Finally! The time had come. In just a span of a few hours, Thomas Paine was back to writing pamphlets for the United States. It might've been quick as a flash, but it was actually a lot tougher than it seemed. Not only was Thomas Paine pigheaded as can be, but he also would constantly challenge Tuddrussel to a serious boxing match. Prior to his reformation, he was not the sophisticated, well-spoken man that history knew him for — thanks to Tuddrussel, this was changed with a simple act of karma. For example, Thomas Paine got his legs tied by Tuddrussel when he beat the man into a pulp. Now with both of his legs broken, Thomas was forced to retire from boxing and began to read books (and write pamphlets about morality) in his cottage to pass the time.
"Well, I guess I'm gonna have to read until my legs heal!" Thomas Paine stated as he perked his head up from a philosophical dictionary he was reading.
"Good! After all, reading is good for the brain! Or… at least for other people it is…" answered Tuddrussel.
"Oh yeah, by the way, Tuddrussel… I have successfully published my new pamphlet Common Sense! It's right here if you want it!" chirped Thomas Paine, handing Tuddrussel a copy of one of the pamphlets he was forced to write.
Tuddrussel grimaced at the pamphlet; he had no time for intellectual garble, especially if it included any ounce of logical reasoning or morality. He had the urge to rip the pamphlet in half, but then he realized that he was the one who helped Thomas Paine publish it in the first place. While occasionally glancing down at a sleeping Otto in his arms, he chuckled nervously, cracking a disdainful grin as he handed Thomas Paine the copy of the pamphlet.
"Nah, it's okay! You can have it!" groused Tuddrussel, giving Thomas Paine an assuring pat on the back for his hard work.
Despite Tuddrussel congratulating him for his hard work, Thomas Paine was rather arrogant when it came to his achievement in writing the most influential pamphlet in American history. Rather than a polite reply, he sneered at the man and pushed him away. He slammed his book on the coffee table, reclined in his chair, and tried to rest his bandaged legs on the table to no avail.
"Oh, thanks…" muttered Thomas Paine. "Apparently, you have not realized that this pamphlet caused America to become independent from England! It's true! America is no longer under British rule!"
"Yeah, yeah, no need to rub it in my face!" acknowledged Tuddrussel.
Tuddrussel stormed out of the cottage and ran into a nearby forest. With the baby still in his arms, he sat down on a rock, took out a cellular device from his belt, and began to type the coordinates for the space station. Within a few seconds, he was gone with a flash. He traveled through time and space back to the space station, where Larry was angrily waiting for him in the central computer room. Tuddrussel knew he had goofed up when he stepped out of the time machine. He knew. He could tell how furious Larry was by the way his metallic mouth curved all the way down. Not to mention, Larry had a tint of bright red in his eyes rather than his usual sky blue.
"Heh, heh… Hey Larry! H-h-how was your shopping trip?!" Tuddrussel chuckled nervously. "How's your…"
Larry snatched Otto out of Tuddrussel's arms and began to violently berate him, leaving the man with no chance to speak. Immediately, Tuddrussel began to feel extreme remorse for his actions. He slightly cowered as the robot continued on with his tirade of scoldings.
"I'VE SPECIFICALLY TOLD YOU TO STAY IN THE SATELLITE! AND WHAT DID YOU DO?! WHAT DID YOU DO?!" roared Larry as he protectively cradled Otto.
"Uh… I got Thomas Paine to ditch his boxing career…" Tuddrussel admitted, slumping his head forward with a look of guilt and shame ridden on his face.
Larry grew even more livid when he heard the truth come out of Tuddrussel. He was so overwhelmed with burning fury, his entire head turned a dark maroon. He menacingly stomped toward Tuddrussel, grunting and growling like a savage beast as he got closer to the cowering man.
"I'm so sorry…" Tuddrussel whispered meekly, covering his head as if a bomb was about to go off — which it did.
Larry showed no concern for Tuddrussel; he was more worried for the fate of baby Otto, who was happily sleeping in his cold, metal arms. Taking a huge breath, he began yet another tirade of brutal scoldings, each louder than the next.
"THAT'S IT! YOU ARE NO LONGER ALLOWED AROUND THE BABY! HOW CAN I POSSIBLY TRUST YOU IF YOU TRAVEL THROUGH SPACE AND TIME WITHOUT MY PERMISSION?! THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS MISSION FOR A YOUNG BABY, AND YOU DECIDE TO BRING HIM TO 1776 PHILADELPHIA?! UGH, YOU ARE SUCH A POOR FATHER… I WILL NEVER TRUST YOU AROUND MY OTTO EVER AGAIN! FOR GOOD!" the robot exploded as he lunged toward Tuddrussel, who was quietly sobbing and shivering in sheer terror.
