by Julie Bihn
Chapter 1: An Excursion
"Aw, shoot!" Gadget exclaimed as a spring violently popped out of the Rangermobile and whizzed by her ear, missing her head by only an inch. "I hate when that happens!" She climbed out from under the skateboard car and watched the spring bounce wildly from wall to wall. Since the spring seemed to have no inclination to stop, she finally reached up and caught it in mid-air, then examined it. She noted that, after its wild trip, the spring had been stretched completely out of shape. "I guess when I caught it, it was suddenly taken beyond its point of elasticity..." Gadget sighed, realizing she had no other suitable springs in her workshop, and the spring couldn't be bent back into shape. She frowned for a moment before cheering up.
"I think I need a trip to the junkyard," she smiled; she loved browsing in places which had so many spare parts she could use. "Just for a little break."
Picking up her toolbox, Gadget walked into the Rangers' living room. Chip was studying a mystery novel, not just reading it, while Dale and Zipper watched a horror movie on TV. Some noises of metal clanging on metal mixed with the smell of cheese told her that Monterey Jack was in the kitchen preparing a post-dinner snack.
"Guys, I'm going to Pete's junkyard. I'll be back soon!" Gadget announced. Chip, Dale, and Zipper mumbled in acknowledgement, and Gadget knew they hadn't heard a word she said. She paused in the hallway, her tail and ears drooping a bit, involuntarily. Chip and Dale only lavished her with attention when they felt like it. If they were both occupied, they sometimes ignored her. Gadget wished they would at least be more consistent, preferably giving her affection in moderation, as Monty would say. Sighing, she went down the hall and climbed down the stairs she had constructed inside the tree, down to the little garage she had built into the tree's base. She stepped into the vehicle she had dubbed the Ranger Skate. Its propulsion was a fan wired to a 12-volt battery, mounted on a roller skate, instead of the Rangermobile's skateboard. It was slightly too small to fit the whole group comfortably; it only had one bench seat across the front, and some seatless space in the back. But it was Gadget's favorite vehicle to use on quick excursions to the junkyard or hardware store. It had great maneuverability, pretty good speed, and didn't seem lonely when it only had one passenger. Gadget's other vehicles were clearly designed for four or more; only the Ranger Skate reminded her of her days alone, before the Rangers--lonely days, but they had their charms. She had had no real worries, no obligations to anyone else. It was just her and her inventions. But, of course, she wouldn't trade her days as a Ranger for anything.
Gadget quickly put on her tennis-ball helmet, buckled her seat belt, and tossed her toolbox in the back of the vehicle. She flipped a switch she had added to the dashboard to turn the fan on, and drove the Ranger Skate out of the base of the tree and towards the nearest junkyard, which was several blocks away.
Pete's Junkyard was a typical dump, enclosed by a slightly rusty chain-link fence. Gadget drove over to the hole she and Monterey Jack had made by bending some of the fence upward--just large enough for one of Gadget's vehicles to drive through. But she saw that the bent wire had been fixed. Surprised but not overly concerned, Gadget shut off the Ranger Skate, took off her helmet and her seat belt, got out, picked up her toolbox, and climbed through one of the links of the fence.
"Now, what was I looking for?" the slightly absent-minded mouse asked herself. These forgetful spells struck her occasionally (as they strike most people). She knew that looking around the junkyard would help her remember whatever it was she had forgotten. "Hmm. I was working on the Rangermobile..." Suddenly, Gadget tripped over an ill-placed marble. She lay on the ground and studied the cat-eyed glass globe for a moment. "A marble...round...ball...bouncing... A spring! That's it!" Gadget got up and headed to the barely-organized piles of junk lying around.
Soon, she encountered a toaster in the messy junkyard. Getting out a screwdriver from her toolbox, she quickly pried open the toaster and found several functioning springs inside. She salvaged a few--they always came in handy--and knew any one of them could be used in the Rangermobile. She dropped them into her toolbox without even bothering to reap the other functioning parts from the toaster. The dark clouds covering the stars in the night sky made her uncomfortable, and she thought she heard thunder. The best thing would be to get home, before the rain started; she wasn't even wearing a jacket! Gadget was hurrying out of the junkyard when a piece of machinery caught her eye.
It was a laptop computer, its body appearing to be fully intact.
Gadget had wanted to get a computer for some time now--she had read books on how they were put together, and she and the other Rangers had snuck into the library after closing time and become fairly computer literate. But, so far, the old computers she had found in the junkyards had been practically useless--she had only managed to salvage a few chips here and there, most of which were old and slow, often completely obsolete. But this seemed to be a fairly current model, with little damage.
