A Nightmare on Alms Street
The Inspector Gadget Halloween Special!
Penny emerged from the kitchen area, clutching two mugs of hot chocolate with whipped cream and marshmallows floating peacefully on top. She handed one to Talon, and sat beside him on their new sofa. Brain was asleep in his basket.
They had been a week in their new apartment, on an upper floor of the HQ building. The furnishings and decor were functional, but smart. They had their own living and dining area, kitchen and a small double room with bathroom attached. All within one of the old conference suites.
They clinked their mugs together, and took the first tentative sip. Penny had never seen Talon look so relaxed, or sound so quiet.
"Nice." Talon took a look to the high windows. There was a fine view across the darkened Metro City. "Weird. All that time with MAD... dreaming of power. I never had my own place. Uncle Claw had me in a dormitory with seven other agents, 'til I was twelve."
"It's sure better than Mouldhaven Mansions," Penny said. Talon laughed. "I hadn't been so spooked since... since that Halloween. Do you remember? Couple of years ago? Before the pandemic?"
"Alms Street?" Talon laughed. "I sure do. You, dressed as a witch. I never even got a picture."
Penny pulled a face at him.
"I remember that night. It was the first time I really started to see a different you."
She leaned back on the sofa, and took another sip of chocolate and cream.
"I was at my desk, downstairs, when reports came in about kids Trick or Treating. We're used to crazy things, October 31st, but this was weird. The children had completely disappeared..."
The doorbell rang. A bemused elderly lady opened the door to see four rather over-aged Trick or Treaters. There was a blonde girl dressed as a witch... an African-American girl whose face was mostly covered with a skeleton mask... a werewolf with pointed ears and fangs, which she was fairly sure really was a dog... and a tall man in a pointed hat whose trenchcoat was covered with moons and stars. He seemed to be spokesman.
"Trick or Treat? Don't worry, ma'am. While this would normally be extortion, tonight it is perfectly legal."
The old lady fetched them the remains of a box of candy, just to be rid of them. The tall man thanked her politely, then led his party away. Out in the street, Kayla was about to take a sweet, but Inspector Gadget shook his head.
"Never take sweets from strangers, Kayla." He looked up and down the street. "That's all the houses checked, except one."
"I don't understand this," said Kayla. "They definitely said Alms Street. All the Trick or Treaters disappeared from here."
Penny straightened her hat. This was the strangest undercover mission she had ever been on. They were far too old to be doing this but, as Chief Quimby had said, she and Kayla were the nearest HQ had to the right age.
"There's still one to try. Look."
She pointed to the big old house at the end of the street. It had towers with pointed roofs, like a castle, and a sinister light shone from its stained glass windows.
"That looks a nice place," said Gadget. "Let's try there."
The others rolled their eyes. But they followed him.
There seemed to be a party going on, within. They could hear music, and laughter. Penny caught a glimpse of someone dressed as a vampire.
Gadget pulled the bell. A deep knell was heard.
A tall, beautiful woman in a Cruella costume opened the front door. Her black hair was dyed with streaks of white.
"Trick or Treat?" said Kayla hopefully.
The woman laughed, a light, pleasant laugh.
"Of course, of course. Come in and have some refreshment!"
The agents exchanged glances. But they went inside.
In the wide old entrance hall, the party was in full swing. There were people dressed as witches, monsters, ogres...
"I'm Miss Take," the woman said. Another woman, in a dark purple witch's outfit, came over, bearing a tray of treacle and jam tarts. "Try some of these. We baked them especially."
Gadget gave the girls a look, but Kayla was already scanning the tray with her Codex.
"Excuse me, I'm... I'm gluten intolerant." She gave a nod of OK to her colleagues, and took a treacle tart. "These are cool. You're really kind."
Brain growled a little. Miss Take gave them a gushing smile, then she and the other woman went off to join the other guests. The HQ team was left alone.
"Are you sure those are OK?" Penny asked.
"All clear," Kayla said, with her mouth full. "Anyway, there are no kids here. This can't be the house."
Penny pulled her witch's cape around her.
"You and Brain keep an eye on things here. Uncle Gadget...?"
