Revenge Squad

by SolidusRaccoon

Ahh "Revenge Squad" by pinnacle of achievement so far. This baby was the first story that I started on. It took me a long time to complete including a whole month's worth of writer's block. I am a huge comic book fan, though I tend to stay towards DC. Well I wanted to do a story with a comic book feel to it. This story was inspired by two comic book titles. The JLA and Superman com

A Chip and Dale's Rescue Ranger story

Prologue

From looking at it Mount Curtiss, it looked like a normal mountain, which it was. But it was what was buried beneath the mountain that was sinister. A large headquarters of evil had been established there. In the headquarters was a large room with high-tech computer equipment on all of the walls. In the center of the room was a rectangular table with five seats two on each side and one at the head of the table. Overhead a large cobweb of wires and cables ran into a central box that was directly over the table. Out of this box five VR helmets hung one over each chair. On the table was a design that filled the center of the table. It was a skull with the Rescue Ranger emblem in the center.

There was a smaller adjoining room that housed all types of scientific and medical equipment. Against the wall were five glass tubes that ran from the floor to the ceiling. Each tube had a computer screen displaying information. Each terminal displayed information about each Rescue Ranger. Inside of each tube suspended in a bluish fluid was an egg shaped piece of metal.

A door at the far end of the small room opened and a figure dressed entirely in black except for a patch on the shoulder, which bared he same skull insignia as the table. The figure walked over to the main computer terminal checked to make sure everything was in order. The figure being satisfied by the information walked over to the tubes and smiled uttering one word aloud. "Revenge!" With that the figure returned and went into the main room.

Chapter One

It was just a little after noon when the Rangerwing had touched down back at the Rescue Rangers Headquarters. Dale was the first one out racing toward the door. Chip turned to Gadget. "I told him not to drink the entire can of Coo-Coo Kola." The rest of the Rangers disembarked from the Rangerwing.

"Well he was thirsty Chip," replied Gadget. Chip was about to say reply when something caught is eye.

"What's this?" he asked picking up it was a small envelope addressed to him.

"Only one way to find out," Monterey Jack said. Chip opened it and pulled out a piece of paper. He opened and read the letter. A look of surprise crossed his face then it was replaced by a smile.

"Who is it from?" asked Gadget.

"An old friend, Erick Rosewood," answered Chip. "He wants me to meet him tonight at the restaurant at the top of Penn Tower."

"Are you going to go?" asked Monterey.

"Of course. He's my friend! Besides, he says it's important."

Right then Dale returned. "Why are you all standing outside?"

"Oh nothing important," replied Chip, "just looking at a letter."

"From who?" inquired Dale.

"Erick Rosewood, a friend from before I met you," answered Chip.

"Well let's get inside and continue this conversation," Gadget spoke up. "I've got some stuff that needs taken care of," with that they all went into the treehouse.

Later that night Chip arrived at Penn Tower in the Rangerwing. He landed and jumped out and started to walk to the restaurant entrance. As he was walking he heard a voice cry out

"Aneek-Chuck!" he saw a chipmunk running strait for him poised to attack! Chip quickly swung around, grabbed his attacker's arm, and flung him to the ground. The chipmunk laid there dazed for a few moments then broke out laughing. "I still can't manage to take you down Chip."

"Well when you give yourself away like that I can get ready for you," said Chip. Chip reached down and helped the chipmunk up. He quickly gave Chip a big bear hug.

"It's been to long Chip," he said.

"It's good to see you to Erick, but could you put me down now?" Chip asked. Erick let go of Chip and motioned him to follow him to the restaurant.

"Come on, we have something important to talk about." They got a table and ordered some drinks. Erick gave Chip a grim look. "It's Kyle."

Chip gasped. "Not Kyle Laurel."

"I'm afraid so Chip."

"Kyle just recently broke out of Stryker's island prison," Erick said to the chipmunk detective. "Chip, Kyle has changed."

"How?" Chip asked.

"Two years ago he joined Intergang, a large organized crime group. While he was there they experimented on him with some enzymes that were supposed to increase the brain's capabilities."

"Really?" this really got Chip's attention. "What happened?"

"The enzyme made him an ultra-genius. But something in him snapped and he went totally insane. We were able to capture him and lock him up but he was able to escape."

"We?" Chip raised an eyebrow.

Just then the drinks arrived and Kyle paused until she left. He looked around to make sure nobody was listening and spoke in a much lower voice. "I work for a government agency that watches all animal activities. Technically, we don't exist, but we monitor everything."

"Even the Rescue Rangers?" Chip asked as a frown crossed his face.

"Yes, we have monitored your activity for some time now. We know everything about you," Kyle paused to sip at his drink. "And your enemies."

"Why do you monitor us?" Chip asked.

"You see Chip. The Agency is a little paranoid, it sees your group as a possible threat, so they monitor your activity. They also develop countermeasures if the Rescue Rangers were to go rogue. Personally I trust you completely. But since the Rescue Rangers are a pretty powerful group when they work as a team, it does not matter that you fight crime. The Agency still sees you as a threat," Kyle spread his arms into a little shrug.

"If the Agency is as paranoid as you say they are why are you telling me this?" Chip asked.

"Loyalty Chip. You are my friend I knew I had to warn you about Kyle. He is pretty obsessed with getting revenge with you. When I found out this information I new I had to warn you no matter what," having said that he got up, paid for the drinks, and motioned for Chip to follow him outside. He walked over to where a small helicopter was parked. He got in to the cockpit and turned to Chip who was standing next to the helicopter. "One more thing Chip. You can't tell the other Rangers about this conversation, this is classified information. Well it was good seeing you again buddy. Just remember to watch your back."

"I will. You just watch yours too," he had to raise his voice to be heard above the noise of the starting rotor blades. "From what you told me this Agency sounds pretty dangerous!" Chip snapped off a quick saluting wave, jumped back, and watched as his friend took off and flew eastward. He then hopped into the Rangerwing and headed for home.

Chapter 2

A mouse in a white lab coat was busily working at a computer terminal. His name was Dr. Teng, one of the foremost researchers in the field of genetics. His partner, Dr. Westfield, was one of the brightest minds in the field of cybernetics. Dr. Westfield entered the room with a silver briefcase. On the side was the bio-hazardous emblem. He walked over to where was working.

"Here are the cell samples you wanted."

"Thank you Dr. Westfield," said Dr. Teng, taking the briefcase. He opened it up and inside removed five glass vials. Each one contained a cell sample from one of the Rescue Rangers. He walked over to the glass tubes with the egg shaped metal inside. He double-checked each of the terminals that displayed the information on each Ranger. Then he inserted each cell sample into the appropriate terminal. "This bio-metal of yours is amazing Dr. Westfield, it mimics living tissue," he was referring to the egg shaped metal in each tube. "Inform the boss we are ready to proceed with the genetitronic cloning."

Dr. Westfield went into the larger room and returned a few minutes later. "He is on his way."

A minute later the boss walked in. It was Fat Cat, also wearing a black suit with the skull insignia on the shoulder. "Doctors, you may begin."

Dr. Teng typed a command into the computer. The command was to start the bonding of each cell sample to the bio-metal. The bio-metal would read the genetic code and carry out the instructions. Creating clones of the Rescue Rangers, but they would not be biological. They would be made of the bio-metal. Thus they would be stronger, faster, and more resistant to physical damage. The pieces of bio-metal slowly began to change shape.

"The entire process will take about a week," said to Fat Cat.

"Good, inform me when they are complete," with that, Fat Cat left.

Chapter 3

On the way back to RRHQ Chip could not stop thinking of his past. He remembered times that he spent with his friends. Even after all these years he still could not believe that Kyle had gone bad. Kyle and Chip also had been friends when he was younger. In High School they had been very close. But one-day supplies were being stolen from the schools supply rooms. Chip was determined to track down whoever it was. He had managed to find out when and where the thefts were happening. He predicted when and where the next theft would be. He had alerted the school principal and they waited for the thief. The thief turned out to be Kyle. After that Kyle's life spun out of control, which lead him to a life of crime. Kyle had always blamed Chip for what had happened. He had sworn he would get revenge on him no matter how long it took him.

And now, to top it all off, he's escaped from prison. Even more dangerous than he was before. Chip returned to RRHQ shortly after midnight. He was just about to go inside when he noticed something on the door. It was a picture of him from High School. It was held to the door with a knife. Chip knew who left the picture there. Kyle. He shook his head. "It starts." Chip muttered and looked around cautiously. The detective chipmunk removed the picture, and made sure that there was nothing on the back. He then placed the photo in his pocket, along with the knife. Chip went into RRHQ and quickly went to bed.

The next day the other Rangers asked Chip about his night. He wanted to tell them about Kyle but he knew he couldn't. He just told them that they had talked about old times. Later in the afternoon they went to Police Headquarters to see if they could find any cases. They were just about to leave when they overheard a conversation between Muldoon and Kirby.

"Did you here about S.T.A.R. (Special Technologies And Research) labs?" Muldoon asked. "Last night they discovered that a whole bunch of developmental genetics technology was stolen. Also, they found that a supply of some top-secret metal was also stolen. They're not sure when it disappeared."

"Whoa! Who can steal from S.T.A.R.? Aren't they supposed to have the best security force around?" said Kirby. The rest of the conversation trailed off.

"Golly! S.T.A.R. labs!" Gadget said sounding shocked and amazed.

"What's the big deal with S.T.A.R. labs?" Dale asked.

"Dale. S.T.A.R. labs is a high-profile government-run research center. I've heard rumors of some of the things that have come out of that place. It's not really contributing to the good of the world. Anything that comes out of there is dangerous."

"Well it sounds like it needs checked out," said Chip. The Rescue Rangers boarded the Rangerwing and headed towards S.T.A.R. labs.

S.T.A.R. Labs was located about a mile out of the city. It was a medium sized building consisting of less then five floors. A large fence surrounded the building. There was only one entrance through the fence, and it was being guarded. The Rangerwing flew over the fence and landed on the roof. No sooner had they landed five rodent security guards came out of nowhere and surrounded the Rangerwing. Each one was carrying a type of weapon that none of the Rangers could identify.

"State your business!" one of the guards demanded.

"We are here to investigate the robbery," Chip spoke up in a firm voice.

"We do not require outside help. You will vacate the premises or we will…"

"Hold it right there Mr. Henshaw!" the guard turned to see who has spoken to him. The speaker was a female mouse wearing a white lab coat. She looked to be a little older than Gadget. Her fur was a golden brown color. Her auburn hair was cut short. "Just because you are the head of security does not mean you have the right to threaten others," Henshaw started to reply but the mouse continued. "Now either return to you post or you will be working janitorial duty tonight."

Henshaw gave a low growl to let it be known he didn't like it, then motioned for the other guards to follow him and left.

The mouse stepped forward and introduced herself. "I am Dr. Tina McGee and you must be the Rescue Rangers.

"How did you know who we were?" Gadget asked.

"We track everything and anything within a mile of the perimeter."

"Why are you helping us?" Dale asked.

"I have been ordered to give you information about the robbery"

"From who?" Monterey asked.

"I cannot tell you, I have only been instructed to give you this," she handed Gadget a stack of papers. "Now you can leave," Dr. McGee stated firmly. She went back into the building.

"Well that was a short conversation, but we better get going before Henshaw gets an itchy trigger finger," said Monty. Gadget agreed and took off.

When they returned to rescue Ranger HQ, The Rangers looked over the papers they received from S.T.A.R. Labs. The papers had detailed information on what was stolen and it's purposes.

"According to this the bio-metal can imitate real flesh," Gadget summed up after looking over the papers. "It also has more resistance to physical wear and tear than natural flesh. And the other equipment that was stolen is the latest in genetitronic replication."

"What could this equipment be used for?" Asked Chip.

"Basically cloning super strong and invincible beings."

"Why would they just give us this information?" Monterey asked and scratched his head. "This sound as if it is very top secret and they just hand it to us."

Zipper just shook his head in and shrugged before taking up his usual residence on Monterey's shoulder.

Chip thought he knew the answer, but knew he couldn't tell the other Rangers his suspicions. Erick must have been the one that was behind them getting the information. That meant that Kyle must be connected to the robbery. Chip shuddered at the thought of that type of technology in Kyle's hands. Kyle was so unbalanced now that he was liable to declare war on the entire world. A hand shaking his shoulder broke his concentration.

"Earth to Chip! Hey Chip, you with us?" It was Dale.

"Huh? Oh sorry, I just got lost in thought," he admitted.

"What are you thinking about?" Monterey asked.

"You have any idea what all this has to do with us? I was thinking how dangerous this could be in the wrong hands. *truth* How it could be used for disastrous purposes. *truth* But I don't know what this has do with any of us," *lie* he hated lying to his friends. But Erick had taken a big risk informing him and he knew he couldn't betray his trust. So he picked up one of the papers and examined it.

"Hmmm, maybe we can talk to this Dr. Teng, he is an expert in genetics. And it says here that he was the head of the project.

"Sorry Chip, but I think that is impossible," Gadget said.

"Why do you say that?" Chip asked.

"He's dead Chip," Gadget replied. "He was killed last year in a lab accident. Some type of explosion, it destroyed the entire area he was working in."

"And you know this how?"

"It's all here in this paper," she said, handing him a sheet of paper.

"Oh! Well I guess we can't pursue that lead," Chip said after looking over the paper.

"Well now what do we do?" Dale asked.

"Well Dale, there's not much we can do!" Gadget answered with a sigh.

"We just have to wait for whoever took this equipment to make their first move." Chip said.

Chapter 4

In the secret headquarters beneath Mt. Curtiss, a meeting was taking place. Fat Cat was sitting at the head of the table and wearing a black jumpsuit. Around his wrists were red cuffs and on his right shoulder he wore a skull emblem. One by one the other members of the Rescue Ranger Revenge Squad filed into the room.

First came Desa'rae Delure, wearing a black jumpsuit with silver bands around the cuffs. On her left shoulder was the skull emblem. She sat down in the first chair to Fat Cats right.

Next to enter was Bubbles he also wore a black jumpsuit. He also had silver bands around the cuffs. He also had the same exact skull emblem on his shoulder. He sat on Fat Cats left.

Then Rat Capone walked in. He wore the exact same style of jumpsuit as the others. He sat next to Bubbles.

Finally the final member of the group entered the room. He was a mouse with unruly blond hair. His fur was a very dark shade of brown. He was also wearing the same type of jumpsuit, but around his cuffs were metallic blue bands. He had a scar running down the right side of his face. He sat in the chair next to Desa'rae. Once all the members were seated Fat Cat stood up.

"Greetings my fellow evil doers. You have all been called here for the same reason. The ultimate eradication of the Rescue Rangers!" Cheers went up from the table. "I believe we all know each other."

