'This story takes place after Season Two of the original series. The Gadgets had rid themselves of Corporal Capeman, (See my other story 'Die, Capeman, Die!') so naturally, they are quite leery about taking on another assistant.
Inspector Gadget sat in Chief Quimby's office, listening to his boss. He knew that there was a strict chain of command, and that he had a duty to listen and obey his Chief's directions, but this… not only did Gadget himself have serious doubts, but he could already hear the objections of Penny and Brain. "Chief, are we sure that this is absolutely necessary?" Chief Quimby was not in the mood for backtalk, or having his instructions questioned. "Gadget, remember your last assistant? Remember what we had to do to get rid of him? Well, this time will be different. We participate in officer exchanges between cities, and it's our turn to take one in."
Gadget bowed his head with shame at the memory. Corporal Capeman had been an utter, unmitigated disaster. He had done literally nothing right, in all the time Gadget spent with him, and despite his best efforts at training. Not only that, but later on, they had discovered that he had been harboring a disgusting secret crush on Penny. He had been abusive to Brain, he had blown several important missions, and when they finally managed to get rid of him, everyone's lives immediately improved drastically. To this day, the mere mention of the name 'Capeman' will provoke intense growling from Brain, and a look of pure disgust from Penny.
"Wowsers, Chief, I just really don't think taking on another assistant is a good idea—" Chief Quimby stopped Gadget in mid-sentence. "Gadget, I told you, if you ever got another assistant, they would need to be approved by the department. Well, I approved this one myself." He held out a profile folder for Gadget to review, and continued to speak. "This is a Junior Officer from New York City. She's only 16, but she's already shown great talent, and has attracted interest from the FBI." Gadget opened the folder, revealing a photo of a smiling young lady of Asian descent, accompanied by a very impressive record. Gadget mumbled as he skimmed through the highlights. "Hmm… Kristy Carter, age 16, top of her class at the Junior Academy, honors student, has offers from the FBI and CIA…" Gadget glanced up. "Both agencies fighting over the same person?" Quimby nodded.
Gadget was still very hesitant. "But, Chief, what does this have to do with me?" Quimby replied, "Well, you are Inspector Gadget, after all; you're somewhat famous, and it has been decided that this young lady would benefit from observing you on the job." Quimby could still read doubt all over Gadget's face. "Listen, Gadget. First, it's only for two weeks. Second, she's not a mind-blowing idiot, like your last assistant Capeman. Third, this isn't a suggestion, it's an order."
At the Gadget house, Penny had just arrived home from school. She skidded to a halt in the garage on her bike, let it fall to the floor, and entered the house with her backpack. She looked around, searching for her friend Brain. She was just about to call out for him, when she noticed his little tail on the couch. She silently walked over, and saw Brain, quietly sleeping. He had been waiting for her to return, and had fallen asleep. Penny gently stroked his head, and a mildly startled Brain woke up immediately. His eyes came into focus on Penny's smiling face.
"Hello, Brain! How was your day?" Brain's tail happily thumped on the couch, telling Penny a great deal. She thought to herself that she and Professor Von Slickstein really needed to finish working on the canine translator device. They felt that they were so close to having a workable prototype. She knew that this little dog possessed the intelligence of a human, but was limited by his inability to speak as a human can. During missions, he compensated for this by using hand signals, but this was very time-consuming, which was a bad thing on a mission when lives hang in the balance. Using signals to act out one word at a time, vs. the ability to actually speak; it was obvious what a huge advantage this canine translator could be.
Penny gave her little friend an affectionate hug. His fur was warm, very smooth, and as usual, always smelled so clean. Then, she stood up, let her backpack fall to the floor with a thunk, and took out one of her books. Penny liked to get an early start on her homework, before Uncle Gadget returned home from work. She hopped up on the couch next to Brain, with a schoolbook and a pad of paper. Brain quietly watched his best friend, as she gradually became lost in her schoolwork, writing on a piece of notebook paper. He knew not to disturb her, and he had no desire to. He was entirely content with the hug that he had just received, and watching over his dearest friend as she rapidly completed her homework assignments.
Before an hour had passed, Penny and Brain heard the Gadgetmobile park in the garage. Their Uncle was home from work. When the door opened, Uncle Gadget saw Penny and Brain seated on the couch. Penny greeted her Uncle with a smile. Gadget saw that she had her schoolbook in her lap, and was working on her homework. Gadget returned her smile, patted Brain on the head, and asked, "Good girl, Penny, for getting an early start on your homework. Are you all finished?" Penny nodded, and said, "I just finished the last math problem before you got home, Uncle, and I was checking over my work." Uncle Gadget said, "Outstanding work, Penny; now, you and Brain get in the car, we're going out for dinner." This brought forth a happy 'Yay!' from Penny, and a happy bark from Brain.
Uncle Gadget took his family to a restaurant he knew, that he had saved from being wiped out from a MAD bomb. The manager of this restaurant was so grateful, she always arranged for the Gadgets to have a private booth, so that they could eat in peace, and not have to put up with stares of curiosity and self-righteous indignation when people saw a dog eating amongst them. Technically, it was a violation of health laws for a dog to eat with people indoors; however, the manager of this restaurant knew who the Gadgets were, and what they had done for the city. Besides, their dog Brain was the sweetest little dog; he was very well behaved, and never bothered anyone.
Once the Gadgets had all finished their meals, Penny was putting on her jacket to leave, when Uncle Gadget said, "Just a minute, Penny… there's some news from work, and I wanted to talk to the two of you about it." Penny and Brain looked at each other warily, then both looked at Uncle Gadget. They had wondered why they were being treated to a meal in a restaurant, in the middle of the week. Now, they understood: Uncle Gadget was trying to soften some bad news that was coming. "Penny, Brain, I found out today from Chief Quimby that they are assigning me another assistant."
The manager of the restaurant was quite surprised when she heard from the Gadget's private booth: "Oh, Uncle Gadget, NO!" That had come from Penny, which was very surprising to the manager, because normally Penny was such a quiet, sweet girl. She poked her head around the corner, peeking into the Gadget's booth. Penny had a frown on her face, which rested in one hand, while the other hand tapped the tabletop with annoyance and frustration. Even Brain looked upset. The manager said, "Sir, is everything okay? Was there a problem with the food?" Gadget looked up apologetically, and said, "No, thank you; the food was delicious. This is just a little… personal matter." The manager nodded in understanding, and left them alone.
