Revenge Squad

A Chip and Dale’s Rescue Ranger story

By John Alan Davidson

Prologue

From looking at it Mount Curtiss, it looked like a normal mountain, which it was. But it was what was buried beneath the mountain that was sinister. A large headquarters of evil had been established there. In the headquarters was a large room with high-tech computer equipment on all of the walls. In the center of the room was a rectangular table with five seats two on each side and one at the head of the table. Overhead a large cobweb of wires and cables ran into a central box that was directly over the table. Out of this box five VR helmets hung one over each chair. On the table was a design that filled the center of the table. It was a skull with the Rescue Ranger emblem in the center.

There was a smaller adjoining room that housed all types of scientific and medical equipment. Against the wall were five glass tubes that ran from the floor to the ceiling. Each tube had a computer screen displaying information. Each terminal displayed information about each Rescue Ranger. Inside of each tube suspended in a bluish fluid was an egg shaped piece of metal.

A door at the far end of the small room opened and a figure dressed entirely in black except for a patch on the shoulder, which bared he same skull insignia as the table. The figure walked over to the main computer terminal checked to make sure everything was in order. The figure being satisfied by the information walked over to the tubes and smiled uttering one word aloud. "Revenge!" With that the figure returned and went into the main room.

Chapter One

It was just a little after noon when the Rangerwing had touched down back at the Rescue Rangers Headquarters. Dale was the first one out racing toward the door. Chip turned to Gadget. "I told him not to drink the entire can of Coo-Coo Kola." The rest of the Rangers disembarked from the Rangerwing.

"Well he was thirsty Chip," replied Gadget. Chip was about to say reply when something caught is eye.

"What's this?" he asked picking up it was a small envelope addressed to him.

"Only one way to find out," Monterey Jack said. Chip opened it and pulled out a piece of paper. He opened and read the letter. A look of surprise crossed his face then it was replaced by a smile.

"Who is it from?" asked Gadget.

"An old friend, Erick Rosewood," answered Chip. "He wants me to meet him tonight at the restaurant at the top of Penn Tower."

"Are you going to go?" asked Monterey.

"Of course. He's my friend! Besides, he says it’s important."

Right then Dale returned. "Why are you all standing outside?"

"Oh nothing important," replied Chip, "just looking at a letter."

"From who?" inquired Dale.

"Erick Rosewood, a friend from before I met you," answered Chip.

"Well let's get inside and continue this conversation," Gadget spoke up. "I've got some stuff that needs taken care of," with that they all went into the treehouse.

Later that night Chip arrived at Penn Tower in the Rangerwing. He landed and jumped out and started to walk to the restaurant entrance. As he was walking he heard a voice cry out

"Aneek-Chuck!!!" he saw a chipmunk running strait for him poised to attack! Chip quickly swung around, grabbed his attacker’s arm, and flung him to the ground. The chipmunk laid there dazed for a few moments then broke out laughing. "I still can't manage to take you down Chip."

"Well when you give yourself away like that I can get ready for you," said Chip. Chip reached down and helped the chipmunk up. He quickly gave Chip a big bear hug.

"It's been to long Chip," he said.

"It's good to see you to Erick, but could you put me down now?" Chip asked. Erick let go of Chip and motioned him to follow him to the restaurant.

"Come on, we have something important to talk about." They got a table and ordered some drinks. Erick gave Chip a grim look. "It's Kyle."

Chip gasped. "Not Kyle Laurel."

"I'm afraid so Chip."

"Kyle just recently broke out of Stryker’s island prison," Erick said to the chipmunk detective. "Chip, Kyle has changed."

"How?" Chip asked.

"Two years ago he joined Intergang, a large organized crime group. While he was there they experimented on him with some enzymes that were supposed to increase the brain's capabilities."

"Really?" this really got Chip’s attention. "What happened?"

"The enzyme made him an ultra-genius. But something in him snapped and he went totally insane. We were able to capture him and lock him up but he was able to escape."

"We?" Chip raised an eyebrow.

