Meanwhile, in 1879 New Jersey, a duo of proclaimed time officers had just finished convincing Thomas Edison to invent the lightbulb. Prior to his reformation, Thomas Edison was a disc jockey at a nightclub — and no, that did not make sense in the slightest. How could there be raves in the 19th century? How? Back then, the only way for the citizens to get a source of light was through flame torches and candles. But since they were huge party animals, they would host a rave at the local ballroom (with flame torches aligning the walls). Flame torches at a rave didn't make sense either, especially when people would have the audacity to use blankets to create makeshift flashing lights (which didn't always work). Some would even add drops of food coloring to the fire. That was obviously very dangerous, yet the townspeople had no clue.

Luckily, the town of Newark was safer when the lightbulb came into play. With plenty of patience and dignity, officers Buck Tuddrussel (a burly man in his mid-to-late 30s) and Larry 3000 (a robot) single-handedly helped Thomas Edison find the equipment he needed to invent the world's first modern lightbulb. Now there were no more fires breaking out or townspeople wandering in the dark.

"Oh, thank you so much, you two! Had you not knocked the sense into me, I would've burned the entire town of Newark!" Thomas Edison thanked Tuddrussel and Larry as he shook their hands.

"Don't mention it, Mr. Edison! We're glad to help!" answered Tuddrussel with a slight hesitancy in his voice.

"And don't add food coloring to fire ever again!" warned Larry. "Seriously, what were you buffoons thinking?!"

"Sorry…?" murmured Thomas Edison before quickly dashing into his house.

The door slammed shut, cutting off all chances of a proper farewell. Larry and Tuddrussel exchanged puzzled stares with each other, not knowing why Thomas Edison was so ashamed. Well, they did know why, but they couldn't grasp why he ran into his house like a murderer was in front of him. Larry tried to ask him what was the problem, but the door didn't answer. He muttered something along the lines of "Sheesh, I didn't know we were dealing with a coward!" as he threw his hands in the air and gave up trying to lure Thomas Edison out of his house. Larry and Tuddrussel shrugged shoulders before walking out of Newark.

"Well, yet another mission is complete! Say, what should we do now, huh partner?!" Tuddrussel asked, wrapping his arm around Larry's shoulder.

"I mean, there's not much to do in this god-forsaken satellite… and we've been burdened with too many missions lately… So why don't we take a vacation?!" suggested Larry.

"Ooh, a vacation!" cheered Tuddrussel as he leaped into the air with his fists clenched. "We never get those! Let's do it! Let's do it!"

Larry calmed Tuddrussel down with a simple pat on the back, "Okay, okay! No need to get too excited… It's only a matter of time before someone else needs our help, so we're gonna have to decide what we're going to do right now."

"Hmmm… Hey, I got an idea! Why don't we go to 1992 Chicago?!" Tuddrussel happily suggested.

"1992? Why 1992?" asked Larry, who titled his head confusingly.

"Simple! It's the roaring 90s! The time of rap culture, sagging pants, rectangular game consoles, and wicked hairstyles!" explained Tuddrussel. "Oh, and I've always wanted to know what Chicago was like… My mom sheltered me too much as a kid."

"I can tell…" snarked Larry.

Larry didn't know what to think of Tuddrussel's idea. While he enjoyed traveling to different time periods, he was worried that another mission would burden them. It had been a very long time since he and Tuddrussel met, and they were still quite amateurish at their jobs. Heck, Larry was happier working as a diplomat than a servant for a dimwitted man. And Tuddrussel was happier without a piece of metal to nag him all day.

Despite secretly wanting to go somewhere more secluded and peaceful, Larry accepted regardless. He shook his head and opened a mini computer built into his right arm.

"Oh, alright… We'll go to the 1990s…" Larry grumbled, typing the year and location of the chosen destination.

Once Larry applied the coordinates to their destination, the two officers disappeared with a loud, earth-shattering boom. It was a laugh that nobody in Newark batted eyes at the obvious explosion.

