by Julie Bihn
Chapter 6: A Revelation
Shadow climbed up the tallest oak tree in the park to Rescue Ranger Headquarters, not bothering to use the stairs. He was nearly blind with fright, but was also fairly athletic, having had to fight to survive most of his life. When he got up to the smoothed-out branch which served as a landing strip for Gadget's planes, he saw the Ranger Plane was missing, gone from its spot in the doorway where he had crashed it just a few hours ago. The door had been taken off one hinge, but other than that his crash had done little damage.
Shadow hurried into Ranger Headquarters, hoping that somehow Gadget was still inside, but she wasn't in the main room.
"Gadget!" he shouted, then ran inside, madly opening every door he could find and looking in, not really expecting to find her. Finally, he shook his head and sunk into a teacup chair, letting himself realize that she was really gone. In fact, by now, Fat Cat had probably eaten her.
Shadow opened his eyes widely, realizing he was crying again. 'Why?' he wondered. 'It's not like she even knew me! And if she would've just listened to me, she'd be okay now!'
Suddenly Shadow's mind involuntarily jumped back in time. He was several years younger, and more outgoing. He had already made a set of friends and lost them once, but had dared to try it again. This time, his companion was a mouse two years younger than him, named Reynolds. He was a rather cute little mouse, with white-yellow fur and a black tail tip. He always wore old clothes several sizes too big, but he was so endearing and cheerful, he looked cute instead of pitiful. Reynolds and Shadow were thieves of sorts, but no more than any other mice were. They lived together in a hidden mousehole in an upper-class condo. They were both pretty well-off and content; Shadow protected Reynolds, and Reynolds reminded Shadow that life wasn't always meant to be taken seriously. To this day, Shadow couldn't really remember how they had met; he was pretty sure they had just struck up a conversation one day in the street, and had stuck together ever since.
Their life had been comfortable, almost charmed, until the day the tenants of their condo had adopted a cat to deal with their rodent infestation. Shadow and Reynolds gathered their things to find a new home, and had made it out the door, but Reynolds had realized he had somehow forgotten his prized possession, the picture he had of his mother. (At least, Reynolds was convinced it was his mother, though he didn't remember her, and Shadow couldn't bring himself to suggest that it could be of any female mouse.) Shadow had gone back in with Reynolds, but the cat noticed them, and caught Reynolds, the weaker of the two mice. Reynolds had cried out for help, but Shadow hid under the couch, and wouldn't risk coming out. He listened to Reynolds's screams as the cat played with him for what seemed like days, until, finally, the screams stopped. Shadow sprinted out of the condo, escaping the cat's notice, and took his and Reynolds's meager possessions. He pawned everything his friend had owned, trying to erase the memory of Reynolds's death and his own cowardice. It didn't work, and every time Shadow saw a picture of a mouse that resembled the picture of Reynolds's mother, he felt a complete self-loathing that didn't leave him for days. Now that Gadget was dead, he knew that any time he saw an orange-haired mouse, or anyone wearing lavender, he'd feel the same way.
After a couple minutes, Shadow got up, unsure of what he was going to do with himself. He couldn't--wouldn't--go back to living in the gutter, and suddenly knew that leaving the country wouldn't solve anything, either. He laughed bitterly to himself, the idea of taking over for the Rescue Rangers coming to mind.
"Right," he mumbled. "Murder them and take over their business..." He paused, suddenly feeling more depraved and evil than he ever had before.
"Well, if I already killed them, nothing else I could do would be any worse. If I'm just a thief, I might as well..."
Suddenly, Shadow rushed into the kitchen and rummaged through the drawers, looking for the Rangers' silverware. He finally found their utensils--mere trifles carved from wood, except for the knives, which did have metal blades--and shoved them in his pocket. Then he ran towards the bedrooms and wildly rushed into a room. He stopped cold in his tracks, finding himself in Chip and Dale's room.
There was a comic book laid on the floor, illuminated by the bright afternoon sunlight coming in from the window. The cover featured a tough-looking man, dressed all in black, helping a surprised yellow-orange haired lady in a purple evening gown out of a grave. To top that off, it featured the caption, "Rest in Peace?". Shadow wasn't superstitious, but that had to be the most obvious sign that had ever been seen in the entire history of rodent-kind. Either that, or the world's biggest coincidence.
