A/N: Frazie's crazy first day isn't over quite yet. There's still a few more surprises in store... and they're big ones.


Frazie wasn't sure what she'd expected to be waiting for her at the stump. Another camper? An angry bear? Some magic leprechaun ready to whisk her away on a wild adventure?

But nope. The only thing waiting for her was a barren chunk of tree trunk and the hum of crickets chirping in the background.

With a sigh, she sat down on the edge of the wood, resting her cheek in her hand. She guessed whoever had called for her would show up eventually... if they were even coming at all. She just had to kick back and wait.

...And wait. And wait. And wait a little more.

Time passed, and Frazie's eyes started to droop from how long she'd sat there. 'Any stump' her death-defying derrière. She'd known the instructions were too vague to be anything but a dumb prank. Drumming her hands along the stump's edge impatiently, she was just about ready to leave and head back to bed.

And that's when her fingers tapped the outline of something in the wood.

"Huh?" The surprise jolting her awake again, Frazie peeked by her legs to spot a small button well-camouflaged inside the bark. Her curiosity getting the better of her, she pressed it down with a little click.

"...AaaaaaAAAAHHHH!" Maybe she should've gotten off the log first before she poked it. The top of the stump suddenly popped open beneath her, lifting her up and sending her tumbling backwards to the ground.

Ow. Groaning, she pushed herself onto her hands and knees and crawled back to the log, peering where the top had been. Her breath hitched.

A secret hatch had opened up where she'd been sitting, the wood replaced with a dark tunnel leading into the ground. Only a dim glow at the bottom assured her it didn't lead to an endless void.

Frazie chewed her lip. Crawling into secret stump tunnels at night was probably, most likely, definitely a terrible idea. But at least she knew the letter wasn't entirely bogus now, right? Whoever had called for her was surely down there. So, against her better judgement, she finally clambered up over the edge and lowered herself down into the depths.

There didn't seem to be any footing. She wasn't afraid of heights - but typically she at least knew where she was going to fall. Holding her breath, she finally let go and dropped.

"Oof!" Fortunately, something soft caught her. She plopped down into the padded seat of a little trolley, still stunned from the fall even as it suddenly spoke to her in an electronic woman's voice.

"Welcome back, Agent Cruller. Where would you like me to take you?"

"...Whabuhhuh?" Cruller? Like the pastry? Just who the heck was Cruller? She hadn't heard that name yet. For all she knew she was about to ride this minecart into a bakery... but she didn't have much choice, now did she? "Uh... take me to whoever owns this place, I guess."

"You own this place, sir," the voice chimed. "Having another forgetful day? No worries. Routing to the main chamber for a Psitanium refresh."

"A wha-?" Frazie was cut off as the cart suddenly jerked forward. "Whooooa...!"

Her ride sped off down the tracks. Frazie had never been on a roller coaster before, but if she had, this was probably what it was like. Twisting and turning through narrow passageways, clinging to the trolley for dear life and praying this surprise ride wouldn't have a messy end.

But that was exactly where it was heading, because the cart raced towards a solid wall at the end of the path with no signs of stopping. Her heart in her throat, Frazie covered her face and hoped it'd be over quickly.

It was... because the cart stopped on a dime right in front of the wall. Jerking still, Frazie sucked in deep breaths, glancing around like a deer in headlights. "...What now?"

Sproing.

Her and her big mouth. The cart's seat suddenly punched upward, ejecting her up and out of a hole in the ceiling with a yelp.

Aquatos always landed on their feet, though, and this time was no different. Her feet touched down on solid steel, and for a moment, she was just happy to still be alive.

Then, she got a good look at where she'd ended up and wondered if she had died after all.

It was like nothing she'd ever seen before. A solid metal bridge crossing across an underground cavern, filled with the hum and beeps of a variety of machinery. At the center of it all stood a massive circular platform, an almost magical purple glow emanating from a chunk of crystal placed inside it. As she dared to walk forward and stand over its casing, it made her skin tingle... and her brain, too?

All around her, various camera feeds floated around on transparent screens. There were familiar sights - the cabins, the lake, the parking lot, alongside things she hadn't a clue about. Police feeds, news headlines, mugshots, documents... information flowing in from all over the world.

"What is this place?" she wondered aloud, turning in slow circles in a vain attempt to take it all in.

She was so wrapped up in it all, she didn't notice the hand grabbing her shoulder at first.