Desa'rae spoke in a growling voice to Fat Cat. "Who is this clod?" she was referring to the mouse who sat next to her.

"Ah, this is Kyle Laurel," said Fat Cat, gesturing toward Kyle. "Kyle is the one responsible for the successful break-in at S.T.A.R. labs."

Kyle leaned over to Desa'rae and spoke in a very threatening voice. "You had better watch your tongue. The last person that spoke to me like that had an unfortunate accident."

"That's enough you two, save you hostility for the Rescue Rangers," snapped Fat Cat. The two reluctantly settled back down. "Now that's better, we are ready to implement phase two of our plan. The genetronic cloning is already initiated. Now we have to get the Rescue Rangers out of the area."

Bubbles spoke up. "That part of the plan is ready to go Fat Cat. All I have to do is give the signal."

"It's nice to know that someone is showing a little initiative… Just don't show too much. And that's Mr. Fat Cat to you… Don't forget it!" his voice returned to a business-like tone. "Now since that part of the plan is taken care of, we can move on to the next discussion for today. Above you are VR helmets, through these you will be able to control our Rescue Rangers. It will be as if you were actually there. You have totally control over the bodies, all you have to do is think and it will be done. I have assigned each of you a Rescue Ranger to control. Since I am the supreme overlord of this group, I will control the Chip clone. Desa'rae, it would only make sense that you control the Gadget clone, since you are the only female in the group. Bubbles, you will control the Monterey clone since you will be able to use the enhanced strength to our advantage. Capone, you will control the Dale clone. And Kyle, you will control the Zipper clone. I suggest that we each put in time practicing using the VR interface. I have other business to attend to, but Kyle here will oversee the rest of the project," Fat Cat got up and left.

Kyle stood up and walked around to the front of the table and sat down. "O.K. everybody. Time to start running through practice drills. Just remember when we do go up against the Rescue Rangers I'm the one that sends Chip to the coroner. And I will not do it through these hollow puppets. I will do it with my own two hands."

Chapter 5

Day was just beginning to break over Golden Gate Park. The Rangers were just starting to begin their day. Monterey and Zipper were in the kitchen making cheese pancakes, Dale was still getting out of bed, Gadget was taking a shower, and Chip was scanning the newspaper for cases. He was just about to put the paper down when something caught his attention. On the last page in a very small article only two paragraphs in size. Just as he finished reading it, Dale walked into the room.

"Hey Dale! Come look at this!" Chip called to his friend.

"Huh? Wazzit Chip? I just woke up," said Dale, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Look here at this article," Chip said pointing it out to Dale.

Dale looked at the article and commented on it. "Gee Chip, that's pretty interesting," sounding as if he had no idea as to what Chip was so excited about.

"Don't you see Dale? Another robbery where Hi-tech equipment was stolen."

"Golly Chip. Do you think it might be connected to the one at S.T.A.R?" Gadget asked as she walked into the room. She combed her still-damp blond hair with a brush as she walked.

Chip stared at her with a smile on his face, mesmerized for a fraction of a second, then shook himself out of it. "Uh. I don't know. But I think it is worth checking out."

"Well it can wait until we've had breakfast," came the sound of Monterey's voice from the kitchen. "Just where is this at by the way?"

"Up in Quebec."

"Quebec? It will take us awhile to get there," said Gadget.

"Well then you had better hurry up and get in here and eat up so we can get going," Monterey called from the kitchen.

The rangers filed in to the kitchen for their breakfast. After eating and cleaning up the kitchen, they left for Quebec.

"Everything is prepared. Waiting for final stage of the cloning process," stated Dr. Teng. "The clones are ready to be brought on-line when you give the command."

"Good. Then by all means, start them up," said Fat Cat.

"Initiating clones now," said Dr. Teng. A humming sound emanated from the equipment.

"How long until they are fully operational?"

"The programming will take less then a few hours, then they will be ready to hook up to the VR system."

"Very good. I will assemble the rest of the Squad."

The other members of the Squad were at various workstations in the main room, doing their own things. Fat Cat called them to order and they all took their seats. At the opposite end of where Fat Cat was sitting were five objects covered with white sheets. "It gives me great pleasure to present our Rescue Rangers," he said as he pulled off the sheets. The five clones looked exactly like the Rescue Rangers. They were also dressed exactly like the Rescue Rangers. "Everybody prepare to link up!" All the members of the revenge squad put on their VR helmets. Fat Cat pressed a switch on the control panel on the side of the table. At once the clones came to life.

"It is incredible! It feels like a second body!" remarked Desa'rae.

"It should be, I designed the system," stated Kyle with slight indignation.

"O man, this is going to be great!" bubbled Bubbles.

"Finally we will make those idiotic heroes pay," laughed Capone.

"All in good time. Now that the rescue rodents are conveniently out of the country on that bogus case, we will begin by ruining their good reputation," said Fat Cat, speaking through the Chip clone. "Allow me to also present our own version of the Rangerwing, an improvement over the pacifistic invention of that mouse. Our wing comes armed to the teeth," he gestured to a plane similar to the Rangerwing sitting in the center of the table. "This baby is fully loaded. Two machine gun turrets, two missile launchers, and one laser canon. It is only fitting that our Rescue Rangers have appropriate transportation. I call it the Revengewing!"

"Well what should be do first?" asked Bubbles.

"I think we should attack the local merchants in the park!"

"Good idea! Hit them where they live."

"Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" said Desa'rae.

The five Ranger clones controlled by the Revenge Squad boarded their Revengewing. It taxied to the end of the table. The Gadget clone, controlled by Desa'rae, flipped a switch that opened a slot in the wall. The slot was an opening to the ventilation shaft that led to outside of the mountain. The Revengewing took of and flew up and out the ventilation shaft.

Eddie Kisko had just closed up shop for the day. He ran a small business out of an Elm tree in the park. He was just walking home when he noticed an object in the sky. As it drew closer he recognized it as the Rangerwing. *They must be back from some case,* he thought to himself. The Revengewing made its decent. Fat Cat, who controlled the weapons, targeted the shop in the tree. He opened fire on the shop. Eddie Kisko watched, mortified, as the Revengewing opened fire on his shop. He watched as his life's work was consumed in a barrage of missile fire. He ran for cover as the Revengewing started to come after him. He quickly ducked into an old gopher hole just as the Revengewing thundered overhead. He was in a state of shock. The Rescue Rangers, whom he viewed as heroes, had just destroyed his store. He cautiously crawled from his hole and made his way back to the burned out crater that used to be his store. It was totally devastated. He walked out onto the farthest limb of the tree. He was able to see the Revengewing dive and attack another store. All he could think was why had they done it.

"Did you see the look on his face as I toasted his store?" laughed Fat Cat. "Well I guess there goes his faith in the Rescue Rangers! Desa'rae fly toward that other store. We'll pay it a visit also," He purred evilly.

"Ok Fat Cat, but I get to work the weapons this time," the Revengewing pitched to one side and Desiree fired the laser canon right at the store. It exploded in a halo of light. "I think I got somebody with that last attack!" Desa'rae said gleefully."

"Well now. I guess the Rescue Rangers won't win any popularity contests," laughed Bubbles.

"I think we caused enough carnage here. What should we do next?" asked Kyle.

"Let's go and knock over a bank!" suggested Capone.

"Good idea, we do need funding to pay off Dr. Teng and Dr. Westfield."

"Don't worry about them. They're already taken care of," said Kyle with an evil grin.

"You didn't kill them did you?"

"Yes I did. I was bored. I had to have something to do," Said Kyle in a casual voice. "Don't worry, I cleaned up the mess."

"We went through all that trouble to fake Dr. Teng's death in the first place so he could work for us. I was hoping to get some more work out of him, but No! You had to go and kill both of them!" Fat Cat yelled angrily.

"Hey Fat Cat, we have to keep things clean and orderly. They weren't needed anymore, so I eliminated them. No lose ends."

"Next time, don't do anything without consulting me first! Or you'll be the lose end that gets eliminated!" Fat Cat warned menacingly.

"Yes sir!" Kyle said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

They flew one last circle around the park, randomly targeting more shops, then took of toward the 1st national bank, leaving the trail of destruction behind them.

Chapter 6

The Rescue Rangers returned from Canada the next day. The robbery they had gone to investigate had never happened. They figured the article must have been planted in the paper. They were planning to investigate into the phony article but they did not get a chance. As soon as they touched down they were met by an angry mob. Screaming and shouting filled the air.

"There they are!"

"Get them!"

"We thought you were supposed to help people!"

The Rangers were shocked by what the crowd was shouting. "What is going on here?" inquired Chip.

"Don't play innocent with us we saw what you did!" someone yelled from the back of the crowd.

"Did what? We were in Canada for the past few days. We don't know what you are talking about," said Gadget.

"The hell you don't! I saw you flying the Rangerwing myself!"

"Now listen here Mate I don't know what you are talking about but watch your language around the ladies."

"Is that a threat? Are you going to do to me what you did to that security guard?"

"What are you talking about? What security guard?"

"Listen there is no need to deny what you did. We have dozens of eye-witnesses that saw you beat up the security guard while your friends robbed the bank!"

"BANK? We didn't rob no bank!" said Dales in a shocked voice.

"Oh, and I bet you weren't the ones that attacked the shop's in the park either."

The Rangers looked around the park. For the first time realizing all the damage that they had not noticed before.

"Golly, look at this place," Gadget said quietly, her face going pale.

"Now you have a conscience."

"As Gadget just said. We didn't do anything, we've been in Canada for the last two days!" Monterey stated in a very serious tone.

"Well if you didn't do it who did?"

"I have no idea, but I intend to find out," said Gadget.

"We will give you 48 hours to prove your innocence, then we're coming after you!" the crowd dispersed and left the Rescue Rangers alone standing next to the Rangerwing. They look at each other with looks of confusion.

"What was all that about?" Dale inquired.

"According to what they said, we attacked shops in the park and robbed a bank," replied Gadget.

"That's impossible! We were out of the country. And I don't remember doing anything like that!" Dale said, sounding more confused than usual.

"Gadget, could someone of stolen the Rangerwing when we weren't around?" asked Monterey.

"Impossible, first of all we didn't leave it alone long enough of a time for someone to take it all the way here and back. And secondly I had the key for it and that is the only way it can be started.

"They also say they saw us personally doing those things," Zipper said.

"Someone's trying to frame us!" Dale concluded.

"But who and why?" Gadget asked.

"I think I have an idea who might be behind this," said Chip reluctantly. He knew that he had to tell the rest of the Rangers about Kyle. He knew he would be betraying Eric's trust. But now it seems that Kyle is targeting the entire team and they had a right to know who was behind it. Chip sighed. "Come on inside. It's a long story."

The Rescue Rangers sat down at the table in the living room. And listened intently as Chip told the story of that fateful day when Chip and Kyle's life's had both changed dramatically.

Chapter 7

It was a clear winter day. The halls at Woodsboro High were just beginning to fill up with students preparing for their day. Chip Maplewood had just arrived and made his way to his locker, number 365. He couldn't believe it he had finally made it to his senior year. Now he was in the home stretch just a few more months to go and he would be a High School graduate. He took off his coat and hat and hung them inside his locker. He scooped up the books that he would need for the first half of his day and put them in his book bag. He was just about to go to his homeroom when a voice stopped him.

"Hey Aneek-Chuck! What's up?"

"Please Erick. I asked you not to call be that name."

"Sorry pal, it looks like you're stuck with it."

"I don't even know why you started calling me that."

"Maybe I'll tell you sometime. So what are planing to do after graduation?"

"I don't know, there are so many choices. I would like to go to college, but I would also like to get out and have some adventures."

"Those detective novels have finally gone to your head!"

"No they haven't. I just want to get out on my own. Speaking of mysteries, I think I figured out when and where the next robbery will be"

"Are you serious?"

"As a heart attack."

"If you did figure it out you would make a name for yourself. The school board has been going crazy over the thefts. If they do not recover the equipment they will have to make cutbacks in next years budgets. Have you told anyone else yet?"

"No. After lunch I am going to go to Principal Harper's office."

"Do you think he will believe you?"

"Only one way to find out."

"Well I hope you're correct."

"Erick have you seen Kyle today? I've looked everywhere for him."

"I hadn't seen Kyle since a couple of days ago. He has been acting different lately."

"I know! We had plans for the weekend then all of a suddenly he just canceled them. Something is most defiantly going on with him."

"Oh well Chip, Kyle has always been different. He's probably just going through a phase."

"I guess your right Erick. Well, I gotta get to homeroom. I have some stuff to take care of."

"See you later Aneek-Chuck!"

After his lunch period, Chip went to Principal Harper's office. The Principal was a middle-aged mouse with graying fur. He was sitting behind his desk when Chip knocked on the door.

"Hello Mr. Maplewood. Come in and have a seat"

"Thank you Mr. Harper," Chip said sitting down opposite of the principal.

"So Chip, what brings you to my office?"

"I think I might be able to help you stop these thefts."

"Really?" Harper answered, doubtful, but interested.

"Yes. I believe I can predict when and where the next theft will take place."

"Well then, by all means tell me."

Chip explained to Principal Harper his theory. Chip's deductions and his reasoning as to when and where the next theft would take place astonished Principal Harper. He figured out that the next theft would most likely happen that very night.

"I'm surprised that no one else realized this earlier Chip."

"Well it wasn't exactly that easy to figure out."

"But still, I do believe that you are correct. Meet me at the rear entrance to the school at 7:00 tonight and we will put an end to these thefts.

"Thank you for your time Mr. Harper. I know that tonight the thief will finally be caught."

Later that night Chip told his parents about going to meet Principal Harper and about how he had figured out the next theft would happen that night. They wished him good luck and he left to meet Principal Harper. He arrived at the school at the designated time and met up with Principal Harper. Harper led him into the school and they staked out the room where the theft should take place.

"The thief, whoever it is, should be here any minute now," said Chip.

Sure enough, within a few minutes a figure sneaked down the hallway and quickly picked the door to the supply room. The figure slipped inside and closed the door.

"Well you were right Chip. The thief did show up. Come on. Let's go and see who it is."

Principal Harper and Chip got up from their hiding place and made for the door. Harper flung the door open catching the thief by surprise. The figure spun around to face them. Chip was shocked by who the thief was.

"KYLE?!" squeaked Chip, shocked.

"What the? Chip! What are you doing here?" asked Kyle, as equally shocked as Chip.

"You are in no position to be asking questions," snapped Principal Harper making his way toward Kyle.

"You're the thief Kyle?" Chip asked, still shocked.

"Why yes I am! What are you doing here anyway Chip?"

