"That'll be seven bags of Cocoa Clumps, no more, no less, please and thank you!"

A waiting hand stretched out from across the table. Johnson puffed up his chest with pride.

"Of course, your wish is my command, my dear compatriot! I wouldn't dare let you down, not with THAT on the line." Johnson tossed a sack onto the folding table in front of him. "Go on. Count them. Nice and slowly."

The X-Naut perched on the chair across from him pulled the bag back and peered inside. "Yep, looks like them's the goods I asked for. Yeah, this is great! Now, for my part of the bargain…" He pulled a paper-thin, shining card out of his pocket and slid it towards Johnson. "Here you are. Enjoy!"

Johnson held the card in front of his face. Joy radiated from his being. Crump, highly curious as to what the heck all of this was about, peered over his shoulder.

On the surface of the card, he could see… a girl?

"Wait, what the heck is that? Are you serious?" Crump squinted. The girl was clad in pure white, with fluffy, cartoonish angel wings sprouting from her back. She held a bell up to the sky. It appeared she was dancing on… what, a strawberry cake? With strawberries raining from the sky? That was also a strawberry on the bell, wasn't it? She had them in her hair too…

"Yeeeesssss, it's the Cosmic Milky Warrior original "Strawberry Lady" trading card! Finally, I've got just three more from the series to go…" Gleefully, Johnson rubbed it on his cheek.

"THAT'S what you wanted so bad? Man, you are SO weird."

"Crumpy, you're just not into it. If you were, you'd get it."

Crump had to just shake his head. This guy was beyond all hope. Meanwhile, the X-Naut across the table had already popped open one of the bags of chocolate and was shoving them in, paying neither of them any further mind. I guess that's that, Crump thought to himself. He looked around the lab they were currently invading, taking in his surroundings once more.

The folding table they were sitting at had been set up by the PhDs working there as a quick break area. Since it was late in the evening, only two of the scientists were still milling about. Sitting at a desk, Kurtis the PhD was letting out little "hmmmm" and "huuuuh" noises as he scribbled calculations out on a sheet of paper. Nearby, his colleague Zander was staring intently at the specimens lining one wall.

Johnson generally wasn't welcome here during the day, but Kurtis (despite Zander's repeated protests) always seemed fine with letting the pest hang around during evenings when he happened to be working late. Johnson had originally been assigned here during his short stint as a researcher, so he naturally treated this like his own space and had no trouble getting comfortable.

On the other hand, Crump REALLY just couldn't. One of the walls was completely lined, from one side to the other, with nothing but shelves containing disembodied organs. Legs, bones, livers, hearts, arms, even brains, from end to end. Each was held individually within small machines that worked day and night to keep the tissue fresh.

Zander, apparently deciding on something, plugged some commands into a nearby crane. Crump watched as the crane stretched its arm out towards one of the brains. Gently, it wrapped its claw around the brain's container and pulled it out from the wall, eventually depositing it on top of a nearby platform. Next, a leg was placed nearby. Zander pressed a button on the leg's container to release the lock, then reached in and gripped it around the ankle. He slid it out, careful not to spill any of the fluid, then slapped it down on his personal worktable like a fish…

Aaaaand I think I'm done watching whatever's going on over there. I wonder how Kurtis is doing. His stuff looks like it'll be a little less… messy, at least.

"Hey, Kurtis? Your brain ready to explode yet? You sound like you're blowing a gasket over there. You need some ice or something, buddy?" Crump trotted over and leaned in over Kurtis's shoulder. Though Crump really couldn't make heads or tails of whatever equations were written on the paper, Kurtis was generally pretty personable and happy to chat.

"Mmmmm... actually, something to drink may be a good idea. I've been too focused and keep forgetting to hydrate again…" Kurtis rubbed at his temples. Crump walked over to a nearby water cooler and filled up a cup. He offered it up to the scientist, who gratefully took it and gulped it down.

"By the way, what the heck is going on? You and your guy over there've been working late into the night every day this week, right? I don't remember your schedule always being this crazy." Crump pulled up a chair. "When you heading to bed?"