1992 Chicago, Illinois

Chicago. It was one of the biggest cities in America, along with Los Angeles and New York City. It was well known for the Sears Tower, which stood 1,451 feet high, towering over the city as the dominant capital. Everyone knew where the Sears Tower came from, hence why it was the first thing that came to mind when one would think of Chicago. Tuddrussel especially thought about the tower since he had already taken a dozen pictures of it with his Polaroid camera. Pictures were falling to the ground as Tuddrussel kept taking pictures of everything around him. The man snickered like a little kid when he glimpsed at the pictures he just took. It was like an alien exploring Earth for the first time.

Larry, on the other hand, was humbly thrilled with the experience. He had just gotten done shopping at a spiffy boutique, carrying bags full of clothes and jewelry in his arms. The wide smile formed on his robot face indicated that he too was excited by all the new things around him. That boutique was no exception to his happiness — well, maybe not Tuddrussel's behavior. Upon seeing Tuddrussel scramble for his pictures, Larry's smile turned upside down and his eyes furrowed.

"Tuddrussel, buddy… That's enough pictures!" Larry sternly told Tuddrussel, grabbing his hand and pulling him along the sidewalk.

"Hey! But I wasn't finished yet!" whined Tuddrussel.

"The Sears Tower is not the only thing in Chicago! There are plenty more things than where that came from!" stated Larry as he dragged Tuddrussel along the sidewalk.

Before they could go somewhere else, a distant, piercing cry echoed through the streets. It sounded like it came from either a cat or a sheep. But there weren't sheep in Chicago! However, there were stray cats in every corner, so it was possible that they stumbled upon a catfight. The cry grew more intense as time went by. It was to the point where it could be heard from all around the area. Strangely, nobody seemed to bat an eye; they all went on with their merry business. Everyone except for Tuddrussel and Larry, who were visibly cringing at the sound. Larry dropped his bags and Tuddrussel dropped his camera in favor of clamping their ears.

"Christ! What's that horrible sound?!" exclaimed Larry, holding his non-existent ears.

"Maybe it's a cat," answered Tuddrussel.

"Ugh, this is gonna ring in my head for days! Why must it keep getting louder?!" complained Larry.

"Oh, quit your whining!" Tuddrussel snapped, slapping the back of Larry's head. "Anyway, why don't we investigate where it's coming from?! Maybe someone's in trouble! Who knows?!"

Larry smiled upon hearing Tuddrussel's idea.

"Hey, that's a great idea! Let's go!" chirped Larry as he grabbed Tuddrussel's hand and pulled him down the sidewalk.

As they walked down the sidewalk and passed a nearby orphanage, the crying grew louder. Immediately, they knew where the source of the crying came from. They found a newborn baby boy, who was curled up in a cardboard box next to a trash can on the right. The baby had begun crying a while earlier and wouldn't stop (understandable, considering the trauma he went through in his short life). Despite the crying being as clear as day, Larry was afraid to open the cardboard box. Sheesh, what a wimp.

"Uh, y-y-you do it! What if there's a dead rat in that box?! What if it contaminates me with its putrid odor and stench?!" trembled Larry, pointing toward the cardboard box.

"Come on, Larry! Don't be such a baby! I see you watering your garden every single day and that's dirty work!" nagged Tuddrussel, shoving the robot toward the cardboard box against his will.

"Well, duh! That's what I like to do! It's that… I've just gotten a manicure at the beauty salon today… and I don't want to break my nails!" Larry sassed.

"Oh, you're such a girl, Larry!" scoffed Tuddrussel, crossing his arms.

"Shut up, you big boob!" shouted Larry, angrily pointing at Tuddrussel.

Before he had the chance to beat Tuddrussel with his purse, the cries had turned into blood-curdling screams. The two men shuddered as the screams traveled into their ears (no ears in Larry's case). It was to the point where they fell to the ground from their limbs shaking too much. They turned toward the source of the sound and gasped loudly. They switched between looking at each other and the cardboard box before settling on a decision — checking inside that aforementioned cardboard box.

"Seriously, there's something in there! You should really check! What if there's a poor kitty we could take home?!" Tuddrussel pointed out.

Larry impulsively blurted out, "But I don't-"

"Sh! You can… Trust me!" Tuddrussel interrupted Larry, placing a hand on the robot's shoulder.

