Penny Graduates High School

by HawksFan12

Penny graduates high school, then she and Brain apply to the police force. Penny has to learn some hard lessons about trusting people, and her friendship with one of her closest friends is put to the test. She goes on a date, but things go terribly wrong, and Uncle Gadget is held captive. Rated Teen for violence, assault and language. For entertainment only, I own nothing.

Inspector Gadget, Chief Quimby, and Brain sat in the large high school auditorium. They had not been so uncomfortable in a very long time. The hard, plastic seats were crowded together as closely as possible, in order to allow the largest number of people to attend this event. Given the early summer warmth, and the large number of people sitting so close to each other, this auditorium had turned into a very warm, very stuffy, very uncomfortable place. Chief Quimby felt sweat on his forehead, and in several other places as well. Inspector Gadget had long since removed his trademark trench coat, and had resorted to deploying his gadget fan. However, this fan was noisy, so Chief Quimby silently glared at him, and Gadget put it away. Meanwhile, poor Brain was in utter torment. In order to allow him to enter the auditorium without question, he had worn his old police-issued K-9 vest, left over from the Academy. Now, with this vest on top of his natural fur, he was panting heavily. Gadget looked worriedly at his loyal friend, and handed him a bottle of water, which Brain gratefully accepted.

To make matters worse, the high school principal had felt the need to drone on and on with a very long-winded speech, apparently oblivious to the rising temperature and discomfort of everyone in attendance. Chief Quimby grumbled to himself, 'If anyone tackles that principal to shut him up, I won't lift a finger to arrest them.' Finally, at long last, the high school band started playing the song "Pomp and Circumstance," and the students in their caps and gowns started filing up, in alphabetical order. Each was handed a diploma, while their family and friends cheered. The poor band students were stuck playing this song over, and over, and over. Gadget watched and waited as the students whose last names began with "A" walked by, followed by B, then C. When Brain heard them getting to the names that started with "F," he sat up and felt himself get more excited. His discomfort was forgotten. He stood up in his chair for a better view.

The first student whose last name started with "G" was announced. Over the speakers, the name rang out: PENNY GADGET. Brain and Uncle Gadget went wild with applause, along with several hundred other people in the auditorium. This spoke volumes about how well-liked Penny was. She had accumulated many friends in her four years at this school. She had done this not by trying to be 'Miss Popular,' but simply by being herself; a nice, genuine, kind-hearted person. The noise was enough that she glanced at the audience and smiled as she was walking up to the principal, and accepted her high school diploma. Chief Quimby had already moved over to a better spot to be able to use his camera to get a good picture. Penny deliberately slowed down and smiled for the camera, then kept moving, as the long line of students continued. Penny returned to her seat in the student area. Chief Quimby also made his way back to his seat, rejoining Uncle Gadget and Brain. They were all happy and elated, and sat back to watch the remaining students getting their diplomas.

Later, after what felt like an eternity, all the students had crossed the stage, the principal gave them their final congratulations, and they filed out of the auditorium. The side doors opened, and all of the parents, family and friends pushed and shoved their way out to seek out their student. Uncle Gadget, Brain, and Chief Quimby managed to exit the building in less than 10 minutes. Penny excitedly emerged from the crowd of students, looking for her family. The first one to find her was Brain, and he leaped up into her arms. She easily caught him and hugged him. She then set him down and hugged her Uncle Gadget. She accepted their congratulations. "Thank you, Uncle, and you too, Brain. I couldn't have done this without you." Chief Quimby then posed the three of them for a picture with his camera, then offered Penny a handshake. She considered hugging him, but realized that Chief Quimby would soon be her boss, and it wouldn't be appropriate to hug her boss, so she warmly accepted his handshake with a smile. "Thank you, too, Chief Quimby; I owe you a lot."

Chief Quimby said, "Well done, young lady. This is a huge step forward for you. I'll see you soon, but go out and celebrate now; have some fun!" Chief Quimby then departed, getting into his police cruiser, and returned to the police department. Meanwhile, Penny was having a difficult time getting to the parking lot where the Gadgetmobile was. Every few steps, another friend of hers who had also graduated stopped her, hugged her, and posed for a picture in their caps and gowns. Uncle Gadget happily took pictures with his camera. He was glad that he had remembered to bring extra rolls of film.

Finally, the three Gadgets managed to make it successfully to the Gadgetmobile. Uncle Gadget opened the passenger door for Penny, and she got in. Brain hopped into the back seat, and Uncle Gadget sat in the driver's seat, and shut the door. When he did so, the sound of cheering and horns honking was muted. Penny let out a happy sigh. She held her graduation cap and diploma in her hands, and looked over the framed certificate. Uncle Gadget watched her, as did Brain. Gadget said to her, "It seems like just yesterday, you were a shy little girl, always reading her books, and now look at you. Graduated from high school, about to apply for the police force full-time, and you've turned 18. You're a woman now, Penny." Brain agreed, and made use of the canine translator collar that Penny had invented for him. "Congratulations, Penny; I've seen how hard you worked at this, and now, you've graduated, with honors. You've earned it."

Uncle Gadget then asked Penny where she would like to go to have dinner to celebrate. "You just name the place, Penny, and we'll go. Any restaurant you want." Penny thought for a moment, then said, "Would you mind if the three of us had a nice dinner at home, Uncle?" Gadget was surprised. "Wowsers, Penny; are you sure that's what you want? Your graduation is a special occasion, after all…" Before he could continue, Penny ever so gently cut him off. "That's true, Uncle, and I very much want to spend it with the two that I love the most, and who have helped me the most. Besides, all the restaurants will be packed now." This was certainly true. Not only Penny's high school, but all the other high schools in Metro City were celebrating their graduations this week, and all the clubs and restaurants would be madhouses of pandemonium, which Penny very much wanted to avoid.

To reassure her Uncle and Brain, Penny said, "I really do love our peaceful dinners together at home, Uncle Gadget; there's no one else in the world I'd rather celebrate this with, than you and Brain." Uncle Gadget smiled, and put the Gadgetmobile in drive, and carefully maneuvered out of the high school parking lot. (This took another 10 minutes, because everyone was trying to leave at the same time.) Penny spared the school one last glance in the rear view mirror. Never again would she enter that school with a backpack full of books and assignments. In the back seat, Brain saw her looking at the school in the mirror. She then looked at Brain, and he could tell she was smiling, even without seeing her mouth. Brain was very happy and excited that Penny was done with school. Ever since he had first met Penny, back when she was only 7 years old, Brain had missed Penny greatly when she had to leave him and go to school. Now, they would be spending much more time together, both at home, and on the job. This pleased Brain, because he had always worried that the enemies of the Gadgets would try to strike at Penny while she was in school, and Brain would not be there to help her. Also, he and Penny shared an incredibly strong emotional bond, after all they had been through together for the past 11 years.

So, after Uncle Gadget made a quick stop at a grocery store to get special food for them to have for dinner, they returned to the Gadget home. Penny offered to help him prepare dinner, but Uncle Gadget insisted that he do this alone. So, Penny went upstairs to her room, and took the opportunity to get out of her graduation gown, and put on more comfortable clothes. She noticed that Brain had not followed her into her bedroom as he usually did, but instead, he was in the living room, waiting for her on the sofa. She was just about to ask him why he didn't follow her to her room, when there was a mighty crash from the kitchen, followed by a frustrated "Wowsers! Stupid, worthless—" Penny called out, "Uncle! Are you sure you don't need any help in there?" "Um, no thanks, Penny… just having a little trouble with these blasted kitchen gadgets, but the food's almost ready!" Penny and Brain looked at each other, then shrugged. However, the house was starting to smell very good with cooked steaks, and the smoke detector was not going off, which was a good sign. Usually, when they heard the kitchen smoke detector, Penny and Brain started getting ready to order take-out food, but that had not happened tonight, thankfully.

Uncle Gadget stepped out of the kitchen, and said, "Kids—oops, nope, you're not 'kids' anymore, are you? Penny, Brain, it's time for dinner!" Using his Gadget arms, he produced a large platter from behind his back, with three perfectly cooked steaks. He then produced some mashed potatoes, and some vegetables. Brain's mouth watered, and Penny said, "Mmm, what a perfect dinner, Uncle! Thank you so much." Uncle Gadget looked pleased with himself. "You're welcome, Penny, but I think I've just about had it with those blasted kitchen gadgets. How long have we been trying to work the bugs out of those things now?" Penny and Brain immediately said, in perfect unison: "Five years, eleven months, Uncle Gadget."

With a sigh, Uncle Gadget said, "I think it's time we removed those stupid gadgets from the kitchen, and just go back to a regular kitchen." Penny tried hard to keep the giddy happiness out of her voice; she didn't want to hurt her Uncle's feelings. "Well, maybe that would be for the best, Uncle." She and Brain both had endured many battles with the malfunctioning kitchen gadgets, when all they wanted was a bowl of cereal, or to feed Brain his dog food. They both had longed to yank all those gadgets out of the kitchen years ago, but had not, because their Uncle had been so proud of them.

After a wonderful, peaceful dinner, the three Gadgets sat and talked for a while. Penny insisted on clearing the table for her Uncle, with Brain helping. Then, they sat in the living room and talked some more, mostly about the graduation ceremony. After a while, Brain could no longer hold back his yawn, which caused Penny to yawn as well. She smiled, and noted how late it was. It had been a very exciting day for them, so they all agreed to head off to bed.

Penny was relieved to see Brain following her into her bedroom, and hop up to his normal spot on the foot of her bed. With Uncle Gadget making all the commotion in the kitchen, she had forgotten to question Brain about why he had not followed her up to her room earlier. After Penny took off her clothes and got into her nightgown, she noticed that Brain had his back turned to her, and seemed to be utterly fascinated with staring at a blank part of the bedroom wall. Penny walked over to him. "Brain? Are you okay?" Brain glanced back, saw that Penny had her nightgown on, and then turned to face her. "Sure, Penny, why do you ask?" Penny hesitated, then said, "Well, I'm not sure… it seems like… I don't know; like you're uncomfortable around me?" Brain waved his paw dismissively. "Oh, come on, Penny! You know how I feel about you. There's nothing wrong, I promise."

