Chapter IX: Waterloo

Lawainie Lait was in an extremely foul temper. She was struggling to maintain the loyalty of her minions, after the fight with Chip. She hated to admit it, but the chipmunk had been an even match for her. She'd underestimated the power his emotions would give him.

Bruised, battered and beaten, she sat in her tent, as her staff doctor examined her. The old, wizened fox shook his head.

"You'll be eating through a straw for a few days," he said. "That chipmunk cracked this jaw a good one."

She grabbed him by the lapel of his coat.
"Jus' fix it," she said, mumbling through her aching teeth. The fox nodded, and began slowly and methodically wiring her jawbone in place. Lawainie endured the discomfort stoically. Her pain was soothed by the knowledge that her sister was finally dead.

Or was she?

The entire camp had watched a flaming plane streak by overhead earlier in the day. There was no way that the pilot had been able to keep it intact all the way to the ground. Only old Geegaw or Gadget herself could have pulled off such a feat. But still, Lawainie's mind carried a lingering doubt. If that pilot had arrived back from the northlands in time, and survived…then there was a chance that Gadget Hackwrench was still alive. Alive and well, even. The thought made the very blood in her veins boil.

"I never should have trusted Nimnul's crazy invention," she said, even though the memory of the suffering it caused did bring a smile to her face. As soon as the doctor was finished, she rose and walked out into the camp. Gurfang, the rat captain, walked up alongside her.

"Are you all right, my lady?"
"I'll live. Which is more than I can say for Chip Maplewood, if I ever lay hold of him. Come, we must mobilize our forces. I want to attack the abbey at dawn, and finish it off quickly."

The night lay cold and still. But within Redwall Abbey, there was merriment to go around. Couples whirled on the floor of Great Hall, to the bright music of pipers and fiddlers. Great tables of food were set up, and the abbey's old ones competed with one another to see who could tell the best yarn.

Chip watched in amusement as Tammy and Reguba danced. The young squirrel's affections were being slowly but surely transferred to the handsome young abbeydweller, and he worried that when the time came to leave, the parting would be difficult for both of them. He shook these thoughts off, concentrating on the happy scene before him.

Sitting at his side, her hand in his, Gadget was glowing in the spirit of the occasion. She was still recuperating from the effects of her ordeal. She had been returned completely to normal, but the weakness and her previous injuries would keep her on the inactive list for a while yet. With a woolly shawl around her shoulders, and a mug of steaming chocolate near to hand, she was happy to simply sit on the sidelines with Chip. Which suited him just fine as well.

"Chip, can I ask you something?"
"Sure, Gadge."

"Do you think we're taking this thing a little fast?"

He tipped his fedora back, and looked at her in puzzlement.

"What thing?"
"Our relationship, you goof!" she laughed, before turning more serious. "I know we've thrown some pretty serious words around these past few days."

Chip sighed.
"I know we have, Gadget. But I want you to know, I've meant every word I've said. And I've felt this way for a long time."

"So have I," she said. "Like I told Rose once, I think I was just too inexperienced to realize it, until that day in the hangar."

"Well, if we both feel the same way, and we have for this long, then I figure speed at this point isn't an issue."

"Trust you to make love into a logical case," she giggled. "But it sounds just fine to me. I haven't been so happy in a long time, Chip. For the first time since I was a little girl, I'm actually thinking past tomorrow and looking forward to things down the road." She looked down at her hands, unsure of how to address another issue on her mind. "Chip…are we going to make it home, you think?"
"If you're asking do I think your sister's going to come in here on a rampage, then yes. But I think those surprises you whipped up will even the odds a bit. Righteous genius wins out over evil genius every time."

"How long do you think she'll wait?"
"I'd say we've got till about dawn."

"That soon?"
"Oh yes. She'll be spoiling for a fight, after the beating I dished out to her."
Gadget ran her fingers over several bruises that his hat would normally hide.

"That makes twice you've gone to bat for me."

"Well, like I said before, Tammy deserves a lot of credit for this last one. At the speeds she was pulling, it's a good thing she didn't crash the 'Wing before she got back here."

"That reminds me, I need to see just how much damage the plane took."
Chip cleared his throat.

"Uh, Gadget, you might want to wait till you're a little stronger before you start looking into the Rangerwing. Its not a pretty sight."

"How bad is 'not pretty'?"

"Remember how I said Tammy destroyed it getting back here?"
"Yeah, I figured you were exaggerating."

"I wasn't. There's a wing missing, landing gear's jammed, and the overdrive looks like its burned out forever and ever, just like the engines."
Gadget slumped.

"That bad, huh?"

"Yeah. But cheer up. We can all fit in the Rangerplane, and I already made arrangements to have the 'Wing shipped home by human mail. You can work on it in the hangar that way."

