Adapted into web novel format on Dec. 9, 2011 at 1:32 AM MST
"Whoop- wah- wah-hah!" Scout imitated the triple jump again. He landed in front of the primary inhibitor and whacked it several times with his aluminum bat, while going into a crouch with one knee on the floor.
"The appropriate sequence is currently unavailable," GLaDOS's voice announced.
"Okay, this does not look good here. Umm..." said Scout. It was only then that he stood up, turned around and noticed the malfunctioning inhibitor #3, which still had Pyro's fire axe jammed into it.
"Freaking unbelievable!" Scout called. He jogged over to inhibitor #3 and whacked it.
Ping! Kshzzzt!
On the inhibitor's viewscreen, Scout saw the room on the top of a watchtower that he was familiar with. Scout, however, wasn't paying attention to the room. He was watching the gray/purple-haired girl who stood on the inactive control point inside it.
Yuki Nagato was reading the hardcover novel she had during Neru's attack. It was the novelization of a video game also called The Force Unleashed II, although why Yuki was even reading this novel was anyone's guess.
She moved her book closer to her face, and spoke as if to answer Scout's unasked question as to why she knew about it. "Unique," Yuki asserted in her quiet, stoic voice. "Language cannot explain the concept, nor are you able to understand it." But Scout believed he knew the concept. After all, just a week ago he saw a cosplayer dressed up just like him....
The Snob chuckled at her remark. He then claimed, "If you get that reference, then you are awesome."
"We got 'em, we got 'em!" said Scout.
Kagami appeared onscreen once more. Her voice was once again electronically altered in a GLaDOS-like manner. "Talking about it sure brings back memories," Kagami sighed sweetly.
"Whoa-ho-ho-ho, yeah!" Francis cheered as his visual detective alias returned onscreen with a small lollipop in his hand.
"So much for the easy way," Zoey sighed as her visual alias returned as well, with her arms crossed.
With lollipop back in his mouth, Francis continued, "Thought we were goners, huh? Hahah!"
Scout chuckled and said, "All right, let's do this."
Ping!
Kagami yelled at Konata in her electronically-altered voice. "Whoa! I didn't get a New Year's card from you, and you copied my homework yesterday!"
"Uguu~..." Konata moaned cutely. The angel wings on her back seemed to be a hint.
"Yeah, sorry about that," said the Snob. The view of him became pixellated, however.
"It's not gonna get any better, you know," said Zoey.
Scout turned around and ran toward mental inhibitor #2. He noticed the black triangular prism column that was bent out of shape from a green onion missile's impact.
"Whoo!" he shouted. He crept closer and struck the damaged column with his bat.
BRAWwwwwwwooonhh! The bat strike caused a futuristic ricochet noise to play from the inhibitor.
The Critic looked visibly confused.
"Boom, tick, tick-a-tick-a-tick. What?" Strong Bad's voice was heard while the Critic took quick looks to the left and right.
Then, the Critic narrated, "Meanwhi-i-i-i-i-- Will you stop moving the camera, dammit?!"
The inhibitor's view of the stage zoomed in rapidly, right past two green onion missiles. The rapid zoom ended at a medium shot angle of Mugi and Mio on the stage, in front of the touchscreen instrument. Mugi had her white keytar and was looking at the sky where the missiles had flown past.
Mio asked, "Huh? Where are Yui and Ritsu?"
Mugi's smile faded. "I don't know. They wandered off at some point."
Mio looked away and sighed, "They're hopeless...."
Pew pew POW!
"Whee!"
"Aah!"
The three bright flashes of a time screw flung a silver ovoid turret, along with Ritsu, onto the stage floor.
CLANG! Ritsu had landed uncomfortably, face up, on the turret, with her back bent over against it.
"Umm, hello?" the turret said in a female electronic voice. "Excuse me, you're squishing me!"
Ritsu put her right hand to her mouth with a giggle. "Not a bad idea!" she claimed. Mio groaned softly while Mugi giggled.
"Whatever," said Francis.
"Yeah, nice moves, pally!" Scout said sarcastically. He crept over to the inhibitor's damaged column and struck it again.
BRAWwwwwwwooonhh!
The inhibitor's screen showed a room with walls that alternated between red and a light shade of tan with blue and a dark shade of tan. A wide rolling shutter door was closed and took up most of one wall. The wall portion to the left of the shutter door had a roughly star-shaped scorch mark. It was left there over four months ago by a black-haired girl with a big rocket-launcher-like gun, when the room was first used to store a pile of scrap parts as well as ingots, intended for charity donations, of a variant of gold known to the mercenaries as "Australium".
To the right of the shutter door, and beneath an old Australium poster on another wall, was a red Dispense-o-Matic 9000 Provisions Dispenser, the very building that Engineer was carrying around in a toolbox. The Dispenser was upgraded to level 3, and its screen meter indicated that its supplies were full. An ammo belt rolled out of one side, and an orange canister marked with a red cross was attached to the other. Spilling out of the lower compartments were various forms of ammunition.
"...Wha?" Azusa softly gasped upon noticing the Dispenser.
Scout could not hold back his cheerful laughter. After all, he was known for pestering Engineer to build Dispensers.
Azusa stepped closer and examined the machine. "It looks old, but solid," she said to herself.
Pew pew POW!
Azusa quickly turned to her right. Another time screw had thrown The Cheat into the room... along with the red and orange Gibson Les Paul Standard electric guitar he was seen with earlier.
SMASH! The guitar hit the floor beside The Cheat, but remained intact. It had also survived a guitar-smashing dare by Engineer over four months ago.
The Cheat mumbled an incomprehensible speech of high-pitched squeaks and growls, though he may have asked Azusa whether it was okay to return the guitar to its rightful owner after recklessly handling it.
"Don't worry," Azusa assured The Cheat. "It's all right."
The door to the room opened. Azusa found herself in a slight panic as a tall anthromorphic dog, wearing a gray suit and hat as well as a black-and-blue striped necktie, walked into the room with a short white bunny-like "lagomorph".
The dog, whose name was Sam, gestured toward the Dispenser and spoke to his lagomorph partner, who had managed to stop bouncing in place. "Look, Max, free health, ammo, cupcakes, clues, and enlightenment."
"R-- Really?" Azusa asked. She could surely go for a cupcake right about now. She faced the Dispenser and placed her right hand onto it.
Kshzzzt!
"Aw geez, guys!" Scout called. "We need that dispenser here!"
GLaDOS announced in her authoritative voice. "5... 4... 3... 2... 1... Control point enabled!"
"Beaudy!" Sniper called as he waved to Scout.
"Hey, lotta good that camper van did ya!" Scout replied.
Sniper raised his rifle and peeked through the scope toward the primary inhibitor.
"What's the matter, you freakin' stupid?" Scout asked.
BANG! Sniper fired.
Kshzzzshshzzzt! The primary inhibitor was finally reactivated.
Homestar Runner let out a long sigh as the Poopsmith walked away from the "Jumping Jack Contest" stage carrying a large jar of yellow liquid.
"Thanks, mate!" Sniper's voice was heard from this archive clip." "Yeah, that seems about right!" Sniper could not help but laugh.
"What the--?" Zoey suddenly asked while in shock. "What the hell?"
Louis's visual alias arrived with his arms crossed. "Oh no, ain't no damn way!"
Scout turned to look at Sniper. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
Sniper groaned.
Scout looked at the inhibitor again and called out, " Yeah, come get some, wuss!" He then turned around and ran off.
Click here to read the next chapter: chapter 11, or:
Click here to read an alternate Disappearance intro for this chapter.
