Fall had come to Los Angeles. The temperature had finally started to cool and the days had begun to shorten. Fall was also the time when most students returned to school, for Luz Noceda and Anne Boonchuy the prospect of going back to St. James had been discussed with their parents. Detective Ventura had talked to their school and informed the parents that their children's missing status had been legally resolved. Though both Anne and Luz weren't sure if they felt comfortable returning. They both knew that the student body of St. James had concocted a lot of bizarre rumors about why the four had vanished, and neither of them felt like being the subject of gossip, nor having to answer questions from other classmates. In addition to that they had missed so much class time that there would no doubt be a lot of make-up work to do in order to get caught up. Finally, there was the issue of the fact that Luz and Anne could not…express affection for each other at the Catholic private school.
With all these factors considered Camila told Luz that she could continue her education online if she wanted. Camila had also talked to the Boonchuys and showed them how to set up this online system for Anne. Anne was eager to give it a try especially as it would give her more time to spend with the Plantars. As the weeks went by, Anne settled into the online course and she enjoyed the flexibility it offered. When she wasn't doing an online course she would often be busy helping her family at the restaurant. For Luz, she bounced between doing her classes and helping her mom at her veterinary clinic on weekends. Luz loved working with animals and was always happy to volunteer her time, at the clinic she learned some basic first aid and how to treat minor wounds for various animals. While the girls had some free time, they didn't get to see each other that often, instead having conversations on their phones.
This also had an effect on both the Plantars and Amara. While Anne and Luz were busy, the others tried to find things to do to occupy their time. Polly did her best to learn more about robotics and how they worked, Sprig meanwhile had gotten into Comics, and Sci-Fi. Bee had shown him a plethora of movies and even a series of books called Cosmic Frontiers. While Anne wasn't that familiar with Cosmic Frontiers she did enjoy being able to talk about some of her favorite series with Sprig. Hop-Pop, after being told by Bee that the Plantars would never owe them anything for having taken care of Anne for them, decided to relax for the first time in his life. He had lived a life of mostly hard labor so getting the chance to do nothing was a godsend for him. He would spend his days going on walks around the neighborhood or just relaxing in the Boonchuys' backyard drinking lemonade. Amara had divided her time between trying to learn more about Earth culture, and still trying to find out anything she could about portals, hoping to help the group return to Amphibia.
As time went on, the four amphibians became better able to blend in with their disguises, and Luz and Anne trusted them to explore the city themselves if they wanted. While they enjoyed this new sense of freedom, they also couldn't help occasionally feeling homesick, especially as time went on. The four were at least happy that they had each other. Amara had instructed the Plantars as to how the busses and trains worked and before long, the four were able to meet up on their own.
As of right now the four were in a park, roughly halfway between where Anne and Luz lived, they were lying in the mud trying to recapture the feel of being home, drawing a few looks from onlookers, but not enough to arouse suspicion.
"It's been so long since I felt real swamp mud," said Sprig as he lay in the small mud pile.
"I thought this Earth mud fill the void, but it really doesn't," said Polly, looking up into the sky.
"Do you think Sylvia knows I'm not dead?" asked Hop-Pop, "I mean if I were dead, I would want her to move on, but I'm not! How horrible would it be if we get back to Amphibia only to find out that Monroe has managed to woo her to him?"
"Wait!" said Sprig in alarm as he shot up, "does that mean Ivy might think I'm dead too? What will I do if she finds someone else?! We only just started dating!"
"Heh heh, this is why it pays to be single," said Polly in triumph, "I don't have to worry about any of that." Though after a beat. she realized something, "Wait! Do you think anyone has gone into my room and stolen my weapons?"
"You have weapons in your room?" asked Amara suspiciously.
"I need them for defense!" exclaimed Polly loudly. Amara quickly looked around.
"Okay, okay stop!" she whispered to the tadpole, "you're gonna get us in trouble if you make a scene."
Polly let out a huff but did stop yelling. Sprig turned to Amara.
"How about you Amara?" he asked the newt. "There must be something you really miss about Amphibia."
"There are a lot of things I miss," answered Amara, "and I get it you guys are homesick, that's understandable, especially since we've been gone for so long, and this world is so different. But if Anne and Luz see you like that, you're going to make them feel guilty about getting you stuck here."
"I take it you haven't made any progress on finding us a way back?" asked Polly to Amara.
Amara paused before answering, "Yeah, sorry. Turns out interdimensional travel is a lot harder than you think. Though it does make me wonder how the newts did it in the past?"
"Well they had the box in the past," said Sprig simply. "Andrias told us his ancestors used it."
"But how did his ancestors even create it?" asked Amara. "How did they find the secret to making it work? I know newts have always been considered smart, but… well, I mean look at all the things humans have invented: computers, cars, phones, pizza. Yet despite all that they don't have a way to easily travel between worlds. Meanwhile, Amphibia has just one advanced city in the entire land, yet somehow we came up with a way to just casually travel to other worlds."
"Huh, never thought about it like that," said Sprig, "Andrias didn't say how his ancestors made the box, just that they did, and used it to conquer other worlds."
"If we knew more about how the box was made we might be able to learn how it works, then maybe we could use that knowledge to help us," said Amara.
"Did Anne and Luz try going back to the shop where Anne said she found it?" asked Hop-Pop.
"Yeah they did," answered Amara, "but they said the store was closed, no forwarding information, nothing, so I guess we won't even be able to find out how it got there."
"Dang," said Sprig, "another dead end."
"Listen I'm doing my best to try and find out what I can," said Amara to the Plantars. "I know how much getting home means to you, and trust me, it means a lot to me too. I promise I'll figure something out, just give me some time."
The Plantars looked at each other before looking at Amara, Hop-Pop speaking up, "I wish we were as resourceful as you Amara. Maybe it would make this whole thing go by faster."
Amara paused as she thought about that, then said, "Oh well maybe there is a way we can all help each other."