Penny got a mischievous smile on her face. "Are you sure, Brain? Because, I know how to make you talk." She pushed him on his back, and started scratching his belly. "Oh, no, Penny, come on; not the belly…" But it was too late. Brain's leg started kicking in the air, just as any dog's leg would. She kept rubbing and scratching his belly, while asking him what was wrong. "Nothing, Penny, nothing! I swear! Please, no more with the belly… I have a lot of food in there, and I don't want to have an accident on your bed!" Penny stopped, and sighed. "Okay, Brain. But, please, promise me, if there's anything you want to talk about, I'm right here, okay?" Penny gave her friend his usual goodnight hug, which he returned. She then turned off the lights, and they both slowly fell asleep.

The next morning, Penny woke up with the early sun. She looked at the foot of her bed, and Brain was curled up, sound asleep. She saw no reason to wake him, and quietly picked up her bathrobe, and walked down the hall to the bathroom for her shower. When she returned to her room, 30 minutes later, Brain was just starting to stir. She smiled, closed the door to her bedroom, and stood in front of her closet, trying to decide what to wear that day. She shook off her bathrobe, and held an outfit in front of herself, trying to decide whether or not to wear it today.

Brain slowly opened his bleary eyes, and lay still for a moment, looking at the pillow, and allowing his eyes to focus. He heard Penny behind him, in front of her closet. He turned, and saw that she was wearing nothing but a smile. "Good morning, Brain!" Brain half-yelped, half said, "Yikes!" and rapidly covered his eyes with his ears and his paws. He sounded genuinely frightened as he said, "Penny, put something on!" Penny pulled the bathrobe around herself, and when Brain dared to peek again, he saw that Penny was now covered up, but she also had a look of concern on her face… and also, she seemed hurt. "Okay, Brain, please tell me; what's wrong with you?!" Brain stammered. "Um, well, I just saw you… wearing nothing!" Penny was thoroughly confused. "And… you've seen that hundreds of times already, right?" Brain replied, "Well, yeah, but that was when you were just a kid! And now…" He motioned to her 18 year old body. "You aren't a kid anymore, Penny, and I just thought, you know, that you might want some more… privacy."

If Brain were a human, his face would be bright red right about now. As for Penny, she suddenly understood. Brain continued. "In fact, your Uncle offered me my own room; the spare room we fixed up, and I had been meaning to ask you… if you aren't comfortable with me in here, I can take that room—" Before he could finish, Penny sat next to him, (still wearing her bathrobe) and scooped him up in a hug, and held him. "Okay, Brain, now listen to me. The day I look down at the foot of this bed, and you are NOT there, I'll be completely heartbroken. Okay? Do you understand?" Brain nodded. Penny continued. "Now, I know I do look different; I'm a woman now, not a little girl. Does that make YOU uncomfortable?" Brain considered this, then shook his head no. She was still his dearest friend Penny, even if her body had changed. Penny asked, "Are you finding yourself… aroused with how I look now, Brain?" He looked shocked, and forcefully said, "Penny! NO! You're a human, and I'm a dog! I love you very much, but I have NEVER thought of you in… that way! And I never could!"

Penny smiled, and tapped Brain's red nose. "Exactly, Brain! Which means, I have no reason to feel creeped out if you see me getting dressed, because I know you're not getting a creepy thrill out of it. So, really, nothing has changed." Brain considered this, then smiled, and nodded his head with agreement. "Okay, Penny, you're right. I'm sorry. Now let us please, never, ever speak of this again." Brain then couldn't hold back the sneeze that Penny had triggered when she tapped his nose, and a mighty sneeze erupted out. Penny laughed and squeezed Brain tight. "Where would I be without you, Brain? You're so serious sometimes, but still, you make me laugh and feel happy more than anyone."

With that rather uncomfortable issue settled, Penny returned to her closet, asking Brain what she should wear that day. Brain, being a male, had no opinion. Penny was rummaging through a box, when she said, "Aww, Brain, look at this!" She spread out on the bed a pair of green pants, and a red shirt with a white stripe around the middle. Penny smiled, sighed, and said, "I forgot I still had those." Brain also smiled when he saw these familiar clothes. "I remember the last time you wore them; just before we went into the Junior Police Academy. You grew a lot in those six months, and we left there wearing our police uniforms. Those no longer fit afterwards." Penny nodded. "Now I remember why I still have them; I couldn't bear to throw them out. So many adventures wearing these…"

There was a soft knock at the door. Penny opened it, and Uncle Gadget peered in. He spotted the green pants and red shirt on the bed, and smiled. "I remember you wearing those, Penny; it's hard to believe you were once small enough to fit into those clothes." Penny then asked her Uncle's advice on what she should wear that day. Since there was a rather important event happening today, Uncle Gadget suggested she look professional. Penny agreed, and her Uncle left the room so that she could get dressed.

Penny selected a dark blue skirt, with a light blue short-sleeved shirt. She tied off her pigtails with dark blue ribbons, with simple, conservative pearl earrings, then turned to Brain with a smile. "Well, Brain, how do I look?" Although Brain was no fashion critic, even he had to admit that Penny looked beautiful, and he told her so. She thanked him, then looked in the mirror. "Hmm… do you think I should use any makeup?" Brain immediately advised against it. "Are you sure, Brain?" He said to Penny; "Your smile does more for you than any makeup, Penny. Trust me, you don't need that stuff." Penny thanked Brain for the compliment, and took his advice.

After breakfast, Uncle Gadget left for work in the Gadgetmobile. Penny and Brain followed him in the car that Penny had received for her 18th birthday: a white Ford Taurus sedan. She remembered her Uncle's words when he had presented her with this gift: "I know you want something with more power, Penny, but I want you to learn how to drive properly in a sensible car that isn't so powerful that it will get you killed." Penny had been so thrilled to have a car of her own that she didn't care that it didn't even have enough power to chirp the front tires when she stood on the gas pedal. She kept the car clean, inside and out, showing that she appreciated this gift from her Uncle. Brain liked riding in the car because it was quiet and rode smoothly. This car wouldn't win Penny any drag races at the stoplight, but it did get excellent fuel economy.

Penny and Brain arrived at the police station, parking next to the Gadgetmobile. She and Brain went inside, after her Uncle wished her good luck. Today was the day of Penny and Brain's official interview to be hired as full-time police officers. They sat in an empty meeting room with a large table. On the other side of the table sat two empty chairs. The interviewers had not yet arrived. Penny and Brain sat next to each other, waiting. They both couldn't help but feel nervous, even though they already had a law enforcement record that many veteran police officers would envy. Brain was hoping that this would be a mere formality, after all they had done. They had battled MAD, been instrumental in defeating that organization, and in the death of Dr. Claw. Also, they had made it through the Junior Police Academy. Then, they had mentored during the summer and on weekends with police officers, including their own Uncle Gadget. Penny was fairly confident, but a small doubt started to enter her mind. 'What if this doesn't work? What will you do if you can't be a police officer, Penny?'

Before Penny could admonish herself for having these doubts, the door opened, and Chief Quimby entered, followed by the Police Commissioner. Penny and Brain stood up as they entered. The Commissioner grunted, "Have a seat." Then, he looked directly at Brain, as if he had just now noticed him, then practically glared at Penny. "Miss Gadget, are you telling me that you want me to interview your DOG?!" Penny was stunned, and thoroughly confused. Hadn't Chief Quimby always said that the Commissioner knew all about her and Brain? Still, she forced herself to keep her cool. Surely, this had to be a mistake. "Commissioner, Brain here is my full partner, and he has worked with me on many law enforcement activities, and also, he went through the Academy with me, graduating with honors." She was cool and calm as she said this, despite what she was feeling inside.

The Commissioner grunted, thumbing through Penny and Brain's service records. He paused to carefully read their Academy transcripts. Without looking up, he slowly said, "So… do you want him to be a police K-9 dog? Living in the kennels with the other K-9s?" Penny's confusion level increased, but she still managed to keep her cool. "Actually, sir, we have always been treated as equals, both in the Academy, and while mentoring with other officers." The Commissioner looked up and raised his eyebrows in surprise. "As equals, you say? Can he think, and reason, and speak like a human? These are all things that a full police officer must do."

This upset Penny so much that she nearly snapped at this Commissioner, but she just managed to keep her bearings. Exercising heroic restraint, she explained that Brain did have all of these abilities. "And, sir, Professor Von Slickstein and I teamed up to invent a canine translator collar, which allows him to speak as a human. This, obviously, greatly speeds up communication, which is very important on an assignment." Brain started to speak, to prove the point that Penny was making, but the Commissioner held up his hand, so Brain stopped.

The Commissioner was staring at Penny, when a smile started to appear on his face. He glanced at Chief Quimby. "I almost got her to break, didn't I, Quimby?" The Chief just shook his head. "I told you she's too professional for childish outbursts; they both are." The Commissioner looked back at Penny and Brain. "You two can relax. Of course I know all about you; both of you. I've been following your progress for some time. I just wanted to see how you would react to a little unexpected stress." Penny and Brain both felt relief wash over them, as Chief Quimby opened a cabinet behind him, taking out a box. He placed a police badge in front of Penny, and one in front of Brain. The Commissioner said, "Welcome to the force, both of you." He shook hands with both Penny and Brain.

