The answer to the final riddle has now been added!
The story concludes below...
Epilogue to follow!
Penny ran and checked the landline, her private cellphone, her Codex.
"Everything's dead! Including us, if we can't escape from here!" She glared. "You idiot, Talon! If you hadn't been so greedy for power, and robbed that girl..."
"Er... excuse me? If you hadn't caught Jac with his trousers down..."
Inspector Gadget looked bewildered.
"Did I miss something?" He'd heard the threat, anyway. "We need to solve these puzzles, and fast! Look." He pointed to the countdown.
4:30
4:29
4:28...
"Look!" Penny pointed. "Here's the first one."
They watched, as text spelt itself out across the screen.
Q1. What happens twice in a week, never in a month, and once in a year?
Talon gave the screen a glare. "That's pure Ruby. She always liked this logic stuff." He re-read the question. "Ha! I got it! In your face, Zac!" He gave Penny a smug look. "Haven't you worked it out, yet?"
"Talon, even you haven't got time to be conceited with a bomb underneath us! WHAT IS IT?"
Talon answered by typing and pressing Enter.
The letter E
There was a short electronic fanfare. Talon whooped and punched the air.
His triumph was short-lived. Another riddle appeared.
Q2. One for Penny!
You're driving a bus across Metro City. At the first stop, three people get on. At the second, two get off and four more get on. At the third, five more get on and two get off.
What is the name of the bus driver?
Talon clutched his face as a gag suddenly appeared across his mouth. He tried to get it free, but it wouldn't move. Penny realised it wasn't real. It was another piece of actualised virtual reality, like the wall at the club.
"Oh, so I can't phone a friend? Thanks a lot!" She read the question again. "Three on, two off... so that's eight passengers at the end... how do I know the driver's name?"
Her eyes went to the countdown.
3:28
3:27
3:26...
She became aware of Brain leaping up and down and pointing at her. Then she understood.
"Of course! It was right at the start – I'M the bus driver! Right!"
She lunged for the keyboard and typed:
Penny
She pressed Enter.
There was another fanfare, and suddenly Talon was free. He gasped for breath.
"Sheesh! Someone's a sore loser. I got that one, RIGHT away."
The third question appeared.
Q3. Smart, aren't we? So tell us what we're saying here, Inspector! The rhyme. In words! Time's running out!
YYUR / YYUB / ICUR /YY 4 ME
There were two more strangled cries, and a stifled bark, as Talon, Penny and Brain all found themselves gagged. Only Inspector Gadget was left. He stood in front of the computer, as time ticked down.
2.54
2:53
2:52...
"YYUR, YY...why? Oh... Go-go-Gadget Thinking Cap!"
A mortar board slid out of his head and almost knocked him out as it fell into place.
"Now... YY... two Ys... too wise! Yeah! Too wise... you are... too wise... you be... I see you are... too wise for me! Too right, teenage hoodlums!"
He made a grab for the keyboard and typed the rhyme, his gloves getting in the way. He had to use backspace three times before he got it right. Then he pressed Enter.
There was a final fanfare, and the gags disappeared. Everyone cheered as the apartment door reappeared, and the windows and lighting returned to normal.
"Hey!" Talon blinked at Gadget. "You're OK, in an emergency, aren't you?"
Gadget beamed. "Simply a case of keeping a cool head..."
"Oh, nice one."
They all stopped celebrating as Zac reappeared on the screen.
"You found your way out. Unfortunately, the challenge isn't quite over. The bomb's sealed beneath the building, and only I can deactivate it. Can you find me?"
He disappeared, replaced again by the countdown.
1:59
1:58
1:57...
"No!" Penny glared at the screen. "We solved the puzzles! That's not fair!"
"Er... Penn! He's a gangster, seriously in need of help. I don't think fair makes the priority list."
"So where is he?" Penny thought back. "He must be nearby... if he thinks we can find him in two minutes."
"One minute fifty, actually."
"Shut up, Talon! Now." Penny thought hard. "Wait... what did he say, right at the start?"
Talon thought back.
"I'll be sticking around... to oversee the result... OVERsee?"
He and Penny grabbed each other's hands. As one, they shouted:
"The roof!"
"There's a roof terrace up there!" Penny ran for the door, and the others followed. "Has he got jet boots?"
"Er... yeah. I sold 'em to him. Ruby too..."
"So they'll be planning a quick getaway!" Penny stopped by their reappeared front door, hit the panic button that sent an emergency message to HQ. Then she went onto the landing and hit the fire alarm. "Come on!"
All the other residents were leaving the building as Gadget, Penny, Talon and Brain ran up the steps to the roof terrace. One man looked puzzled.
"Hey! You're going the wrong way!"
Penny flung open the door to the flat roof. There were potted plants up there, and some varnished wooden benches.
Seated on one of them, holding a tablet between them, were Zac and Ruby.
"Right!" Talon reached for his wrist and zapped himself into his black uniform. He grabbed the laser from his belt and threatened Zac. "Stop that bomb, now!"