"Ahahaha… " Kurtis bashfully rubbed his head. "Well, you see, about that..." He pulled his chair back from his desk just enough for Crump to take a look underneath it.

"Is that a sleeping bag?"

"It is, unfortunately. Amadeus has us working on this huge project right now. The deadlines he wants are just far too strict, there's no time for anything really." As the scientist spoke, Crump could sense the weight on his shoulders. "On top of that, someone has to go negotiate for materials in the med bay tomorrow, and it's my turn. I wanted to finish this up before that, but at this pace… I just don't think I can do it. And, by the stars, I don't want to go out there. I really, truly don't..."

Crump knew one of Kurtis's least favorite parts of his job had always been going out to the med bay. The shift in his mood was noticeable whenever he got back. The scientists in the Prosthetics Department had made massive strides in their research of late, but it often came at the cost of their morals. Kurtis in particular was a bit softer than his colleagues and often visibly struggled.

Much of their work lately had been focused on directly integrating robotics with living tissue, thus allowing patients to directly control their new limbs using signals sent from their brain. …Tragically, the easiest way for them to gather data and test out new devices was by harvesting fresh organs from living specimens. With pressure from above bearing down on them to quickly produce results, the scientists would often travel to the medical wing for business purposes. Crump wasn't certain of the details, but he had recently heard whispers in the hallway of a few injured but otherwise healthy X-Nauts suddenly passing away from "unexpected complications" during treatment.

"Lee's been doing his best to take some pressure off, but the higher ups have been especially relentless lately," Kurtis complained. Lee, who other PhDs affectionately referred to as "the Union Head", came from the Medical Research Department. He was always doing his best to fight for better, less sketchy working conditions, but there was only so much that one man could do on his own.

Kurtis sighed deeply. Crump… didn't really know what tell him. The first words that came to mind to blurt out were a "wow, that sucks," but saying that didn't really seem appropriate somehow.

Just then, the room's overhead speaker crackled to life. "All X-Nauts are to report to the assembly hall within the next 30 minutes. Wrap up current activities and lock down any currently in-use work stations before exiting the area. Secure hazardous materials and ensure that all proper safety protocols are followed. I repeat: all X-Nauts are to report to the assembly hall within the next 30 minutes…"

"Oh, come on! I'm BUSY here! How exactly am I supposed to wrap this up in half an hour!?" Zander howled from the other side of the room. Crump glanced over and was treated to an uncomfortable sight. At some point, Zander had connected a series of wires between the leg and the brain, which was in turn hooked up to a computer. The toes at the end of the appendage appeared to be moving in a set pattern at regular intervals.

Holy crud, that is NASTY.

Regardless, orders were orders. Everyone there did what they could to disconnect everything and headed over towards the assembly hall together.

The assembly hall was absolutely packed.

Crump slid into a spot the best that he could without bumping into people too much, but quickly found himself separated from the rest of his little group. Not that it mattered much, he'd find them again later if he still felt like being social after this. Normally, he didn't mind crowds. However, a place with THIS many people bunched into one room together was not exactly his kind of scene. He could barely move his arms without risking having a full-on intimate experience with some random sap…

After what felt like an eternity of being pushed to and fro by the sway of the crowd, Crump noticed Grodus, Amadeus, and some Elite X-Naut had appeared at the head of the room. Finally. Let's get this party started. Get 'em, Gro.

"Direct your attention here, X-Nauts!" Grodus bellowed. Signaling the crowd to shut up, he made an "X" shape across his chest. The noise of the crowd immediately died out, and all who could do so promptly followed with their own salute. "Sir Amadeus will now address you!"

He turned to Amadeus, saluted again, and then backed off towards the rear of the room. With that, Amadeus stepped forward into a central position before his audience.

"My thanks to all of you who have assembled here on such short notice! I assure you, your efforts do not go unacknowledged. It is thanks to all of you that we have advanced as far as we have. As you all no doubt know, we have been doing all within our power to chart a path to a more stable future. I am proud to say that many of our projects have begun to bear substantial fruit. In fact, depending upon the execution of our plans, we may have our new world firmly within our grasp before the year is out!"

At this, a few soft whispers rang out here and there. X-Nauts glanced back and forth, looking to their peers for reactions.

