A/N
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Inspector Gadget (2015), or any other Inspector Gadget series. All rights go to their respective owners. Also, this was a request by retro mania, so credit goes to him for the main idea.
"Ah! Gadget! Penny! Brain!" a redheaded man in a lab coat greeted the three as they entered HQ's lab. "You're just in time to see me put the finishing touches on my latest invention...that is, you will, when Professor Smith delivers them."
"Actually, Professor, he asked us to deliver it for him." Penny held up the small metal case in her hands. "He got tangled up in something downstairs."
"Literally," Gadget smiled.
"Oh! You must mean the work-in-progress Super Botany we've been working on; it's so Metro City can have a strong supply of plants in case of an apocalyptic scenario. That's just...grape. Ha ha, get it? Grape?" Gadget and Slickstein thought it was funnier than Penny and Brain did. "Well, no worries. It happens." Taking the case from Penny, he pulled himself under the tarp that covered his new invention.
"Hey, hey hey! What's going on here, peoples?" a friendly black girl Penny's age approached them.
"Hello, Kayla," Slickstein called from under the tarp. "Just about done here...stick around if you like." Kayla tried to move forward when she was halfway in the laboratory, but found one of her feet stuck.
"Ew...what the heck is this stuff?" she asked, disgusted.
"Oh, heh heh, whoops! You must've accidentally stepped on the invisible gum. It's so kids can get away with chewing it in school. Professor Johnson came up with it, his brother works in a candy company. Boy, that guy sure has some crazy ideas."
"Well, how do I get it off?" Luckily, Brain found that the invisible substance on Kayla's foot easily washed off with water from a small hose nearby. "Thanks, Brain!" The dog tolerated a pat on the head.
Good thing there's no wires or electrical outlets close to this area. He thought as he looked for a towel to clean it up.
"Annnnnd...finished!" Slickstein stepped out from the tarp, and turned towards the group. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you...THE CLONING BOOTH 1000!" Pulling off the tarp, he revealed a machine that looked like two phone booths connected to a control panel in-between.
"Oooh...shiny," Gadget and Kayla noted with awe.
"Imagine, the benefits of having more than one of you: there's many of them of course, but for this scenario, let's say you're trying to sneak up on your enemies, but they're on high alert on the lookout for you! You could send your clone to distract them, and while they're too busy chasing the fake you, the real you stops their evil plot and can make a clean getaway! Or say maybe they have you cornered, you could just call on a clone for back up! Well, I'm still working on a button to add to Communicator Cufflinks that would allow you to do that, but no point in making that if we don't know if the Cloning Booth 1000 works. Who wants to be my first test subject?"
"I guess I'll go," Penny offered. "Just to test it out, maybe just one clone wouldn't be so bad. As long as it doesn't turn evil or something like that. Not that that's ever happened before...heh heh."
"Wonderful!" He opened the door to the left phone booth. "Just step inside here."
Penny did, and shut her eyes, trying to ignore her claustrophobia. Slickstein pressed a blue button on the control panel, and smoke lowered down in both booths. Within a few seconds, the doors popped open, and Penny on the left quickly stepped out...her clone on the right following just as fast.
"Wowsers!"
"Ohmigosh! You did it, Professor!" Kayla squealed.
"Oh, hooray! It worked!" Professor did a celebratory twirl. Penny noticed her clone looked a bit uncomfortable.
"You're no fan of tight spaces either, huh?" Penny asked. The clone shook her head.
Suddenly, Chief Quimby's head popped up from a trash can.
"It's the chief!" Gadget exclaimed, standing up straighter.
"Gadget, I have a mission for you." A blue ball shot up from the can at Gadget, who caught it and read the text:
"Intel has it that M.A.D. has recently rented out the biggest convention center in Metro City. We're not sure why, but we can only imagine that they're up to no good. Your mission is to find out why, and, if necessary, put a stop to it. This message will self-destruct. Not to worry, Chief," tossing the ball back towards the trash-can, Gadget saluted the Chief. "I'm always on the case!"
