Chapter 15: Pinocchio Part 1
With only two weeks before Christmas, Thomas was out shopping for his family. It was an almost unbelievable experience for the teen, after all this was the first time Thomas was shopping for the sisters he recently got and parents he thought he would ever get back. Thomas had left Wilbur at home to recharge as he still needed to figure out how to make a longer lasting battery for his new little friend. He'd used a few laptop batteries and the existing drone one to cobble together a power source which could keep the little gadget running for a few hours at most. While he wouldn't've minded having the companion out and about with him he had decided against it-both due to the short battery life and the potential stares-After all, their world is a decade behind mine, seeing this kind of tech might raise a few questions… Thomas looked at a few shops and found some things that his sisters might like and even some things he knew his parents would love.
He grabbed things for Stripe and his family, and even though Thomas didn't know much about Uncle Rad and Aunt Frisky-only having a very brief conversation with them after returning from the college fiasco-he got them some things he hoped they would like. Now having gathered what he needed for Christmas presents, Thomas sat down inside a cafe and grabbed a coffee. He looked at his phone and launched the app that he created to activate Wilbur, as he was fully charged and Thomas figured the little guy could use some stimuli.
Wilbur woke up and started to hover above his charging port.
"How may I be of service Thomas?" Wilbur asked while connecting wirelessly to Thomas's phone, a small spinning icon turning green to indicate that the sync had worked.
"Hey Wilbur, can you check on the family for me? I'll be home soon and I have a few upgrades for you." Thomas said as he took a drink of his coffee.
"Oh, of course!" Wilbur said as he hovered out of Thomas's room and went down the hall. Wilbur then looked in Bandit's study and found the adult Blue Heeler working at his desk on his laptop doing emails. "It seems Bandit is answering work related emails. Do you need me to access those emails?" Wilbur asked as he hovered near the door of the study.
"Access my emails?! Don't you dare!" Bandit said, looking at Wilbur. Thomas chuckled upon hearing his father.
"Sorry Dad! He's still learning!" Thomas announced through Wilbur's speaker.
Bandit grumbled indistinctly as he held his computer away from Wilbur, wanting to keep it as far as he could from it.
"Sorry Bandit, I will not access those emails." Wilbur said. He turned and moved on from the study.
Wilbur then went downstairs and saw Chilli cleaning the window. "Chilli is doing daily housework; may I be service of Chilli?" Wilbur asked the Red Heeler.
"Sure!" Chilli said as she looked around to see what the little drone could do for her. "Can you reach those cobwebs up there for me?" Chilli asked as she pointed to where the cobwebs were.
"Certainly!" Wilbur said as he hovered up to the area of which Chilli had told him. Wilbur extended his little mechanical arm to knock the cobwebs down.
"Thank you Wilbur, that helps a lot." Chilli said with a smile.
"You are very welcome Chilli." Wilbur said while hovering next to Chilli. "Is there any other way I can be of service for you Chilli?" Wilbur asked, still hovering next to her.
"No Wilbur, I'm actually finished for the day. But you can see what Bluey and Bingo are doing in the backyard if you would like." Chilli said as she sat down on the couch.
"Certainly. I shall check on the young Missus Bluey and Bingo." Wilbur said as he started to hover over to the open window.
"Okay Wilbur I'm on my way home now, I'll see you soon. Call me if anything goes wrong, okay?" Thomas said to his drone.
"Certainly Thomas, I will see you when you return home." Wilbur said now outside of the house.
Thomas ended the connection, the green icon now turning red as he closed the app and got up from the table where he'd been having his coffee and started to head home.
Wilbur found Bluey and Bingo playing on the trampoline. "Hello Bluey, Hello Bingo." Wilbur said while hovering over them.
"Hi Wilbur!" They both said with smiles.
"Thomas said you were charging in his room earlier. Are you fully charged now Wilbur?" Bluey asked, looking at the drone.
"I am now at 98 percent since being fully charged, which gives me 4.8 hours of battery life. Thomas will add upgrades as soon as he returns home." Wilbur explained with a blink.
"That's good." Bingo said with a smile.
"It is very good." Wilbur said.
Bluey then noticed a book in their yard. "Huh? What's that?" Bluey said getting off the trampoline. Bingo and Wilbur then followed Bluey and she looked at the book.
"It's a book." Bingo said as she and Bluey circled it.
Wilbur scanned the book. "Pinocchio, first written by Carlo Collodi on July 7, 1881. The tale is about a wooden puppet named Pinocchio created by a wood carver named Gepetto." Wilbur explained.
