Chapter 10: More Trouble on the Halberd
Link and I made our way back to the balcony of the giant room, and what I noticed was that the bars no longer blocked the entrance. The others had entered the room, and they looked up to the balcony to see Link and me emerging from the double doors.
"You're back!" Candace shouted. "It sure took you long enough!" I just laughed a bit and jumped down from the balcony. Link followed suit, and we landed in front of the others. Kayla and Candace glomped me, and Snake walked up to Link and high-fived him.
"It's nice to see you again, soldier," Snake declared with a smirk.
"Same here," Link replied with a nod. "I see that you and Brooke brought friends."
"We sure did! So—" Snake said before he was interrupted by two rather loud gasps. Everyone turned to look at Kayla and Candace who had both stared at Link with wide eyes and hanging jaws.
"Wait a minute, did he just—"
"Did he just talk? Since when could Link talk?" They both said. Everyone else just sweat dropped, and Link and I facepalmed. Wow, I never guessed that they could be so dense, I thought. After being suddenly and rudely interrupted, Snake continued.
"So did you two find anything interesting beyond those doors?" he asked as he pointed to the balcony.
"No," I answered. "It was a dead end, so we turned back. We should probably head out the way we came in." Snake nodded and began to walk towards the entrance hall. Marth and Wolf followed him, but before they reached the hall, a loud boom echoed throughout the whole room. An enormous rumble shook the room, and everyone lost their balance and fell to the floor.
"What in the name of Palutena's Army was that?!" Pit asked rather loudly. He and a few others attempted to stand up, but another rumble shook the room and caused them to fall to the floor again.
"I think the Halberd got hit!" Wolf shouted. "That, or it crashed into something!"
"Come on guys! We have to find out what's going on!" Snake yelled. We took his advice, got up, and ran out of room into the dark hallway. Marth stopped and looked out at the nearest porthole. He said something to Kayla in Japanese, and she translated.
"Marth says that the Halberd hit some kind of Glacier Peak."
"Wait, did you say Glacier Peak?" Candace asked. "I think Lex is somewhere on that mountain!"
"There's no time to contemplate that, let's go!" Wolf cut in. All of us were wondering where exactly we were supposed to go. We kept running to the other end of the ship, killing enemies as we went. The hall ended at a fork, and we stopped.
"Okay, it's time to split up again," I stated. "Candace, you take Wolf, Pit and Marth down that way, and try to get to the Halberd Bridge. Kayla, you can come with Snake, Link, and me. We'll go this way and make our way to the top control room."
"Got it!" everyone else responded. While Candace took her group towards the bridge, I took my group towards the control room. As we ran, Link spoke up.
"Why exactly are we headed to the control room?" he asked.
"If we head up there, we can get rid of whoever is piloting this thing, and then we can land it somewhere safe," I answered.
"Do you even know if we're going the right way?" Kayla asked me.
"Sure, why wouldn't we be going the right way?" I responded. "The other hall leads to the bridge. That's the way we came in, remember?" Kayla merely sighed and kept going. After taking several flights of stairs and trampling enemy units, we made our way to the top of the Halberd. However, the doors to the control room wouldn't open.
"Everyone, stand back," Snake ordered. We silently stepped away from the door as Snake placed several C4 remote mines on the heavy plate of metal. Snake took a few steps back and pushed the button on the detonator. Instantly the C4 mines exploded, leaving a large cloud of smoke. When the smoke cleared, the door was left hanging by a single hinge.
Everyone except Snake stood there and blinked at the remains of the metal door, awestruck by the power of Snake's funky gadgets. Snake simply walked through the doorway, and when the rest of us came to our senses, we followed him. Beyond the door was a rather large control room with a windshield that spanned across most of the width of the room. A steering wheel similar to the wheels on pirate ships stood in the center of the room near the windshield, and several buttons, switches, and levers glimmered on the control panel.