When the manager had left, Uncle Gadget spoke to Penny in a lowered tone of voice; however, he did not admonish her. He fully understood Penny and Brain's feelings, because he largely agreed with them. He reached into his trench coat, and pulled out the file on Officer Kristy Carter. He spread out the file in front of Penny and Brain, so they could see. "Chief Quimby tells me that this Junior Officer is supposed to be very good, at the top of her class. They assigned her to me, as an observer and assistant." Penny looked over the records and accomplishments of this person, and had to admit, she seemed to have excellent qualifications.
Gadget continued: "Now, I'll be honest with you both. I haven't forgotten the last… assistant." He wisely refused to use Capeman's name. "This just stays between us three, but… I didn't ask for this. It was assigned to me, by the Chief. And, when the Chief says to do something…" Penny finished for him. "You have to do it. I understand, Uncle, it's just…" Brain offered his input by folding his arms across his chest, disdainfully lifting his nose in the air, and letting out an annoyed 'Hmph!'
Uncle Gadget decided to try to salvage the situation. "Kids, let's just try to make the best of this. Looking over those records, you can see, this Officer Carter does appear to be quite intelligent. Chief Quimby told me that both the FBI and the CIA are trying to recruit her, so she must have done something right." With this new knowledge, Penny gave the file a second look, and attempted to give this new person the benefit of the doubt. Uncle Gadget continued: "She'll be here for two weeks. She arrives next Sunday morning. She will be staying with us. We can put her in the spare bedroom that you two did such a wonderful job re-painting." That had been the bedroom that Capeman had used. When he left, Penny and Brain completely stripped out the room, including the carpeting, and completely redecorated that room, to rid it of any reminders of who used to be in there.
Uncle Gadget concluded with, "Now, kids, I know we didn't ask for this, but let's all try to give this poor girl a chance. Treat her kindly when she gets here. I know we all have doubts, after the last assistant that we had to get rid of, but this one may be different. Promise me you'll be nice to her?" Penny sighed, and offered a less-than-convincing half-smile. "Yes, Uncle Gadget." Obviously, Penny still had major doubts about all this. Gadget looked over at Brain. "Now, Brain, my faithful friend; I'd like you to try to treat this guest as nicely as you treat Penny. Can you do that for me, Brain?" Inside his head, Brain thought to himself, 'As long as she doesn't tie me up in a chair and leave me out in the front yard, or fire acid at me from a bazooka!' Capeman had done these, and many other terrible things to poor Brain. Still, Brain looked at Uncle Gadget, and nodded.
On the way home, Penny was suddenly struck with a thought. She leaned over, and whispered into Brain's ear: "What are we going to do if we have to follow Uncle Gadget, and this assistant is with him?" Brain's eyes opened wide. He had forgotten all about that. Capeman had been so stupid, Brain could fool him with even the simplest disguise. However, if this new assistant was as smart as her file indicated, this may turn out to be a problem. He looked at Penny, and could only offer a shrug that plainly said, 'I dunno.'
Several days later, the three Gadgets stood in the Metro City Airport, waiting for Officer Carter to arrive. Penny glanced at her Uncle holding a sign that read KRISTY CARTER. She giggled, and said, "Uncle, the sign's upside down." Brain rolled his eyes as Gadget corrected his mistake. Soon, the gate from the New York flight opened, and people started filing out. After a few minutes, a smiling teenage girl walked up to them. "Inspector Gadget? I'm Kristy Carter. Pleased to meet you." Uncle Gadget returned her greeting, and introduced his family. "This is my niece, Penny, and my dog, Brain." Carter offered a warm smile and handshake to Penny, and seemed unsure about how to greet Brain, so he surprised her by standing up on his hind legs and offering his hand. Penny smiled, and said, "Brain's a very special dog." Carter nodded as she shook Brain's hand, and said, "Yes, I see that!" Uncle Gadget led Officer Carter to baggage claims, while Penny and Brain followed. They shared a glance with each other that silently said, 'Well, so far, so good!' At least this Kristy Carter wasn't fat, stupid, and wearing a ridiculous cape. That was a good start.
The Gadgets drove home with their new guest, showing her the sights along the way. Kristy was very polite and attentive to Inspector Gadget's rambling, which Penny found remarkable, since she assumed the poor girl must be tired from her flight.
Finally, they arrived at the Gadget home. Penny volunteered to show their guest around, and where her room would be. Penny and Brain led Kristy around the house, giving her the tour, and showing her where her room would be. When Penny was sure they were out of earshot of Uncle Gadget, she apologized to Kristy for her Uncle getting carried away with the tour. "I'm sure you must be tired, but my Uncle gets a little carried away at times." Kristy just smiled. "It's all right; he means well, and I can tell he cares for you and your dog here a great deal." Penny finished showing her around the house, and Brain lugged Kristy's bag up the stairs to the guest bedroom.
That evening, the three Gadgets and their guest sat around the dinner table. They had finished eating, and Penny and Brain had cleared the table. Uncle Gadget now reviewed with Kristy how the next two weeks would go. "You'll shadow me in the Gadgetmobile; we get our assignments from Chief Quimby. Things have been much quieter since we locked up Dr. Claw, (As seen in 'Penny and Brain take down MAD, with unexpected help) yet some of his MAD agents are still out there, causing trouble." Kristy nodded in understanding. She had, of course, heard about MAD and Dr. Claw, but had never faced any MAD agents in New York.
Soon, despite a valiant effort, Kristy was unable to hold back a yawn any longer. "Oh! My gosh, I'm so sorry; this has been a very long day for me." Uncle Gadget looked at his watch. "Quite all right; it's time for a niece of mine to head to bed, anyway. She has school tomorrow." Penny hugged her Uncle goodnight, then she and Brain scampered up the stairs. Kristy wished Gadget a good night, then walked up the stairs as well. She spotted Penny and Brain peeking out of their bedroom door, and waving 'goodnight' at her. Kristy smiled and returned the wave. She had to admit, her first impressions of this family were quite positive.
