TW: Chapter contains references to sexual assault.
November 1, 2019
12:42 a.m.
Nathan had his head bowed in respect for his main's devastating loss, listening to the heart-wrenching sobs coming from the other man's feed. He heard Gooigi saying something, followed by Polterpup whimpering, and prayed that Luigi hadn't lost the will to fight. There were still people who needed him right now.
"That idiot," muttered Gadd. "That f—ing idiot…"
Both the scientist and the gamer nearly jumped out of their seats when a seemingly innocuous ad for "free live cams" began to play. Nathan quickly recognized some of the video clips from the hidden files he'd viewed earlier, particularly Peach and Daisy topless and Luigi shirtless. Quickly, he dismissed the ad.
"We're not getting out of this," said Nathan. "As long as we're sitting around doing nothing, we're not getting out of this mess. I have no choice. I gotta head over and break the news of Princess Daisy's death. Sarasaland will declare a state of emergency, and it's government will know what to do."
"For all I know, King Boo could sic his minions on the royal line of succession, just to stick it to Luigi," huffed Gadd.
"The sooner I report this, the less likely that will happen," said Nathan.
The two of them heard Luigi's sobs quiet and watched him slowly get to his feet, wiping his tears.
"Luigi," said Nathan, "if you wanna talk about it, then Gadd and I are here."
"Thank you, Nate," said Luigi, "but Peach is still trapped in here, and after I free her, I need to rescue the gamers King Boo has captive. I really…" There was a brief choke in his voice. "I really don't have time to grieve right now. Oh, Gooigi…" He turned to his gooey doppelganger. "…at least, I still have you."
"Bro…" Gooigi uttered softly, drawing Luigi into his arms.
"Stay with me, Gooigi," said Luigi.
"I'm not going anywhere," promised Gooigi. "I'm not letting you go."
"Stay with me…"
The two ghost hunters stood there, wrapped in a comforting embrace. Then, Luigi stepped back slightly, the pair gazing into each other's eyes. Gooigi cupped Luigi's cheek with one hand, softly stroking it with a gooey thumb. And then—he leaned forward and pressed his gooey lips to Luigi's, blushing a little as he did.
Luigi was blushing, too, but he didn't pull away. Instead, he melted into the kiss, returning it, pulling Gooigi a little closer so he could deepen it. Their lips blotted together again and again and again and again in slow, all-consuming and lingering kisses. Nathan looked on, his mouth agape and his face fire-engine red.
Gadd looked flustered, too. "I mentioned that certain situations would require teamwork," he said, "but that's not the kind of teamwork I meant."
Gooigi and Luigi shared one final kiss before they separated, gasping.
"Gooigi…" breathed Luigi.
"I…" murmured Gooigi. "I shouldn't have…"
"I shouldn't have, either," added Luigi.
"I just—I feel as if I've been asleep for almost a year and a half, and then suddenly—I'm awake," explained Gooigi. "You make me feel like a person, Luigi. A person, and not just Goo. But I didn't mean to do that. I'm sorry…"
"Don't be," said Luigi. "I feel like we've—bonded—during this whole mess."
"It wasn't the right time," sighed Gooigi. "Daisy…"
"I know. I wasn't thinking straight, either. We'll stop King Boo and save the others, and then we'll talk about this. Deal?"
"Deal."
Nathan was still blushing. "I—did not see that coming," he said.
"Neither did I," said Gadd. "I was kinda joking when I said that I shipped you two. But it's time for you two to re-focus. Strong paranormal signals are headed for your location as we speak."
Luigi nodded and held out his hand to Gooigi. Gooigi grabbed it, and then they shook before whirling around to face the ghosts arriving on the scene.
The feed went dark just as Luigi released the first Strobulb charge.
"The airport's still open," Nathan said to Gadd. "With any luck, I'll be able to book a flight to the city where the Last Resort is located, and then get help from the local police."
"If they're not already in the Boos' pockets," said Gadd. "Are you heading out now?"
"Yeah. I have two laptops. One to use at home and the other for travel."
"All right. Leave your current laptop on. We don't want to further endanger Luigi by signing out."
"Okay," said Nathan. "The bus stop isn't far from here, and it's only a short ride to the airport. I'll give you a buzz when I'm situated."
Gadd nodded. "Go. Hurry," he said.
The scientist watched Nathan grab his things and then dash out the door. Then, he stared hard at his computer. "You're there, aren't you?" he asked.
Yes, I am. And I'm not going anywhere. 3:D
"Well, guess what?" Gadd asked crisply. "I've been recording. I recorded the whole thing, starting from when I was rescued from my painting. You should've dealt with Nathan and his friends. They were perfectly willing to play by your rules to ensure Luigi's safety, more than their own. Even after what you did to Vicky and her unborn baby, they were willing to forego vengeance, turn the other cheek and move on with their lives, not interfering with your scheme." The elderly professor's voice turned dangerous. "But that is not what I'm gonna do."
He pushed back his swivel chair, grabbed a piece of paper and then scooted back toward the computer. "Do you see this?" he asked vehemently. "Do you know what this is? This is coordinates. IP addresses. Correspondences between you and your little fan club. Financial transactions. Ingoing and outgoing phone calls, text messages, emails. Social media activity. This is hard evidence of your egregious plot to trap Luigi and his friends, including me, in this hotel Hellhole. This is everywhere the laptop you gave to Nathan has been. And this will lead the authorities straight to that youngster and every single soul you're holding captive." Gadd set down the paper and jabbed an angry finger at the computer screen. "You are finished, do you hear me?! Finished!"
The only person I see who's finished is you.
"Try. Me," growled Gadd.
"Professor?" Luigi's voice spoke up. "I can hear you. Who were you yelling at just now?" He sounded extremely out of breath.
"I didn't mean to distract you, sonny," said Gadd. "I was just giving him a piece of my mind."
"He has nothing to lose now," warned Luigi's voice. "Don't make him any angrier."
A ghost laughed.
"Talk to you later," Luigi said hurriedly before the battle resumed.
"Don't make him any angrier," Gadd murmured as he fixed himself a hot dog. "Well, he's got me riled up, so he's not the only angry one here."
He added a bag of Lay's to complete the small meal and then settled down to eat it.
First, he ate the hot dog, the mustard dribbling between the bun and smearing his mouth and fingers. It was a very flavorful hot dog, and he felt calmer and more collected once he'd finished eating it. Maybe that was all he needed—some food in his stomach. He'd spent all of this time pestering Luigi about it, after all.
Licking the mustard off his fingers, Gadd next opened his bag of Lay's and started popping the chips into his mouth, quietly crunching on them. Just as he'd finished the bag, he saw activity on Luigi's feed as the young man fished his phone out of his pocket.
A couple of wet wipes made short work of the crumbs on his fingers, and then Gadd disposed of his trash before checking in on his mentee.
Luigi was in front of the door he'd mentioned earlier, hand-in-hand with Gooigi. He looked more beaten up than ever, but he was still on his feet. His bruised face was hard, and his mouth was clenched. Gadd saw no hope for King Boo and his allies in that facial expression.
"You made it?" asked Gadd.
