54. Electronic Engineers

Chapter 52 - Electronic Engineers

After the events at the Thai Temple, the two families were exhausted and decided to take a break from any more excitement. Darrel, Anne, the Plantars and Tint were ecstatic to find their next clue from Dr Jan's pot. However, they're not sure what to do next. So Anne came up with an idea what to do after a couple days of rest.

At the Boonchuy residence, Anne and Darrel were in the living room along with Tint, Sprig and Hop pop. She got her laptop from her room and placed it on the coffee table. "And now, the internet," she introduced.

She opens up the laptop like the Arc of the Coven. Bright lights filled the screen, making the amphibians gaze in wonder and glory. "It's like your personal crystal ball," said Tint. "The answers to the mysteries of the universe right at your fingertips," said Sprig. "It's an endless well of knowledge," said Hop pop. "Both useful for research and entertainment," said Darrel. "And nothing says entertainment, like cat videos," said Anne as she pushed down on the touchpad.

A barrage of cat videos began playing in front of their viewers. Their eyes sparkled and widened from the Darrel fell victim to the cuteness of cats. Suddenly, they hear a loud bang coming from the garage. Then, Polly kicked the door open, covered in grease and oil.

She gets pumped up with excitement, "Guys, guys, guys, I did it," she cried. "I fixed Frobo! Come on, check it out!" She races back into the garage, leaving the group in shock. "Fixed him?" Anne asked.

The group decides to take a look in the garage. They were most surprised with what they saw. Frobo was fitted with a washing machine filled with Christmas lights. His mechanical arm was re-attached, and Ivan just installed an arm socket for a replacement arm. Jake finished fitting Frobo with a new set of legs made from scratch. And to make sure Frobo had enough power, Polly attached wires all over his new body.

"So, what do you think?" Polly asked. "We tried as much as we could," said Ivan. "Pretty impressive, right?" Polly asked. She taps on Frobo for a touch of coolness, only to have an electric spark zap her little arm. "Impressive is one way to put it," said Anne sarcastically.

Jake tightens Frobo's fitting until it is secured. "Alright, the leg is finished," said Jake. "Great," said Polly. She jumps down and gets two socket plugs, ready to connect with each other. "You guys ready for this?"

The rest of the group was uncertain about activating Frobo. Even Jake and Ivan were worried. "Hold on, Polly. We're not ready for this kind of stuff," said Jake. "He's right," said Ivan. "We have no idea what it could do."

"I don't think you should turn him on yet," said Hop pop. "Yeah, are you sure you even know what you're doing?" Anne asked. "Of course I know what I'm doing, Anne. Everything's going to be just fine!"

Polly takes the plugs and connects them together. Preparing for the worst, the boys take cover. But so far, nothing has happened. Until Frobo activated his laser blasts from his eye sockets. The laser beam nearly hits the group and shoots through the garage door. Outside, Mr Boonchuy was excited about his package, until the laser hit it too.

Frobo kept shooting lasers, making holes in the garage. Until Darrel and Anne shut him down, disconnecting the power chords. The garage was covered with holes and soot from the lasers.

Hop pop was furious. "Polly, what were you thinking?! You could've just killed us!" "Sorry, sorry," said Polly. She hops back onto Frobo's body and opens up the hatch in his chest. "I know he's got some kinks to work out, but-"

Hop pop raises his hand and stops her. "Nu-uh," he said. "Enough of this! I forbid you from working on this robot further." "I guess we could put it on hold," said Ivan. "I second that," said Jake. "I already have one robotic arm, I don't need another one."

Polly was shocked to hear her mechanical partners siding with Hop pop. "I think we should wait until we get back to Amphibia," said Anne. "Then, we can find people who know about robots." She looks to Jake and Ivan, "No offense," "None taken," said Jake. "We hardly know anything about robotics ourselves."

Polly feels distraught, feeling outnumbered by their opinions. "I know you miss him," said Sprig. "We do too, but you just need to be patient."

"You know what I just realized," said Darrel. "What if Frobo was reactivated, would he be the same? Machines like that have default factory settings. You liked him before, but now he's damaged and deactivated. If you fixed him now, he might just be a regular robot."

"Hey, how about a new robot friend to play with," said Anne. She goes through a pile of garbage and grabs a robot bear dressed in rap clothes. "This is Teddy Lumpkins. He used to be my best friend."

The robot activates its voice chip only to sound disoriented. "I eat Eyce…" The group was startled with what the robot was saying, until. "Cream. I eat ice cream." The group sighs in relief. "Loggle would love this thing," said Anne. "I thought this would go a different way," said Darrel.

"How dare you!" Polly shouted. "Frobo can't be replaced!" She jumps out of Frobo's hatch and knocks Teddy Lumpkins out of Anne's hands. "I want to nibble your fingers, hehehe." The last quote that robot said really made the group shutter.