Chief Quimby then said, "Now, since you both graduated the Academy, we've been limited on what you can do, since you were minors. But now, Penny is 18 and out of high school, and Brain is certainly an adult canine, so, you're both going to be full-time now. We've had you doing things like trailing along with police officers, and Penny; we had you working the front desk during the summer, but now, it's going to be different." The Commissioner said, "We want Brain here to pretend to be a regular K-9. You'll wear the vest that the other dogs wear. No need to tip off the bad guys that this is, by far, the most intelligent dog in the world." Chief Quimby then stated, "Penny, you will now go out on patrol in your own patrol car, and Brain here will be your partner." This caused both Penny and Brain to feel a surge of joy inside. They had no desire to be separated at work.

Chief Quimby continued. "Now, here's the not-so-fun part; you two have to start at the bottom. The police force has a hierarchy, and you're the two newest officers, which means you'll start with the graveyard shift at some times, and other less than desirable duties, such as crowd control at public events. It's not as glamorous as saving the world from MAD, but this is how it has to be. Do you both understand?" Penny and Brain both vigorously nodded their heads yes.

The rest of the time was spent filling out paperwork, setting up payroll, (Both for Penny, and for Brain; as a full police officer, this dog would receive his own pay) and then, finally, issuing uniforms. Brain received a brand new K-9 vest, while Penny received police uniforms, a hat, and police belt with holster. They both received nightstick clubs. Chief Quimby explained, "You start next week, and you'll be issued your firearm and handcuffs, and other equipment then."

After this, the Commissioner said goodbye and left; he had to meet with the Mayor of Metro City. This left Chief Quimby to walk Penny and Brain around the station. The reason was supposed to be to introduce the new officers to the rest of the force, but Penny and Brain already knew most of them. As they were strolling along, Chief Quimby said to them, "Well, finally, this is it. You two aren't junior trainees, or observers, or guests of Inspector Gadget any longer. You're both full-fledged, honest-to-God police officers now. I've been wishing for this for the past 11 years." Chief Quimby stopped, and looked Penny and Brain straight in the eyes. "Now, there will be tough times as a cop. You two have already seen some of them. Please, don't let it get you down too much. There will be good times, too."

Penny and Brain followed Chief Quimby to the elevator. They both knew where they were going next. The elevator went down, then opened its doors in the HQ lab, which was below the main police department. This lab had been opened two years ago, and had been a tremendous help in the destruction of MAD. Inspector Gadget and Professor Von Slickstein were there, waiting. Gadget was thrilled to see smiles on the faces of Penny and Brain. Chief Quimby didn't go so far as to actually smile, but his trademark gruff frown was lessened. Quimby said to Penny and Brain, "Naturally, you will be asked to assist here in the HQ lab, as needed… if that's ok with the Inspector, of course."

After a few moments of chatting, Chief Quimby returned to the elevator, and went back to his office. Gadget walked over to Penny and Brain and hugged them both. "Congratulations, you two. I'm very proud of you. Penny, you're such an amazing young lady; I know you'll make an outstanding police officer. And Brain, I never realized what a genius you are, and with that collar, you can actually talk! I'm counting on both of you to look out for each other, and keep each other safe. I couldn't stand to see either of you get hurt."

Finally, Penny and Brain left the police station, returning to Penny's white car. When they were in the car and the doors were shut, only then did she give Brain a happy hug. "We did it, Brain! Gosh, it's been, what, five years since the Junior Academy? And now, finally, we have our real badges." Brain nodded, and replied, "We're not trainees or on probation anymore, Penny. And now, finally, we can work openly with your Uncle." Brain leaned back in his seat, sighed, and smiled. "No more stupid disguises, and no more being chased around by your Uncle AND the bad guys." Penny smiled at this, and put her car into reverse, then left the police parking lot. She felt on top of the world. She was 18, she had graduated from high school, she was driving a new car; she had just been hired, and, she had her best friend in the world by her side.

As she was driving, Penny said to Brain, "How about we get a take-out lunch, to celebrate?" Brain agreed, but also cautioned, "You know, we'll have to go running afterward, to burn off the thousand extra calories." Brain then thought better of it, and before Penny could say anything, he spoke up again. "You know what? Forget what I just said. You're right, Penny. This is very special, and we need to celebrate. To hell with the calories." Penny smiled at him. "Now you're talking, Brain."

Back at the police department, Inspector Gadget had asked Chief Quimby for the afternoon off, and had received permission to leave. He wanted to go home and prepare a surprise celebration for Penny and Brain, in order to properly congratulate them for being hired as police officers. Just before he left the parking lot of the police station, he converted the Gadgetmobile to van mode; both to signify that he was off duty, and also for the practical reason that the Gadgetmobile in van mode could hold far more groceries.

Inspector Gadget was driving along, happily whistling to himself, and he entered a tunnel. He was only a few miles from his own neighborhood. At the midway point of the tunnel, an oncoming pickup truck suddenly swerved directly into his path. The Gadgetmobile struck the front of the truck hard, and crumpled up its front end. Another truck lurched to a stop directly behind the Gadgetmobile, blocking the way backward. Gadget sat stunned in his car for a few seconds, which was all the time needed for two large men dressed all in black to rush over and stun him with electric cattle prods. Inspector Gadget was out cold. The two men dragged him to the back of the truck, bound him in cuffs and chains, threw him into the back of the truck, and sat on either side of him with cattle prods at the ready, in case he woke up. The two trucks peeled out and roared down the road, with the smashed-up Gadgetmobile left behind.

Penny and Brain were sitting in their car at the lake, eating their lunch. Penny had opted for a simple burger and fries. She couldn't remember the last time she had eaten food like this. It hadn't been this year. Brain had gotten a new invention of the restaurant, which they called a 'beef strip bowl.' The name pretty much described the meal. A plastic bowl full of beef strips, and some mild barbecue sauce, and some rice at the bottom. Penny looked at this meal enviously. "Mmm, Brain, that looks good. Next time, I'll have to try one of those." Brain stopped eating long enough to look at Penny, and she giggled. Brain had BBQ sauce on his nose. She picked up a paper napkin. "Here, Brain, let me get that for you…" She gently dabbed Brain's nose clean, and then he returned to his meal.

Just then, Penny's video watch rang. She answered via speakerphone. This watch was also capable of accepting regular phone calls. It was one of her friends from her graduating class. "Hey, Amy, how are you?" Brain watched the boats on the water as Penny chatted with her friend. He finished his lunch just as Penny hung up. She had agreed to meet her friend, and asked Brain if he minded being dropped off at home. Penny explained, "Not that I'm trying to get rid of you, Brain, just that it's going to be me, Amy, and a couple other girls from my Senior class… you know, lots of giggly girl talk, and I know you wouldn't be interested." Brain appreciated this, and considered the threat level to Penny's safety to be very low, at this type of function. He quickly agreed. "Thank you so much, Brain! I haven't had fun time with my friends since… gosh, it's been months." This was indeed true; high school final exams and final projects in preparation for graduation had meant there was no time for social visiting since Spring Break, which had been at the end of March.

Penny stopped her Taurus in front of the Gadget home, and thanked Brain one more time for understanding. "I'll be back soon, Brain! Maybe even before Uncle Gadget gets home. Bye!" Brain watched her drive off, then went into the house. He honestly didn't mind if Penny went off on her own to have fun with her human friends. He spent quite a lot of time with her, and that would increase greatly next week, when they would be partners in the police force. Brain pondered if it could ever be possible that he and Penny would get tired of seeing each other so much. He thought about it for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Nah." Penny was, by far, his favorite human. He loved everything about her; her intelligence, her humor, her determination, and most of all, her integrity and heart of gold. She was very kind-hearted and caring, and Brain considered himself lucky to know her. He lay down on the sofa, reflecting on this, and felt his resolve to keep her safe grow even stronger, now that they would be working together as police officers.

Chief Quimby was sitting in his office, preparing to go home for the day, when an officer knocked on his door. "What is it?" The officer entered. "Sir, we just had to clear out an accident in a tunnel at the edge of Metro City, and we got a picture of the car that caused the pile-up." She lay the photo on Quimby's desk. His eyes almost jumped out of his head. He was looking at a photo of the Gadgetmobile, except that the front was all smashed up. Quimby looked up. "Where is Inspector Gadget?" The officer shrugged her shoulders. "He wasn't at the scene of the accident, sir. We found skid marks in the tunnel. It looks like someone peeled out, right next to the Gadgetmobile." Quimby's normal frown became even more intense. "This smells like an abduction to me."

Miles away, Inspector Gadget sat in a chair, slumped over, still unconscious. He was in a barn, in an isolated farm. There were no neighbors for miles around. Four men stood around him, keeping watch over their prisoner. Suddenly, a telephone ringing sound emanated from Gadget's right hand. Chief Quimby was trying to call the top-secret Gadget phone. One of the men walked behind him, swung a metal baseball bat, striking Gadget's right hand. This both shattered the top-secret Gadget phone, and caused Inspector Gadget enough pain to wake him. "Wowsers, that HURT! Hey, where am I? Who are you?" None of the four men replied. Inspector Gadget called out, "Go go Gadget arms!" Nothing happened. He called on his arms again, and once again, nothing happened. "Go go Gadget legs!" Still nothing happened. Gadget ran down the list, trying with increasing desperation to get ANY one of his gadgets working. He called on his inflating coat, extending head, laser finger, lasso tie, copter, but nothing worked. One of the men, the biggest one, smirked at his three companions, and pointed at a strange device next to Gadget's chair. "Told ya it would work. You guys keep an eye on him; I've got a date."

Penny had parked her white Taurus outside her friend Amy's house, which was not very far from the Gadget house. She and Amy had been joined by two other friends from her recently graduated class, and they were talking, laughing, giggling, and carrying on as only four teenage girls can. The noise level was high enough that Penny nearly missed her video watch ringing. She looked, and said to her three friends, "Ooh, it's Matt! The football player. He's SO good looking, isn't he?" She excused herself to step out into the hallway to take the call, as Amy rolled her eyes. She looked at the two other girls, and they both looked serious, and shook their heads.

