Chapter Thirty-One
The Fellowship Is Formed
Jack almost dropped the pendant in his surprise, becoming even more conscious of how strangely warm the thing was in his hands. “What?”
“That’s right, Jack,” Lefty told him. “One should always have a backup, don’t you agree? Go ahead and open it! There’s a release catch on the back, and it separates at the center.”
Jack felt along the back of the pendant, and he immediately found the catch that Lefty spoke of. It was a small, metallic protrusion, and he depressed it with his thumb. There was a faint click, and then the pendant opened in the center, splitting along one of the vertical lines that defined the Periodic Table.
Instantly, there was a great influx of light in the basement, radiating from the thing in Jack’s hands. As he slowly pulled each side of the pendant, revealing its hidden treasure, the light increased exponentially, until it nearly became blinding.
Jack was forced to look away, though he held the power cell aloft for the others to see. The Beans gasped at its brilliance. It was mind-boggling, to think that such incredible light could come from such a tiny thing.
Murphy shielded his face with one paw, and then with a powerful leap, he came to rest atop Nibbler’s shoulder, hiding behind the Labradoodle’s head. Nibbler did not seem to mind the presence of the flying squirrel, and he woofed in appreciation of the power cell’s impressive output. He squinted his eyes at it and wagged his tail, apparently pleased to see that Jasper and Ebenezer weren’t the only ones with the much sought-after technology.
“Is this safe?” Sara asked, her voice pitched just a tad higher than usual.
“It’s perfectly safe! Well… just don’t stare right into it for too long,” Lefty amended. “What you hold is the power of a star… in the palm of your hand! Quickly, Jack… Noodles awaits his restoration!”
Awed by the power in his hands and the responsibility bestowed upon him, Jack walked the short distance to where Noodles sat upon the floor. But before he could do anything more, Neil placed a hand on his shoulder, and Jack turned to face his friend.
“Are you sure we should… I mean, is this the thing that thrashed the vault door apart?” Neil asked.
“Not to worry, he’s a friendly robot!” Jack assured him. “Noodles is a bit clumsy, that’s all. We just have to make sure nobody starts blasting funk music, and we should be good to go!”
Neil considered this for no more than a second or two, before breaking into a wide grin and nodding his head in approval. After all… he really, really wanted to see a break-dancing robot in action.
“Okay, buddy,” Neil said. “Fire this guy up!”
Jack pulled away the net that had ensnared Noodles, and then examined the access panel at the center of his back. It was still open, and amid a cluster of circuit boards and hi-tech doodads, there was an open slot that looked as if it would be a perfect fit. With his breath held, Jack inserted the warm, glowing power cell, until it clicked into place.
He immediately felt a thrum of energy pass through the metal body of Noodles. There began the sound of gears whirring, and sprockets spinning, and systems powering on. Jack and Neil quickly stepped back, until they were standing beside Sara and Maria, who were likewise awestruck by the process of Noodles being restored to power.
The robot’s head stirred, his chin lifting slightly from where it had rested against his chest. His shoulders twitched, and his lanky limbs began to quiver. The bright, blue lights of his eyes flickered briefly, and then came to their full illumination. And as those eyes came to life, so too, did the rest of the robot.
With a terrific flurry of motion, Noodles spun to his feet, legs akimbo, arms whirling wildly. This, of course, knocked a thing or two to the floor, but it failed to diminish the glorious spectacle of his return.
Standing at his seven-foot height, Noodles towered over the children. He waved one hand in greeting, and said, “Beep boop beep!”
The Beans collectively gasped at the incredible robot, awed by his gangly, lanky-limbed presence. Noodles seemed to be extraordinarily pleased to have his power restored, and he continued to animatedly wave to them, while emitting various beeps and boops from his smile-shaped speaker-mouth.
“Okay, that… that’s just really, really cool. I’m kind of at a loss for words here, to be honest,” Neil said.
“I told you! He’s really something, isn’t he?” asked Jack.
“He certainly is,” Sara agreed.
“You know, I was expecting something much more terrifying to lurch out of that vault,” Maria admitted, as she walked forward to get a closer look.
“Beep boop!” Noodles greeted, and he gently patted the top of her brown ponytail.
“He seems to like you!” Lefty commented from the floor.
At the sound of Lefty’s voice, Noodle’s antennae ears swiveled toward the trapped scientist, and he turned his blue eyes in that direction. Upon seeing Lefty’s predicament, the robot became quite distressed.
“Beep!” Noodles exclaimed.
“Oh, don’t worry, Noodles, I’m fine,” Lefty assured him. “I don’t suppose you could lend us your strength and-”
Before Lefty could even finish his thought, Noodles strode over to the lever and the fulcrum, with only three long strides of his lanky legs. He immediately seemed to comprehend the situation, for he wrapped his hand around the elevated end of the rod. With a single, slinky-like arm, he pushed down upon the lever, and the results were immediate. The pile of cabinets and hardware that had pinned Lefty raised a full foot into the air, and the Beans leaped into action.
“Now’s our chance!” Jack shouted.
The four children hurried to assist, and while Noodles worked the lever, they successfully pulled Lefty free, hauling him across the concrete floor. Lefty giggled as he was liberated from the trap, delighted with this turn of events. Once he was clear of the debris that had trapped him, Noodles gently lowered the lever.
Jack grabbed one of Lefty’s hands, and Neil seized the other. Together, they hoisted the fallen scientist to his feet. Lefty sighed with relief, and the remains of the chewed-up net fell from his shoulders.
“Thanks a bunch, everybody,” Lefty said.
“You know, Uncle Lefty, Noodles seemed to have immediately grasped what we were trying to do,” Jack noticed. “Didn’t you say that you were still working on his artificial intelligence?”
“Yes, that was quite remarkable, wasn’t it? He’s learning quickly – every moment, as a matter of fact. I was worried that he wasn’t field-ready, but I suppose it’s time for a trial by fire for young Noodles. No time like the present, eh, Beans?”
“Beep boop!” Noodles chimed in, with apparent agreement. He extended one hand, thumbs up in approval.
“I guess he agrees that he’s ready,” Sara laughed, looking up at the strange and marvelous robot with wonder.
Noodles stepped forward, and placed a reassuring hand on Lefty’s shoulder. The Beans gathered near, and Nibbler milled about their knees, chuffing and wagging his tail. Murphy balanced atop Nibbler’s back, centered between his shoulder blades. He was snacking on a Snickerdoodle he had pilfered from Lefty’s pocket, and voicing his own squirrelly thoughts in squeaks and chirps.
A great, spirited feeling of companionship arose among all of them. And so it was, as the group of them felt the bonds of camaraderie growing, that their odd fellowship was formed. United by their common goal, they had become a team unlike any other.
Lefty took a deep breath, and smoothed out the front of his lab coat. “Okay, everybody… what do you say we go catch some villains, eh?”
The Green Beans, Volume 2: The Strange Genius of Lefty O'Houlihan Page 31