Chapter 8: Preparations

The warming rays of the autumn sun shone down on Dale and Foxglove as they performed their air dances above the park. They had just taken off from the Rescue Rangers Headquarters and were now enjoying the freedom given to those who have wings of their own, even if Dale's set of wings was a hang glider which Gadget had invented shortly after he and Foxglove had met. He had already developed his crush on her at that time which just as quickly had grown into full-fledged love, otherwise he would not have enjoyed joining a bat on her flights so much.

It was fun for the two of them, but it served another purpose. They kept an eye on the Headquarters and on Gadget who was hurrying away from the tree until they were out of sight. Then they went into a descent and landed at a secret meeting-point close to the Infinity where they met up with the other five Rangers—Monterey Jack, Zipper, Tammy, LaWahini, and Sparky.

"What have you seen up there?" Tammy inquired.

Foxglove informed her, "Gadget has left the Headquarters, but she's obviously not coming close to here. I expect her to be heading for somewhere in the city."

Dale added, "But Chip stayed home. I don't think he's gonna leave the Headquarters before the date."

"Drats," LaWahini cursed, "we can strike the modifications to the Rangerwing that'll make them strand on their way back for a while." She had learned enough technical things from both her sister and her father to roughly know what to do, besides, Sparky would have helped her.

"That's a little drawback, yes," Tammy said, "but not the end of the mission. Now for our other measures." She held up a flash memory card. "Dale, you've said that Gadget has replaced the old radio at the Infinity with an MP3 player/FM tuner combination which has a slot for SD cards plus a pair of speakers salvaged from headphones. I've been to a library with an Internet connection, and I've compiled some songs on this card, a perfectly timed play list of love songs and dancing songs for use at a date. Today is the ideal opportunity for using it." She handed the card over to Foxglove. "You and Dale go to the Infinity for a coffee, and when you're not watched, you insert this card into the player. I'll go and fetch it tomorrow. The player is installed where Chip and Gadget can't see it."

"You're sure?" Foxglove asked.

"I am sure. I've reserved a table for them. Can you imagine that they had no reservation yet? Anyway, I've chosen one from which the player can hardly be seen, so when they arrive, Zipper," the fly saluted, "you sneak into the restaurant through the back door and start the songs on the card."

LaWahini looked up to the cloudless sky. "The weather doesn't have to be dealt with. I'm glad about that, it would have been hard to supply hundreds of pigeons with silver nitrate so the clouds would rain down over Pennsylvania and not even reach the city. After all, we want them to have a perfect sunset. Right, Tammy?"

"I'm glad about it, too, LaWahini. Bink has got no time today, she wouldn't have been able to take the Rangerplane and lead the pigeons on their operation."

"Besides," the former Hawaiian mouse went on, "the fact that Chip kinda guards the Rangerwing means that I can help you with the inspirational part. You know, ask couples to have a stroll near Chip and Gadget's way."

"I could have some of them have dinner at the Infinity, too," Tammy suggested. "There's plenty of space tonight, and I'm not sure if Chip or Gadget will pay that much attention on the couples walking underneath them."

"Good idea, Tammy. Now what this place still lacks is candles. They've sorta run outta them."

"No problem, Tammy lass," Monty offered, "I can get 'em a year's supply. Sparky, now that yer outta the Rangerwing job, can ya 'elp me carry?"

"Why," the former laboratory rat wondered, "are they too heavy for you?"

"Not too 'eavy, too bulky."

"Okay, but I'll need some time later to fix the illumination of that fountain not far away from here."

Tammy noticed that she hadn't taken that into consideration. "Sparky, what gave you that idea? It sounds good. Could work on our plans."

"Oh, it's got nothing to do with the plans." By now, he could memorize said plans. "I just always wanted to do that for about two years now."

LaWahini had an excellent idea now. "Wait. Sparky, can you turn the illumination on and off if needed?"

"Probably."

"And the pumps?"

"Think so."

"Alright. They'll fly past the fountain after dinner. And when they come, you turn them on."

"Turn what on?"

"The pumps and the illumination of that fountain, of course!"

"Will do that."

"On second thought, I'm coming with you, just in case you forget it."

Tammy, however, had a little problem with this. "LaWahini, that'd mean splitting up."

"Okay, Zipper," LaWahini requested, "when you've started the player, can you do the messenger part for us?"

Zipper agreed about his additional task.

"Then let's go. We've got plenty to do." Upon LaWahini's command, the group dissolved.

Another group, a group of four, was still together for a while now. They were about the first blurry objects that appeared in Fat Cat's field of vision as he woke up from his unconsciousness.

"Where am I? This neither looks nor feels like the cat food factory. What happened?"

Snout was the first to speak. "Hey boss, good to see you're okay! You can't remember what happened?"

"The last I know is that I've been kicked in the face by that mouse, and that I've tripped over something." Mole decided not to say a word about this. "What am I doing here?"

"We brought you here after you were knocked out," Wart explained.

"Who has told you to do so?"

"That sssquirrel, you know, that one you've kidnapped sssome yearsss ago. Shhhould we have left you behind on the factory floor?"

Fat Cat felt well enough to get angry again. "You wouldn't dare... Where are they now? What've you guys done to them?"

"We had to let them go," Snout answered. "And I think they've taken the parrot with them."

The feline jumped up and fumed. "Why, you... What are you waiting for then? Go get them! If I can't have the parrot, I'll at least have my revenge for being sent out cold!" He rubbed the back of his head.

"But bawwwss," Mepps asked, "where shall we find them? The city is huge!"

"Mepps. Where do you usually find squirrels and chipmunks?"

Mole jumped up and down with one hand raised. "Here, Fat Cat, I know it, I know it!"

"Yes, Mole?"

"Um, in trees?"

"Brilliant! Well, at least for someone like you. Have you heard, everybody? Trees! Mice and rats are everywhere, but squirrels and chipmunks are in trees most of the time. And where do you find trees?"

"In forests?" Mepps guessed.

"Try again."

"In parks?"

"Mepps, I'm proud of you, you've managed to find that peanut in your head and use it. Now go search Central Park, you bunch of morons, and don't dare come back with empty hands!"

The four crooks escaped from the raging cat's office. On their way down, Snout commented, "He must've hit the floor real hard."

"Yesss," Wart replied, "he'sss talkin' nonsssenssse. How long doesss he sssuppossse usss to sssearch the park? Let alone the other parksss in the sssity?"

"Until we've found them. That may be next year or so. That is, given we're lucky enough to find them in a park at all."

Meanwhile at the Rescue Rangers Headquarters, Chip had been sitting in the workshop staring at the little mechanical brass Chip and dreaming of Gadget for a while, and he started drifting back into reality. He lifted his head off his forearms and took a glance at the clock Gadget had mounted on the workshop wall.

"Wha-... have I spent half an hour here? What if someone had come back and seen me?"

He looked back to the workbench and found a small oil can standing right behind the brass figure. He wasn't too surprised that he hadn't seen it immediately. "I've still got such a lot to do!" he said, carefully picked up the can with a cloth not to leave any fingerprints, and got up to grease his wardrobe hinges. He didn't use too much lubricant so Gadget wouldn't be able to smell it. Once that was done and they had stopped making uncomfortable noises, he laid his tuxedo onto his bunk, but he didn't change into it yet on second thought. Instead, first he brought the oil can back to the workshop. He put it at exactly the same position where he had found it. Then he decided to do something to get the excitement about his recent discovery out of his head and went into the kitchen to clean the dishes from lunch.