Out of Remote Control Read online

  CONTENTS

  Chapter 1 Is It Saturday Yet?

  Chapter 2 Daze-ya Voo

  Chapter 3 Gone in a Laser-Beam Zap

  Chapter 4 Freeze Waves of the Future

  Chapter 5 Time Bandits!

  Chapter 6 Battlestar Buntastica

  Chapter 7 Creatures of the Deep

  Chapter 8 Welcome to Wackytown!

  Chapter 9 The Fabric of Reality

  Chapter 10 Universal Reboot

  Chapter 1

  Is It Saturday Yet?

  “Is it Saturday yet?” Cesar asked his friends as they walked to Dr. Bunsen’s lab.

  Olive shook her head. “Not yet.”

  Cesar waited a moment. “Is it Saturday yet?”

  Olive giggled. “Stop it, Cesar.You’re giving me déjà vu!”

  Cesar looked confused. “Daze-ya voo?”

  “Great phrase, Olive!” cheered Gabe. “Déjà vu is a feeling you get when it seems like you have already done something before.”

  “Well, I feel like this week is moving in slow motion.” Cesar groaned. “When is it going to be Saturday?”

  The DATA Set needed to finish their invention for the Newtonburg Science Fest on Saturday.

  Laura nudged Cesar forward. “Come on, slowpoke. The Water Zapper is only our best invention yet if we make sure it works.”

  “Can you imagine turning water into a laser beam?” Olive asked. “There could be farms in the desert, or clean water all around the world, or even on Mars!”

  “If we get it to work,” Gabe reminded them.

  Grrr-ROAR-ble! Cesar’s stomach made a loud rumble. “Whoa-kay, tummy, I hear you!” As Cesar dug through his pockets for a snack, a big dog bounded out of the bushes.

  “RUFF! RUFF!”

  “Whoa!” cried Cesar. He dropped his granola bar on the ground.

  CHOMP! The dog snatched up the treat and ran off.

  “Hey, you furry thief!” Cesar yelled. “That was a string cheese peanut butter granola bar, not a doggie treat!”

  “Peanut butter granola and cheese . . . together?” asked Gabe.

  The other kids looked disgusted.

  “It actually sounds more like a dog treat than a human treat,” Olive said. “Maybe Dr. B. will have some normal food for you.”

  Then the group laughed. Normal was the last thing anyone expected from Dr. Bunsen.

  When they arrived at Bunsen’s lab, the place was a mess. There were tools and toilet paper everywhere. A half-eaten lunch sat on a countertop next to a bubbling beaker while a cowboy movie blared on the TV. Odd machines buzzed around them.

  Laura pinched her nose to block a stinky smell. “Whoa, Dr. B., what happened in here?”

  “The life of a traveling scientist, I’m afraid.” Dr. Bunsen opened a large suitcase. “I’m speaking before the International Science Council tomorrow.”

  Then the doctor went into his storage room and returned wearing his x-ray goggles.

  “Hey, isn’t that where scientists who win the Nobel Prize present their work?” Gabe asked.

  But Dr. Bunsen could not hear him over the loud TV. “What did you say?”

  “Cesar, can you turn down the volume?” asked Laura.

  Cesar grabbed the closest remote control and fumbled with the buttons. All of a sudden, a strange bright glow surrounded the kids and they went zap!

  Chapter 2

  Daze-ya Voo

  “Is it Saturday yet?” Cesar asked. The Data Set were on their way to Dr. Bunsen’s lab.

  Laura shook her head. “Not yet.”

  Cesar waited a moment. “Is it Saturday yet?”

  Olive giggled. “Stop it, Cesar.You’re giving me déjà vu!”

  “Hold on,” said Gabe. He paused. Something wasn’t right. “Does anyone else feel like we’ve been here before?”

  “Don’t tell me you’re getting déjà vu, too,” said Laura.

  “I am,” replied Gabe. “In fact, Cesar’s stomach is about to gurgle.”

