Penny's Worst Nightmare

by HawksFan12

Penny is still adjusting to life as a married woman, when without warning, she finds herself in a war-torn nightmare world. Most of her dearest family and friends are dead. The Third World War rages, killing thousands of people each day. Worst of all, is it possible that SHE is the one responsible? Rated T for language and violence. For entertainment only, I own nothing.

(This story takes place approximately 8 months after "Penny's Wedding, and the final end of MAD." Penny is 23 years old here, and is still adjusting to life as a married woman.)

Penny finished packing up the lunch cooler, and wheeled it to the front door of her house. She then turned, and called out, "Fred? Brain, Lucy; are you ready?" Brain the Dog and his girlfriend Lucy appeared from the living room. Penny could hear her husband Fred upstairs, so she and Brain hauled the lunch cooler out to the car, and put it in the trunk of Fred's Fusion. Although Penny was very fond of her rowdy Mustang, Fred's sedan was a far more sensible choice for transporting the four of them to the beach for a summer picnic. Penny looked down the street, and could see next door, Uncle Gadget was loading up the Gadgetmobile in van mode. She waved at him, and he returned the gesture. He and his girlfriend, Officer Julie Jones, would be following them to the beach.

Penny turned back to her house, and saw Fred locking the front door, then walking up to the car to join her. Fred smiled, and said, "Is everyone ready? Do we have the lunch?" Penny nodded. "It's in the trunk. Let's get going, before all the good spots at the beach are taken!" Brain and Lucy were already buckled in to the back seat of the car. Uncle Gadget and Julie had driven the Gadget van up behind their car as Penny got in, then Fred started the car, and the two vehicles started off toward the beach.

One hour later, Fred steered the car into the entrance to the parking lot near the beach, and Penny sighed, "Oh, crums…" she was disappointed because the parking lot appeared to be nearly full already, even though it was still early in the morning. However, Brain saved the day. Leaning over the seat, he deployed his gadget telescoping eyes, and spotted two open spots down near the end of the row. He pointed them out to Fred, who promptly hurried the car over to claim one of the spots, while the Gadgetmobile claimed the spot next to them. Penny smiled, reached back, and gave Brain a short, affectionate squeeze with one hand. "Good work, Brain! Okay, let's get the car unloaded…"

Fifteen minutes later, Penny and Brain had a spot secured on the beach, and laid out their blanket, with several folding lawn chairs, to claim their area on the beach. Uncle Gadget laid out his own blanket, right next to Penny's, and two lawn chairs for himself and Julie. Once that had been completed, Penny and Julie said they had to go visit the lady's room, and that they'd be right back. They both had been looking forward to wearing new swimsuits on the beach; in fact, they had been encouraging each other for the last month to keep up on their exercise, to keep unwanted pounds off, in preparation for this day.

Fortunately, this beach had many smaller, individual restrooms that could be locked while in use, so Penny and Julie shared one in order to change. Julie came out of the restroom first, wearing a black two-piece bikini. Even though she was ten years older than Penny, in her early 30s, Julie looked very good in her bikini, and Penny immediately told her so. "Julie, you look fantastic!" Julie smiled and thanked her. Then, Penny went into the restroom to change. When Penny emerged in her bikini, Julie's mouth dropped open, then she said in amazement, while laughing; "Oh, my GOSH… Penny, you look stunning!" Penny was wearing a bright red two-piece bikini, with her golden blonde hair, and dark sunglasses. Penny's exercise had definitely paid off, and she had been blessed with a figure that filled the bikini very well in all the right places. She looked like she could have stepped out of a swimsuit photo shoot. Somewhat embarrassed, Penny smiled, thanked Julie, and said, "I hope Fred likes it…" Julie shook her head and said, "Well, if he doesn't, then he needs to have his eyes examined… or better yet, his head."

When Penny and Julie walked back to their picnic blankets, they were still giggling over this. Brain and Lucy saw them coming first, but paid very little attention. To them, it was just a change of clothing. Dogs have a hard time understanding human's obsession with their clothes, even super-intelligent dogs like Brain and Lucy. However, Uncle Gadget saw them next, and said, "Well, you two ladies look amazing!" As Julie walked up to him, Uncle Gadget smiled, and in a quiet voice said to Julie, "Especially you!"

Fred had been studying the instructions on the portable food cooker they had brought along, and turned to see Penny for the first time in her bikini. His eyes widened, as Penny struck a little pose. "Well, Fred, what do you think?" Fred stood up and lowered his sunglasses, and stammered, "Wow… um, well Penny, you look… wow." The problem was, he wasn't smiling. Penny's smile decreased slightly. "What's wrong, Fred? I told you, Julie and I were looking forward to wearing our swimsuits." Fred nodded, and replied, "Yes, that's true, I remember. But that one, well; it doesn't leave a lot to the imagination, does it?"

As soon as those words left his mouth, Fred immediately regretted what he had said. But it was too late; Penny's smile was now completely gone, and she looked upset. Fred attempted some damage control. "Penny, I'm sorry; I didn't mean—" But he was stopped as Penny held up a hand and said, "You know what, just never mind, Fred. I'm going to enjoy myself and get some sun in my swimsuit. Why don't you get started on the food." She slumped down into her chair and lay back in the sun, but her face was set in stone, and Fred knew that he now had a thoroughly pissed off wife on his hands.

Brain looked at Lucy, who just shrugged her shoulders. Ever so gently, Brain asked Penny if she wanted to go for a walk on the beach. Without moving a muscle, Penny replied, "Not just now, Brain. Maybe after we eat." Her eyes were not visible behind her dark sunglasses, but the nonverbal warning to all was clear: Back off, leave me alone. Brain took the hint, and left Penny to her sunbathing. Julie looked at Uncle Gadget, and 'suggested' that they go for a stroll down the beach. As they were leaving, Julie caught Fred's eye, and silently pointed at him, mouthing the words: 'You, come over here, NOW.' Julie and Gadget then walked down the beach, with Julie turning to glare at Fred every few minutes.

Fred waited a few minutes, so it wouldn't be too obvious, then told Penny he had to 'use the restroom,' and he'd be right back. The only response he got from her was, "Mm." Leaving Penny with Brain and Lucy, Fred walked down the beach until he caught up with Gadget and Julie. As she seized Fred's arm, Julie ordered Gadget to stay where he was. Gadget knew better than to argue. Julie pulled Fred behind the rest area, to be sure Penny wouldn't see. She then let Fred have it.

"Listen, do you have any idea how hard Penny has worked her ASS off to look good in that swimsuit? And who do you think she did it for; her uncle? For Brain? She did it for YOU, you idiot!" Fred started to stammer out excuses, but Julie would have none of it. "Just STOP! Don't apologize to me. You get back there, and apologize to HER… on your knees, if you have to! You know very well how hard she works as a police officer; all the crap she has to endure on the job. She's been looking forward to this day for months, and you're ruining it for her!"

Gadget, Julie and Fred walked back to the blankets where Penny was. Julie then 'suggested' that Brain and Lucy join them for a walk down the beach. This left Fred alone with Penny. He crouched and knelt in the sand next to Penny's lawn chair.

"Penny? I want to talk to you for a minute, ok?" Penny sighed, removed her sunglasses, and saw that she and Fred were alone. Off in the distance, she could see Uncle Gadget, Julie, and the two dogs walking away from them. With the noise from the ocean waves, they were already well out of earshot, even for Uncle Gadget's super-sensitive gadget ears.

So, Penny turned to her husband, and said, "Yes, Fred?" Her voice was heavy with hurt, and bitterness. Fred said, "Okay, look; as soon as those words left my mouth, I instantly regretted it. It just came out. You look gorgeous. You're insanely beautiful." This made Penny feel a little warmth inside, but she wasn't going to let him off that easily. Fred attempted to explain. "My family, the Von Slicksteins… we're a pretty conservative family, Penny. I'm just not used to seeing women I know dressed like you are. It surprised me, and caught me off guard." Penny replied, "Well, Fred, in MY family, I have always dressed this way in warm weather, and my uncle was totally ok with it. Even when I was a little girl. Many times, I used to sunbathe in the back yard, while Uncle Gadget did yardwork, and Brain slept next to me, or played in the pool."

Fred nodded, and acknowledged this. After all, When Gadget had seen Julie in her bikini, he had been quite pleased. "So, it's just a difference in our upbringing, really. And it's my problem to overcome, Penny, not yours. You've done nothing wrong." Fred sighed, then decided to admit something that was deeply embarrassing to him. "There's one other thing, Penny… you look absolutely stunning. You're at the top of the scale of beauty for women. And me? Not so much. I'm an average looking guy, at best."

Penny could see that he was sincere, and felt her hostility melting, and her good mood returning. "You're not just saying this because Julie laid into you?" Fred smiled. "No, I'm not, and how did you know?" Penny smiled. "We're very good friends, and I know she would have stuck up for me, because I'd do it for her, in a heartbeat." Fred then commented, "Yeah, I think she chewed about five pounds out of my—" Penny stopped him with a laugh. "Okay, Fred, I get it!" Fred stood up, and helped Penny up out of her lawn chair. He hugged her, and said, "I'm very proud of my beautiful, wonderful wife. Don't ever doubt that."

About ¼ mile down the beach, Julie asked her boyfriend, "What are they doing now?" Gadget deployed his gadget telescoping eyes, and smiled. "They're hugging… and Penny's waving at us to come back. Let's go!" Gadget, Julie, Brain and Lucy started trotting back to their blankets.

While the others were still out of earshot, Penny said one more thing to Fred. "By the way, please don't think I care about how hot of a guy you are. It's what's on the inside that counts. These looks…" She motioned at her body. "…They won't last forever, Fred. Remember that jerk, Dan? I went on a date with him, and he turned out to be a MAD agent?" (As seen in "Penny grows up, Brain grows old.") Fred nodded. "Well, physically, he was very hot, but I'd sooner shoot him than kiss him." Fred grinned. "All right, then I have your permission to have hot dogs and hamburgers!" Penny playfully shoved him.

With that conflict resolved, the rest of the day was very fun for the whole family. Before eating, they all decided to go swimming in the ocean. Naturally, the two dogs, Brain and Lucy, loved swimming in the water. Julie and Penny (and the swimsuits they were wearing) attracted plenty of double-takes and stares from the other people on the beach. After the family had enough time swimming, they returned to their blankets to cook the food and have their picnic.

Finally, once they had stayed on the beach long enough to watch the sun set on the ocean, they packed up their blankets and walked back to the cars. Penny and Julie felt the air growing cooler in the darkness, and put their regular clothes back on. They then got in their cars and departed for home.

On the long drive home, Penny felt herself growing drowsy. She glanced at the back seat, and saw that Brain and Lucy had already fallen asleep, and were leaning against each other. She smiled, then quietly asked Fred if he would be able to stay awake. He nodded, and pointed at a cup of coffee in the cupholder. Penny then leaned back in her seat, closed her eyes, and allowed sleep to slowly overtake her. Overall, this had been quite an enjoyable day, other than the one disagreement with Fred over her swimsuit. Her mind replayed that scene. She had accepted his apology and explanation, and yet… she wondered what other unknown disagreements were simmering below the surface, waiting to be exposed? Were their values actually much farther apart than she had realized? Would this affect their marriage? Just before sleep claimed Penny, she let her thoughts drift to her favorite sofa in the living room at home… it was so comfortable when she took naps in it, with either Brain or Lucy (or both) curled up lovingly in her arms…

Penny suddenly woke with a start, and found that she was in that very sofa, in the darkness of her living room at night time. She was no longer in the car, which was the last thing she remembered. However, something else was very wrong. For starters, there were no signs of Brain, Lucy, Fred, or anyone else. Also, there was a very strange noise in the air. Penny tilted her head, trying to decipher what it was. Suddenly, it hit her: this was the long, frightening wail of an air raid siren! She attempted to get off the sofa and stand on the floor, only to find that it was littered with shattered glass, chunks of broken wood, and all sorts of other debris. Luckily, she was wearing shoes, and therefore avoided slicing her feet. She slipped her way over to the window, and looked out. There were no streetlights on, which allowed the moonlight and stars to shine brightly on this cloudless night.