Late that night, Kristy found herself needing to visit the bathroom down the hall. As she was on her way back to the guest bedroom, she glanced into Penny's bedroom. Penny was fast asleep, naturally, and Brain was snoozing on the foot of her bed. Even though Kristy barely made any noise in the hallway, Brain still lifted his head up and looked at her. The silent, non-verbal expression on his face was clear: 'You seem nice enough, but I don't know you; I don't trust you yet, so don't come too close to my Penny just yet.' Kristy smiled at Brain and continued to her guest room. She understood fully now what a good protector for Penny this little dog was.
The next morning, after breakfast, Penny hopped on the bus for school, and Inspector Gadget headed to work in the Gadgetmobile with Kristy accompanying him. As soon as they arrived at the station, Chief Quimby had an assignment for them. "Gadget, we have a report of two men holed up in a motel room on the other side of Metro City. We think they may be MAD holdouts. They may be planning something. Take Officer Carter here, and investigate."
Gadget and Carter got back in the Gadgetmobile, and started driving to the motel. On the way, Gadget explained (again) that although Dr. Claw was in prison, many of his former MAD agents were still active in the criminal underworld, trying to keep MAD viable, and hoping for the return of their leader.
When they arrived at the motel, Officer Carter asked if one of them should keep the back covered. Gadget scoffed. "That won't be necessary, Carter. Inspector Gadget is on the job!" She had doubts, but shrugged and said to herself, 'Okay, well, he's the Inspector…' When they approached the door of the hotel room, Carter thought it best to follow standard procedure and stand to the side of the door, just in case, but Inspector Gadget strode right up and pounded on the door, standing directly in front of it. He hollered, "Metro City P.D.! Open up in there!" Carter thought she heard, from inside the motel room, the unmistakable sound of a shotgun being cocked. She grabbed Gadget's arm and pulled him to the side, just before a large hole was blown in the door. The shotgun blast missed Gadget by mere inches. "Wowsers! Stop, you! Stop in the name of the law!"
Unfortunately, the two men in the motel room had already fled out the back door, and since no one was there to cover the back, as Officer Carter had suggested, they had a large head start, and were able to blend in to the surrounding neighborhood. The two gave Gadget and Carter the slip.
As they combed through the motel room for any evidence that might have been left behind, Gadget thanked Carter for pulling him out of the way. Feeling a bit frustrated, Officer Carter noted that "It's too bad no one was covering the back, so they couldn't get away." She had a bit of bitter frustration in her voice, but it was lost on Inspector Gadget. He merely deployed his gadget magnifying glass, and combed the room for any clues. Carter watched him crawl around the carpet on his hands and knees, closely examining every inch of the floor. Meanwhile, Carter looked at the motel room's kitchen counter, and said "Umm, Inspector? Look at this." She held up a little black book that the two men had left behind, full of names and telephone numbers.
Gadget walked over, thumbed through the book, said "Hmm, that's odd," but then handed the book back to her and continued to scan the carpet with his magnifying glass. Officer Carter couldn't believe it. This little black book was a huge breakthrough. It might as well have said, "Top Secret Contact List of Major Criminals in Metro City," yet this Inspector barely glanced at it. THIS was the famous Inspector Gadget? This clumsy, clueless buffoon brought down MAD and Dr. Claw? And, if not for her, he would have been blasted in the chest with a shotgun, yet he didn't seem to appreciate how close he just came to dying.
When Gadget was done examining the carpet and walls with his magnifying glass, he sighed, and said, "Well, there's no clues here. Let's take your black book you found back to the station." On the ride back, Officer Carter was very upset. She thought to herself, if Gadget had listened to her, those two criminals would have been trapped and captured. Instead, they got clean away, and almost killed Inspector Gadget. And, Inspector Gadget had ignored the Holy Grail of clues, the little black book, and crawled around the carpet like a child with his magnifying glass. To say she was disillusioned was an understatement. Still, she had to consider his record. Maybe he was just having an off day? She resolved to wait and see, and give him another chance.
When they returned to the station, Gadget reported that the two criminals got away, but that Officer Carter had discovered a clue. She handed the little black book to Chief Quimby. He started to look through the book, and his eyes grew progressively wider. "Sweet mother of… Gadget! Did you look at the names in this book?! These are some of Metro City's most wanted! Now we have phone numbers, and even addresses on some of them!" Quimby looked at them. "Which one of you found this?" To his credit, Gadget pointed at Officer Carter. Quimby said, "Well done, Carter! Now, where's that detective…" He stomped off to find a detective, and get them to work on analyzing the contents of the black book.
That evening, when they returned home, Carter was back upstairs in the guest bedroom. She had just changed out of her police uniform and into civilian clothes, when there was a gentle knock on the door. She opened it, and Penny and Brain were there. Penny had a friendly smile, and asked how the first day had gone. Kristy said, "Umm, well…" The last thing she wanted to do was talk trash about this poor girl's Uncle. Penny got a knowing look on her face, and asked if she could come in for a moment. She and Brain entered the guest room, and shut the door behind them. In a hushed voice, Kristy said, "Penny, I know you love your Uncle, and I hate to complain about him, but… he almost got himself killed today. He ignored my advice, let two criminals get away, and missed a vital clue in their room." Penny looked her in the eyes, and said, "Let me explain to you why he's like this. It wasn't always this way."
Penny explained how Inspector John Brown had been a very highly regarded officer of the law, and had risen to the rank of Inspector. He had a reputation for being a serious, thorough, careful, and very competent lawman. Then, came the accident. On a mission against MAD, Inspector Brown fell many stories onto hard, unyielding metal grating, and was nearly killed. He was rebuilt into a bionic man, Inspector Gadget, but in the process, his mind was affected. Penny said, "You've noticed he can seem clumsy, and clueless?" Kristy nodded. Penny explained, "That's because when they transferred his mind into that bionic brain, there were unforeseen side-effects. He can't help it."
