"You've failed me for the last time Fat Cat!" A set of claws shot from the darkness and raked across the concrete floor, leaving deep gouges behind.
"It wasn't my fault. It was those pesky rangers," Fat Cat pleaded with his boss.
"I don't care whose fault it is. The fact is you failed me again and by doing so you used up your final chance. Now I have to do this myself and expend precious energy that should be used for the resurrection. For that, I will have your hide!" Two sets of extremely long claws reached from the shadows and grabbed him. He kicked and screamed, but it was no use. The grip on him was as hard as iron and would not relieve any pressure. He disappeared and his wailing stopped.
Knock knock knock. Dale got off the couch and walked over to the door.
"Who could be knocking at this hour?" He opened the door and saw something he never expected.
"We need your help, Rescue Rangers," Wart stated.
Mepps, Mole and Wart sat in the Rescue Rangers headquarters and explained what happened. Apparently, Fat Cat was working for somebody and was now in terrible danger. Monterey Jack crossed his arms over his chest.
"You guys have been our enemies since day one, and now you need our help to get your boss back from his boss. This is confusing, but does explain why he's been so active lately."
"Who is this guy anyway?" Dale asked.
"We've never seen him," Mepps answered. "Just his claws."
"Yeah, and they were terrifying," Mole continued.
"He had a very deep voice and huge claws, almost as long as Fat Cat," Wart finished.
"Hmm," Chip pondered. "If we leave him there, it would save us a lot of trouble in the future." The three minions nearly had a heart attack. "But as you said Monty, 'how can we say we're willing to rescue anybody if we're not willing to rescue everybody.' It would cause a lot less problems in the long run, but if someone needs our help, we should help them, no matter what."
"I agree," Dale said as he hopped off the couch.
"To the Ranger mobile," Gadget yelled. The group rushed into her workshop and she started working rapidly, trying to get it outfitted for the larger animals. After about a minute it was done and they were off into the night. "Where are they?"
"Just over the northern bridge, on the other side of town," Wart replied. "Step on it. I'll direct you from there." Gadget steered north. It took about an hour to get through the city, but they finally made it to where Wart said the hideout was. They stopped and piled out in front of what looked like a giant vault door, but something about it didn't seem right. Chip ran his hand over the surface and looked at the residue on his fur.
"That's weird. This door is made of some sort of bronze and copper alloy. Gadget, could you take a look at it?"
"Sure thing." She grabbed her toolbox and walked over to the door. She took out a hammer, placed her ear on the metal and began tapping in various places. "It sounds like it has some form of rock behind it, but I can't tell what. I'll have to open it and see. Does anyone know the combination?" Fat Cat's lackeys shook their heads. "Darn, looks like we'll have to do this the old fashioned way. Bring the Ranger mobile over here would you Monty?" The larger mouse did as he was asked. Gadget removed the engine, looped four strands of equal length string to it and on the wheel on the door in equal sections. She put her ear back on the metal and began turning. It was another minute before she got it open.
"Great work Gadget-love," Monty complimented. She removed the contraption and re-assembled their vehicle with incredible speed and accuracy. The door swung open and revealed a solid, black granite wall.
"Well, that answers that question, but how are we going to get through it?" Gadget asked herself as she thought.
"Maybe I can help," Mole stated. "I am a mole, so I could dig under it to the other side."
"Of course." Gadget snapped her fingers. "Why didn't I think of that?"
"No need." They turned toward the rock just in time to see it explode everywhere, blasting the door off it's hinges and showering them in debris. All they saw was a shadow run off into the night. It was moving too fast for them to get any information other then it was there. Chip threw a rock off of him and ran over to help Gadget. Dale crawled out from underneath a strip of metal and did the same. The two pulled her out from under a huge rock and sat her down.
"Are you alright?" Chip asked her and saw she was holding her left arm.
"I'll be fine, it's just a scratch." They noticed she was bleeding where she had her hand. "Where are Monty and Zipper?" At that moment, the resilient fly buzzed around her head and Monty came sauntering up.
"I'm fine, but what about Fat Cat's gang?"
"Mepps!" The Rescue Rangers stood and rushed over to where Wart was screaming. What they saw was horrific. Five deep gashes ran the length of Mepps' torso, exposing his ribcage and his internal organs, several of which were either sliced open or ruptured. Blood poured from the wounds faster then the lizard could stop it. "You can't die on me. You can't! Stay with me!"
The cat's breathing was rugged and shallow. His eyes drifted closed and fluttered open a few times, but he didn't have the strength to keep them open. His breathing stopped and his eyes closed completely. The warmth left his body with what blood remained inside.