Penny and Brain looked at their Uncle Gadget with confusion and dismay. He had promised them a fun Sunday picnic at the park near their home, but just as they had spread out their blanket and picnic basket, Uncle Gadget had spotted someone passing by on the path near the park's pond. Gadget had mumbled to himself, "Wowsers, that man looks very suspicious! No doubt a MAD agent, plotting his next crime for Dr. Claw." He glanced at Penny and Brain. "Kids, you stay right here. I think that may be a MAD agent." Penny said, "Uncle, that's the park maintenance worker!" But Gadget was already getting up to pursue. "That's what they want you to think, Penny. Brain, look after her!" Penny and Brain looked at each other, and then, Penny sadly shook her head. Ever since Inspector John Brown nearly died, and had been changed into Inspector Gadget, incidents like this had been happening more and more frequently. It was quite upsetting for Penny, when she remembered that John Brown had been very adept at his job, and had built a reputation for quick thinking and excellent judgement.

Gadget trailed the man at a distance, and saw him unlock a door in a maintenance shed. He saw the man pull a bag off of a shelf, cut it open, and measure out scoops of a grainy substance into a metal canister. Gadget whispered to himself, 'Wowsers, he's mixing up explosives! He must mean to set it off here in the park!' Gadget tiptoed up behind the man, then hollered, "Hold it right there!" The man was startled so badly, he dropped the metal canister. The grainy substance spilled all over the floor of the shed. The maintenance worker was indignant. "What do you think you're doing? Look at this mess you caused!" Gadget deployed his handcuffs with one hand, then used his other gadget arm to pick up the bag off the floor. "So, just what were you planning on doing with this… fish food?" The maintenance worker glared at him. "I was planning on feeding the fish. In the pond. And now, thanks to you, I have a mess to sweep up. Now uncuff me." Gadget blushed, said, "Heh heh… umm, sorry about that…" and released the maintenance worker. The worker rubbed his wrist, and demanded, "Who are you? Are you a police officer?" Gadget had no choice but to admit the truth. "Inspector Gadget, Metro City PD. Sorry for the confusion; I thought you were a MAD agent." The maintenance worker had pulled out his notepad and was taking notes. "Inspector… Gadget. Got it. Well, Inspector, after I clean up this mess, and feed the fish, I'm going to call the Metro City PD, and have a little chat with your supervisor. I'm just a simple city park maintenance worker, but I DON'T deserve to be hassled like this for no reason!"

Penny and Brain had followed their Uncle, crouched behind some bushes, and had seen the whole thing. They turned and went back to their picnic blanket. "Gosh, Brain, something's very wrong with Uncle. Ever since he got his bionic body and brain, he's been making mistakes like this all the time." Brain looked sympathetically at Penny, but couldn't think of any way to help her. He did think that it was unfair that a sweet, seven year old girl like Penny, who had been through so much already, including the death of her parents and unborn sister, had this much stress on her. She should be thinking about making friends at school, and finishing her homework, not the fact that her family had been deliberately murdered. And now, it appeared that the one adult family member in her life, whom she ought to be looking up to, appeared to be losing his grip on reality… maybe even his sanity? Brain did the only thing he could; he attempted to cheer her up. He put his head in Penny's lap, looked up at her, and wagged his tail. She looked down at her adorable friend, and despite all the concern over her Uncle, she couldn't help but smile, and pet him on the head. "Thank you, Brain; you always know just how to cheer me up." He rolled over on his back, and she scratched his belly, causing his hind leg to kick in the air, and causing Penny to giggle.

Uncle Gadget returned to their blanket, clearly embarrassed at what had happened. To his credit, he confessed his mistake immediately. "Well, Penny, you were right. It was only a maintenance worker. I could have sworn he was a MAD agent. It just goes to show you, sometimes things aren't what they seem." Penny decided to try to enjoy the picnic, and leave worrying for another time. She pulled their fried chicken lunch out of the basket, causing Brain to eagerly sit up and wait to be fed. She took a chicken leg out, and gave it to a grateful Brain. "Here you go, Brain, and don't choke on the bone." While he was chomping away on the leg, she carefully set out his dog dish and poured a bottle of water into it. Then, once Brain had his food and drink, she took out a piece of chicken and a bottle of water for herself. Uncle Gadget was pleased to see that Penny was considerate enough to care for her pet dog first, before taking any food for herself, without having to be told. He reflected that allowing Penny to get this dog had been a great move; this dog kept her safe, kept her spirits up, and they clearly adored each other. Once Penny and Brain had their lunches, then Gadget helped himself. After Uncle Gadget took his lunch, there was one piece of chicken remaining; too big for Penny to eat alone, so she tore bits of chicken off and tossed them to Brain, who caught every one, and gulped them down. Uncle Gadget considered asking her to stop throwing food to the dog, but her happy laughter stopped that idea. 'Leave her alone; she's not hurting anything,' Gadget thought to himself. This was a picnic at the park, not a formal banquet with the Queen of England. Let a kid be a kid for once.

After lunch was finished, and they had cleaned up the scraps and put them in a trash can, the Gadgets went for a walk around the pond. Penny tossed a ball for Brain, which he happily chased and brought back to her. When they finally got in the car and returned home, the red light on the answering machine was blinking. Chief Quimby had left a message, asking Inspector Gadget to call him. Gadget used the top-secret Gadget phone. Quimby answered, and asked, "What's this I hear from a park maintenance worker? He said you tried to arrest him for feeding the fish at the park?" Gadget was embarrassed. "Um, yes, Chief; I thought he was a MAD agent. But, I let him go right away, and I did apologize to him." Quimby sighed. "This seems to be happening more and more, Gadget, ever since you got your bionics. I think we'll have Professor Von Slickstein check you over tomorrow when you come to work." Gadget was not too pleased at this. "Gosh, Chief, anyone can make a mistake. Is this really necessary?" "Gadget, this isn't a punishment, it's trying to find out what's causing a problem, and get it corrected. Nothing more. I'll talk to you tomorrow." Quimby then ended the call.

Up in her room, Penny was sitting on her bed, and finished listening to the incoming call on her computer book. She hated to eavesdrop on her Uncle this way, however, she suspected that this call would be related to what happened in the park with the maintenance worker, and concerned her Uncle's mental state. She was correct. Brain walked across the bed and placed his head on Penny's shoulder. She smiled and gave him a pet on the head. "Well, Brain, they're going to have the Professor check Uncle Gadget tomorrow when he goes to work. I hope they're able to find out what's happening to his judgement." Brain nodded in agreement. There was a tap at the door, and Uncle Gadget poked his head in. Penny and Brain looked up at him. "Penny, is your homework all done? I want you to be ready for school tomorrow." "Yes, Uncle. It's all done." At that moment, they heard rain lashing against the window. Uncle Gadget said, "Wowsers, looks like we had our picnic just in time. Well, you and Brain can play inside for another hour, then it's time for bed."

The next morning, after he dropped Penny off at school, Inspector Gadget drove his Gadgetmobile to police headquarters. He reported straight to Professor Von Slickstein's laboratory. Gadget still didn't feel this was necessary, but, when orders came from above, they had to be followed. The Professor asked him a series of questions, ran many scans, and showed him pre-recorded video scenarios using actors, asking Gadget to tell which one he thought more likely to be a criminal. After a mid-day lunch break, the Professor continued with more tests, and more scenarios, recording Gadget's answers. Chief Quimby showed up for the last hour, not saying anything, just watching in the background. When the Professor finally announced that all the tests were done, it was time for Gadget to go and pick up Penny from school.

Quimby stopped him before he left. "Once again, Gadget, please don't think of this as a punishment. All of our officers are required to undergo medical and psychological examinations from time to time; yours is just a little different, due to your bionics. We'll have these results analyzed by tomorrow." "Sure thing, Chief. I'll see you tomorrow." After Gadget had left, Quimby looked at the Professor. "Well, Professor? How does it look?" The Professor sadly shook his head. "I still have to completely tabulate the results, but so far, it doesn't look good, Chief." He gave the Chief one example, as a preview. "I showed Gadget a picture of a smiling man with a MAD logo on his shirt, next to a picture of a postal worker who was frowning, and asked him which was the MAD agent. He said it was the postal worker, 100%, even though the MAD logo was visible on the first man's shirt. His judgement has been severely affected by the bionics, somehow. I don't know yet if it's reversible." Quimby sadly shook his head. "Very well, Professor; keep me posted."