"Yes, I did. I just got finished capturing the last of Hellen's lackeys. Now, the only thing between me and her is this door. And after I defeat her, King Boo's next."
"You mentioned that there could be someone in the penthouse in need of rescue," said Gadd.
"I think—Hellen's keeping Peach somewhere in her office," nodded Luigi. Some of the ice left his face as he mused, "It's gonna be difficult telling her the news. I feel like I've let her down already."
"She'll understand," said Gadd. "She'll know you did your best."
"But that b—d tried to make me choose, and I said 'no'," said Luigi.
"You stood up to him and refused to play along, just like you told Mario to do in that video," said Gadd. "He probably would've killed them both either way."
"You're right—he could've," mused Luigi. "It still doesn't stop me from feeling awful, though."
"We'll all sit down and talk about it after you defeat King Boo once and for all," said Gadd. "All righty?"
"All right," sighed Luigi. "Wait—where'd Nathan go?"
"He…" Gadd was cut off by his email notification chime. "Oh, Lord."
"What is it?"
"That scoundrel—he's sending me something," said Gadd.
"Just ignore it," said Luigi. "He wants to get to you like he got to me."
"He's getting to me by getting to you," huffed Gadd. "At this point, what more can he do to me?"
Gadd signed into his email account and clicked on the unread email, only to almost immediately wish he hadn't.
"God Almighty," he breathed. "Where did you…? J—s, Mary and Joseph! This is utterly f—ed up!"
"What is it?" asked Luigi. "What did he send you?"
Gadd stared, boggle-eyed, at the attachments King Boo had emailed to him. "I—I gotta call Nathan," he said in a gasping voice. "He needs to hear about this, posthaste!"
"Professor, what has he done now?" Luigi wanted to know.
"That's not relevant at the moment," said Gadd. "Your main focus should be on defeating Hellen and saving Peach."
"Oh, great. Now you're keeping something else from me?" There was a plethora of emotions on Luigi's face. "How can I trust you again if you keep doing that?"
Gadd closed his eyes and took a deep breath, the memory of Luigi's earlier tirade flashing across his mind.
"It's—it's about Nathan and his friends," he said finally. "That's why I need to call him immediately."
Gadd's fingers flew across his keyboard as he rang up Nathan.
Nathan's bus had just arrived at the Easton Kingdom Airport, and the gamer prince had just strode into the terminal when his phone notified him of an incoming Skype call.
"Hello?" he answered.
"Nathan, listen to me very carefully," said Gadd. "King Boo—he's been planning this for longer than we thought!"
"What do you mean?" asked Nathan.
"He didn't just wake up one day and decide, 'Oh, I'm gonna terrorize Nathan and his friends on Skype because they like Luigi'," explained Gadd. "You and the others were on his hit list from the beginning! He's had you guys followed for at least two years! The tournament the Boos hosted was only part of the trick!"
"Professor, I'm standing in line right now, and I don't want to hold things up," said Nathan. "Just—give me the short version, all right?"
"You and your friends didn't inadvertently stumble upon this mess!" Gadd said urgently. "It was all part of King Boo's plan! He wanted you to get involved! You played right into his hands!"
"Dio," breathed Luigi. "He was trapping Nathan and co. along with me and my friends."
"Yes, he was! Nathan and his friends did everything King Boo wanted them to do! They reached out to you via Messenger, they copied the files on the computer Nathan 'won', and they notified Princess Daisy of the situation, allowing the Boos to track her down! And now—King Boo's sending me photos of him, Hellen and his subjects with Nathan and his friends Photoshopped onto them! This—it's a frame-up. He's gonna make it look like Nathan and the people he was Skyping with tonight were complicit in this business."
"Oh, no," breathed Nathan. "That psychopath is going for broke tonight. Aw, man—can't this line move any faster?!"
"Hold on—what are you doing at the airport?" asked Luigi. "Where are you headed?"
"I'll explain later," said Nathan. "You need to confront Hellen right now."
"Wha—if—if King Boo's trying to frame you for this, then the airport's the last place you wanna be!" objected Luigi. "It's only gonna make you look guiltier, because it looks like you're trying to flee!"
"I left before Gadd found out about all of this," said Nathan. "Okay, the line's beginning to move a little faster, so we'll have to pick up our conversation later."
"Nathan…!" exclaimed Luigi.
But Nathan had already muted the call.
Luigi and Gadd exchanged alarmed looks.
"Go! Go!" shouted the Professor.
Luigi didn't need to be asked twice, inserting the four keys into the door's slots and watching the huge door slide open.
"Godspeed, Luigi," said Gadd.
Luigi gave Gadd a confident thumbs-up before blue replaced his Skype feed. The scientist heard his mentee take a deep breath and then stride into the office, where Hellen no doubt waited.
Back at the airport, Nathan's turn mercifully arrived, and he stood at the counter while the ticketing agent checked the availability for a flight to the city where the Last Resort was located.
"You're in luck, there's still room," said the ticketing agent, eliciting a relieved sigh from Nathan, "and with all of your eligible discounts applied, your fare comes out to $175.31. Would you like me to book you the cabin?"
"Please," said Nathan.
"Are you checking any baggage?"
"No. Thank you."
"Please, make yourself comfortable in our lounge. We'll let you know when it's time to board."
Nathan quickly found the aforementioned lounge and was happy to hear that there was an open bar. He wasted no time getting settled in with a few drinks, wishing that all of this would soon reveal itself as nothing more than a horrible dream.
But alas, that wasn't to be.
After his third drink, Nathan set up his other laptop, booted it up and signed into his Skype and Messenger accounts. Then, he plugged in his earbuds and selected a random music playlist to play on low while he dialed up Luigi and Gadd.
Luigi's feed was the first to connect, just in time for Nathan to hear his main spit out, "Get away from her, you [bleep]!"
Nathan's mouth nearly hit the table. If Luigi used that kind of language, especially toward a woman, then things had definitely gone to [bleep].
Gadd's feed then connected, the scientist putting a finger to his lip as he, too, listened in.
"Well, well, well," they heard a woman's voice, presumably Hellen's, purr. "I honestly didn't think you'd have it in you. A scaredy-cat like you, making it this far?" A soft laugh. "My God, you're just full of surprises!"
"And so are you," they heard Luigi growl in reply, the tone of his voice sending chills up Nathan's backside. "You weren't content with just helping King Boo seal my friends in portrait frames. No—you had to wait until I rescued them, and then have the Boos pounce on them and make me watch them die gruesomely just as I was about to lead them to safety."
"Easy, youngster," whispered Gadd. "Easy."
"And after I've endured floor after floor of Hell, I walk in here to find you—assaulting—my unofficial sister-in-law! Are you f—ing kidding me?!"
Nathan hearkened back to the brief back-and-forth he'd had with Hellen on BooSpace, when he'd temporarily assumed King Boo's guise. Quickly, he ordered another drink.
"Assaulting her? No," he heard Hellen purr. "Providing her with some much-needed company after the tragic loss of her beloved? Yes. And by the way, King Boo and I took turns f—ing her before we trapped her in her portrait. She loved it. Every minute. She cried out like a teenager experiencing her first time. She arched her back and begged us for more."