When Penny returned to her friends, she announced that Matt had just asked her out, and that she had accepted. She was going out to dinner and a movie with him. Amy stepped closer and put a hand on Penny's arm. "Penny, wait a minute. I don't think it's a good idea for you to go out with that guy. There are a lot of rumors going around about him. I think he's a really bad person." The two other girls nodded in agreement. Amy continued, "Penny, we think that you should stay away from him, for your own safety." Penny merely scoffed at this. "Oh, I don't think he's that bad. He's a football player; they're all a little 'Alpha Male,' but I can change him. Besides, I'm a police officer now, and we all get self-defense training."

Amy tried to talk sense to her one more time. "But Penny, he beat the crap out of his prom date! She spent a week in the hospital!" Penny scoffed again. "I heard that was because she crashed her dirt bike. Anyway, I can take care of myself. It's just dinner and a movie at the mall. I'll be fine!" Penny then dashed out to her car, and drove away. She neglected to notice that she bumped the mute switch on her video watch, so when Chief Quimby called her, she didn't see or hear the call. Back at her friend's house, Amy looked at the other two girls. "I have to do something. Penny's got a crush on Matt, because of his looks, so she can't see what kind of guy he really is."

Penny sat in her Taurus in the mall parking lot, anxiously watching the entrance. It was getting late in the evening, and most of the traffic at the mall was headed away, going home. She had called her house, and no one answered, so she left a message telling her Uncle and Brain where she was. She assumed that Brain had fallen asleep, or had gone for a walk. Finally, she spotted a large black pickup, which she knew was Matt's. As he drew closer, she saw that the front end of the truck had dents and scratches. She waved to Matt as he parked in front of her car, and got out of his truck. He opened the passenger door to Penny's car and sat down. With concern, Penny said, "What happened to your truck, Matt?" He waved his hand dismissively. "No big deal, just some little van hit the front of it." They sat and chatted for about ten minutes. By this time, the mall parking lot was nearly empty, and the lights had come on. Dusk was overtaking them.

Matt looked around, observed this, then looked Penny in the eyes. "You know, Penny, I have something in mind that's a hell of a lot more fun than dinner and a movie." Penny then noticed that his eyes had moved to her body, and he had a leering grin on his face. Matt continued; "Yeah… aren't you just the cutest little blonde thing. Girls like you are only good for one thing." Penny felt alarmed. Matt was twice her size, and much stronger than her, physically. She reached for the door handle, and Matt grabbed her shirt and yanked her over to him, pinning her arms behind her back. "Where do you think you're going?" Penny was now terrified. "Matt! Why are you doing this?! STOP!" Matt kept her restrained, and leaned over so his head was near hers.

"So, here's what's going to happen. First, like I said, I'm gonna use your body. Then, I'm going to toss it in that dumpster over there. Then, I'm going back to my farm, where I have your Uncle tied up and helpless, and my friends and I will take him apart, one piece at a time. I wanted to do that first, but I knew I had to get to you before you started hanging out with cops all day. See, in one night, I'm doing more than those MAD idiots ever could. I'm taking out the Gadgets. Then, I can start building a gang of my own." At this, Penny started struggling violently, but this only angered Matt, and he tightened his grip on Penny, and wrenched her arms painfully. When she still struggled, he lowered several blows across her body. She cried out, and repeated, "Why are you doing this?" Matt said, "Because I CAN. Because I'm bigger and stronger than you. When I'm done with you and your Uncle, my gang and I will have fun at night, and during the day I'll enjoy my full ride football scholarship in college, then go on to play pro football, get a few championship rings, while YOU rot in a grave. That's how this world works, Penny. If you want something, TAKE it. Might makes right, and nice people finish last." Matt then ripped Penny's shirt.

The side window of the Taurus suddenly shattered, exploding glass all over Matt. Just as he was saying, "What the hell?" A police nightstick hit him in the face, and broke his nose. Blood squirted out. Brain reached in and opened the car's door. Matt staggered out, cradling his blood-gushing nose. Penny reached into the Taurus's glove compartment, pulled out a police taser, and zapped Matt in the ass. He hollered in pain and fell to his knees. Brain struck Matt in the face once more, knocking a tooth out, then he tossed the nightstick to Penny, and she proceeded to savagely thrash Matt's head, arms, shoulders, and ribs. She paused for a minute, to allow Brain to cuff Matt's hands behind his back. With her shirt in tatters, Penny stepped out of the car, looked down at Matt, who was lying on the concrete and groaning in agony. She unloaded on him once more with the nightstick, venting her rage on him. When he was completely unconscious, she finally stopped.

Brain had opened the Taurus's trunk, retrieved a jacket of Penny's that had been back there, and handed it to her. She put it on and zipped it up, to cover herself up. Then, she knelt on the ground, put her arms around Brain, and sobbed with relief. Brain put his paws on her back, and attempted to console her. This went on for some time. Finally, a distraught, sniffling Penny asked Brain, "How did you find me?" Brain reported that her friend Amy had been so concerned, that as soon as Penny left, she had stopped by the Gadget house. Amy had been there many times before, hanging out with her friend Penny, and she knew how smart and resourceful Brain was. She also knew that he could fully understand human speech. When Amy told Brain that Penny had gone out with a guy like Matt, whom many suspected of doing horrible things, Brain had jumped on his motorbike and tracked the homing beacon in Penny's video watch. Fortunately, Brain had remembered to bring his police nightstick with him. He had spotted Penny's white Taurus, and seen through the windows what was happening.

Penny suddenly remembered something Matt had said. She put her hands on Brain's shoulders. "Brain, this… asshole… he told me something. He told me he has Uncle Gadget at his farm, and that he and his friends were planning on taking him apart! We have to find out where that farm is, and fast!" Penny refused to go near Matt, so Brain searched his pockets and found the keys to Matt's truck, and his wallet. They rapidly searched the contents of the wallet by flashlight, but the only address they found was within the Metro City limits. Brain grabbed the keys, and searched inside the black truck. Penny kept watch over Matt's unconscious body, holding the nightstick and the taser, almost hoping he woke up and tried something. She also activated and un-muted her video watch, and called Chief Quimby.

Mrs. Quimby had just welcomed her husband home, and was pulling their dinner out of the oven, when she heard him holler, "What?!" She sighed to herself. She could already tell that she would be eating dinner alone, once again. This was confirmed when she heard her husband say, "Are you SURE you're all right? Brain is there with you? Okay, just stay where you are. I'll be there as soon as I can." She turned, and her husband had walked into the kitchen, with an 'I'm sorry' expression on his face. She just smiled. "It's okay, dear. I'll keep some warm for you." Chief Quimby looked longingly at the oven. "Is that roast beef, with carrots and potatoes?" Mrs. Quimby nodded. Chief Quimby muttered "Dammit…" to himself, then spoke. "I'm really sorry, dear, but not only is Inspector Gadget missing, but Penny Gadget was just assaulted in the mall parking lot, and I have to—" Mrs. Quimby's eyes widened, then she practically shoved her husband out the door. "Say no more! Go! Help that dear girl!"

By the time Chief Quimby made it to the mall parking lot, Brain had found a small box inside the truck, and the address on the box was to a farm outside of Metro City. Penny entered the address on her watch, and saw exactly how to get there. Chief Quimby was just getting out of his car when Matt started to stir. Matt said, "Hey, you bitch, even if you send me to prison, trust me, I'll make sure you DIE. I can make it happen." Before he could say any more, Penny kicked him hard, directly in the face, and Matt was unconscious once more. Chief Quimby raised his eyebrows. "Well, I see you have the suspect under control." He looked Penny over carefully. She was still very upset, and she had a few red marks and bruises, and Chief Quimby could tell that her shirt was badly torn under her jacket. Chief Quimby quietly said, "I'm sorry this happened to you, Penny, and I'm glad you're all right. Thank goodness Brain came along when he did." He wanted to offer Penny a consoling hug, but he knew better. She had just been assaulted, and it would not be wise to enter her personal space. Chief Quimby nearly whispered, "Save that shirt, it's evidence." Penny nodded.

Brain then finished searching Matt's truck, and rejoined Penny. Another patrol car had joined them, and the two police officers loaded Matt into the back of their car, under Chief Quimby's supervision. He then turned to Penny and Brain, and ordered them to lead the way to the farm. Luckily, Brain had swept the bits of broken glass out of Penny's car, while they were waiting for Chief Quimby. They got in Penny's car, and took off down the road, with Chief Quimby following. The cold wind battered Brain, because the window had been smashed when Brain rescued Penny from Matt's assault. Brain's ears flapped around in the wind. Any other time, Penny would have giggled at this, but she was absolutely NOT in the mood for laughter just now.

When they were a quarter mile from the farm, Penny pulled to the side of the road. Chief Quimby stopped behind her. She got out of her car, and told Chief Quimby, "I think we should move in on foot, so we have more chance of taking them by surprise. If they've captured Uncle Gadget, that means they've found a way to disable his gadgets, which means he's helpless. I'm afraid they'll kill him if we don't take them by surprise." Chief Quimby considered this, and agreed. He and Penny and Brain quietly moved through the darkness toward the outline of a barn in the near distance.

Inside the barn, Matt's three friends were getting fed up waiting for Matt to return. "Man, if we're going to kill this guy, let's just do it and get out of here. I have better things to do tonight than babysit some Inspector, while Matt is out having fun." The other two were starting to agree. One of them perked his head up and said, "Hey, what was that?" The other two picked up their weapons. Inspector Gadget said, "Give up now, and make things easier for yourselves!" One of the thugs replied, "I told you already, SHUT UP!"

Chief Quimby and Penny entered the far side of the barn. Chief Quimby had his police revolver out. The three thugs all pointed their rifles at Inspector Gadget. "Not another step, or this guy gets it!" The standoff was rapidly broken by Brain, who had climbed up in the loft before Penny and Quimby had entered, and managed to push a heavy bale of hay on the three thugs. Two of them were knocked out cold, but the third managed to avoid the hay bale. He growled with anger, and swung his shotgun toward Inspector Gadget. Penny screamed, "NO!" Chief Quimby fired his revolver, but the thug still managed to fire his shotgun, just before Quimby's shot burst his head like a watermelon. The shotgun pellets ripped into Inspector Gadget's torso.

