The Crackle Goes Kiwi Caper

## Summary

Catra enlists an old friend's help for a high-tech heist: breaking into Prince Grimler's New Zealand lab to disable a dangerous device.

## Plot

In Moscow, Shadowsan and Catra infiltrate a underground laboratory beneath the Kremlin with credentials created by Entrapta as they pose as generals and encounter Neal the Eel, an agent that, with Grimler's support (despite showing annoyances to Neal's expressions like "Bob's your uncle"), is trying to gain Shadowsan's former position in the Order of Shadows, but he escapes with the data he had been sent to steal.

Back at their new base, Entrapta contacts Team Awesome and the gang learns that Neal stole schematics of "The Trip Wire", an EMP device Russia had constructed as a defence system for apprehending criminal organisations, but had given up due to being unable to correctly code, which Grimler will likely improve upon to allow the Dark Ones to use as a weapon in their plans for conquest, as well as thefts. With Neal involved, Shadowsan deduces the device will be designed and kept in Grimler's lab to be in New Zealand, which is one of Grimler's favourite facilities. Entrapta urges that they need to have a skilled electrician on-site to manage the power grid hack, least they risk Catra's life. Shadowsan suggests Crackle, Adora and Catra's old classmate who had his memories wiped after failing to recruit or eliminate Catra in France, and despite Catra's wish to protect Graham, who's safety would be compromised if Grimler were to lay eyes on him, she is eventually convinced they have no other way.

Meeting him in Sydney at the café they had once arranged to meet after Catra's last encounter with the memory-wiped 'Gray', Catra apologies for standing him up, claiming to run intentional charity organisation for abandoned children and recruits him to help for 'a fundraiser opera', which he agrees to on the condition she has a cuppa with him afterwards. The gang fly him to Auckland. As Graham's memories in the Dark Ones were wiped, they opt to have Shadowsan, Adora, Jörmungand and Scorpia stays at their San Diego HQ, not wanting to risk any Dark Ones memories or impulses that sightings of them might trigger. Subsequently, Catra, accompanied by Melog, Glimmer and Bow, travels to Auckland and discuss their plan: Graham will operate a lighting board from his control booth, taking out the laboratory's defences, one by one and in sequence, under the illusion that he's working the stage lighting of a live theatrical performance of *Swan Lake*, all while in contact with Entrapta, posing as a friendly, strongly-accented local stage manager named "Petra", who will ensure the illusion is maintained. The cue sheets Graham is to play are also timed to a prerecorded ballet that Catra will be listening to while she gets through the electrical fields.

At first, the plan goes ahead, with Catra infiltrating the lab and, with Entrapta's help, deletes all stolen Trip Wire data, but as she runs to destroy the pro-type she is sure Grimler has already made, she runs into Neal and eventually traps him behind a field for Grimler to find and release him. As Graham starts the "encore," he realizes the deception, enters Bellum's lab despite Glimmer and Bow's attempts to stop find him, and discovers Catra mid-caper as she is about to grab Trip Wire. She exfils Graham to the roof, but on the way they are confronted by Neal and two soldiers. While Catra is able to take out the two masked Dark Ones, Neal nearly overcomes her, only to be stunned in the back with a crackle rod dropped by one of the men. Catra briefly fears from Graham's expression his wiped memories have been pricked, but Graham only casts the weapon aside, simply stating how clear it is Catra does not in charge of a charity group, to her relief. They arrive at the top, but Grimler holds Auckland hostage for Catra's capitulation. At the roof, Graham's subconscious training allows him to sabotage the Trip Wire, which Bellum destroys upon activating. Catra flees on her hang-glider with Graham while Grimler looks up at his destroyed project, muttering "And Bob's your uncle". Catra and Graham, due to their combined weight, crash, but sustain no major injuries and return to Sydney, where Catra finally has coffee with Graham, content Darkness is unaware of his involvement. Graham inquires if she is some sort of member of a secret service, which Catra cryptically answers. Catra then transfers a substantially large sum of money to Graham's bank account, then disappears, which Graham, unlike last time, is content with. Whilst walking to meet Melog, Bow and Glimmer, Catra speaks to Adora over her comm-link and expresses her relief Graham is safe, which Adora agrees with, then vanishing into the night. Elsewhere, A.C.M.E. tracks Catra and learns about Graham, believing him to be of potential use in the future.