Time's Up

TheStick looked up at the pure blue sky with happiness. It was a new day, another golden day, with the sun shining on Fanstuff Island in the Homestar Runner island chain in who-knows-where. Free Country USA was pretty distant, but Knowlage Base was a short ride away. TheStick was sitting in the Recreation Park, one of the greenest areas in the whole island. Recreation Park was in the middle of the main downtown, which itself was like Free Country USA, because everything was in walking distance of everything else. And there were no roads. But a lot of rivers.

TheStick reflected on the past year under a cool, shaddy tree. The tree was in its prime, young, big, and strong, like the wiki's growth. TheStick could see Homestar tiger racing Homestar, TheDenzel and Ze Veat trying to steal some buried treasure, and Cyrus wandering around. TheStick remembered when this place was a barren, war-torn field, from the great troll overrun of '09. But it was 2015, and everyone was going green.

TheStick could still vividly remember those moments: the final stand. The trolls had taken over everywhere but here, and devised a plan to cut the bubble in half and pop it. The trolls were everywhere. He remembered the trolls advancing, and the melee. One troll came up and threw a punch at his stomach. It severly hurt, just enough for him to...

"You who! TheStick! Wake up!"

"Hah? What?"

"You dozed off under the tree again! That's what! Ze Veat almost stole your battle memories!"

TheStick wearily opened his eyes. It was TheDenzel. Sure enough, Ze Veat had his hands behind his back and was whistling a Russian tune he couldn't quite identify. It had a strong rythem, but was so fast, it sounded like a speeding bullet.

"Really!" TheDenzel sounded a little more serious then he usually was, like this meant buisness.

"Hang on, got another flashback."

He had remembered going to the fortune teller. The room was misty, with a round, about 4 foot-round table, with a deck of cards in the center. The fortune teller had a robe on that covered his sleeves, body, legs, and a hood that covered his face in shadows. There were several red candles about half burnt in a circle around them. The deck was old, brownish, and looked like it would disintegrate at any time.

"What would you like to know?!?" The fortune teller had a booming voice, like thunder, and almost blew out all the candles.

"Umm... I-"

"WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW?"

"What happened to the Talismans of Power!"

Quickly, like magic, the fortune teller grabbed ten cards, and flung them on the table. They all had old, cragly rock tablets on them, with ten mysterious symbols on each of them. It was almost mystical, I thought.

The fortune teller scratched his chin and said "I'm sorry, but I can't seem to read these symbols. But I can help you read them."

"What do you mean?"

"I'll give you your own tarot deck, and copy these symbols for you. When the time is right, the answers will reveil themselves to you like a book."

The fortune teller passed over an old box with a piece of paper attached to it, with the ten tablets on them. TheStick thanked him and left.

TheStick woke up, and started walking towards his house. He needed to figure out what happened next. Unknown to him, a slip of green paper fell out of his pocket with Ze Veat watching...

Who am I? That was the question he was asking himself. He wanted to remember in case anything happened. Answer: Agent XL001. Where am I? Answer: An uncharted construction site in an uncharted island in the Tsunadocane Islands. What am I? Answer: A person, duh! When was I last here? Answer: Right now! Why am I here? Answer: For reasons that will only be stated on paper. How am I here? Answer: Because I live here!

Agent XL001 smirked. He couldn't resist. Here he was, and the victims didn't know any of it. The machines were coming along. Agent XL001 went for a walk. "Same old workers, same old computer, same old machines..." Everything was so normal. The machines were coming along nicely. Fortunately for him, the workers didn't know what the finished product was, simply because the ones that put the final product together were brainwashed. And the people who made the parts were also brainwashed. "Conquering the world will be easy... just got to get the key to finding the other keys..." Agent XL001 thought.

Agent XL001 put on a detective outfit, put on his glasses, put his magnifying glass and detective kit on his belt, and went out into the rain and fog...

Agent XL001 went out, and went on a boat toward the mainland. The boat was one of those ocean lines, with several nuclear powered propellers. It was white-ish gray, so that it was hard to see in the fog. It had a white stripe on it, and could easily be marviled as the greatest ship ever built. Agent XL001 quickly got onto the ship, and sailed toward the cost of Fanstuff Island. "This is great," Agent Xl001 thought. "I can soon get rid of the only one who can get in my way..."