  Grrr-ROAR-ble! Cesar’s stomach let out a loud rumble. “Okay, lucky guess! My tummy is always talking. Good thing I packed my . . .”

  “String cheese peanut butter granola bar,” said Laura, finishing her friend’s sentence.

  Cesar held up the snack. “Okay, now that was weird.”

  “Look out for that dog in the bushes!” Laura pointed.

  Then suddenly a big dog jumped out of the bushes and knocked down Cesar. His snack landed on the sidewalk next to a strange-looking remote control.

  The dog sniffed the remote, then grabbed the snack and ran away.

  “Hey, you furry thief!” yelled Cesar. “That was a string cheese peanut butter granola bar, not a doggie—wait a minute. This has happened before. I never forget losing food.”

  “The remote!” said Laura.

  She picked it up and studied it.

  Cesar came over. “All I did was push that button.”

  Laura smiled. “You mean the rewind button.”

  The kids gathered around the device. In any illogical situation, there was only one logical answer.

  “Bunsen!” they all said at once.

  “This isn’t a TV remote—” began Olive.

  “Bunsen built a remote control that took us back in time!” finished Laura.

  Everyone stood in shock until Cesar finally broke the silence. “Do you realize what this means? We can fast-forward to Saturday’s competition and see how our invention works!”

  “Oh, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m in!” said Gabe.

  Olive was nervous. “What if something goes wrong?”

  “Then we can rewind back!” Laura reminded her. “Don’t you want to see if our invention works?!”

  “Okay, let’s do it!” everyone cheered.

  “How do we fast-forward to the exact time?” asked Gabe.

  Laura studied the remote. There was a guide button, which usually listed the channel and showtime of every TV show. She pressed it. “This might help.”

  1:00 PM

  2:00 PM

  3:00 PM

  4:00 PM

  Gabe

  Science Fest

  Olive

  Soccer Practice

  Science Fest

  Laura

  Science Fest

  Cesar

  Science Fest

  Dentist Appointment

  Instantly, a giant grid appeared. It was a channel guide of the DATA Set’s weekly schedules!

  “There’s my soccer practice!” Olive exclaimed.

  Cesar frowned. “And there’s my dentist appointment.”

  “And there’s the Science Fest!” said Gabe.

  Laura selected the Newtonburg Science Fest and pressed the ENTER button.

  A bright glow surrounded them and they were thrust into a swirling vortex.

  Chapter 3

  Gone in a Laser-Beam Zap

  ZAP!

  The kids appeared inside the Newtonburg Convention Center. There were lots of tables filled with experiments, and the room was crowded with scientists.

  “It worked!” cried Laura. “Come on, let’s find our station!”

  The DATA Set walked past all kinds of gizmos, gadgets, and inventions. There was a hologram projector for dreams, a Venus flytrap lawn mower, and even a pocket oven that cooked food.

  Cesar pointed. “Hey, there’s our Water Zapper!”

  The invention was on display in a jungle of wilted plants. The DATA Set ran to the device and examined it.

  “Do you think it works?” Olive asked.

  “It looks like we’re about to find out,” said Laura.

  Two judges stopped at their table.

  “What do we have here?” on
e of the judges asked.

  “This is the world’s first Water Zapper!” Laura announced proudly. “It can convert water into a laser beam.”

  “How marvelous!” said the other judge. “Hydro-optic technology is my field of expertise. Can we see how it works?”

  “Sure!” said Laura. “Our Water Zapper will bring these wilted plants back to life.”

  Laura moved the Zapper to a new table. Then she took a deep breath and pressed the power button.

  BZZZZZZZZT! A blue laser beam shot out from the nozzle. The plants immediately started to perk up.

  “Remarkable!” said the judges. But as they were writing marks in their notebooks, a strange noise rattled out.

  BZZT! BZZT! BZZOOooooommm.

  “Oh no!” Laura cried as the Water Zapper started to smoke. She turned it off.