Gadget glanced at the sky again. She decided that it would be worth the risk of getting a little wet to check out her find.
The laptop was a nice shade of gray, with the rainbow Banana Computers logo on the lower center area of the cover. Gadget struggled with the latch and, with an effort, lifted the computer open.
Gadget was surprised to see that the keyboard and monitor were in perfect shape, too. Gadget had found old televisions and radios that had just blown a fuse, and could be repaired in minutes, but a laptop computer?
>Plop< Gadget felt a raindrop land square on her nose. She glanced around, scanning the junkyard for a waterproof place near enough for her to drag the computer to. Or maybe she could find something to cover the laptop instead. Or make the computer itself waterproof, or maybe... Deep in thought, she put her head in her paws and sat on the space bar of the computer--
"Aaaah!" Gadget cried as she felt a surge of electricity travel through her body, illuminating her like a gaudy Christmas tree angel. She quickly jumped away from the laptop, her hair singed and sticking straight out. "G--g--golly," she stuttered, dazed. "I wonder what caused *that*... Maybe the keyboard was somehow linked to the computer's internal power source, or maybe an outside source of electricity, such as lightning, or perhaps a disruption in the Earth's magnetic field..." It started to rain harder, and the water plastered Gadget's singed hair to her head. Soon, she was soaked through her overalls. As the ground beneath her started to turn to mud, the computer suddenly short-circuited, sending a spectacular shower of sparks all around in the rain.
"I don't think I want to fix that," Gadget sighed. She turned to leave and get back in the Ranger Skate before the sidewalks got too slick to drive on safely--
And found herself looking straight into the eyes of a growling dog.
Gadget knew the canine--Max, the loyal mutt that guarded the junkyard. He had dark brown fur, made darker by the rain that ran down his fur, and he somehow reminded Gadget of a cross between a greyhound and a pit bull. Normally, he watched the mouse's activities indifferently, but tonight, he seemed very angry for some reason.
"What are *you* doing here?" he demanded, still growling.
"I--I just came here to get some spare parts--n--nothing that your master would've wanted anyway..." Gadget stuttered.
"Thief!" barked Max. Lugging her toolbox with her, Gadget sprinted to the Ranger Skate. Out of habit, she buckled herself in, then flipped the dashboard 'on' switch to start the fan.
Nothing happened. Gadget desperately flicked the switch a few more times, to no avail. She quickly slipped out of her seat belt and hit the switch that was mounted on the fan itself. The fan blade started to spin, and Gadget breathed a quick sigh of relief, thankful *that* switch worked, at least. She leaped back into her seat before the fan got up to speed and drove off, too hurried to re-buckle her seat belt or strap on her helmet.
Gadget figured she was in the clear as she sped through the wet streets--even Max couldn't possibly get through that fence quickly enough to catch up with her. She glanced behind her, somehow uneasy, and did a double-take--
The gate was open!
Max easily sprinted after Gadget, out of the junkyard and through the rainy streets. Though the Ranger Skate was speedy, it couldn't quite outrun a big, angry dog. Still, maybe, with some fancy driving, she'd have a chance to escape.
Seeing that Max was right behind her, Gadget veered sharply to the left, sending her toolbox flying out of the skate. She hesitated a bit, and just touched her foot to the brake pedal, which applied pressure to the front wheels to slow the car. Normally, that would just have a gradual slowing effect, but something stuck, and the skate stopped dead in its tracks, sending Gadget flying headfirst out of her seat and into a red brick wall at the far end of a dark, dry alley. She hit the wall straight-on with her helmetless head as her life flashed before her eyes. She knew she had lived well and done a lot of good, but didn't want to let it all end yet. Gadget struggled to get up, to fight if she could, but couldn't even stand. She looked up and saw Max practically roar into the alley, knocking the Ranger Skate over on the way. As he ran at her, a horrible image filled Gadget's mind--how would the other Rangers find out what had happened to her? Would they discover a pair of goggles? A torn piece of lavender fabric? Max growled at the mouse angrily. Gadget dizzily dodged the dog's teeth as best she could while he snapped at her. She felt his hot breath, which smelled faintly of dog biscuits, as he tried to pick her up in his teeth. Gadget weakly kicked at Max's nose. Amused at her efforts, the dog laughed cruelly.
"You think that'll stop me?" he asked, taking a step back to look at her as he snickered. Suddenly, the dog screamed. Gadget watched in surprise as the dog lit up, his fur sticking straight up, and his skeleton showing through the white glow coming through his body. Gadget thought he had been struck by lighting, but the dog was alive, though singed and in a lot of pain, and there had been no thunder. Max turned around, growling. His growl dropped off in surprise, followed by a less angry but more annoyed snarl.
