For breakfast Monterey Jack cooked his special cheese chowder, with Zipper on his shoulder, helping to throw in the spices and herbs. Monty was eager to show the furlings the beauty of cheese while doing his best not to eat it all himself. It was a strange, foreign food, but they ultimately enjoyed it, Michelle needing a little coaxing first before trying it.
"So, guess since it's up to me to keep you guys entertained, what do you wanna do today?" Dale asked.
"We should go exploring," said Abigail, eating some chowder, "There's so much to this 'city' place."
"Maybe I could take you to an arcade," Dale suggested, "Or how 'bout a movie theater?"
"There you go again with that," Chip groaned, sipping some coffee, "These kids actually want to go out and do something physical, and you want to sit them in front of a screen all day so they can vegetate."
"What's a movie theater?" Willy asked.
"It's where they show movies! Uh, kinda like, long TV shows. Oh wait you won't get that either…" Dale rubbed the back of his head, "Well it's like a big dark room with rows and rows of seats, you see? With a really big screen. Like the TV in our room but a hundred times bigger."
"And nothings-"
"Nothing's inside of it," Dale chuckled, "So don't get scared."
"It sounds amazing," said Edgar, "But…still creepy. I'd have to get used to it."
"And we'd get to eat popcorn, drink slushies…"
"You're a horrible influence, Dale," Chip said, shaking his head, "You might be in charge of babysitting them, but who's going to babysit you?"
"I don't see any babies here," Michelle interjected.
"Well since I'm going to the library anyway maybe I can drop you guys off somewhere," Gadget offered.
"It'd be kind of a tight squeeze wouldn't it?" Dale asked.
"Um, hm…you're right Dale, the Ranger Wing is only designed to seat five. But without Monty in the Ranger Wing we might be able to squeeze in one more of you. But, there's five of you…"
"Oi, tryin' ta tell me somethin Gadget luv?" Monterey Jack asked, offended.
"N-no Monty," Gadget replied sheepishly, "I-I didn't mean to say…um…"
"Well how about that Flapper Thingamajig?" Dale asked.
"Wingamathing," Michelle corrected.
Happy to change the subject, Gadget thought it over, "We were packed pretty tight when I rode with them, I hoped it'd still hold all seven of us."
"But it needs at least three people to fly it," Edgar said.
"Oh, that's right, I couldn't fly it by myself without someone to work the wings. Huh. Maybe someone can sit in somebody's lap on the Ranger Wing."
The furlings glanced at one another.
"In that case Russell can't sit in anyone's lap," said Abigail.
"Why not?" he asked.
"Well for one thing you've got quills, for another…"
Russell gave a glare.
"Must be 'pick on da overweight guys' day at da Ranger HQ," Monty muttered.
"Let's not go into it," Abigail giggled, "But Willy can sit on my lap if he likes."
"That really doesn't seem safe in a plane…" said Willy.
"Don't worry," she said, fluttering her eyelashes and grinning, "I'll hold on tight."
Willy blushed and rubbed his upper arm.
"Er, on second thought, Willy may have a point," Gadget said, second guessing herself, "I wouldn't want to be responsible if something went wrong."
"No-no, I'm fine with it," Willy said, having quickly warmed up to the idea.
"You need to all be buckled in tight," said Gadget, "We can't have someone ending up being blown out by the wind currents."
"Well then what?" Dale asked, "We just don't have enough room in any of the planes to take everyone."
"Hm, what movie were you planning on seeing anyway?" Chip asked with suspicion.
"Well uh, I dunno, what's out right now, hm?" Dale played innocent.
"Would it happen to be a certain PG-13 movie about scary, cloned dinosaurs?"
"What? I don't know what you're talking about," Dale said, denying it, "Besides is that even still in theaters? It debuted over a month ago."
"I'm sure it's still playing somewhere, it's only the biggest movie of the summer. You've been begging us to go see it with you again since we went to see the grand opening and no one wanted to. So…"
"Say, you're a regular Basil of Baker Street, Chip," Dale said, hoping that patting Chip's ego would help ease his temper.
"You're going to scare the living daylights out of them with Jurassic Park," Gadget said, "Especially for someone who's never even seen a movie before."
"You kids are all 13, right?" Dale asked.
"Um, I am," Willy replied, after the rest of them were silent.
"I'm gonna be 13 soon," Abigail chimed in.
"How soon?" Chip asked.
"Um…nine months?" Abigail shrugged.
"See? They're too young," Chip said.
"The PG in PG-13 stands for parental guidance," said Dale, trying his best to sound smart, "It doesn't say that kids under that age aren't allowed to see it, just that they need guidance. And, since their parents aren't here, I guess I'll guide them."
"Yeah he'll guide us," said Abigail, "I wanna see a movie. I'm curious. And I'm not gonna be scared."
"Me too," said Russell, "I wanna try that 'popcorn' he was talking about."
"And I'll be a responsible adult," said Dale, "I'll let them know that what they're watching isn't real. It's just a story, told by actors."
"Dale, you're no responsible adult, you're just a kid who's been alive a long time," Chip rolled his eyes.
"Well even if you do go you're not taking Michelle to such a scary movie," Gadget said, kneeling down to hold her protectively.
"What? Awww why not?" Michelle whined.
"You'd thank me if you knew what was in that movie," Gadget said, stroking Michelle's hair.
"I never get to do anything!" she complained.
"So I take it we're stuck with her?" Chip whispered to Monterey Jack.