Penny was just about to explain how she and Brain helped their Uncle on missions, when she heard Uncle Gadget calling her from downstairs. She and Brain scampered down the stairs, with Kristy following. They started to eat dinner, when there was a ringing sound. "Wowsers, the top secret Gadget phone." Gadget held up his hand. "Yes, Chief? You're where?" Gadget walked into the living room and opened the door to the oak wood china cabinet. Chief Quimby's hand appeared, and gave Gadget a message, which Gadget read aloud. "Five former MAD agents suspected of hijacking armored trucks before they can deliver cash to banks. Electronic trackers have been placed in a shipment of cash. Follow at a distance, and find out where the armored trucks are being taken. This message will self-destruct."
As Gadget crumpled up the message and carelessly tossed it over his shoulder, he declared, "Just leave it to me, Chief! I'll track down those armored trucks in no time." He was oblivious to the muffled explosion, and to Chief Quimby's groan. Waving to Kristy Carter to follow him, Gadget said, "Come along, Carter! This will be an excellent opportunity for you to see Inspector Gadget at work. Brain, take care of Penny. I'll be back soon."
As Gadget and Carter left in the Gadgetmobile, Penny said to Brain; "I have a bad feeling about this one, Brain! It seems too easy. We'd better follow them." Brain agreed with a hearty "Ruff!" Then, Penny gasped. "Oh, Chief Quimby, are you all right?" He was limping away from the China cabinet, brushing himself off. As he headed for the front door, he glanced at Penny and Brain. "I really hate those self-destructing messages." He let himself out the front door, closing it behind him. Penny and Brain looked at each other, shrugged, and raced for the garage. Penny hopped on her bike, turned on the headlight for safety, and Brain hopped on behind her, wearing a reflector on his back, so cars would be able to see them from behind. Penny pedaled off into the night, occasionally glancing at her watch, which was tracking the Gadgetmobile. She thought to herself, this would be a great deal easier in a few years, when she would be old enough to drive.
Ten miles away, five former MAD agents were gathered in a black van. Their leader was former MAD agent Benson. He had worked with Dr. Claw, although he had been a fairly low-ranking agent. Benson hoped to change this. He had hatched a plot to trap and eliminate Inspector Gadget. Benson knew that there was a plan in development by others to try to get Dr. Claw out of prison, so, in the meantime, Benson had decided to seize the initiative and strike at Dr. Claw's most hated foe. Benson asked his four comrades if all the pieces were in place, and they assured him that they were. Then, right on schedule, came the armored truck, headed to the Metro City National Bank.
The two guards in the armored truck were nervously driving along, glancing all around them. There had been a string of several hijackings in the last few weeks. Suddenly, a black van lurched out in front of them. One of the guards told the driver, "Don't stop. Ram it." The driver lowered his right foot and gripped the steering wheel tightly… then, let out a dumbfounded "HUH?!" The armored truck suddenly lost all power, and rolled to a silent halt. The front of the bumper barely tapped the side of the black van. Furious efforts at restarting the truck were useless. Then, the sliding door of the black van slid open, revealing an electronic scrambler with a MAD logo on it, which was aimed at the armored truck's engine. Apparently, this device was responsible for cutting off the power of the truck.
One of the former MAD agents waved at the guards, and ordered them out of the truck. "We don't want to hurt you; you're free to go. We just want the truck." One of the guards replied with a certain hand gesture that was not very nice. Although the truck couldn't start, it was still armored, and the guards still had their weapons. However, their grim resolve quickly evaporated as they saw one of the former MAD agents produce a large bazooka from inside the van, and aim it straight at the windshield of the armored truck. Doing their job was one thing, but that bazooka had enough explosives to fill the whole cab of the truck with flames. The guards were not being paid enough to sacrifice their lives. They opened the doors and stepped out.
The former MAD agents walked over. "Smart move. Now, get lost." The guards backed away from the truck as the former MAD agents stepped in. The scrambler was turned off, the truck was restarted, and the truck and van drove off into the night. The guards watched helplessly, until the Gadgetmobile appeared a moment later. Gadget halted the car and lowered the window.
"Excuse me, good sir, but did you see—" He was interrupted as one of the guards rushed up. "Inspector Gadget, sir, they… they stole our armored truck!" Gadget scowled and said, "Which way did they go?" The confused guard said, "Well, Inspector, it's a one-way street, so, they went that way." He pointed straight ahead. Carter held her head in her hand and thought to herself, 'Oh, Dear Lord… my head hurts…' Gadget glanced over at her. "Carter? Are you okay?" She held up the handheld tracker, which was still showing the armored truck as a red dot on the screen. She pointed straight ahead. Gadget said, "Oh, heh heh… um, yes. Of course. Here we go." The Gadgetmobile peeled out and roared down the street.
Around the corner, Penny and Brain peered from behind a building, watching the Gadgetmobile take off. Penny opened her computer book, as Brain looked on. "Look at this, Brain; there's where the armored truck is. Good thing Chief Quimby had that tracking device hidden in the money. I think if we take this shortcut here, on the side streets, we can keep up with them." They climbed back on to Penny's bike, and pedaled away after the armored truck.
The five former MAD agents in the armored truck steered it into the garage of an abandoned car dealership on the outer edge of Metro City. This property was boarded up, fenced off, and up for public auction, so, former agent Benson decided to make use of it before local homeless squatters took it over. There was plenty of room in this garage, which had been the service department for the dealership that had been here at one time. The armored truck pulled to a halt, and Benson opened the door. He went to the back of the truck, pulled out the money, and quickly located the police tracking device. One of the other former MAD agents grinned and said, "Allow me, boss; I'll take care of that thing." To his surprise, Benson protected the tracking device. "No! Our whole plan depends on this device."
Back in the shadows of the garage, amongst some crates, Penny and Brain silently listened to the former MAD agents. They heard Benson continue: "Our true goal has always been to eliminate Gadget, right? Well, we have to allow him to be able to find us. Therefore, we cannot destroy this tracking device just yet. Now, get to your positions." Penny turned to Brain and whispered, "Oh, they're up to something, Brain! We have to stop them!" Brain silently nodded.