Just then the drinks arrived and Kyle paused until she left. He looked around to make sure nobody was listening and spoke in a much lower voice. "I work for a government agency that watches all animal activities. Technically, we don't exist, but we monitor everything."

"Even the Rescue Rangers?" Chip asked as a frown crossed his face.

"Yes, we have monitored your activity for some time now. We know everything about you," Kyle paused to sip at his drink. "And your enemies."

"Why do you monitor us?" Chip asked.

"You see Chip. The Agency is a little paranoid, it sees your group as a possible threat, so they monitor your activity. They also develop countermeasures if the Rescue Rangers were to go rogue. Personally I trust you completely. But since the Rescue Rangers are a pretty powerful group when they work as a team, it does not matter that you fight crime. The Agency still sees you as a threat," Kyle spread his arms into a little shrug.

"If the Agency is as paranoid as you say they are why are you telling me this?" Chip asked.

"Loyalty Chip. You are my friend I knew I had to warn you about Kyle. He is pretty obsessed with getting revenge with you. When I found out this information I new I had to warn you no matter what," having said that he got up, paid for the drinks, and motioned for Chip to follow him outside. He walked over to where a small helicopter was parked. He got in to the cockpit and turned to Chip who was standing next to the helicopter. "One more thing Chip. You can't tell the other Rangers about this conversation, this is classified information. Well it was good seeing you again buddy. Just remember to watch your back."

"I will. You just watch yours too," he had to raise his voice to be heard above the noise of the starting rotor blades. "From what you told me this Agency sounds pretty dangerous!" Chip snapped off a quick saluting wave, jumped back, and watched as his friend took off and flew eastward. He then hopped into the Rangerwing and headed for home.

Chapter 2

A mouse in a white lab coat was busily working at a computer terminal. His name was Dr. Teng, one of the foremost researchers in the field of genetics. His partner, Dr. Westfield, was one of the brightest minds in the field of cybernetics. Dr. Westfield entered the room with a silver briefcase. On the side was the bio-hazardous emblem. He walked over to where Dr.Teng was working.

"Here are the cell samples you wanted."

"Thank you Dr. Westfield," said Dr. Teng, taking the briefcase. He opened it up and inside removed five glass vials. Each one contained a cell sample from one of the Rescue Rangers. He walked over to the glass tubes with the egg shaped metal inside. He double-checked each of the terminals that displayed the information on each Ranger. Then he inserted each cell sample into the appropriate terminal. "This bio-metal of yours is amazing Dr. Westfield, it mimics living tissue," he was referring to the egg shaped metal in each tube. "Inform the boss we are ready to proceed with the genetitronic cloning."

Dr. Westfield went into the larger room and returned a few minutes later. "He is on his way."

A minute later the boss walked in. It was Fat Cat, also wearing a black suit with the skull insignia on the shoulder. "Doctors, you may begin."

Dr. Teng typed a command into the computer. The command was to start the bonding of each cell sample to the bio-metal. The bio-metal would read the genetic code and carry out the instructions. Creating clones of the Rescue Rangers, but they would not be biological. They would be made of the bio-metal. Thus they would be stronger, faster, and more resistant to physical damage. The pieces of bio-metal slowly began to change shape.

"The entire process will take about a week," Dr.Teng said to Fat Cat.

"Good, inform me when they are complete," with that, Fat Cat left.

Chapter 3

On the way back to RRHQ Chip could not stop thinking of his past. He remembered times that he spent with his friends. Even after all these years he still could not believe that Kyle had gone bad. Kyle and Chip also had been friends when he was younger. In High School they had been very close. But one-day supplies were being stolen from the schools supply rooms. Chip was determined to track down whoever it was. He had managed to find out when and where the thefts were happening. He predicted when and where the next theft would be. He had alerted the school principal and they waited for the thief. The thief turned out to be Kyle. After that Kyle's life spun out of control, which lead him to a life of crime. Kyle had always blamed Chip for what had happened. He had sworn he would get revenge on him no matter how long it took him.