"What are you doing?" he cried. "The boss will have your head!"
"And who's going to tell?" a rather gravelly male voice asked. "The boss doesn't trust you. He only hired you today."
Max growled. The voice continued, sounding more angry.
"Leave her alone! Let me handle it--it'll be cleaner that way. Anyway, the boss want them alive, remember? Some good it'll do to rip her to shreds. I'll give you ten percent of the gold; that's a lot more then you'll get if the boss thinks you double-crossed him."
Max looked annoyed, but stalked off into the dark. A sudden flash of lighting illuminated the figure who had driven the dog off. He was a mouse, obviously teenaged, with gray fur and a black jacket that nearly reached down to his ankles. He had black pants and a turquoise shirt neatly tucked in. His dark black hair was damp, and reached to his chin. His eyes were brown and expressionless. He was wearing red rubber gloves that reached up to his elbows--they seemed to be handmade from a balloon. Gadget gasped as she saw just what he was holding with his gloves--a wire in each hand, both attached to the battery from the overturned Ranger Skate. So *that* was what had shocked Max! She took all this in in the flash of lightning, then closed her eyes in pain--she knew she had a concussion, and was getting an awful headache as well. When she opened her eyes again, the mouse wasn't even a foot away from her. She cringed, her confused mind telling her to expect some sort of unpleasantness in the near future, but noted just a slight change in the mouse's expression--a hint of concern. Gadget looked for the electrical wires, but saw they were hooked up to the fan again, and the skate was set upright. Gadget might've thought she'd imagined the whole rescue from Max, except the mouse was still wearing his red rubber gloves.
He approached Gadget and looked her straight in the eyes, still with no expression in his face. Gadget met his gaze for a second, then closed her eyes again, letting her head rest on the ground. She heard the mouse walk away, and heard some slight grunts and the sound of rolling wheels. She lifted her head and opened her eyes again. She saw the Ranger Skate right next to her; the mouse must've pushed it over to her. Gadget tried to get up, but sunk back down after a moment of effort, exhausted and pained. Suddenly, she felt an arm across her back, pulling her up. Gadget stumbled as the mouse helped her to the skate. She managed to get in the seat, but slumped down, struggling to stay conscious.
"It's... it's all right," the mouse said hesitantly. Gadget looked up, surprised. The mouse looked away uncomfortably. "Just rest," he said, looking down. "I can take you home." Gadget was much too tired to protest, and she closed her eyes again. She felt her seat belt being buckled. Her helmet was carefully placed on her head. Gadget was too exhausted and weak to tell the mouse that, despite his gentleness, he was still pulling her hair. She heard the switch in the dashboard being flipped, and this time it started the fan. Gadget sneezed as the Ranger Skate left the protection of the alley and went out into the dark, wet streets, which were being made wetter by the unceasing rain. She felt herself shivering uncontrollably in her seat. Suddenly, the fan stopped and the Ranger Skate veered a bit to the left, off the center of the deserted, wet sidewalk. Gadget opened her eyes and saw the gray mouse put his black jacket on her.
"I'll--uh--want it back when--once you're home," he stammered awkwardly, and soon, the Ranger Skate was moving again.
A million questions ran through Gadget's head. Who was this mouse? Why did he rescue her? Who was the 'boss'? How come he knew how to drive the Ranger skate? But Gadget was too polite, too tired, and too dazed to ask anything.
She found herself very warm all of a sudden--not too warm, but more comfortable than a wet mouse with a thin jacket over her would expect to be. She felt the black fabric with her fingers. It wasn't even as thick as her overalls, but she was sure that the jacket was keeping her so warm.
"What's this jacket made of?" Gadget finally asked, tiredly, but in a friendly manner.
The mouse looked over, surprised. "Huh? Oh. I dunno." He turned his head back to the road (or the sidewalk, anyway), but seemed to be focusing on some distant point. "My father gave it to me..." He looked sad for a second, but quickly turned angry, hitting the gas pedal as a reflex.
In her usual concerned manner (though she still had a massive headache and it was a struggle to keep her eyes open), Gadget asked, "What's wrong?" The mouse didn't reply. "Anything you'd like to tell me?" The mouse stayed silent. "I'm sorry," Gadget finally said, not explaining why. A sudden wave of pain crashed over her again, and she laid back, cringing her eyes shut. When she opened them again, the Ranger Skate was stopped at the foot of her tree. Noting this, Gadget struggled to move her arms, making them hand the mouse his jacket. He took it back quickly and slipped it on.