"Must... re... lax!"

TheStick tried to relax. He was trying to shake off the feeling that something was missing. Or at least was going to be missing in a few moments. He was in his living room, in his chair, Ze Vestege. It was just the same as Le Restege, but with no sweatpants button, due to malfunctions. The room was about 20 sq. yards big, and had a red carpet with white stripes on it for the floor. Or red stripes on a white backround. There was a coffee table in front of him, and a small footstool. Next to him, there was a bookcase that covered the whole wall, except for a space for Ze Vestege. There were also hallways to the other rooms , and the wallpaper was like a huge picture of The Stick. Currently he was reading The Talisman Plot, where the Talismans of Power are stolen from the native islands where they were hidden for centuries. TheStick wasn't finished, but he was almost.

BANG! The lightning struck, reminding TheStick that it was pouring. BANG! TheStick looked out the window. The rain was pouring, and TheTwig's robotic plant-disguised weather measurer, carbon dioxide to oxygen converter, and air freshener was working perfectly. It was waterproof also, so that it wouldn't short-circuit. TheStick stepped through one of the doorways into the kitchen. It had a white tile floor, had only two exits, to the living room and the dining room, and the only piece of furniture in there was a mentally-activated microwave/oven/stove/creator/grill/multi-purpose food maker/dishwasher/sink/hypercabnet. It was like a microwave, but instead of putting in the food and pressing Start, TheStick just had to think of the food and it would be made. This time, TheStick was hungry for some Mi Goreng.

"Alright. Food Maker 2003.14, make me some Mi Goreng, regular style!" TheStick thought.

The Food Maker 2003.14 shook, shimmied, and shook, like it was about to explode. It continued to do that for about 3 minutes, until the smells of the food could be smelled through the wafting through the vents. DING! The food was ready. TheStick felt hungry, like a bull, and felt his stomach churning. "The washing machine needs more clothing and dishwasher fluid," TheStick thought. "Well, let's fill up now.

TheStick pressed the Open button on the door, and it lightly opened. On the tray was a bowl full of Mi Goreng, and a fork. TheStick walked back to the living room, and sat down in Ze Vestege. He pulled up a miniature table, put his food down on the table, and started eating. TheStick lifted his fork, wound some noodles around it, and started eating.

Minutes later, TheStick was finished with his food. He was feeling a bit fuller now, but not that full. The rain was still coming down in blankets, and the sewage, canal, reservoir replenishing, and small dirt passageways leading to the local river systems were all strained to prevent flooding. "But then again," TheStick thought, "it's this rainy every three days, anyway. That's what earned this island's nickname, 'Rainy Island'." TheStick sighed, but this time out of enjoyment. He was relaxing now, reeeeeeeeeeeeellllllllllllllllllllaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa....................x.

KNOCK KNOCK! KNOCK KNOCK! Someone was knocking at TheStick's door. This was slightly frustrating, because Thestick was finally relaxing, but he just shrugged it off. He went out through the doorway to the front area, and opened the door. It was Badstar.

"Hi, TheStick. It's pouring outside!"

"Right... and this is only the 125^th time this year it's happened. Well, come on in."

Badstar removed his boots and rain coat, and followed TheStick in. TheStick led Badstar past the Living Room, into the Lounging Room. It had a blue, rug on the ground, blue walls, with stripes of darker blue, and a ceiling representing the sky on a sunny day. There was a fireplace on one end of the room, and five chairs with small tables on their sides, and two exits, one leading to the living room, and one the hub of the house. There was also a bookcase behind the chairs.

"Sit down, Badstar. Everyone else will _hopefully be here shortly." TheStick left the room, doing something that Badstar couldn't understand, and Badstar examined the bookshelf. It was a normal bookshelf, except that it took the whole wall. The fire was still going strong, and it still warmed everything. Badstar looked at the titles.