And now, to top it all off, he's escaped from prison. Even more dangerous than he was before. Chip returned to RRHQ shortly after midnight. He was just about to go inside when he noticed something on the door. It was a picture of him from High School. It was held to the door with a knife. Chip knew who left the picture there. Kyle. He shook his head. "It starts." Chip muttered and looked around cautiously. The detective chipmunk removed the picture, and made sure that there was nothing on the back. He then placed the photo in his pocket, along with the knife. Chip went into RRHQ and quickly went to bed.

The next day the other Rangers asked Chip about his night. He wanted to tell them about Kyle but he knew he couldn't. He just told them that they had talked about old times. Later in the afternoon they went to Police Headquarters to see if they could find any cases. They were just about to leave when they overheard a conversation between Muldoon and Kirby.

"Did you here about S.T.A.R. (Special Technologies And Research) labs?" Muldoon asked. "Last night they discovered that a whole bunch of developmental genetics technology was stolen. Also, they found that a supply of some top-secret metal was also stolen. They’re not sure when it disappeared."

"Whoa! Who can steal from S.T.A.R.? Aren't they supposed to have the best security force around?" said Kirby. The rest of the conversation trailed off.

"Golly! S.T.A.R. labs!" Gadget said sounding shocked and amazed.

"What's the big deal with S.T.A.R. labs?" Dale asked.

"Dale. S.T.A.R. labs is a high-profile government-run research center. I've heard rumors of some of the things that have come out of that place. It's not really contributing to the good of the world. Anything that comes out of there is dangerous."

"Well it sounds like it needs checked out," said Chip. The Rescue Rangers boarded the Rangerwing and headed towards S.T.A.R. labs.

S.T.A.R. Labs was located about a mile out of the city. It was a medium sized building consisting of less then five floors. A large fence surrounded the building. There was only one entrance through the fence, and it was being guarded. The Rangerwing flew over the fence and landed on the roof. No sooner had they landed five rodent security guards came out of nowhere and surrounded the Rangerwing. Each one was carrying a type of weapon that none of the Rangers could identify.

"State your business!" one of the guards demanded.

"We are here to investigate the robbery," Chip spoke up in a firm voice.

"We do not require outside help. You will vacate the premises or we will…"

"Hold it right there Mr. Henshaw!" the guard turned to see who has spoken to him. The speaker was a female mouse wearing a white lab coat. She looked to be a little older than Gadget. Her fur was a golden brown color. Her auburn hair was cut short. "Just because you are the head of security does not mean you have the right to threaten others," Henshaw started to reply but the mouse continued. "Now either return to you post or you will be working janitorial duty tonight."

Henshaw gave a low growl to let it be known he didn’t like it, then motioned for the other guards to follow him and left.

The mouse stepped forward and introduced herself. "I am Dr. Tina McGee and you must be the Rescue Rangers.

"How did you know who we were?" Gadget asked.

"We track everything and anything within a mile of the perimeter."

"Why are you helping us?" Dale asked.

"I have been ordered to give you information about the robbery"

"From who?" Monterey asked.

"I cannot tell you, I have only been instructed to give you this," she handed Gadget a stack of papers. "Now you can leave," Dr. McGee stated firmly. She went back into the building.

"Well that was a short conversation, but we better get going before Henshaw gets an itchy trigger finger," said Monty. Gadget agreed and took off.

When they returned to rescue Ranger HQ, The Rangers looked over the papers they received from S.T.A.R. Labs. The papers had detailed information on what was stolen and it’s purposes.

"According to this the bio-metal can imitate real flesh," Gadget summed up after looking over the papers. "It also has more resistance to physical wear and tear than natural flesh. And the other equipment that was stolen is the latest in genetitronic replication."

"What could this equipment be used for?" Asked Chip.

"Basically cloning super strong and invincible beings."

"Why would they just give us this information?" Monterey asked and scratched his head. "This sound as if it is very top secret and they just hand it to us."

