HQ moved fast. Before the lunch adjournment was over, a squad car pulled up, containing Penny's witness. It was lucky she had friends in high places.

Penny was back in the dock as the witness was sworn in.

He was wearing a suit and open-necked shirt now. But it was the young, fair-haired artist she and Talon had seen in the mall.

Penny looked up. Talon was in the public gallery, having elbowed his way through to a front seat. His eyes narrowed as he recognised the young man.

Penny stood up and addressed the judge.

"Your Honour... excuse me... would it be OK if I asked the questions, this time?"

She saw a hint of the amused smile on Judge Wisely's face.

"You certainly couldn't be any worse off, Miss Gadget."

"What's happening, Penny?" Uncle Gadget looked round. Penny paused.

"It's... coffee time, Uncle Gadget. Don't worry. You leave this to me."

"All righty." Gadget leaned back in his seat and pushed his wig back. "Go-go-Gadget light refreshments!" A tray popped out of his head, with coffee, sandwiches and cakes. Politely, he offered some to Darren Dextrous. The prosecutor shook his head.

Penny spoke to the witness.

"Would you tell the court your full name, please?"

"Brandt. Rem Brandt."

"Mr Brandt, are you a student at the Metro City Art School? And were you making sand sculptures in the city centre on the afternoon of the seventeenth last?"

"I've got a licence to perform my art in public, Your Honour," Mr Brandt said. The judge nodded. "Yeah, I was there. I made a lion, and a unicorn."

"And what happened?"

"I heard an explosion, not far away. Later I heard the Metro City Bank was robbed. And I saw two kids, running through the mall. There was you... but another kid was leading you. He had purple hair and clothes and boots."

"And can you see this boy, anywhere within this courtroom?" Penny was starting to feel quite pleased with herself. All those re-runs of Ally McBeal hadn't been in vain.

The young man looked around, then pointed upwards.

"There he is. That boy, there."

"That's a lie!" Talon shouted. "She did it alone! I never saw her, between the bank being blown and the police coming!"

There were three sharp raps from Judge Wisely's gavel.

"That's enough! Any more disturbances and I'll have you removed! Go on, Miss Gadget."

"So what happened then?" Penny asked.

"The purple kid ran right through the middle of my sculpture. The lion. It took me two hours to build."

"Thank you, Mr Brandt," said Penny.

She had to wait while Darren Dextrous cross-examined. He pointed out that Penny had still been present at the scene, and Mr Brandt had to agree. Finally he left the box. When the judge wasn't looking, he gave Penny a quick, hopeful thumbs-up.

Uncle Gadget was still finishing his second cream cake, and Penny asked permission to recall Talon Claw. Very reluctantly, Talon came down from the gallery and re-entered the courtroom and the witness-box.

"You're still on oath," the judge told him. "Yes, Miss Gadget?"

Penny felt suddenly nervous, confronting her old enemy across a public court. Talon had a very nasty look, even for him. She could see he was longing to see her go down, just to save his own ego. Whatever feelings he might have had for her were buried...

"Yes, Miss Gadget?" the judge asked.

"Master Claw..."

"Hey, I'm Dr Claw, too! Twice over. I've got two doctorates, remember?"

"Fine by me. Doctor Claw. You heard what Mr Brandt told the court. Any comments?"

"Ah, it's all baloney. I never saw him, or his sculptures. I just saw you, coming out of the bank."

He still hadn't seen the danger. Penny took him by the hand, and led him into it.

"Those are really nice rocket boots you're wearing, Dr Claw Junior. Would you let the court see the soles and heels of them?"

Talon froze. Penny was smiling. The judge and the prosecutor were watching. There was no escape.

Slowly, Talon came out of the box and raised first one foot, then the other.

Everyone could see traces of sand on Talon's boots.

There was a general gasp. Penny's smile widened.

"I'd say that puts you right at the scene... Doctor Claw. Long before you became Irving Goodchild, and identified yourself! You impersonated me, in the bank, but you were vain enough to be yourself, as you ran away!"

"Oh, nice one, Penny!" Talon was shouting again. "But aren't you forgetting something? These are purple jet boots. I was wearing red jet boots, when I robbed the –"

Everything fell silent. Talon laughed nervously.

"I mean, when you robbed the – when she robbed the – oh, shoot."

There was a buzz of confusion across the courtroom. Talon gave Penny a look of pure hatred. She smiled at him.

Uncle Gadget had finished his coffee break, and stood up.

"Your Honour, this clearly proves my client is innocent; not guilty; and she never did it. Will you allow me to take this MAD agent into custody?"

There were gasps and screams, as Talon suddenly produced his gum gun and aimed it, first at Gadget, then at the judge. He fired several balls of gum, gluing the judge, then the prosecutor, then Gadget, to their seats.

"Gotta fly!"

In a second, he soared across the courtroom, and out through the double-doors. Penny ran from the dock.

"Your Honour! I've got jet boots, too! Let me get after him?"

Judge Wisely's face was dripping with gum, but she managed to nod.

Penny ran from the room.

"How did he get that thing in here?" Darren Dextrous asked.

"There's no actual law against bringing gum into court," said Inspector Gadget. "It comes under Confectionery."

Penny ran along the corridor. Talon was heading for the arched window.

The glass shattered as he went straight through it, and out across Metro City.

Penny knew how to handle rocket boots now. Talon had taught her too well.

She followed him as he headed back towards the city centre.