Lets blow something up today, shall we? Cool beans. I own nothing.

Explosions

I awoke before dawn Sunday morning, ready for our plan to go into action. I was more than ready for this rollercoaster ride to be over. All of us were worse for wear. Also, I was anticipating Monterey's return. He had radioed every day since leaving, but I had always been working on the Bomb or scoping out the mine. It had been a long few days, and I wanted to see him again. Anxious to do something useful, I went to the edge of the village and got the head-sets out of the Eagle and Geegaw for the Rangers to use later today.

"Gadget-luv?"

I spun on the spot to see Monty, Jake, and Zipper approaching in the dim gray light of morning. "Monterey!" I ran into his waiting hug and held him fast. "I've been worried about you!"

"No worries, m'dear. I radioed every chance I got. You was never aroun' though." He patted my head reassuringly.

"We've been very busy. I've got a lot to tell you -"

Zipper landed on my engagement ring and buzzed loudly.

"Wha? I'll say you do! When did 'e ask yeh?" Monty knelt down to look at my ring. Jake winked at me and bounced off in the direction of the huts.

"Yesterday morning."

"Wuz 'e sweet abou' it?" He kissed my forehead.

I grinned. "Very."

"Gadget-luv, I doubt e'll ever tell yeh, so I moight jes mention that 'e came an' asked me for yeh hand. Jes before Jake an' Zipper an' I left."

"Oh!" I was touched. "Like he would have asked dad?"

Monty took my face in his paws. "'E said 'e would 'ave asked Geegaw if 'e'd ever 'ad the opportunity, but since 'e wasn't aroun', I was the person to ask. I tol' 'him 'e was the luckiest chipmunk in the world if 'e could keep up with you. 'An 'e 'ad better treat you loik a queen."

Asking for the father for the girl's hand was an old-fashioned tradition to some, but I had always liked the idea of it. But when my dad had died, I had figured I would never get the opportunity to have that particular romantic notion fulfilled. I wouldn't have thought of sending Chip to Monty to ask permission to marry me. I was so glad he had, though.

"Oh, Monty, Chip has always treated me better than I deserve. I'm the lucky one."

Monty chuckled. "Yeh're both lucky." He stood up and looked toward the village. The sun was just starting to come up over the horizon. "T'day's th' day, then. I got a good crowd 'a people tha'll be here jes behind me. They're ready ta' trash Fat Cat's office."

I nodded and we started to move back into the village. "Just be sure to keep all the paperwork. I'm sure Chip will want to look at it."

"No worries, Chip'll have 'is fill of paperwork by th' toime we get through with that place. 'An all the gold we foind will be put back in the mine for the humans to get back."

The village was slowly coming to life around us, and the villagers shot me stealthy looks, and I saw them pointing at me as I passed.

"What's up with them?" Monty whispered.

I sighed. "A lot has happened since you left, Monty. The villagers think I'm a witch, though."

"A witch?!"

"Yes." I debated going into the story of being attacked by Asani's demons, dying, saving Chip, and decided he probably just didn't need to know right then. "They think the Eagle and the Geegaw are actually a bird and some other animal that I can summon to save me."

"'Ave they tried to tamper with 'em?"

"No. I think they're a bit scared of them. And me," I added, as a small child scampered out of my path.

"What gave 'em that idear?" He glanced at me suspiciously.

Supposing the story about Jules was easier to explain than the alternative, I told him. "The night you left, I heard something outside in the yard. I went out to see what it was, and I met Jules. Sophia and I followed him, and he led us to Fat Cat. Fat Cat has a herd of hyenas and wild dogs, and he sent them to chase us, but Chip showed up in the Eagle and dropped the Geegaw for us to escape."

Monty wiped his brow and sighed. "Sounds dangerous," he said as we walked into the yard around our huts.

I was grateful to find that the rest of the Rangers and Sophia were already up, milling around to get some breakfast ready. The appearance of Monty and Zipper produced a wave of raucous greetings as everyone moved to hug them. When Chip and Monty met, Monty grabbed his paw and pumped it up and down vigorously. "Congratulations, Chipper-me-lad."

Chip blushed a bit. "Thanks, Monty."

I handed out head-sets as we all sat down around the firepit in the fresh light and started breakfast. As we finished our meal, Endesha appeared to announce that a large group of mice from other villages had arrived and were ready when we were.

Chip took a deep breath and stood up. "All right, Rangers, here's the plan. All of us wear a head-set today – I don't want anyone getting separated. We move in at noon. That way, if there are any humans or anyone else in the mine today, hopefully they'll have left for lunch. Monty, Zipper, you're in charge of the getting everyone into Fat Cat's office. Get his gang out of there, and get the gold out to put it back in the mine so the humans can find it. If there are any records, I want them intact. I'm hoping the hyenas and wild dogs don't show up, but if they do - "

"We'll take care of 'em," Monty declared, slamming his fist into his palm.

