As Penny struggled in vain against the ropes binding her hands and feet, she pondered that this may be the most serious situation she had ever been in. Tightly tied up in a MAD facility, having been captured while trying to assist her Uncle Gadget foil the latest sinister plot of Dr. Claw, she reflected on what had led to this unfortunate situation.

The day began like many others had: quietly. Penny and her loyal dog Brain were eating breakfast at the table, when her Uncle Gadget had blundered in, burned his toast, and then received a call on the "top secret" Gadget phone. He went into the living room, opened the door to the wood burning stove, and received a message from Chief Quimby, which instructed him to proceed to investigate reports of MAD plotting to hijack nuclear weapons being transported to an Air Force missile silo. He was to proceed to the Air Force installation in Montana immediately. Gadget then crumpled the note and tossed it back into the wood stove, and shut the door. Gadget apparently didn't notice the muffled explosion that soon followed, or the groan from Chief Quimby. Penny, bright girl that she is, had thought that this was a very bold move, even for an organization like MAD. It was nothing short of a declaration of total war against the U.S. Government, since a nuclear weapon was among the most valued items that existed. It would also be more closely guarded than any shipment of gold or jewelry. She leaned over to her loyal friend. "You better follow him, Brain! This whole thing seems very wrong. I'll catch up with you." Brain immediately agreed with a salute and a confident "Ruff!" As he scrambled off after her Uncle Gadget, Penny smiled, reflecting for a second how lucky she was to have such a smart, loyal friend as Brain. He risked his life almost daily for her and Uncle Gadget, always came through in the end, and all he ever asked for in return was the company of his humans… and, of course, a bowl full of food.

After her Uncle Gadget was safely down the road in the Gadgetmobile, Penny walked over to the wood stove, opened the door, and asked Chief Quimby if he was all right. She got an annoyed grunt in response. Penny giggled, and said, "Chief, you need to stop using messages that self-destruct!" Chief Quimby was about to snap back, then he remembered; this little girl didn't cause his problems, and she was correct. (As usual.) So, he just sighed. "I know, Penny, but, it's department policy." He climbed out of the stove and brushed himself off. "That's the same policy, by the way, that requires me to hide in these ridiculous places just to deliver a message. You will find out one day, the adult world has a lot of rules that make no sense." Chief Quimby then arranged to have Penny transported to a town just a few miles from the Montana Air Force base. Although he always pretended to be ignorant, for her protection, Chief Quimby was well aware of who the real genius was. And it wasn't Inspector Gadget. Penny was the department's most guarded secret. Only Chief Quimby, his supervisor, and Brain the dog knew that Penny was actually the one solving all of Gadget's cases. However, if MAD ever learned this fact, then Penny would be in direct danger of being targeted for assassination. So, as much as it galled him, Chief Quimby lavished praise on the clumsy Inspector Gadget, while he could see Penny and Brain, the true heroes, hiding quietly in the background. Penny was well aware of the reasons why she never received any praise for her work, and fully accepted this. MAD was a dangerous, deadly organization of terrorists and assassins, and besides, she truly enjoyed helping to save her Uncle, whom she really did love very much. Besides, Chief Quimby had repeatedly assured her, if she decided one day to pursue a career in law enforcement, her actions would not be forgotten.

Just a few short hours later, Penny was walking down the street of a sleepy town in Montana, using her computer book to track her Uncle Gadget. Other children would have been disoriented or scared by the rapid change in scenery, but having already been on assignment on every continent, Penny took it in stride. She heard a whistle, and what first appeared to be a child sweeping a doorway turned out to be Brain in disguise. She happily gave him a quick hug, and he reported what he had seen, using doggy sign language, which Penny understood perfectly. When Brain had arrived in town, he had seen the Gadgetmobile puttering off to the Air Force base, so he had decided to wait for Penny. Brain had even managed to secure an old bicycle, which certainly looked old and beat up, but still rode like new. The two of them hopped on the bike and took off after the Gadgetmobile.