Both Nathan's and Gadd's faces were slate gray.
"Afterward, she thanked us for f—ing her. She said that she knew now how it felt to be with a pair of ghosts in that fashion. A pair of ghosts who could make her…"
"That's enough!" Luigi sharply broke in, making Nathan jump and almost spill his drink.
Gadd had a hand pressed to his chest as he gasped for breath.
L needs to take it easy, messaged Nathan.
Ikr, replied Gadd.
Hellen wants him to get p—ed off, so he'll be unable to focus and she can easily beat him, Nathan typed.
Exactly, Gadd typed back.
Gadd then addressed his mentee. "Luigi—Luigi—calm down," he said. "Don't engage. Don't react. You're only giving her exactly what she wants."
If Luigi heard the Professor, then he gave no indication.
"All I wanted was a vacation," Nathan and Gadd heard him say, "but instead, I get the worst night of my life. I should've known your invitation was too good to be true!"
The gamer and the scientist exchanged a look as Hellen chuckled.
"I'm sorry—did I hit a nerve just now?" they heard her ask. "Don't worry—I'm just giving you a taste of what you've put me through tonight."
"What I've put you through tonight?!" Luigi sounded incredulous.
"Yes, Luigi. Look at what you've done! You've ransacked my hotel, you've captured my staff with that strange vacuum of yours, you've gotten blood all over my décor and furniture—and worst of all—worst of all—you've catnapped my sweetie, my little darling—my precious Polterkitty!"
"Your 'little darling' almost mauled me to death!" they heard Luigi shoot back, "and she rejected Polterpup when he offered to play with her! She hurt my puppy's feelings!"
"Well, good!" they heard Hellen yell.
"You miss your Polterkitty, don't you? Well, don't worry—you'll be reunited with her very soon."
"Luigi, for God's sake!" hissed Nathan. "You're starting to sound like him!"
He heard Luigi breathing heavily and knew that something within him was bound to snap at any moment.
"This isn't how it was supposed to happen!" they heard Hellen gripe.
"Really? And how did you think it was gonna happen?!" they heard Luigi hotly demand of her. "Did you think I was gonna just sit there and let you and King Boo make off with the six people who truly give a [bleep] about me?!"
In response, Hellen let out a guttural cry of rage.
"J—s! Holy [bleep]!" they heard Luigi exclaim.
There was a thud, and Luigi's phone tumbled out of his pocket, allowing Gadd and Nathan to see Hellen's office.
"Luigi? What's going on?" asked Nathan.
He recoiled in his seat as an ancient, decrepit and demonic-looking face was thrust into the camera feed, eyes blood-red, blue hair disheveled and disordered.
"Oh!" Nathan cried out, his eyes going wide at the abomination before him. "Oh, holy—is that Hellen?! Holy f—ing God!"
Hellen screamed again as she smashed her desk to bits and stabbed an accusatory finger in Luigi's direction.
"You weren't supposed to run away from King Boo like a filthy coward!" she bellowed.
"What the Hell else was I supposed to do?!" Nathan and Gadd heard Luigi scream at the hotel owner.
"All of this could've been avoided if you'd just let yourself get caught in that painting!" Hellen screamed back.
Her hateful gaze then fell on Nathan. "And you!" she spat. "You weren't supposed to try and be a hero!"
"Hey!" Nathan heard Luigi bark. "You leave Nathan out of this!"
"Why should I?" sneered Hellen. "If he and his gamer friends had minded their own business, and if you'd been a man and accepted your fate, then King Boo would've showered me and my fan club with praise for our brilliant trap!"
"Wow, what a selfish [bleep]," muttered Nathan.
"But instead—instead…" Hellen fulminated. "I LOST EVERYTHING BECAUSE OF YOU!"
"And I lost everything because of YOU!" Luigi screamed out, and Nathan and Gadd saw Luigi jab his own accusing finger at Hellen. "You know something, Hellen? You and King Boo are perfect for each other! You're just as depraved as him, maybe more! Look at what you've done! You've put me through one nightmare after another, you've traumatized and tormented me, you've trapped and tortured my loved ones, you've coldly watched as your beloved King had at least fourteen people killed, and the cherry on this f—ing sundae?! You stand there and have the gall to make this about you and try to paint yourself as the victim! Who in the Inferno do you think you are?!"
"Well, if you'd gone quietly into your portrait, then maybe your loved ones and Nathan's gamer buddies would still be alive," Hellen said sadistically.
Nathan was beside himself. "You gotta be s—ing me," he murmured.
Gadd shook his head in disgust.
And they heard Luigi gasp with rage and saw a bluish-green glow materialize.
Seconds later, a blast of electricity was launched at Hellen, followed by another and another and another.
"Whoa!" yelled Nathan.
"Luigi! Luigi, stop!" exclaimed Gadd. "You have to stay in control!"
The barrage of electricity stopped, and Hellen emerged more or less unscathed, save for the scorch marks on her dress.
"That was my favorite dress," she said. "Now I'm really mad!"
"You think that was bad?" Nathan heard Luigi retort. "Sweetheart, you haven't seen anything yet!"
Hellen clenched her fists and snarled into the camera feed. Suddenly, her hands went to her face, and then something seemed to dawn on her. She whipped out a compact mirror, opened it, and used a powder puff to apply large amounts of makeup to her face. A cloud of powder obscured the camera for a few seconds, and when it receded, Hellen once again looked like the beautiful woman Nathan had seen in that Facebook post.
"The makeup hides her true appearance," murmured Nathan.
Deep breathing filled the office as both Hellen and Luigi composed themselves. Nathan heard Polterpup whine softly, followed by Gooigi saying something.
Hellen cleared her throat and smoothed out her dress. "Well, then," she said softly. "It looks like I'll have to deal with you myself. Then, I'll deal with Nathan, and after that—King Boo will trust me once more and recognize how useful I can be to him."
"You won't get your hands on Nathan," vowed Luigi, and Nathan noticed that his main's voice was a bit raspy from shouting and screaming earlier. "Not on my watch."
"Then stop me, if you can," challenged Hellen. "Shall we begin, Luigi? Do me a favor and try to make this enjoyable, won't you?"
There was the sound of a door clanking shut, and then a tall, white, turret-like structure rose from the ground.
The camera feed swung around so that Luigi was in the shot. His cap was a bit askew, and his hair was in slight disarray. Fire was in his eyes, and his face was a little red.
"Talk to you guys in a minute," he said. "I gotta deal with this [bleep]."
He put his phone back into his pocket, and then the sounds of a heated battle filled the Skype call.
"This is a total cluster-[bleep]," said Nathan.
"Say that again," said Gadd.
"Do you see Peach anywhere?" asked Nathan.
"No—my guess is that Hellen has her stashed in a secret area in the office," Gadd told him.
"Luigi needs to stay focused," said Nathan. "He can rescue Peach now and worry about getting p—ed at Hellen later."
"I was just about to say that," said Gadd. "After the stunt King Boo pulled with Mario and Daisy, I don't know if he's thinking straight anymore. After he's finished with Hellen, I'm gonna have a talk with him about this."
"Yeah, well—good luck with that," said Nathan.
