A/N: Hey, guys! Look! An update! Yep, I ain't dead! Just… busy… REAL busy… TT; Anyways, I wanted to get the second chapter up before I continue with the other two. Please don't hate me for it. (gets splat with a tomato from Skye Agony) ALRIGHT, I'LL GET TO THE OTHERS SOON! DAMN! Ahem, anyways, in regard to this chapter, you'll see that I don't include every single Smasher/Nintendian there is out there, and some of them are WAY out of character. Don't hate me for it, please. (dodges another tomato) QUIT IT! Anyways, here's the chappie!

"The mouths of envious always find another door,

While at the gates of paradise they beat us down some more.

But our mission's set in stone, 'cause the writing's on the wall.

I'll scream it from the mountaintops, pride comes before a fall.

I'm just a freedom fighter, no remorse.

Raging on in holy war.

Soon there'll come a day when you're face to face with me…"

Brother Squadron: Chapter 2: Brother Squadron

Once he had gotten the sickness out of his system, Luigi agreed to follow Fox away from the blazing town, past the quagmire, and over the hill. Luigi's eyes went wide in amazement at the sight before him.

Below them was a hollow in the mountain, the remaining crater of a dead volcano, framed by the crimson, dusk sky. And in this rocky hole, a flock of caravans were packed in a close-knit circle, and people were moving back and forth, trading words, gadgets, or weapons. Different species of people. People that Luigi recognized as… Nintendians. Luigi was shaking in anticipation. He was already excited enough to meet one Nintendian, and here was a whole plethora of them… Boy, was he excited.

"Come on, kid," Fox urged, nimbly climbing down the sheer cliff wall. Luigi cautiously followed, trying not to fall. His boots slapped against the ground as he landed, cringing a bit from the shock that shot through his feet. The pain soon waned, and he looked up as Fox emerged from under the camouflaged drapes of the largest caravan, but he didn't come out alone. Luigi inclined his head in curiosity as Fox brought his new companion over.

"This the new guy?" the new being asked in a clear, crisp voice.

Fox nodded, facing Luigi. "This is Link, our Squadron Leader."

An elfin Nintendian looked over Luigi with friendly cerulean eyes, a reassuring smile beaming on his impish features. Long bangs of goldenrod parted to frame his face, lined with intense violet highlights. A leather headband to match Fox's was wrapped under his bangs, ties hanging beside a rat-tail in the back. Pointed ears stuck out as clear as day, scarred and chipped in places where shrapnel had grazed past, and each holding at least three piercings. He wore all black as well, with a red ascot and dog tags to match. On his pant leg, a long gun hoister was strapped on with a mortal Uzi settled inside comfortably, and this and a few revolvers and daggers on his belt gave off a fair warning. This young man looked like he knew how to lead in a survival of the fittest world.

"Hey, look at that! Somebody my height for once!" he laughed in a good-natured way, taking his open-fingered gloved hand and grasping Luigi's in a firm handshake. "Welcome to the Brother Squadron, kid!"

Luigi slightly raised a brow at the word "kid." Luigi was in his mid twenties, and this youth must've only been in his late teens. But feeling the strong hand shaking his own and the confident air about him, Luigi could tell that this Link must've garnered a lot of respect, even among his older comrades.

"Where'd you find him?" he asked Fox.

"Outside of Lviv. Town's ablaze, though, so it ain't available."

"D'garvit!" Link cursed in an old language of his people. Luigi recognized it, and he gazed at Link in shock.

"…Are you… a Hylian?"

"Damn straight."

"But… I thought you were all gone…"

"Not all of us," he said with a smug grin on his face. It soon faded as he gazed over the camp. "I guess this hole will have to do. Tell Kirby and Yoshi to get dinner started."

At the word "dinner," Luigi's face brightened. Perhaps now he'd be eating actual food, other than the garbage, leaves, and bugs he had been eating for a while.

Link stood by Luigi quietly as they both watched Fox approached another caravan, disappearing under the covers. In minutes, the sounds of sizzling meat and smoke flooded out from the few openings under the covers. Luigi caught a whiff of smoking bacon and took a big gulp of the heavenly smell, sighing in content.

Link saw this and spoke. "It's a good thing we found you. I doubt you've eaten any real food in a while, and I heard you hurl up whatever crap you've been eating."

Luigi nodded humbly, grinning gently at the "crap" comment. "Yeah, I'm starving…"

"I'm gonna go start a fire." He began to walk away, but turned briefly. "If you gotta know now, you'll be sleeping in my caravan." He motioned towards the one behind him. "What's your name, anyway? I never caught it."

"Luigi."

"Glad to have you along for the ride, Luigi."

The sun had given in and sank below the cliffs in the west, and the red sky had turned ebony black, no longer the midnight blue it used to be. The moon was enveloped by clouds of indigo, turning it lavender. The only thing natural left were the stars, twinkling from the heavens, and were the only pure, comforting things left in this world.

