SMG4:// Exodus

Part 11: Écorché

[TWO WEEKS LATER]

Ch 1: The Orphan (Omniscient)

For several long weeks after the incident at the valley, Surfshine Hospital and all of it's sister evacuation zones were aswarm with people and news. All of the Meme Guardians were immediately put to work picking up the slack that the Avatar Security Squad had left in their wake. Everywhere that SMG4, SMG3 and SMG6 went, people celebrated, hailing them like gods or taxis. The Guardians were able to transmute the rubble of the fallen buildings into small habitable shanty towns. The Negative Memes were long gone and the Mushroom Kingdom began to heal.

~

"Yeah, mama, I'm alright."

Lorie Keaton Whippoorwill sat in the Surfshine Hospital Cafeteria, listening to his very emotional mother over the phone. It was morning, the sun shone through the big cafeteria windows. It projected a beautiful view of the ocean onto the white walls of the hall like a wide movie screen. Lorie sat alone at a table looking right through those windows with a big bowl of Sugar Shrooms cereal on the messy table in front of him. He could barely get a mouthful in between listening to his mothers yammering and getting distracted by the news on the flatscreen TV across the room. The whole place was busy, full of people calling their families for the first time in months. Everyone was beginning to go home.

"I promise, Sun-bear, I promise we won't leave you again." Mrs. Whippoorwill blubbered through the speaker, "As soon as we can, your father and I are leaving this military base and getting you and your sister home, Pronto."

"I know, mama. Everyone's been super duper nice though." Lorie replied, "All the doctors let me go up to the Fitness Room whenever I want. The other kids here are all friendly. One Koopa kid let me borrow his Nintendo Switch."

"Did you give it back, Lorie?" Mrs. Whippoorwhill pried.

"I did, mama, I did." Lorie sighed.

"I met this lady who was really cool. She was superfast and stood like a superhero. She's the whole reason I got to Surfshine in the first place." He exclaimed, "She saved my life, mama!"

"Really! I should meet her then!"

"You really should, mama. She's got blue hair and an awesome freaking robot arm. She's kinda shy though... Her name's Tari, I think."

"Oh, Tari? I think I've heard of her." Lorie's mother exclaimed, "Anyway, life in the base has been so dull without you, Sun-bear. We both think about you every single day."

"How can you guys think about me every single day?" Lorie joked, "Don't you guys hafta think about eating and brushing your teeth, too?"

Both of them laughed. Lorie's mother sighed.

"We're still looking for your sister, Lorie." Mrs. Whippoorwill said, "Your father says that the soldiers are looking for her everyday in New Donk City. Now that the Guardians are here, it should be easier for them to find her."

"I really wanna see her again." Lorie muttered, "I know she's definitely out there, for sure. I'm not giving up on her."

"I'm hoping she is too, Sun-bear."

"Love you, mama." Lorie said, "One million times three hundred thousand."

"Love you more."

Lorie hung up and set the phone down. Kicking and dangling his legs over the bench, Lorie focused on the bundle of printer paper in front of him. He was drawing a comic. It was about a half-bird superhero. He could fly and talk to birds and he'd fight crime and save the world, overcoming whatever villain Lorie threw at him. Lorie was drawing out a backstory for his hero. A long time ago, the hero's flock abandoned him because he couldn't fly as well as the rest of them. So, the hero trained his wings every single day to get them strong. Lorie battled villains every day hoping that his flock would see how strong he was and how well he could fly.