Amadeus continued. "Now more than ever, I require your cooperation and the best performance you can muster. Soon, you will be able to walk out of your homes and feel the soft, warm ground beneath your feet… imagine! We WILL seize our ideal future, using our own hands! Now, X-Nauts, is the time to redouble our efforts! We must succeed here. We MUST."

That really would be nice... Crump's mind wandered as Amadeus carried on with his motivational speech. Crump didn't really remember specific details about his homeworld due to his young age, but he did remember how cold and hungry he always used to be. Oh, and he remembered the snow and the ice. Lots and lots of snow and ice, endless in every direction you looked, with some old ruins dotting the horizon here and there. He'd never seen the inside of any of them – besides, from what he heard all were too dangerous to really approach, and venturing out into the frosty wilderness was always heavily discouraged.

Instead, most people spent their time huddled up within the relative safety of the dying planet's last remaining fortress. Their jumpsuits had been specifically developed to expose as little skin as possible and keep their body temperature within a healthy range, but even then conditions were moderately chilly at absolute best. All food had been synthetic and tasteless. …Understandably, the scientists of the previous generation had put forth all of their effort into moving the remaining survivors of their species out of the desolate wasteland. The place was a ticking time bomb.

Though their species had developed spacefaring capabilities long ago, their largest concern had apparently been locating another planet actually capable of sustaining life. That made sense to Crump – as much as their planet sucked, it at least had some sort of infrastructure set up to support them. Haphazardly launching into space without a plan would just burn through their remaining resources even faster. But then, through some bizarre twist of fate, a reference to Earth and its coordinates was found in some ancient religious texts that a researcher had been digging through. The researchers decided they had to take the risk and, not too long afterwards, they launched their city-dome into space and set up at their current location.

Touching grass for the first time after traveling to Earth and eating his first sandwich were probably the biggest highlights of Crump's life so far, as stupid as it sounded. …Yeah, he'd still say that even now, despite having the unpleasant experience of his ill-prepared stomach launching the sandwich back up his esophagus shortly afterwards. A lot of X-Nauts probably treasured similar memories. That would've been around… twenty-three years ago now, maybe? As annoying as it was to live in secrecy on the moon, having nearby access to a planet that wasn't in the throes of a literal ice age already made their current conditions far more tolerable. That's not to say that Crump didn't want for more, though. Really, of course he did. Who wouldn't, after witnessing firsthand the luxurious and carefree lives those Earthlings down there lived?

"As such, many changes will be taking place over the coming weeks. Our approach from this point onward shall become vastly more aggressive. The primary goal of this personnel restructuring will be the eventual complete domination of the Mushroom Kingdom and nearby surrounding areas. Unfortunately, many of our less essential projects will need to be postponed in favor of developing and deploying tools that will play an active role in the strengthening of our powers for the invasion. Do not be discouraged, however, if your project is placed on hold – once we have seized control over the land and are able to freely harvest the natural resources within, our potential for new development will expand exponentially. Your current quality of life is not comparable to that which awaits us. We shall take what is meant to be ours. Of this, there is no question in my mind."

Sir Amadeus's gaze swept over the crowd as he continued on with his speech. A sense of anxiety, but also excitement, had gripped his captivated audience.

"For most of you, your current team leaders will have received orders on how you are to proceed by tomorrow morning. Your new assignments will be distributed to you at the time that you report in. Not all positions will be changing – however, if you are moving posts as a result of the restructuring, you will be expected to then proceed to your new location for orientation. With that said, there are a number of new teams forming that I require separate meetings with as early as tonight. We must make haste. If you are assigned to one of these teams, you will receive a notice on your communicators upon dismissal. Pay close attention and be certain to follow instructions exactly. That is all."

Finally, Amadeus turned away and disappeared into a room in the back. Grodus returned to the front. "Proceed out of the back doors in an orderly fashion, starting with those situated most closely to the entrance. You are dismissed."

By the stars, FINALLY. As interesting as all that was, Crump was dying to move to somewhere with a bit more breathable air. The wall of bodies was making him sweat. It wasn't pleasant.

