None of these characters belong to me. This story is based off an actual episode, Bentley the Robot, from the end of Season 3. I have changed a few details, such as when things happened and what the results were, but otherwise, the plot is mostly the same.
Please leave constructive criticism in the review section!
Elvis
It was a Friday afternoon. Ellie, Arnold, Sam, Penny and I were all sitting in the fire stations lounge. Sam was telling Arnold and Ellie stories from before they had arrived here. Occasionally, Penny or I would add in an extra detail.
Arnold was leaning forward in his seat, listening intensely to every word. Ellie smiled. "It seems to me that half of the fires you've put out are Norman Price's fault," she said.
I nodded. "He's caused more than his fair share, that's for sure." I sighed. "Luckily, nobody has ever been seriously hurt by one of pranks. It's a miracle, really."
Sam nodded. "Though," he added, "there have been quite a lot of close calls. Once, his stupid pranks nearly killed someone."
"What!?" said Ellie. "What did he do?"
Penny leaned back in her seat. "Oh, that," she sighed.
"What did he do?" asked Arnold, slowly. He'd started chewing his nails, something he always did when he was worried.
"I think we'd better tell you the full story. Then you'll understand," I said. Sam and Penny nodded their heads in agreement. "Sam," I asked, "can you start?"
"Alright," said Sam. He put his cup of tea down and began to talk.
...
Sam
It happened about five years ago, in September. It was a gorgeous day and I had the morning off. I'd invited James and Sarah around to my house for brunch. They were sitting down, while I cooked some sausages on the barbecue.
"Uncle Sam," asked James, "why is it called brunch?" I smiled as I put a plateful of food on the table.
"Well, James, because it's in between breakfast and lunch, it's called brunch," I explained.
"So it's just making one word from two words, Uncle Sam?" asked Sarah. I nodded.
"That's one way to explain it," I replied, returning to the barbecue. The twins both nodded.
At that moment, my latest invention (I used to invent a lot of things. Not so much anymore, though I still enjoy it), Bentley, walked out holding a jug of orange juice.
James and Sarah gasped when they saw the shiny metal robot walk out of my house.
"Good morning, miss and sir," Bentley greeted them politely. The children just stared in awe.
"James and Sarah, meet Bentley the robot, my latest invention!" I said, proudly.
"He's amazing, Uncle Sam!" exclaimed Sarah as Bentley poured them both cups of freshly squeezed orange juice. "What does he do?"
I smiled. "He's to help me with odd jobs around the fire station," I said, flipping a beef patty. "Hopefully, Station Officer Steele likes him."
"How could he not?" asked James through a mouthful of baked beans. "He's awesome!"
Bentley turned to James. "Thank you, sir," he said.
"So, how does he work Uncle Sam?" Sarah asked me curiously.
"Well, Sarah, he has a control CD, right here, see?" I pointed to Bentley's torso. "It tells him what to do."
"So if he had a different CD in him, he'd behave differently?" asked James.
"Yes, he would, James. Now, let's eat!"
The rest of the morning flew by. We all enjoyed our brunch, and at 11:30, James and Sarah left. As the walked down the street, they turned and waved to me and Bentley.
Once they were gone, I tidied up from brunch and got into my uniform, before me and Bentley left for the fire station.
"Now Bentley," I said, "at the station, you need to help out."
"Yes," nodded Bentley. "I will do my best, sir." We continued to walk to the fire station.
When we arrived, Elvis was cooking pasta. I could hear him singing, "pasta and cheese, so good for me! Lovely and healthy, too..." I smiled.
"Morning, Sam! Lovely da- aggh!" Elvis dropped his saucepan of pasta as Bentley walked in.
"Criddlington!" bellowed Station Officer Steele as he walked into the kitchen. "Don't tell me you've ruined our lunch- what is that thing?"
"He's my new assistant, sir," I answered, as I walked through the door. "He's here to help around the station."
