The next chapter of this flashback fic, picking up where the last one left off, is now told from Wario's perspective...along with Ashley and Young Cricket's, too.
DISCLAIMER: WarioWare Inc. is a property of Nintendo. Any other characters from different franchises (even though they're not directly involved with this story's plot at hand) are properties of their respective owners. For example, while I own my fan character, Blaze Bomber, Hudson Soft (and yes, Konami) still owns Bomberman. Any songs "used" for the following situation(s) at hand belong to Nintendo, Konami, Capcom, etc.
Chapter 2: Terrorism at the Diamond City International Airport
It was Wario's turn to tell us his side of the story, but not without calling Ashley and Young Cricket in to assist him.
"18-Volt, Jimmy, Ashley, Young Cricket, and even I were there at the airport," said Wario, "but those selfish punks had the balls to ruin everything!"
Young Cricket, on the other hand, had something else to say. "I kinda wanted Kat and Ana to come with us under my protection, but their sensei needed them for their ninja training. Let's just say we're lucky they stayed back at Diamond Dojo, otherwise...who knows what might've happened to them, had Crasher and Blaster felt like doing more than just hack their way into the airport's control tower?"
(WARIO, YOUNG CRICKET, AND ASHLEY'S FLASHBACK - JUNE 10, 20XX)
Back at the airport, all the runway lights went out (obviously due to the hacking). Wario, Young Cricket, Ashley, Jimmy, and even 18-Volt became shocked to see this happen. As a matter of fact, 9-Volt, 5-Volt, and Mona's plane could not land like this. Young Cricket deduced that this predicament could affect all the other planes, mainly the ones desperately low on fuel.
"No...why does this have to happen to my poor lil' buddy?" 18-Volt panicked. "What black-hearted beast would do this?"
"Only one way to find out," said Ashley, "and that's by paying a visit to the airport's control tower, fast!"
"But the airport security doesn't allow unauthorized personnel in there!" Jimmy complained.
Wario butted in. "Then we'll just have to make ourselves authorized!"
Later, Wario led his close friends to an elevator, eventually arriving at the control tower above the airport. To their surprise, however, they were stopped by a beefy man in an outfit worn only by airport personnel, including himself.
"Hey," the man barked, "this is a restricted area!"
Wario got up front to answer, "We're here on emergency! Wario, President of WarioWare Inc., at your service!"
The beefy man folded his arms in suspicion. "State your reasons as to why I, Chief Gonzales, should let a small group of game makers like you, into my control tower."
[Interlude BGM: Moonlit Army (Contra: Hard Corps)]
Suddenly, a loudspeaker came on, with Crasher's voice. "Attention, DCIA control tower, we are in charge now!"
"Hey!" Chief Gonzales shouted. "How'd you get into the control tower?! Who is this?!"
"We are the Contra Terror gang. I'm Crasher, their leader. Blaster is second-in-command to me...and yes, my brother, as well. But that's the least of your concern right now. Unless you want hundreds of lives lost, although we'd enjoy the opportunity, you will do exactly as we say."
The airport chief gritted his teeth in anger, but then gave in. "...Fine. Name it."
"There is a foreign military plane shipping our comrade-in-arms, the Killer Drill, to Virtual Prison beyond this airport. But, it will be making an unscheduled stop here instead, with our intervention. Any attempt to restore power to the runway lights will result in severe - and I do mean SEVERE - penalties. Oh, and don't even think of restoring the power from your control tower; our hacking prevents it from happening."
"Where are you?!" Wario bellowed, shaking his fist at the loudspeaker.
Crasher scoffed at Wario's remark. "Isn't it obvious? I believe you do know of a certain laboratory we're in..."
Wario gasped at what the sadistic space pirate just said. "Dr. Crygor's lab...but why?"
"Because 1: it's nearby the airport, and 2: it makes a good base of operations to us. Now, I also believe you do know of a young girl who's a descendant of Dr. Crygor himself..."
"You leave her outta this!"
(END FLASHBACK)
(PRESENT DAY)
"Now that those space pirates had the airport security's attention," said Dr. Crygor, still comforting his frightened granddaughter, "they eventually demonstrated without delay or remorse as to what happens whenever anybody 'failed and/or refused' to obey their demands. It's my fault they're in control of my lab. I knew I should've just left all air-defensive tactics to the US military, rather than attempt to recreate one myself! Then no innocent lives would be lost by now..."
(DR. CRYGOR AND PENNY'S FLASHBACK - JUNE 10, 20XX)
Meanwhile, at Crygor Labs, Blaster was threatening Penny with a flamethrower.
"Talk!" Blaster demanded. "Where are your missiles located?"
Penny yelled in response, "I don't give it away to terrorists like you! They belong to my grandpa, and they're only used for defense from space invaders like you!"
