To Rescue a Ranger - Part I

                  Authors: Robert Brown and Francis Tolbert

Disclaimer: This story uses characters created and copyrighted by Disney
(except where noted, in which case they were created and
copyrighted by us or by another and we have permission to use
them). The authors hereby give permission for this story to be
downloaded and/or printed at 1 copy per user as long as (1) no
changes to the story are made without our express written(not
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this story. If either or both rules are violated, it will be
considered a violation of copyright law.

Author's Note: Well, here it is people. The one that started it all. Francis
and I have been asked more than once what exactly got us started with fanfic,
and this is your answer. This is the very first storyline we ever created
together, and we're finally setting it down on paper...sort of. Anyway, we
sincerely hope you enjoy, but take heed. What we've done here and beyond will
dwarf everything else we've ever done. Till next time then, Happy Reading!

Cast of Characters(in order of appearance)
Gadget
Chip
Foxglove
Dale
Fat Cat
Informant***
Mepps
Wart
Mole
Snout

#1

Gadget stood on one of the roots of Ranger Headquarters, breathing in
the warm, spring air. "Isn't this wonderful, Chip?" she asked, pushing her
way through a patch of grass as she climbed down. "There are so many plants
that only bloom in this month, and we're lucky to have them all here in the
park."

"Yeah, great," Chip muttered, not nearly as enthusiastic as Gadget.
He took off his backpack with a sigh and set it down on the ground. "I don't
know why I have to lug all this stuff around. I mean, couldn't Dale or Monty
have helped?"

"Now Chip, you know full well that Monty and Zipper are at the pier to
get the first taste of that cheese shipment from Switzerland, and Dale
couldn't come with us because he's waiting for some company. So it's just
you and me on this little nature hike."

Chip perked up immediately as his brain made sense of what Gadget was
saying. "So that means we're alone?" he asked, reaching forward to take
Gadget's hands in his own.

Gadget froze. Her heart felt like it was going a mile a minute and
her lungs felt like they couldn't ever get enough air. She knew what was
happening, knew what Chip was about to say. And deep down, in her heart of
hearts, she wanted to hear it. She'd wanted to ever since she met him. But
she knew it would hurt Dale, and she couldn't let that happen; couldn't come
between these two friends. She looked around for something, anything, that
would get her out of this.

Her eyes fell on a mushroom nearly as tall as she was. It was white
with a dark yellow cap and gave off a pleasant but not overpowering smell.
"Hey, look at that," she said quickly, pulling her hands away and walking
over to it.

Chip sighed under his breath but forced a smile. "What's so special
about this mushroom?" he asked, keeping his voice perfectly neutral.

"Nothing much, just that they're the absolute tastiest mushrooms in the
world."

Chip sniffed the mushroom cautiously. "Are you sure it's safe? Last
time you told me I could eat a plant it kept me in bed for a week."

"Oh Chip, how long are you going to remind me of that?" Gadget turned
toward him and looked at him out of the corner of her eyes. "Don't you trust
me anymore?"

Chip closed his eyes and leaned his head against the mushroom. "All
right, all right," he said, defeated. He never could say no to her when she
looked at him like that. He took a small bite and swallowed it quickly.

A few seconds passed with Gadget looking at him expectantly. Then
Chip's eyes snapped open. "Hey, you're right!" he said, taking another
bite of the mushroom. "This is great!"

Gadget chuckled quietly as she watched Chip dig in. "See Chip,
nothing to worry about. Now, if there were any brown spots on the side, then
it would...be...." Her voice trailed off as something caught her eye on the
other side of the mushroom. She ran around it and pushed away the grass near
the base. "Oh no," she whispered, reaching out with a trembling hand to
touch the brown spots that she swore had just not been there.

A strangled cry brought her back to reality. "Chip!" she yelled,
jumping to catch him before he fell. "Chip, speak to me please!" she
pleaded, her tears starting to fall. "This is all my fault."

She felt the analytical part of her mind take over, assessing the
situation. Chip had eaten about five mouthfuls of the mushroom, more than
enough to be lethal. If she remembered correctly, the mushroom's toxins
raised the body's temperature to unbearable levels, basically forcing it to
cook itself. Already she could feel Chip's unconscious body heating up as
the fever took hold. "I have to get him to headquarters," she mumbled,
standing up and grabbing him under the arms.

