The Adventures of Gadget Hackwrench Episode 4 "Friendship" By The RoboNerd (robonerd@cottagesoft.com) Gadget Hackwrench, the Rescue Rangers and one other character that I am not disclosing because it would ruin the story, are copyrighted to the Walt Disney corporation. Silvia is my own creation and is not owned by Disney.

Fade In, RRHQ, Nighttime.

The camera fades in on the main room of RRHQ.  Chip, Dale, Monty, and Zipper 
are in the room watching television.

One common sight ever Sunday night in RRHQ is the TV being on and everybody
trying to get Dale to go to bed.

ANNOUNCER ON TELEVISION:  Stay tuned as we bring you another episode of 
        "Star Truck, The Next Rest Station," on our Star Truck marathon.

DALE:  Wasn't that last episode great?

Monty and Chip look at each other with an amazed expression.  Monty turns to
Dale.  

MONTY:  Ye can't be serious palley, that's the worst show I've ever seen,
        I can't even believe they renewed it for another season.

CHIP:  Or another episode.  Come on Dale, we got to go to bed.

Dale stomps his foot.

DALE:  Aw nuts, I wanted to see the next episode.

Gadget walks in.

GADGET:  Hey guys, could you come to my workshop for a second, I want you 
        to see my latest invention.

Switch Scenes.  Gadget's workshop.

She directs them to a workbench with something covered by a sheet, sitting 
on top of it.  She pulls the sheet off of the object.  It is a 
micro-cassette tape recorder, hooked up by several wires, to what looks like
a small TV cable box.

DALE:  Neato, awesome, uh, what is it?

GADGET:  It's a VCR.

CHIP:  You made a VCR?

GADGET:  Uh huh.  I think we could all use this to get Dale to go to bed 
        when we do.

DALE:  Hey!

CHIP:  Wait a minute Dale, she has a point.

GADGET:  Any time there is a show on you don't want to miss, all you have 
        to do is use this machine, it even has a clock in it, so you won't 
        have to turn it on and off yourself.

The camera pans up to a window with a figure disappearing to the side
of it.

Switch Scenes.  Around ten o'clock p.m.

It is now dark in the main room of RRHQ.  The only sound that can be heard
is the whirring of the VCR sitting on a small table beside the TV.  The 
front door slowly opens.  A dark figure approaches the VCR and starts 
feeling around for the stop button.  After it presses the stop button, it 
then finds and presses the eject button.  It takes the old microcassette
out and puts a new one in.

Switch Scenes, RRHQ, morning.

All the Rangers are sitting at the breakfast table eating another one of
Monterey Jack's cheesy breakfast creations.

MONTY:  How much do ye wanna bet ol' fat furball is behind that?

CHIP:  You're right, that does sound like his kind of target.

MONTY:  Knowing Fat Cat, anything with fish or money is his kind of target.

Gadget looks towards Dale and switches the subject.

GADGET:  Dale, did the VCR work last night?

DALE:  Oh, yeah, thanks for reminding me Gadget!

Dale gets up and excitedly walks into the hall towards the main room, Zipper
follows him.

Switch Scenes, main room.

DALE:  Gadget never stops amazing me Zipper, I mean, now we have a VCR, 
        what next?

ZIPPER:  Beats me!

Dale finds the rewind button and presses it.  When he does so, he suddenly
remembers all the times Gadget said "it should" and he jumps away out of 
habit.  After a short while, the recorder clicks off.  Dale uncovers his
eyes.

DALE:  Now to watch Star Truck.

He excitedly presses the play button.  The television comes on and starts
to make a high pitch and equally loud squealing noise.  He starts to see
a wild spiral on the screen, then he is bombarded with a mess of strange
lines, circles, and flashing colors.

DALE:  Hey, this is not Star...

His eyes start to go into a blind stare.

DALE:  Truck...

Zipper flies circles around Dale, trying to get his attention, but he does
not move a muscle.  Zipper then looks at the screen.

ZIPPER:  Oh,,, no...

Zipper is now standing on Dale's shoulder, making a blind stare at the 
television screen.

Gadget, Monty, and Chip all run into the room.

MONTY:  What is that bloomin,,, noise!?

Monty and Chip stop and look at the screen while Gadget immediately runs to
the recorder.

CHIP:  Gadget!  Is your recorder doing,,, that!?

GADGET:  Golly Chip, I don't know!

She presses the pause button.

GADGET:  Sorry guys, I guess I need to work a couple bugs out of it.  Guys?

She turns around and all of the Rangers are making blind stares at the 
screen.

GADGET:  Guys?

She walks up to Chip, waves a paw in front of his eyes, but he does not even
blink.  She looks up towards the paused image on the screen.  On the screen,
is a picture of her.

Switch Scenes, Gadget's bedroom.