"Right. At the same time, Gadget will take Mwamba up to Fat Cat's office in the plane so everyone can see they're working together. He'll take care of you if Asani should show up. Gadget, get in there and blow up that mine shaft – and please don't kill yourself doing it."

"Roger that, Chief."

Chip shook his head and looked over at Dale and Sophia. "Dale, take Sophia and get the Geegaw. I'll be in the Eagle. If anything goes wrong anywhere, we can get there fastest, okay?"

"You got it, Chipper," Dale saluted.

"Endesha, go tell everyone we're ready, and have Mwamba come down here. Gadget and I will fly the Bomb up here so everyone can see Mwamba get in."

Endesha grinned and rushed off. Chip was a little anxious, I could tell, but this was the biggest case we'd probably ever had. He had every right to be a little apprehensive. The rest of us were excited. After days of being acted upon, pushed around and pursued by Fat Cat and Asani, it felt good to finally be striking back and doing something productive.

As we broke to get to our stations, I saw Chip pull Sophia aside and point at the radio that Endesha kept near his hut. She nodded uncertainly for a moment, then her face broke into an enormous smile and she raced away for the radio. Chip joined me to fly the Eagle over to pick up the Bomb.

"What was that all about?" I asked, remembering a few days ago when Chip had way-layed Monterey and then avoided the question.

"I told her to go ahead and radio Tony. If everything goes according to plan today, she should be able to start filming again soon. And besides, the sooner she wraps this movie, the sooner she can be your maid of honor, right?"

My own face broke out in a smile. "Right. Let's get this done, Chief."

Dale was whistling High Noon.

Monty, Zipper, and Jake had organized about 30 mice and other rodents just outside the village and via Endesha were giving them last minute instructions.

I had gone over the Bomb three times, twice with Chip, then he had gone over the Eagle and Geegaw. Sophia had moved from one of us to the other urging us to be careful until Dale had grabbed her shoulders and told her she was making him nervous.

Mwamba had set himself in the shade of the Bomb, chanting and rolling his bells and strategically placing small stones and seeds on the ground in front of him. I wasn't sure what he was doing, but I was glad he was doing it.

Then at last, Chip called out that it was time. Mwamba rose from the ground and followed me over to the old crop-duster. It would be a little cramped for him, but he was only going to be flying with me for a few minutes, then I'd drop him off at Fat Cat's office. Dale and Sophia would follow us over, along with our small army of eager soldiers.

I pressed the release on the cockpit of the Bomb and wrenched it open. Mwamba gave me a meaningful glance, and I bowed to him and stood back for him to clamber in ahead of me. He had asked me to do this – it would be another sign to the watching villagers that he and I were working together, but he was definitely the one in charge.

Before I could climb in after him, I felt a paw grab my arm and I was pulled around, finding myself face to face with Chip. He glanced at the crowd watching us, then pulled off both of our head sets.

"Gadget – I know I've said it a hundred times, and I know you always are, but please be careful in there."

I hugged him. "I will, I swear. I'm coming back, and we're going home and getting married, Chip. If anything goes wrong in there, it won't be because of me, all right?" It was the best I could do. Any number of things could go wrong, and some of the probably would go wrong, but it was not going to be my fault if I died today.

"Okay," he said, kissing my cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too."

"Now go blow up that mine, Hackwrench."

"Yes, sir," I saluted him and climbed into the plane with Mwamba, lowering the cockpit. "Are you ready?" I asked him.

"Yes. Are you, Kanoni?"

I started the engine and felt a bone-rattling jolt as the plane roared to life for the last time. "As ready as I'll ever be," I answered, suddenly realizing that he hadn't called me 'Gadget' since the night of the Leech attack. Apparently, the new name was permanent for him. "Is Mwamba your real name?" I asked as we rose into the air.

He smiled sadly at me. "It is my name now. It is not my birth name."

"Who named you Mwamba?"

"A witch called Denga who lived here many years ago. He trained me, and also another witch from this area, who is my father's brother's son. We were called together and we learned together."

"Who was the other witch?" I asked, wondering why we hadn't bothered to call in Mwamba's cohort.

"Asani."

Jules Crissen had slept badly again that night. In fact, it would be more accurate to say that he had merely napped for 40 minutes before awaking and staring at the dark ceiling, wondering what he should do, and what Fat Cat was going to do next.