Working as an inventor, Gadget had often had to drag things more than
three times her weight back to her lab. But now, her fear and guilt combined
to rob her of all her strength. "Somebody help me!" she yelled at the top
of her lungs. "Can anyone hear me?"

She looked around frantically, but it seemed no one was around. She
looked up at the tree, trying to figure out how long it would take her to run
up it to get Dale's help and saw a flash of color against the blue sky. Not
caring who or what it was, she grabbed a piece of equipment from Chip's
backpack and reflected the sunlight at the figure.

At first, it didn't look like it worked, but then the figure changed
course, diving down to land right beside them. "Hey, what's the big idea
blinding me like that Gadget?" a familiar voice asked.

"Foxglove!" Gadget cried, hugging her friend tight. "You have no
idea how happy I am to see you!"

"Any happier and I'd have some cracked ribs," Foxglove gasped. "Could
you let me go now so I can breathe?"

"Oh, sorry," Gadget said, letting go and backing away. She took a
second to look at Foxglove. In contrast to the last time she had seen her
friend, Foxglove was now wearing a pair of blue jeans and a yellow halter top
that accentuated her figure while giving her wings the freedom to flap easily.
"Makes sense," she thought, then shook her head. "Foxglove, you have to help
me get Chip to headquarters. He ate some of that mushroom and--"

"No problem, Gadget," Foxglove said, walking over to Chip and lifting
him up so she could scissor her legs around his chest from behind. "I'll meet
you up there!" she called as she took off, carrying Chip up the tree.

By the time Gadget got up the tree, Foxglove had already settled Chip
down on the couch and was covering him with a blanket she had gotten from
somewhere. "He's burning up," she said, "but he's also shaking with chills."

Gadget nodded, running into her room and taking a book from one of
the shelves. "Get some water and a cloth to cool off his forehead," she
called, flipping pages back and forth. "Here, I got it!"

"Got what?" Foxglove asked, poking her head through the doorway.

"The cure. It says here that the only way to remove the poison from
his system is with this herb, but it only grows in the Rocky Mountains."

Foxglove glanced over at the book. The herb was a distinctive red-
orange color and had leaves in groups of fives. "But that's halfway across
the country!" she protested. "There's no way we can make it in time."

"I have to try," Gadget said, dropping the book, rushing outside, and
hopping into the Ranger Wing. "Keep Chip as cool as you can." She buckled
her seat belt and punched down the start button. But she punched down so
hard, she jammed it in. Sparks flew from the batteries in back and the Wing
started to vibrate. Then an explosion sounded, blowing the entire back of the
plane up, though leaving Gadget untouched.

"This cannot be happening!" Gadget screamed in frustration, pounding
her fist into the dashboard repeatedly.

"Calm down Gadget," Foxglove said soothingly, flying up to the wing
and grabbing hold of Gadget's hand. "Losing your temper isn't going to
help Chip any."

"Uh, what's wrong with Chip?"

Gadget and Foxglove turned around to see Dale scampering down from the
highest branches of the tree. "Hey there sweetie," Foxglove said, winking at
Dale flirtatiously.

If Gadget hadn't been so distracted, she would've seen the blush creep
into Dale's cheeks, momentarily turning them as red as his nose. He turned
around to see Chip laying on the couch, his face bathed in sweat. "Chip?"

"It's all my fault Dale," Gadget whispered brokenly. "If only I hadn't
told him that mushroom was OK to eat."

"All right, that's enough," Foxglove said, grabbing Gadget by her
shoulders and looking right in her face. "What would you rather do? Sit
there and feel sorry for yourself or figure out how to get that cure?"

"Oh, what's the use Foxglove? Without the Ranger Wing, there's no
way we can get to the Rocky Mountains--"

"Hey, is this the cure?" Dale asked, picking up the book Gadget had
dropped.

"Yeah, that's it," Gadget answered. "Not that it does us any good
now."

"Wait a second, I know I've seen it before." Dale clenched his eyes
shut tightly for a moment, thinking. "I got it! I saw on TV that there's
a science fair downtown. One of the projects is on rare herbs, and this one
was the star of it."

"The regional finals, of course!" Gadget muttered. "But how are we
going to get there? The Ranger Wing's busted."

