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“Another successful day, Fred!” Franklin yelled out to his turquoise partner. Fred held up a thumbs up as he touched up the Fun Fact Machine before heading out with his roomate. The Department was smaller compared to other ones, but it stored a lot of knowledge. The two rolled over and clocked out, chatting about various things on the walk home.
“Hey Fred,” The green StoryBot asked, holding out a pencil and notepad, “Can you tell me a fun fact?”
Fred's eyes widened as he took a deep breath in, “Did you know that a seesaw is a common playground structure that employs the power of a first-class lever? Speaking of first-class levers, scissors and crowbars are also part of this class.” As Fred was going off about simple machines, Franklin was writing everything down. Sure, he knew a good amount of these facts and that some were already in the machine, but it was always nice for him to see his best friend so passionate about something.
“Alright, ‘Using a first-class lever with pliers allows you to quadruple your holding strength’, got that. Give me another one, Fred-” The green engineer was just about to finish his note before he crashed into someone, sending him to the floor.
“Oh my infinity! I am so sorry!” One voice said as they got up. They quickly rolled over and held their claw out.
Franklin was rubbing his head as he took the claw offered to him. “It’s fine! One in one thousand people will turn around and go back the way they came to avoid bumping into someone else, anyway.” Franklin cleaned his glasses and got a good look at the StoryBot he bumped into.
He saw a pink StoryBot. They wore a lab coat, yellow gloves, and a hardhat. They also had glasses. Her eyes were an amber brown like the trunk of trees. A forest Franklin got lost in. He snapped back and blinked several times after Fred got his attention and handed him his notebook and pencil.
“Uh, my name is Ada. Head of the Math Department.” They held their gloved claw out, which Franklin gladly shook.
“Hi Ada, did you know every single odd number has an ‘e’ in its name?” Franklin stated, which made Ada giggle.
“I actually did. Let me try, did you know,” They paused, “40 is the only number whose spelling ‘Forty‘ is in the alphabetical order?”
“That’s a good one,” He chuckled before quickly scribbling in his notepad. Ada looked around before focusing on the green nerd.
“So, do you have a name, stranger?” They asked, claws behind their back.
Franklin’s face heated up out of embarrassment. How could he forget to tell them his name? He never forgets. “Oh, yeah.” He rubbed his arm, “Name’s Franklin. Head engineer of the, uh, Fun Fact Department.” He pointed to his friend, “And this is Fred. He’s my assistant. He helps me with various things around the department.” Fred waved.
“Oh, I heard of you! Is it true that you’re good at rambling?” They asked, making Franklin blush.
“Yeah, StoryBots say that about me.” He admitted looking at the side. Then he looked back at Ada and whispered, “Is it a bad thing?”
“Oh, no! I’m also known to trail off. Math is just so vast and interesting!” Ada explained, using gestures to enhance their adjectives. Franklin smiled.
Fred then tugged on Franklin’s arm and whispered something to him. “Oh, it’s getting late! Sorry for distracting you. People normally get home from 6-9pm so I’m keeping you waiting.” The green StoryBot apologized.
Ada waved it off, “No, it’s okay! It was nice meeting you. You said you’re in the Fun Fact Department, right? Do you also get off at Five o’clock?” They asked to which Franklin nodded in response. “Do you wanna, get some coffee or something after work?”
Franklin turned a bright red “I-, um. Did you know that nine out of ten older coffee drinkers consume a cup at breakfast?” He fidgeted with his claws.
Fred rolled his eyes, “Yes. He does.” He stated flatly. Franklin nodded aggressively to help confirm the response.
“Oh, great!” They pulled out a slip of paper in their jacket and pointed to Franklin’s pencil. “Can I borrow that?”
“Yeah, sure!” He handed the pencil to the Pink StoryBot.
They jotted something and handed it to Franklin, “Here are the coordinates for where we’ll meet in the Archives Department. I’ll see you there!” They rolled off, waving to their new found friends.
“Yeah! I’ll see you there too!” He waved back, holding the piece of paper in the other. The two friends turned around to head back to their apartment.
Franklin was grinning the whole walk home, constantly looking at the paper. He noticed Fred to his side and remembered to thank him.
“Oh, Fred. Thanks for helping me out there.” He rubbed the back of his head, “Studies show that without friends people’s lives are dull and boring.” Fred nodded and smiled.
The walk home was pretty uneventful after that. The sky was a blend of red, blue, and pink with a minimal of clouds in the sky. Every so often Franklin would ask Fred for a fun fact and vice versa. No matter what they talked about, Franklin's cheeks were still a light pink. Fred seemed to notice.
