T Minus 3 Days
72 Hours Remain
Koopa slowly rolled over in his bed as his alarm clock went off and reached a clawed, meaty hand over to silence it. His muscles protested when he dragged himself out of the comfy bed and into a nice, cold shower. He ached everywhere, but that was one of the side effects of settling his "grudge match", as Vince had called it. The Koopa King preferred to call it his hobby. The aches, the bruises—they were worth it just to make that plumber tick.
The pain had mostly abated after the shower. After carefully drying himself off, his personal attendants came over to give him a massage, wax his shell and tend to his claws. Once that was done, he ran a brush through his tuft of red hair and was out the door.
Koopa sauntered down the hall toward the cafeteria. Huevos rancheros and hash browns were on the menu this morning, and he needed his fuel after last night. Ignoring the deathly glares around him, the turtle heaped up his plate and plunked himself down in the courtyard outside to eat.
Falco and Rolf were also seated outside, enjoying the cool early morning. The avian's head turned when he saw Koopa sit at a table by himself and dig in to a heaping mountain of huevos rancheros. "Hey," he called.
"Yeah?" said Koopa.
"Come sit with us. We won't bite."
Smiling, Koopa grabbed his food and utensils and moved over to Falco and Rolf's table.
"How'd it go?" asked Rolf.
"The usual," eyerolled Koopa. "He got his Peach back, and everyone was happy."
"That's two days in a row," said Falco.
"At least I got even," grinned Koopa. "Last night was different than Friday, because outside of the Smash battlefield, anything goes."
"The BBs are right about one thing, though," said Rolf. "One false move would've blown Project Nerf out of the water."
"Thank God the precautions worked, then," Koopa said smartly. "As a matter of fact, I'm doing it again—tonight."
"What?!" hissed Falco.
"Why?" added Rolf.
"Usually, I wait a month or so, but Friday's match got me riled up," Koopa explained.
"You just want an excuse to try out your little contingency plan," said Rolf.
"All the more reason to d—k with those pesky plumbers," chortled Koopa.
"Don't let them hear that," cautioned Rolf.
Falco shuddered. "They're already upset at you as it is."
"It's my job to upset them. Keeps them on their toes. Maintains the balance of the universe. They won't suspect a thing, as always."
"At this point, I would've just quit," Falco said frankly.
"Once I get my mind set on a prosperous kingdom and a beautiful woman, there's nothing that's gonna stop me," said Koopa.
"Wow," said Falco, shaking his head.
Koopa wolfed down the last of his breakfast. "Welp," he said, "I gotta get everything ready. See you in my castle tonight."
"See ya," Rolf and Falco said in unison.
Koopa gave them a final wink and lumbered off.
"I hope he knows what he's doing," Falco whispered to Rolf. "I really hope that turtle knows what he's doing."
1.1.1
"You're doing what?" Vince barked to Koopa over the phone. "You mean to tell me you're having the Princess over the very night we're assembling for a meeting?! You're mad!"
"Thank goodness for that," snickered Koopa, "because if I wasn't this would probably never work."
"You need to get your priorities straight," said Vince. "You signed on to Project Nerf, and now it's your duty to see it to the end!"
"Well, we are at the end. I thought that we're only putting the portfolio together tonight."
"We're starting that. We need to make copies, pick the right folder, compose the cover sheet, get it bound, and most importantly, we need to destroy all of the evidence of our involvement! Making the portfolio is the easiest part, but getting rid of the evidence is going to take two days at least!"
"Hey, chillax," said Koopa. "I'm a multitasker. My minions and generals will help me dispose of anything incriminatory. There's really nothing to worry about."
"If those two come to get her," said Vince, "what if they walk in on us? I'm telling you, your—hobby—is opening up a can of worms!"
"Don't worry about those plumber," said Koopa. "I'll handle them the usual way. The rest of you will be hidden away in the guestrooms I've prepared. I'm sorry, Vince, but this is an itch I've just got to scratch."
A sigh from Vince. "All right, fine," he said. "Just don't come crying to me if something happens."
"I should be so lucky," smirked Koopa before hanging up.
1.1.1
"I have a bad feeling about this," said Crazy Hand when Falco told him of Koopa's plans. "I've seen Mario around. He doesn't look like he's in a good mood. Doing this twice in a row is pushing it."
"Yeah, well, he's king, so he can do what he wants," shrugged Falco. "Even the BBs can't stop him. He wants Peach, and he'll do anything to have her." He paused. "You coming?"
"As much as I'd like to see the fireworks, I can't afford to take that risk," said Crazy Hand, "but that'll give me time to start clearing out the evidence."
"There's also the chance that Peach will escape and start snooping around," said Falco. "What then?"