Elsewhere, at a secret MAD base approximately 10 miles from the Montana Air Force base, Dr. Claw impatiently demanded an update from his MAD agents. "Gadget is on the way! Is everything in place?" One of his intimidated underlings replied. "S-Sure thing, boss! Just like you asked! We have the phony missile truck all set!" Dr. Claw snapped "Quiet, you fool! Someone may overhear you! Now, when he appears in his car, you know what to do." As the screen went dark, Dr. Claw laughed to himself as he stroked MAD cat's head. "Those government fools actually think I would try to steal one puny nuclear missile?! Eliminating Gadget is a thousand times more precious to me." Mad Cat knew, that was his cue to offer a supporting hissing laugh.

Inspector Gadget was only a mile away from the Montana Air Force base, and as he rounded a corner, he saw a large military truck with what appeared to be a large missile strapped to the bed. The truck had run off the road into a ditch. "Wowzers!" Gadget stuck his head out of his window, and extended his neck to the window of the truck. "Hi there, Inspector Gadget at your service; need any help?" The driver replied. "Yes sir; we're about to back up out of the ditch, could you move your car to the side?" "Sure thing, soldier!" Gadget pulled up alongside the truck, and as he did so, the top of the phony nuclear missile opened up, and two large claws rapidly reached out, seized the Gadgetmobile, and pulled it inside. The doors slammed shut, and knockout gas was sprayed inside. This all happened in the span of ten seconds. The MAD agents disguised as soldiers listened as Gadget's indignant hollering faded, then they easily wheeled the truck out of the ditch and put it in gear, headed to Dr. Claw's secret lab. They were so pleased at successfully capturing the great Inspector Gadget, they failed to notice the small blonde girl and her dog on a bike, who had witnessed the whole thing. Penny was naturally distraught. "Oh no, Brain; they've captured Uncle Gadget! They must be MAD agents! My book is still tracking the Gadgetmobile! We've got to keep up with them!" Penny pedaled as fast as her little legs could, desperately trying to keep the truck in view in the vast, flat, empty Montana countryside.

Dr. Claw received an incoming transmission from the agents in the truck. "No sweat, boss; we got him AND his car. Piece of cake. He's out cold." Dr. Claw was very pleased. "Excellent! Get him out of that car, inside the holding area, and do NOT let him wake up!" As Dr. Claw ended the communication with the truck, on another monitor, something else caught his eye. "And what have we here..?" He zoomed in on Penny and Brain on their bike, battling exhaustion as they followed the truck. "Why look, MAD Cat, it's Gadget's niece! And her pet dog, no doubt." At the mention of the word dog, Mad Cat glared at the monitor and hissed. Dr. Claw chuckled. "Oh, come now, Mad Cat, look how tired they are! I think we can arrange for them to have a very LONG rest, don't you?" Dr. Claw then sent a message to the guards at the gate. They were to 'accidentally' leave a side door ajar, and let the little girl and her dog sneak in. There, they would have a nasty surprise.

Penny and Brain finally reached the long drive leading to what appeared to be a simple rock quarry, with an office building at the entrance. This was because almost all of Dr. Claw's facility was well under the ground. Penny could see where the truck had gone down a ramp, and the large bay doors had already closed shut. She and Brain fell off the bike, taking refuge behind some large bushes. Both were utterly exhausted. Even with both of them taking turns pedaling, keeping a truck in sight for ten miles had proved impossible. Fortunately, Penny's book had kept track of its location. Now, as they both panted and regained their breath, Penny started to look to see if there was a way they could sneak in. Brain pulled his binoculars out of Penny's backpack and scanned the ramp. With a bark of surprise, he handed the binoculars to Penny, and pointed to an area near the base of the ramp. She looked, and saw that all the way down at the bottom, near the large bay doors, there was a small service door for people to enter, and it appeared to be slightly open. Penny and Brain looked at each other. Brain used his doggy sign language. Penny quietly responded. "Yes, Brain, I know it could be a trap, but we've got to find Uncle Gadget and help him, and this is the only way in! I can't call Chief Quimby until we are sure that Uncle Gadget is in here, and not just his car. Come on!" Penny started to trot down the ramp. Despite his misgivings, Brain loyally followed. He could never let his favorite human go into danger alone.