Brain descended from the loft by climbing down a rope, while Penny screamed, "Uncle Gadget!" She rushed to his side. He was unconscious, slumped over in his chair. Penny and Quimby laid him on the ground. Beside the chair, there was a device of some sort, emanating an electrical field. It had a MAD logo on it. Apparently, Matt and his friends had somehow stumbled on a MAD invention that MAD had been planning on using against Inspector Gadget, but never got the chance. Brain grabbed the device and threw it across the barn. It bounced off the wall and onto the ground, breaking apart with a satisfying shower of sparks.

Meanwhile, for the second time in one night, Penny was in tears, completely distraught. She was frantically checking over her Uncle, trying to see if there were any signs of life. Chief Quimby put his hand on her shoulder, and gently said, "Okay, Officer Gadget, take a breath. Try to calm down. What should we do now?" Penny realized that the Chief was right. She was not a scared little girl anymore; she and Brain were police officers. It was time to act like it. Penny wiped her eyes, and said, "Brain, tie up those two before they wake up." Penny got on her video watch, and called the police station. She summoned backup officers, and an ambulance. Quimby nodded. "Very good. Now, check your Uncle's vitals." This was a very unique task, because Uncle Gadget was a very unique individual. However, Penny was well familiar with his bionic physiology, since she had often assisted Professor Von Slickstein in maintaining her Uncle's gadgets.

Penny gently unbuttoned Uncle Gadget's familiar grey trench coat, then his white shirt. She saw that there was indeed a lot of damage from the shotgun blast. There was a considerable amount of blood, and also some electrical sparking from two or three places. Some of his electronics had been damaged. He remained unconscious. Brain had finished securely tying the two thugs that still had their heads attached to their bodies, and walked over to look sadly at Inspector Gadget.

Several minutes later, two patrol cars and an ambulance arrived at the barn. Inspector Gadget was secured inside the ambulance. Penny and Brain ran down the road to her Taurus, got in, and followed the ambulance to the hospital. Meanwhile, Chief Quimby got on the police radio and ordered the dispatcher to reach Professor Von Slickstein at home, and order him to the hospital. Inspector Gadget would need his assistance, if he was to survive.

One hour later, in the hospital, Chief Quimby stood facing Penny and Brain. The doctors, assisted by Professor Von Slickstein, had informed them that Inspector Gadget was stable, for now, but not out of danger. Chief Quimby ordered Penny and Brain to go home and get some rest. "You two aren't children anymore; you're adults, and you're police officers. You're in no danger of being sent to an orphanage, Penny, if your Uncle doesn't get better… but he WILL get better. Now, I want you two to go home, and get some rest. This has been a very traumatic day for both of you. I'm headed home myself." Penny hated to leave the hospital, but she knew Chief Quimby was right. Brain gently urged her as well. "Penny, let's go; there's nothing more we can do here tonight." Penny was spent, and didn't have the energy to put up much of an objection, so she nodded her head, and let Brain lead her out of the hospital.

When Penny and Brain arrived at the Gadget house, they went straight upstairs. Penny went to her room, and Brain followed. She unzipped her jacket, revealing the torn, tattered shirt once more. It practically fell off of her, it was so damaged. This revealed ugly bruises and red marks on her smooth, beautiful skin, courtesy of Matt. Penny saw this in the mirror, and it all rushed back to her; the feelings of helplessness, terror, and the feeling of having her sense of safety violated. She fell to her knees on the carpet, bent over, cradled her face in her hands, and sobbed. Brain was there by her side in a flash, and put an arm on her shoulders to offer comfort. Rather than recoiling, Penny pulled Brain in close, and held him. Brain knew better than to try to talk; he let Penny let it all out.

After a time, her sobbing decreased, and soon, she just quietly sat on the carpet, slowly rocking back and forth a bit, holding Brain close. Brain was holding her as well, trying to comfort her. Finally, Penny said, in a very shaky voice, "Oh, Brain; Thank God you found me when you did. I'd be dead now, if not for you… I know you've saved me many so times in the past, against MAD, but this time feels so much worse…" Brain spoke. "I think I know why, Penny. In the past, against MAD, they just happened to catch you, and they were defending their plans to take over the world. It was warfare, and we were warriors. This, tonight, was different. This was a direct assault on YOU, personally. That guy was trying to ra—" Penny stopped him. "Please, Brain, don't say that word." Brain nodded. "Okay, Penny, but he was. And then, he would have killed you. So now, you probably feel… like you've been violated?"

Penny faced Brain, and said, "Yes! Exactly. I feel like, my sense of safety is gone." Brain wasn't quite sure what to say to comfort her any further, except to remind her that he would always be there to back her up, especially when they were out on the job as cops. Penny gratefully kissed the top of Brain's head, then slowly got up to use the bathroom before going to bed. While she was doing this, Brain gathered up her ripped shirt, folded it, and placed it in a bag, so Penny wouldn't have to look at it. She returned from the bathroom, wearing her nightgown, but her usual smile and cheerful hug goodnight were nowhere to be seen.

On an average night, Brain slept curled up on the foot of Penny's bed. He had done this ever since she was only seven years old. However, this was not an average night. Penny lay down in bed in the darkness, and before two minutes had passed, she said, "Brain, please, come here…" Her voice was frail, and sounded terrified. She needed a comforting presence. Brain went to her, and she put her arms around him once again. Brain could feel her trembling. She started to say, "I'm sorry, Brain; I don't mean to be a nuisance, but—" Brain stopped her. "You're not a nuisance, Penny, you're everything to me. You're my whole life. Everything I do, it's for you."

He thought for a moment. "Remember that time, when I got so fed up and frustrated with your Uncle chasing me, that I left the house for a few days?" Penny silently nodded, and Brain continued. "Then, while I was gone, Dr. Claw fired missiles at the house, and put you in the hospital. When I got back to you, I swore, I'd never leave your side again, and I meant it."

Brain could feel that Penny's trembling had stopped. She was listening to him. Brain lowered his voice, almost to a whisper. "You're going to be okay. You will recover. Your Uncle will recover. We'll go to work with the police force, and I will be there to back you up. I won't let anything happen to you." Brain then saw that Penny had dozed off to sleep. He repeated, in a very quiet whisper, "I'll never leave you, Penny." He gently made sure the blanket was over both of them, then closed his eyes, allowing sleep to overtake him.

Eight hours later, the morning sun peeked through the curtains, and Penny woke up. She looked down, and her beloved friend Brain was still cuddled up next to her, still sleeping. He had stayed with her all night. As she lay there, silently watching him, Penny reflected more on how she felt. The shock she had been feeling last night was wearing off, leaving her feeling very angry with Matt and his friends. One of them had already been killed. It would not upset her one bit if the same fate met the other three. She was determined to see to it that they paid for their crimes, one way or another.

Brain started to stir, and Penny smiled. When he stretched, and looked back at her, she quietly said, "Good morning, Brain," and then kissed his head. Brain asked how she was feeling, and she said, "Better now, Brain. The shock is gone, mostly; what I'm feeling now is anger… at those jerks who did this to me, and who put Uncle Gadget in the hospital." Brain actually thought that was a good sign; anger was more useful than shock and despair. And, of course, he hated to see his best friend hobbled with these awful emotions. Penny continued. "And, as for you, Brain, I'm feeling overwhelming gratitude. What happened last night in the mall parking lot… that was the most scared I've ever been in my life. I was 100% sure I was about to die. But you stopped it. I don't know how I can ever even begin to repay you."

As Penny snuggled him close, to emphasize her point, Brain said, "Penny, you're repaying me right now. Why do you think I stuck with this for the past 11 years? In spite of all the physical pounding I endured on all those missions? There are much easier ways for a dog to get food and shelter. I certainly didn't endure 11 years of this because I loved your Uncle." Penny almost giggled at this, and Brain continued. "I could have run off and joined another family, where my biggest challenge would have been taking a daily walk around the neighborhood. But I stayed here for you, Penny. You're the best friend anyone could ever ask for, by far. The only reward I ever need is your friendship."

Penny squeezed him close, and after a moment, she smiled, and said "That's very sweet, Brain, but I know what you're doing. You're laying it on thick so I'll hug you longer." Brain smiled and nodded. Penny really knew him well. "Yes, that's true; but I really do mean what I said, Penny." She gave him one more kiss on the top of the head, then said, "Okay, well, it's time to get moving. We have to go to the hospital and check on Uncle Gadget, and then I want to get the window fixed in my car." Brain supposed he could have tried the door handle to see if it was unlocked, but he had been so desperate to save Penny, he just smashed the window in. As he and Penny got up, Brain remembered something. "Penny, don't forget to thank your friend Amy. If she had not warned me, I never would have gone to check on you in the first place."

After breakfast, Brain went out to the garage and tightly taped some clear plastic in the door frame of Penny's Taurus. It looked very cheap and tacky, but at least it kept the wind out. They drove to the hospital, and went to Uncle Gadget's room. He was in his room, alone, and he was awake. He was delighted to see them. "Penny! Brain! Come on in! How are you two feeling?" Penny replied, "Never mind us, Uncle; how are YOU feeling?" Gadget explained that there had been some fairly serious damage to his torso, but Professor Von Slickstein assisted the doctors, and nothing was permanently damaged. "They say I'll need about two weeks of light duty, but after that, I'll be fine."