"Chip is the one who figured out that you would be striking here tonight," said Principal Harper apprehending the young mouse.

"WHAT! Chip… you…TRAITOR! I THOUGHT YOU WERE MT FRIEND!"

"I thought I knew you Kyle. We've been friends as long as I can remember why did you do it?"

"Because I could! This school was so ineptly run anybody could have walked off with anything. I get bored very easily Chip, I needed something to do!"

"You did this for fun? You have a lot to answer for!" said Principal Harper." Come on. You have some explaining to do to the police." Harper turned to Chip. "Thank you Chip, I doubt we would have been able to catch this scum if it wasn't for your help."

Chip just nodded and left for home. He was still in shock by what had just taken place. His best friend for as long as he could remember was a thief. Chip had always thought of himself as a good judge of character. He just couldn't believe what Kyle had done. Chip walked the rest of the way home thinking of why he had not even realized that Kyle could have been capable of.

One month later, Chip a witness along with Principal Harper at Kyle's trial. Kyle was sentenced to three years. Chip remembered vividly what Kyle had said to him as he was being led away by the bailiff.

"This is all your fault Chip! No matter how long it takes me! You will pay for betraying me! I will have my revenge!"

While serving his term Kyle had fell in with a bad crowd. He grew angrier and more bent on getting revenge on Chip. After getting out of prison Kyle joined with the criminal organization known as Intergang. Which lead to him being tested with the enzyme, which mad him a genius but pushed over the edge into total insanity.

Chip meanwhile finished and graduated high school with honors. He decided to put of college for a few years while he went out on his own. His adventures led him to San Francisco where he eventually met up with Dale. The rest of the story is history.

Then Chip went on and explained his recent meeting with Erick and told them about the major change in Kyle's life. How he became a demented genius and his recent break out of prison.

Chapter 8 (A long one)

"This Kyle person sounds like a real nut case," said Monterey.

"How come you never mentioned anything of this before Chip?" asked

Gadget.

"Well I never thought I would hear anything from Kyle again. I just thought

that was all in the past and there was no need to mention it."

"But, he is back, and it sounds like he has a serious grudge with you and the

rest of us."

"But that doesn't fit Kyle's MO I grew up with him and it was never his style

to go after friends of his enemies. I think there might be more to this than just

Kyle. He left that note on the door as a direct threat to me. I can't figure out

why he would want to frame the Rangers when I'm the one he wants to get."

"Well Chippo, you said it yourself he's a dangerous psychopath now. Does he

need a reason?" piped in Monterey.

"He's not stupid Monterey, everything he does is for a reason. There must be

some reason he is targeting the whole team"

"Maybe he's getting paid to go after the whole team like a mercenary. You

know, a little icing on the cake. He gets revenge on you and makes a little

money on the side," said Dale.

"If that's true then the question is who is paying him," said Gadget

"I don't think he's getting paid, Kyle was never one that wanted money."

"But you were saying how he was stealing when he was younger."

"He was but it wasn't for the money he did it for the thrill."

"Well maybe he's doing this for a thrill too!"

"I don't know. Kyle has changed a lot through the years. I don't know what to

expect from him," Chip leaned back in his chair and sighed. "I still can't

believe how much I misjudged him."

"Well Chip, people do change. Maybe it was so gradual that you did not

notice," Gadget said.

"Well I just hope I don't misjudge him again."

"Hey Chip, what does this Kyle fellow even look like?" asked Dale.

"Hold on. I'll be right back," Chip left the room and went upstairs to the

storage room. He opened up a dusty trunk in the corner and pulled out a

yearbook. He carried it downstairs to where the other Ranger's were sitting.

Dale quickly got up and took the yearbook out of Chip's hands he quickly

started to flip through it.

"Malan…Mamar…Here it is Maplewood Gee Chip you sure looked funny!"

Dale said giggling.

"Very funny Dale. Here let me see that."

Chip took the yearbook from a still giggling Dale. Chip flipped through it until

he found the page he wanted. He sat the book on the table and pushed it over

to the other Rangers and pointed to a picture. The picture was off a younger

version of Kyle without the scar.

"So that's what he looks like," said Monterey.

"He doesn't look like a psycho," said Dale.

"Well this picture is out of date Dale. He has probably changed his appearance

to reflect his new mindset," said Gadget.

"Now what do we do?" asked Monterey

"We go out and try to track Kyle down," answered Chip.

"But what about what the merchants said about us attacking them?" asked

Gadget.

"I know that if we find Kyle we will find out who attacked those merchants. I

know that somehow he has to be connected with it."

"Do you have any ideas where we should begin to look?" asked Monterey.

"I would like to go and look at the bank, but I have the feeling that we would

receive a similar reception as we received here. But we still have to check it

out anyway."

"Well, we can send someone else to go to the bank," said Gadget.

"Great idea Gadget, Dale you go and ask Foxglove if she will go to the bank

and check it out for us."

"What if she says no?" said Dale trying to get out of the task.

"Trust me pally. She will if you ask her," quipped Monterey

"Oh all right," Dale left and went in search of the young bat.

"What will we do Chip?" asked Gadget.

"Well since Kyle was last held at Stryker's island, I thought that is where we

should head to next."

"Well let's go then," said Monterey.

They were just about to head for the Rangerwing when Erick, who had

entered through the front door, stopped them. He was dressed in a S.W.A.T.

team style of vest. He held in his hand what looked like a hi-tech weapon.

"Rescue Rangers, in the name of the Agency, I am placing you under arrest!"

"The Rangers just stood there staring at him in shock. Chip was the first to

step forward. "Erick you have to believe me we didn't do any of those things.

Someone is trying to frame us."

Erick lowered his weapon and holstered it to his vest. "I do believe you, but

the Agency doesn't. And you probably have the same suspicions about this as

I do. That is why I will just forget this whole encounter took place."

"But wouldn't you be putting yourself in danger?" asked Chip.

"No, I will just inform my superiors that I was to late and that you were gone

before I got here."

"Then why did you pull that gun on us? And say you were going to arrest us,"

asked Monterey.

"That was just a formality. Now Chip, I can't hold of the Agency for much

longer. And also I would love to help you even more but you have to

understand that my hand's are tied."

"Thanks Erick," said Chip as he and the rest of the Rangers headed for the

hanger.

The Rescue Rangers boarded the Rangerwing and took off towards Stryker's

island. During the trip Chip leafed through his yearbook reliving memories.

"So you and this Kyle were pretty close?" asked Gadget

"Well we grew up together and were friends all throughout school. We were

very close. I keep wondering why I hadn't noticed anything earlier. I keep

thinking maybe if I had noticed a change that I could have stopped him from

committing those thefts in the first place. Maybe things would have turned out

different."

"You can't go through life second guessing your decisions Chip. Kyle made

those choices on his own. You shouldn't feel responsible for what happened."

"I guess you're right Gadget."

"Good. I'm glad that you realize that you can't go blaming yourself for other

people decisions. Now tell me what you were like when you were younger.

You and Dale never talk about your past before the Rescue Rangers much."

"Well in some aspects I have changed a lot, but in others I have stayed the

same. It seemed that every year I would be embarrassed by the way I thought

and acted the previous year. When I got out on my own my views and

perceptions of things changed radically. Even still new experiences change the

way I look at things. I'm not saying I went through a major personality

change. I just grew, matured, and realized that there are many other ways to

look at life. I was really naïve at one point I thought I knew it all and that I had

the world completely understood. But I know one thing for certain that being a

Rescue Ranger is what I want to do with me life that. I know that for a fact.

*And the fact that I love you!* Chip though silently to himself.

"Well its good that you realize that Chip. All people change with new

experiences. Kyle's experiences drove him to a life of crime. From our past

experiences we can make more wise and sound decisions in the future."

"I just hope I can make the right decision when dealing with Kyle the second

time around."

"Don't worry Chip this time you won't be dealing with him alone. We're your

friends and teammates. We'll be right at your side.

"Thanks Gadget. I'm feeling much better already."

"Good. Well there it is," She said pointing to an Island of the coast "Stryker's

Island home of the criminally insane. Human and Animal."

Just as Gadget said Stryker's island was home to criminally insane of both the

human and animal worlds'. One of the human inmates just happened to be

Professor Norton Nimnul, who was just put there after his latest scheme failed

due to the Rescue Rangers. The Animal section was located directly under the

Human section. The only entrance to the section they wanted was a storm

grate. Gadget landed the Rangerwing outside of the entrance. They

disembarked and walked into the storm grate. Once inside they were stopped

by a large mouse by they way he was dressed they knew he was a guard.

"Hello! We're the Rescue Rangers. We would like to speak with somebody in

charge," said Chip

"I've heard of you guys you're responsible for putting a few of our 'guests'

here. I'll contact Warden Sawyer immediately and tell her you're here." The

guard walked to an intercom and contacted the warden. A few minutes later a

female Chipmunk greeted the Rescue Rangers. She looked about to be in her

late 50's. Even though she was old, she held an air around her that showed

she was not one to be trifled with.

"You must be the Rescue Rangers. It is a great pleasure to meet you," she

said, extending her hand to each of them. "What brings you here to my little

island?"

"We need information on one of your recent inmates," said Gadget.

"And who do you need information on?" she asked.

"Kyle Laurel," said Chip rather plainly.

"Laurel," said Sawyer with an air of disgust. "He just recently broke out of

here. First successful break out we ever had. Follow me, I will show you his

cell. I will also sent for his prison record," she led them through the hallways

passing several heavy metal doors and security checkpoints as they proceeded.

"Crickey! How could anybody break out of this place?" asked Monterey.

"This isn't even the maximum security block. That's where we held Kyle. The

security there was supposedly air tight," she explained as she led them through

a few more corridors before coming to a stop in front of a large titanium door.

She typed a code into the keypad on the door and it automatically slid open.

Inside was a large room. In the center of the room was a large semicircle

control panel with two chairs at it. At the far end of the room were two cells.

Each one had a large glass window facing the control panel.

"These two cells are reserved for the real nut jobs. Kyle was kept in the cell to

the right. We are able to monitor all action of the prisoner from this control

panel. We also have total control of each cell with it. The only way in or out

of the cell is the window, which doubles as a door. They can be raised or

lowered from this panel but only with a special access code."

"Why the glass windows?" asked Gadget

"We need to be able to keep an eye on the prisoner's at all times. Steel bars

obscure the view of the prisoners. They can also be easily cut. This glass is

triple reinforced and is three inches thick. The cell walls themselves are buried

deeply in a granite deposit.

"If the security is supposed to be so tight. How did Kyle escape?" asked

Monterey.

"Well he was able to figure out the code's and he override the security

system."

"How did he do that?" questioned Chip.

"We're still not sure. All that we know is that one the day he escaped he was

able to trick the guard into coming close to the cell. As soon as the guard got

up to the cell the door popped right open, Kyle jumped out, knocked the guard

out, took his passkeys, and was somehow able to bring down the entire

security net. Without the security systems operational he easily escaped…"

"Can we have a look in the cell?" Monterey asked.

"By all means, go ahead," She answered as she walked to the control panel

and typed in the command code. The door of Kyle's cell opened up. The

Rangers walked over to the cell and looked inside. On the floor papers were

spread out. Chip walked over and picked one up. It was a page from a

scientific journal. He scanned the page from top to bottom, looking for

something to stand out. Halfway down the page he did find something.

"Here Dr. Teng is mentioned again!"

"The same Dr. Teng from S.T.A.R. labs?" Gadget asked.

"The exact same one."

"Golly! That means that Kyle is connected to the S.T.A.R. labs robbery."

"At least we have a few more pieces of the puzzle, but we still need more

information."

"Maybe this can help," said Warden Sawyer. She handed Chip a folder. "This

is Kyle's prison record. Maybe you can find something useful there."

"Thank you Warden," said Chip politely.

"We should be getting back to Headquarters. Maybe Dale and Foxglove have

found something," said Monterey

"Good idea. Let's go. Thanks for the help Warden."

"Good luck finding Kyle. We're looking forward to getting him back," the

Warden said with a grin. For some reason unknown to him, Chip got an

uneasy feeling when she said that. He ignored it and they left.

The Rescue Rangers returned to their tree in the park to find Dale and

Foxglove waiting for them inside. Dale looked relieved to see them back. He

quickly got off the couch and away from Foxglove's flirtatious advances.

"About time you guys got back," Dale snapped.

"Why? You didn't appreciate your quality time with Foxglove?" said Chip

mischievously.

Dale turned his back and made a "Harumph" like sound.

Gadget walked over to Foxglove and sat down next to her. "So Foxy, did you

find anything at the bank?"

"I found plenty!" Foxglove stated matter of factly and handed Gadget a small

plastic bag with a silverish liquid metal inside. "I found this on the bank vault

door, which by the way, was ripped completely off of its hinges. I also have

this." She then handed Gadget a grainy security photo that clearly showed the

Rescue Rangers robbing the bank.

"Golly! It is US!"

She handed the picture to the other Rescue Rangers. Their reaction to the

photo was very similar.

"What about the liquid? Gadget, can you tell us anything about it?" asked

Dale.

"Not until I examine it, which I will do right now," answered the resident

genius. Taking the bag with the liquid in her arms, she went to her workshop

and closed the door.

"Well what do we do in the meantime?" asked Dale.

Chip held up Kyle's prison record and the file form S.T.A.R. "We do some

research, and I don't mean comic books."

Chapter 9 (A short one)

"You incompetent fool!" Kyle shouted shoving his nose into Bubbles face.

You lost some of the bio-metal during the bank robbery!"

"Hey, it wasn't my fault. Anyway, it was just a little bit. Not enough to affect

the clone," Bubbles shrugged as if he couldn't care less.

"It doesn't matter how much you lost! I specifically told you to avoid electrical

currents! It shorts out the clones' stability! When you ripped that door open

you brushed up against an exposed power line! If the Rangers find the metal

they might be able to figure out our little scheme!"

"Calm yourself Kyle," purred Fat Cat. "We should not be arguing amongst

ourselves. The Rescue Rangers are our enemies remember?"

"But what if they do find the metal? It could cause trouble!"

"If they do, they do there is nothing we can do about it. It isn't like they have

long to live anyway. So just forget about it."

"OK, but I do not want any more screw ups from Bubbles here!" having said

that. Kyle spun around and went into the connecting room.

"I don't know how much longer I can put up with him." grumbled Bubbles.

"He's psychotic! Have you ever got him to tell you about his time with

Intergang? He did stuff even I get squeamish about," said Capone

"Where did you find this guy anyway?" asked Desa'rae.