"Golly, Chip, you think of everything."

"Not everything," he smiled, "I'm not the one with the sky high intelligence quotient."

"Of course not, that's why you've got me," Gadget replied with a sly look.

"Oh, a wise-mouse now, are we? C'mere, you."

Gadget sighed contentedly as she and Chip kissed, oblivious to the rest of their surroundings.

Across the room, Dale looked at Monterey Jack.

"Seems like they're doin' that an awful lot, lately."
"Too roight," Monty answered. "And wot else d'you expect from a new couple? They're head over heels with each othah, pally."

Dale laughed.

"Yeah, I guess that explains it. You think they'll end up gettin married or somethin' like that?"

"Dunno, mate. I'd say that it's a pretty safe bet at this point, though. Chip nevah was a fella to shilly-shally around with an idea, once it's in his head."

"True that."

Lawainie's lookouts had already taken note of the celebration going on inside the Abbey. And this time, she was poised to take full advantage of her situation.

"Move Troop Three into position on the south wall," she ordered one of her lackeys.

"Aye, my lady."

She tilted back her head and let out a maniacal laugh, which sounded even more sinister through the wire holding her jaw together.
"This time, Rescue Rangers, I have the advantage. Numbers, and surprise!"

None of the Redwall creatures had any illusions about a bedtime tonight. When a celebration was ordered in this abbey, it was done right! Unfortunately, however, the music and laugher masked the first sounds of a ram being thrust against the Abbey gates. Tammy and Reguba happened to dance near a window, and the squirrel warrior looked out.

"Tammy, get down!"

He dove on top of his partner, taking her to the floor as a flaming arrow sailed through the window. Screams went around the dance floor as the realization of attack set in. Chip jumped to his feet, and his authoritative voice rang across Great Hall.

"Battlestations, everybody! This is no drill, let's go!"

Gadget slid out of her chair, and made for the door.

"No you don't," Chip said, "this is too dangerous. You're in no shape to face getting hurt again!"
"Chip, I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself! Besides, someone has to command those little traps I set up."
He frowned.
"All right, but stay in one place, and be careful!"

She kissed him lightly, and limped out of the room.

A bucket brigade was started, putting out the fire arrows that continually flew through the open windows. Smoke filled the rooms, sending abbeydwellers running for cover in higher locations. Chip took command of a group of moles and squirrels who arrived bearing modified versions of Gadget's signature plunger guns, which she had built on arrival. They flew along the halls, until emerging onto one of Redwall's high towers.

"Down there," he yelled. "Target those rat formations that are trying to charge the gate!"

"Hurr, you'm said et, zurr! Come on, give 'em boi-okey, molers!"

Picking wide targets, the group fired. Plungers rained down on the invaders, carrying an additional surprise. On contact, the heads of the projectiles exploded, covering groups of invaders in weighted nets.

Elsewhere on the walls, Gadget was giving orders to a group of otters, who manned a strange looking device.

"You sure this is goin' to work, marm?" Skipper asked.

"Oh gosh yes, it should work with no problems!"
Remembering a warning Monterey Jack had given him about this phrase, Skipper placed a helmet on his head.

Gadget looked down a small telescopic sight, which she had attached to the side of her invention.

"Lock and load!" she yelled. The otters placed large, ball shaped objects into the machine's chamber, and locked it down. Gadget waited until her targets were in close proximity.

"Fire!"

With a loud twanging noise, the machine slung one of the strange looking balls out onto the field. It fell at the feet of a group of rats and burst, spreading them with a thick, pasty glue which held them together and to the ground.

"It worked!" Gadget called. "Fire two!"
The process proceeded, slathering scores of the enemy with her sticky concoction. Chip was using the same technique with his troops on the higher battlements. Nets and glue projectiles flew from Redwall into the enemy tide, along with rocks and any other ammunition the defenders could get their hands on. The defense held, but barely.

Gadget looked out over the battlefield as her crew continued firing the glue gun. They had made a dent in Lawainie's forces, but replacements kept coming.

"She must have hundreds of them out there," she called to Skipper. "We have to hold them as long as we can!"
"You know we will, missy! But I don't know if we can push them back for a victory."

"We have to try!"

Outside the walls, Lawainie strode through her minions, making sounds of disgust at those entangled in the traps.

"Push in there, you dolts! Take them down!"
"My lady!" Gurfang panted as he ran toward her. "Our numbers have been cut by a third! All of those are buried under these…these…boobytraps!"

"Yes, I know, dimwit! We still outnumber them two to one, so get your men in there and take them!"

The battle continued for several hours, unabated. As the sun began to rise, Gadget called out to Skipper.

"How are we on ammunition?"

"We're down to the last rounds, marm. We'll be defenseless in a few more volleys."

"Keep firing as long as you've got something to shoot. We have to give it the best we've got."