Gadget opens the door, enters, and quickly shuts the door.  She walks to her
bed, sits down, and puts her paws to her forehead looking towards her feet.

GADGET:  But my VCR couldn't have done that, it's incapable of doing that, are
        the playing a joke on me, or are they really not faking it, or is 
        this just a dream?  But that was my High School Senior yearbook 
        picture, how did they get that?

About a minute passes and there is a knock at the door.

CHIP: [muffled] Gadget, it's me, Chip!

GADGET:  Oh thank heavens, it wore off!

She gets up, hurriedly runs over to the door, and opens it.

GADGET:  Eeeek!

Before she has a chance to run, a paw moves around her waist and another
covers her mouth, while yet another, quickly sticks a syringe into her arm
and injects a tranquilizer that quickly knocks her out.

Switch Scenes, Cage in an unknown mouse-sized room.

Gadget slowly awakens.  She sits up, rubs her eyes, and starts to look 
around.  First she realizes that she is no longer in RRHQ, but in a 
mouse-sized room with walls covered with computer charts.  Then she realizes
that she is in a cage.

GADGET:  Hello.  Anybody.

VOICE:  Hello Gadget.

Gadget's mind starts going a mile a minute.  She knows that she has heard
this voice before, but she just can't quite picture who it is.  A female 
mouse, about Gadget's height, steps out from behind a large stack of boxes.
She has Gadget's fur color, she has brown hair, brown eyes, and she is
wearing a lab coat with black pants.

MOUSE:  Remember me?

She suddenly recognizes the mouse.  Her eyes still have not adjusted 
totally, so things are still blurred.  But she is sure she recognizes the 
mouse.

GADGET: [low voice] Sil, Silvia?  Is that you?

SILVIA:  I'm so glad you remembered Gadget!  I figured that after high 
                  school you had forgotten about little old Silvia.

GADGET:  How could I forget?

The scenes starts to waver into a flashback.

Silvia was a whiz Kid when it came to computers and she was one of the 
brightest mice in school next to Gadget.  Gadget had helped Silvia build 
allot of her computers, but Gadget had very little knowledge of computer 
circuits, so Silvia had to help on that part.  On the other hand, Gadget 
knew a lot about power supplies and, building machines that are easy to 
access, and soldering circuit boards.  So she was able to held Silvia out
a lot.  Silvia had tried to teach Gadget computers, but, even though she is
a quick study, Gadget's mind was just not into computers at that time.  She
learned how to use the ones that Silvia had designed, but she still didn't
know just what she was doing when she put in a command.  Computers at that 
time were relatively simple but gaining in complexity, and Gadget just could
not keep up with the expanding technology to do anything productive.  
Silvia, on the other hand, ate the new technology up like Monty eats cheese.
They had become fast friends.  In fact, Silvia, was Gadget's only true 
friend next to Gadget's father.  Anybody else just wanted to take advantage
of her "mindbashingly" high IQ so they could get answers to school tests 
and exams.

The scene is now that of a small classroom, just like human classrooms, 
except allot of the materials have been assembled from leftover teaching
supplies.  There is a female mouse teacher writing some complex equations
on the chalk board, and there are mice sitting in the desks taking elaborate
notes.

TEACHER:  No Timmy, that is not the right answer, the way you usually work
        this problem is...

As the teacher is talking, the camera pans over to two girl mice in a 
back row, taking notes.

One looks like Gadget in her teenage years, she has a headband in her hair
instead of a pair of goggles.  The other mouse is wearing a long 
flower-print dress.

SILVIA: [whispering]  Psst... Gadget...

Gadget looks up from her note taking and looks over at Silvia.

GADGET: [whispering] What?

SILVIA: [whispering] Are you still going to come over tonight and help me 
        with that computer?

GADGET: [whispering] I promised my father I'd help him with the Screaming
        Eagle, but, I can come over after that.

SILVIA: [whispering] Great...

TEACHER:  Girls, is there something you would like to share with the rest
        of the class.

GADGET & SILVIA:  No ma'am.

We are still in the flashback, but we have now switched scenes to a small
house, made out of two broken down cars, in a junk yard, near the city 
airport.  We switch views to the living room of the house.  The room looks 
like a mouse-sized computer lab.

SILVIA:  It's so nice of you to come Gadget, It just quit on me, I think
        it was that lightning storm last night.

GADGET:  Glad to help.

Silvia leads Gadget over to a large box with rows of lights and switches on
it.  All of Silvia's computers had front panels instead of keyboards that 
you had to "toggle" commands into.

After about five minutes of looking at the inside of the machine and 
examining the power supply, Gadget turns to Silvia.  With a puzzled 
expression, Gadget flips the on switch and the computer comes to life.

GADGET:  Silvia, I thought you said it was...

SILVIA:  Gadget, that's not why I wanted you here, I need to ask you a favor.

