Of Sponges and Sea Stars

It was another beautiful day in Bikini Bottom. The city was bustling, the scallops were chirping, the scary factory was billowing smoke...wait, scary factory?! Yes, it seems that a new factory had just appeared overnight in the outskirts of the city. None of the citizens had any idea how it got there, what it was making or why the heck it was so smelly. But most of the fish weren't too bothered by the new facility; they had work to do today. Like delivering Krabby Patties.

Spongebob Squarepants was driving along the road with a small red wagon in tow stacked almost to the surface with the famous greasy food from the Krusty Krab. Next to him sat his best friend in the whole ocean Patrick Star, who was fiddling with the radio.
"And now, a blast from the past," the speakers crackled. "'Musical Doodle'!"
Doo doo da-doo doo doo doo-doo doo doo!
Doo doo da-doo doo doo doo-doo doo doo!
Screaming in horror, Spongebob quickly shut off the radio. Patrick scowled at him, "Hey, I was listening to that!"

"But Patrick, don't you remember the last time I listened to that song?" the sponge tried to explain fearfully. "I got the Earworm and went bonkers...or at least that's what Sandy told me."
The sea star rolled his eyes. "Aw geez, calm down Spongebob, that was like...uh...when did that happen? Anyway I just want to listen to some music, that's all!"
Then Spongebob grinned hugely as an idea came to mind. "Wait a minute. What if instead of listening to blasts from the past, we could sing blasts from the past!"

"Uh, don't we need a time machine for that?"
"Just follow my lead." Spongebob then cleared his throat and sang,
I'm a Goofy Goober yeah! You're a Goofy Goober yeah!
We're all Goofy Goobers yeah! Goofy Goofy Goobers Goobers yeah!

Patrick bellowed with laughter. "Thank Neptune for singing!" And he joined in with his best friend.
I'm a Goofy Goober yeah! You're a Goofy Goober yeah!
We're all Goofy Goobers yeah! Goofy Goofy Goobers Goobers yeah!
They continued to bounce and sing to the beat of the funny peanut theme until they finally reached the thick metal gates of the scary factory.

Spongebob looked around the gate, located a large red button and pressed it. The doors slide open to reveal a big robot that had a tire wheel for a body, a squarish head with a brown mustache and steel burly arms. If any other fish had seen this robot, they would've figured out that something was very wrong and swim away in terror with their tail fins between their legs. But Spongebob was not most fish (er, sponge).

"Good afternoon, sir!" the sponge greeted with a smile. "We've got your Krabby Patty takeout order for guys! All 3,000,287 of them!"
The wheel robot gazed up at the tall order with its red eyes. Its internal hardware did a quick calculation and concluded that yes, there were 3,000,287 Krabby Patties in total.

Although the robot didn't look impressed, Spongebob continued, "Each one of these scrump-dillyicious patties had been lovingly made by me. They are my pride and joy. Mostly joy!"
"Ooh! Ooh!" Patrick spoke up with a bounce. He wanted to get some of that pride action too. "And I did the washing up! It's my pride and joy!"
"But Patrick you hardly do any real cleaning, even at your own house," the sponge whispered to him.
"Well, you have your pride and joy, and I've got mine."

Paying no attention to the friends, the wheel robot rolled up to Spongebob and picked him up. "Are you guys having a party?" the sponge asked as he was lifted aside. "Like a few hundred friends coming over to stay for a year or two? This has been the largest order of Krabby Patties in the history of the Krusty Krab, ya know."
The robot didn't answer him. Instead it drug out a large black tube in hand and hovered the end at the bottom of the leaning tower of Krabby Patties. Without hesitation it flipped a switch on the tube, turning it into a vacuum, and began sucking the patties through it.

Spongebob gasped, "Gah-hey! What are you doing to those precious Krabby Patties?! Stop it!" He quickly leapt up and started jumping up and down on the robot. He might as well been a flea trying to get a elephant's attention.
Patrick was just as furious. "Hey! My best friend Spongebob cooked each and every one of those great patties with his own hands!" He looked at his hands for dramatic effect. "Wearing his own square pants!" He pulled up his own pants for the same thing.

