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Inspector Gadget: What I Am

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He hates his lucid moments, because then he feels the pain of what he is.

--

...Inspector Gadget sat on the edge of his bed, staring at his hands. There was a clarity in his eyes that Penny had never seen before. Not since the operation, at least. As she watched, the tips of her uncle's fingers opened, revealing just a few of his many gadgets: a pencil, corkscrew, and lighter among them. Penny watched with wide eyes: She had never witnessed her uncle control his gadgets with such quiet finesse. Maybe it had something to do with the odd look in his eyes...

She was about to say something, but before she could, she heard her uncle mutter to himself.

"...Stupid gadgets..."

And now, suddenly, Penny could tell he was quietly crying.


Gadget stared at his hands--or rather, his gadgets. Scissors, syringe, lockpick--all very useful, everything someone could ever want, right here at his fingertips. Except fingertips. Except the most important things of all.

He couldn't feel. He couldn't touch. Though normal to the eye, inside his gloves his hands were hollow shells. What he wouldn't give to be able to run his fingers through his niece's hair, and feel it again. What he wouldn't give to feel the warmth of her hands as they hugged...

"...Stupid gadgets," he muttered, sniffing. He'd been crying for some time now; at least he was still human enough for that. Tears dripped onto his gloves, and he felt a slight tugging in his head as his hat flipped open to reveal one of his many hands, helpfully holding a tissue. It prodded his shoulder gently, offering its gift. He ignored it.

'Gadget,' he thought. ''That's all I am...gadgets. Even my name, now...' He paused, blinking away the tears. 'God, if there is a Hell, it must be like this...'


He hates his lucid moments, because then he feels the pain of what he is.

--

Sorry for the overwrought scene. I was compelled. I tried to make this piece fairly sophisticated, despite the (once again) lame background...

I wanted to see something like this done with Gadget, so I did it. I'm not too familiar with the cartoon; in the cartoon he probably can feel, but logically I don't think he'd be able to, and I think that would cause a normal person a lot of grief. Then I got to wondering whether his tendency not to notice important things could be interpreted as a defense mechanism to keep him oblivious to the full impact of the change that's been wrought on him; hence this picture. I'm not sure how I feel about the mechanical hand--it adds somewhat of an air of humor to the otherwise serious piece, so I left it in. I'm totally in favor of seeing dark/angsty Gadget, but I like the dash of the old cartoon feel with it too.
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Shockdingo's avatar

I love traditional Inspector Gadget stuff, but I LOOOOVE different, more introspective takes on him as well. Great art and story! Well done!