Part 2: Baby Teeth

Sonetto: Timekeeper, now that we have given the reports,
Sonetto: and Madam Z said we won't have any other assignments for a while ...
Sonetto: It may be a little abrupt to ask, but I was wondering if you would like to take a heritage train ride with me.
On the other side of the corridor full of Foundation staff, someone is also hitting one dead end after another.
???: Please, trust me. This journey will be the best ever. Let's start off immediately and come back furtively, so nobody will know.
Male Investigator: No, thank you. I'm not interested.
???: Okay, fine. Oh, wait, Angie, do you wanna travel? Let's start off immediately and come back furtively, so nobody will know!
Female Investigator: I'm flattered that you asked. But I'm leaving for an assignment soon, so I'm not gonna make it.
???: Really? That's a sad coincidence. I heard that you've worked so hard and have saved up so many unused leaves. You also have two days of outing permission.
Female Investigator: ...
The young man turns around, suddenly raises his arm, and comes this way.
???: Oh. Hey, guys!
Sonetto: Us?
???: Yes, you guys.
???: Our great Ms. Timekeeper and her excellent assistant, Sonetto. Am I right?

Sonetto: Don't worry, Timekeeper. Although his manner is debatable, he is not a bad person.
Sonetto: He was the one who received the Outstanding Contribution Award in the latest annual appraisal. Allow me to introduce ...
???: No, wait. Don't use that name!
Horropedia: Here, with Timekeeper, just call me Horropedia, which I prefer.
Sonetto: Okay, Mr. Ho- ... Horropedia. I've never heard of this nickname of yours.
Horropedia: It's a long story. I can share with you at another time. Now, let's get down to business.
Horropedia: Have you guys heard of the myth of the Green Lake Campsite?
Vertin: Thank you for your approval.
Sonetto: A mystery solved. No wonder I found the handwriting on the envelope familiar.
Sonetto: I did some research on Green Lake Campsite after piecing together the map.
Sonetto: It was the map of one of the training bases of Zeno. They used to train their Youth Force there in the early 60s and deserted that base in the early 70s.
Sonetto: It had been underused even before it was abandoned. It was more of a boy scout camping site than a military training base.
Horropedia: Exactly, Ms. Sonetto.
Horropedia: But this is the outdated version of the story now. This is not your fault. You haven't been in the headquarters for a long time, so you must have missed out on some first-hand information.
Horropedia: Now, about the Green Lake Campsite, we have some updates.
An enigmatic look appears on Horropedia's face. His voice drops.
Horropedia: That was a night in 1971, a night with pouring rain.
Horropedia: ... heavily and hastily. Sheets of rain formed a barrier, isolating the woods from the outside world. In that rain, the communication center of Zeno lost contact with the Green Lake Campsite.
Vertin: Was it normal rain?
Horropedia: It was. Drops of water with dust falling from above. It didn't cause any illusions or unusual symptoms but took away all the Youth Force stationed at the campsite.
Horropedia: In the cabin they lived, people found clothes, blankets, even books left open on the table. What does not move or breathe stayed there as usual. But their owners, those living youngsters, disappeared from the woods like drops of dew under the sun.
Sonetto: ...!
Horropedia: Since then, nobody has ever seen those Youth Force again. Zeno has not, nor Laplace, nor us. Green Lake Campsite has then become a ghastly and deserted land.
Horropedia: Ms. Sonetto, please put down your hands. They are hindering your ears from receiving information. You might then miss the climax.
Sonetto: Thank you for the kind reminder.
Horropedia: It was an unforgettable night. Three months later, all the missing members of the Youth Force came back to Zeno.
Horropedia: They carried the smell of fungi and moist air, stepping into their dorm without making any noise. They claimed that they just came back from a tough mission in the rain forest.
Horropedia: No one knew what the mission was. No one knew which rain forest they referred to.
Horropedia: The personality of all those kids have changed.
Horropedia: The outgoing Bruno became speechless. The gentle Anna Queenie starts picking quarrels with others ... They were not who they were, but no one could pin down the difference.
Horropedia: Day after day, the smell of fungi and moist soil never disappeared. It lingered for one week, two weeks, three weeks ...
Horropedia: Till one night, the grade-one student Dries suddenly woke up from his dream ...
Horropedia: A muddy tentacle, stretching out beneath his bed, closed around on his ankle and pulled him onto the floor! There, a face awaited him—a hideous face of a human-like creature with a bloody mouth!
Sonetto: ...
Vertin: Sonetto?
Sonetto: ...
Vertin: Sonetto, easy. You are going to break your wand.
Sonetto: I know. I, I was just a bit caught off-guard. It has never come to my mind that such a bizarre event would take place within an official institution.
Vertin: Funny story, Mr. Horropedia. As an urban myth, however, the ending is way too clear and powerful. The element of drama ruins its authenticity.
Vertin: You're good at making stories. Next time you can be more meticulous ... Hmm?
???: Zeno Armaments Academy.
???: The best military talents training base at present.
???: The members of Youth Force were relatively younger, with less combat experience and capability compared to those graduates. Still, they have received years of training as reserve soldiers.
???: As we all know, Zeno would arm their Youth Force and the trainers with drill weapons for outings.
???: It was nearly impossible to wipe out the Youth Force in the territory of Zeno without being noticed by the academy.
Sonetto: I see. So it's not true, just a made-up story. Ms. Tooth Fairy? Did you come back from the trip?
Tooth Fairy: I've rerouted my journey to a new destination. My companion suggested us to meet at the Foundation first, so I came back earlier.
Vertin: Anything wrong with the original destination?
Tooth Fairy: It's fine, and safe. But now I have a better place to go.
Tooth Fairy: It's a place of myths and danger. There once lived many adolescents. With any luck, I will embrace a harvest of baby teeth!
Vertin: No way. The place you are heading is ...
Tooth Fairy: It's Green Lake Campsite.
Sonetto: But, wasn't it a story? A story made up by Mr. Horropedia.
Tooth Fairy: He made up part of it, such as the bloody hand underneath the bed and the midnight screaming.
Tooth Fairy: Except for those, the rest is exactly the same as I know.
Sonetto: But as you just said, in their own training base, it's almost impossible for the Youth Force to be …
Tooth Fairy: It proves that Green Lake Campsite is out of this world, a place worth visiting.
Horropedia: You're three minutes and fifteen seconds late, Ms. Tooth Fairy.
Horropedia: No worries. I didn't waste my time waiting.
Horropedia: We need more people to join us. Angie and Dolf have turned me down, but Vertin and Sonetto haven't walked away yet.
Horropedia: I am trying to win them over. I think I'm almost there. Now they are really attracted by the Green Lake, so we are starting off soon!
Sonetto: Attracted?! Pardon me, Jo- ... Mr. Horropedia. We did not plan to go there, and we certainly do not feel any strong attraction to that place!
Horropedia: Oh? Really? But Vertin seems to be very attracted. Or am I mistaken about the look on her face?
Sonetto: Timekeeper?
Several pairs of eyes look over.
Vertin: I am kind of attracted, indeed.
Horropedia: See that? I am right.
Tooth Fairy: I'm glad to see you in an adventuous spirit, Ms Vertin.
It is so decided.
Horropedia: Great! Take your suitcase, pack your clothes, don't forget to bring two novels to kill time.
Horropedia: Now, let's take the hands of our two new partners. Journey on!
Sonetto: Pl-Please … wait a minute!