Summary: When Sherman's new invention throws himself, Andy, Hobbes, and Socrates into different time periods, Calvin must use his own Time Machine to save them.
Welcome to the Calvin and Hobbes: The Series Season premiere.
Written by garfieldodie and Swing123
Time Terror
Mom came into the house one afternoon.
It was Friday, so that meant Calvin's pals were over.
I think I oughta explain the strange friendship that Calvin, Hobbes, Socrates, Andy and Sherman share.
Calvin is friends with Hobbes and Andy.
Hobbes is friends with Calvin, Andy and Socrates.
Socrates is friends with Hobbes and Andy.
Andy is friends with all of them.
Sherman just comes because Andy makes him.
Did that clear it up?
Good, let's continue.
Calvin had requested a pizza for the afternoon while he and the gang watched Captain Napalm movies.
She'd obliged because Calvin had earlier been making a high-pitched whining sound.
"Calvin!" she shouted. "Pizza!"
Calvin shot downstairs and grabbed it and ran back to his room.
"You're welcome," Mom muttered.
Calvin shot back into his bedroom.
Hobbes, Socrates, Andy and Sherman were lying around on the bed.
"Okay, boys!" he said. "Pizzas all around."
Socrates shot forward.
"Aah, pizza," he said, ripping the box open. "Did you know that scientists have trained them grow all flat and inside cardboard boxes? It's true!"
Hobbes looked at the pizza.
"Umm, I don't suppose there's more?" he asked. "There are five of us, and that's only one pizza."
"Relax," said Calvin. "I'll take care of it."
Sherman snorted.
"Huh! How, may I ask?"
Calvin pulled out an unsharpened pencil.
Then he aimed it at the pizza and pressed the eraser.
BOINK! BOINK! BOINK!
Immediately, the Mini-Duplicator formed three pizzas that all looked exactly the same.
"Cool," said Andy, taking a slice.
"Really?" asked Hobbes. "I thought it was kind of terrifying."
Sherman looked at the pizza.
"Care to explain how I can eat this?" he asked. "It's too big!"
Calvin sighed, and then he pulled out the Mega-Shrinker 5000.
He plugged it into a headphone jack on a CD player. There was a SHIIICK, and the shrinker's neck shot out to full length.
Calvin flipped the switch to SHRINK, and pointed it at the third pizza.
ZEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!
The pizza shrunk down to Sherman's tiny hamster size.
Sherman glared at Calvin.
"Why is it you're always showing off these inventions?" he demanded. "I'm the genius! I should be coming up with ideas like this."
"Huh. Yeah. Go figure," said Calvin. "Let's watch the Napalm movies."
And they took their pizzas downstairs and piled up on the couch.
But Sherman was still grumbling.
"I could invent my own duplicator and shrink ray," Sherman rambled. "And my own Transmogrifier, and scream horn, and hypercube, and—"
"Sherman?" interrupted Socrates.
"What?"
"Shut up."
"Yeah, the movie's starting!" added Hobbes.
As the opening credits for Captain Napalm started, Andy spoke up.
"Hey, you got any soda, Calvin?" he asked.
Calvin reached into the hypercube and pulled out four cans of Coca-Cola.
"This is warm," said Hobbes.
"No problem. We'll use my newest invention on them."
Calvin pulled out a clothespin.
"What's that?" asked Andy.
"This is the Atomic Freezer," said Calvin. "Just clamp it on to anything and it will automatically freeze it to the perfect temperature."
Calvin took his can of soda and prepared to freeze it.
"Wait!" said Hobbes. "We need to prepare."
Hobbes, Socrates, Andy and Sherman ran out of the room, and then came back wearing hardhats, goggles and pillows.
"Okay," said Hobbes. "Go ahead."
Calvin ignored them and clamped the clothespin onto the can of soda.
Immediately, it glowed blue, and then a shivering sensation went through the can.
Then when it stopped, Calvin took the Freezer off and opened the can and drank the Cola.
"Perfection," he said.
Then he passed it around so that Hobbes, Andy and Socrates could use it.
But Sherman was still angry.
"I should be inventing all the stuff around here!" he shouted. "I'm smarter than you!"
"True," said Calvin, "but I'm bigger than you, and on this planet, size matters."
Sherman glared at him.
"So you think you're better, huh? I'll show you! I'll invent something just like one of your inventions, and it'll be even better!"
And Sherman jumped from the couch and ran out the door for his lab.
Calvin, Hobbes, Socrates and Andy stared as he left.
"Uh-oh," said Andy. "Shermie's upset."
"Yeah," said Calvin. "We'd better see how he is."
"Okay," said Hobbes. "We'll watch the movie and see how he is."
The four agreed, and then laid back to watch television.
Days went by after that, and none of them had seen Sherman.
Well Andy saw him from time to time, but mainly because he lives with him.
Calvin, Hobbes and Socrates were relieved to be rid of him for a while, but every once in a while, they were inclined to ask where he was.
