Chapter 6
Tried and Caught
19
Chip was climbing up the robot's foothold while watching Gadget closely and trying hard to repeat her each and every move. Even in this cumbersome suit her movements were full of heavenly grace, and she looked like a small star descended from the skies and soaring higher and higher up the steep black cliffs. Chip could spend the whole eternity just sitting there and watching her, but roused and forced himself to concentrate solely on the case. But decided that sometimes he would definitely tell Gadget about these his impressions…
Mouse reached the body of the robot and closely examined it to find the most effective way to use her weapon. Eventually she made up her mind and drove the live contacts of Anti-Robot into a connector from which a thick bunch of cables stuck out. Gadget pushed the button, electric circuit shorted and a whole cascade of sparks poured from inside the machine. Something rumbled hollowly, the smoke from burnt insulation flowed and the robot tilted slightly forward. His eyes glowing with obscure yellow light died out. One down, three more to go.
Gadget showed Chip thumbs-up, and he repeated all her actions exactly. Whether he drove his weapon slightly aside or held it switched on for too long — correct answer isn't very important. The point is that the device thrust back with such a force that Chip nearly lost his balance. He had to grab the leg of disabled robot with all four of his clutches and just hang there, staring at the falling weapon with look full of terror and confusion. Seconds later with a sharp clank (chipmunk didn't hear it, though) Anti-Robot met the concrete floor, its plastic body cracking open and one of live contacts breaking off and rebounding aside.
"Looks like we'll have to get by with Gadget's 'robokiller' only," Chip thought climbing down carefully. Well, at least he had disabled one of the robots and it was good enough already. Certainly, there were two more left, but now, when they are sure that Gadget-built weapons work and know how to use them, everything will be much easier…
Having come down and stepped on the floor, Chip immediately felt some strange vibration. Can it be the reactor?! Planet-struck chipmunk turned around. No, it wasn't the reactor but two rapidly approaching tracks. Robot! But where is Gadget? Chip hid behind disabled robot and guardedly looked out from behind it. Silver figure was nowhere to be seen. What happened? Could she accidentally turn on her robot instead of disabling it? No, there it is, standing motionlessly…
Vibration continued to grow stronger and stronger, and now Chip even through the helmet was discerning that very humming they heard this morning. He glanced backwards and saw open manipulator palm rapidly scudding to him. Rescue Ranger jumped aside and robot's arm missed him. Chip rolled on the floor as fast as his bulky suit allowed him and once again hid from the revived robot behind his shut analogue. "Gadget, dear, where are you?!" he thought, and all of a sudden a terrifying guess stroke him like a lightning and made him look upwards. There, five feet above the floor, he saw motionless graceful figure in silvery suit held in a tightly clenched metallic fist.
"Gadget! No!" Chip yelled as if she could hear him. He looked around and saw her Anti-Robot. It looked completely undamaged. The robot must have caught her while on the ground and there was no height for her weapon to fall from. Chip ran towards it on all his four, but no matter how hard he tried, it could be called 'running' with great reserve only. He managed to reach the weapon before his enemy caught up with him, though. Leader of the Rangers flattened on the floor to evade the tenacious manipulator once again, then grabbed the weapon and turned his face to the enemy. He must reach its body whatever the cost and… But then Gadget can fall down! Or, even worse, robot's hand will clench to the highest degree… Okay, let's see what will happen if you hit manipulator with Anti-Robot…
Suddenly loud humming rolled on him somewhere from behind. Chip swung around and aimed his weapon at this new enemy but there was no time left to turn it on. Huge blow knocked chipmunk off his feet. Chip got up to find out that only a pitiful stump remained of his Anti-Robot. And that metallic hand is just too close… He tried to crawl aside, but it was too late. Steel fingers squeezed him tightly and lifted on the robot's head level. Chip threw the remains of his weapon directly at the robot's eye, but it was rather a gesture of despair without the faintest hope for any success. And there was no success whatsoever.
Chip turned as far as robot's capture allowed him and saw the second robot holding Gadget. There were two of them. Two remaining robots suddenly turned on. Why? Nimnul and Spy suspected something? Or maybe they noticed the sparks… Oh well, it was too late to surmise anyway.
Robots stood still for some time, then simultaneously turned around and went to the elevator. "We'll be presented on a silver platter…" Chip thought. He had to admit they had lost this round. There was no need to put the card before the horse, however. Maybe two robots aren't enough to accomplish the felonious plan, who knows? It would be great. Now, try to repair them, you, gangsters! Repair… What's with Gadget? He wished he could see her, even if for the briefest moment. But robots moved one after another, and Chip couldn't turn around this much because of the firm grip. "At least the suit stood the test. Gadget is a real genius… If only she was all right!"
