Disclaimer: Do I own it? Uh, yeah, sure, if that's whatcha wanna think. Fine by me.


It was a secret base. She knew that as well as anyone. A secret base, the home of the enemy…where she certainly wouldn't be wanted. And she didn't care in the least.

At the darkened end of a metallic corridor a plate on the ceiling quivered. It twitched, rattled softly, then fell still…and was cleanly stomped out from above by a trained boot, pulling sharply back into the gaping hole that had been created. Seconds ticked past and then, cautiously, a woman slipped out, landing without a sound on the smooth floor below.

Samus Aran looked around warily, icy blue eyes piercing the darkness around her with the intensity of a hawk's. Her yellow hair, tied back, flapped ever so slightly as she cocked her head in a subtle movement, listening for any sound of approaching enemies. Hearing nothing, she then swiftly started forward shoulder-first into the gloom beyond with all stealth, blaster raised at an angle to her head and ready to fire, a fleeting blue-clad figure in the shadows.

The bounty hunter kept her guard well up as she padded softly through corridors and wide-spread rooms, all of them empty. Yet that did not stop her from prying every shadow, straining all of her senses to their maximum limit as she crept through the base. She had to find it…and she couldn't afford to waste any time. Things had been happening lately, things that required her attention and presence…and the theft of her Power Suit was only the beginning. Though that alone was enough. Any human being with common sense could have seen and feared the smoldering rage buried deep behind her eyes, to be released with tremendous force when she saw fit. And that would be very soon, when she had reclaimed what was rightfully hers and tracked down the ones responsible.

At length she came upon the first door she had seen in the entire base, to her right in another corridor. Samus paused, then approached the door, which automatically slid open, much to her surprise. She paused for a split second outside - what kind of base would have automatic doors? - but then quickly slipped inside, blaster raised in front of her, pointing it left and right as she glanced searchingly into the area, alert for enemies. Even as she stepped in the doors slid shut on their own accord, and she jerked slightly, glancing back over her shoulder. If this was a trap…

She let the thought drop, turning back forward. And she soon forgot her plight as she noticed the glowing green mechanism before her for the first time.

It stood in the center of the circular room and was the only source of light…though it illuminated everything else well enough with its sickly green glow. The thing was predominantly comprised of a single large glass tube raised on two welded legs and fed by many wires and circuits that pulsed with energy. And inside of the tube was a ball of golden light, an epicenter of electricity that momentarily blinded Samus. But then, as the glow faded, her eyes widened as they registered what they were seeing.

Inside of the glass tube was a mouse, a very large one, with yellow fur and a jagged, brown-tipped tail. It had round red spots on its cheeks, which offset the black tips on its pointed ears, and it probably would have been generally a cute creature, except that now its round face was cringed in a grimace of pain, eyes closed tight. Even as Samus watched the green glow suddenly intensified once more, and there was a hiss of electricity as the mouse was suddenly lifted off the bottom of the tube, thick streams of golden energy being leeched from its body to be fed into the machine itself. Then the humming eased and the Pikachu was released, falling limp on the bottom of the glass tube. He shifted feebly, as though struggling to move, but apparently seemed fatigued beyond even supporting himself. Instead he opened his eyes, wide round amber eyes that gazed up and around the confines of his prison.

Samus's mouth thinned, and the flickering rage behind her eyes suddenly seemed much less remote. With a determined flick of her hand she adjusted the barrel of her blaster, flicking it upwards, and from the newly formed gap there sprung a white-hot band of compacted energy, which she flicked upright with obvious expertise. Then, with a graceful loop of the whip, she stepped forward and smashed it right through the glass of the tube, sending green-tinted shards flying everywhere.

A red light suddenly flared to life on the opposite wall, and a pulsing alarm filled the air. The door behind Samus slid open, revealing a whole squad of ROBs. The first of the ROBs slid forward on its tank treads, partially into the room, and lifted its optical lenses to lock onto the two intruders that now turned to face them. Samus whirled around smoothly, blaster easily reverting back to its natural form, and Pikachu was soon beside her in a crouch, cheeks sparking threateningly despite his obvious weariness.

Then the two sprang forward into the fray in a flurry of lasers and golden electricity.


The sky was relatively cloudless, and the rolling hills surrounding the beaten path were a pleasant shade of green. The Waddle Dee trudged on down the road, quite easy to spot with its red body and cream-colored belly. Its small black eyes gazed out ahead, and it strode on, seeming to be in a hurry. It knew it was one of the last to arrive for the event, and its leader would not be happy with it. With these nervous thoughts the Waddle Dee…waddled…faster than ever.

Another particular individual stood on the same path just a few yards ahead, tall and lanky and unmistakably nervous. Luigi took a step forward as the Waddle Dee bobbed into view over a slight curve, one gloved hand raised in a karate chop, though the curly brown hair that peeked out beneath his green cap emblazoned with its L was slightly damp with the perspiration of the unsure. The image of a battle-ready veteran was further lessened by the homely look of his blue overalls, large brown shoes, and green shirt…about as harmless as the Waddle Dee that loomed closer and closer.

All too soon the Waddle Dee was right in front of him…and it paused and turned in his direction as Luigi moved to one side. The plumber brother raised his arms defensively, trying to demonstrate an image of readiness for battle…and failing miserably as every limb began trembling uncontrollably. The Waddle Dee, completely unimpressed, simply blinked and then started forward again, anxious to press on with its mission.