We had found the room that we were seeking, but what we didn't expect to find was a group of Mr. Game and Watch copies – five or six of them - that were controlling the giant airship. None of us knew why Mr. Game and Watch – of all people – would be controlling the Halberd, but that seemed to matter little at the moment.
Snake and Link nodded to each other and charged at the Mr. Game and Watch copies, raising their arms in front of their faces to guard themselves. Kayla gasped slightly, and I tried to stop them…to no avail.
"Uh, guys, I don't think that's a—" I tried to tell them. However, they ignored me, and they bashed into the flat beings, sending them flying into the windshield. The glass broke, and they went careening out of the room and to the bridge below.
"…good idea," I finished. I sighed and walked to the now broken windshield, giving the men a rather annoyed look while at the same time trying not to laugh.
"Oh well," Kayla commented, pointing at the windshield. "We can't do anything about it now." I looked out the windshield. Several feet below the control room I could see a pile of Mr. Game and Watch bodies lying on the Halberd Bridge. The bodies twitched and dissolved into the familiar purple particles of Shadow Bugs. I continued to stare at the purple blob as it shifted into a different shape. The others also watched it from the windshield.
The Shadow Bugs formed a new being: some kind of machine with two upper bodies that shared a wheel for a lower body. One body was blue and had blades for arms. The other body was white and pink and had guns for arms. The being was none other than the notorious Duon!
"Oh, that can't be good," Snake groaned. I looked over to see Kayla scanning her eyes over the extent of the bridge. She then pointed at it and asked, "Hey, is that Meta Knight?"
"What? What do you mean?" I retorted. I peered in the direction of her pointed finger. Standing before Duon was a short figure with a blue cape, silver gloves, a silver mask, and a bright yellow sword. He looked ready to face the machine alone.
"Hey, that is Meta Knight!" I cried. "But how did he get up here?"
"More like, how is he going to fight that thing by himself?" Snake interjected.
"I say we hurry down there and lend him a hand," Link advised. I took his words to mind as I watched Meta Knight charge at Duon, who in turn simply knocked him back.
"That sounds like a good plan," Kayla said. "But someone should stay up here and guard the control room. I volunteer myself, since I have no weapons to fight that thing." As much as Kayla sounded like a complete chicken, we agreed on the choice. Kayla stayed behind, while Link, Snake and I jumped through the broken windshield and onto the bridge below. A rather confused Meta Knight simply stared at us and pointed his sword in our general direction.
"Halt!" he cried. "Who are you? What are you doing on my ship?"
"Relax, Meta Knight!" I replied, putting my hands up in defense. "We're here to help. I'll explain everything later, but right now we should defeat this thing." Meta Knight seemed to heed my words, for he lowered his sword, looking content yet confused with the new company on board. At that moment, Candace and friends arrived at the bridge and joined up with Meta Knight and the rest of us.
"Hey, it's a regular party!" Candace stated. "Damn, what is that thing?" She pointed to the two-bodied machine-beast thing before us.
"It's Duon! He can attack up close and from a distance, so be extra careful!" I answered. With no further questions, everyone assumed their battle stances and faced Duon. Snake readied his missile launcher. Wolf and Candace whipped out their blasters. Link, Marth, Meta Knight and I brandished our swords. Pit prepared his bow with a light arrow. Opposite us Duon raised its bladed arms and shrieked at us, ready to fight.
Random battle music played again as Duon charged towards us, its one giant wheel ready to run us over. Everyone flew or jumped out of the way of the incoming machine. It skidded and turned on a dime. Pit shot a light arrow at Duon's face, but the arrow was deflected and sent right back at him. The arrow hit Pit and knocked him back a few feet, but he managed to maintain his balance.
"Ow, that hurt!" Pit cried. He was obviously not happy about having his own attack hit him. He was about to strike again before I stopped him.
