Chapter 33: The Case Is Not Over Yet

The wreck of the Nimnul Laser Cannon 14 was still lying on the desert ground, illuminated by police searchlights. Its removal had been ordered, but a crane and a couple of flatbed trucks was not expected to arrive until within the next hours. A few small animals were still around, too, and one in particular was interested in the unusual contraption.

"Golly," Gadget cheered, "this is a fantastic idea! Four swiveling propellers on the corners! I bet this thing was able to fly backwards!"

Monty laid his arm around the mousette. "Gadget luv, ya do know it was Nimnul who invented this, don't ya?"

"Sure I know, Monty. But even an evil genius can be a genius at times. And this can be explained with commonly known physics for a change. I still don't have a clue how he got the Modemizer to work, and I was affected by it myself. Or the Gigantico Gun, remember that one?"

"'Ow could I ferget th' Gigantico Gun? We must've dealt with that bloomin' thing in a dozen cases at least. We should've destroyed it right away."

"By the way," Sparky asked, "do we know where it's now?"

"We believe Nimnul still has it," Chip answered.

"Then why don't we take it from him before he wreaks any havoc with it again?"

"An' smash it inta smithereens?" Monty suggested.

"Come on, Monty," Sparky said, "it could be very useful for us."

Gadget smiled, her brain bursting with ideas. "Yes, we could shrink it down to our size with its own ray, using a mirror."

Chip explained, "We'd first need to find Nimnul's current lair. He might reside at the Versailles Palace permanently, he might as well have another hideout back in New York City. The police will probably be faster than us. But then again, they failed to retrieve the Gigantico Gun so many times before. Who knows where in whichever lair he stashed it away?"

"We could go search for it," Dale proposed. "See, Nimnul's busted, he won't be anywhere around it for a while, an' the police might lead us straight to his place. Can we, Chipper?"

"Well," Chip said, "in case the police do lead us straight to where it is or might be... it's still better than leaving it somewhere from where this madman can take it back easily. But I'm not sure if we shall really keep it."

It appeared to be mere coincidence when suddenly the Rangers overheard the radio in one of the police cars squawk. The Lieutenant himself answered the call. "Any news?"

The voice replied, "We searched Nimnul's suite at the Versailles Palace. He had checked in under the name of Elton Nimley. We found..." the voice paused before it spoke on, "stuff. Several weird devices which we're not sure what they are and what they do. Guns of sorts and... well, stuff."

"Do not operate any of them," the Lieutenant ordered. "Again, do not operate any of them. Who knows what'll happen. Collect them, and send them to the FBI offices in New York, they demanded to have them in case we can find any. Undamaged, if possible. I'd like to know what this lunatic could have threatened us with, and obviously, so do they. Got it?"

"Got it. Over and out."

Dale grinned. "See, sometimes it can be that easy."

The mouse in the Hawaiian-style sarong nudged the chipmunk in the Hawaiian-style shirt. "Say, Dale," LaWahini asked, "what about a little... heist at the FBI? The two of us could get the Gigantico Gun back with no problems."

Dale swallowed hard out of reflex like he always did when a blond mouse said these words. And Foxglove's reply was somehow fitting. "You'll have plenty of problems if you go there with him," she pointed at Dale, "and without me," she pointed at herself.

"You might need some help with the high-tech part," Sparky said. "I'd gladly provide you with this help." In fact, he didn't want LaWahini to go anywhere without him either.

Zipper, landing on Monty's shoulder, wondered if it was just him, or if the new Rangers were already working on their own cases.

"Well, pally," Monty said, "they're Rescue Rangers all right. Eager ta jump inta the action."

"Speaking of newbies, any news from Tammy?" Chip asked. "Or Todd and Melissa, for that matter?"

"Ask 'er yerself, Chipper me lad, she's comin' right for ya." Monty motioned at something behind Chip who then turned around to see Tammy and Clarice arrive.

The red-headed squirrel maid smiled. "Good news, Todd is okay. A few bruises maybe, but otherwise okay."

"Actually," Clarice added, "he's more than okay." She smiled knowingly.

"Where is he then?" Chip wanted to know. "And where's Melissa? I take it they want to fly back to Las Vegas with us, also because we've still got Todd's computer."

"Don't worry, Chip," Clarice said, "they'll come back. Just grant them some time."

Foxglove's eyes went wide. "You mean they finally..."

"Uh-huh."

Foxglove immediately joined Clarice in smiling. "Awww, that's so wonderful." She snagged her chipmunk, wrapped her wings around him, and nuzzled his cheek. "Remember how we started back then?"

"How could I ever forget that?" Dale said and received a kiss from his bat girl.

While examining Nimnul's machine, Gadget had followed the talk among her friends. She turned towards them. "Don't you think that we should reward Todd for what he did for us? I mean, he did so much for us so many times, he ought to be paid back in a way. And since he isn't around now, we could take the chance and think something up."

"Have you got something special in mind, Gadget?" Chip asked.

"Wlachally, yes. Clarice. You've known Todd for so long now, did he ever tell you what town exactly he's from? As in where the pet shop is where Chris bought him?"

Todd was unaware of this. He was still standing by Lake Mead, and all he currently cared for was the beautiful mouse whom he had laid an arm around, and who rested her head on his shoulder. They stood and enjoyed the view and having each other close, and so they had for several minutes. The adventure which had come to a good end not so long ago was almost forgotten. All that mattered was them.