Uncle Gadget then turned to a very serious matter. "Penny, I want to talk about what happened to you." Brain started to excuse himself, to allow them to have a private conversation, but Gadget said, "Brain, please, stay here, will you? I want you both to hear this." Penny and Brain sat in chairs near Gadget's hospital bed. Uncle Gadget took Penny's hands in his own. "Penny, I'm so sorry that something that awful happened, and I'm even more sorry that I wasn't there to help you. It's probably a good thing for this Matt character, because if I had been there, I would have killed him. No question." Gadget had to pause, blow his nose, then he continued. "Brain, thank goodness you found our little Penny and helped her. And, I want you to continue to do so as her partner on the police force." Brain vigorously nodded his head, and said, "Absolutely, I will."

Uncle Gadget then put one hand on Penny's shoulder, and one hand on Brain's shoulder. "Now, as police officers, you two will see awful things like that happening to other people, from time to time. Your job is to seek out and confront the worst people in the city, to keep everyone else safe. I just want to be sure you understand that. And, Penny, don't bottle up what happened. Talk about it, confront it, and deal with it, or it'll eat you up." Penny proceeded to do just that, venting her feelings to her Uncle, and talking about what a huge help Brain had been. In the end, she felt much better; not completely recovered, but well on her way.

Chief Quimby tapped on the door, and poked his head in. "May I come in?" Quimby was greatly relieved to see that all three Gadgets were doing much better than they were just last night. Amazing what a good night's sleep, hugging, and venting feelings could accomplish. Quimby then told them some new information about Matt.

"Did you know his older brother was a MAD agent?" Penny's eyes widened, and Uncle Gadget said, "Wowsers! Well, that explains a lot." Quimby nodded. "He wanted to take revenge on your family, for bringing down MAD, and to start his own gang of criminals. That's why he fixated on you, Penny." She looked at Chief Quimby. "I want him to PAY, Chief. Him, and his two friends." Quimby smirked. "You know, he's just the clumsiest prisoner I've ever seen… somehow, he keeps 'slipping' in his cell, and he's got four broken bones now." Both Penny and Brain could read between the lines. The other police officers in the jail were savagely thrashing Matt, for the things he had done. Normally, Penny would object strongly to this, but in this particular case, she hoped the other officers killed him.

Chief Quimby continued. "Not only that, but now that we've got his DNA to sample, we're going to re-investigate some cold cases involving young women who were killed in the past year. We've gotten some tips that our prisoner Matt is the culprit." This made Penny feel better. It was looking likely that Matt was a repeat offender; he may have already killed several young women, and who knows how many more he would have assaulted in college. Taking him down would be justice for those he had harmed in the past, and preventing more deaths in the future. That was good consolation for what Penny had suffered.

After a few more minutes of talking, Chief Quimby excused himself. Penny (very gently) hugged her Uncle, and said she wanted to stay with him longer. Uncle Gadget returned this hug as best he could, but also nearly split his head in two with a mighty yawn. "Excuse me! I'm very sorry, but I was awake for most of the night last night, and I'm really very tired. Could you come back tomorrow?" Penny reluctantly agreed.

As she stood up to leave, Uncle Gadget spoke again. "Brain? Could you do one thing for me, please? Make sure she does something fun today. Don't let her mope and dwell on this assault, all alone. It's supposed to be a beautiful day, and I wish I could enjoy it with you." Penny and Brain both smiled and nodded, assuring their Uncle that they would do as he said. Penny told Gadget that she loved him, and she'd see him tomorrow. As they left, they turned off the light to his room. Before Penny and Brain reached the elevator, Uncle Gadget was snoring away.

Penny and Brain's first stop was to the local Ford dealer, to get the window of Penny's Taurus replaced. As they were waiting, they wandered around the lot, looking at the cars. Penny was drawn to the Mustangs. "Ooh, Brain, look at this red convertible; isn't it pretty? Maybe after I've been on the job for a while, and I have some money saved up…" As they were admiring the lines of the convertible, a salesman trotted over. "Miss? Excuse me, Miss?" He tried to smile and act casual, but failed miserably. "You'll be sure your dog there doesn't pee on any tires, now won't you, Miss? Why don't you put a leash on him, then I won't have to call the cops."

Penny's mouth dropped open, and Brain turned to the salesman and spoke, using his canine translator collar. "I'll try to restrain myself. And, YOU be sure not to rip people off by undervaluing their trade-ins, charging them way too much interest, and scamming them with bogus 'rustproofing' charges, okay?" Now it was time for the salesman's mouth to drop in shock. Penny pulled her police badge out of her purse. "Officer Gadget, and my partner. Don't worry, no one's going to pee on your tires." She tilted her head slightly, and continued. "You know, I was considering buying one of these convertibles, once I have the cash saved up… but, it won't be from you."

The salesman watched in shock as Penny and Brain stalked away, headed back to the service department. Penny saw that her Taurus was parked outside, and the window had been replaced. She paid the bill, and she and Brain got in the car. Penny spoke first. "Can you believe that guy, Brain? The nerve of him!" Brain shrugged, and said, "Yeah, well, look at it from his eyes, Penny. He has no idea who I am, and how many people have heard of a talking dog?" Penny smiled at Brain. "Well, Brain, it just goes to show that the Chief's idea is a good one: let people think you're an ordinary K-9 dog. The bad guys will be constantly underestimating you, which gives US the edge."

Their next stop was to the house of Penny's friend, Amy. She opened the door and greeted Penny with a hug. "I'm SO glad you're okay, Penny!" They went inside. Penny sat across from Amy, and caught her up on what had happened. "Amy, I owe you my life. You were 100% right about Matt. I let myself get caught up with his looks, and the football thing, and I wasn't thinking." Penny took a deep breath, and continued. "Amy, if you hadn't gone to my house and warned Brain, I'd be dead right now. Matt… he assaulted me. He was too strong, and I couldn't fight him off. Because you warned Brain, he found my car, and saved my life." Amy and Penny hugged each other, and each of them let out a few tears of relief.

Penny blew her nose, shook her head, and smiled. She was determined not to let this turn into a depressing time of self-pity. She nodded at Brain, and told Amy, "You should have seen Brain, Amy! When he saw the danger I was in, he took a police nightstick and broke right through the car's window, and he beat Matt's ass! Literally!" Brain scoffed. "Penny, you're exaggerating a bit. Besides, you stunned him in the ass with a taser, then beat him until he was out cold." Amy gave Penny and Brain each a high-five. Penny said, "Well, anyway, I owe both of you my life, and I just want to say thank you."

Penny told Amy that she and Brain were going out to lunch, and insisted that she come with them. She told Amy, "When you save Penny Gadget's life, she buys you a free lunch!" As they drove in the car, Amy asked Penny about her Uncle, which gave them something new to talk about over lunch. Penny felt herself feeling better and better; venting to a close friend about the horrible events of the previous day was proving very therapeutic. While there would no doubt be unwelcome flashbacks from time to time, at least she was feeling better now. It was a start in the right direction. What helped was being surrounded by loving, caring family and friends.

The next day, Penny and Brain went to the hospital, and wheeled their Uncle Gadget out in a wheelchair. He had been judged healthy enough to fully recover at home. The doctors, and Professor Von Slickstein, estimated a two week recovery time. The Gadgetmobile was still in the shop being repaired, so Uncle Gadget rode home in Penny's Taurus. When they arrived at home, Penny and Brain carefully assisted their Uncle out of the car, into the house, and eased him down with a sigh into his favorite recliner. He smiled at them. "Thanks, you two. I'm going to be a little out of it for a while, apparently. But, at least my gadgets are working again." He deployed a gadget arm to demonstrate. "I'll just need a little time for the wounds from that shotgun blast to heal." Penny shook her head, and said, "That would have killed anyone else, Uncle; a direct hit from a shotgun at a range of two feet?! It's a good thing you have all your bionics. They saved your life."

After having lunch, Penny and Brain talked with nervous excitement about the following day. It would be their first day on the job as regular, full-time police officers. Uncle Gadget attempted to offer guidance. "Just remember your training, stay alert, and above all, watch out for each other at all times."

The next day, Penny got into her police uniform, and Brain put on his police K-9 vest. Uncle Gadget badly wanted to accompany them, but Chief Quimby forbade him from coming back to work until he was completely healed. Penny kissed her Uncle on the cheek and said goodbye, and she and Brain departed for work.

When they arrived at the police department, Chief Quimby was there waiting for them. He issued them all their gear; handcuffs, mace, radios, and handguns. They both received warm welcomes from all the other officers, who naturally already knew who Penny and Brain were. The two of them had spent years as police trainees/interns, working closely with many of the officers, and were now finally an official part of the police force. Quimby walked them out to the police parking lot, and walked over to a black and white Crown Victoria Police Interceptor patrol car. Quimby said, "This will be your patrol car. A little bigger than your Taurus, Penny, and it has an 8 cylinder engine, so it's more powerful, but that also means it uses more gas. I think you'll find that it commands a lot of respect on the road."

Penny and Brain had already spent considerable time in similar patrol cars, as trainees, so they were well familiar with the interior, and how best to arrange their equipment, for both comfort and quick access. Chief Quimby then added, "Now, we're not going to send two rookies off alone on their first patrol, so, you're going to have an… observer for your first week." Quimby turned and welcomed a female police officer whom Penny and Brain immediately recognized. "Well, hello, Officer Smith!" Both Penny and Brain were delighted to see her. She had been one of their instructors, years ago at the Junior Police Academy. She had also been a source of considerable support for Penny and Brain, because she recognized that they had real potential in law enforcement, and not just because they were related to Inspector Gadget.

Officer Smith got in the back of Penny and Brain's patrol car with a smile. "I was hoping I'd run into you two again. I'll never forget how you overcame so many obstacles in the Academy, and even captured a MAD agent in the process!" The senior instructor at the Academy had secretly been a MAD agent, and it had been Penny and Brain who had discovered this, leading to his arrest. Penny started the car's engine and steered out of the parking lot, as Chief Quimby watched.

