Mumbo walked through a long hallway full of various doors. Each door was unique, and he knew that opening the wrong one could be dangerous. He stepped towards a pretty blue door with gold trim. The handle was shiny and smooth.

With little hesitation, Mumbo opened the door. It creaked as he pulled it outwards. Inside, the tall Englishman saw a laboratory. He recognized it from a game he loved. The panels on the walls were clean and new.

In the center of the room's ceiling hung a giant robotic core. Mumbo stepped into the lab and approached the robot. It turned, revealing a rectangular white "face" with a yellow light, like an eye.

"I wasn't expecting another test subject" The AI spoke and brought herself closer to Mumbo.

Mumbo didn't step back. "I'm just visiting, GLaDOS. Big fan, by the way."

GLaDOS brought herself back up. "Oh, it's you ."

"You-...you know me?"

"Of course I do. Although, I'm surprised that you got that old robot body to work again, Wheatley." She spoke that name with annoyance.

Mumbo was confused. "My name's not-..."

He turned as he saw himself in a reflective surface. He was no longer human, but he was now an android, it seemed. His body looked mechanical and his eyes were an electric blue. Underneath his white shirt, a glowing circle of blue could be seen. He stumbled back.

"It's sad, really. You relied on Chell for so long to bring you to places, but now that she's gone, you have to use a humanoid vessel. Don't you miss being like me?" GlaDOS chuckled.

Mumbo sighed. "I...I need to go."

GlaDOS laughed again. "You can go. Have fun trying to escape though."

Mumbo bolted towards the door, fully expecting it to disappear or be destroyed. But it was fine.

He flung open the door and ran out. As it slammed shut behind him, he looked at his hands. They were normal, human hands again. He was relieved.

Mumbo shook his head to clear his thoughts and approached an old, paint-chipped door. The handle was rubbed and rusted. He opened it.

As the door creaked open, Mumbo could feel that something was wrong. On the other side was Grian, but...something was off about him.

He had his gauntlet that he had gotten from the Button, but his arms were half-metallic. The man turned around, and Mumbo saw metal plating on his face, similar to the plating on Grum and Jrum's faces.

Mumbo took a step back. He had yet to enter the room.

"Mumbo! Great! You're just in time!" Grian said in a sing-songy voice.

"Just in time...for what?"

"To become perfect!" The seemingly robotic Grian raised his gloved hand and beckoned for Mumbo with his other hand.

Mumbo hesitantly stepped inside the door. It creaked until it was almost closed.

"Whaddya say?" Grian gave him a look of...hope? The roboticist couldn't quite place the emotion.

"I-...Alright." Mumbo adjusted his glasses on his face.

Grian smiled and pointed a finger gun at Mumbo with his gauntlet. He acted like it was a gun and "shot" Mumbo.

The man backwards as if he had really gotten shot. He was now on the shiny, semi-reflective black floor. He looked at his hands...

Metal.

They looked like Grum and Jrum's hands...

Mumbo looked down at the reflective ground. He had similar metal platings on his face to the ones Grian had.

"You're perfect." Grian stepped closer and knelt on one knee, holding up Mumbo's chin with his gloved hand.

"You're not Grian, are you?"

"What does that matter?" The robot laughed.

Mumbo knew this was wrong. He jumped up, pushing the imposter back.

"You can go." Grian smirked. "But you can't escape."

Mumbo ignored the threat and ran out the door, making sure it was closed behind him. As he exited the room, he felt himself turn back to normal.

"What did they mean by that?" Mumbo rubbed his eyes.

The hallway stretched on for what seemed like forever. Each door was different. Each held something different inside. He needed to find the exit.

Mumbo began running down the hall. The floor was black as void, and so were the walls. The only things around were the doors.

He ran for what felt like hours. His shoes made the sound of clanging metal with each fall of his feet.

Finally, he saw what he thought was the end.

A door that resembled that of Grumbot's lift stood at the end of the once-infinite hall.

Mumbo reached it and paused to catch his breath. He pressed the lift's button and the doors slid open. The man stepped inside and watched the doors close. The lift started to bring him down.

He felt the elevator stop at the bottom and waited for a moment for the doors to open, which they did. He was brought to what looked like the HQ.

Mumbo walked into the main room and looked around. It was empty, but he could hear voices coming from his workshop.

Mumbo approached the workshop and peeked inside. He saw Grumbot, working on a robot that looked eerily like Mumbo.

The roboticist enterted the room, and Grumbot froze.

"You're...back" Grumbot turned to face his father. His eyes were wide with disbelief. They were full of tears, somehow.