The next day, it was 'take your kids to work' day at the police department, and Penny had received special permission to be absent from school for the day, so she could go to work with her Uncle. Naturally, she brought Brain with her. She even saw a few other kids from her class there with their parents, and she happily waved to them. Chief Quimby thought for a moment how best to handle this. The news he had to deliver was not good, but he didn't want to deliver it to Gadget in front of his niece. Penny once again showed him how smart she was when her Uncle was distracted. She quietly asked Chief Quimby if there was something wrong with her Uncle. Quimby glanced at Gadget, who was talking to another officer, and whispered back to Penny that he'd tell her in a minute. Then he straightened up and spoke to Inspector Gadget. "Okay, Gadget, we have the results from your examinations yesterday, and why don't you go talk to the Professor; he'll fill you in. We have an activity planned for the kids, and I have to help with that. Penny and Brain here can join in." Gadget agreed. "Penny, Brain, you two be good, and I'll see you later."

Quimby steered Penny and Brain into his office and shut the door. "Now, Penny, I need you to tell me the truth about something. How has your Uncle been at home? Has he done anything accidentally to harm himself, or you or Brain?" Penny was surprised. "Oh, NO, Chief!" Brain shook his head no also. Penny continued. "At home, he's been just fine, Chief. He makes sure all the chores are done, and my homework is done, and even that Brain has gone outside to use the bathroom." Quimby sighed with relief. "I'm very glad to hear that, Penny. Just what I wanted to hear. Now, I won't lie to you; perhaps you've noticed that, while on the job, his judgement…" Penny interjected. "I know, Chief. He thinks everyone is a MAD agent. Brain and I saw it last Sunday with the park maintenance worker."

Quimby showed her the results of the exams. "As it turns out, when his mind was transferred into those memory chips, there were some unforeseen consequences. His judgement was affected. His actual intelligence is unchanged. Technically, he's just as intelligent as he was before, but… when it comes to threat recognition, this area suffered dramatically." Penny looked over the data sheets. "Well, couldn't we make some improved memory chips for him?" Quimby shook his head. "Have you ever recorded a TV show with your VCR, Penny?" She nodded. "And have you noticed the recorded copy is not quite as sharp as the original? Now, imagine making a copy of a copy. Every time you do that, it degrades. There's no telling what new problems will appear if we try to transfer his mind again."

Penny and Brain looked up at the Chief. "Well, then, what can we do?" Quimby said, "There's not a lot we can do. I'll try to assist him whenever possible, but he still has a job to do." Quimby stared at Penny and Brain. "If you two were 10 years older, and interested in law enforcement, I'd assign the two of you to partner with him, but we can't do that with a seven year old." Quimby's voice then got quieter. "At least, not officially." Penny's eyes lit up, and she and Brain looked at each other. Quimby noticed Penny was wearing the video watch that the department had given her, and Brain had on his collar with the concealed camera. He asked Penny, "Do you still have the computer book?" She smiled and patted her backpack. Quimby nodded. "Good. Now, I have to be very, very careful here… officially, you two should stay home and let the police handle things. However, if you should happen to think of a way to use the book, and watch, and collar to help your Uncle out on a case… maybe, point him in the right direction…" Penny and Brain got the hint. Quimby then added, "But listen to me. This is serious. You two MUST stay hidden and out of sight, if you do this. You're children, and MAD is full of grown men and women who kill for a living. If they capture you, it could be the end." He then smiled. "But, you two are very smart, I know that won't be any problem."

After leaving Chief Quimby's office, Penny and Brain sat in the lobby of the police station, waiting for their Uncle Gadget. Penny looked at Brain. "Gosh, Brain, just what I was afraid of. Uncle's mind was affected when he got his bionic upgrades. Well, do you remember that deal we made?" She was talking about when they had promised each other, just before their first mission against MAD, to help out their Uncle, whenever they could. Brain smiled and nodded. "Good. It looks like the police will be asking us, once in a while, to help out Uncle Gadget, which is why they gave us my watch and computer book, and your camera collar."

Brain used his doggy pantomime that he had been using to communicate. "That will be very dangerous, for both of us." Penny put her arm around his shoulder. "I know it will, Brain, but if we don't, and Uncle is hurt again, or killed, then we would lose everything. Even each other." Brain knew what she meant. Uncle Gadget was Penny's last living relative. If he died, Penny would go to an orphanage, and no doubt would not be allowed to take Brain with her, so that meant he would go back to the animal shelter. The thought of that place made him shudder. He held out his paw to Penny, and she shook it, re-affirming their agreement with each other. Penny could tell from his expression that Brain was still worried. She tried to encourage him. "Don't worry, Brain; it won't be so bad. With the computer book and watch, and your camera collar, we'll have access to all sorts of information, and we can call Chief Quimby at any time. It might even be fun! Besides, it's not just for us and our family. Every time we stop MAD, we save lives. Think of it that way." Brain eventually agreed. He just could not say 'no' to Penny.

At his remote castle hideout, Dr. Claw impatiently demanded an update from his MAD underlings. "I asked for a full report on this 'Inspector Gadget' after he destroyed the castle outside Metro City, and I still haven't gotten it!" One of his underlings approached with a folder. "You're not going to believe this, Dr. Claw." He handed over the folder, and Claw flipped through it. "Hmm… so, Gadget is really Inspector John Brown?!" The agent nodded. "When he was nearly killed, the department gave him bionic implants, and rescued him from death." Claw was fascinated. "I see! It appears to have made him a great deal more powerful… but, also a great deal more clumsy." He remembered Gadget firing his laser finger, repeatedly missing Claw, but igniting stacks of TNT, which then destroyed the other castle.

Then, Claw was struck by another thought. He looked at his underling. "We found out that Inspector Brown had purchased a home in Metro City, correct?" The MAD agent nodded. "Then THAT is where Inspector Gadget now lives. That little girl we captured is his niece, and no doubt she lives there with him. When we have the chance, we must plant spy cameras in that house. Think of the intel we could gain!" The agent hesitated. "Um, sir? Wouldn't it be much easier to simply blow up the house when they are inside?" Dr. Claw shook his head. "No, for several reasons. Why give up the chance to gain intelligence, and bring down not only Gadget, but Chief Quimby and all of the fools at the Metro City PD? And second, we don't want to be seen as the killer of children. We recruit from newly released prisoners, and many of them are parents, and we don't want the label of 'child-killer' associated with MAD. We must wait until we have the opportunity to eliminate the Inspector, alone. Also, he is very powerful, and we must be able to visually verify that he is dead. After that, I couldn't care less what happens to his niece." "Yes, Dr. Claw."

Inspector Gadget slowly made his way down a dark corridor in a warehouse. A report had come in that there was a MAD hideout here, and he had been sent to investigate. Penny had heard the call come in on the top-secret Gadget phone, and had sent Brain to follow her Uncle. She had hidden behind a row of bushes near the building, and was monitoring her computer book. She saw a layout of the building, with a red dot representing Uncle Gadget, and a green dot representing Brain, who was in disguise, following Gadget at a distance. Gadget reached the end of the corridor, and was just about to open the double doors at the end, when behind him, Brain stumbled on a box in the darkness. Gadget whirled around, pointing his finger flashlight, and saw Brain in disguise. "AHA! A MAD agent! Hold it right there!" Gadget ran back down the corridor, and Brain took off in a panic. Gadget failed to notice that behind him, the double doors opened, and three MAD agents emerged.

Brain scampered away, and managed to find a hiding place, while Gadget ran past him. "Whew!" But then, the three MAD agents passed, just as Brain's collar camera popped out. Penny was calling him. "Yikes!" The three agents skidded to a halt, and lunged at Brain. Penny watched the screen, and saw Brain panicking, and hands trying to grab him. Eventually, they succeeded. One of the MAD agents said, "Hey, it's just a dog in disguise! Let's finish him off!" Penny cried out, "Brain! No!" At that moment, a large net fell over all of them. Uncle Gadget had heard the commotion, turned around, and seen the MAD agents. Unfortunately, he was convinced that Brain was one of them. He cuffed all of them, and dragged them outside of the warehouse. As he was calling Chief Quimby, Penny managed to crawl out from behind the bushes, and pull Brain away from the other MAD agents, and back into hiding with her. She then quickly carried him away from where her Uncle was, which was a wise move, since he suddenly noticed that one of his prisoners was missing.