"Thanks for everything," said Gadget, trying again to get up, and failing. "Thanks for saving my life."
The mouse very nearly smiled, but stopped himself.
Gadget continued, "I...uh...My name's Gadget. If you ever need anything, I guess you know where we Rescue Rangers live--"
"I know more than *that,* Miss Hackwrench," the mouse said, raising his eyebrows knowingly, with just a hint of a smile. And, without another word, he slipped off into the rain.
"Gadget!" cried Zipper, flying down to the Ranger Skate and hugging her. His eyes, even larger than their usual size, showed his concern. "Are you all right?" he squeaked.
"Yeah, I--Achoo!" The gust of wind from Gadget's incredible sneeze drove Zipper back several inches.
"Gesundheit," squeaked Zipper. He gave Gadget a nod and a signal which said, 'I'll be right back,' then raced back up the tree to fetch the other Rangers. In less than a minute, two concerned chipmunks and a mouse had surrounded Gadget, who felt almost smothered, but was glad for her friends' concern.
"Are you all right?"
"What happened?"
"That's an awful bruise y' have there, luv!"
Mercifully, Zipper buzzed something about Gadget not feeling so well, and needing some rest and quiet. The other Rangers took the hint beautifully, and helped Gadget up to the house like real gentlemen. Gadget was pleased to see that Chip and Dale didn't even fight over who would help her--both put their arms around her to support her. And when Gadget got too tired to walk up the stairs, they stepped aside to let Monterey Jack carry her. Gadget wondered if the chipmunks were finally maturing.
That notion was quickly put to rest as soon as Gadget was safely in a teacup chair and the idea of making her hot chocolate arose.
"I'll make you some cocoa," said Dale sweetly. "With yummy little marshmallows in it--"
"You?" interrupted Chip. "You were too absorbed in your stupid *monster movie* to notice how long Gadget was gone--"
"Me? If your reading light hadn't burnt out, you'd *still* be reading that stupid novel--"
"At least it's not a comic book--"
"What's wrong with comic books?"
"They'll rot your brain, you--"
Their argument degenerated into an indecipherable bunch of shrill words, and finally escalated into a brawl. Gadget sighed, covering her ears as her head throbbed. Finally, Monterey separated the two, holding each chipmunk by his collar. Pulling Dale's teeth off of Chip's jacket, he admonished them.
"Quit it, you two!" he said. "Y' should be *ashamed* o' yerselves! Grown chipmunks fightin' like that--"
Gadget sneezed again, loudly.
In his most commanding voice, Monty said, "Chip, you go get Gadget a blanket an' a hot water bottle. Dale, make some cocoa." Each happy to have a respective task, the chipmunks ran off.
Gadget sighed, sniffling from her sneeze. "Is it just me, or are they getting *worse*?" she asked.
"Nah," said Monty, "they were just tryin' t' show you how worried they were. Once the rain an' the lightnin' started, we all were." Monterey was interrupted by Chip, who draped a blanket over Gadget. Thoughtfully, he had brought a towel as well, and wrapped Gadget's dripping, singed hair up in it.
"Thanks," said Gadget, as Chip went off to get a hot water bottle.
Soon, Gadget was sipping from a thimble-cup of hot chocolate (miraculously, Dale hadn't destroyed the kitchen making it), and feeling a bit better. At the request of the other Rangers, she related her adventure at the junkyard. The chipmunks seemed almost as worried at the mention of the mouse that had rescued Gadget as they were of the dog that almost killed her.
"Why'd you trust him?" asked Dale. "He could've *electrocuted* you!"
"I didn't really have a choice, Dale," Gadget smiled. "Anyway, he saved my life, in the end."
"We should've gone with you!" said Chip, worried. "What if that mouse hadn't helped you?"
"I doubt two chipmunks could've really helped fend off Max," said Gadget, "unless you guys would've come up with the same idea. Besides, I'm fine now. That's what's important." Gadget sneezed again, and Monty felt her forehead.
"Crikey! Yer hotter than a flamin' fire engine in Phoenix, luv! I think y' need some rest right now." Gadget didn't protest as the Rangers led her off to her bedroom.
"Thanks for your help, guys," she said, grateful for their attention. Though she was feverish and tired, at least her head felt better.
The Rangers shrugged off her thanks and wished her sweet dreams as they left her.
Quickly, Gadget slipped into her nightgown and snuggled under the cool covers of her bed. The last thought she had before slipping off to sleep was that she hadn't told the other Rangers that the mouse had known her last name...