::Gertie chuckled happily on her walk back to the catering truck::

 

Gertie: What a day!

 

::Meeting old friends, serving good food, and even standing on stage for an award presentation!::

 

Gertie: Next year, I'll be coming back for more!


::Frank was there, occupied with working his way down a checklist. He looked uncomfortable for some reason::


Gertie: Hey, you OK Hon?

 

::Gertie patted his shoulder. Frank jumped, looking around wildly, saw Gertie, then just looked surprised and relieved::

 

Frank: I'm fine, but I was worried about you. I mean, uh, you and you-know-who. Uhm, isn't he kind of, uh, well, dangerous?

 

::He pointed over his shoulder to all three of the other trucks owned by the caterer, a small mob of white-coated workers looked as though they all wanted to hit somebody::

 

Frank: The guys were kind of worried about you.

 

::He waved to them and several came over::


Frank: Why were you worried about me? I was having the time of my life, I haven't had this much fun since I worked with Chip in that scene where we defeated Hawnurra!


Guys: Well, Hawnurra is a dangerous guy. We thought you might need help and –


::A pause. Frank gaped for a moment, speechless. Then “Chip?”::


Gertie: The guy from the Rescue Rangers. The leader of the Rescue Rangers?


Frank: Is he? What a modest guy. He talked up a storm about the whole Ranger business, but never told me he was the leader. You and he defeated Hawnurra?


Gertie: Well, in that scenario Hawnurra had a badly infected paw with blood poisoning that drove him nearly mad. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been believable.


Frank: Uhm, yes, I can see that.

 

::Frank looked dazed::


Gertie: I'm biased, of course, but for a short-short and a first-time fan-fic, I think it was pretty good.

Frank: Short-short fan-fic, yeah.


::OK, she was using some sort of jargon, words that meant nothing to normal people. She was big and strong, and she'd worked with Chip in some sort of operation to defeat Hawnurra. She'd appeared out of nowhere and the rumors said she'd got herself positioned in exactly the right place at the right time to stop a bomb threat involving Hawnurra. The numbers added up, but they didn't add up to 'caterer'


Gertie was some kind of free-lance Crime-Fighter, Secret Agent, Special Operative, she had to be. Nothing else fit. He'd been considering offering a full-time catering job to a professional mercenary. He laughed::

 

Frank: It all makes sense now.


Gertie: It was fun. I hope I can do it again.


::She was asking for something. Yeah, that's it. If 'Gertie' needed to use the catering job ruse to get into a place, could she expect to get it? That had to be it. She was planning ahead, what a pro!::

 

Frank: I thought so to, and anytime you need a job, just ask for me and I'll do whatever I can for you.


::Smooth, yeah. This could only help his career, having a friend with connections like this 'Gertie' must have::


Gertie: Thanks, hon!

 

:: She hugged him::


::Frank started looking worried again, but that was just how Frank was, Gertie mused to herself, as they went back to work::

 

Gertie: Some folks just worry too much.

::Frank immediately assumed a dead-pan calm expression::

 

Frank: Oh, I agree. Absolutely!


::The rest of the day's conversation kept going somewhat awry for some reason::

 

<hr>

 

:From the rafters, several greedy sets of eyes watched as Ray waves to the crowd, the huge trophy on the dolly next to him. After he leaves the stage, a couple of stagehands start wheeling the shiny trophy off, then stop::

 

Stagehand: Okay, we've got it offstage. Let's leave it here for now until we can some more help. It's a doozy of a time getting it back into that bulletproof casing.

 

Stagehand2: Sounds good to me, Sherm. We haven't had a break all night. But uh, couldn't someone come along and try to swipe it?

 

Stagehand: This thing? They'd have to have three or four gorillas to heft it! C'mon, let's go see if there's any goodies left in the break room.

 

::The hands leave the award trophy parked, their minds now fully turned to the idea of some serious mooching. Maltese and his cronies come down, surrounding the lifetime achievement trophy::

 

Ratatouille: I am afraid he is right, boss. The trophy, it is too big for us to carry.