GADGET:  What?

SILVIA:  As you remember, you took a test last week that I could not take
        because I was sick that day.

GADGET: [acting suspicious] The re-test is next week Silvia, do you want me
        to help you study?

SILVIA:  No, I was thinking of something easier, why don't you give me your
        graded answer sheet, and I can, study, off of them.

GADGET:  You mean cheat, don't you?!

SILVIA:  Welltechnically!...

GADGET:  There's no way around it, you expect me to give you MY answer sheet
        so YOU can cheat off of it.

SILVIA:  So the answer is no.

GADGET:  No, and good-bye!

Gadget quickly leaves the house and walks towards home with tears in her
eyes, realizing that, to her, she had just lost a friend.

The scene wavers back to the present as the flashback ends.

GADGET:  How can I forgive you for that Silvia, you just wanted to take
        advantage of me.  You know I would not help you cheat for anything
        in the world.

Silvia stomps her foot angrily, indicating to Gadget that she had apparently
not passed the test.

SILVIA:  I failed that test!  I made the lowest grade on that test in the 
        whole school!  You got the scholarship, and I got absolutely 
        nothing!  I wanted that scholarship!  And I almost had it!

GADGET:  I could have helped you to study, but you just wanted my answers!

Gadget can now recall Silvia not studying anything for that particular test
the whole year.  She was so sure of herself that she spent all that time on
her computers.  But when she realized that the questions were very hard, the
tension started to mount, and she was desperate for time.

SILVIA:  And what did you do with the scholarship!  Absolutely nothing!

Gadget looks down at her feet as the words bring back a painful memory.

GADGET:  I was about to go to College, but, my Dad died that year, and...

SILVIA:  And what!?

GADGET:  He died the morning I was to, go and apply for college.

Gadget sits down and tears quickly start coming to her eyes, that painful
vision of the past, now weighing heavily on her heart.

SILVIA:  How sad.  But what did you do with the scholarship!

Gadget looks up angrily.

GADGET:  I bring up something that hurt me emotionally and you can only 
        think about a scholarship?!

SILVIA:  Up!  Enough of this, boys, take her to her new...

She looks at Gadget with a very sly expression.

SILVIA:  Resting place.  

The other Rangers walk in, still in a trance.

GADGET:  Silvia, what did you do to them!?

SILVIA:  I thought you would recognize computer graphics when you saw them,
        I guess not.  They're under my control, and they do, whatever I say.

GADGET:  But how did you know I made a VCR.

SILVIA:  I followed a blueprint of yours that I bought from a mouse by the 
        name of Norton Nimnul.

GADGET: [surprised] Nimnul is still alive?!

Switch Scenes, The Statue of Liberty, midnight.

The camera zooms in on the base of the statue.  Chip, still under a trance,
is tying Gadget down to a target laying on the ground.  Gadget could easily
get free but she is still weak from the effects of the tranquilizer.

Silvia is looking away towards the city.  She turns to look at Gadget with
a devilish grin.

SILVIA:  Beautiful night for a nap, huh Gadget, why, you could rest, for
        eternity.

GADGET:  What?

SILVIA:  Oh, sorry I forgot to tell you.  Notice that directly below you
        is a target.  Above you is a computer controlled brick dropper. 
        Right on the crown of this marvelous statue.

GADGET:  You wouldn't.  That scholarship wasn't so important to you that you
        would get that type of revenge on someone for losing it.

SILVIA:  You don't understand very well do you Gadget.  I was nothing after
        I lost that scholarship.  I was counting on you to help me.

GADGET:  But Silvia, I did offer to help you, to study, not cheat.

Silvia sits down next to Gadget, starting to break down.  The expression 
on her face starts changing drastically from a sly expression to a weak,
innocent one.

SILVIA:  Gadget, after that incident, I had no friends.

GADGET:  I know how you feel, you were the only real friend next to, my
        father, that I had before the Rangers.  I'm not trying to brag, but
        you were, and I guess you still are, a real friend because you 
        weren't just trying to take advantage of my intellect.

SILVIA:  Really.

GADGET:  Darn right!

Silvia looks around towards the Rangers then looks back at Gadget.

SILVIA:  Were are my manners,  I'm sorry I put you through all this trouble.

GADGET:  And I'm sorry I should have stayed and talked you into studying. 
        Friends?

SILVIA:  Friends.

After Silvia unties Gadget, they exchange a quick friendly hug.

GADGET:  What about my other friends?

SILVIA:  Oh, that won't be a problem.

Silvia pulls out a small device from her lab coat, when she presses a button
on it, it sounds a very loud, digital-style pulse.  The Rangers instantly
respond to the pulse and start to cover their ears.

MONTY:  What's that bloomin'...

He looks at his surroundings.

MONTY:  Noise.

Chip walks towards Gadget.