"I could fly there," Foxglove suggested. "But I don't know what the
building looks like."

"I'd know it if I saw it again," Dale said. "Hey Foxy, think you're
up to flying me down there?"

"I'll give it a try, Sweetie," Foxglove said, spreading her wings.
"Can we get a diving start on this though?"

"No problem, Foxy," Dale said with a smile. "We'll be back as soon
as we can Gadget!" His smile wavered a little and a tear fell from his
eye. "Just keep Chip going, all right? I...I can't lose my best friend."

"I swear I'll do everything I can Dale," Gadget whispered as Dale
ran off the edge of the runway. It took a second for her to realize exactly
what he'd done. She peered over the edge in shock and surprise, only to see
Foxglove dive past her and catch Dale in mid-air, winging off toward the
downtown area. "Please hurry," she whispered, not even trying to stop the
tears from falling from her eyes.

Unseen to her, a shadow detached itself from a nearby branch, gliding
down the trunk of the tree and off into the distance.

Some minutes later, Fat Cat sat at his desk, staring hard at the animal
before him. "Are you quite sure?" he asked for the fifth time. "Many times
I have tried to crush those ridiculous rodents only to have them turn the
tables on me."

"I am absolutely positive, Fat Cat," the racoon said, a note of anger
creeping into his voice. "I have been providing information to the highest
bidder for years now, and not one of my employers has ever complained. I tell
you, the leader of the Rangers is unable to fight due to the poison even now
running through his system and only the female mouse is there to take care of
him. And this," he added, jabbing his finger on a map of the park sprawled
out on Fat Cat's desk, "is their exact location."

"If you're telling the truth, Informant, then I'll never have a better
chance to destroy them. Without their leader and their inventor, the rest of
the Rangers will fall apart like rotten wood."

Informant sighed under his breath. "Now then, if you're satisfied there
is the matter of my payment."

"Why of course, dear fellow," Fat Cat said smoothly, instantly putting
Informant on his guard. "Let it never be said that I don't pay my debts." He
snapped his fingers and Informant suddenly found himself grabbed by four pairs
of hands, one on each arm and leg. "Boys, show him how we pay our snitches."

"You'll never get away with this Fat Cat!" Informant screamed as he was
stuffed down the garbage chute.

"Why do they always say that?" Fat Cat wondered, smirking. "Let's go
boys, we've got Rangers to squash."

"Do you think it's going to work this time?" Mepps whispered to the
others as Fat Cat waited for the elevator.

"It had better," Wart whispered back. "It's embarassing how many times
they've beaten us."

"Uh, who's beating us?" Mole asked, completely confused.

"Just worry about beating those Rangers and you'll be fine," Snout said,
adjusting his hat.

Back at Ranger Headquarters, Gadget had pulled up a chair and sat next
to the couch where Chip lay. She dozed lightly, finding relief from her guilt
for a small time. But she was brought back to reality when she heard a loud
thud.

"Chip?" she asked, yawning slightly. Then she saw him sprwaled on the
floor. "He must've rolled off," she thought, kneeling next to him and
gathering him in her arms. She struggled up to her feet and placed him gently
on the couch. As she got him settled, he twitched in his fever-induced sleep,
knocking over the bowl she had been using to keep the cold rags in, sending
water everywhere.

"Great, just great," she muttered. She mopped up the water as best she
could and then headed into the kitchen to refill the bowl. When she turned on
the faucets, however, no water came out. "What now?" she exclaimed angrily,
twisting her head under the faucet to see if there was any obstruction. No
sooner was her face directly underneath it than the water came out full force.

Gadget pulled away from the water, gasping and spluttering. "Can this
day get any worse?" she nearly screamed, shutting off the faucet so hard she
nearly broke the knobs.

A pain-filled moan cut through her anger, and all of a sudden her guilt
returned full force. She let out a soft, scared sigh as she dried herself on
a nearby towel. "Dale, Foxglove," she whispered, "if you can hear me, hurry
back...please."

At that exact moment, Dale and Foxglove were flying through the downtown
area, still in search for this building. "Are we almost there, sweetie?"
Foxglove asked, her voice strained. "I don't think I can keep this up much
longer."

