Trumpets and thunderous applause: today you're reading Rebuilding XLVI (Ew, thought that would look cool - it doesn't) and tomorrow you'll be hung-over from the massive amounts of alcohol you consumed forgetting you read this!
As always, even though I barely mention it nowadays, I don't own Super Smash Bros. But if I did, it'd be a great conversation piece. Europe would also have got Brawl first, just FYI.
Rebuilding
Chapter 46: Faking and Entering
To the Overlord of the Subspace Army,
I have returned to the island.
Porky captured Wolf O'Donnell. I am not even sure if he is dead or alive. I assume dead.
His Smash Brother friends? I do not know. I do not care.
These letters have shown me how little respect you have for your underlings. And now that Wolf is dead, my services are effectively terminated. To put it simply: I quit. I am my own robot.
Congratulations, Overlord. Now nobody is stopping you from rebuilding the Aura. I suppose I shall just wait here until the moment of truth, when we all meet our final fate. Do you realise that you will die by the Aura's hand as well? No matter, I suppose you do. I suppose you view life as expendable for all, including yourself.
I am here, I am on the island, but I am a Subspace member no more. Do with me what you wish.
This is my final letter.
The Wolfen and Porky's remains both lay abandoned on the floor. Wolf and the team had ran as fast as they could into an empty room; all the ROB sentries guarding the room had fled the scene to welcome 'Porky', as well as another visitor who had just arrived.
Apart from a general murmuring from the ROBs far away, there was no sound. Everyone looked around at their first room. Monitors littered the walls, each glowing with a flickering image of a Super Smash Brother. Some of the monitors had memos filed beneath them; notably, Pikachu's electrical abilities were cited as a useful power source, and Samus' Power Suit was hailed as an extremely potent array of weapons contained in one suit. A stasis chamber had been laid out for Pikachu, and plans had been strewn out across a cold metal floor for capturing Samus' suit.
The steel floors were awash with pink paint after a quick douse of water, and six petrified - but no longer acting as Porky - Smashers stood together, listening for footsteps intently. None came. Unbelievably enough for an enemy-infested fortress, it was all clear.
"Alright, we're in safely," decided Wolf, the last one to let his guard down. "But it'll only get harder from here, got that? I don't want any of you to get too excited just yet."
Five blank stares met Wolf's face, some listlessly looking around at the monitored images of their friends, some accusatorily admonishing Wolf silently for undermining them.
"Oh god no," scoffed Falco sarcastically. "Right when I was about to bust out the party jams. Thanks for killing the mood, asshole. Of course we know it'll get harder!"
"If all my hunches about the Subspace Army are right, we'll need to find a way to get to the factory where the bombs are made," said Wolf. "And if that factory's anything like I think it is, it's bound to be crawling with enemies. More than just Primids and ROBs, I bet."
"So you think that's where they're holding the Malevolent Aura?" asked Ganondorf nervously.
"It's where they're holding something," replied Wolf.
"They're holding a power source that can destroy the world in a factory that makes bombs?" asked Falco incredulously. "Does that sound completely moronic to anybody else?"
"F-Falco, maybe you shouldn't argue so loudly," whispered Luigi. "I-if some bad guys hear you, we're done for! Please, can you be quieter?"
"They won't hear me!" shouted Falco. "Everything's going our way so far! This mission is a frickin' breeze! Apart from Porky, have we really done anything dangerous yet?"
"Apart from Porky, have we really done anything at all yet?" retorted Luigi shakily.
"No offense, but I think I've got the best chance of getting to the bomb factory undetected," said Wolf, ignoring them. "And Ganondorf's got the most brute strength. I'll take him in case I need any help to...fight anybody off...along the way. We all can't go though. If we get into a fight, well...six is easier to notice than two. And I'm sure the last thing any of you want to do is to fight every member of this army at once."
"I'll take 'em on!" cheered Mr. Game and Watch. "Come on Wolf, I'm ready to kick some ass!"
"No, shut up," replied Wolf. "Anyone else got anything to say before we go?"
"Walter, don't take Ganondorf!" sobbed Jigglypuff at once. "Take me! I'll go with you!"
"What's your problem?" asked Ganondorf, uncomfortably looking down at the sobbing puffball.