The first day of Penny and Brain's law enforcement career was uneventful. They pulled over two speeders, issued one warning and one citation, went to a supermarket that had reported a shoplifter; found said shoplifter, only to discover it was just two boys with a few candy bars. Penny let them off with a stern talking-to, and called their parents to the store to pick them up. The rest was just routine patrol.

When they returned to the parking lot at the end of their shift, Officer Smith said from the back seat: "You know, you two are making my job very difficult." Penny and Brain glanced at each other, then back at Officer Smith. Penny said, "In… in what way?" Officer Smith smiled and said, "I'm supposed to offer pointers and corrections on things you need to work on… but I can't think of anything to suggest! That was a great first day, you two. You stayed calm when that speeder in the BMW was yelling at you; you were kind, yet firm with those two boys stealing candy, and you stayed alert the whole day."

They all went inside, and Officer Smith relayed this feedback to Chief Quimby, then told Penny and Brain, "See you tomorrow." And that was it! Their first full day as real police officers, in the books. Penny and Brain headed out to her Taurus. Only when they were out on the road, away from the police station, headed home, did Penny and Brain dare to glance at each other, and they laughed. "Penny, that was an absolute cakewalk compared to the missions we have had against MAD!" She glanced at him and said, "Now, Brain…" He reconsidered what he had said, and clarified; "I'm not saying every day will be this easy; of course, I know cops have very difficult days, and some die in the line of duty. I just meant, we were so nervous about officially starting this job, and our first day was a breeze."

When they got home, Penny and Brain were greeted by their Uncle Gadget, who eagerly asked them about their first official day on the job. After speaking with them, Gadget repeated the warning that Brain himself had admitted; not every day would be this easy. There would be difficult days in the police uniform. He then hugged Penny and Brain close. "Still, I am very proud of you two. Keep up the great work."

After the first week passed by, and Penny and Brain were let loose on their own, with no supervision, they were to discover just how difficult the job could be.

Being rookie cops, and at the bottom of the police totem pole, Penny and Brain started out on the graveyard night shift. In one sense, this was easier than the day shift, because there was far less traffic, but in another sense, it was much more difficult, because criminals and drunk drivers are far more active at night. Nevertheless, Penny and Brain understood the police hierarchy, and did their time on the graveyard shift without complaint.

One night, just after midnight, Penny and Brain were cruising along, keeping an eye out for impaired drivers. They didn't have long to wait. They saw a minivan up ahead, driving straight and steady. Then, in the oncoming lane, a large red pickup truck appeared, only it was veering crazily all over the road. "Oh my gosh, Brain, look at that truck… no no NO, please don't hit that van…!" As they watched, the truck swerved, cut across the road, and smashed into a telephone pole, directly in front of the minivan. The minivan slammed on its brakes, and just managed to come to a stop and avoid smashing into the side of the truck.

Brain immediately switched on their patrol car's flashing red and blue lights, while Penny called on the radio for an ambulance. She lurched to a halt next to the minivan. She looked inside the van, and saw a terrified young mother. She had three small children in the van with her, in their child seats. The mother lowered her window. Penny called out, "Is everyone ok in there?" The panicked mother replied, "I…I think so…" Penny replied, "Ok, just stay there." Penny dashed to the driver's door of the red truck, then let out a gasp. "Oh no! Amy?!" Her good friend Amy was behind the wheel of the truck. She appeared to be completely drunk.

"Heeeyyyy P-P-Penny! Wassap?" She reached for the cupholder, and offered Penny a bottle of liquor. "Here ya go, Penny! Have a sip… but don't hog it all!" Amy then laughed, then suddenly got a serious expression, and leaned close to Penny. "Hey… Penny… hey. Listen. Don-don't tell my dad, that I… kinda smashed up his truck, ok? It'll be our little secret." Penny winced at the strong odor of alcohol on Amy's breath. "Oh, no, Amy; why?! Why did you have to go and…" Brain walked over to meet Penny. He was very surprised to see Amy behind the wheel of the truck.

"Wow, really? Our friend Amy is the idiot who almost killed that mother and her three kids?" Penny looked at Brain. "Yes, I'm afraid so, Brain… she's still pretty smashed…" Amy interjected. "Nah, I'm fine, Penny! Hi Brain! You're such a good little doggie, I wish I had a dog as smart as you, you know…" Amy then lapsed into unintelligible slurring. Penny asked Brain to stay and keep an eye on Amy, while Penny went back to the minivan. The mother had calmed down somewhat, but was still understandably very rattled. This large pickup had come within feet of smashing into her minivan, and the truck was a much larger vehicle. It didn't take much of an imagination to guess what the consequences would have been for the mother and her three children.

Penny spoke as soothingly as she could to the mother, trying to keep her as calm as possible, and also evaluate if the three children were all right. Two of them were fascinated with the police car's flashing lights, while the youngest one was starting to get cranky in her child seat.

An ambulance then approached the scene, along with another patrol car. Officer Smith emerged, checking up on her favorite rookie cops. Penny went back around the truck, and asked Amy to step out of the truck. Amy did so, and was visibly unsteady on her feet, bobbing and weaving in the effort to stand up straight. Penny sighed, walked behind Amy, and asked for her hands. She then clicked a set of handcuffs on her good friend.

"You're under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you—" Penny was interrupted by a stream of indignant profanity from Amy. Penny waited for her to finish, then continued. "If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you. Do you understand these rights as I have read them to you?" Amy's rather colorful reply indicated that there may be a strain in their friendship, to put it mildly.

Penny and Brain led Amy to their patrol car, and put her in the back seat, and shut the door. Before they left, an idea occurred to Penny. She walked up to the frightened mother in the minivan. "Excuse me, Ma'am, if you don't mind, could I ask a huge favor of you?"

When they returned to the station, Penny and Brain deposited Amy in the jail, and she was placed in the "drunk tank." She curled up on the bunk and went right to sleep. Penny and Brain then went back out on patrol for the remainder of their shift.

The next day, Penny and Brain arrived at work early. They wanted to check in on their friend Amy. They approached the cell she was in. Amy looked like hell, but at least she was sober once more. She stood up indignantly. "Penny, why did you arrest me last night? After I practically saved your life, this is the thanks I get?!" Penny put her hand on the bar of the cell. "Amy, you DID save my life. There's no question about that. But… I still have a job to do. I saved the lives of innocent people—" Amy cut Penny off. "Oh, spare me, Penny. Sure, I was a little tipsy, but I was driving ok." Brain said, "Your blood alcohol was four times the legal limit. That's more than tipsy." Penny said, "And as for your driving… you veered so hard to the left, you almost wiped out a minivan."

Amy said, "Ok, look, I'm sorry! But please, Penny, you have to get me out of here!" Penny nodded her head. "Actually, I'm going to." She unlocked the cell door, and slid it open, then continued. "But before you go, I want you to have these." She held out a photograph. It was a family portrait of a smiling young couple, with three children. Penny had received a copy from the mother in the minivan. Amy looked confused. "Who are these people?" Penny said, "That's the family you almost killed. The mother was the driver, and the three kids were in the minivan with her. Your dad's big diesel truck would have crushed that van, and left that husband all alone in the world. Think about that, Amy." Penny then handed her another piece of paper. "And, here's your court date." Amy stared at Penny. "Seriously?! I have a court date? Some friend YOU are!"

Brain then spoke up. "Actually, she is. We could keep you locked up in here until your court date. Penny asked the Chief to let you walk, even though we're rookie cops. Penny promised you'd behave yourself." Penny added, "Being my friend doesn't excuse you from the law, Amy. If I were to get drunk and drive, I would have no room to complain if Brain or Uncle Gadget arrested me." Penny and Brain led Amy out of the jail, and into the parking lot. Amy's parents were there waiting for her. They had driven their car, since obviously their truck was now in the body shop, being repaired. Amy threw a scowl at Penny and Brain before getting in the car with her parents. Penny sighed, and she and Brain went back into the station.

When they got back inside, Officer Smith met them. She had seen the entire discussion. She looked sympathetically at Penny and Brain. "It's tough when you have to enforce the law on your own friends, isn't it?" Penny nodded. "Yes, ma'am. It is." Officer Smith smiled. "Penny, we're not in the academy anymore. My name is Kathy. And, don't worry about your friend. She's a minor, so she'll probably just get a slap on the wrist, since this is her first offense. She'll get over it, if she's any kind of friend."

Later that day, there was a very special, very important court case. Penny and Brain appeared as witnesses, as did their Uncle Gadget. It was the trial of Matt and his two surviving friends. After investigating fully, with the help of Penny and Brain and Professor Von Slickstein in the HQ lab, not to mention samples of DNA from the young men, they were not only facing trial for the abduction of Inspector Gadget and the assault on Penny, but many other crimes as well. Matt's prom date broke her silence, (after Penny pleaded with her to come forward) and five separate cold cases involving strangled young women of high school age were now positively linked to Matt and his friends.

Naturally, their defense attorney tried to make the jury feel sympathy toward Matt, by insisting that Penny and Brain had continued to beat him after he had already been handcuffed, and that he had suffered police brutality in his jail cell. Any sympathy this may have built with the jury was promptly destroyed when Penny took the stand. She showed her torn, tattered shirt that she had been wearing on the day of the attack. She also displayed photos that Brain had insisted on taking of her, the morning after the attack; Photos that showed bruises and red welts on Penny's body, courtesy of Matt. Then, Inspector Gadget took the stand, and testified about how he had been abducted, tortured, and nearly killed. After that, the prosecution showed photos of five beautiful, young high school girls that had been killed by Matt and his friends. Matt's prom date also gave devastatingly honest testimony.

