A/N: Here it is! A quick little intermission to have a small break from the Asylum adventure and see how some other characters are doing. And those that aren't into the original inmates can pop in for a spell for some more fully canon content. Enjoy!

"Now just hold still, ya rugrat."

With funnel and brain in hand, Ford got started on the rebraining process. Off to the side, Lili and Dogen gagged, averting their eyes. They couldn't bring themselves to watch as the old man's medical procedure defied all known laws of biology and science.

Surprise after surprise had awaited them when they'd made it back to camp. With Ford being the only adult left not captured and not evil, they'd had no choice but to find him in his boathouse and ask him if he had any idea what to do with a bunch of brains. He'd naturally been pretty irate to find a couple kids carting around a bunch of body parts, at least until the sight of all the minds seemed to spark the smallest bit of recognition in him. They'd thought him crazier than usual when he'd only noted they must be tired carrying around all those jars, his only suggestion being to find a stump to rest on. It wasn't until the log cracked open on contact to reveal a hidden entrance did they realize it'd been a roundabout hint.

That was how they discovered the secret lair of their very multitalented janitor... and his true identity. Lili couldn't believe she'd never made the connection, but she'd always thought the badass in her comic books and this goofy grandpa had shared nothing but a name. After handing over their cargo to him and following him back to where he'd stowed the other campers... here they were. Witnessing sins against logic.

The unnerving procedure went off without a hitch. A moment later, Ford pulled the funnel from the patient's ear and set it aside, only to grab something else. A cowboy hat. "There you are, kid," he said as he dropped it on J.T.'s head. "How're ya feelin'?"

The boy took a moment to get reaccustomed to consciousness. "I'm feelin'..." Suddenly, he tilted his head up, scanning the ceiling with a frown. "I'm feelin' a disturbance in the universe... like someone - somewhere - just wrangled a mean ol' doggie and didn't invite me."

The other three in the room gave him a strange look. "...What are you goin' on about, Hoofburger?" Ford reached out to gave the boy's head a quick rattle. "Is everything connected properly up there?"

"Gah, quiddit! Never mind, never mind, I'm fine!" He waved Ford off, hopping out of his seat. "Now just what in tarnation is goin' on?"

They filled him in quickly. Coach's plan, the unstoppable brain tanks, the scheme to take over while causing untold damage, and of course, the fact Frazie was trying to put a stop to it all.

J.T. let out a low whistle, as if they'd just told a wild campfire story instead of informed him they all might be doomed. "Shoot. I really did miss a lot, didn't I...?" He scuffed the floor with his boot, somber. "One second, you're exploring a new frontier, the next, the rodeo's just about over. And instead of spending my time with my main hombre, I've been spending it with..."

He lifted the brim of his hat, a fire ignited behind his eyes. "I've got somethin' I've gotta make right. I'm comin', Chops!"

He made a break for it. Lili reached out to try and grab him, but he was surprisingly fast for someone weighed down by cowboy paraphernalia. "Wait!" she called after him. "We haven't... gotten his brain back yet." Blowing air, she shooed him off on his way. "Whatever, Billy the Kid's not our problem. Who's next?"

She wished she hadn't asked. The next set was a package deal - once Ford was finished and wiped his hands, Franke and Kitty squeed and hugged each other, the inseparable duo reunited once more.

Lili tried not to throw up at the sight. She wouldn't have complained if these two had stayed brainless a while longer. Fighting back nausea, she debriefed them.

Somehow, she wasn't that surprised they barely seemed rattled. Instead of panicking, they were weighing in on more important things. "If the world's gonna end, we're going to go out looking great!" Kitty decided.

"Yeah!" Franke backed her up, like always. "Pedicure, manicure, the whole package! A full makeover!"

Kitty flashed Lili a smarmy smirk. "Maybe you should try it yourself? You can look good at least once before you die."

"Maybe I shouldn't have stopped myself from putting that spider on your brain..." Lili growled under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Sorry. I said MAYBE I SHOULDN'T HAVE STOPPED MYSELF FROM PUTTING THAT SPIDER ON YOUR BRAIN."

Kitty gasped, reaching up to rub her head. Lili had said she hadn't gone through with it, but now that the thought was in her head, she couldn't help but imagine something skittering across her lobes. She shuddered, scratching her scalp. "Ghhh... you're gross. Let's go, Franke."

Lili snickered, giving them a wide berth as they scampered off. Leaving them squeamish was a decent consolation prize, and maybe they'd remember her mercy next time they felt catty.

Next up, fortunately for J.T., was his best bro Chops. Lili tacked on that the cowboy was looking for him at the end of her explanation. "No kidding," he said, surprised. "He's looking for me? Not blondie?"

"All it took was losing his mind to figure some things out," Lili muttered. "Personally, I thought he'd already lost his mind when he started hanging out with Elka."

"No kidding. I'd better go find my homie before she sinks her claws into him again. Chicks, am I right?"

"Chicks," Lili agreed, nodding as he ran off. Around the time Chops was gone, realization struck her, the girl's finger slowly pointing towards herself. "Hey!"

