Penny Loses Brain

by HawksFan12

Penny faces a heart-breaking challenge when Brain is taken from her, and she has no clues to get him back. Chief Quimby retires, and the new Chief hates ALL of the Gadgets. And, Uncle Gadget finally finds out Penny and Brain have been solving all his cases for years. He is not happy. Rated Teen for mild language, and some unsettling imagery. For entertainment only, I own nothing.

Three years had passed since Penny's wedding to Friedrich Von Slickstein, (Fred, to his friends) the son of longtime Gadget ally Professor Von Slickstein, retired. The time of Penny's wedding had simultaneously been one of the most joyous, yet trying times of her life. Joyous because, she married the man who had won her heart, and she was still happy to see him every day, even though they both lived and worked together. Fred was in charge of the technology in HQ, the anti-terror wing of the Metro City Police Department, where Penny and Brain worked with their Uncle, Inspector Gadget. Those were also joyous days because Penny and Fred had managed to jump on a house for sale that was directly next door to her Uncle Gadget, which thrilled Penny to no end, because she truly did love the quiet, peaceful neighborhood, and had been secretly dreading having to move away when she got married. She also loved her Uncle, and had also been secretly dreading moving far away from him. Moving into a beautiful house next door was the ideal solution for her.

However, these had also been very trying times because Talon, the nephew of Dr. Claw, despite having been imprisoned in a supermax prison, managed to escape while possessed with the demonic spirit of his evil Uncle, and hatched a crazy plot to open a pit to Hell itself, lure the Gadgets in, and use their blood in a spell to release Lucifer himself from Hell. The Gadgets, with the help of Penny's guardian angel, several hundred other angels, and the Archangel Michael, managed to foil the plot. The one positive aspect was that MAD had been completely and utterly wiped out. All MAD agents had been sucked down into the pit, with not one survivor. Penny still found herself having nightmares, even years after the fact.

Now, however, she pulled her mind away from this little reverie. She was seated on her sofa in her living room, next to her husband, watching a movie on TV. Seated on the other side of her was her longtime comrade, her beloved best friend, Brain. She had been absolutely adamant to Fred, months before he even proposed to her, that under no circumstances would she EVER consider living anywhere without her dear canine friend. Fred had initially experienced some jealousy of the love that Penny showed to this dog, until he had seen with his own eyes what a great protector Brain was for her. He had literally seen Brain save Penny's life, with his own eyes, on more than one occasion. Besides, Brain had his own girlfriend, a little dog named Lucy, seated next to Brain.

Now, Lucy noticed Brain's head drooping down, as he dozed off. A smiling Lucy silently got Penny's attention, and pointed at Brain. Penny silently counted 'one, two, THREE!' with her fingers, then she and Lucy simultaneously kissed Brain's head. Brain woke with a start, then gave them a sheepish grin. "Thanks, you two. Just a little tired from chasing robbers all day." Both Brain and Lucy were capable of speaking perfect English, thanks to the canine translator that Penny had invented years ago. Prior to this, Brain could only communicate via a time-consuming, and often frustrating sign-language method. It had been like playing charades at times, except that when he and Penny were on a mission, seconds counted, and they had no time for this. So, Penny's canine translator had been a wonderful time-saver when communicating with Brain.

Fred was smiling at this scene, when the doorbell rang. He excused himself to answer it, and welcomed in Inspector Gadget with his girlfriend, Officer Julie Jones. Even though Gadget was 20 years older than her, she had found him delightfully funny and nice when she met him on the job at the Metro City P.D. They had started dating, and her fondness for him grew daily, to the point that after Penny and Brain left home, Gadget invited Julie to live with him, and she happily accepted. They walked into the living room, and were warmly greeted by Penny and Brain and Lucy. Penny turned off the TV, and they all put the final touches on a very special event taking place the next day.

The next morning, Chief Quimby walked up the steps of the Metro City P.D. and went inside. It was another quiet morning. The rookie officer at the front desk greeted him, then went back to filling out paperwork. Quimby stepped inside the elevator, and went down to the HQ lab. The lights were on, but no one was there. Inspector Gadget, Penny, Brain and Fred were nowhere to be seen. Quimby went back to the elevator, went up, then walked down the hall to his office. He opened the door and turned on the lights. He stood for a moment, looking at his desk. It had boxes stacked on it, filled with framed pictures and awards. The walls were bare. Quimby sighed, then started to pick up one of the boxes.

"SURPRISE!" Chief Quimby nearly jumped out of his skin, then turned around. The Gadget family had been hiding behind his office door, and now, dozens of other officers emerged from their hiding spots and poured into his office. Penny reached him first, and gave him a hug, then handed him a gift-wrapped box. Quimby opened it, and found it was a wonderful framed photo of the Gadgets and all of the police officers, posed in the HQ lab. Something to remember his co-workers by. Quimby thanked them all, then Inspector Gadget announced that there was to be a farewell retirement luncheon for the Chief, in the cafeteria.

Hours later, in the police department cafeteria, every officer on the force had come up to Chief Quimby, given him a farewell handshake, and some offered him presents as well. Penny deliberately waited until the very end before approaching him. She had wondered what she could say that would be equal to this occasion, and decided just to let the words flow. "Chief, from the first day I met you, back when I was only 7 years old and had just lost my parents, you have always been so helpful, so kind, and supportive to me. You always watched out for me and for Brain; you guided and supported us as we entered law enforcement, and we never would have accomplished what we have without you." She gave Quimby a goodbye hug. Quimby had wondered to himself if he would get through this luncheon without any tears, and now, he discovered that the answer was no. Brain and Uncle Gadget didn't hug him, but they did shake his hand and give him a sincere thanks for all that he had done to support them over the years. They helped Quimby load up all the boxes and gifts into his car. Chief Quimby then turned in his badge and police pistol at the front desk, and as the Gadget family watched, he walked out to his car, got in, and drove away into retirement, ending a 40 year career in law enforcement.

As the Gadgets turned to enter the police station once again, Brain looked over at Penny, and saw tears in her eyes. He took her hand. "Hey, Penny, are you all right?" She sat on a bench in the corridor with him, and put an arm around his shoulders. "I'll miss him, Brain. He always acted so gruff, but that was just a front. He really cared about all of us." Brain nodded, and Uncle Gadget spoke up. "I have known the Chief for a long, long time, and believe me, he was very proud of the two of you. Chief Quimby and his wife never had kids of their own, and I think he took almost a fatherly pride in seeing you two develop from scared rookies to the heroes who defeated MAD and saved the world." Penny smiled at her Uncle Gadget. "Well, Uncle, we had a lot of help, including yours."

Sad as Chief Quimby's retirement was, life goes on, and the department needed a new Chief of Police. The Police Commissioner decided to bring in a new face, from outside the department, in order to avoid anyone's professional ego being bruised if they chose an internal candidate. The Commissioner held a short meeting at the police department, where he introduced their new Chief. "She comes to us from the great Northwest. She's served in several cities in Oregon and Washington, and she has a long and impeccable record in law enforcement. Please welcome Chief Wilson." A black-haired lady stood up and approached the podium. She appeared to be very no-nonsense. There was no smile. She looked around the room as if she were interrogating each officer, then gave a short speech. "It's my pleasure to come here to the Metro City P.D., the home of HQ, the outfit that brought down MAD. In the near future, we will be carefully evaluating all operations here, and making necessary changes for the betterment of the department. I look forward to this process. Thank you." She then turned, shook the Commissioner's hand, and exited the room. There was a lot of murmuring from the gathered officers. What 'necessary changes' did this new Chief have in mind?

Penny was the first to find out. The very next day, she was summoned to the Chief's office. There was no greeting or handshake. Chief Wilson glanced up at Penny over the top of her glasses. "Shut the door, please. Have a seat." She then took off her glasses and almost glared at Penny. "I spent last night going over the history of the Gadget family here in this department. It's very… interesting, to say the least. You work here, your husband works here, your Uncle works here, his girlfriend works here; heck, even your DOG works here! And, for some reason, your dog is allowed to wander around the station without a handler. Tell me; why isn't he out in a kennel with the other K-9s?" Penny was shocked, and stammered out her reply. "Chief Wilson, Brain is NOT 'just a dog,' and he is NOT an ordinary K-9! He's officially my full partner, and he always has been!" Chief Wilson nodded. "Yes, I see that, from these records. It seems your friendship with Quimby paid off there, didn't it? He made sure you two were inseparable." Penny felt herself getting hot with anger. "CHIEF Quimby and the Commissioner agreed to it, as a thanks for—" Penny suddenly halted. She had nearly spilled the beans on how she and Brain had secretly assisted their Uncle for years against MAD. The department rewarded her by allowing her and Brain to be partnered together.

Chief Wilson smirked. "No, don't stop, keep on talking. Were you going to say, for how you and your partner dog were illegally interfering in police missions for years? How you were basically vigilantes who thought you were assisting in the fight against MAD?" Penny furiously said, "We were helping my Uncle, and we foiled MAD's plots many, many times!" Without realizing it, Penny had left her seat, and was starting to lean over the Chief's desk. Chief Wilson barked out, "Have a SEAT, Officer!" A livid Penny reluctantly sat down again. Chief Wilson smiled, and continued. "Okay, let's talk a bit about your beloved partner, the little dog Brain, who gets free reign of this entire station, apparently." Penny could not keep her mouth shut. "That 'little dog' is the SMARTEST dog in the world, by far! He speaks perfect English, and—" Chief Wilson interrupted. "And how, exactly, did he get that way? Care to enlighten me?"

