Inspector Gadget - The Beginning

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Chapter XIV – John Stops a Crime

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The next morning, John went to Penny’s room, going next to his niece who was still sleeping.

- Penny, wake up. – he said while shaking her folder.

The girl mumbled a little until she opened her eyes and looked at her uncle.

- Good morning, uncle John. – she greeted while scrubbing her eyes.

- Sorry for waking you up, - he said – but it’s time for school.

- Oh… - she mumbled – Do I have too?

- Why certainly, Penny! – he said – You can’t miss school!

- Oh, but I don’t want to… - she grumped, covering herself with the coverlet.

- Now now, Penny, - he pointed while taking off the coverlet from her – a beautiful girl like you can’t behave like that!

- Oh great… - she said - Now you sound like mom and dad.

That made John’s heart being spiked, as Penny covered her mouth realizing the mistake she did, but he shook his head and answered with a smile:

- Well, that’s what uncles do, Penny. Just acting the same way parents do. – he pointed his finger to the door – Now get off the bed and arrange yourself.

- Oh, ok, uncle John. – she mumbled, as she got up and went to the bathroom.

Once the girl was ready, the three took breakfast really fast, and once they finished they went of to the car.

- Take care of the house while we’re out, Brain. – ordered John to the dog.

- See you later, Brain. – said Penny.

Brain saluted and saw them leaving the house.

Once they arrived to school, Penny got off the car and looked at her uncle:

- Bye, uncle John. Have a good day.

- Have a good day too, Penny! – he replied.

When John was preparing himself to leave he heard another child, who seemed it was talking to Penny, as he turned to them and listened carefully.

- Hey, Penny. – said the child – What’s up?

- Buzz off, Butch. – she said all annoyed.

- Oh come on, - continued Butch – why are you acting like that? It’s not my fault that you got orphan.

- I’m NOT an orphan! – she said – I live with my uncle!

- Uncle? – he said – You mean that cop who only saves cats? That’s not an uncle, that’s a bumble!

- What are you talking about? – she confused.

- Why your uncle is dumb! – he said – He’s a waist of time for you!

- Well I don’t give a crap! – she said all serious – I love my uncle just how he is!

- Even that he’s not a real cop? – he asked.

Penny gave a little sad expression, while John got shocked with all that.

- That’s what I thought! – continued Butch – You don’t love your uncle, you DISGUST him!

The boy and the other children started to laugh while entering inside the building, as Penny stayed at the same place. John looked at her and noticed that she was crying, until she got inside the building too.

No wonder why she always said school sucks. Not only she’s teased up but also she’s insulted because of him. Because he wasn’t a real cop. Because he still wasn’t a police inspector. Because he was a total fail.

He turned the car on again and moved away to the city, still thinking of what happened back there, stopping on a free park and beating his head over the steering wheel.

- I AM a real cop! – he said over and over, almost sobbing – I AM a real cop! I AM a real cop! – then he stopped and gave a huge sad sigh – I am an idiot…

Suddenly, after calming down, he felt hearing something near his place, as he looked left and saw two men, wearing black suits with grey hoods, both with a logo entitled “M.A.D.” on the middle, next to a car complaining. John got off the gadgetmobile and approached to them, hearing more clearly what they were saying.

- You fool! – said one of them – If you use that the car will activate his security alarm! We need the keys!

- Well, - replied the other – how do you expect to use the keys if we don’t have them, you nincompoop?

- Hey! – shouted John next to them, as they looked at him – Having trouble with that car?

One of the men gasped, realizing John was cop by his clothes, as the other didn’t and responded:

- Actually yes! You see, we’re trying to stea…

But the other man interrupted him by knocking his arm:

- …We were trying to open the door, but unfortunately we lost the keys.

John stared at them with a serious expression, as both men were sweating of jitters, until he smiled:

- Well, why didn’t you say so? Here, let me help you out! – John extended his hand and pointed the finger next to the locker – Go Go Gadget Key!

Out of his small finger came a key, with a shape that wasn’t exactly the shape of the real keys, but this one could open anything. The two men surprised, not expecting John to help them out.

- Uhm… -asked one of the man - why are you hel…?

- Don’t mind my colleague here! – interrupted the other – He’s stupid! We’re just grateful about you, delightful policeman, helping us!

- No problem at all! – replied John all satisfied – I’m always on duty!

- But Slick, - whispered the other man to his colleague – what if he finds out we’re actually stealing the car?

- Don’t worry, Fred. – replied Slick to him – Once he finishes it will be too late for him to realize that.

- Oh, right! – nodded Fred stupidly.

After a few seconds, John finally opened the car’s door.

- Here you go, my good men! – he said.

- Thank you, officer! – thanked Slick with an evil smile – You don’t know how helpful you…

But suddenly, out of nowhere, a woman was running to them, screaming like a maniac:

- HELP! THIEVES! POLICE, HELP!

- Thieves? Where? – shocked John confusingly, as the other two man shocked out and started to flee.