On the tower, Chip was running into the same problem.

"We'm almost out o' ammeenishun, zurr," Foremole said. "Yon plungers done ee job gudd, but there bain't many left!"

"Then we'll throw rocks if we have to. We don't give up!"
"Hurr no, zurr. We'm molers never givem up!"

And so they continued. Monterey Jack took the Dibbuns to the nursery, where they stood in the high windows and hurled pinecones, rocks, cockleburs and other small missiles onto the attackers.

"Atta way, me liddle mates! Give 'em the 'ol one-two punch. Heeyyaaa!"

An enemy slingstone buzzed through the window and struck Monty in the center of his cap, knocking him out cold. Tammy took him by the shoulders, struggling to drag him back to cover.

"Come on, you old sidewinder," she said. "That's enough for one fight!"

Outside, things were beginning to look down. Gadget's crew finally ran out of ammo for the glue cannon, and Chip's moles soon followed suit. The only action was the continued throwing of debris and stones from the Redwallers.

"We can't hold out like this!" Gadget called up to Chip. "We're sitting ducks!"
"I know! But what can we do?"

It appeared as if Lawainie would carry the day, after all.

"Ha! You see? It just takes perseverance, to crack a bunch like that," Lawainie said to her commanders. "Give them a few more rounds from our slingshot brigade, and then take the gate. With Redwall in hand, I will begin my conquest of all Mousedom!"

"They're massing to charge the gate!" Skipper bellowed. Gadget watched helplessly as a large group of vermin formed up, and marched toward the huge, oak gateway.

"Well, we gave it our best try."

Suddenly, Skipper craned his head to the north, and listened. He gave a loud cry.

"Listen to that, Gadget my girl! Listen and tell me what you hear!"
She cupped her ear, and strained to hear what Skipper meant. The sound of a large horn reached her.

"What is it?"

"'Tis the horn of Lord Strongblade! The Long Patrol is coming!"

Using the sighting lens on her invention, Gadget looked out across the fields. In a few moments, she started yelling to the others.

"Help's on the way!"
Through the lens, she could see legions of fighting hares, clad in bright kilts and tartan sashes, beating the ground as fast as their large feet would carry them. At their lead was a huge badger, bigger than any she had ever seen before. He was twirling a sword over his head, roaring out defiance to any who got in his way.

"Eulaliaaaaaaaaaa!" the battle cry of Salamandastron rang out across the field.

"Redwaaaalllll!" the abbeydwellers returned at the top of their lungs.

The hares plowed onto the field of battle, batting rats and foxes out of their way like toys. Entire squads began to surrender as they were surrounded by the fierce, long-eared fighters.

"My lady, we must go!" Gurfang bellowed. "We are undone!"
"No!" Lawainie shouted stubbornly. "We can still win! Rally the troops, charge those rabbits, quickly!"
But no one was around to hear her orders. The captains had deserted, and the troops who had not been captured or ensnared by Gadget's defenses were fleeing for their lives. For the first time in a long time, Lawainie felt an emotion welling up in her that she could not deny.

Fear. Raw, cold, all-encompassing fear.

She glanced upward, and shook her fist at the abbeydwellers lining the walls. "Another day, small fry! Another day!"
With that, she took to her heels, and began to frantically search for an escape route.

From her perch on the walls, Gadget caught sight of the fleeing, blonde-haired figure.

"Oh no you don't," she said quietly. She ran as quickly as her weakened body would allow, and pulled herself into the cockpit of the Rangerplane. The balloon supported craft quickly rose into the air, and with several flaps of it's wings, cleared the Abbey walls. Gadget pushed the plane into a dive, and pressed a control on the console. In front of her, a panel opened on the fuselage, and a plunger-harpoon rose out of the space. Standing up, and guiding the controls with her knees, Gadget sighted in on her twin.

"Steady now, steady," she said, running equations and formulas through her mind at the speed of some small calculators.

PLOCKK!

The projectile flew from its cradle, seeking out its target. Gadget's aim had been true, and the plunger plowed into Lawainie, knocking her off her feet. The suction cup had done its work, pulling her body to it like glue.

"Nooo!" she screamed as Gadget reeled her up off of the ground. She looked up at the plane, and nearly fainted at the sight of the person who had caught her. "No! You're gone! I saw it with my own eyes, there's no way they could have saved you!"
"Like we keep telling you, Lawainie," Gadget called down to her, "we're the Rescue Rangers. We don't give up until we find a way!"

All across the battlefield, Lawainie's enraged shouts were drowned out by cheers from the Redwallers and the rest of the Rangers. The battle was over. The threat to Mousedom and the rest of the world had been neutralized.

And just like always, the Rescue Rangers had come out on top.

To Be Concluded in Chapter X: A New Beginning