"I don't want you to die, Gannie!" wailed Jigglypuff. "Walter, please! Don't make the baddies hurt him! He's my friend! No more fighting! Don't make the baddies hurt any of us, except maybe Falco!"
"Aw, thanks!" snarled Falco indignantly. "You're so sweet, you whiny brat!"
"I knew likin' you wasn't just a gut instinct!" Mr. Game and Watch chortled, patting Jigglypuff appreciatively on the back. "She knows who to root against, that's for sure!"
"Anyone got anything smart to say?" asked Wolf, ignoring Jigglypuff.
"Jigs, I'm not going to die," said Ganondorf, trying to be soothing. Needless to say, being soothing didn't come easily to the King of Evil. "I've faced worse stuff in the past, right? Like Link? Getting to that bomb factory's going to be easy for me and Wolf, I promise."
"Wh-wh-what if we don't see you again?" panted Jigglypuff, tears rolling down her face. "Then what if the bad guys find us? They'll kill all of us! I'm scared!"
All of a sudden, Ganondorf's reassuring smile fell apart and was replaced with an irritated grimace.
"Jigs, just shut up!" shouted Ganondorf. "How many times do I have to tell you? Nobody's dying here!"
Jigglypuff nodded, shaking in fear.
"Unless it's Falco!" laughed Mr. Game and Watch. "We all heard her! She wants Falco dead! That's two votes versus three votes! Come on, someone else quickly vouch for a dead Falco!"
"Versus three votes?" repeated Falco. "I don't want to die either, dumbass! That makes four against two!"
"C-can I count as a half vote?" asked Luigi. "I don't want anyone to die; I'd just like it if Falco would shut up every now and then..."
"Half votes? Overruled!" argued Mr. Game and Watch. "You're a full vote! That's three to three! Sweatin' yet, Falco?"
Mr. Game and Watch pulled out a chalkboard from hammerspace and excitedly wrote up the score.
"Can't we argue about this more quietly?" shivered Luigi. "I-I think I just heard some footsteps outside!"
"Moving on from this idiocy...uh, Wolf?" asked Falco. "If you and Ganondorf are going to be out there at the bomb factory, what are the rest of us supposed to do?"
"Well, you're coming along in case we need a decoy," replied Wolf. "You know, someone to die so that Ganondorf and I can escape to the bomb factory."
"Four against two!" cheered Mr. Game and Watch.
"Oh, come on! I thought you were the serious guy!" panicked Falco. "Don't drag me out there!"
"Just a little bit of fun," smirked Wolf. "Relax; the rest of you can just stay here out of sight. Just don't touch anything or draw attention to yourselves. Wait for us to come back, that's all."
"Are you coming back up here when you're done?" asked Mr. Game and Watch warily. "How do we know if you make it back here alive?"
"Well, I'm guessing once I have what I'm looking for, every Primid, every ROB, hell, everyone will sprint on down to the bomb factory to try and kill us," shrugged Wolf. "So get ready to move at the first cry of 'Get them!'"
"Everyone?" repeated Ganondorf. "Yeah, uh, Wolf? I think I'm coming down with something. Like a cold. Yep, it's definitely a cold. Pretty sure there's some TB in there too."
Ganondorf coughed inconspicuously into a red handkerchief.
"Look, I'm coughing up blood," pointed out Ganondorf hastily. "That Mario guy we know, he's a doctor. You should track him down and send me back to them."
"Just keep an eye out for enemies heading to the factory," continued Wolf, ignoring Ganondorf. "We'll try and find a way to contact you once we make it there."
"Enemies?" asked Falco. "As in, plural? As in, several? As in, trying to kill us all at the same time?"
"Yeah, you better get started on expecting it," nodded Wolf. "Primids are just the grunts. It'll be an array of monsters, the likes of which you've never seen. And there won't be any stage barrier lines or items or Master Hand or damage percentage systems taking the pain to save you."
The Smashers bowed their heads. For a couple of moments, they hung together in a thick silence. Wolf had been a great leader, and they were making real progress on thwarting the army, the Smashers had to admit. But they also had to admit that the crutch known as Master Hand would not be steering them through their problems this time, and all five felt a pang of worry.
"Don't worry, guys," said Ganondorf at last, shaking off his thoughts. "Something could go wrong, yeah, but it could also be perfectly safe."
"How?" asked Falco, confused.
