The Empire State Building, New York City. January, 2027.
"She took the spire elevator, come on!"
Chip Maplewood dashed around a corner, sliding on the glossy floors of the historic building. Behind him, his wife Gadget ran at a slightly uneven, but steady rate.
"The rest of the team would decide to take a vacation, today of all days. I'm getting too old for this," she groused.
'Old' was being relative, of course. She was fifty-nine, and in what she considered the best shape of her life, aside from the annoying limp that her left leg carried. Tammy had conjectured that future years would see her having to use a cane, which thought Gadget had replied to rather explosively.
As she and Chip careened to a stop, the glowing numbers above the building's upper elevator indicated that their adversary was well on her way. Tossing a grapple up into a nearby air vent, Chip handed his partner the end of the rope.
"Old school to the last," he grinned, watching the well-toned female form wriggle out of sight into the old duct.
"Have we figured out how we're going to catch her yet?" he called, working his way in after her.
"I'm working on it," Gadget replied, crawling through years of uncleaned dust. "Lawainie's wise to most of our methods, so I'm trying to come up with something unpredictable. Just trust me."
"No problems, huh?"
"Chip, darling, I do have a glass-cutter, and I'm not afraid to use it."
"Okay, okay! Sorry."
On the roof, a solitary figure ran across the aging stones. Except for a touch more gray hair, Lawainie Lait could pass for Gadget Maplewood's exact double. They were, after all, twin sisters. In a pouch that she had slung across her shoulder, lay the Clutchcoin Ruby. This gem had begun the career of the Rescue Rangers, and if she had anything to say about it, it would end it.
Moments later, a hatch popped open at the roof level, and the two disheveled Rangers tumbled out, covered in dust and grime that hadn't seen the light of day in ages.
"You'd think somebody in this city would remember what cleaning is," Gadget said, brushing herself off as best she could.
"You'd think somebody in this city would remember what minding their own business is," a sinister voice said from above them. Looking up, Gadget cried out, knocking Chip out of the way as a sizzling bolt of energy hissed by. Lawainie laughed maniacally from the controls of a small laser cannon, to which the ruby was lovingly mounted. The Rangers rolled behind an old heating chimney, taking cover as best they could. Gadget fingered a smoldering tear in her coveralls.
"I'm definitely getting too old for this."
"Looks like she's taking a page from Professor Nimnul's book," Chip gasped, trying to catch his breath. "Who knew she'd gotten so mechanically inclined?"
"She's got the Hackwrench bloodline, so it's not impossible."
The top of the chimney exploded into red-hot cinders as a laser bolt passed through it, and the two were off and running again. Gadget looked around frantically, trying to compile some defense. She was almost out of ideas, when she spied a small, shiny satellite dish. Giving Chip a pat on the shoulder, she jumped from hiding.
"Back in a second!"
She ran as fast as she could, her old injury aching from overwork. She was able to keep just ahead of Lawainie's timing, laser beams peppering the stonework behind her every step. Hopping onto the dish, she turned towards her wayward sister, and stuck out her tongue.
"Come on! You're such a lousy shot, I bet you can't even hit me!"
Screaming with indignation, the Hawaiian double popped off a shot, which had it landed, would have incinerated the veteran Ranger. Instead, running complex variable formulas in her head until the last second, Gadget jumped clear, allowing the energy to pass harmlessly above her, and into the mirror-like dish. It had just the effect she'd desired.
The beam was reflected back toward it's point of origin, blasting Lawainie's device into pieces and catapulting the villainess toward the edge of the roof. She managed to catched the ledge, and hung on for dear life. Gadget, supporting herself with a piece of stray wood she'd found, stumbled over to the edge, and threw herself toward it, arm outstretched.
"Lawainie! Take my hand!"
"And go back to a cell at that institute! Never!"
"Why do you keep doing this! I don't want to be your enemy!"
Their eyes met for a moment, and Lawainie chuckled.
"I'm like a bad penny, I guess. I keep turning up!"
And with that, she released her hold, tossing herself back into space.
"No!" Gadget yelled, still reaching out. But she needn't have worried. As with all good villains, Lawainie Lait always had a backup plan. She pulled a cord at her belt, and a parachute opened up toward the sky, allowing her to drift away on the breeze.
"So long, suckers!" she yelled, laughing in triumph.
Gadget watched her for a moment, pounding her fist into the dust in frustration. Again! She'd made fools of them again!
Chip walked over, dragging the ruby in tow.
"Don't take it so hard, Gadge. There'll be another day. And besides, we did our job, didn't we?" he asked with a smile, indicating the gem that sat beside him. Above, there was a buzz of aircraft engines, as the Rangerwing descended.
"Mom, Dad! We found your note at HQ! What happened?" Sprocket called, as the plane approached for landing.
Sighing, Gadget got to her feet, leaning on Chip.
"It's a long story, guys. Let's go home. I need a good hot bath and an ankle cast."
"Told you it'd happen one day," Tammy chided from the back seat. "Ready for that cane yet, Grandma?"
"I can still out-invent, out-run, and out-anything you any day of the week, kid."
Basking in the normalcy of the ever-present bantering, Chip took the controls, and turned the 'Wing's nose toward home. The sun was almost up, and he wanted to at least get there in time to see it rise. That was one thing that he loved about the Rangers. He knew that somehow, they'd always come through to see the sunrise.