All Smiles in the Darkness
By: RedSwift
Chapter 9
The next day, the team went to the station together to search for clues after breakfast. Finding nothing, they patrolled over the city with Foxy flying on her own, listening for trouble. Just as they were about to give up and go home, Foxy raced over next to the Ranger Plane, “Guys, I heard some trouble a few blocks over, sounds like fighting.”
“Let, go check it out,” Chip exclaimed.
“Rescue Rangers Away!”
As the Rangers approached where Foxglove was leading them, they saw two groups of rodents snarling at each other. The one gang was dressed as red ninjas, and the Rangers knew this was Bubbles’s gang. They didn’t recognize anyone in the other gang, but they all looked like hardened henchmen.
Just as the wing touched down, the floodgates opened and the battle began. The Rangers just looked at each other, looking to each other for what to do about this situation.
Chip took action, “Let’s walk over and offer a peaceful solution, but bring the plunger launchers, we may need them.”
As they approached the brawl, Chip raised his hands and yelled above the din, “OK everyone, let’s try and solve this peacefully.” With that, everyone froze where they were, some still holding the others’ neck, or about to knock the lights out of their opponent.
The two groups just looked at each other, nodded silently, and started approaching the Rangers. Chip backed off, holding his hands out in front of him, “Hey, we’re not the fighting sort; we just want to solve this peacefully and go.”
“Well, we’re not the fighting sort,” a voice rang from the crowd.
“Yeah, and you Rangers always get into everyone else’s business,” another voice said.
“This should teach you to keep your noses where they belong,” and with that the two groups charged the Rangers. Chip, being quite a few steps above his teammates, dodged the first few attackers, placing some quick blows here and there as they ran by.
Plungers began being launched into the fray, and Monty’s bellow was heard over the battle. It was now a three way fight, the uneasy alliance between the two groups shattered when they began competing to see who could take out the first Ranger.
As the battle progressed, Chip saw Monty and Dale fighting back to back, taking out ninjas and gang members. He began making his way over towards them.
“This plan went well mate,” Monty yelled to him.
“You think I planned this?” he yelled back.
“Ya knew ‘ol Monterey was itching for a fight,” he joked.
“Let’s just make our way towards the girls and the Plane, let these guys sort their own differences.”
“Couldn’t agree with you more pally.”
The three of them slowly made their way towards where Gadget was firing plungers and Foxy was picking up what she could and dropping it on unsuspecting ninjas or gang members. Eventually, the trio got within shouting distance of Gadget.
“Gadget, go get the Plane started,” Chip yelled to her.
“Alright Chip,” and with that she ran off towards the Plane.
Chip, Dale, and Monty slipped away from the fight and made their way back to the Plane without being seen. Quickly they left and as they flew away, they saw the Animal Police Department moving in on the fight.
“Well, the APD should have it under control,” Chip said, breathing a sigh of relief.
The Plane landed back at headquarters and the boys went inside to bandage their cuts and scrapes. Foxglove went to catch herself a snack, and once Gadget had the Plane put away, began walking towards the kitchen when the phone rang.
“Rescue Rangers, no case too big or small!” she answered. After a pause, “Oh, just let me get him for you Darice.”
She put down the phone and went to the entrance of the hallway, “Dale, phone call for you!” she shouted.
“OK, just a sec,” she heard him respond.
She went and picked up the phone, told Darice Dale was on his way, and went towards the kitchen again.
Dale came down and picked up the phone. “Hello?”
“Oh, hi Darice…not much…well, I don’t know what else we’re doing today, Chip just said somethin’ bout going back out to find out more about this fight we just left…no, I wasn’t hurt, thanks for your thoughtfulness though…well, I’ll check with Chip, and I’ll call you back, OK?…OK, I’ll talk to you in a few,” and with that he hung up.
As he finished, Chip walked into the room, “Who was that Dale?”
“Oh, just Darice, she wanted to know if she and the band could come over and listen to some music, maybe work on some songs.”