This silenced Penny. Chief Wilson pulled a folder with Brain's photo paperclipped to it, and lay it on her desk. "It's okay, Officer Penny. I can read a file. It seems that this DOG was a part of a MAD experiment, designed to produce super-intelligent canines, to use to commit crimes." Penny was again reduced to stammering. "But… he refused to commit any crimes, and he escaped MAD! He had no say in what MAD did to him as a little puppy!" Chief Wilson nodded her head. "Hmmm… indeed. But here's the thing; that was, what, 15 or 16 years ago? That would make your dog, what, about 17 years old? Very unusual for a dog to live that long, wouldn't you say?"

Penny once again found herself silenced. Chief Wilson spoke again. "It seems that your noble, heroic dog voluntarily allowed himself to undergo treatments, by MAD, that gave him a bionic body and mind, allowing him to escape death. And, he knew full well that MAD was paying for this. He certainly DID have a say in this. Does that seem heroic to you, Officer?" Penny found herself increasingly at a loss for words. Part of her still wished that Brain had not allowed MAD to save him from old age, for just this reason. She nearly whispered, "MAD was trying to recruit me, and they knew my weakness. I love Brain, with all my heart, and I couldn't bear to see him pass away from old age." Chief Wilson shook her head. "And so, after you petitioned the department to pay millions of dollars to bio-enhance your dog, and they refused, he allowed MAD, a dangerous, deadly terrorist organization, to pay millions of dollars to rescue him from a NATURAL death, and THEN you finally decided to do your job and fight them; once you had your little dog back, of course."

Chief Wilson silently glared at Penny for a moment, then shook her head, saying, "I sincerely believe that both you and your dog's priorities were severely misguided, to say the least. You both profited immensely from the actions of a terrorist organization. Apparently, your friendship with the last Chief paid off, but no more. Here's your choice; you get up right now, and put that MUTT of yours in a dog kennel with the other K-9 dogs where he belongs, or, you can leave your badge on the desk, and I'll have you both escorted out of the building." Penny's fury rose again, and she stood up. Chief Wilson said, "Think carefully about what you are about to say, Officer. Is it worth throwing away your career… over a dog?" Penny pulled off her police badge and slammed it down on the desk. "I would do anything for 'that dog;' I owe him my life hundreds of times over, and the whole world owes him its freedom! You're very good at twisting words, but the truth is, he's a HERO! And if he's not going to be here in this building, neither am I!"

Penny was leaning forward to emphasize her point, when she was surprised to see the Chief bow her head down, as if she was in pain. Her black hair hung down and concealed her face. Despite how livid she was at that moment, Penny said, "Chief? Are you…" Chief Wilson them lifted her head up, flipping her hair back, and hissed at Penny: "Get out of here, and take your mutt with you!" Penny slammed the door behind her, stormed through the police department, and found Brain coming out of the elevator. "Hey, Penny! So, how was your meeting with the new Chief?" Then, Brain looked closer, and read the rage and sorrow all over her face. "Uh-oh, this doesn't look good." Penny knelt down, put her hands on Brain's shoulders, and told him, "Brain, you and I, we no longer work here. Please come home with me, right now, and I'll explain everything." Brain was shocked, and had many questions, but he implicitly trusted and respected Penny, and if she wanted him to come with her, he obeyed without argument.

Back in her office, Chief Wilson stood in front of a mirror. Her reflection stared back at her, with a pleading expression. "Please, stop this! It's gone far enough!" Chief Wilson snarled back, "We haven't even STARTED!" There was then a tentative knock on her door. "Enter." Chief Wilson turned around as Inspector Gadget timidly entered. He was unaware of what had just transpired with Penny and Brain. Chief Wilson waved at the chair in front of her desk. "Shut the door, Inspector, and have a seat." She sat at her desk, and pulled out Inspector Gadget's file. She sighed and looked at him. "Well, Inspector, you certainly have a long history here at this department, don't you?" Gadget proudly beamed. "Yes, I suppose I do, Chief—" She cut him off. "We're closing down HQ, and letting you go." That stopped Gadget in his tracks. "Y-You're… what? Why?" Chief Wilson replied, "Well, there's two main reasons. First: HQ is no longer needed. MAD is defeated and gone. So, why continue to fund a sub-department that eats up a full one third of our budget? Using all that expensive equipment on common criminals is just a bit wasteful, wouldn't you say?"

"Second, and more importantly, you're completely incompetent. Did anyone ever tell you that your niece and her dog have secretly been solving all your cases for you, since she was only seven years old?" Chief Wilson read the confused shock all over Gadget's face. "Oh, it's true. Ask her when you get home. Haven't you ever noticed that those cases just seemed to solve themselves? How MAD agents ended up captured, even though you didn't do anything to them? It was your niece, Inspector. She and her dog have been trailing you in secret for years now, illegally interfering in police business behind your back." Gadget found his voice. "What do you mean, 'ask her when I get home?' Where are Penny and Brain?" Chief Wilson casually answered, "Oh, I just let them go. We have very little tolerance for Officers who knowingly accept favors from terrorist organizations. Honestly, they should be thankful they aren't in jail right now."

Chief Wilson opened her desk drawer and pulled out three envelopes. "Here's your final paycheck, MISTER Gadget." She deliberately did not refer to him as Inspector. "Oh, and Penny left in such a huff, she didn't pick up her final check, or her dog's. I'm sure you won't mind delivering them." Gadget sadly reached out and took the envelopes, then sat there silently. Then, he deployed the arm in his hat, and laid his police badge on the Chief's desk. He silently stood up to leave. Chief Wilson then said, "I nearly forgot; leave that car, the 'Gadgetmobile' here. It's police property." Gadget sadly fished the car keys out of his pocket, laid them on the Chief's desk, and left her office. He then stepped out of the police station, and started to walk home.

Meanwhile, Penny and Brain had arrived at her house, in Penny's Mustang. They got out, and entered the house. Lucy had been out in the back yard, and entered the house with a confused look on her face. It was hours before they were due home. Penny sat on the couch, and leaned back with a frustrated sigh. It had been a very stressful day. She had explained to Brain what the Chief had said, on the way home in the car. Brain then explained to Lucy. "Basically, Penny and I lost our jobs because of when I accepted MAD's help, in getting bionic upgrades." Penny lifted her head up. "Brain, that's not true. Come over here." Brain and Lucy hopped up on the couch and walked over to Penny, and she put her arms around him. "Chief Quimby knew all about that, and he never fired you, or arrested you. This new Chief Wilson, she has some sort of agenda against us, for whatever reason, and she's twisting things around to get at us. That's all this is."

Lucy didn't know the full details of how Brain got his bionic upgrades. Penny sighed; it was a difficult thing to talk about for her, but she decided that Lucy deserved to know. "A few years ago, Brain was nearing the end of his natural lifespan. I could tell, his end was a few months away, at best. Somehow, Talon found out about it, and since he wanted to recruit me to MAD, he sent some agents to kidnap Professor Von Slickstein, Fred's father, and then they took Brain, and performed the bionic upgrades." Brain interjected, "I LET them, Penny, which I shouldn't have done." Lucy was surprised. "Brain, why would you do that?" Penny answered for him. "Because he cared for me so much, and Brain, even if you had said no, do you think MAD would have accepted that? They would have just kidnapped you and done it anyway. This is NOT your fault."

This made Brain feel a little better; he had never heard Penny admit that before. She continued; "So, the new Chief fired us for that, and also, for rescuing Uncle Gadget all these years, which she called 'Illegally interfering in police missions.'" She and Brain then looked at each other, and simultaneously said, "Uncle Gadget!" "Oh, Brain, do you suppose he was fired too?" She then heard a knock at the front door, and upon opening it, welcomed in her Uncle Gadget. He looked sad and upset as he walked into the living room and sat in a chair. Penny gently coaxed information out of him. "Uncle, were you just… fired?" Without looking at her, he said, "Yep. I sure was." Penny glanced at Brain, then continued. "Do you know that Brain and I were, too?" After a slight pause, Gadget replied again. "Yes, I know that, too. HQ has been shut down, so probably Fred will be along shortly." Uncle Gadget had still not looked at her. She reached out and gently touched his hand. "It's ok, Uncle, we can—" He then glared at her and Brain, and cut her off with a simple question that Penny had dreaded hearing for 17 years.

"Penny, Brain, have you two been secretly solving all my cases for me, behind my back?" Penny and Brain were both stunned silent. Eventually, Penny started to stammer out a few words. "Umm, well, Uncle… it's hard to explain…" Gadget sighed. "So, the answer is YES, then." Penny could only nod. Gadget asked, "For how long?" Penny quietly said, "Since your first mission against Dr. Claw." Gadget shook his head. "That was 17 years ago… my first mission as Inspector Gadget, after the accident." He was referring to the accident that nearly killed Inspector John Brown, and prompted the Metro City P.D. to give him life-saving bionic upgrades that turned him into Inspector Gadget. "So, did you think that I was an incompetent dumb-ass who can't do anything right?"