Fat Cat was uneasy, he could tell. Asani had been fairly tight-lipped about the Leech attack three nights ago. He had mentioned that Sophia had not been targeted by his demons, but had said little else. Jules had no idea if the Rangers were incapacitated or simply dead. The twisting in his stomach made it very clear to him that he wanted them alive and well. For Sophia's sake.

But Fat Cat was waiting on meat hooks for some new development. All Asani would say was, "Mwamba will come." Jules understood that Mwamba was another witch, the one that the villagers were using to keep Asani away, but as three days had passed and Mwamba had not shown his face, Jules was beginning to doubt that he had survived the Leech attack.

With a heavy heart he had gotten ready for the day that morning, but he had made a decision. If Mwamba had not come by tonight, he was leaving. He would leave Fat Cat and all the pleasant 'set ups' he was offering, and flee back to Sophia. There was no chance at all she would forgive him, and no reason she should, but she would know that he had left Fat Cat. He had taken a stand and changed sides, blatantly, obviously. And perhaps she would hate him less.

He did not know what would happen to him after today, but he also found that he no longer cared. As long as he was no longer here.

These were his thoughts as he sat in the empty office, slowly sorting through the letters with updates from Fat Cat's liasons, filing away the daily gold weight count sheets. Fat Cat and his underlings were up at the mine, looking into the possibility of creating a second tunnel through which to move the gold. He was totally alone with his thoughts.

Until Asani barged through door.

"Crissen," he hissed, the door squeaking on its hinges. "Get out."

Jules cringed under the witch's command, and actually threw up an arm to shield himself. Asani had never addressed him directly, much less in such a voice.

The dark and foul-smelling witch pointed at the window. "Mwamba is coming," he growled. "And the other witch, the Kanoni."

"Other witch?" Jules stammered.

"The one you said was dead and is not. Gadget. They are coming." He strode into the room, his bells jangling and the whites of his eyes flashing. He grabbed the other side of the desk Jules was seated at, and Jules cried out in alarm.

"Do not whimper!" Asani shouted. "I am going to fight Mwamba and Kanoni, but I will not protect you from them!" He sneered at Jules. "Your loyalty is no longer to Fat Cat anyway."

Jules cringed and stumbled away from the desk, then, clawing blindly in front of him, made his way out the door without taking his eyes off of Asani. When he reached the hallway, he fled. He ran distractedly, crashing into walls and furniture as he rushed out of the underground office and out into the hot mid-day air. He didn't stop moving until he staggered and fell out in the open, the red dirt smearing his vest.

There was a terrible droning sound emerging from the stillness. From the direction of the village where Sophia was, a growling, roaring sound was rolling slowly over the sand and grasses. Unable to grasp what could possibly make such a sound, Jules scrambled to the top of the nearby sand dune and looked into the distance, shielding his eyes from the sun.

The first thing Jules saw was a small plane, droning in the distance, moving towards him. Below it, a plume of dust from something else. The plane was not the one that the Rangers had used earlier, but the dust trail could easily mean the vehicle that had picked up Sophia and Gadget was coming.

Spell-bound, he watched the plane come closer and closer, until it was nearly overhead and he realized it was banking downwards, coming to land. Jules was frozen on the spot as the small, decrepit old plane touched down a few yards away. A dark mouse with bells on his skirt emerged, and landed on the ground. Jules watched as the plane rose again, and he saw her – Gadget – inside it. She flew towards the mine.

The dark mouse with the bells saw him and came towards him, motioning for him to move. "You must go, now, before it is too late!" He shouted over the din of the engine.

Jules licked dry lips. Another witch? It had to be Mwamba.

"Kanoni is going to blow up the mine. If you want to be safe, you need to leave," the mouse ordered, coming closer. Jules could see him better now.

"Mwamba?"

"That's right. Leave if you value your life."

Two witches telling him the same thing within five minutes: leave. It was exactly what he had wished to do in the first place. And he definitely had no desire to be trapped in the midst of a witch's brawl. Yet...

"Sophia. Is she safe?" His heart nearly stopped.

Mwamba actually grasped his arms. Unlike Asani's presence, Jules did not viscerally fear this witch. Mwamba felt benign, if somehow also powerful. "She is safe for now. She is coming with Dale, in the vehicle, to help. You should go, Jules Crissen."

Sophia was safe. Gadget was going to blow up the mine. Dale was evidently safe. Then maybe the rest of the Rangers were too. Mechanically, Jules nodded and began moving away, away from the oncoming din of the dark vehicle with Sophia and Dale, and away from the mine and Fat Cat. At the end of the day, maybe Mwamba would tell Sophia that he, Jules Crissen, had chosen to leave Fat Cat. Maybe she would hate him less.