"How To Eat... no. How Two Plus Two Equals Fish... never. Eat Thus Book or Die... No!" Badstar thought. "Doesn't TheStick read anything good? How to Read a Book... maybe. How to Eat a Book... is it just me or does TheStick like eating books?" Just then TheDenzel and TheStick walked in the room.

"Hey Badstar. How's that comic coming?" TheDenzel said.

Badstar felt slightly annoyed by this. It felt like TheDenzel was tormenting him. Everyone in the universe knew that Badstar's comic was now only sold to mock on. Still, Badstar swallowed his anger and talked on.

"Good. Sales are up by 0.000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001%."

"Anyway, sit down. I'll get some hot chocolate." TheStick once again left the room, leaving Badstar and TheDenzel to themselves.

"So TheDenzel, what's been happening?"

"Not much. I hired a detective to tape record the whole get-together. And I've prepared a demonstration about dry ice. And plus I'm burying the time capsule."

"So, what books on this shelf do you like to read?"

"Oh, this one." TheDenzel took a book of the shelf. It was titled The Lands of Fanstuff. It explained the island chains around Fanstuff Island. Badstar picked it up and started reading. He thumbed to about halfway through the book to a page, with a hypothetical map of Linvac Sea. No one had actually made a map of the place, due to the wind, sea, heat, and light currents. There were five main variations of the map, all different. Since no one has figured out exactly how the light bends in Linvac Sea, it's impossible to make a reliable map. Badstar flipped the page.

The only island chain in Linvac Sea is the Marvlin Islands. There are 63 main islands, with an uncountable number of small islands and reefs and small ridges. Again, the Marvlin Islands were uncharted, and the islands themselves were uncharted. Badstar flipped the page. There was a myth that the Talismans of Power were hidden there, but it was just folklore.

TheStick walked back in, with a tray with three mugs of hot chocolate. They all took a cup and started sipping their cup. Badstar put his mug of hot chocolate on the stool, and kept reading.

TheStick looked at the room, 30 minutes after Badstar had come in. Homestar tiger and Lucas Aura were also there, and Detective XL001 was there, but didn't have a camera. He claimed to have a camera in his brain that send videos to the computer screen in his house. Everyone but Detective XL001 were eating popcorn, and relaxing by the fire. TheDenzel was just sitting there thinking, Badstar was still reading the book about The Lands of Fanstuff, Lucas Aura was looking at the fire through his binoculars, and Homestar tiger was drinking an engery drink. Detective XL001 was observing the whole scene.

Detective XL001 cleared his through. "Well, uh..." he began nervously. "I, uh, need to go to the... bathroom."

TheStick was questioning Detective XL001's reliability. TheStick glanced around, and could also see that TheDenzel, Homestar tiger, and Lucas Aura were also. Badstar just shrugged. "Sure, why not."

Detective XL001's face immediately lit up. "Thanks," he said, suggenly full of energy. Detective XL001 then ran straight out of the room. Lucas Aura shot a suspitious look at Detective XL001.

"So Homestar tiger, what's been happening?" TheStick said.

"Oh, nothing much," Homestar tiger replied with a shrug.

"I thought you won a race recently!" Badstar said, looking up from his book.

"Yeah, but that is old news."

"How you liking that book, Badstar?" TheStick asked, wanting to know what Badstar thought it.

"It's good!" Badstar replied eagerly. "I never knew that the Linvac Sea existed. I thought I knew everywhere that was to be drawn."

"Yeah, well, that's the thing with these uncharted places."

"Wait," Badstar said. "If it's uncharted, how can it be written about?"

TheStick shrugged off Badstar's question. "Something to do with that it changes every time you see it."

Badstar nodded. "Sounds like it, with 7623.14 different maps of the place."

"Well, there's only one other known copy of this book, bought by someone with the Bookazon username of "BuyerXL001"."

"Strange username." Badstar's face twisted slightly. "Isn't TheDenzel's person that he hired to tape record the party's nickname and his only know name Detective XL001." Badstar put emphisas on the XL001 part. "Do you think..."

"...that it's the same person?" TheStick finished Badstar's question for him. "I honestly don't know."

