INSPECTOR GADGET: THE SERIES
Ep. 1: The Ultimate Crime Fighting Tool
Detroit, Michigan. In the year 2038 it's a dystopian metropolis plagued by every kind of crime imaginable from gang violence to corner drug store robberies to drugs. It's hard being a police officer here but it's the job I have. Gangs kill cops here daily but I'm one that they won't get rid of so easily. I'm something different. No matter what the criminal element does I can always be put back together. My name causes even the biggest of crime bosses in this city to sweat in fear because they know it means a nigh unstoppable force is coming to tear apart their world. They can run, they can fight, it makes no difference to me. And even if they do manage to stop me it's only a matter of hours until I'm after them again.
Who am I?
I'm Inspector Gadget, the ultimate crime fighting tool, and I'm here to lay down the law.
"This is Media Net, bringing you the world in five minutes."
"Good evening, I'm Charlie Neumeier with Rachel Fontanna. These are today's top stories. The first EF-1000 came off the assembly line today; it's a prototype car that runs on a bio-fuel made by Archangel Enterprises. They say that this vehicle can travel from San Francisco to Washington DC on one tank."
"On a more serious note, another homeless man has disappeared from our city streets, the eighth in less than a month. The police report no new clues and fear that this is the work of a serial killer some are calling the Detroit Ripper."
"Good news for Detroit today! Archangel has been given the go-ahead from City Hall to implement its plan for a computer that will automate the city's utilities and public transportation infrastructure."
"This just in, a terrorist has taken hostages at a night club in downtown Detroit. We take you live to the scene now with Ray Murray."
"Yes, Rachel, I'm here at The Pulse, and it's not a pretty picture. One cop killed, several wounded, and inside is Richard Dent, a recently escaped psychopath from the Henry Ford Center for the Criminally Insane. He is currently holding a group of college students' hostage."
"Don't jerk me around chief! Do what I want or I get mad and do something really ugly!" Dent yelled out through a megaphone in the club.
"You know we don't negotiate with terrorists, Dent!"
"We can't get in, chief," informed Ashley. "He's got the place barricaded and his men are guarding the doors with military grade weapons. They'd love for us to try and pull an assault."
"I guess our only hope now is the inspector."
"Chief Steele, perhaps you can tell us what it is that Dent wants. Money? A pardon? An exclusive DNN interview?" asked Ray as he pushed his microphone in the chief's face.
"We wish," the chief sighed before indulging the newsman. "You see, when he was arrested three years ago by Inspector Gadget, he suffered damage to his face in an explosion of his own making."
"So he wants revenge."
"No, he wants Gadget!"
"Listen up Steele! You've got five minutes to bring in the freak before the walls get a new paint job in red!"
Chief Steele was unsure of what to do. He knew that I had received his call but I was on the other side of the city in a normal interceptor while Gadgetmobile was in the garage for repairs after taking a round from a stolen railgun. He was about to call for my ETA when he heard sirens and turned to see an interceptor approaching the scene. What he didn't see was the rocket launcher being aimed out a window at said police vehicle. That is, he didn't notice it until it fired at the interceptor and destroyed it. It was an instant bonfire but no one felt like making s'mores. There was a huge explosion and the chief and Ashley could feel the heat from where they were. Tactics for getting Dent started running through Steele's head when the driver's side door on the interceptor fell off its hinges. A figure emerged from the burning car though the flame and smoke, a figure that was undeniably wearing a long coat with a fedora.
Chief Steele, Ashley, and every other cop on the scene was relieved that I had survived. Dent was as good as incarcerated now. I was none the worse for wear, though there were a few dark spots on my flame retardant coat. I was even luckier that I didn't have any cosmetic damage from the fire.
"All right, here's the situation," Chief Steele started explaining when I reached them.
"You called me. It's bad," I stated.
The compartment in my right thigh opened and I drew my autogun, ready for anything. That was a very good car Dent had destroyed after all. The doors to the club were sealed and barricaded so it would take one of my explosives to get past them.
