Chapter VI: I Spy

Gadget Maplewood was undoubtedly having the time of her life. Whether or not she wanted to admit it, racing had always been in her blood, just like piloting. Geegaw Hackwrench had spent some time on the fledgling circuit back home, and it only fueled the desire for speed and sheetmetal that had already built itself into her very being.

"Well, at least you're having fun," Tammy observed, taking in the look of glee on her friend's face.

"What'd you expect? I never get to drive like this when we're back home. It scares the guys to death!"

'And what about me?' the squirrel though sourly. She opted not to push it, hanging onto her seat instead.

"Let's see…if we cut through here, and take a shortcut through that next stand of trees, we should come right out into the main pack!"
"Oh, joy."
The Rangerbolt's engine roared as Gadget floored the pedal, sending them skidding across the dark mountain soil that made up the forest floor.

"Wot're we goin' ta do about those kids, Chippah?" Monty asked.

"We're going to get them out of this, that's what. I think a trip to the state zoo is in order. Luckily, it's just back in Knoxville. If we take the Rangerwing, it won't take that long to get there."

Dale looked worried.
"But what about Gadget an' Tammy? They're out there racin'…one'a these drivers might be workin' for whoever it is that started this mess!"
"That's true…and that's why we leave some of our best behind. As Scooby and the gang used to say, we're gonna split up. Monty, Dale and I will go to Knoxville, to see what we can find out about the Pandas' parents. Reguba, you and Sparky stay here, and be ready to help if the girls get into any trouble."

Reguba rubbed his hands together, eager for a good dust-up if the situation should present itself. Monty, however, wasn't so sure about the arrangement.

"Ah, Chip me lad, are ya sure you wanna go off like this, with Gadget here an' all? Oi know how ya usually feel about that."

The Rangers' leader wouldn't say it out loud, but he was torn inside about that very thing. But then, she had to fly on her own sometime. Or drive, as the case might be.

"She'll…she'll be all right, Monty. I trust her."

"Atta way, boyo. C'mon, lets go find us some answers, ay?"

"Right."

As they rolled the Rangerwing from undercover, however, Chip started having doubts. What if something happened to Gadget while he was gone? Would he be able to forgive himself…or go on without her?

"Cheese it, Maplewood," he muttered, "she can handle herself."

The 'Wing's hover-rotors whirred to life, and the aircraft lifted off, blowing a cloud of dust around the two remaining Rangers.

"With the others gone, we must now do what we can to solve the mystery here," Reguba declared. He could speak like an American flawlessly when he wanted to, but in situations like this, he tended to sound like a British marine.

"Who put you in charge?" Sparky glared. "Last I checked, I was around before you were."

"Come off it, spark-plug!"
"Why you…"
Sparky began to arc a current of electric between his hands…but then he stopped.

"Wait just a—what are we fighting for?"
Reguba lowered his fists, and thought for a minute.

"You know, you're right. Solo mission jitters, I suppose. Friends?"

"Friends," Sparky grinned, extending his hand. Reguba eyed it warily, and raised his gaze to the smiling mouse's eyes.

"You'll pardon me if I just take your word for it."

The Rangerbolt splashed across a shallow, trickling spring, the back tires spraying water like fountains. Gadget tugged at the wheel gently, bringing them back into a straight line.

"Are you sure you know where you're going?"
"Of course I do, Tam. Would I be going this way if I didn't?"
"I dunno, you tell me."

"Squirrels, honestly…"

"Hey, at least we've got manageable ears."

This sort of banter continued over the next few miles. Slowly but surely, the tree cover parted, revealing the group of racers, screaming down the main road.

"See?" Gadget said. "I told you we were going the right way."
"I still say it was just luck."

"There's no such thing as luck."
"This road trip seems to be evidence for the contrary!"
Gadget gunned the engine, sending the car vaulting over the ditch that separated them from the main road. Sparks flew from the undercarriage as they returned to the gravel, bringing them out just at the head of the pack. Tammy sat back up in her seat, looking somewhat green.

"Mind if we stop back by on the return trip? I think I left my stomach back there."

