As she wiped the tears from her eyes and walked the first few meters of the long pedestrian journey to the bus stop, she heard Mary catching her up, and then there was someone else running along towards her as well. She turned her head. It was Josh.

"Hey girlie, I want to say thanks, and sorry too. I don't deserve what you just did for me. We're complete bullies wherever we go, because Adam and I have always known we can get away with it. The power went to our heads, but that's the first time he's ever turned on me. You angered him, and then I knew from his outburst on me, for the first time, what it really does to you, being on the receiving end of it for a change. To think we've made other people feel that terror whenever we're around, just because we're black belts. You could have hurt us a lot more, but you helped me. If you knew what I'm really like, you wouldn't have bothered."

"I do know," said Ann, calming herself down, "Mary told me all about the parties and everything else. That's why I came along and challenged you both today."

"I'll try to reform myself, Ann, but I think that the class has had it. I'll teach them if they still want me to, but I am not going to enjoy working with Adam now. One of us might have to go."

"If only we could affect Adam the way your fabulous efforts have affected Josh," said Mary to Ann, and then she looked nervously at Josh. Had she unwittingly offended him, a black belt?

"It's alright Mary," said Josh, "You say what you want to from now on, to me, but be wary of Adam. He's still as crazy as a wild horse. Like I said, I'm really sorry for the way I have behaved. I don't want to have people afraid of me if it means they think of me the way I now think of Adam."

"What if I get him with a practical joke?" asked Ann, "What does he worry about the most?"

"You could do something to his car," said Josh, "That's what he really likes, but do not tell him that I gave you the idea. I'm staying away from him. Either he teaches the class or I do, or neither of us does. I can tell you where he lives."

"I am getting an idea," said Ann, "but I will need a friend I know to help me do it. Just tell me where Adam lives."

The address was in Artarmon. Ann also asked Josh about the sizes of the rooms in the house, and was assured that the garage and the billiard room were the largest rooms.

"I could switch on the spaceship to get there quickly when he's out," thought Ann, and then if Butler One wouldn't mind another switch..."

Wendell was keen to join her on this upcoming trip, and Ann gladly obliged.

*          *          *          *

Ann waited until the following night, Friday night. Adam always went out on Friday nights, for a few hours. Ann had caught a train to Artarmon and used the borrowed Freedom Fields library copy of a Sydney street directory to locate the house where Adam lived. She kept well hidden. That night she would certainly do a proper job of playing a practical joke on a certain bullying black belt practical joker.

*          *          *          *

She returned to Freedom Fields and found a message which had been slipped under her bedroom door:

            ANN O’MALLEY,

                                    Please call Mary Wathlow when you come home. She said

            that you have her number,

                                                            Wanda.

Ann walked into the telephone room and dialed the number. Mary soon answered the telephone.

"Hi, it's Ann O’Malley."

"Oh Ann, hello. What you did yesterday was terrific. When you gave Adam that final beating, he knew he was no longer the best."

"I'm not the best either. I can just beat Adam in a fight. I still think we're all equals."

"Sure. I agree. What are you going to do to Adam now?"

"Oh, I'll leave that to my friend. It's better if you don't know. Don't tell Adam and Josh about me and my plans. I don't want them knowing where I live or anything like that."

"I'll keep it a secret," said Mary, "but you've sure done well so far. If I had known what you were going to do, I would never have taken you along to classes, for fear that you would lose. However, I am glad that it worked out the way it did. Your two dollars fifty was well spent on that lesson. Why don't you let them give you the grading though? Josh thinks you could be one grade higher than him."

"I couldn't," thought Ann, "Not under false pretenses. I did not use karate or any other martial art to beat them. I used the super strength of the exolimbs. When I take them off, I am fair bait for anyone in a fight. I will just have to refuse the grading. The exolimbs are flexible and thin enough to hide, and they don't clank when they're hit, but they are an advantage that has nothing to do with any martial arts training that you could get."

She told Mary that she did not like wearing large belts and refused to take one.

"Well good luck with whatever it is you're going to unleash on Adam. I hope he learns his lesson," said Mary.

"I think he will. I'll see you on Monday," said Ann.

"Goodbye."

*          *          *          *