Having reached the elevator the robots stood side by side, and Chip saw Gadget at last. She was okay, maybe slightly thunderstruck or squeezed a bit too strongly. When mouse caught sight of Chip, she smiled immoderately and uttered something, most likely his name. Chip settled down and waved his arm back. If she is all right, then everything is all right. They got out of much tighter spots, after all…
20
"Well-well, let's see who came to pay us a visit…"
At Nimnul's command robots put captives on the table. The moment mechanical fingers undid Chip threw his helmet away, and paying no attention to Francis' team surrounding them rushed to Gadget.
"Are you all right? Are you hurt?" he asked while assisting inventor free herself from tight suit. This sight, comparable with Venus appearing out of meerschaum, caused Louie and Moe to sink into immediate prostration, and Francis had to administer some kicks to bring them round.
"Of course! Of course!" boss of spy-rats rubbed his hands contentedly. "Our old friends! Now the fat guy won't feel so lonely anymore!"
Having understood that Francis speaks of Monty, Chip and Gadget lost their courage even more.
"But this is still not all of you, isn't it?" rat in red ingratiatingly asked, grabbing Chip by his collar and bringing chipmunk's face right up to his. "There were five of you! Where are this chipmunk-lunatic and this disgusting fly? WHERE?!"
"You know, they, I mean, he, that is… well…" Chip started to mumble but was interrupted by Gadget's loud sobbing. She stood covering her face with hands, her slender figure shaking with muted crying. Even callous Francis was indelibly impressed, while Moe and Louie were on the verge of tears themselves. Chip's heart was profusely bleeding. And when the beautiful mouse removed hands from her face and spoke, chipmunk felt he couldn't stand it and screwed up his eyes trying to cover the tears started to his eyes.
"They… They…" mouse said, these words obviously being hard for her to pronounce. "They… died… last year…"
And she covered her face again.
"How touchingly!" Despite all the acrimony, Francis' voice quavered telltalingly and he loudly cleared his throat trying to regain self-control. "Well, it serves them right! So much the worse for you! Louie, Moe! Put them to the fat one! Let them cry to the end! I'll report to boss!"
He swung around and walked to the other side of the table. In fact, Francis didn't have much to report. He just didn't want his subordinates to see how much this situation moved him, for he knew he must look forbidding stone clod with no heart and nerves for them, just like any real commander must.
"Please go ahead, ma'am!" Louie bowed to Gadget gallantly letting her go first. Moe, badly enraged with the fact that it wasn't his fortune to accompany lovely captive, violently snatched Chip by the scruff of the neck and pushed forward.
"Gee, go!"
After a short trip rats of escort brought Rescue Rangers to the big tall jar made of thick plexiglas. Its walls were blurred, but the shape of Monterey Jack sitting in the very center was clearly visible. Near the jar there were three notebooks piled up to form makeshift staircase.
"Let me please help you," Louie gently took Gadget by her elbow helping to ascend. Mouse, her face still holding expression of undisguised grief, nodded shortly her gratitude. This scene maddened Moe even further and poor Chip entrusted to him was flung at the footstep with a kick.
"Get a move on!"
"I go, I go, don't feel nerv... OUCH!" Chip received one more box in the ear.
When the procession reached the top of staircase, Moe shoved Chip to stone-drop right into the jar. Louie, for his part, carefully lowered Gadget in the hands of stepped-up Monterey and reluctantly went away, feeling sincerely sorry for not having met her under different, more favorable conditions.
No sooner had the rats left than Monty gave vent to his emotions.
"Friends! I'm so glad to see ya!.. Um, I wanna say, it's bad you got caught, but you are safe and sound, at least… Tell me you succeeded! Please, say 'yes'!"
"Sorry," Chip parted his hands, "we disabled two robots but the remaining ones got us. And how did they catch you?"
"Emm, there are some things, you know…" Australian dropped his eyes.
"Wait, you mean… You found cheese even in here?!"
"They had it with them…" Monty tried his hardest to not meet Chip's eyes.
"Okay, guys, calm down!" Gadget pronounced in strict voice finishing rubbing her face with overalls' sleeve. "This won't help anything."
"Besides, Gadget, I must say that it was a great idea about Dale and Zipper!" Rescue Rangers leader said with admiration.
"Thanks, Chip, though I must admit it was very hard for me to say that. But now these criminals won't look for them. I hope Dale will do something. The fate of ululunium and the future of all mankind rest in his hands…"
She fell abruptly silent. All three of them exchanged troubled glances and, without any agreement, ventilated the thought that simultaneously crossed their minds.