Zipper just shook his head in and shrugged before taking up his usual residence on Monterey’s shoulder.

Chip thought he knew the answer, but knew he couldn’t tell the other Rangers his suspicions. Erick must have been the one that was behind them getting the information. That meant that Kyle must be connected to the robbery. Chip shuddered at the thought of that type of technology in Kyle’s hands. Kyle was so unbalanced now that he was liable to declare war on the entire world. A hand shaking his shoulder broke his concentration.

"Earth to Chip! Hey Chip, you with us?" It was Dale.

"Huh? Oh sorry, I just got lost in thought," he admitted.

"What are you thinking about?" Monterey asked.

"You have any idea what all this has to do with us? I was thinking how dangerous this could be in the wrong hands. *truth* How it could be used for disastrous purposes. *truth* But I don’t know what this has do with any of us," *lie* he hated lying to his friends. But Erick had taken a big risk informing him and he knew he couldn’t betray his trust. So he picked up one of the papers and examined it.

"Hmmm, maybe we can talk to this Dr. Teng, he is an expert in genetics. And it says here that he was the head of the project.

"Sorry Chip, but I think that is impossible," Gadget said.

"Why do you say that?" Chip asked.

"He’s dead Chip," Gadget replied. "He was killed last year in a lab accident. Some type of explosion, it destroyed the entire area he was working in."

"And you know this how?"

"It’s all here in this paper," she said, handing him a sheet of paper.

"Oh! Well I guess we can’t pursue that lead," Chip said after looking over the paper.

"Well now what do we do?" Dale asked.

"Well Dale, there’s not much we can do!" Gadget answered with a sigh.

"We just have to wait for whoever took this equipment to make their first move." Chip said.

Chapter 4

In the secret headquarters beneath Mt. Curtiss, a meeting was taking place. Fat Cat was sitting at the head of the table and wearing a black jumpsuit. Around his wrists were red cuffs and on his right shoulder he wore a skull emblem. One by one the other members of the Rescue Ranger Revenge Squad filed into the room.

First came Desa'rae Delure, wearing a black jumpsuit with silver bands around the cuffs. On her left shoulder was the skull emblem. She sat down in the first chair to Fat Cats right.

Next to enter was Bubbles he also wore a black jumpsuit. He also had silver bands around the cuffs. He also had the same exact skull emblem on his shoulder. He sat on Fat Cats left.

Then Rat Capone walked in. He wore the exact same style of jumpsuit as the others. He sat next to Bubbles.

Finally the final member of the group entered the room. He was a mouse with unruly blond hair. His fur was a very dark shade of brown. He was also wearing the same type of jumpsuit, but around his cuffs were metallic blue bands. He had a scar running down the right side of his face. He sat in the chair next to Desa'rae. Once all the members were seated Fat Cat stood up.

"Greetings my fellow evil doers. You have all been called here for the same reason. The ultimate eradication of the Rescue Rangers!" Cheers went up from the table. "I believe we all know each other."

Desa'rae spoke in a growling voice to Fat Cat. "Who is this clod?" she was referring to the mouse who sat next to her.

"Ah, this is Kyle Laurel," said Fat Cat, gesturing toward Kyle. "Kyle is the one responsible for the successful break-in at S.T.A.R. labs."

Kyle leaned over to Desa'rae and spoke in a very threatening voice. "You had better watch your tongue. The last person that spoke to me like that had an unfortunate accident."

"That's enough you two, save you hostility for the Rescue Rangers," snapped Fat Cat. The two reluctantly settled back down. "Now that’s better, we are ready to implement phase two of our plan. The genetronic cloning is already initiated. Now we have to get the Rescue Rangers out of the area."

Bubbles spoke up. "That part of the plan is ready to go Fat Cat. All I have to do is give the signal."