Upon Gadget leaving the room, the little blue ball blew up the trash can, leaving cartoony-black marks on the Chief, who fell over and groaned. The clone girls looked at each other.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" the real Penny asked.
"Oh yeah..." the clone looked ready for action.
"Brain, keep an eye on Uncle Gadget," they said at the same time. "...Jinx!" they laughed, running from the room. Brain trudged behind them unenthusiastically.
(MEANWHILE, AT METRO CITY CONVENTION CENTER...)
"Talon! Has the catering been arranged?" a deep voice came from the communicator cufflink.
"Every single place you asked for," an annoyed teenager in a tuxedo responded.
"Is the projector set?"
"Ready to go as soon as you get here."
"Gift baskets ready?"
"All at the front door."
"The tables being prepared?"
"We're working on it right now. At this rate, we should be done in about an hour."
"Excellent!"
"Uncle Claw, can't you at least tell me why we have to do this? I don't see what would make this evil plan even more 'secret' than all your other plans." The other MAD Agents-in-training turned towards him.
"Well...alright! But don't tell anyone, it's supposed to be top secret."
"Oh, don't worry. I wouldn't tell a soul," he turned up the volume to his communicator cufflink, loud enough to echo across the room. So when you do it for me, you can't really blame me, he thought. Some of the young MAD trainees suppressed their giggles, as if they could read his thoughts.
"I've rented out the Metro City Convention Center is because MAD is holding a World Domination Seminar, and we've invited every supervillain in the world! And as soon as everyone gets here..."
"Yeah...?"
"...I'm going to overcharge a dollar for every ticket! MWAHAHAHA!"
Talon rolled his eyes while his allies quietly expressed other forms of irritation. "No offense, but don't you think you could do a little better than that?"
"...You're right."
"...Really?"
"Yes..."
"Wow, thanks Uncle C, I-"
"...I'll overcharge two dollars for every ticket! AHAHAHA!"
Groaning softly, Talon face-palmed himself. "Well, anyhoo, I better get back to...supervising and stuff. See you in a couple hours." He ended the transmission.
"Why do we have to work in fancy clothes? It's getting really hot in here!" a skinny brunette on the other side of the room complained.
"The disguises are perfectly necessary! I have a cover-story all in place, so if Inspector Tin Can shows up, just let me do the talking. Everyone else just keep setting it up." A pause. "...What're we doing just standing around here, people?! Let's go! Chop chop! It starts in two hours!"
As everyone got back to work, Talon put on the rest of his disguise: a fake moustache, a monocle, and a top hat. Mentally preparing his best posh accent, something told him they'd be here right...about...
...now.
"Wowsers! What a swanky soiree!" Gadget exclaimed as he stepped through the doors.
"Oh! Goodness! We hadn't the slightest idea guests would be arriving this early," a man in a top hat and matching tuxedo approached them.
"Guests?"
"Yes, guests for the reception. Are you here for the bride or the groom?"
"A wedding! Wowsers, I had no idea."
"My dear sir, you wouldn't happen to be a wedding crasher, would you?"
"Oh, of course not. My name is Inspector Gadget. HQ had intel that M.A.D. rented out this place for some reason, but maybe we were mistaken."
"MAD? Oh dear. I've heard of that dreadful organization and all of the awful things they've done. You don't suppose they would try to ruin this wonderful event, do you?"
"It would be pretty devious...but why?"
"Well...I've heard from...the groom's...father, that the bride's...stepsister, who wasn't invited works for M.A.D..."
"Say no more! Inspector Gadget will make sure your reception runs as smooth as silk. Go Go Gadget Skates!" On his prompt, Gadget's helicopter hat opened, and he flew around the room wildly. Two people standing by the front doors opened them, and he zoomed out of the room.
"That should keep him busy for a while," Talon said in his normal voice.
"Nice disguise, M.A.D. Boy. But as usual, you're not fooling me," the blonde entered from the other side of the room.
"Penny? But how did you-?"
"The back door was unlocked."
"...Clara! I give you one simple task and-!" Talon snapped. The agent-in-training in question looked guiltily down at her feet.
"Whatever, it's not like she'd be much interference," a tall boy commented. "She's outnumbered."