CHIP:  Gadget, were are we?

He looks up and sees the statue.

GADGET:  Silvia, how did you do that?  I thought you were just into 
        computers.

SILVIA:  There is a new branch of computer science called digital hypnotism,
        you know me, anything computer.

About 5 minutes pass.

The Rangers are now talking to Silvia, who has explained everything to them 
instead of Gadget.

SILVIA:  I'm sorry I put you all through this.  I guess revenge is just too
        sweet sometimes.  No hard feelings, I hope.

MONTY:  I can't believe it.  First, ye almost flatten Gadget and destroy the
        Rescue Rangers.  And now, you and Gadget are friends again.

DALE:  Yeah, you're gettin' off pretty easy.

CHIP:  Dale's right, how can we trust you.

NIMNUL:  I think you better start trusting her, because you all are going to
        pay.

The Rangers and Silvia turn around, startled.

Nimnul is standing right behind them, with a modified plunger-harpoon, now 
with a real dart, aiming right at them.

RANGERS:  Nimnul!

GADGET: [whispering] How did he survive?

SILVIA: [whispering] He told me that when you knocked him out, you knocked 
        him onto the platform of the moleculuo-rearranger.  He hit some keys
        on the computer keyboard with his arm on the way back, that by some
        lucky change of fortune, happened to be the same command for the 
        default setting on that machine.  After he turned into a mouse,         
        something fell over him that shielded him from harm.

GADGET: [whispering] But I thought the computer was counting down to 
        detonation.

SILVIA: [whispering] That's the beauty of Multitasking.

MONTY: [whispering] Rather evil beauty if ye ask me.

NIMNUL:  Hey, don't do that!

RANGERS & SILVIA:  Do what?

NIMNUL:  Talk!  I'm the one that should be talking, after all I'm the evil
        genius that am holding you at dart point.

RANGERS & SILVIA:  What do you want us to say then?

NIMNUL:  That's it, nothing.

CHIP:  Nimnul, you only have one dart, what do you expect to do, kill us all
        with it.

NIMNUL:  Then I'll just have to kill one of you then.

After a few seconds, he aims the dart gun at Gadget, who gulps.

SILVIA:  No!  Spare her, kill me!

He points the dart gun towards Silvia.

NIMNUL:  And how would that help me any, your not a Rescue Rodent!?

SILVIA:  But I am a Rescue Rodent, I mean Ranger.

It doesn't take long before Chip realizes that she is trying to save some 
time for someone to think of a plan.

CHIP:  Yeah, she's going through training.

NIMNUL:  But she bought a blueprint from ME that I stole from HER!

Nimnul waves the dart gun towards Gadget and back again, making her flinch.

DALE:  That was an undercover operation.

GADGET:  In fact Nimnul, we knew you were alive all along.

NIMNUL:  I don't believe you, you're all liars.

Nimnul starts to realize that he is outnumbered for and a half to one.  Chip
notices that Nimnul is starting to sweat.  Chip starts to lead a very slow
advance.  Nimnul steps back, responding to the advance.  Silvia takes a 
quick peek at a small digital pocket watch that she has with her and 
notices the time.  She quietly shows it to Gadget and points up towards the
top of the statue.  Gadget looks up at the statue, grins, and taps Chip on
the shoulder.  He slowly turns around and Gadget points up to the top of the 
statue, then she points to the target on the ground.  Chip grins and looks
back at Nimnul.

CHIP:  It seems you're outnumbered Nimnul.

Chip starts to lead another very slow advance towards Nimnul, who is equally
stepping back.  This continues until Nimnul's dart gun is directly over the
target and Nimnul's paws are a safe distance from the path of the brick.

A few seconds pass and a large brick comes silently screaming down, smashing
Nimnul's dart gun.  Nimnul starts to stumble back as he sees Monty making
fists, Dale with a very mad look, and Chip evily smiling.  They start to
advance again at a running pace towards Nimnul who runs, jumps into the 
water, and starts to swim back towards the city.

A few seconds of cheering follows.

MONTY:  Pretty close call eh?

Silvia frowns, turns around, and starts to walk away.

SILVIA:  Well, Gadget, I'll see you later then.

GADGET:  No Silvia, wait.

CHIP:  Yeah Silvia, you don't want to swim to shore do you?

DALE:  Yeah, the water's too cold.

MONTY:  And we haven't really learned anything about you yet!

GADGET:  Silvia, you haven't told me about what all you have been doing 
        these past years.

It is very obvious that Silvia has been surprised by their reaction.  She
starts to smile.  She walks back to them.

SILVIA:  I'd be glad to tell you all about it, right after...

DALE:  The next Star Truck marathon?

RANGERS: [angry] Dale!

Fade Out

If you have any suggestions about my stories, My E-Mail address is 
robonerd@cottagesoft.com