Badstar opened his mouth to say something, but then there was the sound of glass breaking. TheStick then ran off out of the room, appearently to see what happened. Badstar kept reading. It said that the island closest to the Fanstuff Island Mainland is unnamed, and unvisited. Thus, no one knows what happened. Badstar was going to continue reading, when Badstar heard a scream. Suddenly everyone bolted upright.

"What just happened?" Lucas Aura asked.

"I don't know!" TheDenzel said.

"Well, where did it some from?" Lucar Aura asked.

"I think it came from TheStick's gallery," Homestar tiger said.

"Well, what are we waiting for, a transition? Let's go!" Badstar and the others ran through the house, to the gallery. There was dim lighting, and several glass cases, with spaces between them, and there was an overhead lamp over each of them. They had passed an uncountable number of diamonds, old things, gold, old pieces of paper, before they found TheStick. He seemed slightly sad, and ready to burst.

"What happened?" Lucas Aura asked.

TheStick looked slightly mad. "I'll show you!" TheStick led them to a broken display, with the item removed. The tag on what the item was was removed. There were glass shards everywhere, and TheStick looked slightly worried.

"So, what are you so worked up about?" Homestar tiger asked.

"Someone stole something precious from me!" TheStick flashed a bit of anger, then seemed to calm down a bit. "I need a detective, even though I'm good at identifying clues."

As if on cue, Detective XL001 came in, and took out his card. He was also holding his magnifying glass. Badstar looked around in more detail. There were noticable footsteps on the ground going in and out of the gallery, and there was a pipe on the ground. There was also a dropped hat, and an orange hair.

"Looking for your Apache's Tear? Detective XL001, at your service. I can solve this mystery! I know that this crime was commited sometime between the time everyone was coming in and when the shreik was shouted," Detective XL001 said.

TheStick looked like he was concentrating. His eyes were closed, and he looked like he was straining his head.

Detective XL001 spoke again, and pointed to Homestar tiger. "I think you commited this crime!"

Homestar tiger looked startled. "How could I have commited this?"

Detective XL001 smirked. He picked up the orange hair and the orange and black hat, which had no propeller, up. "Well, this hat and hair makes me suspitious. I'm going to have you arrested."

TheDenzel and Lucas Aura sprang up, and ran in front of Homestar tiger, so that they were between Homestar tiger and Detective XL001. "If you hurt Homestar tiger, you'll wake up tomorrow in a hospital!" Lucas Aura said.

Detective XL001 wasn't moved. "Well, I can still arrest him."

TheStick opened his eyes, and put his hand in front of Detective XL001 like he was going to say "stop". "Detective XL001, if that is your real name, you can't arrest Homestar tiger, there is a lack of evidence."

Detective XL001 sighed. "Fine, we'll all staying here until I can get more evidence." As everyone left the room, TheStick shpt a look of suspition at Badstar.

TheDenzel looked around uneasily. Anyone could have commited the crime! He mentally jotted down the people and their motives.
TheStick - It could be him, and be playing innocence. Or,it could be just one big trick.
Badstar - Has a light grudge on TheStick, and might need attention.
Lucas Aura - I dunno, but everybody is a suspect.
Homestar tiger - Needs attention, the Apache's Tear is valueable, and might sell it to cover falling fanstuff production.

TheDenzel didn't think that Detective XL001 could have commited the crime, because he was trying to solve it. Then again... TheDenzek made another mental list, this time the clues.
Footsteps - Footsteps leading in and out of the gallery, unknown size.
Pipe - A recently smoked pipe, has about half smoke producing thing left.
Hat - An orange and black brimmed hat, with no propeller.
Hair - An orange hair of unknown orgin

All the clues seemed to point to Homestar tiger, except for the pipe. Also, TheDenzel had never heard of the place where Detective XL001 lived. "1644X Island? Where was that?" TheDenzel muttered to himself. He'd never heard of it. Still, why was he thinking so... different today? "Come on TehD, snap out of it!" He was back in the room with the bookshelf, and another chair and a large table was pulled in so that Detective XL001 could check out the evidence. Badstar, TheStick, Lucas Aura, and Homestar tiger were in the Library, and TheDenzel was still sitting here, trying to figure out what happened. "Why was Detective XL001 so nosy? Why was the 'Apache's Tear' so valueable?" TheDenzel shook his head in frustration as he tried to figure out the answers.