A small fire sparked and popped in the center of a tight circle of nineteen Nintendians, giving them slight warmth from the bitter cold. One Nintendian was passing out food on dirty plates and handing out grimy forks and spoons. He was a small dinosaur, grass green with a red mohawk and a nostril ring. Dressed in a black leather jacket and cleat boots, he cycled through the circle, slopping a spoonful of some sort of meat onto each plate.

A blue avian bird with combed-back head feathers, sunglasses propped up against his headband, and dressed all in black, watched the mystery meat, caked in barbeque sauce, plop onto his plate. Raising a non-existent brow, he brought his cool cobalt eyes up to look at his server, a sly grin on his beak. "What the hell's this, Yoshi, mouse shit?"

Yoshi's ebony eyes narrowed dangerously. "Fuck off, Falco."

Sitting next to Falco was a round, pink puffball with nothing but a backwards black cap and boots. That being that Luigi had earlier learn to be Kirby gave Falco an irritated glare, then spoke up. "Well, if you gotta know what it is, it's processed pork we jacked during the riot in Kiev."

"Dammit, I'm sick of this!" another youth protested. He looked human enough, but his insane mop of chestnut red hair and clear blue eyes proved otherwise. He wore a denim jacket, jeans, and a muscle shirt. He was known as Roy. "All we've had is artificial this and processed that!"

"Well, what the fuck do you want me to do?" Yoshi snapped. "Go hunting for meat?"

That was enough to silence them all. There was absolutely nothing to hunt out in the Badlands. All the starvation caused nearly every species of animals to just disappear off the face of the earth. The only beings left were humans, Nintendians, a few domestic animals, and the parasitic insects that nipped at their grimy flesh.

Yoshi calmed down as he reached for another pot holding a bubbly soup of baked beans. "Believe you me, if I had a choice between this and real stuff, I'd throw away this crap in a heartbeat." Many nodded in honest agreement.

"Hey, I gots an idea," an ape with only a headband and a monogrammed black tie, labeled "DK" for Donkey Kong, slurred slightly. "We kill lotsa Wire Frames; why not eat 'em? At least it's fresh!"

"Aw, dude, that's sick!"

"You're fucking disgusting, DK!"

"What? Why not?"

Link spoke up, his clear voice of authority piercing its way through all the others. "Number one, that's fucking cannibalism. Number two, you know that 'meat' ain't real."

DK inclined his head. He had no clue.

"He's right, you know," a teenage youth spoke up. His messy, black hair curled out from under his crimson hat, damp with sweat from the day's heat. He wore all black denim and a pair of dog tags hanging around his neck just like everyone else. He adjusted his glasses, with their taped-up bridge, and continued. "The Hand warlords developed an elaborate disguise for the Frames, using artificial skin, tissue, organ, and blood cells, extracted from human…"

A loud whistle cut through his voice, deliberately interrupting him. The whistling came from a middle-aged man in tight leather with a tight, crimson helmet abstracting most of his features. The boys sitting around him chortled in amusement.

"Quit it, Falcon!" Link scolded. "Let Ness talk! You might actually learn something into that spaced-out skull of yours!" This generated more laughing. "You all shut up too!"

"Thanks, Link," Ness continued. "But like I was saying, the meat on the Frames' body isn't real. It has absolutely no nutritional value, and it barely satisfies an empty stomach."

"Um… No offense, Ness…" Luigi spoke up timidly. "But that's kinda disturbing that you know all that."

Ness broke into laughter. "I learn from experience."

"Don't we all…" Link muttered, digging his spoon into the slop of beans and popping food into his mouth.

That was the silent command for everyone to shut up and start eating. Silence followed as Luigi watched his new companions dig into their meal with no emotion. He figured they must've had this kind of stuff a lot.

"Eat up, kid," Fox encouraged between spoonfuls. "It's only gonna get colder if you just let it sit there."

Luigi's gaze dropped to the plate that sat on the ground before him. The barbeque sauce dribbled over the steaming, red piece of pork. Bubbles rose up above the sauce that coated the baked beans, popping with a tiny blop. Luigi pursed his lips, unsure. It didn't look all that scrumptious, but then again, he was quite hungry, and the smell was awfully tempting…

Luigi carefully took the spoon and dug into the pile of beans, making a squishing noise as it disappeared below the sauce's murky surface. Scooping up a spoonful, he brought it up to his face cautiously, savoring its strong, sweet smell, and popped it into his mouth. He sat aghast for a moment, slowly slipping the spoon out between his lips. As he slowly chewed, it tasted… pretty good, actually. Better than most of the other crap he tasted before. Next was the pork's turn. Luigi took his fork and stabbed the piece of meat straight in, bringing it up to his face and taking a bite. It tasted pretty damn god as well. Delighted and consumed by the taste of real food, Luigi began to devour his meal swiftly, switching back and forth between the beans and the pork.

"Holy shit, kid!" Link laughed. "Hey, why don't you try chewing your food instead of inhaling it?"

In mere minutes, Luigi had completely cleaned his plate, licking off the leftover sauce. He looked up in time to see Link bring out a round, metal canteen, water sloshing inside of it. He brought the opening to his lips and took a lengthy swig, Adam's apple bobbing up and down with each gulp. Luigi smacked his lips, trying to taste the water in his dry mouth. His throat suddenly ached for moisture after the abuse of the spicy sauces.

