T Minus 11 Days
Chapter contains mild violence and action
Vanessa stirred as her radio alarm clock blared to life, pushing her hair out of her face, reaching over and turning the alarm off. Then, rather than trying for ten extra minutes of sleep, she slid out of bed, ran a pick through her disheveled auburn locks and fastened them into a simple ponytail. She dressed in a nude sports bra and leggings, slid her feet into a pair of athletic shoes and walked into the makeshift exercise studio she shared with Theo to begin her daily workout regimen. Fifteen minutes of stretching and calisthenics. Five or six sets of upside-down crunches on the pull-up bar. Fifteen more minutes of weight-lifting exercises. Thirty minutes each on the treadmill and arc trainer. Forty-five minutes on the spin-bike. Finally, fifteen minutes of cool-down stretching. By the time she was finished, her body was plastered with sweat, and she was breathless. But she was powered-up for the day's events. After downing a bottle of Gatorade, she peeled off her sweaty clothes and jumped into a cool shower.
Once she was nice and clean, Vanessa threw on a robe and sat before her dressing table, scrutinizing her face in the mirror. The onset of age was approaching, and that was no good. Vanessa made a face, and then began applying her makeup. First was the foundation, a small dot to the five points of the face, forehead, left cheek, right cheek, chin, nose, any excess going on the neck. She massaged in the foundation using gentle circular motion. Next on was her favorite powder, blending it backward into the foundation. A concealing stick took care of the pesky little wrinkles (thank goodness they were laugh lines, but still). Then, came the bronzer to the "fish-areas" of the face, followed by the blush to the apples of the cheeks, before blending it all together. She tweezed her eyebrows before brushing and combing them, and then curled her eyelashes.
Now, it was time for the eyes. She started with the base and bronzer for the eyelids, and then perused over her eyeshadow kit for the day's perfect combination. The peach color won her favor, with a slightly darker shade on her lower lid to bring layers to the shadowing when it was blended together. After adding a touch of glitter, Vanessa carefully applied several coats of mascara to her upper and lower lashes, smiling as she saw her eyes pop. After smearing Vaseline onto her lips to moisturize them, she completed her look with carnation pink lipstick and lip gloss.
Good. The tough part was over. Vanessa tended to her hair with hair cream and hairspray before combing it out. Then, she slid into a pink chiffon dress chosen specially for this occasion, clasped on a pink Smash Ball necklace, slipped on a pair of stylish yet comfortable wedge sandals and clipped a sterling silver watch onto her non-dominant wrist. She packed some lipstick, lip gloss, eye shadow and a few brushes into her makeup bag, placed the small bag into her purse, slung the purse onto her shoulder, grabbed her car keys and was out the door.
The drive to the Smash Mansion was pleasant, scenic and congestion-free, and Vanessa arrived in record time. She pulled into the lot, casually flipped her keys to a valet and passed through a metal detector. Once she was out of earshot, she extracted an earpiece and clipped it on. "I'm in," she said coolly.
"Well done, Vanessa," said Manny's voice. "I knew I could count on you."
The click of Vanessa's wedge heels rapped a steady beat against the floor as she strode along with total confidence. Nearby Miis couldn't help but turn their heads and stare. Here was this stunning woman nobody had ever seen before, walking the halls of the Smash Mansion, looking and acting like she belonged there! Vanessa, however, paid them no mind, focused entirely on the mission she'd volunteered for, after talking it over with her husband, son and daughter, of course.
She paused at a kiosk displaying the day's matches and scrolled down the list, smiling when she arrived at the match she was looking for. Then, she proceeded to the ticket booth to purchase a ticket for that match.
"Okay," she reported back to Manny over the earpiece. "I just snagged a ticket."
"Great. Arrive there an hour in advance."
"Will do."
Luckily, she didn't have long to wait. She lounged in the Main Lobby, updating Theo and the kids on the situation, until she heard Master Hand announce that the match was coming up and that the spectators could now enter the arena to take their seats.