Penny slowly, cautiously peeked in the door, then entered, with Brain right behind her. It was very dark in the cargo bay. Penny activated the flashlight on her watch, but only saw wooden crates stacked everywhere. There were no signs of any people. She and Brain slowly entered a few steps more, then heard a deep, raspy voice. "NOW!" The door slammed shut behind them, a heavy net fell down on top of them, and they were hit with knockout gas. The lights switched on, revealing Dr. Claw and one of his agents, looking down on the unconscious girl and her dog.

Deep inside the facility, in a holding cell, Inspector Gadget gradually regained consciousness. He was in a very dark room, and he was completely immobilized. He could feel his arms and legs, but he could not move them. There was even a metal brace holding his head in place. He could only move his eyes. "Wowzers, where am I?" At that moment, a light switched on, and he saw two MAD agents. He also saw why he couldn't move. His entire body was sealed inside a solid metal coffin, with only his head sticking out. All of his body's gadgets were neutralized, and the brace around his head kept the gadgets in his head from engaging. In a word, he was helpless. Gadget looked back at the two guards. "Don't move, you're under arrest!" The guards snickered, as a third form emerged from the shadows. Suddenly, Inspector Gadget found himself face to face with Dr. Claw. "What about me, Gadget? Am I 'under arrest' as well?" Inspector Gadget was flabbergasted. "Wowzers, you're Dr. Claw!" "Very good, Inspector! Perhaps you aren't such a dimwit after all!" Gadget tried to will his arms to move, but they were completely and utterly restrained. He could not get an inch of movement. "Don't waste your energy, Gadget. This trap was specially designed to completely neutralize ALL of your accursed gadgets! I would have entombed your head as well, but I wanted you to see me in my moment of triumph. Oh, and I have another little surprise for you…" Dr. Claw motioned, and a monitor blinked on. Gadget looked at it, and to his horror, he saw an image of Penny and Brain, tightly tied up and suspended from a chain. They were both unconscious, and being held over what appeared to be a large trash compactor. "Perhaps you recognize these two intruders?" Gadget filled with rage. "You kidnapped Penny and Brain?! Release them at once!" Dr. Claw chuckled. "Be careful what you wish for, Gadget." Dr. Claw pushed a button on a control pad, and the chain holding Brain and Penny began to lower them down toward the compactor. The sudden movement jarred Penny awake. She looked around, and began to cry out in terror. "Brain! Wake up! Brain, can you hear me?! Uncle Gadget, are you here? Someone, help!" Dr. Claw leaned in close to Gadget's face. He softly, almost gently began to taunt his captive. "Do you hear her, Gadget? Is the rage building up in you? She's right down the corridor; you could reach her in less than a minute! But, I have a better idea…" Dr. Claw stopped the chain from descending, letting Penny and Brain dangle less than three feet from the compactor. He then touched another control, and an electric charge coursed through Gadget's body. Inspector Gadget was caught off guard, not expecting this new torture. He nearly blacked out. The pain was intense, but it was nothing compared to the pain of seeing Penny and Brain, trapped and helpless. Dr. Claw continued: "For every time you foiled my plans… for every time you cost me a fortune… for every time you humiliated me… now you will pay." There was a fresh electrical charge with each pause.

And so, having reflected on how she had gotten into this mess, Penny turned her attention to the little issue of getting out of it. Brain was still out cold. The MAD agents had taken her watch and book away. They sat in her backpack, tantalizingly close, sitting on a shelf approximately 20 feet away. It may as well have been a thousand miles. She was unable to free her hands or feet, and she knew it would be mere moments before she and Brain were fed into the trash compactor. She had no doubt that her Uncle Gadget was here, and that he was in terrible danger. Nobody was coming to rescue them, and things appeared very black indeed. Penny felt a wave of despair wash over her, and she resumed calling out for help, out of sheer desperation.