Penny told Brain, "Ok, now, hold very still, Brain." She carefully aimed her watch laser, and zapped the cuffs. They fell apart, and Brain was free. He quickly took off his disguise, and they watched from their hiding spot. Uncle Gadget was still looking for his missing prisoner, and failed to notice that more MAD agents had emerged from the warehouse, and released the three that had been taken captive. Brain clapped a paw to his forehead in frustration. "Oh, NO!" Inspector Gadget saw that his remaining captives were escaping, and hollered, "STOP! I have you completely surrounded!" He then tried to call on his gadget arms, to seize the agents, but instead, his gadget skates popped out unexpectedly. He lost his balance, fell to the ground, causing his gadget coat to inflate unexpectedly. He floated up, until a tree branch punctured the coat, and he flew through the air until he smacked the wall of the warehouse, and lay stunned on the ground. The MAD agents laughed at him, then started to flee out the main gate.

Penny muttered, "Oh, no you don't!" And rapidly used her computer book to take over the electric gate, causing it to slam shut before the MAD agents could escape. By this time, Gadget had recovered, leaped up to his feet, and again called on his gadget arms. This time, they deployed properly, and he seized one of the MAD agents, and tossed him at the other agents, causing them all to fall down. At that moment, three police cars screeched to a halt outside the main gates, and six officers, led by Chief Quimby, piled out of the cars. Penny pushed a button on her computer book, and the main gate slid open, allowing the officers to enter.

Penny turned to Brain with relief, and gave him a quick hug. "I'm glad you're all right, Brain! That was a close one." For his part, Brain accepted Penny's hug, but he was upset and frustrated. Using his doggy sign language, he complained that Gadget had spent just as much time and effort pursuing HIM as the MAD agents. And, Gadget's clumsiness had nearly blown the mission, allowing the MAD agents more time to get away. Penny sat in the grass with him behind the tree, out of sight of the police. She took Brain's paws in her hands and looked straight into his eyes. "Brain, I understand how you feel, but remember, this isn't really Uncle's fault. The bio-transfer affected his mind, and now he has a real problem with recognizing threats. He really can't help it. So, it's up to us… you and me… we have to help him when we can."

Brain still wanted to hold on to his frustration. Penny continued. "As for his clumsiness, that really wasn't his fault, either. He called for the right gadget, but the wrong one deployed. That was equipment failure." Brain could see Penny's point; it made total sense, but he still was upset. He used his sign language once more. "But Penny, I was nearly killed!" Penny nodded. "I understand, Brain. I really do. I should have checked by book computer to make sure you were alone before calling you. I'll have to be more careful in the future." Brain just said, "Hmph!" Penny could tell he was still upset and unconvinced. "Brain… look at me, Brain. Do you like your new life with us? Do you like being with me, and Uncle Gadget?"

Brain looked at her, and his hostility melted. He replied with his sign language, "Of course! I LOVE being with you, Penny! And your Uncle, too; when he's not trying to arrest me." Penny said, "I love having you with me too, Brain, but this is the price we have to pay. If we don't help Uncle, he may be killed. And you know what will happen then." She let go of his paws. "It all ends. I go to an orphanage, and they'll probably send you back to the animal shelter. If you want all of us to stay together, in our beautiful house, this is what we have to do." Brain sighed, and Penny continued. "I know, it doesn't seem fair; most people get to live their lives without worrying about anything larger than their jobs, families, or school. But you and I, we have to do this, or everything we have now, will fall apart."

At that moment, Chief Quimby happened by, and his eyes lit up as he spotted Penny and Brain crouched behind the row of bushes. He saw that Penny had her computer book out; obviously she had been using it in support of her Uncle. He leaned over and whispered, "Excellent work, you two! MAD was using this as a staging area, planning to recruit new agents directly from Metro City high schools. Thanks to you and your Uncle, it's been shut down." He beamed a smile at the two of them, then walked off before he drew unwanted attention to their location. Penny smiled at Brain. "Did you hear that, Brain? There's another bonus from what we are doing. What we did here today will make a real difference! How many people can say that about what they did in a day?"

After activity at the warehouse had died down, Penny and Brain got on Penny's bike and rode home. No sooner had they parked her bike in the garage and sat on the couch, then Uncle Gadget arrived in the Gadgetmobile. They greeted their Uncle when he walked into the house, and he told them about his mission, not realizing that Penny and Brain already knew all about it. What all three of them failed to realize was, while they were out, MAD agents had broken in to their home and installed MAD silent surveillance cameras and transmitters in the living room, kitchen, and the front and back yards. The warehouse had been a diversion to get Gadget out of his house. There was a plan to get the girl out as well, but she had taken her dog and left on her own, so that plan was not needed. Now, as Uncle Gadget questioned Penny about her homework, and what she wanted for dinner, Dr. Claw turned on his monitor to try out the new cameras. The image and sound came through perfectly. After a moment, Claw chuckled to himself. "Yes, little girl; enjoy your dinner, and finish your homework. You and your little dog are soon going to be without your Uncle… forever." MAD Cat joined Dr. Claw in evil, sinister laughter, as the thunder and lightning crashed on cue outside.

Late that night, Brain was unable to sleep. He was curled up in his usual spot on Penny's bed, but sleep refused to come to him. He was still conflicted inside, despite Penny's best efforts to talk to him. He looked over at her, sleeping soundly. He remembered several weeks ago, when there had been a thunderstorm, which had scared him out of his wits. Brain was still a young dog, under one year old, and he had never experienced a thunderstorm. He and Penny had been in the house alone, because Uncle Gadget had been called away on assignment. Then the power went out, and lightning and thunder was crashing outside. The rain was lashing against the windows, and the wind was howling. When the lightning flashed, the tree branches outside cast horrific-looking shadows on the walls inside the house.

Brain was terrified, but Penny had called him over to her, put her arms around him, stroked him on the head, and with her soothing voice, had calmed him down. She had explained it was just a thunderstorm, it would pass, the power would return, and everything would be all right. Then she had lit some emergency candles, so they weren't in total darkness. She had sat there with him, comforting him and reassuring him, until the storm passed, and her Uncle returned home. He also remembered, during their first mission against MAD, when the castle had been collapsing, it had been Penny who managed to grab him by the foot and prevent him from falling, long enough for her Uncle to fly over with the Gadget copter and save them both. So, there was no doubt that Penny cared deeply for him. Brain had to admit, her Uncle did too, even if his clumsiness did annoy Brain greatly, and Brain resented Gadget chasing him while in disguise.

Brain then remembered something else that Penny had said. She told him that if Gadget died, Brain would likely go back to the animal shelter, since Penny would be sent off to an orphanage. He shuddered to remember that animal shelter. He wondered if people realized that the vast majority of animals that go into shelters, don't leave them alive. Brain himself had overheard the volunteers at the shelter, saying that Brain had 'one more day.' He knew very well what happened after that. He had seen many cats and dogs being taken into the room in the back, and not come back out. He had just about resigned himself to death, then, he woke up from his nap and had seen a sweet little girl with blonde hair smiling at him. She had literally rescued him from death's door.

But, when he thought farther back, even before the shelter… some truly awful memories, that he had repressed, that he didn't want to think about. He remembered thinking that his previous owners had been truly awful, cruel, evil people, and that even death in the shelter would be better than staying with them. Then, it dawned on him. The life he had now would have seemed like an impossible dream only a few weeks ago. He very much liked his new home, he LOVED Penny, and he even liked her Uncle; at least, when he wasn't being chased by him on missions. All he had to do was imagine being forcibly split up from Penny, knowing that she was going to live with complete strangers, while he himself would once again live in a cage, waiting for the end, never to see his Penny again. Yes, the price of this was that he would have to go out on dangerous missions in disguise, helping a clumsy Inspector who couldn't tell a MAD agent from a park maintenance worker, but it certainly beat living with his first owners, or being on death row in the animal shelter. Once he had fully accepted this choice, and was at peace with his decision, Brain felt the conflict and stress inside him dissipate, and he relaxed considerably, and before he knew it, he was fast asleep.