"OH, GAWD, NO!"
21
In the other end of the room Spy and Nimnul were having a loud and swearing conversation.
"How can it be, Professor! Two of your celebrated robots are destroyed! And by whom?! By some miserable rodents! How can you explain all this?!"
"Don't yell at me! You asked me to create machines able to perform dainty work in hazardous conditions, and so I did! You said nothing about the rodents! I protected my creations from radiation, and not from rodents! Even more so, from the rodents with laser weapons!"
"Laser weapons?! Are you insane?!"
"You haven't seen it?! But then I have! Through the eyes of the robots! They had laser guns! You saw rain of sparks yourself, didn't you?"
Spy became engrossed in thought. Suppose Nimnul is right and these rodents are indeed much brighter than it seems at first glance?.. Well, never mind! Ululunium production process is almost completed. Just a tad remained. The last stroke.
"Well, Professor, take the robots back to reactor. We'll try to get the better of two remaining ones."
"Okay, okay! Just get rid of those small fries! They must be dealt with accordingly!"
"Mind your tasks, Norton! I'll take care of them!"
Spy came to the table where the prison jar stood and covered it with lid.
"Francis! Take Moe and Louie and come here!"
With jar full of Rangers and a pocketful of rats Spy headed to the doors when sudden loud humming made him give a jump. He turned around thinking something was wrong with the reactor. But the humming was coming not from reactor but from headily approaching robots. Spy barely managed to leap aside when robots whirled by like the wind.
"Watch your drive, Professor!" he shouted angrily and left the room.
22
Dale got sick an tired with jogtrot of long corridors, with rows of plainly identical doors, with unhealthy and dull color of walls, floor and ceiling, with deaf silence of the building, in which, it seemed, nothing ever happened at all. If it hadn't been for Zipper's presence, chipmunk would have declared himself being insane and having waking nightmares. Finally he gave up all the heed and ran after his nose, dreaming just to break this vicious circle and find someone. No matter, friend or foe. Anybody alive…
A door slightly ajar with umbra darkness reigning beyond it caught his attention, and Dale abruptly stopped. He didn't remember having seen it before. He must have eventually gotten into previously unattended wing of the complex. Some long-awaited diversity, at last.
Dale slowly approached the door and peeked inside. There were no windows in the room, so he was able to see only things that fell into narrow field of light falling from behind the door. That is, nothing but the floor of the same color as in the corridor.
"Chip! Gadget! Monty!" Dale shouted into the dark. "Are you here?"
Neither answer nor movement. Same deaf silence, just like in all other parts of the complex.
"Oddshoe, stay here and guard the door! I'll go scouting. No darkness ever will give Double-O-Dale scare!" chipmunk proclaimed and, having cheered himself up, stepped into the void, his hands outstretched. Zipper stayed at the door in accordance with instructions. Though he didn't shared Dale's espionage enthusiasm, he couldn't deny the fact that last time Dale had stood as secret agent, luck had been on their side. Who knows, maybe this time they'll succeed, too?
Bit by bit Dale began to distinguish outlines of cans and tins. "Must be some kind of storage," he thought. The storage rooms in Dr. So-So's mountain fortress looked completely the same. And kept in those rooms were…
"Ouch!" Dale screamed having felt his hand touching something wet and sticky. Chipmunk jerked his hand back, but the feeling of moisture and tack remained. He got into some mess! If he could only tell, what mess exactly…
Rescue Ranger dashed back and shoved his palm into the ray of light. His skin was covered with something bright green. Downright like in the comics about…
"Radioactive monster!" Dale babbled and blanched with terror. Of course! He is in the center where extensive research of radioactive materials is carried out! What Gadget told him about isotopes and radiation? Naturally, he rather looked at her than fathomed her words most of time, but she definitely said something… Yes! She said that radiation is very dangerous and very perniciously (what a word!) influences living organisms. Right up to the lethal outcome… Dale almost physically felt unusual weakness spreading across his body. He started shivering. He is contaminated! It's all over. What a grim quirk of fate — death in the closet…
"Zipper! Zipper!" Dale called, walking slowly to the doors guided by light. Buzzing was heard and he saw old friend's silhouette darting to him. "No! Stop! Don't fly close to me! I caught radiation! Leave me, nothing will help me now… Please, tell the others I tried hard, but I didn't make Agent 00. Tell Chip I bequeath him my comics collection and allow him to sleep on the upper storey of our bed…"
Dale said something more, but Zipper didn't listen. Instead he flew back to the door and began searching for a switch. Chipmunk didn't notice. He was already imagining his funeral, sea of flowers, his friends standing near hermetically sealed leaden coffin and wearing silver suits, just like in the horror movie about radioactive hedgehog…
Suddenly the room grew much lighter. "Here we go…" Dale thought. "I am mutating. I start seeing in the dark as if in broad daylight. In a little time I'll grow two more legs and wings… No, not wings. Tentacles and trunk. And a fin. Shark's fin…"
He felt somebody picking at his sleeve.