"He came to me. One day when I arrived at my office, I found him just sitting

there at my desk. I was going to have my idiotic henchmen throw him out and

beat him up. But he had already taken them out and tied them up! Then he

just told me his plan to get rid of the Rescue Rangers. I agreed and contacted

the rest of you."

"I just can't wait to get this over with so I don't have to be around him

anymore. He gives me the creeps," said Desa'rae.

"Don't worry. It will be over soon enough. By this time tomorrow the Rescue

Rangers will be no more."

The rooms rang with the villainous laughter that they were all so good at.

Chapter 10

"Chip, this liquid metal that Foxglove found is very similar to the bio-metal that

was stolen from S.T.A.R. labs.

"What makes you say that Gadget?"

"I compared the results of my tests to the bio-metal specifications in the

S.T.A.R. reports. They were very similar in every way. Except that this

sample is deactivated.

"Deactivated?"

"It seems that the bio-metal is always in an active state, that's why it can be

programmed to mimic DNA. But this sample is not active. In simpler terms, it

is dead."

"That would mean…OH MY!"

"I thought the same way Chip. Someone has made Clones of the Rescue

Rangers."

"And that someone is Kyle. So now we know who is behind the attack. And

his reason for wanting to frame the Rescue Rangers.

"Probably to ruin our reputation for helping others."

"Yeah. Now all we have to do is figure out a way to stop these clones before

they do anymore damage. You said it was deactivated. Do you know how?"

"Well the liquid had high counts of charged ions in it."

"Charged ions? Doesn't that have something to do with electricity?"

"Right on the money Chip. It seems that the bio-metal cannot stay functional if

it is separated form the main source. So once this sample was separated, it

deactivated. And an electrical charge could cause a piece of the bio-metal to

become separated by interrupting the clone's stability."

"So we could use an electrical charge to try to shut the clones down."

"We would need to be able to hit the entire clone with an electrical blast. The

blast would have to hit the entire clone and the energy must be spread out

evenly or be concentrated in the exact center."

"Good, we have a plan. Now all we have to do is figure out a way to track

down the clones and get them near a large power source."

"How do we know they can't be reasoned with?"

"I don't know. We will have to try, of course. We are the good guys, after

all," Chip said and she smiled. "Gadget, I'll get the rest of the Rangers you get

the Rangerwing ready."

The Rescue Rangers meet out on the small landing pad. Foxglove had joined

them. They all loaded into the Rangerwing except for Foxglove who flew next

to them.

"Do you see anything Foxglove?" Dale shouted over to the bat flying alongside

of the Rangerwing.

"Nothing yet cutie," She called back to him, a grin on her face. She then

squinted. "Wait a minute. What's that?" she said pointing to a speck emerging

from the glare of the sun.

Out of the glare of the sun emerged the Revengewing.

"Is that what I think it is?" asked Dale.

Chip pulled out his binoculars from his bomber jacked and zoomed in on the

Revengewing. "It is it's our clones in an exact replica of the Rangerwing.

Though this one looks a lot more aggressive," Chip said, noting the plainly

visible weapons.

"What do you mean by that Chippo?" asked Monterey

As if to answer his question the Revengewing opened fire on the Rangerwing.

Gadget instantly took the Rangerwing in a dive with Foxglove following to

avoid getting hit

"Yikes! We're under attack!" yelled Zipper.

"Dive! Dive!" shouted Chip.

"What the heck is that thing armed with?" screamed Dale.

"I don't know, but whatever it is, it's pretty nasty," Gadget said pitching the

Rangerwing to one side, the blast scorched the port side.

"They're firing at us again, but with a different weapon," shouted Chip. The

sound of bullets whizzing past the Rangerwing could be heard. A few of the

shots connected, leaving holes in the wings and hull.

"Guys! Those bullets have damaged the flaps and the airilons! I don't know

how much longer I can keep the Rangerwing in the air!" Gadget informed

them.

"I'll try to slow them down!" shouted Foxglove, dropping back to the

Revengewing.

"Wait Foxglove!" shouted Dale.

Foxglove pitched to the right and left avoiding the bullets. She dropped back

further until she was flying below the Revengewing where she could hear the

Clones' conversation"

"Where did she go?" she recognized the voice as being Dale's.

"How come no one informed me of the Bat?" she heard Zipper squeak.

"I did not take her into consideration," she recognized Chip's voice.

"You did not provide us with accurate information Fat Cat!" she heard Zipper

squeak again. Then she realized that Zipper refereed to the Chip clone as Fat

Cat. She knew she had to inform the rest of the Rangers of this turn of events.

She flew forward again to the Rangerwing. She was just about to reach the

side of the Rangerwing when she was hit on her right wing by an energy blast.

"Yarrghh!" she cried out in pain.

"FOXGLOVE!" Shouted Dale. He quickly leaned over the edge of the

Rangerwing and caught a hold of Foxgloves left wing. He caught her and

Monterey helped pull her into the Rangerwing.

"Are you O.K.?" he asked.

"I…I...Guess. I'm just a little shaken."

"How bad are you hurt?"

"I don't know. My wing is really sore, but it doesn't seem hurt real bad."

"You're lucky that shot just clipped you." said Monterey.

Foxglove turned back to Dale "You saved me!"

"I'm a Rescue Ranger, it's my job!" said Dale, trying to keep her from making

a big deal about it.

"Well thanks anyway," she said, wrapping her good wing around him and

embracing him.

"I hate to interrupt this sentimental moment, but what about them?" Zipper

said pointing to the Revengewing gaining on them."

"I can't go any faster and I don't think I can dodge any more blasts!" yelled

Gadget.

"Well we have do something! They're gaining on us!" said Monterey.

Just then a missile impacted on the aft side of the Rangerwing, destroying the

batteries. The blast threw the rear passengers ahead in their seats and

demolished the entire rear end of the Rangerwing. The Rangerwing pitched

into a dive, black smoke billowing from the rear.

"Everybody strap in the emergency harnesses," Gadget shouted. She reached

down alongside her seat and opened up a panel. Inside was a lever marked

with black and yellow stripes. The word EJECT was stenciled above it. "I

never thought we would have to use this. Hang on!" she yelled over the

screaming wind and pulled the lever.

The two front seats and the rear seat ejected a good 10 feet from the falling

Rangerwing. After a few seconds of free fall the parachutes deployed. The

Revengewing paid no attention to them but continued after the falling

Rangerwing, continuing to hammer it with a barrage of weapons fire. After a

few more missile hits the entire Rangerwing exploded in a fiery ball of flames.

The Revengewing then just simply took off in the opposite direction, leaving

the Rescue Rangers to continue their descent to the earth.

"Is everybody OK?" Chip shouted over to the others.

They nodded that they were OK and they spent the rest of their descent is

silence admiring the view. After a few minutes they all landed. Luckily they

landed in the park, not in the middle of a street. The Rangers unbelted

themselves and got into a group to discuss what had just happened.

"I wonder why the just left us? We were sitting ducks up there," said Dale.

"Maybe they didn't notice us," suggested Monterey.

"They let us go on purpose," said Chip.

"Now why would they go through all the trouble of destroying the Rangerwing

if they were to just let us get away?" asked Dale.

"They were probably just trying to scare us."

"Or maybe they wanted to keep us from having any type of aerial travel." said

Gadget.

Foxglove then remembered what she had heard on the Revengewing. "One of

the clones called the other Fat Cat!"

"Fat Cat?" said Dale. "What does Fat Cat have to do with Kyle?"

"Wait a minute! Gadget could the clones be controlled externally. Like through

something of remote control?" asked Chip.

"Maybe. Why do you ask Chip?"

"I just had a thought. Since one of the clones was referred to as Fat Cat, I

though that Fat Cat might be controlling one of the clones."

"That would mean that Fat Cat is working with Kyle. And since there are three

other clones that could mean some of our other adversaries might be working

together."

"Crikey! A team made up of our enemies. If that is true, we probably know

who the front-runners for such a team would be," said Monterey.

"Oh Man, this is heavy," said Dale.

"Now what do we do?" asked Foxglove.

"We get back to headquarters and have a closer look at the what's left of the

Rangerwing. Then we'll worry about the clones," said Gadget.

Chapter 11

The Revengewing had returned to the Revenge Squad headquarters in Mount

Curtiss. The members were now disengaged from the clones and were sitting

around the table discussing what had just happened.

"I say we should have finished them off when we had the chance!" said

Capone.

"All in good time. What's the point in destroying them in one blow? Why not

scare them first? Destroy all that they have worked for," said Fat Cat.

"But still, we should have taken at least one of them out!"

"Well if someone didn't miss we could have killed that Bat," sneered Kyle.

"Foxglove Kyle, she does have a name."

"Still, if you had not missed her, we would have taken her out. That would

have put a damper on their spirits."

"I missed, we all make mistakes."

"If I had the chance to work the weapons I would not have missed," said

Bubbles.

"Don't worry, all good thing come to those who wait. You'll get your chance

Bubbles."

"Good, I can't wait to put that inventor in her place."

"What is that supposed to mean?" asked Desa'rae.

"Don't get your underwear in a bunch. I was simply making a statement."

"Well just watch your mouth!"

"Or what will you do frenchie?! I don't even know why you're a member of

this team. Once we do get into actually battle with the Rescue Rangers you

will fold like a card table. A typical French person, er… mouse."

Desa'rae got very angry at Bubbles statement and reached across the table to

strangle him. Kyle grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her back into her

seat.

"Please, Bubbles have some respect for the lady," said Fat Cat

"She started it!"

"Frankly Bubbles, I don't give a damn! We shouldn't be fighting amongst

ourselves. We may have our differences but we all want to accomplish the

same goal."

Bubbles reluctantly stood down from his argument.

"Good. Now that that is taken care off it's time to initiate the final part of the

plan."

"Finally now we get to have some real fun. Those Rangers have ruined

countless schemes of mine, now it's pay back time," said Capone.

"As they say, revenge is a dish best served cold," quoted Kyle.

"This has been a long time in the making. Finally to be able to do whatever I

want and not have to worry about the Rescue Rangers ruining my plans," said

Fat Cat. The large cat produced a bottle of champagne from a storage bin

beneath the table. He also took out five wineglasses and poured the

champagne into them. He gave a glass to each member of the Squad. Lifting

his glass in the air he made a toast. "I drink to the general joy of the whole

table," he said in a toast

The other members returned the toast and they drank.

Chapter 12 (another long one)

The Rescue Rangers were seated at the living room table. Foxglove had now

joined them. Her injured wing was in a sling. They were discussing the new

turn of events in there most recent adventure.

"Now we not only have to deal with our clones, but we also have to deal with

a team of our worst enemies," said Dale.

"First we have to deal with the clones," said Chip.

"And just how do we do that?" asked Monterey.

"Maybe if we can lure them to the hydroelectric plant," Gadget said, thinking

aloud. We can get them into one of the turbines. That would do the trick! Or

since it is a power plant, there are most likely other ways to zap the clones."

"Great idea Gadget, now we need to figure out a way to get the clones to

come after us," said Chip.

"They found us last time," said Zipper

"Well I don't like the idea of just hanging around until they come after us

again. There must be a way to get them to come out of hiding," said Chip.

"We should split up into two teams. One team will concentrate on leading the

clones out of hiding and the other will lure them to the power plant. That

should confuse our enemies since we know that they formed a team. But they

do not know that we know." Said Gadget.

"Bonzer of an idea Gadget luv. I for one want to give those clones a taste of

their own medicine," said Monterey

"Good. How soon can you have the Rangerplane ready Gadget?"

"Well it has been awhile since we used it. I have to get it out of storage and

just run the usual tests. It shouldn't take more than half an hour," she replied.

"Good, here's the plan. Gadget, Zipper, and I will lure the clones out of hiding

with the Rangermobile. Dale, you, Foxglove, and Monterey will get them to

the power plant with the Rangerplane. We will meet you there."

Gadget got up and went to her workshop to get the Rangerplane ready,

Monterey followed to help her get it out of storage, and the rest of the Rangers

remained at the table. Within a few minutes Foxglove and Zipper got up and

went to the kitchen, leaving Chip and Dale alone.

"So you and this Kyle were friends," asked Dale.

"Yes. We were friends for a long time," answered Chip sadly.

"Yeah and he turned out to be a raving lunatic," Chip smiled at him. "At least I

don't have to worry about you going postal on me."

"How do you know I won't?" said Dale with a bit of humor in his voice.

"Well, even though I knew Kyle for a long time. I know you better than I ever

knew him. You are the best friend I ever had or will ever have. No matter

what happens, I will always be you friend." Chip walked over to Dale and

hugged him. "I know sometimes I might yell or lose my temper with you, but

you will always be my best friend."

"I know Chip, you'll always be my best friend too," Dale said.

They separated and then just stood there for a few moments. Dale decided to

break the silence.

"Gee, I wonder what Kyle would think of me?" he asked.

"You'd probably blow his mind!" laughed Chip.

"His mind's already blown!" said Dale, also laughing.

"Well we better start to get ready. Gadget and Monterey should have the

vehicles ready any minute now."

Chip went to see how Gadget and Monterey were doing. Dale went into the

kitchen to see what Foxglove and Zipper were up to. Gadget had just finished

running the tests on the Rangerplane when Chip walked in.

"Where's Monterey?" he inquired.

"He's outside getting a part I need."

Chip walked over to the Rangerplane and ran his hand along the side of it.

"Been a while since we used the Rangerplane."

"Well when I built the Rangerwing, the Rangerplane became obsolete. The

Rangerwing is superior to the Rangerplane in many ways. But the Rangerplane

still has its uses.

"Well Gadget, both are wonderful inventions. Without them, the Rescue

Rangers would have gone nowhere fast. Still, I'm going to miss the

Rangerwing. She was a great plane.

"I don't think that will be the last plane I build to be called Rangerwing. For

awhile now I was thinking of refitting the Rangerwing with some new

inventions. Now that it is destroyed I can rebuild from scratch, making it better

than the original. I already have some rough blueprints sketched. Care to take

a look?"

"Sure," said Chip

She led him over to her workbench and produces a tube out from under it.

She removed the top and pulled out a couple of Blueprints. She unrolled them

on the workbench for Chip to see. As far as he could see, the new Rangerwing

design looked similar to the original Rangerwing.

"It looks just like the original Rangerwing," he commented.

"On the outside yes, but the engine will be twice as powerful and it will have

an emergency turbo boost system which we can use in tight situations. Also, it

will have a storage area for whatever equipment we will need on cases."

"What's this?" he asked, pointing to a cutaway view. The section he was

pointing to ran through the direct center of the main body of the Rangerwing.

"That is an access tube. Since the new Rangerwing will have a bigger and

more powerful engine, I will need a way to get to it. Instead of taking the

entire Rangerwing apart if a problem arises, I can just crawl in there and fix

the problem. Also, there are back up controls there in case we ever need them.

