A/N: Hello young padawans. I have brought to you another chapter. I would have uploaded it like a week ago but it needed to be rechecked and because I am grounded for a month without being able to get into my usual websites -.- Anyways, thanks to all who have put this in alert, favourite and who have reviewed.

Not many things going on in this here chapter but =shrug= I am just writing away what my mind is bringing to me. Gonna get better in the next chapter I promised. :D

Chapter 3: The Mysterious General

The next day, the facility was buzzing with people ready to work. Some still sleepy from their night round and some already prepared for what was coming of paperwork. The scent of coffee and donuts was still in General Monger's office, where he had slept over a pile of papers the night before, and his 'coffee boy', red-head young Soldier Kyle Smith, had left his still warm donut box and coffee before he could wake up and be in a cranky mood.

General Monger stirred slowly to life as he had always done in past nights when he had been just another commander with a huge sheaf of papers on top of his desk. Unfortunately he was still doing the same years later, but he now had coffee and donuts. Monger looked around whilst he took a donut from the place he knew they were and decided to finish his paperwork later.

He stood up from his desk and took his coffee cup in a hand that was slightly shaking. When he took a sip from it, he almost dropped a few drops of coffee into one of his unsigned papers, not only because of his shaking hand, but because the coffee was already cold and tasted awfully, he could care less anyway. His forehead was covered in a thin blanket of cold sweat, he seemed to be a bit paler then he usually was and the front of his uniform was slightly wet as well as the papers he had been sleeping on. Nightmares had been in another person's dream as it seemed. Only that the general had been in dreamland as stern and strong as he was in dreamland because he had tried to fight back against his nightmare only that this one was something he actually didn't want to fight back.

A series of knocks on his door brought him back from his thoughts. He cleared his throat and uttered a hoarse 'come in', but Soldier Smith was already in before he could even finish saying it.

"Sir, it's an emergency. We need you. Dr. Cockroach, we can't help him. He won't come out. He keeps talking about nightmares and monsters and a machine and-and-and…"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Slow down son!" Monger moved his right hand about, without letting go of his donut. "I don't want to hear a tongue going a thousand miles an hour at this time in the morning".

"Um…sir, it's about midday". Soldier Smith said, fiddling with his thumbs behind his back.

"It's morning somewhere else, right? Now, what about Dr. Cockroach?" Monger asked, taking a big sip from his coffee and looking intently at the blonde Soldier in front of him.

Thomas Smith took a deep breath and told him what he was told to report him. "He didn't present himself for breakfast. He won't come out of his cell. He keeps talking about monsters and nightmares and a machine. He keeps asking if anyone has seen a white and blue figure. Not even his monster friends know what is going through his mind".

General Monger scratched his chin thoughtfully. What was Dr. Cockroach talking about? He sure as hell had no idea. He was talking about monsters and nightmares. Well, he had a bit of a nightmare last night, the Missing Link had said something about a nightmare a week ago, and B.O.B. had said something about carrots…maybe he had just been hungry.

"Anything else I should be known about, Thomas?" Monger asked, eyeing his own donut with a furrowed brow.

Thomas looked somewhat creeped out by Monger's attitude but decided to shrug it off, after all he was his superior. "Well, the security cameras in Ginormica's room activated last night. Nothing important to worry about. She had a bad dream that was all".

"Have you had any bad dreams Thomas?" Monger asked out of the blue, still eyeing his own donut.

Thomas blinked rapidly and took a small step closer to the General "Pardon me sir? Bad dreams?"

"Yes my boy, bad dreams. What every night fears every night. When they tell ya the boogey man will come out of your closet and-what you laughing about?-it will eat you if you don't go to sleep. When they tell ya that a witch might get through your window into your bedroom if you sleep until midnight. Haven't you had any like that before? When you were a small kid? When you weren't in the army nor even cared about what happened in the government?" General Monger had walked to his desk and put his donut back in the box.

Thomas was dumfounded by what the general had told asked him. Bad dream? What is he talking about now? The General could almost read his mind, for he then said "Nightmares I mean. Everything that a kid and a man fear in their lives. They take you, make you fear them, make you want to run away, but you can't".

"Sorry sir" Soldier Smith said "but I have had none in the last 4 years. I no longer know if I fear something in this life". He stood tall yet he was nervous for the answer he could get. But Monger turned around with a grin on his face, he had the box of donuts in his hands, all of them were there, even the one he had been staring at was there, uneaten and complete.

"All right, enough of this 'Meaning of Life' conversation. Time to work has come again, and if you don't, then I will surely make them take a day from your salary. And please take back these donuts to the cafeteria, I prefer to buy them myself in a decent store, I don't trust that woman from the cafeteria anymore." Monger seemed to be on a good mood, only that the bags under his eyes demonstrated another thing.

He was tired, even young not-so-intelligent Soldier Thomas Smith could see that. And his eyes also showed something that General Monger didn't showed often in front of anyone.

It was fear.

Fear for his nightmares.

"That Kyle Smith, he is your brother right?" Monger asked casually, sipping from his awfully tasting coffee cup.

Thomas smiled sheepishly "Well…yes sir, he is. I believe he brings you your coffee and donuts every day, right?"

"He does actually. But I might as well let him be and take that activity off his shoulders. Donuts are bad for me anyways. And going myself to do some coffee wouldn't be such a difficult task. But enough of this time losing talks, we have work to do. And I have to know what is wrong with that mad scientist". And with that, General Monger went out the door, but not before saying to Thomas one last thing.

"And son, be close to your brother. You two shouldn't be separated for so long. Have a nice day".

And he disappeared, leaving a confused Soldier inside his office.