Penny looked up, and saw far, far above, a formation of jet aircraft rapidly passing overhead. It was too dark and they were moving too fast, so she couldn't identify what types of aircraft they were, exactly. The wailing sirens continued. The sound would pitch up, wail at a high pitch for approximately six seconds, then pitch down, before repeating, over and over. Penny had never heard this sound in person, only recordings of the London Blitz air raid sirens, and she found the noise to be terrifying. What was even more terrifying was the distant sound of explosions. She heard a distant whooshing sound, and saw trails of smoke erupting from the ground and flying up to the jet aircraft. She realized that these were surface to air missiles. Most of them flew up as high as they could and exploded harmlessly, but apparently one struck its target, because there was a short, bright explosion, then one of the jets fell out of formation in flames. It fell to the ground, fluttering into pieces as it broke apart on the way down.

By now, Penny was highly distraught. Then, she realized that she was shivering from the cold. She looked around, and only then noticed that the window had no glass in the frame. It had all been shattered out. She turned, and had another look around her house, now that her eyes were more accustomed to the darkness. She gasped, as she realized that there wasn't much left of her house. Part of the ceiling had been blown away. As the air raid sirens continued, she saw that the walls were mostly shattered, and the second story of her beautiful house had collapsed down on top of the first. Wreckage was everywhere. The carpet was rotting from rain coming in from the open ceiling.

Penny tried to struggle her way over to the staircase, but it was difficult trying to walk over a large pile of very loose junk in the darkness. With growing desperation, she called out "Brain! Lucy! Fred, where are you?" She then slipped on some loose debris, and fell to her hands and knees. Luckily for her, she managed to avoid most of the shattered glass and jagged, rusty nails protruding from the debris. She only nicked the side of her left hand on some glass. She held this wound in her other hand as she called out, "Uncle Gadget, where are you? I need help!" Then, she remembered: Uncle Gadget lived right next door to her.

Penny struggled back up to her feet, and saw that a huge wooden beam had crashed through the ceiling, blocking the front door. She carefully struggled her way back to the window. Two large rats appeared on the window sill, and looked at her. Penny gasped, then said, "Oh, go away! Shoo!" The rats squeaked at her, then skittered away into the darkness. Penny looked out, and down the street, and saw the silhouette of her uncle's house, the Gadget home, right next door. She carefully climbed up and stook on the ledge of the window, looking out to the ground. The drop was only about four feet. She prayed that there would not be any sharp splinters of wood with rusty nails, or jagged shards of glass waiting for her.

Penny hopped out of the window as carefully as she could, and landed on the ground, her shoes sinking into the thick, wet mud. At the same time, the air raid sirens pitched down one final time, then went quiet. In the far distance, there were glowing fires and explosions, although the sound was muted and muffled by the distance. Penny forced herself to put this out of her mind, as she walked across her yard to the sidewalk. Or rather, what was left of it. In the moonlight, she could see there were explosion craters in many of the neighbor's yards, and even in the street itself. All of the houses had damage of some sort. Some looked as if they had burned completely to the ground, while others looked as if an angry giant had slammed their fist into it. Cars were also destroyed; either burned out, crashed, or overturned. The large, mature trees were shattered and split right down the trunks. The once-beautiful neighborhood that Penny loved so much was now a total disaster area.

By the time Penny approached her uncle's house, she could see that it had not escaped the devastation. She was near tears now, and choked out a question to herself: "What the hell is going on?!" She started to open the door, but it was blocked by debris halfway. She angrily shoved it out of the way and forced the door open. She entered her uncle's house, and was met with the same sight as in her own home: debris everywhere, holes blown in the ceiling, wooden beams and shattered glass lying all over the floor. She walked in, looked around, and slowly, hopelessly sank to her knees, avoiding the glass and other debris. She now had tears on her face. She saw, on the wall, a portrait of Uncle Gadget, Penny and Brain, listlessly hanging at an angle. The faces in the portrait smiled at her, almost mockingly. She whispered through the tears, "Uncle Gadget! Where are you… where is everybody?"

Penny heard a noise behind her, and turned, just in time to see Brain charging at her with a police nightstick and taser. Penny ducked as he swung at her head, causing him to just barely miss her. Penny cried out, "Brain! Stop! It's me, Penny!" Brain, however, did not stop. He snarled at Penny, adjusting his grip on the nightstick, while slowly circling her. He was wearing black boots to protect his feet from the debris, and a police utility belt with various police equipment on it. Penny again cried out to him. "Brain! What's the matter, don't you recognize me? I'm Penny—" She then squealed in fright as Brain lunged at her again. This time, the nightstick struck her on the arm, and Brain then attempted to zap her with the taser.

Penny jumped back, avoiding the taser, and holding her bruised arm. Penny was thoroughly shocked, hurt, and utterly confused. Never, in her entire life, had she and Brain ever shown this kind of hostility to each other. There had been times when they had disagreed on some things, but they had never actually fought with each other, either verbally or physically. The idea of physically fighting Brain had never once crossed Penny's mind. If anyone had asked her before today, she would have confidently and without hesitation bet her life that she and Brain would never have a fight like this. It simply was not possible… or, so she had thought.

Brain ended this reflection by lunging at Penny yet again, with a vicious snarl. Penny saw an opportunity, and decided to put an end to this. Drawing on her police combat training, she avoided the swing of the nightstick, then grabbed Brain and slammed him down on the floor. Fortunately, he landed on a part of the floor that was free of glass and debris. As Penny wrestled the taser out of his hand, Brain managed to squirm around onto his back, and actually snapped at Penny's face, attempting to bite her. This left Penny with no option but to use the taser on Brain. She zapped him, and with a short yelp, Brain was unconscious. Penny then held the limp body of her little friend in her arms, with tears of sorrow running down her face. "Oh, Brain; what's the matter with you?!"

Penny looked around, and saw a wooden chair laying on its side. She picked it up, set Brain in it, and used the handcuffs from his police belt to secure his hands behind his back. She also found some speaker wire on the floor, from the stereo, and used this to tie his legs to the chair. She then pulled over another chair, and sat facing her dearest friend, waiting for him to wake up. He sat slumped over in the chair, his ears drooping down, moving slightly as he breathed.

Presently, Brain stirred to consciousness, and growled with frustration when he discovered that his hands and feet were restrained. Penny said, with a pleading voice; "Brain, please calm down. Tell me what's wrong!" Brain rapidly lifted his head up, saw Penny, and started snarling again, although he also tried to push himself back, to move away from her. Penny realized, Brain was not evil, or rabid. He was AFRAID. This broke her heart. Why would Brain ever be afraid of her? Penny said, in a voice choked with sadness; "Brain, do you still have your canine translator? Can you speak to me?" She gently and carefully started to reach for him, to feel his fur, and see if his built-in canine translator was still there. Perhaps it had been damaged?

Brain responded by snapping at her hand. Penny jerked it back. Brain spoke. "YES, I still have the translator, and yes, I know exactly who you are… Penelope." This confused Penny on a whole other level. She never, ever used the full version of her first name. All the way through school, and on the job, she had always gone by 'Penny.' The only document that called her 'Penelope' was her birth certificate. "Brain, why did you call me that? And why are you afraid of me? You know how much I love you; I'd never hurt you!" Brain snorted and shook his head. "Do you seriously expect me to buy this? After what you did? Nice wig, by the way."

By now, the morning sun was appearing, and more of the devastation in the house, and in the neighborhood was becoming visible. Penny looked around, and was saddened and horrified all over again, over what had happened to her once-beautiful neighborhood. She turned back to Brain. "My name is Penny, not Penelope. This hair is real." She tugged on her familiar blonde pigtails. "See? Real hair! And what happened to the house, and the neighborhood? How did it get like this?!" Now, Brain was the one who was shocked. He replied, "Well, sorry the neighborhood's gone downhill a bit, but that's life in World War 3. Which YOU helped start."

Penny's frustration was boiling over. She screamed, "What are you TALKING about?! How did I help start World War 3?" Brain shook his head again, and said, "Either you are a fantastic actress, and this is part of a sick prank on your part, or…" Brain stared hard at Penny, then commanded her: "Lift up your shirt. Let me see your belly, and your back." Penny looked at Brain in utter confusion, but Brain loudly insisted, "DO IT." Penny slowly stood up, lifted her shirt halfway up, exposing her smooth skin. She turned around. Brain muttered to himself, "No scars… it can't be…"

Penny sat down, and said to Brain, "So, did I pass?" Brain repeated, "It can't be… I saw what happened to you. Even the world's finest plastic surgeons couldn't undo all that." Penny hung her head for a moment, then looked up at Brain again. "Brain, I've been in a scenario like this once before. I think… I think I'm in a different timeline. Somehow, I've jumped from my time to this one." Somewhat to her surprise, Brain didn't immediately laugh or call her crazy. He seemed to think about it, then he said, "I'm starting to think you're right."

Penny said, "Okay, Brain; to show that you can trust me, I'll make the first move. I'm going to uncuff you now. Please don't attack me. I promise… no, I swear, I'm not here to hurt you, okay?" Brain warily watched as Penny uncuffed his hands, then quickly moved back away from him. She sat down in her chair as Brain untied his feet from the chair. He then looked at her again. Penny held up her hands, as if to say, 'I surrender.' "See, Brain? I just want to talk, and figure out what's going on, that's all." Brain scooted his chair back and said, "Just don't come any closer." Penny nodded in agreement.

Penny said, "Okay, now, the last time this happened to me, I visited a world that started out like ours, but one event was different which changed the course of all the events that followed." Brain nodded. "I remember. Your guardian angel let you see a world where your Uncle John Brown was never promoted to Inspector, and never became Inspector Gadget." (As seen in 'Penny's Wonderful Life.') Penny happily exclaimed, "Yes! You DO remember that! We're on the right track, Brain! Now, we just need to figure out where things went off the rails in THIS time."

Brain crossed his arms and said, "Oh, I can tell you exactly when that happened. Tell me, in your time, did you have a mission where MAD was trying to recruit you to join them, and they kidnapped me, and gave me a bio-enhanced gadget body, so I would have a lifespan much longer than a normal dog?" Penny nodded. "Yes, Brain, of course I remember that. It was practically the only positive thing that came out of MAD's crazy schemes; it allowed you to keep on living, and not die from doggy old age." (As seen in 'Penny grows up, Brain grows old.') Brain asked, "So, in your time, after you got me back safely, and MAD pressed their effort to recruit you, what did you do?" Penny scoffed. "I pretended to be interested long enough to lead a SWAT team to their headquarters, then I shot that idiot Talon in the shoulder."

Brain slowly shook his head. "Well, that's not what happened in this timeline, Penny. You joined them. You let Talon sway you; you thought he was 'super cute,' and you joined them. You betrayed us all; Chief Quimby, everyone on the police force, your Uncle Gadget, and ME. You destroyed everything." Penny shook her head with horrified disbelief. "I would never… I couldn't have…" Brain said, "Stay right there. Don't move."