He knocked back his drink and ordered yet another one.
"Hey," said the bartender. "I saw on the news that Vicky and her family were killed in a freak accident at their Halloween social. How are you holding up?"
Nathan sighed. "Not good. I was looking forward to our wedding." His head snapped up. "Accident?"
"That's what the authorities said. You—think it's something else? Their enemies?"
"I'd rather not talk about it right now," said Nathan.
"I'm here when you're ready, okay?" The bartender patted Nathan on the back.
Nathan smiled wanly. "Thanks."
Once the bartender left, Nathan spoke to Gadd.
"You're not gonna believe this," he said. "The Boos tried to make the deaths of Vicky and her family look like an accident."
"Or maybe they pulled some strings or issued threats—or both," said Gadd. "I don't know if the story will hold, though. I'm sure the neighbors heard the screams, like we did."
"We can only pray that someone comes forward with the truth," said Nathan, "and that someone will believe them."
"Now that would be a miracle, wouldn't it?" asked Gadd.
"Yeah," replied Nathan, and the two shared a laugh.
His attention was suddenly drawn to the feed showing his living room. The door opened, and some Boos floated inside, carrying a disturbingly human-shaped bundle.
"What are you—what are you doing?" asked Nathan.
The Boos waved wryly at the camera before gently laying the bundle onto the sofa and flying out of the camera's range.
"Hello?" called Nathan. "Hello, hello?"
Cackling was his sole response.
"Oh, no," said Gadd. "Nathan, I think they're framing you for kidnapping now."
"Kidnapping?!" Nathan repeated in shock. "Why…?"
He was interrupted by a feminine grunt and the sound of something striking flesh, followed by a sharp cry of pain. Then, there was a sharp hiss, along with several more sounds of impact, and finally the sound of something metal hitting the floor.
It was coming from Luigi's feed.
Nathan heard Luigi shout a wordless battle cry and run forward before releasing a Strobulb flash. Then, he listened to the vacuum whirring, Hellen struggling, and finally his main grunting with effort as he commenced to slam her repeatedly against the ground, holding nothing back.
"Whoo! Now that's what I'm talking about!" crowed Nathan.
Off of the gazes of everyone else in the lounge, he meekly said, "Sorry. That's my favorite scene from my favorite action movie."
One last resounding slam rang out, and then the sounds of scuffling became audible.
"What's he doing?" asked Nathan.
He gasped when he heard Luigi's voice, barking orders.
"You're gonna do as I say, or I swear to God, you're going into the Poltergust right here and now," he was saying.
"Luigi?" Gadd spoke up. "I—I don't like where this is going."
More scuffling, more orders being shouted. The sound of fingers on a keyboard. And then an incoming Skype call from—
"Hellen?" Nathan and Gadd asked in unison.
"Answer it," Luigi told them.
"What exactly is your plan here?" asked Nathan.
"Answer it!"
"Okay, all right!" said Nathan, clicking "Accept".
Hellen's feed appeared, showing her large, spacious office, one wall entirely overtaken by security monitors. And there was Hellen, looking sufficiently beat up, once again sporting her ghastly appearance, struggling against—something. Next to her was Luigi, undiluted malice all over his bruised, bloodied face, chest heaving. He had Hellen's ghostly tail caught inside the vacuum, while his free hand clutched the hotel owner's fur stole tightly in his fist, yanking it unmercifully.
"What's going on?" asked Nathan.
Luigi ignored him, addressing his nemesis. "Hi," he said in a low but angry voice. "Can you hear me?"
Yes.
"Good. Because you're gonna listen very f—ing closely to what I have to say!" The volume of Luigi's voice jumped up at a frightening rate.
I'm listening.
"The tables have turned, King Boo," spat Luigi, yanking on Hellen's stole harder and harder. "I have your fan club president—just a couple of tugs, and into the Poltergust she goes!" To underscore his point, he grabbed his vacuum's handle and pulled harshly on it, forcing Hellen slightly inside.
Nathan's heart pounded rapidly. He'd never seen this side of Luigi before.
"So—unless you want Hellen sending you fan letters from inside Professor Gadd's containment unit until Hell freezes over, I strongly suggest that you leave—my friends—alone!"
What are you proposing, Luigi?
"I'm not proposing anything," snapped Luigi. "I'm demanding."
"Demanding?" whispered Nathan.
Name your terms, then.
"Princess Peach goes free! And you'd better not think it's okay to go after Nathan or the Professor, either!"
Hmm. My fan club president, at your mercy. What's a King to do?
"It's either that—or neither of you will ever see the light of day again!"
Wow. Very persuasive. But I have a counterproposal. Instead of freeing the Princess, how about I send you a Smash player's d—k cheese? Then, do what you want with the [bleep]. I don't care. She's useless to me now. But I *did* enjoy having this conversation with you.
Hellen looked crestfallen.
"J—s," breathed Nathan. "King Boo doesn't give a rat's [bleep] about his own allies."
Seemingly translating despair into anger, Hellen broke free of the Poltergust, and her feed went to black.
"I don't know about you," said Nathan, "but I don't wanna see Luigi like that ever again."
"Seconded," said Gadd.
They fell silent as the harsh battle between Luigi and Hellen resumed.
"Why did he even think that would work, anyway?" whispered Nathan.
"It's just like I said before," sighed Gadd. "He's not thinking straight anymore. King Boo's got him too emotionally riled up."
Nathan heard a voice speak over the terminal's PA system and removed one of his earbuds to listen in.
The voice announced that his flight was delayed.
"That's just swell," huffed Nathan when he passed the news to Gadd.
"It's probably just some air traffic," Gadd said reassuringly.
"I sure hope so," huffed Nathan.
Polterpup's urgent barking sounded from Luigi's feed, letting Nathan know that he was attempting to aid his human.
"Get her, puppy!" Nathan heard Luigi cheer. "Get her!"
"I wish all pets were as loyal as Polterpup," mused Nathan.
Polterpup growled, there were sounds of a struggle, and then—
Hellen screamed out a horrible curse—
There was a sickening thump—
And Polterpup whimpered—
Nathan's eyes met Gadd's, the two of them sharing the same look of dawning horror as they heard Polterpup getting beaten, Hellen continuing to call the poor puppy vile names.
Then, they heard Luigi suck in his breath, his enraged yell, his running footsteps. The flash of the Strobulb as he stunned Hellen, the vacuum suctioning her in, and the heavy slams as Luigi began inflicting punishment on his opponent.
"Don't!"
Slam.
"You!"
Slam.
"F—ing!"
Slam.
"Touch!"
Slam.
"My!"
Slam.
"Polterpup!"
Slam. Slam. Slam. Slam. SLAM.
The slamming was abruptly cut off by the sound of something hard connecting. Breath left Luigi in a rush, and then Nathan heard him getting struck by something again—and again—and again.
"Tell me," he heard Hellen say. "Which is more painful?" Thwack. "A?" Thwack. "Or B?" Thwack. "Forehand?" Thwack. "Or backhand?" Thwack.
Several more blows landed before Nathan mercifully heard Luigi use Burst to escape the beating, followed by his Suction Shot to grab onto whatever the heck Hellen was beating him with. And then there was the satisfying sound of Hellen being repeatedly bashed against the ground.
