Finally was able to break the long writer's block I had for this series, woo hoo! Here's a much needed Chapter:
Penny did one last sweep of her room, stopping for a second to tie her red shoes tight and continue looking in every corner making sure she had everything she wanted to take with her to Switzerland. She had already packed her department issued vest, badge, and service revolver in a suitcase which also held a belt with a Velcro badge holder and a holster attached to it.
When she got to her writing desk on the opposite side of her room, she saw her old computer book lying under some dusty magazines and various other papers. After removing them and dusting off the top of it with her hand, she stood there holding it in a trance while she opened it and felt with her hand the small keyboard remembering the countless times she had been able to control machines, jam signals, and hack into MAD'S computer programs with it.
Brain walked into her room noticing she was standing by her desk holding her old computer book open in her hands. He felt her body startle when he rubbed his body against her legs quickly snapping her out of her trance enough for her to notice him staring at her with a concerned look on his face.
She lightly pat him on the head acknowledging his presence while she closed her computer book and set it back down on her writing desk:
"I'm sorry Brain, so many memories are attached to this little computer book that I sometimes forget how much you take for granted when times are good and how vivid the memories get when they are tough"
Brain could understand why Penny felt the way she did because when he looked up at the deep dark circles under her eyes, he saw a young woman who was angry, confused, and frustrated on the outside. But when he looked into the soul of her blue eyes, he saw a frightened little girl who wanted nothing more then to have her family back together and who wanted especially for her Uncle to come in to her room to comfort her out of this nightmare like he always did when she was trying to get over the trauma of her parents being massacred.
He followed her on his own two feet and sat beside her on the end of the bed reaching out his paw for her to squeeze in acknowledgement of his unwaiving unconditional support:
"Sometimes I forget how important friends really are in times like this" Penny said as she continued to lightly squeeze his paw while she stared into his darkish grey eyes.
"You've been my one constant unconditional friend and I could never have gotten through the situations I did without you" Penny said placing her hand around the orange hound's shoulder lightly squeezing it.
"You're the best furry friend a girl could possibly have" Penny said as she kissed Brain on his forehead and he licked her face making her giggle like the little girl she was on the inside.
Penny looked down at her watch realizing Chief Quimby would be there to pick them up in ten minutes so she released her grip on Brain's paw rising to her feet:
"Come on boy, Chief Quimby will be here in ten minutes and I still need to eat something and get you fed before we head to the airport" Penny said to Brain who got up following her out of her room.
They both headed into the kitchen and Penny took both the sandwiches she bought at the coffee shop the previous night out of the fridge and set them on the table with a triple iced latte.
After pouring Brain's food in a dish and making sure he had some water to go with it, Penny sat down at the table and ate both of the sandwiches and stored the two bags of chips in her luggage after she was done downing her triple iced latte.
Not too long after both of them were done eating, the doorbell rang and Penny sprinted to the door. She opened it to find Chief Quimby in his usual dark blue hat and coat standing there puffing his pipe giving her his usual intense stare as the smoke rose above his hat to be carried off by the breeze.
"I'll give you a hand with carrying your luggage out to the car" Chief Quimby said in a commanding tone while he followed Penny into the house to get one of her two bags of luggage.
"By the way Detective Brown, you look like someone who will represent our great Metro City very proudly" Chief Quimby commended while Penny opened the suitcase by her taking out her vest, belt, badge, and service revolver. She put all of them on in one fluid motion after she checked to make sure her service revolver was loaded and in good working order before storing it and her badge in their respective places by her right hip and left pocket.
"Thank you Chief, I know Uncle Gadget would approve if he were standing here by me" Penny said smiling at Chief Quimby while she made sure all the wrinkles in her red and white striped short sleeve shirt were fixed and her forest green cargo pants looked neat before she bent down on her right knee to close the suitcase beside her.
She grabbed the suitcase after she had closed it tight and made her way out to the unmarked black Crown Victoria police car sitting in the driveway with the trunk lid open setting it inside of it while Brain joined her to wait for Chief Quimby to bring the other suitcase out of the house.
He tried to pick up the suitcase, but realized it was too heavy for him to carry out on his own, so with much chagrin on his face and sweat pouring from his brow, he managed to drag the thing out the door before he had to stop to catch his breath and resume again.
Penny and Brain couldn't contain their giggles even as Quimby griped at them:
"Will one of you two please help me with this thing" he said in an annoyed tone landing butt first on the walkway after he had tripped on his own weight. He sat there tapping his fingers on the ground puffing his pipe in frustration causing both Penny and Brain to break out in hysterical laughter.