Walking down the hall of the MAD bunker was a new, rookie MAD agent by the name of Davis. Driven by dire need in his personal life for rapid, quick money, Agent Davis had been recruited by MAD, lured in by repeated promises of easy money. So far, this had not materialized once he put on the MAD uniform. He had been put on patrol, told to watch the corridors for intruders. This gave him plenty of time to ponder the wisdom of his decision to join MAD. As he rounded a corner, he thought he heard the sound of a young girl calling out for help. He followed the sound, and opened a door to a cargo bay. What he saw shocked him.

Penny thought that things had just gone from bad to worse. Her calling out had attracted a response, but it was a MAD agent. The despair she had been feeling got even worse. Then, to her surprise, the MAD agent said out loud, "What in the world..?" He then strode over to the compactor where she and Brain were tied. Penny closed her eyes, fully expecting this MAD agent to hit the switch and finish lowering her and Brain into the deadly compactor. Instead, she heard the agent climbing up on the edge of the compactor. She opened her eyes and saw him reaching up to her. "Keep your hands off of me!" The agent paused briefly. "Relax, kid, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm trying to help you." This shocked and confused her enough that she didn't object as he unhooked her binds from the hook on the chain, and lowered her down to the floor. Penny's first instinct was to try to squirm away, forgetting that she was still bound, and fell on her backside. The agent lifted Brain off the chain and set the unconscious dog next to Penny. She looked up at the MAD agent, who had pulled out a knife, and was reaching for her once again. "No, please, don't.." The agent said in a surprisingly gentle voice, "I told you, I'm not here to hurt you. Now hold still." He then gently cut the ropes off her hands and feet. Penny rubbed her wrists, staring in utter confusion as the MAD agent cut the ropes off of Brain, without harming a hair on her dear friend. He then folded up the knife and put it away. Penny spoke up. "I don't understand… you're a MAD agent! Why are you helping us? Is this a trick?" The MAD agent just sighed, and sat on a chair, looking at Penny. "My name is Davis. This is my first mission with MAD. I joined because my wife was in the hospital, and nearly lost our baby girl. I have huge hospital bills, and I need a lot of money, fast. So I joined MAD. But now… this is what MAD is all about? THIS? Killing a little girl and her dog?" He shook his head with disbelief. "I mean, I knew I wasn't joining the Boy Scouts, but I just need to make money fast. If this is what MAD is really about… killing people… killing little girls, then forget it. I'm out." Penny wasn't sure what to think. It was a good story, and this Agent Davis didn't appear to be the typical stupid brute of a MAD agent, and he had freed her and Brain, but this was just so hard for her to believe… it was like a soldier of one army helping the soldier of his enemy, in the middle of a battle. It just didn't happen. Yet here she was, out of immediate danger. Agent Davis even reached up to the nearby shelf, and handed her the backpack holding her computer book and watch. "These are yours?" He asked with a faint smile.

Back in the holding cell, Dr. Claw had been relentlessly blasting Inspector Gadget with electrical charges. He was having the time of his life, and the two guards with him had thoroughly enjoyed watching; so much so that none of them had been watching the monitor. However, one of the guards.. the big, stupid one, happened to glance at the monitor, and saw just a chain hanging there, with no little girl or dog. "Duh, hey boss, look!" Dr. Claw spun around and glared at the monitor. "What?!" He pulled the camera back, and couldn't believe what he saw. One of his agents, the rookie agent, was sitting in a chair, talking with his two prize captives, who had been untied?! Inspector Gadget, who by some miracle was still conscious, lifted his head and looked for himself. The anger and rage against Dr. Claw was still there, but now it was joined by hope. A new surge of strength and energy rushed through him.