Dogen looked up at her, patting her back sympathetically. "It's okay. Baby chickens are cute."

Shrugging him off, the duo watched the next camper hop off the metaphorical conveyor belt. Rather than waking up afraid, confused, or even angry, the latest arrival was eerily composed. Calm. Cold. Maloof approached them with hands behind his back, all business even after his ordeal. "We meet again, Lili," he greeted.

"On better terms, right?" she asked with a weak chuckle.

He didn't answer. Instead, he glanced between the two. "Is Mikhail up yet? I have a plan, and I need my main man."

"A plan?" Consider Lili intrigued. Right now, all their hopes rested on Frazie, but having a back-up couldn't hurt. "He's not here yet, but what did you have in mind?"

"A little insurance," Maloof explained, strutting right between the two on his way to the door. "I'm thinking a little explosive send-off for our fine Coach is in order, on the off chance he succeeds. When Mikhail is ready, tell him to come find me. And bring some pliers."

There was something new about Maloof that commanded the respect that he'd never been given before. He'd been pitiful before, and terrifying after, but now, he commanded an aura of authority. Dogen saluted him, thunking his forehead in the process. "Okay!"

Even Lili didn't feel like noogieing him anymore. "You know, I'm starting to like this new Maloof," she said once he'd gone. Plus, if Frazie failed - and she didn't want to consider that - there was always a chance he'd fall for Maloof and Mikhail's trap. Sure, no one would win in that case, but there was an odd sort of comfort nonetheless.

Lili was startled from her thoughts by a sudden scream. "GET AWAY!"

She and Dogen jerked their heads back towards the operating chair to see the latest patient wake up abruptly. Milka shot up straight, panting, unfocused. "H-huh...?" She glanced between Ford and them, lost. "There was... some weird guy in a shower cap."

It was like she'd jumped straight from Loboto's office to Ford's Sanctuary. It took a little explaining and convincing to assure her she hadn't just woken up from some awful dream. "How're you feeling?" Lili asked.

"Like I wish I'd just stayed invisible since I got here," Milka mumbled bitterly. "Mom always said it's what I'm best at. But then I'd have never started dating El—" The girl went quiet, her head jolting up. "Where's... where's Elton?"

Lili sucked air through her teeth, knowing this wasn't going to go over well. "Heeee's kinda, sorta, just a little bit not here at the moment."

Which loosely translated to 'status unknown'. Milka started breathing heavily, clutching her shirt in her hands. "He's not...?" She clamped her eyes tight, as if trying to shut out what she'd heard. "Elton! Elton! Where are you?!"

To Lili's surprise, she actually felt... kind of bad for Milka. She'd been one of the first to go, nabbed alongside her boyfriend. Now she was waking up without him, unsure if he'd be safe. Resisting her natural urge to snark for just one moment, Lili grabbed her shoulder. "Hey! Hey. Look, just because we haven't found him yet doesn't mean we won't. We're not stopping until everyone's back safe and sound. Except maybe Elka." A joke. Mostly.

Milka didn't seem convinced, but she stopped wailing at least. "Please, find him. He's the first person who's made me feel... visible." She took a shaky breath... and then started vanishing. Lili watched as she faded into the comforting embrace of Invisibility, eventually feeling her pull out of her grip. "When you find him, tell him to find me at the docks!" her disembodied voice called out, her retreating footsteps signaling her departure.

Lili tsked. She couldn't imagine getting so worked up over a boy... then again, that might just be because the dating pool at Whispering Rock was abysmal. "Alllright, last on the list is..."

Both Lili and Dogen glanced towards the operating chair, just in time to witness the final rebraining come to a close. It almost felt like to crime to see Chloe without her helmet, her tiny head wobbling back and forth as Ford pulled the funnel away. "Alright, girly, how many fingers am I holding up?"

The astronaut blinked at his hand. "TV."

Ford huffed. "Great. Must've slipped up somewhere. Lemme give her a quick shake..."

He reached for her head... only for Chloe to suddenly snatch his wrist, peering up at him with her usual intense stare. "Do not. I was simply stating I plan to find the camp TV and acquire some parts from it. I might be able to construct something that will help us out of this predicament. Please, fetch me my air filtrating facial protection device."

"Your what-who now?"

"My headgear," the kid quickly corrected.

Ford scoffed, grabbing her space helmet off the table and dropping it in her hands. "Knock yourself out, young'n. Don't think the other campers will appreciate you tinkering with their boob tube, though."

"It's for the greater good." A moment later, Chloe was looking a lot more like her usual self now that she was viewing the world from behind her tinted window again. She threw her legs off the chair and hopped down, glancing between Dogen and Lili. "Status report?"

She barely seemed rattled by the whole brain theft thing... maybe she'd considered the possibility of mindmunchers from beyond the stars? She stayed still as she listened to their recount, until Dogen finally closed off with a question. "Can you really make something helpful?"

"Affirmative. I should be able to create a signal that will call any aliens in the area to assist us. ...And, should that prove unsuccessful, perhaps it can at least reach Psychonauts HQ."