Brain got up and walked over to a foot locker in the corner, lifted the lid, and took out a news magazine. He tossed it in Penny's lap. On the cover was a photo of a young lady, with very close-cut blonde hair, steely blue eyes, and a very arrogant, almost angry expression. The caption below stated 'The Deputy Leader, Penelope Claw.' Penny then realized: this was her. She could recognize her own face. With horror, she flipped through the pages of the magazine, until she landed on a page that showed Penelope standing next to Talon on a platform, with a massive MAD logo rising up behind them. Both of them were giving a stiff-arm salute with their right arms, as rows of MAD agents marched by beneath them. The caption below this picture read, 'The Leader, Talon, and his wife, Penelope, review our brave troops.'

With horror and disgust, Penny tossed the magazine on the floor as if it were burning her hands. Brain pointed directly at her, and the accusations came hard and fast. They had been pent up inside of him for three years. "YOU did this, Penelope. You let Talon sweet-talk you. You dated him, in spite of all the warnings from me, and from your uncle. You fell in love with him. You betrayed us. You set us up. You helped MAD win." Penny was trying to say 'No! No, I would never…' but Brain didn't even slow down. "MAD crushed HQ, MAD destroyed the Metro City Police Force; MAD took over the U.S. House, then the Senate, then the Presidency. MAD brought the whole democracy crashing down, and established a dictatorship. MAD started the Third World War, and YOU helped them all the way."

Penny adamantly denied this. "Brain, you're wrong. SHE did those horrible things, (Penny pointed to the picture of Penelope on the magazine cover as she said this) but I did not. I'd never betray you, or Uncle Gadget, or HQ. In my timeline, I stayed loyal, and I helped you and Uncle bring MAD down once and for all." Penny took a deep breath, and continued. "Don't confuse me with her, Brain. We're two separate people. I still love you, and I'd die before I'd betray you and join MAD." This caused Brain to feel very torn and conflicted inside. Half of his instincts believed what Penny was saying, but the other half could only remember the awful feelings of bitter betrayal when Penelope had turned on him.

Just then, Brain's radio collar activated, and he got a private message. He glanced at Penny. "Hold on, it's from one of my… friends…" He then quietly listened to the message. His eyes widened. "Really? Has this been confirmed? Are you sure?" After a moment, Brain said, "Understood." He ended the communication. He sighed, then looked at Penny again. He hopped off of his chair, and walked up to her. Brain then said, "I believe you." He then leaped at Penny, and wrapped her up in a huge hug, which Penny gladly returned. Brain held on to her tightly, and he whispered, "Oh Dear Lord, I missed you so much…" They held on to each other for several minutes. When Brain finally pulled away, he was sniffling, and his eyes were flooded with tears.

Penny let Brain sit on her knee, and kept an arm around him to console him. She reminded herself that from Brain's perspective, she had been gone for 3 years. She asked, "What was it that convinced you?" Brain composed himself, and said, "Right! -Ahem- Well, it was one of my contacts in the underground; she notified me that Penelope is deathly ill. Damage to her body from an explosion. MAD has officially announced it over the airwaves." Penny replied, "Well, that's unfortunate; I had just developed a strong desire to put a bullet in her head, for what she did to my family and friends." Brain looked up at her with a smile. "Only one bullet?" Penny giggled and hugged him again.

Penny then asked him, "So, Brain, you're involved in an underground movement?" Brain hopped down from Penny's lap, and said, "It's easier just to show you." He pointed at the stairs leading up to the second floor. They were completely smashed, which really didn't matter, because the second floor was entirely destroyed… or, so it appeared. "We can't take the stairs, obviously, so, follow me. This will seem very strange, but trust me." Brain took Penny's hand, and led her into what remained of the kitchen. He hopped up to the kitchen counter, and opened one of the empty cupboards. Penny saw nothing inside. Then, Brain reached inside, and pushed aside the false back of the cupboard, revealing a crawlway approximately three feet tall. Then, there was a metal ladder leading up. Brain entered the crawlway, with Penny behind him. Brain looked back, and told Penny to slide the cover back over the entrance. She did so. Penny then followed Brain's little butt and tail. She forced herself to keep her giggles to herself, since she understood that this situation was quite serious.

After Brain crawled up the ladder and emerged, he turned around and helped Penny out. She looked around, and breathed, "Wowsers…" They were in Penny's room, or rather, what used to be her room. It had been converted to a bunker of sorts. The ceiling had giant cracks in it, and one of the beams was poking through, but it had not collapsed. There were maps and news articles all over the walls. On the floor, there were foot lockers and plastic storage totes. Penny then said, "Aww, Brain!" She pointed at a framed portrait in amongst all the maps; it was of Penny as a girl of 12, smiling and hugging Brain in her arms. Brain muttered, "Oh, yeah, that. Well, after Penelope… did what she did, I kept that as a sort of memorial to the best friend that I loved, and lost."

Brain then led Penny over to a map, and gave her a condensed run-down of what had happened. "So, after MAD took over the United States, they launched simultaneous attacks on Canada and Mexico. They also jumped across the Atlantic and into Africa. At first, they had stunning success. Canada fell in a few weeks. MAD overran Mexico, and almost all of South America, but they're having real problems hanging on to it, because most of South America has rallied to the Allied cause. The Europeans are massing an invasion fleet. Rumors are they'll launch from Greenland or Iceland if they have to. Russia and China are preparing to jump over and invade through Alaska. And, every once in a while, long-range bombers make it through the air defenses and bomb the cities. Oh, and just to make it extra interesting, several nations are talking about nuclear weapons." Penny said, "So, those air raid sirens I heard last night…?" Brain replied, "Chinese fighter-bombers, probably from an aircraft carrier."

Penny stared at the map, with its MAD symbols, NATO symbols, clumps of red and blue, and arrows in various directions; mostly closing in on what had been the United States. Penny shook her head. "Oh, Brain… this is terrible." Brain sighed, and replied, "The thing is, I think some nations don't even care much about MAD, they're just taking the opportunity to get in some shots at the area of the United States while they can; while they've got backup. Especially the Latin American nations; they've been envious of the United States for years, and now they have the perfect excuse to invade in force. This isn't going to end well, for anyone."

Talon sat in his chair behind his desk, staring at a news broadcast. His eyes wandered over to a photo of his uncle, Dr. Claw. He wished that his uncle was still alive; he could use some of his wisdom right now. When MAD conquered the United States, Talon had given some thought to establishing his headquarters in Washington, D.C., and he did, in fact, spend his first few months as unquestioned leader in the White House. However, it was obvious to him that, given his plans for global domination, this location was far too much of an obvious, inviting target. Enemy nations had known where the White House was ever since it was built. Thanks to the Cold War, Russia had targeted the White House specifically for over six decades. Talon took a cue from history, from one of the leaders he idolized, and built a huge, reinforced bunker underground. Two of Talon's most influential figures that guided his life were his uncle, Dr. Claw, and a figure from history, Hitler. However, Talon hoped to avoid that leader's fate of dying in defeat in his own bunker.

As Talon got up from his desk and walked down the corridors of his bunker, he reflected that there was another area where he had outperformed that German ruler; he had married a ruthless genius who had greatly aided the rise of MAD to conquest and glory. Now, however, Penelope was very weak, clinging to life. The injuries she had sustained were very serious. Talon gently opened the door to her private chamber. The lights were on low, and Penelope lay in her bed, her face even more pale than usual, accompanied by her most trusted doctors. She turned her head and greeted her husband Talon with a smile. The doctors moved back into the shadows, in order to give the couple some privacy. Talon sat in a chair next to Penelope's bed.

"So, how is my darling wife this evening?" Penelope grunted. "Well, I'm not barfing up blood, so that's good. I had no idea this would hurt so much." Talon gently grasped her hands. "Have faith, dear. I told you, I'm working on a solution to this." Penelope grunted, and then asked, "And, what about the Southern offensive? Have we managed to push back the South American Allies—" Talon stopped her. "No no, dear. Don't you worry about that stuff. I'm meeting with the generals right after this. You just concentrate on getting better." Penelope nodded, then yawned. She was very tired. Talon stood up, and was informed by the doctors that there was nothing more to do for her that evening. Talon then suggested they all leave, and allow Penelope to rest.

As Talon stepped out in the hallway, and walked to the military briefing room, he was joined by his most trusted MAD agents. Talon asked about the 'special package.' The MAD agent replied, "My Leader, we know the package has entered our area, we just aren't sure where, exactly. We have the secret police on high alert." Talon nodded, and continued on to his military briefing.

Back in her room, Penelope shivered with disgust. Pretending to be affectionate to her husband was very draining. When she had first married him, she had been totally devoted to him. Not only did she follow his lead without question, she also contributed greatly to his success, with her genius-level intelligence. She had been so convinced that she could make the world a better place, and curb the excesses of Talon and MAD. Also, she had been brainwashed by Talon into believing horrible lies about her Uncle Gadget, and about the Metro City Police Department. So, she had followed Talon's requests without question. Penelope pondered, 'And, what has that gotten me? A body on the edge of death, a world war, nations on the march against us, possible nuclear holocaust…' Few things will cause a person to re-evaluate their life's choices like life threatening injuries, and Penelope was no exception. She picked up her personal tablet, and flipped through the icons. She went into her photo album, and touched what appeared to be a blank area of the screen, entering her hidden 'ghost' album. She stopped on a picture from long ago, one of her when she was a child… hugging her Uncle Gadget, and her beloved dog Brain.

Back at the Gadget house, Penny finished looking at all the maps on the wall of Brain's bunker. Then, her stomach announced that it demanded food, with a loud rumble. Brain smiled. "Wow, I haven't heard that in forever. You skipped a meal, didn't you, Penny?" He walked over to one of the foot lockers lining the wall of the room, and lifted up the lid. Penny looked inside, and saw boxes of packaged food and bottles of water carefully packed away. Brain took out a lunch for himself, and a lunch for Penny. He handed the food and water to Penny, and they sat on the floor next to each other, leaning up against the wall. Penny squeezed him close, and kissed the top of his head, and thanked him sincerely for sharing his food and water with her. "This food and water must be hard to come by now, Brain, and you shared with me without any hesitation." An embarrassed Brain shrugged and replied, "It's the least I could do for you, Penny."

After they ate lunch, Brain asked Penny, "So, now that you know what a mess this world is, how did you get here?" Penny looked at him with widened eyes. "I have no idea! Honestly, Brain! The last thing I remember, I was coming home from a picnic at the beach with the family. I fell asleep in the car on the way back home, and when I woke up, I was on the sofa in my house next door, in the middle of an air raid. I was terrified out of my mind, and I have no idea how I got there. So, once I figured out that my house had been bombed to hell, I came over here." Penny then looked Brain in the eyes, and asked, "Brain, where's Uncle Gadget?"

Brain stared at her, then looked straight ahead. He didn't say a word. Penny started to ask him again, and Brain cut her off. He simply stated, "Uncle Gadget is dead." Brain sighed, and handed Penny a tissue. "I'll tell you the story, Penny, but it's long, and sad, and you'll probably need this." Penny took the tissue, and settled in to hear the story.

Brain began: "When I returned to you from being kidnapped by MAD, and fitted with bionic upgrades, Penelope… my Penny… she told Chief Quimby that she'd meet with MAD and lead an HQ SWAT team to them. What actually happened is, she had already been turned, and we didn't know it. Talon had been sweet-talking her in secret for weeks beforehand. Talon convinced her that the only reason her parents were killed is because Inspector John Brown visited them when he had a MAD hit out on his head. If not for that visit, Mr. and Mrs. Brown, and your unborn sister, Melissa, would never have been killed." Penny interrupted Brain.