"It’s nice to know that someone is showing a little initiative… Just don’t show too much. And that’s Mr. Fat Cat to you… Don’t forget it!" his voice returned to a business-like tone. "Now since that part of the plan is taken care of, we can move on to the next discussion for today. Above you are VR helmets, through these you will be able to control our Rescue Rangers. It will be as if you were actually there. You have totally control over the bodies, all you have to do is think and it will be done. I have assigned each of you a Rescue Ranger to control. Since I am the supreme overlord of this group, I will control the Chip clone. Desa'rae, it would only make sense that you control the Gadget clone, since you are the only female in the group. Bubbles, you will control the Monterey clone since you will be able to use the enhanced strength to our advantage. Capone, you will control the Dale clone. And Kyle, you will control the Zipper clone. I suggest that we each put in time practicing using the VR interface. I have other business to attend to, but Kyle here will oversee the rest of the project," Fat Cat got up and left.

Kyle stood up and walked around to the front of the table and sat down. "O.K. everybody. Time to start running through practice drills. Just remember when we do go up against the Rescue Rangers I’m the one that sends Chip to the coroner. And I will not do it through these hollow puppets. I will do it with my own two hands."

Chapter 5

Day was just beginning to break over Golden Gate Park. The Rangers were just starting to begin their day. Monterey and Zipper were in the kitchen making cheese pancakes, Dale was still getting out of bed, Gadget was taking a shower, and Chip was scanning the newspaper for cases. He was just about to put the paper down when something caught his attention. On the last page in a very small article only two paragraphs in size. Just as he finished reading it, Dale walked into the room.

"Hey Dale! Come look at this!" Chip called to his friend.

"Huh? Wazzit Chip? I just woke up," said Dale, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Look here at this article," Chip said pointing it out to Dale.

Dale looked at the article and commented on it. "Gee Chip, that’s pretty interesting," sounding as if he had no idea as to what Chip was so excited about.

"Don’t you see Dale? Another robbery where Hi-tech equipment was stolen."

"Golly Chip. Do you think it might be connected to the one at S.T.A.R?" Gadget asked as she walked into the room. She combed her still-damp blond hair with a brush as she walked.

Chip stared at her with a smile on his face, mesmerized for a fraction of a second, then shook himself out of it. "Uh. I don’t know. But I think it is worth checking out."

"Well it can wait until we’ve had breakfast," came the sound of Monterey’s voice from the kitchen. "Just where is this at by the way?"

"Up in Quebec."

"Quebec? It will take us awhile to get there," said Gadget.

"Well then you had better hurry up and get in here and eat up so we can get going," Monterey called from the kitchen.

The rangers filed in to the kitchen for their breakfast. After eating and cleaning up the kitchen, they left for Quebec.

"Everything is prepared. Waiting for final stage of the cloning process," stated Dr. Teng. "The clones are ready to be brought on-line when you give the command."

"Good. Then by all means, start them up," said Fat Cat.

"Initiating clones now," said Dr. Teng. A humming sound emanated from the equipment.

"How long until they are fully operational?"

"The programming will take less then a few hours, then they will be ready to hook up to the VR system."

"Very good. I will assemble the rest of the Squad."

The other members of the Squad were at various workstations in the main room, doing their own things. Fat Cat called them to order and they all took their seats. At the opposite end of where Fat Cat was sitting were five objects covered with white sheets. "It gives me great pleasure to present our Rescue Rangers," he said as he pulled off the sheets. The five clones looked exactly like the Rescue Rangers. They were also dressed exactly like the Rescue Rangers. "Everybody prepare to link up!" All the members of the revenge squad put on their VR helmets. Fat Cat pressed a switch on the control panel on the side of the table. At once the clones came to life.

"It is incredible! It feels like a second body!" remarked Desa'rae.

"It should be, I designed the system," stated Kyle with slight indignation.

"O man, this is going to be great!" bubbled Bubbles.

"Finally we will make those idiotic heroes pay," laughed Capone.

