Chapter 63: Duel Against the Clock

Everyone made a collective gasp.

"10 minutes?" Double D repeated. "Oh dear."

"You guys gotta get outta there, now!" Kevin shouted over the radio.

"No prob." Eddy said, trying to sound confident, but there was also a sign of fear in his tone.

"I'm scared!" Jimmy shouted into his receiver. "I can't bear the thought of losing more of my friends!"

"Don't worry." Goombella said. "All we have to do is find another way out."

"Take… the teleport machine." TEC said.

"That'll do for an escape, I guess!" Eddy said.

"Take Lee." TEC said. "The teleporter is… up on…"

"No need to say more. We have a map; we shall find it." Ed said.

"Lee's critical." Goombella said. "We got to, like, get here out. Now."

"Got it." Eddy said as he and Ed held her up.

Jonny had to prop up Rolf who was still weak.

"Okay, let's get a move on." Bobbery said.

Jonny led Rolf out first, then the Eds with Lee. Bobbery and Goombella ran out the door to catch up. Mario and Flurrie were following after them, leaving Double D. But as he turned to reach the door, he quickly turned back.

"Wait a moment." He faced the computer. "What about you?"

TEC's machine whirred softly. "I am just… a machine. An imperfect… failed computer. I'm not worth… saving. Go, make it out."

"I can't leave you behind." Double D protested; his face determined as it looked like his mind was made up.

"How can I?" TEC asked. "I cannot even leave this room."

"Please?" Double D asked. "There must be a way out for you too? Can't you try to transfer your AI somewhere else?"

"I… can try…" TEC said.

"You must. You're far too good of a soul to be left to such a fate." Double D argued.

"You must go now."

Double D didn't respond.

"Don't worry… hero. I shall be alright. Go on… time marches as we speak."

Double D took one last look and ran out the door.

"You're nearly there!" Vivian said. "The room should be beyond the upcoming door."

"And not a moment too soon." Ed said.

They opened a large door and saw a pod-looking machine. Large wires were connected to the top and bottom. It was surrounded by machinery.

"This has to be it."

"Judging by the size, I think it can take two at a time." Double D said.

"Then we should get Lee out first. She's in the worst shape." Ed said, holding her unconscious body.

"Then go." Eddy said. "We'll meet ya there in a second, dude."

Ed nodded and brought Lee into the pod.

"I'll have to activate it via my laptop." Double D took out a wire and plugged it into the machine.

Double D quickly downloaded the system's escape procedure.

"Stand clear." He typed in a code.

The pod started to glow. Everyone looked. Ed and lee started to levitate. Blue and yellow sparks filled the pod. Then there was a quick flash, and the room was brightly lit.

They watched Ed and Lee slowly fade away from view.

"That's so cool!" Jonny said.

"But vital." Double D pushed another button.

The machine stopped glowing and slowly came to a halt.

"Who is next?" Double D asked.

"I simply must escape, this place has too many bad memories." Flurrie said.

"I suppose I'll go along." Bobbery said, walking to her.

"Then please enter. I'll being the sequence again." Double D stated.

"This is interesting, I've got to say." Goombella said.

Eddy looked a little intimidated by the size of the machine. He watched as it started to glow even brighter.

"Aw, jeez!" He shouted, covering his eyes.

"Uh… sorry, Eddy." Double D sighed.

The machine stopped glowing.

"Next." Double D said.

"I guess we're up." Goombella and Eddy walked over to the pod.

"Uh, Double D? Will this hurt?" He asked.

"Maybe." Double D started to type in a code again.

Sparks and light started to fill the room. Eddy and Goombella started to lift in the air.

"Hm… seems fine." Double D watched them vanish, and the machine stop again.

"Hurry, you have 8 minutes left!" Jimmy shouted.

"I'm going." Jonny said. "And Plank makes two!"

Double D started up the laptop again. They quickly vanished.

"Edward." Came a voice suddenly.

Double D looked around. "TEC?"

"C-c-c-crump." TEC managed to say.

"What? We beat him. Where's-?"

Double D's question was answered as the door burst open.

"You can't stop me so easily." Crump's voice said.

Double D looked and saw him waiting there menacingly.

"Why you…" Rolf said quietly.

"Rolf, you're too weak to battle." Double D revealed his rod. "I shall do this."

"Me-a too!" Mario said confidently.

"No." Double D said, holding out his arm. "Take Rolf and escape. I shall handle this."

"But what about-"

"Go on. Run, you cowards. Double D! I agree to let them go under the terms that you battle me." Crump said.

Double D sighed. "Go on. I want you safe."

"I refuse to leave you here alone!" Mario said.

"Very well. Then I'll destroy the teleport pod, and we all die. Make your choice." Crump said.