The tube will run directly under the seats."

"That's amazing," Chip said, astonished.

"That's not all!" Gadget loved showing off inventions, even when they were

still in the blueprint stage. "The landing gear will be a removable module that

can be removed and replaced with a different type of landing gear depending

on the situation. We don't want a repeat of what happened at Glacier Bay."

"You're a genius." She blushed slightly at this and he smiled. "But what about

the Rangerplane? If the Rangerwing could be taken down easily, the

Rangerplane won't stand a chance."

"I've already got that taken care of. Since we know the only way we can shut

down the clones is by a large electrical charge, we need a way to get them on

the ground. And we need to disable that plane of theirs, so I figured out a way

to kill two birds with one stone," she led him to the rear of the Rangerplane to

where a small box had been attached. "In this box is a plastic resin. All they

have to do is fly directly in front of the clones' plane and drop it. The resin

will automatically harden on the plane, making the weapons useless, and

should force them to land."

"Good job Gadget! They'll never know what hit them."

The other Rescue Rangers entered Gadget's workshop.

"Is everything ready Gadget?" asked Monterey.

"Yup, we're all set to go," Gadget replied.

"Good, I can't wait to show those clones not to mess with the Rescue

Rangers!" Dale said eagerly.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" said Chip.

Dale, Foxglove, and Monterey piled onto the Rangerplane. Dale and Foxglove

sat in the front with Dale piloting. Monterey sat in the back, awaiting the other

group's signal. They took off towards the power plant. Gadget, Chip, and

Zipper went to the bottom of the tree where the Rangermobile was hidden.

They loaded up and took of to lure the Clones out of hiding. Gadget took the

wheel with Chip in the passenger seat. Zipper sat on the back of the rear seat.

"So how should we get the clones to show themselves?" asked Zipper.

"Well, since we know for certain that fat Cat is in the group we should try to

cause some trouble at his hideout."

"Good idea Gadget. Then Fat Cats goons will contact him and he will send the

clones after us."

"I still can't believe that our worst enemies actually teamed up to try to destroy

us."

"Yeah, and Kyle is in the group which makes the situation worse."

"I wonder who else is in the group. We know for sure that Fat Cat and Kyle

are in it.

"Just think who the most likely candidates are. Definitely Rat Capone is in it.

But Nimnul can't be in it because he's in Stryker's. Bubbles has a big grudge

against you and the rest of the team. That leaves one position vacant.

"How do you know there are five members Chip?"

"I don't, I am just assuming since there are five of this there are five of them,"

answered Chip.

"What about Foxglove?"

"Well they didn't make a clone of her. I think that her showing up to help us

threw a monkey wrench into their plans… Gadget, once we take care of the

Clones, do you have any ideas how we can track down the rogues controlling

them.

"I think I might know a way, but nothing certain just yet," she answered.

"When we do track them down, we need a plan to stop them. Even without

the aid of the clones, they would still pose a major threat," Zipper pointed out.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. First we have to stop the clones,"

said Chip.

"Well we're just about to arrive at The Happy Tom Cat Food Factory. Fat

Cat's hideout."

"Good, now all's we have to do is find some way to get his goon's attention.

Knowing Fat Cat, he's probably got some other smaller scheme going on. If he

does and we stop it his goons will definitely contact him."

"Here we are. I'll hide the Rangermobile behind the dumpster," said Gadget.

"Good, now let's see what else Fat Cat's up to," buzzed Zipper.

"Zipper you fly up to the top and see what's going on we'll be up in a few

minutes."

Zipper saluted and flew to the top of the building where the large metal cat sat

atop the factory. Chip and Gadget entered the building through the ventilation

ducts. They climbed up the shafts until they came to Fat Cats penthouse hide

out. Once they were there they snuck out of one of the grates and started to

investigate. After a few minutes, Zipper joined up with them and informed

them that he had found something. He led them to a storage room with boxes

of caviar.

"Hey! This is the stolen caviar shipment that we heard about on the news,"

said Gadget

"I knew if we came here we would find something. We should have suspected

Fat Cat when we first heard about the robbery. But we were to busy on

another case. Now all we have to do is get his goons to notice us," said Chip.

"Since they're not very bright, we should be able to trick them into contacting

Fat Cat."

"Good, now all we have to is let them know we're here."

"One of them is coming right now!" said Zipper in a series of buzzing and

vibrations.

"Gadget, Zipper, make a lot of noise so he'll come in here," said Chip. The

small group of Rescue Rangers started to make some noise banging the boxes.

The sound caught the attention of Mepps, who was on his way to get

something to eat from Fat Cat's private stash. As he was passing the storage

room he heard some strange noises and decided to investigate.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" he asked, looking into the room. His voice had a

tinge of fear in it. "Hello Mole…Wart? Come on you guys, stop joking

around," he hesitated and then entered the room. He turned on the light to see

if he could see where the noises came from. When the lights came on he saw

the small group of Rescue Rangers just standing there. "Rescue Rangers?" he

stated rather plainly. The boss ain't going to like this one bit."

"You bet he won't! We found his little scheme, so you might as well give up

now!" said Chip, speaking like a true leader.

"In a few minutes this whole building will be surrounded by the police. We left

clues so they could find this place," said Gadget. She hoped that he would

believe her bluff.

"I better tell the boss!" said Mepps, running away.

"It worked," Chip sighed in relief.

"Now let's get going and wait for Fat Cat," said Gadget.

The small group of Rescue Rangers quickly got outside of the building and

waited in the Rangermobile. They radioed the other group and told them to get

ready.

Within a few minutes of leaving the Rescue Rangers, Mepps reached Fat Cat's

main office. He turned on the radio that Fat Cat had put there in case of an

emergency in which he needed to be contacted. He hit the transmit switch and

yelled into the microphone.

"Boss! Boss! We have a problem!" Mepps said in his scratchy voice.

Within a few minutes he received a reply. "What is it Mepps? I told you this

was for emergencies!" said Fat Cat, sounding rather agitated.

"It is boss. The Rescue Rangers were just here. They found out about your

stolen Caviar. They said the cops will be here any minute."

"What?! Rescue Rangers! How could they? No matter, just wait there. I'll

take care of the Rescue Rangers. Over and out."

Mepps gave a sigh of relief, now the blame wouldn't fall on his shoulders.

When one of Fat Cat's henchmen messed up, they usually ending up in some

sort of pain.

Back at Mount Curtiss, Fat Cat had just walked back into the main room. The

other members of the Revenge Squad were milling about the room, occupied

with their own things.

"I have just received word that the Rescue Rangers have stumbled onto one of

my smaller schemes. So I have decided to end this now. Get ready for our last

and final conflict with the Rescue Rangers. Everybody link up," he said

gruffly.

The members got into position in their chairs and the VR helmets lowered onto

their heads. Fat Cat turned on the system and they were in control of the

clones once again. They took of from the hidden landing pad and headed for

Fat Cat's hideout. After a short air trip they arrived just in time to see the

Rangermobile leaving the scene.

"There they are!" said Capone, pointing at the Rangermobile.

"Where are the cops?" asked Fat Cat.

"Probably getting donuts," joked Bubbles.

"No matter, the Rescue Rangers are our main goal. Desa'rae, follow them,"

ordered Fat Cat.

The Revengewing turned to follow the Rangermobile.

"There they are!" said Zipper pointing to a speck in the distance.

"Let's do it." said Chip with determination.

Gadget drove the Rangermobile in the direction of the Power Plant. "Good,

they're following us," she said.

"I'll contact the others and tell them to get ready," said Chip, reaching for the

radio. He radioed the others and told them to get ready at the pre-designated

point.

Within a few minutes the Rangermobile had led the Revengewing the road

leading to the Power Plant. Just as the Revengewing was about to open fire

the Rangerplane buzzed them.

Chapter 13

"What the hell was that?" yelled Capone.

"It's their older plane. They must have split up into two groups! Desa'rae

follow that plane, we'll take care of them first. Then we'll go back and take

care of the others."

"With a plane like that it should take no time at all to shoot them down. But

this time we'll have the missiles set a full charge."

"Just remember Chip is MINE," said Kyle.

"Yeah, Yeah we know," grumbled Capone.

"Don't worry Kyle, you'll get you chance. We all will!" purred Fat Cat.

"There the are!" said Monterey pointing at the approaching Rangermobile with

the Revengewing in hot pursuit.

"They're getting ready to shoot at the Rangermobile! We have to do

something!" said Foxglove.

"Don't worry, I have an idea!" Dale took the Rangerplane into a dive right

across the nose of the Revengewing. "That should get their attention."

"It sure did. Now they're bearing down on us. I suggest that we get moving,"

said Monterey.

"Here we go!" He pushed the Rangerplane to its top speed. The wings started

to act if they were about to rip off.

"I don't think the Rangerplane can keep this up, Dale," advised Foxglove.

"Don't worry, we're almost there. Just a few more minutes."

The Rangerplane flew forward while the Revengewing gained on them. The

tailfin of the Rangerplane snapped off making the flight very erratic. The

Revengewing flew even closer.

"I think you had better dump that stuff Gadget whipped up now!" shouted

Monterey over the throbbing of the Revengewing's engine.

"Here it goes!" yelled Dale, pulling the switch that Gadget had just installed.

The box attached to the rear of the Rangerplane opened up, dumping a purple

blob into the air. The blob crashed into the Revengewing and started to

envelop the villains' aircraft and quickly hardened. With the weapons all

gummed up, and no longer being able to stay airborne, the Revengewing

dropped like a stone.

"What the hell is this stuff? It's hard as a rock!" Shouted Capone.

"It must be some type of plastic resign," answered Kyle. "Gadget must have

made it and I have to admit, it's a clever invention."

"That clever invention is going to make us crash!" shouted Bubbles.

"Don't worry, the Clones will survive the crash. If the Rescue Rangers think

they've won that easily, they are gravely mistaken. The have underestimated

the Clones resistance to physical damage. Even though I don't really like the

idea of crashing into the ground," said Desa'rae.

"Well here it comes! Brace yourselves!"

The Revengewing crashed into the ground and exploded, sending pieces of the

Revengewing flying everywhere. Gadget, who had been driving on the ground

in the Rangermobile, had to swerve to miss a burning chunk of the fuselage as

it crashed down in front of them. "Golly! That was close!" she said.

"Whoa, with all those weapons on board, that thing really blew!" exclaimed

Chip.

"OK. Now that that is taken care of, let's get inside the plant where the others

should be waiting." said Gadget and turned the Rangermobile toward the

power plant.

The Rangerplane had just dumped its cargo and was now heading for the

power plant when Dale turned to address the other Rangers onboard. "Uh, I

have good news and bad news," said Dale.

"Well what's the good news?" asked Monterey.

"The clones' plane is now crashed and we don't have to worry about it

anymore," answered Dale.

"And the bad?" asked Foxglove.

"I can't control the Rangerplane. We're going to have to make an emergency

landing."

"Here we go again!" groaned Monterey.

Dale brought the Rangerplane down against the ground. It skidded against the

pavement leaving a fiery shower of sparks and a long skid mark on the

pavement. Before coming to a complete stop the Rangerplane did a couple of

donut spins. Luckily, no one was hurt in the landing, though there were a few

frayed nerves. Dale, Foxglove, and Monterey pulled themselves from the

downed Rangerplane and surveyed the damage.

"That's two," said Dale, trying to find some humor in the situation.

"There go the insurance rates," quipped Monterey. He looked up and saw the

Rangermobile speeding up to them. It pulled up alongside the wreck and the

other Rescue Ranger hopped in. They took off for the power plant at full

throttle.

"Well Gadget, it looks like you're going to be working overtime after we finish

with this case," said Chip.

"Two planes in one day. That has to be some kind of record," she replied.

"At least we wrecked their plane too," said Zipper.

"Everybody remember what to do when we reach the power plant?" Chip

asked. The rest of the group nodded. They had hatched out the plan earlier at

RRHQ. Now they hopped that it would work.

"Good, now to end the reign of the superclones."

The Rangermobile buzzed to a stop in front of the power plant, The team got

out and went inside to set up their ambush for the clones.

Chapter 14 (This is a long one)

"Where did they go?" asked Capone, crawling out from the debris of the

crashed Revengewing.

"I think I saw them heading towards the power plant." said Bubbles, also

stepping out of the wreckage.

"The Clones might of survived the crash, but that is not something I would

want to do again," moaned Desa'rae

"What? You didn't think that was fun? A crash like that would have killed

anyone in it. But since we are in control of these Clones, we can survive

anything!" laughed Kyle.

"You are insane." she stated plainly.

"Why that's the kindest thing anybody's said to me in a long time."

"Let's cut the chatter and go after the Rescue Rangers. I want to get this over

with as soon as possible." said Fat Cat, sounding rather annoyed.

"Fat Cat's right, we have to get after them before they escape. Let's go!" The

Clones started to run towards the power plant. Even without a vehicle it would

take them a matter of minutes to reach the power plant due to the Clones

enhanced abilities. When they reached the entrance to the power plant they

entered and started looking to see if they could see any signs of the Rescue

Rangers.

"Where are they?" asked Bubbles.

"Probably cowering in fear somewhere," answered Capone with a laugh.

"Come out, Come out, where ever you are. We promise It won't hurt…

MUCH!" Bubbles yelled in a mocking tone.

"Are you afraid to face us Rescue Rodents?" Fat Cat yelled.

"Not on your life Fat Cat!" came the reply. They were unable to determine the

source of the reply because of the throbbing of the generators and all the metal

in the room caused the voice to echo. But they did recognize that the speaker

was Chip.

"Huh? How did they know? No matter, they will be destroyed shortly. Since

you have uncovered our little secret, I might as well introduce the rest of my

team. Even though I figure that you have determined that for yourselves. Rat

Capone is controlling the Dale clone. The Gadget clone is Desa'rae Delure.

Bubbles is our Monterey Jack. And finally, Kyle Laurel is controlling the

Zipper clone.

"So our little secret is out. So why don't you come out and we can end this

shortly." sneered Bubbles.

"Why don't you come and look for us? Give us a sporting chance. There are

five of us and five of you!"

"What about Foxglove?" asked Fat Cat. "That gives you six to our five. Even

though no matter how much help you have, you will perish."

"She will not directly participate," the disembodied voice replied.

It was true Foxglove would not participate in the actual conflict. She had a

much more important task to attend to. She would be the Rescue Rangers

eyes and ears. She was positioned in the Security office where she could

monitor almost any part of the plant. The bat would keep in contact with them

with Gadgets miniature walkie-talkies.