In the cargo bay, Penny had finally succeeded in awakening Brain, who had been just as shocked as Penny to see a MAD agent helping them. Agent Davis was trying to convince Penny to let him escort her safely out of the facility, but Penny and Brain both refused to leave without their Uncle Gadget. Just then, a speaker crackled on, and Dr. Claw glared at Agent Davis from a monitor. "What are you doing down there, you fool?" Agent Davis stood up and faced the monitor. "So, this is what MAD really stands for? Killing a little girl and her dog? Are you insane?" Dr. Claw made a tisk-tisk noise. "I had such hope for you, Davis. You aren't a bumbling fool, like the others. I can still make you a rich man. You have one last chance. Put the girl and the dog in the compactor, NOW, and I will transfer one million dollars into your account." Davis considered the offer. "Well, how about this counter: I help the girl and her dog take MAD down, for good!" Davis then gripped the MAD logo, tore it off his uniform, and tossed it in the compactor, with the rest of the trash. He then grabbed a steel pole and speared it through the monitor. He then looked down at a smiling Penny and Brain. "Well, he'll be on his way! This is your last chance to get out of here, you two! Go on, I can hold him off. Go out there and call the cops." Penny still refused. "That still leaves Dr. Claw far too much time to get away, as he always does! I think I can free Uncle Gadget from here…" She opened her computer book and started hacking into the MAD computer. Davis was astounded at Penny's skills.

Dr. Claw turned back to Inspector Gadget and the two guards. "Stay here, keep your eyes GLUED to him. I'll be back shortly." The two guards saluted as Dr. Claw left the torture cell. He pondered as he left; these two guards were stupid, but at least they were loyal.

In the cargo bay, the door from the corridor opened, and Dr. Claw barged in. He pointed at Penny and bellowed, "Into the compactor with you, little girl!" Brain immediately placed himself in front of Penny, protecting her. He growled, then charged at Dr. Claw, who pulled a tazer pistol out of his cloak and fired at Brain. He scored a direct hit, and Brain let out a piercing yelp, then fell motionless to the ground. Penny cried out "BRAIN!" Agent Davis immediately rushed at Dr. Claw, swinging a metal club. He missed, and Dr. Claw laughed. Meanwhile, Penny abandoned her computer book, and crawled over to Brain. With tears welling up in her eyes, she cradled Brain, gently nudging him, pleading with him to wake up. There was no response. "Brain.. no, Brain, please don't leave me…"

Meanwhile, Agent Davis had managed to knock away Dr. Claw's tazer pistol before he could use it again, but in the process, Dr. Claw managed to get behind him and put him in a chokehold. Dr. Claw's superior strength and fighting skills began to tell. There was a reason all of his subordinates feared him, as Davis was now learning. He could feel himself slipping away, and he knew if he let Dr. Claw choke him out, he would never wake up. Out of sheer, frantic desperation, he reached back, quickly grabbed Dr. Claw's head, and using a move straight out of the Pro Wrestling he had loved as a kid, he suddenly sat straight down, forcing Dr. Claw's jaw to violently crack on Davis' shoulder, executing a perfect stunner… and it actually worked! Dr. Claw flew back, releasing Davis and gripping his jaw, as blood spurted out. Dr. Claw had bitten right through his tongue, and writhed in agony. Davis quickly kicked him savagely in the gut, knocking the wind out of him. He then retrieved his metal club, and beat Dr. Claw unconscious.

Penny was oblivious to this, as she tearfully cradled her best friend. He still had not moved. Then, suddenly, he jolted in her arms. The tazer had only knocked him out. Brain had such a small body, the tazer blast had affected him much more severely than an adult human. Penny was naturally overjoyed. "Brain! You're all right!" She attempted to sound stern through her tears. "Don't you ever scare me like that, ever again!" Brain merely did what any dog would do: he licked her face. She giggled and hugged him tight.

Several feet away, Davis picked himself up and limped over to where Penny and Brain were. "Look, I hate to interrupt, but…" Penny quickly wiped her tears away, then returned to her computer book. She finished linking up with the MAD computer, and located the holding cell. She disabled the power to the cell.