"Oh, Brain, I knew all about that! It wasn't Uncle's fault; it's not like he could see the future—" Brain held up his paw. "I'm just telling you what happened, Penny." She smiled and said, "I'm sorry, Brain. I'll keep my mouth shut." Brain continued.

"So, Talon basically brainwashed my poor Penny. He convinced her that her Uncle Gadget was responsible for her family's deaths. He convinced her that the police system, the state and federal governments, were all hopelessly corrupt. He made promises of utopia under a MAD dictatorship. When she objected to human rights abuses by MAD agents, he placed her in charge of them. She went into it with some good intentions, but when MAD gained real power, it corrupted her. Talon was brainwashing her the entire time. She was convinced… firmly convinced, that she could assist Talon into making a MAD dictatorship greater, and more compassionate, than the United States government ever could."

Brain paused to take a drink of water, and Penny commented, "I just can't believe it… if your Penny had all my childhood experiences against MAD, how could she fall for this?" Brain swallowed his water, and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, Penny, but somehow Talon convinced her. He probably told her 10 percent truth, and 90 percent lies, and Penny fell for it. The thing is, once she made a deal with the devil, it was impossible for her to get out."

Brain continued: "When we all showed up with the HQ SWAT team at MAD's headquarters, it was empty. We searched all the rooms, all the corridors, and nothing. Then, outside, we heard our helicopters and trucks getting blasted. Suddenly, we were surrounded by MAD snipers. The SWAT team was cut down, along with Chief Quimby. They didn't even take any prisoners. Only myself and your uncle were still alive. My Penny came out, only she wasn't Penny anymore. She cut off her pigtails, put on a light grey suit with a MAD logo over the heart, and called herself 'Penelope.' She and Talon came out together. They put a beam on your uncle, that disabled all his gadgets. He was helpless."

Brain paused again, and looked at Penny. She was staring at him, with a grief-stricken look on her face, her eyes starting to fill with tears once again. Brain took her hand, and warned her: "This is the worst part, Penny."

Brain sighed, and powered ahead. "Both your uncle and I warned her; that Talon was using her, that he didn't love her, and that she was making a huge mistake. She didn't listen. With your uncle helpless, and four MAD agents holding me down, Penelope walked up to your Uncle Gadget, and taunted him by telling him that he hadn't solved any cases on his own as Inspector Gadget; that he was incompetent, useless, stupid… and, that he was responsible for her family's deaths. She said that she was done covering his incompetence. Then… she pulled out a pistol, said 'this is for my family,' and… she executed your uncle, Penny. She just shot him, right in the head, point blank."

Penny was holding on to Brain, and had tears in her eyes. The tissue that Brain had given her was long since soaked. She choked out, "Oh, my poor Brain… and, you've had to live with that in your head, for three years?" Brain nodded. After a moment of composing herself, Penny asked, "How did you get away?"

Brain replied, "After your uncle died, Penelope turned to me, and offered me one chance to join her. When I refused, she was angry, but she said, 'Out of respect for all the times you've saved me, I'll let you run out of here, but this is the last time. If you won't join me, then you're my enemy.' So, I ran out of there, slipping on the blood of dead HQ agents. The last glance I got of Penelope, Talon was holding her in his arms, and they were both laughing at me."

Penny was cradling Brain in her arms, and sat in silence for a moment, processing everything in her head. She finally said, "I just can't believe it. I would never… never in a million years fall for Talon, or betray the police force, or betray Uncle Gadget, or especially, betray you. Never. I'd die first." Brain nodded, and said, "I believe you, Penny. I guess that's why this is an alternate timeline; because things happen here that would never happen in your timeline."

Then, they heard a noise from downstairs. Penny gasped, and Brain held a finger up to his face, giving her a 'sshhh' gesture. He whispered in Penny's ear, "Don't move. Don't make any noise at all." Penny fearfully nodded. They heard people walking around downstairs, pawing through cupboards in the kitchen, and tossing things around. Still whispering, Brain explained that gangs roam the neighborhoods looking for food, water, and other valuables. Suddenly a voice called out. "Penny Gadget! If you're here, come out NOW. The Leader wishes to see you." Penny looked terrified, so Brain placed his paw on her shoulder, to comfort her, and slowly shook his head. Penny and Brain could hear people walking around downstairs, their boots crunching the glass and debris on the floor, as they tossed chairs around and overturned shelves, looking for a secret passageway. Penny and Brain prayed they wouldn't find the crawlspace in the kitchen cupboard. They heard one of the voices say, "Are you picking up anything on infrared?" Another voice replied, "Just a couple of rats." After several more minutes, a voice said, "The house next door belonged to her. Let's go check it out." Penny and Brain heard the door slam.

Both Penny and Brain had enough experience to stay on high alert. The people downstairs could be quietly lying in wait, to see if there was any movement after they had seemingly departed. Brain whispered to Penny, "I think those were MAD secret police. It seems that they want to talk to you, Penny." Penny quietly snorted, and whispered back, "Probably because they know I'll fight them to my dying breath." Fortunately, Brain had a scrambler in his hideaway that blocked scanners, including infrared. Some of his underground contacts were very helpful.

In her private chamber, Penelope was having another dream. It started out as a very pleasant dream; Uncle Gadget took her and Brain to the park, where they had a wonderful, fun day playing and having a picnic lunch. She felt very happy and content. What made it disturbing was the very end of the dream. She looked at Uncle Gadget, who was eating a leg of chicken, and saw a stream of blood gushing down his forehead and around his mouth. It looked as if he had been shot, point blank in the forehead. She turned to Brain, who had been pulled away from her, and stared sadly at her as he shrank farther and farther away. Uncle Gadget slumped over, dead, and the beautiful day became night, but that was then turned back to day with a brilliant, blinding flash a few miles away… followed by a rising mushroom cloud—

Penelope woke with a start, her heart beating rapidly. She lay there, thinking about her dream. Her husband's newest plan to save her health had stirred memories that she would much rather leave in the past. It was forcing her to re-visit some of the choices that she had made in her life. Penelope growled to herself, "Silence, you sentimental weakling. Everything I have done has been for the greater good." And yet… deep inside her mind, she could not shake the vision of a small girl with blonde pigtails, wearing green pants and a red and white shirt, standing next to her beloved dog, staring up at Penelope, and shouting at her with grief. She was shouting, 'What have you done?!'

At the remains of the Gadget home, it had been hours since Penny and Brain had heard voices downstairs, and it was now getting dark. Brain looked at Penny. "I think they're gone now. Usually, it's just roving gangs looking for supplies. That's the first visit from MAD that I've ever had here." After a moment, Brain asked Penny, "Do you have to pee?" Penny immediately nodded her head yes. Brain smiled and said, "Me too. Well, we have to go downstairs, but first…" He walked over to a small locker, opened it, and took out a loaded pistol, and handed it to Penny. "You never know who's prowling around at night… well, anytime, really, but especially at night."

They cautiously went downstairs, and Brain showed her an ingenious system he had set up in the back yard to deal with bodily waste, without requiring running water. Penny made use of it while Brain watched the area with his pistol in hand, then she did the same while Brain relieved himself. Penny noted that from the outside, it appeared that her bedroom had been completely crushed, when in fact it had not. It was the perfect hiding place.

When they anxiously returned to the bedroom hiding place, Brain said to Penny, "Well, I guess it's time for bed… all we have is an old mattress and a sleeping bag." Penny smiled and assured Brain that would be just fine. She wouldn't even hear of Brain trying to sleep on the foot of the bed. "You get up here with me, Brain!" He was happy to do so. They both needed a reassuring, comforting presence that night. Besides, there was the practical benefit of sharing body heat. Penny got into the sleeping bag, as did Brain, and he snuggled up next to her, and she put her arms around him. So many times since Brain and Penelope had split, he had dreamed of this; being reunited with his dear friend who loved him. Now, it had come true.

When morning came, Penny woke up first. She looked down, and Brain was still fast asleep, laying on top of her. Penny's chin rested on the top of Brain's head. As she lay there, feeling Brain's warm body and listening to his quiet breathing, Penny asked herself, 'How could she? How could Penelope reject and betray this sweet, wonderful little dog, after all he had done for her? And, to say nothing of shooting Uncle Gadget.' Penny wrapped her arms around Brain, causing him to stir and slowly wake up. She whispered, "Good morning, Brain…" then gave him a kiss on the top of his head. He smiled, and Penny felt his tail wagging. He made no move to get up; he was quite content to enjoy this warm hug from his best friend.

Brain was the first one to break the morning silence. "You know, we have to find out what brought you out of your timeline and into this one." Penny quietly acknowledged, "Yes, I know." Brain wondered if it had been her guardian angel, trying to teach her another lesson? Penny didn't think so. "I prayed to her, Brain, and yet I received no reply. Last time this happened, she replied immediately. It's something else." Brain considered for a moment, then said, "Well, then; I think the next most likely scenario is that MAD somehow engineered it. After all, there were MAD agents searching for you, specifically." Penny quietly nodded and said that the same thought had occurred to her, too.

Suddenly, a disturbing thought occurred to Brain. "So, Penny, if we're right, and this was the work of MAD, and we figure out a way to reverse it, does that mean you'll leave me here?" Brain didn't think he could take Penny abandoning him, again. He needn't have worried. Penny immediately and forcefully said, "Oh, Brain, NO! Of course not. I'll take you home with me; absolutely." Relief filled Brain. Then, he said, "Well, now, isn't there already a Brain in your world?" Penny snickered, and replied; "Yes, there is… well, there's going to be two Brains there, won't there? That will be very interesting for Lucy…" Brain looked at her curiously. "Who's Lucy?" Penny explained that Lucy was the girlfriend of Brain in her timeline. "She's the sweetest little dog, Brain."

Finally, it was time for them to get up. Using some liquid soap, Penny cleaned herself up as best she could. There were no long, warm showers in store for her in this timeline. Brain apologized for this. "Yeah, sorry, Penny; this house hasn't had running water since… gosh, almost two years now." Metro City was on the edge of a combat zone. The front line had passed over this area several times. As one side advanced and the other retreated, the destruction became worse each time the area changed hands from MAD to the Allies and back. Through it all, poor Brain had stayed in this house, hidden away, as a secret member of the underground resistance.

So, Penny and Brain sat on the floor once more, eating breakfast from Brain's stash of food. Before they dared to leave the house, Brain appraised Penny's appearance. "Penny, you look beautiful…" Penny smiled, and said, "Why, thank you, Brain! You're so sweet." But Brain was not done with his thought. "…And that's just not going to do at all." He explained, "There are gangs roving around all over out there, and while they're mainly looking for food and supplies to steal, if they saw a gorgeous young lady like you, well… do I have to tell you what they'd do to you?" Penny then understood. And, while she was a trained police officer who likely could fight off one or two attackers, one individual could not fight off a whole gang.

Brain walked over to his weapons locker, and Penny followed him. With Brain's blessing, she selected a pistol that was small enough to conceal, and a dagger with a slim holster that fit neatly inside her boot. He instructed her to use the liquid soap to remove what remained of her makeup, then gave her a baggy jacket which he hoped would conceal Penny's rather amazing figure. Penny had, in her timeline, deliberately selected police uniforms that were snug-fitting; she found that male speeders gave her much less backtalk when her figure was apparent. Perhaps it wasn't something a feminist would approve of, but she had to admit, it worked. Now, however, the situation was reversed. For her own safety, she needed to appear as insignificant as possible; just another dejected refugee looking for their next meal.