As he reached the grasses and began pushing through them, he felt an enormous weight lift from his heart. He had left. He had acted. Fat Cat could no longer count on him for anything. He was free.

An explosion, coming from the mine, jolted him back into his senses. A plume of smoke and rock was issuing from the mouth of the mine where Fat Cat sent his workers in. Clearly, Gadget had made it in and was busy demolishing it. It seemed a dangerous thing to do at best, but the Rangers seemed to enjoy risk.

Jules frowned and watched as another plume of smoke, several feet further on, erupted from the rock face. If Gadget followed that cavern all the way through, she would come out on the west side, near the boulder field. He had crawled through that cavern several times himself, and knew that a plane would have a dickens of the time negotiating the final twist before coming out on the other side. It was very likely that something would go wrong.

A thought occurred to him. Fat Cat may no longer be able to count on him, but maybe...maybe the Rangers could. And by extension, perhaps Sophia could. Having made his decision, Jules squared his shoulders and began moving towards the boulder field with purpose.

The mineshaft seemed darker than it had in the Eagle, but I steeled myself and plunged forward, working the release on the dynamite at predetermined intervals. The first sticks of dynamite dropped properly and exploded exactly when I expected them too. So did the second and third charges. I was starting to believe that this might actually go well when I heard a heart-stopping fizzing sound behind me. In quick, detached motions I glanced behind me, trying to steer in the dark at the same time. The lighter I had attached to the duster's opening, stuck in the 'on' position, had come loose. Dynamite sticks were lighting, but not dropping.

I gasped and grabbed at the duster controls, initiating an emergency dump of the cargo area. The dynamite fell, and as I alternately spun my head from side to side over the course of several precious seconds, so did the lighter.

For exactly two seconds I breathed easier. Then a massive explosion behind me sent the Bomb hurtling towards the cavern ceiling, and a shower of glass from the cockpit roof rained down on me as I grappled to regain control of the plane and ride the shockwave out.

But I wasn't sure I could make it out; I couldn't see the shaft's opening. Debris and rocks were flying, battering the Bomb, and for a few excruciating moments I feared I wouldn't find the opening at all. My mental map and muscle memory failed me in my panic. I swung hard to the left as more of the ceiling fell in on me, clattering on my helmet. In the headset, I could hear many voices at once shouting and demanding. People wanted to know where I was. The mine was obviously exploding, but I was still conspicuously absent. A few people were cheering the mine's collapse. People were shouting about Fat Cat. Monterey had infiltrated the office. Mwamba and Asani were fighting. But as I tumbled through the last 50 feet of the shaft, I clung on to the one high voice that was saying my name, over and over.

The Bomb's engine wheezed and groaned, and I began losing precious altitude and careening too closely around rocks. With a jolt I felt the back of the plane crack, snapping noises crawling all over the body. Then a rock fell right through the left wing, but I was almost out, almost safe... Ten feet, five feet, two feet...

The fresh air swirled into the Bomb's straining engine, and miraculously, it lifted higher and I was able to move away from the avalanche that was pouring out of the shaft's maw behind me. And then the controls jammed.

I craned my neck around in panic as the Bomb dropped lower and lower, not responding to the controls. The mine spouted a violent stream of large rocks, projecting them right toward me.

The headset had gone silent, as if everyone was watching my demise, but unable to help. I was nearly 200 ft. off the ground when the Bomb's engines choked and I stalled in the air. I heard Chip's voice over the headset.

"Gadget! Get out of there!"

I reached underneath my seat and grabbed the ejection cord, even though I knew I was ridiculously too high to eject, and he did too. It would only throw me another thirty feet in the air. Even if the parachute worked, the chances of me landing safely in the middle of a hailstorm of rocks and debris were frankly zero. But I couldn't stay here either.

"Gadget, can you hear me?"

I let out the breath I was holding and looked out the window. My plane, my beloved Eagle with my even more beloved Chip, was hovering beyond the storm of rocks. He knew if he took the plane in it would be scrap metal, just like this one. He had to get everyone else home, at least.

"Chip?" I whispered, my fingers tightening on the pull cord, "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry." And then I yanked the cord hard, and felt myself being propelled up into the midst of the maelstrom, without even the plane to protect me now.

The parachute opened and slowed me, and I saw the Bomb careen into the ground below, sending up a plume of flame and smoke. I steered around, coming down slowly. At around fifty feet, a pebble-sized sharp rock gashed my chute and I found myself hurtling towards the ground.