- THIEVE! – screamed the woman, approaching to John and beating him with her bag – HELP! THIEVE!

- Ouch! – shouted John – Mam, chill out! I was helping these two gentlemen with their car!

- THEIR car?! – she screeched – This is MY car, you fool and insolent thieve!

- Mam, I’m NOT a thieve! – he said already annoyed – I’m a police officer!

- Well, for a police officer you’re not doing a decent job! – she said – Letting those maniacs steal my precious car doesn’t sound a police work to me!

- But they just said… - but when John turned back he noticed the two men weren’t there anymore – Hey wait a minute! Where did they go?

- See if they bite you? – replied the woman all furious by pointing them to him.

Seeing them fleeing, John felt so embarrassed for what he did. Who knew those guys were thieves.

- They must be so grateful for having an incompetent policeman like you helping them out with their robbery! – she continued – Boy, am I impressed!

Sad and angry at the same time, John looked down for a bit and said:

- Don’t worry, mam. I’ll stop them.

- Pff, yeah, right! – she mumbled – Like you didn’t screw enough already!

- I’m serious. – he repeated by looking at the woman all serious – Justice will be served.

He turned to the direction where the two men were running, looking at his feet:

- Go Go Gadget… Springs!

And out of his jeans came extensional spring legs, making John jumping back and forth, but apparently those weren’t the gadgets he wanted.

- Wowzers! – he shouted – Skates! I meant skates!

- Bravo, Mr officer. – said the woman sarcastically by clapping her hands – What a good way to settle things up.

- Oh, will you, please, shut the FUCK up! – he pissed to her – You’re already getting off of my nerves!

The woman got speechless.

- Forward, Gadget Springs! – he shouted to his legs, starting to go forward to the direction he wanted – Forward!

At the mean time, the two men were still running.

- We’re done for, Slick! – sobbed Fred – We just got busted!

- Stop crying, you idiot! – pissed Slick – Besides, we are already to far from those two!

- But we didn’t got the car as our boss ordered! – pointed Fred.

- Screw that car, Fred! – said Slick – Ferraris are in the fashion now!

But then they felt they were hearing someone screaming “Hey” to them, as they looked back while running.

- Stop in the name of the law! – shouted John who was getting near them.

- AAAAAH!!! – gasped Fred – Is that policeman!

- Damn it! – pissed Slick – That guy is faster with those gizmos!

- You can’t run away from me, you… you… you meanly liars! – continued John.

- What’re we gonna do? – sobbed Fred.

While trying to think of a plan, Slick saw a construction sign over a wet cement pavement.

- There! – pointed Slick to Fred – Cover yourself!

The two got next to a building wall, sliding over it.

- You can’t run away! – said John almost out of hair – I got you totally surrounded! – but because he didn’t noticed the construction signs, his springs got attached over them, making John loosing balance and falling down – Wowzers!

Once he fell over the wet cement, his hat opened up by free will, throwing out a hook attached by a rope, making zig zags towards some building walls and city lamps.

- Haha! – laughed Slick – Nice job, officer!

- See ya, policeman! – joined Fred as they were starting to walk calmly away.

But because they got so distracted with John, they got caught by the hook and folded by the rop, having trouble on getting free.

- Hey, what the…? – gasped Slick.

- Help! – sobbed Fred.

Right there the woman from before was getting near with two police officers.

- There they are, officers! – she said – Those are the ones who…

As she was pointing the three men, John got up from the ground, all covered of wet cement over his body.

- Officer John Brown? – surprised the two policemen.

John turned to them as he got surprised too.

- Nick? – he said – Jimmy? What’re you doing here?

- This woman informed us that three thieves were stealing a car. – answered Nick.

- And it seems you caught them! – impressed Jimmy – But where’s the third one?

- Well… - John felt embarrassed.

- Two! – said the woman – Just those two!

John got speechless.

- Well, I’m impressed! – said Nick – John, you just stopped those guys!

- I… did? – surprised John.

- You really did! – smiled the woman – Sorry if I doubted you. You really ARE a policeman!

John didn’t knew what to say on that moment, as the three adults clapped to congratulate him, and many people started to approach to do the same.

- So cool!

- Well done!

- Wowoh!

- Nice!

All those compliments made John felt something. Something that he never felt before. Shine came through his eyes and a huge smile spread over his face.

Meanwhile, at school, Penny was taking her lunch on the cafeteria while the other kids were watching TV.

- Hey Penny! – shouted a girl to her – Isn’t that your gizmo uncle on the news?

Not impressed, Penny got near them and gave a small peek over the screen, until she heard this:

“Apparently the policeman John Brown, who has been his entire life saving cats from threes and being controlling the traffics, just stopped two M.A.D. agents today! According to the victim it appeared they were trying to steal her car on a station park until John showed up and stopped them right here next to this pavement construction!”

As her uncle was flattered over the crowd on TV, Penny got extremely surprised and happy for him.