Station Officer Steele nodded. "Ah, alright then. Well, could he make me a cup of tea before I leave for Newtown? Thank you." He walked back into his office and closed the door.
"Ah," sighed Elvis, scooping up his pasta from the floor. "That's the one thing I forgot to buy - teabags."
"Never mind, Elvis," I said. "Bentley can do it." I turned to Bentley and put my hands on my hips. "Bentley, go to Dilys Price's shop please, and buy some teabags."
"Can he get some bread and cheese as well?" asked Elvis miserably. "My pasta is ruined."
...
Ellie pointed at me. "You used to invent things, Sam?"
"Um, well, yes." I replied. "It was a small hobby of mine..."
"Oh come off it," snorted Penny. "You were brilliant at it! You still are!"
I blushed. "Thanks, Penny. Anyway, now for the next part of the story. Do you want to tell it, Elvis?"
Elvis shook his head. "What about Penny? She knows the next part really well."
Arnold turned to Penny. "So, what did happen next?"
...
Penny
I was just driving past Dilys's shop with Sarah and James when I first saw Bentley. I parked, and Sarah and James got out.
"Thanks for the ride, Penny," thanked Sarah.
"That's all right Sarah. Umm, is that one of Sam's inventions?" I pointed to Bentley.
James nodded eagerly. "Yes! He's called Bentley the robot and he's helping out Uncle Sam around the fire station!"
"Ok. Oh, hello, Dilys!" Dilys had appeared out of her shop behind Bentley.
"Hello Penny! We've just had our first robot customer! At first, I thought he was an alien, but my Norman says that he's a robot. He's an expert on those things."
"I sure he is, Dilys. Where is he?" I asked, looking around.
"Oh, he's upstairs in his room, playing his new videogame. Something about ninjas, I think?" she replied.
"As long as he's not causing mischief, that's fine." I smiled. Computer games weren't too destructive. At least, that's what I thought. "I'm just on my way to the fire station. Would you like a lift, Bentley?" I asked.
He nodded. "Yes please. These bags are very heavy." I opened the passenger door for him and he climbed in. After saying goodbye to Dilys, James and Sarah, we headed off to the fire station.
Bentley kept up a surprisingly good conversation, talking about the tasks he had done so far. We chatted until we reached the fire station.
I pulled up besides Jupiter. Sam and Elvis were obviously cleaning out any rubbish, as well as replacing old equipment.
"Ah, hello Penny! And you've got Bentley with you too." Sam walked up to Venus as we got out.
"Yes," I replied, slamming the door shut. "I picked him up from Dilys's shop. She seemed to think he was an alien."
Sam laughed as Elvis took the shopping from Bentley. "I'll just put this inside, Sam," he said, peering into the bag. "Oooo, he got the nice teabags too. Station Officer Steele will be happy."
I turned to Sam. "Right, I'm going to go fix that locker door now. Call me if you need anything."
"Okay," replied Sam. "We're just at giving Jupiter a good clean." He turned to face Bentley. "Could you put this old tarpaulin in the bin, please? It has a hole in it." Bentley took the tarpaulin.
Just then, Elvis arrived back. "I got some cleaning spray," he said, holding the bottle up. "This ought to help get Jupiter clean." As Sam and Elvis continued to clean Jupiter, I got my welding equipment and headed into the garage to fix the locker.
...
I paused. "Have you forgotten what happens next, Penny?" asked Elvis.
I shook my head. "Of course not. I'm just thinking."
"We only know how the fire started after Norman Price told us. He had seen Bentley at his mum's shop that morning, and he wanted to see if Bentley would become a ninja if he put his new computer game CD, Ninja Battle, into Bentley's CD slot.
In the afternoon, he sneaked around the fire station, where he saw Bentley putting the old tarpaulin in the bin. Seizing his chance, he took Bentley's coding CD out an chucked it over his shoulder.