"Knowing Koopa, I know he's not about to let that happen," said CH.
"If that turtle brings Mario's rage down on all of us, I'm going to be so p—ed at him," growled Falco. "I sure hope he knows what he's doing."
"If he doesn't, then why would he be doing it?" questioned CH.
Falco didn't have an answer to that.
CH rubbed the avian's shoulders. "Project Nerf isn't without its risks. When you signed on, you agreed to assume those risks."
"That's right," said Falco. "I did. And there's no way I'm backing out so late in the game."
"It's too late to back out, anyway," mused CH, "but I like your spirit. Have fun in the castle tonight, okay? Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"
"Sorry you can't come with us," Falco said softly.
"Maybe some other time," winked CH.
Falco grinned like a fool as he walked out of CH's office.
1.1.1
60 Hours Remain
"Welcome aboard," said Koopa as he helped Vanessa and her family board his airship.
"Thanks," said Vanessa. "Where's the guest of honor? Is she okay?"
"No worries!" laughed Koopa. "She's in my cabin, being well tended to."
"King Koopa, this is tight!" exclaimed Ethan. "I'm actually on your airship!"
"You bet!" said Koopa.
"I used to struggle with the airship levels all the time," Ethan went on.
"It's kinda scary," Anna confessed.
"Hey, don't worry," Koopa cooed. "I won't bite you. Allow me to show you to your quarters."
The Koopa King led them to a family-sized cabin with two rooms, one for the parents and one for the kids. Theo and Vanessa's room had an oval-shaped king bed and a Jacuzzi, and Ethan and Anna's room had two twin beds. There was also a dresser, a flatscreen TV, a refrigerator and a snack bar in each room. Each even had their separate bathrooms!
"Whoa," the family of four said in unison.
A green-shelled Koopa Troopa tottered over to them with a bottle of moscato on ice.
"Could you put that on the dresser, please?" asked Theo.
"Sure," beamed the Koopa Troopa as he did just that.
Laughing, Ethan and Anna raced into their side of the cabin, excitedly hopping on their beds.
"Kids," admonished Vanessa. "Remember that we are guests here."
The two promptly clammed up. "Thank you, Your Highness," chirped Anna.
"Your welcome," said Koopa. "I have to see about the other passengers. Give me a holler if you need anything."
On those words, Mario's archenemy left the family to settle in.
Falco was the next to board. "Sweet ride you've got here," he said as Koopa gave him a hand.
"Thanks. I'm glad you could make it."
"I wouldn't miss this for the world," Falco said truthfully.
"Now that's what I like to hear," said Koopa. "You're going to be staying right over—here."
Koopa directed the avian to a modest-sized cabin, which could fairly be described as business-class. A queen-sized bed, room service, flat-screen TV and on demand service, and a Jacuzzi, among other amenities.
"This journey's going to take that long?" asked Falco.
"You might get a little tired along the way, and you'll probably want to be well-rested when we get to the castle."
Falco pursed his lips. "Makes sense."
He casually flopped onto the bed. "Thanks, man. I can hang here."
Koopa next received Marth and Roy. "I've got just the room for you," he said.
Their cabin had a heart-shaped King bed, champagne with two glasses, chocolates, mood lighting, a music player and magazines and DVDs.
"That's very thoughtful of you, Your Majesty," said Marth. "Thank you."
"Yeah," Roy put in. "This is awesome!"
Koopa politely closed the door as the couple embraced.
The accommodations for Mewtwo, Dark Pit, Kyle and the rest of the conspirators were all luxurious in their own right, but were pretty standard compared to the rooms prepared for the Bennigan Brothers. Home theaters, Wii U consoles, a full bar, a pool as well as a Jacuzzi, a billiards room and a karaoke machine! It was Koopa's own way of apologizing for the inconveniences he may have caused them.
"Aw—you didn't have to do this," said Vince, "but you're really after our hearts. All is forgiven, your Highness."
"That's good to know," said Koopa. "I have to make a brief stop to pick up Sakurai and Co., and then, we'll be underway."
"Good plan," said Shane.
Putting on his captain's hat, Koopa took the helm of his airship and skillfully glided her into the sky, headed for Sakurai's manor. The trip took about half an hour, during which the Koopa Troopas were preparing Sakurai's room.
Sakurai was already waiting when Koopa's airship pulled up to his front lawn. The gangway lowered, and a Red Shell and a Green Shell personally escorted Smash's financier aboard. The rest of Koopa's minions were lined up at attention on the deck, shaking Sakurai's hand as he greeted them. Koopa himself stood in a captain's full dress uniform. "Welcome aboard, Mr. Sakurai," he said. "Your quarters are ready for you."