"Dad's read us this book before, but ours looks a bit different than this one." Bluey said looking at her sister.
"Yeah he has... But why is this book outside?" Bingo asked, looking at her sister.
"My scans show high levels of cosmic energy coming from the book, the same kind of energy that comes from the southern lights and Thomas's genetic mutation." Wilbur warned. "I advise we use caution."
"But it's just a book." Bluey said as she went and grabbed it.
"Bluey I don't think you should-" Before Bingo could finish, Bluey opened the book and suddenly the two Heeler pups were sucked into the storybook leaving Wilbur behind.
"Oh no." Was all the little drone could say. Wilbur called Thomas with an Emergency distress signal.
Somewhere Else…
Bluey felt woozy, like when she'd had to get her tooth pulled and they used that funny gas at the dentist's office. She squinted her eyes; it was brighter than it had been a minute before. The sun was streaming down from a bright blue sky and puffy white clouds were lazily drifting about. She slowly stood up, pushing herself off the ground. The book was still there, as well as a human girl in an orange dress.
"Are you okay?" Bluey asked, unsure of how to address the stranger.
"Bluey?" The girl mumbled, turning over to face her. The girl blinked. "You're not Bluey."
"Yes I am." Bluey declared, crossing her arms. Wait, why are my arms so smooth? She looked down to show that she had no fur, instead she had tannish skin, a shade or so lighter than Thomas' when he was a human. "Bingo?" She asked, looking at the younger girl.
"Bluey, we're humans, like Thomas!" Bingo declared. She tried to wag her tail in excitement to realize that she didn't have one. She frowned slightly at that discovery.
"We've got to go tell mum and dad!" Bluey said, jumping up and turning toward the house. Only, the house wasn't there. In fact, there weren't really any houses she could see. They were in a meadow and there was a worn dirt path leading over the next hill, but aside from that there wasn't anything else around to see. Bluey paused a moment, looking back at the book on the ground. After some thought she came to a conclusion.
"Bingo, I think we're in the storybook."
"Touch the book again. It's how we got here, so it can take us home, right?" Bingo asked.
Bluey reached for the book and picked it up. The sky didn't change, they didn't feel any movement. Here it was seemingly just an ordinary book.
"Bluey, how are we going to get home?" Bingo asked, worriedly looking around at the unfamiliar surroundings.
"I don't know. But remember what mum and dad say, if we get lost we need to stay put. Wilbur was near us, he can tell them and they and Thomas can figure something out."
"Okay…"
Bluey sighed, sitting down, "Hey, maybe we can describe each other to take our minds off everything. I've never seen myself as a human before and neither have you."
Okay." Bingo nodded.
"I'll go first." Bluey said, standing back up to walk around her newly primate sister. "Well, you've got kinda reddish-brown hair, like mum's fur over her right eye. And you have hazel eyes. And you have lots of freckles all over." She stopped in front of her little sister, "And you're wearing a dress kinda like that one that Alice wears in that Wonderland book, it's all puffy. Only yours is orange."
"Oh! Let me do you now!" Bingo said as she stood up. "Um, you have black hair. Like, really black, like Chloe's spots, and it's sorta puffy-like Thomas' when he's human… And you have no freckles, and you have blue eyes…" She stepped back, "And you're wearing a pretty dress too, like mine I guess; only yours is blue."
"It feels weird not having fur." Bluey said, again rubbing her arm.
"No wonder Thomas always wears clothes when he's a human. I imagine it'd be cold without them." Bingo noted.
After a moment's pause Bluey spoke again. "Well, what do you want to do now? It might take a while for mum and dad and Thomas to get here."
"I dunno." Bingo looked at the book. "Maybe we could read the story?"
"I'll try, but I don't know a lot of big words yet." Bluey admitted, after all she was only just starting reading on her own.
"Just try your best. I don't mind."
"Okay." Bluey smiled as she motioned for her sister to sit next to her on the ground beside the path, she opened the book and flipped to the first page. "Once upon a time there was a piece of wood. It was not an expensive piece of wood. Far from it. Just a common block of firewood…"
Back in Australia
Thomas' phone blared an emergency alert, earning him a couple of looks from people on the bus. He sheepishly grinned and pulled out his phone jabbing at it to try and silence the noise. As soon as he did it started again. Thomas contorted his face into a tight frown as he pulled on the cord to request a stop. A moment later he stepped off the bus, apologizing as he took his packages with him. As soon as he was alone he answered the alert.