"Hang on a sec, Pit!" I yelled. "I have a plan. We should split the group, and each group should focus on one side of Duon. Wolf, Candace, Pit, Snake! Focus on attacking the pink body! Meta Knight, Marth, Link! You and I should focus on the blue body! Am I clear?" Everyone nodded and took their positions facing one of the two bodies of Duon.
"I'M A FIRIN' MAH LAZOR!" Candace shouted as she and Wolf fired…lasers at Duon. Pit shot light arrows, while Snake shot remote controlled missiles. The energy shots did little damage to the pink body, but the explosive missiles inflicted decent damage. Duon shook the attacks off and retaliated with its own lasers and missiles. I heard Wolf shout "Get down!" and lie flat on the floor of the bridge. The others did as well, and the attacks just barely went flying above their heads. The lasers grazed Pit's wings, and the wings were slightly burned, but otherwise he was fine.
"That also hurt…" Pit muttered. Seeing Pit's vulnerability, Duon rolled towards him, ready to strike again. He stopped short, however, as something exploded from beneath his wheel. It turns out that Duon rolled directly into one of the landmines that Snake surreptitiously placed when no one was looking. Snake snickered to himself as he watched Duon become caught in the blast.
Meanwhile on the other side of Duon, we weren't faring as well. The blue body kept slashing at us non-stop, especially at Marth and me. We were forced to keep up our defenses, since we had little opportunity to take the offensive. The worst part was that Marth was almost killed. Duon stabbed at Marth, barely catching him on the sleeve of his dominant arm. Not only did Duon's blade cut open Marth's arm, but the blade also pinned him to the wooden floor of the bridge. Duon reared his head back, ready to bring the top blade down on the blue swordsman and finish him off, but fortunately Link charged and rammed his shield into the blade arm that trapped Marth. He freed the prince and knocked him out of the way of the giant blade that came down where Marth was lying a second ago.
"Are you all right?" Link asked him. Marth nodded while he held the bloody wound on his arm. Link advised him to stay away from the battle for a moment until he could use his sword arm again. Great, we just lost another fighter, I thought. I had to think of something fast.
"Meta Knight, can you fly up to Duon's head and create a distraction?" I called to Meta Knight. The star warrior didn't answer me, but it was evident that he heard me, since he opened his wings and flew up to the blue face of Duon. He made a few hit-and-run attacks while maintaining his flight around the blue head. Since Duon couldn't focus on all of us, we were given the upper hand. Link and I slashed at the wheel and the lower half of the blue body (Marth had to sit out due to his injured arm).
"Pit, follow Meta Knight's example!" Candace yelled. Pit nodded and took flight. He also made a few hit-and-run attacks as he flew around the pink head. The distractions made by Pit and Meta Knight soon angered Duon, and he rapidly spun like a tornado, knocking the flying fighters away. They hit the ground rather roughly. Seeing as Duon was powered up by the new rage, I had to think of something that would finish him.
"Link! Snake! Throw as many explosives as possible!" I shouted. They followed the command instantly. Snake used his grenade launcher over and over again while Link fired several bomb arrows. Duon couldn't withstand that many explosives, and one giant explosion completely consumed his entire body. The black smoke that followed fumed for several moments. When the smoke cleared, Duon was left in a mess. The armor was cracked in several spots, and ashes covered both upper bodies. However, he was still moving, as if he was going to rise and attack again.
"Oh, no you don't!" I cried. I took advantage of Duon's momentary vulnerability, and with a battle cry I leapt up into the air, extending my Beam Sword to its fullest length, and struck down on Duon with a vertical slash. The energy blade tore through the middle of the wheel between the upper bodies. Duon fell apart into two halves, one body each lying motionlessly on the bridge. The machine dissolved into Shadow Bugs and disappeared, leaving naught but a single trophy of Mr. Game and Watch.
"I guess that's it," Wolf stated. "Well, that's pathetic." I gazed at the trophy before us, pondering about it. Perhaps this guy can be of some use to us, I thought. I strolled towards the trophy, ever so slightly pushing Wolf aside.