"Ahhhh, good, you made i-"

Frazie screamed and leapt away. And when she saw who it was, she screamed again. The chef... er... admiral... uh... groundskeeper... hm... Ford, was eying her with his boggly gaze again. This time, he was wearing some sort of green suit that covered every inch of his body below the neck.

He didn't seem too phased by her howls of terror. All he did was twist a finger in his ear, shooting her an annoyed look. "If you're gonna keep yelling your head off, could you do it a few steps away? I don't need a hearing aid yet and I don't plan on starting today. Criminy."

Her panic finally died down, the girl still poised on one foot looking like she was about to be mauled. After a moment of calm, she unfurled, swinging her arms down in front of her in disbelief.

"Whoa, whoa, WHOA," she repeated louder each time. "You've been teleporting around camp all day, and now you're even following me underground?!"

Ford raised a brow, perplexed. "Following you? Missy, this cave here is my sanctuary! If anything, you followed me!"

"But I...!" As much as she wanted to refute that, he regretfully had a point. This time, it was her who'd come to him. She still tried to snap back, but mustered up nothing. "I... you know what? Carry on."

So he did. "Now as I was sayin' before you so rudely interrupted... you got my letter. Good." He gestured back where she'd popped out of. "Sorry the stumps were closed off, but I gotta keep the kids from tumbling into these things willy nilly. Looks like you were smart enough to figure it out, though."

Right. Smart. Clearing her throat, Frazie perched a hand on her hip. "On that note... you haven't told me why the heck you sent me on a wild ride to your secret lair yet."

"Sheesh, you teens are impatient these days." Ford stepped past her towards one of the screens at the edge of the platform, and now that she wasn't spooked half to death, Frazie couldn't shake the feeling he looked a bit different. More confident. More composed. More... lucid?

Ignoring her curious ogling, Ford brought a finger up to start swiping screens in and out of view. "Like I wrote... those young'ns didn't just wander off. Something took them, but I don't know exactly what yet."

Frazie, despite her hesitations, couldn't help but lean in a bit at the mention of the missing campers. "What makes you so sure?"

"This."

He pulled a new screen up front and expanded it. It was a view of the lake, centered on a fleet of canoes sailing into focus with Ford himself at the head of them. He paused the footage, zooming in to the corner. "Darned cameras didn't see what went down... BUT, they did catch this. Lookie here."

The stream focused on a lone canoe in the corner. Frazie recognized one of the two children manning it.

Maloof.

That kid that'd been getting milkbombed and blamed by Bobby earlier in the day, she recalled. Now, he shared a boat with the tall-hatted kid she'd seen him with at dinner. Her attention thoroughly claimed, Ford started the footage up again. The two boys talked fervently, with the older kid doing most of the mental sailing work while Maloof relaxed on his side of the canoe.

The boy looked off camera, eyes narrowed. It couldn't be seen, but he seemed to be eying the lone boat straggling behind them. For a moment, nothing happened as he folded his hands over his lap.

Then, Maloof's eyes shot open wide. In a panic, he tumbled forward in the boat to tug at his friend's sleeve. He babbled and pointed behind them, but whatever he'd seen wasn't there. His partner just gave him a confused look.

After a second, Maloof forced himself to calm down and barked an order. His rowman just shrugged and focused forward again, sending them coasting to catch up with the others at three times the speed of before.

Milka and Elton's boat never entered into view.

Ford shut the feed off. "The kid saw somethin', and it doesn't look pretty. What did he see? Well..." He turned his wide gaze to her. "That's what I called you here to find out."

"Me?!" Frazie jabbed both pointer fingers at herself. "You call me out to this..." She swung her hands around the room. "This whatever it is in the middle of the night to send me on some errands? I want to help find those two, but you couldn't be any sketchier even if I drew you on paper." Crossing her arms, she stood firm as she looked him in the eyes. "Who, are, you? For real this time."

He met her gaze staunchly. After a moment, though, he finally sighed and paced away. "Ford Cruller. One of the founders of the Psychonauts themselves, now based out here at Whispering Rock dispatching missions to Sasha and Milla when I'm not keeping this place running smoothly."

Frazie watched him, unbelieving. This guy was one of the leaders of the world's leading psychic organization? She might not have even known they existed before a few days ago, but that sounded more than a little far-fetched. By day, he flipped flapjacks and raked leaves, by night, he handed out orders in a cave? Did he think she was stupid?