Penny was shocked, and hurt. "Uncle, NO! Of course not! It's just that, after they transferred your mind into those memory chips, there were some side-effects, and you had a real problem recognizing threats, so…" Gadget waved his hand dismissively. "Don't be ridiculous, Penny." She felt tears of frustration welling up inside her, so Brain took over. "Listen to her; she's right. Lord knows, I know better than anyone. I was the one who usually ended up saving your life, which I have done nearly 200 times now. Remember every time you chased a LITTLE space alien, a LITTLE MAD agent, a LITTLE mummy, a LITTLE hula dancer… that was me, in disguise. Every time. I was tailing you, and stopping MAD assassins from killing you." While Gadget was shocked, Brain felt so good finally being able to get that off his chest, and tell Gadget openly.

Now Gadget was the one to be stunned silent, as he put all the pieces together. "But, Brain… if that's true, you took such a pounding, all those times… over and over and over again… just to save me? And, Penny, what were you doing?" She sniffed, subdued her tears, and held out her familiar beloved blue book. "Open it." Gadget did so, and saw the hidden computer inside. "You had this… all this time?" Penny nodded. "I used that to look up information, and take control of MAD's equipment, to help you, Uncle. And I used my video watch to keep in contact with Brain." Gadget searched his memory. "Wait a minute… Chief Quimby gave you those, I remember! Right after I became Inspector Gadget! Was HE in on this too?!" Penny nodded, and Brain spoke. "He always arranged for us to be transported behind you, because he knew how much we helped on your missions." Gadget threw up his hands in frustration. "Great! Placing my niece and my dog in danger, in secret! So, who else knew about this?" Penny reassured him, "Nobody, Uncle! Just me, Brain, and Chief Quimby." Brain then spoke up. "Well, and also the Commissioner." Gadget said, "Oh, for the love of…"

Penny stopped him. "Uncle, it WAS for love that we did this! You have to understand. We never lost any respect for you; we were trying to protect you! It wasn't your fault that the mind transfer affected you like it did, and we didn't want to see MAD agents take advantage of this." Brain also chimed in, "We did this because we knew how high the stakes were. If MAD managed to kill you, then what? Penny would have been thrown into an orphanage, they would have thrown ME back into the animal shelter to die, and MAD would have taken over the world. THAT is why we did what we did." Gadget could see their point, but he was still shocked, and his ego was hurt. "But, you were so small… a little girl, and a little dog. It was MY job to protect YOU. Now I find out, the joke's been on me, all along."

Penny said, "No, Uncle, that's just not true. You did save both of us, many times. Don't forget, it was you who killed Dr. Claw, only seconds before he would have roasted us alive with his flame thrower. You really DID come through so many times… after a few little nudges from us." Gadget then gave up his pouting, and hugged Penny and Brain. "I'm sorry, you two, that you had this burden… and Brain, especially to you; I'm sorry for every time I chased you, and caused you to suffer physically on a mission. I don't know how you stayed with it all those years." Brain was very grateful to hear this, and replied, "Well, there was that one time I left home for a few days; I felt like I needed some time away. Then, Dr. Claw blew up the house, and put Penny in the hospital, which reminded me of what's really important. I swore to her on her hospital bed that I'd never leave her side again." Penny smiled. "And, Uncle, he's kept that promise."

Just then, the door from the garage opened, and Fred walked in, glumly holding a box of his personal belongings. Obviously, the new Chief had fired him, too. Penny got up and hugged her husband, and informed him that they had all been fired. "What did she say to you, Fred?" Fred replied, "Mostly, it was a speech about how HQ was far too expensive to maintain, now that there was no MAD to fight. But, there was this strange moment; just for a second, it almost seemed as if she was arguing with herself. And, Penny, I must have been seeing things… for just a fraction of a second, I could have sworn that her eyes were shiny black." Penny thought back to her meeting with Chief Wilson. "You know, Fred, just before I left her office, she doubled over as if she was in pain, and when I saw her face again, it looked so… different." Penny tried to remember if she remembered seeing black eyes, but she had been so upset, the memories were jumbled and unreliable.

Back at the police department, Officer Julie Jones, Inspector Gadget's girlfriend, returned from patrol duty. She was entering her report in the log, and turned around, and jumped in alarm, because Chief Wilson was right behind her. "Oh! Sorry, Chief, I didn't hear you—" Chief Wilson interrupted her. "Come with me, please, Officer Jones." Officer Jones followed the Chief to her office, and saw something that was very unsettling. When the Chief opened the door, Officer Jones glanced at a mirror on the opposite wall, and saw the Chief's reflection, and her eyes appeared to be shiny black. Yet when the Chief turned to face Jones, they looked normal. Jones had no time to reflect on this, however, because the Chief started speaking right away. "So, Officer Jones… I understand that you are Gadget's girlfriend, is that correct?" Jones hesitated. "Well… yes, Chief, we see each other. I trust that isn't a problem?" Chief Wilson replied, "That mainly depends on you. I feel that I should inform you that the Gadgets have all been let go. The former Inspector, Penny, Brain, and Fred Von Slickstein. They are no longer part of this police force." Jones was shocked. "What?! After all the good they've done? I don't understand!" Chief Wilson shook her head. "Well, there are other reasons I won't get into, but the primary reason is, we don't need HQ draining our budget when there's no one left for them to fight." Jones was so shocked, she couldn't think of anything to say, so Chief Wilson continued.

"Now, as for you, Officer Jones; you aren't officially a part of HQ, even though you did assist them on many missions. I have reviewed your record, and it's exemplary. You may remain on the force if you wish. I understand you may have some feelings of loyalty to the Gadgets, and if so, I am ready to accept your resignation, with no detriment to your record." Officer Jones thought quickly, and decided the best thing for her was to remain on the job, at least until she had a chance to talk with her boyfriend and his family, whom she had grown to love, and get some more information. She used every bit of her acting talent left over from high school drama class. She put on a brave face, and said, "No thank you, Chief; I value my job and my service here, so I'll stay on the force. I won't let personal feelings get in the way." Chief Wilson nodded with satisfaction. "Very well, Officer. You're free to go home now, and whatever the Gadgets tell you, remember: this wasn't personal. It was strictly business." Officer Jones smiled, nodded, and left the Chief's office.

The Gadget family was sitting in Penny's living room, trying to make sense of what had happened, when the phone rang. Penny answered. "Hello, Julie… yes, he's over here with us. Come on over. No need to knock, just come on in." One advantage of living next door to her Uncle is that Julie made it over to Penny's house in under 60 seconds. She went straight for her boyfriend, Uncle Gadget, and hugged him in consolation. Julie told them what the Chief had told her, and how she had indicated that she would remain on the force. Penny nodded, and told her that was a wise move. Penny then asked if she had noticed anything peculiar about the Chief. Julie considered. "Well, actually, yes. For just a second, when I caught a glance of her face reflected in a mirror, I could have sworn that her eyes appeared shiny black. But then, when she turned to face me, they looked normal." Fred gently nudged Penny's shoulder. "See? I wasn't imagining it!" Brain then stated, "Penny, that could be a sign. I hate to say it, but it sounds like demonic possession." Penny sadly nodded. "I was thinking the same thing, Brain."

Penny consulted her computer book, and searched for information on signs of demonic possession. The long list included: Superhuman strength, ability to unnaturally contort the body, knowledge of unknown languages, speaking in strange tongues, inability to control themselves around Holy artifacts, and altered physical appearance, which included black eyes. Then, it hit Penny. When the Chief fired her, Penny had stood up and leaned over to slam her police badge on the desk. Penny hadn't realized, her Holy crucifix, which she always wore around her neck, had fallen out from inside her shirt, and was dangling right in front of the Chief. THAT was why she had doubled over in pain, then hissed at Penny to get out. Penny's heart began to beat faster with fear. She had been alone with a demon that was possessing the new Chief of Police. Brain mentioned, "She probably wanted to get you in that office without me, Penny, because us canines can, in some cases, sense evil presences. At least, that's what I've read." Penny could see where all this was heading, and she was visibly upset and scared. Brain saw this and sat next to her to be a comforting presence. Penny put an arm around him and said, "Oh my Gosh, Brain, here we go again; another Holy war, with us caught in the middle!"

The next morning, everyone in both houses woke up early, out of habit. However, the only one of them that still had a job to go to was Gadget's girlfriend, Officer Jones. Penny dashed across the lawn to her Uncle's house, and knocked on the door. Uncle Gadget opened it. "Uncle, has Julie left for work yet?" Uncle Gadget shook his head no. Julie came up behind him, in her police uniform. "Why hello again, Penny; what's going on?" Penny held out her hand, and in it was a Holy crucifix necklace. "Here, Julie; please wear this to work. Just in case." It was identical to the one that Penny wore, and it had been blessed by a priest. Julie smiled, put it around her neck, and thanked Penny.