"In my eyes, if you hurt a puppy, then you're the scum of the Earth!" growled Nathan.
"Indeed!" snapped Gadd.
The slamming stopped, and then the duo heard Luigi speaking softly to Polterpup, presumably comforting him and checking him for injuries.
"I want you to stay here, okay?" they heard him say. "I know you wanna help me, but I can't risk her hurting you like that."
A whine of protest.
"That mirror of hers isn't gonna stop me from saving Peach. But she was really going to town on you. Don't leave this spot—or you're not getting extra doggie treats for a week."
"Dude—don't threaten your dog," said Nathan. "He's only trying to help."
"I know," breathed Luigi's voice, "but when I saw her beating him savagely with that mirror…"
"She's using a mirror as a weapon?" asked Nathan.
"Yes, along with her security lasers, which are making it difficult for me to dodge her attacks," explained Luigi. "The lasers' switches are below me, and Gooigi's down there, trying to disable them."
"Look—all I'm saying is—Polterpup wants to look out for you the way you look out for him," said Nathan.
"He tried to yank the mirror away from Hellen—and she went ballistic," said Luigi. "I can't risk that happening again!"
"Luigi…" Nathan started to say.
An electric hum stopped him.
"Gotta go!" Luigi said hastily, and then the sounds of battle started back up.
"Lasers," said Nathan. "She's definitely not messing around."
He and Gadd waited in suspenseful silence as Luigi's fight against Hellen reached its apex.
Hefty blows were landed from both sides, and Nathan jumped each time he heard the sound of a body tumbling to the ground. He could also hear Luigi coughing and breathing raggedly at several intervals, along with Polterpup woofing restlessly. The sounds blended together into one maddening miasma, and soon, Nathan couldn't take it anymore and muted the volume.
He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.
He wound up taking a little nap.
The voice over the PA system jolted him awake, notifying him and everyone else that his flight was delayed further.
"Nathan?" asked Gadd. "Are you all right?"
"Yeah," replied Nathan, stretching his arms. "Did I miss anything?"
"I think he did it," Gadd told him. "He beat Hellen. Peach is safe now."
"Luigi, is that true?" asked Nathan.
He heard deep, sobbing breaths coming from Luigi's feed, along with whines from Polterpup.
"Luigi…?"
The ghost-wrangler withdrew his phone from his pocket, allowing Nathan and Gadd to see him. He was seated against a wall, his green cap in his lap, his hair plastered against his forehead, sweat dripping off his face, chest heaving. There were burns on him from what Nathan presumed were the lasers, and fresh bruises and lacerations covered him. Polterpup had his head on Luigi's knee, and the young man's free hand sifted absentmindedly through the pup's "fur".
"Hey," Luigi said breathily.
"Hey, man, talk to me," said Nathan.
"I'm sorry you guys had to listen to that," said Luigi.
"There's nothing to apologize for," Nathan told him.
"You and the Professor were right," sighed Luigi. "I shouldn't have let Hellen get to me like that. But it's been a night of Hell, and I'm nearly at the end of my rope."
"We know," Gadd spoke up, "but can you hold on until you've rescued Peach and the other gamers?"
"I can most certainly try," replied Luigi.
There was a squelching noise as Gooigi emerged from a nearby pipe and plopped himself down beside Luigi, draping an arm around him.
"You okay?" asked Gooigi.
Luigi leaned his head against Gooigi's shoulder in response. "No," he replied.
"You really freaked us out," Gooigi went on.
Luigi nodded. "I let my temper overpower me—again," he murmured.
"S'okay, Luigi," said Gooigi, drawing his companion in for a hug. "S'okay. I'm here. I got you."
Luigi returned the embrace, and the two sat there for a moment or two, wrapped in each other's arms.
Finally, Luigi drew a shaky breath. "All right," he said. "Time to free Peach and get out of here."
Luigi and Gooigi stood up, the former's feed tracking their movements as they located the Mushroom Princess. Nathan and Gadd watched Luigi pass his phone to Gooigi, the camera swiveling around so that they, too, could see Peach.
Her portrait was located in a secret room with a canopy bed, just as Gadd had suspected. She was clad in a thin nightie, lipstick marks on her skin, her hair in disorder. Nathan and Gadd heard Luigi gasp at the sight before seeing the Dark-Light Device's rainbow beam shine onto the painting.
Peach gracefully glided out, her bare feet hardly making a sound as she alighted on the floor. Chill bumps were soon visible on her skin, and she wrapped her arms around herself, shivering slightly with cold.
"Oh, my God…" she gasped.
"Princess?" Luigi spoke up. "It's okay. I'm right here."
He walked over and took her in her arms, holding her close.
"You're hurt," Peach said softly.
"It doesn't matter," said Luigi.
"You're bleeding…"
"It doesn't matter," Luigi said again.
The camera shifted as Gooigi fetched a nearby silk robe and draped it over Peach's shoulders.
"Thank you," intoned Peach.
She cinched the robe's belt around her waist and tied it securely before smoothing her hair.
"Your Grace?" Nathan spoke up. "Can you hear me?"
Peach's eyes flickered toward the camera. "Yes," she replied, a hint of sorrow in her dulcet voice. "You must be Nathan."
"I am."
"Luigi told me a little about you," Peach went on. "He told me that you main him in the Smash tournament."
"That's correct."
Peach sighed. "I know you didn't sign on for this, Nathan," she said.
"Neither did you. But everything's gonna be okay. Luigi's gonna get you to safety, lay the smackdown on King Boo and make everything all right."
"It's not fair," Peach told him, "what he's done to you. You shouldn't have to suffer because of some petty grudge."
"Try telling him that," Nathan said bitterly.
"I guess I should've suspected something, too," Peach told him. "When we first arrived, the hotel staff was behaving quite—strangely."
"Don't blame yourself," said Nathan. "Hellen broke King Boo out a year ago without anyone knowing."
Peach blinked. "Mario…"
"I…" stammered Nathan. "He…"
Nathan heard Luigi trying not to cry.
"They—they told me what happened," Peach went on. "It's true, isn't it? Mario—they got him, didn't they?"
Nathan heaved a sigh. "I—I wish I could lie to you, Your Grace."
"I'm so sorry, Princess," sniffled Luigi. "King Boo tried to make me choose—and I couldn't! I wouldn't!"
"Choose? Between Mario and…?"
"Yes."
"Oh, no. Are you telling me Daisy didn't make it, either?"
"She didn't…"
Peach bowed her head, mourning her best friend and her beloved.
"But you're safe now," said Luigi. "You're safe, and we're gonna make it through together, okay?"
"Okay," Peach said softly.
"Professor Gadd's here, and he's set up a lab and command center on the basement floor," said Luigi. "I need to get you down there."
"All right," said Peach.
The camera followed Luigi as he rummaged through a drawer and grabbed a pair of socks, which he handed to Peach. He sat beside her as she slipped the socks onto her feet, rubbing her back comfortingly.
"Ready to go?" he asked when she was finished.
"Yeah," replied Peach.