Brain grew increasingly nervous as they prepared to step out into the world. They were literally about to enter a lawless war zone. Brain wasn't nervous for his own safety; he had been dealing with this world for years. He was nervous for the safety of his beloved friend Penny. Brain warned Penny, "When we go out there, don't trust anybody. It's amazing and sad; as soon as the electricity and running water failed, people in this wholesome, affluent neighborhood turned into savages in an instant. Pardon the expression, but it's 'dog eat dog' out there." Brain then put on a costume of his own, which he had many years of experience doing. Penny said, "Wow…" with approval; he looked just like a hungry, inconspicuous refugee. No wonder he had been able to survive alone for years.

Penny and Brain quietly lowered themselves down the secret crawlway, and emerged into the kitchen of the house. There were no signs of the MAD agents from earlier. They cautiously opened the front door, and slipped outside. Penny let Brain lead first, since he was more familiar with this war-torn version of their neighborhood. They got to the corner, then Penny tapped Brain on the shoulder. She quietly said, "So, Brain, now that we've left the house, where are we going?" He knelt behind a bush, as did Penny. Brain quietly replied, "Well, since it seems very likely that MAD got you here, for whatever reason, then it seems logical that the way to getting you back to your timeline rests with them." Penny gently corrected him; "You mean, getting US back, Brain." She smiled at him. Brain smiled and nodded, then continued. "I just thought it would be better for us to go there on our own terms, rather than allow the MAD secret police to take us prisoner." Penny wholeheartedly agreed.

Talon was furious. "What do you MEAN, she wasn't there? Did you check both houses?" The unfortunate MAD agent who had drawn the short straw, and therefore had to report failure to Leader Talon, cowered and seemed to shrink several inches. "Y-Yes, sir, of course we did; and we used infra-red, too, but there was no one there." Talon muttered under his breath as he furiously paced. "Dammit… fricking incompetent morons…" He looked up and roared at the agent, "My wife's LIFE is on the line here. Get out there, and find that woman! Don't come back until you have her… and do NOT harm her!"

In her private chamber, Penelope watched this scene on her tablet. Her husband was unaware that she had the ability to do this. She turned off the tablet, and lay down in her bed again, considering the most likely course of events. MAD had summoned Penny Gadget here from another timeline, and Penelope knew the likelihood that she had arrived at Uncle Gadget's house in Metro City was very high. So, this Penny would have been literally dumped into a bombed-out war zone, alone and completely disoriented. Penelope pondered what would have happened next? After a moment's thought, the beginnings of a smile played at the corners of her mouth. Of course. It was obvious. Penny had, no doubt, run across a certain orange dog with a red nose, who by now would have become an expert at living in this war-torn world. Penelope then mused, 'I should have had him killed years ago… I could have…' Deep inside her mind, the small girl with blonde pigtails said, "You could have killed him, but you didn't. You just broke his heart, is all."

As Penny and Brain were walking along, she asked him, "By the way, what happened to Penelope that put her on death's door?" Brain answered, "There was an assassination attempt a few weeks ago. I saw replays of it from a source I have in the underground. It was a bomb planted on a train. It missed Talon completely, but Penelope caught the blast right in the torso. Her belly and back were badly burned. Apparently, they're barely keeping her alive. That's why, when I saw that your skin was undamaged, I knew that you couldn't possibly be her."

Brain looked up at her and smiled. "By the way, you'll never guess who my underground source is. It's someone we both know." Penny considered, and made several unsuccessful guesses, then gave up. "Who is it, Brain?" He replied, "It's Kristy Carter, the New York cop who stayed with us for a few weeks." Penny gasped happily, and said, "Oh, I remember her! I miss her… haven't heard from her in years." Brain said, "Well, I have, and she's a major player in the resistance. She communicates with me all the time… and, she was heartbroken about how my Penny turned into Penelope."

As Brain walked with Penny, they rounded a corner, and saw a MAD checkpoint up ahead. The guards saw them, and rose up out of their chairs. Each one was holding a mini machine gun. Immediately, a thought hit Brain like a ton of bricks. He cursed to himself. "Oh, SHIT." Brain looked at Penny apologetically. "Penny, with all the talking we have been doing, it just slipped my mind. I forgot to get you a false ID card." It was too late to turn around now; the guards had seen them, and made eye contact. Turning around now would arouse even more suspicion. His mind racing, Brain muttered to Penny, "Just tell them your card was stolen, and give them a false name." Penny nodded, and they continued on to the checkpoint.

"Your papers, please." The MAD guards looked at Penny, and then at Brain. Penny tried to explain. "My name is Melissa Brown." (This would have been the name of her younger sister, who had been killed when MAD assassinated her parents.) "My card was stolen. I'm just trying to reach the next city. This is my dog; he keeps me safe." That part was certainly true. The guards studied Penny's face. She was now glad that Brain had insisted on rubbing a little dirt on her face, to help make her look more like a desperate refugee. The head guard motioned, and another guard brought forth a scanner from the guard hut. "Place your right hand here." Penny had no choice but to obey. The guards scanned her hand, and there was no immediate response. The guard grunted. "Very well, but you must obtain a new card before you may pass again."

Penny and Brain had taken a few steps away from the checkpoint, thinking they were safe, when suddenly, the hand scanner wailed an alarm and flashed red repeatedly. The scanner flashed instructions to the guards: APPREHEND. The guards chased after Penny, and seized her. She cried out, "Don't stop, Brain! Keep going!" The guards didn't care about a dog; they ignored him. They dragged Penny back to the checkpoint. One of the guards punched her in the gut, knocking the wind out of her. She fell on the ground, curled up in the fetal position.

Brain had sprinted to a safe hiding place behind a wall, and watched. He growled with anger as he saw the guard punch Penny, then search her. They found the concealed handgun and dagger. This alone was more than enough to get her locked up for decades, under MAD's harsh laws. No one outside of the police or military was allowed to possess a firearm of any kind, under any circumstances. Dictatorships greatly prefer an unarmed populace. Brain placed the blame for Penny's predicament squarely on his own head. This was his world; she had been trusting and relying on Brain's experience, and he had forgotten something as basic as a false ID card.

Brain was considering how best to free Penny, when a hand rested on his shoulder, scaring him almost out of his wits. He turned, and saw a figure wrapped in a shawl. She unwrapped the part around her face, revealing the giggling face of Kristy Carter. (As seen in, "What might have been.") "Getting a little jumpy there, aren't you, Brain?" Any other time, Brain would have been delighted to see her, but after what had happened to poor Penny… He frantically tried to explain. "Those guards, they have Penny! No, not 'Penelope,' but PENNY! The good Penny! She's here from another timeline… look, I'll explain later; we have to free her!" Kristy said, "Okay, Brain! Settle down! What are they doing with her now?"

Brain used his gadget eyes, which he had received courtesy of bio-upgrades when MAD had been recruiting Penelope. He zoomed in, and saw that Penny was back up to her feet, and had been handcuffed. The guards were on the radio, calling to a transport. He reported this to Kristy. She sighed, and frowned. "Well, Brain, you know where they're taking her." Brain sadly nodded. "Yes, I believe I do."

Penny had been picked up by a military truck, along with several other people that MAD had caught committing crimes of varying severity. All were bound and helpless, and no one spoke as the truck sped down the road. After about 10 minutes, the truck halted, and the guards ordered them out. They were then herded up the ramp onto a railcar. They were stuffed into cattle cars; standing room only. The door then rolled shut, and was locked. Even on the train, with nearly a hundred people crammed into this large cattle car, still no one spoke. They all looked down, and seemed resigned to their fate. Penny happened to be near a window, so she was able to look out and see the countryside blurring by as the train sped down the tracks.

After an hour, the train slowed to a crawl. Penny looked out again, and saw that the train was entering a structure of some sort. There was a large archway, and the train rolled in underneath it. There were spotlights everywhere, and a long perimeter fence with guard towers every 30 feet. Penny could see that there were guards with large machine guns in the towers, and those guns were aimed at the train as it ground to a halt. The door rolled open, revealing several guards with clubs and snarling guard dogs. "Get out! Everyone out! Line up! Move!"

When the people in the train were standing outside in a line, the officer in charge addressed them. "You are in a MAD re-education camp. You are here because you are guilty of a crime against The Leader, and therefore, against the people. Whether it be treason against MAD, theft, insurrection, spying for the enemy; here, you will all work hard to atone for your sins. The harder you work, the sooner you will be free. Those of you who are too elderly or sick to work, stay where you are." This officer stepped back, and another guard took over. "Men to the left, women to the right! Move!"

Penny ran along with the other women to a large building. They were photographed, given a metal bowl and a spoon, and then prison clothing. This was black and white striped, with a MAD logo over the heart, and a bulls-eye on the back. The message was clear: Try to escape, and you will be shot. Then, they each received a prison haircut. Penny watched as her beloved blonde pigtails were shorn off, and fell on the floor. The women were then herded into a barracks, and each one assigned to a bed. The guards then screamed at them to 'rest while you can; tomorrow, you go to work.' Penny went to sleep, praying she would wake up at home, and this would be just a bad nightmare.

Talon stepped out of the latest military briefing. The news was not good. On all fronts, the enemy was pushing in, slowly but steadily. Not only that, but spies in Europe and Asia indicated that the idea of at least one nuclear weapon being deployed against MAD was all but guaranteed. It was just a matter of when, and where. As Talon was headed to get something to eat, one of his orderlies hurried to catch up to him. "My Leader, I have news! There has been a priority one apprehension." This caused Talon to halt in his tracks. He faced the orderly. "Who was it?" The orderly stammered, "A woman, My Leader. She identified herself as Melissa Brown." The orderly showed him a photo. Talon instantly recognized Penny. Talon looked up. "Was she alone?" The orderly answered, "No, My Leader. There was a dog with her, but he ran off. She was sent to the re-education camp near Metro City." This confirmed it for Talon. He poked his finger in the orderly's chest, and said, "Bring her to ME, immediately." Talon turned and walked away before the orderly could reply.

The lights suddenly burst on in Penny's face, in a sudden explosion of intense light. She could hear guards storming through the barracks, shouting at the prisoners. "Get up! Now! You have five minutes to make your bunks, then report outside for roll call! MOVE!" Penny could see the guards lashing out with their clubs at any prisoner who moved too slowly, or simply for no reason at all. She focused her attention on making her bunk, and the guards passed her by. Fortunately for Penny, she remembered her bed-making skills from the Junior Police Academy, back in her timeline, so she had her bunk looking perfect in less than five minutes. She ran outside with the others, and stood in a line with the rest of the camp, shivering in the rain. There were large screens set up, blaring MAD propaganda endlessly, making outlandish promises of what a paradise there would be once MAD won the war. 'Every family will have a three bedroom house, and two cars in the garage! The streets will be clean, and free of graffiti and homeless wretches!' Then, the screens were muted so that the guards could perform their next task.

The guards then proceeded to slowly read off every name of every prisoner. There were thousands of prisoners, and each one had to be accounted for. The roll call took over an hour, and no one was permitted to move. When the guards had finally finished this torment, the prisoners were released for "breakfast." They lined up with their metal bowls, and the food was rapidly dished out. This meal consisted of one ladle of watery soup, (and nearly half of that splashed out of the bowl and was wasted) along with a chunk of bread about the size of one's fist. They had two minutes to eat this, and store their bowls back in the barracks. Then, they had to report back outside immediately in formation.