Larry and Tuddrussel got up from the ground and peeked inside the cardboard box. To their surprise, they found the aforementioned baby boy, who was partially wrapped in a thin fleece blanket and a baggy bloodstained t-shirt. The poor baby was barely a few hours old, yet he went through a lot. He was completely naked and had a big bruise on his left arm. Not to mention, his skin was light purple due to long exposure to subzero temperatures. His mouth took up the majority of his rounded head as he cried and screamed loudly. Aside from those minor injuries, he was okay. It was a miracle.

"Uh… Larry? I think we just found ourselves a baby," stated Tuddrussel.

Larry gasped slightly louder than he did earlier, covering his frog-like lips in utter shock. Oil tears formed in his small blue eyes as he glanced at the baby. The way the baby bawled his lungs out made him feel a huge wad of empathy and maternal instincts. The robot obviously never had any children, but that didn't mean he felt one with the child — the child who had been treated ruthlessly like trash by a grumpy nun. He could definitely tell that this baby needed love and attention. As the baby continued to cry, he scooped him out of the box and held him tightly in his arms.

"Oh, that poor thing! That poor, poor thing! What kind of monster would leave an innocent baby to freeze inside of a box?! Somebody needs to punish that monster for committing such a horrible crime!" bawled Larry as cuddled the baby close to his face.

The baby's cries softened into puppy-like whimpers as Larry cuddled him. He opened his teary eyes and desperately stared up at the robot, clearly begging for mercy and compassion. Larry's eyes filled up with oil tears as well; he felt immense sorrow for the newborn boy. It was clear that the baby was desperate for someone to take care of him, judging by the way he gazed into Larry's small blue eyes. A tiny frown formed on the baby's face, further tugging Larry's heartstrings.

"Aww, he looks so scared…" murmured Larry. "Don't worry, sweetie! I will take good care of you!"

Larry gently spoke to the baby while rocking and occasionally singing to him. He nuzzled his perpetually teeth-bearing mouth against the baby's forehead, showing how much he already cared about him. The baby yawned and stretched his stubby arms. Larry's smile grew bigger when the baby huddled against his chest for warmth.

"Oh my god, Tuddrussel! Look! He's sleeping in my arms! He already loves me!" squealed Larry, trying not to squeeze the baby out of excitement.

Tuddrussel smiled at the baby, "Oh, ain't he a peach?! He's so adorable! He looks like one of them porcelain dolls!"

Larry scrutinized the baby and squealed, "Oh my god! He does!"

The baby boy randomly began to lick Larry's chest. Larry giggled even harder, presumably due to the tiny tongue tickling him. It may look weird to an outsider, but to Larry, it was a sign that the baby was starting to accept him — or the baby was rooting for milk thanks to his primitive reflexes.

"Ooh, someone's hungry, aren't they?!" Larry squealed again, cuddling the baby closer to his chest.

Larry sighed happily and nuzzled the baby with his mouth again. Distracted by the static smile rubbing against him, the baby stopped licking Larry's chest and turned his head toward the robot, staring into his eyes before falling back asleep. Larry's smile grew even bigger. He felt like he was being loved — which was an anomaly in itself. Even Tuddrussel couldn't shake off the feeling of being loved. Other than his robotic partner-in-time (and possibly a former spouse), he never met anybody who cared about him as much as they did. This baby was the end of this. He grinned widely and scooped the baby out of Larry's arms. Upon being placed in Tuddrussel's arms, the baby immediately began to whimper and groan. Tuddrussel noticed a small sheet of paper taped onto the baby's forehead.

"Hey, Larry! There's a note attached to the baby!" reminded Tuddrussel.

"What, really?! What does it say?!" Larry asked as he stood next to Tuddrussel, who ripped the note off the baby's head and opened it up.

Tuddrussel handed the note to Larry and began to read it, "It says here: Please take my baby! I am only a teenager who didn't know she was pregnant until today. My parents are going to kick me out if they find out I had a baby, so I've decided to give him a new home. I mean no harm to this little boy and wish him the best of luck. You are the chosen one. Pauline Osworth, senior from Abraham Lincoln High School."

"How depressing! The mother was so young!" cried Larry.

"Yeah, and she also called us the chosen ones!" added Tuddrussel, cuddling the baby against his muscular chest. "So, since we've accepted him and he's accepted us, can we keep him?!"