"All in good time. Now that the rescue rodents are conveniently out of the country on that bogus case, we will begin by ruining their good reputation," said Fat Cat, speaking through the Chip clone. "Allow me to also present our own version of the Rangerwing, an improvement over the pacifistic invention of that mouse. Our wing comes armed to the teeth," he gestured to a plane similar to the Rangerwing sitting in the center of the table. "This baby is fully loaded. Two machine gun turrets, two missile launchers, and one laser canon. It is only fitting that our Rescue Rangers have appropriate transportation. I call it the Revengewing!"

"Well what should be do first?" asked Bubbles.

"I think we should attack the local merchants in the park!"

"Good idea! Hit them where they live."

"Well then, what are we waiting for? Let’s go!" said Desa’rae.

The five Ranger clones controlled by the Revenge Squad boarded their Revengewing. It taxied to the end of the table. The Gadget clone, controlled by Desa'rae, flipped a switch that opened a slot in the wall. The slot was an opening to the ventilation shaft that led to outside of the mountain. The Revengewing took of and flew up and out the ventilation shaft.

Eddie Kisko had just closed up shop for the day. He ran a small business out of an Elm tree in the park. He was just walking home when he noticed an object in the sky. As it drew closer he recognized it as the Rangerwing. *They must be back from some case,* he thought to himself. The Revengewing made its decent. Fat Cat, who controlled the weapons, targeted the shop in the tree. He opened fire on the shop. Eddie Kisko watched, mortified, as the Revengewing opened fire on his shop. He watched as his life’s work was consumed in a barrage of missile fire. He ran for cover as the Revengewing started to come after him. He quickly ducked into an old gopher hole just as the Revengewing thundered overhead. He was in a state of shock. The Rescue Rangers, whom he viewed as heroes, had just destroyed his store. He cautiously crawled from his hole and made his way back to the burned out crater that used to be his store. It was totally devastated. He walked out onto the farthest limb of the tree. He was able to see the Revengewing dive and attack another store. All he could think was why had they done it.

"Did you see the look on his face as I toasted his store?" laughed Fat Cat. "Well I guess there goes his faith in the Rescue Rangers! Desa'rae fly toward that other store. We’ll pay it a visit also," He purred evilly.

"Ok Fat Cat, but I get to work the weapons this time," the Revengewing pitched to one side and Desiree fired the laser canon right at the store. It exploded in a halo of light. "I think I got somebody with that last attack!" Desa'rae said gleefully."

"Well now. I guess the Rescue Rangers won’t win any popularity contests," laughed Bubbles.

"I think we caused enough carnage here. What should we do next?" asked Kyle.

"Let’s go and knock over a bank!" suggested Capone.

"Good idea, we do need funding to pay off Dr. Teng and Dr. Westfield."

"Don’t worry about them. They’re already taken care of," said Kyle with an evil grin.

"You didn’t kill them did you?"

"Yes I did. I was bored. I had to have something to do," Said Kyle in a casual voice. "Don’t worry, I cleaned up the mess."

"We went through all that trouble to fake Dr. Teng’s death in the first place so he could work for us. I was hoping to get some more work out of him, but No! You had to go and kill both of them!" Fat Cat yelled angrily.

"Hey Fat Cat, we have to keep things clean and orderly. They weren’t needed anymore, so I eliminated them. No lose ends."

"Next time, don’t do anything without consulting me first! Or you’ll be the lose end that gets eliminated!" Fat Cat warned menacingly.

"Yes sir!" Kyle said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

They flew one last circle around the park, randomly targeting more shops, then took of toward the 1st national bank, leaving the trail of destruction behind them.

Chapter 6

The Rescue Rangers returned from Canada the next day. The robbery they had gone to investigate had never happened. They figured the article must have been planted in the paper. They were planning to investigate into the phony article but they did not get a chance. As soon as they touched down they were met by an angry mob. Screaming and shouting filled the air.

"There they are!"

"Get them!"

"We thought you were supposed to help people!"

The Rangers were shocked by what the crowd was shouting. "What is going on here?" inquired Chip.

"Don’t play innocent with us we saw what you did!" someone yelled from the back of the crowd.

"Did what? We were in Canada for the past few days. We don’t know what you are talking about," said Gadget.