"Well, here's something to cheer you up," cut in Wolf, sticking his head out of the doorway to check the hallways. "It looks like it's only the bomb factory that's a hotspot for the tough enemies. Only the bomb factory's where Ganondorf and I need to remain undetected. You'll be staying here, in the research facility. Trash the place if you think you can."
Half an hour later, Wolf and Ganondorf stepped outside into a grassy no-man's land. Quickly, instinctively, Wolf pulled out his Blaster and looked around for an ambush. He stared to the left. He glared to the right. Nothing, yet he dared not speak. He beckoned Ganondorf forward, looking around at the steel fleet of buildings stamped with Subspace insignia.
Whirring. Humming. Whatever it was, it meant something else was near.
Wolf threw out his arm, pinned Ganondorf back against a wall, and aligned himself right next to him.
Two ROB sentries were carrying a faulty Subspace Bomb.
"What did the supervisor say we should be doing with this?" asked one of the ROBs. "Destroying it?"
Wolf squeezed his eyes shut. Come on, other ROB. You guys aren't destroying it, please. Please, tell your friend it's going to the factory. Fifty-fifty chance you're taking it to the factory, show me where it is, let the fun and games begin...
"They might be our leads," whispered Wolf, pointing at the ROBs for Ganondorf's benefit.
"Maintenance," the second ROB answered the first ROB's question. "We're supposed to be taking this back to the factory. Needs reconfigured."
The two ROBs turned to a shabby-looking door, and began wheeling the bomb towards it.
"Get ready to move," whispered Wolf.
"When?" asked Ganondorf loudly.
"Shut up!" hissed Wolf quietly.
"What was that?" demanded one of the ROBs.
Wolf hastily glanced around the corner of his wall, and immediately drew his head back.
"It heard you," whispered Wolf. "We know where we're going anyway, we'll just charge them and slip in undetected, okay? Fast and simple, and don't mess up."
Wolf tore off around his corner and ran straight at the ROBs, as Ganondorf lumbered behind him. The ROBs automatically dropped their bomb, and drew Super Scopes at once.
"Freeze!" ordered a ROB. "Don't come any closer! Just stay right here!"
"Someone's synonym unit works," Ganondorf whispered. Wolf nudged him angrily.
"Special orders from the Ancient Minister," Wolf lied at once. "All hail the Subspace Army. We must access the Subspace Bomb Factory."
"Do you believe him?" asked a ROB.
"The Minister brainwashed that kid in the green," replied the other ROB. "Maybe in his travels he got a few more Smash Brothers."
"Have you heard the news?" asked Wolf. "Porky killed Wolf O'Donnell."
"We're not high-ranking enough to know about the dealings higher up," admitted the ROB. "Most of us sentries are just grunts in the factories. Which Super Smash Brothers are you two?"
"That doesn't matter to you," said Wolf sternly. "You're not high-ranking enough to know about the dealings higher up. Hail the Subspace Army."
"I apologise," added the ROB quickly. "I did not realise the Minister kept his brainwashed minions so close to him on the command chain."
"Aww, when you put like that, how can I possibly stay mad?" asked Wolf mockingly. "Let us proceed to the factory."
"I-I believe the Ancient Minister should know that two of his Smash Brothers are trying to get in here," said the other ROB, holding its ground. "We had better call him to clear this incident up."
"I agree," smiled Wolf icily. "Check with the Minister. That seems like the most reasonable thing to-go, Ganondorf!"
In one movement, Wolf's arm sprang up from his side, the Blaster released from its short visit to its holster. Ganondorf reared his arm back, his fist glowing with energy, and let out a powerful roar.
A well-aimed shot from the Blaster pierced the tiny diode on top of one of the ROB's heads, and it keeled over to the ground in a heap of scrap metal. The remains of his cohort strewn across the grass seemed to paralyze the other ROB, as it turned to look down at the wreckage. Ganondorf was still roaring and winding up his Warlock Punch.
Wolf made a run for the door. Ganondorf was still winding and roaring.
Wolf dived through the doorway, landing softly and stealthily. Ganondorf was nearly halfway done with his Warlock Punch.
Wolf waited for the King of Evil to arrive. He turned and saw the other ROB and Ganondorf, mourning and winding, respectively.
"Oh, come on..." muttered Wolf to himself, turning and heading back outside.
Ganondorf missed his Warlock Punch by a few feet.