Lili rolled her eyes. Still on that alien shtick even with the world in danger... though she was surprised Chloe even considered she might not reach her space buddies. At least her tinkering might not be entirely worthless. "Right. Yeah. Go do that."

Nodding, Chloe passed by them - though she stopped at the threshold, an idea in mind. "There IS something I can do to assist right now, actually."

"Huh?" Lili watched the girl close her eyes, lost in concentration. "Like what?"

"Like locating Frazie."

Lili gaped. "You can do that?! From here?"

"Shhh. Focusing." Behind her eyelids, Chloe reached out with what she knew now was her naturally gifted mental range. She stretched her scope beyond the camp, beyond the lake, honing in on the small assortment of brain waves buzzing from somewhere on its far end. It took little time to detect Frazie's unique signal among the rest. "She's somewhere higher up in the tower. Approaching the top."

Lili wasn't sure what was cooler - the fact Frazie was still making her way through the asylum alone, or the huge distance Chloe could detect across. "Whooooa. You've got some crazy reach. Any chance you could, like, give Dr. Loboto an aneurysm from here?"

"No. I can only read thoughts."

"Dang."

"Let me see how she's doing." Chloe concentrated again - after a moment, her brow furrowed. "She's screaming."

Lili and Dogen were instantly gripped with concern. "Is she okay?" Dogen asked, nervously twiddling his thumbs.

Chloe took an agonizingly long moment to respond, face relaxing. "She almost stepped in some sort of green slime. She's fine."

The other two breathed out a sigh of relief... and disgust. "Eww."

"Agreed." Chloe tuned them out one more time, focusing even harder. "There's one more thing I can detect. She's approaching someone else. Someone..." Suddenly, a tremble ran through the girl, her hands starting to shake. "Someone... emanating... astronomical amounts... of fear. Visions of... ghhh... GAH!"

Chloe jerked forward, her focus broken. She took a deep breath, adjusting her helmet. "That's all I can report. Further attempts to glean information from this figure would be... unpleasant."

Clearly. Lili was concerned what it could mean, but she wasn't going to make her probe any more after seeing the effect it'd had. All that mattered was Frazie was fine for now. "Thanks, space cadet. You can go digging for scrap now. Why don't you take the toaster from the kitchen, too?"

"Hmm. An excellent suggestion." Without another word, Chloe ran off, her footsteps clomping on the path out.

Seven down, eleven to go. That was all they'd managed to find... hopefully Frazie had found some more on her own. But maybe they'd missed some? Pulling out Linda's bone trumpet and giving it a twirl, Lili nodded to Dogen. "Ready to go back and look around some more?"

Dogen nodded, but found himself glancing Ford's way. The older agent was wiping down the end of his funnel, knowing it'd need a lot more use later. "What're you gonna do here by yourself, Mr. Ford?"

Cruller snorted. "Mr. Ford... pfeh. Don't you worry about me, sprout. I'll do whatever I can to help from here."

That was about as much of an answer as they were getting. Leaving him be, the two ran off, finally leaving the agent be. He watched them go, standing up straight once they'd disappeared from sight. Yep. He'd definitely be doing whatever he could to help.

Whatever. He. Could.

Ford waited for the sound of the departing minecart, the signal that he was truly alone again. The instant it was clear, he headed back for the main chamber, stopping at the edge of the center platform. The constant beep of his monitors set a backdrop to his thoughts while he observed the centerpiece of the room - the massive crystal chunk underfoot, resting in its glass confines. Coming to a decision, he reached out with his mind, grabbing for something he'd stashed away earlier.

A pickaxe.

He brought the sharp tool to float by his side. For a moment, he looked down at the giant hunk of purple resting beneath the glass. The only thing that let him be himself all these years, his last tether to his whole self. Ford took a slow breath, and sighed.

Without another thought, he swung the pickaxe. Hard.

Smash!

The casing was reinforced, but even that couldn't resist his immense psychic strength. The glass shattered in one blow, raining shards down on the gem below.

The Psitanium, though, that'd be harder. Take more time... time he might not have. Which meant the sooner he got to work, the better his odds were.

The sharp clang of steel on crystal echoed throughout the sanctuary, again and again. "Come on, ol' girl... it's about time you and I went out for a stroll."

Ahhhh... a mini-chapter was a good idea. Not just because it breaks up the marathon of mental worlds, but because it's nice to write something that isn't action and suspense for a bit. Just a nice chunk of character interaction and some humor... plus a chance to peek at that unknown interval where Ford somehow made himself a Psitanium backpack.

Fun fact, all the rescued campers are ones whose brains can be found on the Asylum's bottom floor, and as such, would be the only brains Lili and Dogen could canonically access. On the bright side, they've done all they can! On the downside... they don't know that and are heading back anyway. I'll admit, due to using a preselected roster of brains, I ended up including characters I probably wouldn't have if I'd manually picked out ones to use. Writing them was a bit more challenging, but it's still nice to give a little screentime to a few characters that haven't appeared much at all. Plus, we get to see a little bit about how Maloof and Chloe have developed! It was nice to see them in the list.

I've got one more mini-chapter in mind if I can make it work... but who could it revolve around? Wait and see.