Chapter 8: The Best-Laid Plans of Yoshis and Men
0930 hours – Time till departure: 8:30
Shelly was standing behind a workbench in the basement of their headquarters, which were affectionately called "The Lair." Goombard was standing atop the workbench, helping Shelly explain to Mike and Yosh the way they were going to destroy the factory. "This," Shelly said lifting up a cylinder the size of a two-liter soda bottle, "is our explosive." She started to point things out as she talked. "This is the digital readout for the timer. The default is five minutes. Here is the code pad. This is where you can enter the override code or set the timer."
"Is there any other way?" Mike asked.
"To disarm the bomb? Well… There is the old reliable method of cutting the wires," Goombard answered.
"I meant to take out the factory," Mike said. The three others exchanged glances.
"You're new to this, aren't you?" Yosh asked.
"To killing innocent people? Yes, most definitely," Mike replied.
"Look, Mike. These people are working for Bowser," Yosh said. "Ya' know, Bowser. The one who's been oppressing both our worlds for over half a century. The one who remorselessly demolished any force that opposed. The one who robbed you and rose of your heritage."
"There is no reason that justifies what you're about to do," Mike said darkly. He glanced over for support, but Shelly was tinkering with another cylinder and Goombard had jumped down from the workbench and was looking through a bin of spare parts. He turned back to Yosh. "You speak of Bowser being an oppressor. Well, guess what? When people are oppressed, they usually lose everything. Most of the people working at that factory have no other choice."
"They should have known better," Yosh said coldly. Shelly and Goombard both turned to stare at him. He's starting to sound like Leo, Shelly thought.
"KNOWN BETTER?!?! KNOWN BETTER?!?! JESUS H. CHRIST!!!!" Mike yelled. He flailed his arms and made exasperated noises. Finally, he calmed down and sulked out of the room, muttering about how stupid it all was. He was so agitated, he didn't even notice Leo standing right outside the door. Leo quickly stepped to one side to let the brooding teen through. He stood there staring at Mike as he walked up the steps. Yosh stepped up next to him after being coaxed by Shelly to go after Mike. "This isn't gonna be easy," he commented to Leo.
"Yes. But it will all be worth it if we can pull it off," Leo said in a somber tone.
Yosh sighed. "I kinda feel bad about using them all like this, though."
"Don't worry. After I complete the deal, it'll be easy to get them all back."
Yosh turned to Leo, a concerned look on his face, "Are you sure that you can trust him?"
Leo met Yosh's stare and replied, "Don't worry. Everything will fall right into place."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1230 hours – Time till departure: 5:30
Mike lay on his bed, mindlessly chewing on a turkey sandwich Rose left him. He sighed. How did I get myself into this mess? he thought. He took another bite of his turkey sandwich. Leo's got to be a moron if he expects me to blow up that building. He paused and then started humming to himself, singing the words in his head. That's me in the corner. That's me in the spot-light, losing my religion. He sighed again. I don't even know why I'm here. Mike dwelled on this thought for a moment, turned it over in his mind. No, I do know why I'm here, he thought. I'm here because Rose believed in me, still believes in me. Even if I wasn't Luigi's grandson, she still would have believed in me. I've got to do this, if not for the others, then for her. I told her I'd make it work. I'll take out the factory. He sat up and said to himself, "But I'll do it my way." He was startled when the door opened. "Rose!" he yelped, "don't do that!"
"Sorry," Rose said, half-grinning. She looked at the half-eaten sandwich in Mike's hand. "You still haven't finished that? It's been over half an hour."
Mike looked down at the sandwich and then back up at Rose with a goofy grin on his face. "Hehe…" He put the sandwich back on the plate.
"Feeling better?" Rose asked.
"Somewhat."
"Need anything else?"
"Maybe."
"Like what?"
"Something."
Rose groaned. "I think you're doing much better."
"Perhaps. Can I ask you something?"
Rose sat down on her bed across from Mike. "Shoot."
"How long have you been with these guys?"
"Umm… Around nine months."
"That long? Well, what have you've been doing all this time?"
"Only supply raids and information gathering missions. Also, we have rescued defectors and hostages."
"Hmm…" Mike commented.
"What is it?"
"Leo and Yosh are the leaders of this outfit, right?
"Yeah…" Rose said, wondering where Mike was going with this train of thought.
"Well, doesn't it seem weird that those two go from valiantly saving others to cold and remorseless killing?"
"I guess… Leo had only come up with this idea a week ago."
"Hmm…" Mike commented again. "When did you tell them about me?"
