Chapter 62: Magnus: Upgraded

They entered the room with the large door. It was a large circular chamber, but completely void of anything at all. It had to have been the size of a warehouse.

"What this place supposed to be?" Eddy asked. "There ain't nothin' here!"

"Perhaps they used this room to test newly designed weapons." Double D suggested.

"Hey, be careful!" Vivian shouted all of a sudden. "The computers are picking up electrical activity that's off the charts!"

"But how? There is nothing in this place." Bobbery said, looking about the chamber.

"Naïve fools." A new voice added in.

They all watched as something fell from the ceiling. It was an enormous thing that caused them all to fall backwards upon hitting the floor.

"What the heck was that?" Eddy asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, not again!" Double D exclaimed.

There before them was a huge robot, that looked almost exactly like the Magnus von Grapple, but even larger.

"Crump." Rolf sneered.

Crump's insidious laugher echoed in the large chamber. "Oh, it's the idiot squad."

"Crump!" Eddy shouted. "Alright, cut to the chase! Where's the star, and Mario and Flurrie… and uh… what did I forget?"

"Peach and the Kankers! Tell us where you are holding them!" Double D yelled.

"Asking so many questions, and yet you'll never live to have them answered." Crump taunted. "You see, my updated fighting machine, the Magnus von Grapple, version 2, is twice the fire power you experienced in the past."

"Uh… what?" Eddy asked.

"This is something Rolf and I have experienced before. Keep focused, you have no idea how many attack patterns this has." Double D said.

"No many attacks will allow evil man to be victorious." Rolf vowed.

"Well, see you losers!" Crump shouted.

And with that, the Magnus started to charge the group.

"Divide and conquer!" Double D said to his team, and they all ran in separate directions before the Magnus could hit them.

Crump looked up and saw Bobbery, Eddy, and Jonny running to him.

"Inferior." Crump laughed.

Bobbery jumped on him first and set off an explosion.

BOOM!

But the metal of the robot seemed even stronger, as he was quickly thrown back by his own explosion.

"Kid, I need a lift!" Eddy shouted to Jonny.

Eddy jumped on his head without explanation and then off him and into the air.

"What the-" Crump asked.

Eddy laughed and smacked the glass covering the cockpit of the robot. Crump shouted, expecting it to break open, but instead, he just cracked it.

Eddy fell back down to the floor.

"You will regret that." Crump said and fired two large missiles.

"Ah!" Eddy shouted as he saw them heading for him.

"Flame Shield!"

Double D's shield blocked the attack from the missiles.

"Thanks." Eddy said back.

"You're welcome. Now listen. We can't hurt this robot by any physical direct attack."

"Then Rolf has a suggestion." Rolf held out the Emerald Star.

"Of course!" Double D said. "All of you, I need time to increase our power."

"Got it." Eddy said.

Rolf put away his star and they all rushed the robot. Double D held the Gold Star.

"Oh, what chaos." Jimmy said as he heard the battle going on.

"They'll be okay. I'm sure they will." Nazz said.

"How can you be?" Kevin inquired. "They're up on the moon, and if something goes wrong, we can't just go up there and fix it."

"My dad's tough." Eduardo Jr. said. "I know he'll be okay; he has to be."

"Agreed." Vivian said with a smile. "I'm positive that they will win. That's because they would never give up under the risks of losing."

"It makes me shudder." Koops said. "I mean, what if they do? The world's outcome depends on this."

"Don't worry." Kevin said. "Eddy will probably keep nagging them about it. Believe me, if Eddy annoys someone enough, he'll get them to achieve just about anything."

"Alright!" Double D exclaimed. "Alright, I've increased our power with the crystal star's ability!"

"Yeah, I can feel it!" Eddy shouted as an aura of light surrounded him. "Alright, now it's time to bring on the heat!"

"It's temporary, Eddy! Be careful to act wisely!" Double D shouted back.

Goombella rushed ahead of the group with a battle cry. She jumped into the air without hesitation and slammed on the machine.

Like nothing, it dented at her force.

"Ah! You'll pay for this!" Crump shouted.

"Crump should speak of payment? CRUMP!" Rolf screamed.

"Is someone angry?" Crump taunted.

"Stop hiding in that, you coward!" Rolf shouted. "Come and face Rolf like a man!"

"I don't have to waste my time!" Crump shouted.

The Magnus's left arm shot out of its socket like a missile. Rolf had no time to react. It made a loud bang.

BANG!

Everyone looked in time to see Rolf fall to the floor.

"The fool couldn't beat me. And neither can you." Crump said.

"You have made a mockery of us long enough!" Double D shouted, pointing at the robot.

"Fire!"

The Magnus merely flashed.

"What?" Double D asked.

"Oh. Did you think this new robot was nothing unlike the old?" Crump asked. "This one has been equipped with the power of the Crystal Star! The weapons are of an entire new level."

"We've been against the power of a Star." Double D realized. "He has gotten his tactics all sorted out."

"For example, get a load of this!" Crump said.

A large outer hatch opened wide, revealing a large opening.

"Is that a laser cannon?" Double D asked.

