Dale surveyed the Rangers' building projects as he walked across the length of the workshop. Monty was cutting up aluminum soda cans into flat star-shaped patterns that he stacked up next to a pile of paper clips and a roll of fishing line.
A spray of sparks emanated from the edge of the room as Gadget began to weld together a metal frame.
Dale gently squeezed her shoulder to get her attention. "How's it going, Gadget?" he asked.
Gadget flicked up her welding helmet and wiped the sweat and grime from her face. "It's coming along great, Dale. I just need a few more things from my list and we'll be finished. Can you get them for me?"
"Sure!" he replied, taking the scrap of paper from her hand.
Dale and Zipper began to dig through a pile of garbage at the end of the hangar looking for the last of Gadget's items. Dale pulled out a small length of steel tubing and a thin metal pole. "Check," he said as he crossed the items off the list. Zipper flew up to a high shelf and began to chatter excitedly.
"You found some? Nice work, Zipper!" Dale ran at the base of the shelf and slammed into it with his shoulder. A cardboard box fell to the ground and landed with a thump, throwing up a cloud of dust. Dale wiped the dirt off of the box and read the words FEDERAL CARTRIDGE COMPANY- .22 LONG RIFLE 50 COUNT. He opened it and found the cartridges to be tarnished and rusty, but still in serviceable condition. "That should do it!" he said as he pushed the box back to the workshop.
"How much did you find?" Monty asked as Dale and Zipper arrived with the cartridge box.
"We got fifty rounds worth," Dale said.
"Bang up job, lads!" Monty rubbed his hands together excitedly. "This is my favorite part."
As Dale held the brass casing of the rifle cartridge, Monty grasped the lead bullet with a pair of pliers and popped it free from the casing as he twisted it. Dale poured the gunpowder into a cut down soda can. After they had broken down nearly all of the ammunition, Monty scooped out some of the gunpowder with a thimble and poured several scoops' worth over a square of light green cloth that he wrapped into a ball. He stuck in a length of fuse cord and tied the bag shut. He then surrounded the powder bag with a chunk of modeling clay, leaving only a short section of the fuse exposed.
When he was finished, Monty and Dale carried the clay-wrapped bombs and set them down next to a blue bag and the metal pipe that was now plugged at one end.
"Remember that we only have a few of these, Dale-" he warned, pointing at the bombs, "-and only one of those," pointing at the blue sack, "so make them count."
Dale nodded. "I will."
Dale, Monty, and Zipper walked over to where Gadget was putting the finishing touches on her latest invention.
It never ceased to amaze them how Gadget could build something from a pile of garbage. The tubular metal frame now supported a glass jar on one end that contained a flashlight inside of it and was lashed to the frame with metal pipe clamps. The jar was wrapped with yellow fiberglass insulation. There was an R/C car battery pack in the middle of the frame that was held down with zip ties and the back of the frame held a small water pump. All of the electrical connections were covered in hot glue and duct tape to make them waterproof. The frame was mounted on four small wheels.
Gadget was holding a small remote and the elevators and rudder moved up and down as she actuated the servo motors near the water pump. She was already dressed in her white arctic commando jacket and hat. She turned around and smiled as she saw the astonished looks on the other Rangers' faces.
"What do you think of my submarine?" she asked.
"You've outdone yourself again, Gadget, love," Monty responded.
"Your dad would be proud," Dale added.
"Thanks, guys," she said. "Do you have the rest of the equipment ready?"
Dale, Monty, and Zipper, similarly dressed, held their knapsacks and cloth bags in the air. "Ready!" they announced, smiling.
"Then let's go!" Gadget said, her voice full of enthusiasm. Dale and Monty loaded their gear into the jar, turned on the flashlight, and sealed it shut with the threaded lid. Together, the four of them pushed the submarine out of the hangar under the cover of darkness and across the asphalt road until they reached the frozen beach that formed the shoreline. They picked a spot where the ice pack had cracked and climbed into the submarine as Gadget closed the lid behind them. They all shifted their weight forward so the vessel rolled down the beach and into the frigid water. Once they began to sink, the water pump gurgled as it activated and propelled them forward. As the Rangers cruised underneath the white ice and through the endless expanse of clear blue water, they hoped that they were not too late.