Smiling, Vanessa walked briskly over to the arena, showed her ticket to the security guard, and headed over to the side opposite of Mario's usual spot. She made herself comfortable in the middle seat of the first row and once again dialed up Manny.
"Are you in your seat?"
"I am. It's still relatively empty."
"Excellent job so far, Vanessa. You can relax for now, but be on the lookout for further instructions."
"Good idea." Vanessa marked her seat with a slip of paper and scurried off to the concession stand to get some food.
By the time she returned to her spot, the arena really began to fill. She fished a pair of binoculars out of her purse and studied the activity on the opposite end. It was quickly becoming populated with Luigi fans, some shirtless and painted green from the waist up, others dressed up like him, and more sporting Luigi-related clothing and merchandise. She spotted a crowd of Toads scrambling excitedly for a prime seat. Then, she set aside her binoculars and began eating her meal.
She'd started in on her dessert when her earpiece vibrated.
"Yeah?"
"How's it coming?"
"Luigi's fans are here in full force. I'm seated opposite from them. Activity's still quite slow where I'm at."
"You have your binoculars?"
"Yeah."
"Take a look at the opposite entrance again."
Vanessa took her binoculars and obliged. This time, she spotted a familiar mop of blue hair. It was Marth!
The bluenette glanced up, met her binoculars and nodded to her.
"Where are the others?" she asked.
"Getting their clipboards set up."
"Keep me posted." Vanessa disconnected the call and continued eating her dessert.
After she'd eaten her food, she quickly disposed of her trash, and then sat back to watch the activity on the other side of the arena.
Footfalls arrested her attention, and she turned to see people filing into her end of the arena. A huge smile broke out on her face; this was exactly what she'd waited for. Moving back to the railing, Vanessa located Marth and gave him a signal.
Marth grinned, then put two fingers into his mouth and gave two short whistles. Vanessa watched as the bluenette was joined by men and women armed with clipboards and pencils. They huddled together for a few moments before stacking their hands, sounding a rallying cry and then scattering in different directions.
Vanessa settled back into her seat. Her work was done—for now.
As several of the people with clipboards materialized in Vanessa's section of the arena, the stage lights came on. She heard Luigi's fans go wild. The opponent was the first to step out. It was Steve, once again clad in a wrestling singlet. Instantly, Vanessa leaped to her feet and cheered, and a few of her seatmates followed suit.
Then, she noticed more people arriving, bearing motivational signs and banners for Steve. Vanessa threw back her head and laughed. The men and women behind Project Nerf had struck gold!
She swiveled back as Luigi entered the stage, flashing his trademark "V" sign and a broad smile. Luigi's fans went up cheering in droves. Vanessa squinted slightly, recognizing the dot of pink across from her as Peach. If she had time, maybe she could get the Mushroom Princess's autograph. And perhaps a picture with her, as well.
The men and women with clipboards fanned out and took their seats, one in each row. Marth slipped into his spot, took Roy's hand and kissed his fingers. Falco settled himself in the seat beside Vanessa. Being a stage's length away from Mario was a good thing.
Master Hand started the match.
Vanessa dialed up Manny once again. "They're in position," she reported.
"Good going!" said Manny. "Now, give Steve your full attention and support. He's gonna need it."
"You got it," said Vanessa, and hung up.
Manny was right. Steve needed as much encouragement as he could get. He'd gotten in some practice since his disastrous Team Battle and fought with a distinctive brawler style. Most of his blows were focused on the body rather than the face, and he tried to grapple with Luigi, too. But his body blows and grapples still stood no chance against that down throw, and all it took was one lucky kick to get him in a grab. Steve tried to break free, but Luigi held fast. He then heaved his foe downward as hard as he could and started up a punishing, bruising combo as his fans cheered.
Around her, Vanessa's seatmates sighed and grumbled in disbelief as Steve's advantage was lost to the wind.
"C'mon, Steve," Falco whispered.