Link took a breath after withdrawing the container from his face, licking his lips for any leakage that escaped. Twisting the top on, he looked up at a dehydrated Luigi, then grinned.

"Here." He tossed the canteen and Luigi gratefully caught it and immediately brought the container to his lips, swallowing gulp after gulp of blissful water. At first, he wondered how they could've possibly acquired any water at all in the Badlands, but the slight tinge of salt proved that it must've been purified ocean water. These Nintendians were quite resourceful.

Another human-like Nintendian watched the new recruit with a hint of interest. Her hair was cropped extremely short, just above her chin, as her emerald eyes looked his way. She as well wore all black with a tan tank top under her jacket and dog tags. One thing noticeable about her was the robotic left arm. God knows what happened to her real arm.

She hid her interest and curiosity behind a stone hard face as she finally spoke up in a gruff voice. "……What's your name again, kid?"

Luigi, still gulping down water, sputtered as he brought the canteen away too quickly. Wiping his chin and mustache with his free hand, he gave the woman named Samus an irritated glare. "For the last time, it's Luigi!"

And he was sick of saying his name by now. Half the time he said it to Nintendians he had just gotten acquainted with, and the other half was repetition for the ones who didn't care enough to remember, and it really annoyed him.

"Right, Luigi. So, what's your story?"

Luigi's face scrunched up in confusion.

"She's asking you what the hell you're doing out in the Badlands by yourself," Link translated, leaning forward and poking a stick into the mess of burning timbers, rearranging the wood until the fire grew a bit bigger and brighter.

"And without a weapon, which is basically suicide," added another human look-a-like named Marth. He had azure, shoulder-length hair, matching his clear eyes almost perfectly. Aviator goggles flattened his bangs against his forehead, and he wore not the uniform black, but denim blue. In his lap was a small, rodent-like creature, slumbering comfortably against Marth's warmth. Its golden fur bristled slightly whenever a cross breeze managed its way into its sanctuary, as its long ears with black tips straighten up. But whenever this happened, Marth with stroke its fur from the neck down to the base of its thunderbolt-shaped tail, and it would calm right down. Its red cheeks puffed with each breath, and blue aviator goggles hid its closed eyes. Though it looked like a normal animal, the dog tags around its fat neck showed that Pikachu was a full-fledged Nintendian, in just as much misery as the rest of them.

Luigi sighed, silently preparing himself to recall painful details as he tossed the canteen back to Link. Leaning against one of the caravan's large tires, he focused on the weak fire in front of him as the nostalgia hit him at full force.

"Well… To tell you the truth… I'm out looking for my big brother."

"Brother?" one of them asked, and suddenly, they grew more attentive and interested. Encouraged, Luigi continued.

"Yeah, we were caught a few years back and separated when we were sent to different Prison Camps… I got sent to the Rome Camp in Italy…" His brow furrowed as he tried to remember. "I'm not sure where he was sent, but I know it was somewhere on this continent… I escaped a couple months ago, and I've been trying to search around Northern Europe, but all the damn riots keep throwing me off course…"

"Damn humans…" Link muttered, trying to stoke the fire some more.

"Well, that's different," Fox commented. "The usual Nintendian story is that they're out looking for the Portal."

Luigi shook his head slowly. "No way, I ain't looking for the Portal without Mario."

Link's gaze immediately snapped up from the fire when he heard that certain name. "…Mario?"

"Yeah, my bro. He promised we'd find the Portal together, and there's no way I'm leaving this world without him."

One could see Link's face go pale, but he tugged at his ascot and gulped down words he would regret to speak, drawing his attention back to the fire and stubbornly trying to keep it going.

"I take it back," Marth grinned. "Maybe you ain't on a suicide quest after all."

Luigi smiled and opened his mouth in a soft chuckle. Chuckling. He hadn't done such a thing in a long time. And the sweet sound lifted his heart and made life that much more bearable. Maybe they were right when they said laughter is the best medicine.

"Well, we're not going anywhere in particular, so we'll stay in this region and help you find him," Ness spoke up, looking at Link for approval, who nodded curtly. "After all, we Nintendians gotta stick together on this godforsaken planet."

Luigi smiled at the brainiac teen, sighing as he let his meal settle in his stomach. For once, he felt content with his life. He finally had friends and a place to eat and sleep. And once he found his brother, they were going to leave this doomed world and return home, where he belonged…

"Can't you hear us coming?

People marching all around…

Can't you see we're coming?

Close your eyes, it's over now…

Can't you hear us coming?

The fight has only just begun…

Can't you see we're coming?" -Freedom Fighters, Creed

A/N: So now things are more clear. Traveling through Eastern Europe, the Brother Squadron is on an endless journey to find a place where they belong. Luigi's more determined to find his brother first, but where could he be? Perhaps he is closer than they think. And what secret does Link have? …Wait a tick, why am I saying all this? Oh, well. Please review, I worked hard on this.