"So, you wish to test me and my older brother, eh? I'd burn you to the bone now, but not until after you spill the beans. Then again, I can't guarantee..."
Before Blaster could finish his threatening demand, Dr. Crygor stepped inside to call him and his co-leader out. "STOP! Leave my granddaughter alone!"
"How nice of you to make your acquaintance, Dr. Crygor!" Crasher snickered. "Your robot Mike was 'kind' enough to let us in."
"Now," said Blaster, "your granddaughter dies if you do not tell us where your missiles are located."
"What do you want with them? I only use them for defense opportunities."
"Better talk, or your granddaughter's as good as crisp!"
"Don't do it, grandpa!" Penny cried.
Dr. Crygor clenched his fists in anger. "Grrr...Alright! If you let her go, I'll lead you straight to my missile control room!"
Blaster snickered, "Much obliged, old man."
(END FLASHBACK)
(PRESENT DAY)
As soon as Dr. Crygor finished telling his next part of the story, Lance put his hand on the old man's shoulder. "Relax, doc! Remember what Ami said earlier: this wasn't your fault. Crasher, Blaster, and their space goons are to blame for the damage they've done, right? I'm sure even your granddaughter doesn't believe it's your fault, either."
Penny nodded quietly in response to what Lance said.
"Anyway," said Bill, "what was the damage? It wasn't too severe, was it?"
"Although Mona, 9-Volt, and his mom's plane wasn't destroyed during the so-called 'demonstration'," answered Ashley, "it still didn't excuse that Crasher and Blaster killed innocent people aboard one of the landing planes, anyway!"
(WARIO, YOUNG CRICKET, AND ASHLEY'S FLASHBACK - JUNE 10, 20XX)
Back at the airport's control tower, Crasher and Blaster contacted Chief Gonzales and his staff members via loudspeaker once more.
"We shall demonstrate what happens when people fail and/or refuse to follow our demands." Then Crasher hacked into one of the nearby plane's network, and put up a fake Southern accent to fool the pilots. "This is the DCIA control tower. We jus' restored pow-uh to them runway lights. Just follow mah directions, and you'll be at that there runway safe and sound, ol' buddy."
Wario attempted to get Crasher's attention by shouting at the loudspeaker. "Hey! Knock it off, you jerk!"
"I don't think he's listening..." Jimmy worried.
A few minutes later, the nearby plane came down as instructed, but just as it appeared out of the clouds, a missile came by and incinerated it in a huge explosion! Wario, Ashley, and even Chief Gonzales were enraged at the horrifying scene they had just witnessed out the window.
"NO!" Wario bellowed. "You monsters! YOU SICK, EVIL MONSTERS!"
"Over 250 people were aboard that plane!" Gonzales added. "And according to the records, it was from Argentina!"
"At least 9-Volt and his mom, along with Mona, weren't killed..." said Jimmy quietly.
Ashley, on the other hand, was just as mad as Wario and Chief Gonzales were now. "This is unforgivable!"
Crasher cackled in his normal voice over the loudspeaker. "Ha ha ha ha ha ha HA! Looks like your old man's missiles came to good use for real! Now that you've seen our demonstration, you will do as we say, or else we'll do the same to every other plane...and even the entire airport! We have turned the so-called 'defensive missiles' into massively offensive missiles!"
"May you and your black-hearted gang die for this!" Ashley yelled. "We'll grant you to hell yet!"
Young Cricket formulated a plan to his fellow WarioWare friends. "We've got to get to Dr. Crygor's lab before the Contra Terror gang can do anymore damage!"
[End BGM]
As soon as Crasher finished his threatening speech by announcing that he would go directly to the airport to find the Killer Drill himself, Blaster took over the supervision of forcing every staff member of the airport to fully fuel a private cargo plane. Wario and his friends, on the other hand, were discussing the situation with Chief Gonzales.
"While it's true that I'm a mean witch-in-training with a bewitching personality," said Ashley, "I would never kill people for my own personal gain like a heartless monster!"
"So...you guys gonna stop 'em?" asked Gonzales. "But what if they use those missiles against you?"
Young Cricket reassured the airport chief. "We won't let that happen to us. That's a promise."
"...Alright. You may help an anti-terrorist squad that I just contacted. Sergeant Latem is their leader; he looks like this." He showed Wario and his friends the photo of the sergeant, and continued, "His name may sound weird at first, but I don't think he's bad. Just be careful, but for now, I'm letting you guys in on the situation. I want those Contra Terror monsters stopped ASAP! That's an order!"
(END FLASHBACK)
(PRESENT DAY)
"A sergeant whose name is metal spelled backwards?" asked Blaze Bomber.
"I know, it's pretty odd, if not unusual at first," said Young Cricket. "But as soon as we met up with his group at Crygor Labs...well, let's just say things weren't as it seemed."