When they got to the apartment, they hung up their hard hats and chilled on the couch. Fred grabbed a book about simple machines while Franklin read about 101 weird facts, with a notepad next to him. Despite the facts, Franklin was still thinking about Ada, making him lightly smile the entire night.
Fred decided to break the chill silence, “Still thinking about, Ada?” He casually brought up, making Franklin’s face flush with red.
“W-what?! No! These facts are just, interesting. I didn’t know that ‘skin cells are a main ingredient in household dust’.” He smiled while Fred raised an eyebrow.
“You’ve read that book 10 times.” He said, without looking up from his book.
Franklin sighed. “Maybe a little. I mean, no one has ever asked me to hang out! Well, except from you. Also they were fine with my rambling and fun facts. I'm normally told that they're annoying!” He put his book down and laid on the couch. “I guess it’s nice having someone to relate to, aside from you.”
Fred nodded and put his book down. “It’s late.” He said as he got up. Franklin looked at the time and realized that it was almost 10. He followed his roommate to their separate rooms. He waved good night and closed the door.
The next day arrived and Franklin was anticipating his meet up with Ada. Throughout work, the green StoryBot has been more fidgety than normal. Fred picked up on his friend’s behavior and tried his best to calm his nerves.
At 1 o’clock, the Fun Fact Department got their break. Fred and Franklin grabbed some water and sat on the chairs. Franklin was still a little on edge, so Fred decided to see if he was ok.
“How are you doing, Franklin?” The turquoise StoryBot asked, taking a sip from his water.
Franklin sighed, “I am going to be honest with you, Fred. I’m a little nervous.” Fred raised an eyebrow at his comment, “Ok, I’m really nervous. What if I mess it up somehow? What if I annoy them with all my facts? Did you know that only twenty percent of first dates lead to a second date? I’ve never even been to the Archives Department!” Franklin rambled, playing with his claws as a way to calm down.
“But, this isn't a date.” Fred replied. “It’s just a hang out.”
“I know, I know. I’m just-” Franklin paused to drink his water, “Afraid. Ada seems so nice and smart and friendly. I’m just a simple guy. I haven’t even been to another department for facts sake!” Another sigh left his mouth as he rested his face on his claw. “I don’t want to blow it. I’ve been so busy thinking about tonight, I haven’t been able to write any fun facts-“
Fred interrupted his friend by placing his claw on his arm, “Did you know that the six simple machines are the building blocks of every single machine known to man? That means a ‘simple guy’ can make a difference. You don’t have to worry.”
“Aw, Fred. That’s so cheesy, but informative. You always know what to say.” Franklin admitted, smiling. Fred rubbed the back of his head, lightly blushing. Franklin then had an idea. “Fred, do you think I can, like, call you if things get sticky? I’m not asking you to be a third-wheel, but to be my wingman. Did you know that a wingman will help their buddy to avoid attention from undesirable prospective partners or attract desirable ones, or both?”
Fred chuckled and nodded, “I see where you’re going. Just call me and I’ll be there.” His comment made Franklin smile. The break ended and the two friends went back to work.
BRINGG!!
A green StoryBot and turquoise StoryBot left the Fun fact Department. One was shaking a tad bit while holding a paper and the other was holding two bags.
Fred smiled softly, “You’re going to do great.”
“I hope so.” Franklin replied, looking at the coordinates Ada wrote for him. “I should get going, thanks for taking my stuff back to the apartment. I would be so lost without you.” Fred smiled in response, making a phone with his claws. He waved goodbye, leaving Franklin alone.
Franklin pulled out a keypad from a nearby hotspot. He glanced at the paper and typed in the coordinates. He was still nervous; he never had a reason to use the tubes, but now he did.
“Ok, now enterrrrr-!!” A tube came from the ceiling and sucked Franklin right up. He yelled as he zoomed through the tube, holding onto his hat for dear life.
From the chaos, he could hear a faint voice, “Now entering: The Archives.” The tube shot him out the second the voice finished. The green StoryBot fell head first onto the ground. He let out a groan before being helped up. He rubbed his head and opened his eyes. There in front of him was Ada.
“Oh my! That was a rough fall. Are you ok?” They asked as they examined Franklin.
The StoryBot rubbed it off, “I’m fine, it’s alright! A fall ten stories and above are the fatal falls.” He looked up from where the tube came from. “Is that supposed to happen?”
“Well, most of the time, yes. But I’ve never seen it throw a StoryBot that hard.” They knocked on their hard hat. “Good thing you were wearing your helmet.”