"I wish I knew Foxy," Dale answered, looking from side to side. "I wish
I knew. We're never gonna find this place!"

"Don't say that," Foxglove said tersely, forcing herself to speed up,
ignoring the pain in her wings. But it was no use, and her already exhausted
wings slowed down dramatically. "Hang on, Dale!" she yelled just before her
wings gave out on her and they plummeted toward the ground.

They didn't fall too far, however, as they landed on a banner that was
strecthed between two lampposts. They slid to the middle and just lay there
a moment, Foxglove to regain her strength and Dale to recover from the fright
of the near fall. "Just give me...a sec to catch...my breath," Foxglove
murmured.

Dale nodded, then crawled to the edge of the banner and looked around.
"Umm, Foxy," he said slowly, "we're here."

"We are?" Foxglove lifted her head wearily and looked around. The
buildings on either side of them looked just like all the other buildings
they'd seen on their flight through the downtown area. But her sensitive
hearing picked up on a voice inside the building to the left that she had been
too tired to hear before.

"Would all exhibits on tables fifteen through twenty-one prepare for
judging," the voice said, sounding slightly metallic. It didn't take long for
Foxglove to figure out the voice was coming through a loudspeaker.

"You're right, Dale," she said, stretching her wings carefully. "But
I can barely hear it myself, how'd you know?"

"Hear what, Foxy?" Dale asked, confused. "I just read the banner."

Foxglove poked her head over the edge and looked down. "SCIENCE FAIR
TODAY" was written in large block letters on the banner. "Talk about dumb
luck," she whispered with a chuckle.

Dale turned his head away, but not before Foxglove saw a sad look on
his face. "Hey," Foxglove said, turning Dale back to face her, "I wasn't
calling you dumb, sweetie. I just said that because of how we found this
place."

"I know you'd never do that, Foxy," Dale said slowly. "It's just that
Chip always...." Dale cut himself off and his eyes widened. "Chip! We gotta
find that herb! Think you can get us in?"

Foxglove looked around as she tested her wings. "I think I can glide
us down through one of the open windows, but no flying once we're inside."

"No problem," Dale said, a glimmer of his usual cockiness showing
through. "Hang on, Chip, we're coming!"

Foxglove grabbed Dale between her legs and fell off the banner,
spreading her wings to catch an air current. Fortunately, her wings held
and they made it through the window and to an empty table. "That's it,"
she said, leaning against the wall. "I can't fly anymore."

"You did great, Foxglove," Dale said, giving her a quick hug but
failing to notice the blush that stained her cheeks when he did. "Rest for a
bit while I try to find out where this plant is."

Dale looked around the building and stared in awe. "This place is
huge," he thought, his spirits faltering. "No way we can find it in time."
He turned back toward Foxy and stopped in surprise. Right above her head was
a listing of all the exhibits in the building. He scanned the list for the
one he wanted. "Hmm...tornado in a bottle, no. Ah! there it is, number
25! Looks like you were right about dumb luck."

"Let's just hope it holds," Foxglove said, pushing away from the wall
and wincing. "What table are we at?"

Dale looked over the table's edge and saw a sign taped to the corner.
"Table one," he said. "We'd better get moving."

"You go on ahead, Dale. I may be a fast flyer, but I'm not made for
speed on the ground."

Dale thought for a moment and then dropped to all fours. "Grab on," he
said with a smile. "Looks like I'm gonna be carrying you this time."

Foxglove raised one eyebrow uncertainly, but sat astride Dale's back and
grabbed onto his collar. "You sure you can handle my weight?"

"No problem, Foxy," Dale said. Without warning he started running down
one of the table legs and took off for the center of the room.

Meanwhile, Fat Cat was walking down a street with his gang, a smug look
on his face. "Those Rangers always ruin my plans because of their teamwork,"
he thought. "Let's see what happens when there's no more 'team' to work
with."

"Umm Mr. Fat Cat, can we take a break?" Mole asked for the third time
in five minutes.

Fat Cat clenched one of his hands in anger, but was able to keep calm.
"Mole, how many times must I say that the faster we get there, the faster you
can rest?"

"Sorry."

"Hey Boss," Snout began, rubbing his chin, "I don't know if this is a
good thing. I mean, going after a guy when he's down? Not exactly playing
fair."

