Penny woke up, and knew at once that today was something special.
Blearily, she reached out of bed to the digital clock. Professor Von Slickstein had built it for her, and it incorporated all the latest holographic technology. She checked for reminders, against the date.
A pre-recorded video of her own face looked back at her.
"It's your birthday!"
Penny gave a little squee! of excitement. She was high school age now, but birthdays still felt important.
She looked around the room. Nothing. Usually, Uncle Gadget would leave a present for her to find – some new gadget that demolished half the apartment – but today there was nothing. Not even a card. Surely Brain would have reminded him? Not that Uncle Gadget ever listened to Brain...
She was through the bathroom and dressed in record time. Then she checked her wrist, and her private phone, for messages. Zilch. There was only a circular about the HQ staff meeting, and a long email about a princess and a plane crash, which had to have been written by someone at MAD.
There was no mail waiting on the doormat, either. In fact, there was no doormat, just a small square of burnt carpet where Uncle Gadget had chosen the flamethrower in mistake for the vacuum cleaner.
There was a loud squelch! from the kitchen. It sounded uncomfortably like an omelette being launched across the room. There was a distant cry of: "Wowsers!"
She opened the door. Uncle Gadget had his chef's hat and apron on, and egg on his face. There was a pan coming out of the hat. The rest of the omelette was in a plant pot. Brain was under the table, keeping out of harm's way.
"Morning, Penny! Breakfast may be a little late. I need to work out a way to get the toast off of the ceiling."
Penny sat at the table. There was nothing there, either. No cards. No presents.
She decided to try a subtle hint.
"Do you know what day it is today, Uncle Gadget?"
"Why, of course I do! A very important one."
Penny relaxed.
"It's the day I finally get my new, HQ-issue hatstand. Do you know, Penny, I applied for that back in 1985? At last, somewhere to hang my Inspector's hat and trenchcoat."
Penny gave up, and poured herself a glass of orange juice.
She looked under the table. Brain looked back at her.
How could everyone have forgotten?
After what was left of breakfast, they walked to work. Uncle Gadget was very big on conservation now, and only drove the Gadgetmobile on missions. The trouble was, he was so much taller than Penny, and had bionic legs. There were times when even Penny couldn't keep up.
They checked in at reception with their ID cards, and made their way along the endless, white-painted corridors. Penny met several colleagues on the way in.
"Hey, Gary."
Gary seldom said much, but gave her a brief hi.
"Chief Quimby... I..."
"Morning, Penny. Staff meeting, 10.30?"
"Er... yeah."
Nothing. Still nothing. Had MAD been messing with everyone's minds? How could everyone have forgotten?
Uncle Gadget was going to the lab, which probably wouldn't be there in five minutes. Penny took the elevator to the small office she shared with Kayla. Kayla was her friend. She would remember, if no one else did.
"Hi, Kayla."
"Hi, Penn." Kayla looked serious for a moment, then she smiled. "You didn't think I'd forget, did you? Here you are."
"Oh, thanks..." Penny took the object she was being offered. "That's a pencil sharpener. My pencil sharpener."
"I know, I know." Kayla spread her hands wide in apology. "I've had it a week. I took it home when I was working on the Strategic Protection Plan, and... hey, are you going to the vending machine? Could you get me a mocha coffee?"
"Ohhh!" Penny turned and stormed out. Kayla looked puzzled.
"OK, a latte. I'm not fussed."
Penny strode down the corridor. She would do as Kayla asked. She definitely needed coffee.
This was so unfair. All she did for Uncle Gadget and HQ, all the times she had saved the world, and no one even remembered the one day in the year that was for her.
She attacked the vending machine as if it were a MAD agent.
She was just pressing the button for coffee, when someone tapped her on the shoulder.
She looked round. Then she gave a yell, and sprayed milk all down her sleeve.
An enormous gorilla towered over her.
For a second, Penny couldn't move.
Then she realised the gorilla was holding a sign that said HAPPY BIRTHDAY PENNY!