In the holding cell, the two guards had been closely watching the metal coffin confining Inspector Gadget, when suddenly, the power went out. Inspector Gadget felt the power suppressing his gadgets fail, and the door to the coffin swung open slightly. The emergency lights in the cell switched on, which allowed the guards to see the lid to Gadget's coffin fly off and smash into the wall. Then, Gadget's arms extended out, and he seized both of them by the neck, lifted them up, and violently hammered them against the wall. He then dropped the guards and stormed out of the cell. Inspector Gadget was laser focused by accumulated rage and frustration, from seeing his little Penny and Brain in deadly danger. No longer the bumbling fool, he strode silently down the hall, searching for the door to the cargo bay.

MAD Cat silently picked his way across the cargo bay, taking care to stay out of sight, until he reached the still form of Dr. Claw. After swatting his face with a paw got no reaction, MAD Cat knew he had to do something more drastic. He extended his claws, and scratched Dr. Claw on the cheek. This had its desired effect. Dr. Claw stirred, and MAD Cat held a paw to his mouth, as if to say, "SHHH." He then reached behind him, and handed Dr. Claw the discarded tazer pistol that had nearly killed Brain. It was ready for another full power blast. Dr. Claw ignored the blinding pain from his tongue, and the wicked bruises over his body from Agent Davis' club, gripped the pistol, leaped up, and blasted Agent Davis in the back with a shot from the tazer gun. Davis fell to the ground, immobilized. Penny yelled out "No!" and grabbed Brain, who was still very weak. Dr. Claw couldn't speak, because of his tongue, but he didn't need to. He advanced on them with deadly intent written across his face.

At that moment, the door to the cargo bay from the corridor exploded inward, and Inspector Gadget entered. He immediately saw Penny and Brain cowering near the compactor, gripping each other tightly, as Dr. Claw reached down to lay his hands on them. That was all he needed to see. With a focused rage he had never before experienced, Gadget rushed across the room, seized Dr. Claw, and threw him across the cargo bay. Dr. Claw bounced off the wall, and landed hard on the concrete floor. Several bones were broken. Penny reached into her backpack, retrieved her watch, and summoned Chief Quimby. Meanwhile, Inspector Gadget had been savagely pounding Dr. Claw, who was once again unconscious. Gadget seized Dr. Claw by the neck, and was considering snapping Claw's neck. It would end the threat of MAD once and for all. Then, he heard Penny behind him. "Uncle Gadget!" That was all it took to snap him out of his killing rage. He remembered that he was a sworn officer of the law, and good law officers don't kill helpless prisoners, and certainly not in front of their little niece. So, he settled for retrieving some steel cable, and securely hog-tying Dr. Claw. Penny and Brain ran over and hugged him. "Thank you, Uncle Gadget! You showed up just in the nick of time!" Brain suddenly sensed something, either by his enhanced canine sense of sound or smell. He bounded over to a pile of debris, and soon was chasing Mad Cat. Brain was able to stay right on his tail, and eventually had Mad Cat cornered and trapped on top of a shelf in the corner of the cargo bay. Inspector Gadget extended his gadget arms, grabbed Mad Cat, and stuffed him in a crate. Penny returned to her computer book, and opened the huge cargo bay doors. After a few minutes, the police showed up, led by Chief Quimby. Penny finally breathed a sigh of relief. They were finally, truly safe.

After an hour, things had settled down. The state police were cataloguing everything in the MAD facility. Dr. Claw had been taken under heavy guard, and heavy sedation, to the hospital. He would then be transported to a highly secure cell, awaiting trial. The two MAD agents from the holding cell were being led away in cuffs. Penny objected when she saw Chief Quimby clicking a set of handcuffs on Agent Davis. "Chief Quimby, he saved me, and he saved Brain! He saved us twice!" Chief Quimby nodded. "I heard your testimony, Penny, and it will be taken into account at his trial. But for now, he's a member of MAD, and that means he has to go to jail." Penny did not object any further, but as she and Brain watched Chief Quimby lead Davis to a patrol car, she looked at Brain. "It's so unfair, Brain! He's really a good person; he just made one bad mistake, joining MAD. We have to help him somehow!" Brain nodded in agreement. Penny suddenly perked up. An idea had occurred to her. She grabbed her computer book.