"Of course we don't play fair!" Fat Cat exploded, forcing Snout to
backtrack a few steps. "I want to be rid of these rodents by any means
necessary!"

"OK, OK.... I just thought--"

"That's your problem, you thought. I do the thinking around here, you
just do what I tell you to." Fat Cat turned away and started walking when he
saw the entrance to the park. "We're here. Now be quiet and follow me." He
walked through the gate, not noticing a shadowy figure disappearing over the
top of the wall.

As Fat Cat and his cronies made their way toward Ranger Headquarters,
Dale and Foxglove hid under table 25, waiting for the right opportunity to
take the herb. But the kid, a young boy about ten years old with mousy brown
hair and freckles, was watching the exhibit like a hawk watches its prey.
"What are we going to do, Dale?" Foxglove asked, worried. "The judges are
almost here, and we can't take the chance of him just throwing it away because
he lost."

"I know, Foxy," Dale said, frustrated. "But what can we do? I'm not
the one who thinks of the plans." He grabbed his head and clenched his eyes
shut. "I can't do this!"

"Dale! Snap out of it!" Foxglove grabbed him by his shirt collar and
slapped him once across the face.

Dale shook his head a little and calmed down. "Thanks, I needed that.
Now then, how are we going to get that herb?" He stepped back from Foxglove
and looked around for something they could use. Then, an unusual sound caught
his attention. "What's that?"

Foxglove listened closely to what Dale had heard. "Sounds like a lot of
wind, but inside the building?" She looked in the direction the sound was
coming from and saw that the student on the next table over had created a
"tornado in a bottle" for her exhibit. But Foxglove also saw that the bottle
wasn't secure enough and would blow off any minute. She tried to tell Dale,
but he was already scampering up the table to get the herb. "Dale! No!"

Dale, seeing that the boy was distracted and slowly backing away from
his table, knew that it was now or never. He made a mad dash across the table
and headed for the herb. But as soon as he touched the herb, the bottle on
the next table shattered, freeing the tornado. Now, while it was small and of
nearly no threat to any human, it was more than enough to pull the nearby
exhibits and one chipmunk into its vortex.

"Dale!" Foxglove cried, watching him get flung around the tornado as
the humans all backed away a safe distance, just in case.

"Somebody stop this thing!" Dale yelled. "I wanna get off!" But
Foxglove could only watch helplessly, knowing if she tried to save Dale, she'd
end up in just as much danger.

In Ranger Headquarters, Gadget still sat next to Chip's prone form, a
bowl of ice now in her lap. In a desperate attempt to keep Chip's fever down,
she had resorted to placing ice directly on Chip's forehead. It was a
continuous process, however, for the ice started evaporating as soon as it
touched Chip's head.

Gadget sighed quietly, trying to tune out her guilt by focusing on what
she had to do. Take ice from the bowl, put it on Chip's head, wait a few
moments, repeat. So focused was she on the routine that she almost did not
notice when she had run out of ice.

Shaking her head, Gadget walked to the kitchen and dug more ice out of
the ice maker she had attached to the faucet. But she was using more ice
than the machine could make, and soon it would overheat. And then....Chip....

A sharp knocking at the door startled her, making her drop the bowl.
She stared at the door for a few moments before she realized she was supposed
to answer it. She hurried to the door, hoping it was Dale and Foxglove, but
knowing deep down they wouldn't have knocked.

When she opened the door, she saw a raccoon standing there, glancing
around impatiently. "Finally," he said, grabbing her arm and dragging her
outside.

"What's going on?" Gadget asked, trying to squirm from his grasp, but
the raccoon was too strong.

"Just be quiet and look," he said, pointing. Gadget looked where he had
indicated and let out a gasp. Fat Cat and his gang were heading straight for
the tree! "You don't have much time," the raccoon said, letting her go. "I
suggest you get yourself ready."

"But how...?" Gadget started to ask, but the raccoon had already left.
She watched Fat Cat approaching for a moment before her face contorted in
rage. "Oh no," she said, her voice uncharacteristically low and dangerous.
"You will not have him, Fat Cat. I swear to you, you will not take the one I
love!"

She stalked back inside to prepare her defenses, and the raccoon smiled
unseen. "I always pay my debts too," he said, disappearing among the foliage.

Part 2

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