  “Hmm, something went wrong, but I can help,” said the judge. “Why don’t you attend my talk on hydro-ice crystals next week. That’s where your invention got watered down.”

  The other judge nodded.

  “You’re correct, Dr. Kent. Well, unfortunately that means we won’t see a working Water Zapper today.”

  The DATA Set’s hope fell as the judges walked away.

  “I can’t believe all of our hard work is gone in a laser-beam zap,” Cesar groaned.

  “Or is it?” Laura’s eyes glinted with excitement. “We have a time remote! We can fast-forward to next week, go to Dr. Kent’s talk, then rewind back to here and fix our Water Zapper!”

  Olive frowned. “But that would be cheating.”

  Gabe thought about it. “The rules say that we can use any information we need.”

  “Technically we’re not cheating!” exclaimed Laura. She pulled up the guide. “We’ll attend the lecture, fix our machine, and be home before you can say ‘zap.’”

  “Well, I guess we’ve got nothing to lose,” said Olive.

  Laura found Dr. Kent’s seminar. Then, with a click of the remote, everything became a blur.

  Chapter 4

  Freeze Waves of the Future

  “Whoa.” Cesar put his hand on his forehead. “Did that time jump give anyone else brain freeze?”

  “It did,” Laura admitted dizzily. “But it was worth it. Look!”

  As the glow around the kids faded, they stood in front of two large doors. A sign read:

  “Let’s get front-row seats!” Laura exclaimed.

  When the entire hall was filled, Dr. Kent stepped onstage. He spoke about hydro-crystals and how they help laser beams. There were graphs, videos, and very long math equations that used every letter in the alphabet.

  Laura focused on Dr. Kent’s every word. When it was over, she led the DATA Set outside. “Now we can fix our Water Zapper! Let’s go back to the Science Fest.”

  The kids huddled together and Laura pressed rewind.

  The familiar glow grew around them, and the world began moving in reverse at lightning speed.

  Then the remote control started to smoke! Suddenly the glow clicked to static, and the next thing the kids knew . . . everyone was wearing cowboy hats.

  Then the hats disappeared as the ride jolted to a stop. The DATA Set were back at the Science Fest, standing in front of their Water Zapper.

  Two judges stopped at their table and smiled.

  “What do we have here?” one of the judges asked.

  Laura quickly pressed the pause button, and everyone except the kids froze. “Okay, let’s try this Water Zapper one more time.”

  The DATA Set quickly got to work.

  Each member fixed different parts of the Water Zapper. When they were done, Laura pressed play, and the room came back to life. This time the laser beam watered the plants and the leaves instantly bloomed.

  “Huzzah!” The DATA Set cheered and shared a high five. Unfortunately, the high five made Laura drop the remote. It clunked to the ground and set off a bright glow around them. Then in a flash, they were gone.

  Chapter 5

  Time Bandits!

  The DATA Set landed with a loud thud on a hard wooden floor. The floor was bouncing underneath them.

  A tall man with a bandana over his face said, “Reach for the sky!”

  The kids were aboard an old train in the desert.

  Cowboys surrounded them. The tallest one looked very familiar.

  “Dr. B.?” Olive exclaimed. “Why are you dressed like a cowboy?”

  “Bandit Bunsen’s the name. Now empty yer pockets!” the man ordered.

  The kids were all wearing Old West outfits too!

  “There’s been a mistake,” Gabe said.

  “Your mistake was boarding the train we’re robbing,” Bunsen growled.

  A bandit with scruffy hair stepped forward with a dog by his side. “Hey, boss, we gotta get a move on before the good guys show up.”

  “Empty yer pockets,” Bunsen repeated.

  The kids did as they were told. Laura dropped the remote control into the bag.

  “We need to distract them,” whispered Gabe. “Cesar, do you have another string cheese peanut butter bar?”

  Cesar frowned. “Yes, but it’s my last one.”

  The rest of the DATA Set looked at him like he was crazy.

