"No way!" Talon glared at Dee. "That's like handing Uncle Claw the keys to the world." He looked at Gadget. "D'you know, I'm starting to see things your way."

Dee ignored him, and stepped nearer to Gadget.

"Make one move, use one gadget, and I'll make those laser-ropes just a little smaller. Until Penny can't breathe."

Talon's eyes narrowed. Finally, Gadget said:

"Get the cases, Brain."

"I'll help." Talon made to follow, but Dee reached for her wrist.

"Just you stay right there." She pressed a button on her control bracelet, and Talon yelled as his own bracelet gave him an electric shock. Dee smiled. "It's a new game, we're all playing it at MAD headquarters." She looked to the top of the stairs, as a curious tourist stuck his head inside the lair. "Do you want to have that head removed, buster? OUT!"

The tourist ran. Brain was growling softly, but he obeyed Gadget's command. He headed back towards the car.

Very soon, he returned, with a case in each paw and another one balanced precariously on his back. He set them all down upon the table.

"Now..." Dee Skize turned greedily towards the cases. "Which one shall we open first?"

She had turned her back on Talon. Slowly, he reached for his wrist...

In a second, he transformed into evil Talon, in his black outfit and gun-belt. He grabbed the laser device from its holster, and levelled it at the cases.

"Right! Get back! Or I'll turn those into a shooting gallery!"

"Now, Talon..." Dee's eyes widened, just a little. "Don't do anything stupid, dear."

"One of them launches a missile. And another one's packed with Covid. I wonder how much Professor Von Slickstein put into those vaccines? What if we let it out, in an enclosed space like this?"

The MAD men were all whimpering, and backing away from the cases. Dee glared at them.

"Don't be so stupid! Get the cases!"

"I'm not touching them!" one of the men howled. "That disease is a killer!"

Talon spun round, giving all of them a moment before the laser.

"Set Penny free! NOW!"

Even Inspector Gadget looked shocked. One of the men went across to the control panel and found the button to remove the bindings from Penny. She was on her feet at once, and ran to join Talon.

"Inspector Gadget, will you find the self-destruct switch? The one that seals this place?"

"Go-go-Gadget Arms!" said Gadget obligingly. His arms zoomed across the room and pulled a lever on the panel. The HQ team heard a countdown begin.

Dee Skize glared at Talon. "You just wait..."

Still aiming the laser, Talon took a case, then gave another to Gadget and another to Brain. The four of them made for the exit.

"Goodbye, Dee! It's not been much of a farewell party."

They ran out into the wintry sunshine. Gadget ushered the crowd away, as the gate came down.

"Now, back! Everybody get back!"

From beyond the gate, there was a muffled explosion. A small amount of smoke billowed out from the gaps around the edges of the gate. Talon smiled.

"That should bury our problems, for a while."

Penny gazed at Talon.

"Oh my stars. You just became a hero. A bad hero, but still a hero."

She hugged him, and gave him a big kiss. Then she remembered she was still dressed as Amanda. People all around were whooping, cheering, taking pictures on their phones.

"Oh my. Did we just give Burger the election?"

"Go-go-Gadget Watch!" An enormous pocket-watch came out of Inspector Gadget's head. He consulted it. "It's ten to four. And the President's on the air at four. We'd better get over to the Circular Office."

"Let me carry that for you." Talon went and took the case from Inspector Gadget. "Purely to return it, of course. Yours too, Brain."

Brain grudgingly handed it over. But he stayed close to Talon.

Taking two cases awkwardly in his left hand, another in his right, Talon headed across towards the Ivory Tower.

Gadget suddenly looked back towards the Monument.

"Hey! We left my muffler down there! And my watercress salad!"

Just before four o'clock, the whole HQ team stood on the periphery of the Circular Office, awaiting the President's broadcast. The President sat at his desk, in front of an enormous flag. There was a buzz of excitement from the waiting journalists, when they saw Amanda – or what they thought was Amanda.

Talon was back in his agent's suit. He seemed to be enjoying the role, and slipped a pair of shades onto his nose. Having shades of her own, Penny couldn't glare at him. She sidled nearer.

"Where did you put those cases?"

"Somewhere very safe," said Talon. "Where no one will find them." He let Penny look intrigued for just long enough. "Actually, they're in the gentlemen's cloakroom, I didn't have much time. But we've got a power pack, just waiting for us in there!"

"Talon, I'm warning you..."

Someone played in the National Anthem, and the room fell silent. A light came on, on top of a camera, and the President began to speak.