"The hell you don’t! I saw you flying the Rangerwing myself!"

"Now listen here Mate I don’t know what you are talking about but watch your language around the ladies."

"Is that a threat? Are you going to do to me what you did to that security guard?"

"What are you talking about? What security guard?"

"Listen there is no need to deny what you did. We have dozens of eye-witnesses that saw you beat up the security guard while your friends robbed the bank!"

"BANK? We didn’t rob no bank!" said Dales in a shocked voice.

"Oh, and I bet you weren’t the ones that attacked the shop’s in the park either."

The Rangers looked around the park. For the first time realizing all the damage that they had not noticed before.

"Golly, look at this place," Gadget said quietly, her face going pale.

"Now you have a conscience."

"As Gadget just said. We didn’t do anything, we’ve been in Canada for the last two days!" Monterey stated in a very serious tone.

"Well if you didn’t do it who did?"

"I have no idea, but I intend to find out," said Gadget.

"We will give you 48 hours to prove your innocence, then we’re coming after you!" the crowd dispersed and left the Rescue Rangers alone standing next to the Rangerwing. They look at each other with looks of confusion.

"What was all that about?" Dale inquired.

"According to what they said, we attacked shops in the park and robbed a bank," replied Gadget.

"That’s impossible! We were out of the country. And I don’t remember doing anything like that!" Dale said, sounding more confused than usual.

"Gadget, could someone of stolen the Rangerwing when we weren’t around?" asked Monterey.

"Impossible, first of all we didn’t leave it alone long enough of a time for someone to take it all the way here and back. And secondly I had the key for it and that is the only way it can be started.

"They also say they saw us personally doing those things," Zipper said.

"Someone’s trying to frame us!" Dale concluded.

"But who and why?" Gadget asked.

"I think I have an idea who might be behind this," said Chip reluctantly. He knew that he had to tell the rest of the Rangers about Kyle. He knew he would be betraying Eric’s trust. But now it seems that Kyle is targeting the entire team and they had a right to know who was behind it. Chip sighed. "Come on inside. It’s a long story."

The Rescue Rangers sat down at the table in the living room. And listened intently as Chip told the story of that fateful day when Chip and Kyle’s life’s had both changed dramatically.

Chapter 7

It was a clear winter day. The halls at Woodsboro High were just beginning to fill up with students preparing for their day. Chip Maplewood had just arrived and made his way to his locker, number 365. He couldn’t believe it he had finally made it to his senior year. Now he was in the home stretch just a few more months to go and he would be a High School graduate. He took off his coat and hat and hung them inside his locker. He scooped up the books that he would need for the first half of his day and put them in his book bag. He was just about to go to his homeroom when a voice stopped him.

"Hey Aneek-Chuck! What’s up?"

"Please Erick. I asked you not to call be that name."

"Sorry pal, it looks like you’re stuck with it."

"I don’t even know why you started calling me that."

"Maybe I’ll tell you sometime. So what are planing to do after graduation?"

"I don’t know, there are so many choices. I would like to go to college, but I would also like to get out and have some adventures."

"Those detective novels have finally gone to your head!"

"No they haven’t. I just want to get out on my own. Speaking of mysteries, I think I figured out when and where the next robbery will be"

"Are you serious?"

"As a heart attack."

"If you did figure it out you would make a name for yourself. The school board has been going crazy over the thefts. If they do not recover the equipment they will have to make cutbacks in next years budgets. Have you told anyone else yet?"

"No. After lunch I am going to go to Principal Harper’s office."

"Do you think he will believe you?"

"Only one way to find out."

"Well I hope you’re correct."

"Erick have you seen Kyle today? I’ve looked everywhere for him."

"I hadn’t seen Kyle since a couple of days ago. He has been acting different lately."

"I know! We had plans for the weekend then all of a suddenly he just canceled them. Something is most defiantly going on with him."

"Oh well Chip, Kyle has always been different. He’s probably just going through a phase."

"I guess your right Erick. Well, I gotta get to homeroom. I have some stuff to take care of."