As he talked the robot continued to vacuum up the patties as Spongebob continued to stomp on it (again, flea vs. elephant). Seeing that the mechanical menace wasn't getting the hint, Patrick stood in front of it and snarled, "If you don't want to eat them, the least you can is-"
Suddenly, with no more Krabby Patties to suck up, the next thing to go into the tube was the boat...along with Patrick. Thrown from the robot, Spongebob was upside down when he saw his best friend being vacuumed up.

"Patrick! NOOO!" he cried out. By the time he flipped back up the robot had rolled away with the tube and closed the gates. The undeterred sponge rushed up to the entrance. "I've got to get in there and rescue my best friend!" he exclaimed with fierce determination. After scanning the area, he realized that it would be easier said than done; the walls were too high and smooth to climb up and there was no button to open the gates. "But how? HOW?"

Just as Spongebob was thinking about how he would break in, he heard a monotone voice from a loudspeaker. "Defective Work Unit 825," it beeped as it dropped another tube over the gate, this time made of steel. It also so happened to be over the pondering sponge.
"Reject." The tube suddenly spat out a variety of metal ware of various shapes and sizes. Spongebob felt each one of them bounce off of his spongy head.
"That's gonna give me a headache," he groaned in a ditsy tone.

He was rubbing his sore head when the speaker squawked again, "Now don't forget to call when you are repaired and ready to work again. Have a nice day."
"Lemme rephrase that," Spongebob suddenly brightened, looking at the mechanical pile around him. "That's gonna give me an idea!"

How long is this gonna take? Spongebob thought as he waited patiently at the gate in his disguise. After several minutes of scrounging around for parts, the sponge was able to craft a metal helmet and shoes for himself. He hoped for Neptune's sake that it would work just long enough for him to sneak in, get Patrick and sneak back out. When he saw a large, green robotic eye flex out on its metal stalk and stare at him, he crossed his fingers (for Neptune's sake).

"Ah! Work Unit 825!" the same voice droned from the speaker once more as the eye, well, eyed Spongebob. "Feeling better now?"
The sponge wasn't sure how robots would respond to other robots, so he just nodded while twitching his arms in a mechanical way and hoped that would be enough.
It was. "Good!" chirped the speaker. "Welcome back!" Suddenly the same metal tube appeared and sucked Spongebob up into the factory.

Spongebob wasn't sure how long he was flying through the tube; maybe a minute? Half minute? But that wasn't important. What mattered most was rescuing Patrick from those crazy Krabby Patty-sucking lug-nuts. Suddenly the sponge bounced onto the floor, finally arriving inside the factory. He slowly stood up and inspected his surroundings.

The facility was even bigger on the inside than on the outside. Hundreds of wheel bots, looking just like the first one Spongebob met, rolled about on the floor while others stood guard near generators and steel doors. But was struck the sponge most was there was a huge assembly line manufacturing thousands of stuffed animals, action figures and various knick-knacks.

"Wow," Spongebob mused quietly. "So this is what the factory was making." But he had to snap out of it. "Get a hold of yourself, Spongebob. You're not here for a tour, you're here to rescue."
"Say again, Unit?" someone asked him in a raspy voice that froze the sponge in his tracks. One of the wheel bots was staring at him suspiciously; it wasn't like the other Units to talk to themselves, if they ever talked at all.
Spongebob gulped but tried to keep calm. "Uh, I mean..." He cleared his throat to make it as mechanical as he could. "I said that I rescued a toy that had almost been sent to the incinerator."

Seeing that the wheel bot wasn't buying it, Spongebob discretely extended his arm to one of the assembly lines and grabbed the first thing he touched, which was actually quite fluffy. He then contracted his said arm and hid it behind him before presenting it to the bot.
"Here he is," Spongebob droned on, "this cute little guy."
And indeed it was cute; the toy that the sponge had grabbed was a purple teddy bear with a toothy smile. The wheel bot cocked its head and said, "Ah, Teddy-nator #3890. Assistance appreciated. Carry on."