Sakurai's room was a palace! A canopy bed that could fit eighteen. An enormous hot tub. A veranda with a balcony. A library. A smoothie-maker. Even a gym. The Koopa King had really outdone himself!
"Wow," was all Sakurai could say.
"I know, right? It's fit for a king," chuckled Koopa. "Go ahead and get settled in. We'll be underway in just a few moments."
He strode to the quarterdeck, where a team of Koopa Troopas had taken over the wheel. "All right," he said. "Take her to the skies. Let's stretch her legs."
The decks came alive at once, the officers shouting directions to their underlings. The magnificent airship began to lift off the ground, her propellers turning as her crew worked to give her fuel. Passengers left their accommodations, making themselves comfortable along the railings, so as not to miss this magical moment. The airship rose slowly at first, and then faster and faster as her power finally kicked in. Sakurai's house shrunk in size until it was but a dot in a mass of other dots. The sensation was like being in an ascending elevator. Higher and higher the airship went until she was just above the clouds, which looked light purple in the night sky.
"This is your captain speaking," Koopa said into the PA system. "Welcome aboard my airship of the line, en route to Koopa Castle. Please, read over the safety precautions and the emergency instruction booklet at this time. For your safety, do not leave young children unattended. Estimated arrival time to our destination is 4 hrs, 43 minutes. I'll let you know of any new developments. But for now, sit back, relax and enjoy the journey."
And with that, the airship began to move forward, her sails billowing and her flags flying proudly. Now, all of the passengers were crowded along the railing, taking selfies and drinking in the view. Above the frosting-like layer of clouds, there was the moon, its light threading through clothes, skin and hair. Ethan stood with his sister and his parents at the bow, arms spread wide, laughing as the airship cut through the chilly night air.
"I'm king of the world!" he shouted. "Whoo-hoo!"
He slung Anna onto his hip, the two of them laughing gaily together. They were on Koopa's airship, for goodness sake. That should give their classmates something to chew on.
Koopa wore a big smile as he stood at the helm. Sure, those pesky plumber were bound to ruin everything, but why not enjoy this while he still could?
1.1.1
The airship reached Koopa Castle without incident. After she docked, her passengers and crew disembarked, stumbling due to their "sea legs". Some Hammer Bros greeted them at the entrance, armed with trolleys for whatever luggage anyone brought along. In short order, the guests were shown to their rooms and given 90 minutes to unpack and relax after such a long trip.
After those 90 minutes, the conspirators of Project Nerf took their seats at a large conference table in the great hall of Koopa Castle. Sakurai, Vince, Manny and Shane were seated closest to Koopa, the BBs passing around copies of the evening's agenda.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Sakurai began. "I now have the finalized version of the patch notes. Tonight, we will begin organizing a portfolio to deliver to Master Hand, and most importantly, we will also begin to search and destroy every piece of evidence which links us to this project."
"Why not start destroying the evidence first?" asked an antsy Falco. "The portfolio isn't due until the end of the month, anyway."
"We need to get the portfolio in on the 29th, so the patch will go into effect on the 30th," Sakurai explained. "I understand that disposing of the evidence is a top priority for you, but there's a specific way we need to compose this portfolio."
"What does that have to do with us?" asked Marth. "You can make the portfolio while we get rid of the evidence."
"We could use an extra set of eyes, just like with the patch notes," said Sakurai.
"Oh," said Marth.
"Okay, the first thing that we need, obviously, is a white folder, like this one." Sakurai held up a thick, white folder long enough to hold a stack of full-sized paper. "We don't write anything on the folder yet, because it's about to hold sensitive information.
"The second thing we need are the patch notes." Sakurai placed the final draft of the patch notes on the table before him. "As you can see, the font is 12-pt Times New Roman, with boldface headings, color-coded bullet points, sections pertaining to each fighter and 1.0 line spacing. But that's not the only thing that goes into the folder." He held up another sheet of paper. "This is an introductory note I've written summarizing the update patch and thanking Master Hand for bringing these concerns to my attention."
One by one, his team members passed forward their own sheets of paper. "I've instructed my colleagues to write short essays expressing their thoughts on the new patch and their hopes for this tournament's future. Those essays will be stacked in alphabetical order and placed on top of the patch notes."
The Bennigan Brothers arranged the essays as instructed and then neatly stacked them atop the notes.
"Thank you," said Sakurai. "Now, my introductory letter will go on top of the essays." He placed his letter as described. "And finally, we have the cover page." The cover page was simply titled "Super Smash Brothers Update Patch 1.1.1" and had the Smash insignia stamped on it.
"Looks great," said Shane.
"Now," said Sakurai as he flipped over the pile. "I want you all to witness this."
He flipped up the last page of the patch notes, took his pen and signed his name on the bottom with a dramatic flourish.