Penny wiped the laugh induced tears out of her eyes with her arm and regained herself enough to tell him in a snarky tone:
"Chief, you didn't tell me which suitcase you wanted to carry so I assumed you were strong enough to carry my toiletries, clothes and pajamas" Penny said crassly in between laughs only making Quimby puff his pipe furiously as he laid into her:
"Listen Detective Brown, if you do not help me with this heavy suitcase, I will make sure you run as fast as you can to the airport with me following you in the car making sure you do not stop until we are at the plane and then I will make you do one hundred push ups and sit ups before we leave and when we get to Switzerland!"
Penny realized she had stepped over the Chief's line of tolerance, so she helped her Chief to his feet and went to open his driver side door for him before she took the heavy suitcase and set it into the trunk closing the lid.
She then made her way over to the open driver's side door and saluted the Chief as he sat down in the driver's seat giving her a bode of confidence:
"That's more like it, you may close the door and get into the car Detective Brown" Chief Quimby commanded as Penny saluted him closing the door before sprinting around to the passenger side and getting into it with Brain getting into the back seat of the car.
Before Chief Quimby turned the car on, he took a moment to ask Penny how she was:
"How are you feeling, Penny?"
"Honestly Chief, I'm scared to death and don't really know what to make of the last few hours" Penny admitted as she buckled her seatbelt.
"Listen Penny, I'm sorry for causing you so much pain, I realize now you had every right to lay into me like you did because I ultimately deserved it" Chief Quimby admitted while he put more tobacco into his pipe and lit it with a match which he blew out and flicked out the open window into the grass by the car.
Penny could tell Chief Quimby was in his own way starting to take accountability for his actions, but she still did not trust he was taking the full accountability she really wanted to hear out of him so she again reminded him of the consequential circumstances both of them were under:
"Look Chief, it's going to take more then just a little accountability to make me satisfied you have learned your lesson about hiding Uncle Gadget's drug and alcohol addiction from me" Penny said sternly looking Quimby straight in the eye.
"Both of our careers are on the line if Uncle Gadget does not pull through this operation and recovery" Penny said feeling her anger boiling from deep within her heart when Quimby diverted to his situation over hers:
"No Penny, my career is on the line, I screwed up and have to pay the consequences regardless of what the outcome is" Chief Quimby said as he took a long drag of his pipe and the smoke drifted out of his nose through the open driver side window he had just rolled down.
"Listen Chief, I'm not kidding when I say I'm turning in my badge and service revolver if Uncle Gadget does not pull through this operation and recovery" Penny said raising her voice a little as the puffs from Quimby's pipe became more frequent as his own ire was starting to rise the more his Detective raised her voice at him:
"Do you understand what I'm telling you, if Uncle Gadget does not pull through this ordeal, I won't give this force any excuse to let me go" Penny shouted pointing her finger at Chief Quimby who had to once again put his best Detective in her place:
"I don't give a shit about what your grievances are at this moment because right now, Detective Brown, we have a job to do and that job is what we can control now, which is making sure MAD does not sabotage this flight or stick a mole on it to do harm to Gadget" Quimby said in his gravely commanding voice as Penny spaced out and stared at the down garage in front of her.
"Your Uncle is not going to pass away under my watch, my precinct's watch and my best Detective's watch" Quimby barked as the inside of the car began getting a haze to it from his intense puffing of his pipe.
"I'm not going to let it happen and if it does, then by damned, I will take the full hit for everything and give up my Chief's role for the best of this damn city, is that clear, Detective Brown?" Chief Quimby shouted as the puffs from his pipe died down to a slow puff while he awaited his Detective's answer:
Penny crossed her arms in a pouting gesture, she knew she had been rightfully put in her place by her superior and she could only say a few more words of semi agreement before she was cut off by Quimby:
"Let's hope for your sake you are right but I'm…"
"Enough, we've got a half an hour ride ahead of us and I would most appreciate it if it were peaceful, is that understood, Detective Brown?" Chief Quimby said looking Penny straight in the eye like a father would to his disobedient child as he demanded an answer from his Detective:
Penny could feel Quimby's glare and she immediately snapped out of her anger and fatigue induced trance to say if not like a little girl who had just been scolded by her father:
"Fine, I'll bury the hatchet, but don't think for one instant I'm not keeping it close to the vest from here on out" Penny admitted as she turned to face Quimby before she went back to staring at the garage in front of her.
"I understand, now we've got to get rolling!" Chief Quimby said satisfied with his Detective's response even though deep down, he expected a lot more maturity out of his best Detective's niece.
The car engine came to life by shaking the cab a bit as Quimby put the key into the ignition. In a matter of seconds, the car backed out of the Gadget house driveway and disappeared into the neighborhood headed for the main road at the edge of it.
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