Lucas Aura was undettered. So why cares if there was a robbery? He was innocent, and that was all that mattered. Lucas Aura was in the kitchen, headed for the library. To his left, there was a soda dispencer, so Lucas Aura went to the soda machine, and pushed the button nect to Diet Tright. All of a sudden, some Diet Tright came out. Lucas Aura glanced at the soda machine's "Bought" counter. "So, no one's bought Siena Fog yet today," Lucas Aura mumbled happily to himself. Lucas Aura ventured into the library.

"What happened here?" Lucas Aura asked out loud.

Lucas Aura took in the surroundings. There were footprints headed toward the bookshelf. Several books were knocked off, and on the ground, there was a message, saying: "Dui". The library was three sided, and there was another orange hair on the ground. Lucas Aura picked up a book. It had several handprints on it. The red walls were covered with pages, but the green roof was untouched. All of a sudden, Detective XL001, Homestar tiger, TheDenzel, Badstar, and TheStick rocketed to where Lucas was standing. All of a sudden, Detective XL001 ran in, took his magnifying glass, and inspected the orange hair.

"I know it. Just knew it," Detective XL001 said.

"What?" Homestar tiger asked, looking curious, staring at Detective XL001.

"I knew you commited the crime!"

Everyone gasped, except TheStick. TheStick had his eyes closed, looking doubtful, and like he was analyzing something. Everyone immediately asked several questions.

"How could you do this?"

"Are you sure that he did it?"

"I like pie."

"Lemme see the evidence."

Detective XL001 silenced everyone by ringing a bell. He immediately began explaining his case.

"Well, it's simple. These footprints are size 7, and this orange hair," Detective XL001 held up a hair. "show that the person had orange fur. The only person with orange hair is Homestar tiger!"

Everyone closed in on Homestar tiger, except TheStick. Lucas Aura followed, in order to get a better view of the area.

"Why did you do it?" TheDenzel asked.

"I thought you were TheStick's friend!" Badstar exclaimed. TheStick didn't look shocked in the least.

Lucas Aura peered over the small crowd. Homestar tiger was looking somewhat paler then usual, and he was also sweating more than usual. Lucas Aura would too, if he was accused of a crime. Lucas Aura felt bad for Homestar tiger. He was a good friend...

Detective XL001 picked up his pipe. He then smoked it. "I'm telling you, Homestar tiger was planning this!"

"Huh?" Badstar asked.

"It's simple," Detective XL001 stated. "Homestar tiger knew that TheStick had the rare Apache's Tear from the start, so he faked friendship in order to keep things smooth until he went in and stole it! Then he used the friendship to make his gettaway. But I was here!"

"Arrest him!" TheDenzel exclaimed.

"I'm innocent!" Homestar tiger screamed.

"That's what they all say! And that is all that they say."

Badstar and TheDenzel quickly moved in and surrounded Homestar tiger. Lucas Aura watched as TheDeizel and Badstar magically produced a chair, and tied Homestar tiger to it with a rope. Homestar tiger still struggeled to break free, while Detective XL001 went to the back of the chair, and lifted it up.

"But I'm inoccent!"

"Oh yeah? Prove it!" Detective XL001 said, looking somewhat confident in that he's cracked the case.

"Okay, I will!"

"How can you?" Detective XL001 asked.

"But I didn't say anything! TheStick's video camera's prove it." Homestar tiger said.

"I did."

Detective XL001 and TheDenzel looked around wildly. They quickly thought that Badstar had, until they realized that he's left the room.

"Where did he go?" TheDenzel asked.

"Dunno."

Quickly Lucas Aura turned around, and noticed TheStick, who had a confident look in his eyes. Lucas Aura wondered why he was looking so confident. He's probally so confident that Detective XL001's going to arrest the theif! Still, Lucas Aura was skeptical. How did Detective XL001 know that Homestar tiger stole the artifact? The only evidence was a bunch of orange hairs, handprints, footprints, a hat, a message, and a hat! Still, all the clues seemed to lead up to Homestar tiger. Who else could have stolen it?