They stood up and walked out of the room, hand-in-hand.
"I'll have some hot beverages waiting," said Gadd, "and I'll grab Peach some proper clothes."
"Great," said Luigi. "See you soon."
Gooigi gave the phone back to Luigi, who pocketed it, denim once again taking up his feed.
"At least one person was saved tonight," said Nathan. "Now, all that remains is for Luigi to confront King Boo and send him into the Poltergust once and for all."
I don't think so.
"I warned you that you were gonna lose," said Gadd.
If you think this has a happy ending, then you haven't been paying attention.
King Boo's feed rematerialized, showing what looked like a home theater with a large movie screen. In the distance, Nathan and Gadd heard a door open and shut, and then Luigi and Peach walked into the frame.
"Oh, no…" said Gadd.
Peach was the first to notice the camera, stopping Luigi and pointing it out to him. All of the color drained from the latter's face, and he brandished the Poltergust.
"What's wrong?" asked Peach.
"Princess—run," Luigi tersely commanded. "Get inside the elevator, and press B1. That's where Gadd's lab is located. Once you're there, make a right, walk down the hall, and make another right when you see a door with a picture of a car above it. Just run. Hurry!"
Peach obeyed, but just before she could call the elevator, those pink gates slammed down in front of it.
"Luigi…" she uttered as ghostly laughter filled the room.
He was at her side in one leap. "Don't panic," he said. "I'm gonna get you out of this, so help me God."
Oh, we'll see. 3:D
Microseconds later, millions upon millions of ghosts surrounded Luigi and Peach—and attacked!
Luigi counterattacked fiercely, defending Peach with everything he had left, but it soon became clear that he was fighting a losing battle. Peach did what she could, too, brandishing a frying pan and swinging it at any ghost trying to grab her, but it only provided her with a temporary reprieve. With every ghost Luigi captured, at least five more seemed to appear. Nathan had his hands clenched in his lap as he watched, while Gadd rapidly muttered prayers under his breath. King Boo cackled through it all, and his subjects giggled along with him.
Your situation is hopeless. Surrender now.
"Yeah, when pigs fly!" snapped Nathan.
Flashes of white in King Boo's feed told Nathan that Boos were now in the penthouse suite, which spelled trouble for Luigi and Peach. And still, the former kept on fighting, desperate to at least bring someone out of danger, punches, swipes and whatnot from the ghosts knocking him down but not keeping him down as he struggled back up and doubled, tripled, and quadrupled his efforts.
Now, more than ever, Nathan wished he could jump through his laptop screen and help Luigi kick some paranormal [bleep]. And he was positive Gadd felt the same.
Things went from bad to worse as the Boos joined in the assault. Here, Luigi fought his hardest and pushed the Poltergust to its absolute limit—to no avail. He and Peach found themselves buffeted and barreled into by ghosts and Boos alike, leaving them covered in awful bruises and gashes. Luigi shouted for Peach to stay close to him, and Gooigi did what he could to cover them both, but it was hopeless. All so hopeless. The Boos and ghosts dogpiled the trio, and Nathan and Gadd could hear their screams and cries, hoping against hope.
Peach screamed, struggling against the ghosts holding her. Luigi, having been forced to one knee, endeavored to rise to help her, only for a ghost's hammy fist to knock him back down. Blood streamed from his mouth. A group of Boos seized him then, grabbing his arms and wrenching them behind his back.
Hold him nice and tight. I want him to see this.
The Boos then turned on Peach, easily divesting her of the robe and her nightie. Their appendages rubbed and groped all over her as Luigi yelled at them to stop. Poor Peach looked like she was about to throw up, but the Boos didn't care. They were grouped around her, licking her most intimate areas and giggling as she screamed. Luigi, along with Nathan and Gadd, had no choice but to watch.
"God, please…" uttered Nathan.
*I* am your God, remember?
After several minutes of this Hell, the Boos dragged Peach away as the Boos restraining Luigi held him back. Only the sounds of her screams remained.
Laughing, the Boos released Luigi and ordered the ghosts to "deal with him" before floating off after their brethren. The first thing Luigi did upon regrouping was dash after them, only for a ghost to grab him by his overall strap and fling him into the group of other ghosts. The sounds of a tussle mixed in with Peach's distant screams, a nightmarish cacophony. There was Luigi, stunning, heaving and slamming ghosts into the floor and each other. Pain and a host of other things were in his eyes, but he kept going. Gooigi tried to reach his companion, but the ghosts were just too much.
A second feed popped onto the Skype chat, showing Peach in what appeared to be a walk-in shower, dangling from the ceiling with her hands chained above her head. Her hair was loose and dangling over her shoulders, her eyes were blue-black with barely-repressed panic and she was breathing jerkily, wriggling against her bonds.
Don't struggle, Princess. It's only gonna make things worse.
"Stay calm, Princess!" cried Nathan. "Luigi's gonna get you out of this!"
No, he's not.
"Nathan, what's happening?" asked Luigi, still fighting the ghosts.
"The Boos have the Princess chained up in a shower!" reported Nathan.
"The Master Bathroom?" asked Luigi.
"Looks like it!" said Gadd.
Peach shrieked as the shower head turned on, spraying her nude body with water. Another spout of water bombarded her from above, fully soaking her.
"Luigi, you need to hurry!" Gadd frantically exclaimed. "I think they're gonna drown her!"
Close. I have something else in mind.
Nathan saw a circle of sprinklers activate just below Peach's waist, sending out water in continuous jets. Peach gasped, her body jolting a little.
Just a side order of pleasure to go along with the pain.
Gadd turned a light shade of green.
"Luigi…" said Nathan.
"I'm kinda busy at the moment," Luigi replied in an acutely stressed tone.
A punch from a ghost practically knocked him out of the frame, and Nathan could now only hear the increasingly heated struggle.
Meanwhile, on the other feed, Peach's breaths started to slacken as her lips trembled. Her chained hands clenched into fists, and her cheeks flushed.
"Wha…?" she started to ask, only for another deep gasp to taper off her question.
Her lashes fluttered, her eyes nearly rolling backward. Giggling and cackling seemed to come from everywhere.
What's the matter, Princess? Feeling a little *twinge* down there? Here, let me help you…
By now, Peach's brow was crinkled, shudders running along her hips, her eyes staring unseeingly ahead. Even more showers, sprinklers and jets activated around her body, the running water fanning up and down or left and right.
Just drop those inhibitions, and let your mind go blank. That shouldn't be hard.
Peach's head lolled back, a breathy moan escaping her.
On the feed showing the home theater, Nathan glimpsed the ghosts flying away, looking accomplished, and automatically assumed the worst.
"Luigi—are you still with us?" he asked.
"Yes," Luigi's voice weakly replied.
The long-suffering ghost wrangler limped back into the shot, bloodied and visibly in pain, before practically collapsing in front of the laptop.
"Dio," he said. "What are they doing to her?"
"Whatever it is, it involves water," Nathan replied.
Those pink barriers remained, trapping Luigi inside the home theater.
"Princess," he gasped, reaching out a hand towards the screen. "Peach…"
"Luigi?" Peach managed to say.