Gadget nodded. Together, he and Penny slipped away and made a quiet check of the downstairs rooms. They found more party guests... more costumes... but no children. There was nothing below the ground floor. Gadget asked to use the bathroom, and slipped upstairs to check the bedrooms, and an upper study, and even the attics. Empty. There was nothing to suggest Miss Take was anything other than a rich lady holding a Halloween party.
"MAD has to be behind this somehow," said Penny, as they rejoined the others in the hall. "We'd better get moving."
Kayla was enjoying more food, and looked sorry to be going.
"I love Halloween. These costumes are cool. Where'd you get 'em from, Inspector Gadget?"
Gadget beamed.
"That new costume hire place that opened in the city centre. Everyone's been using them, this Halloween. Madi Gras Fancy Dress. Though I think their spelling is a little off."
Penny's eyes widened. She looked at the costumes and accessories they were all wearing.
"MAD-i Gras?!"
She flinched, as she felt something bite her neck. Then she realised it wasn't a bite, but someone digging two fingernails into her flesh.
She looked round to see the vampire she had glimpsed earlier – a teenage boy in full costume of dark suit, white ruffled shirt and a magnificent cloak trimmed with scarlet. His black hair was slicked back tonight rather than spiked, but...
"Talon!"
Talon gave her a charming smile, revealing a full set of plastic fangs.
"Hey, Penny. Or should I say... good evening, my dear! Time to use those accessories of yours!"
He reached for the control bracelet his jacket had hidden. Too late, Penny realised.
"Everyone! Get these things off!"
Talon touched a button, and Penny's hat began to pulse with light. Gadget's hat was doing the same, and Brain's ears, and Kayla's mask.
Then the whole HQ party blurred and disappeared.
Penny's eyes narrowed as she remembered the incident.
"Teleportation accessories! Only MAD could come up with that one."
"Hey, it wasn't my idea. It was Dr Fruitcake! Remember? I hate being part of someone else's plan. I was arguing with him, when you came round..."
Penny opened her eyes.
She was standing in a glass-fronted pod, one of many that lined the outer fringes of the stone-walled chamber. She could see Uncle Gadget and Brain and Kayla, all separately imprisoned alongside. Further around the room were held various terrified-looking children, in a variety of Halloween costumes. Some were sleeping, some were crying, and others were hammering on the glass, shouting silently, trying to get out. She had found the people they were looking for.
On a dais in the centre was a huge crystal ball, mounted on an ornate metal framework. A huge fire was blazing in a wide fireplace. Someone was playing a pipe organ, demented discordant music. There were lab benches with test tubes and bubbling retorts.
It was like a set from a horror movie – but she realised, from the purplish tinge of the stonework and the portrait of a faceless man with a cat on his lap, that this was a MAD lair.
Nearby sat Talon, still in his vampire's outfit, sullenly typing on a laptop.
"Not fair. I was enjoying that party. Why do I have to type the ransom demands?"
Penny's eyes grew. Talon was solving the mystery for her. They had a roomful of missing children... and now, the world's most famous detective and his colleagues to add to their hostages! MAD could demand money... control of the city... anything!
"Hey, Dr Fruitcake," Talon asked. "How do you spell 'apocalypse'?"
The man he was addressing made no reply. He was standing by the crystal ball, lovingly making adjustments to it. He was tall and bony and elderly, with wild grey hair and crazy, staring eyes. He wore a white lab coat over an ancient suit.
"Soon, very soon, everyone in the city will fall victim to my evil accessories! Then Metro City will be MINE!"
"Boy, we really got to stop using that Evil Clichés Employment Agency. You're cramping my style." Talon looked at the silently screaming kids. For a second, Penny thought she saw him look uncomfortable. She remembered she had seen him nurse a couple of babies, once. Perhaps Talon wasn't as ruthless as he pretended to be.
She had to get him alone.
She heard Uncle Gadget's voice.
"You can't get away with this, Dr Fruitcake! Go-go-Gadget... oh darn. I'm not wearing my hat." Gadget paused. "In the name of the law, I demand you release all these people at once!"
"HA! HA HA HA HA..."
Dr Fruitcake could do evil laughs with the best of them. Talon covered his ears.
"When will Uncle Claw employ some normal people?"
A door opened at the far end of the room, and Miss Take appeared, still in her Cruella outfit.
"Dr Fruitcake? Dr Claw wishes you to report at once."