Franklin rubbed the hat, “I guess you’re right.” He looked around the department. There were rows upon rows of boxes, files, you name it. It seemed to sprawl out forever. He looked over and saw Ada leaving and quickly followed, “So, Ada. What are we doing?”
“Just walking, why? Is there someplace you want to head to?” They tilted their head.
“No, I was just wondering.” He smiled. Silence filled the air, making the turning of their wheels sound loud. Franklin wanted to say something, but he didn’t know what.
Ada was the one who asked the first question, “Franklin, what’s the Fun Fact Department like?”
“Oh, it’s fun. It is mostly composed of retired StoryBots looking to share their knowledge. Fred is actually one of the only StoryBots I know that specifically got a degree to work in the department.” The green StoryBot explained
“Well, what about you?”
Franklin stopped in his tracks, alerting Ada in the process. They also stopped and waved their hand in front of his face.
“Hello? Franklin? Are you there?” They asked, a little concerned.
Franklin blinked several times before smiling again, “Oh, sorry Ada! I don’t know what that was about. What were you asking again?” He rubbed the back of his head.
“What do you do as the head engineer?” They repeated, causing Franklin to stare. “For example, I help keep the Mathamatron 3000 running. Do you keep the Fun Fact Machine working?”
“Yeah, that’s my job. Fred helps too, we work as a team.” He smiled awkwardly.
The two continued walking, Franklin was scribbling notes on his notepad while Ada watched, “Ada, can you tell me a fun fact?” Franklin covered his mouth, “Oh fact! Sorry, Ada! I got lost in thought and I’m just so used to walking with Fred I-“
“Franklin, it’s okay! I can give you one.” They smiled gently, “Like, did you know that there is no Roman numeral for zero?”
“I actually didn't,” He whispered, coughed for a second, and jotted on his notepad. “Can you tell me a fun fact about, erm, yourself?”
Ada laughed, lightly covering their cheeks, “I would love too.” Franklin grinned as his face heated up.
Ada thought for a moment, “Did you know that my favorite section in the Archives Department is the ‘Things that are Abstract’? I always found an interest in the different angles and polygons in that area.” They looked at the green StoryBot, “Can you tell me a fun fact about yourself?”
“I mean, sure. Um, did you know that I’ve never been in the Archives before?”
Ada stopped, “You haven’t been in the Archives Department before? Everyone and their mothers have at least visited it. Where do you get all your fun facts from?” They asked.
“Well, everyone in the department is retired from their original departments like I said, so every single fun fact is just spare knowledge everyone has.” He explained
“So did you work in a department before the Fun fact Department?”
“Not exactly. I always worked in the Fun Fact Department. There is just so much knowledge to go around, I never had a reason to go explore the Archives, or any other department.” He mumbled the last part.
“I didn’t know that. Well, since we’re in the Archives, would you like a tour? I know a good chunk of this place.” They offered
Franklin looked around, “A tour would be nice, yeah.”
“Great!” They grabbed Franklin’s claw and could’ve sworn they saw some red on his face, “Where do you want to start first?”
“Um, how about that abstract place you were talking about?” He said, rolling along with the pink StoryBot.
Ada nodded, “Just around this corner.” They guided him through the many rows. Eventually they arrived at the ‘Things that are Abstract’. The area was filled with primary colors and many different shapes. There were little to no curves and patches of white were noticeable. “Here we are!”
Franklin gasped, “Woah, and we just have this in the facility?”
“Yep, there’s an area for everything. The problem is that it’s not well organized.” Ada explained.
“This place is amazing! I should go out more.” He whispered. The green StoryBot took a closer look at the region and noticed a painting of Paulie Chipcasso, “Did you know that Paulie Chipcasso was a pioneer of Cubism, a revolutionary style of modern art that broke down subjects into geometric shapes?” He asked as he examined the many shapes.
Ada giggled, “I did actually. He’s one of my favorite artists. I love seeing what angles and polygons he uses in his paintings.”
Franklin blushed, “Oh! I didn’t know that.”
“Maybe after we’re done with this section, we can head to ‘Things that Taste like Coffee’ and grab some, you know, coffee. Like I said before.” They recommended.
Franklin nodded, “Yeah, that would be great.” His response made Ada smile. He looked around once again, “Did you know that a megagon, the million-sided polygon, has been used as an illustration of a well-defined concept that cannot be visualized and is also used as an illustration of the convergence of regular polygons to a circle?” He then spotted an eleven-sided polygon. “Ada, did you know that the simplest polygon cannot be constructed with a compass, straightedge, and angle trisector is called an undecagon or a hendecagon?” Franklin pulled out his notepad and wrote some notes down, unknowingly rolling off to the side.