"He put the Ninja Battle CD into Bentley's slot. Silently, he crept away to watch what happened next."
I stopped. Ellie's eyes were wide open. "What happened next?" she whispered.
"Elvis, your turn."
...
Elvis
Just as Sam and I were finishing tidying up, Bentley arrived back. "Thanks Bentley!" said Sam, "now-hey!"
Bentley had picked up a spanner and thrown it at Sam. Luckily, Sam had ducked at the last second. Bentley continued to throw objects at us.
"What is he doing?" I yelled, narrowly avoiding being hit in the head with a hammer.
"His codings gone wrong!" Sam yelled back. Quickly, he darted forward and took the CD out of Bentley's slot. Instantly, the robot ceased throwing things.
"This isn't his coding CD," Sam said, turning the disc over in his hand. "But where...?"
I heard a chuckle from over the wall. I looked up quickly to see Norman Price scurrying away. "Sam," I gasped, "it must of been Norman!"
"That rascal," Sam muttered. "I'll tell your mum!" he shouted in the direction that Sam had disappeared.
"But what's he done with the original disc, Sam?"
"I don't know Elvis."
...
Penny
I had nearly finished welding the locker door, when I heard a trickling noise. I stopped and took my welding mask off. "What's this?" I asked myself aloud. A clear, lemon-scented liquid had spilled all over the floor.
Suddenly, a stray spark from the welder landed in the liquid. It ignited, and I jumped backwards to avoid the flames.
Later, I would learn that the liquid was cleaning spray that Bentley had thrown into the garage when he went out of control. Terrified, I looked for a way out, but the fire was trapping me in.
"Sam! Elvis! Help!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. "Fire!"
I edged backwards. The smoke was suffocating. Desperately, I looked out of the door. Sam and Elvis were running towards the garage holding a water hose.
"Help," I said weakly, before the smoke finally overcame me, and I blacked out.
...
Sam
"Can you hear shouting?" Elvis asked me. I looked around.
"It'd better not be Norman again..." I trailed off as I noticed the black smoke belching out of the garage.
"No! It's Penny! Elvis, get the hose, quickly." I grabbed the BA equipment as Elvis pulled out Jupiter's fire hose. Quickly, we ran towards the garage, me pulling on the BA equipment as I went.
"Start dousing the flames, Elvis!" I yelled. "I'll go in and get Penny!"
Elvis nodded and turned the hose on. I tried to enter the garage but stepped back quickly when I felt the heat of it.
"It's too hot!" I yelled. Through the flames, I could see Penny passed out in the corner. If we didn't rescue her soon, she'd die from smoke inhalation.
Quickly, I tried to think of what we could do. "Wait!" I yelled. "Bentley can get her!" I turned to Bentley. If only I could fix him!
Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted James and Sarah. "Uncle Sam!" yelled James! "We've got Bentley's coding disc!" Quickly, he passed it to me.
"Just in the nick of time, too!" I shoved the CD into the slot, and Bentley powered up.
"Bentley," I yelled, "go in the garage and get Penny! Now!" Bentley nodded and charged into the garage.
"The flames are coming under control, Sam!" Elvis shouted.
"Ok, Elvis," I yelled. In that second, Bentley burst out of the garage holding an unconscious Penny. He set her on the ground, and I rushed towards her.
"Penny, wake up!" I gently shook her. She coughed, then opened her eyes.
"What happened, Sam?" she said, her voice hoarse. She tried to sit up, but I lay her back down again.
"It's okay, Penny. Just lie there, we're going to get you to a hospital." I squeezed her hand as she coughed again.
Elvis knelt down next to us. "Fire is out Sam." he said.
"Good job Elvis." I smiled at him. "Can you call an ambulance? And Helen Flood?"
"I'm on it Sam." He rushed off.
"Uncle Sam!" cried Sarah. "Bentley's shaking!" I turned to face them. Bentley's face was warped, and glowing red hot. He was twitching, and I knew that his wiring must of melted. I knew there was no way he would function after this.