Detective XL001 and TheDenzel turned around. TheDenzel seemed sure that Homestar tiger had done it, when Thetick spoke for the first time in a while.

"He's inoccent, and I can prove it!" TheStick said.

"Oh yeah?" Detective XL001 and TheDenzel said together.

"Yeah! See, here's how it works. Detctive XL001 is guilty!"

Lucas Aura heard a gasp. How did TheStick know that Detective XL001 did it? He was trying to solve the crime! How would a crimanal try to solve a crime? It was obvious that TheStick was mistaken.

"See, you've all assumed that all the evidence lead up to Homestar tiger. But, Homestar tiger doesn't smoke a pipe!"

"Well, I dropped it while investigating." Detective XL001 said, as a matter of factly. "So hah!"

"However, you said that it was a piece of evidence."

"Uh-" Detective XL001 stammered.

"Also, Homestar tiger doesn't have hands. And, the orange hairs are synthetic!"

Detective XL001 started stammering. TheDenzel wondered why. He'd cracked the case! Then again, TheStick had a point. How did a pipe get there? And how did it all happen? Just then, Badstar ran in.

"Guys! I've figured it out!"

"I know, Homestar tiger's guilty." Detective XL001 stated.

"No, you don't understand!" Badstar said quickly, slightly panting.

"What?"

"I checked the cameras! It- turns- out- th-th-that-that-that-H-H-Home-Home..."

"And? What about Home?"

"Homestar-Home-Homestar tiger..."

"Yeah? What about Homestar tiger? Is he guilty?" Lucas Aura asked out of nowhere. "Or inoccent?"

"Inoccent!" Badstar exclaimed, then collapsing on the floor.

"Why did Badstar fall on the floor?" Homestar tiger asked, all of a sudden out of his ropes and the tape on his mouth.

"I can explain. Badstar was looking at my security tapes, at the other side of an obstical course, and had to do it again. He was tired after it."

"How... why is it so tiring?" Lucas Aura asked.

"You would too, after running away from an explosion, jumping to the moon, and pumping a balloon enough to get to a 200 feet high tower!"

Badstar slowly lifted himself up. He slowly begain crawling up, until he was standing. "I was watching... camera. tapes... showed... Detective XL001... stealing... thing..."

"But... but..." Detective XL001 stammered

TheDenzel let go of Homestar tiger. So he was innocent? TheDenzel was somewhat confused. And yet...

Badstar continued. "Detective... XL001..." Badstar paused, af if he was trying to regain his breath. "Well, Detective XL001 took the thing." Badstar lifted himself off the floor. TheDenzel was not suprised. Badstar looked like a wreck. His white skin was covered in dirt and soot, and the sapphire on his mask was losing it's shine.

TheStick looked at Badstar, then at TheDenzel, then at Homestar tiger. Detective XL001 began to speak.

"But, uh, it's not what it looks like!"

TheDenzel let go of Homestar tiger. So Detective XL001 was guilty? His own hired filmer commited a crime on the spot? TheDenzel's head was spinning. Why did Detective XL001 want the Apache's Tear? Just then, TheDenzel noticed that something small and blue fell out of Detective XL001's pocket. It was on a string, and the shade of blue did indeed make it look like a frozen tear. TheDenzel assumed that this object was the Apache's Tear.

"Erm... bye!" Detective XL001 said, laughing.

"What do yo mean?" TheDenzel asked, stepping forward along with everyone else, including TheStick. Homestar tiger ran up, and attempted to grab Detective XL001, but Detective XL001 dodged, and dropped several small, silver, shiny, spherical objects. TheDenzel backed up nervously, along with everybody else, except for Homestar tiger, who was flat against the wall.

Detective XL001 ran out the door. TheDenzel didn't move. What if it was a bomb? What if it was a mine? Then again, what if it's a dud? TheDenzel peered at the others. Lucas Aura looked nervous, TheStick looked confused, Badstar looked tired, and Homestar tiger looked hurt. All of a sudden, the balls beeped. First once, softly, then several times repeatedly with increasing volume. Then all of a sudden, before TheDenzel knew it, everything turned white.

