenty-one days. And if I told you about this place earlier, you would have just kept wandering in here like it was your own personal playground."
Carl looked hurt. "That's not an excuse, Katy."
Just then, a smooth, electronic voice spoke up. "Welcome back, Miss Katy."
Carl's eyes darted around the room, trying to locate the source of the voice. "Katy, who was that?"
Katy gestured to a sleek, futuristic console. "That's just my AI assistant, Beatrix."
Carl's eyes widened. "An AI? You're an agent with your own office and an AI assistant...this is just too much to take in."
Katy chuckled. "Carl, we both know you don't know what an AI is."
Carl bristled. "Of course I do! An AI is...uh...a thingamajig that does what you tell it to."
Beatrix's voice chimed in, "An Artificial Intelligence is a sophisticated software program created to help their users through carrying out commands given to them."
Carl scowled. "Exactly what I was trying to say."
Katy intervened, her voice firm. "Let's save this bickering for later. Beatrix, the suits!"
A line of sleek, high-tech suits emerged from the wall, and Carl's eyes lit up. "Whoa, these look awesome!"
Katy smiled. "Try one on."
As Carl suited up, Beatrix explained the features of the suit, including its ability to adapt to Carl's powers and a built-in camouflage mode.
Carl's eyes sparkled. "This is perfect! Now we just need to find out who the cloaked guy is."
Beatrix turned on a holographic display, showing a news report about a stolen hyper-fusion laser. "It's been noted that this incident is one of the first times this is happening...the police have found a red cloak at the scene of the crime."
Katy's eyes locked onto Carl's. "We've got our lead. Let's get that cloak."
Carl grinned, already racing towards the door. "On it!"
Katy called after him, "Wait, Carl! I've got something else that will help you get there quickly."
Carl skidded to a halt as a doorway opened, revealing a sleek, high-tech motorcycle. "Whoa!"
Beatrix's voice chimed in, "This is a Spectral Neut Jet Engine Flash X Bike 4000. Latest edition. It goes over 500 mph and is very durable."
Carl's eyes shone with excitement. "Katy, you've outdone yourself."
As Carl sped off on the motorcycle, Katy turned to Beatrix. "Keep an eye out and open the navigation layout for the Stellar Labs area."
Beatrix's voice responded, "Got it!"
Meanwhile, Carl was already nearing the lab, his mind racing with the plan. "Beatrix, is there any way you can aid me in sneaking into the lab?"
Beatrix's voice came through the comms device, "Yes, Carl. Using the wrist gadget on the suit, you can camouflage yourself into being temporarily invisible, though it only lasts about thirty minutes approximately."
Carl's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Thirty minutes is all I need."
With a tap of his wrist gadget, Carl turned invisible, ready to sneak into the lab and swap the cloaks.
Though it was brief he was able to swap the cloak just in time as the investigation unit were about to begin their investigation.