Luigi, still on the side of the road, sighed in clear relief and swiped a hand across his brow. Truth be told, he had been dead terrified by the Waddle Dee…but now that was thankfully over, and he could continue on his way…Luigi turned around, feeling quite satisfied about his successful encounter - and locked eyes with a second Waddle Dee that happened to have the pleasure of drifting past. He jumped violently, raising his quivering hands to defend himself and taking several steps back, bracing himself to strike…

…he did not notice the huge shadow that loomed up behind him, with his attention bent on the terrifying creature in front of him. Not until a huge hammer swung through the air, hitting a clean strike directly on the small of Luigi's back.

There was a split second of consciousness for Luigi as his breath was forcibly knocked out of him, and he could only feel surprise as he was thrusted high into the air by a tremendous force. Then there was a flash, and a trophy returned from the arc of the fall, landing base-first on the head of the star-painted hammer that had been its demise.

With a satisfied huff King Dedede swung his hammer backwards and the trophy flew again, landing upright on the ground a few feet behind him. Then the large red-robed blue penguin turned around, shouldering his huge hammer comfortably and surveying his recent prize. The previous tyrant of Dreamland strode forward, dusting the side of Luigi's plastic head and turning to the small gathering of Waddle Dees that soon assembled before him. All of them looked back as the faint sound of a motor grew louder in the distance, and there was a cunning smile on Dedede's features as he signaled to all of the Waddle Dees and leapt up out of sight, his minions following suit.


Wario hummed tunelessly to himself, huge grin never leaving his face as he adjusted the course of the hovering, rail-lined platform he rode in. It was even painted bright yellow and edged with a jagged black line to match his theme. Behind him on the same platform stood two trophies, one of a princess in the middle of a spell-branched attack, the other depicting a humble boy wearing a baseball cap and a backpack.

Wario himself didn't really mind the hideous load behind him. So what if it was against a fighter's creed - to the heck with that. He'd get a reward for these two, a great one…that was all he'd ever cared about anyhow. And he'd had a little fun doing it, too. One could say the villain was in an exceedingly good mood.

As though the very world had also decided to be part of his good humor, Wario spotted a lone object standing in the middle of the road and slowed down the platform, peering forward with interest. He coasted to a halt a few feet away from the lone trophy of Luigi and dismounted without any hesitation whatsoever - it didn't strike him as at all strange that the trophy of one of the great heroes should be sitting here on its own in the middle of nowhere. He'd heard of other odder things in his previous memories - like money falling from the sky. And though no money trailed from the heavens this time around, he was satisfied with this single miracle all the same.

Gazing right into Luigi's face, which was slightly above his own head, Wario snorted and laughed out loud. The tall bumbling fool had probably been smitten in a humiliating defeat - and that suited Wario just fine. In fact, it only made his day better. With a grin he grabbed the trophy and raised it over his head.

There was a rumble, rather like a small avalanche.

Wario, still laughing at his luck, choked down his latest chuckle and looked from left to right in surprise as Waddle Dees suddenly flooded in from every direction, pouring over the green hills and making straight for him. The little minions gathered up all around Wario, who found himself being shoved and jostled in a sea of squishy red-and-white bodies before being pulled completely under with a startled shout. Predictably, he lost his grip on Luigi's trophy in the midst of the onslaught, and the lanky plastic thing rolled over the roiling sea of Waddle Dees and eventually met the ground a few yards away. To be scooped up again by a golden-mittened hand.

King Dedede tossed Luigi's trophy into the rack with the two others, where it landed headfirst. Then he climbed on board, grasping the joystick of the platform, and steered it around, back in the direction that Wario had come. In a puff of dust the king was gone, swerving behind a cove of trees and vanishing from sight.

The score or more of Waddle Dees, as though of one mind, suddenly backed off of the flattened Wario and left him spluttering in a cloud of dust as they took off after their leader, leaving the shocked villain to flap his head and climb to his feet. With one look around he immediately realized what had happened.

The Waddle Dees didn't give any heed whatsoever as Wario hopped angrily in the middle of the road, spluttering and shouting in rage as he realized that he had been car-jacked and left without a vehicle in the middle of nowhere. They didn't care.

And no one else really did.


There was a hiss as a door slid open, admitting a blue-clad bounty hunter and a large yellow electric mouse.

It had been a large battle simply to get here, but Samus was satisfied that they wouldn't be disturbed anytime soon. Instead she stepped into the room, gun at ready, and raised her gaze to the many screens and controls that illuminated this room in a faint glow. There was even a chair in the center, to supervise it all.

Pikachu trailed in after her, still tired but relatively rejuvenated by the recent battling. He sat on his hind legs, one ear cocked to measure the soft hum of machinery and power that reverberated in the small enclosed space, but Samus took several steps forward, attention caught by something else.

For a single screen out of all of the ones in the control room had attracted her immediate interest. And a faint smile could almost be detected on her face, softened in the blue glow, as she gazed at her orange Power Suit, with its green glass visor glowing as though it had been waiting for her.

At the bottom right-hand corner of the screen was a set of coordinates pointing out the location of the area in question.


Far far away, skimming over desert, the Halberd reared, dark and threatening as ever.

But inside, illuminated in a red glow beside a circular porthole, was a box. A large cardboard box, lined in red and emblazoned with a scarlet exclamation mark as though to emphasize a point. This box twitched and shifted ever so slightly, beginning to scoot down the room in the direction of an open entrance, which lead into a hall at the other end of the room.

It is the art of the spy to remain as inconspicuous as possible…


A/N: Hmm…the last chapter was long, and this chapter is too short…am I getting unbalanced? Well, the next chapter will have plenty more action, so hang in there and…review, maybe?

And yeah, isn't it sad that in the video Luigi gets put out of action about…eh…twenty-four and a half seconds after you meet him? Gotta feel sorry for the guy… :D