If Gadget was still alive...and if he didn't do anything to help... Shadow shuddered. He would never let what happened to Reynolds happen again. *NEVER.* Shadow ran out of Chip and Dale's room and madly searched for vehicles, but remembered that the Ranger Wing was being repaired, and that he and Gadget had lost the only car in the garage. Finally, he just ran down the tree, out of the park, and onto the sidewalk near the street. He whipped out a strange bundle from his jacket; two items made from wires, a bit of wood, some yarn, and a few beads. He strapped one to each foot; they were makeshift inline skates. He then got out a rope with a safety pin attached to the end and threw it at the bumper of the first car he saw going towards Fat Cat's hideout. Shadow was quickly jerked off the sidewalk and onto the street. He almost lost his balance, but kept his footing, and was dragged down the street on his skates at 35 miles per hour. This didn't bother him; Shadow was almost used to the sick, giddy feeling he got from risking his life like this, and was so worried, he hardly even noticed. What did bother him was that he'd probably have to change cars a couple times before reaching his destination. Usually when he pulled this stunt, Shadow was just fleeing from someone; after a few blocks, he would be safe, and could find leave his rope and find his way back home. To actually try to get somewhere by hitching rides on moving vehicles like this was a bit suicidal, not to mention nearly impossible. Still, Shadow was determined to get to Fat Cat's hideout and rescue Gadget.
Fortunately, Shadow only had to change cars once to reach the Happy Tom Cat Food Cannery. The one change was very risky, and he was nearly run over, but Shadow made it. Once Shadow safely reached the sidewalk, he quickly took off his skates, shoved them in his pocket, and jumped in a cat-sized elevator tucked inside a vent to get up to the roof of the factory.
Right as he came out of the elevator, Shadow saw Gadget and Dale, in the Ranger Plane, heading towards the head of the huge cat figure. Dale held a harpoon gun, and Gadget looked determined as she piloted the craft.
"Gadget, it's a trap!" shouted Shadow as loudly as he dared, which was just a little above a whisper. Shadow was fairly sure he saw Gadget's ears perk back, as if she had heard him, but she continued flying. Shadow sighed, then ran after them.
"Please!" he said, a bit louder.
The Ranger Plane hovered near one of the eye-windows of the giant cat figure. Gadget glanced down at Shadow for less than a second, then nodded at Dale, who stood up and readied one of Gadget's suction-cup harpoon guns.
"Okay," Gadget whispered. "Make sure you get your aim right; we can only do this once. Okay...now!" Dale shot his harpoon gun a split-second before Gadget shot one of the Ranger Plane's suction-cup legs, then the other. Shadow faintly heard the cups strike something smooth, then saw the Ranger Plane pull backwards, with Dale bracing himself strongly, and straining to keep a hold on the harpoon. Shadow suddenly guessed what they were doing--trying to rescue the others by taking the jars which they were trapped inside. Suddenly, the Ranger Plane was jerked towards the window, along with the two rescuers inside it. The plane struggled, but was pulled through the window, losing its balloon on the way.
Shadow only watched angrily. He had told Gadget it was a trap! But...her friends were important to her. Important enough to make her go, knowingly, into a dangerous situation where she probably wouldn't succeed. And Shadow knew he had to do the same for her.
He quickly threw his rope with the safety pin attached at the same eye-window the plane had gone through, and climbed up. He then peeped through the window, his paws gripping the windowsill and his body still outside. He had no choice but to wait for a good chance to rescue Gadget.
Inside, Mittens picked up the Ranger Plane, which had been overturned during the rescue attempt. Dale was already back in his jar, having been tossed out of the plane when it came inside, but Gadget was still belted into the plane, and most of the plane's weight seemed to have fallen on her. At any rate, her eyes were closed.
Shadow gasped. What if--
"She's not dead, is she?" Fat Cat asked, walking into his office from his elevator.
Mittens looked a little surprised, but answered, "No, dear."
"Good," smiled Fat Cat. "Mice are like lobsters--they should stay alive until right before they are eaten."
Mittens smiled, then handed Fat Cat a can of caviar and some crackers. "Appetizer?"
"Thank you love," Fat Cat said, sitting at his desk and eating his snack daintily, without even offering Mittens any. "Put the mouse away, would you?"
Mittens went over to Fat Cat, stroking his head, and leaving the unconscious mouse on the floor. "Oh, she's not going anywhere; just relax and eat, my dear."
By now, Shadow had snuck into the office, and was now hiding behind a leg of the desk. He suddenly ran over and picked Gadget up by the arms, then dragged her into the elevator.
"Shadow!" Fat Cat yelled, and ran after the mice. Shadow quickly hit the down button on the elevator and held his breath. The doors closed just as Fat Cat reached them, causing the feline to hit his head on the door.
"Oh..." Fat Cat said dizzily.
"It's all right, love," Mittens said, rushing over to him and laying him down. "Just rest," she smiled, "and you'll be fine."
Fat Cat closed his eyes, and Mittens used his intercom to send a message downstairs.
Downstairs, Fat Cat's Casino had slot machines, roulette wheels, and card tables, all scaled to animal size. It wasn't the classiest of establishments, but Shadow still drew quite a bit of attention, dragging an unconscious mouse with him through the casino.