"What do you mean, 'back'? Grumbot, what's going on?" Mumbo stepped towards his son.

"You left us. Alone. I've been trying to build you." Grum glanced at the Mumbo android he was building.

"I left? I would never leave!" Mumbo took Grum's hand. The robot pulled away and shook his head.

"I don't trust you much anymore, Mr. Jumbo." Grum turned away, letting his back face Mumbo.

"You have to believe me Grum!" Mumbo pleaded with the boy, but as he stepped forwards, he tripped on a toolbox. He fell towards the floor, but instead of hitting something hard, he didn't hit anything at all. The floor morphed into that void and Mumbo began to fall.

And fall.

And fall.

He fell for what seemed like forever. He couldn't see anything but the cold, suffocating void around him.

He looked up to where he had fallen from.

There was no one to save him.

No hero, no friend.

Mumbo felt himself crash into water.

He woke up.

Scar looked at himself in the mirror with a smile. He readjusted his bow tie and fixed his hair a bit.

The wizard brought a hand up to his face where 3 long scars ran across. Sometimes, they hurt like they did the day he had gotten them. He still vividly remembered the void-black clawed hands that made the slashes.

He pushed that thought out of his mind as he turned and exited his base. With his elytra equipped, Scar used a rocket to launch himself into the air. He would be meeting with Bdubs outside of TVGrumbot.

Scar flew through the sky, feeling weary of the storm clouds. They didn't seem to have come any closer since yesterday. He wondered what the forecast would be.

The candidate approached the platform where the mayoral bot stood, his screen black. Bdubs was sitting against the command centre, waiting for his friend.

"Scar!" Bdubs waved to the hermit. Scar landed safely in front of the Boomer.

"Good morning, Bdubs!" Scar smiled. "Does Mumbo know we're here?"

The sitting man stood and shrugged. He put his hand on the command centre, trying to stir Grumbot out of sleep mode.

"Grum! We're here for Mumbo!"

The screen on the giant robot lit up. Grum's eyes looked down at the two hermits. They seemed so small compared to him in this state.

"Alrighty! The lift's coming up!" Grumbot beeped.

Scar gave the robot a smile. As the lift opened in the middle of his command centre, the two of them stepped towards it. Scar gave the command centre a kiss while Bdubs quickly hugged the side of it before entering the lift. Grumbot beeped happily before shutting off his screen. The elevator doors slid closed and the lift whirred downwards.

"Your headband is loose." Scar pointed at the red band tied around Bdubs' head. It was slipping down.

"Oh, uh, thanks!" Bdubs smiled and took of the band.

"Here, let me do it." Scar moved towards Bdubs and took the red band, wrapping it around his friend's head and tying it tight enough that it wouldn't fall, but not so tight that it would hurt.

"Thanks dude!" The Boomer gave Scar a thumbs-up.

"No problem." The wizard nodded as the doors to the lift opened.

The two of them exited the elevator, the doors sliding shut behind them.

Jrum and Sahara were on the couch playing with Gellie and Charlie. With the slightest movement of Scar's hand, Jellie materialized out of thin air. For a brief moment, the wizard and his cat had glowing white eyes, which faded after the magic act was finished. Jellie stood at Scar's feet, rubbing against his legs.

The two children looked up.

"Uncle Scaw! Bbubs!" Jrum grinned. Scar and Bdubs approached the children. Jellie followed.

"Hey stinkers!" Bdubs said playfully and gave them both a hug and a kiss on the head. Sahara smiled.

"Is your papa in his workshop?" Scar asked Jrum. The little boy nodded, and then spotted Jellie. He leaned over the couch and picked her up, hugging her tightly. Sahara reached over and pet the cat.

"Soft." Sahara said quietly.

"Over here!" A voice called to the hermits.

Scar and Bdubs looked up to see Mumbo poking his head out of his workshop.

The two men gave the children a wave and headed towards Mumbo. They entered the workshop to find what Mumbo would have called "organized chaos". Blueprints were strewn across the room; On the floor, pinned to the walls, covering the desks. Scrap metal and robotic parts were in piles.

The room looked better than Mumbo did. Their friend wore a labcoat, along with a t-shirt and jeans. He was wearing a pair of worn tennis shoes. His hair was messy, and he needed a shave. He was working on a robot that resembled Mumbo's sister, Grace. Scar recognized her from the picture on Mumbo's desk.

Grumbot sat, studying a blueprint. He looked up when Scar and Bdubs entered.

"Hey!" He waved. The hermits gave him a friendly wave back. Mumbo looked up.