 

Maltese: Oh, simple-minded slobs! I am not going to do the hefting with it! I am going to wheel it out as it is! Then once outside I have the rental truck with a towing ball <i>magnifique</i>! A simple hitch and go, and the award, she is mine!

 

::The nefarious Frenchcat looked back toward the stage, where they were preparing for the big finale to the ceremony's festivities::

 

Maltese: Fools! I, Maltese de Sade, have succeeded where all others have failed. Now come, we will wheel away with our treasure!

 

Dale: Don't be cruel now, trophy robbers!

 

::A spotlight came and shone on the would-be thieves and Dale appeared::

 

Maltese: What! I am discovered! Quick, push the trophy on-stage! We go out the other way!

 

::As they tried to evade capture, Mepps appeared on the other side of the stage. Then the music to "Jailhouse Rock" started up. Mepps snapped his fingers, then pointed as he challenged the bad guys. Dale and Mepps both take up karate stances as they begin singing and rush the bad guys::

 

Mepps: Ah think you boys just made a big mistake. Ah, ah, ah feel my temperature risin' and it's about ta boil over. Me and Dale are gonna step all over y’all’s blue suede shoes.

 

::The crooks don't know what to make of this. Maltese looks from Mepps on one side of the stage to Dale on the other. The audience is rooting Dale and Mepps on--well at least the part of the audience who aren't villains::

 

Maltese: Through them! Go past the kitty with the hairdo!

 

::They attempted to push their way past Mepps, and for a moment they appeared to succeed. Then as they reached the far side of the stage an apparition appeared, shaking his head::

 

Elvis: It ain't cool to try to steal from the Rangerphiles. You better give it up now, square daddies.

 

::Seeing Elvis' ghost was too much. They yell, running back on stage. This was according to plan, and Dale and Mepps are ready with a capture net. Soon they have the bunch of them bagged and ready to take to the authorities. The Rangers come up on stage, amazed::

 

Chip: Dale! You and Mepps stopped Maltese and his gang all by yourselves!

 

Mepps: They didn't stand a chance against the king and one of his imitators.

 

::Dale walks over to Gadget::

 

Dale: What say, uh, you and me go and trip the lights fantastic, pretty momma?

 

Gadget: Golly...well, I'm still not your mother but that sounds all right.

 

Chip: Dale, you don’t still think you’re Elvis, do you?

 

::Dale laughs::

Dale: ‘Course not! Elvis’ ghost came, see, and snapped me out of it! I’m just joshing!

 

::Monty slapped Dale on the back::

 

Monty: Gotta hand it to you, pally, you really put on a bonzer show!

 

::The backslap caught Dale by surprise, putting him off-balance. He fell, konking his head on the stage floor. He was rubbing it when Chip helped him up::

 

Chip: You all right, Dale?

 

Dale: Who you callin' Dale, fool? Hannibal, where's my van?

 

The Rangers: OH, NO!

 

::The Rangers leavethe stage, Dale looking for whoever has stolen "his gold chains" and calling Chip "Hannibal". Mepps takes a moment to absorb the warmth of the stage lights, feeling that here he was at home. When he gets offstage, Elvis is there again::

 

Elvis: You did good, son. Good as I would've done. You've got the makings of a star in you.

Mepps: Thank you, thankyouverymuch!

 

Elvis: Right back at you, son.

 

::Elvis disappears and then Fat Cat and his family are there::

 

Fat Cat: Mepps, you—you actually did something intelligent!

 

Portly: I told you he was cool!

 

Mepps: Thank you, man. Ah found my purpose, the reason I was put on this Earth for, to keep the flame of Elvisness from dying out.

 

Husky: Dad, can I grow up to be an Elvis impersonator?

 

Fat Cat: No! Having one of those around's more than enough.

 

::The felines headed out, one of them glowing in the memory of the night's events. For Mepps, it would be a time he'd always recall fondly::