The prisoners were marched in formation in the cold, rainy darkness out the main gate of the camp. They then split up into different groups, and were marched in different directions. Penny's group of women was marched to a large, muddy field, approximately two miles from the camp. The guards ordered them to each grab a shovel out of the back of the truck that had followed them. "Now, each one of you, dig a hole that is exactly four cubic feet square!" Penny dared to ask what would happen then they were finished. The guard laughed, and said, "Why, you'll fill it back up, of course! Now DIG!" Penny noted that each of the guards had a pistol, and that all of the pistols were out of their holsters. Clearly, they were itching for one of the prisoners to refuse to work, or become unable to work.

When Penny first sank her shovel into the mud, it really hit her. She was in a desperate, hopeless situation. This was not "rehabilitation,' or true justice for a crime, this was slow execution. There were many examples of this kind of savage barbarism in history, and she knew that the vast majority of prisoners did not survive. The rain did an excellent job of disguising her tears of hopeless despair.

After an hour of digging, Penny's hole was halfway done. She heard a car approach, that had come from the camp. An officer stepped out, and spoke to the head guard. They both looked at Penny, and the officer pointed at her, and ordered her to come. The head guard curled his lip in disdain, eyeing Penny. He sneered to the officer, "What could MAD high command possibly want with this traitorous wretch?" The officer replied, "I am not in the habit of questioning orders coming from The Leader himself. Perhaps YOU would like to do so?" The head guard stammered, "N-n-no, sir!" The officer shoved Penny toward the car. "Get in."

Penny sat silently in the back seat of the car. She thought that the car was driving remarkably slowly. Truthfully, she was savoring the opportunity to rest, after digging. Her hands were throbbing, and blisters were already forming. When the car was out of sight of the work crew, and yet before they were back in sight of the main camp, the car halted, and the officer shut off the engine. He ordered Penny to get out. Naturally, this made Penny extremely nervous. Yet, when the MAD officer got out and stood in front of her, he smiled and said, "Relax. I'm with the resistance." He then pulled out a portable radio and spoke into it. "I have her." He looked back to Penny. "You have two friends who are quite anxious to meet you."

Penny noticed two figures emerging from a nearby hill. Almost instantly, she recognized the first one. "BRAIN!" She ran up and hugged him tight. Then, she looked at the other person. Penny gasped as she looked at the young woman of Asian descent, and recognized Kristy Carter. Without letting go of Brain, she gave her other friend a hug. However, Brain put a stop to this. "Penny, we can hug later. We still have to get you the hell out of here. You're still in great danger." The 'MAD officer' agreed. "Indeed; you all are. You must flee immediately. MAD high command wants her badly."

He then placed a grenade under the car's hood, and stepped back. There was a satisfying explosion, and it now appeared that the car had been hit by explosives. He fired three shots at the car's windshield. He then sighed, and said, "I hate this part." He took his officer's pistol, and shot himself in the shoulder. The MAD officer/resistance fighter fell unconscious in the dirt, after Kristy Carter zapped him with a stun gun that knocked him out cold. Now, when he was discovered, it would appear that resistance fighters had ambushed his car and stolen the captive Penny. Kristy took his gun, to complete the appearance of a hit-and-run by the resistance.

Kristy and Brain helped an exhausted Penny up the hill, and into the back seat of a Jeep that belonged to Kristy. Brain got into the back seat with Penny, and told Kristy they were ready to go. She rapidly started the Jeep, and the three of them sped away, staying off the main roads with their many checkpoints, and disappearing into the hills along single lane dirt roads. Brain allowed Penny to hug him with relief, and he also gave her some food to eat. They couldn't relax, however, until they had put 50 miles distance between them and the re-education camp. Kristy then found a cave big enough to back the Jeep into, so that they could not be spotted from the air. Just to be sure, she grabbed some branches, and camouflaged the front of the Jeep.

It had been years since Talon had been so livid. "What do you MEAN, you lost her? AGAIN?" The unfortunate MAD agent was backing away as he said, "My Leader, the resistance; they ambushed the car that she was in, and shot the officer. They took her." Talon roared, "Barricade the entire STATE! No one goes in or out until she is found!" In her private chamber, Penelope had observed this on her tablet, then turned it off. She lay back in her bed, lost in thought. She knew why Talon wanted Penny there so badly, and she had very mixed feelings about it.

Penny removed the hood of her prison jacket, and Brain said, "Oh, no, Penny! Your hair!" Penny's beloved, trademark pigtails were gone, and her head had only about half an inch of blonde hair. Penny sighed as she ran a hand across her head. "I know, Brain, but it'll grow back eventually." She then talked with Brain and Kristy about her experience in the camp; how terrified she had been, and how she could feel the spirit being sucked out of her; even the will to live, after only one day. She recounted what she had seen: the barracks, the shower, roll call, eating a totally inadequate meal, and then, forced hard labor that served absolutely no purpose.

Kristy sighed, and gently told Penny, "Unfortunately, you didn't even see the worst of it." Kristy explained that all throughout history, murderous governments had used camps such as these to rid themselves of people they deemed undesirable. "The Soviets and their gulags, the Nazis, the Chinese communists, the Imperial Japanese, and now, MAD; they all resort to exterminating those that they deem unworthy of life." Kristy described how the selections worked, and how the people disappeared forever without a trace. "And, Penny, these camps are everywhere. There are over a hundred of them in North America, and over two hundred in South America. MAD is getting rid of anyone they see as either useless or dangerous."

After this depressing conversation, Kristy gave Penny a change of clothes that she had brought along, and they buried Penny's prison uniform. Brain opened a cooler in the back of the Jeep, and they all had dinner. Between the three of them, they realized that since MAD badly wanted Penny, and it seemed obvious that MAD had somehow brought Penny to this timeline, the only way to reverse it lay in MAD's headquarters. Kristy said, "Well, how will we get you in there, Penny?" This was a tricky question. Penny thought about it, and finally said, "I'll just walk up to the front gate, and tell them who I am. The hard part will be getting to the capital without getting caught at another checkpoint, and shipped off to one of those horrible camps." Penny looked at Kristy, and asked, "How close can you get us to the MAD headquarters?"

Kristy scoffed, then remembered: Penny was from another world. She explained; "Penny, we'll be lucky to get into the city, let alone anywhere near the headquarters. That place is THE most heavily defended place in the world. 24 hour guards for miles around the headquarters, electronic and airborne surveillance… nobody sneaks in anywhere near that place." Penny nodded, and said, "Well, let's just see if we can get into the city, then see what happens from there." She then shivered; the temperature was dropping rapidly in the hills where they were. Kristy apologetically said, "I know it's cold, but we don't dare light a fire. The heat and smoke would be visible to MAD infra-red for miles around." Brain spoke up. "Luckily for us, we packed an extra large sleeping bag, AND, an inflatable air mattress." Brain then went to work connecting an air pump to the air mattress, and worked his little tail off pumping it full of air. Penny then rolled out the sleeping bag, and the three of them got in and cuddled together, sharing body heat in the cold night. Penny was surprised at how comfortable it was; this was a thick, high-quality inflatable mattress, and very comfortable.

Talon sat with his wife Penelope in her private chamber, and they ate dinner together. They were interrupted by a beep on Talon's video watch. "What is it?" A breathless MAD general informed him, "My Leader, Africa has fallen. All of our forces there have been defeated. We've lost our foothold on the continent." Talon sighed, and replied with only a single word. "Understood." He then ended the communication. He glanced at Penelope, and said to her, "Don't worry, dear; Africa was merely a sideshow. Its loss is no great concern. At least now, we won't have to worry about supplying those troops any longer."

Penelope nodded, then was racked with a wave of intense pain from her abdominal wounds. A MAD doctor entered the chamber. Talon appraised her. "Does it hurt badly, my dear?" Her face frozen in a wince of agony, Penelope silently nodded. Talon slowly said, "Yes, I'd imagine it does… too bad, especially since it was completely unnecessary." Penelope then passed out from the pain. Talon stood and looked down at his unconscious wife. He continued, "Perhaps this will teach you a lesson in the value of loyalty." The doctor paused from examining Penelope, and asked; "My Leader, if I may dare to inquire; what did you mean about loyalty?" Talon glanced at the doctor. "Well, let's just say, she deserves this pain. But I don't want her to die from it. Sometimes lessons to loved ones have to be painful." Talon then nodded toward Penelope, signaling the doctor to concentrate on her work.

In the safety of a cave deep in the hills, Penny woke up at the same time as Kristy. The night had been surprisingly comfortable, with three bodies in one large sleeping bag, sharing body heat. Penny and Kristy looked at each other, then down at Brain, who was still softly snoring. They smiled at each other, then they both leaned down and kissed Brain on the opposite sides of his head. He woke up with a start to the giggles of Penny and Kristy. Brain smiled, and said, "I knew you two would wake me up like that; I just knew it." Brain couldn't be angry; there were certainly much more unpleasant ways of being woken up.

After breakfast, they all piled back into the Jeep, and continued on their way. Kristy drove her Jeep to within three miles of the MAD Capital, which was as close as she dared drive. She parked the Jeep in an abandoned parking structure, concealed deep in the shadows. Kristy, Penny and Brain would then walk the rest of the way on foot. As they walked, they discussed the plan. They obviously knew that Talon was the leader of MAD, and that he badly wanted to meet with Penny, which was now the resistance's best shot at ending Talon's life. Kristy said to Penny, "I hope it won't bother you too much, having to take a life—" But Penny instantly assured her that this would not be a problem at all. "Believe me, Kristy, I will have NO problem ending Talon. It's the only way to bring this horrible war to a close quickly. I've seen enough to get an idea of all the lives he's already destroyed in his endless quest for power. And, if Penelope gets in the way, well, it would be very strange to take her down as well, but I'll do anything to end Talon and MAD. Again."

After a while, they reached the outer limits of the city, and stealthily crept down the streets, dodging patrols until they saw a MAD checkpoint. Penny looked at Kristy and Brain, gave them both an encouraging hug, and said, "Well, here we go!" Penny stepped out of hiding, and boldly strode up to the MAD checkpoint, followed by Brain and Kristy. The guard started to say, "Your papers, please," but paused with shock as he recognized Penny. She was a priority one target for capture. Penny held her hands in front of her, to show that she was not holding anything. The guards seized her, as she glared at them and said, "I understand your leader wants to see me?" The guard said, "Yes, indeed, he does, and he also said to bring your canine friend here." Brain was shoved over to stand next to Penny. The guard pulled out his pistol as he faced Penny and Brain.

"However, our glorious Leader didn't say anything about HER." The guard rapidly turned and shot Kristy in the forehead. Penny screamed out "KRISTY!" However, she and Brain were both restrained by other MAD guards. Then, they were dragged away from the checkpoint. Penny's last glimpse of Kristy was of her lying motionless in the street, a growing pool of red expanding around her head. As they were dragged down a corridor in a building by MAD agents, the head guard told Penny, "If I had my way, you and your traitor dog would be lying back there in the street, next to the other one. But I have my orders."

The group went into a large elevator, which whisked them not only down, but forward, to the left and right, then finally it came to a halt. The doors opened, revealing more MAD guards in an enormous conference room. Penny looked around. She saw maps all over the walls, computers, screens everywhere, a large conference table, and naturally, a giant MAD logo staring down at them. At the far end of the room, double doors swung open, and Talon entered. He greeted Penny jovially.