"Hi you two!" The roboticist smiled.

"Heeeeey Mumbo." Bdubs stepped towards the Architech, worried for him. "Have you...like, slept at all?"

Mumbo nodded. "I did so last night. Didn't feel too great, y'know with the nightmares and all that." He laughed, but it seemed disingenuous. Grumbot seemed to shrink back at the mention of nightmares.

"How's the android coming along?" Scar asked politely.

"Oh! She's just about done! I just...need to...connect these wires...." Mumbo stood behind the tall robot. Now that Scar was closer, he realized that the bot was taller than Mumbo. She must have been seven feet tall.

"Aaaaaaaand done!" Mumbo announced. He closed a panel on the robot's neck and ran around to the front of her.

After a moment, her eyes opened and she looked around. "Huh, where-" She looked down and saw Mumbo.

"Little bro!" She grinned, her eyes twinkling. He pulled the shorter Jumbo into a hug. Mumbo laughed, and it was full of pure joy. He hugged his robotic sister back.

When Grace let go, she spotted Bdubs and Scar. "Hello there! Mumbo, you gonna introduce me to your friends?"

Mumbo nodded. His entire demeanor had changed from anxious scientist to excited child. He hopped over to Scar and Bdubs, pushing them towards the towering android.

"This is Scar! He's a wizard, and he's running for mayor!" Mumbo pointed to the suited man.

"And this is Bdubs! He's good with TNT and he's Scar's campaign manager!" Mumbo pointed at the narcolept.

Grave gave them both a handshake. "The name's Grace Jumbo! I'm Mumby's big sister."

"Nice to meet ya!" Bdubs grinned. Scar nodded in agreement.

Mumbo was bursting with excitement and joy. "Oh! Gracie! Guess what!"

Grace chuckled. "What's up?"

Mumbo ran over to Grumbot and pulled him up, bringing him towards Grace. "You're an aunt!"

Grace studied the robot for a second, before smiling. "You're a dad?"

Mumbo nodded happily. "Grace, meet Grumbot!"

Grumbot stared up at his giant aunt. She looked human, but Grum knew she was a bot like him. He wasn't sure what to do.

"Aw! He's so cute! Hi Grumbot!" Grace pulled the robot into a hug. Grum grinned and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her back. He liked having more family.

Grace let go and looked at Grum's face with a smile. "Does he have a mom?"

Mumbo's face went red, before his expression turned solemn. "N-no...He had another dad, but...Grian and I aren't on the best terms at the moment."

Grace nodded in understanding. She saw how sad her little brother looked. "Remember when I was in high school, and Adam broke up with me?"

Mumbo nodded slightly.

"Haha, oh man, remember how much a sobbing mess I was? Oh gosh...but it looks like you're handling this breakup better than I would have." Grace told her brother.

Mumbo looked embarrassed. "We didn't break up! We weren't even together!"

Grace raised her eyebrow. "Hmm....sure, alright."

Mumbo pouted like a kid. "Grace!"

She chuckled and ruffled his already-messy hair. "I'm just teasing!"

"I know..." Mumbo got very quiet. "I-....I missed you." He stepped towards his sister and hugged her.

"I missed you too, little bro." She smiled and returned the hug.

Scar stood awkwardly next to Bdubs as they watched the siblings. Grumbot looked elated as he watched his family members.

"Uh, Mumbo-" Scar spoke up. Mumbo let go of his sister and looked over at his friends.

"What is it?" He asked.

"We just wanted to stop by and check on you, make sure you were doing alright. I also wanted to tell you that the potion I gave Grian should put his transformation off for at least another month or two...hopefully." Scar explained.

Mumbo processed the information, and then nodded. He looked up at his sister, who seemed intrigued. "I'll explain later, Gracie...hey! How about you go into the living room and meet your other nieces and nephews!" Mumbo offered. Grace's face lit up.

"How many kids do you have?" She asked with a laugh.

"Five." Mumbo answered, leading her towards the door. Grace looked proud of her little brother as she exited the workshop.

Mumbo closed the door and came back to his friends. He looked tired again.

"Thank you for telling me...even if I don't necessarily care anymore."

Scar was confused. "I thought you'd like to know..."

"...Yes. Thank you." The tall Englishman seemed distant.

"Mumbo, I know this isn't my place to talk, but..." Bdubs started. Mumbo looked at him. "I don't think this is particularly healthy. You know, you could just...go visit your family."

Mumbo shook his head. "No...Grace got married, and her and my brother have moved to different cities. Besides, I'm...not sure how to get there from here."