“Well, I’ve wanted to meet your friends, so yeah, they can come over. I’m heading out for a minute though, I’m going to the station to see what was found from the thugs the APD caught today.”
“OK, I’ll give Darice a call back then,” and he picked up the phone and told her and the band to head on over.
Chip left, and Dale went into the kitchen for a snack, and found Gadget there, staring at nothing in particular, eating a cookie.
“Penny for your thoughts?” he joked.
This brought her out of her reverie, “Oh, hi Dale, just sitting here thinking.”
“About what?” he asked innocently.
“About what to do with Chip. I’ve already talked about it with Monty briefly, but I still don’t know what to do.”
Seeing she was in anguish over this, Dale decided to step delicately, “Well, what ideas did you have about Chip, do you really have feelings for him?”
“Well, sometimes I think I do, but I’m not really sure. When I see him, I see a brave, handsome, smart ‘munk. But then I think of how he can be overbearing, aggressive, and having a short temper doesn’t help much. Just look at how he treats you sometimes.”
“I never let that hurt me, I’ve been friends with Chip longer than I’ve known just about anybody. I know his moods, and that he doesn’t really mean it most of the time. When he does mean it, I try to fix what I had goofed up on so I don’t do it again.”
“Fine, that’s all well and good, but what about seeing someone you work with everyday? That could put strain on us somewhere down the road. Not to mention just how dangerous our work really is.”
“Well, Foxy and I seem to have done well with it.”
“Well, Chip’s responsibility to the team is immense, and I have my own work to do. Nothing personal, but you and Foxy make your own personal time all the time.”
“None taken, I know me and Foxy don’t have as much overall responsibility like you or Chip. We can slack off and not really worry about it. It’ll probably be hard for you and Chip at first, but love is something you can’t be without either. Like they say, if it’s meant to be, it’ll last. If not, then better to have loved and lost than to have never lost at all.”
“Golly Dale, I would’ve never seen this side of you.”
“I can be surprising,” and with that he left her to ponder what he’d said.
He sat down and just as he turned on the TV, there was a knock at the door. Grumbling, he got up and answered it. Upon seeing Darice and the rest of the band there with some equipment, his grumbling turned into happy hellos. He showed them all inside, and they all looked around the tree appreciatively.
Rex began looking over some of Gadget’s inventions laying about, and the system she had rigged up for their TV. Gadget herself heard the commotion and came out from the kitchen.
Upon seeing Dale’s friends, her cheery nature took over and she went around introducing herself. After all introductions were made, Gadget looked at the equipment they brought with them.
“Golly, those are some nice things, whose are they?”
“Well, they’re all of ours, but Rex builds and maintains them,” Darice answered.
Gadget started talking to Rex in techno-babble no one else understood. Støy set up a large plastic box, and took out a plastic stick and stuck it in the box. He played with some controls, and loud music erupted from the box. Everyone clamped down their ears until he turned it down.
“Sorry, forgot to turn it down again,” he apologized.
“You listen to it that loud?” Gadget asked incredulously.
“You bet, drives my neighbors crazy.”
Gadget just shakes her head at this.
Suddenly, Monty barges into the room, “What on this bloomin’ earth was that noise?”
“Sorry, that was my music, had it turned up,” Støy apologized again.
“Oh, OK mate,” he said, muttering to himself, though everyone heard him, “That’s not music, its just noise and screaming.”
He turned back around and as he left he got back out the earmuffs from the other day.
Rex set up a keyboard and the band and Gadget sat around, listening to music, talking about ideas for future songs. If they got an idea, Rex would play their idea over the keyboard to see how it would sound.
Just then, the front door slammed in, and Chip rushed in, “Everyone, get yourselves ready, we have a big problem on our hands!!”
Disclaimer: The Rangers, Foxglove, and Bubbles are Copyright Disney. Used without permission but with the utmost respect. Darice, Rex, Adrian, and Støy are figments of my imagination trying to get out. You may post this story in any way, so long as you don’t modify my words or gain profit from it. (Boy, isn’t all this legal mumbo jumbo fun?)