"No, Zipper, please! Fly away! Stay away from me! Fly for your life! I won't ever forgive myself if you die because of my folly!" Dale shouted. Zipper didn't let him alone, though, and at long last Dale resolved to see what Zipper wanted. He turned around and saw some label right in front of him which Zipper had torn off from that very tin. It read: 'Green building paint'.
"What paint? What do you mean by pa…" he paused and looked at his hand. Then he poked it into the unfolded label, leaving green handprint on it. Now Dale got it all.
"Oh my! It's paint! Ugh, what a foul thing! Zipper, could you tell me whether there is any water here?"
Instead of answering Zipper dropped the label and ushered Dale to a bucket in the corner. Dale grabbed floor cloth handing from it, then climbed up and dipped his palm into the water. Having seen water become green and his hand revert to its normal color, chipmunk calmed down completely.
"Thanks, Zipper! And, please… Let it remain our little secret, okay? I mean, the things I talked about, you know…"
Zipper nodded accordingly.
"Great, Zipper, you are a friend indeed! Let's move out!"
And Dale cheerfully jumped on the floor and ran out of the closet. This time he got lucky and got into paint only. But who knows what they keep in other jars…
"Okay, where should I go now? Where can I find them all?" Dale muttered when he stopped at the next corridor embranchment. "Maybe, behind that big doors? I don't remember being in that room…"
Suddenly the door's halves separated with loud hissing and two giant robots emerged, causing Dale scream and hide behind the corner. When robots flashed by, Dale wiped sweat from his forehead with relief and stepped out of his hideaway. Merely to dart back in a second and from there observe the man walking out of that very doors and holding a big foggy glass jar, which definitely contained something. Or somebody…
"ZIPPER! I found them!" Dale shouted. "They are in enemy hands! What do we do now?!"
Halfway along the corridor man with a jar stopped and thought something over, than turned right and went in the opposite direction from Dale, finally disappearing beyond one of the doors. Dale ran after him and glanced into the room. He saw the man putting the jar with the rest of Rangers on the table and stationed two rats near it. One more rat, this one wearing exquisite red outfit, stayed on his palm.
"Be all your eyes on them, my little friends!" the man said and, having shaken his finger at his gray minions, went to the door. With all his might Dale ran back to his former refuge and hid behind the corner only a split second before man walked out in the corridor. Without any delays the criminal walked to the double door, opened it with a magnetic keycard hanging on his neck and disappeared inside. Door halves merged with the same hissing as before, and Dale finally had some time to catch his breath.
"Ooh, that was close…" Chipmunk sat down and went as deeply in thought as he only could. He must free his friends. But how? Two big rats guard them. If only he had his spy gadgets with him, he would have deal with them in two ticks. One stink and smoke cufflink would be enough! Or one flash from super camera! And bind them hand and foot with belt buckle! THAT would be special operation of all times!..
But without it all… What can he do?!
"Okay, let's think what Dirk Suave would do if he were in my shoes?" Dale tried to think so hardly it seemed he would inevitably get lost. Maybe he should do like in the movie "The Girl with the Silver Bazooka"? No, he needs mop, flippers and two guitars… Act as in "Lobstekitty"? Again no, 'cause he's got no alarm-clock, ink and knitted sock… One by one he mentally tried and erred all the Agent 00 movies, but each time, in order to make a film script a reality, he lacked from two to eight absolutely irreplaceable items. Well, basically, not truly irreplaceable. One could always use poisonous bullets from Vasilisa Zavalova's arsenal instead of Halloo tribe's darts, but even Dale understood that these things could hardly be found somewhere in the immediate vicinity. He had to use something really available…
But what was really available? So far he has seen only ventilation, electric outlet and paint closet…
"That's it! I should have guessed it right away!" Dale spurted up and started running so fast that he nearly collided with walls while turning. Why did he cling to Dirk Suave? He is surely a hero and a prominent agent, but he isn't the only one to emulate!.. Where is this darn closet? He couldn't have gone too far from it… If only he comes in time! Comes in time… Comes in time? No. To come in time isn't very important. The most important is NOT TO GET LOST!