The Plantars looked at her.
"So Luz and Anne are busy right now, with school, chores, and other stuff on the weekends, so why don't we take the initiative and do our own research into this portal thing on our own?" suggested the newt.
"But we're just farmers, Amara," declared Hop-pop. "We don't know nothing 'bout any of that fancy portal stuff."
"It doesn't mean you can't learn," countered Amara, "and really we don't need to know that much about portals we just need to find someone who does."
"Yeah, but that's been the hard part, hasn't it?" asked Sprig, "finding someone who does."
Amara thought for a bit before replying, "Well, I might have a lead on that, but it's not a for sure thing."
The Plantar's eye lit up and they all turned to look at Amara.
"So it seems that like in Amphibia there are universities in the human world," began Amara, "and these universities are where really smart humans teach other not-so-smart humans."
"We're not that ignorant, Amara," said Hop-Pop in a huff, "even we farmers know what a university is."
"No, no," said Amara in frustration, "I meant that we could try going to one of these universities and talking with the professors there. One of them might have the answer we're seeking."
"But don't universities have all these weird rules about how you have to dress and act? And don't they lock down the campus every night and hold all the students prisoner?" asked Sprig.
"Oh no, they don't," said Amara, "it's not like Newtopia University at all." Sprig breathed a sigh of relief.
"You said there are a lot of universities on Earth," said Polly, "so which one are we gonna go to?"
"Well, as it so happens, I've found one that's right next to a group of museums," said Amara.
"What are those?" asked Polly.
"Museums are another place humans go to learn stuff," answered Amara, "which is why I selected this particular university because if for some reason nothing pans out there, we can go to the museums and maybe find another human who knows about portals. Plus another good thing about this university is that it's right off the Expo Line train, so we won't even have to take a lot of transit to get there."
"Wow, you really have thought about this a lot, Amara," said Sprig.
"I mean yeah I have," answered Amara, "I have been looking this stuff up in my free time."
"And you think we could do this on our own, without Luz or Anne?" asked Polly.
"I don't see why not," said Amara. "All we need to do is be careful."
"Excuse me, Miss," said a voice coming up to them, Amara turned and saw it was one of those police people Luz had warned her about.
"Is everything okay here?" he asked giving the Plantars and Amara a look. "People have said you've been lying here in the mud for a long time."
"Ah yes officer," said Amara quickly, "we're fine here. in fact, we were just leaving." Amara motioned for the Plantars to get up and follow her.
"Now hold on a sec," said the officer, stepping in front of her, and looking her in the face. "Can you take off your glasses please?"
Amara began to sweat nervously, but thankfully, Sprig stepped in.
"Oh, my sister can't. Those are prescription sunglasses, sir," he said quickly. "She has a condition where the sunlight hurts her eyes. She's such a good sister she brought us to play in the park even though she hates going outside."
"Yes, she does such a good job watching over us," added Polly, "I have no idea what we would do without her, so please let it slide this one time, officer."
The officer looked between Amara and the Plantars, not entirely convinced of the story. He kept staring at them until finally, Hop-Pop said, in a rather loud voice.
"Boy, I could sure use some coffee!"
"Oh well there's a Monarcha over there," said the officer pointing to the coffee shop, "they have really good Café de la Oya."
"Sounds great!" said Hop-pop continuing to yell, "We'll just head over there and get some!"
With that, the Plantars quickly moved away from the park and towards the coffee shop. The Officer decided to let them go and not press the matter further.
"Are you guys sure you're up for this?" asked Anne as the Plantars finished explaining the plan to her.
"We got this, Anne," said Sprig confidently, "Amara's plan is pretty solid. I think there's a good chance it will work."
"We did manage to get out of that situation today all on our own," said Hop-pop.
"That's not exactly filling me with confidence about this plan," answered Anne.
"Come on, Anne," said Hop-pop, "you've done so much for us both here and back in Amphibia. Give us a chance to help you out."
"Well, technically, you'd be helping yourself out," said Anne, "as the whole reason we're trying to find a portal is so that you and Amara can go back."
"But you need to go back to, Anne," said Polly. "You still need to know what happened to Marcy and Sasha."
"Yeah, you're right, I do," said Anne. She thought hard about what the Plantars were asking. As she was thinking, her phone rang. Anne saw it was Luz and answered it.
"Hey," said Luz over the phone, "I take it the Plantars just told you the plan they have."
"Yeah, they did," said Anne. "Did Amara tell you the same thing?"
"Yes," said Luz, "she promised to look after the Plantars, though honestly, I'd say they've been doing pretty good at keeping a lid on things."
Anne turned to look at the Plantars, "Yeah, I'd say you guys have done okay on your own."
"Plus, as Amara pointed out, they're going to USC," said Luz, "That place is always crowded so I doubt they'll draw attention."
"The fact that it's so crowded is what has me worried," countered Anne, "I just think one of us should be there in case something goes wrong."
"You know, Mom's clinic isn't that far from there," said Luz, "Maybe Mom and I can meet up with them after we're done."
"Oh, okay, I like that," said Anne. "Plus, you can pick them up and then drop the Plantars off at my place."
"So will you let us go on this quest with Amara?" asked Sprig hopefully, jumping up to Anne and grabbing her head, looking deep into her eyes. Anne couldn't say no to that face.
"Alright, you guys can go this Saturday. I know you already know this, but please be careful out there," said Anne.
"We got this, Anne! Don't worry," said Hop-Pop, "we won't let you down!"
"Hey, before you go, I've been wanting to make you some cookies," said Anne, "I had a tough time catching enough cicadas, but I guarantee you'll love them!"
"Oooh, thanks, Anne," said Hop-pop.
"Yeah, cookies!" exclaimed Polly. "This day out is gonna be amazing!"
"I'll give you some extra for Amara," said Anne into the phone. She turned back to the Plantars, "Make sure you share some with her."
