"I wasn't about to let Penny die on the table," Professor Slickstein told Chief Quimby.
"What do you mean die?" Gadget asked, his voice trembling with barely contained alarm. "Are you saying my niece would have died after that MAD agent shot her in the back and took her from me?"
John Gadget's nerves were frayed, his usually calm demeanor shattered.
"I had no choice in the matter," Slickstein said firmly, meeting the Inspector's distressed gaze. "Dr. Claw gave me an ultimatum—either let Penny die or use my knowledge of medical science and bionics to save her."
For a long moment, Gadget was speechless. The revelation struck him like a gut punch, leaving him breathless and reeling. The air seemed to escape his lungs as he tried to comprehend the weight of what he had just learned.
And now Penny was alone, somewhere in the clutches of their enemy—defenseless, vulnerable, and transformed. The price he had paid to protect Metro City and his niece had culminated in this moment of crushing panic.
"Where is she now?" Gadget yelled, his voice edged with desperation.
"Another undisclosed location," Slickstein replied, his tone taut with frustration. "After all your meddling, Dr. Claw has likely moved her again. I suppose you could say he's engineered the perfect storm."
From a nearby table, Dr. Slickstein retrieved a manila folder and handed it to Gadget. Holding his breath, the Inspector thumbed through the documents inside. His hands trembled as he absorbed the reports detailing Penny's "upgrades." His worst fears had been confirmed.
The words caught in his throat as he whispered, "No."
Dr. Claw had assembled a team of programmers to numb Penny's conscience, effectively stripping away her moral compass.
Something Slickstein had never condoned.
The doctor folded his arms, his face grim. "One of the many aspects of humanity I sought to preserve has been corrupted."
"So you don't know," Gadget said in a harsh whisper, his voice breaking. "You don't know where my niece is." His breathing grew uneven as he struggled to fight back tears. He swallowed hard, his composure teetering on the brink.
"Dr. Claw forced me to prepare Penny's body for warfare," Slickstein said quietly. "But if there's any consolation, given our shared human nature and the instinct to survive, her heart remains intact—and so does her mind. Even though her conscience has been numbed, I believe love will always find a way."
"You really think that?" Chief Quimby interjected, raising a skeptical eyebrow. "You think Gadget's love can override Dr. Claw's technological genius?"
Slickstein nodded, his voice soft yet firm. "Emotions were always my final line of defense. Penny is not just a machine, even if her memories have been tampered with. Without the emotional baggage of her past, she might perform her new duties without hesitation. But love—true love—has a power technology can't replicate."
"But she's only a child!" Gadget shouted, his voice cracking. "I can't fight my own niece."
"And what do you intend to do, Gadget?" Quimby asked gruffly. "How else do you plan to stop her?"
"I... I don't know," Gadget stammered, his shoulders slumping under the weight of uncertainty.