"I'll see what I can do."

Back at the announcer's box, things were starting to jump.

"This just in, Gen'ral Lee's takin' the pack by storm! Team Moss is in th' lead!"
The crowds went wild, cheering as the number '01' was hung in the leading spot on a large scoreboard.

"Looks like they're making do pretty well for the moment," Sparky commented. Reguba nodded.
"Very true. However, we should still stay within arm's reach."

"Duly noted. Say, you hungry? It's getting past lunch."
"Famished, old boy," Reguba said, his accent thickening with his humor. "Shall we attempt to requisition yonder concessions vendor?"

"Yes, by all means, let's!"

The two friends trundled off toward a small table, on which numerous types of sandwiches and soda pops were arranged.

They didn't see Sugar Ray Lizard slip by in the shadow of the bleachers.

The oily reptile slunk off toward the track's office, keeping out of sight as much as possible.

By air, the trip to Knoxville didn't take that long. Though not as fast as human aircraft, the Rangerwing did it's job perfectly well for the Rangers.

"The State Zoological Gardens of Tennessee," Dale read from the large, wrought iron sign. "Zowie, this place looks cool!"

"Remember Dale, lad, we're heah for business, not pleasure," Monty reminded.

"Y'mean I can't look at all the exotic aminals?"

Chip made an exasperated noise.

"That's animals, dummy. And you can look at 'em all right. We'll be questioning most of them."

"Sweet! How hard can it be?"
Dale was soon to find out how hard it could be, as zoo animals can be very tight-lipped creatures. Some were wary of the crimefighters. Some didn't even acknowledge them.

"This is blinkin' peculiar," Monty growled. "Nobody knows nothin' around heah!"

"Either that, or they're scared to admit that they do," Chip observed. "Come on, we've got a few more cages to go yet."

"Well don't go rushin' off t' those others so soon, young man! Come and visit a spell!"
"Who said that?"
"I did! Down here!"
Glancing down into an enclosure, Chip noticed a set of whiskers protruding from some brush.
"Beggin' your pahdon, ma'am," Monty said courteously. "We just didn't see ya down there!"
An old, gray otter came slinking up out of her pond, shaking her fur out as she walked.

"Havin' trouble findin' out about somethin', kids?"
"We sure are!" Dale blurted. "We're tryin' to find out about the pandas that disappeared from here, but nobody knows anythin'!"
The otter chuckled, beckoning to them.
"C'mon down to my place, an' we'll talk. Don't want things getting around t'unfriendly ears, y'know."

The otter, whose name was Frieda, had her home built into a tightly packed pile of brush and logs at the back corner of her enclosure. The interior was snug and comfortable, with hand-hewn furniture lining the walls.

"My boy did all this for me, afore they took him off to another zoo," she said, reminiscing. "He were good with his hands, that one."

"You were saying that you know something about the pandas?" Chip pressed.

"Take your time, sonny," Frieda advised. "Haste makes waste, you know."

She eased herself into a rocking chair, and her expression turned pensive.

"Couple months ago it was. I was asleep down here, but I had m'window open for some air, y'know. The pandas was my next door neighbors. Nice folk they were, didn't speak the language real well, but they was learnin'. Me an' the youngins' mama got to be pretty good pals. We was supposed to go down to the fox enclosure for a quiltin' the next day, so I went to bed early. Old bones be tired bones, an' all that."
She paused to catch her breath, sipping at a cup of mint tea.

"It were along the middle of the night, when there come such a racket from next door like you never heard afore. Ol' Pa panda, he was growlin' and roarin' up a storm, an' then everythin' just went kinda quiet. I got out from betwixt my coverlets an' went to roust up Sheriff Oakwater. Time we got back though, t'werent nothin' left but their things. Ain't hide or hair been seen of 'em since."
Chip had one question that hadn't been answered.
"Did the sheriff or anyone else find anything that might have been a clue."
"Dunno 'bout the sheriff. He's 'bout as useful as throwin' a bowl a' grits into a tornado, but he's the only law we got. Me, though, I did find this here."
Reaching down beside her chair, she pulled out an old style, floppy hat, such as ones worn with zoot suits in the earlier portion of the century.