Zac smirked. "Doesn't work that way, Talon. You fire that, you'll destroy this... and the AI." He ripped the USB from Ruby's neck. She gave a cry of pain. Talon's eyes blazed.
"Zac, you give the rest of us villains an even badder name!"
Zac held up the pendant. "Your move."
He edged away from Talon, across the rooftop... then grabbed Penny, using her as a human shield. He was heading for the edge of the roof... but then heard police sirens below. The others looked down. HQ had arrived. There were two police cars and armed agents in the courtyard. The fire service was there too, and army bomb disposal.
Even Talon didn't quite dare to move. Penny wasn't wearing her jet boots this morning. Zac held onto her.
"Gimme your bracelet. I wanna know all you know about this AI."
Slowly, Talon removed the control bracelet and threw it to him. Zac searched Penny's wrists.
"You too."
He removed Talon's watch, but rejected Penny's old computer watch.
"Tat."
Still holding her with one arm, he stuffed the devices into his pockets.
"C'mon, Ruby."
Ruby started to sidle towards the edge of the roof. Everyone below was looking up, but not daring to intervene. Even Inspector Gadget didn't have a gadget that could help now.
Zac suddenly gave Penny a shove, sending her flying across the roof terrace and into Talon's arms. He engaged his jet boots and made a quick takeoff.
"Come on Ruby, we're outta here. When the Network gets the AI... we'll rule this city." He smirked. "The rest of you are gonna stay here and go BOOM!"
Quietly, Talon produced a small remote control device from his pocket.
"Zac?"
It was only then that Penny remembered Talon's watch.
Talon pressed a button, and the watch exploded in a cloud of evil-smelling smoke, taking Zac with it. Luckily it was only a comedy bomb, but it wrecked his boots and left him a soot-covered wreck, with only his eyes still visible.
He fell a vast distance into the courtyard below.
The fire service had a blanket ready to catch people. But no sooner had he landed than HQ agents were there, bundling him off into a police car. He was still smoking... in every sense.
Ruby gave the scene below a brief, amused look.
"Time to go, I think. Bye, Talon. It's been fun."
Penny suddenly looked at her remaining watch.
"Hey! What about the bomb?"
Ruby grinned.
"What bomb? I built the escape room... you don't think I'm as crazy as Zac, do you?"
Talon gave her a look of respect. The others were open-mouthed. Ruby smiled.
"See you, Bad Boy." She turned to Penny. "Make sure he behaves himself in future."
Two jets of fire, and she was gone, disappearing back into Metro City.
Inspector Gadget looked over the parapet.
"We'd better get down there."
There was a buzz of excitement as Inspector Gadget, Penny, Brain and Talon emerged into the courtyard. From the police car, the exploded Zac glared at them. Chief Quimby was here, and looking pleased. He was even more pleased when Penny told him there was no bomb. He shook their hands – or in Brain's case, paws.
"Well done, all of you. We've been trying to catch Zac for months! And we picked up Jac, trying to break into a department store and steal a pair of braces."
For once, Inspector Gadget wasn't taking the credit. He brought Talon over.
"It's this young man you want to thank, Chief. He's the one who brought Zac down... and saved Penny's life. He helped me solve the puzzles, too."
"Smart work," Chief Quimby said.
There were cheers from the crowd. Talon acknowledged them modestly. Penny narrowed her eyes. That boy got away with everything.
"First thing tomorrow, Talon," said Chief Quimby, "you must come and see me in my office. We need to talk about your future with HQ."
Talon grinned.
"Cheers, Chief."
There were more cheers, as Talon made his way through the crowds. He stopped once or twice for selfies and autographs.
Penny caught up with him outside the gates to the block.
"You just got away with it again, didn't you? You always get away..."
"Hey, how's about saying thank you? If I hadn't booby-trapped that watch..."
"If you hadn't stolen that AI, and robbed Ruby... never mind trapping us in our own apartment!"
"Shame about the control bracelet. I've had that since I was a little Claw. Still, I can build another."
"And now Chief thinks you're a hero!"
"Why, do you want to be the only one, around here?" Talon paused. "Shame about the AI, though. The USB went up with Zac. Now we'll have to start searching all... over..."
He stared at Penny, as she held up Ruby's pendant.
"This one, you mean?"
"Penn...!"
"He was holding onto me for quite a while. You're not the only one who can do sleight of hand."
"Penny, I love you." Talon reached for the pendant, but Penny held it away from him.
"Oh no, you don't. This time I'm keeping it safe. It's going straight into HQ." She fastened the chain around her neck. "Professor Von Slickstein can take a look at it. I need to save you from yourself."
Talon grinned.
"Trying to reform me again? Well, maybe you're right. The way Chief Quimby's talking, I could be on the next desk from you, by the end of the week."
"Oh, great!"
Talon came and stood a little nearer to her.
"How about dinner tonight? A proper night out, this time. No strings."
Penny hesitated. Then she let him embrace her.
"OK."
"There's something I wanna ask ya."
He kissed her, gave her a cheeky wink, then moved off.
Penny watched in amazement, as he took off and disappeared into the heart of Metro City.
Then her hand flew to her neck.
There was nothing there.
"TALON!"