Ripped though it was, the chute saved my life, and I bounced to a halt on the ground just as the earth heaved again, and another volley of rock came blasting from the mine, and I had landed in the middle of it.

I tried to get up, to run for cover, but my chute was caught under a rock. I was trapped. Holding my breath, I ran back to the rock that was holding me hostage and crouched down behind it, covering my head from the hailstorm of rocks.

I had used too much explosive in the mine. The instability of the rock formation coupled with the massive amounts of electrical wiring and possibly nearby petroleum tanks had trigged a chain reaction through the entire mine. The rocks would not stop flying for another few minutes, and I hadn't much cover.

A smaller rock hurtled into my shelter, shattering and showering down on me. Despite my helmet, the blow to my skull was solid, and I found myself lying splayed and prone, too dizzy to move at all. A detached part of my senses heard heavy breathing, and then whoever was doing the breathing threw itself over me, covering my head under their chest, and shielding the rest of me with their long torso.

I tried to move, to see who it was, but my breath was still gone, and my head still spinning. Rocks poured around my protector and me, and inevitably, one of them finally struck whoever was on top of me, and must have struck hard, for the heavy breathing all but stopped, and the form lay limp on top of me. Whatever rock battered us now went un-noticed by my rescuer.

At long last, the rock stopped falling, and a deathly quiet filled the air. There should have been raucous celebrations; the mine had obviously blocked itself beautifully, leaving Fat Cat with nowhere to go, and the realization that we too, had a witch. And as far as the locals were concerned, we were the obvious winners. Except for whoever was on top of me, now buried in debris and unmoving.

"Gadget, where are you?" Chip and Dale's voices, in unison, hit the air hard. I could hear them huffing, as if running, and figured they must have left the Eagle and Geegaw and were on the ground looking for me.

Breathing was difficult under such a heavy load, but I thankfully was still wearing the headset. "Under here...under the rocks."

That would be painfully obvious- there were rocks everywhere. I waited for them, but they couldn't find me. Chip was keeping a running commentary inside me helmet, but I couldn't help him. I didn't know which pile of rocks I was being crushed under, and speaking of being crushed, I could scarcely draw breath.

I gasped dryly and gave a last effort at movement and managed to shift some of the rocks over my legs. The boys heard it and seconds later I felt the rocks around me lighten and crunch as they were heaved away. Then sunlight touched my face through the helmet, and a pair of paws dragged the poor creature off of me. Chip rolled me off my face and pulled my helmet off, and I gasped for air and fell against him.

"Who -" My breath failed me for a moment, and then I rallied. "Who was that?" I pulled myself upwards by Chip's shoulder, and he steadied me while I saw for myself.

Dale and Sophia were on their knees beside us, and splayed across both of them was Jules, bloodied and shrunken from the bombardment. His eyes were dim, but open, and he was looking frantically into Sophia's face. He spoke.

"I...I don't suppose you could...forgive...a bloody fool of a mouse?" His chest tried desperately to rise, to let his heart beat, but failed. "I am sorry...Sophia."

Sophia looked horrified for several long seconds before her face softened and she bent her dark head lowered over his. "I can. I do."

Seeming to know his moments were numbered, he did not pause here, but turned and looked at me with the same pleading in his eyes. "And you, Gadget?" He heaved and shook. Dale steadied him while Sophia wept. "I am...so glad...you are not dead."

I felt speechless and stunned. Jules had saved me; had sacrificed himself for me. His distress in Fat Cat's office earlier suddenly made sense. He was still carrying a torch for Sophia. Whether or not that absolved him of previous crimes I didn't know, but I did know I wasn't going to hold a grudge against a dying man. "Of course, Jules." I crawled over and touched his cheek and smiled. "I forgive you. And thank you."

Around me, Chip and Dale were nodding firmly. Chip put an arm around my shoulders. "Thank you, Jules."

The mouse barely nodded and looked back to Sophia, who tried her best to smile at him. He closed his eyes to her smile, and did not open them again.

I was stunned. Sophia's eyes sought mine, and then held my gaze for several long seconds. I saw the same astonishment and confusion in her eyes that I felt. Whatever twisted path had led Jules here, we would never know. But he had asked for forgiveness, and we had given it.

Sophia grasped at my arm, lowering her face to my shoulder, sobbing. "Gadget, Gadget," she whimpered softly. I pulled her into a hug, trying to comfort her.

"Laddies!" Monterey's voice ripped into my ear, and I instinctively grabbed at the headset.

"Laddies! Jake an' I 'ev trashed the office, but they're comin', lads. Fat Cat is on his way to you now with a bunch of 'is stooges, 'an you better be ready! I've nevah seen 'im this angry before."

[TBC]