"Brainy. What do we do?"

The question pulled him up short. He tried to formulate some kind of answer but his mouth was dry and his mind rushing with multiple ideas. What to do? What could they do? Gargamel had taken the crystals back to the other dimension, no doubt amplifying them so he didn't appear precisely in front of the people who had helped the smurfs multiple times. Their main way of communication had been severed and Brainy very much doubted there was more gutter water lying around for spare use.
"Why are you asking him?" Hefty asked, disdainfully. "As if he would have anything useful to say: not to mention he has secretly been doing magic...Just like Gargamel."
"Papa has been allowing him too," Gutsy snaps, stepping in front of the smaller smurf defensively. "And he nearly beat Gargamel singlehandedly! You weren't doing anything at all!" He put an arm around Brainy's shoulders. "Not to mention the clue is in Brainy's name that he is likely to be able to think of something!" With that he directed his attention to a stunned Brainy. "Any ideas laddie?"

"Well we don't have a direct means of transformation..." he murmured, brows knitted in thought. "I could try to make a potion to get us directly to Papa instead of directly to the same place they went...That would make a distinct possibility of being caught but..."
"But it is worth a shot," Gutsy finished, receiving a small nod from the brainiac. "Any ideas on how you would do that?"
"Hmm..." Brainy frowned in thought. He went into the rubble of Papa's mushroom, eventually finding his hairbrush. On it was several strands of white hair...DNA locator. "I can make crystals out of this...It'll take a few hours though."
"Great, it isn't like Papa is in danger or anything," Hefty said icily.
"Shut up, Hefty!" several smurfs snapped.
"How many do you think will be able to go?" Grouchy asked him.
"Not many," Brainy admitted. "Four, maybe five at a stretch?" Brainy replied. Everysmurf began to be able to talk at once about who should go and who shouldn't.

"All of you shut it!" Grouchy snapped. "We know Brainy has to go which disqualifies Hefty from going." He shot Hefty a glare: he may of hated everything but one thing he absolutely despised was Hefty's continuing treatment of Brainy. "Gutsy should definitely go." Gutsy nodded. "And since Brainy is leading this he should decide who goes."
"I'm what?" Brainy asked, a note of panic entering his voice. Lead? Lead who? Who in their right minds would listen to him.
"I agree with Grouchy,"" Gutsy said. "So whoever goes with Brainy has to get along with him...Grouchy, you coming?"
"Might as well. I hate travelling though," he muttered, crossing his arms. "Clumsy, you in?" That was referring to the fact he used to be friends and Clumsy got along with everysmurf. Brainy...well the avoiding Clumsy had gotten to the point that he would almost rather Hefty came along.
"Sure, anythin' to save Papa!" Clumsy exclaimed. Brainy sighed, almost inaudibly. He figured he deserved this though for letting Papa get caught in the first place.
"I'll go make the crystals then..." Brainy murmured. Gutsy, noticing how flat his tone was, followed after him.

"You alright, laddie?" he asked once they were away from prying ears. Brainy didn't reply, keeping his gaze firmly locked on the ground. "Right. Sorry. Stupid question. Is this about Papa?"
"Yes," Brainy admitted, shoulders slumping under the immense weight that had been applied to him. "It's all my fault. If I had just beat Gargamel or hadn't been captured befo-"
"That was Hefty's fault not yours," Gutsy said, reassuringly. "And as for not beating Gargamel...You came pretty close and you have less experience than him!"
"Yes but-"
"But nothing," Gutsy stated, lifting Brainy's face up gently to make eye contact. "And Papa will be fine. We will save him."
"If you're sure..." Brainy murmured.
"I am," Gutsy said, confidently. "Now...why did you look so down with Clumsy coming?"

Brainy began adding ingredients into the pot, trying to think of a way of putting it.
"It...I...it doesn't matter," he said. Gutsy gave him a look. "Truly, it doesn't. Not currently. There's a lot going on that is significantly more important."
"But-"
"But nothing," Brainy stated. He added the hairs and increased the temperature exponentially and stirred it three times. "Can you go get a jar of water from the stream? We'll need something to get back..."
"Sure," Gutsy agreed. "But this conversation isn't over, kay?"
"Yes Gutsy," Brainy agreed, putting a spoon with holes into it and bringing out a crystal that sent blue glitter glimmering up the walls. "That's one down..."

Brainy almost hoped there would only be four – that way Clumsy wouldn't be able to come. It was mean, yes, but he didn't want a constant reminder of the friendship that had ended with Clumsy deciding he wasn't enough. However when the right amount of crystals came out he knew there wasn't a choice: the maximum amount of smurfs would amplify their odds of rescuing Papa successfully. He sighed, hand curling around one of them, the coolness comforting.

In a satchel he put some supplies they may need and focused on breathing in and out. There would be little time to be alone once the mission began so he would need to have perfect no control of his emotions. No breaking down. No depending on the blade when things go wrong. The knock on the door makes him jump and he opens it to see Clumsy, Grouchy, Star and Gutsy.
"Are we ready to go?" Gutsy asked, passing the jar of water over. Brainy nodded, passing each a crystal. "Let's do it then..." They each took their crystal and then in orbs of blue went into the grey sky before disappearing from the realm.

                           ----------------------------------------------------

Papa came to with a ringing head. His wrists were bound tightly to something and as the blurriness dissipated he saw it was a smurf sized chair. Gargamel was there, smirking down at him.
"You have far too much time on your hands," Papa said, referring to the obviously handmade chair, trying to avoid any signs of fear and worry.
"Shut up, you vile blue rat!" Gargamel snapped. Papa bit back a smile. It was so easy to move the wizard to anger and from experience he knew when people were angry they made mistakes. A primary example of that was how he had been angry at Brainy, leading him to mistreating him. That wiped away any chance of him smiling. "Don't you want to know where you are?"
"I thought you said to shut up," Papa replies, chuckling slightly to himself.
"You won't be laughing for much longer, Papa!" Gargamel exclaimed, menacingly. "We are back in the Kingdom of New York. Without you there is no way the others will get here to save you and I will accumulate all the essence I need from you." Back there? He glanced around, realising much of what was around did seem to be the things they encountered on their travels before. There was though a distinct chance that Brainy could figure it out, his powers having far surpassed Papa's.

As if he heard that thought Gargamel's smirk intensified, evil glowing in his eyes.
"And if your little apprentice does make it...I'll make sure that sooner or later I will drain every drop of essence from him until he is nothing but an empty shell."

Papa swallowed, now hoping there wasn't a rescue attempt. Maybe Gargamel would be satisfied with the power he got from him...then his smurfs would be alright.

A glowing orb began to form in the corner of the room.