"I'm sorry—I was supposed to protect you…"
"This isn't your fault," said Peach. "You have to—ahhh—you have to stop blaming yourself. It's what King Boo wants…"
She bit back another moan, her hips jerking.
"You did the best you could, and you fought your hardest. For that—I thank you."
"This isn't over yet," said Luigi. "It's not over until we decide it is. I'm gonna find a way to get you out of there. Just—stay positive, okay? Just hold on. Hold on."
"I will. I swear to you, I will."
Peach squeezed her eyes shut, biting her lip, letting loose with a quiet whine which morphed into a long moan. When she opened her eyes, she looked to be in a different time—a different place.
"Luigi…" she breathed.
"I'm right here, Princess."
"Could you—could you please do me a favor?"
"Sure."
"Two years ago—Mario asked me a very important question, do you remember?"
"Yes, I do."
"Unfortunately, he asked that question in the wrong place at the wrong time. But now…" Peach paused, and there was a slight crack in her voice which she quickly shoved away. "…now, I've had time to think, and—now, I finally have an answer to that question. And the answer is—yes."
"Oh, Peach…" murmured Luigi.
"Just—tell Mario, okay? Tell him I said 'yes'. Tell him that I wanna spend the rest of my life with him. Tell him that we can make it work, one way or another."
"I'll tell him," promised Luigi. "I'll tell him as soon as I can, okay? He'll be so overjoyed that you've accepted his proposal. Can you see him, Peach? Can you see him, smiling and jumping for joy and saying, 'Wah-hoo!'? Because you've made him the happiest plumber on Earth."
Peach giggled, a blush rising to her cheeks.
"I'm gonna be with him soon," she said happily.
"Yes," nodded Luigi. "You are."
He hiccupped, tears jumping out of his eyes.
"The two of you—are gonna have—such a beautiful wedding…"
He sobbed, and Nathan started choking up, as well.
"Don't cry, Luigi," Peach said softly. "Please, don't cry."
"I can't help it," spluttered Luigi, "because I know it's not gonna happen! I'm so sorry, Peach! I fought those ghosts tooth and nail, but it just wasn't enough! I let you down, I let my bro down, I let Flynn, Ryder and Rian down…"
"Luigi, look at me," said Peach.
Wiping his tears, Luigi obliged.
"It's okay," she said soothingly. "It's okay, Luigi. It's okay. Listen—some…"
The feed cut to black before Peach could finish.
Okay, that's quite enough of that.
Nathan, Gadd and Luigi could only listen to the sounds coming from King Boo's feed. Deep gasps, languid sighs, quiet moans. Running, spraying water. High-pitched giggles and throaty cackling. The moaning, gasping and sighing built up to a crescendo, and just as it did—there was a low hum of electricity.
The trio had just enough time to exchange a horrified look before the sound of electric surges entered their ears.
And Peach screamed.
Her screams went on for what seemed like forever.
The vile King and his brethren laughed and laughed and laughed.
Nathan's head was spinning by the time the horrible sounds finally stopped.
He heard Luigi gag, and he saw him lunge out of the camera's frame and empty his guts.
King Boo sent yet another .jpg attachment to the chat.
Luigi composed himself and straightened. "No…" he whispered.
King Boo then opened the attachment, the others recoiling at what they saw.
It was Peach, her nude body hanging limply from her wrists inside the shower cubicle. Her alabaster skin was marked with horrific, severe burns, and some of them appeared to be smoking, too. Blood trickled from her nose and between her lips, and a mixture of agony and ecstasy was forevermore on her still face.
Luigi opened his mouth to say something, but no words would come out.
At least she went out with a big bang, typed King Boo.
"You—you…" spluttered Gadd. "You b—d!"
I'd watch the name-calling if I were you, Professor.
"Well, it's true!" charged Gadd. "You are a b—d! A sadistic, psychopathic, sick, twisted, spiteful, hateful, f—ing piece of [bleep] b—d!"
In response, the lights in his Lab shut off.
Gadd swore loudly, jumping a full foot out of his swivel chair.
I warned you, old man. Now, we *really* gonna have some fun…
"No! BS!" Luigi practically bellowed. "You can't have him, you hear me?! You can't have him!"
Stop me.
"Professor—find somewhere to hide!" Nathan instructed. "I'm gonna get help!"
"Hurry!" shouted Gadd.
As Luigi did his best to comfort his mentor, Nathan logged onto ChatRoulette, accepted their policy and confirmed that he was over 18 years old. Then, he waited for someone to join the chat room.
A purple-spotted Toad soon appeared. "Hello?" he spoke.
"Hi, can you hear me?" asked Nathan.
"Loud and clear."
"Oh, thank goodness," breathed Nathan. "I'm glad they matched you with me. Something—something's happened."
"My God—you look like you've been put through the wringer," said the Toad. "Is everything okay?"
"No," said Nathan. "That's why I'm on here. Maybe—you can help."
"What's going on?"
"I bring extremely grave news for the Mushroom Kingdom," Nathan said intently. "Your Mushroom Princess—Peach—is dead, along with your hero, Super Mario."
"What?"
"King Boo lured them, along with Professor Elvin Gadd and three Toad retainers, into a trap. The invitation to the Last Resort—it was a lure. Luigi managed to evade capture and has spent the night fighting his way to the top of the hotel. But then—King Boo decided to torture him…"
"Oh, my God…"
"He waited until Luigi rescued the Toad retainers, and then had his minions ambush them and make Luigi watch as the people he just rescued were brutally killed," Nathan explained. "In addition, more Boos tracked down Princess Daisy in Sarasaland. And then King Boo tried to make Luigi—choose."
"Between Daisy and Mario?" balked Purple Toad.
Nathan nodded. "Luigi stood up to King Boo, though; he refused to be controlled by that monster. So he killed them both. Mario, who was still sealed in a portrait, had gallons of corrosive acid poured all over him, and Daisy was accosted in her castle, dragged into her bathroom, and—you don't want to know."
Purple Toad looked ill.
"I'm so sorry to tell you this. Toadsworth and whoever's next in the royal line of succession should be roused and notified immediately."
"Don't worry," said Purple Toad. "Toadsworth will know what to do. Is there news on everyone else?"
"I'm currently Skyping with Luigi and Professor Gadd. The former is currently on the top floor of the hotel, and the latter is inside the Lab on the basement floor. And right now, the Professor's being targeted for an attack."
"How about you? Are you okay?"
"No. King Boo has also spent the night attacking me and my friends because we're Luigi's fans," said Nathan. "He practically eviscerated my fiancée and unborn child, along with her mother, Princess Éclair of the Waffle Kingdom, and quite possibly her entire royal court. One friend was turned into a mural, another was set up to be gunned down by the police, a third friend was forced to watch her sister and niece die before she and her fiancée were hurled to their deaths and a fourth was literally imprisoned in cyberspace and attacked by his own antivirus program. Not only that, he's ordered all of Luigi's fans and Smash mains to be trapped in portraits for all eternity."