Inspector Gadget slowly drove the Gadgetmobile into the garage of the abandoned car dealership. He and Officer Carter were pleased to see the missing armored truck parked there. Officer Carter, however, was unsettled to see that it had been abandoned, with the money still apparently in the back of the truck. That made no sense. She silently drew her pistol, and held it at the ready. She very cautiously looked inside the truck, then underneath it. Inspector Gadget, meanwhile, was starting to probe around the garage.
Brain's eye was caught by movement from the ceiling. He gasped, then tapped Penny on the shoulder, and pointed up. Two former MAD agents were silently hoisting a large, metal-reinforced net on pulleys, positioning it over the armored truck. They obviously intended to drop it on Inspector Gadget. Meanwhile, the other three thugs were hidden in doorways, prepared to rush out with crowbars and clubs. Penny silently pointed at Brain, then at the two hoisting the net. Brain quietly scampered off. He found a set of mechanic's overalls and cap on a crate, and quickly put them on. Not exactly his best disguise, but it would have to do.
Brain pondered how to stop these two pulling the net, and decided a simple approach was best. He burst out from his hiding place, barking and snarling, and tackled one of the former MAD agents to the ground. The other came to assist, followed by the other three in hiding. Brain lurched out of the way just in time, as one of the thugs with a crowbar nailed his own partner, as he was trying to hit Brain. Meanwhile, Penny carefully aimed her watch laser, and burned through the ropes holding the net, allowing it to drop on the other three thugs with crowbars before they were able to reach Brain.
Inspector Gadget heard the commotion, saw what had happened, and ran over. "STOP! I have you completely surrounded!" He saw Brain running away in disguise, and called out to Carter. "Follow him, and capture him! I'll take care of these five." Carter carefully and quietly walked around behind the crates. She lost sight of Brain, but did see something else… a shape that was crouched behind a crate, and it appeared to be snickering… Carter grabbed the shape, then stopped with a gasp. She quietly whispered, "Penny?! What in the world are you doing here?" She relaxed her grip on Penny's arm. Penny held her finger to her lips, and said, "Shh! Don't let Uncle Gadget know we're here!"
Carter knelt down, so she was out of sight, and demanded to know what was going on. Penny whispered, "I'll explain everything later- no, Brain, it's ok!" Carter looked behind her, and saw Brain advancing with a large wrench and an angry look on his face. He had thought someone was threatening Penny. Carter held up her hands, to show she was not hurting Penny. Brain relaxed. Carter repeated her question, to both Penny and Brain: "What is going on? Why are you two here?" Penny hurriedly replied, "I'll explain later. Just, trust me; we're here to help Uncle Gadget. Now, I think YOU should go back out there and help him!"
Meanwhile, the five former MAD agents had stopped trying to break through the net surrounding them, and with one coordinated effort, simply lifted the net up and over. They then scattered in five different directions, as Gadget hollered at them: "Stop in the name of the law!" One of them ran by Kristy, who sprinted and lunged, performing an ankle tackle that would have made a football player proud. This criminal bit the dust hard, and Gadget rushed up and slapped the cuffs on him. Unfortunately, Benson and the other three managed to slip away.
Minutes later, Chief Quimby and two other squad cars arrived at the scene. This was a mission with mixed results; they had captured one of the bad guys, and successfully recovered a stolen armored truck. On the other hand, four criminals had given them the slip. Quimby ordered Gadget and Carter to start tracking down the other four, first thing in the morning. As he turned to return to his squad car, Quimby spied a small bicycle with a young girl and a dog pedaling down the road into the night. Quimby smiled to himself, and then deliberately delayed Inspector Gadget with paperwork for 15 minutes, in order to give Penny and Brain time to get home before their Uncle did.
When the Gadgetmobile finally arrived at home, Kristy Carter had to restrain herself from immediately dashing inside and interrogating Penny and Brain. She allowed Uncle Gadget to enter the house first, and watched him greet Penny and Brain, who were waiting in the living room as if nothing had happened. Penny chatted with her Uncle for a few minutes, asking him about the mission. Penny then looked at Kristy, and said, "Could you please come upstairs with Brain and I? I have some things to talk about with you." To her credit, Kristy managed to smile and say, "Sure, Penny!" instead of the 'Oh, you're damn right you do!' that was inside her head. Uncle Gadget had no problem with this at all. "You kids can talk with Officer Carter for a little while, then it'll be time for bed."
Penny and Brain went into Penny's bedroom, closely followed by Kristy. Penny shut the door, and leaned against it, with a guilty smile on her face. Kristy wasn't angry, but seemed very concerned. The first words out of her mouth were, "Penny, are you and Brain all right?" Penny nodded, then Kristy immediately followed up with, "Do you two know how dangerous what you're doing is? These are real criminals you're dealing with, and they'll kill you." Penny nodded, and said, "They'll also kill Uncle Gadget, if we're not there to help him. You've seen for yourself the… problems he has, haven't you?" Penny was referring to Gadget's trademark clumsiness and bumbling.
Kristy couldn't deny that she had indeed noticed this, since she had been complaining about it just a few hours before. "But, you two are so young… you're children!" Penny replied, "Well, since you're 16, technically, you're still a child as well." Kristy held up a finger, as if to say, 'not so fast.' "But, I've had lots of training, and lots of experience—" Penny interrupted. "So have we. Brain and I, we've helped our Uncle Gadget on well over 100 missions against MAD, all over the world. Believe me, we know what we're doing." Kristy was still having a hard time wrapping her head around this. "Does Chief Quimby know about this?" Penny nodded. "He does… and so does the Police Commissioner above him. But no one else knows."
Kristy's jaw fell open with disbelief. "You're telling me that the Metro City Police Department knowingly allows a small girl and a small dog to become actively involved in anti-terrorist work? But WHY?" Penny looked Kristy in the eyes. "Because we have to, that's why. Inspector John Brown could have done this alone; Inspector Gadget cannot. His mind was affected after his accident. So, I back him up, and Brain here backs me up." Kristy could feel her headache returning. Penny giggled and said, "It's a lot to take in, I know." She then squeezed Brain close to her in a loving embrace, and said to Kristy, "What if I told you that this little dog right here has single-handedly saved millions of lives, and prevented the Third World War?"