After Julie had left for work, and Penny was about to return home, her Uncle stopped her. "Penny, just a minute. I didn't want to bring this up in front of everyone last night, but now that you and Fred are both unemployed, how are you set for money? Penny smiled. "Well, Uncle, Fred and I have enough saved up to make the house payment for a full year. I still had a little left over from the inheritance from my parent's house." Penny had actually originally inherited over half a million dollars, but after Brain's little girlfriend Lucy had been shot by a MAD sniper, Penny had used this to pay for life-saving bionic implants to Lucy's spine, as a gift of love to Brain. Penny looked at her Uncle. "How about you, Uncle? Will you be all right, financially?" Uncle Gadget assured her he would. "I paid off this house a few years ago, Penny, and I have some money saved up. And, Julie is still bringing in a paycheck as well." This was a relief to both Penny and her Uncle. If nothing else, it would be a while before any of them had to worry about an urgent, pressing need for more money. Penny was glad that she had learned to live wisely, financially; save money every month, and keep debts to a minimum.

Later that day, Penny and Brain jumped in her Mustang, and went to a rather unusual location for a weekday; they went to Penny's church. The weekday mass had ended an hour ago, and the church was nearly empty. Penny went to the office, and smiled at the elderly lady behind the desk. She looked up and peered through her thick spectacles. "Why, hello there, Penny! Fancy seeing you here during the week. And, who's this?" Penny knew she had introduced Brain several times before, but reminded herself, this lady was getting on in years. "This is my partner, Brain, Mrs. Mills." Penny saw that Brain didn't sigh or roll his eyes, he just looked at the lady and smiled. She felt proud of her little friend for his manners. Penny then said, "Mrs. Mills, we'd like to purchase four of those blessed crucifix necklaces, if you still have those in stock?" Mrs. Mills said, "Oh, goodness; well, let me look here…" She turned and looked in the showcase filled with religious items for sale to the congregation.

After several minutes of mumbling and shuffling through boxes, while Penny and Brain patiently waited, Mrs. Mills finally produced the Holy crucifix necklaces, still in their little plastic cases. Penny gladly paid for them. As Penny was gathering them up, she asked Mrs. Mills, "Now, you're sure these have all been blessed, is that correct?" The Pastor of the church was walking by, and had recognized Penny and Brain, and came over to say hello. "Well, Penny, I can take care of that for you, if you have a minute. Come to my office?" Penny thanked Mrs. Mills, and she and Brain accompanied the Pastor to his office.

In his office, the Pastor laid the four necklaces out on his desk, and said a brief prayer of blessing, and made the sign of the cross over the four necklaces. A delighted Penny thanked him and gathered up the necklaces, put them back in their cases, and gave them to Brain to carry. The Pastor said, "Penny, I can tell something is on your mind. I'm here to listen, and I have the time!" Penny was unsure how much to tell him. When she and Brain and Uncle Gadget had been pulled into Hell, during a battle between Angels and Demons, she had decided not to tell her Pastor, because it was just too unbelievable, and they had no visual proof. She and Brain had joked to each other, 'You kind of had to be there.' She looked at Brain, then back to her Pastor. "Well, first, I need to ask you… and this is pretty unusual, I'll admit, but… do you believe in Demons?" She almost cringed, waiting for his answer. The Pastor paused for a moment, then answered. "Well, actually, yes." He pointed at his white collar. "Kind of goes with the territory. I absolutely believe in Angels, and, the other side of that is, unfortunately, that Demons are also real." Penny blurted it out before she lost her courage. "Brain and I think we know someone who is possessed by a Demon. These crucifixes are to protect my family."

The Pastor looked closely at Penny, half-expecting this to turn out to be a joke. When she didn't smile, and Brain looked equally serious, the Pastor sighed and leaned back in his chair, deep in thought. "Penny, why do you think this?" She told him that she had a prior experience in her life, without giving any detail, that convinced her that Angels and Demons were real. "Not only myself, Pastor, but others in my family have seen certain signs with this person." The Pastor was very conflicted. Normally, he would have dismissed such an idea… but, he knew who Penny and Brain were. He knew their record, and reputations. He knew that they were not idiots. If she and Brain suspected this, then there just may be something to it. He finally answered her. "Penny, Brain; officially, the church has backed away from exorcisms. Often times, it is not a Demon, but mental illness afflicting the person in question. But if you're sure, and I mean positive, the church does still perform them, in rare cases." Penny smiled. "Thank you, Pastor. I pray that it won't be necessary."

At the Metro City Police Department, Chief Wilson closed her office door and locked it. Sitting behind her desk, she pulled out a mirror, and a small vial of blood. She drew a pentagram on the mirror in blood, then lit five candles near each point of the pentagram. She recited an incantation in Latin. A large, dark cloud of smoke appeared in front of her desk. Chief Wilson's eyes turned shiny black. She listened. "I have fired them all. I am ready to move to the next phase." She paused for a moment. "Yes, Master." The smoke dissipated, Chief Wilson's eyes returned to normal, then she blew out the candles. After wiping off the mirror with tissues, she returned it to her desk drawer, unlocked the door to her office, and walked down the corridor of the police station.

Back inside her office, unnoticed by Chief Wilson, there was a tiny concealed camera hidden inside a picture frame. It had been planted there by Officer Julie Jones. Penny had pleaded with her to do this, since she was the only one of the family that now had access to the police station. (Although she had not married Uncle Gadget, and was not engaged to him, she was so close to all of them that she was considered to be part of the family.) Now, Officer Jones quietly entered the Chief's office, quickly retrieved the data from the camera in a storage device, and rapidly left the office. No one saw her. She concealed this storage device in her pocket, and carried on with her day, as if nothing had happened.

At Penny's house, she and Brain had returned home with the four freshly blessed crucifix necklaces. She summoned Brain and Lucy over to her, and they patiently sat still while Penny carefully and securely fastened a crucifix to each of their collars. Penny smiled. "There you go! Those are on there tight, and they won't fall off. Thanks for being so patient, you two." She gave them each a little kiss on the top of the head. As Penny walked off, Lucy quietly said to Brain, "She's so wonderful, isn't she? I can understand why you swore never to abandon her." Brain smiled and nodded. "She's always been that way, ever since she was a little girl."

That evening, when Julie Jones returned home, she told Uncle Gadget what she had recorded. He picked up the phone and called Penny over. She and Brain soon appeared, and they all went into the study to look at the recordings. There was no sound, but the recorded image was crystal clear. They saw Chief Wilson's demonic black eyes; they saw her summon a large cloud of black smoke, and they saw her mouth moving and her head nodding, then bowing in respect and subservience to the black smoke. Uncle Gadget stopped the recording, then turned off the monitor. Penny looked very distraught. All doubts had just been removed; they were officially mixed up with battling Demons, yet again. She thanked Julie for getting these recorded images. Julie said, "I also checked at the station. Chief Wilson is real, and her police record really is long and distinguished. How long do you suppose a Demon has been possessing her?" Penny shrugged her shoulders and looked at Brain, who said, "Probably not all that long. But more importantly, how do we get that evil thing out of her?"

Penny and Brain slowly walked the short distance back to their house, talking about the situation with the Chief. They were almost to their home's front door, when Brain halted. He said, "Penny, wait a minute." He sniffed the air, and the fur on his back bristled. He spoke again. "Something's very wrong. I feel… an evil presence." Penny pulled out the concealed carry pistol that she kept on her 24/7, ever since MAD had kidnapped her. It was a small little pistol, but better than nothing. She cautiously and slowly opened the front door of her house. The door silently swung open… and nothing happened. She and Brain entered the house, one deliberate step at a time. Brain silently closed the door behind them. The house was very quiet. At the minimum, Lucy should have been there to greet them. Penny slowly entered the hallway, her pistol at the ready. She silently pointed up the stairs, instructing Brain to go take a look at the upper level of the house. Brain obeyed, slowly and silently climbing up the stairs. His senses were on high alert. The evil feeling was stronger than ever. Brain at that moment was very glad he had a Holy crucifix on his collar.

Meanwhile, Penny slowly rounded the corner and entered the living room. Her heart jumped as she spotted Lucy, unconscious on the living room carpet. She was so surprised that she said, "Lucy!" and dropped her guard, in order to kneel on the carpet next to the little dog. Then, her peripheral vision caught a dark shape moving rapidly toward her. Penny had laid her pistol down on the carpet, and didn't have enough time to retrieve it before the hired thug's stun gun zapped her unconscious. Penny's world went dark.

Upstairs, Brain heard Penny say Lucy's name. He turned to go back downstairs, letting his guard down as well, and another hired thug jumped out of his hiding place, zapped Brain unconscious, and stuffed him in a large black duffel bag. He carried the bag downstairs, and met his partner. "No problem, the dog and the woman are out like a light. Where's the boss?" Right on cue, the door leading to the garage opened, and Chief Wilson walked in. She peered into the black bag, and saw Brain inside, still unconscious. She looked over at Penny, who was knocked out on the living room floor. Chief Wilson tried to reach in and remove Brain's collar, but as her hand neared the crucifix, she experienced intense pain, and her hand started to sizzle. She yanked it back away from the crucifix. She sighed with irritation. No matter. There were other ways.

