Wait, what's this? An update on a Friday!? What's next an apocalypse?! Is something alien approaching!? Well here's the deal. I'm going to be away this weekend so I won't be able to update on Saturday but I didn't want to keep you guys waiting so I'm going to upload this now for you instead. In the last chapter: Henry's team liberated most of Oz and now must save queen Ozma and her palace. What will happen next? Let's find out!
Chapter 23: Countdown to Ozmageddon
The team gathered around Dorothy.
"Queen Ozma must be in one of the back rooms in the palace."
"Do you know your way there?" Marth asked her.
"Yes. I also know a short cut we can take."
"This palace is large, is it?" Califia asked?
Dorothy nodded.
"Let's try not to get lost, people." Henry said.
"What's with the machines here in Oz, anyway?" John asked. "I don't see no steam pipes, no valves…"
"Now you know how your world looks to us." Ike told him.
"Do they run on…magic?" Tom asked.
"No, no, no, no. this is science, pure and simple." Randolph said looking out the window.
"Pretty good science, then." Tiger Lily said.
"Raaarrr! Enough talk!" Lion growled. "It's time to fight!"
"We're racing against the clock here!" Scarecrow added.
"My heart cannot take much more!" Tin Man yelled causing both of his companions to fall over.
"Easy, Tin Man." John said.
"They're right, John. We're going—Right through the front door." Henry said.
"Sir, yes, sir!"
"We've got a problem here."
"What is it Kathrine?" Henry asked.
"I'm picking up aliens that appear to have an explosive charge in the center of the palace."
"What!? Are they going to destroy the whole palace!?" Dorothy asked.
"Not if we stop them." Henry said. "Ike' Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin man, Lion and I will go look for the queen. John take the others and stop those bombers!"
"We're on it!" John replied.
"Do be careful everyone." Milton said.
John and his team reached the center of the palace in search of the bombers.
"It should be around here." Randolph said.
"Look!" Tom said.
The team saw two small aliens with three legs and a purple center.
"Bombugs." Randolph said. "Fascinating."
The aliens panicked at the site of the team and ran.
"They move quickly." Marth noted.
"I'm picking up five of them!" Kathrin said on the wireless. "It looks like they'll blow in five minutes!"
"We need to hurry!" Queequeg said.
"How do we stop them critters?" Tom asked.
"If you can get in close, the steam from your packs should neutralize the aliens, chemical reaction."
"Let's hurry!" Marth said. "Lucina, John, Tom, Fox and I will search the upper floor! The rest of you look around here!"
"Alright. Robin said. "Let's go!"
Robin's team found the first Bombug hiding behind a bench.
"There!" Queequeg said.
Tiger Lily jumped over the bench and shoot steam at it. The alien soon busted into flames.
"That's one."
"This is Carter. We eliminated the first Bombug."
"Good." John replied. "Tom just go rid of another one. How much time is left?"
"Four minutes!" Kathrine said. "Please hurry!"
"Look out!" Robin yelled. Suddenly a Commander and two Stealth Prowlers fired at the team.
"We don't have time for this!" Califia said as they hid behind the bench.
Queequeg shot his penguin lobber at them and Califia shoot her rhino bomber.
"We got this! Get the bombers" Queequeg said.
"Be careful. And good luck." Tiger Lily said.
"Ha! Queequeg need's no luck!"
Robin Randolph and Tiger Lily hurried on ahead.
"Which of you shall die first!?" Califia asked activating her mechanical fists and charging at the aliens.
"Who going to fall to Queequeg?" Queequeg asked as he brought out his harpoon and followed behind her.
Lucina slashed through a Scourge and Tom used his punch gun to destroy a Hound.
"There it is! Marth said.
John shoot a grenade at the third Bombug dazing it before running up to it to defuse it.
"Three minutes left!" Kathrine said.
"They might be on the other side of the room!" Marth said looking past the railing that stopped people from falling to the floor below them.
Back down stairs Queequeg and Califia caught up to the others after finishing off the aliens.
"Did you find the monster?" Califia asked.
Tiger Lily pointed in front of them.
Bombug was sitting behind a thin pole covering its three eyes and trying to curl itself up in an attempt to hide behind it.
"Um, for what it's worth we almost didn't see you there. Kind of." Robin said as the team stared at it.
Randolph sighed and walked up to the alien and defused it.
"I suppose intellectually they aren't much."
"How smart do you think they can be if they can only detonate themselves?" Califia asked.
Before she could get an answer they heard a noise from above.
A grenade shooting Prowler on the second floor shoot at the ceiling above them causing a chunk of it to come crashing down on the team.
Lucina looked in horror from over the railing as it landed on them.
"Robin, no!"
"I must end you!"
Marth cut the Prowler to ribbons before it could do anything else.
He and the others ran to where Lucina was standing but couldn't see anything pastfrom the dust from the wreckage.
