Inspector Gadget: Reboot 2
Ch. 1: An Average Day
The sound of automatic gun fire and the squeal of tires on asphalt filled the street as an old Range Rover thundered hazardously down the streets of Detroit. The wail of sirens was also heard as police pursuit cruisers chased after the Rover. One of the thugs in the back of the Rover fired his gun at the tires of one of the cruisers and hit his target. The tire exploded and sent the car into a flip, hitting and wrecking some of the cruisers behind it. Two cruisers managed to avoid the pile up and continue the chase.
"Eat lead copper!" the trigger happy gunman said as he fired again.
The next bullets took out the second cop car. There was only one in pursuit now.
"Alpha Nine to dispatch, am pursuing robbers on DeLorean. All other pursuit cruisers have been rendered inoperable. Request immediate backup."
"Dispatch to Alpha Nine, Gamma One has received call and is en route. ETA: forty seconds."
"What? No, anyone but Gamma One!"
"Gamma One is the closest available unit. Other units are already responding."
"Then I'll wait for them! I do not want Gamma One for backup! Do you hear me?"
"Gamma One has already responded to the call."
"Then call him off!"
Just then the distinct sound of another police car's sirens were heard and a light grey Mustang GT swung around a corner into pursuit ahead of Alpha Nine.
"Boss, it's him!"
"Get back inside, we'll use the nitrous."
The Rover suddenly accelerated and left the Ford police cruiser in the dust while the Mustang was able to keep pace.
"It's not working, he's still gaining on us! What are we going to do Stomper?"
"Lose him, what else Needles?"
"But how? He can follow us anywhere!"
"Not quite, especially once he's pulled up alongside us."
"What's your plan?"
"You'll see as soon as we come to the next corner."
The Mustang was starting to pull up next to the Rover when it took a sudden sharp left turn. The Mustang couldn't make the turn in time and was left on the perpendicular street.
"You did it boss, you lost him!"
"Of course I did! Now let's split before the cops catch up with us again."
The Rover lurched forward and would have gotten away if a familiar Mustang GT hadn't suddenly cut in front of them. This caused the vehicle to swerve off the road and through a brick wall.
"I thought you said you lost him, Stomper."
"Shaddup and move Needles, we need to make it into that chocolate plant."
"The men are moving into the confectionery plant. What is your plan of pursuit this time inspector?" asked Gadgetmobile.
"Follow them in of course, fire a few shots, hope they scare easy, and drive them out of the factory into the waiting hands of Lt. Bettencourt's hopefully assembled and waiting men."
"It works fine in theory but suppose something goes wrong?"asked my new partner, Ashley Miller
"I'll think of it on the go."
"Inspector, Taylor doesn't want you rushing into situations without thinking anymore, remember?"
"Let it go Gadgetmobile, it's usually the only way to get results before something is blown up. Besides, I'll be careful this time."
"You say that every time."
"Well this time I mean it. Now if you'll excuse us, we have work to do," I said and got out of Gadgetmobile followed by Ashley.
By this point the crooks I was pursuing had gotten into the factory and had taken one of the workers hostage just as Lt. Bettencourt and his team rolled up.
"Attention! This is the police! Come out with your hands up!"
"Nothing doing coppers! And if you don't stay out we'll shoot this worker!"
"Alright," Bettencourt said to his men, "cover me, I'm going in."
He managed to sneak in through a door and saw Stomper and Needles on a catwalk.
"Hands up you mugs, police!"
"Not a chance!" exclaimed Stomper as he leveled his machine gun at Bettencourt and fired. Bettencourt dodged out of the way in time but the bullets penetrated one of the large mixing vats behind him which suddenly coated him with its contents.
"Well it looks like you'll be sticking around for awhile," Stomper and Needles laughed.
"Well the party's over, laughing boys," Ashley said as we aimed our weapons from the opposite catwalk.
"In your dreams!" Needles said as he and his partner fired their guns.
One of the bullets hit the support for the catwalk while the other hit me in the shoulder and caused me to fall backwards though the railing and rip another support. It wasn't always easy having that extra bulk. With two parallel supports gone, the catwalk suddenly buckled and Ashley had to grab onto one the rails to keep from falling to the ground below as I had. In fact, my impact with the ground created a small crater and unbalanced one of the mixing vats which began to tip in my direction.
"Gadget, look out!" exclaimed Ashley just before the vat landed on top of me.
"How about that?" snickered Stomper. "We get the cop and Inspector Gadget with two bullets!"
Bettencourt was still stuck in place and starting to look like a chocolate statue. His face showed shock as he looked at the mixing barrel that had crushed me. As the gloating from the felons died down the mixing vat began to move and gradually rose up in the air until it was thrown aside.
"Gadget, you're alright!" Ashley said, relieved.