"Well, I guess that's settled then," said Luz to Anne. "Are you gonna be at the restaurant this weekend?"
"Yeah, I am. It's actually getting busier, so that's good," replied Anne, "Mom's gonna show me some more recipes."
"That's good," said Luz, "I'm glad you and your mom are growing closer."
Anne smiled before saying, "Yeah, I'm glad too!"
"Well, I have to go, but I hope the Plantars and Amara are able to find a new lead," said Luz.
"Okay, see you around, Luz," began Anne. Before hanging up, she made a kissing noise into the phone and added, "Miss you."
"Miss you too," replied Luz, making her own kissing noise into the phone.
Saturday came soon enough and the Plantars got ready to go meet Amara. Anne had seen them off and made sure to give them some of the cookies she had baked for them. The group met up with Amara near the train station and then rode together down to USC. As they exited the train, Amara finished munching on a cookie.
"Anne really did a good job with these," said Amara. "The cicadas mix well with the chocolate chips. I have got to ask her for the recipe."
"So what's the plan, Amara?" asked Hop-Pop. Amara brought out a sheet of paper.
"I have a list of a few professors here on this campus that should be good candidates to ask, so let's visit each of their offices and see what we can learn," said Amara.
With that, the group went around the campus to the various professors on Amara's list. The trip became frustrating as some of them wouldn't meet with them since they weren't students of the school. Others' offices were closed, and still, others seemed to simply shrug and say they knew nothing that could help them. The group became demoralized as the list grew shorter, thinking this whole day would be a bust. As they finished talking with the last professor on the list, who accidentally mistook Amara for a slacker student in his class, the group sat down looking dejected.
"Dangit, we didn't get anywhere with that!" exclaimed Polly.
"It was kind of funny to see that last professor yell at you though," said Sprig giving a laugh.
"It was funny for you!" said Amara stiffly.
"So is that it then?" asked Hop-pop. "Did we fail in our mission?"
"We haven't failed yet," said Amara, trying to rally the group. She looked up at a clock on the campus, "We still have a few hours before Luz and her mother come to pick us up, so why don't we head over to the museums that are close by and see if we can find anything there?"
"Okay, but can we get lunch first?" asked Sprig.
"Sure," said Amara, "there actually should be a café inside the museum."
"Well, which one do we want to start at?" asked Hop-Pop.
Amara looked at her list of museums, "I'd say let's start at the Natural History Museum."
Lunch at the museum's café was mostly a quiet affair. There weren't many other patrons so the Plantars stuck to themselves.
"Did you see that huge creature at the entrance?" asked Sprig excitedly, "Anne said there were no giant predators in her world, but look at that thing! I bet running from it would give you quite an adrenaline rush!"
"That's a dinosaur," said Amara, "it's a creature that doesn't exist anymore."
"Doesn't exist?" asked Sprig. "What do you mean?"
"It's extinct," said Amara, "There are no more of its kind alive in the world anymore."
"What?!" said Sprig in surprise, "so humans managed to rise up and kill them all! Wow, they really are tough! That means we might be able to kill all the Giant Mantises!"
"You know, I've actually seen differing accounts about that online," said Amara. "There are sites that say humans and dinosaurs lived together, while others said that these dinosaurs went extinct before humans lived on this planet."
"I mean how could there be a time, 'before humans?'" asked Hop-Pop. "Haven't they been around as long as this land has? It's like that other display in the front that said the world is round. Come on that's ridiculous, ain't it?"
"Well… no, not really. There are some newts who think Amphibia might be round too," answered Amara.
"What?!" exclaimed Hop-Pop, "I thought newts were supposed to be smart. The world can't be round."
"Why not?" asked Amara.
"Well because… it just can't be!" said Hop-Pop emphatically.
"Listen, there's been some research into whether or not Amphibia is round," began Amara, "most newts now think it is, based on a lot of factors. For one, the sun is round, and you see how it moves through the sky right? Well, what if the reason it appears to move is that the land we're on is spinning? If Amphibia were a sphere, then as it slowly spins, only one side of it would see the sun. And if you were standing on the sphere, you would see the sun move like it does during the day."
"I mean I'm with Hop-Pop on this one," said Polly, "if Amphibia were round, wouldn't we all just fall off it? Well, except for those who were at the top."
"Thank you, Polly," said Hop-Pop smugly.
Amara thought about protesting some more but decided to drop the subject.
As the group finished eating lunch, they looked around the exhibits some more getting lost in the sights and actually forgetting about their mission for a bit. As The Plantars hadn't done as much research on Earth as Amara had, they were more intrigued by what the museum had to offer. Sprig continued to look at the various skeletons of dinosaurs, while Polly seemed interested in the exhibit on Neanderthals. As the group kept exploring, they found a directory that listed the offices of people who worked at the museum. Amara read through the names, deciding to pick the one they could talk to.
"Dr. Jan, Paleontologist," said Amara outloud.
"What's a paleontologist?" asked Polly.
"It's a scientist of some kind," said Amara, "on Earth, the scientists are known by various different titles depending on what they study. I honestly forgot what a 'paleontologist' studies, maybe aliens?"
"Wait, aliens?" said Sprig, "like the ones from those Sci-fi movies Bee showed me?"
"Yeah, I guess so," answered Amara. "Actually, come to think of it, I guess we would technically be aliens to these humans."
"But we're not from another planet," said Sprig.
"I mean, aren't we?" asked Amara. The two actually thought about that for some time.
"Oh, we're here!" said Polly, interrupting the conversation. The group looked up and saw that they were indeed in front of Dr. Jan's office, her name on a placard beside the door. Amara knocked on the door.
"Come in," called a friendly voice from inside. Amara and the Plantars opened the door and went inside. The office was covered in all sorts of strange objects. There were various books strewn around, as well as posters for some of the Sci-fi, shows that Sprig had seen. Behind the desk sat a black woman with a yellow shirt, with images of bones all over it. On her face, she wore a pair of glasses.
