Forte was a couple of meters away from the kitchen when he heard a muffled "KABLAMF" and saw a cloud of white coming out of the doorway. He picked up his pace, running the last few steps as he heard an exasperated voice say, "Crash, you are not helping. Gimme that." As he peered in past the rubble of the kitchen door, Forte thought for a minute his optics must be malfunctioning. Everything was white. The counters, the floor, the various kitchen appliances, the angry-looking robot masters, and a guilty-looking Crash Man were all covered in off-white dust, the source of which had apparently been the remains of the flour bag that Star Man was holding.
"I was just trying to..." the bomb-handed robot started.
"Crash, did anyone ask you to open the flour?" Star Man asked.
"But I..."
"No, I told you to hold the flour."
"But you..."
"Just don't touch anything else, okay?" Ignoring the glare coming from Crash Man, the orange robot asked, "Hey, Gyro, did you find the baking soda?" The propellered robot waved an orange box in response. "Okay, good. Sugar?"
"Over here!" Quick Man yelled.
"Butter?"
"We got it!" Gemini Man called from the far left corner.
"We also got the chocolate chips," shouted his clone from the far right.
"Eggs? Who was getting eggs?"
"I got them," Burst Man said. He wound back his arm, pretending to wind up for a throw. "Catch!" He then laughed as Star Man ducked. "Gotcha."
"Ha ha, very funny. Vanilla?"
Top Man skated by Star Man and thrust the bottle into his hands.
"Salt?"
"Yo," Wave Man said, holding up a salt shaker.
"All right, that just leaves nuts. Where are the nuts?"
"Look in the mirror, doofus," Forte muttered.
"Good one," a voice from somewhere around his elbow quietly said.
Forte glanced down. "Ice Man, you're here to bake?"
"Nah, I'm here to watch these loons. It's not like there's anything else to do around here."
"You're telling me."
"Nuts? C'mon, guys, who was supposed to find them?" Star Man asked impatiently.
Nobody responded. Then, off in the distance, they heard the clanking sound of metal feet approaching. Snake Man ran in, a bag in each hand. "Sorry it took me so long," the reptilian robot said. "I figured you might want some bolts to go with the nuts." He dropped the bags on the counter, then upended them, dumping out an assortment of small metal parts.
"All right," Star Man said, grinning. "We're all set. Now, how are we going to chop these nuts?"