Andy simply told them he was busy with a new experiment, and that's all the others cared to know.
In fact, things were a lot better without Sherman.
No one was yelling six syllable words during Calvinball, and no one was calling Hobbes a scruffy nebulous idiot.
That means mangy furball in Sherman talk.
But best of all, no one was going on about "the university".
You see, whenever Sherman starts a sentence with the words, "When I was at the university…" Calvin, Hobbes, Socrates and Andy seem to evaporate and disappear.
However, something would happen in about two weeks.
Two weeks later, Calvin, Hobbes, Andy and Socrates were standing in Sherman's impressive lab.
Calvin had asked why he didn't have his own lab, but Hobbes shut him up.
Sherman stood in front of them, wearing a blue cap and holding a tiny wrench.
"Hello, boys," he said. "You're probably wondering what's going on?"
"Duh," said Socrates. "Now get on with it!"
Sherman glared at him.
"I'm pleased to announce that I've finally completed my new time portal," he said.
Sherman yanked on a cord, and a curtain rose up.
Calvin, Hobbes, Socrates and Andy stared.
"Wow!" said Andy.
There was a giant spaceship-shaped structure standing in front of them. It was covered in wires that ran around and connected to it. There was a giant screen on it. There was a shiny red lever next to it, and next to that was a…washing machine?
"Time portal?" asked Hobbes.
Calvin snorted.
"I'll bet you can't go to cool places like with the Time Machine and the MTM," he sneered.
"Of course not!" said Sherman. "You see, it's not meant for actual travel, but it gives you a view of the actual past and future through the time portal. It's like a TV set; only what you're seeing is real."
"So you don't have to interact with what's on the screen?" Hobbes asked.
"Nope."
"Neat."
Calvin glared at Hobbes.
Sherman smiled smugly.
"Now I'll activate it for the very first time."
Sherman pulled out a nickel and scurried towards the washing machine.
"What's the coin for?" asked Andy.
"It's to activate the time portal," replied Sherman. "And this is not just a nickel! It is the key to great knowledge."
"Well, apparently great knowledge is pretty cheap," said Socrates.
Sherman ignored him and placed the coin in the washing machine.
Suddenly, the washing machine started up.
And then the time portal started to glow.
"WOW!" breathed Calvin, Hobbes, Socrates and Andy.
"The washing machine is providing the perfect ratio between the converted techno-bubble frequency, the molecular torch, and the spin cycle!" Sherman explained over the noise.
At first, it seemed as though everything would work.
Then there was a strange noise.
KER-KLUNK!
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
WHIR! WHIR! WHIR!
Sherman looked up in surprise.
"I'm guessing that wasn't supposed to happen?" asked Calvin.
"Run!" shouted Sherman.
But before anyone could do anything, the timer burst off the top of the time portal.
Then the screen was smashed.
Then the unexpected happened.
There was a gust of wind, and something long, round and blue came out of the place where the screen had been.
"Time vortex!" yelled Calvin.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" screamed Calvin, Hobbes, Socrates, Andy and Sherman.
They all ran for their lives.
Calvin immediately grabbed onto an overhead pipe.
Suddenly, Sherman was sucked into the time vortex.
"HELP!" he squeaked.
But the genius hamster had vanished in the blue tornado.
"He had it coming," Hobbes muttered.
Everyone agreed.
But just then, Andy was lifted off the ground, and then he tumbled into the swirling tunnel as well.
"ANDY!" Calvin, Hobbes and Socrates shouted.
See? I told you he was friends with everyone.
"SHERMAN, YOU ARE IN BIG TROUBLE!" Andy growled as he tumbled away and disappeared.
Just then, Socrates lost his grip on the pipe and slid off and tumbled away after Andy and Sherman.
"I DON'T THINK I'M IN KANSAS ANYMORE!" Socrates shouted.
"SOCRATES!" screamed Hobbes.
"LET HIM GO, HOBBES! IT'S FOR THE BEST!" Calvin said.
Calvin started to wrap himself around the pipe to get a better grip.
Hobbes was about to do the same, but it was too late.
With one more powerful WOOSH, Hobbes lost his grip on the pipe!
And he was sucked into the time portal.
"HOBBES!" Calvin screamed, holding out a hand.
"CALVIN!" Hobbes screamed back, and he vanished as lightening flashed.
Realizing it was too late to save his friends (and Socrates and Sherman), Calvin held on to the pipe.
The whooshing and sucking didn't stop until five minutes later, and then the time vortex went back inside the time portal and vanished.
Calvin jumped down from the pipe and ran over to the time portal.
He looked inside the hole.
There was a swirling, sparkling, blue whirlpool in there.
"HOBBES?" Calvin shouted.
The word 'Hobbes' echoed all around.
"ANDY? SOCRATES?"
The words 'Andy' and 'Socrates echoed as well.
Neat, huh?
Calvin gulped.
"Uh-oh," he said.