"Hmm, I don't remember having any appointments scheduled for today," said Dr. Jan as she looked at the group walking in her door, "are you walk-ins then?"
"Yes, we are," said Amara, "I hope you have some time to talk to us."
"Well, sure," said Dr. Jan, "what can I do for you?"
"Oh, oh, are you a fan of the Y files?" asked Sprig, noticing the poster.
"Why, yes I am," answered Dr. Jan, "I'm surprised you know about that show, I figure it was before your time."
"That's the joy of streaming," answered Sprig without missing a beat.
"Ehum," said Amara clearing her throat, trying to get the group back on track, "Actually, we came here wondering if you had any knowledge of portals to other dimensions."
Dr. Jan paused before replying, "Uh, perhaps you're in the wrong building. I'm a paleontologist. My specialty is on things that existed in the past."
"I mean portals could have existed in the past," said Polly.
"Touché," answered Dr. Jan. "You know, there are a few among the scientific community who wonder whether we really are the only advanced species out there."
"You don't say," said Hop-Pop nervously.
"There's some trace evidence here and there in support of that theory, but nothing really concrete. You get me?" said Dr. Jan. "But that's the problem with academe, you need more than just a feeling to be right."
"So you don't know anything about portals then?" asked Amara flatly.
"Only that as of now they're theoretical," answered Dr. Jan. "I've heard of a few scientists who think that there are dimensions beyond our own, and while I am intrigued by the idea until someone is able to actually make one and travel there, well it's just a theory."
"I see," said Amara in a defeated voice, "sorry for wasting your time."
"Oh, don't worry about that, you don't have to leave right away. I get so few visitors as it is, I'm happy to chat some more if you'd like," said Dr. Jan.
"Why don't you get that many visitors?" asked Polly.
"Well, Paleontology is a science that isn't seen as all that cool," said Dr. Jan, "Grant money for it is really drying up as most institutions and such prefer to give money to research into the future. Heck, they probably would rather invest money in discovering a portal than a new dinosaur."
"What?! That's lame!" exclaimed Sprig. "Dinosaurs are so much cooler! I bet when they were alive, they tasted great!"
Amara gave Sprig a look, but Dr. Jan brushed off the comment.
"Oh, I like how you think," said Dr. Jan. "Considering how birds are descended from dinosaurs, I'd imagine they'd taste like chicken."
"I have a question," said Polly loudly, "say hypothetically there was a world where frogs could talk and stuff, do you have any reason to think that world would be round?"
As Polly asked her question, she gave a mischievous grin to Amara. Dr. Jan considered the question.
"Are you saying a world where frogs evolved to be the dominant species?" asked Dr. Jan.
"Uh, yes, I think," said Polly.
"I don't see why it wouldn't be round. Most people who believe in life on other planets do think the planets or moons need to be round in order to support life," answered Dr. Jan. "But frog aliens? Now that's an interesting idea. Is that why you were asking about portals? Are you trying to build one to get to this alien frog world?"
The Plantarsall nervously looked at each other.
"Ahem," said Amara, glaring at Polly, "Sorry, but we really need to get going."
"Oh, hey, wait, if you're really that interested in portals, I might be able to help you," said Dr. Jan, "I think there's a scientist at the California Science Center who claimed to know about portals. I don't know how valid her claim is, but she might be worth checking out, she should be there right now. Her name is Dr. Frakes."
"Great, thanks for your help!" said Amara, as she ushered the Plantars out of the office.
"Wait, here," said Dr. Jan standing up. "If you're going to the Science Center, here are some passes so you can get in for free." She proceeded to hand out the passes to the group.
"Cool, thanks!" said Sprig.
"Have fun!" called Dr. Jan to the group. As she watched the group leave she gave them a look. For some reason, she had a feeling that there was something…different about this group of kids who had come to her office, though she couldn't exactly put her finger on what it was.
"California Science Center," said Amara as the group stood in front of the building.
"So this is the place then?" asked Sprig.
"What do you think they have inside there?" asked Polly curiously.
"Well, only one way to find out," said Hop-Pop.
"Let's have a look," said Amara, leading the group inside.
There were many different exhibits inside the museum. The group decided to look through each of them to see if they could find the scientist that Dr. Jan had told them about. There was an exhibit about the Mayan people that Amara found fascinating as she marveled at the discoveries they had made and the written language they had come up with. Sprig saw an exhibit about the space shuttle Endeavor and read about how humans had used it to learn more about space, he had to marvel at humans' capacity to explore new things. Polly was taken in on an exhibit about fire, while the exhibit was more about fire safety she still enjoyed learning more about how fire worked and wondered if there were any…practical uses for the knowledge. Finally, Hop-pop saw an exhibit about farming on Earth, he enjoyed learning how humans learned to grow food and was fascinated at seeing how much more they seemed to be able to grow.
After seeing the various exhibits in the museum the four amphibians regrouped until they finally found what they were looking for. In the main area of the museum, they noticed that many children had gathered waiting to see a live demonstration of some kind. There was a small raised stage with some scientific equipment on it and a board advertising a scientific demo of some kind. The board had said it would be done by one Dr. Franks, it even featured a cardboard cutout of her smiling. She was a short woman with messy hair and glasses.
"This must be the place," said Sprig as he showed the others the sign.
"Should we just wait then?" asked Hop-Pop.
"I guess so," said Amara, "these kids sure are loud though."
At that moment, a young woman with blue hair came up to the stage and spoke into the microphone.
"I'm sorry to inform you that due to Dr. Frakes having more important things to do, today's demonstration will be canceled," she said in a flat voice into the mic.
"Booo!" called some of the children. "what's going on? She cancels all the time!"
"Can we at least get more snacks?" asked one of the kids.
"We're out of snacks," said the woman quickly into the mic before disappearing off the stage. Amara and the Plantars followed her. They saw her heading toward a door that lead to the back of the museum.
