"This would be pretty cool under different circumstances." Matt remarked as he looked around. "Looks like our site's been having problems."
"Cartoonification… weird." Mike said, poking Matt in the shoulder experimentally. He looked up and noticed the barren landscape. "Oh. Yeah, this definitely doesn't look good."
"You guys aren't supposed to be here. Now who's going to fix the site?" Bubs observed. The citizens of FCUSA were gathered around the Stick like a collection of refugees with nowhere to flee to. All except Coach Z, who was by himself leaning against the concession stand and chugging a bottle of Listerine miserably.
"What's wrong with it, exactly?" Mike inquired.
Homeschool stepped up to answer him. "Someone shut it down while you were away. It appears, from what I've learned from the others, that someone else has gotten a hold of a TranSphere as well. That is the machine that I have been using to come back and forth between here and your world." Homeschool held up the metal sphere.
"I've seen that thing before…" Matt realized.
"Yes. I was accidentally responsible for Homestar's little misadventure." Homeschool admitted.
"So we can just go back then-" Matt started to say.
"No, I'm afraid it isn't that simple. The opening of the second portal has reversed the sphere's polarity. The portals are very unstable to begin with. It isn't difficult to accidentally throw off its electromagnetic properties." Homeschool explained. "This has happened once before, however. Last time I managed to restore the polarity by jury-rigging the sphere to a computer."
"Strong Bad has a computer." Mike pointed out.
"You mean I had a computer. The power's been out since the first day of this ordeal." Strong Bad replied. "Besides, I don't want you hacking up the Lappy. Use The Cheat's computer for that."
"Mehmee MEH!" The Cheat protested.
"YOU CAN USE MY COMPUTER." Strong Mad offered.
"I don't think a cardboard box is gonna cut it, big guy." Strong Bad told him.
"I've been savin' this for a rainy day. Maybe you guys can use it." Bubs walked up pushing a dolly with a generator on it. "I don't have much gas left because someone's been siphoning my gasoline the last couple weeks." Bubs glared at Strong Bad. "But there should be enough for, oh… a good twenty minutes at least."
Homeschool brightened. "This just might work. I only hope Scott doesn't decide to open the portal while we're hooking things up."
"Why? Wouldn't that be good since it would set the polarity right again." Mike said.
"That part would be good, but whoever was touching the sphere at the point it reversed polarity would get stuck in limbo between universes." Homeschool replied.
"That… doesn't sound like fun." Matt remarked.
"Well, let's get this started. We can help you, Homeschool." Mike proposed.
"Let's move this to the Bads's house then. We'll have to use The Cheat's computer because Strong Bad's laptop is too compact to work with." Homeschool recommended.
"Don't worry, The Cheat. We'll animate you one of those new iMacs when we get back." Mike assured a distraught The Cheat.
"Where's Homestar?" Marzipan wondered suddenly.
Everyone fell silent. Matt and Mike had been the last to come out of the portal before it closed.
I promise not to kill off any characters... that is sooo cruel. Now sending them to limbo forever... that's different.