Tint suddenly snapped, startling everyone. "Look Polly! I get it, you miss him. But Darrel has a point. The Frobo we know is gone! Even if you fix him, you can't fix his memories or his consciousness!"

Polly didn't like the way he suddenly snapped. "Why are you so touchy?" she asked. "Because I don't want you to get your hopes up if he never comes back!" Polly gasped, "You take that back!" "Tough Luck!" Tint shouted. "He's gone, end of story!" And with that, Tint runs out the room.

The humans were concerned. "Let me go talk to him," said Darrel. He runs after Tint, closing the door behind him. "I wonder why he acted this way all of a sudden," said Jake. "Beats me," replied Ivan. "We're going to call it a day. Good to see you Anne, and good luck with your quest." Anne waves goodbye, leaving her and the Plantars alone.

"Look Polly," said Hop pop. "I'm not sure what got Tint's goat, but I'm telling you right now: Don't work on Frobo." Polly sighed, "Maybe you guys are right."

"Wow, that's surprisingly mature of you," said Anne. "Hey, can I borrow your laptop?" Polly asked. "I don't see why not," replied Anne.

Back in the living room, Darrel finds Tint in Domino's cat bed. Arms crossed, and fighting back tears. Darrel begins to think that Tint is hiding something from everyone. "You really had us scared back there," said Darrel. "Is there something bothering you?"

Tint just turns away from Darrel, facing the wall. "Tint, you're not going to feel better if you keep it to yourself," said Darrel. Suddenly, Tint perks up and thinks back to him and Cronaxx. Cronaxx said the same thing, "You're not going to feel better if you keep it to yourself,"

"Come on, Tint," said Darrel. "It's getting late, we should get home." Tint takes a deep breath and nods. Darrel takes his disguise and the two return home for the night.

At the same time, Polly was still in the garage. Cleaning up the debris from Frobo's previous activation. "Eh, I forbid you, it's too dangerous," mocked Polly. "The look on their faces still was pretty funny, huh Frobes?"

She realizes that he's still deactivated, making her disappointed again. "Oh yeah, you're still broken. But don't worry, we can fix you. I just need to educate myself." She opens Anne's laptop and prepares to learn more about robotics. "Fasten your seatbelt Frobes, we're going in."

Two hours pass and Jake and Ivan return to the Boonchuy's house. They knock on the door and Anne answers. "Hey Anne," said Jake. "Me and Ivan forgot our tools, can we fetch them?" "Sure," said Anne.

The two enter the garage to find Polly researching robotics. "Hey Polly," said Ivan. "How's the research coming along?" "It's fine," replied Polly. "But I was distracted, and had two hours of my life taken from me."

"Hey what's that?" Jake asked. "Just videos on making robots," replied Polly. "I think I know a channel that's legit and will help with your skills," said Jake. He scrolls down and sees a thumbnail of two girls who look like mechanical engineers.

"Ooh," said Polly. "IT Gals: Just two girlfriends who really love robots. Cool." Jake clicks on the thumbnail and their video pops up.

The video starts with a robotic panda, trying to take their first steps. But then it falls flat on its face. "Isn't he adorable," said one of the girls. "I just can't with that belly," said the other. "Just goes to show: Anyone can make and maintain a robot, if you have the will, the know how.." "And our step-by-step tutorial." The two girls point to another thumbnail on their video for Polly and Jake to click on. "And remember: If it doesn't compute, it's time to reboot."

"Hey Jake," said Ivan. "I found our tools." He looks on the computer screen to find the IT Gals. "Is that the IT Gals?" he asked. "You know them?" Polly asked. "Their videos helped me perfect my skill making remote controlled cars," replied Ivan.

"Well what do you say we step out of your comfort zone?" Jake asked. "I could go for another video," replied Ivan. "Let's do it," said Polly.

The three engineers start watching the IT Gals robotics tutorial videos to increase their knowledge in robotics and engineering. As they watch the tutorials, they use their knowledge to repair their robotic subject. As long as they don't turn him on.

After another hour of hard work, Polly, Ivan, and Jake make modifications and repairs to the handmade robot. Frobo's newly made left arm is modified to look like his right arm. His legs are covered with cosmetic stickers.

Back at the video, the IT Gals conclude with a reminder. "You've heard from us. Now we want to hear from you." "Chime in down below in the comments."

"Interesting query, ladies," said Polly. "Okay, I think that's it," said Ivan. "This robot looks better than before," said Jake. "I think we're just about finished," said Polly as she takes out her remote and pushes the red button.

But after a few seconds, nothing happens. "Why aren't you turning on?!" Polly complained. "Polly, it's okay," said Jake. "It might need a power source of some kind." "But what kind of power source?" Polly asked. "I'm not sure," said Ivan. "But I think I know someone who might."