Chief Wilson ordered the two hired thugs to take the black bag out to her car, parked across the street. "Sure thing, boss, but what about them?" He pointed at Penny and Lucy. Chief Wilson smirked. "I have other plans for them." Outside the house, once Brain was loaded in Chief Wilson's car, she handed each thug one thousand dollars. "There you go. Now remember the deal; you leave the state and don't return, and your criminal records will vanish. I'll make sure of that." The two thugs grinned at each other. "No problem, boss!" Chief Wilson watched the two thugs drive away in their car. When she got in her own car, she had a wicked smile on her face, and her eyes were shiny black.

"Penny! Hey, Penny! Wake up!" Penny slowly opened her eyes, and saw Fred leaning over her, with panic on his face. He slowly helped her sit up. She looked around, and saw everything just as she remembered it. Lucy was still laying there, unconscious, and Penny's pistol was still there on the carpet. She had an awful headache. Fred pleaded with her; "Penny, say something!" Penny grimaced and said, "Something." Fred sighed and said, "Well, I see you're still YOU. What happened?" Penny replied, "I was coming home with Brain, when he sensed something awful; something evil, when we were still outside. I sent him upstairs to check, and I came in here, saw Lucy, then someone appeared and zapped me unconscious." She reached over and stroked Lucy, then gently shook her. Lucy woke up, still groggy and in pain. She was whimpering and half-yelping, so Penny embraced her, despite her own pain, in an effort to comfort the dog. Fred looked around, and saw no signs of any intruders. He looked back to Penny. "Where's Brain?" Penny stared at Fred. With considerable alarm, she asked, "What do you mean, 'where's Brain?!'" Still clutching Lucy close, she stood up, half-ran up the stairs, and frantically checked every room upstairs. No sign of Brain. She came downstairs again, checking every room, then the garage, and even the backyard, calling Brain's name all the while.

By the time Penny and Lucy re-entered the living room, Penny was near tears. Lucy was now the one attempting to comfort her, as she whined and licked Penny's face. Penny sat on the sofa, set Lucy down next to her, and tried to use her video watch to call Brain. There was only static-filled snow; no response of any kind. She reached over to the table, retrieved her trusty blue computer book, and attempted to home in on Brain's collar, which had a tracking device in it, for just this sort of emergency. There was no sign of him anywhere. This meant someone had anticipated Penny trying to track him, and was blocking the signal. Penny closed the book as Fred sat next to her, in an effort to comfort his wife.

Brain woke up, and discovered he was inside a black cloth duffel bag. The top was tied shut. He could feel that he was in motion. He was riding in a car. "Hey! Who are you? What's the meaning of this?" Then Brain noticed, that same malevolent, evil feeling that he had sensed outside the house. It was in this car with him. Then, suddenly, he realized why it had felt familiar. He had felt this presence before. When he and Penny were nearly trapped in the depths of Hell, and there were demons all around them battling angels, he had felt this same evil emanating from all the demons. Chief Wilson's voice answered him. "Sit still and shut up, you mutt. I planned to take you alive, but if you give me any trouble, my plan will just as easily work if you're dead." Brain replied, "Well, can't say it's nice to meet you, Chief Wilson; or, whatever the name is of the demon that's possessing her."

There was a slight pause, then, Chief Wilson retorted, "Very good. I see why they call you Brain. Too bad you won't be telling anyone." After 30 minutes of driving, the car stopped. Brain felt Chief Wilson grab the duffel bag, and hauled him out of the car. She tossed the bag, and he landed hard on the ground. Then, he felt the Chief jab him with a needle, and inject him with something. She opened the top of the duffel bag and dumped him out. Brain could already feel himself getting groggy. He was in a concrete bunker, with extremely thick walls. There were no windows, only one steel door. Chief Wilson spoke to him. "I'm going to leave you here now. Your collar radio has been blocked. There's no food. See that drain pipe in the wall? You may be able to get some rain water out of that, if it rains. I'm curious to see if Penny can find you before you starve to death. Feel free to yell, or bark, or whatever; there's no one around for miles." She then stepped back, and slammed the steel door shut, just as the drug she had injected into Brain took over, and he passed out on the floor.

Penny and Fred checked the security system in their home. Fortunately for them, the Demon that invaded their home may have been a being of supreme evil, but it was not very tech savvy. Penny and Fred, on the other hand, were very knowledgeable in high tech systems, and their home was completely covered, inside and out, with the latest in silent surveillance. They pulled up the footage and watched it. Penny saw herself on the screen, with Brain right behind her. She saw the hired thugs get the drop on her, then on Brain. Then, she saw the door leading to the garage open, and Chief Wilson walked in. She paused the playback, and zoomed in on Chief Wilson's eyes. They were shiny black. Penny stared at Fred. "You see? Look at those black eyes. There's a Demon in her." Fred had no choice but to agree. He had seen enough in his years of working with the Gadgets to know not to doubt Penny. This revelation also made it clear that Chief Wilson herself, the real Chief Wilson, was not responsible for any of this, including shutting down HQ and firing all of the Gadgets. The Demon had been in control this entire time. Penny picked up the phone, and called the police.

Chief Wilson arrived back at the police department, and entered her office. There, she saw four officers waiting for her. She glared at them. "Can I ask why you are in my office, instead of out on patrol?" One of the officers said, "Chief Wilson, you're under arrest, for breaking and entering, assault, and kidnapping." The officers converged around her, and one of them had handcuffs out. With a beastly snarl and inhuman strength, she lashed out and struck this officer in the chest. He dropped the cuffs and fell backwards. The other three officers rushed her, wrestled her to the ground, and got the cuffs on her. They dragged her into a jail cell, and strapped her down under heavy restraints. She let out inhuman screams of rage. Her eyes were solid, shiny black; she didn't even try to hide it anymore. She called out each officer by name, swearing at them, and promising them a slow and painful death.

In the concrete bunker, Brain finally woke up. It was pitch dark, except for a tiny bit of light in the upper corner of the bunker. This was where a pipe entered the bunker. There was a small amount of water dripping in from the pipe. Brain could hear, it was raining outside. He felt around the bunker, and found where the door was. It was shut tight. There was a handle, but it didn't budge. The door didn't give a millimeter, even when he threw his full weight against it. This told Brain that the door had been welded shut, from the outside. He sighed, and sat down on the floor. His eyes had adjusted enough that he was able to see more. There was nothing in the bunker; no chair, no bed, no food. Nothing. Just a bare concrete cube, and he was trapped inside.

Brain considered if any of the gadgets built into his bionic upgrades would help him. He had legs that could extend, much like Inspector Gadget's did. He had super sensitive hearing, and built-in binocular eyes. He remembered that he did have night vision. He engaged this, and was able to see inside the bunker much more clearly, but all that did was confirm what he already suspected. He was trapped in a concrete cube with walls that were six inches thick, a metal door that was welded shut, and a small pipe that leaked rainwater in. There was literally nothing else. Brain wished he had a built-in laser, as Inspector Gadget had, but he didn't. His only hope was that Penny would find him.

Penny entered the police station, and was escorted into Chief Wilson's cell. The Chief looked at her, and laughed. It was an ugly, evil, demonic laugh. "So, how's your dog Brain?" Penny didn't respond. Chief Wilson mockingly said, "Aww, what's the matter? Can't you find him, genius? I thought you were the golden girl that everyone loves!" Penny didn't acknowledge this, but got right to the point. "I know you're a demon, possessing Chief Wilson. Why are you doing this?" Chief Wilson smirked. "You know, you and your family have a LOT of enemies in Hell! I gotta admit, it's pretty impressive. One of them was willing to do certain favors that got me released from the Pit, and I have absolutely nothing better to do than make you and your family suffer!" Penny shook her head. "Let me guess… was it Talon?" Chief Wilson smiled. "Clever girl. He really, REALLY wants you to suffer as much as possible."

Penny asked, "Well, then why didn't you kill us? I saw the footage; you had Brain and I unconscious and helpless." The Demon snarled, "Weren't you listening, bitch?! We want you to SUFFER. Now, if we killed you and Brain, what happens then? You two, you'll go straight up to Heaven. You won't even have to wait in line at the Pearly Gates; you'll go in the V.I.P. entrance." Penny didn't understand. The Demon saw this, and said, "So much for you being a genius! Think about it. If you and Brain are in Heaven, that means your suffering will be over, and you'll be in paradise for all eternity. It also means that you'll be totally out of our reach. No Demon can get into Heaven. And, there's no way for us to get you and Brain down into Hell. So, we want you to stay on Earth, where we can reach you, and make you suffer."