Steve escaped with a no-look kick which sent Luigi flying. He landed hard, but recovered quickly. He ducked a hammy fist to the head, blocked another, and then punched Steve twice in the nose, twice under the chin and several times in the abdomen before launching a spearhand strike at the waist. Steve doubled over with a roar of pain, and Luigi wasted no time serving up his signature fiery uppercut, taking his opponent's first stock.
Vanessa's side seethed. Luigi's fans cheered.
"Hey, Vanessa…" said Falco.
"Not yet," she replied. "Almost…"
Steve respawned, glaring balefully at Luigi. The plumber calmly stared back, ready for more. Growling, Steve barreled at Luigi, but he simply dodged the rush and busted out some kickboxing moves and sweep attacks, throwing a few fireballs here and there. Nostrils flaring, Steve recovered and charged again, running directly into Luigi's flare kick, sending him tumbling. Luigi quickly grabbed him by the legs, swung him around a few times, and then let go, flinging him high in the air. Steve managed to get back to the platform, but Luigi was ready for him. He tricked Steve into shielding before grabbing and butt-slamming him again.
Everyone on Vanessa's side was raging and fulminating, or shouting directions at Steve. Vanessa herself sat primly, calmly. Watching. Waiting.
On the other side of the arena, Peach was drinking in the action when her eye fell on the auburn-haired woman seated across from her. She recognized her at once as the woman cheering on Mario when he fought Luigi. She also remembered that her son had thrown a hissy-fit after Mario lost. But she was the type of woman who'd let bygones be bygones. Peach hoped to meet up with that woman sometime.
Vanessa felt like she was being watched and raised her head, spying Peach. She smiled coyly at the blond Princess, who smiled sweetly and winked in return. Vanessa blushed. She'd never been so up close and personal with Peach before.
An oath brought her back to the present. Steve was now clinging to the ledge as Luigi stood over him, smiling innocently. The former struggled to pull himself up, but alas, he wasn't fast enough and was met with a shy dirt kick, spiking him downward. Another stock lost.
People snatched at their hair and shook their fists at the sky. When was this going to end?
Analyzing the uproar around her, Vanessa turned and nodded to Falco. "Now," she commanded.
The two of them gave a signal to the people with clipboards. In unison, they rose from their seats and began to weave through the sea of spectators, sporting courteous smiles. "Hello! Would you be interested in signing this petition…?"
Vanessa called Manny. "Okay. The petition is circling now."
"Right on schedule. How's Steve doing?"
"It doesn't look good. He's already lost two stocks, and Luigi hasn't lost one!"
"Hang in there."
"I'll keep you posted."
Vanessa smiled to herself as the copies of the petition floated from spectator to spectator.
"Hey," said Falco.
"Yeah?"
"I noticed how you were looking at Peach."
Vanessa smiled shyly. "Yeah, uh—I've admired her since I was a kid."
"You wanna meet her?"
"Sure. I'll introduce myself."
"Just be cautious. If she finds out you had a hand in nerfing one of her heroes, she won't think so highly of you."
Vanessa wore a wistful expression. "I know," she mused softly.
1.1.1
Steve fought well, even better than that Team Battle, but unfortunately, he still lost. Vanessa set her lips determinedly and slipped out of the arena. It was time for Phase 2 of her plan.
Once back in the Smash Mansion's lobby, Steve barreled past her, headed for Master Hand's office. Vanessa just let him go without a word, knowing he needed to let off steam. She plunked herself onto a chair and called Manny.
"How'd it go?"
"Luigi won, but what else is new?"
"No sense in moping over it. You know what to do next?"
"Uh-huh."
"Theo, Ethan and I will be waiting for you outside. Good luck."
"Thanks, Manny."
Vanessa stood and stretched before starting down the corridor.
When she turned the corner, she saw him.