"Damn, that's what happens when I rush things!" Ganondorf frowned. "Wolf, get this one too, we're going to be here all day...."
There was a short pause where both Wolf and Ganondorf cautiously eyed the shocked ROB. It didn't make a move. Wolf shrugged and fired another Blaster shot. The volume of scrap metal on the grass quickly doubled.
"Thanks," replied Ganondorf briskly.
In the research facility, the hallways were gradually becoming more animated. A flotilla of Primids were going from room to room, fervently discussing, speculating in some cases, Porky's reward for Wolf's murder.
Other topics were being tossed around, such as the location of the large group of Super Smash Brothers last seen crashing the Final Destination platform into an unidentified area, the Ancient Minister's sudden shrewdness, and the experimental stages in some kind of scientific endeavour to fuse DNA of Primids and ROBs to create Metal Primids.
The first Metal Primid awkwardly teetered through the hallway, after a marching crowd of regular Primids. The flock stampeded past a room with a doorway that closed quickly and fearfully.
"O-one of those things was metal!" panicked Luigi, holding the door shut behind him. "I don't like this! All the tough bad guys are finding us! Wolf and Ganondorf have got no chance!"
"Boys and girls and Falco, I am officially bored," declared Mr. Game and Watch, sitting against the wall in his odd, flat way. He shook his head sadly.
"Could be worse," Falco smirked, draped across a chair with rehearsed indifference. He swung around to address the others. "We might be bored out of our minds, but at least we're not sneakin' around and getting killed. Besides, are we not used to being bored? We're all the sidekicks, the secondary players, and this mission thing is no exception. If we were big-time, big shot heroes, it'd be us in the bomb factory, right?"
"I won!" cheered Jigglypuff all of a sudden. "You closed the door, you shook your head, and you moved in the chair! I won Mute-sical Statues!"
"Mute-sical Statues?" asked Luigi.
"I'm so bored, I made my own game," explained Jigglypuff. "It's the exact same as Musical Statues, except there's never any music playing so you can't move ever! And I was the last one left! I'm the best player ever at this game I just invented!"
"Wow, that sounds challenging!" smiled Falco mockingly. "Let's play again! Let's have a championship! No, wait; let's see how many games you can win in a row!"
"Game on!" grinned Jigglypuff. "Three, two, one....go!"
Jigglypuff stood perfectly still, and the other three looked at her in disbelief.
"W-we can't be that bored, surely," stammered Luigi, jerking a thumb at Jigglypuff.
"I'm that bored!" snapped Mr. Game and Watch. "This is just like the damn Flat Zone, sitting doing nothing! Now even Super Smash Brothers ain't givin' me action! Storming an enemy hotspot is even lame! Soon I'll go insane and start feeding off of human flesh!"
"We got here thirty minutes ago!" cried Luigi incredulously.
"What are you smoking, boy?" snapped Mr. Game and Watch. "We've been here for a couple of weeks!"
"N-no," replied Luigi. "When we pulled up to this island in the W-wolfen, it was about three in the afternoon. It took us about half an hour to unload the Porky parts from the cargo, put them together and paint ourselves pink. So we got in the island at about three-thirty, and that's when W-wolf and Ganondorf left. It's four now, see?"
Luigi showed Mr. Game and Watch his watch, but the latter batted his hand away.
"Don't you remember that talk we all had with you last Christmas about getting a watch so you can learn to tell time?" asked Luigi.
"Poppycock!" scoffed Mr. Game and Watch. "I'm not insane or stupid or senile, I know how to count at the time thing!"
"On New Year's Eve 2003, you thought it was Easter, broke out of the Mansion, and raided a farmhouse thinking you were on an egg hunt!" pointed out Luigi, showing slight semblances of annoyance.
"Can't you just drop it?" snapped Mr. Game and Watch. "You've been annoying me with this timekeeping rabble for nearly three hours!"
Everyone examined Mr. Game and Watch carefully and patiently. They all saw that he was the one most affected by the boredom of waiting. He had been eager for action for as long as they had known him. Of course, before Super Smash Brothers, he had been completely isolated in the Flat Zone, so his low tolerance for boredom was at least somewhat understandable...
"Five minutes," said Luigi testily. "Not three hours."
"Okay, that tears it!" shouted Mr. Game and Watch. "Falco, how long have Luigi and I been talking about this?"