Realization slowly dawned on Rose's face. "A little over a week ago… You don't think…"
"I'm not sure. It may be a coincidence. This may be a test set up by Leo to see how good I really am." Or a trap, he thought.
"Yeah, that's got to be it. I mean, what would Leo have to gain?" Rose asked flustered.
"You're probably right. Nothing to be worried about," Mike said cheerfully. Rose looked relieved and walked out the door. Watching her go, he thought, She knows something's wrong as much as I do. Coming back to his original concern, he thought, But what would Leo and Yosh have to gain? And from whom?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1730 hours – Time to departure 0:30
Everyone was sitting around the table in the kitchen, save for Rose. Yosh had a casual air about him as he discussed the mission plan with Leo. Peach seemed nervous about something as she warily eyed Leo. There's something different about him tonight. I wonder what it could be? she thought. Shelly and Goombard ate in silence. What Mike had said earlier had rattled them both. Mike's attention was focused on some point off in distant space. This was apparent thought his repeated attempts to put his dinner in his mouth through is cheek. "Are you okay Mike?" Shelly asked. Mike didn't respond. "Hello? Mike? Anybody home?" Shelley asked again, louder. Mike was still starting off into space. Shelly finally kicked Mike in the shins.
"Hunh? Wha? Oh, sorry Shelly. Were you saying something?" Mike replied almost sleepily.
"I was just commenting on your unusual method of eating food," Shelly said, pointing to her cheek.
Mike wiped off his cheek and said, "Well, my parents always said I had a eating problem." He gave a weak laugh. "So, is everything ready?"
"What do you mean?"
"Is everything ready for the mission?" The conversation died all around the table as everyone turned to stare at Mike. Mike looked around and asked, "What? I'm still going, aren't I?"
"So you finally got off your high horse, eh kid?" Leo asked. Yosh shot him a warning look that Mike missed. "Finally realized that real rebellions are nothing like the movies?"
"What makes you say that I was under that impression at any time?" Mike retorted.
"I just thought that your moral code would have made you sit this one out."
"Well, I'm going and that's that," Mike replied, standing up from the table. "Excuse me, but I need to finish getting ready." Yosh and Leo exchanged knowing glances, and a faint smile touched Leo's lips. Everything's falling into place, he thought.
Mike walked into his room where Rose was waiting for him. Seeing Rose waiting for him, he asked, "Where have you been, Rose? You've been gone most of the afternoon."
"I was getting you this," Rose said, pulling something out from under her mattress. It was five feet long, one inch thick, dark green with brass tips. She tossed it to Mike, who made a fumbling catch. He was surprised by how light it was. "I figured that you would need some sort of weapon. I was down at the dojo customizing it." Mike took a few swipes with the staff, testing the balance and flex of it. "Pretty good, huh?"
"Yeah. Nice and light. Good flex to it," Mike responded, flipping it into the air and catching it. He looked at Rose and said, "Thanks."
"Any guesses about Leo?" Rose asked.
"He and Yosh are up to something, but I'm not sure what," Mike answered grimly.
"Anyway, you should be careful."
Mike put on a half-grin and asked, "Paranoid, Rose?"
Rose stood up, put on a similar smile, and responded, "Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't after you." Mike grinned and picked up his bag of "luggage". "Good luck," Rose said, watching him walk out the door.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1845 hours
Mike sat on the end of his bed cradling his chin in his hand, think about the upcoming mission. The four of them, Shelly, Goombard, Yosh, and Mike, had just checked into their hotel room in Mike's hometown. They had gotten two adjacent rooms, one for Yosh and Mike, the other for Shelly and Goombard. Shelly and Goombard entered the room from their adjacent lodgings, Shelly holding a roll of papers in her hand. "Come over here, Mike. Since you left the briefing early, this will be your first run through the plan," she said, pulling over a small table and unrolling the papers.
"Considering I'm the 'leader' of this operation, I don't do much leading, do I," he replied dryly. He pulled up a chair and sat backwards on it.
"The plan is that Yosh and I will sneak in through the loading docks and plant the bomb in the center of the factory," Shelly said, tracing their route with one claw.
Mike looked at the route and said, "Please tell me you're not going through the air ducts." Yosh and Shelly looked at him wordlessly. Mike held his head in his hands and said in disbelief, "Oh my god, they're going through the air ducts."
Shelly continued unperturbed, "Goombard will act as lookout here." She pointed to a brown dot on the map.
"And what, pray tell, am I doing?" Mike asked.
"You'll be creating a diversion at the front door, drawing the guards away from the entrance that we'll be using."