TheDenzel looked around. "TheStick? Lucas Aura? Badstar?" TheDenzel wandered around a little, breathing heavily. TheDenzel had only walked ten steps before he collided with a wall. So this was a thick fog! And yet, TheDenzel felt tired. TheDenzel yawned. "Why am I so tired?" TheDenzel asked in his head. Before the answer came to him, he fell asleep on the floor.

TheStick woke up on the floor. "Where am I?" TheStick asked himself. it suddenly hit on him that he was on the floor, that a day had passed, that the rainstorm was still going, and that his brother had cleaned out the house. Now that he was safe, he started to remember Detective XL001 had framed Homestar tiger or stealing the Apache's Tear, had used a smoke bomb to get away, and now TheStick was wearing the Apache's Tear on a chain on his neck.

TheStick got up. He looked around. "Don't lose it now," TheStick told himself. "or else that New Years Resolution will get destroyed." TheStick looked down. There was a map on the ground. The corners were muddy, dirty, and the writing was black, fancy, and old. The map showed a bunch of islands, with one with a circle and a cross at the same time over it, and one with an arrow pointing to it, with a label that TheStick couldn't read. There was also an arrow from the island with an arrow pointing to it, which lead to the island with a cross and a circle on it. There was also some writing on the bottom-right hand corner of the map, but it was unreadible. The compass showed that up was to the south.

TheStick peered around. TheDenzel, Homestar tiger, Lucas Aura, and Badstar were still asleep, as if they were under sleeping gas. Suddenly TheStick remembered something. Before he fell asleep, there was a mysterious grey fog. "So the fog was sleeping gas!" TheStick figured out, aloud.

"Hey, what's going on?" Badstar asked, rubbing his head.

"Well, Detective XL001 was evil, tried to steal my stuff, and put us to sleep. Now you've just woken up from his sleeping gas bomb," TheStick said as calm as he could.

"Oh." Badstar said. Suddenly, Badstar appeared to notice TheStick's piece of paper. He could notice it in his eyes. "What's that?" Suddenly Badstar grabbed the paper from TheStick's hand. "Well, what is it?"

"I don't know. I think Detective XL001 left it."

"Well, you can have it back." Badstar handed TheStick the piece of paper back. "Well," Badstar said, stretching his arms, "what are we going to do? That piece of paper is mysterious!"

"I know! I'll take it to the decoding guys on the North Side. Badstar?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you tell the others where I am?"

"Sure!"

"Well, see you." TheStick started walking toward the door.

Agent XL001 took a final look at his map. The large, white, map had his island, and the Fanstuff Wiki Island, with the main invasion plan. "Alright," Agent XL001 mumbled to himself. "Army 1 heads the direct, the airborne hits the center, the two pinsers hit the main target..."

Suddenly Commander A7 came up to Agent XL001. "Sir!" Commander A7 saluted Agent XL001. "The ships are set to sail, sir!"

Agent XL001 had been waiting three weeks since his failed distraction for this piece of news. "Board all soldiers, supplies, and get ready to set off Operation Takeback as soon as possible!"

"Yes sir!"

Commander A7 ran out of Agent XL001's private room. Agent XL001 turned back to the map, and started putting the final touches on his plan. "All right," Agent XL001 mumbled under his breath, "we should be able to get our first spearheads in in about four days, the paratroopers will be in..." Agent XL001 knew that this time, he wouldn't be beaten.

"Load up the provisions!"

Commander A7 ordered more supplies to be loaded up. His checklist said so! "We need enough food for a platoon, and we need it to last for two weeks. And that's for every plane!"

One of the loaders ran up to Commander A7. "Sir, the food is all loaded."

"Did you load the ammunition?" Commander A7 asked, hoping the answer would be 'yes'."

"Yes, we loaded the ammunition."

"What about the soldiers?"

"Yes."

"And enough fuel and explosives?"

"Yes, we did that."

"Did you load up everything on the checklist in enough quantities?"

"We did that."

"Then you may take a break."

"Thank you, sir." The loader ran off.

Commander A7 went over to the runway where his unit was in position for take-off. "Alright, let me in!" The airplane door opened, and Commander A7 entered the airplane.

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