"I don't work on timers," shrugged Falco. "It's more of a countdown until next time you open your mouth to bitch at me."
"You shrugged!" laughed Jigglypuff. "I won Mute-sical Statues again! Go Jigglypuff! Go Jigglypuff!"
Jigglypuff did a victory dance around the room, popping up from behind desks, crates, everything, just to sing a victory song of amazement and wonder. Falco laughed and stuck his foot out to trip her up. Once Jigglypuff fell over, Mr. Game and Watch exchanged an exasperated look with Luigi.
A cold door shut behind Wolf and Ganondorf in the bomb factory. They had made it far into the factory, thanks to their honed stealth techniques. Wolf achingly stood up and threw a cardboard box off of himself, Ganondorf following suit.
"Ridiculous hiding method," scoffed Wolf, stretching his legs.
The two peered around the dim light of their destination. Nobody else was there. At least, not that they could see...
Once the initial darkness wore off on them, they stopped seeing the harsh, almost insane idea of the sun outside and began seeing through the gloom of their room. Unfinished Subspace bombs lined every inch of the walls.
They moved away from the room's door. It slid shut behind them, but still, the darkness was not overwhelming. Each and every bomb adorning the wall suddenly lit up with an infrared glow – the glow of the timer. Both Wolf and Ganondorf were taken aback, but at a second glance, every timer read '00:00:00'. They were safe for now.
"This is it," whispered Wolf, nearly excitedly. "The room we're looking for."
"It is?" asked Ganondorf, taking note of how...empty...it was. "Why's it this room? What is it?"
"Looks like the reserve room where they keep all the bombs they haven't finished yet," guessed Wolf. "And if you remember, the bombs are powered by Malevolent Aura. Must be here where the Malevolent Aura will be...realised..."
Suddenly, a dim blue light sparked somewhere in the room.
"Whoa, what was that?" asked Ganondorf cautiously.
"I think I know," replied Wolf grimly.
"Couldn't have been the Malevolent Aura, could it?" asked Ganondorf.
"Don't ask so many questions," advised Wolf. "You just keep an eye out for Primids, ROBs, anything. I'll get what we need. But once we're done here, it's bye-bye stealth. We're going to need to kick some ass from here on out."
Ganondorf remained mystified, looking from the blue glow to the dimly lit bombs to Wolf. He isn't ordinary, that's for sure, he thought. He's the real deal, and we should be glad he's on our side...
...I just hope we don't have to burn through too many Subspace grunts after we get the Aura...
"Soon...it'll be clear soon..." croaked a vague whisper among the bombs.
"Did you say something?" asked Ganondorf, slipping out of his reverie.
"No," shouted back Wolf. "But I heard that voice. Don't let your guard down!"
Great, but who is it?
"Hide!" bellowed Mr. Game and Watch. He and Luigi and Jigglypuff huddled together and ducked for cover behind an upturned desk in the corner of the room.
The three dared to look over the desk's edge, and were greeted by the sight of a figure approaching, readying his weapon. The figure paused, studying the desk. After some careful deliberation, it approached until it was brushing against the desk with a terrifying closeness.
Wood was all that was protecting the three Smashers. They could hear their pursuer's breathing. A gun peered round at them, with a blue hand cradling it.
"Got you!" Falco grinned, putting his gun away. "Okay, now somebody else be the attacker!"
"T-this game is scary and boring!" decided Luigi. "Maybe we should find some way to stay quiet, safe and entertained!"
"Good on you, Luigi!" grinned Mr. Game and Watch, patting Luigi on the back. "If we follow Wolf's orders, he'll be more likely to let us goof off next mission as well!"
"Yeah, it's what we know best," agreed Falco. "Doing nothing worked just fine before this Subspace epidemic started up. Why stop now?"
"And suddenly, just like that, I disagree," said Mr. Game and Watch flatly. "Shut up, Falco."
"Wow, I have so much power over you," realised Falco. "I just managed to change your opinion by agreeing with you on the fact that we're meaningless. Controlling your viewpoint on life could get veeeery interesting. The only problem is that it's something to do, and contradicts the idea that we don't do anything worthwhile or noteworthy. But I can work around that by continuing to do nothing, making you paranoid, waiting for my next altercation with your lifestyle."
Mr. Game and Watch's jaw dropped in fury.
