by Julie Bihn
Chapter 7: A Disguise
Gadget woke up with an awful headache. She was in a dark and (upon inspection) very small space. She heard lots of clicks, clacks, and jingles, along with the noise of animals talking, but couldn't remember where she had heard those noises before.
"All right, guys," she heard an authoritative voice say, "we think the one in the purple jumpsuit probably got away. It's no problem. But if you see her, bring her to me, okay?"
Gadget gasped, suddenly realizing she was in a casino, and the odds were ten-to-one it was Fat Cat's. And there were animals in there looking for her!
"If I get out, they'll catch me," noted Gadget quietly. "But the others are trapped! I have to save them!" Frustrated, she rested her paw against the wall of the slot machine. She drew it back when she realized it was slimy. Gadget rubbed her fingers together.
"Golly, that's grease!" she cried, surprised. Suddenly inspired, she rubbed her paw clean on her face, then rolled up her pantlegs above the knees. She ripped off every piece of her overalls that was above her waist, leaving her with a white t-shirt underneath. She took off the magenta piece of ribbon that served as her belt and tied her hair back in a makeshift bun, goggles and all. She tucked in the jagged fabric edges near her waist, so her outfit looked neat. Finally, Gadget smeared grease from the slot machine's interior all over every exposed area of her fur, changing its color from peach to brown. She inhaled deeply, hoping this would fool whoever was looking for her, and pushed on the panel of the slot machine, which was made up of the only wall with no machinery attached to it.
It didn't move.
Gadget pushed several more times, harder each time, but it wouldn't open. Gadget sighed, realizing the only way she'd get out was if someone opened the machine from the outside. Gadget suddenly turned towards the gears and things that made up the inside workings of the machine and played with them, being careful not to pinch her fingers. She was done in a few seconds. Soon, she heard a coin being dropped into the machine and felt the lever being pulled, though it didn't get very far before it stuck. Whoever was outside kicked the machine a few times and said a few unkind words, and then everything was quiet again. Five minutes later, the panel was pried off the back of the slot machine. Gadget was immediately greeted by a large, mean looking, surprised rat.
"What are you doing in there?" the rat asked.
"I--I don't know," Gadget said truthfully. "But thank you for letting me out!"
The rat scowled. "Just get outta there, all right?" he yelled. Gadget gladly exited the machine, but was quickly stopped by a dark gray cat with white paws.
"Hey, mousie, what's your name?" he asked.
"Keri," Gadget lied, trying not to sound nervous.
The cat glared at Gadget, then took out a photograph from his pocket. He looked at it, then looked at Gadget for a long time. Gadget held her breath all the while.
Socks finally nodded. "Okay, go spend some more dough, okay?"
"Thank you," Gadget said. She then snuck over to the elevator which led to Fat Cat's office and took it all the way up.
She was a little surprised to find the office deserted, with five empty jelly jars on the desk. She looked around, but the only clue she found was a playbill, which was sitting neatly on the desk. Gadget studied it; the location seemed familiar, as did the name Clarence Dudley, but she couldn't recall why.
Gadget heard a thumping in the room. She looked over and quickly deduced that the noise was coming from a closet. She went over, opened the door, and was surprised to discover Fat Cat inside, tied and gagged. He was trying to talk, and looked desperate, but Gadget couldn't understand him. Finally, she cautiously untied his gag, leaping away from his jaws the second she finished.
"Gadget!" Fat Cat cried. "You must untie me! Mittens is going to have me killed! She already took over my casino! Please!"
"Where'd she take the others?" Gadget asked, her tone commanding.
"I don't know! But--"
Gadget closed the closet door again; she knew she couldn't trust Fat Cat once he was free.
"No!" cried Fat Cat. "Please! I'm too handsome to die!"
Gadget ignored the cat's mad ravings as she turned the Ranger Plane right-side-up. The balloon was gone--the second one she had lost today--but the plane could still be flown. She pulled the foot suction cups off the jars they were still attached to, put the harpoon in the plane, and pondered the playbill. Finally, she just decided to go to the theater in question, and got into the Ranger Plane.
"Gadget, please!" Fat Cat pleaded. "I promise I'll never try to harm the Rescue Rangers again, if you just get me out!"
"I don't believe you," Gadget said. But before she left, she got on the desk again, and pressed the intercom's button. She shouted into the box, "Hey!"
After a second, the dark gray cat's voice answered, "Mittens?"
'That's right, Mittens took over!' Gadget remembered. 'The intercom must be of pretty poor quality if he thinks I'm her!' Aloud, and in her lowest, calmest, catlike voice, Gadget said, "Yes, Fat Cat's in the closet. Come let him go."
"What? Sis, I--"
"You heard me."
"A...all right..."
Gadget hopped back into the Ranger Plane, reeled in its feet, and managed to get it into the air and out the window, then flew off.