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Mario and Peach crawled through the maze of the air vent. Their trek took much longer than expected because they had to decide which turn to make when they reached branches in the tunnel.
Mario called out to Peach ahead of him, "Think we could take a break? My knees are killing me."
"We can't stop! We have to find Luigi." She paused and offered the position of leading to Mario. He politely declined. She suddenly looked behind her as they continued. "You're not just saying that so you can look up my d---aaah!!" She disappeared.
Mario crawled fast to the hole that Peach fell through. She clung to the edge, fingers slipping from their grip. "A little help?" she asked terrified. Mario pulled Peach out of the hole, and they sat in the vent, catching their breath. "That was close," Peach said. Mario just nodded. He looked down the opening carefully. Mario shivered to think of how high up they were. It was almost 50 feet deep, a small empty room. It looked like a bundle of something was in one corner.
Mario brightened up. "Hey! Luigi!" he called. Peach gasped and joined him at the hole. He was sitting with his arms wrapped around his legs, head buried in his arms. He looked up slowly. He didn't smile or respond. He just looked up pathetically.
Mario softened. "Come on, Luigi. We're gonna get you out of there. But first you have to help us think of how." Luigi's gaze moved to the wall ahead of him. He seemed expressionless, and his eyes were like glass. Mario tried again.
"Come on, buddy, we need you to help us." No response. Peach moved in and spoke gently.
"Luigi, sweetie. Bowser did this to us too. But we're gonna be ok. You've got to help us think of how to get you out…" He didn't budge.
"Luigi," Mario said simply. Luigi looked back up. Mario lowered his arm through the opening, in a gesture of wanting to help. Luigi opened his mouth to speak.
"I don't need you," he said bitterly.
Mario winced. "Luigi. No, think positive…."
Luigi yelled back at him.
"Buzz off, butthead—thhhpbpbbp!!!" Luigi sputtered as a long jet of water shot into his face from a hole in the wall opposite him. Now three more holes in each wall unleashed freezing cold water into the cramped room. Luigi looked up in fear. It was as if he underwent a transformation.
"Mama mia! Get me out!!" he shouted. Mario looked to Peach. "What'll we do??" he was near hysterics himself.
"Why do we need to worry? He'll just float to the top!"
"He can't swim!!" Mario shouted.
Peach gasped wrung her hands, then exclaimed, "Oh!" She reached into her dress a third time, and brought out a slim chain link ladder, with wooden rungs in between. Mario gaped. "Where do you fin-----why didn't you get this earli--nevermind." They threw down one end of the escape ladder.
"Climb up!" shouted Peach. The water was already above Luigi's waist. He scrambled up the ladder as quick as he could. It took longer than he thought, the ladder was so much smaller than him.
He made it up halfway, when he saw a metal loop in the ladder start to twist and bend threateningly. He froze and shouted, "Loose link! Loose link!!"
"Hurry!" Mario shouted. Luigi continued his frantic climb. He was nearly there, when he grabbed the broken rung by accident. The link snapped, and one end of the ladder broke off, falling to the cold waters below. Luigi clung desperately to the broken wooden rung with one hand. He cried out and looked up in fright as Mario hopelessly reached out a hand to help.
"You're almost there!"
"No…." cried Luigi, looking back nervously. His hand began to slip as he reached with his other to take his brother's hand.
Mario stretched, but it was a hopeless effort. They were too far apart. Luigi's hand slid off the rung, and he fell into the rising water with a huge splash.
"Luigi!!" They two screamed. They watched the surface of the dark water, searching. Finally Luigi bobbed up and splashed wildly.
"Help!!" he coughed. The water seemed almost black, and aside from rising higher, it came crashing on Luigi in waves as if it were the ocean.
Peach watched helplessly. "You have to go get him!" she yelled to Mario.
"Me?? You're kidding! It's too high! You go!"
"Like I can save someone twice my weight!" she shouted back sarcastically. "Mario, this is you brother! You have to hurry!" Luigi was getting tired and struggled to stay afloat; the water was too high.
Mario looked through the opening and grimaced. Although the water was filled to half the height of the room, it still made quite a fall. He looked for Luigi, and what he saw instead filled him with horror. A hand, searching, grasping, slowly sank in the dark water. He saw Luigi no more.
Mario closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He removed his hat and handed it to Peach. "Here," he said, and quickly lowered himself through the hole. His hands gripped the edge of the opening. He hung there for what seemed like hours (again), and made the mistake of looking down. He cried out and tried to climb back up. But Peach wouldn't let him. She took a plastic baseball bat out of her dress and said loudly, "This is for your own good!" and bonked him on the head. He fell from the ceiling, screaming.
"Whoooaaa!" he hit the water hard, and he rose to the surface, calling for his brother.
"Luigi!!" he shouted. He searched the surface of the water frantically. "Man, that's cold!" He held his breath as he dived under. Peach waited at the top, holding her breath as well, looking for the two plumbers.
Mario blindly swam through the cold, dark mess, when he kicked something soft. He turned around and grabbed an unconscious Luigi, and he desperately tried to swim upward. He reached the surface and gasped, keeping Luigi's head above the water.
Peach in the meantime found yet another chain link escape ladder in her dress. ?? She dropped one end into the room and secured the other end.
Mario struggled to swim to the ladder, and somehow escaped with Luigi over his shoulder. They reached the opening, soaking wet, and Luigi lay in the vent…not breathing.
Peach and Mario looked at each other grimly. Unfortunately, neither of them had taken a real CPR course, and were at a loss as to what to do.
Mario knelt by his brother, and started to push his stomach.
"Come on, Luigi…." He pleaded.
Only ten seconds later did Luigi's eyes open. He coughed and choked, trying to sit up. Peach helped him up, and Mario embraced him hard. Luigi's teeth chattered as he worked to breath normally. Mario looked at him and smiled sadly.
"I can't lose you now….you still owe me 20 coins." Luigi grinned weakly. His smile abruptly faded. His breathing was rapid again.
"Why are we in an air vent?" he screeched. Thinking quick, Mario pulled Luigi's cap out of his brother's pocket and pulled it down over Luigi's eyes.
"There," he said decidedly. "Now it won't bother you anymore." Peach drew his attention in the opening. Luigi's room was absolutely filled with water, and was starting to spill over into the vent. They hurried into the maze of tunnels, leading the blinded Luigi.
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*Author's Note: I hope that was suspenseful. And yes, I'll admit that was a bit mushy. But this is the way I write. If you don't like it...don't read it!!!*