Hours later, the morning sun shining through the window woke Brain up. He looked at the clock, saw it was 8:30, then remembered it was Saturday, and there was no school. Amazing how quickly that week had gone by, with a mission against MAD. Brain saw that Penny was still sleeping. He quietly crawled up the bed until he was near her face, then licked her. Penny opened her eyes, and saw a bright red nose and pink tongue. She giggled and hugged him. "Okay, Brain, I'm awake, I'm awake! What time is it?" She squinted at the clock through her bleary morning eyes, and for a second, she panicked. "Oh CRUMS, look at the time! Why did you let me sleep so long, Brain?" He pointed at the calendar and tried his best to speak. It came out sounding like, 'Raturday!' Penny understood that he was trying to say, Saturday. She smiled at him and said, "Oops! I'm sorry, Brain. I didn't mean to snap at you."

At the MAD castle, Dr. Claw gave up watching the live spy footage from the Gadget house. They weren't even up yet; not even the little niece or her dog. The living room and kitchen sat frustratingly still and quiet. Dr. Claw muttered, "Miserable lazy Gadgets…" then turned his attention to other matters. He turned off the spy footage, leaving orders to one of his subordinates to notify him if anything noteworthy took place. "Yes, Dr. Claw." In a different room of the MAD castle, the bored MAD agent sat in front of a monitor, waiting for something to happen in the Gadget house. Someone walked into the room with him. It was a Metro City Police Officer, Lieutenant Lee. This Lieutenant had gotten in deep with loan sharks over gambling debts, and had turned to MAD as a way to pay off the sharks. Now MAD owned him. He stopped and chatted with the unfortunate MAD agent who was stuck watching the Gadget spy cameras. They noticed on the screen, Penny and Brain finally came downstairs, through the living room and into the kitchen, and started to get breakfast.

Lieutenant Lee squinted at the screen. "Wait a minute… zoom in on that dog." The image zoomed in on Brain's face, as he contentedly munched on his breakfast, and watched Penny moving around the kitchen. Lieutenant Lee spoke again. "That's him. That's one of our test animals from the canine project. That's the one that got away." The other MAD agent looked at him in confusion. "What are you talking about?" Lee explained. "A few months ago, there was a project to see if we could develop super-intelligent canines, for use on heists. Only one developed super-intelligence successfully. This dog, here. The others went insane; they were like rabid dogs. We euthanized them all. This dog that now lives with the Gadgets refused to learn how to commit crimes. Who knew that dogs have morals? We were about to euthanize him, too, when he escaped. It looks like he ended up with the Gadgets somehow." Lee frowned and shook his head. "That miserable little dog has no idea how much trouble he caused me. Dr. Claw threatened to rat on me to the police commissioner. If I can get that dog, and bring his head to Dr. Claw, that would take a lot of heat off of me."

Later that day, Penny and Brain were on a walk with their Uncle Gadget. They were on the way to the park. Brain loved running around the open spaces, chasing a ball that Penny threw for him. As they walked up the path past the park's parking lot, Penny and Brain started to trot toward the open area. They paid no attention to a man on a motorcycle in the parking lot, with a black helmet on, rummaging around in a bag. Uncle Gadget looked at him with suspicion, which rapidly turned to alarm as the man pulled a pistol from the bag and aimed it toward Penny and Brain.

Penny was jogging across the grass, and called out, "Okay, Brain, ready to chase the ball?" She was puzzled when there was no reply bark, but she did hear a sharp POP POP behind her, then a piercing yelp. She whirled around, and Brain had collapsed in the grass. A man dressed all in black peeled out of the parking lot on his motorcycle, and Uncle Gadget gave chase with his gadget rocket skates. Penny rushed over to Brain, and he was unconscious. Blood was oozing out of his right shoulder. She screamed "BRAIN!" Tears were already gushing out of her eyes. She wanted to do something, but was afraid of hurting him more if she moved him. A few adults in the park rushed over and stood nearby.

Inspector Gadget's rocket skates were good for short bursts of speed, but not for long, sustained pursuits. The motorcycle was starting to pull away from him. He decided to switch to the gadget copter, for an aerial view. He got on his top-secret Gadget phone, and summoned backup. He also called for an ambulance to the park. However, once the motorcycle got on the highway, Gadget started to lose ground again. The motorcycle was able to pass 100 miles per hour. Even with the Gadget copter, Inspector Gadget couldn't keep up. Fortunately, three police motorcycles zoomed by underneath him, and were able to close the gap.

At the park, a lady pushed her way through the circle. She knelt down in front of Penny. "Little girl, I'm a veterinarian. Let me see." Penny looked up, and through her sobbing, managed to choke out, "Please help him!" The lady very gently probed the bloody area. Brain was unresponsive, but the lady looked at Penny and smiled. "I don't think it's that bad. I don't feel any broken bones." She looked around at the gathered people. "Does anyone have something I can use for a bandage?" A woman rapidly reached into her purse and gave the veterinarian a large, white handkerchief. The veterinarian used this to bind the wound, and stop the bleeding. At that moment, the ambulance that Uncle Gadget had summoned pulled up in the parking lot, with urgent orders from Chief Quimby himself to transport the dog and the girl to the animal hospital. The EMTs gently lifted Brain onto a stretcher, and secured him in the back of the ambulance, with Penny leaning over him, her tears dripping onto Brain's fur. As the ambulance pulled away, back in the park, there was hardly a dry eye among the gathered adults, and certainly not for the Good Samaritan veterinarian.

The official police policy was not to pursue "crotch rocket" motorcycles, because they are so fast; the pursuit quickly turns deadly for other people in traffic, as well as everyone on the motorcycles. This, however, was a different situation. This suspect had taken a shot at the family of a Police Inspector. He was NOT to be allowed to escape. The police had motorcycles that had been confiscated from illegal street racers, and these were quite capable of keeping up, as the suspect was now discovering. As his desperation to escape grew, so did his recklessness. He tried one desperate evasion too many, and smacked the rear end of a Ford Tempo at full speed. The Tempo lurched to a halt, with a minor dent on its rear end and a badly cracked rear window, but the suspect flew off his motorcycle at over 100 miles per hour, and slid and tumbled for an impressively long distance before finally coming to a halt on the highway. At least, what was left of him. Despite wearing a helmet, he was so badly injured from scraping all along the rough highway surface, he was actually dead before his body came to a halt. Behind him was a long trail of blood, torn flesh, and torn bits of clothing. The three police motorcycles screeched to a halt near the body. They lifted the visor of the black helmet. "Why, it's Lieutenant Lee! Why would he take a shot at Gadget's dog and niece?" The officers heard the approach of Inspector Gadget, still using his gadget copter. He landed and advanced in a rage. "Inspector, sir, he's already dead. It was Lieutenant Lee."

At the animal hospital, Brain was properly bandaged, and he had just been X-rayed. Penny refused to be separated from him. The head doctor was about to order her out of the exam room, when Chief Quimby silently walked up behind Penny, glared at the doctor, and shook his head. The message was clear: leave the girl alone, and focus on the dog. When Chief Quimby sat in a nearby chair, Penny then noticed he was there, but she couldn't offer her usual cheerful greeting. She couldn't take her eyes off of Brain, as the medical staff finished examining him. After a few minutes, the doctor walked over. "Young lady, your dog is very lucky. One bullet missed him entirely, and the other one pierced his shoulder, but missed the bone, and major blood vessels. It just went in and out of his flesh, which is the best we could have hoped for. He'll be very sore for a few weeks, but he'll make a full recovery. I promise."