TARGETING_
"Drop your weapons, you are under arrest!" I ordered the robbers as I aimed my CS-6.
"We already told you we're not surrendering!" Stomper growled and raised his gun.
I fired before he did, though, and the machine gun went flying out of his hands followed a second later by Needles's. The worker they had taken hostage suddenly got the nerve to shove the two men over the railing and into the flour bags below. The now flour covered pair suddenly found themselves being lifted up by two powerful mechanical arms and being brought face to face with me. I looked slightly creepy as there was a small cut in my skin an inch below my eye and it was exposing the metal skeleton beneath.
"W-we give up! Just d-don't hurt us!" begged Stomper.
I handcuffed them and proceeded to help Ashley down from the broken catwalk thanks to my extension arms and got the lieutenant out of the chocolate. By this point news teams had shown up and were beginning to bug us with questions and shove cameras in our faces. We made our way past them and delivered the now captured criminals to the waiting team.
"They're all yours now Lt. Bettencourt," I smiled. "I trust you won't be foolish enough as to not let them escape at some point."
"Shut it, Gadget. I had everything under control until you came in!"
"Sure you did, I'm sure you'd have gotten out of that chocolate case in time to stop them before they got away," Ashley mocked.
"Yes, I'm sure everything would have turned out just fine if we hadn't been here to actually catch the crooks," I agreed. "But they're rank amateurs and probably would have been caught by the police."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Bettencourt said.
"I meant they would have been picked up by the police that came to back your men up. Let's go Ashley, there's always a crime happening somewhere."
"Right behind you, inspector."
We departed leaving a still chocolate drenched and frustrated Austin Bettencourt to clean up the mess.
"In local news crime is up thirty-five percent in Detroit. However, police remain confident that they can stem this tide."
"Those reports are just exaggerated. The streets of Detroit are safer than ever thanks to Inspector Gadget."
"That may be so but until things cool down we suggest that you keep those doors and windows locked."
The TV turned off and the lighting came back up illuminating the meeting room of UniTech which was occupied by Calvin King and Dr. Aaron Reese.
"You see, Mr. King? Even Inspector Gadget can't be everywhere at once."
"True, Dr. Reese. Perhaps we should invent something to help the police function more efficiently."
"What about my Law Enforcement Droids?"
"I'm afraid that the carnage of Robo-Gadget is still too fresh in the people's minds for them to be comfortable with a drone taking up policing the streets."
"With all due respect sir, that was almost a year ago."
"Even so, I think that what we need is a new approach to this problem. A new approach could prove to be very profitable for UniTech. Since Xavier recently escaped something new for the police will definitely help them against whatever his next scheme will be. Begin work right away Doctor Reese."
"Yes sir."
"You'll require some maintenance before you go back on duty, inspector," Taylor was saying as she looked at the diagnostic readout while I was seated in my chair with a cable hooked up to the port on the back of my neck. "That mixing vat damaged a few circuits and they'll have to be replaced. I thought I told you to be more careful."
"Let it go doc, Gadget was only doing his job," Ashley defended me.
"And as long as we're on the subject of maintenance, do you know how many rest cycles you've missed?" asked Jay as he got some tools out.
"Hey, don't blame me. I have a job to do."
"Well we do to you know. And you'd make it easier if you'd stick to the maintenance schedule. You need to be in top condition for when Xavier makes his move. It kind of gives me the creeps knowing he's on the loose. So you'd better catch him the moment he comes out of his rat hole."
"Yes mom," I sighed and rolled my eyes.
Jay gave me a glare while Taylor and Ashley attempted to stifle their giggles.
"What do you mean there's insufficient power?"
"Sir, without additional power to boost the range, we won't be able to get full coverage."
"Then get some more power, Kenneth!"
"We can't. We're siphoning as much power from the city's power grid as we dare already. Anymore and they'll be able to trace us."
"Then what do you propose we do?"
"Well, I did manage to get into a secret UniTech file and its contents might please you," Kenneth said as he pulled up some information on a computer.
"You're right Kenneth. With that in my hands I'll be able to bring the world to its knees. Where is this device being constructed?"
"Here in Detroit, sir."
"Excellent, that'll make it all the more easier to steal."
"But what about Inspector Gadget? He bested you already and…"
"SILENCE! Do not mention that defeat to me! That cyber cop just got lucky that his NWA sustained him that long. Now program three drones to do the job tonight. I want that device as soon as possible. And do not fail me or it will be very unpleasant for you," he growled as he flexed his hand for emphasis, a hand that was made out of metal.
Finally, I got the first chapter of IGR 2 posted. Sorry if I made you wait too long. The creativity center of my brain hasn't been firing on all cylinders since I finished IGR. I'll update as soon I can but it may be about three weeks or less if my creativity center gets a jump start. One review= another chapter.