Meanwhile, Ada was taking a look at some of the shapes lying around with a protractor in claw. “Look, Franklin!” They said, still looking at the protractor, “This polygon has a reflux! And over here, there are some corresponding and alternating angles!” They then looked around and saw nobody with them. “Franklin? Where are you?”
“And speaking of Greece, did you know that Greece has about 9,000 miles of coastline, the 10th longest in the world, and no point in Greece is more than 85 miles from water? I bet no one needs a pool there.” The StoryBot looked up from his notepad and noticed he was in an entirely different area. “Um, Ada? Where did you go? Where did I go?”
Ada was searching around the ‘Things that are Abstract’ section, looking behind every hexagon, decagon, and hexacontagon in the area. They stopped for a moment and looked around, “Maybe he wandered off.” The pink StoryBot proceeded to leave the area, “But where?”
“Excuse me, but what department is this?” Franklin asked a giraffe as he held onto her neck above the raging sea of dogs.
The giraffe sighed, “Things that We Think are Dogs. Why? Looking for grizzly bears?”
“Oh no. I’m looking for my friend. Last time I checked, we were in the ‘Things that are Abstract.’ Any idea on how to get there?” He looked at the notes he scribbled down.
“Can I have a paper and pencil?” She was handed Franklin’s notepad and pencil. She jotted some arrows on the paper. “Here. Follow these exactly.”
Franklin took the paper. “Thank you miss!” He scurried down the neck of the giraffe and followed the arrows.
“Hey Gob. Hey Goob, have you seen my friend?” Ada questioned as they rolled up to the two friends. The pals were playing a card game.
“I don't know.” Gob replied.
“What does he look like?” Answered Goob as they turned to Gob, “Got any sixes?”
“He’s green, has glasses, and wears a helmet. He’s always talking about fun facts and is a little bit introverted but that’s okay. He’s really nice, funny and he’s really smart. I actually learned some really interesting math facts from him.” They explained, lightly blushing.
“So, he’s you but green. Go fish.” Gob said as Goob drew a card from the pile.
“Not exactly. First, he knows facts outside of math and is the head engineer of the Fun Fact Department.” They defended as they crossed their arms.
Gob thought for a moment, “Is his name Franky or something?” He then looked at Goob and held up his claw.
“Franklin. How do you know? Has he already talked to you?”
The olive StoryBot shook their head as Gob drew from the pile, “Nah. We just heard of him.”
“Oh. Well if you see him can you tell him to head to the ‘Things that Taste like Coffee’ section?” Ada asked as they rolled off.
Gob and Goob nodded. “Yep.” Gob replied.
“You can count on us. Go fish.” Goob responded.
“Things that are tall? I’ve just been here!” He looked at his notepad, “See? ‘The tallest building in the world is still the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, standing at 828 meters’.” He took a glance at the paper again. “I could've sworn I took the right directions.” He mumbled. He then heard his phone buzz. He took it out to see a message from Fred.
The text read, “Hey, buddy. How’s the hangout?”
Franklin frowned. He was going to respond, but pressed the call button instead. He waited patiently as the phone rang. It was then picked up.
“Hey Franklin. How’s it doing? Need any pickup lines?” Fred’s voice was on the other side of the phone.
“Erm, not good.” The green StoryBot whispered, “Do you know how to navigate the Archives Department?” He asked as he wheeled around.
“I have an idea why? Did you and Ada get lost?”
“I’m the one that lost.” Franklin admitted as he traversed the rows of shelves.
Fred lightly gasped, “Oh, you are? Well, let me just-” The sound of shuffling papers was heard on the other side, “I have a map pulled out. Where are you right now?”
Franklin looked around, “Things that Square.”
Fred was jotting down notes, “And where are you headed?”
“Well, originally I was going to head to ‘Things that are Abstract’. But I doubt Ada is still there. I remember them saying something about heading to ‘Things that Taste like Coffee’. So that’s where I’m going.” Franklin explained as he took a left.
“Ok, got it. So, good news and some bad news. The good news is that it’s not far from where you are. The bad news is that it’s a maze getting there.”
“Fred, this whole place is a maze. Did you know that mazes were first created not to confuse, but to send visitors on a spiritual journey.” He bumped into a wall, “This does not feel like a spiritual journey.”
“No, you actually have to go through ‘Things that are like a Maze’ to get there.”
“Oh, I think I found it.” Franklin looked up and saw a huge hedge maze. It was brimming with branches and leaves and showed a deep green. “Is it just a hedge maze?”