Larry frowned, "I… honestly don't know… I do recall that it's against the rules to take another person from time with us! We would technically be kidnapping him if we were to adopt him as our own! I wish we would keep him, but… we can't."

"What?! Why not?!" cried Tuddrussel.

"Well, it could cause a time paradox. And like I said, it's against the rules to kidnap another person from time," Larry tried his hardest to explain why they couldn't keep the baby, but deep down, he couldn't help but mince his words thoroughly.

Tuddrussel morosely glanced at the baby nestled in his arms; he understood what Larry meant, but he still would rather ignore the rules in favor of taking in this poor child. He laid a finger on the baby's chest, causing the young boy to whimper loudly. The boy was intimidated by Tuddrussel's huge stature and vertically broad chin, arguably even more than Larry's cold robotic stare. He began trying to lift his head up from Tuddrussel's arms, flailing his limbs around while making distressed grunting noises.

"Eh, forget the rules! We can do whatever we want! If this is for saving an innocent baby, we'll do anything to break the rules!" declared Tuddrussel as he pointed at the baby, who was desperately staring at Larry with tears forming in his eyes.

Larry sighed, "Oookaay… The chief won't be very happy…"

Tuddrussel cheered happily as he slung the baby over his broad shoulder. He began to vigorously pat and rub the baby's back, making the boy utter a piercing cry as he tried to resist Tuddrussel's affection. Noticing that the baby wasn't enjoying Tuddrussel's company, Larry took him out of the man's arms and cradled him. The baby was once again cool as a cucumber, snuggling against Larry's chest and falling asleep.

"Oh, come on! The kid doesn't like me! He cries when I hold him! Why?!" whined Tuddrussel.

"The boy's just nervous is all… He is new to this world, so he's going to be scared for a while!" Larry assured Tuddrussel, placing a hand on the man's shoulder.

Tuddrussel pouted like a little kid, "Yeah, yeah… Give him a month or two…"

While Tuddrussel was busy moping around, Larry began to decide on names. He inched his head close to the baby, carefully studying every little feature the little boy has. He used his supervision to examine the baby's overall health, both internal and external. The little tuft of reddish-orange hair and small beady turquoise eyes were a great combo, and the chubbiness of his limbs complimented his rounded head. He was perfect. Larry's favorite part was especially the assorted freckles planted on both of the baby's cheeks.

"Hmm… I'd say either Franklin or Otto would be plausible choices for a little redhead like him!" Larry suggested.

He paused for a moment before ultimately settling on a name, "Hey, Otto sounds like a great choice for a little boy!"

When he heard about the baby's new name, Tuddrussel snapped out of his moping fit and smiled.

"Uh-huh! We could name him Otto Franklin… uhhh…. Otto Franklin Osworth! Yep!" chirped Tuddrussel as he gently tickled the baby's chin.

The baby boy whimpered again when Tuddrussel tickled his chin. Fortunately, the whimpering didn't last long as Tuddrussel realized that he didn't enjoy it. While he was disappointed about baby Otto being afraid of him, he understood since the boy was new to this world. Not to mention, Otto was the size of a watermelon, while Tuddrussel was literally a giant (for a man, at least). The baby went into a sneezing fit when Larry poked his nose. Larry and Tuddrussel smiled at the baby as he continued to sneeze.

"Come on, buddy! Let's go home! And don't you worry, the baby will eventually grow accustomed to you soon!" Larry chirped as he picked up his shopping bags and slung them over his arms. "And as for you, young man. We gotta get you warmed up!"

When Larry typed the coordinates for their space station on his arm, the two abruptly disappeared with yet another loud boom. Thankfully, none of the buildings were affected by their departure — not even the pedestrians were fazed by the officers' bombastic disappearance into the void. Little Otto was especially excited to meet his adoptive parents — even if he didn't show any emotions yet. This was a sign of a happy future for Larry 3000 and Buck Tuddrussel; as long as they supported each other when needed and used plenty of teamwork, they were going to be okay. Not to say that they won't be completely out of the woods. Knowing that they often screwed up on their missions, it was likely that they would be equally as unsuccessful at juggling the responsibility of raising a baby with traveling through time. Luckily, little Otto seemed like an easygoing, quiet little boy, but only time could tell if they were going to stay that way. After all, babies can be unpredictable, especially as newborns.