Once Jeff regained mobility from his earlier accidental shutdown, the two young plush robots set about preparing for the evening's adventure.
"Ugh, can't believe I zoned out like that," Jeff murmured, brushing his plush paw over his fabric chest.
"Don't stress, plush bro," Marc chuckled, tapping the energy panel on Jeff's back. "Let's just get charged up and ready for tonight."
Agreeing with a nod, Jeff and Marc connected themselves to Jeff's computer via their small USB ports. They lay side by side on the floor, idly chatting about the potential fun and mischievous escapades awaiting them while their batteries filled with energy.
Once both were fully charged and night had fallen, they stealthily sneaked over to Gabby’s room. Jeff used his little plush paws to nudge the door open while Marc kept an eye out for anyone who might be lurking in the hallways. Once inside, they quickly located a cabinet fitting for their ruse.
The two plushies positioned themselves carefully between a stuffed teddy bear and a porcelain doll, then remained motionless, biding their time.
An hour passed like a second for the boys now masquerading as innocuous toys on the shelf. Sounds of giggling girls approached, and the door swung open. Gabby entered, her friends Susan and Maria flanking her, all three carrying bags stuffed with the necessities for a classic sleepover – pajamas, beauty kits, and snacks.
The girls busied themselves with setting out their nail polishes and sharing gossip, all while Jeff and Marc held perfectly still, observing the room from their lifeless guise.
It wasn't long before Maria's eyes landed on the shelf where the two new plushies quietly observed.
"Oh, Gabby! Those plushies are adorable!" Maria gushed, pointing at Jeff and Marc's disguised forms.
Gabby turned her head towards the shelf, surprise etching her face as she noticed the presence of the two newcomers. "Huh, that's odd. I don't remember having these two," she mused aloud, her eyebrows furrowing ever so slightly as she pondered their origin.
She walked over to the shelf for a closer look. Jeff and Marc barely dared to breathe—a task made slightly easier by their current robotic inanimateness. The room was filled with the electric tension that comes with a near discovery, just as it vibrated with the hum of girlish excitement.
Meanwhile, Jeff and Marc remained stationary and quiet on the shelf, their plush hearts metaphorically pounding from the near miss. Their robotic charade was working perfectly, and now, they just had to wait for the right moment to make their mischievous presence known.
With a mix of curiosity and suspicion shadowing her features, Gabby reached out and picked up the raccoon plush, Jeff's current guise. Turning it over in her hands, she scrutinized it carefully, her fingers tracing the stitches and fabrics until they found the concealed panel on the back side.
"What's this?" she wondered aloud, her voice carrying a sharp edge as she pried open the panel to reveal the power button and a memory card slot. Her mind raced with theories, and a creeping feeling of betrayal settled in. "Is Jeff spying on me?"
Susan and Maria, intrigued by the unfolding drama, leaned in over Gabby's shoulders for a closer look.
Without hesitation, Gabby flicked the power button to the off position, causing Jeff to go stay as limp and lifeless as he was pretending to do. A moment later, she extracted the memory card with decisive action. Her gaze shifted to the rat plush—Marc—and with the same swift movements, she disabled it and removed its memory card.
"Let's see what Jeff has to say for himself," she said, her suspicion turning to anger. The trio stormed out of Gabby's room and into Jeff's, where they expected to find him, possibly with some explanation or maybe an apology.
But Jeff wasn't there. The room was eerily silent, the only evidence of occupation being the glow of the computer screen and the unusual device connected to it. Susan's attention was immediately drawn to the Chronivac, the blue hue of the screen reflecting in her widening eyes.
"Girls, look at this," Susan beckoned, pointing at the Chronivac which displayed Jeff's and Marc's names on the recent transformations list. It was as if the dots connected in front of them, forming a picture they could have never imagined.
Maria gasped, her voice a mix of disbelief and intrigue. "You guys, this... this is saying that Jeff and Marc changed themselves into those plushies!"