(YOUNG CRICKET'S FLASHBACK - JUNE 10, 20XX)
Later, at Crygor Labs, Wario, Ashley, Jimmy, Young Cricket, and 18-Volt met up with Sergeant Latem and his anti-terrorist squad.
"Sgt. Latem at your service. I've heard of the Killer Drill - I used to work with him. Taught him everything I know before he went rogue and started plundering for a living. I got a bone to pick with him."
"Me too!" exclaimed Wario. "And that goes double for Crasher and Blaster! They can't get away with killing people as long as we're around to set things right!"
"When I say we grant them to hell," said Ashley, "I mean it."
Suddenly, Latem stopped moving. "Just a moment. I have to contact my leader to let him know we're moving in." Then he got out his communicator, and whispered incomprehensible so nobody heard what he was saying.
"Who are you talking to?" asked Young Cricket, as Latem hung up his communicator.
"Huh? Oh, nothing. I was just checking in like I told you. Why?"
18-Volt turned to face Young Cricket. "What's up with this guy?"
"I don't know." Young Cricket replied with suspicion. "He was speaking to someone, whom he claimed to be his leader, with his communicator quietly..."
[Alert BGM: Space Pirate Assault (Metroid: Zero Mission)]
All of a sudden, Crasher and Blaster's minions opened fire on the anti-terrorist group. Sergeant Latem was just standing there, while his troops are firing at the enemies, but Young Cricket felt that something wasn't right. The anti-terrorist group's shots aren't doing anything to the bad guys, while their sergeant was just standing there.
Something's strange, thought Young Cricket. Right after Latem spoke with his communicator, the Contra Terror forces just sprung into action all of a sudden, and we didn't even storm the lab or trigger the alarm! There were hardly any enemy guards around the front, and we weren't even in their range of detection...
The martial artist-in-training's train of thought stopped as Ashley grabbed his shoulder. "C'mon, Cricket! We've got a job to do! Let them distract these monsters!"
The WarioWare team busted on in to the lab, avoiding gunfire with the help of Ashley's magic, and knocking out the enemy guards in the process. As soon as they got to the room where Blaster was holding Dr. Crygor and Penny prisoner, Wario and Jimmy freed them, while Ashley and Young Cricket killed the space pirates who were illegally controlling the missiles.
"I know it is in my code that I'm not to intentionally kill one another," said Young Cricket, "but in this case, I'm making an exception."
Ashley nodded. "At least those crooks are no longer in control of everything."
"Thanks for freeing us," said Penny, "but Crasher's gone back to the airport to pick up the Killer Drill! He's arriving as his two superiors instructed in just minutes!"
"Why, that scoundrel!" Wario shouted. "I'll stop him!"
Suddenly, Blaster interrupted their moment with a cackle. "You'll never take me or Crasher alive! Oh, and you might wanna reconsider teaming up with Sergeant Latem! It looks like he was working for the 'winning team' all this time, and I'm glad it ain't you conceited clowns! You wanna know why? Here's the answer..." He grabbed one of his followers' machine guns and fired around, forcing everyone to duck. However, no bullet ever came out of the gun. "I'm sure you've seen that in a movie, but who cares? You've already lost, anyway!" Then he ran off with the rest of his troops that weren't killed in action.
Young Cricket's suspicions were correct. "I knew it...something really wasn't right after all. They were using blanks from the beginning!"
"In other words, Sergeant Latem was in cahoots with the Contra Terror gang all along!" Wario pounded his fist in frustration. "That's the last straw! We're going back to the airport to finish those evil space pirates off once and for all! I'd rather put up with losing to Mario than let Crasher and Blaster kill innocent people on my watch!"
"They won't be doing anymore killing anytime soon," said Penny. "They're no longer in control of our missiles."
Dr. Crygor then briefed Wario's group on the situation at hand. "I've heard that they're planning on escaping aboard a private cargo plane at the DCIA after making a rendezvous with the Killer Drill! You've got to put a stop to their nefarious plans and their escape!"
[End BGM]
(END FLASHBACK)
(PRESENT DAY)
"After a rather humiliating betrayal," said Young Cricket, "we immediately headed back to the Diamond City International Airport to notify Chief Gonzales about the news."
"But meanwhile," added Ashley, "Wario went to the now-arrived foreign transport plane to take care of the Contra Terror gang personally."
TO BE CONTINUED...
A LITTLE KNOWN FACT: For those of you wondering what Ashley said about "granting Crasher and Blaster's gang to hell", there actually existed an accidental controversy (according to both Nintendo and the then-alive Nintendo Power) in her theme song with English lyrics, originating in WarioWare: Touched! on Nintendo DS. If you go to the Turntable souvenir and spin the record real fast during the first solo, then you'll see the controversy itself which consisted of the lyrics being meshed together. In short, doing so makes it sound like Ashley was saying in her own theme song, "I have granted kids to hell!"
All controversies aside, see you next time!