He suddenly realized his hair was swaying. His own shirt was shaking, as if there was wind.

"But this is impossible. How can there be wind here…" He suddenly understood.

The opening was a vacuum, and it was trying to swallow everything.

"Hold onto something!" Double D shouted.

"He's trying to eat us!" Jonny shouted, desperate to hang onto his wooden friend.

Rolf's unconscious body started to move on the ground.

Double D suddenly started laughing.

"What's the deal?" Crump asked.

"You're truly sad." Double D stated.

He suddenly reached for Bobbery.

Bobbery looked aghast. "What-"

"I have a plan!" Double D shouted.

He took Bobbery and threw him right at the Magnus. He shouted as he got sucked in.

"Are you trying to kill him?" Eddy asked.

"No! In fact, we have just made the final move!" Double D shouted, pointing at the Magnus.

"FIREBALL!"

One large fireball shot from his hand. It instantly got sucked up by the vacuum.

"Fat lot of good that will do for you fools." Crump said. "The robot's fire resistant."

"Think about it." Double D said, not holding onto the walls to keep himself secure. "There's a Bomb-omb in you with three times his normal power, and I just lit the fuse!"

Crump looked at Double D, and then at the rest of the group.

Then, looking himself in the reflection of his broken glass cockpit, he gasped. "Crud."

There were three guards positioned at the gates of the fortress. From some windows, they saw a sudden explosion.

"What was that?" One of them shouted.

The doors suddenly burst open.

"Evacuate!" An elite soldier shouted.

"But we have orders to remain at our posts!" one of them argued.

"And I am of a superior ranking. Now come, evacuate!"

"But what about those two we captured?"

"Forget them! RUN!"

Rolf slowly started to come to.

"Uh…" He suddenly realized the others where around him, and behind them where the ruins of the Magnus. "What?"

"We did it." Double D said, smiling as he held the last star in his hand.

"And Crump?" Rolf asked.

"He's down. We won't have to worry about him again." Eddy answered standing next to Goombella and they both exchanged smiles.

"Then we succeeded? We have saved the world?" Rolf asked.

"We still have to find Peach, Mario, Flurrie, and the Kanker sisters." Double D said. He looked back at the robot rubble. "Come, we better leave."

The group silently walked out of the chamber. They closed the door behind them, unaware of the beaten up, but still pugnacious figure unburying itself from the ashes…

The hallways were much more silent and calm now that they beat Crump. Not a soldier was to be found.

"They must have retreated." Double D said. "Good, this means no more violence."

Suddenly, a door broke open.

"Mario?" Double D asked.

Mario, wielding his ultra hammer, gave them a warm-hearted smile. Flurrie, who was following him, emerged from the broken door.

"Are you guys okay?" Eddy asked.

"We'll-a be fine." Mario said.

"What happened to you?" Goombella asked.

"Long story." Flurrie said. "Too long for even an actress like myself to explain."

"Alright, we have the star. Now where are the other prisoners?" Double D asked.

"And how do we get out of this dump?" Eddy asked.

"Good job guys!" Nazz suddenly said from Double D's radie.

"Sorry, we just came back in contact!" Jimmy spoke next. "That explosion gave us a lot of static. Is everyone alright?"

"We're fine. But it's not over yet." Bobbery said.

"Can you tell us how to get to the prison rooms?" Jonny asked.

"Yes." Vivian said. "Listen carefully, I'll guide you."

Lee was almost completely out of energy. Every remnant was focused on connecting wires.

"I have to hook TEC back up. I have to get help." Her hands were shaking.

She stopped and looked at her swollen hands. "I can't do this anymore…"

She fell on the ground. "The pain… is too unbearable… I'd rather…"

Lee was too exhausted, too tired to even think. Her eyes slowly closed.

At that second, the doors opened.

"LEE!?" Eddy shouted.

"Oh, my word!" Double D shouted.

The group ran to her.

"Is she okay?" Nazz asked over the radio.

"No, she's worse now than ever." Ed suddenly interrupted.

As the rest of the group looked at her, Double D took note of a badly damaged computer nearby.

"What's this?" he asked.

As noticed, some of the wired were put together.

"Strange." Double D mumbled "I wonder…"

As he approached the monitor, it suddenly flashed. A weak green visual appeared on screen. The others looked up to it.

"Hello?" A weak computerized voice said suddenly.

"Who's there?" Rolf shouted.

"Do not fear me. I am an ally. I… am TEC."

"The AI." Double D said. "The one who's been assisting Peach and Kankers from the start."

"Lemme get this strait. You're a good guy?" Eddy asked.

"Please… listen." TEC said. "Grodus… has taken Peach and Marie from here. He going to the Palace of Shadow."

"Where's that?" Jonny asked.

"Behind the… Thousand-Year Door." TEC explained.

The others just looked.

"Please get Lee out of here." TEC said weakly. "Escape."

"But how?" Double D asked.

"There's… a teleporter in the base… go, hurry." TEC said.

"What's the hurry? We can make it, we just gotta go." Eddy said.

"After that explosion… an automatic safety… mecha…nisim has… activated. The base will self destruct in 10... minutes."