"Team come in!" John yelled. "Do you read me!? Respond!"
"We're fine." Califia said.
As the dust cleared Lucina and the others saw a barrier that shielded the team.
"Quick thinking professor." Robin said.
"Naturally." Randolph replied as the tentacles generating the shield withdrew back into his steam pack.
"Thank the gods!" Lucina said. "You almost gave me a heart attack!"
"Sorry." Robin replied. "We'll be fine."
"While I'm glad to hear that everyone's okay we have less than one minute left!" Kathrine yelled.
"Damn! Let's hurry!" John said.
After looking past the railing his team saw the last Bombug.
"There it is! Get it, quick!" Marth yelled.
He John, Tom and Lucina ran after the alien as fox left in the other direction.
"Where is Fox going?" Lucina asked.
"Never mind that!" Tom said. "Let's just grab that critter before it's too late!"
"Thirty seconds remaining!" Kathrine yelled.
The Bombug was faster than the team and the distance was getting bigger between them.
"It's too fast!" Lucina panicked. "We're going to loses it!"
Suddenly a bang was heard and the alien flipped over.
"What was that?" Tom asked.
The team looked across the room to see Fox on the other side of the room.
"So that's what she was up too." Lucina said.
"Ten seconds left!" Kathrine interrupted.
The team hurried to the alien.
"Five, Four…"
John and Tom shot steam from their packs at the Bombug,
"Three, Two, One,"
The alien burned up in flames.
"Phew! That one was too close for comfort!" John said.
"The creatures are all defused. Fantastic work, everyone!" Kathrine said.
"That's that." Marth said. "We should met up with the others and—
"Look out!"
Lucina pushed Marth out of the way as a Slasher jumped out of the shadows and brought down its bladed tail.
The alien slashed at Lucina's side causing blood to spray out of her.
Her sword fell out of her grasp and she fell to the floor.
"NO!" Marth yelled.
John blew up the alien with a grenade.
Marth ran up to Lucina and turned her onto her back.
She was bleeding badly and was unconscious.
"Damn!" Marth growled.
Fox caught up with the team. She ran up to them when she saw Lucina.
"What happened!?"
"Fox, get Tiger Lily, quick!" Marth told her.
Fox nodded and left as fast as she could.
Marth tried using Falchion too heal her.
"Any luck?" Tom asked.
"She's bleeding too quickly!"
"There must be something we can do!" John said.
Marth panicked. If there was one thing the legendary Hero King feared it was the thought of losing a friend.
"Hey, look!" Tom said.
Marth turned to see where Lucina's sword fell. The blade was glowing just like Falchion.
He walked over to it and picked up the blade. Like before he noticed that it felt familiar in his grasp.
"It's just like…"
Marth hurried to Lucina and placed both swords near her injury. The wound slowly closed and her face became peaceful.
"It worked!" John said.
"Wow. Can you do that with any fancy sword?" Tom asked. "Robin did tell me that magic is commonly used in your world."
"No. Healing is one of Falchion's abilities." Marth said. "What is going on?"
"Behind you!" John yelled.
Another Slasher tried to ambush Marth but this time he was ready.
He blocked its tail with his sword and slashed though the monster with Lucina's blade cutting it cleanly in half.
"Hey! How'd you do that!?" John asked.
"Do what?" Marth asked.
"Back at Boston I took a swing at one of those critters with that thing and it didn't even scratch it! Lucina told me that it was passed down her family and only certain people in it can use that sword if it thinks they're worthy!"
"That sounds just like…."
Marth looked at both swords.
"Could it be…? But that's impossible!"
Marth then realized something and turned to Lucina's unconscious form.
"Unless…"
"What is it?" Tom asked.
Before he got an answer they heard Fox's voice.
"They are over here!"
"John, Tom, promise me you won't tell anyone that I used her sword." Marth said as he quickly put Lucina's weapon back in her sheath.
"Why?" Tom asked. "What's so-?
"Promise me!"
"Alright, alright. If it's that important too you the secret's safe with me." John said.
"My lips are sealed." Tom added.
"You have my thanks."
"Lucina!"
Robin ran up to the princess then knelt down and cradled her in his arms.
"Oh gods, please no…." Robin said with tears threatening to fall.
"She'll be fine Robin, don't worry." John told him.
"Seems that way but it looks like she lost a lot of blood. We need to get her out of here and back to the Liberty." Tiger Lily said.
Robin nodded and got up lifting Lucina in his arms.
"I'll go with you." Marth said.
"The rest of us will meet up with the captain." Fox said.
"Good luck." Marth said.
Robin hurried down the hall carrying Lucina with Tiger Lily and Marth following.
John watched them as they left.
"What in the world was all that about?"
Will Lucina survive? Will Henry's team find queen Ozma before it's too late? How can Marth use Lucina's sword? Find out all this (Not that last one though. Those who don't already know will have to wait for a while!) and more next time!