DEPLOY TACTICAL ORDNANCE_
CHARGE LEVEL: 3
My left thigh compartment opened and I took out the explosive, which was shaped like a hexagon and roughly the size of an air hockey puck. I threw it against the door where it stuck and armed itself. A signal from my CPU was all it took to detonate the explosive and make the doors disappear as fast as you can blink. Obstacle one surmounted, on to the boss level. The inside of the club was dark and smoke from the ordnance was still in the air. As I scanned the room for threats one of Dent's henchmen appeared from behind the counter with a military grade machine gun letting hell loose. Why they continued to assault me with machine guns at most was still a mystery to me. Of course, I didn't want to kill this man so I looked for an alternative. A chandelier was right above him and I calculated that he would survive the impact. A roar from my gun and the goon would be waking up with a headache. The main floor of the club was empty of Dent and the hostages. They were probably in the stock room which was underneath the structure. As I walked down the stairs another man came out of the doors to the store room with a higher caliber gun but it was still ineffective. I targeted the support for one of the lights in the hallway and it swung down to hit the accomplice in the face. Now it was time to face the big boss. I switched to thermograph and confirmed that Dent was in there with the hostages. There were several and he looked like he was preparing his trap. I didn't want to keep him waiting.
"Richard Dent," I called as I threw open the doors and walked into the dim store room which looked more like a small warehouse with all the crates.
"Hey, mish-mash!" Dent said and turned to face me, revealing his face which had heavy scarring and burn marks. I saw that he had been wiring the college students with plastic explosives connected to a remote detonator. Unfortunately the system he was using could not be jammed. I had to get him to bring the remote into the open.
"You wanted to talk to me?"
"No, I want to kill you!"
"Not happening today, Dent," I smirked and raised my gun. "You're under arrest."
"It's too late for that, freak! Look at this face. You did this to me. Every time I look in a mirror I think of you. I don't want to think of you again!" Dent raised his hand, showing the detonator. It wasn't even a dead man's switch. He was getting sloppy.
TARGETING_
A single bullet was all it took. The detonator snapped in two and Dent stumbled backwards, shocked. I advanced and picked him up by the front of his suit.
"What now, mish-mash, police brutality in front of these… juveniles?"
"Steele to Gadget, come in Gadget. Request sit-rep. Inspector, do you copy?"
"What are you doing? Unhand me you metal monstrosity! Wait, not the face, NOT THE FACE!"
Dent came flying out ruined doors to the club a second later and landed on his back. He was immediately surrounded by officers and his face became covered in red dots from the targeting lasers.
"Uh oh," he muttered as he stared up at the cops.
"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you by the court," I recited as Dent was hauled to his feet.
"Yeah, yeah, you just got lucky, freak."
"Book him," I said to the other officers before turning to Chief Steele. "The situation is under control, chief."
"Great work, Gadget. It's nice to know we can count on you. All right, let's start cleaning up here!"
"Hey, Ashley? Can I get a ride back to the precinct with you? I've obviously trashed another car," I smirked as I indicated the smoking husk of my interceptor. They never lasted long when I was driving them.
"Sure, partner. Come on, but I'm driving."
"Sheesh, make one mistake and you hear about it for the rest of our life."
"Anyway, nice job," she complimented as we pulled into traffic.
"Thanks, and I got it done in time for my dinner date with Shelby. Sorry about the smoke smell by the way. I'll have to shower before I meet up with her."
"That's alright, I probably smell like it too. How is Shelby?"
"She's great! She's finally got a job at a newspaper which is what she's wanted for quite a while now and it's a reporter position so that's got her really excited."
"Good for her, I'm sure she'll be a sensation. After all, she has a knack for finding stories like you have a knack for finding trouble."
"I can't help it; every big shot crime boss in Detroit wants to see me turned in to spare parts."
"By the way, I took my test for detective this morning. I don't know for sure but I think I aced it. Do you think I'd make a good detective?"
"I don't see why not, part of what you know you learned from me, and I'm a good detective without my gadgets."
"Now I think that's the ego talking."
"I think you're right."
We laughed and the rest of the trip back to Metro South was filled with companionable silence as the towers of Detroit stretched above us.