They use Anne's computer to connect with the IT Gals, Jess and Ally, using an app called Vroom. The Gals connect to the call, and meet Polly, Ivan, and Jake. "Hello." "How's it going?"

"Hi," said Polly. "My name's Polly, and the two behind me are Ivan and Jake." "Hi there," said Jake. "Huge fan of your videos," said Jake.

"Anyway," said Polly. "I have a bit of a robotics issue." The two IT Gals see the robot from behind them and gaze with wonder. "Oh My Gosh!" "Is that a robot?" "He's beautiful." Then, their Panda bot appears on screen to get a good look. However, they push their creation out of the way. "Tell us everything."

"Well he had a bit of an accident," said Polly. "I think we've done a pretty sweet job of putting him back together, but he just isn't powering on." "Well what are you using as a power source?" Ally asked. "She pretty much used batteries from the tv remote," said Ivan.

Thankfully the girls knew what the problem was. "Oh no. That'll never be enough," said Ally. "You could try a battery module with a compatible connector and corresponding voltage," said Jess. Ally takes out her phone and shows the trio an image of the power source they were talking about. "Like the kind they put in those creepy animatronic children's toys," she said.

Polly looks over to the Teddy Lumpkins doll and smirks. "I think I've got just the thing." But she soon realizes that Jake and Ivan were still behind her. "As much as we like to go further," said Ivan. "We just can't risk any more damages."

"Of course," said Ally. "I'd advise you guys not to turn him on in your garage." "Yeah," said Jess. "You need to be in a big space like a warehouse, and have tons of fire extinguishers. That thing looks like it's capable of a lot of output."

"I'll say it again," warned Ally. "Do not do this at home." "If you guys want, we can help you run a space," said Jess. "You'd do that for us?" Jake asked. "Of course," replied Jess. "I mean it'll take a couple of weeks, but-"

"Okay girls," Polly interrupted. "I'll take that into consideration, bye!" Polly ends the call leaving the four humans stunned. "Do you think she's going to turn that thing on?" Ally asked Jess. "Oh yeah," replied Jess.

"Polly what gives?" Ivan asked. "They said they can help us run a space. We should take up that offer." "That'll take a long time," said Polly. "Let's get him powered up now!" "Now listen up Polly," said Jake. "Those girls are professional robotics. They know what to expect, so if you do this they'll see a damaged garage."

"It's time we put our feet down," said Ivan. "We're holding off on Frobo until we get their help. Either that, or we're out of here." Polly was stunned, she wanted to get her robotic friend back, and the only helping hands she has are threatening to leave her to do this by herself.

Not wanting to abandon her work, she opens the garage and kicks the two humans out. She throws out their tools as well. "Thank you for your help, I'll take it from here. Bye!" Polly closes the garage feeling stunned.

At the Loyalitat household, Tint was resting up while Darrel was looking out the window. He looks up to the moon, and envisions the red glow from the moon in Amphibia. "Hard to believe I almost forgot the color of our moon," said Darrel.

Suddenly, Tint wakes up with a terrible feeling. "Darrel, something's wrong," he said. "What is it?" Darrel asked. "We've got to get back to Anne's place." The two rush down the stairs and make their way to the Boonchuy house.

At the same time, Anne, Hop pop, and Sprig were watching a series of galactic movies in numerical order. "I still can't believe you guys like the prequels more," she said. "Look Anne, we just watch them in order with no context," said Sprig. "You can't blame us for not having nostalgia," said Hop pop.

Polly rushes in, feeling excited. "I did it!" she cried. "I fixed him!" Jake and Ivan rush in through the front door. "Polly! Don't!" they cried. "We're not ready!"

Anne, Sprig, and Hop pop were surprised, "I thought you were looking at cat videos," said Anne. "Gosh dang it, Polly. You outfoxed me again." "There was deception, yes," said Polly. "But we got help on the internet, and now if I press this button, he'll be back! Yay, Right?"

The others were stern with disapproval. "NO! No yay!" Shouted Ivan. "Didn't I forbid you guys from working on him?" Hop pop asked. "To be fair, we only wanted to customize him," said Jake. "We know it's too dangerous for something like this."

"People shouldn't mess with things they don't understand," said Hop pop. "My hair was still singed from the last time Polly knew what she was doing," said Sprig gesturing his fingers. "What if you turn him on this time, and he blows off your legs?" Anne asked. "I mean you just got your legs. It's awesome that you fixed him, but we have to wait until we get back to Amphibia to turn him on, just to be safe."

"And like I said," said Darrel as he entered the front door. "You may have fixed him, but you won't get the same Frobo you befriended before. That's gone." Tint walks in front of him. "I say we turn him on where we can't cause any more damage to the house," he said. "Second it," said Hop pop. "Third," said Sprig.