"I guess we can have a little fun before we finish you off," said Fat Cat.

"Okay, everybody split up and track down a Rescue Ranger. Happy hunting!"

The group split up each heading off into a different part of the power plant.

The first on to find their adversary was Capone. He was just rounding the

corner when he saw Dale. Dale stood smiling near the main turbine.

"There you are Rescue Ranger! Are you prepared to finally meet your end?"

"You make it sound as if you think you can win," Dale replied nonchalantly.

"Of course we'll win! Because we are stronger, faster, and more powerful

than you will ever be! So you might as well surrender now."

"Yeah, Yeah, Resistance Is Futile. We've heard that line before. But you

forget one thing. We're the good guys. We always win!"

"I see you've been corrupted by all those movies you watch. Well I hate to tell

you this time John Wayne doesn't walk off of into the sunset with Grace

Kelly."

"That's Gary Cooper you moron. All this coming from someone who quotes

Ed Asner."

"Well this conversation has been really great, but now you die."

The Dale clone leaped at Dale. Dale quickly rolled out of the way and the

clone smashed into the floor. Dale knew that physical force would get him

nowhere, he needed to trick the clone into the turbine. And he would do it by

getting Capone angry with him.

"Ha, it looks like you missed. Maybe you are just a two-bit hood Capone."

"Why you," Capone yelled lunged again, this time he crashed right into Dale.

Dale quickly rolled onto his back and flipped the clone into the wall. The clone

impacted against the wall and bounced off, uninjured.

"Haven't you noticed you can't hurt me. You can't run and dodge forever you

know." He lunged at Dale again but this time Dale ducked down and the clone

went tumbling right into the turbine. As soon as the clone hit it was

encapsulated by arcs of raw energy. The clone exploded sending the liquid

metal splattering everywhere. The walls and the floor were covered in the

silver liquid. Dale picked himself off the ground, brushed some dust off of his

shirt and turned to face what was left of the clone.

"You're right! All I had to do was run and dodge until I got you into the

turbine. One down four to go!" he said as he pulled out his walkie-talkie and

radioed Foxglove.

"Score one for the Rescue Rangers. I kinda hated doing that to him, he was

such a good looking guy."

"Hmmm… I wonder what it would have been like to have two of you," came

the reply.

Rat Capone gripped the helmet and screamed in pain. The destruction off the

clone had overloaded the VR helmets system. Since he was mentally

connected to the clone he passed out from the shock to his brain. He wasn't

permanently injured, but he was out for the count. The other members of the

Revenge Squad were too preoccupied in their own clones to notice what had

happened to the large rat.

The next member of the Rescue rangers to meet a clone was Monterey Jack.

Unlike Dale, who had met his own clone, Monterey ran into the Gadget clone.

He was being directed by Foxglove to where another trap could be

successfully set up. But before he could get there the Gadget clone found him.

"Hello Monterey, remember me?" she said in a low sultry voice.

"Desa'rae! I though you had sunk pretty low, but to join a group of maniacs? I

though even you had your standards."

"Good to see you too Monterey," came the sarcastic reply. "So how do you

think you can win this fight? I know that you will not fight back you are too

much of a gentleman to hit a woman. And with me in control of your precious

Gadget, you will be utterly helpless."

"You might look like Gadget, you may even sound like her, but you are not

Gadget."

"But I look like her, and there is part of you that will not allow you to fight

with all of your heart. That will cause you to hold back and that will be your

downfall."

'She's right.' he thought to himself. Even though he knew it wasn't Gadget,

part of him would not allow himself to fight her. He had always taken care of

Gadget. She was to precious to him to ever hurt her, even if it was a clone. He

knew if he was to win he would have to play on Desa'rae's weaknesses. Her

overconfidence will be her downfall.

She didn't let him finish his thought. She lunged at him and connected her

right shoulder to his midsection, sending him flying back. He landed on the

floor with a loud thud. The large mouse quickly rolled to his side to avoid

another blow. He got up and backed up, awaiting her next move. His mind

was racing frantically and he did not have enough time to get her to the

planned trap. She lunged at him again, but this time he was prepared. He

caught her, and using her own momentum, tossed her over his shoulder

sending her crashing into a control panel. Sparks went flying everywhere.

There was an electrical charge in the panel, but not enough to cause any

damage to the clone. She quickly recovered and came at him again. This time

she made contact and drove him crashing onto the floor. He let out a gasp of

air. Getting to his knees, he knew he couldn't take this much longer. He was

about to stand up when he noticed a heavy duty power cable running along the

floor. An idea came to him. He wrapped his hands around it getting a firm

grip. Looking up he saw the clone was backing up to prepare a blow that

would most likely kill him.

"Why don't you just get it over with? I'm beat. I can't even get up to my

feet," he hopped she would believe his bluff.

"Well Monterey, if you say so. Goodbye!" She rushed toward him with

incredible speed. Just as she was going to deliver the fatal blow he mustered

up all his strength and pulled the cable up and shoved it right into the clone.

The clone stood there trembling as raw power entered into it. Like the other

clones, it exploded, sending the liquid metal flying all over the place.

Monterey stood up and surveyed the damage. His fur had bits and traces of

the bio-metal in it. He hoped that it wasn't toxic. Pulling out his walkie-talkie,

he radioed Foxglove.

"Well that's one less clone we have to worry about. What's the score?"

"That's two down and three to go. That was a pretty inventive way of taking

out that clone."

"Thanks Foxy. For a minute there I thought I was done for. I'm just lucky I

found that cable."

Back at Mount Curtiss, Desa'rae suffered the same fate as Capone. Her

helmet shorted out when her clone was destroyed. She was also rendered

unconscious.

Gadget had just reached the very top of the dam where the reserve tank of

water was kept in case that the water level ever dropped significantly enough

that the hydroelectric plant would not function properly when she ran into the

Monterey clone.

"Hello Gadget. It's been a long time"

"Bubbles, you haven't changed a bit. Still hanging out with a bunch of losers,"

she said dropping into a fighting stance.

"For once I agree with you. They are losers. After we finish off you and your

friends, I'll kill them and take over their territories, making myself the supreme

crime lord of this city."

"I guess there is no honor among thieves. Because that is what you are. No

matter how many speeches you make," she continued the brave talk, it helped

calm her. Bubbles had almost killed her in the Case of the Cola Cult and

seeing him in Monterey's form unnerved her. "You are nothing but a common

thief and that is all that you will ever be!"

"So inventor. How do you want to go? Quick like a rattlesnakes tongue? Or

slow like the molasses in June?"

"Golly Bubbles, what bad western did you step out of?"

"What? You never heard of Joan Wilder?"

"Sorry, I'm more of a Nikoli Tesla fan."

"I have been looking forward to this for a long time. Prepare to meet your end,

inventor!" Bubbles snarled and moved towards Gadget. In response, she acted

as though she was going to run straight for him. Bubbles prepared himself in a

stance as to catch her. But she quickly turned around and dove into the water,

leaving Bubbles standing there dumbfounded. "So you want to go swimming?

Fine by me," he said as he dived in after her.

As soon as she dove into the water, Gadget headed straight for the bottom of

the tank. When she reached the bottom she searched around with her hand for

the main intake tunnel. When she found it, she swam into it. It was completely

dark inside of the tunnel so she had to feel her way through. She was running

out of air and her lungs were starting to scream for air. 'Just a little bit farther!'

She thought. She could hear Bubbles pursing her through the tunnel. He was

taking his time following her since the clone didn't need oxygen to breathe.

She finally saw she was coming to the end of the tunnel. She emerged from

the tunnel into a smaller tank and quickly shot to the top. When she broke

through the top of the water she breathed in generous amounts of air. 'No time

to waste!' she thought as she swam to the side of the tank and pulled herself

out. When she saw the clone emerge from the same tunnel she quickly pulled

a lever next to the tank, which caused a grate to seal off the tunnel. Bubbles

bobbed to the top of the tank like a cork.

"Hey Bubbles!" she said, standing on a rubber mat looking down at him. In

her right hand she was holding a round disk with a sharp edge. "What happens

when an electric cable hits water?" She glanced up at a power cable hanging

directly over the tank.

Before he could answer her question she threw the disk, severing the cable.

The cable landed directly in the water, turning it into a gigantic conductor. The

clone, like the rest, exploded turning the water a murky gray color. Gadget ran

over to the console and turned off the power to that cable. She pulled out her

walkie-talkie and radioed Foxglove.

"Well Foxy, there goes another one. How are the others doing?"

"Three down and two left. It looks like Zipper will be the next to fight a clone.

But I can't make out which one it is."

"Okay, make sure you keep him informed of the situation," advised Gadget as

she wrung water out of her hair.

Bubbles helmet, like the others, shorted out and knocked him unconscious. By

this time, the other members of the Revenge Squad had realized that their

numbers were being depleted. There were only two of them left now, Fat Cat

and Kyle. They decided to take extra precautions handling the Rescue

Rangers.

Zipper had flown to where the power cables ran out of the plant and towards

the city. He flew to the large transformer, which was in a large metal cage to

keep unauthorized personal out. Since he was a fly, he could easily fly right

through the chain link fence. He flew up high to see if he could spot a clone

following him. He didn't have to wait long. He was caught of guard by his

own clone, who rammed him, sending him reeling back into the ground.

"You must by Zipper."

"And you must by Kyle."

"Ah, I see you've heard of me."

"I've heard enough to know that you are an unstable lunatic."

"Flattery will get you nowhere."

"I have a question," said Zipper. The real nut jobs usually loved to talk about

their schemes. Zipper knew the tactic well; the Rangers had met many a crazy

in their time. It often revealed useful information, and gave them time to form

a plan.

"OK. I guess the condemned can ask one last question."

"How come you came after me? I thought you had it in for Chip."

"I do have it in for Chip, but this is not the way I want to take care of him.

Using the clones to take down the other Rescue Rangers was fine by my

partners. But I have something very special planned for Chip."

"What are you going to do to him?"

"Bzzztt! Sorry Zipper, I said one last question. Now that I have answered it, I

can kill you!"

"You have to catch me first!"

Zipper took of flying at his top speed. He knew that the clone could fly faster

than he could and had more power. But he knew he had one thing that Kyle

didn't have, experience. Kyle had only been using the clone for a short time

and did not have much practice flying. Zipper, on the other hand, had a

lifetime of experience. He knew all the ins and outs of the art of flying, and he

would use that to his advantage. He flew circles around the transformers with

the clone in pursuit. The clone was slowly gaining on him and he knew it was

time to make his move. He flew at his top speed, heading directly for the

transformer. He could hear the buzzing of the electricity running through it. He

looked behind him and saw the clone gaining on him. He kept on flying for the

transformer. The clone was almost right on top of him by now! He was just

about to crash into the transformer when he shot straight up in the air. He was

flying vertically to the transformer so close that the electromagnetic field

emanating from it made him dizzy. The clone, as he had hoped, was not able

to pull up in time and smashed directly into the transformer. It, like the others

before it, was destroyed. Zipper, who was not carrying a walkie-talkie since he

was too small, immediately went to search down Foxglove so that she could

inform the others of his victory.

Kyle, who had foreseen the destruction of his clone a split second before it

happened, was able to disconnect himself from the system that controlled the

clones. So he did not suffer the same fate as the others. They had been

knocked out by the overloads in their helmets'. Even though there would be

no permanent damage, they would be out for at least 24 hours since their

brains had been interfacing with the system when it shut down. Only Fat Cat

was left with a clone to control. None of this bothered Kyle, because he only

wanted to get even with Chip, and his plan was going exactly as he had

planned.

Using Foxglove's directions, Chip was able to get a jump on his clone. The

clone had just walked into a room when Chip stepped out in front of it.

"So Fat Cat? Is this the best your little team can do? The other clones have

already been destroyed. Even with their enhanced abilities, they were still no

mach for the Rescue Rangers."

"The clones were only one plan of the Revenge Squad to destroy you. We

have other plans also. I think we did quite a good job on our first try."

"Don't you see Fat Cat! No matter how many plans you come up with, no

matter how hard you try, you will never defeat us because we are a team!

Your group might call itself a team, you might even work together, but you

don't have true teamwork! I or any of the Rescue Rangers would face possible

death if it meant protecting the rest of the team! Can you or any other member

of your group say that? No! Each of you is in the group for your own personal

reasons! You might have the same goal, but you all have ulterior motives and

you would turn on each other when it suited you best."

The Chip clone smiled at him. "True. I don't trust any of them and I certainly

know they don't trust me. But just remember as long as there are Rescue

Rangers, there will always be those who will oppose you. So it only makes

sense we work as a group, pool our resources and knowledge."

"But what are you going to do now? You are in control of the only clone left!"

"Well Chip, I know you probably have some trap set up here somewhere so I

won't even bother trying to fight you. Anyway, there is a new game plan. Kyle

and I decided to go at this from a different angle."

Chip flinched when he heard Kyle mentioned.

"Ah yes, Kyle and I are becoming quite good associates. His hatred and anger

for you surpass any of the other members of the Squad. Well, back to the

subject. We figured if we take you out of the way now, the rest of the team

will be easy to take down one by one."

"How are you going to do that? You just told be you're not going to bother to

try and fight me."

"Well Chip, there are other ways of taking you down without fighting you.

Such as this!" he pulled out of his pocket what looked like a hi-tech gun.

"What you're going to shoot me? That's original!" said Chip sarcastically. He

hoped that his sarcasm might anger Fat Cat enough to attack without the

weapon.

"No, Chip that would be too violent, and there would be a chance that you

would not survive being shot. Kyle wants you alive. This here is a neat little

gizmo. A type of weapon that uses sound. It interferes with the normal

functions of the brain. If I used the highest seating, it would melt your brain

like jelly. But since we want you alive, I will use a much lower setting."

He aimed the gun at Chip and pulled the trigger. Chip instantly felt dizzy. He

tried to radio for help, but he couldn't get his hand to move. After a few

seconds of not even being able to think straight he passed out.

The rest of the Rescue Ranger had met in the Security room. They had each

told each other of how they had defeated a clone. They were waiting for Chip

to arrive.

"Foxy have you heard anything from Chip since he came in contact with his

Clone?" asked Gadget.

"No, he and his clone were in the only part of the plant which cannot be

monitored from this room. He radioed me before going in, but I haven't heard

anything since then."

"Maybe we should try to radio him," said Dale. Pulling out his walkie-talkie,

he switched it on and started talking. "Chip? Chip? Can you hear me?" The

only reply he got was static.

All the others tried their walkie-talkies just in case something might have been

wrong with Dale's. They to got no response. They quickly decided to go to

Chip's last know position to see if they could find anything. When they

reached the room, they found nothing. There was not a single trace of Chip or

his clone. They searched high and low. But there were no clues to be found.