"Hey, wait!" called Amara to the blue-haired girl.
"I told you, the demo is canceled," said the girl in a tiff. "I have other work to do."
"Does it involve work on portals?" asked Sprig excitedly.
The girl stopped and looked at the group. "How do you know about that?" she asked suspiciously.
Amara thought quickly before coming up with an answer, "We're from the uh, Scientific American Journal. We came to do an interview on Dr. Frakes and her new discovery."
"Aren't you a little young to be journalists?" asked the blue-haired girl, giving the group a skeptical look.
"Wait, did you say you wanted to interview me?" asked a new voice, a new figure coming into view as she roughly pushed the blue-haired girl out of the way. It was the short woman they had seen from the demo display in the museum.
"At last, the media has caught wind of my amazing discovery!" said Dr. Frakes excitedly.
"What kind of discovery?" asked Hop-Pop.
"Oh, nothing big," began Dr. Frakes, "just a portal to another dimension!"
The Amphibians all let out a gasp. "Did you say portal?" they said together.
"Now, come with me," said Dr. Frakes, beckoning the group to follow her into the back halls of the museum, "Terri, music!" she said to the blue-haired girl.
Terri let out a sigh but did start playing the appropriate music on her phone.
"The great Dr. Frakes may be stuck currently running a small exhibit at this museum, and looking after snot-nosed brats," began the diminutive scientist, "but that doesn't mean my research has stopped, ho-no." As the group kept walking down the hall, the doctor pointed to many different discoveries that lined the wall.
"Behold," continued the doctor, "Frakes ferrofluid, over here is an example of a Frakes fractal. Look over here! My Frakes field!"
"Wow, so many things named after you," observed Polly.
"Well, science is the pursuit of naming things after yourself," said Dr. Frakes as though it were the most obvious thing.
"Huh, I thought it was the pursuit of knowledge," said Terri, a bit defeated.
"Don't be stupid, Terri," yelled Dr. Frakes. Terri didn't respond as she took out her card to open the door to her private lab. The doors opened and Amara and the Plantars let out a gasp as they looked inside.
"Ah, the Frakes portal chamber!" said Dr. Frakes, spreading her arms out wide and showing the massive invention. The chamber looked to have a raised platform on which sat four metal struts that went around in a circle. The struts all had different lights on them. Amara didn't know what to make of this and was genuinely shocked, none of the research she had found on portals showed her anything like this.
"It all began a few months ago," explained Dr. Frakes, "when the city was hit with a wave of very strange energy. Since then, we've been able to repeat the anomaly several times, but no matter how many times I do it, no one believes me! Everyone says that my images are faked. Hard to get a good picture with all that magnetic distortion."
As she said that, she brought up some images on four screens near the machine. Amara looked hard at one image in particular, one that looked to be an old house of some kind. She stared intently at it.
"Amara, what's up?" asked Sprig, noticing her.
"I… I don't know why, but… that image… it feels familiar to me somehow," said Amara.
"Ah, that one," said Frakes turning to the image in question. "Yes, I've labeled that dimension W048. My earliest observations indicate that the species there look fearsome, but persist mainly on a diet of apples."
"Have you uh… seen any dimensions that seem to have talking amphibians in them?" asked Amara nervously.
"No, none with talking amphibians," said Dr. Frakes, "though I did see a dimension that had giant red mantises."
Amara and the Plantar's eyes lit up at that.
"And hey, if you want to really see what this baby can do, we can turn it on right now!" said Dr. Frakes excitedly. "Who wants to see me burst through space-time?"
"Doctor, this process is still very unstable and dangerous," said Terri, coming up to the doctor. "Should we really involve civilians?"
Dr. Frakes mocked Terri, imitating her voice before declaring, "Fine, fine! We'll let the press decide."
Amara froze as she realized that now the decision was hers, so she quickly convened with the Plantars.
"You heard what she said about the dimension with red mantises," said Hop-Pop excitedly, "this could be it!"
"We might finally be able to go home!" exclaimed Polly.
"I thought this whole mission might fail," began Sprig, "but thanks to your quick thinking, Amara, we finally have a lead. Let's look at that other dimension."
Amara looked nervously between the Plantars and Dr. Frakes. She had a nagging feeling in her heart that something was off about Dr. Frakes. While she seemed to be on the right track in regards to building the portal, the fact that she named all her discoveries after herself was definitely a red flag. Yet at the same time, she couldn't deny the looks in the Plantars' eyes as they all seemed eager to see if this would work.
"I'm not so sure, guys," said Amara, "I know she said she saw mantises, but those images looked pretty fuzzy."
"This could be it, though," said Polly grabbing Amara. "This could be our ticket home!"
"Yeah, but we just came here to ask questions," said Amara as she tried to assert herself. "We had no plans to see an actual demonstration."
"Okay, but can't we at least look through it?" asked Sprig.
"Don't you want to see home again, Amara?" asked Polly.
"I… well yes I do, but…" began Amara. She didn't finish her sentence as she began weighing all her options in her head. The Plantars circled her each demanding to see a demonstration of the portal. Her brain was telling her this was a bad idea, but her heart saw just how desperate the Plantars were and she didn't want to disappoint them. After thinking about it, she finally acquiesced.
"Okay, just a peek," she said to the Plantars. Amara turned back to the doctor, "Alright, Dr. Frakes, let's see that portal!"
"That's what I'm talking about, baby!" said Dr. Frakes excitedly as she raised her hands and walked over to the portal controls. She pressed some buttons and pulled a lever on the console, activating the portal. Lights flashed on the portal device and electricity shot down into the center of it. A small hole began to open as the energy gathered together in that spot. Slowly, the small hole grew.
"It's…. it's…" said Hop-pop excitedly as she watched the hole expand. The hole finally got large enough for the group to look through it. They saw a world full of red trees and large bones, that looked exotic, but was not the world they wanted.