"What are you doing?" a rat asked him.
"She...uh...had too much cheese sauce," Shadow lied. He knew that soon, Fat Cat and Mittens would be after them, so he looked for a good hiding place. Finally, he ducked under a round, clothed table, taking Gadget with him.
"Gadget?" he whispered, figuring that they might be able to run for it if she would wake up. Though she was breathing, she was also unconscious, and didn't seem like she'd be waking up any time soon. Shadow sighed.
"Okay, everyone!" an unfamiliar, commanding voice shouted. "Everyone look around for a couple mice. One of 'em's a girl in a purple jumpsuit, and the other's wearin' a black jacket. Whoever finds 'em gets a hundred bucks worth of chips!" Shadow heard lots of movement, and knew it wouldn't be long before the animals searched under the table. Finally, he dragged Gadget out, trying to sneak as best he could, hiding behind slot machines whenever he got the chance. There were too many animals around, though; he soon realized they would never escape. Suddenly, Shadow noticed a fairly large slot machine, almost big enough for a human casino, or at least for a novelty in a living room, with its back panel hanging open, just a crack. He pulled the panel off all the way and saw that there was some space inside the machine, plenty of room to fit one mouse. He carefully lifted Gadget and set her inside, then snapped the panel shut, knowing Gadget was smart enough to figure out a way to escape, and maybe even a way to rescue her friends, as well.
"There's one of 'em!" a rat suddenly shouted. Shadow sprinted away, but, within seconds, was caught by the collar by a yellow cat's claws. Shadow struggled, even trying to slip out of his jacket, but couldn't escape.
"Take him up to the office," a dark gray cat wearing a blue shirt, and with white spots on his paws, said. Shadow recognized his voice from before; that was the cat who had started the search. The gray cat continued searching, while the yellow cat went up the elevator giddily, holding Shadow tightly in both his paws.
Shadow saw that there was something different about Fat Cat's office. In a moment, he figured out what it was--Fat Cat was hogtied and asleep on the floor near the elevator. Mittens was sitting at the desk, but got up to greet the cat when he entered.
"You have one of them!" she said, taking Shadow from him.
"Yeah." The yellow cat looked very uncomfortable. After a moment, he pointed at Fat Cat. "Uh...is...is that..."
Mittens went back to the desk, opened a drawer, and counted out quite a few chips. She handed them to the yellow cat.
"For $200, it's not," she smiled.
The other cat was still a bit confused, but nodded, and turned to leave.
"Oh, make sure they catch the other mouse, too, please? Thank you."
The yellow cat left, and Mittens put Shadow in another jelly jar on the desk. Suddenly, Fat Cat groaned and started to stir. Mittens sighed, then walked over to him, with a false smile on her face.
"...I feel very poorly," Fat Cat mumbled.
"Oh, dear, it must have been that awful caviar I gave you. Such low quality..." She dropped the grin and looked angry. "It was supposed to kill you."
Fat Cat gasped, suddenly alert. "What? Mittens, my love--"
Mittens pushed Fat Cat (or, technically, rolled him) into a closet. "Love, you're a fool. This casino has made you quite rich enough. The way you let the animals trade fish, cheese, gold, whatever they have, for chips which are bound to earn them seven for each ten spent--pure genius! But you've no need for a life of crime as well. I pretended to like you to get a stake in this casino, but, well, you've been so domineering! I can tell you would never make me a partner, so I must take over instead. I couldn't bear to see another feline's blood, Fat Cat, but I'm sure I'll find a hit man to get rid of you." She tied a gag around Fat Cat's mouth, then closed the closet. "Goodbye."
The dark gray cat Shadow saw before entered the office. "Mittens!"
The black cat looked over. "Hmm?"
The other cat shook his head. "I'm sorry, but we've searched everywhere, and haven't found Gadget. She must have escaped."
"Very well," frowned Mittens. "I have an appointment. I'll just have to take the ones I have. I'm sure she'll find her way to the meeting place. Thank you, Socks."
The other cat nodded. "Aren't you glad I introduced you to the boss, sis?"
Mittens smiled, and walked over to her desk, taking out a shiny object and handing it to Socks. "I think you should be the glad one."
Socks looked at the gold badge, then proudly clipped it to his shirt. "Really?" he asked, awed.
"Head security guard of Mittens's Casino. I promised, didn't I?"
"Aw, Mittens, you're the best!"
"Just keep the peace down there, okay? And if you see Gadget, bring her to me. Otherwise, I'll be back soon."
Socks nodded, then went back down the elevator. Mittens transferred the mice, chipmunks, and fly into her purse (which was the size of a human's purse), then left the office as well.