"You're right," Penny nodded in his direction. "And because of that, I brought a friend."
"Hello there." The MAD team turned to find the identical clone.
"Talon...she brought two of her," Clara was visibly uncomfortable. Talon rolled his eyes. This wasn't the first time MAD has dealt with clones, why should this time be a problem?
"She's still outnumbered," the tall boy sneered. Talon's cellphone went off. Nonchalantly looking at the caller's identity, he turned to the group.
"Do what you like. I gotta take this," he said barely above a mumble.
Penny felt a sting of disappointment run through her. She had noticed that Talon had been particularly attached to his phone for the past few weeks, but with each time they met, he would act more and more aloof and indifferent towards her. True, victory has never been easier for HQ, but it wasn't fun anymore. Her clone took a fighting stance against one half of the group. Penny decided that now was a good time to just focus on her job, so she did the same.
(ONE FIGHT SCENE LATER...)
Just as they finished off the last attackers, they soon found themselves next to a small pile of injured teenagers, some of them losing consciousness.
"...If I don't have some kind of-" as quiet as it was, the HQ agent heard Talon's voice from one of the corners of the room.
"Hey! Talon!" Penny's voice caught his attention. He looked over at his defeated henchmen and women.
"...seriously? Oh come on! You guys are so weak! Yeah, look, Cody. I gotta call you back. Arch-nemesis issues." A pause. "Yeah, fifteen minutes sounds great. Talk to you then." Hanging up and putting the phone in his pocket, he walked around the identical agents. "Looks like you win again, Penny."
"You're not even going to try fighting me?"
"Which one?" he asked, helping some of the allies off of the ground. As the MAD group quickly walked, limped, and/or stumbled out the door, he turned only to say "See ya." The two ran after him when he activated his rocket boots, but it was too late: Talon fled the scene, and the two of them were the only ones left.
"Aha! I have you now, evil stepsister!" Turning, they found Gadget, who tackled Brain in a wig and sparkly dress. He had a look on his face as if he were to say
"(Don't ask.)"
"Ohmigosh! Penny, other Penny, Gadget, Brain, you like, totally gotta see this!" Kayla was the first to speak to the group as they entered HQ. Next to her was yet, another Penny clone.
"How'd you end up getting another one?" Penny asked.
"The Cloning Booth 1000 did it. I hung out with her all afternoon cuz you weren't around. It was great but, now there's four of you!"
"What?"
"I think we need to get Professor Slickstein."
In the laboratory, more Pennys were walking around. Some practicing combat, some reading, and one was just simply enjoying the internet.
"Ohmigosh! This is worse than when I left it! The machine made three more of you after it made the five other clones, now there's- "she quickly counted on her fingers, "nine of you if you count the real one!"
"Hello," they greeted the group simultaneously before returning to their activities.
"...Okay, even I think that's a little creepy." Penny's original clone shuddered.
"Oh my goodness! What happened here?" Slickstein entered the lab.
"A cloning machine with a mind of its own..." Gadget cocked his head and squinted his eyes. "...seems pretty suspicious."
"Hm...well, I figured this might happen. Remember that last part you delivered to me a few hours ago? I call it the 'Clone Resetting Button'. When the clones start multiplying by themselves, all you have to do is press this button, and... " In a flash, all of the clones disappeared. The only Penny left was the real one. "Ta-da!"
"I'll kinda miss them, but at least there won't be too many of me."
"I think I just need to work out a few bugs. I'll get to it tonight, and perhaps we can test it again in the morning."
A/N
Claustrophobia is a reference to some episode in the 2015 series, but I can't remember which one it was. (And I'm too lazy to search for it. I think they were trying to solve something in the moutains and Inspector Gadget Day was going on?)
Don't get me wrong: there's nothing wrong with older baddies, but since most of MAD's agents are fat and/or otherwise out of touch, M.A.D. probably needs some younger, fresher presences to help take care of the tasks the older agents can't do as well. I also did originally have a fight scene there, but it was kind of...lack of better word...lame.
And, yes, I am aware Talon is pretty OOC. I did that on purpose. You'll see why later.