Penny considered this, then a thought occurred to her, that gave her hope. "So, that means, Brain is still alive?!" The Demon laughed. "Very good! Maybe you aren't such an idiot after all. Yes, he's alive. I sealed him up in a concrete bunker, miles away from anyone, and he can't get out. I've blocked his collar, so you can't track him, and neither can your Angel friends. Powerful dark magic, you see." The hope that Penny was feeling faded. Nevertheless, she said, "You should have killed us when you had the chance. I'll find him." The Demon considered this, then asked Penny, "Have you ever watched the old Star Trek movies? No? Well, there's a line from one of them I'll share with you: 'I've done far worse than kill you. I've hurt you. And I wish to go on… hurting you.'" The Demon then smiled at Penny, then started to laugh at her. Penny started to back away. The Demon called out, "Aww hey, where are you going? I was just starting to have fun!" Penny reached for the door. The Demon roared after her, "You better find that little dog soon! There's no food in there with him! How long does it take for a dog to starve to death?!"

Penny's Mustang roared up to the church, and screeched to a halt. She ran up to the church office, and pleaded for the Pastor to come with her to the police station. She insisted that they had a person that was possessed by a Demon in custody, and needed his assistance to perform an exorcism. The Pastor retrieved a bible, a rosary, and his papers which held a prayer of exorcism. He got into the passenger seat of Penny's Mustang, and held on for dear life as she floored the gas pedal.

Technically, Penny was a civilian now, and had no business visiting with a prisoner of the police department, to say nothing of bringing in a guest. However, everyone on the police force was a friend of hers, and they had all seen and heard for themselves that their new Chief was, indeed, possessed by a Demon. So, she and the Pastor were quietly escorted into the cell holding Chief Wilson. The Pastor was able to see for himself; the shiny black eyes, the inhuman voice, the incredible strength. All signs of possession. He held up his bible and rosary over Chief Wilson, and recited the exorcism prayer. When it was completed, Chief Wilson lay still. Penny and the Pastor looked at her expectantly. Suddenly, Chief Wilson's eyes flew open. They were shiny black. Chief Wilson snarled, "Sorry to disappoint, but I'm not going anywhere. So, what's next?" The Pastor sighed, and turned to Penny. "I was afraid this would happen. You see, exorcisms are not like they show on TV and movies. It's not just one prayer, it's a long series of prayers. This could take weeks, Penny." The frustration and despair could plainly be seen all over Penny's face. The Demon saw this, and laughed.

That evening, Penny was in her house, unrolling several large maps that she had purchased from a local surveying company. Using thumbtacks, she put them up on the kitchen wall, and studied them. Not only was all of Metro City shown on these maps, but also the surrounding countryside for miles around. She divided up these areas into sectors, and everyone in the family took responsibility for covering one sector per day. The problem was, there were over 200 sectors. This would take a very long time to search. Every day that went by, was a day that her poor, beloved friend was trapped in a concrete box with no food. Penny went up to her bedroom, knelt down by the bed, and prayed to her guardian Angel. She fell into an unconscious state, and in her dream, Penny saw her Angel. The Angel apologized that they were unable to locate Brain, due to the powerful dark magic that the Demon was using. However, the Angel provided Penny with a special exorcism prayer, and encouraged her to give this to her Pastor. The Angel promised it would not only cast out the Demon much more quickly, but actually kill the Demon. Penny thanked the Angel, and then woke up. She rapidly wrote down the new exorcism prayer, while it was fresh in her mind.

In the concrete box, Brain was losing hope. He had run out of things to try. He couldn't budge the door, and he couldn't dig out, since even the floor was solid concrete. The pipe coming into the bunker was barely an inch wide. Even if he could get the pipe out of the concrete, that wouldn't help him. And now, the pangs of hunger really began to make themselves known. At least, when it rained, he was able to drink rainwater trickling in from the pipe. He decided to sit down, and try to save his strength. Then, nature called. He groaned, because he realized there was no drainage in this bunker. He tried to estimate which corner of the bunker was lowest down, walked over to that corner, and relieved himself. He walked over to the opposite corner, hoping that his own waste would stay in that corner. Brain thought to himself; Penny better find him soon, or this could get very messy.

Penny and her Pastor paid Chief Wilson one more visit, with the new exorcism prayer. The Demon heard the beginning of the prayer, and snarled with both rage and fear. The Demon knew this prayer would be fatal on the first try. "You may cast me out, but this bitch I'm in won't wake up. She'll be stuck in a coma. The ONLY way to wake her up, is to break the seal holding your precious Brain prisoner. On the door of his bunker, there is a dark magic seal, which is blocking him from communicating with you, as well as keeping this Chief in a coma. Good luck finding it!" Penny looked at the Pastor and nodded, and he continued the new exorcism prayer. When he finished, Chief Wilson's mouth flew open, and a hideous dark cloud flew out. It roiled in seeming agony over her, then erupted in a brief flash of flame. Then, it was gone. That one particular Demon was exorcised and dead, but Penny and Brain's ordeal was far from over.

Five days later, Penny sat at the kitchen table, staring at the large map on the wall. Ever since the Demon had been exorcised, the entire Gadget family had divided and covered one sector per day, frantically searching for an isolated concrete bunker. Uncle Gadget was behind her, and put his hands on her shoulders, and tried to comfort her. "There there, Penny; we'll find Brain. You'll see." She reached up and put her hand on top of his. "We just have to, Uncle. He's given so much, without fail and without complaint, ever since we rescued him from the animal shelter. It just CAN'T end like this." Uncle Gadget sat down at the table and looked at her sadly. Penny continued. "I know he suffered terribly on all those missions; he tried to tell me sometimes, all the things that he went through, and all the physical trauma he suffered, but sometimes… I didn't listen to him." Uncle Gadget said, "Well, that's partly my fault, Penny." In her head, Penny thought, 'PARTLY?!' But she let her Uncle continue uninterrupted. "If I had been more alert, and better at my job, Brain wouldn't have needed to help me in secret so much, I suppose." He was still having a hard time accepting that his sweet little niece, and her adorable little dog, had secretly accompanied him and saved him on over 100 missions against MAD, a deadly terrorist outfit.

Lucy walked into the kitchen, looking sad and depressed. Like the rest of the family, she missed Brain terribly. He was, after all, Lucy's boyfriend. She walked up to Penny, who picked her up and hugged her, in an effort to console her. Besides, it made Penny feel a little better to be able to hug a dog, even if it wasn't Brain. Penny spoke up. "Okay, why don't Lucy and I take this sector today, and Uncle, which one will you take?" Uncle Gadget picked one, as did Fred. None of them would find anything that day. That meant they had searched a total of 18 sectors of the map, out of over 200, and five days had passed. At this rate, it would take approximately two months to search all the sectors. Each sector was a square mile. It doesn't sound like much, but every square mile has to be searched thoroughly, because for all they knew, this bunker could be buried, with only a small pipe sticking out of the ground. It was a nearly impossible mission, but they had no choice but to keep trying. So, the Gadgets traipsed over wilderness, abandoned farmland, and along streams and trails, desperately searching for a miracle.

In his concrete bunker, Brain was hungrier than he had ever been. He had no idea starving would hurt this much. All he could think of was food. At least he had a fairly steady supply of water, leaking in from the pipe in the wall, since it was mid-November, and the Fall rains had begun. This also meant that he was in no danger of being baked alive in this concrete prison. He was thankful this had not happened in the hot, dry Summer months. To conserve energy, he decided to lay down on the floor and try to sleep. He found himself thinking back on all the amazing adventures he had been on with his dearest friend, Penny… while protecting that bumbling idiot Uncle of hers. Brain had often thought to himself, he only stuck with the team for HER, not for HIM. Brain then admonished himself. 'That's not helping you, Brain. And besides, it isn't ALL his fault.' He heard a strange noise from the pipe, and engaged his Gadget night vision. He saw a small rat poke its head out, then it dropped into the bunker. It had been drawn by the smell of Brain's accumulated waste in the opposite corner. Brain slowly moved to a crouching position, then leaped, and landed a killing blow on the rat. He held up his prize by the tail. Hunger will make you eat the strangest things, even a small, bloody rat. Especially when the alternative is nothing.

As the days continued to slip by, Penny grew more and more depressed and desperate. Before she knew it, it was late November, over four weeks since Brain had been kidnapped, and they still had no clue where he was. The entire family, including her husband Fred, had been out every single day, covering another square mile sector on the large map. Yet they were still barely one third of the way through it. Other than Penny and Lucy, all the other members of the Gadget family had privately given up hope that Brain had lasted this long. They thought of their search now as looking for a body, so at least they could give Brain a proper burial. It went without saying that there was no Thanksgiving for the Gadgets this year. Penny thought to herself; how could they possibly sit in a warm, dry house, stuffing their faces with turkey and pumpkin pie, when poor Brain was still out there? They were able to search three more sectors that day… with no results. Every night, Penny cried herself to sleep.

It was the day of a particularly grim milestone; one month since Brain had vanished. Officer Julie Jones was at work at the Metro City Police Department. One of the rookie officers had to go home sick, so Julie volunteered to take over the front desk. She tried to focus on the paperwork, but she was preoccupied with sorrow for poor Penny and Brain. That Demon certainly had accomplished what it wanted; both of them, and in fact the whole Gadget family, were suffering horribly. Julie looked up when the front door of the police station opened, and a man entered and walked up to the desk. Julie said, "How may I help you?" The man answered, "Is Chief Wilson here?" Julie shook her head. "No… hadn't you heard? She's in the hospital, in a coma." The man seemed genuinely surprised. "Oh! I had no idea. I'm sorry about that." Julie asked again, "So, could I help you with something?" The man answered, "Well, I'm a metal worker, and she hired me to do a welding job on the door of this strange concrete thing, out in the middle of nowhere. She paid me in cash, with hundred dollar bills. But, when I went to pay my bills at the end of the month, I tested the bills with a counterfeit detection pen, and they're fake! I'm sure she didn't do that intentionally, but I wanted to let her know. And, I'd like to get paid with real money!"