"Well, hello there, Penny! Glad to finally meet you. Welcome to my world." Talon glanced at Brain. "Hey there, Brain; enjoyed the past three years?" Brain growled, because he had no good comeback. In this world, Talon had won. He had stolen Brain's best friend, married her, had Inspector Gadget killed, taken over the United States, and now was unquestioned leader of most of North and South America. Talon mockingly said to Brain, "Oh, now, don't get all pissy. We let you live, didn't we? And, if not for the bio-upgrades that MAD gave you, Father Time would have claimed you by now."

Talon then ordered Penny and Brain to have a seat. They did so, then Talon sat down at the table across from them, and ordered the guards to leave. "You're dismissed, and we are not to be disturbed." Talon had little reason to fear; he was armed with a pistol, while Penny and Brain were not. Talon looked at Penny and sighed. "So, Penny, let's get down to business." Talon then explained why Penny had been brought here. "I assume you saw, in the news, how my wife, Penelope, was injured in an explosion." Penny nodded, and replied, "I understand she's fighting for her life." Talon slowly shook his head. "No, actually, she's dying slowly. I've brought in all the best doctors. The damage was too severe. All we can really do at this point is make her comfortable, and delay the inevitable. That's where YOU come in."

Penny felt fear and dread beginning to build up inside of her. She thought that she knew where this was headed. Talon soon confirmed it. "Penny, we need your body. Just as your Uncle's mind was transferred into memory chips, we're going to transfer Penelope's mind into your body." Brain spoke up. "But then, what will happen to Penny's mind?" Talon silently shrugged his shoulders. The meaning was clear: she would die. Talon could read the fear in Penny's face, and said, "Oh, cheer up! She is YOU, after all… sort of… just a different version of you. If nothing else, this will give philosophers something to debate for a while."

Penny said, "Why don't you just build her an artificial body?" Talon scoffed and said, "Would you want to sleep with an android?" Now, Penny's strong fear was joined with equally strong disgust. "So, you're telling me that you went to all the trouble to research how to locate alternate timelines, then locate ME, then invent a way to kidnap me, then bring me here, then take over my body for your wife, just so you won't have to sleep with your wife in an artificial body?" Talon considered, then cheerfully said, "Yeah! Pretty much." Penny shook her head and looked at Brain, who was also dumbfounded by Talon's plan. Penny and Brain said in unison: "What a loser!"

The double doors behind Talon opened again, this time allowing Penelope to enter. She slowly walked over to the table, and sat next to Talon. With a slight smile, she said, "Hello, Brain. It's been a while." Brain glared at her, and did not respond. Penelope then looked at Penny. "Hello, Penny… we're probably violating some law of space and time, with the two of us being in the same room together, aren't we?" Talon then got things back to his agenda. He spoke to Penny, and drew his pistol, and aimed it at her. "And now, finally, you're going to say yes to this." Penny just scoffed. "Or what? You'll shoot me? Wouldn't that defeat the whole purpose of this?" Without a word, Talon moved his pistol so that it was now pointed at Brain. Penny gritted her teeth, and moved herself in front of Brain, saying, "Don't you DARE!" Even Penelope said to Talon, "Now, just hold on a minute here…"

Talon forcefully yelled at Penelope, "I'm doing this for YOU!" Penelope thought about it for a moment, then said, "No… you're doing it for yourself, not for me." Before Talon could reply, alarms from the MAD computers started wailing. Everyone turned to look at the screens, which warned of a nuclear ICBM launched from a submarine far out in the Atlantic. It was headed for the MAD Capital, at approximately 15,000 miles per hour. The ICBM would complete its 5,000 mile journey in approximately 20 minutes. The air filled with the sound of air raid sirens, just as Penny had heard when she first arrived in this horrible timeline.

Penny stepped a few steps closer to the screen, in utter shock at what she was seeing. Talon, seeing that he now had a clear line of fire, quickly aimed his pistol and fired three rapid shots. Two bullets ripped through Brain's chest, and one went right through his head. Penny whirled around, and screamed "BRAIN!" She scooped up his limp body in her arms, and pleaded for him to respond. "Brain, please, say something! BRAIN!" Penny had never cried so hard in her entire life. She was paralyzed with grief. Talon lowered his pistol, and said, "Now, you have no one. Your uncle and your dog are dead. That traitor Kristy Carter is dead. Quimby and HQ are LONG dead. Just give in."

In an instant, Penny's paralyzing grief turned into a killing rage, like no rage she had ever felt. She dropped Brain's body, leaped up on the table, and rushed toward Talon. He raised his pistol, but as he fired, Penelope shoved him and threw his aim off. He missed Penny, which allowed Penny to tackle him. The gun flew from Talon's hand, and Penny grabbed him by the neck and pinned him to the floor. Talon attempted to fight back, but Penny's rage and adrenaline gave her incredible strength. She literally squeezed the life out of Talon, and even when it was obvious that he was dead, she kept squeezing, gritting her teeth, and snarling with animal-like rage, all at the same time. She then picked up the pistol, fired the remaining 12 rounds into Talon's body, then thrashed his face with the butt of the pistol, while screaming at him. "You MONSTER! You murderer! You destroy everything you touch! I HATE YOU!"

Penelope, meanwhile, made her way to the other side of the table, and gently picked up Brain's body. She cradled her former friend in her arms. Her face was filled with sadness, and regret. She softly said, "Oh, Brain… my poor little friend, I'm so sorry…" She looked up at the screens, which were monitoring the incoming ICBM. She then gazed up at the ceiling. "Uncle… I've been a fool. Such a fool. But I'll do what I can now."

When Talon's face resembled a bloody, shredded side of beef, Penny's rage was spent, leaving her with just grief. She made her way over to Brain's body, which was still being held by Penelope. Penny looked into Penelope's eyes, and saw the extreme sorrow and regret. Penelope said, "I've been such an idiot, falling for that Hitler-wannabe psycho Talon. And, even now, my little friend here saved me. His death forced me to accept what a fool I've been." She gently kissed Brain on the cheek. "Brain… you never let me down; you never betrayed me. I don't deserve you." Penelope looked up and into Penny's eyes. "Help me undo all the damage I've caused. For Brain's sake." Penny nodded.

Penny gently set Brain's body in a chair, then helped Penelope over to the screens. She ordered the computer to contact the United Nations. The means to communicate had always been there; it had just never been utilized before now. The various world leaders were surprised to see Penelope, the Deputy Leader of MAD, contacting them directly. Penelope spoke. "Ladies and Gentlemen, MAD hereby surrenders. Talon is already dead. We know that there is an incoming nuclear missile. We will not retaliate. Please accept our surrender, and don't launch any more, for the sake of the planet." Penelope then broadcast to all MAD forces, ordering them to surrender to Allied forces immediately. She also ordered that all re-education camps halt their 'activities,' and release all the remaining prisoners.

After this, Penelope led Penny to a booth in the corner of the room. She set the controls, and told Penny, "All you have to do is step inside, and I'll send you back to your timeline. This building, and this city, will soon be destroyed, and this machine with it. You won't have to worry about this happening again." Penny asked, "Won't you come with me? We may be able to save you—" Penelope held up her hand. "No. I don't belong in your timeline. Besides…" She wearily sat down, cuddling Brain's dead body in her arms once more. "…It's time for me to really face the consequences of my actions." Penelope looked at Penny, and smiled. "When you get back there, you give your dog Brain a great big hug for me."

Penny looked at the screen, and saw that there were still ten minutes left before the missile arrived. She looked at Penelope, and said, "Before I go, I have to ask… WHY? Why did you betray Uncle Gadget, and Brain, and everyone else? And most of all, why did you fall for Talon, of all people?" Penny's lip curled with disgust at the mention of Talon's name. Penelope couldn't help but smile. "I remember when I felt the same way you did about Talon. What can I say, Penny… he caught me in my late teens, I was feeling rebellious and resentful of my Uncle, and Talon brainwashed me. He convinced me that Uncle Gadget was responsible for the death of my parents. He convinced me that MAD could make the world a much better place. He lied to me about what was really going on in the re-education camps. Then, we had all those stunning military successes, early on… countries fell before us, one after another. And, even when I saw that Talon was lying about one thing or another, I convinced myself that I could make things better, once the fighting was over. And before I knew it, I was in so deep that there was no way out."

Penelope paused her reflection as she looked sadly down at Brain's body, and stroked his fur. "There were even some times, Penny, when I wanted to run away from MAD and return to Brain. I knew where he was hiding, in my old room, and I left him alone deliberately." Penny then asked, "How were you injured so badly? I heard it was from a bomb?" Penelope nodded. "It was a bomb intended to assassinate Talon. We were on a train, headed to a rally. There was a group of us, within MAD, who wanted Talon dead. I was going to take over, and try to change some things. But it had to look like an outside assassination. If I were to just kill him in his sleep, then I would be arrested and executed. Talon's orders. I guess he never really, completely trusted me. Unfortunately, the bomb was planted in the wrong place, so when the bomb went off, I took the worst of it. Talon was shielded from the blast by a tabletop. Luckily for me, I was holding my purse and some thick coats in my lap, which absorbed some of the blast… some, but not enough."

At that moment, the computer announced, 'Two minutes until impact.' Penelope said, "Well, that's all we have time for. You need to leave, Penny, right now. Take care of your family in your own time." Penny backed into the booth, and Penelope pushed the control pad on the table. The door slid shut, and with a flash of light, Penny disappeared. Penelope sat, alone and terrified, in a MAD bunker, holding the lifeless body of Brain in her arms, looking around. The countdown on the screen was under one minute. The map on the screen showed that the red X representing the missile was nearly on top of their location. Penelope held Brain's body even tighter, hunched over in her chair, awaiting the inevitable end.

Months ago, Talon had assured Penelope that this bunker was strong enough and deep enough to withstand a direct hit from a nuclear weapon. She now found out that this, too, had been a lie. Much as everything else that Talon had promised her ever since they met. The countdown on the screen reached zero, and for a few seconds, nothing happened. Then, all power cut out, and the bunker was in total darkness. The emergency backup power tried to come on, with the emergency red lights flickering weakly off and on. Penelope heard an intense, deafening rumble above her. There were crashes and explosions in the elevator shaft. She gripped Brain's body close, and said, "Oh, Brain, Uncle Gadget; I'm so sorry… I love you both…" The elevator shaft burst open, and the entire bunker was consumed in an instant by nuclear hellfire. Penelope had, at last, paid the full price for falling in love with Talon.

Penny slowly regained consciousness, and could feel that she was lying down on a bed. She opened her eyes, and saw that she was in the bedroom of her own house. She sat up and looked around, and everything was in perfect order. No shattered windows, no caved in roofs, no debris on the floor. She felt her body, and it was whole and uninjured. She touched her head, and all of her hair was there, including her familiar pigtails. The bedroom door was cracked open, and she could hear her family talking downstairs. Then, there was a soft tap at the door. Brain poked his head in. He had been concerned for Penny, and came up here by himself to check on her.

"Penny? Are you all—OOF!" Brain was interrupted as Penny seized him in her arms, squeezed him in a hug that was so tight it was painful, and sat on the bed, holding him without saying a word. Brain could feel tears of relief and joy soaking into his fur where Penny had buried her face. He gave her a minute, then quietly said, "Oh, my gosh… Penny… you're hurting me…" She eased her grip, (slightly) and said, "I'm sorry, Brain, but I am SO glad to see you… you have no idea." She looked at the clock, and asked, "How long have I been out?" Brain was confused. "Well… we just got back from the beach an hour ago. You were fast asleep, and you looked so peaceful, Fred carried you upstairs and let you rest on the bed. The rest of us have been downstairs talking."