The jury came back after only one hour, and the verdict was unanimous: guilty as charged. The judge then sentenced the three men to life in prison, with no possibility of parole. Their defense attorney muttered at them: "Just be thankful you aren't on death row." He had known, privately, that his clients were doomed going into this; the evidence against them was overwhelming. He had done his court-appointed duty and defended them, but at the same time, being the father of two young teen daughters himself, he was glad that these three thugs would be off the streets. As they were being led out of the courtroom, Matt managed to catch Penny's eye, and shot her a scowling look. The meaning was clear: "You're dead." The bailiffs then shoved him along to his holding cell. Officer Smith had been in the court, and she had observed this. She left the courtroom with a thoughtful look on her face.

After that harrowing day in court, Penny and Brain headed home with their Uncle. They were in a somewhat somber mood. They had even received the Gadgetmobile back from the shop, repaired and good as new. Penny told her Uncle about the threatening look she had received from Matt, as he had left the courtroom. Her Uncle hugged her with one arm, as he prepared dinner with the other arm. "Don't worry about it, Penny. He'll be in a maximum security prison. He won't be any threat to anyone in there." The three Gadgets then sat down for dinner, then walked into the living room to talk some more. Brain hopped up on the couch, and curled up for a nap. Meanwhile, Uncle Gadget had something to say to Penny; he had been mulling over and over in his mind how to say this for weeks now.

"Penny, I need to ask you something… it's been on my mind for a long time, and I might as well just get it out there and say it." This certainly got Penny's attention, and she wondered to herself if this was related to the matter that she had been meaning to discuss with her Uncle? Gadget continued. "So, now that you are an adult, and you are making a police officer's pay, have you… given any thought to, umm… well, to, moving out on your own?"

Penny felt her stomach drop. There it was. The subject that she had been dreading. She had thought that this might come up. "Well, Uncle, I have, and… I hope it's okay with you, but…" (There was what seemed to be an infinitely long pause, as she gathered the courage to speak again) "…I don't want to leave. I want to stay here, in this house." Immediately, Uncle Gadget said, "Oh, thank God! I was hoping you'd say that!" Penny perked right up. "Really, Uncle? You want me to stay?" He hugged her. "Of course I do, Penny!" She returned his hug. "Oh, Uncle, I was so afraid you'd try to talk me into leaving… or even charging me rent…" He softly said, "I'd never do that, silly. You're welcome to stay here for as long as you want."

Penny looked up at her Uncle. "I want to stay here, because I love this house, I love our life here, I love this neighborhood, but most of all, I love my Uncle!" Gadget squeezed her close one more time, and patted her back. Then, he released her, and fell back in the sofa with utter relief. He had spent so much time worrying over this, over what Penny might say, and it had been resolved in less than two minutes. Penny continued: "Maybe, one day, if I were to ever get married, then I'd move out, but…" Uncle Gadget glanced at her. "Next time you go on a date, I'm having him thoroughly investigated first." Penny giggled at this.

Another thought occurred to Uncle Gadget. "By the way, since you're staying here, what about Brain? I offered him his own room, since I thought you might want some more privacy, and—" Penny stopped her Uncle. "Oh, we… Brain and I… already had this discussion, Uncle. I'd be lost without my little friend there, watching over me." She looked over at Brain, curled up and fast asleep on the sofa, and smiled lovingly at him. Uncle Gadget tried to choose his words very carefully. "So, there's no issue with privacy, now that you're… older?" Penny assured him there was nothing to worry about. "He's a dog, and I'm a human, Uncle. We love each other, very much, but it's not THAT kind of love."

While Uncle Gadget still didn't know about all the times that Penny and Brain had assisted him on his missions against MAD, and that Brain had saved her life literally over a hundred times, he DID know about how Brain had saved her from Matt's assault. So, this made it easier for him to understand the undying affection between Penny and Brain. Uncle Gadget deferred to Penny's wishes on this subject. "Well, Penny, if you're happy, then I'm happy."

The next day, Penny and Brain found themselves back in court, at Amy's trial. Since they were the arresting officers, they were required to be there to give testimony. As it turned out, Officer Smith had been correct. Given that this was Amy's first offense, and since she was still a minor under the age of 18, the judge was fairly lenient. He suspended Amy's license for 90 days, and gave her a 500 dollar fine. If she kept her record clean, this incident would drop off. It certainly could have been a lot worse for Amy.

After the trial, Amy emerged from the courtroom. Penny and Brain were already headed down the steps, walking back from the courthouse to the police station. Amy jogged after them. "Penny! Brain! Wait a minute!" They paused and allowed Amy to catch up. Amy said, "I've had some time to think, and I was wrong, Penny. I was an idiot. You were only doing your job. I just looked at that family photo you gave me, and I thought: what if I killed that mother, and three little kids? How could I live with myself? So, you were right." Amy hugged Penny, then Brain, as a means of apology. "I'm sorry I snapped at you two. Are we still friends?" Penny smiled. "Of course we are, Amy. Let's just put this whole thing behind us, okay?"

Weeks later, In the Metro City Correctional Facility, one of the guards was listening to a phone call from his friend, Officer Smith. She was asking a special favor from him. The guard nodded, and said, "I understand." The guard then went out in the yard where the prisoners were having their recreation time out of their cells. He called over a prisoner, and quietly gave him a mission. He told the prisoner, "I'll make it worth your while." The prisoner grinned and nodded.

Matt stepped out of the shower in the prison, with a towel wrapped around his waist, when suddenly two pairs of arms seized him from behind. The prisoner who had spoken to the guard rapidly shanked Matt repeatedly in the gut. When he had fifteen puncture wounds, they let the body drop to the floor, and took off. Strangely enough, the guards just happened to miss the entire incident. When Matt's body was discovered, one of the guards called Officer Smith back and reported what had happened. Officer Smith thanked him, and hung up. She thought to herself, "No convicted felon will take out the Gadgets from behind bars; not if I can help it." She had noticed the silent threat that Matt had made to Penny; that he would make sure Penny died, even if he was in prison. That was no longer a worry.

Back at home, Penny sat down with her Uncle Gadget, and with Brain. They all agreed to leave the incident with Matt buried in the past. Penny had heard of how he died, and neither celebrated nor mourned his death. Uncle Gadget took the opportunity to drive home the point that police work could be very boring sometimes, followed by sudden life-and-death crisis, without warning. "I know you two have had some experience training with police officers for the past several years, but now you see first-hand just how dangerous it can be. But, I have to say, I'm very proud of both of you. And, now that I've recovered, I'll be there to back you up as well."

Penny smiled, and glanced at Brain, who had a shocked look on his face, and had just started to say, "You have GOT to be kidding—" Penny cut him off, and said, "I think that's wonderful, don't you, Brain?" She looked directly into his eyes and nodded as she was saying this. Brain got the hint, let out a small, defeated sigh, and said, "Yes, Penny. It's wonderful." Uncle Gadget, naturally, was oblivious to Brain's irritation.

Uncle Gadget then remembered something. "Wowsers, I almost forgot!" He reached inside his trench coat, and took out a packet of photographs. "These came back from the lab today." They were pictures of Penny's graduation, which had been developed. Brain snuggled up close to Penny, and the three of them looked through the photos. There were many great photos of Penny in her cap and gown, proudly holding up her diploma, and many of her striking funny poses with her friends. Although this had only taken place a few weeks ago, so much had transpired since then, it felt much longer.

Later that evening, Brain sat on the foot of Penny's bed. She was in the bathroom, preparing for bedtime. Brain was still fuming about what Gadget had said. He heard Penny enter the bedroom. "There you are, Brain." She put her arms around her friend. "Thank you for going along with me earlier. I didn't want to hurt Uncle Gadget's feelings." Brain allowed his frustration to vent a little. "Penny, HE thinks that he can back US up? I'd just like to see him solve an assignment without our help!" Penny smiled, and stroked her friend's head. She had heard this before. Poor Brain still harbored a great deal of resentment at having to follow Gadget around in disguise, repeatedly saving his life, only to be mistaken for a MAD agent, and suffer tremendous physical punishment.

Before Penny could come to her Uncle's defense, as usual, Brain looked her in the eyes. "Penny, just answer me one question. Didn't you ever get frustrated and tired of always having to sneak around behind him, and help me bail him out of trouble?" Somewhat to Brain's surprise, Penny answered, "Yes, Brain, I did." She had never admitted that to him before. Penny continued: "But also, I felt so sad for him. He was a great lawman, and a great inspector, before his accident. Then, they rebuilt him into a cyborg, transferred his mind into those memory chips, and we both know, that did a lot of damage to his mind. So, as clumsy and clueless as he is sometimes, it isn't his fault. I just try to remember that." This made sense to Brain.

Penny then squeezed her hug a little tighter and said, "Please, Brain, just try to leave that anger and frustration in the past. We're on the police force full time now! We can work with Uncle openly; no more sneaking around behind his back! Just remember that." Somewhat to his mild disappointment, Brain felt Penny release her hug. He so loved getting hugs of affection from Penny. However, her enthusiasm was contagious. And, she was right, as usual. Penny turned off the light, and climbed into bed. They both said to each other, "Good night, partner." Then, they drifted off to sleep.

AFTERWORD

Some people have given me grief about Brain being a talking dog in my stories. Well, we see in the shows, he can clearly understand every word Penny says. In "Gadget and the Gadgetinis," Penny gives him a translator collar, then he can speak. So, it's canon! And he'll continue to speak in my stories.

I do this because Brain is my favorite character, NOT 'just a dog.' With all the amazing things we've seen him do; read, defuse a bomb, open a safe, save lives, think ahead, reason, plan… is it really that much of a stretch that he could speak, with a translator collar?

Some of the situations with Penny got pretty awkward, but, she's an adult now, not a kid anymore, so she can start to have more complex and adult problems to overcome.

Once more, I stressed the point that, although Penny and Brain love each other, It's not romantic. They're different species.

It only makes sense that they would feel that way about each other, because otherwise, why would Brain stay with them? Any family can give him food and shelter. The only reason he'd put up with protecting a dim-witted clutz Inspector Gadget, is if he loved his family, and I suspect he loves Penny a lot more than Uncle Gadget.