At that moment, Penny heard Uncle Gadget behind her. "That's great news, doctor." He had obviously heard the doctor's verdict on Brain. Penny reached out to her Uncle, and he picked her up and hugged her. She had no tears left, after the ambulance ride, so she just listened to her Uncle. "Penny, the man who did this tried to get away on his motorcycle. We chased him, and he crashed. He's dead." The doctor then whispered in Gadget's ear. Gadget nodded. "Penny, we need to leave this room now, so they can get Brain's wound stitched up. He's going to be just fine." Penny had no strength left to object, and allowed her Uncle to carry her out to the lobby, where she and Uncle Gadget sat with Chief Quimby.

The Chief got a report from a police officer, and nodded. He informed Gadget that they had found MAD documents on Lee's body. Gadget was dumbfounded. "Wowsers, so Lieutenant Lee was working for MAD?" "It looks that way, Gadget. What I don't understand is, why did MAD target a little dog, and not you yourself? It makes no sense." Both Gadget and Quimby had forgotten little Penny was right there, listening to everything. "So, MAD tried to kill my poor little dog Brain? They have to pay for this, Uncle." Quimby looked down, and was actually alarmed at the dark look of anger and hatred on Penny's face. Quimby then realized that MAD had killed Penny's family, nearly killed her Uncle John Brown, and now, had taken a shot at her dog. Gadget responded, "We'll make sure they do pay, Penny, but I want you to focus on helping Brain get better. I'm going to arrange with the school to have you stay at home for a while, and I'll bring your schoolwork to you, so you can watch over Brain. He can't be at home alone like this." Penny agreed, and thanked her Uncle for letting her stay home and watch over Brain.

At the MAD castle, Dr. Claw listened to the report. "Lee did what?! I gave no such order!" The MAD agent who had been tasked with monitoring the Gadget home's spy cameras reported to him. "Dr. Claw, he got it in his head that taking out this girl's dog would elevate him in MAD." The agent decided not to tell him that Brain was a former MAD project that had escaped. This agent was actually quite disgusted at what had happened. He was a father himself, and he loved dogs. He realized if Dr. Claw knew that the Gadget dog was super-intelligent thanks to a MAD experiment, and had escaped, he would probably order another agent to finish the job and kill the dog. Claw said, "I specifically ordered that the niece NOT be targeted; that includes her dog, too. Do I have to spell everything out?! How can we recruit new MAD agents if we are seen as child killers? So, where is Lee now?" "He's dead, sir. He tried to escape on a motorcycle, and crashed." Claw grunted. "Huh. Well, good riddance. You're dismissed." The agent turned to leave as Dr. Claw went back to dreaming up his next scheme. As he was walking back to monitor the Gadget house some more, the agent thought to himself, 'So, that's it? A rogue MAD agent targets a seven year old girl's dog, and… no apology? No consequences? All he cares about is recruiting new agents.' The agent sat in his chair, feeling very unsettled.

Penny and Uncle Gadget sat in their living room, quietly staring at the soft dog bed that they had purchased at the pet store, which now contained a sleeping Brain. The doctor at the animal shelter had been forced to shave the fur off the area of the bullet wound, and had securely bandaged it. One of the nurses had let Penny practice applying a bandage to a stuffed dummy dog at the animal hospital, so that Penny would be able to care for Brain, and re-apply clean bandages as necessary. Finally, Brain started to stir. Penny and Uncle Gadget smiled at each other. As Brain opened his eyes, and things came into focus, the first thing he saw was Penny smiling down at him. "R…Renny!" This was as close as he could come to saying, 'Penny.' He then saw Uncle Gadget, also smiling at him. Then, Brain felt the pain in his shoulder. Penny soothingly told Brain to stay still, so he would hurt less. She was unable to hug him, out of fear of squeezing his wounded shoulder, so she settled for giving him a big kiss on the cheek, and stroking the top of his head. Brain smiled at her, then winced as he felt another jolt of pain from his shoulder.

At MAD headquarters, the MAD agent tasked with monitoring the Gadget's spy cameras observed this scene between Penny and Brain, and decided that was all he could take. He already had very mixed emotions about this entire affair, since he was a father and dog owner himself, but this scene helped him make up his mind. He switched off the monitor, stepped out into the corridor, and left MAD headquarters in one of the unmarked cars they kept on hand for running errands. He made sure to remove the MAD tracking device that was on all of their vehicles. That should buy him an hour or so head start.

Uncle Gadget had gone into the kitchen to make lunch for himself and Penny, so she used this time to quietly inform Brain what had happened. "Brain, you were shot by a MAD agent at the park. He tried to get away on a motorcycle, but Uncle Gadget and some other police officers chased him. He crashed, and he's dead now." Brain looked pleased for a moment, and grunted, as if to say, 'good!' Penny continued. "We were very lucky at the park; I was so scared, I didn't know what to do, Brain. There was a veterinarian there, and she put a bandage on you, and stopped the bleeding until an ambulance got there. Then, we took you to the animal hospital. They X-rayed you, but no bones were broken. They said you'll be fully recovered in a few weeks, but you'll have to take it easy for a while. The less you move that shoulder, the better." Brain nodded; he understood. Penny glanced around, to be sure they were still alone. Uncle Gadget was still messing around in the kitchen.

She nearly whispered to Brain; "Do you have any idea why MAD would ignore Uncle Gadget and try to kill YOU, Brain? It makes no sense!" Brain looked scared, but didn't respond. Deep in his mind, amongst the thoughts and memories he tried to stay away from, he did know, but he didn't want to burden Penny with these awful memories. However, Penny was very smart, and she could tell he was thinking something. "Brain, what is it? You can tell me." Brain tried his best to use his sign language with one arm. "There were some awful things that happened before you rescued me from the animal shelter, and they had to do with MAD. But I really don't want to go into it right now." Penny understood, and knew better than to try to push him now, even though she was very curious. Instead, she merely said, "It's ok, Brain. Let's forget about it for now. Are you hungry?" Brain suddenly realized he was starving, and nodded his head. She wheeled his dog bed into the kitchen, and spoon-fed Brain dog food, and let him drink water from a bottle, until he was satisfied. She didn't mind caring for him like this one bit, especially when she visualized Brain lying unconscious and bleeding on the grass. She was just so grateful that he was alive, no amount of babysitting would be too much to ask.

The MAD agent drove the stolen MAD vehicle to the Metro City Police Headquarters, got out of the car, walked up the steps and in the front doors, and stood in front of the reception desk. A junior officer glanced up at him. "Yes?" The agent cleared his throat. "My name is Grant; I'm a MAD agent, and I'm here to surrender." That certainly got the junior officer's attention. Agent Grant stood perfectly still as two other officers rushed over, guns pointed at his face. He calmly followed their shouted orders, taking care to keep his hands visible, and make no sudden movements. He got down on his knees, then lay face down with his arms spread out. He felt an officer seize his right hand, and a cold steel handcuff clicked on, then the left hand. They grabbed him under the arms and lifted him up, and read him his rights.

Several hours later, two detectives sat down with MAD agent Grant in an interrogation room. They were joined by a court-appointed attorney for Grant. He calmly spelled out to them why he had surrendered. As a parent himself, he had been utterly disgusted by the attempted hit on a 7 year old girl's dog. He told them that although Dr. Claw had not ordered the hit, he also showed no remorse over it, and was only concerned how it would reflect on MAD's image. One of the detectives leaned in close and asked why a small dog had been targeted. Grant grimaced in disgust. "First of all, chew some gum. Your coffee breath is out of control. Second, Gadget's dog was once part of a MAD experiment to develop super intelligent canines. The dog refused to learn how to commit crimes; apparently, he has strong morals as well as incredible intelligence. Dr. Claw ordered him euthanized, but the dog escaped. Lieutenant Lee thought that killing this dog would advance him up the ranks in MAD."

The detective took notes. "So… the dog was born to MAD?" Grant nodded. "The mother dog had a litter of puppies. All were part of the experiment, but all except Gadget's dog went completely insane. They acted like rabid dogs. They were all euthanized. That dog of the Gadget's can fully understand English, knows how to use tools, knows how to think like a human, and plan ahead, and reason. He literally is the smartest dog in the world, by far. Heck, he's smarter than many humans I know." Behind the interrogation one-way mirror, Chief Quimby was standing there, listening. He thought to himself, "Amazing. No wonder that dog has been such a huge help."