Julie felt her heart beat faster, and she had trouble keeping the excited giddiness out of her voice. "So, Chief Wilson hired you to weld a metal door… on a concrete bunker?!" The man wondered why this officer was getting so excited. "Umm, yeah, she did. It didn't take very long, and I didn't ask questions, for the amount she paid me." Julie continued, "Was this about a month ago?" The man looked surprised. "Well, yeah, it was! Exactly one month. How did you know?" Julie excitedly reached for her purse, and took out her checkbook. "I'll pay you all of that, and another hundred dollars extra, if you tell me EXACTLY where that bunker is!" The man said, "Why would you want to go all the way out there? It's just a concrete box, and there's nothing else around for miles." Julie was furiously scribbling out a check, and said, "Trust me, two lives are on the line here." The man told her where the bunker was, down to the last detail. He took Julie's check, thanked her, and left. Her hand trembling with happy excitement, Julie reached for the phone.

Penny began this day like all the others for the last month; staring at the large map on the kitchen wall, and trying to choke down a breakfast that she absolutely did not want to eat. She was so depressed, eating food was the LAST thing she felt like doing, yet she knew that she would need her strength today, walking up and down a square mile of wilderness. She looked up at the map. She also did not want to go on another fruitless search all day long, but to give up now would be to sign her dearest friend's death certificate. She could not do that. Then, the phone rang. She sighed, picked it up, and listlessly mumbled, "Hello?" After listening to Julie's excited voice for a few seconds, Penny felt a wave of hope and energy surge through her body. She wrote down some information, thanked Julie from the bottom of her heart, leaped out of her chair, and grabbed a few supplies for the trunk of her Mustang: a blanket, a bottle of water, and some food. Everyone else had already left to search a sector on the map, so she leaped into her Mustang, reversed onto the street, and laid an impressively long set of twin streaks of rubber as she peeled out, headed for the highway.

Brain sat in the corner of the dark, dank bunker. It was clear to him now that he was going to die. He had fully accepted this. Obviously, something had happened, because the Penny that he knew (and loved) would NEVER give up on him. Brain wondered if she had been killed. It was a great consolation to him that he knew that Angels were real. This meant that there was a Heaven. There was not a doubt in his mind that, if Penny had indeed been killed, she would be there joyously waiting for him. He thought that it wouldn't be so bad; no more pain, no more suffering, no hunger, and he would be back with his dearest friend. Let someone else risk their life to save an indifferent world.

He thought that his mind must be playing tricks on him. He thought he heard a familiar V-8 Mustang engine approaching. The engine stopped, he heard a door slam, and footsteps splashing through the mud outside. He heard a voice crying out. "Brain! Brain, say something! Hold on, Brain!" He then heard banging on the metal door. He allowed himself a little bit of hope. If this was imaginary, then he had one hell of an imagination. He heard a sizzling sound, looked at the door, and saw a heat mark moving its way up, slowly cutting a hole around the handle of the door.

Penny used the laser in her watch to cut around the welded part of the door. Then, she kicked the door with all her might. It flew open on the first try. She used her flashlight, and there, in the corner, she saw her little friend. She rushed over to him, and scooped him up in a hug, with tears pouring out. Then, the stench hit her. The water that was all over the floor was mostly dog urine, and there was a pile of dog poop in the corner. Brain's fur was foul-smelling, soaked full of this awful liquid. Penny didn't care at all. She was so happy to have her friend in her arms again. His eyes were tightly shut. Then Penny realized, he hadn't seen daylight in a month. It would take him time to adjust. She carried him out to the Mustang, and gently set him down. "Just a minute, Brain…" She rushed over to the trunk, got out the blanket, wrapped Brain in it, and set him in the passenger seat. She noticed; he was so light. He had lost far too much weight. She sat down in the driver's seat and started the Mustang's engine. By now, Brain was able to look around. She set a bottle of water and some cooked chicken in his lap. "Now, Brain; we're going home to get you cleaned up. I'll explain everything. I want you to eat this SLOWLY. Your stomach isn't used to food, so eat one bite at a time, very slowly, ok?"

Penny made it home in record time. She lifted Brain out of the Mustang. He had followed Penny's instructions, and eaten the food extremely slowly, and it had not come back up again. A very good sign. Penny carried him into the bathroom, set him in the bathtub, and turned on the warm water. While the tub was filling with water, she dashed over to her bedroom, took off the shirt that had dog pee in it, from when she had hugged poor Brain. She put on a fresh shirt, and rushed back to the bathroom. She poured liquid soap out into the tub and on Brain's body, rolled up her sleeves, knelt down next to the tub, and gave Brain a very thorough bath. He was so filthy, she had to drain the water, and refill the tub with fresh water. He patiently allowed Penny to take her time, and clean him thoroughly.

After a full thirty minutes of washing him with soapy water, she rinsed him off, then lifted him out of the tub. Brain didn't have the strength to shake himself off. He could barely stand. Penny wrapped a towel around him, then tossed that towel aside, and scrubbed him dry with another towel. Finally, she used an air dryer. She could really see now how thin Brain was. In some places, she could count his ribs, and in other places, she could plainly see the shape of the bionic implants under his skin. Finally, he was clean and dry. She picked up her little friend, carried him into the living room, sat on the sofa, and hugged him close. Penny didn't say a word, she just savored the feeling of her little friend in her arms; alive, and safe once more. After several moments, the silence was broken by Brain. "Penny, I'm beyond happy that you found me. I thought you might be dead. But I have to ask; what took so long? I was in that concrete box for a month." Penny looked at him, and wiped away the silent tears of relief and happiness that had been streaming down her face. She answered, "It's ok, Brain; you're right to ask. Let me show you."

Penny carried Brain into the kitchen area, showing him the huge map, and how they had been methodically searching one square mile at a time. Only one third of the map was shaded in, indicating that it had been searched. Penny walked over to it, and put a red X where Brain had actually been. She estimated that it would have been another 2 weeks before they got to that area. Brain shook his head. "I never would have lasted that long, Penny. As of a day ago, I had fully accepted that I was going to die." Penny also explained that they were unable to track him, because his collar homing beacon had been blocked.

"That was the first thing I tried, Brain, as soon as I regained consciousness. That Demon possessing Chief Wilson was using some kind of dark magic, which blocked us from tracking you." Brain wondered why the Demon hadn't just killed them. Penny said, "I said the same thing, and that Demon said, 'I've done far worse than kill you; I've hurt you, and I wish to go on hurting you.'" Brain said, "Ah yes, a quote from Star Trek II, The Wrath of Khan. So that Demon is a Trek nerd, too." Penny smiled and said, "WAS a Trek nerd. We killed the Demon, Brain. But, the dark magic remains…" Penny remembered that there was supposed to be some sort of artifact on the bunker which, if destroyed, would end the dark magic spell, and free Chief Wilson. Penny had been so preoccupied with rescuing Brain, she had forgotten to check on that artifact.

Officer Jones got a call from Penny. She listened, then almost squealed like a little girl, from sheer happiness. Brain was alive! Julie's tip and been the missing piece of information that was desperately needed, and had saved Brain's life. Penny then asked about Chief Wilson. Julie told her there had not been any change in her status. She was still locked in a coma. This told Penny that they would have to make another trip out to that horrible bunker, look for the dark artifact, and destroy it. Penny thanked her one more time then hung up. Julie looked around at the crowd of gathered officers, and said, "Brain is alive! Penny found him!" Many of them cheered, and all of them looked very relieved. The Gadgets had made friends with everyone on the police force, even if they had been fired.

Back at Penny's house, she gently sat Brain in a chair at the table, and asked him if he was up for trying a light lunch. Brain immediately nodded. Penny smiled, and prepared a lunch of chicken and rice. Something which would be easy on his stomach. She fixed some for herself as well. While the rice was cooking, she called Uncle Gadget on his top-secret Gadget phone, and told him that she had found Brain, and he was home now. "That's WONDERFUL, Penny! I'll be home as soon as I can find my way out of these bushes…" Penny giggled and hung up. She then called Fred, who was searching another sector with Lucy. He had thought that her nose would come in handy. When Penny delivered the good news, Brain was actually able to hear Lucy's loud WOOHOO, even though the phone was against Penny's ear. He smiled, and Penny giggled again. She got the chicken and rice off the stove, set a plate in front of Brain, and gave him a kiss on the top of the head, then let him eat. Brain had missed that most of all, while sitting in the bunker. He slowly and carefully ate his lunch, drinking water, and feeling his strength slowly returning.