Grinning, the evil doctor went down the steps and exited. Penny seized her chance.
"Talon! Come here."
Talon obeyed her. He had the look of one who would rather be in her company.
"Excuse my colleague. He's looking for a house to haunt."
"This is a new low, even for you, Talon. Kidnapping little kids? And you hurt my neck."
"Ah, the kids'll be fine. 'Soon as we get the ransom, we'll let 'em go. We've even got an instalment plan."
"Somehow, I don't think that doctor of yours will leave it at that."
"You really look quite sexy as a witch."
"Talon! Stop changing the subject. If this is just a kidnapping... why are we in a lab?"
Talon frowned. He went back and sat at the laptop.
"OK, Dr Fruitcake, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to hack your computer." He typed rapidly for a half-minute. "Ha! Beating my previous record by five seconds." He searched the files on the computer. "Hey, what's this?"
Penny craned her neck to see. It was a video file, the record of a video call. She saw Dr Fruitcake on the screen.
"Fear not, Human Experiments Inc, your specimens will be ready for you by morning! Then, if we don't revolutionise medical science, we can have some fun along the way!"
"WOWSERS!" Penny heard Uncle Gadget react first. Penny wished he'd be quiet, so she could hear more.
"The police inspector will be particularly interesting. We'll dismantle him first!"
Even Talon looked shaken.
"Human experiments... they never told me..."
His eyes met Penny's.
"We got to get you out of here. All of you." He looked round, fearfully. "Don't ever tell Uncle Claw I did this."
He raced up to the platform, fiddling with the crystal ball.
"Oh, I really hate fantasy-based technology. Oh. Oh..."
The whole ball had come away from the mountings, and was in his hands. Penny was trying not to panic. She had no idea how to free everyone, either...
"STOP!"
Everyone turned to look, as Dr Fruitcake re-entered. He strode back to Talon.
"So, you have betrayed us!"
Talon looked from him, to the imprisoned children, to Penny.
"Only one thing for it. Happy Halloween, Doctor. CATCH!"
He hurled the crystal ball across the chamber.
"NO!"
The ball hit the floor, smashed and exploded. There was a blaze of light that dazzled everyone for several seconds. Penny had a brief glimpse of Dr Fruitcake, trapped and screaming within one of his own pods... The room was in flames...
Then they all found themselves outside the house in Alms Street, lying on the ground, still in their Halloween costumes. The children looked shocked and dazed, and some were still crying. Inspector Gadget started to take charge.
"Don't be scared, everyone, it's all over! Come along, I'll get some cars down here and we'll get you home..."
One little blond boy, dressed as a wizard, wiped his eyes.
"I'm staying home, next year!"
"That's a very good idea. Trick or Treating can be dangerous, if you don't know the house..."
Talon got up, and came to Penny.
"If your uncle's doing the Information Spot, I'm out of here. Unless you want a quick bite on the neck?"
"What? Oh, no way! You're under arrest, Talon!"
"After I saved us all? Ah, c'mon, Penn, it's the night for evildoers. I've gotta get back, write a report on how Dr Fruitcake blew up the lab." He paused. "Gimme a break? Turn your back, for five seconds?"
Penny looked at her colleagues. Kayla was busy helping Uncle Gadget organise the children, though Brain was watching doubtfully.
She turned her back.
"Five seconds."
No more than three had passed, before she saw Talon soaring across the night sky, his cloak billowing behind him, laughing.
"Must fly! See ya, Penn!"
Penny lowered her mug.
"Did Dr Claw believe you?"
"I think so. The doctor had blown up five labs already. But he was suspicious. It was the start of things changing." Talon reached and took Penny's hands. "I'm... kind of glad they did. It was those kids. Their eyes..."
Penny hugged him. "You've got a chance to make up for it all, now. You're not on the evil list, any more."
Talon kissed her.
They went to bed then. But, at two in the morning, Penny was woken by the sound of Talon's voice.
He was muttering in his sleep.
"Ransom demands... apocalypse... get the gum guns. Take 'em down the lair. We'll make 'em talk. Gonna be rich... powerful..."
His eyes remained closed, but there was a malicious smirk on his face. Penny suddenly felt unsafe. She shrank away from him, pulling the bedsheet across herself.
There was evil in him, yet.
Happy Halloween, everyone!