It was hard to argue with the ultra high-tech cavern and spy network, though. Choosing to play along for now, Frazie waved a hand. "Then why don't you just ask Sasha and Milla to do it?"

"I've tried, kid," Ford replied as he turned back to her. "They've told me Coach is on it... but somethin' ain't right. His brainwaves ain't moved far since he crossed the lake, and the kids' haven't moved at all. All I get is radio silence when I reach out to him."

Lips pursed, Frazie threw out the million dollar question. "Then why me? Why don't you figure things out if you're one of the greatest Psychonauts?"

Ford glanced away, looking a bit... remorseful? Like she'd asked the impossible of him. It vanished quickly, though, as he met her eyes again. "Because I want you to do it. You've performed some miracles today already, and worst comes to worst, the kid isn't just gonna give up the info. Maybe he repressed it. Maybe he twisted it into something more palatable. Maybe he just plain doesn't wanna tell anyone. Whatever the case... we need someone ready and willing to head into his mind if need be, not worrying about anything like what HQ might think. Sasha and Milla are dependable, but they're convinced nothing's amiss at camp."

He continued. "You've been rising the ranks pretty quick, kid. Started with barely any technique to your name, now I've seen you headin' into heads alone and gettin' things done. You've got talent. Or powerful psychic blood somewhere in your family tree. Maybe both. And that's exactly why I think you can get this job done."

No doubt he'd kept an eye on her as he whisked himself around camp all day. The campgrounds... the lodge... the beach... he could've been at every spot she'd hopped into minds that day. It was an unnerving thought, but he sounded confident in his decision to call for her.

Frazie listened, but she still didn't look entirely convinced. After a moment, Ford sighed, running a hand through what remained of his hair.

"Listen," he said gently. "I know you probably don't trust me. Strange old guy, sending you down trees in the middle of the night. But I got these young'ns best interests at heart... and I can tell you do, too. Those kids might be in danger." He extended a hand. "So work with me to make sure they're not, eh?"

Frazie felt herself soften a bit. He did practically run the camp himself, caring for the campers... and more importantly, there might be lives on the line. For now, she'd just have to ignore the fact he gave her the willies.

Still, she wasn't about to take his hand just yet. She raised a finger instead. "Alright... I'll do it on one condition."

Ford hesitated. "That being?"

"You tell me what the heck is up with you jumping all around camp."

The man went silent. His far gaze seemed to grow even wider as he stared blankly into the distance. "Just a buncha disguises and a thorough tunnel network. Can't let anyone know one of the founders of the Psychonauts lives at the campground, ya know?"

...That didn't sound like the whole truth, especially since every 'disguise' was clearly just himself in a different get-up. But that was probably the best she was going to get out of him for now.

Frazie rolled her eyes, but finally stuck her own hand out. "Allllright. I'll do it. But next time I ask for bacon, you'd better share it."

The man's eyes popped open, like she'd just asked him to hand over his firstborn. Shaking her hand, he quickly changed the subject. "You've got your mission, kid. Find Maloof, find out what he knows, then follow that lead. Got it?"

She nodded, taking her hand back (and discretely wiping it off on her skirt). "Alright." Her eyes flicked back and forth. "...Caaaaan I go to sleep now?"

Ford snorted, shaking his head. "I might be just as old, but I ain't your grandpappy. I've said what I needed to. Go on, git! A well rested agent is a successful agent."

That was all the permission she needed to swivel on her heel and start heading back to the tunnel system. Though as she left, Ford called out to her, stopping her in her tracks. "Good luck out there, Frazie. Maloof's been acting mighty uppity ever since he started hangin' with that tough looking feller. And be careful... we don't know if whatever took them has more targets in mind yet."

Nodding, she tossed a quick two-finger salute back and lowered herself down to the cart.

Alone with nothing but electronic beeping surrounding him, Ford muttered under his breath. "Hope you're up to it, kid. Let's see if you're proper Psychonauts material..."


Sproing!

Apparently ladders were too passé for a professional Psychonauts agent. Again, the mine cart suddenly ejected Frazie skywards back to the surface after a quick ride.

At least now that she was expecting it, it was actually kinda fun. She pondered if her family could incorporate trolley launch pads into their acrobatic routines somehow. ...Naaaaah, probably too expensive.

As soon as she breached the stump, she rolled forward to land on her feet, sighing. She'd had enough surprises the last fifteen minutes to last a lifetime... but now that she was back at the cabins and alone in the dark again, everything Ford had told her started pecking at her thoughts.