Months later, Dr. Claw had been sentenced to life in solitary confinement at a supermax prison, with no possibility of parole. The MAD organization had completely fallen apart. Without their leader, and without their financial assets, (which had all been seized by the police) former MAD agents around the world quietly disposed of their MAD uniforms, and denied any involvement with MAD. As part of protecting Penny, Chief Quimby allowed Inspector Gadget to believe that MAD agents had kidnapped Penny and Brain from Gadget's home, in order to gain leverage over Inspector Gadget. There still may be some "lone wolves" out there who still had some loyalty to Dr. Claw, and would try to take revenge on Penny and Brain if the truth was revealed. The two mid-level agents who had assisted Dr. Claw in the torture room were sentenced to 50 years each, with no possibility of parole. MAD Cat was deposited in a local animal shelter. Not very surprisingly, no one was interested in adopting a fat cat who hissed at everyone. He managed to escape the shelter, and lived out his remaining days as a homeless alley cat, living on rodents in the street, and trash out of dumpsters.

At the Central City courthouse, (former) MAD Agent Davis stood before the judge. Penny's written testimony had helped his case tremendously, and unknown to him, she had used her computer book to retrieve recordings from the MAD cargo bay security footage, and had provided this to the court for review. It showed every detail of how Davis had helped in the defeat of MAD. The jury agreed that this more than atoned for his mistake in joining MAD, and the judge granted him immediate release. Davis rejoined his wife and baby daughter outside the courtroom, and was about to leave, when Chief Quimby called out to him. Quimby handed Davis an envelope. He opened it, and it was a check for half a million dollars. More than enough for the hospital bills that drove Davis to join MAD in the first place. He looked at Chief Quimby in shock. The Chief explained. "That's a part of the reward that was out for the capture and conviction of Dr. Claw. The higher-ups didn't think that you should get this check, but you have a small friend now, and she made a very strong case in your favor." Davis knew he meant Penny. He smiled and shook his head. "That little kid is amazing… please thank her for me." Chief Quimby saw a certain car approaching, and said to Davis, "You can do it yourself." The Gadget van pulled up, and Penny and Brain piled out, followed by Inspector Gadget. Davis sincerely thanked a smiling Penny and Brain for their testimony. Davis' wife did even better; she gave Penny and Brain a hug, and a big thanks for helping to save her husband from his worst mistake.

Penny and Brain recovered from their ordeal. Inspector Gadget was credited for taking down MAD. With that threat eliminated, he was able to have a much more normal, regular schedule, and resolved to spend more time with his niece and her dog. Gadget received a large bonus for the capture of Dr. Claw, most of which he deposited in Penny's college savings account. As for Brain, he was completely content being with his two favorite humans. The only reward he needed was being allowed to sleep protectively on the foot of Penny's bed at night. He looked out the window, and when he was satisfied she was safe, he lowered his head on the blanket, and drifted off to sleep.

AFTERWORD

I hope this story wasn't too sappy or melodramatic. While I love the 80's cartoon, I sometimes thought it could have used a little more emotion, particularly from Penny when it came to Brain's safety. I'm not trashing Penny at all, but in the cartoon, we often see Brain go through incredible physical trauma, and Penny's reaction is often to urge him to do something even more difficult. This time, I wanted her to show a little affection and concern for Brain.

I thought it would be an interesting twist if the downfall of MAD was helped along by a disillusioned MAD agent, since they were always treated so terribly by Dr, Claw.

I played up how brave both Penny and Brain are, because they are my two favorite characters. Penny is a genius, and Brain often takes so much physical abuse on a case. And, he does it only out of loyalty to Penny and Inspector Gadget.

Hope you enjoyed the story! I have other stories on Star Wars, Transformers, and Married With Children, if you want to check them out.