"Looks like Gadget's givin us da job whether we want it or not, betta come up wit' something' fer her to do."
Chip cleared his throat, "Let them go, Michelle, because you're going to stay with us and get important work done."
"Like what?" she asked.
"W-well…we can solve a crime! Like um…a crime committed around the house."
"Sounds boring," Michelle folded her arms.
"No, it isn't," Chip insisted, "Here, Monty will be the bad guy and we have to solve the crime and capture him."
"Why am I da bad guy?"
"Because I can't be one, I'm the brilliant detective and Michelle is my assistant. And Zipper's our pet who helps us sniff things out."
Zipper objected to being the pet.
Michelle smiled, "Maybe it won't be too bad, staying here…"
Abigail patted her head, "We'll be back for you Michelle. And you'll be safe here. Just listen to Chip and Monty."
"Don't be gone too long, Abby," she said, hugging her older friend, who hugged back.
"And it looks like we may be barely able to fit everyone in the Ranger Wing," said Gadget, "Come on you guys, let's get into the plane."
"I get the front!" Abigail exclaimed, running for the door.
"No way! It's mine!" Willy shouted.
"I'll arm wrestle you for it," Abigail giggled, "And win, too."
"Nuh-uh!" Willy ran faster, offended now.
"Dale's sitting in front," said Gadget, "The passenger seat has emergency controls that I don't want you kids to tinker with."
Abigail's ears went down, "Awwwww."
Dale smiled brightly, "I never get the front unless Chip isn't around. I've waited for this a lot longer than any of you have."
One by one the furlings climbed up into the back of the Ranger Plane. Abigail got a side seat, sitting next to Willy, who was between her and Edgar. Russell squeezed in last. It was cramped but they fit.
"Alright, seat belts everyone," said Gadget as she hopped into the pilot's seat, and Dale climbed in beside her.
The furlings exchanged glances. Russell curiously yanked on a belt, and it rolled out.
"Huh, strange…"
"You've got to click the metal part into the other one with the slot on top, down on the seat," Gadget explained.
"Metal…" Willy thought he'd sound dumb if he asked what that was.
"It's the shiny part I think," Abigail said, sliding it into the slot on the belt beside her. The others watched, and did the same. Russell and Edgar had only one belt between them, had to share one.
"Alright, let's get ready for take off," Gadget said, and the engine revved up, startling them. The popsicle-stick propellers swiveled into helicopter mode and the plane began to lift off the ground.
"Heh, and without Chip around, it's time to rock out," Dale said, turning on the radio, Pearl Jam's 'Even Flow' immediately blasting from the speakers and startling the furlings. Dale sang along, "Freeeeeeziiiiin somethingsomethingsomething something made of concrete, oh yeah!"
"What is that noise?" Edgar asked with his hands over his ears.
Dale laughed, "You think there's someone hiding in the engine with a guitar don't you? See Gadget I knew it."
"Aw stop picking on them, Dale," Gadget scolded, as they flew out of the tree and above the park. She tried to tune Dale's singing out and focus on the task at hand, and she planned on changing the radio to a pop station as soon as Dale was out of the plane. Musically-speaking, she missed the Eighties more and more these days.
"I dunno, it's kinda catchy," said Russell, "Some kind of human invention, right?"
"You're right Russell, it's a radio," Gadget replied, "It's like a TV but without the picture part, because it also picks up signals transmitted from far away. Humans use it to broadcast music, news, or talk shows. And we hear them through speakers that I put in the plane. I took them out of an old pair of headphones someone threw away."
Not completely understanding everything she said, Russell just nodded.
"I wonder if they have music like those birds we met," Edgar said.
"The one's who couldn't get that kid out of the mud?" Abigail asked.
"Yeah, I liked their singing," Edgar said with a smile.
"Um…it was interesting, I guess," Abigail replied, "Not really my thing but…"
"Yeah, I think you're alone in liking those birds, Edgar," Russell said.
Edgar frowned, "I thought you guys liked it."
"You were the only one who was getting all into it," Abigail said with an amused chuckle at the memory, "Russell and I were just kind of bewildered by the whole thing."
"Guess I wasn't there for that," said Willy.
"This was right before we met," Abigail explained, "A detour on our journey for the herbs."
The Ranger Plane made it's way through the downtown area, over the noisy cars (the furlings had a much better understanding of what they were now). After some time Gadget came in for a landing on top of a roof.
"Alright, I'll be back to pick you guys up after a couple hours," Gadget said, as the furlings struggled to unbuckle their seatbelts.
"We're stuck!" said Edgar in alarm.
"Push the little red button," Dale said with a grin.
They did, and their belts clicked open. Relieved, they began to climb out.
"So here's what we do," Dale explained, "we'll sneak in through the vents and climb down to the little window with the projector. The walls are covered with curtains so we can climb them."
"Will there be a lot of humans in there?" Abigail asked.
"Yeah but don't mind them. As long as they don't see us sneaking in no one will care. And humans hardly ever pay attention to us rodents…er, except when they do of course."
"Okay, good bye Gadget, see you soon," Abigail said.
"Y-yeah, good bye," Willy said, waving his hand a bit and then standing still, gazing at her, until Abigail took his hand and yanked him away.
"Cute kids," Gadget said to herself as she changed the radio station, "I just hope we can find their families."
She then took off, going straight to the library and hoping she could find a place secluded enough for her to use a computer, or look through their newspaper catalog for something on the chemical spill at Dapplewood, anything for some kind of clue.