“So...what did they say…?” Sidney asks Connor, eyeing him as he storms into the hotel room.

Connor is dressed up in street clothes again and does not look one bit happy. He has his arms crossed tightly and his back hunched over as his face is fuming with anger.

He marches over to the huge window and stands in front of it, not saying a single word.

Sidney, who is sitting on the right side of the bed, scoots himself around so that he could see the back of the Oiler. “I take it it didn’t go so well…”

Connor sharply turns around to face him. “They said no! They wouldn’t listen to me! I told them all that I could to bring down the project, but they are as stubborn as they were before!” He lowers his eyebrows, casting his eyes to his left with a pouty look.

“Well, maybe I could come--”

“No, save your breath!” He waves his hand carelessly toward Sidney. “Every single NHL player could come to their office, and they still wouldn’t change their mind!”

“Even if Gretzky was there?” The Penguin raises his eyebrows.

“Even if Gretzky was there.” He nods his head once sternly, gazing at him.

“Well, there’s only one option left to save the NHL from these robots…” Sidney hops onto the floor and waddles over Connor’s feet. He gazes up at him with a determined look, placing his fists against his hips. “Fight.”

“Fight…” The Oiler rubs his chin with consideration, looking to aside. He nods his head. “I like that.” He lands his eyes on the Penguin. “And you can help me.”

“Me?” Sidney places his hand on his chest. “Help? I don’t think so, I can’t let anyone else see me in the future! The time-space--”

“Do you want to save the NHL or not?” Connor asks with a low, grave tone.

“I do!” he cries, balling up his hands into fists. “I do, I do! It’s just that it might endanger the time-space thing!”

The Oiler shakes his head. “And you still believe in what that old man says…”

Sidney narrows his eyes on the carpet, rattling his mind of what to do; then an idea pops up. “Okay, I think I got it: a deal.”

“A deal, eh?” Connor raises his eyebrows with interest. “Let’s hear it.”

“So I’ll help you fight against the League Leaders if you’ll let me go back to the past right after. And John can help as well. How’s that?”

“We really need to drag that guy along?” he groans with a roll of his eyes.

“Yes, because he’s very helpful!” Sidney raises his heels into the air with his hands clasp behind his back.

“Without him.”

Sidney shakes his head.

“Please?”

He shakes his head more with his eyes closed.

“Really?”

He nods his head in the same fashion.

“Not the old man.”

He shakes his head.

“Fine! Fine, Sid! You got me!” Connor throws his hands into the air. “It’s a deal...with that old man…” He grumbles out the last part of the sentence as he sticks his hand toward him.

“Good to do business with you!” Sidney smiles largely while shaking his hand. “But why do you hate John so much?”

“Because,” he starts as he breezes past him, “he hates me. Surprisingly, he likes you still.”

Sidney tilts his head in confusion, staring at the Oiler. “Huh?”

Connor turns around to face him. “Ah, whatever, let’s go to his house. We gotta tell him about what’s going on, right?”

---

John opens the front door of his house and spots his visitors.

“John, we have something super duper important to tell you,” Sidney tells him as he is walking into the house with Connor behind him. He settles himself in his sofa and the Oiler follows.

With a cautious, confused manner, John saunters into his living room and stands in front of them with the coffee table in between them, going along with the flow. “And...what is that?”

“Had you heard about the robots taking over the player's places in the NHL?” The Penguin makes wide hand motions in front of him.

“Yes, I was informed of the communiqué. Quite egregious, I shall say.” He adjusts the collar of his sweater vest.

“Well, we’re wondering if you can join us defeat these robots and the League Leaders!” Sidney throws his hands into the air. “Can you?”

The retired Islander stands with a blank look. “How could I be of an assistance?”

“Maybe with your tech-y stuff, you can control all the robots and disable them or something! Because we have to not only get rid of the robots, but also the League Leaders so that they won’t do the same thing again!” He slams his fist against the palm of his hand.

Connor eyes Sidney with a surprised look. “I never thought of that…!”

The Penguin turns to the Oiler. “And that’s why I’m captain of the Penguins and Canada!”
Connor clears his throat.

“In the past, I was...in 2014.” He dips his head.

John rubs his chin in deep thought while looking up. “I suppose I can hack into the network of the robots since they do need to be linked all together in some way in order to function properly.”

“Yeah, so you can take care of the robots, and Connor and I can deal with the League Leaders!” Sidney adds on excitedly.

The retired Islander snaps his eyes at the Penguin. “What? No, you are not going to fight--”
“If I fight, Connor says that he’ll take me back home!” He cuts in singy-songy.

“I assumed that I was going to escort you back…” Realization is shown on John’s face once he stops talking. “Oh...I fathom.” He nods his head, then reverts his gaze at him. “Is that in accordance with the facts, McDavid?”

Connor nods his head. “Yes.”

“Are you concocting to extricate the NHL to actually extricate it or to gain dominion over it--?”

“What--?”

“Yes,” Connor answers again, cutting into Sidney’s confused statement, which cut into John’s question. “I want to save the NHL from these robots so that we can play again. So that it can stay the way it was meant to be.”

John nods his head. “Very well. I shall get on with my undertaking. I anticipate you do your’s efficiently as well.”

“Yay, thank you John!” Sidney jumps out of his seat joyfully. “C’mon, Connor, let’s go save the NHL!” He sticks his fist in front of him in a heroic stance.

“Alright, let’s do this.” Connor then gets up and walks out of the house with Sidney.

John eyes the door closing behind them. “I’m still going to persist assembling that time machine…” Then with a nod, he turns into the hallway. “But first, I shall disable the robots.”

Notes