"Oh, geez…"
"It gets worse. King Boo found the Professor's high-school sweetheart, Virginia, who was elderly, infirm and hospitalized, and forced him to reveal that he'd willingly brought him to the hotel after falling for an accomplice's manipulations by using her as collateral, just like he's used Luigi as collateral to make us play by his rules. Professor Gadd fessed up in exchange for Virginia's life—only for King Boo to have her killed anyway. Here—here's the Last Resort's address." He typed in the address he'd obtained earlier. "You gotta call the police or someone who can help—pronto!"
Purple Toad nodded, grabbed his phone and dialed 9-1-1.
"Yes, hi," he spoke to the operator. "I'm located in Toad Town, and there's a young man on the Internet who says that King Boo is wreaking havoc. He's had several people killed and countless others held captive because they're associated with Luigi. I'm sorry to say that Mario, Princess Peach and Princess Daisy are among the fatalities."
Nathan checked back in with Gadd and Luigi. "Someone's calling the authorities right now," he said soothingly.
"Yes, Luigi and Professor Gadd are still alive," Purple Toad was saying, "but they need assistance right away. Their current location is…" He gave the address Nathan provided. "I take it that your average response time is between 10 and 15 minutes. We're gonna need you to do better than that."
"Are they coming?" asked Nathan.
Purple Toad nodded. "They're on their way now."
"Thank you!"
"God be with us," said Purple Toad before Nathan closed ChatRoulette.
"The cavalry is on their way," Nathan reported. "It's almost over, all right? It's almost over."
"God bless you, Nathaniel Turner," breathed Luigi. "God bless you!"
Gadd nodded. "We can only pray they reach us before…"
His feed started to glitch.
"Oh—no…" choked out Luigi. "Professore…!"
"Professor, just run!" shouted Nathan. "Just—get out of there!"
Abruptly, Gadd's feed disconnected.
"Oh, please, no!" Luigi exclaimed, snatching at his hair.
"Luigi, calm down," said Nathan. "Help is coming, all right?"
That f—ing geezer is beyond help.
Then, Nathan received a notification that Professor Gadd was now sharing his screen with him and Luigi. A window popped up to show a blank Microsoft Word document.
"What is he doing?" Luigi fearfully asked.
As if in answer, words began appearing on the document, very unsettling words—
To Whom It May Concern,
Tonight, my insatiable ambition and greed got no less than fifteen innocent people killed and ruined my mentee's life.
I can't face it anymore.
It's a fitting penance that I now become what I've spent all of my life hunting. Now, I'll know what it feels like, constantly running away from a whirring red vacuum cleaner.
Hell would be slightly more preferable to this dreadful fate, but beggars can't be choosers, can they?
I'm sorry. Truly, I am.
Sincerely,
Professor Elvin Gadd
Klaxons sounded in Nathan's head as he read the note once—twice—thrice. He knew at once that King Boo and his ilk were behind this, as did Luigi.
"What did you do?" Luigi demanded of his archnemesis. "What in the Inferno did you do?!"
King Boo responded by sending a .jpeg attachment.
Reluctantly, Nathan clicked on it—and almost fainted.
Luigi screamed in anguish.
Professor Elvin Gadd lay on the floor of his lab, his clothes disheveled and his glasses askew, thick froth seeping from the corners of his mouth, his eyes wide open, his skin pale. A beaker lay centimeters from his outstretched hand, allowing Nathan to deduce that the Boos had either made Gadd drink its contents or forced it down his throat, most likely the latter.
Either way, a grand total of six important people in Luigi's life were now dead by King Boo's hands. Now, he was truly alone.
And so was Nathan.
"They're gone," he heard Luigi rasp out. "They're all gone…"
A leaden silence hung over the Skype chat.
Until—
In a sudden burst of rage, Luigi shoved the laptop in the home theater to the floor, spitting out a curse as he did. As soon as the laptop hit the floor, the feed cut to black.
"Whoa, Luigi! Take it easy!" Nathan exclaimed.
Luigi ignored him, continuing to scream and take out his grief on the home theater. Nathan winced and cringed at the sound of objects being flung against walls and onto the floor, shattering on impact. This was followed by a round of explosive sobbing, Luigi uttering "No" repeatedly.
"Luigi, please," Nathan tried again. "There are still people you need to save."
"Just so King Boo can kill them in front of me?" retorted Luigi. "Can you see? He's won already!"
About time you figured that out, Luigi. Now if you'd kindly stay where you are, I'll have your very own portrait frame ready for you shortly.
This comment seemed to snap Luigi out of it. "No—no—no," he said. "I can't think like that. King Boo hasn't won—he just has the upper hand. But he'd better enjoy it while it lasts."
The pink barriers had long since lifted from the home theater.
"All right, here's the plan," said Nathan. "Once my plane arrives, I'm gonna fly over there, and we'll fight that S.O.B together."
"You're not actually considering…?" Luigi began.
"What other choice do I have?" challenged Nathan. "I'm not gonna let you die in there, Luigi!"
"I'm not gonna die," said Luigi. "Not tonight."
"You're my main and my best friend," Nathan told him, "and as such, I need to have your back. At the very least, you shouldn't face King Boo alone."
"I have Polterpup and Gooigi," said Luigi. "Rushing over to help me puts the future of the Easton Kingdom at risk! You're next in line to the throne, remember?"
Nathan huffed. "I watched King Boo and his subjects pick off my fiancée, my unborn child and several of my closest friends—you think I want to be his next victim?!"
"You still have a future to look forward to," Luigi shot back. "I don't!"
Nathan hesitated. "I—I don't follow…"
The plumber reached into his pocket, pulled out a small, black box and opened it.
"God in Heaven," murmured Nathan. "It's—a ring. You were gonna—oh, J—s, Luigi."
"Something told me that we were ready," said Luigi, "but the Boos—they took her from me, and they took my bro, my sis and my friends from me!" He let out a sob.
"Luigi, I'm so sorry," said Nathan. "Wait—your sis? Do you mean…?"
"Yes," sniffled Luigi. "Peach had become a sister-in-law to me. But now…"
"Luigi—you did everything you could," said Nathan. "I mean, what more could you have done?"
"I should've declined that stupid invitation to begin with. Why did I have to fall for this trick again?!"
"You had no way of knowing, and neither did the Professor," offered Nathan. "And maybe if you'd smelled something, King Boo would've found another way to target you guys. Now, I'm telling you for the last time—you've got to let me help!"
"I'm sorry, Nate," hiccupped Luigi, "but this is something I have to do on my own."
Nathan's head fell into his hands.
You suggested one-on-one combat earlier, if I'm not mistaken, typed King Boo.
"Don't take the bait, Luigi," warned Nathan, but Luigi was operating on raw emotion now.
Well, I've reconsidered. I think that sounds like a wonderful idea. 3:D
"Luigi, can't you just think about this for a second?" pleaded Nathan. "He's gonna kill you!"
"I'm already dead," Luigi replied.
You and me, up on the roof. I'll be waiting for you. 3:D
"Fine," Luigi said in a hard voice. "See you soon."
"Luigi…!" exclaimed Nathan, but the man in green had already disconnected from the chat.
To add insult to injury, the PA system once again crackled to life, announcing that Nathan's flight had been delayed for at least another two hours.
The chances of this having a happy ending had grown alarmingly slim.
Please R&R.