"…not Amphibia," said Hop-pop in a depressed tone.
"No, it's not," said Amara, "but something about that world feels familiar."
Barely, a second after she said this, the hole snapped shut and the portal closed instantly. As it did, it sent a shockwave of energy out from it that pushed the amphibians back, knocking off a good chunk of their clothes. Throughout the rest of the museum the shockwave caused the power to go out. Dr. Frakes and Terri were also hit by the energy wave and fell down, though they both quickly got back up.
"Unfortunately, I can only hold the portal open for about five seconds before it collapses and-" Dr. Frakes stopped as she looked at Amara and the Plantars, realizing they weren't human.
"Uh, were you always giant talking frogs… and a newt?" asked Dr. Frakes.
Amara and the Plantars looked at each other, realizing they had been exposed. Deciding that now they really had no choice, they broke into an explanation.
"We're frog people from another dimension," said Hop-Pop, waving his arms.
"We just want to go home!" said Sprig.
"Yes, it's true," said Amara, "I know it's a lot to take in, but the four of us are from a world where frogs, toads, and newts are sentient and have formed towns and cities and such. We're not nearly advanced as humans yet somehow, our ancestors found a way to travel to different dimensions. We got stuck here in this one and now all we want to do is find a way back home. You must be a brilliant scientist to have built this portal and we would welcome any help you could provide in trying to help us get home."
Amara and the Plantars all flashed a smile at Dr. Frakes as well as made their eyes big to try and invoke sympathy from her. Dr. Frakes came up to the Plantars and looked them over closely staring at them for a long time before finally saying.
"Terri, clear my schedule, Frakes field activate!"
With that, a device on her arm sprung to life and encased the Planatars and Amara in a green field, lifting them off the ground. Dr. Frakes hurriedly ran out of the room with the Amphibians, laughing as she did.
"I can see the headlines now, Frakes frogs change the world! I'll be the most famous scientist in history as soon as I dissect you and catalog your organs!" exclaimed Frakes.
"You can't do that!" yelled Terri as she chased Dr. Frakes.
"Stay out of this, Terri, if you know what's good for you!" yelled Dr. Frakes. "One email from me and you'll never work in any scientific field ever again. Do you really want to risk your entire career for these creatures?"
Terri paused as she considered that and fell behind. Dr. Frakes used the distraction to put more distance between herself and Terri as she raced toward the dissection lab. Once inside, she quickly transferred the Amphibians to the dissection slab, strapping them down and preventing them from moving. Dr. Frakes ran over to a console and began pushing buttons on it. A slew of sharp pointy instruments and a circular saw activated from the ceiling. The Amphibians looked up in terror.
"Pokey things!" yelled Sprig in terror as he looked up.
Amara struggled against her bonds, trying to free herself. She looked straight at Dr. Frakes
"Why are you doing this?" she asked desperately, "we said we needed your help! You could be famous for getting that portal to work and helping us get home! You don't need to do this!"
"I'll have both!" exclaimed Dr. Frakes. "Once I get that portal working, I can go to your world and harvest even more species. When I'm done everyone, will know my name!"
"You're crazy, Dr. Fink!" yelled Polly.
"It's Frakes!" said Frakes.
"Come on," called Amara to the doctor, "you don't need to do this. Can we please talk about this?" As she said this, Amara used her tail to try and discreetly loosen the strap that was holding her and the Plantars down. Polly noticed what she was trying to do.
"Soon you won't be able to talk," exclaimed Dr. Frakes, "you'll be dissected and I'll be famous!" The sharp objects descended closer to the group. Amara kept picking at the strap her eyes focusing on the descending saw. Right at the last minute, she managed to free them and quickly pushed the Plantars out of the way of the saw. Instinctively, she brought up her tail to try and shield them from it…
"Ahhh!" cried out Amara in pain as the saw came down on her tail, cutting it off. Sprig saw what happened and quickly pulled Amara out of the path of the saw. She stumbled forward into the Plantars and the group fell against the door. Hop-Pop banged on it, desperately trying to get it to open, and eventually, it did, with Terri standing there. Terri saw blood coming out of Amara's tail and let out a gasp. She looked back at Dr. Frakes realizing she had been responsible for this.
"Terri, Terri! Stop it Terri" yelled Dr. Frakes, she rushed forward, grabbed the saw off the ceiling, and charged at the group. Amara noticed what she was doing and turned, bringing up her arm and slamming into Dr. Frakes, trying to knock her down. She succeeded, but the saw the doctor was holding went wild and cut off her arm causing Amara to let out another scream. The Plantars and Terri were in shock at seeing this, but quickly recovered and picked up Amara, carrying her out of the room and away from the mad scientist.
"You'll never work in any lab ever again, Terri!" yelled Dr. Frakes. "I hope it was worth it to help these creatures!"
"It was!" called Terri as she and the amphibians ran away.
"I have a coffee here for a Dr. Jan," said the Lyft Driver outside in the Museum Plaza.
"That's me," said Dr. Jan, reaching out and taking the coffee.
"Careful, it's hot! Ah, the Natural History Museum, I haven't been here in ages," said the Lyft Driver, "I really loved it the last time I came."
"We change out a lot of the exhibits, but there are some we keep," said Dr. Jan. "When was the last time you were here if you don't mind me asking?
"I wanna say around 2014," said the Lyft Driver, "I was working a high profile catering event here, went late into the night, I think there were more than a few people who got drunk and started messing with the exhibits."
"Oh, I remember that," said Dr. Jan, "we had to update our policy on events after that."
Right as she said this, the doors to the California Science Center burst open and a group ran out carrying what looked to be an injured newt. Dr. Jan and the Lyft Driver both did a double take as they tried to confirm what they saw, but as they did they ran over to the group. Both Dr. Jan and the Lyft Driver recognized who they were.
"Sprig?" called out the Lyft Driver as he recognized the pink frog. Sprig turned to look at who had called to him.