"People of this country. Today has been an epic happening in our great history. My daughter, the brave Amanda, was kidnapped by the hostile forces of MAD! But thanks to the bravery of the Metro City HQ team, she has now been recovered. Come here, darling."

Reluctantly, Penny moved over to him, and into shot. There was applause. The President gave her a horrible, sloppy kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks to the bravery of men like these, our country can continue to stay safe from hostile forces. Providing we cancel all flights and build a wall to keep 'em out."

"Hi – Daddy."

Everyone jumped and looked round.

Penny gawped as the real Amanda entered the room, in a fur-trimmed coat, with a flight bag over her shoulder. She moved and elbowed the false Amanda out of the way.

"Well. I never knew I had a twin."

There was loud laughter. Everyone had seen #FakeMandy earlier that day. The President had gone a peculiar shade of pink. And for once, it wasn't makeup.

Talon was laughing as hard as anyone.

The male agent from the President's team slid over to Inspector Gadget, and led him aside. Talon followed, curiously.

"Don't want to cause panic, Inspector, but we just found three suspect packages in the gentlemen's cloakroom. Three unknown bags."

"What?" Talon's eyes grew. "What-what-what did you do with them?"

"No worries. Army bomb disposal are here already. They'll carry out controlled explosions."

The agents heard three muffled bangs, from down the Tower gardens. Talon sank onto the floor, head in hands.

"Nooooo..."

Once the broadcast was over, Inspector Gadget and his team found themselves being escorted from the Tower. The President seemed to have lost interest in them.

"At least he won't be launching any missiles," said Penny. "And it serves you right, Talon."

Talon was still in a daze. "Five million..."

"Shame about the vaccine, though," said Gadget. "Maybe the Professor made some more..."

A G-Portal opened, and Chief Quimby emerged.

"I thought you might appreciate a lift home. I hear the private jet was cancelled. Smart work, all of you. I won't go into all the ethics. But you stopped a kidnapping, and a national scandal – even if Amanda just caused another one. Well done."

His own Codex beeped, and he opened the video message. "Professor?"

"I've been trying to get hold of you, Chief," said Professor Von Slickstein. "Those stolen samples... I'm afraid they were useless. There was an error... I still haven't perfected the vaccine. The subjects were given too low a dose..."

"Talon?" Penny turned, as Talon lay down upon the ground and closed his eyes. Gadget frowned.

"I hope it's not the virus. We'd better take his temperature, Chief."

A few days later, the Gadgets were all back in their apartment. Everyone was safe and well – including Talon. He had been fairly quiet and good, since that day at the Tower.

They were watching the election news together. President Burger's supporters would vote for him no matter what, but it was obvious Bobby Dazzler would be the next President. Lena Madrigal had sunk to a very low third. Penny was back in her regular gear, and her hair was starting to return to its natural colour. She wasn't sorry to leave Amanda behind.

"Weird how Lena's done so badly. I thought she was going to..."

She frowned, as she saw the look on Talon's face.

"OK, what did you do?"

"Someone mysteriously hacked her computer. Sent certain private emails to the fake news media..."

Penny narrowed her eyes at him. "You evil... clever... little... I don't know!"

"I'm not having the Network ruling this country. That's my job." He caught Gadget's eye. "Only kidding, Inspector."

Gadget gave him a bit of a look. He went into the kitchen to prepare dinner.

From his cardigan, Talon took the consent papers.

"At least these survived. We can get married, now."

"Except we haven't even..." Penny indicated Gadget.

"Oh, no." Talon got up. "Wait there."

He went into the kitchen.

"That was really cool, what you did, saving Penny, Inspector Gadget."

"Thanks, Talon... I thought you did?"

"No, no. Merely helped out. No wonder they call you the world's greatest detective... hey, can I have your autograph?"

"Of course, Talon. Go-go-Gadget Pen!"

Gadget's index finger transformed into a pen. He scrawled a signature across the paper Talon held out to him.

"Thanks," said Talon. He took the signed papers back to Penny, showed them to her. With a grin of triumph, he slipped them into his pocket. He sat beside her. "How'd you feel about a Christmas wedding?"

"Talon...!"

There was a ring at the bell.

"I'll get that." Talon went across to the door and opened it.

A woman in her forties stood there. She had dark curly hair and a tanned complexion and a face that was pretty, but tired. Penny went across to join Talon.

"Hi... can we help you?"

"Talon..." The woman smiled, then her smile faded. "Don't you even recognise me?"

Talon shook his head. Penny looked more closely at the woman. There was something familiar about her...

The woman looked sorrowfully at Talon.

"I'm your mother."

To be continued...

Another Inspector Gadget story coming soon!