"So building them as robots is the better alternative?"

"Yes. Yes it is." Mumbo gave Bdubs a harsh stare. The Boomer backed up.

"Mumbo, I'm going to have to agree with Bdubs here. We're your friends, and we just want you to be happy." Scar added.

"I am happy." Mumbo turned his stare to Scar. The wizard stood his ground.

"I'm not saying that you aren't...I'm just saying that you should take a break from building. Go outside, visit your base, hang out with your friends."

Mumbo looked offended. "You don't think I can handle myself."

Scar shook his head. "No, Mumbo, that's not-"

The conversation was interrupted by a yelp of pain from Grumbot. He fell to his knees and held his head. Mumbo rushed to his son in worry.

"Grum! What's wrong?" He lifted his son's head so he could see his face.

Grumbot's eyes were completely blue, with pink error messages on their display. He tried to speak, but it came out glitchy and broken. Mumbo started to panic.

"No, no, no, Grum! Tell me what's wrong!"

Grumbot's body started to speak and oil began to drip from his eyes, almost like tears.

"D-D-Dad." Grum mechanically lifted his hand up towards Mumbo. The father took the hand in his own.  "It-...it h-hurts-"

Mumbo grabbed his son around the waist and picked him up, cradling him like a baby. He dashed past Scar and Bdubs, out the workshop and into the living room towards the lift. Grace wasn't on the couch, so she must have been in the playroom with the twins, Jrum, and Sahara.

Mumbo pressed the elevator button over and over. The doors to the lift slid open, and Bdubs and Scar ran up behind Mumbo.

The roboticist hurried into the elevator, his friends following behind him.

"It's okay, Grum, it's okay." Mumbo kept telling his son over and over.

Grum's eyes kept dripping oil, and he made glitched sobbing noises. Scar didn't know what to say. Bdubs stood close to his wizard.

The lift brought the four of them up to the ground level and they rushed out from behind TVGrumbot. The big robot body was smoking and glitching too.

Iskall stood at the command centre, freaking out. He saw Mumbo out the corner of his eye.

"What did you do!?" The roboticist demanded.

"Oh! Mumbo! I am so sorry! I...accidentally broke your robot..." The swede trailed off as he saw the crying robot in Mumbo's arms. His friend looked disheveled and he saw the Brit's face contort in anger when he saw Iskall.

"You hurt my son!" Mumbo yelled at Iskall.

The bearded hermit awkwardly backed up. "I-...It was an accident!"

"Oh, sure! An 'accident'!" Mumbo clutched his son close to him.

"Mumbo! He's telling the truth!" Scar tried to convince the roboticist.

Mumbo looked at his friends, looked down at his broken son, and then back at his friends.

"Leave. All of you." He ordered.

Scar started to speak. "But we-"

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Mumbo cried at them. He ran back to the lift and watched the doors slide closed.

Scar and Bdubs stood there in shock. Iskall was confused, and frankly, a little scared.

"What the heck happened? Is he okay?" Iskall turned to Scar.

The wizard shook his head, staring up at the glitching screen on Grumbot.

"No, I don't think so."

Mumbo hugged his boy as close as he could, getting the oil tears all over his shirt and labcoat. The roboticist sobbed in anger and sadness.

"I'm gonna fix you. I won't let anyone hurt you again." Mumbo promised Grum.

His son didn't reply.

When the doors to the lift opened again, Mumbo bolted towards the workshop, slammed and locked the door, and immediately began working on Grum.

He pulled out a set of plans for Grum's new android body he was going to build and began to work as quickly and as precisely as he could.

He heard a knock on the workshop door.

"Mumbo, is everything okay?" Grace spoke from the other side.

"I'm saving my son!" Mumbo loudly answered. "I need to be left alone!"

No response came from the other side, but he knew Grace was still there. He waited until he heard her footsteps retreating before turning his attention back to his glitching son.

Mumbo reached behind Grum's neck and opened a panel on the back of it. He flicked a switch and Grum's body stopped shaking. The smoke lessened, but his eyes turned black right before his eyelids closed. He went somewhere between rigid and limp.

Mumbo cursed under his breath as he stared at the oil that ran down his child's face.

He began to build the new body. He wouldn't rest until he was done.

He let his son get hurt.

"Never again." Mumbo mumbled as he worked, glancing at Grum's broken body. "I won't let anyone down here again."

The dream he had the night before came back to his mind. The look of betrayal that Grum had given him...

He wanted to make sure that Grum would never have a need to give him that look. Keeping the others away from his family was his best bet.