"Driver dude," said Sprig, "we need help! That crazy lady is after us!"
"I'm Terri, an assistant to Dr. Frakes!" said Terri. "She wants to dissect these creatures! She's clearly lost it!"
The Lyft Driver and Dr. Jan turned to look at the door to the California Science Center and saw a small woman holding what looked to be a saw ran out.
"Stop them!" she yelled. "Those are valuable specimens that need to be dissected!"
Dr. Jan looked down at the injured newt, it was obvious that her limbs had been cut off, she instantly recognized her as the one who had come by her office earlier in the day seeking help. As she turned back to Dr. Frakes, she felt anger rising up in her for what had happened. Dr. Jan took the lid off of her coffee and, as Dr. Frakes got closer, she threw the contents of her cup straight into the Doctor's face
"AAAHHHH! HOT COFFEE IN THE FACE!" yelled Dr. Frakes, dropping the saw and bringing her hands up to try and get the coffee out of her face. Seeing that the saw was free, the Lyft Driver stepped forward and grabbed it off the ground, but Dr. Frakes had recovered and also put her hands on it. The two began struggling, trying to get the saw away from each other.
"Let go!" commanded Dr. Frakes
"Not a chance you saw wielding psycho!" said the Lyft Driver as he continued to fight with her, eventually he overpowered her and grabbed the saw away from her turning it off. Dr. Jan came up to her and spoke right in her face.
"How dare you?!" said Dr. Jan sternly."She's just a girl! How dare you hurt her like that!"
"It must be done in the name of science!" said Dr. Frakes, trying to justify her actions.
While all this was going on, a car had pulled up near the scene and began honking, though Sprig felt relief on seeing that it was Luz and her mom. Luz saw what was going on and bolted out of the car, running up to the group. She took one look at Amara and gasped, bringing her hand to her mouth. The Plantars looked at her, their shocked expression telling them all she needed to know.
"Are you a friend to these Amphibians?" asked Terri. Luz nodded her head, "The newt's been injured! She needs help!"
"Terri, go!" commanded Dr. Jan, "go with them and help!" Terrie nodded. Luz picked up Amara and brought her over to the car, The Plantars and Terri following. All of them got into the car and Camila hurriedly drove away! Dr. Jan and Lyft Driver stayed on the scene to deal with Dr. Frakes.
"No! My valuable specimens!" yelled Dr. Frakes as she got up to chase after the car. She managed to only get a few feet before she was tackled from behind by the Lyft Driver.
"Get off of me!" yelled Dr. Frakes as she tried futilely kicking at the Lyft Driver. The Lyft Driver didn't respond and Dr. Jan joined him in holding her down. As Camila's car left, police cars arrived on the scene.
"You can't do this!" yelled Dr. Frakes as she was handcuffed and taken into custody. "They were talking frogs, I tell you! Talking frogs!"
The police ignored her and stuffed her into the back of the squad car, another officer talking with both the Lyft Driver and Dr. Jan.
"We've heard from kids and parents that the woman was wielding that saw in the museum," said the officer talking with them.
"Yes that's true," confirmed Dr. Jan, "she really put a lot of people in danger with her recklessness."
"Thank you for getting that saw away from her," said the officer to the Lyft Driver.
"No problem, I'm just glad I was able to help," said the Lyft Driver.
"She keeps going on about human talking frogs," said the officer, "I assume that's nonsense right."
"Oh yes, of course," said Dr. Jan and the Lyft Driver together.
"Complete nonsense," said the Lyft Driver, "she was actually chasing a group of kids with that saw, for some reason she seemed to think they were frogs. Dr. Jan and I tried to convince her otherwise, but she wouldn't listen."
"I'm sorry we had to restrain her like that," said Dr. Jan, "but she would have hurt someone if we hadn't."
"They know about the talking frog!" yelled Dr. Frakes from inside the squad car, "those two are lying to you!"
Dr. Jan and the Lyft Driver looked at the officer, both of them bringing up their finger to their heads and making the "crazy" motion. The officer seemed to accept this and walked away. Dr. Frakes still screaming about talking frogs. As the police car pulled away both Dr. Jan and the Lyft Driver let out a sigh of relief.
"So you know that group of Frog people?" asked Dr. Jan.
"Yeah I do," said the Lyft Driver, "kind of weird how I keep running into them."
"So are they aliens from another world?" asked Dr. Jan.
"I honestly don't know, maybe?" answered the Lyft Driver, "what I do know is that they need help getting home, I'm guessing that's why they were here today. Listen, I know this might be asking a lot, but is there anything you can think of that could help them?"
"Well I may be a paleontologist, but maybe there is something I can do," said Dr. Jan, "though how would I get in contact with them again?"
"Hmmm, actually one of the families has a restaurant you can go to. Actually, I'm kind of their unofficial delivery person," said the Lyft Driver, "let me give you the name and address and you can contact them there when you have time, though be careful. After today I imagine the family will be a little on edge."
Amara sat down on an examination table inside Camila's vet office, a sullen look in her eyes as Camila continued to bandage up her arm. Camila was a little off-put at seeing Amara with a missing arm but did her best to help her.
"Don't worry too much, Mrs. Noceda," said Amara, trying to calm her down, "I can regenerate a new arm and hand, though it will take some time."
"I know you're trying to reassure me," said Camila nervously as she finished, "and I know from studying animals on Earth that newts and salamanders can re-grow limbs, but you'll forgive me if I'm still a little freaked out by this."
"Here, mama," said Luz, handing her mother some more gauze. "Will this be enough?"
"It should be," answered Camila, she wrapped the stump of Amara's arm tightly making sure there was no more bleeding. As she finished, Camila stepped back, taking a look at the bandage. Amara gave her right stump a wiggle, the arm had been cut off almost entirely to her shoulder. The bandage seemed to hold, though a little blood seeped through.
"We probably need to change that in a few hours," she said.
