Talon made a perfect landing.
He had much further to go... plans to make... but the day was warm, and he felt like a walk.
He touched the pendant around his neck. The day was good, Penny was good, and he felt good... and evil. This was how he wanted his life to be.
He had it all. HQ believed in him... the world thought he was a hero. He had defeated Zac. He had the AI. And he had some very special plans for Penny...
Walking along a residential street, a mile outside the city centre, he stopped. A black stretch limo came to a halt beside him. As if of its own accord, a rear passenger door opened. Talon saw the MAD logo upon it.
A gentle, but familiar voice came from within.
"Talon? Talon, my boy. Won't you talk to me?"
Talon recognised his uncle's voice, and wanted to run, but his natural curiosity took over. Uncle Claw had never spoken to him like that before...
He went and sat in one of the comfortably-upholstered seats of the limo. To his surprise, the door didn't slam, and he wasn't whisked away. There was a mocha coffee and some chocolate chip cookies waiting for him, Talon's absolute favourites.
He could partly see his uncle, on the monitor mounted on the seat in front.
"Talon, I'm impressed. I was watching Metro News. I saw you beat Zac. I'm most grateful to you. His defeat will set back the Network's plans considerably."
Talon was silent. He still didn't trust that voice.
"Why don't you come home, and we can discuss your future? MAD Cat is out of favour, since she chewed my slippers. You're my obvious heir. Let us talk. Now you have the AI, I know you'll have many plans. And I'm most keen to hear them."
Talon hesitated. He looked at the monitor, then back in the direction of the Gadgets' apartment. He took the USB from around his neck.
He came to a decision.
To be continued...
A new Inspector Gadget story coming soon!