Mike stood up and said, disgusted, "Well, it's official. This is the stupidest plan I have ever heard."
"What's wrong with it?" Yosh asked.
"Would you like that list sorted alphabetically, chronologically, or by how stupid? How about my part? How am I getting out of that mess? Besides, anyone who has a head on their shoulders would get suspicious of such of a distraction at a factory like that. Should I go on? How about even coming to this hotel? Didn't you see all the looks we were getting? It's almost like a bad joke! 'A Goomba, a Yoshi, and a koopa walk into a bar…' I can see the punch line now!" Mike spat sarcastically.
"Those are only problems because you made them problems. You stuck out like a sore thumb on the way up here! They'll only be suspicious if you do a bad job of acting!" Yosh said. He stood up and glared at Mike, "I personally think this is one of Leo's best plans!" The electricity in the room was almost tangible at the two stared at each other with equal amounts of hate.
Mike turned away first. He put his hand on his chin and lowered his head. "Leo…" he muttered. He then slapped himself in the forehead and said, "DUH! It's so simple!" He turned back to Yosh and said with a touch of venom, "Leo wants to get rid of me. He's afraid of me. Rose has been telling you guys how great I am that he feels challenged!" He scanned the plans, "Well, Leo can take his plan and stuff it. Come on guys, let's come up with a new one." No one stirred. Mike looked up and said, "Well?"
"I think that Leo's plan is pretty good, Mike…" Goombard commented quietly.
"So do I…" Shelly added.
"Oh, I get it. You're all in awe over the infallible grandson of Mario. You share in his opinion that Luigi was nothing more than a worthless coward. Well, I'll tell you this: He was greater than all of you combined. I knew him for a long time without knowing who he really was, and in that time he proved himself to be a great person. He was caring and loving and knew more about me than any of you could ever guess," Mike said, tears brimming, his anger taking over. He strode over to the pile of bags and picked one up. "I suggest that you all go back to your idol and god, Leo. And when you see him, tell him to take his revolution, and shove it up his ass." He strode over to the door and, quoting a now long forgotten show, "Screw you guys, I'm going home."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1930 hours
Mike walked up to the front door of his house, exhausted but feeling much better than he had before. He put his hand on the doorknob and turned it easily. Forgot to lock it when Rose dragged me out of here, he thought. He looked up and sighed. "Why did you have to do that?" he muttered. He stepped inside the door and turned on the lights.
Meanwhile, Yosh sat alone on his bed in the hotel. Shelly and Goombard were in their own room, quietly talking about what Mike had said. Yosh stopped listening to their conversation and picked up the receiver on the video phone. He dialed a number and switched the phone over to voice-only mode. It rang three times, and then Leo's voice come through. "Is everything in order?" he asked.
"It went perfectly. Mike took the bomb, and by tomorrow, he will be out of the picture," Yosh replied.
"Good. If Plan A doesn't work, be ready to use Plan B."
"Affirmative."
Mike set the duffel bag down in the center of his room. He opened it and removed its contents, the bomb Shelly had shown him. He took a good look at it, turned it around in his hands. What am I going to do with you? he asked himself in his head. Suddenly, he noticed that the timer read 0:30. "That's strange…" Mike commented. He rustled through the other contents, eventually finding the little handwritten sheet with the instructions that Shelly left in there. He scanned the note, finding the code to re-set the timer. He punched in the access code and waited. To Mike surprise and dread, the timer started counting down. "Oh shit!" Mike swore. He scanned the paper again, thankfully finding the disarm code. He punched it in and breathed a sigh of relief as the timer stopped at 22 seconds. "That was too close," Mike sighed, wiping his forehead. Suddenly, the timer started up again. "Goddamn it!" he yelled. He tried punching in the disarm code again, but to no avail. Goombard's words, "…There is the old reliable method of cutting the wires…" rang in his ears as he pulled out his pocketknife. Red wire, it's always the red wire, he thought, opening the access lid. There was a red, blue, green, and yellow wire running through it. He placed his knife along the red wire. Suddenly, Leo's voice was in his head, saying, "… nothing like the movies …" He took his knife away from the red wire. 0:15 the timer read. Which one, which one? He thought frantically. His knife wavered with his indecision. Suddenly, his own voice resounded in his head, saying, "…share in his opinion that Luigi was a coward…" Mike grinned and cut the wire.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A/N: Sorry about taking so long to update this, schoolwork's been a major pain and I had a huge case of writer's block. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Don't stay up too late wondering about the cliffhanger!