That was a big mistake. I was about to touch the base of the trophy when Wolf suddenly snarled and pushed me aside. The others gasped at the unexpected attitude from the lupine fighter.
"Hey, watch it!" Wolf yelled. "And what do you think you're doing?"
"I was about to revive this guy," I calmly answered. "Is there a problem with that?"
"As a matter of fact, yes. That thing almost killed us, and you want to revive it! Are you an idiot? Are you trying to get us killed again?"
"Whoa, take a chill pill, Wolf!" Candace told him.
"Yeah, and while you're at it, watch your mouth," Snake added. Wolf turned to them and spat, "Hey, shut up!" He turned back to me and glared daggers at me. If looks could kill, I would be nothing but a pile of ashes.
"Listen here, you," he sneered as he grabbed me by the collar with one of his clawed hands. Before he could continue, Link immediately drew his blade and raised it to Wolf's throat. He too was glaring daggers at Wolf.
"Nobody messes with Brooke," Link said coldly. "Release her at once, or answer to me." Wolf merely growled and loosened his grip on my collar. Glaring at Link, he backed away slowly and said, "Fine. You win." I fidgeted with my shirt and continued.
"Listen to me, Wolf. I think that Mr. Game and Watch is a good guy, and perhaps he could help us. Having another fighter on our team wouldn't hurt, right guys?"
"She's right," Meta Knight cut in. "Mr. Game and Watch has no concept of good or evil, but if we convince him to join us in our endeavors, we will benefit greatly." He walked over to the still trophy and touched its base. In a flash of light Mr. Game and Watch stood before us with a look of confusion (or at least, that's what I assumed despite the lack of facial features on the guy).
"Sir Game and Watch, are you all right?" Meta Knight asked the flat man. Due to his inability to speak, he simply beeped. Meta Knight nodded and replied, "That's good." He turned to the rest of us and said, "By the way, I must thank you all for helping me fight that blasted machine. I was only here to take back my ship, but I didn't expect to encounter this much trouble."
"You're welcome!" Candace blurted in the most random accent I've ever heard. "Hey wait…where did Kayla go?" She suddenly realized that her best friend wasn't with them on the bridge and looked around in slight panic.
"Relax, Candace. She is up there in the control room," Snake responded, pointing upward to the control room. Just then, Marth stumbled towards us, holding a wounded arm and his sword. The wound was still bleeding, and his face looked rather pale. He looked like he was about to fall over, until Pit ran to his side and assisted him.
"Marth, you don't look so good," Pit said with an air of concern. "Then again, my wings aren't in very good shape, either." Meta Knight took a closer look at the blue swordsman and said, "I'll lead you to the infirmary, and my medical team will heal both of you. Sir Game and Watch, please assist Sir Pit and help Sir Marth. I'll meet up with the rest of you in the control room. Is that clear?" Everyone nodded.
Meta Knight walked towards one side of the bridge, apparently heading towards the infirmary. Pit and Mr. Game and Watch were helping Marth walk as they followed Meta Knight. The rest of us walked towards the other side of the bridge that led to the control room, hoping to meet up with Kayla. As we made our way up, Link sidled over to Wolf and whispered to him.
"Touch her again, and you die. Got it?" Wolf only uttered a low growl and nodded, not looking at the green swordsman.
Author's Notes: Hey, I'm sorry that the chapter ended so weirdly. I could not think of a better way to end it. Oh yeah, and I noticed that this chapter is way longer than my previous chapters. Whether that is a good thing or not is for you guys to decide.
By the way, sorry that this chapter is late. College has been getting on my nerves. Oh, thanks for the hits - I'm fast approaching 1000! So keep reading and reviewing guys. The motivation and feedback helps. ;-)
P.S. I just had to make Wolf sound like an ass. It would be incredibly weird to do so otherwise.