Chapter 15

In frustration they returned to the Security office to try to figure out what had

happened to Chip.

"Could they be somewhere else in the plant? Maybe something went wrong

and Chip had to try to trap the clone somewhere else," said Monterey.

"I don't think that's the answer. I was monitoring everything from here. No

one came out of there. But someone could have left through the window in

that room," said Foxglove.

"Maybe he's outside somewhere," guessed Dale.

"If he is still around, why hasn't he responded when we radioed him? I think

something might have happened to him," said Gadget softly.

"Kyle told me that he had something special planned for Chip," Zipper said.

"Maybe they took him back to their hideout."

"That's probably what happened," Gadget said.

"If that's true, how do we find him?" asked Monterey.

Having been given a task to put her mind to, Gadget immediately brightened

and started talking quickly. "Well since creating and powering those clones

would take an enormous amount of energy. Maybe I can use the plants

computer to track down and spikes in the power grid. Which would most

likely be wherever they are hiding out!" she exclaimed excitedly.

Gadget went to the main terminal and turned it on. After a few minutes of

searching through files and records she finally found what she was looking for.

A large map of the city was displaced on the screen. Various parts of the city

were highlighted in different shades of color. The colors ranged from an icy

blue to a very bright red.

"This map shows the average power used by the city in the past few months.

But since we do not want to look back that far, I have adjusted it to show the

averages for the past few days," she explained and pressed a key and a new

map popped up. It was identical to the last except for a few changes in the

color pattern. She pointed to the lower half of the screen where after an area

of low power usage there was a very bright spot of red. "This right here

indicates an enormous amount of energy had been used there. And according

to the records the amount of energy that was used was so high it went of the

scale. The power spikes for that area are way too high to be normal. The only

thing that can cause power spikes like that would be very heavy equipment, or

possibly the type of equipment that could create and control the clones."

"So in plain English that's where the bad guys are," Dale spoke up.

"Very probable, yes," she answered.

"Where exactly is that at Gadget?" Monterey asked.

"Let me see," she pressed a few buttons and an enlarged picture of the area

came up displaying more information about it. "Golly, according to this it's in

Mount Curitss."

"Don't you mean on top of Mount Curtiss?" asked Zipper

"No, I mean whatever this place is it is directly in the center of the mountain,"

replied Gadget.

"I think I might know what's in there!" exclaimed Foxglove. "One time I flew

out there a few years back and I found out from another bat that there used to

be an old Civil Defense shelter there. It was supposed to be used for top

government officials. It was build back during the peak of the cold war."

"At least we know we're on the right track now," Zipper said.

"But now we have to figure out how to go about getting in and getting Chip

out…" Dale interjected.

"We need a plan!" Monterey stated. Everybody looked at Gadget.

"Well… I do have a plan to get in and out. But first we have to return to

RRHQ to pick up some things."

"Then let's get going. Who knows what Kyle will do to Chip," Dale said in a

worried tone.

Chapter 16

Chip heard someone calling his name. He was still groggy from the sound gun

that Fat Cat had used on him. After a few seconds of disorientation he was

able to hear the voice clearly now.

"Chip. You-hoo! Time to wake up. Helloooo? Anyone home?"

Chip recognized it as being Kyle's. A voice he had not heard in years. He

realized that he was lying on a metal floor and that his hands were tied behind

his back. Kyle's voice continued on. "Oh come now Chip, snap out of it. The

setting on the gun was too low to cause any real damage!"

Chip had grown tired of Kyle's voice. He opened his eyes and saw Kyle there

hunched over him. Chip looked Kyle straight in the eyes. "Will you please shut

up!" he yelled.

"Gee Chip, first time I've seen you in a years, and the first thing you say to

me is shut up," Kyle said in a voice that sounded as if Chip had hurt his

feelings.

"Well after what you did, I think I can be a little upset with you! Chip retorted.

"What have I done? The only reason I'm in this little venture is to get you. It's

the other that wanted to ruin your reputation and go after your friends. I have

nothing against the other Rescue Rangers. Trusting you has already punished

them enough.

"Kyle what happened to you was completely your fault," Chip responded in

even tone. "I am not to blame."

"Yeah, just like the iceberg was not to blame for sinking the Titantic."

"Listen Kyle, you need help! I can help you get that help!"

"Yeah right, like I'm going to trust you. You were a very close friend of mine.

And what did you do? You betrayed my trust and ruined my life! You did it

on purpose because you were jealous of me!"

"Listen to yourself, you're delusional! What did Intergang do to you?" asked

Chip.

"Why they helped me. Improved my mind. I am now the smartest being

alive!"

"At what cost? Your sanity?"

"I'm just a sane as I ever was Chip"

At this, Chip wondered if his friend had ever been sane in the first place. "Was

it Intergang that broke you out of Stryker's?" he asked.

"In a way. Erick did not inform you of the full extents of what that enzyme did

to my mind did he?"

Chip looked shocked when he heard Kyle mention his meeting with Erick.

Kyle saw the expression on Chips face and continued. "Oh Yes! I know all

about that little meeting. It's pretty hard to keep anything a secret from me.

Anyway, back to the subject. You know how people always speak of a sixth

sense? Well I currently posses eight senses! It was mere child's play to

override and figure out the security locks."

"So now what are you going to do?"

"Well I don't exactly know yet. I have dreamed of this moment for years. And

now that it is finally here I'm not sure what I want to do to you yet. I'll have

to think about it."

Kyle got up and walked over to a door. He tuned off the light, leaving Chip in

complete darkness. "See you later… Buddy!" he said sarcastically and left the

room, locking the door behind him.

Chip lay there for a few minutes until he believed Kyle was gone. After he was

quite sure that it would be awhile before Kyle would return, he started to work

on his bonds. He couldn't reach the pockets of his jacket. And he knew if he

could, anything that he could have used to escape would be removed. But he

still worked at trying to get himself untied.

Chapter 17

The Rescue Rangers had just returned from RRHQ. There they had retrieved

some equipment to make a covert raid on Mount Curtiss. They knew even

with all but one of the clones destroyed, the actual team of villains itself would

pose a major threat. They were now all wearing black clothing so they would

be less visible in case someone was keeping a lookout. They had left the

Rangermobile about half a mile back to be on the safe side and traveled the

rest of the way on foot.

"There it is, Mount Curtiss," stated Dale in a hushed voice.

"How do we get in? I doubt that it has a front door," responded Monterey,

also in a low voice.

"Most bomb shelters built during the 50's had a hatch at the very top. Like a

submarine, so there is an entrance most likely hidden somewhere on top of the

mountain," Gadget replied. "But I don't think that would be the best way to go

in. They must have had some other entrance for that plane of theirs. I think

that would be the best way to sneak in."

"But where would that be?" asked Foxglove.

"Well they would most likely use the emergency ventilation shaft. And it

would most likely come out of the side of the mountain. The North side to be

more specific."

"So now all we have to do is find it and sneak in," said Dale.

"Don't worry I have that all figured out."

Chip was just beginning to make some progress on getting his hands free when

Kyle returned. He tried to roll over so that Kyle would not notice the lose

rope, but was too late. Kyle noticed and tightened them again.

"Uh-Uh Chip, you're not getting away from me."

"How long are you going to leave me tied up?"

"Gee Chip. Do you want to rush your death?"

"What makes you think I will die?"

"What makes you think you can win?"

"Because I'm A Rescue Ranger, and I will fight you and your associates until I

can't fight anymore. All the Rescue Rangers will!"

"Oh I'm sure you will, but trust me. You will die! But since I am such a nice

guy I'll give you a choice. I can kill you right now or we can have a duel."

"A duel?"

"Yes, a duel. In fact I have replicas of the pistols used in the famous Hamilton

Burr duel."

"Don't you see Kyle, I want to help you! I don't want to fight you!"

"Well Chip, I want to fight you."

"Well I tried to talk sense into you, but I can't. If you want a fight, let's make

it fair. No weapons, no clones."

"Sounds fair."

"No Rescue Rangers, No Revenge Squad. Just Chip and Kyle the way it

should be."

"Sounds clean."

Kyle bent over and untied Chip. Chip got up to his feet and looked Kyle

straight in the eye. The mouse he was looking at was his first friend he ever

had, The person whom he had shared lot's of first experiences with, and also

the person who wanted to see him dead. They stood there for several long

moments waiting for the other to make the first move. Finally after almost a

minute of complete stillness Kyle lunged for Chip. Chip was caught of guard

and was rewarded by an elbow to the ribs. He let out a gasp of air and

returned a blow to Kyle's stomach he backed up and doubled over.

"Please Kyle let's end it here. This might be our last chance to straighten this

mess out," Chip pleaded.

"NEVER!" Kyle came at Chip with a rush and slammed him into the wall.

Wasting no time, he grabbed Chip by the shoulder and punched him full force

right in his back.

Chip felt a warm sensation as the bile rose in his throat. He spat it out and

spun around blindly with a punch. He connected with Kyle's jaw sending him

spinning. Kyle starred at Chip for a few seconds and took off running for a

door. Chip quickly laid in pursuit. Chip followed Kyle through the door and

found he was now walking on dirt. He was in some kind of tunnel. He felt the

walls of the room and realized they were smooth as glass. After a few feet the

tunnel opened up into a large room. The room was lit by an overhead light that

cast shadows everywhere. Off to one side of the room several wooden crates

were stacked to the ceiling. On the far side of the room the floor dropped of

into a chasm.

"Do you know where you are?" Kyle's voice asked. "The cavern that we are

in is the magma chamber of a dormant volcano. That's why the walls are

smooth. Of course you should know all this from Mr. Doonovan's

earth-science class.

"Where are you Kyle? You wanted a fight! Now I'm ready to give you one!"

"I guess you do have a death wish." Kyle said stepping out of the shadows

from behind Chip. Chip quickly spun around and slammed Kyle into the

ground.

Kyle wasted no time. He quickly grabbed Chip's ankles and pulled him

crashing to the ground. Both fighters got back up to their feet. Kyle took a

hold of Chips waist and sent him crashing through the crates. He pulled

himself out of the pile of broken crates, a shred of his jacket ripped off and

hung limply from a vertical shaft of wood.

'Can't take this much longer. Have to end it soon!' he thought to himself as

Kyle moved in again. This time Chip made the first move. He slammed his fist

into Kyle's jaw. Chip didn't stop there. He knew that he couldn't give Kyle a

chance to collect himself, so he punched Kyle again in his stomach. "Listen

Kyle it's over! Just give yourself up. I can get you help. You have to trust

me!"

"No Chip! I'm not going to let you stick me in another institution where I will

be studied like a rat! The hours of tests, the probes to figure out how my mind

works! I'll never go back to that living hell again!"

"Kyle…I didn't know," Chip faltered and hesitated in his assault.

"I'm sure you didn't!" Kyle answered in a sarcastic tone. He stepped

backwards, unaware that the chasm was just a few inches behind him.

"Kyle watch out!" Chip shouted as he lunged to grab his opponent. Chip

caught a hold of Kyle's arm just as he started to plummet into the chasm. Kyle

just hung there swinging like a pendulum. He looked down and was able to see

the faint glow of a river of lava running at least 100 feet straight down. Chip

kept a tight grip on Kyle's arm while his other was dug tightly into the ground

acting as an anchor.

"Hang on Kyle! I'll pull you up!" Chip grunted as his shoulders strained.

"No Chip, like I said I am not going back to the constant experiments. I would

choose death over going back there."

"Kyle, I don't want it to end like this. I'll personally help you get

rehabilitated!"

"Yeah right like I'm going to believe that."

"Don't you see Kyle? I still care about you!" Chip shouted desperately.

"I'm sorry Chip. One way or another it's going to end here," Kyle responded

quietly.

"What do you mean?"

"Since I failed in killing you. I don't want to live with that failure hanging over

my head."

"Kyle…Listen to what you are saying! You can't be serious!"

"Oh but I am serious very serious…"

"Chip! There you are!" Dale's voice cried out.

Chip turned his head to see the other Rescue Rangers heading for him. Kyle

had also noticed their arrivals because when Chip looked at him he had a large

smile on his face.

"Goodbye Chip." Kyle pulled himself from Chip's grasp. Chip stared,

mortified as Kyle plunged to his demise.

Chapter 18

The Rescue rangers had just scaled the mountain and were searching for the

ventilation shaft. Since it was a old top secret Civil Defense Shelter the

entrance to the shaft would be hidden from view. Gadget quickly determined

where the entrance would most likely be located. She was only one yard off

the mark. They gathered around the hidden entrance. It was behind some

scrub brush. The brush was hooked up to a mechanism that swung it out like a

door. Monterey was easily able to pull it open. The ventilation shaft, however,

turned out to be another problem. It was covered with a steel grate that had a

fine wire mesh interwoven between the bars. It also as hinged but was locked.

After a few minutes of working on it Gadget was able to unlock with her tail.

The door swung upwards automatically. The Rangers peered into the dark

shaft.

"It sure is dark," commented Dale.

"Well come on, we had better get moving," Gadgets said as she pulled out a

flashlight. They entered the shaft and started to walk through it. Gadget shone

the flashlight a head of them so they could see where they were going. After a

few minutes of walking they came to a dead end.

"I guess this is the end of the shaft," said Foxglove.

"Now what?" asked Dale.

"Well there must be a door here somewhere. Look around for something that

might be a door or some type of switch," Gadget said.

After a few minutes of searching Zipper spoke up. "Look here!" They all

turned to see where he had indicated. It was a small box with wires running

through it.

"I think that might be what we are looking for, Good job Zipper!" Gadget

pried the top off of the box and examined the part of the wall around the box.

"There is definitely a door here."

"Can you open it?" asked Monterey.

"No problem," She answered as she twisted a few wires together and the wall

in front of them opened up into the main room of the Revenge Squad's HQ.

"Be quiet," she whispered to the rest of them as they passed through the door

hopping down to the ground.

"Crickey! This place looks right out of a movie!" Monterey commented on all

the high tech equipment.

"Look over there!" Dale said pointing at the main table where Bubbles,

Capone, and Desa'rae were passed out. They ran over to them. "Are they

dead?"

"No. They are still alive." Gadget said after examining each of them.

"What happened to them?" asked Foxglove.

"When we destroyed the clones, the system the were using must have

backfired on them. From the looks of this equipment they were using a VR

type of interface. These helmets are like nothing I've ever seen."

"But wait! There are two of them missing. Kyle and Fat Cat!" Zipper said

"Why don't you look behind you?"

The Rangers spun around to see Fat Cat standing behind them. He had come

out of the smaller room where all the cloning equipment was. "You did not

really think you could get in here without my knowledge did you?"