"I should write this down," Falco chuckled. "But again, waxing philosophical crap like this and noting it down would take work, and I'd much rather be messing up your life, or doing nothing; whatever I was talking about. Luigi, can you write this all down and read it back to me? It'll be life-changing."
"Shut up, Falco," said Mr. Game and Watch in a subdued tone.
"Write his responses down too, Luigi," whispered Falco.
Luigi reached for a pen and began scribbling frantically.
"I'm going to make a thousand-page novel out of this," Falco chuckled. "Wait, that's work. Maybe I'll only have one page then. Naaah, that's still work. Oh, I know! A photo of this moment should do to celebrate how much I own you. Maybe I'll Photoshop in some tears on your face, Game and Watch."
"Can you also put in dancing smiley faces?" asked Jigglypuff, feverishly bouncing around.
"Weren't you listening?" snapped Falco. "That would take precious time and effort! Time and effort I could be putting into taking a photograph and not writing a book about doing nothing to mentally screw with seniors who are frustrated with doing nothing!"
"Oh god, I miss Peach..." muttered a frustrated Luigi.
"What's anybody talking about any more?" cried a confused Mr. Game and Watch.
"Oh man, I hope Wolf smuggles out some security camera footage of this or something," smiled Falco wistfully.
Chuckling to himself, Falco looked up to check for security cameras.
"Oh crap, there aren't any," Falco sighed. "Ah well. Editing this specific moment separate from all the other footage would take work."
A loud hissing noise and a pair of yells captured Ganondorf's attention. The King of Evil swung around and made his way to the centre of the room. Three figures now stood together in a tense, nervous line. Ganondorf hunched protectively over the other two, ready to defend. Wolf crouched down in the middle, staring intently. And a little green ball, curled up and weak.
Then, purple vapour. From the green-clad body, it flew....past Wolf's almost un-noticing figure, past Ganondorf's staunch bewilderment and then down the home stretch, through the bombs, only to evaporate into thin air without a trace.
"Ganondorf, I've got it," said Wolf slowly, not taking his eyes off of the figure. "Here it is. That figure, down there."
"Great," nodded Ganondorf, trying and failing for a smile. "That was quick, Wolf. Let's get out of-whoa!"
Purple vapour was still billowing out of the body, slowly gaining form. Vapour became smoke became fog became smog. Suddenly, the smog cloud burst into a purple storm, filling the room in an amazing violent explosion. The danger was only beginning.
The smog hollowed out a purple-free zone where Wolf, Ganondorf, and the figure were. All around them, Subspace bombs began to crack and fall to pieces.
And then, the peculiar. Thoughts rapidly flooded through Ganondorf's mind, thoughts that he didn't recognise, as if they were from an alternate perspective. Ganondorf did not know, he could not tell what he was seeing, but he had a feeling, no, he knew that it was truly horrible.
Wolf was talking but he couldn't hear; bombs were shattering but he couldn't hear; the figure was weakly stirring but...who was it?
Eventually, the smog faded and Ganondorf regained his senses. He could now hear that he was screaming his heart out.
"What's wrong?" asked Wolf, a mix of concern and annoyance at the noise.
"Didn't you feel that?" demanded Ganondorf at once. "There was purple stuff and then I had weird flashes of whatever and then-"
"I got it too," admitted Wolf. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah," nodded Ganondorf. "I'll be fine. But did this little green guy do all this to us? I mean, the smog and the images? Is that the Malevolent Aura?"
Wolf picked the figure up gingerly.
"No," replied Wolf. "This is not the Malevolent Aura."
"Well who or what is it?" demanded Ganondorf.
Wolf hesitated. Ganondorf looked livid. Eventually, Wolf covered the body's hand and relented. There was no conversation for the next minute; only Wolf standing the body up. The head drooped low, still undistinguishable.
"Tricky business, this purification thing, isn't it?" asked Wolf, lifting the unconscious body's head up. "But you already know him. Ganondorf, we've just turned Toon Link back to our side."
Ganondorf gaped at Toon Link's feeble form, taken aback.
"It's true, you know," said Mewtwo's reassuring ghost, popping up from the Triforce imprint. "We're back."
DUN DUN DUN.
Please review if you have the time! Next chapter? An even bigger bombshell is dropped.
As I say in my profile, this is exam time, so it's slow goings from here...
Don't you kiddies stop being adorable.