Focused on those thoughts, he gave a start at the sudden vibration in his pocket. Buh huh? Who the heck wants what NOW? Exasperated, he pulled his communicator out.

The contents of the message weren't really what he expected.

"To: Crump

Rank: X-Naut Foot Soldier

X-Naut Crump has been newly assigned to Sir Grodus's personal unit. Report to the assembly hall at 9:00 PM tonight to receive further instructions."

Hold the actual phone, I've been WHAT? He stared at the screen in disbelief. This has got to be some kind of mix up, right? Did somebody mistype a letter? Like, was this actually meant for somebody out there named "Cramp" or something? Or maybe there's some other Crump running around out there?

Right now, Crump was on a rotation schedule where he did whatever random things throughout the fortress needed to happen on whatever day. He didn't even really have a supervisor; generally, he just received his daily tasks from a terminal. It was a lowly, menial job.

Buh huuuuuh? What. What. WHAT. What does it mean "Sir Grodus's personal unit"? What does that even do, hang out with him? Eat snacks together? Watch TV? Knit stockings? What?

While Crump was busy having his own personal little freakout, the other X-Nauts had mostly funneled out of the assembly hall. Johnson ran up next to him.

"Um. Bro. So, like, I dunno what to even make of this, but… hold up, what've you got that out for?"

Crump looked up from his screen to see Johnson also holding his own communicator out, looking clearly confused.

"Wait wait wait wait wait." Crump moved around to Johnson's side and pressed his communicator up next to his friend's, only to find a nearly identical message displayed. He was flabbergasted.

"Are you kidding me right now? Was somebody high when they decided this? Huh!?"

"Uh… I don't know. I really, really don't." Johnson scratched at his head.

A hand slowly waving from the distance caught Crump's eye. Crump jerked his head in that direction. Grodus was standing there, palm cautiously swaying to and fro. Oh crud, I made eye contact. …Grodus looked like he was expecting something.

What does he even want? Crump raised his own hand and timidly waved back. Grodus, apparently taking this as suitable acknowledgement of his presence, approached. No, noooooooooo. Bad! Go away! Shoo, shoo!

"Here you are," Grodus greeted the pair. "I'm certain you're quite surprised by this turn of events. …As was I, truly. I would like to set the record straight immediately and say that this was not my own decision. …However, it appears that we will be working closely together from this point onwards. I do hope that we will be able to have a strong, professional relationship."

Crump and Johnson gave each other some serious side eye at these words. "Uh… yeah. Yeah, we'll… we'll do that," Crump responded, at a loss.

"Yes, you most certainly will. Now, wait here. The others will gather here soon enough."

Eventually, a second group of X-Nauts formed up nearby. The Elite X-Naut that had been standing at the front of the room during Amadeus's speech had taken up a spot at the opposite wall. Four additional Elite X-Nauts and one PhD crowded around him.

One PhD, along with two ordinary foot soldiers, approached Crump's trio.

"Uh… hi? How's it going over here, dudes?" One of the red-garbed ones piped up to break the ice. Between the X-Naut's gait and his voice, Crump thought he recognized this one.

"Is that Kip? You're Kip, right?"

"Whoa, that's Crumpy, isn't it!? Hola, my guy! Long time no see!" The X-Naut instantly perked up, holding up his hand for a high five. Crump happily treated him to one.

"I suppose it makes things easier that some of you already know each other. Hold your reunion for a moment, though," Grodus commanded. "Sir Amadeus has returned."

Amadeus, guarded on either side by Elites, stood at the front of the room. Grodus moved towards him, motioning for his gaggle of minions to follow. The second group approached as well.

"It is good to see all of you here." Amadeus looked between the two groups, confirming that all were present. "Congratulations are in order for all of you. You have been selected as part of the task force that will lead us to our bright future."

Crump and Johnson's exchanged side eyes intensified immediately.

Amadeus produced a red shard of rock from within his robes and held it up for all to see. The precious stone shone intensely upon being exposed to the bright lights of the assembly hall. Something about it was uniquely mesmerizing.