With a robotic salute, Spongebob stiffenly marched past the bot with the teddy under his arm. When he was far enough away from it the sponge dashed between two of the toy generators. That was too close, he thought to himself. Spongebob you've gotta be more careful; these robots mean business. Discreetly peeking out of the cranny the sponge scanned the floor for Patrick, but couldn't spot him. Either the bots had trapped the sea star in another location or they had already carted him off to the inciner-

No, no, no, no! Don't even think about that, Sponge! the sponge shook his square head fiercely. Patrick's gonna be okay. He's just gotta be somewhere, that's all. If only I could turn invisible so none of the robots could find me, or walk through the walls, or fly-
Spongebob froze as it hit him like a train. Feeling his spongy heart starting to pound, the sponge dug into his pocket and pulled out a strange device that didn't look like it was from his world. Which it wasn't.

"I can't walk through walls, disappear, or fly," he mumbled as he stared at the Recaller with determination. "But I know someone who can."

So many video games to play, so little time. At least that's what Danny Fenton was thinking as he and his two best friends were walking home from school in Amity Park. The beautiful day seemed to be begging them to enjoy the warm sun, but the teens had been planning for this great montage of MMORPGs, platforming and shoot 'em ups for days. It didn't help that they had purchased a new set of games that promised all those things and more.

Tucker Foley had his head buried in just one of the many cheat sheets he had brought with him. "Man, this day can't get any better. We've got 'Redead: Dead and Gone' for the V-Cube, 'Zombigeddon' for the 3LS and 'Doom 3' for the computer. And with this cheat sheet, I'll smoke everyone before they had a chance to push a button."
"Everyone except the guys who sold those cheats to you," Sam Manson pointed out to him. "You're not the only one with those codes, ya know?"
"Yeah I know. So that's why I'll get to them first!"

Danny raised an eyebrow at his beret wearing friend. "Do you even know what they'll look like in the games?"
"Well, there's probably like two guys running around with the Obsidian Armor of Bastion, one of the first cheats they could use in 'Doom 3'," Tucker explained as the group headed up the stairs and entered the teen's house. "I'll pick them out, hopefully before they pick me clean."
Sam looked at him with an incredulous smile. "You've got an answer for everything lately, huh Tuck?"
"Hey, it's just one of the many free services I provide."

Shaking his head as the group stopped in the living room, Danny couldn't help but admire his best friend's technical know-how and insights to all things gaming. Two such things that have gotten him outta jams many times before. If only he could keep his mouth shut sometimes...
"Hey, Danny," Tucker asked him, snapping the teen out of his thoughts. "What kind of mini taco do ya want? Pork or beef?"
"What are you talking about?"
The techno geek dug into his backpack and pulled out the said greasy frozen food. "I've got 4 of both kinds. They're the perfect snacks for gaming."

Sam lifted her lip up in disgust when she noticed how...unfrozen they looked. "Ew, how long have you had those things in there?"
"Since lunch, though I guess the summer heat did do a number on them. I'm sure they'll taste fine after they're microwaved." With that said Tucker disappeared into the kitchen.
"And this is why I always pack my own snacks," the goth smiled as she retrieved a simple red fruit. "An apple a day keeps the grease and high cholesterol away."
Danny replied, "I'll say," as he turned on the TV. The channel had been set on the news network, which was covering an unusual yet somehow familiar story.

"As of now we have no idea what this mysterious factory has been producing, or how it arrived so suddenly," Harriet Chin reported, the sight of the strange facility just behind her on top of a grassy hill. "All attempts to interview the owners or workers have been met without a response. There have also been reports of strange robots on wheels patrolling the factory although these remain unconfirmed. We will continue to update you on new information."

The goth rolled her eyes after the channel was turned to the V-Cube channel. "There's nothing mysterious about it. It's still a environmental hazard!"
Danny wasn't too sure. "That's weird," he mumbled, "I didn't see anything new being built there or the news reporting on it before. A factory just can't appear overnight...can it?"
"I'm no architect, but I'm guessing no."
The two teens turned the news over and over in their minds but couldn't come to a conclusion. Maybe there was something new and they just didn't notice it; it had been a busy week, what with all the ghost fighting and school work and today's gaming day.