Slowly, it reached up and pulled its own head off, revealing a tanned and smirking face and a head of elaborately-spiked hair.
"Talon!"
"Hey, birthday girl. Surprise!"
Penny wiped the milk off her sleeve with a tissue.
"How did you get in here? You..."
"I thought I stood more chance as a gorilla-gram. They weren't told not to let gorillas in."
"You scared me out of my - they weren't told not to let gorillas in?"
Talon grinned. He reached for his wrist, and cancelled the holographic disguise. He stood before Penny in his usual purple combat gear, with the MAD logo on the belt.
To Penny's surprise, he was holding a large, gift-wrapped box.
"Many happy returns."
Penny looked at it.
"Yeah, right. I'm not falling for that one. What's in there? Bomb? Boxing glove?"
"Oh, credit me with some subtlety. Go on. Scan it, if you want."
Penny did. The security scan on her wrist said:
This box contains a birthday present.
Penny looked up. "Oh."
"Open it."
Penny looked up and down the corridor. This would take some explaining. This guy was Dr Claw's nephew, heir apparent to the MAD empire. But there was no one around.
Slowly, she lifted the lid.
"Whoa."
She drew out a pair of bright red rocket boots. Except for the colour, they were a perfect copy of those worn by Talon himself.
"I built them for you." Talon gave Penny his most charming smile. "Time I made you an equal partner. We can fight fair, now. On land and in the air."
Penny stared at him, then back at the boots. They were beautiful.
"Well, aren't you gonna say thank you?" Talon shrugged. "Hey, what do I care? No one I know says thank you."
Penny still didn't know what to think. It was so sweet... but she still didn't trust him. She gave the boots another quick scan. It revealed nothing wrong. Talon rolled his eyes.
"I'm rapidly forgetting why I decided to be nice, for once. 'Course, if you don't want 'em..."
"No, no..." Penny blushed, a perfect match for the boots. "They're great. My colour, and..."
"Go on, try 'em on."
Penny went and sat on one of the chairs that lined the corridor. She felt she needed to sit down. Of all the people to remember...
She started to untie her own shoes.
"How did you know it was my birthday?"
"I worked here, remember? I downloaded everyone's personnel file."
"Everyone's...?"
"Yeah. You do not want to know what Kayla lists as her hobbies. Anyhoo. It had your shoe size too, so... if you've got information. Use it."
Penny finished lacing up the boots. They fitted perfectly.
She stood up and faced Talon, two teenage agents. They were now a perfectly matched pair.
"How do these work? I always wondered. Radio control? Infra-red?"
"Oh purlease, it's not the Eighties. Telekinesis! The power of the mind. Anyone who believes in telekinesis, raise my hand." Talon stuck his gloved hand into the air. Penny snickered at the terrible joke. "Go on, just think where you want to go."
"So, I just think about – whoa! Whooooooooooooa!" Penny found her feet leaving the ground. Two small jets of flame jutted out from her heels. She was halfway down the corridor before she even finished speaking. Talon hooted.
"Just don't stand on anything flammable! Now. Concentrate."
Penny was a fast learner. She was beginning to get the hang of this. By thinking about it, she managed to slow the boots, then turn. She hovered over Talon. He nodded.
"You're getting it. Now, down. Vertically. Slowly."
Penny drifted down, and stood beside him.
"They're brilliant. No, they seriously are. Thank you... I don't know what to say."
"Ah, you can think it out during the trip."
"Trip?"
Talon ran along the corridor and opened one of the big windows that looked out across Metro City.
"For your birthday! Second part of the surprise." He stood with hands on hips, a sly look upon his face. "I bet none of these jerks even remembered, did they?"
Penny caught him up. She shook her head.
Talon stood silhouetted against the window. The sun was shining. A warm breeze was blowing.
"So, do you want to come fly with me?"
Penny hesitated. She had work to do. She was a junior agent. She definitely should not be going flying with this dangerous... cunning... incredibly handsome MAD boy...
Ten seconds later, the two of them were soaring into the sky, leaving HQ far, far behind.