"Where's Chip?" Dale demanded.

"He's out playing with Kyle. But forget about him, you have me to play with,"

Fat Cat purred evilly.

"Give it up you mangy feline! You don't stand a chance against the five of

us!" said Monterey, stepping forward.

"We've beat you before and we can easily do it again," Dale said.

"Oh but you see Rangers, I will be the victor this time. Ever hear of something

called a fail-safe?"

"Yeah. What about it?" Gadget asked cautiously.

"Well it seems that Kyle was able to acquire a nuclear warhead. We were

going to save it for a special occasion but I guess we'll use it now. Gadget, I

have a question for you. What would happen when a nuclear device is

detonated in the magma chamber of a volcano?"

"You're insane," Gadget said as she realized what he was about to do. "If you

cause this volcano to erupt, millions will die!"

"Regrettable causalities of war. But you Rangers will most certainly be dead.

You can kiss your lives goodbye. I think it would be a most fitting way for this

city to go. In a rain of fiery lava."

"You would destroy the entire city just to kill us?" Foxglove asked.

"This is nothing against you my dear. But since you decided to stand by and

help your friends, you can have the honor of going out with them."

"What about the other members of your team? You just going to let them

die?" asked Monterey gruffly.

"They failed in their mission. They deserve to die. Well Rangers, my time

grows short, so I must bid you farewell." With that, Fat Cat left through the

main entrance hatch, sealing it behind him. They heard a steel plate slamming

down on the ventilation shaft in which they had entered, sealing it.

"Now what are we going to do?" asked Dale.

"We have to find that bomb and disarm it," Gadget replied.

"What about Chip?" asked Zipper.

"If we don't disarm that bomb, we'll all be dead. Chip included!"

"Fat Cat said it would be detonated in a magma chamber. Any idea where that

would be?" asked Monterey.

"First we have to find a way into the volcano. Look for some type of door.

And hurry, we don't know how much time we have!"

They searched the two rooms for the door. After a few more minutes of

searching, Dale called to the rest of them. "Here it is! I found it!" They all ran

to where he was, opened the door, and stepped through. Once their eye

adjusted to the dim light they saw Chip lying on the ground next to a crevice

holding onto something. They started to head for him

"Chip! There you are!" Dale shouted in relief. They could now see what Chip

was hanging onto. Or more appropriately, who he was hanging on to. They

realized that it must be Kyle. They did not get a chance to look at him much

longer because after he had noticed their arrival, he pulled him from Chip's

grasp and fell into the chasm. They saw Chip's horrified expression and

rushed over to him.

"He…He just let go." Chip stammered.

"Chip, he let go a long time ago," Gadget said, comforting him. "But right now

we have a bomb to disarm. Do you know where it is?"

Chip, having collected his composure, led them over to the pile of crates.

"This is the only place where it could be."

They started to dig through the pile of shattered wood. Chip was correct.

Lying beneath the broken boards was the bomb. Gadget pressed a button on

the side of the warhead and the side panel opened up revealing a small

computer counsel. The display showed that they had ten minutes before the

bomb detonated.

"Can you disarm it Gadget?" Dale asked.

"I don't want to rush into this! I don't have enough time or the right tools to

disarm a nuclear weapon!" She responded bleakly.

"What about a password to shut it down. There must be some way to turn this

thing off!" said Monterey.

"Wait a minute. I have an idea!" exclaimed Chip, walking to the miniature

keyboard. "Even though Kyle was crazy, even he would have a backup

system. Maybe if I try personal information for the password." Chip tried all

that he could think off. Birthdays, phrases that Kyle used to say, nicknames.

Nothing worked, and their time was growing shorter. 'THINK!' he thought to

himself. Kyle was always one to have a sick sense of humor. So he figured

that the password would be simple yet difficult to figure out. After a few more

minutes of trying with no result an idea cane to him. The others were

beginning to get very nervous behind him as the clock ticked down.

"It can't be," he said with a smile. His fingers flew across the keyboard typing

in three simple letters. O-F-F. The device shut down with less than a minute

left to go.

"Off! That was the password to shut down the bomb?" said Dale

dumbfounded.

"It's quite clever in a way… and sick," commented Monterey.

"Well at least we don't have to worry about it going off," Gadget said with a

sigh of relief.

"Now what? There is still the matter of the three villains in the main room.

Also, Fat Cat escaped."

"Don't worry about them. I'll inform Stryker's, they'll send someone to pick

them up," said Chip. "As for Fat Cat, well after what happened, I think he'll

be laying low for awhile."

"Well at least the Ranger-clone saga is finally over," Dale said.

"With all the evidence here it should be easy for you to clear your names,"

said Foxglove.

Chip walked over to the chasm and looked down it. "So this is how it ended.

Kyle chose death over going back to prison. I'm going to have to have a long

talk with Warden Sawyer." Chip said angrily. "That's twice I've failed to help

Kyle. The first time he ended up in jail, the second time he ended up dead!"

"Chip what happened to him was not your fault. As I said earlier, you can't

blame yourself for the path he chose to walk." Said Monterey comfortingly.

"Yeah, but maybe I could have changed it," Chip said glumly. "Come on.

Let's get out of here."

Chapter 19 (Last one)

Chip spent the trip home in the Rangermobile in complete silence. After they

returned to Rescue Ranger HQ, he said that he wanted to spend some time

alone outside. No one protested.

"You couldn't have helped him you know," Chip looked over his shoulder and

saw Erick walking towards him. "He was so far into his insanity that he was

beyond help."

"Did you know what they did to him at Stryker's?" Chip asked Erick angrily.

"No, I had no idea. No one deserves to go through what he claimed he went

through there. As soon as I found out, I had Warden Sawyer put on immediate

suspension. She will be investigated."

"How did you find out?"

"Well as soon as you left Mount Curtiss a clean up team went in to remove all

stolen equipment. They found surveillance video there."

"You guys move pretty fast."

"You have to. in this business there are no trophies for second place."

"Did you see the videos?" Chip asked nervously.

"Yes, as I said, there was nothing you could do for him. Hopefully he's at

peace with the world now."

"Erick, why don't you quit this Agency you work for and come and join the

Rescue Rangers," offered Chip. "You would make a fine addition to the

team."

"Sorry Chip, even though it is a tempting offer. I enjoy working there. I have

learned things that would turn your hair gray. Sure there is danger to it but I

like it. In my own way I am helping others. And now down to business. Here,"

he said and tossed Chip a thick folder.

"What is it?" Chip queried.

"That is the Agency's complete files on the Rescue Rangers. It turns out that

we had a leak. That is how Kyle acquired all the personal data on your team. I

figured that the information was just too dangerous."

"But what if it is discovered missing? Aren't you putting yourself in danger?"

"No, I replaced the information with a dummy file. They won't be able to tell

the difference. There is information in that folder on your fellow teammates

that even you are not aware of."

"In that case, destroy it." Chip said, tossing the folder back to Erick. "This

type of information is too dangerous."

"Good choice Chip. Now for the other reason I have come. This time not

business, but personal advice."

"What is it?"

"Walk with me Chip," he said. They started off in any general direction. "I

need to give you some advice on love."

Chip was caught surprised by his comment. "What did you say?"

"Chip, it doesn't take the resources of the Agency to tell that you are in love

with Gadget," he said with a laugh. "I figured that out on my own!"

"So what advice can you give me?"

"Simple as the great Billy Joel said, Tell her about it, Tell her everything you

feel"

"It isn't that simple you know. There are other things to consider."

"Such as?"

"Well for starters there is how it will affect the other members of the

Rangers… If you know as much as you say then you would know how that

would affect Dale. He would be devastated. I couldn't hurt his feelings "

"But forget about them. What about your feelings."

"I just can't do that. You know they are my friends."

"So you would be willing to put your love life on hold for the sake of not

hurting Dale's feelings," said Erick said with much doubt in his voice.

"Yes!"

"You fool, It's not Dale's feeling you're worried about, it's yours you are just

using him as an excuse."

"What do you mean?" Chip asked angrily. He had stopped dead in his tracks

and looked Erick coldly in the eyes.

"You are afraid of being rejected. That is why you will not reveal your

emotions to her. You use Dale's feelings as an excuse. Well let me tell you if

you do not tell her your feelings you will regret it down the road. You will look

back on your life and wonder what might have been. So I suggest for your

sake that you tell her how you feel about her."

"Who do you think you are? Sigmund Freud?"

"No. I am a friend who is trying to help another friend. Trust me Chip, tell her

before it is to late. Remember tomorrow is never, ever guaranteed." Erick said

with a hint of sorrow in his voice. "I learned that the hard way."

"I'm still not sure Erick. I'll have to think about it," Chip had heard the change

in Erick's voice, but thought it was best not to press the matter.

"Just remember the longer you spend thinking. The harder it will get to tell her.

Don't put it off. Well Chip, I could spend the whole night talking to you but I

have to go. Duty calls."

"So where are you off to?"

"Sorry, I can't tell you that"

"I figured that. So when will I see you again?"

"You'll see," said Erick with a mischievous smile as he slowly walked away

into the shadows.

Chip stood there watching his friend disappear. In his mind he wondered what

he meant. He stood there for a few minutes and then walked back to

headquarters thinking about what Erick had said. 'Maybe I should tell her,' he

though to himself. After about ten minutes of walking he was standing outside

of the door. He stood there for a few minutes getting himself collected before

he went in.

Dale was sitting on the couch showing Foxglove an issue of "Thunderbolts".

He appeared to be caught up in the action. Chip could hear Dale commenting

to her on the plot line.

"Who would of though that The Thunderbolts were actually The Masters Of

Evil in disguise. This is just like the Hyperclan turning out to be the Pale

Martians in JLA!"

Chip walked by the couch and continued on his way. He could hear Monterey

and Zipper in the kitchen whipping up what was sure to be a victory feast.

After all they had proved their innocence to the park residents, stopped the

Revenge Squad, and saved the whole city. But Chip did not feel like the

celebrating mood. He had lost someone who had once been very close to him

and now Erick's words were haunting him. He stopped dead in his tracks and

stood there thinking. After a few minutes of standing there he decided that he

should tell Gadget how he felt. As he walked toward her workshop he began

to feel queasy and nervous. Part of him just wanted to run away and forget all

about it, but he continued forward. He stopped out side the door and lightly

tapped on it.

"Come in," came Gadget's sweet voice.

'Still a chance to leave,' came a voice from deep inside his head. He ignored it

and pushed the door open. He entered and saw Gadget at her workbench

drawing up some blueprints. She looked up at him.

"Hi Chip!" she said with a smile.

"Hello Gadget," he walked over next to her looked at the blueprints. "Working

on the new Rangerwing again?

"Yeah, I got some new ideas for it."

"Gadget, there is something I have to tell you," he said his voice quivering a

little.

"What is it Chip?" she put down her pencil and looked at him, noting the

change in his voice.

"Gadget. Ever since I first laid eyes on you I have loved you. As the time past

and we worked together I knew I loved you even more. Every single day that

goes by my love for you grows," the words quickly gushed out of him.

"Ch…Chip I don't know what to say this is all so…so… sudden," she said,

sounding quite surprised. "I'm very flattered, but I'm not sure how I feel about

you. I care about you as a friend, but beyond that I'm not sure…" she paused

for a moment to hug him gently. "But I'm willing to find out."

Chip breathed a big sigh of relief. He did not expect her to fall into his arms.

But at least it was not a flat out rejection. Maybe in time there could be

something between the two. "So would you be willing to go out to diner

sometime?" he asked tentatively.

"You bet I would," she said with a nervous smile.

"Good, then I'll let you get back to your work," he turned and walked out of

her workshop with a large smile on his face. Chip reflected on the events of

the past few days. Their worst enemies had banded together and formed a

team to oppose them. One of the members had been a friend from his

childhood. They had successful brought a halt to the evil plans. The only life

that had been lost during the whole ordeal was that of Kyle's.

Chip had the felling that Kyle's death would always haunt him. But it was not

at the front of his mind right now. The only thing on his mind right now was

Gadget. Who knows what the future hold's for them? Only time will tell.

The End

Woo-Hoo I'm finally done. It is January 9th at 6:30 PM (PST). Well I never

thought that I would make it. In fact I am so happy that I finished it me and

cousin Larry did the dance of joy. At one point I had such a case of writers

block that I had just given up hope of ever finishing it. But I did get over that

and once I did nothing could have stopped me. I did the majority of the work

over Christmas Vacation. And not a minute to soon because I go back to

college in two days. Well, what did you think? I hope you liked it. Write to tell

me if you loved it, hated it, or think that I should be locked up in the loony

bin. I wanted to do something different with my story, I knew I could never

write a pure romance or a really serious story. So I opted to do something that

I am very familiar with. I did a comic book type of story. In fact, all

throughout this story there are secret references to comic book story lines. To

write this, I did Dale's type of research, I read a bunch of comic books. Some

of the names and places used in this story are in fact borrowed from comic

books. I just had to put in that scene where Dale is commenting on some

comic book's If you are wondering the Revenge Squad will most definitely

return with a few new members. But I encourage all of you to write stories

using the Revenge Squad.

As to the ending I had decided to leave it like that because I have another story

planned and I did not know how to write a full blown relationship between

Chip and Gadget. The next story, which I am keeping under wraps will have

another comic book type of plot. In my mind the true love between the two

will have to take time to grow.

I would like to give special thanks to a few people for making this all possible.

First of all to all the people who run Rescue Ranger pages. Especially Robert

Hollingshead and Karen Mollett. I give special thanks to Karen for helping me

get my web page set up. I also would like to thank other Rescue Rangers

authors for allowing me to run my ideas by them. Two of them that had been

a big help with this story are Chris "Malachite" Sweeters and Roy Neil

Grissom. Also I would like to thank each and everyone of the Rescue Rangers

fans out there. You are the ones that keep it alive by visiting the web sites and

reading the Fan Fictions. And a final big, big, big thank you has to go out to

Chip Lundsmark my editor. Where would I be without him? I have terrible

grammar. I stink at punctuation and all that kind of stuff. So I would really like

to thank you Chip. I know I really had him working over time editing this

puppy.

The Rescue Rangers, Foxglove, Fat Cat, Bubbles, Rat Capone, and Desa'rae

Delure are property of Disney and used without permission. S.T.A.R. Labs,

Stryker's Island, JLA, Hyperclan, The Pale Martians and Intergang are

property of DC Comics also used without permission. Thunderbolts and The

Masters Of Evil are property of Marvel Comics yet again used without

permission "Tell Her About It" Is the property of Billy Joel and was put out by

CBS Records.

Kyle Laurel and Erick Rosebush are creations of John Davidson.