Fred sighed, “There is a corn maze after that.”
The green StoryBot gulped, “D-did you know that the first corn maze was in Annville, Pennsylvania and became popular tourist attractions in North America?”
Ada sat patiently on a bench nearby the ‘Things that Taste like Coffee’ area. Constantly looking around for a sight of their friend. “Oh math. How can I find Franklin in the Archives? Maybe he purposely left me.” They let out a sigh.
Suddenly a bat flew over and landed on a seat beside them, “Hey hun. Are you feeling alright?”
“Could be better. Just looking for a friend, that’s all.” They explained
The bat frowned, “Why? Did they ditch you?”
“No. Maybe? He was with me, and then he wasn’t. I know he didn’t purposely leave me, but a part of me feels like he did. It doesn’t feel like Franklin to do that, he’s so sweet and innocent. Maybe he got lost. I hope he got lost. I mean, I hope he got lost over then leaving me purposely.”
“Well, the Archives is big and pretty hard to navigate. Has he been here before?” The bat asked, taking a seat.
Ada paused, “No. I didn’t know he had never been here. I assumed everyone visited and navigated the Archives. He got lost because of me.”
The bat placed her hand on the pink StoryBot. “Hey, don’t blame yourself, accidents happen, and from what I heard, Franklin doesn’t sound like a bad StoryBot.” She then pointed in the distance. “I bet he’s trying to find you right now.”
Ada looked ahead of them, “I hope so.”
“Fred? Does this maze end soon?” Franklin asked as he reached another dead end. He already reached the corn maze, but every roll forward made him more anxious.
“Take another left.” Fred instructed as he scribbled notes on the maze down.
As Franklin wheeled through the maze he grew worried, “Fred, can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“How do you think Ada is feeling?” He asked and ran into a wall of corn.
“What do you mean?” His friend asked, concerned about what his friend was feeling.
Franklin gulped, “Well, I kinda left without telling them, not on purpose! I’m worried about how they’ll feel. Did you know that one of the worst feelings in the world is being lonely?”
“Don’t sweat it Franklin. We’re almost there. When you get to Ada, you can tell them everything.” Fred reassured his green friend.
“I hope they’ll understand. Ugh, I hate miscommunication! Miscommunication can cause communication barriers, discrepancies, and conflicts and it can affect interpersonal relationships and business productivity.” Franklin ranted.
“Franklin! It’s okay! Ada’s a nice and understanding StoryBot, I’m sure they’ll understand how you got lost. Did you know that Archimedes had this insight about a lever, ‘Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world’.” Fred explained
Franklin raised an eyebrow, “That’s cool, but how does it have to do with the situation we’re in?”
“Something as simple and basic can move the world. What I’m saying is that if you explain what happened and don’t sugar coat it, Ada would understand.”
Franklin turned a corner and found the exit, “You’re right Fred. I think I’m ready. I gotta go.”
Fred smiled, “I believe in you.”
Franklin lightly grinned before he hung up and rolled forward.
The bat turned around. “Ada, is that who you’re talking about?”
Ada looked around one more time and found a green stick in the distance. They cleaned their glasses and saw their friend. “Franklin?” They asked.
“Ada!” He yelled back. “Hi! Sorry I was gone for so long!” He rolled closer to his friend.
“Franklin! Where did you go?” They questioned as they got closer.
The green StoryBot rubbed the back of his head, “I got lost. I was so busy rambling I didn’t realize I was rolling away! Sorry for worrying you, Ada.” Franklin apologized.
“It’s okay Franklin! The Archives is big and probably endless. I should’ve given you a map beforehand. How did you find me anyway?” The pink StoryBot asked.
“I got a little help from a friend, er, Fred-nd.” He chuckled awkwardly.
Ada laughed at Franklin’s joke. “Well, you wanna get coffee now?” They offered.
“I would love that.” Franklin then realized what he said. “Did I say love? I ment enjoy, er really appreciate, I mean like.” His cheeks filled with red.
Ada’s cheeks also grew slightly red. They both stared at each other. Then Ada kissed Franklin on the cheek, leaving his face a bright red. “I would love that too.”
Franklin’s jaw dropped as he slowly raised his claw over the cheek that was kissed. He then formed a massive grin on his face.
“Come on! Let’s go!” They grabbed the StoryBot’s claw and guided him over to the coffee shop.
“Did you know that people make coffee out of bat poop? It's called Bat Guano Coffee.” Franklin asked.
“Really? Well, that explains the bat.” Ada stated. The two giggled and talked the rest of the night, appreciating the newfound friendship that formed.