Double D looked at the timer. 7 minutes to go. He sighed and started to type in the code.

"You can do this, Double D. I have-a confidence." Mario said as he walked in the glowing pod.

Rolf only managed to groan. There was the flash, and then they vanished.

Double D was now left alone with Crump.

"Shall we duel?" Crump asked. He held out a glowing X-naut staff.

"We shall." Double D said. He held out his rod.

"Double D, be careful." Vivian said over the radio.

"Dad, you gotta beat this guy! I don't want to lose you!" Eduardo Jr. added in.

"I won't lose." Double D replied confidently.

"Realize what the stakes are:" Crump said. "The teleport pod will only work on one more transfer. So, the winner escapes. The loser goes down with the ship."

"Fine." Double D concentrated on his rod. "FLARE!"

His rod started to glow. It quickly transformed into his fire sword.

Crump charged Double D quickly. Double D jumped and rolled on the floor, dodging out of the way of Crump's rampage. He swung his sword right at Crump.

CLASH!

The sword came into contact with the staff. Sparks flew upon the collision, as well as an electric zapping noise.

'That staff must have an electrical charge. One hit will kill me.' Double D thought.

Double D gulped silently. Putting away his fear, he swung his sword again. Crump blocked the sword with his staff. Sparks flew as another zap sounded.

Crump shouted and prepared an attack. He swung hard.

"Flame Shield!" Double D shouted.

He created his shield just in time, but the force of the strike caused him to fly out the room. He flew through the large hole in the room where the door used to be and crashed in the hallway.

Double D gasped as he saw Crump charge him and quickly pointed. "Fl-"

Crump beat him to the strike. Double D screamed as electricity surged through him. He fell to the floor for a moment. His body started to smoke.

"The fool." Crump laughed and held his staff up, ready to strike. "This shall be the greatest moment of my life."

Double D rolled out of the way before the staff hit him. Crump was surprised and dropped his guard. Double D swung his fire sword at Crump. He flew backward.

"What?" Double D asked, getting up. "Why haven't you caught fire?"

"Fire resistant suit." Crump said. "Your little flames can't hurt me."

Double D growled. He screamed and charged Crump. Crump laughed and blocked the attack with his staff. Sparks flew about, lighting up the hallway for a second.

Now Double D was left open for an attack. Crump swung his staff again, but Double D managed to block it. Crump began a rapid swinging session. Double D took steps backwards and blocked.

"Double D!" Vivian's voice said over his headset. "You're running out of time!"

Double D noticed that Crump was pushing him down the hallway with every swipe.

In this distraction, he was unable to block again. Double D got zapped again, He screamed and fell onto the ground. Double D felt himself moving.

"…what?" He looked around and found himself on a conveyor belt.

Crump landed beside Double D, laughing sinisterly. Double D growled and got back up. He swung his sword in anger. This time, he managed to hit Crump right in the face.

He shouted and flew back, his glasses now shattered.

"You are quite the nuisance!" He shouted, standing back up.

"You have done enough damage already. I won't let you be victorious." Double D said.

Now, both angry, they began to strike repeatedly. Crump struck a blow, but Double D jumped in the air.

"Levi-Flare!"

His body started to glow, and he lifted up into the air. Crump reached for his laser gun and started to fire repeatedly. Double D shielded himself from the first laser, but the second one caught him off guard. He shrieked and flew across the chamber.

Unable to concentrate on his own spell, he crashed onto the ground. Crump jumped into the air, being suspended by a jet-pack. He landed beside Double D's body. Crump attempted to attack, but Double D rolled out of the way and struck back with his sword.

Crump fell down now, leaving him wide open. Double D stopped. He looked at the motionless body. There was silence, aside from the alarms and machines whirring and grinding.

"Oh…" He dropped his sword. "What have I done?"

Crump opened his eyes. "You have made the last mistake of your miserable life."

Double D realized he fell for Crump's act too late. Having dropped his sword, he was again without defense. He got zapped yet again.

"AAAAHHHH!" He gave out a scream but landed on the ground with both feet.

"How could you have survived?" Crump asked. "How can your body continue to withstand those electric shocks?"

Double D lifted a portion of his hat to reveal the eye of wisdom. "I contain powers beyond your comprehension."

"It matters not, you won't live to have them again!" Crump said.

Double D pointed to the ground.

"Levi-Flare!"

His body lifted into the air. Crump followed on his jet-pack.

"Hurry! One minute left!" Eduardo Jr. shouted.

Double D's heart was racing. Time was quickly running out.

"HYAH!" Crump shouted.

Double D lost his concentration after getting hit again. He fell from the air and landed. Double D felt like the ground was tilting. He gasped when he saw he had fallen on a giant gear.