"See you later Aneek-Chuck!"

After his lunch period, Chip went to Principal Harper’s office. The Principal was a middle-aged mouse with graying fur. He was sitting behind his desk when Chip knocked on the door.

"Hello Mr. Maplewood. Come in and have a seat"

"Thank you Mr. Harper," Chip said sitting down opposite of the principal.

"So Chip, what brings you to my office?"

"I think I might be able to help you stop these thefts."

"Really?" Harper answered, doubtful, but interested.

"Yes. I believe I can predict when and where the next theft will take place."

"Well then, by all means tell me."

Chip explained to Principal Harper his theory. Chip’s deductions and his reasoning as to when and where the next theft would take place astonished Principal Harper. He figured out that the next theft would most likely happen that very night.

"I’m surprised that no one else realized this earlier Chip."

"Well it wasn’t exactly that easy to figure out."

"But still, I do believe that you are correct. Meet me at the rear entrance to the school at 7:00 tonight and we will put an end to these thefts.

"Thank you for your time Mr. Harper. I know that tonight the thief will finally be caught."

Later that night Chip told his parents about going to meet Principal Harper and about how he had figured out the next theft would happen that night. They wished him good luck and he left to meet Principal Harper. He arrived at the school at the designated time and met up with Principal Harper. Harper led him into the school and they staked out the room where the theft should take place.

"The thief, whoever it is, should be here any minute now," said Chip.

Sure enough, within a few minutes a figure sneaked down the hallway and quickly picked the door to the supply room. The figure slipped inside and closed the door.

"Well you were right Chip. The thief did show up. Come on. Let’s go and see who it is."

Principal Harper and Chip got up from their hiding place and made for the door. Harper flung the door open catching the thief by surprise. The figure spun around to face them. Chip was shocked by who the thief was.

"KYLE?!?!" squeaked Chip, shocked.

"What the? Chip! What are you doing here?" asked Kyle, as equally shocked as Chip.

"You are in no position to be asking questions," snapped Principal Harper making his way toward Kyle.

"You’re the thief Kyle?" Chip asked, still shocked.

"Why yes I am! What are you doing here anyway Chip?"

"Chip is the one who figured out that you would be striking here tonight," said Principal Harper apprehending the young mouse.

"WHAT! Chip… you…TRAITOR! I THOUGHT YOU WERE MT FRIEND!"

"I thought I knew you Kyle. We’ve been friends as long as I can remember why did you do it?"

"Because I could! This school was so ineptly run anybody could have walked off with anything. I get bored very easily Chip, I needed something to do!"

"You did this for fun? You have a lot to answer for!" said Principal Harper." Come on. You have some explaining to do to the police." Harper turned to Chip. "Thank you Chip, I doubt we would have been able to catch this scum if it wasn’t for your help."

Chip just nodded and left for home. He was still in shock by what had just taken place. His best friend for as long as he could remember was a thief. Chip had always thought of himself as a good judge of character. He just couldn’t believe what Kyle had done. Chip walked the rest of the way home thinking of why he had not even realized that Kyle could have been capable of.

One month later, Chip a witness along with Principal Harper at Kyle’s trial. Kyle was sentenced to three years. Chip remembered vividly what Kyle had said to him as he was being led away by the bailiff.

"This is all your fault Chip! No matter how long it takes me! You will pay for betraying me! I will have my revenge!"

While serving his term Kyle had fell in with a bad crowd. He grew angrier and more bent on getting revenge on Chip. After getting out of prison Kyle joined with the criminal organization known as Intergang. Which lead to him being tested with the enzyme, which mad him a genius but pushed over the edge into total insanity.

Chip meanwhile finished and graduated high school with honors. He decided to put off college for a few years while he went out on his own. His adventures led him to San Francisco where he eventually met up with Dale. The rest of the story is history.

Then Chip went on and explained his recent meeting with Erick and told them about the major change in Kyle’s life. How he became a demented genius and his recent break out of prison.