Penny explained that, among other things, Brain had single-handedly disarmed a MAD rocket hidden inside a farmer's grain silo, which prevented Dr. Claw from wiping out Metro City. (Down on the Farm episode) Brain interrupted Penny's retelling of the story, objecting (with hand signals) that Penny had been there too, and had guided him in the process of disarming the rocket. Penny replied, "That's true, Brain, but I couldn't have gotten up there in time, and you did." Kristy smiled at this. Clearly, these two were disagreeing only to try to give each other more credit, not hog more glory for themselves. What a refreshing change from the backstabbing, backstage politics that she often witnessed in law enforcement.
Kristy said, "Ok, hold on here!" Penny and Brain both looked at her expectantly. Kristy continued; "Ok, so, disarming a MAD rocket? Sure, I can buy that. But, preventing World War 3?" Even Brain gazed at Penny, to see what she would say. He had never considered that he deserved THAT much credit. Penny explained; "Dr. Claw's main goal has always been global domination, starting by taking over the United States, and using the military to start a world war. Inspector Gadget stopped him from doing that. He needs our help, as we've seen. And, Brain here has backed me up, and saved my life so many times… trust me, if not for Brain, I'd be dead, Uncle Gadget would have been defeated, and Dr. Claw would be the next Hitler."
Kristy considered what Penny had said. "You must really trust me, to be telling me all of this." Penny replied, "Well, we kind of have to, since you saw us out there. But yes, I do trust you. Chief Quimby trusts you, and I saw your record. I'm pretty sure you're not secretly a MAD agent!" Kristy laughed, and assured Penny that she definitely was not. She then took in a deep breath, let it out, and said with a smile, "Wow! So you two pretty much… save the world, all the time!" Penny was far too humble to accept that much praise. "Well… our Uncle does, and Brain and I, we just kind of help point him in the right direction, behind the scenes."
Then, there was a tap on Penny's door, and Uncle Gadget poked his head in. "Penny? It's almost your bedtime." Penny replied, "Yes, Uncle Gadget." Kristy stood up, and smiled at Penny and Brain. "I'm glad we had this chat. Good night!" She then walked out, leaving Penny and Brain to prepare for bed. Kristy then went to her guest room to reflect on what she had found out this evening. Unfortunately, she had received confirmation that Inspector Gadget, although powerful, was quite clumsy and slow-witted. However, he had two little helpers who had devoted their lives to following him, and backing him up in secret. It was amazing, and it was very sweet of Penny and Brain to do this, with no thought of any reward… but it was also very dangerous for them. Kristy couldn't quite decide how she really felt about this. She decided to await further events. She would not have long to wait.
The next morning, when Penny had left for school, Kristy got into the Gadgetmobile with Inspector Gadget. As they were driving down the road, Gadget said, "Hmm, that's odd… a little character on a motor scooter has been following us for quite a while now." Kristy looked in the rearview mirror, and had to stifle a giggle, because she immediately recognized Brain on his little scooter. It warmed her heart that he was back there, keeping watch over them. Naturally, Gadget had failed to identify who was following them. He deliberately slowed the Gadgetmobile, allowing the scooter to pull alongside the car. Gadget called out, "Good day to you, sir!" Brain, looking cool as ever in his leather jacket, helmet and sunglasses, glanced at them and silently nodded, then looked straight ahead again.
Inspector Gadget rolled up the window, and muttered, "What a suspicious looking character. Possibly a former MAD agent." He looked at Kristy, who had to wipe a smile from her face as she watched Brain puttering down the road on his scooter. She decided to tease the Inspector a little. "Oh, I don't think he looks all that suspicious, Inspector; I think he's kind of cute!" Gadget replied with, "Wowsers, Officer Carter! I know you're just 16, but don't let looks deceive you. That could be a very dangerous criminal. I have a sixth sense about these things, you see… when you've been doing this as long as I have…" This boastful lecture went on and on, until they reached the police station.
Across town, in a luxury hotel suite, the four former MAD agents gathered to discuss last night's encounter with the police. Benson led the discussion. "It's too bad that we lost one of our comrades, but it won't matter. The plan is still on track." One of the agents put up his hand. "Uh, sir? Why are we meeting in this fancy hotel?" Benson replied, "Glad you noticed. Because this is what the cops wouldn't expect. They're monitoring all the seedy 'hourly rate' motels, so, we'll stay someplace nice for once." Benson then passed out assignments to his comrades, and coordinated the schedule. He closed the meeting by reminding them: "Remember, there is a plan in motion to get Dr. Claw out of the supermax prison. We want to be able to report to him that Inspector Gadget has been eliminated."
At the police station, Chief Quimby was leading the debriefing from the previous night's mission. It was hard to see it as a victory, since four of the five former MAD agents had escaped. Meanwhile, regular criminals were not taking the day off. There were a handful of robberies, and even a home burglary to investigate. Chief Quimby assigned officers to each job. When most of the other officers had left, Quimby sighed, and looked at Inspector Gadget. "Well, Gadget, one former MAD agent down; how do you propose to capture the other four?"
Before Gadget could answer, he got a message. There were reports of possible MAD activity at an old farm outside of Metro City. Quimby nodded at Gadget. "Go check it out, Gadget, and take Carter with you." Gadget saluted. "You can depend on me, Chief—" Quimby interrupted him. "Just go… and don't mess this one up."
Soon, Gadget and Carter arrived at the farm. This had been a large, commercial dairy farm, until it went bankrupt. The barns were empty, and the doors swung in the breeze. Judging from the graffiti on the walls, it was a popular hangout for teens after dark, but there was no one there now. Or so they thought.
Gadget and Carter walked through the barns, swinging flashlights through the darkness. They had almost reached the end of the barn, when they heard a loud crash behind them. Inspector Gadget said, "Aha! I have you now, you MAD agents!" He took off on his rocket skates, forgetting all about his partner. Officer Carter was starting to follow him, when two men lunged out and grabbed her. One of them clapped his hand around her mouth, so she was unable to call out for help. The two thugs tied her hands and feet, and gagged her mouth. They then dragged her outside, and tossed her down the farm's well. They then hurried to join their comrades in trying to trap and eliminate Inspector Gadget.