  “Okay, okay,” Cesar said. Then he whistled to the dog bandit. “Here, take this!” He threw the treat and the dog blocked off the cowboys to get it.

  “Run!” Laura grabbed the bag from evil Bunsen. The kids raced from train car to train car, with the bandits right behind them. When they reached the caboose, the DATA Set were trapped.

  Bandit Bunsen smiled. “End of the line. Now gimme my bag and empty yer pockets.”

  Quickly, Gabe grabbed the remote from the bag and pressed pause. The entire train and the bandits froze.

  “Good thinking!” cheered Laura.

  “Yeah! But, what’s going on? Where are we?” asked Olive.

  “And more important, why are we dressed like this?” asked Cesar.

  “Oh no,” Gabe groaned and held up the remote. “Do you remember the Western movie that was on the TV at Dr. B.’s? We must have switched over to that channel when the remote dropped.”

  “You mean we’re in the movie?” Cesar asked.

  Gabe nodded. “I think so.”

  “That sounds so not awesome,” said Olive.

  “We need to figure out how to get back,” said Laura.

  She took the remote and pressed the guide button. This time it didn’t show the DATA Set’s future. Instead, it had a list of othere TV shows.

  “‘Baking with Bunsen,’” Gabe read. “‘Mysteries of the Bunsen Kind.’ What sort of guide is this?”

  THE MARCH OF THE BUNSEN BEASTS

  THE BUNSEN INVASION

  BAKING WITH BUNSEN

  MYSTERIES OF THE BUNSEN KIND

  DON’T DISTURB THE BUNSEN

  BUNSEN RULES THE SCHOOL

  THE BUNSEN SKY IS FALLING

  BUNSEN, I SHRUNK THE BUNSENS

  A CASE OF THE BUNSEN CLONES

  THE BUNSEN HUNTER

  “Maybe we should try the ‘last’ button,” Olive suggested. “Wouldn’t that take us back home, like switching to the last channel we were on?”

  The friends looked at one another and shrugged.

  “It’s worth a shot,” said Laura. She pressed the button and the glow swallowed them again.

  Chapter 6

  Battlestar Buntastica

  When the glow faded, the DATA Set were dressed in space suits. Buttons were blinking under a giant screen that looked out at a dark sky filled with stars.

  Suddenly a giant rock flew toward them. Sirens blared a warning signal.

  “What is that?!” Cesar cried.

  “An asteroid!” Laura shouted as another rock whizzed past. “We’re on a starship!”

  “The remote must have taken us to the last show Dr. B. watched!” Olive exclaimed. “It’s an outer space movie!”

  A third asteroid struck the ship as the kids and the remote floa
ted slowly off the floor.

  “Warning. Warning. Gravity lost,” the ship’s computer announced.

  “What do we do?” Gabe asked, clinging desperately to a chair.

  “We have to fly the ship!” Olive exclaimed. She fastened herself into the pilot’s chair as the rest of the crew settled in. Grabbing the steering wheel, Olive turned the ship just in time to narrowly miss another huge rock!

  Laura, Gabe, and Cesar clung to their seats with their eyes shut tight.

  “It’s okay. We’re safe!” Olive called out. “But we’re not out of trouble yet.”

  One last asteroid zoomed close. It was much larger than their ship. Olive tapped the controls. Then she pushed the steering wheel down. The ship dropped, and they barely missed the enormous rock.

  “Great flying, Olive!” said Cesar. “Where’d you learn to do that?”

  “Space camp,” said Olive with a smile.

  Then the screen blipped to life, and a tall blue alien appeared. He had an unruly mop of hair and really big goggles.

  “It’s Dr. B!” said Cesar.

  “You escaped my asteroid trap,” Alien Bunsen grumbled. “But you will not escape me. Hand over your ship or meet your doom.”

  “We are not giving you anything!” Olive said.

  The alien chuckled. “Who said anything about ‘giving’?”