Agent Grant spoke up again. "Someone may want to let Gadget know; his house has several hidden MAD spy cameras transmitting to MAD 24/7. It was my job to monitor them." The detective turned things back to the issue of Brain the dog. "How do we know this dog of the Gadget's won't go insane one day, like all the others, and maul that little girl?" Grant shook his head. "That's not going to happen. He never displayed a single negative symptom through the entire process. Every person is different and reacts to drugs in different ways; same thing with dogs. They're unique living things too. And besides, I've monitored those two enough to see, they adore each other. He'd jump in front of a speeding truck to save her."

Dr. Claw pounded his desk, causing MAD Cat to jump, cower back, and hiss. "Agent Grant defected?! And nobody thought about stopping him?!" One of the other agents replied, "Well, sir, he had clearance to use a car, and he didn't exactly announce his intentions. But sir, he's not the only one. Throughout the United States, seventeen other MAD agents have walked off the job, because they were so upset at a small girl and her dog being in the line of fire." Claw exploded. "That was NOT my doing! I did not authorize that action. Very well. Time to end this foolishness. Arrange a video conference in one hour, to be viewed by every MAD agent in the whole world." "Yes, Dr. Claw."

One hour later, Dr. Claw looked at a camera that was broadcasting to every MAD agent on Earth. "Listen well, MAD agents. I know that word is spreading about an unauthorized attempt by one of our own to shoot at the dog and the niece of Inspector Gadget. I have always said, although Gadget himself is our mortal enemy, MAD has no interest in targeting children, and yes, that includes their dogs. The incident in question was carried out by a rogue MAD agent, without authorization from me, and he was killed trying to escape from the police. This saved me the trouble of killing him myself. I say again, our war is with the police, and Inspector Gadget, NOT their children. MAD is interested in gaining money, power, and ruling the world, NOT killing children. That is all."

By the time Monday arrived, Brain was anxious to get up and move, shoulder or no shoulder. Penny had been literally carrying him around like a baby all day Sunday, and while he appreciated the loving care that she was showing him, he desperately wanted to get back on his feet. He pleaded with Penny to let him stand up. She reluctantly took his left paw and slowly helped him up out of his bed. "Now, just take it slow and easy, Brain; you don't want those stitches to rip." He stood up on his hind legs; shaky, but succeeding in standing up on his own. He slowly walked around the living room, as a smiling Penny watched him closely. After a few minutes, she noticed his shakiness was increasing, and she was right there to support him, so he didn't fall on the floor.

Brain was shocked at how little strength he had. "It's okay, Brain, you'll recover your strength. You just got out of the animal hospital, and your body is using a lot of energy trying to heal your wound." She helped him over to the couch, where he gladly sank down and let Penny examine his bandage. No new bleeding, so he didn't tear anything. When nature called, Penny helped him up, and walked with him so he could take care of his business. By the time they got back to the living room, Brain lay on the couch, and proceeded to take a nap. Penny smiled, and used this opportunity to pay some attention to the pile of homework that her Uncle had brought home from school for her to work on.

At the police headquarters, Chief Quimby called Inspector Gadget into his office, and asked him to shut the door and have a seat. Gadget reflected to himself that being called into the boss's office alone and being asked to have a seat often means bad news. Quimby asked him, "Gadget, how much do you know of the past history of your dog?" That was the last question Gadget had expected. "Brain?! Gosh, Chief, what's to tell? Penny was utterly miserable after her parents were killed, and I didn't know what to do, then I remembered that she loves dogs, but her mother was afraid of dogs, and wouldn't let her get a real one. So, I took her to the animal shelter. We were just about to give up, when the volunteer told us they had one last dog to look at, and as it turned out, Penny loved him." Quimby nodded, and said, "Go on; what else do you know?"

Gadget considered. "Well, the volunteer said that if he had been there one more day, they would have had to put him to sleep. Oh, and also, that no one else before us was interested in him, because he wasn't a popular breed, even though he is very smart." Quimby asked another question. "And, how has the dog been at home? Has he ever seemed aggressive, or behaved suspiciously?" Gadget was becoming more confused. "Absolutely not, Chief! He's been nothing but wonderful. He's been a joy for Penny, and he's put my mind at ease. He and Penny are crazy over each other. He sleeps every night on the foot of her bed, so he can be right there if anything happens with her. I know it sounds strange, but I really think he understands me when I tell him it's his job to watch out for Penny, especially when I have to leave for an assignment."

Quimby was taking notes. "So, you obviously trust him completely around Penny." "Of course! They really love each other; he eats with her, keeps her spirits up, they play together, and he watches over her. Chief, I don't understand this at all." Quimby put down his pen and looked at Gadget. "We interrogated the MAD agent Grant who defected. Your dog Brain was part of a MAD experiment. They were trying to develop super-intelligent canines. Brain's mother had a litter of puppies, and your dog is the only one who survived the process. The other puppies went insane and had to be euthanized. Has Brain showed signs of unusual intelligence?" Chief Quimby already knew the answer to this, since Brain had assisted them in the Gadget's first mission against MAD. But he wanted to hear what Inspector Gadget would say.

"Well, yes, Chief; as a matter of fact, he does respond to questions and commands the first time, every time. You can give him long, complex instructions; much more than just 'sit' or 'stay,' and he seems to understand." Quimby nodded. "That's because he does understand. That dog can understand English just as well as you or me. He just can't speak like a human, because his vocal cords aren't set up that way." Gadget was amazed. "Wowsers! Well, that does explain a lot… and it's actually reassuring, to know that he fully understands me when I say he has to keep Penny safe."

"There's more, Gadget. Agent Grant told us that even though Brain developed super-intelligence, he refused to learn how to commit crimes for MAD, and chose to escape instead. So, if you completely trust him, then I believe no further action is necessary." Gadget stated, "Absolutely, I trust him, Chief. As I said, he's been nothing but wonderful since Penny and I took him in." Quimby nodded. "It's settled, then. Well, if nothing else, you are aware that you have a dog with the intelligence of an above-average human; beyond any doubt, the smartest dog in the world. Will you tell Penny about this?" Gadget smiled. "She's already assured me that he's the smartest dog in the world, Chief. I don't think I'll tell her the part about MAD, though. She hates that organization so much; I don't want her view of Brain to be tainted."

At home, Penny looked at Brain and gasped, "You were part of a MAD experiment?!" Brain had decided to come clean with Penny about his past. Getting shot had made him realize, you don't know when your last day will be, and he wanted no secrets between them. Rather than try to explain the whole thing with his sign language, he just typed a note, (with one arm, of course) and handed it to her. It explained his past before being adopted by the Gadgets; how his siblings had been driven insane by MAD experiments and euthanized, how he had successfully developed human level intelligence, but had sensed that crime was wrong, and refused to become a criminal, despite abuse and threats. He had escaped from MAD, and had lived on the streets for a few weeks before being rounded up by a dog catcher, and placed in the animal shelter. At the end of the note, he wrote, 'I hope this doesn't change how you look at me, Penny. I know how much you hate MAD, and I hate them, too. Being adopted by you was the best thing that ever happened to me.' Penny almost hugged him hard, but then remembered his wound, and settled for kissing him on the top of the head. "Brain, you silly thing! I could never hate you because of this; you had no control over it! You were a victim of MAD, just like me, and Uncle Gadget. MAD killed your mother and father and siblings, just like mine. Let's just focus on getting you healed up, then you and I will really make MAD pay for everything that they've done!"

Dr. Claw chuckled to himself as he sat in front of his computer, putting the final touches on his latest plan to eliminate Inspector Gadget. MAD Cat inspected the screen, looked at Dr. Claw, and shook his head 'no.' Dr. Claw growled with irritation. "Who asked you, fleabag?" Two MAD agents reported to him, and received instructions on the latest operation.

Former MAD agent Grant was due to be transported from the police headquarters to the jail at the courthouse, for his first appearance in court. He held no illusions about MAD; he was sure that somewhere along the line, they would try to get him. Dr. Claw was not the 'forgive and forget' type, when it came to agents defecting from MAD. Grant had no idea just how correct he was.