Tuddrussel tried to apologize, but Larry wouldn't buy it. Being the pig-headed robot he was, he insisted that Tuddrussel would harm Otto. Even after Tuddrussel apologized, he still could've accidentally harmed Otto while changing his diaper or feeding him. Larry knew that Tuddrussel had no experience in parenting — he didn't either. But the thing was that Larry had actually nannied royal children back when he was a diplomatic aid, so he at least knew what he was doing when it came to taking care of Otto. Tuddrussel didn't, which was why Larry refused to let him take care of Otto.
"W-w-why can't I ever see my son again?!" whined Tuddrussel as tears poured out of his goggles.
He threw himself on the floor and clung onto Larry's legs, begging the robot to let him hold Otto.
"PLEASE LET ME HOLD THE BABY! PLLEEAAASSSEEEE?! PRETTY PLEASE WITH LOTS OF SPRINKLES AND FLAKES ON TOP?! I PROMISE I'LL HELP WITH THE NIGHT FEEDINGS! I PROMIISSSEEEE!" Tuddrussel bawled as he occasionally kissed Larry's legs.
No matter how hard Tuddrussel cried and pleaded, Larry still wouldn't let him hold or even touch Otto. The robot pried Tuddrussel's fingers off of his legs and stepped away in disgust.
"Sorry, rules are rules!" denied Larry. "Anyway, for your punishment, you will put away all of the supplies!"
Larry pointed toward a pile of baby supplies, all stuffed in plastic grocery bags. Upon witnessing the huge pile, Tuddrussel grumbled with a slight whine in his voice. He sauntered over to the pile and picked up a dozen of the bags with one tired hand. In addition to the bags, he also carried a couple of boxes full of newborn-sized diapers in one arm. Apparently, he thought that if he carried all of the bags in his arms, the job would get done faster — it didn't. Instead of successfully carrying the supplies with no problem, Tuddrussel stumbled over and fell onto his back. If that wasn't bad enough, the boxes of diapers toppled onto his face, leaving a slight red mark on his forehead and nose.
"Curse you, Larry …" muttered Tuddrussel, struggling to get up from the number of supplies on top of him.
"Oh, you buffoon! Haven't you heard of making multiple trips?!" jeered Larry. "There are more boxes of diapers to your right! Now get moving! Little Otto needs his diaper changed!"
"Yes, Larry…" Tuddrussel grumbled as he weakly got up from the floor to pick up the boxes of diapers.
Suddenly, Otto began to loudly fuss in Larry's arms. He pulled his legs up to his chest and kicked them vigorously, grunting and straining as if he was trying to let out a huge gas bubble from his belly. Larry frowned concernedly at the baby as he continued to squirm and wiggle; just looking at poor Otto's unhappy face made him want to cuddle him for as long as he could.
"Aw, what's wrong, Otto? Do you have a gassy tummy?! Does my little baby bun have an upset tummy?!" Larry soothed as he swayed Otto back and forth.
To help combat Otto's upset stomach, Larry slung the baby over his shoulder and began to gently pat his blanket-covered back. At first, it seemed to work — but then it backfired real fast. After a minute of gentle back patting, Otto puked over Larry's shoulder and began crying. A stream of green bile dripped from the robot's shoulders and back, making a decently-sized puddle on the floor. Upon feeling the bile trickle down his back, Larry began to gag; he felt like throwing up himself, even if his mouth couldn't consistently open and close like a human. If he could consistently open and close his mouth, he would've most definitely run to the nearest bathroom to puke in the toilet. Too bad he couldn't.
"Oh, great… Another mess for me to clean up… Poo," grumbled Larry.
He switched the screaming baby over from his shoulder to his arms, trying to comfort him to no avail. As he stared at Otto, a burst of regret flooded through his system. It was already apparent that he couldn't handle raising Otto by himself. The vomit he witnessed today was more than enough. Not to mention, the sheer amount of crying he had to put up with. At this point, Otto was crying just to cry, which rubbed Larry the wrong way. He had the urge to continue comforting him, but he couldn't. To put it simply, there was nothing Larry could do but go with the flow. Perhaps banning Tuddrussel from taking care of Otto wasn't the smartest decision, huh? He needed extra help, even if he was confident in doing it himself.