"Don't touch him," I instructed the twins. They stepped away from him just as Bentley collapsed on the ground.
"Master," he croaked, "thank... y-y-you..." He stopped, and his eyes stopped glowing. I knew he was gone.
"Thank you Bentley," I muttered. "You're a real hero."
...
Elvis
Sam trailed off. Ellie was clutching the edge of the sofa so tightly her knuckles had gone white, and at the rate Arnold was going, he wouldn't have any nails left.
"We're you okay?" asked Ellie to Penny.
"Yes, I was fine. I was taken to Newtown Hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation, and they kept me in one night for observation." Ellie nodded. "I had a week off, and then the next two weeks I was on light duties only," Penny finished.
"What about Bentley?" asked Arnold. "Did you ever manage to..."
"Fix him? No." Sam shook his head sadly. "His control disc melted, as did much of his wiring. We buried him around the back of the fire station, actually."
"I wish I got to say thank you," said Penny. A single tear trickled down her cheek.
Station Officer Steele walked in. He stopped and took in the scene - Ellie giving Penny a hug, Arnold looking shocked and terrified, and me and Sam looking pretty glum.
"What's happened?" he asked, sounding surprised. "You all look so... sad."
"We were just telling Arnold and Ellie about Bentley the robot, sir," I said, sadly
"Oh," said Station Officer Steele. "Yes, yes, a very sad topic." He sat down on the sofa next to me. "Have you told them about the medal he received?"
Penny shook her head. "We were just getting to that part, sir," she said. "Maybe you could tell it?"
"Alright, then."
...
Station Officer Steele
A week after the fire, I held a meeting with the firefighters. Firefighter Morris had only just returned to work that morning after taking a week off.
"Good morning, sir," she said as she walked into the station.
"Ah, Firefighter Morris! It's good to see you. I hope you're feeling a lot better."
"Yes, sir," she replied. "It's good to be back."
"It's good to have you back as well. Now, let's head upstairs." We walked into my office, where Sam and Criddlington were already seated. Firefighter Morris joined them, and I sat down behind my desk.
"Ahem. Firstly, I would like to thank you two for your quick reaction when you discovered the fire." I nodded at Sam and Criddlington. "As you may know, there will be no lasting damage, and Firefighter Morris has recovered."
They all smiled in relief. "Station Officer Steele, may I ask what's happening to Norman?" Sam asked. "I did hear rumours that he got a formal warning."
I nodded. "Yes, the rumours are true. Norman caused great danger by swapping the discs in Bentley's CD slot and he did a lot of damage, though none was structural." I paused. "Dilys Price has also informed me that he is grounded for the rest of the year, and that his computer has been taken away from him. She has also offered Norman's services in helping clean the garage.
"Now, before I forget." I turned to Sam. "Firefighter Jones, I have been asked to inform you that your inventions are now not to become involved in the fire station."
Sam nodded. Obviously, he had accepted this. "I take partial responsibility for what happened, sir," he said. "Had I not brought Bentley to the station, then none of this would of-"
"However," I interrupted. "No blame has been afflicted to you. In fact, Chief Fire Officer Boyce has asked me to inform all of you that Bentley shall be receiving the medal for Outstanding Bravery in his memory."
They all nodded. Firefighter Morris turned to Sam. "Bentley was amazing. I will never forget him, so don't be so hard on yourself." Sam nodded.
"Right then," I said, standing up. "It's time to go meet the Jones family."
...
Penny
"So...that's the end?" Ellie asked.
I nodded. "After the meeting, Station Officer Steele gave Sarah and James their certificates, and then we made a memorial for Bentley."
"It's somewhere along the back wall of the fire station," added Elvis.
"Can we see it?" Arnold asked.
Station Officer Steele got up. "Alright, let's go." He walked down the stairs, and we all got up and followed him.
I hope you enjoyed it!