Penny was shocked and confused. "Only an hour ago? The beach?!" That felt like it had been so long ago. How long had she been in that horrible timeline? Three, four days? How was this possible? Penny looked at Brain, and confessed: "Brain, I was pulled into another timeline again! An awful, horrible time, and I just got back." Brain remembered. "Oh, you mean like the one where MAD took over the country and banned Christmas?" Penny nodded. "Yes, only it was so much worse this time, Brain…" He tilted his head with confusion. "How could it possibly have been worse?" Penny couldn't restrain herself. She was so happy to see Brain alive again, she pulled him close, kissed him full force on the cheek, and hugged him tight again. She patted and rubbed his back, as Brain said, "It was that bad, huh?" Penny said, "I'll tell you the details later, but among many other horrible things, I saw you shot, Brain. You died."

Penny then asked Brain to keep this between the two of them. She knew that Brain would believe her, because they had dealt with this before, but she didn't want to burden the rest of the family with this… had it really been just a nightmare? She decided to simply tell the rest of the family that she had woken up from a very bad dream. It was not far from the truth.

Penny and Brain walked down the stairs of her house, and entered the living room. Everyone was there; Uncle Gadget, his girlfriend Julie, as well as Fred and Lucy. They all greeted Penny warmly. "Hey! There she is… how are you feeling, Penny?" Penny smiled, and answered, "Now that I'm awake, I feel great! It is SO good to see all of you." She sat between her Uncle Gadget and her husband Fred, and pulled them both close to her, hugging one with each arm. She managed to keep the tears in, but it didn't matter. Everyone in the room knew Penny well, and they knew when she was in mental turmoil. Soon, she loosened her grip on them, and explained. "I just had the most awful, horrible dream… all of you were gone. I don't want to go into the details, but it just made me realize, once again, how lucky I am to have all of you in my life."

Penny sat in the living room of her home, with her Uncle Gadget, her husband Fred, with Brain and Lucy, and Gadget's girlfriend Julie. They talked and laughed well into the night. Finally, when the grandfather clock tolled midnight, Uncle Gadget and Julie stood up. "Well, I think it's time we headed home. We had a wonderful day with you." Penny warmly smiled and hugged her Uncle. "Okay, Uncle; I'll see you tomorrow."

After they left, Penny walked around her home, almost as if she was making sure that her home was as she remembered it in every room. Indeed, there was no apocalyptic war zone waiting for her, no matter where she looked. She peeked out the window, and saw the street lights brightly shining, which allowed her to see neat, manicured lawns and carefully groomed hedges and trees in the beautiful neighborhood that she loved so much.

She felt a presence come up behind her, and it was her husband, Fred. He quietly said to her, "Penny, I'm glad to see you feeling better, and I'd just like to apologize one more time for how foolish I was today at the beach." Penny turned and looked at him with confusion. Fred hesitated, and said, "Umm… you know, the stupid thing I said about your swimsuit. I'm really sorry." Penny suddenly remembered that argument, which seemed like ages ago, and then, she started to laugh out loud. After all the horrible things she had witnessed, in the other timeline, as a direct result of her falling for Talon; to think that she had started having doubts about her marriage… over an argument about a swimsuit?! Penny hugged her husband close, and said, "Fred, don't even worry about it. That was such a silly argument. Just forget all about it."

Naturally, this just confused poor Fred even more, but when he looked down at his beautiful wife Penny, who was looking up at him with a smile, and struggling to contain her giggles, he decided just to go with it. The important thing was, she wasn't mad at him, so he decided to accept what she said, and just try to be more thoughtful with his comments in the future. Penny kissed her husband, then they walked upstairs together. On the way, Penny waved goodnight to Brain and Lucy, who were preparing to go upstairs to their own room, and get some sleep. It had been a very long day.

The next morning, after breakfast, Penny stepped outside into the morning sunshine. It was going to be a beautiful day. She walked down the sidewalk to her Uncle Gadget's house next door. When she got to the doorstep, she saw that the screen door was closed, but the front door was open. She tapped on the glass, and Uncle Gadget's head extended from the kitchen. "Penny! Come on in! You don't need to knock, silly; you're family." Penny thought it was the polite thing to do regardless.

She walked into her uncle's house, once again reassured that there was no shattered glass all over the floor. She pushed those thoughts out of her head, smiled at her uncle, and said, "Good morning, Uncle! Where's Julie?" Uncle Gadget informed Penny that Julie was out shopping. Uncle Gadget then looked at his niece with concern. "Penny, I didn't want to make a big deal of this yesterday in front of everyone, but are you really okay? I could tell you looked as if you had seen a ghost when you first came downstairs." Inside her head, Penny thought, "A ghost, or an apocalyptic warzone where all my family and friends were killed… no biggie…" However, she kept this to herself, and assured her uncle that it had just been a terrible dream.

At that moment, they both heard a noise outside. Uncle Gadget's latest invention, an automated robotic lawn mower, had apparently decided to attack the rose bushes. Uncle Gadget said, "Wowsers, that stupid machine is attacking my roses! Penny, I'll be right back…" He ran out the door. Penny could hear her uncle yelling at the machine. "Stop! Those roses are prize winners! Julie's going to kill me!" Penny giggled as he chased the machine around the yard.

While her uncle dealt with his rogue lawn mower, Penny turned around in the kitchen. On a whim, she walked up to a certain cupboard, opened the door, and reached inside. She pushed against the back… and there was no hidden door. No hidden crawlway. Penny smiled with relief, then shut the cupboard door. She then walked out of the kitchen, up the stairs, and walked up to the door of her old bedroom. She gently pushed the door open, and looked inside. There were no storage totes full of food and weapons on the floor, and no maps on the walls. After Penny had moved out to get married, Uncle Gadget and Julie had converted this room into a guest bedroom. The bed was perfectly made.

Then, Penny noticed that there was one thing that this room had in common with the other timeline: On the wall was the same framed photo of a 12 year old Penny, hugging her beloved friend Brain. As she smiled at this, she heard her uncle coming back inside. "Penny? Where did you go?" Penny called out, "I'm up here, Uncle!" Gadget walked up the stairs and joined her. "Looking over your old room, are you? Do you like what we've done with it?" Penny nodded, and said, "I especially like that picture of me with Brain." Uncle Gadget smiled, and told her that part of him still thought of Penny as this little girl. "I can't help it, Penny; even though I know you're a grown woman now."

Penny hugged her uncle, then noticed he had streaks of oil on his face. She laughed, and asked if he was all right. "Oh, I think I managed to beat that robotic lawn mower into submission… for now." Penny giggled and mentioned to her uncle, "You know, we have a very nice riding lawn mower; it does a great job. You're always welcome to use it." Gadget thoughtfully said, "I just might take you up on that." Then, he and Penny walked downstairs, and sat down to talk.

Uncle Gadget said, "So, as I was starting to say, I could tell last night that you had a very disturbing dream, and while I don't mean to pry, I really do wish you'd let me help you. It's not healthy to keep these things bottled up inside of you." Penny replied, "I know, Uncle, but are you sure? I don't want to dump all my problems on you." Uncle Gadget put his hands on top of Penny's hands, and said, "Listen, I know I'm not your actual father, but I've raised you since you were a young child, and I will always love you as if you were my own little girl. And any good parent would do anything to help his little girl." Penny felt very touched by this, and she had to admit that she looked at her Uncle Gadget as a father figure. He just happened to be a father figure who was a bionic crime fighter.

"Okay, Uncle… Well, it started right after the trip to the beach." Penny then gave him the highlights of her experience in the other timeline. She held nothing back, including telling him how her alter-ego Penelope had betrayed all of her family and friends. By the time she finished retelling this story, Uncle Gadget could tell that his Penny was becoming very distraught all over again. She looked up at him with large eyes filling with tears, and her lip was quivering. Uncle Gadget gently pulled Penny close and gave her a consoling hug. He gently patted her on the back. Penny was not all-out crying, but she did sniffle a bit. Gadget quietly said, "It's ok, Penny. I know you'd never do those awful things."

Penny was savoring her uncle's embrace, and said in agreement, "Absolutely not, Uncle. Like I told Brain, I'd die first, before I betrayed any of you." Uncle Gadget thought for a moment, then said, "Here's what you should do. That dream was so disturbing because everyone you cared about was taken away from you, right?" Penny silently nodded her head in agreement. Gadget continued; "Well, then, you do the opposite here. Reach out to a very good friend who had to go away. You mentioned that in your dream, Kristy Carter died? Well, here in the real world, she's very much alive, and she works for the FBI. You should reconnect with her." Penny was unsure. "Oh, but Uncle, she's very busy, and I doubt if she even remembers me—" Uncle Gadget gently put one finger on Penny's lips to shush her. "Penny, those are excuses. If you want my advice, the best way to conquer that dream is to do the opposite of what it showed you. Gather your good friends close to you, and enjoy their company while you can. None of us will be here forever, you know."

Penny smiled at her uncle, and said, "Thank you, Uncle Gadget. I'll certainly think about it. I feel better already, just getting this off my chest." Uncle Gadget replied, "By the way, Penny; who else knows about this dream of yours?" She replied, "Just you, and Brain. No one else." Gadget nodded, and said that it would probably be better to keep it that way.

After Penny walked back to her house, she sat at the desk in her home office. After spending a moment in thought, she reached for her phone, and then her box of phone numbers. She searched until she found the one that she was looking for. She dialed the number. After three rings, she heard a voice answer. "FBI, Agent Carter." Penny felt a surge of warm happiness in her chest as she said, "Hey, Kristy, guess who?" After a brief pause, she got her answer. "PENNY?!" She had to move the phone away from her ear, the response was so enthusiastic. "Oh, my, GOSH, Penny; it's been…" Penny finished the sentence for her. "It's been too long, Kristy, and that's my fault."

After a bit of chatting, Penny extended an invitation for Kristy to join them for a few days in Metro City. "I realized, very recently, how important it is not to let good friends slip away, Kristy. Will you come?" Kristy's answer made Penny smile. "Just try to stop me!" Penny replied, "Perfect! I know that Brain and my uncle will be thrilled to see you, and I know where there's an amazing beach… oh, and Kristy? Bring your swimsuit."

AFTERWORD

Yes, I went down the alternate reality rabbit hole! I hope I managed to make it interesting. This is my 18th Inspector Gadget story in just over a year; I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel of story ideas. I've touched on everything from Brain's birth, to the origin of Inspector Gadget, all the way to Penny and Brain passing away from old age; what else is left? So, I tried the alternate reality angle.

I also tried to make it painfully clear what a disaster it would have been if Penny fell for an arch-criminal like Talon. MAD's goal has always been global domination. For the life of me, I will NEVER understand why some think it's 'sweet' or 'romantic' for Penny and Talon to be a couple.

As I have said before, I hope no one is upset that Brain can talk in my stories. We can plainly see from the shows that he can easily understand speech. Penny is a genius, and friends with Professor Von Slickstein. It only makes sense that they'd invent technology that allows Brain to speak. It did happen in the Gadget and the Gadgetinis episode, "No Brainer," So it's canon!

The MAD re-education camps were meant to represent the worst places that dictatorships have placed unwanted people. There are a lot of similarities to Nazi death camps, but I didn't want to get TOO dark, so I left out the more horrifying things such as gas chambers and firing squads. Those things are more implied. Besides, I think that outright mentioning those in an Inspector Gadget story would trivialize it too much, and be disrespectful.

I hope you enjoyed this story!