Two MAD agents sat in a black Ford F-150 truck along the route from the police station to the courthouse. They knew the police armored transport would have to come along this route, and lay in wait. One agent checked his UZI sub-machine gun, while the other checked the remote firing mechanism which would activate the explosives hidden in the two buildings that had 'for lease' signs, on either side of the street.

At the Gadget house, Penny was putting on her jacket and walking toward the garage, preparing to get on her bike, and go to help Uncle Gadget in secret. Brain was pleading to go with her. She turned to face him. "Brain, you have to stay here! You haven't recovered enough yet. It's great that you can walk more now, but your wound is still not healed. If you put any strain on that shoulder, it could rip open all over again! I'll be okay, Brain." He was not at all convinced, so Penny put one hand on his left shoulder, (the unwounded one) looked into his eyes, smiled, and said "Please, Brain? Stay here, for me?" Brain sighed, and agreed. He could not refuse Penny anything when she pleaded with him like that. She gave him a little kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, Brain. I'll be very careful, and I'll be back home in no time." Brain stood there in helpless frustration, watching out the window, as his best friend Penny pedaled away on her bike.

Inspector Gadget drove along in the Gadgetmobile, following the police van that was transporting MAD agent Grant. So far, the trip had been very uneventful. Then, the two buildings on either side of the van erupted with twin explosions, knocking the van on its side. A black pickup truck lurched out in front of the van, and two MAD agents jumped out, trying to break into the back of the police van. Then, they saw the Gadgetmobile. Inspector Gadget leaped out. "Hey! Hold it right there!" One of the MAD agents pulled out his UZI and opened fire at Gadget, while the other one kicked at the door of the police van. Gadget said "Wowsers!" and rapidly deployed his Gadget legs, leaping out of the way of the stream of bullets.

Back at home, Brain could not contain his frustration any longer. He knew how MAD operated, and was quite certain that both Gadget and Penny were heading into a trap. And now, his dearest friend was pedaling straight into danger, alone. His job was to protect her. He had sworn to both Penny and Uncle Gadget that he would do so. He couldn't let a shoulder stop him. He went out to the garage and got on his scooter, and sailed down the street as fast as he could.

Penny stopped her bike around the corner from the explosion. She had heard the boom and seen the smoke rising while she was still several blocks away. She peeked around the corner, and saw her Uncle battling the MAD agents. She was unaware that she was under observation herself.

Gadget had managed to avoid the MAD gunfire, but had landed half a block away from the explosion. The few seconds distraction was all that the MAD agents needed to break open the door of the police van, grab Grant, and haul him back to their black pickup. They forced him inside the truck at gunpoint, then peeled out down the street. Gadget knew he had no time to return to the Gadgetmobile, so he deployed his Gadget arms and seized the tailgate of the truck as it roared by him, and deployed his Gadget skates. He slowly reeled in his arms until he had caught up with the truck, then leaped into the pickup truck bed. The furious MAD agents swerved back and forth, trying to knock him loose.

Back at the explosion scene, Penny carefully wheeled her bike around the corner, drawing a bit closer to the burning police van. The street was deserted for the moment; people had heard the explosions and gunfire, and fled in panic. Without warning, Penny felt a pair of hands seize her and lift her up off her bike. "And who do we have here? You're a long way from school, little girl." It was another MAD agent, who had been monitoring the attack. A black and red car rumbled up, and the passenger side window rolled down. It was Dr. Claw himself, overseeing the operation. He barked out orders. "Put her in the car! That's Gadget's niece, and she will make a valuable hostage." The MAD agent hollered in pain as Penny bit his hand. He shoved her into the MAD Mobile.

Dr. Claw rolled up the window as Penny glared at him. He held up a taser and squeezed the trigger, letting the electricity loudly crackle. "This is your only warning, little girl. Sit still and keep quiet, or you get the taser." Penny didn't respond, just continued glaring at him. He chuckled. "Although, I must say, I do admire your spirit; biting my agent's hand like that. Brave of you." There was a hiss from the back seat. "Never mind, MAD Cat. You can sit in the back for once. We don't have time to stop and switch her into the back." Penny glanced back, and a fat grey cat with narrowed eyes looked at her, and growled. The MAD Mobile surged forward. Dr. Claw weaved recklessly around traffic. "Ahh… there we are." Penny looked ahead, and saw the black pickup with her Uncle in the back. The MAD Mobile drew closer.

What no one had seen was a scooter with a small dog that had arrived at the scene of the explosion, just in time to see Penny stashed into the MAD Mobile. The angry MAD agent walked away, nursing a bitten hand. A panicked Brain watched the MAD Mobile accelerate away. Brain's eyes fell upon the abandoned Gadgetmobile. He ran over to the driver's door. Could he really drive this car? Well, how hard could it be? Just then, a squad car pulled up, and Chief Quimby got out. He recognized Brain. Brain frantically waved him over. He pointed down the road, and said, "Renny!" Chief Quimby understood he was trying to say, 'Penny.' He told Brain to get into the passenger side, as Quimby waved for the officer driving the squad car to follow them. Quimby then took the wheel of the Gadgetmobile. Once they had taken off, Brain activated the screen inside the Gadgetmobile. It displayed a map of the city, and there were two glowing dots. The red one was Penny's watch, and the blue one was Inspector Gadget. Quimby glanced at the screen, and floored the gas pedal of the Gadgetmobile.

Dr. Claw now had the MAD Mobile directly behind the black pickup. Inspector Gadget was too occupied hanging on, and hollering at the driver that he had him completely surrounded, to notice the MAD Mobile. Dr. Claw laughed, held up his taser, and said to Penny, "If you like, I'll make you unconscious, so that you don't have to watch me eliminate your Uncle." Penny decided to try her 'sweet little girl' routine on Dr. Claw. "Oh, please don't hurt my Uncle! He's all I have left! If he dies—" Dr. Claw cut her off. "Then you go to an orphanage, and MAD will rule the world!" He pushed a button on the dash, and twin missile launchers rotated out of the hood. They were aimed directly at the truck. Penny gasped. "But… you'll kill your own agents!" Claw laughed. "So what! A small price to pay, to be rid of your Uncle!"

He placed the taser in his lap, and activated the missiles. The crosshairs were on the truck. Just as he squeezed the trigger, Penny pushed the button on her watch, firing the laser. The beam struck the box on the console that controlled the missile firing mechanism. The box shorted out, and the missiles sat there harmlessly. Dr. Claw raged. "What—What happened? Did YOU do this?" Penny held up both hands to show they were empty, and gave her best 'who, me?' expression. Claw had not seen Penny using her watch laser, but MAD Cat had. He loudly hissed at Penny. She taunted Dr. Claw. "Looks like you have shoddy equipment!" He growled, and grabbed the taser, preparing to zap Penny unconscious. He had grown tired of her mouth.

The MAD Mobile violently slowed suddenly, knocking the taser out of Claw's hand and into Penny's lap. Behind them, the Gadgetmobile had deployed its claw, thanks to Brain at the controls, and seized the back of the MAD Mobile. As an enraged Dr. Claw looked behind them to see what had happened, Penny grabbed the taser and blasted Dr. Claw in the chin, incapacitating him. MAD Cat hissed at Penny, and drew back his paw as if to scratch her. Penny gave him a taser zap too, just enough to knock him out. She then reached over to the ignition and pushed the power button, shutting off the engine of the MAD Mobile. It finally lurched to a halt. Before she knew it, Brain was standing right outside her window, looking in. Chief Quimby was trying to open the driver's door. Penny opened the passenger door and leaped out, and scooped Brain up in a happy hug. Then, he yelped. She rapidly set him down. She had forgotten about his shoulder wound.

Just as Chief Quimby got the door to the MAD Mobile open, Dr. Claw started to stir. Quimby drew his police revolver, but it was too late. Claw shoved Quimby back, and slammed the driver's door shut. Quimby fired, but the window glass was bullet-proof. Claw growled, "Not close enough, Quimby." He glanced over and saw that his young hostage had escaped. No matter. He pushed the power button, and the MAD Mobile roared to life again. Claw hit a button on the dash, and a laser in the rear of the car neatly sliced the Gadgetmobile's claw in half, allowing Dr. Claw to drive away, leaving Quimby, Penny and Brain standing helplessly in the street. Quimby hurried over to Penny, and asked if she was all right. She looked up from examining Brain's bandage, and smiled and nodded. Quimby thought that getting her back safe was enough of a victory, but then remembered, they had to catch up to Inspector Gadget. He told them to hurry and get into the Gadgetmobile, which they did. Quimby sped through traffic, trying to catch up to the MAD Mobile and the black pickup.