"We'll only need to bother with it for a few days at most," said Amara, "if all goes well, I should start growing a new arm soon."
"I think we're good with your arm for now," said Camila.
"Good, because there's one more thing you have to do," said Amara. She stood up and turned around so that the remainder of her tail was facing Camila, "you need to cut off the rest of my old tail."
"Excuse me…. WHAT?!" said Camila in shock.
"I thought you were an animal expert," said Amara. "You have to cut off the rest of the tail or else I can't regenerate a new one."
Luz and Camila looked at each other and then down at Amara's tail, both of them feeling a bit queasy in their stomachs.
"Mom, do newts need to lose their whole tail in order to regrow it?" asked Luz.
Camila hesitated before replying, "I'm not sure, most of the time when a newt or salamander loses their tail in the wild, they are trying to escape a predator, so they do usually leave the whole tail behind as a way to distract it. I don't know if they need to lose the whole tail in order to grow a new one though."
"Trust me, the saw only cut off the top part of my tail, and if you don't cut it off at the base I can't grow a new one," said Amara. "You're a vet, right? I looked up what vets do, so this should be easy compared to other procedures."
"It's not the same," protested Camila, "I mean normally when I do surgery, the animal is sedated. You're asking me to cut off a body part while you're still awake!"
"If you do it quickly, it won't hurt that much," countered Amara, "I'll be fine, just give me something to bite on."
Camila again looked nervously at the newt. She didn't want to do this, yet knew it might be what she needed. Sighing, Camila looked around the room trying to find a large knife.
"Ugh, I only have scalpels here," said Camila in frustration, "that's too small to cut off a tail this big." She thought for a moment before coming up with an idea, "Luz, go into the breakroom. Maybe there's a kitchen knife there I can use."
Luz disappeared into the hall. A few minutes later, she returned holding both a large knife and a lighter.
"I figure we'll need this too to sterilize it," said Luz.
"Yes, good thinking, mija," said Camila. She took the knife and lighter and began using the flame to sterilize the knife. "Okay, I should be ready to go!"
Amara got back on the examination table, Luz went to grab a towel before giving it to Amara and trying to get the newt to focus on her. Camila came up to the tail and tried to steady herself as she prepared to cut it, she took a deep breath before nodding to Luz.
"Okay," began Luz trying to calm both herself and the newt down, "we'll go on three. One… two… three!"
Back outside in the waiting room of the vet the Plantars and Terri sat and waited anxiously with their heads hung. Thankfully the clinic was closed to the public so they didn't have to worry about a random stranger walking in. Camila had keys to the office so she had been able to open it for them. Right at that moment they heard a knock on the front door leading into the waiting room. Terri got up to open the door Anne came inside.
"Anne!" said Sprig as he got up. The other Plantars got up too and went over to Anne, who enveloped them in a hug.
"Thank goodness you all are okay," said Anne, relieved. "Where's Luz and Amara?"
"They're back there," said Sprig. "They're patching up Amara."
"Is she… I mean… Luz told me what happened, is she alright?" asked Anne.
"Amara said she can regrow the limbs she lost," said Hop-Pop.
"Still, she was hurt when it happened," said Polly sadly.
"This all our fault," said Sprig, "Amara didn't want us to open that portal, but we were so desperate to go home. Now she's hurt because of us."
"Hey, hey, don't beat yourself up about that," said Anne, "just be glad that Amara is going to be okay!"
"I hope so," said Terri, "she looked really banged up when we brought her here. I'm Terri, by the way," Terri offered her hand to Anne.
"Anne," said Anne, taking Terri's hand and shaking it.
"Oh man, you fought against your employer," said Hop-Pop, "She threatened to fire you if you helped us. I'm so sorry."
"Don't be, I think you actually did me a favor," replied Terri, "Frakes was brilliant but also a huge jerk. This whole thing reminded me that science is for helping others, not just helping yourself."
Terri took a pause before continuing, "And I think the portal that we build together will be more than enough to get me a grant."
"Wait, you mean…" began Anne. The Plantars also looked at Terri in a hopeful manner.
"Yep I'm gonna help you get these goobers home!" said Terri, "Don't worry I took my own notes on how the portal worked. That should be enough for me to build a new one."
"Wow, that's… AMAZING!" said Anne, her face lighting up. "Thank you so much!"
Right as she said this, the door to the back opened and Luz, Camila, and Amara came out. All eyes focused on Amara and immediately went to her right arm which was now a stump. Amara felt them looking at her and tried to calm them down.
"Please don't fuss," she said, "I know it looks bad, but give me a few weeks and I'll grow both a new hand and a new tail." As she said this, she turned around, the Plantars and Anne looking at the stump that was her tail and letting out a small gasp.
"Amara, I'm so sorry," said Sprig, coming up to her.
"We should have listened to you," said Polly, joining him.
"Now because of us, you got hurt," said Hop-Pop morosely.
"Hey, hey, it's no big deal," said Amara to the group. "Just be glad I can regenerate limbs. I'll be fine. Though I may have to eat more so I can have extra energy to help speed up the regeneration process, hey Anne got any more of those cookies?"
"I'll make a fresh batch just for you," said Anne coming up the newt and giving her a hug, "I can't tell you how grateful I am for you saving these guys."
"Even so, I just… I'm sorry you had to go through this," said Sprig, "thank you for saving our lives."
Amara looked down at the Plantars and smiled, "Hey, listen, in the end, it all worked out. We got away from that crazy woman and we found someone who will help us build the portal, so all in all, not a bad day. And hey, it does suck that I lost both an arm and a tail, but I get that you all are sorry about that, none of you wanted that to happen and you learned a lesson from this, so just keep that in mind for the future. But listen, I don't regret what happened today at all, and if given the choice, I'd still do it again if it meant helping you out!"
Amara knelt down and opened her left arm, the Plantars came forward and all hugged her. Amara wrapped her left arm around them. Anne and Luz smiled as they looked on.