Somehow or another, she'd become the only one who could figure out what'd happened to the kids. Sasha and Milla were relying on Coach, who as far as Ford knew was also indisposed. She'd gone from a complete newbie to an unofficial rent-an-agent, taking on a mission from one of the founders of the Psychonauts themselves. Part of her wondered if she'd actually passed out back at the cabin and this was all just some bizarre dream.

She pinched herself sharply. Ow. Nope. All real.

Which meant tomorrow, she had to have a talk with a certain someone. Her gaze swept towards the boy's cabin, where she knew someone who'd seen a little too much was sleeping away soundly.

But that was a matter for tomorrow. The fatigue starting to settle back in, Frazie trudged her way to the girl's cabin, hounded by her newfound information all the while.

Everyone was sound asleep when she crept back in, and she planned on joining them promptly as she climbed up into bed. Nestling into her pillow, she shut her eyes and tried to ignore her roaming brain. She could worry about everything tomorrow after some beauty rest.

It took some tossing and turning, but she finally felt herself relax and start to drift off. Before long, she fell into a deep and troubled sleep.

Sleep far deeper than it had any right being, really.


Everything hung in the typical blurry haze of unconsciousness, where nothing meshed together and yet everything made sense up until you woke up. The kind of fog where you could suddenly teleport from one place to another and think nothing of it.

And yet, despite the dreamy veil over her thoughts, Frazie couldn't shake the feeling everything was far more real than it should be.

Surrounded by a dark void, the only thing of note was some sort of tower perched below her in the inky black. Where was she, exactly?

With nowhere else to go, she swam down towards it, taking in its unsettling design. It twisted towards the sky (if there even was one here), a giant brain forming the cap of the structure and a window under it letting outsiders peer within.

Frazie floated to it and peeked inside. The strangest blue-skinned man she'd ever seen paced within, a walking fashion disaster mixing aprons and shower caps and stark white coats. When he turned her way, Frazie saw one of his arms was a sharp three-pronged instrument and recoiled. His eyes were green and red, if you could call them eyes anymore, having been replaced with mechanical scopes.

He waved his prosthetic arm as he talked. "There's no need to be shy now, I'm here to help! You've got a serious condition that only I can cure." He paused a moment, then spoke again a bit harsher. "Come now, you're just making this procedure harder than it needs to be. There's no point in hiding!"

Frazie froze. Did he know she was out here? But when he turned his head to his empty dentist's chair, she realized he hadn't been talking to her. "You're strapped in, child. I know you're there and not going anywhere! So be a good girl and show yourself, and I'll throw in a nice sugar-free lollipop~."

Either a sucker was a surprisingly convincing offer or the person he was addressing realized how futile hiding was, because they finally gave in. Suddenly, Milka materialized on the chair, struggling against the bindings on her wrists.

"Ah, there you are!" Loboto waggled fingers both organic and mechanical as he flitted to her side. "See, everything goes much more smoothly when you work with your dentist."

Milka wasn't paying him much attention as she continued to pull and grunt. "Let me and my boyfriend go, or, or... or I'll make you disappear next!"

The mad doctor just laughed. "Ahhhhhh, young love... how cavity-inducing! Revolting, brain-rotting cavities. But luckily for you, getting rid of them is what dentists do! After all... if you're thinking with your hearts, you really don't need your minds anymore, now do you?" He left her to head over to a nearby door. "But if you don't believe me, a second opinion is always available."

The door slid open at his approach... and both Frazie and Milka screamed.

Inside the new room, Elton sat lopsided and still in a similar chair. He was alive, at least, but the way his lips moved loosely and his big eyes stared at nothing, it was obvious something was wrong. "TV?" he mumbled, his sailor cap tumbling to the ground as he lifted his head.

The doctor was at least kind enough to stoop down and return his hat to him. "See now? Look how happy he is, insanity-free!"

Milka just started struggling harder than ever. Returning to her, Loboto bowed by her side. "Now then, let's try this again. I'm Dr. Loboto, and I'll be your dentist-slash-decranialization expert this evening."

"No! Get away...!"

"Really now, you're being childish, my dear. Just shut your eyes and this will be over in a moment..." He moved his claw closer to her face, and Frazie tried in vain to somehow push herself through his window to come punch him away.

His metal claws clacked, and Frazie couldn't bring herself to look... before they expelled a cloud of black powder. Confused, Frazie murmured a soft 'what' as Milka's caught it up her nose and sniffled.