"Hmmm, haven't seen anybody wearing one of these in a while. Anybody get a look at the owner?"
"Naw, not a good look. All's anybody knows, is he's a rat. Miz Molly, the fox across the street, she seen 'im runnin' off with his crew after the deed was done. That was when he dropped his hat."

"We 'ppreciate all th' help, Missus Frieda," Monty said. "Maybe we can use this here info to catch the blighters."

"I hope so. It ain't fittin' to have kidnappin's and such goin' on in a respectable neighborhood. I hope them pandas is all right."

As they left the elderly otter's residence, Dale made an obvious observation.

"Guess we're lookin' for a big, ugly rat again."

"Too roight. Ya think it's Capone, Chippah?"
"Couldn't be. He's still in prison from the cheese racket scheme."
"Then who?"
"I dunno guys. I just don't know."
From his perch on Monty's shoulder, Zipper buzzed a question.
"Nahh, Zip, it couldn't be 'im. Where're we off to next, buckoes?"

"We need to get back to the track. Maybe some of the residents that live around here have seen something out of the ordinary."

Out on the road, Gadget was fighting like a madmouse to maintain position. On track was one thing, but in the road races, there were no holds barred. The Rangerbolt's fenders were scarred and dented the run of their length from the constant rams and side impacts.

"Don't these guys know anything about sportsmanship?" Tammy cringed, leaning away from her door as another vehicle slightly sideswiped them.

"I think they do, but they're ignoring it."
"True that. Think we can pull out of this mess by going off road again?"
"I don't know. Navigate, willya?"

Checking the map of the surrounding countryside, Tammy looked for any means of gaining a lead.

"There's an old road bearing off to the right, that cuts through a few acres of forestland. We should be able to save a few miles that way."

'Breaker, breaker! Ranger-Vanguard calling Eagle-One, you copy?'
"We're here, Reguba," Tammy answered, picking up the mic. "What's wrong?"

'Be careful out there, ladies. We've got a bit of a situation developing here.'

"Well spit it out!"

'The track office has been robbed. The prizes, the entry monies, everything. Completely looted.'

Gadget sighed.

"Tell him we'll be back in as soon as this race is over."
She tapped her fingers on the wheel.

"Somebody really wants this thing shut down. We'll have to compare notes with the guys, and see if they came up with anything."

Meanwhile, Sugar Ray deposited two large cash bags on a table, spread out before his employer.

"Impressive, huh boss?"
"That is the word, my malfunctioning minion. Without the prize monies, there will be no point to these ridiculous contests continuing. Which means that I will be able to complete stage two of my plan."

"Stage two?"
"Of course, you fool! Do you think I'm doing this simply for the theft of one small, paltry sum? There is much more at stake here than even you realize."

The lizard had a confused expression on his face, and the boss growled.

"Why must I always be assaulted with insufferable twits?"

"I dunno, boss. Want I should find out?"
Sugar Ray ducked as a drinking glass sailed by his head.
"Out! Get out of my sight!"

He slithered out the door, closing it as another glass crashed against the inside surface.

"Geez, what a grouch."

Back inside his office, the hulking rat seethed silently. Hitting an oversized switch next to his desk, he was able to observe a monitor built into the wall. On it was an image of several cars, all in different positions. His own entrant had the transmitting camera built into her car, enabling him to watch the races from a bird's eye view. And he didn't like what he saw.

Ahead of his car, the rear end of an orange Charger was clearly shown, and the car was, without a doubt, in the lead. Turning on a small radio, he called in to the occupants of his own car.

"Ladies, I spy a problem up ahead of you. What say you…take care of it for me, hmmm?"

The answer crackled back to him in a few seconds.
"Sure thing, Frankie!"

"I told you never to use my name! And besides, it's FRANCIS!"
"Whatever you say, boss," she gulped, shifting down to another gear. As the driver accelerated, the back bumper of the Charger loomed closer and closer. She hit a switch on the dash, and a projectile extended from underneath her car, ready to home in.

"Time to fry some rodents."