"I love you, Todd," Melissa said quietly. She looked up to him in expectation of an answer.

Todd looked back at her, how she stood there with her chin on his shoulder and one arm around his waist and smiled at him. She loved him, but what did he feel for her? What should he say as a reply? He did feel something. It wasn't alarming, it wasn't frightening, nor was it really disquieting. It was rather... heart-warming. It was a wonderful feeling. In a sense, it felt as though he had come home to somewhere that's rather home than his mouse hole in Las Vegas, and rather home than the pet shop. Was it love? Then again, he thought, what else could it be? It was also different from what he had felt for Clarice, and that was not love.

"I love you, too, Melissa," he whispered.

She gave him a small kiss and said, "May this moment never end."

At least Todd was called back to reality. "But we need to get back to Las Vegas somehow. We need to go back to the Rescue Rangers."

"And you want your PDA back, I guess."

"And I want my PDA back. And I don't want to haul it all the way through the desert."

"I could help you," Melissa offered. "But it'd still be a long march, you're right. And the desert is anything but romantic once the sun is up."

"So shall we go back now?" Todd suggested.

"Okay." She slipped her hand around his elbow.

Meanwhile, the Rangers had gathered and worked up a plan. Not all details had been worked out yet, though. "But who knows if they're still there?" Tammy remarked. "A lot could've happened to them throughout the last years, they could have escaped or sold and fed to lizards or... I don't know what!"

"Tammy's got a point there," Foxglove said. "I'll fly ahead, check the situation, and then come back and report to you."

"The idea is good, Foxy, but do you think you can really do it?" Chip expressed his doubts. "You've been up all night, and you're not used to a nocturnal life anymore. Not to mention that it's pitch black dark, and you don't know Nevada as well as you know New York City."

"I'm a bat, Chip, okay?" Foxglove reminded him. "If there's someone among the Rescue Rangers who can find their way in the darkness, it's me. And don't worry about me getting tired. This case won't let me sleep so soon. Besides, Dale, do I ever fall asleep on our late late night movie sessions?"

Dale grinned. "Heh, no, Foxy. You loom over me with your wing spread and you nibble on my neck with your fangs when we're watching vampire movies, you roll on the couch laughing when an old sci-fi flick turns so corny that even I think it's bad, but you never fall asleep." He laid an arm around his beloved bat and pecked her cheek, making her giggle.

"But wouldn't Todd and Melissa get suspicious if they see me fly away?" Foxglove mentioned a detail she considered important.

"Not if we can help it," Chip answered. "We let them sit on the Rangerwing, they won't be able to look backwards if they're sitting on the backseat. Your seat will be on the Rangerplane which will follow. And if the situation is appropriate, someone on the Rangerwing will give you a sign so that you can leave the group and stay unnoticed."

"A sign? Let me do it," LaWahini suggested. "I think I've got an idea as to how."

"Fine," Clarice said. "Now all that's missing is the main person. Where's Todd?" She took a glance into the direction where she had seen him last. "Oh, never mind, there he is."

The others looked into the same direction. It was easy to spot Todd's white fur and Melissa's white blouse in the darkness as they approached the group. Melissa was still holding on to Todd's arm. More than a thousand words could tell, her smile told the beholders that she was happy.

"Sorry," Todd said, "I hope you haven't been waiting for us too long."

"Todd," Chip announced, "we've got a surprise for you to say thank you for your support tonight. You shall not remember the Rescue Rangers as ungrateful."

"A surprise?" Todd wondered. "What is it?"

"It wouldn't be a surprise," LaWahini explained, "if we told you right away, would it? Now get aboard the Rangerwing, we'll take off soon."

"The Rangerwing? But my PDA is still mounted under the Rangerplane."

"Don't worry, it's all part of the surprise." Todd had no clue as to how true LaWahini's words were. "Chip, Gadget, Sparky, and I will be flying with you."

Before she climbed aboard the VTOL aircraft, though, she moved over to Foxglove who was about to enter the Rangerplane. "Foxy," she whispered, "wait until I flap my arms. That ought to be a clear enough sign for you."

"You'll flap your arms?" Foxglove repeated. "And Todd and Melissa won't notice, let alone suspect anything?"

"Just let me do it. And they won't see you fly away anyway as long as you stay in the Rangerwing's blind angle where they can't look, right behind it."

Foxglove gave her a thumbclaw up. "Roger."

"Well, then let's go!"

LaWahini went back to the Rangerwing. She checked if Todd and Melissa were watching—they were not, they had already taken their seats, and Todd had taken Melissa onto his lap—, then she gave Foxglove a wink and sat down on her own seat on the aircraft between Todd to the left and Sparky to the right. "All aboard, sis," she informed Gadget who of course piloted the craft again.

Gadget smiled. "Thanks... sis!" Then she leaned out of the Rangerwing and looked back to the Rangerplane. "Ready, Monterey?" she shouted.

"Ready, Gadget luv!" Monty shouted back. He was sitting on the Rangerplane's pilot seat next to Clarice.

"All seat belts fastened?" she addressed to her passengers.

Melissa took Todd's arms, wrapped them around her waist, and held his hands together in hers. "All seat belts fastened here."

"Okay," Gadget said with a smile as she switched on the two motors, "lean back and enjoy your flight through Las Vegas by night."