Looking over the side, he realized there was a chasm below it. The bottom was so far away he couldn't see it.

"This is how it ends." Crump landed back on Double D.

"This isn't not how this shall end!" Double D screamed. "FIRE!"

Crump dodged the fire attack. Double D swung his sword at Crump. Crump quickly blocked again. Sparks flew all around.

Double D was thrown back from the impact. He landed on his back. His own powers were weakening.

'I can't keep this up.' Double D thought.

"Can't get up? That's a shame." Crump laughed.

Double D suddenly realized he was still on the large gear. As it turned, he realized it would turn until he would fall. And being unable to get up…

"GET UP, HURRY!" Jimmy shouted in the radio.

"Oh man." Kevin sighed.

"DUDE!" Nazz shouted.

Double D couldn't move. Any second he would fall.

Crump watched the gear turning. He continued to walk according to the movement of the gears He watched the gear turning, taking him out of view. He heard a scream follow.

"At long last." Crump laughed before looking at his wrist. "Just enough time to escape."

"Guess again!"

"What?" Crump felt something grab his leg.

Crump looked down and saw Double D clinging on.

"Why didn't you fall?" Crump asked.

"I managed to hold on." Double D answered and struck Crump with his sword.

Crump weakly blocked the attack. His staff broke free from his hand and landed in the gear. It came to a grinding halt. Double D struck a blow again.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Crump shouted and fell off.

Double D was panting. He sighed and dropped his weapon. "I have won. At last."

Double D looked up, ready to cast a Levi-Flare when he heard Crump screaming. Double D saw him flying back up with his jetpack.

Double D was shocked. 'He's tricked me again!'

The shock was too much for him to move. Crump landed on Double D. He screamed and fell on the ground. Double D was gasping as Crump pinned him down on his throat. Double D was being suffocated.

"What will you do now?" Crump asked angrily, tightening his grip. "You can't win! IT'S OVER!"

Double D screamed. But suddenly he felt at ease. The pressure on his neck had gone. He looked back up and saw Crump screaming.

He was being held in the air by a robotic arm.

"TEC!" Double D shouted. "You haven't left!"

"I haven't completed my mission. Peach must be saved, and you are the one to do it." TEC said, without faltering.

"But TEC-"

"Get out, time's running out!"

"He's right! twenty seconds!" Sarah shouted.

"Go!" TEC said, still holding Crump.

"TEC!" Double D shouted, both with rage and sadness.

"You must leave. You are the legendary hero. Your destiny is to save the world, and mine is to do this."

Double D started to cry.

TEC didn't flinch. His robot arm held firm on Crump, who has trying everything he could to break free.

"Edward." TEC said quietly. "Tell Peach… I love her."

The entire area started to shake. It was happening.

"LEVI-FLARE!"

Double D shot off the gear. He began to fly across the chamber towards the hallway.

The explosions started around him. He looked back and saw the Gear break off its hinges. Double D watched in horror as it spiraled into the dark abyss, taking Crump with it. A following explosion from below officially ended Crump.

Double D wasted no more time and continued to fly again.

He had just made it from the chamber and back into the hall when he heard a deafening roar behind him. The room lit up, fire shooting in all directions. Double D screamed and flew as fast as he could. The wave of fire as coming right for him.

Double D managed to take a sharp turn and reached the teleport room in time. The wave of fire shot the door past like a river. The machines were breaking apart, sparks and such flying about. The frightened Ed managed to grab his laptop and ripped the wires out in time.

He jumped into the teleport pod as the explosions grew louder.

His body was surrounded by light, as he was lifted into the air. He felt himself fading. He took one last glimpse of the fortress. He sighed and allowed one tear to fall from his face before vanishing...

Jimmy started to cry. They all had lost contact with Double D. They all watched through their monitors as one by one, the rooms in the virtual map vanished from screen.

"LOOK!" One of the Bomb-omb soldiers shouted.

They all ran out of the building and saw the moon. They could see flashes of lights shining. They continued for a few seconds.

"Oh, man." Kevin said.

Then there was silence, aside from Jimmy's sobbing.

"No…" Vivian fell to her knees.

Eduardo Jr. fell on the snowy ground. "Dad…"

"I'm… fine."

They all gasped. The voice had come from their headsets.

"Double D? You made it out!" Eduardo Jr. shouted. "Yes!"

"Where are you, dude?" Nazz asked.

"The teleport pod transported me. I'm in another teleport pod with the others, apparently below Rougeport. We made it out fine." Double D answered, relief and sadness heard in his voice.

"Are you all okay?" Ms. Mowz asked.

Double D sighed. "All but one. TEC never escaped."

There was a long silence. Vivian looked up at the moon once more and sighed.