"Ah... ah...!" With a lurch, the girl's head bucked forward in a monumental sneeze. "AHHHHHCHOO!"

...And sent her brain with it. Frazie gagged with disgust as Milka's mind flew out, splattering against the far wall. Trying not to be sick, she watched as Loboto clapped his hands together and crossed over to pick it up.

"Ahhhh... there we are. See? Quick and painless! Mostly painless. Feeling better?"

"TV?"

"Exactly!" Casually throwing a tissue over her face, he held her escaped organ up to the sky and cackled. "It's a win-win, girl! You get cured... and now your brain will be used to accomplish great things! Ahahahaha! Great things indeed! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Frazie tried again and again to shoulder her way in, to throttle the doctor unconscious and take back Milka's brain, but she was helpless. The more she pushed against the window, the more it pushed back, until it felt like she was actively being forced away.

She was waking up. With one last futile slam of her fist on glass, she felt herself being yanked back to reality.


Frazie jerked up in bed. The endless void was chased away by light streaming through the windows.

Once she realized she was back in the cabin, she held her head, groaning. What the hell had that been about? Everyone had vivid dreams now and then, but that was a level even beyond that. Was her subconscious conjuring up crazy explanations for what'd happened to the missing campers? Or was it something... more?

The dream stuck with her, lingering, clinging to her thoughts like glue as she looked around. Other girls were waking up and chatting, stretching, not a care in the world, even as their fellow campers were possibly getting their brains stolen.

Her gut churning uneasily, Frazie kicked her blanket off and got out of bed, heading outside. She needed some fresh air. Now.

Fresh sunlight and chirping birds greeted her arrival, and as she sucked in a breath, part of her wondered if maybe everything was fine. It'd just been a wild, crazy dream after all. Nothing was wrong, and the campers would show up with Coach at breakfast to share a good laugh at how dumb she was being.

And then Lili practically bowled her over, grabbing onto her waist.

"Frazie!" she called, shaking her. "You won't believe it! I had the craziest dream."

Everything she'd experienced washed over her again, and Frazie forced it away. "Uhhhh... what was it?" she asked, hoping it was anything but what she was dreading.

No such luck. "I saw Milka and Elton! And they were in this gross looking tower with an insane dentist doctor guy." Lili threw her hands up. "He made them sneeze out their brains!"

Something was up. Kneeling down, Frazie took a breath as she met Lili eye to eye. "I had the same dream. Creepy claw hand, sneezing powder, something about television?"

The younger girl went quiet, realization settling in. "You saw it too?"

"The exact same." And with that knowledge in Frazie's mind, it was starting to feel less like a dream, and more like a... warning.

Lili scratched her head, looking down at the ground. "You don't think...?"

"I dunno what to think." Frazie stood again, looking off towards the wilderness. "But maybe there's someone who does? I told Sasha I would visit again today. Maybe he has an idea?" Shared, realistic dreams must've been, like, Psychonauts 101. Right?

By now, most of the other campers had already meandered off to start their day. Suddenly remembering her encounter with Ford, Frazie snapped her head back. "Oh! Listen, Lili - I'm gonna go find Sasha again and see if he can figure out anything about what we saw. In the meantime, I need you to find Maloof. Can you do that for me?"

"Eh?" Lili looked up, confused. "Why? I know he looks super punchable, but he's already got enough on his plate."

"Huh? No, no, I don't want to bully him, I think he might be able to help us figure out who took Milka and Elton."

"...Why?"

"A little birdie told me he saw something at the lake." An old, teleporting, kinda creepy birdie.

Once she understood, Lili tapped her fist down into her palm. "Got it! I'll go track him down and we can meet up after."

Giving her a grateful grin, Frazie offered her a fist bump. "Let's get to the bottom of this. Eh?"

Lili pounded it, perhaps a bit harder than she needed to. "Yeah!"

Chuckling and shaking her sore knuckles, Frazie led the two across the bridge to camp together. At the far end, they split up - Lili headed towards the lodge, and Frazie, disappearing into the woods.

It was time to return to Sasha's lab.


And so the first day's come to pass. Fifteen chapters. Five powers unlocked. Three new mental worlds explored (four if you count the brief stint with the counselors). And last but not least, the summer camp's lungfish problem rearing its head.

Thank you all for sticking around this far. I appreciate every reader, every comment, everything. Now let's see what new things she'll discover tomorrow, shall we?