"All in favor?" Darrel asked as he raised his hand. The rest of them follow suit, making Polly really upset. "I don't believe this! After all the work I've done, and all the help you provided, and how much I missed him. You all want to leave him dead?!"

"Look Polly," said Tint. "I just don't want you to go through with this." He takes a deep breath. "When I snapped at you earlier, it's because I know life doesn't work that way. You can't bring back the dead, even if you have all the magic in the world." He sniffles starting to show tears in his eyes.

Polly wouldn't have any of his voice of reason. "Well who needs you all?!" She races back into the garage and locks the door. The group tries to stop her, but have trouble getting inside. Polly wasn't going to wait another minute. She believes that her robotic friend was just a push of a button from being reactivated.

"I ain't waiting another second to see my best friend again," she said. She pushes the button, turning on the power cords charging the robot. The power surge causes a temporary blackout. All the electricity surges through the robot's circuits, until finally Frobo opens his eyes.

His eyes glowed blue and said, "Startup engaged. Model F0-R1, factory settings restored." Polly jumps up into Frobo's face to get his attention "Frobo, is that you? It's me, Polly."

However, Darrel was right. Reactivating Frobo initiated the factory default settings. "Username not recognized," said Frobo. "Will now attempt to make contact with headquarters. A higher vantage point is necessary."

Frobo initiates his rocket launchers from his hands and flies through the roof of the garage. Polly was holding on for dear life, and the others attempted to follow it from the ground. "Hang on, Polly!" Hop pop cried out with his disguise on. "Oh no, look," said Anne. "She actually did it," said Darrel.

Up in the sky, Frobo's booster engines continue to burn until they shut off. "Booster malfunction detected," said Frobo. "Oh that can't be good," said Polly. The two start falling from the sky as a result.

Down below, the group watches in horror as Polly falls from the sky. Just then, the IT Gals arrive on their scooter. "Hey, do you guys know Polly?" Jess asked "Little kid, has a tail, builds a crazy robot?" The group points up showing them what Polly has done. "Oh my gosh!" They cried.

Polly falls with tears in her eyes. "Frobo! We're in big trouble!" She gets in Frobo's face one last time, and realizes that Darrel and Tint were right with what they were trying to say. She may have fixed Frobo, but his personality wasn't there anymore. She gets into his face one last time and said, "Please! It's me, Polly! You've got to remember. Oh Frobo, I just missed you so much. And now we're both going to die. I'm so sorry!"

Polly's tear crawls down into Frobo's robotic hull. Inside his central mainframe, Polly's tear causes a spark inside, showing him memories of him and Polly. Frobo's eyes go from blue to his normal yellow eyes, bringing back his personality.

"Po-Polly," he said. Polly snaps out of her sadness and sees her mechanical friend again. "Frobo, you're back! Yay!" The two see that they're still falling to the ground, and Frobo comes up with an idea.

He takes Polly and stuffs her in his washing machine compartment. He uses his malfunctioning rocket boosters to slow them down from falling at a fast pace. He slams into a tree, then the Boonchuy's roof, and finally the backyard, making a crater in the process.

The group finds Polly dazed and surprised in the crater. "I found her," said Sprig. "She's okay." "Oh thank goodness," said Jake. "Oh thank Frog," said Hop pop. Polly opens her eyes back to Frobo, who is back to being bits and pieces after saving her life.

"You guys were right," she sobbed. "I was so impatient with bringing him back to life that I killed him all over again. I'm sorry Tint, I should've listened to you. Now, I'm crying for him again."

But Jake and Ivan spotted something. "Hey Polly, is that your friend?" Ivan asked. "Po-Polly," said a familiar robotic voice. The gang was surprised, Frobo was reactivated. He may have lost his body, but his head is still functioning.

Polly was relieved, "Frobo! You big lovable lug! I'll fix you right this time, and be slow and careful. No matter how much I missed ya." Tint smiled, "It doesn't matter if you can't fix his body. His personality is all that matters in life." "He's right," said Darrel. "The body may be different, but the Frobo is still the same."

"Sturdy." "Impressive," said the IT Gals. Their eyes sparkled in wonder. "His hard drive is still in one piece," said Jake. "I think next time, we just need to tune the PID controllers," said Jess. "Wait, we as in the five of us together?" Ivan asked. "Of course," said Ally. "So about that PID controllers," said Polly. "They could help with his latitudinal and longitudinal stability…"

"Wow, Polly really got into this computer stuff, huh," said Anne. "With all the knowledge she's going to get in this world and Amphibia, she's going to make great robots," said Darrel. Tint smiled, "Maybe we should take a lesson from her and use the interweb to educate ourselves too."

The group thought for a second until Sprig spoke up, "Cat videos?" "Cat videos," said the four friends. The group danced to another cat video out of impulse. "Ain't that cute," said Hop pop. Mr Boonchuy comes outside and screams, "AAAHH! THE BACKYARD!"