Carter fell down the well, and although her hands were tied together, she managed to push them out against the side of the well, and push out with her feet at the same time. This was extremely painful, but it stopped her fall… for the moment. She could hear debris splashing in the water just below. She had no idea how deep the water was, because it was so dark down here. Already her hands and feet were trembling from the severe strain. She could not hold this position for long, to say nothing of trying to climb out. Plus, the sides of the well were slick with mossy slime. She could feel herself starting to slip. She knew that if she fell into the water, with her hands and feet tied up, she would not be able to swim or tread water for long.
Then, she felt something grab her collar, and put an arm under her arm. Someone was trying to pull her out, but they were having a hard time doing it. She felt a rope slip under her arms, and it was tied off. Then her mystery rescuer climbed up the rope, and slowly hauled her up. When Kristy finally managed to heave herself over the top of the well, she fell on the ground, still tied up, but very glad to be out of that dark place. She felt someone untie her hands. She pulled the gag out of her mouth, and turned to face her rescuer.
"Brain?! That was you?" Brain nodded, then held his finger to his mouth in a 'SSHH' expression. He then scampered off to rejoin Penny, leaving Kristy to finish untying herself. She was badly scuffed on her hands and wrists, and bruised in several other places, but it certainly beat being drowned to death. She then saw Penny peeking out from a barn door. Penny beckoned to Kristy, who rapidly joined her. Brain was also there. Penny gathered them around, and opened her computer book. "Okay, there's where Uncle Gadget is. Those four criminals are trying to trap him. We're going to trap THEM instead. Brain, you go in this way, I'll go up the middle, and Kristy, you go in from the right. See if you can help Uncle Gadget find and apprehend them." Carter could see on the screen of Penny's computer book, Gadget appeared as a green dot, and the four thugs were red dots. They were indeed attempting to surround the Inspector.
Former Agent Benson silently motioned to his three comrades, using hand signals, directing them to pounce on Inspector Gadget. Only, they never quite made it. The thug on the left started to step out, when a barrel suddenly fell off a ledge in the barn, landing directly on and over the thug, knocking him senseless. Back up on the ledge, Brain snickered with satisfaction. His aim had been perfect. Meanwhile, the thug in the center of the barn started to advance, just as Inspector Gadget turned around in reaction to the noise of the barrel falling. He spotted the thug directly in front of him, and rapidly deployed his gadget hammer from his head, knocking the thug silly. The thug on the right was intercepted by a lividly angry Officer Carter; she whacked him a good one with a metal shovel to the back of the head. The third thug collapsed to the floor of the barn. Carter tossed the shovel to the side, pulled out her pistol, and aimed it straight at the thug's face, warning him not to move.
This left just former MAD agent Benson. He disgustedly watched his three comrades get taken out, one at a time, and realized his best bet now was a speedy getaway. From his perch at the top of the barn, he stepped out of the loft window, grabbed a rope attached to a pulley, and rapidly descended to the ground. Despite suffering painful rope burns to his hands, he was able to make it to a concealed getaway car. Penny and Brain spotted him as he was getting in. Brain dashed out in pursuit, while Penny attempted to use her watch laser to pop one of the car's tires, but Benson stomped the gas pedal, raising a large cloud of dust on the farm's dirt road, which obscured Penny's aim, and also forced Brain to halt his pursuit, since he couldn't see where the car was. By the time the dust started to clear, Benson was long gone.
Back in the barn, Inspector Gadget saw that Officer Carter had captured one of the thugs, and the other one was out cold with a barrel over his head. "Excellent work, Carter! That's three former MAD agents down. Only, I don't understand how this barrel managed to fall at just the right second, after sitting still for so long…" Carter's mind raced. "Umm, well, Inspector, probably one of those thugs moved it, while they were trying to conceal themselves, and that threw it off balance." Gadget rubbed his chin. "Hmm… perhaps…" Carter could see Penny concealed behind an old tractor in the barn, and Penny gave her a wink and a thumbs-up, before quietly scampering away. While Gadget made sure the three thugs were securely handcuffed, Carter glanced out the barn door, and saw Penny and Brain pedaling away on their bicycle. Carter smiled to herself. She then watched as Gadget used the top-secret Gadget phone to summon a police truck, in order to haul away the three prisoners.
When the truck with Chief Quimby arrived, he watched as the three thugs were led into the back of the police truck in chains. "Excellent work, Gadget, and you too, Carter. There's only one left, and I have a feeling he'll be laying low for a while. Let's head on back to the station."
When they all arrived back at the police station, while Inspector Gadget was filling out the report paperwork, Officer Carter knocked on Chief Quimby's office door. He instructed her to come in, and shut the door. She sat in a chair in front of his desk, and asked him a question. "Chief, I've seen how amazing the whole Gadget family is, if you know what I mean, and I have to ask… why did you pair me up with him?" Chief Quimby smiled. "You mean, why did I send you to their house, when you were sure to uncover the secret of Penny and Brain?" Carter smiled. "YES! Exactly! I know that's a closely guarded secret, and…"
Quimby held up his hand, so Carter stopped talking. Quimby explained, "Well, as you may have suspected, I did have an ulterior motive. Two, actually. First, it really was this department's turn to take in another officer from another city for two weeks. That part was legitimate. But, as I was looking down the list of candidates, yours jumped out at me. For one thing, I was hoping that with your outstanding record, Inspector Gadget might actually pick up some pointers from you, instead of the other way around." Carter smiled, and said, "Well, I did try to drop suggestions now and then, while we were out on patrol." Quimby rolled his eyes. "Lord knows if any of it stuck."
Quimby continued; "And here's the second ulterior motive. I wanted Penny to see you. You're only a few years older than her; bright, very good at what you do, out there making a difference in the uniform. I'm holding out hope that she and Brain will choose to enter law enforcement, and I wanted her to see someone so similar to her, doing well in the job." Carter understood. "That's pretty cunning of you, Chief! Well, I hope she makes the decision that's right for her." Quimby nodded. "I do, too. And I pray they enter the police force. You've seen them in action, how good they are; and that's when they're children, having to hide. Imagine them as adults, working openly in the uniform! They could be two of the best officers we've ever had." Carter agreed. "I don't doubt it for a second."