Luigi, kneeling in his usual place just outside Master Hand's office, head slightly bowed. Steve's angry voice came faintly from within. Studying him, Vanessa felt a slight pang of sympathy. She wondered if he always lingered here after his matches, listening as his opponents pleaded their case to Master Hand. His breathing sounded heavy and pained, and she could swear she saw his shoulders jiggling. Was he crying? Trying to remain inconspicuous, Vanessa was tempted to go over, put her arm around him and make everything all right. Just like she'd take Ethan in her arms to comfort him after a bad day…
Stop it. This is for his own good, she reminded herself. Still, the Bennigan Brothers had a point. Throwing temper tantrums wouldn't solve this problem. Someday, Luigi would see. His life would be less complicated without those combos. He would see. They'd all see.
"Were you listening to that?"
Vanessa gasped and stared wide-eyed at Luigi. He was actually addressing her! The target of the scheme she was part of was looking her in the eyes and talking to her!
"I—no," she said after she got over her shock. "I heard it while waiting to talk to him."
"Well, I guess it's a common sound these days," said Luigi.
"Everybody shouts a little sometimes," Vanessa said consolingly.
"Almost all of my opponents do this," said Luigi, "and I'm sick and tired of it."
"You don't have to listen to them," whispered Vanessa.
"It's hard not to. You can hear them for miles," shrugged Luigi.
Vanessa cringed slightly. "Boy."
"Yeah. So why try avoiding it?" Luigi took a deep breath. "Gotta run. My next match is coming up."
Vanessa was shocked. "So soon?"
"Don't worry. I have a lot of energy left." Luigi winked and started to leave.
"Hey," said Vanessa, touching him lightly on the shoulder. "Chin up, okay?"
"Okay." Luigi smiled at her and strode down the corridor.
"This nerf will help you," Vanessa murmured. "If you don't have the combos, there's nothing for your opponents to have conniptions over, is there? Can't you see? It'll all work out well in the end."
She saw Crazy Hand materialize and then enter Master Hand's office. The shouting stopped, and Crazy spoke quietly to Master. Master said something back, and then the door opened, the two Hands floating out in a single file line. Steve popped his head out, still red-faced, and beckoned to Vanessa, who broke cover and darted into the office.
"You know what to do next?" asked Steve.
"I do."
"Great. I'll keep watch for you. But be warned—Crazy can't keep Master distracted for long."
Vanessa nodded and sat at Master Hand's big computer. She reached into her purse and removed a device which resembled a flash drive, but which would actually help her access the tournament mainframe. Nimbly, she inserted the device into the USB port.
Numbers and code scrolled across the computer screen as the device worked its magic. Vanessa was taken to a menu screen with several folders displayed on it. She clicked the "Replays" folder and perused through the videos, selecting those which featured Luigi, his down throw, and his combos. After selecting the desired replays, she right-clicked and then selected the "Copy" prompt. A dialog box popped up, and she clicked the "Copy Selected" command. The replays then began downloading into the flash drive-like device.
While that was happening, Vanessa's dexterous fingers moved across Master Hand's desks, cabinets and bookshelves, searching for valuable nuggets. It was like looking for lost treasure or pulling off a brilliant heist. She flipped through thick manila folders as Steve watched the halls and the computer spilled its secrets onto her handy contraption. When she happened upon a folder she wanted, she pulled it out and replaced it with a copy of that folder before placing the original folder into a briefcase.
"There isn't much time," warned Steve.
"Almost done," said Vanessa.
She checked on her device's progress. 95%. Then came across several dossiers of photos. She used her phone to scan the ones she needed. Finally, she snapped the briefcase closed and saw that her device was finished copying.
"All right. We're good," she reported, exiting out of the mainframe and plucking out the device. "Let's go." She passed the briefcase to Steve.
Vanessa led Steve through the hallways of the Smash Mansion. Faint cheering sounded around them, as another Smash battle was in progress.
"Just so you'll know, I have some more matches coming up," Steve said to Vanessa, "so once we're outside, you're on your own."
"I can handle that," Vanessa said perkily.
"Are you sure you know where you're going?"