Inspector Gadget had finally figured out how to use his Gadget arms and legs to brace himself in the truck's bed, so that he was firmly in place, and there was little chance of being thrown out. The two MAD agents in the truck saw this, and saw that Gadget wasn't going anywhere, so they screeched to a halt. One of them quickly handcuffed Grant to the steering wheel, then the two agents jumped out and attacked Inspector Gadget, who was still retracting his arms and legs. They caught him off guard, and slammed him to the ground, knocking Gadget silly. They started to beat on him, when the Gadgetmobile and the police squad car pulled up. As Quimby was unbuckling his seatbelt, Penny looked out the window and cried out, "Uncle Gadget!" Quimby looked at her and told her to stay in the car. He and the police officer from the squad car rushed over to assist Gadget. Penny carefully put her arm around Brain, avoiding his wound. "Brain, stay with me!" He barked in agreement.

In the cab of the black truck, former Agent Grant had succeeded in picking the lock to his handcuffs, and had freed himself. He looked out of the windshield of the cab of the pickup, and was giving some thought to escaping both MAD and the Police, when he heard an engine roaring. The MAD Mobile pulled up and skidded to a halt. Dr. Claw was furious, because thanks to Penny's watch laser disabling the control box, he was unable to fire the missiles in the hood of his car, even though he once again had both Inspector Gadget and Chief Quimby dead in his sights. Then, Claw noticed that the small girl and her dog were in the Gadgetmobile, watching the fight. They had not noticed him arrive, since the MAD Mobile was behind them. He carefully opened the door of the car.

Brain sensed a motion to his right, and glanced over, then panicked. "YIKES!" Dr. Claw was right there, reaching for the door handle. Penny gasped, "Oh no!" and attempted to lock the door, but Dr. Claw already had it open. He smacked Brain on his bandage, causing him great pain, and shoved him out of the way, then grabbed Penny by the neck and hauled her bodily out of the car. A steel pipe then collided with Dr. Claw's knee. There was a sharp CRACK, and Claw bellowed in pain, releasing Penny as he did so. Former Agent Grant had left the cab of the truck, abandoning the perfect opportunity to escape, in order to assist Penny and Brain by fighting off Dr. Claw. Grant swung at him again, but Dr. Claw caught the pipe in mid-swing. Still, he could barely stand, and he could see that Gadget and Quimby had subdued the other two MAD agents. He had to get away. He yanked the steel pipe out of Grant's hands, and smacked him across the chest with it, knocking Grant back. Then, Dr. Claw hobbled back to the MAD Mobile, fell inside, and shut the door. The car converted into its jet mode, and took off into the sky. Inside the MAD Mobile, MAD Cat finally woke up after having been taser zapped by Penny. Dr. Claw growled from the pain in his shattered knee, and hollered, "I'll get you for this, Gadget! Next time!" MAD Cat yowled in agreement.

Quimby and the police officer led the two beaten and handcuffed MAD agents to the squad car, while Gadget hurried over to the Gadgetmobile. "Penny! Brain! Why are you two here?" Penny was stammering to think of something, when Quimby said, "Dr. Claw kidnapped her, Gadget. She escaped from the MAD Mobile, and I picked her up in your car." Gadget hugged Penny and Brain in relief, but Brain yelped again. Someone had accidentally squeezed his bandaged shoulder. Quimby helped former Agent Grant up. "I saw the whole thing, Grant. You saved these two, when you could have escaped in the truck." Grant shrugged. "I love kids and dogs, Chief. It's why I left MAD in the first place. I couldn't let these two be taken captive, again. I'd like to think someone would do the same for my kids and dog, if they were in danger from MAD." Chief Quimby thought to himself, 'they probably are in danger, now. Dr. Claw doesn't forgive and forget.'

Later that evening, at home, Penny finally had a chance to talk to Brain alone, and she sincerely thanked him for coming after her. "I know I told you to stay here, Brain, but if you hadn't come after me, at the very least, I'd still be a prisoner of MAD, and Uncle Gadget may well be dead." She hugged him as well as she could, without touching his bandaged shoulder. Then she smiled and said, "Well, you see? We really do make a great team! It got very close there, but we kept Uncle safe, and beat Dr. Claw's plans." Brain smiled and nodded. When he thought of it that way; that he was helping Penny cause harm to the organization that had caused them both so much anguish and suffering, it made accepting his new role much easier.

Several weeks later, former Agent Grant was put on trial, and given the circumstances of his assisting the police against Dr. Claw, the information he had given them against MAD, and how he had prevented Penny and Brain from being kidnapped, he and his family were placed into witness protection. They were relocated to a new state, under a new name. They had earned the chance to start over and try again.

At the Gadget home, the doorbell rang. Uncle Gadget opened the door, and there stood the lady veterinarian, who had helped Brain in the park, on that awful day when he had been shot. She had read about them in the newspaper the next day, and decided to drop by now, to see how they were doing. Penny was delighted, because it gave her a chance to thank the kind lady who had helped when Penny was out of her mind with shock and panic. With Uncle Gadget's permission, she knelt and carefully examined Brain's bandage. "So, it's been several weeks now… well, it looks like he's been very well cared for! These bandages are spotless." Penny smiled at Uncle Gadget. The veterinarian gently peeled the bandages off. Fur had already regrown where the surgeons had shaved it off. She gently touched the area, and Brain didn't feel any pain. She had Brain lift his arms, hold them out, and move them different ways. There was a little soreness, but the intense pain was gone. The veterinarian smiled at Penny. "He's almost completely healed! Call it 95% healed. You don't need to bandage him anymore. In a few more days, the soreness will be gone, and then, he's back to normal!" They all thanked the veterinarian sincerely. After she left, Uncle Gadget said to Penny, "Well, that means you can start going to school again, young lady! I hope you've kept up on your homework." Penny smiled and rolled her eyes. "Yes, Uncle Gadget."

That evening, after brushing her teeth before bed, Penny went into her room and saw Brain resting on the foot of the bed. He lifted his head up, and his tail wagged. He pointed to a note on her pillow. She smiled and picked it up. 'Thank you very much for taking such good care of me while I was hurt, and I look forward to helping you on new missions in the future.' She said, "Aww, you're welcome, Brain; and thank you once again for saving my life!" After they shared a goodnight hug, Penny turned off the light, climbed into bed, Brain lowered his head down on the blanket, and they both drifted off to sleep.

AFTERWORD

-The goal of this story was to show how Penny and Brain grew to accept their new responsibilities in helping their Uncle. Brain had the toughest time accepting this, because he goes through the most physical punishment on every mission.

-One reader commented, 'Dr. Claw tries to kill Penny many times in the TV show, but in this story, he says MAD shouldn't kill children?' That's true. Even in some of my own stories, Dr. Claw tries to kill the entire family, several times. BUT, this story is very early on, when Penny is only 7 years old. As time goes on, Dr. Claw's hatred of the Gadgets gets worse and worse, until he gets to the point that he wants the entire family dead.

-Sorry if it seemed like there was too much talking in this story, but a good deal of the story involves the characters working through their feelings, and that requires a lot of dialogue. It's hard to come to grips with your new reality while on a shootout chase at 100 mph.

-I also established that Chief Quimby knows full well that Penny and Brain are the real masterminds, and why this has to stay a secret. There are even times in the episodes of the 80s TV show, there are a couple of 'wink and nod' moments between Penny and Chief Quimby. And, although Gadget has learned more about Brain's past, and how smart he is, he still doesn't know about Brain and Penny helping him on missions.

-I think that Gadget is such a bumbling klutz now because his mind was affected while being converted to his new bionic body. His heart is still in the right place, and he still loves Penny and Brain, but now he's the bumbling doofus we see in the show.

-If you're wondering what happens next for the Gadgets, good news! I've got six other Gadget stories already published, and five of them take place after this one, chronologically.