After Gadget and Carter supervised the transfer of the three prisoners to jail, and filled out their report, they finally got in the Gadgetmobile to return home. When they arrived at the Gadget house, Inspector Gadget stopped in order to drop Kristy off. He said, "Tell Penny and Brain I'll be right back; I have to pick up a few things at the store." Kristy nodded, and watched as the Gadgetmobile drove down the street. This gave her the perfect opportunity to do something that she had been hoping to do, which required time alone with Penny and Brain. She turned and walked up to the house.
Penny and Brain heard the front door open and shut, then they heard footsteps coming up the stairs. Kristy walked into Penny's room, and without saying a word, she sat on Penny's bed, scooped Brain up in her arms, and hugged him tightly, while burying her face in his fur. She gently rocked back and forth with the little dog in her arms. Penny smiled and said, "Aww!" Kristy lifted her head up, looked at Brain, and said, with a shaky voice, "Thank you SO much, Brain… you… you saved my life!" Brain looked pleased, and also a little surprised. Kristy looked at Penny. "He does that a lot, doesn't he? Save lives?" Penny nodded immediately. "Oh, yes he does. All the time. He's absolutely irreplaceable." Kristy gave him one last squeeze, and said, "He certainly is."
Kristy then wiped the tears of gratitude from her eyes, and Penny handed her a tissue to blow her nose. When she was fully recovered, she looked at Penny and Brain with a smile. "Well! That was quite a mission, wasn't it?" Penny and Brain glanced at each other, and Brain shrugged his shoulders, and made a 'meh!' sound. Penny explained, "He means it was really pretty… ordinary, compared to some of the other cases we've had to go on. It was only four former MAD agents; no bombs, no missiles, no doomsday plots, just keeping Uncle safe from four clumsy idiots." Kristy laughed, and said, "Oh, I can believe it! I've heard horror stories about when Dr. Claw was on the loose, and I can only imagine the things you two have had to go through."
Kristy then got a bit more serious. "You know, when I first got here, and I found out what you two do, I was horrified. I couldn't believe that a real police department would allow a small girl and her dog to become involved in police business… against terrorists, no less! But now, I get it. You two belong out there. You're heroes, both of you." Kristy then looked directly into Penny's eyes. "And, Penny, when you're out there on a mission, you're a born leader! Have you ever thought of doing this, as a career?" This question caught Penny off guard. She considered. "Hmm… well, I know Chief Quimby has sometimes said he wishes Brain and I were on the police force, but I don't think he's serious—" Kristy said, "Oh, he is. And I don't blame him."
Kristy continued; "Penny, you'd be great at this. You're incredibly smart, and resourceful, and when you're out there in the field, on duty, you're a born leader! Like a general." Penny giggled, and said, "Oh, I'm sorry if I got a little bossy, back in the barn…" Kristy explained further. "Well, that's what I'm talking about. You just knew where everyone should go, and what they should do. Believe me, that's a rare gift. The gift of leadership is difficult to teach. A lucky few are born with this gift. And you definitely have it." Penny thought about it, then said, "I haven't actually decided what I want to do for my career, but I do know, I want to help people, and make the world a better place." Kristy replied, "Well, I won't try to convince you, but please, keep that idea in the back of your mind. You and your amazing friend here could do so much good in law enforcement."
The three of them then heard the door open downstairs, and Uncle Gadget called out for Penny. They all went downstairs to help unload groceries from the car, and put them away. Kristy helped, and joked and laughed with Penny and Brain as they worked in the kitchen, putting groceries away. She had bonded with them so well, and was really starting to feel like a part of the family. The bonding was mutual with Penny and Brain. Penny was starting to feel like Kristy was an older sister figure, while Brain was glad to have someone else around who was intelligent and competent, and not a clumsy doofus. True, he had to rescue her once, but that was not due to stunning incompetence on her part. He rescued Penny all the time, and he dearly loved and greatly respected Penny.
Then, all too soon, it was the day before Kristy was due to fly back to New York. Uncle Gadget took them all out for a farewell dinner. They went to the same restaurant, and sat in the usual booth once more. Kristy had never been so happy, and yet so sad at the same time. She was happy at the friendship she had developed with Penny and Brain; they had bonded and shared a great deal in the past two weeks. And, naturally, she was very sad, because she desperately wanted to stay with them. She knew that it was silly and illogical; she had family and friends and co-workers; a whole life waiting for her to return to back in New York. But she would miss Penny and Brain dearly.
The next day was the moment of truth. The three Gadgets stood with Kristy, in the Metro City Airport. Over the intercom, a voice called out: "Flight 316 to New York, now boarding." As Uncle Gadget watched with a smile, Kristy knelt down and hugged Penny and Brain close. She said, "I will never forget my little sister, Penny, and my hero, Brain. I love you guys." After a moment, Kristy released this hug, and stood up, and thanked Inspector Gadget for letting her tag along. "I learned so much, Inspector. Thank you." The intercom spoke once more. "Flight 316 to New York, final boarding." Kristy very reluctantly gripped her carry-on bag, and walked up to the boarding gate. Not only Kristy, but all three of the Gadgets had to dry their eyes. They all waved, until Kristy's head and waving hand vanished inside the boarding tunnel. Uncle Gadget sighed, turned to Penny and Brain, and said, "Well, kids, let's go home."
AFTERWORD
Now, wasn't that a much better sidekick than a fat, idiotic moron in a red cape?! The show's writers could have done SO much better than capeman in season two. This story is just a small example of what might have been, if Gadget had a competent and intelligent sidekick.
Penny received a gentle nudge toward the idea of a career in law enforcement from Kristy, and the idea grew more and more appealing inside her head.
I toyed with the idea of having Kristy be killed in the line of duty when she returned to New York; this would have ensured that the secret role of Penny and Brain stayed secret, and also motivated Penny to want to take down criminals for a living. But I decided, poor Penny has had enough tragedy in her young life. Kristy lives on.