"Wilbur, what's going on? You sent me two emergency alerts in a row. This had better be something really big."
"Thomas! Your sisters are gone."
Thomas looked around him and saw no one else nearby. "I'll be there in a minute Wilbur, go tell mum and dad." He hung up and blipped into the living room, dropping his bags on the floor.
"Well, you're home early." Bandit said with a smile, pouring himself some juice from the fridge.
"Dad, Wilbur says the girls are missing. Find mum, we need to figure out what happened." Thomas explained, running to try and find Wilbur.
Bandit's eyes bulged slightly as he choked on his juice. He swallowed and put the glass on the counter. He nodded in reply to Thomas' earlier remark and started searching for Chilli.
It wasn't long until the three converged in the upstairs family room, Chilli following Wilbur and Bandit and Thomas each arriving a moment later.
"What's going on? Thomas said that Wilbur says the girls are missing." Bandit asked, a clear worry spreading across his face.
Chilli looked at Wilbur, "Tell them what you told me."
Wilbur dipped slightly up and down, mimicking a nod. "I saw Bluey and Bingo in the backyard on the trampoline. After a brief discussion the two noticed a book on the ground. Despite my warning Bluey opened it and it appears as though the girls may have been transported by the book with the same kind of cosmic energy that caused Thomas' arrival."
"So, where are they, then?" Bandit asked. "They can't have actually gone into a book… Right?"
"Affirmative." Wilbur replied. "The book is not a dimension in itself; rather I speculate that it is a portal or trigger to cause transportation to another dimension."
"So, to recap, my daughters are trapped in an unknown alternate dimension?" Bandit asked, on the verge of hyperventilating.
"Bandit, your blood pressure is rising rapidly while your oxygen levels are decreasing. Please refrain from breathing in this manner, as it may cause you to lose consciousness. Follow my lights. Breathe in for green. Out for red." Wilbur instructed. Bandit complied and after a minute he was mostly back to normal.
"Thank you Wilbur."
"Wilbur, is the book still active-would it still work as a teleportation device?" Thomas asked.
"Yes, as far as I can determine it is still active. Its polarity is constant also, indicating that it likely would connect to the same dimension that Bluey and Bingo are in." Wilbur paused, "However, as far as I can see it is a one-way trip. There is no viable way to return at present."
Thomas bit his lip, "Okay, thank you Wilbur. Go and charge, we have some work to do."
The device disappeared, buzzing to its dock. Thomas was about to follow as Chilli grabbed his shoulder. "No."
"No?" Thomas asked.
"You are not going on some insane trip on your own to try and get the girls."
"Mum, I-"
Chilli pulled a face that Thomas had only seen twice before and he knew she meant business. "You risk your safety enough young man. You are not dimension hopping on your own, and that's final."
"So, what, we just send Wilbur and hope he can figure something out?"
"Mate, they're our daughters, there's no way in hell I'm sitting on the sidelines and just hoping they're okay. We're all going in that book." Bandit said. Chilli held her husband's hand in agreement.
Thomas smiled, proud that his parents were willing to take this risk for his sisters, "Okay, but if we are you guys need to be ready. Going though dimensions… It's not easy. If we're going we do this right."
Chilli and Bandit nodded.
"I'm going to make some upgrades to Wilbur so he's ready for the trip. Dad, we have no idea what this world's going to be like. I'm hoping there's some sort of industrial technology because worst case I'm going to have to rebuild Project New Era to get us home. But regardless we're going to need food and shelter at least. Can you get some bags packed for us to take with us?"
"Aye, will do."
"Mum, I need you to pack medical supplies. I've got super-healing here, but who knows what'll happen in other worlds. I know we have a first aid kit, but we need the works. Stock up on anything that might help us."
Thomas looked at his phone. "I'm giving us four hours. Then we're going to get Bluey and Bingo."
The three worked diligently over the next few hours, and by the time it was nearing dark they were ready.
"Okay, we've each got bags and I packed two for the girls. We've got food, a tent, sleeping bags, and some self-defense…" Bandit said as he handed backpacks to Chilli and Thomas.
"I stocked up on everything we had for first aid and ran to the store and refilled Bingo's pills, got extra epi-pens, and your inhaler and anxiety medication." She said looking at Bandit.
"I haven't had an attack for years." Bandit replied.
"I know, but it's better to be safe than sorry." Chilli responded, kissing him on the cheek.
