10

Once the switch was pulled, Mario and Luigi quickly made their way towards the base and started climbing the tall wire fence that surrounded it. Being careful not to scratch themselves with the barbed wire that laced the top, the brothers were able to jump down onto the other side and land in the snow without any issues. From there, the two brothers made their way to the closest building and plowed through the heavily-locked glass door to get inside. They were inside a large storage house filled with many metal crates, most of which were stacked on top of each other. Looking around, Mario and Luigi discovered that the building they were in was connected by two small hallways on either side. They figured that the other buildings that made up the base were all interconnected by small hallways, all of which prevented intruders like them themselves from seeing what lies at the mysterious center of the base. There were no windows looking onto the other side of the building either, which would prove to be an obstacle for the brothers. After all, how else were they supposed to see where they should go in order to reach the dig? The only way that the brothers would no for sure was if they started down one of the hallways and work their way through all of the buildings of Bowser's snowy outpost.

"Well, at least it's warmer in here than out there." Luigi said. "And to think that several hours I would've had a negative reaction to that statement."

"It won't be this warm for much longer unless someone turns the power back on." Mario replied. "But that's the least of our worries. Right now, we need to find a way to reach the center of this base. The only thing we can do to find the way is to follow one of these hallways into one of the other two buildings that lay adjacent to the one we're in right now. This time, we should stick together in case one of us runs into a few of Bowser's goons. That way, we can help each other out in battle."

"You still don't trust me, huh?" Luigi said somewhat coolly to his brother, who was somewhat surprised at Luigi's remark.

"What makes you think that?" Mario asked. "I trust you."

"Then, why were you so worried about me when we were about to split up when we were searching the perimeter of this place for this place's power source?" Luigi asked.

"I was just worried for your safety, Luigi." Mario said. "I was worried enough when you almost suffocated to death back in those caves in the Mushroom Kingdom. I thought the poison gas killed you for sure."

"I don't think you trust me," Luigi said, "especially since after that incident five days ago. You're afraid that I'm going to do something stupid, aren't you?"

"Luigi now is not the time to argue." Mario said. "We need to reach the center of this base and enter that archaeological dig so we can locate another Crystal Star! The whole world is at stake! You saw that on the news not too long ago!"

"Shh! Someone's coming!" Luigi said. "Quick! Behind that crate!"

The brothers quickly hid behind a large stack of crates at the far end of the room as the Koopa voices started coming down the left hallway. The brothers peaked from behind the crates and saw two red-shelled Koopas emerging from the hallway. They seemed to be having some sort of conversation as they made their way to the door. The brothers listened in.

"So, do you think that the Mario Brothers are behind this little stunt as well?" one of the Koopas asked.

"Of course! Who or what else would it be? The power doesn't normally go off in this weather, because our small power grid is able to withstand this bitter cold. It doesn't just off for no reason!"

"I guess it could be possible." said the first Koopa. "Didn't Bowser mention that he spotted the airship that they supposedly crash-landed here?"

"I don't remember. But I think he did." said the second Koopa. "You think they would be able to survive in this bitter cold?"

"Hmm." said the first Koopa. "I don't know. Humans weren't meant to survive in such harsh places like this."

"Neither were we!" said the second Koopa. "The only reason we're here is because Bowser told we had to be here. He wanted us to help in the recovery of one of the lost Crystal Stars!"

"You think I don't know that already?!" the first Koopa yelled, almost uncontrollably. "Let's stop wasting our time and see what the problem with the power is. I'm sure it's nothing but a minor problem that needs stitching."

"I hope you're right, because I don't want to freeze my shell off anytime soon!"

The two Koopas made their way to the glass door and suddenly noticed that the door was already unlocked as the second Koopa reached for his keys.

"Why the door is already unlocked?" he asked. "Shouldn't this door be locked at all times?"

"Someone was here." said the first Koopa. "Any I having that whoever was here is still among us. By that, I mean two someones."

"Let's search the room." the second Koopa replied. "I'll check over by these crates over here on this end of the room. You search the other side."

Oh shit! Mario thought as the Koopas got closer.

"Alright, Luigi. Follow my lead!" Mario whispered.

"What are we going to do, exactly?" Luigi whispered back. "We're pretty much trapped!"

"We're going to fight." Mario replied. "What else are we going to do?"

Suddenly, one of the Koopas turned their heads in the brothers' direction and saw Mario standing out in the open.

"It's one of the brothers!" the Koopa shouted. The other turned around and saw Mario as well. Mario, who was shaking nervously inside, immediately dove back behind the crates to get away from the coming onslaught.

"Hey! Get back here you lousy piece of shit!" said the first Koopa.

"Looking for someone?" said a voice from behind. The Koopas turned around and saw Luigi standing before them.

"It's the other one!" said the second Koopa. "You're not getting away either!" "Oh, really?" Luigi inquired as he suddenly delivered a swift, yet powerful blow to the Koopa's face. Laying on the ground and bleeding, the Koopa tried returning the powerful blow, but Luigi kicked him the gut and then in the head before the Koopa was knocked inside of his shell. The second Koopa tried going after him, but he was suddenly surprised by an attack from Mario, who had since emerged from his hiding spot. After a few powerful kicks and punches, the other Koopa was seen hiding inside his shell, and whimpering alongside his friend.

"Whatever you two do, please don't hurt us!" the Koopas cried in unison. "It's Bowser that you want to hurt, not us! We're just doing what he tells us!"

"We'll be sure to send Bowser our regards." Mario said. "But in the meantime, I think it's time that you two learned a valuable lesson about revenge. Care to do the honors, Luigi?"

"With pleasure!" Luigi said as he lifted his right foot.

"W-what are you doing?!" the second Koopa asked. "Please! NO!"

Luigi kicked the shelled-in Koopa through the glass door and caused him to crash into the wire fence beyond, sending the Koopa creature into a deep sleep that he would not wake up from for a while. He then turned his attention to the other Koopa.

"You're next, buddy!" Luigi said.

"No! Please! I beg of you!"

But it was too late when the Koopa finished his sentence. He was already flying through the snow and then crashed into the fence a few seconds later. They were both unconscious. The brothers looked at each other with nervous glances.

"Hurry! Let's book our way down that left hallway." Mario said. "That could be our ticket to the center of this place!"

"But, what about the other hallway?" Luigi said. "There shouldn't be any Koopas coming from over there."

"I wouldn't count on it." Mario said. "We're better off going to where the danger is coming from. That's usually where we'll end up getting somewhere we need to go, right?"

"Fine." Luigi said. "But we should probably stay quiet even though the lights are off. Bowser is bound to be somewhere inside one of these buildings."

The brothers continued cautiously down the dark hallway to the next large building. They began to hear lots of voices as they ventured further, mainly those of Koopas, as well as a few Goombas. The brothers knew that they were about to find themselves in a lot of trouble if they simply walked into the next area, so they proceeded with extreme caution and sought to avoid any further conflicts by going unnoticed. Still, it was unclear as to how easily the brothers could manage such tactics. However, Mario and Luigi would soon find out as they continued approaching the doorway leading into the next building.

Hey, everyone! Sorry for yet another delay! Ugh! It's not easy when you're trying to write a story with a strong case of writer's block, coupled with the demands of life. However, I think I'll be able to write at normal pace again here soon. I just need to finish developing my ideas for the rest of this part of the story before I can move on to the next part, which I'm really excited for. I have so many ideas for what will happen later on, but I have to finish this part before I can get to the next part. I'll try to have another chapter up by next week. I will also try and make these chapters a little longer if possible. Until the next update, I'll see all of you later! Once again, sorry for such a long wait!

saturn95