"You, under the skilled command of your respective leader, will be working to retrieve the rest of these. This mission must be accomplished, no matter what the cost. Though this is but one path of many that may end up leading us forward, it is certainly one of the most promising. You see, these stones, once recombined into their original form, will allow us to harness a power far beyond our wildest dreams. Unfortunately, we currently have only one shard in our possession. There are five others still waiting to be found."

Amadeus motioned to the two PhDs standing among the groups. "One of the teams from our esteemed Archeological Research and Excavation Department has been working tirelessly to pinpoint the location of the remaining shards, along with developing a method for us to reliably recombine them and harness the energy within. Though they have been unable to pinpoint the exact location of each shard, they have determined a general area for each where they are likely to be found. Two members of that team stand among you. The rest remain within the labs, where they continue to further their research."

Next, he specifically motioned to Grodus's team. "To expedite the process, we will send each team out with the intent of having them search two specific locations. Once one team has retrieved both of their shards, we will re-evaluate the plan based upon which of the remaining locations have yet to have their shard located. Grodus's team will be travelling to the Happy Endings campus and to the Dry Dry Desert." He then motioned to the second team. "Felix's team will be travelling to the forested area near Rose Town and to the Barrel Volcano."

This whole thing just gets worse and worse. Do we seriously have to go root around in a desert for a tiny little rock? I already wanna quit. …Though I guess that's better than a volcano…

"Now, I will hand over planning your individual departures to your commanders. You will be leaving first thing tomorrow. May you bring glory to our Secret Society of X-Nauts." With that, Grodus and the Elite leader saluted, and Amadeus departed with his posse.

"It's getting late, so I will attempt to make this quick," Grodus stated as he turned to face his own crew. "Travel to the Toad Town area teleporter. Follow the path north until you reach the beach. A boat will be docked there. Meet me there at 8:00 AM sharp. Prepare your luggage, but be certain to pack light. We will be doing plenty of walking. Combat is likely, so come prepared."

Grodus began to go over a few more specifics, including the estimated travel time to each location and what kind of weather conditions the group should expect. As he was doing so, the bulk of the second group concluded their business and walked out the exit. Passing by, the Elite in charge stopped to sneer.

"What a motley crew you have over there. …It suits you, Grodus. It appears that Amadeus has a good sense of what you're about. Honestly, you might as well just stay home."

"Couldn't resist attempting to start something already, hmm?" Grodus huffed in reply. "Unfortunately for you, I have little interest in playing along with your games today. You ought to go find someone else to pester."

"Hah. We'll see if you feel the same here in a few weeks." Felix laughed.

"Is that intended to be a threat? …Well, no matter. Regardless, I intend to keep an eye on you. If you try anything untoward, I absolutely will put an end to it."

"I should be the one saying that to you. But you already know that, don't you?"

"What, precisely, are you trying to imply? Why don't you try saying it more directly? Or, perhaps, is it something that would be inconvenient for you to discuss publically?" Grodus stepped forward, clearly becoming irritated. "Please, do share what it is you're referring to. I'm terribly curious!"

"Of course, if that's what you really want! I have nothing to be ashamed of. But what about you, huh? Is that really what you want, right here, right now!?" Felix also stepped forward, pure aggression seeping from his posture.

For the umpteenth time today, Crump was at a loss as to what the heck was even happening around him. Whoa whoa whaaaaat the heck, are they about to fight? What's with this crazy nasty atmosphere? This was escalating fast and he didn't like it.

Suddenly, the X-Naut PhD from Grodus's group spoke up. "Sir Amadeus wouldn't be happy to see this from either of you."

At that, Grodus appeared to come back to his senses. His posture relaxed slightly, though he still was noticeably stiff. "…Xaido is correct. This is not the place to have this discussion. If you truly wish to dredge this up again, I ask that you arrange to meet me in private."

"Pah. That won't be necessary. We've already been through this enough, we already know how it'll go." The Elite dismissively flipped his hand as he turned and began to walk away. "Just… watch your back, Xaido, or you might come to regret it."

At this, Grodus twitched. However, he said nothing. Nobody said anything at all for a while.

"…I do hope that we will be able to have a strong, professional relationship…" Crump heard Johnson mutter under his breath.

This is so awkward. …Please send help. This is an SOS.

And thus, their journey together was set to begin.