"Wilbur is now fully upgraded with long-range communications, a camera and comms doc, and solar panels for recharging. I also got a carrying case for him to make sure he's safe on the jump." Thomas turned to face his parents. "You sure you're okay with this. We might end up stuck there for a long time. It took me years to finish my parent's design before. You'd be leaving everything behind."
"That's fine, as long as we're with the girls." Bandit stated.
"Are we ready, we have everything?" Chilli asked, looking down at the book on the grass.
"We're as ready as we can be." Bandit replied, linking hands with Chilli. She in turn linked hands with Thomas.
"Goodbye Brisbane, I hope we'll be back soon." Thomas stated as he touched the book. A moment later the Heeler backyard was empty.
Chilli's first thought was that she'd been sat on. Her chest felt like it was on fire. She gasped for air as she sat up. She was in a clearing in the middle of the day. She looked around and saw two others nearby. She pushed off the ground, happily noting her supplies had come with her, and went over to the nearer one.
"Thomas? Are you okay?"
Thomas blinked. "That never gets any easier." He muttered, rubbing his eyes to clear his vision. "Woah."
"What?" Chilli asked.
Thomas was unsure of what to say, the woman in front of him had his mother's face, but Chilli's voice. After a moment he managed to utter, "You are my mom."
Chilli tilted her head slightly, but before she could respond Bandit rolled over and groaned.
"Mate, why do I feel like it's New Years and the girls want me to be a boat again?"
"That would be jump lag. It goes away after a little bit." Thomas stated.
Bandit sat up and walked over. "Guess we're humans here…" He muttered, looking at Chilli.
"I suppose so." Chilli said.
Thomas was grinning ear to ear as he pulled his parents into a hug. Bandit felt a warm wetness on his shoulder.
"Thomas, is everything okay?"
"I never thought I'd see you guys again… You really are my parents!"
"Come again?"
Thomas broke the hug and pulled out Wilbur, flipping him on. "Wilbur engage camera mode and display screen."
Wilbur complied and deposited a small screen in Thomas' hand before a small camera came down and aimed at the three. Thomas flipped the screen so that Chilli and Bandit could see.
They were both humans. She was slightly taller than before. She had dark red hair in messy waves and a face full of freckles and small creases at the corners of her mouth and her amber eyes. He was also a bit taller, with black shaggy hair like Thomas and cool grey eyes.
Bandit was silent a moment as he recalled the memories that Thomas had shared with him. "We are your parents."
"Can someone please explain?" Chilli asked, looking at herself in the screen and fluffing her newfound hair.
"You look exactly like my parents when I was growing up. You are my parents, just like I'm Baxter!" Thomas beamed as he again hugged them tightly.
After a minute the three separated and decided to follow the path up the hill in the hopes that they might see something to lead them to the girls. As it turned out they didn't need to even look for signs of them, as when they crested the hill they saw two young girls on the ground holding a book.
"Bluey?" Chilli shouted, quickly running down the hill.
The girl in the blue dress turned to her, "Mum?"
"Yes, it's me!" Chilli said.
Bandit and Thomas appeared over the hill a moment later.
"Thomas! Dad?" The girl in orange asked.
"Bingo!" Bandit cheered as he too dashed down the hill.
The Heelers reunited at the bottom of the hill, the five holding each other tightly.
"Mum, dad, Thomas! We were so worried. This is all my fault, I'm so sorry!" Bluey said, clinging tightly onto her parents and big brother.
"It's okay, we're together now." Chilli said, rubbing her daughter's back.
"I promise I'll never touch another book I don't know ever again!"
Bandit chuckled, "Well, maybe don't go that far, how would you ever read at the library?"
Bluey rolled her eyes.
"Momma, how are we gonna get home?" Bingo asked, looking up at her mother.
"I'm not sure, but right now we're together, so we'll figure something out." She replied.
The five stood together a moment when they heard whistling. A man walked over the hill on the other side, opposite of where the Heelers had come from. He was older with grey whiskers and a rumpled shirt and pants. He was covered in little bits of sawdust and was pulling a small cart with pieces of wood in it. The five watched as he neared.
"Hello." He tipped his hat as he continued his trip, the cart following him as he passed. On the side it bore words in green faded letters, "Gepetto: Maker of Fine Carvings".
Kodiwolf321 A/N: Hey guys and gals! Here we are in their first adventure as a family! Wilbur got some fantastic upgrades and looks like they're going to have to find a way to get home! How will they do it? Stay tuned to find out!
The-Suburban-Guy A/N: Here we are folks, the multiverse. First stop: Pinocchio. How will the Heelers deal with this world? How will they return to their own? Comment to let us know what you think!