That night was the happiest in Penny's house in a long time. When Lucy arrived home, she hugged Brain and refused to let go. Everyone was so relieved that he was back. He sat on the couch, and quietly explained to them how he had spent the past month. Trying to find a way out, trying to use his Gadgets to get out, living off rainwater and killing rats, being forced to sit in his own waste because there was no drainage, and gradually losing the will to keep holding on. "I have to say, if Penny hadn't found me, I think I would have died tonight. I had no fight left in me." Then, with considerable effort, He slid off the couch and walked up to Julie, and gave her a special hug. "Thank you, for giving Penny the information she needed to break this wide open, and save my life."

Later that evening, after Uncle Gadget and Julie happily returned to their house next door, Fred sat next to Brain. "Brain, I just want to reassure you, that during this entire month, Penny thought of nothing but how to get you back. I know it took us a month, and there must have been times when you lost all hope. Believe me, she cried herself to sleep every single night, and used every possible source to try to find you. I'm sorry it took us so long." This actually did help put Brain's mind at ease. He knew how much Penny loved him, but when sitting in a foul, dank concrete prison in total isolation, for weeks on end with no relief in sight, one's mind can't help but wonder. Penny then called Brain into the kitchen, and asked for his help in tearing this giant map off the wall. He was only too happy to comply. They each grabbed a corner, and yanked the map off the wall; that symbol of the long, frustrating search for an imprisoned Brain. Penny crumbled up the map into a tight little ball, and stuffed it in the trash.

Then, it was time for bed. Fred walked up to Penny. "I know what you want to do, Penny, and I think you should. It would help with the healing process." She kissed her husband, and thanked him for being so understanding. She then told Brain and Lucy that she was going to sleep on the couch tonight. Before she could even finish, Brain and Lucy were climbing on top of her, and she hugged them close. Fred lay a blanket over them. This greatly helped Brain accept that he was truly free, and safe now; falling asleep, safe and warm and dry, with his closest friend since childhood, and his girlfriend. He couldn't ask for anything better. Penny lay there on the comfortable couch, with a pillow under her head, and two warm dogs sleeping in her arms. She gave a silent prayer of thanks; for the wonderful home and family she had, and especially, for getting Brain back alive. Then she slowly fell asleep.

The next morning, Uncle Gadget went to the hospital with Officer Jones and Fred. They went to Chief Wilson's room, and waited. Meanwhile, Penny and Brain and Lucy went out to the concrete bunker again. They had very special plans for this bunker. Penny had asked Brain several times if he was SURE he wanted to see it again. She thought it would be too traumatic for him. Brain was insistent on coming along.

When the Mustang arrived near the concrete bunker, Brain said he would remain near the car. Penny and Lucy carefully approached the door, and peered inside. Several rats skittered out. The awful stench was still there, naturally. Penny shone her flashlight inside. Lucy whispered, "How did he last for a full month… in THIS?" She saw three rat skeletons on the floor. This had been all the 'food' Brain had to live on for a full month. She had tears in her eyes just thinking about it. Penny stroked her head to console her, then found what she was looking for. Inside the metal door, there was a dark magic talisman. It had been knocked loose when Penny kicked the door open, but it was still in one unbroken piece. Penny yanked it off the door and smashed it on the ground, then stomped on it, grinding the broken pieces with the heel of her boot.

In the hospital, Chief Wilson suddenly woke up, and looked around the hospital room. She half-gasped, half-laughed with joyous amazement. "The Demon! It's gone! I'm free!"

Back at the bunker, Penny opened the trunk of her Mustang, and took out a wooden crate. She walked over to the bunker, made sure that her pants were tucked inside of the rubber boots that she was wearing, and reluctantly stepped inside the bunker. She worked quickly, setting items from the crate at various places inside the bunker, while trying to ignore the foul stench assaulting her nostrils. She got out of the bunker as soon as possible, nearly gagging from the horrible smell. She used a jug of water to rinse the urine and feces off her rubber boots, then walked over to the car. Brain was staring at the bunker with anger and hate. This expression softened into a smile when Penny knelt next to him, put her arms around him, and gave him a big kiss on the cheek. "I don't know how you lasted a day in there, Brain, let alone a month." She then handed him a remote. "Go ahead, Brain." Brain squeezed the remote, and there was a massive BOOM. The explosives that Penny had planted inside blew out the six inch thick walls of concrete, blasting them to gravel, and then the roof collapsed, breaking apart as it did so. The metal door was twisted and ripped into scrap. That bunker would never imprison anyone or anything, ever again. Luckily, Fred was close friends with a police officer on the force, who had seized a large amount of illegal explosives from a crime gang who had been planning on blasting open bank vaults. Brain had declared that he couldn't really sleep well at night, knowing that this bunker was still standing. That was no longer an issue.

Later that day, Penny's red Mustang parked at the Metro City Hospital. She and Brain and Lucy quietly walked down the hall, and hesitantly peeked into Chief Wilson's room. "Penny! Brain! There you are! Come in!" Chief Wilson happily greeted them. She was alone in the room. Uncle Gadget, Fred and Julie had already spoken with the Chief, and left. She had requested to meet with Penny and Brain alone. Chief Wilson asked Penny, "Close the door, please." Penny had an awful flashback. That was what she had heard over a month ago, right before she got fired. Chief Wilson looked pleadingly at them. "I am so, SO sorry for the things that came out of my mouth, in my office. For the record, none of that was me; it was 100% the Demon talking. I would never say any of those things to you." Penny and Brain breathed a sigh of relief. Lucy happily looked at Brain, then at the Chief. The Chief continued: "Truth be told, one of the main reasons I accepted this job in Metro City, was so that I would have the chance to work with HQ. I have been following your progress and accomplishments for some time now. I was so excited when I accepted this position, and then, that Demon jumped me, and took over." Her face grew much more serious. "I remember everything, you know. I was a spectator; a prisoner in my own mind. I pleaded with it to stop, and it just kept doing more and more evil, awful things… and now, it's gone, thanks to the Gadgets." Penny reassured the Chief that the Demon had been exorcised and killed, and would never be back.

Within two days, Chief Wilson was released from the hospital. The Gadgets dropped all charges regarding breaking and entering, assault, and kidnapping. Chief Wilson then immediately re-hired all the Gadgets, and re-opened HQ. They were all delighted to be back on the job. Penny, Fred and Uncle Gadget pulled the coverings off the HQ computers, and got the lab back up and running. Just as the Chief was about to enter the elevator, Brain asked her to wait a moment. He quietly asked the Chief, "You aren't going to make me sit in a K-9 kennel, are you, Chief?" She looked shocked, then saw Brain winking at her. She smiled. "I guess I deserved that… now, get back to work, OFFICER Brain!" He saluted. "Yes, Chief."

That weekend, the third weekend of December, was a joyous one for the Gadgets. They had missed Thanksgiving, but they were NOT going to miss Christmas. Penny and Fred brought home a beautiful Christmas tree, which they all decorated. Then, they walked next door and helped Uncle Gadget and Julie decorate their own tree. The Gadgetmobile was back in Inspector Gadget's driveway once more. When Christmas Eve came, Penny had a wonderful idea. She and Brain hopped in the Mustang, and drove a few miles in Metro City, until they arrived at an apartment building. They knocked on the door, and Chief Wilson answered. She was surprised to see them. "Penny! Brain! What brings you here? Is something wrong?" Penny shook her head, and asked with a smile, "Chief, are you doing anything this evening?" The Chief actually had no plans. She was not married, and had no children, and had been facing Christmas alone, in a new town. Penny said, "Please come join us! It's not good to be alone on Christmas." She was unsure, however, given recent events. Brain spoke up. "Chief Quimby used to come and join us with his wife, all the time. In fact, they're coming tonight, aren't they, Penny?" She nodded her head. Chief Wilson felt her resistance fading. "Oh… well, alright."

Chief Wilson actually had a wonderful evening, talking and laughing with everyone there, and got quite a few pointers and helpful tips from (Former) Chief Quimby. He was very sympathetic about the new Chief being possessed by a demon.

Thanks to Penny's guardian Angel, the Gadgets protected both of their houses with powerful warding, which would prevent any Demon from getting anywhere on the property. After all the guests had left, and Uncle Gadget had returned to his house with Julie, Penny quietly walked around her house, making sure everything was secure. The past six weeks had been a hellish nightmare of an ordeal for everyone, but they were all still alive, and all a little bit smarter in their fight against evil. Penny peeked inside Brain's room, and saw that Lucy was curled up with him, and they were both sound asleep. Brain was almost completely recovered; he had gained back his normal weight and strength. The nightmares would hopefully subside in time. Penny smiled, and continued down the hall to her own room, lay down next to her already sleeping husband, and drifted off to sleep.

AFTERWORD

I wrote this story because I wondered how the characters would react if Penny and Brain were separated for a long time.

If anyone thinks that the Angel vs Demon angle is a little far-fetched, just remember, the original cartoon had some really weird stuff too… a llama that spat out diamonds, travelling back in time to stop MAD from stealing dinosaurs, stopping MAD from putting the MAD symbol in the Moon… a goat that gives yogurt that gives you super strength… I could go on…

Thanks to the people who have left positive feedback, especially to the GUEST users! I can't reply because you're a guest user, but I read all the comments, and I appreciate it!