Everyone applauded.
Vince wiped a tear from his eye. "That's our little baby," he sniffled.
Sakurai placed the stack of papers into the folder, and then stamped the word "Confidential" onto the front of the folder in red ink. "I will deliver this to Master Hand in two days' time. Until then, I will store it in a safe location."
"I never thought I'd see this day," said Manny, also tearing up.
Sakurai beamed. "Here's to brighter days," he said.
"To brighter days," replied Koopa.
"To brighter days," echoed the Bennigan Brothers.
"To brighter days!" shouted everyone else.
1.1.1
One hour later, Koopa Castle erupted in a frenzy. Minions and conspirators alike frantically searched every nook and cranny for anything and everything which implicated the Koopa King as a member of Project Nerf. Anything which raised even the slightest red flag was removed and dumped into a pile in the castle's antechamber. Phone records were shredded and dumped. Reciepts from the restaurants and eateries where the conspirators met also counted as evidence. Old notes and contact information, chat transcripts—they all had to go. Once the entire castle had been searched, the pile of evidence was scooped into a large bin, which would be stored in an undisclosed location until the following night.
"For your homework assignment," said Sakurai, "you must search your own rooms, apartments, houses—anywhere you've been to this past month—top to bottom. Any condemning evidence you find, put it in a bag with your name on it and bring it to me tomorrow night. If anyone asks, just tell them you're doing a little cleaning."
"I take it we're doing something special with the evidence?" asked Kyle.
Sakurai nodded. "It wouldn't be fair to conclude our little project without a little fanfare, am I right?"
Chuckles.
Koopa started to say something, but he was cut off by distant commotion.
"What was that?" asked Sakurai, tensing up a bit.
Koopa cursed under his breath. "They got here earlier than I thought!" he hissed.
Vince shot him a glare. "I told you this was a bad idea!"
"Take it easy, Vince," said Shane. "We finished everything on the agenda, didn't we?"
The conspirators began whispering among themselves.
"Everybody relax! Just relax!" Koopa whispered fiercely.
"You relax!" snapped Falco. "I'm on thin ice with both of them!"
There was a crash.
"Okay," Koopa said tersely. "Everyone up the stairs. Let's go. Let's move."
Koopa and his minions wasted no time herding the guests toward their rooms and out of harm's way. Hasty good-nights were exchanged before the conspirators darted into their overnight accomodations, quietly shutting the door behind them and locking it. They swiftly changed into their night clothes before climbing into bed, laying perfectly still and listening hard.
Vanessa could hear distant footsteps from where she lay, Ethan and Anna huddled in her arms. She hoped they were simply headed in the direction of that familiar bridge, but then the footsteps grew louder…
What were they doing?
"Hello?" asked a muffled, accented voice. "Is anyone there?"
Vanessa held her breath. Could they hear the beating of her heart?
The footsteps and the voice drew closer, and they could hear a faint knocking, as well. Vanessa really hoped they hadn't been found out. Silently, she hushed her children.
"Hello?" the voice was at her door now. "Vanessa? Ethan? Anna? Theo? Can you hear me?"
"How did they…?" whispered Theo.
Vanessa shushed him. "Stay here," she said before sliding out of bed and tiptoeing to the door.
"Hey, Vanessa?" called the voice.
Vanessa eased the door open a crack. "Yes?" she asked.
Mario stood there, pale and sweaty, a concerned look on his face. "Are you guys all right?" he asked.
"Yeah, we're fine," Vanessa assured him.
She saw Luigi standing beside the man in red, also sweating. "He didn't…?"
"We actually came of our own free will," Vanessa said truthfully.
"Why?" the Bros asked in tandem.
"We thought that maybe we could find something beneficial to you," explained Vanessa, "and Ethan wanted to help. He feels very bad over his last interaction with you."
Mario nodded. "I'm sure he does."
"I don't know where he's keeping her," Vanessa told him. "I'm sorry. I didn't want him to suspect anything."
Luigi smiled at her. "You did your best," he assured her. "Come on, let's get you out of there." He offered his hand to the young woman.
Vanessa looked down. "Thank you for your concern, but we already made plans to sleep here overnight."
Mario blinked. "You don't want to be rescued?" he asked in confusion.
"No, we're fine," Vanessa said disarmingly. "We can handle that turtle. Now go get him! We believe in you!"
The optimism put the two plumbers at ease. "Thanks!" they said cheerfully before dashing off to confront their nemesis.
Relieved, Vanessa climbed back into bed, and her kids felt soothed enough to hop into their own beds. "Way too close," she whispered, snuggling deeper into the soft pillows, the faraway sounds of the obligatory climactic battle sending her and her family off into the Land of Nod.
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