"Well, whatever. It's probably not too big of a deal...," Danny shrugged.
Sam deadpanned as she crunched on her apple. "Yeah, because the environment can definitely handle another chemical spewing, climate changing factory."
"...Yeeah, you make the protest sign and I'll set up the V-Cube," he said to Sam as he walked past her and up the stairs. Once he entered his room, the teen scourged underneath his bed for the gaming system. He had just brought it out when he froze. Something sounding like a high pitched cellphone jingle was ringing somewhere in his room. That's weird, he thought. I thought I left my phone in my backpack.

Glancing over on his desk he saw his gift from an interdimmentional friend chirping and flashing. A memory suddenly flashed in his mind, bringing him back to a time when he had joined up with three incredible heroes to save the worlds...a time when he had formed a strong bond with those heroes...a time when he joined the ranks as one of the great heroes of the multiverse...it was a great time.

On instinct the teen reached over and clicked on the Recaller. "Hello?" he spoke into the speaker.
"Danny? Is that you?" a squeaky voice answered frantically. "Oh thank Neptune it's you! Listen, meandPatrickweredelivering
KrabbyPattiesandthenthisrobotsuckedupallthepattiesandthenitgrabbedPatickand-"
The teen tried to calm his spongy friend. "Whoa, whoa, slow down Spongebob. Could you tell me that again and not use run on sentences?"

In a larger portion of the toy factory, a wheel bot was taking stock of the purple teddy bears that were lined up in hundreds of rows. After a few seconds of calculation, the robot pressed a button on the side of his head, presumably where is 'ear' was located.
"All Teddy-nators accounted," it droned. "Activate Calamitous Signal."
Suddenly a large metal coil antenna appeared from an opening in the middle of the toy army. A red light on its top lit up and a strange noiseless signal vibrated through the area.

The wheel bot watched as all of the smiling teddy bears' eyes changed from black to red and their mouths cracked into evil smiles.
"All Teddy-nators ready for battle," it crackled. "Operation 'Toy Takeover' initiated."

"And that's what happened," Spongebob wrapped up his story. "So I thought if we team up, with my kah-rah-tae and your ghostly powers, we can save Patrick."
He heard his half-ghost friend speak up for the first time since the sponge began his story. "Alright, I'm on my way, Spongebob. You show me where the factory is and I'll swoop in and get Pat-"
"Uh, Danny? I'm kinda already inside."
"...wait, I thought you said that Patrick was taken, not you."

As Spongebob sheepishly began to explain, the toy bear in his hand slowly turned its head towards him. The oblivious sponge noticed the odd behavior just before the Teddi-nator's grin turned vile and it's eyes lit up with red.
"Ahdahhawa?" Spongebob could only choke out before the bear bot leapt out of his arm and landed in front of him. With a swipe of its paw from behind its back, the toy revealed a very large plastic hammer. Where it got that said hammer was beyond the sponge but that wasn't his thought at the time.

The Teddi-nator swung up its hammer preparing to turn the sponge into a nice spongy pancake, but Spongebob quickly jumped out of the way. Leaving a crater where the sponge should've been, the toy bear just glared at the sponge before rushing in for another attack. By this point Spongebob was sprinting across the factory floor, screaming in terror. He didn't take heed to his costume falling off that revealed himself.

One of the wheel bots took notice of the sponge and immediately started blasting, "INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT!" over the loudspeakers. At the same time more Teddi-nators began to appear, some wielding the same giant hammers. Spongebob skidded to a stop as he was dumbfounded by the shear number of evil toys that had appeared.

As the toys began to close in on him, Spongebob heard his friend's voice over his Recaller. "Spongebob? Where are you?"
"In deep trouble," the sponge answered fearfully.

Cliffhanger alert! Also if there's anything you would like me to improve, please let me know!