"There's a pre-arranged meeting spot set up."
Just then, a Mii security guard spotted them. "Hey!" he called, striding towards the duo. "You can't be here!"
Just as he reached them, Vanessa kicked the guard in a certain area with all her strength, causing him to double over and collapse. "Come on!" she cried, taking Steve by the hand and sprinting off.
The downed guard grabbed his walkie-talkie and radioed for backup. Soon, able-bodied Miis charged onto the scene in pursuit of Steve and his companion. The former whirled and brained the guard catching up to him with the briefcase, knocking him sprawling, before turning the briefcase into a melee weapon against the other guards. Vanessa, to her credit, could really throw a punch and bravely fought her way through, swinging her purse like a flail and catching guards left and right in the face and gut. When they started to slow her down significantly, she pulled off her heels, wielding them like two swords.
In the midst of the fray, Vanessa noticed the exit about to be locked down. Thinking fast, she grabbed Steve and rolled them both clear.
"Are you all right?" she asked.
"Yeah," panted Steve. He picked up the briefcase and handed it to her. "Go. Go!"
Vanessa didn't waste any time with parting words. Leaving her shoes behind, she ran, barefoot, across the sun-warmed pavement, briefcase clutched tightly in both hands. She ran through municipal areas, neighborhoods and busy city streets, her wavy hair bouncy lightly, her dress billowing and flapping behind her. In this very moment, she'd never felt so alive. Probably facing a lot of penalties, yet she was running like a maniac, laughing the whole way.
Bounding into a grassy field was a relief to her toes and the soles of her feet. Her eyes lit up when she recognized a limo at the end of the field. As she ran closer, she made out the figures of Manny, Jeff, Theo and her children.
She burst out of the field and held out the briefcase to Manny. "Got it!" she reported triumphantly.
Beaming, Manny took the briefcase and put it inside the vehicle. "Record timing, Vanessa," he said.
"Mom!" Ethan and Anna shouted, running into Vanessa's arms.
"That was so cool!" shouted Ethan.
"Totally!" Anna put in.
After Vanessa helped the kids into the limo, Theo went over and kissed her. "Thank God you're all right," he said. "Now we gotta get that briefcase to Mr. Sakurai before we're spotted!"
"Let's roll," agreed Vanessa.
They jumped inside the vehicle, and Jeff put the engine in gear and peeled out.
1.1.1
Later that night, Vince and Shane sat in Sakurai's manor along with the other conspirators as their host graciously served them drinks and dinner. However, the two Bennigan Bros glanced nervously at their watches.
"Where are they?" asked Shane.
"Manny just called," Sakurai assured him. "They're on their way."
"And did they find what you were looking for?"
Sakurai nodded.
A minute or so later, Manny walked in, followed by Vanessa and her family, to a generous standing ovation.
"You actually pulled it off," Falco said admiringly.
"Surprised?" teased Vanessa before giving the briefcase and the flash drive-looking device to Sakurai. "It's all there."
Sakurai opened the briefcase and took out the files. They contained everything the conspirators and the suits needed to know about Luigi, his fighting style and especially his down throw. That way, they'd knew where and how to attack.
"The device I gave you contains replays taken directly from the mainframe," said Vanessa. "I also scanned some photos, in case you need them."
Sakurai flipped through the documents, plugged in the device, and grinned when he saw the media. "You're a superstar, Vanessa."
"There was a little trouble along the way, though," said Vanessa, "but at least I had some help." She cast a glance toward Steve, giving him a grateful smile.
"Teamwork at its finest," nodded Manny. "My brothers and I are proud of you both."
"I deposited the money in your children's college fund," Sakurai said to Vanessa. "Thank you for your invaluable assistance."
"It was a pleasure doing business with you, and also an adventure," replied Vanessa. "You have my number. Call me anytime."
"Tomorrow, we'll start setting up a meeting with Master Hand," announced Sakurai.
Vince rubbed his hands together. "Excellent," he chortled. "There's no stopping us now!"