VI

1-2

The drain pipe had a suction like a hydraulic hose. The inside was black as night. As Mario approached, he could feel it drawing him in like a rushing wind at his back. He turned to his friends who stood back with hesitation and gave a small salute. Then, he jumped in the pipe and shot straight down like a falling stone. The pipe's suction came from an air buffer that kept Mario from bouncing into the walls. Despite his speed, he felt weightless from the buffer as if he wasn't moving at all. In the pitch black of the tube, it was impossible to tell either way. At the end of the long drop, the tube banked until Mario was lying flat on his back, traveling feet first. Finally, the tube gently dropped him out onto his feet.

He found himself in a wide cavern with a low ceiling. A hollow dripping of water echoed from deeper inside. In the little light there was, he could see that the walls were made of blue stones. What an odd planet, he thought. I've never seen blue stones before.

He heard the soft patter of footsteps behind him as his friends joined one by one. His mustache bristled with the twitch of his nose as he was suddenly hit by the pungent smell of mold. "Visors up," he said. "We don't know what kind of air's down here." At his command, they each in turn activated their helmets.

"Spooky," said Daisy, her eyes wide trying to acclimate to the low light.

Luigi reached for her hand and whispered in her ear, "I don't like it down here." He didn't want the others to hear because even though they knew he had jelly in his knees, he still felt embarrassed by his cowardice.

"Anyone got a light?" asked Toad marching ahead.

"How can you think of smoking at a time like this?" Daisy shot back, her cheeks puffed.

"I was talking about a flashlight," said Toad matter-of-factly.

"Oh, right." Daisy was glad of the darkness so he couldn't see how red her cheeks were getting.

Mario turned on the flashlights on either side of his helmet, their thin beams pathetic in the overwhelming darkness. Still, it was better than nothing. Suddenly, two goombas charged from the shadows. Their angry teeth champed and their tiny feet made a soft pitter-patter on the stone.

"Watch out," Toad hollered.

Luigi's scream was high and full of fear. Daisy squeezed his hand for support and they backed away from the rampaging goombas. Quick as a flash, Mario pulled his pistol from the waist holster and fired off three shots. The first two found their mark, a straight shot through the chest of the first goomba and a shot that blew a chunk off the mushroom cap of the second. The third shot ricocheted off the cave wall before finding a permanent home in one of the ceiling stones. The second goomba who was now missing a good piece of skull writhed on the ground as blood poured from the wound. His eyes went cross and stupid from the blown-out brain matter. Mario stood over him and took a careful aim and planted a shot right between the eyes.

Daisy put a hand over her mouth. "Gross."

"I think I'm gonna be sick," said Luigi, his face turning a shade of green.

"Ugh," said Toad. "Not again." He had the strongest urge to punch Luigi in the gut just to get it over with.

"Keep it together, Luigi," said Mario.

Further into the cavern, they came across two large boulders the same shade of alien blue. Climbing over the stones, they saw a shape caught in the flash beam. As Mario reached the ground, he realized it wasn't one shape but two. "Hold it," he said, throwing his hand out to the side to block them.

Luigi peered over his brother's shoulder. "What the heck is that?" he asked a little too loudly. The shapes rustled at his voice and then settled.

"Shh," said Mario through gritted teeth. "Keep it down."

Slowly, they approached and saw that the shapes in the dark were two turtle shells of a vibrant green. Whatever was inside was sleeping.

"Shells?" asked Daisy, not understanding. "They're shells. Just like on Gelato Beach."

"No, Daisy," said Toad, shaking his head warily. "Not like Gelato Beach. Those are koopa shells."

"Koopas?" said Luigi, his voice cracking like a teenager. "Like Bowser?"

"I thought they were banished to the Deep Dark after the Air Raids," said Mario, keeping his trigger finger ready.

"I really don't like it down here," said Luigi.

"They were," said Toad.

Luigi's resolve began to crack like his voice. "It's dark, it's cold, it's wet, and it's, it's, it's dark," he stammered.

"Then what the hell are they doing here?" asked Mario, agitated but trying to ignore his brother's meltdown.

"And now there are creepy koopas," Luigi groaned.

"Could be fossils," said Daisy hopefully.

"I hope not," said Toad. "That would be worse. So much worse."

The koopas had been sleeping for a long time. One of them poked its head out to stretch and felt the warm glow of Mario's helmet light on his wrinkled yellow face. The koopa's pupils contracted into tiny angry dots in the light. It squawked and stood up on its hind legs. Its high-pitched bellow echoed off the walls waking the other turtle.

"Okay, definitely not fossils," said Daisy.

"Run," said Mario.

They bolted past the koopas who hadn't seen anyone other than the goombas down in their cavern for what seemed like an eternity. They were sluggish from their slumber, a far cry from their days as soldiers in the Air Raids. And they were old even as koopas measured time who were known to be a long-lived people.

At the end of the cavern was a small tunnel bordered by the same blue stones. "Gonna be a tight fit," said Daisy, whose hips were wide.

"Suck in your gut, Mario," said Toad.

"Nevermind my gut," Mario shot back. "You just watch your mushroom head, Captain."

One by one, they wriggled through the small opening. Luigi, the slimmest among them, made quick work to the other side, a break he was thankful for. The koopas continued their relentless pursuit.

"Wait," said Mario, turning back to the opening. "I've got an idea." Mario drew his pistol and waited for the koopas to follow.

"Yeah, Mario!" Toad exclaimed. "Bury those turtles where they belong."

Mario waited for his moment making sure his aim was true. As soon as he saw the first head poke through the opening, he fired. For a moment, he expected for the rocks to come tumbling down but something else happened instead. From out of the blue stone burst forth a bright shining star. Mario could feel its warmth shooting through him like rays. It seemed to see him, see into him, see through him. Images of fire and death burned behind his eyes. It was as if the star itself had reached out and touched his mind. The light of it scared the koopas who turned and scurried back into the shadows from where they came.

Daisy stood stunned as the star disappeared and the cavern fell back to darkness. "What the heck was that doing down here?"

Luigi reached for her hand. "This just keeps getting stranger and stranger," he said.

"Let's a go," said Mario, "before they come back."

At the next pass, they came to a bottomless chasm, black all the way down. Girders of a porous orange metal hung suspended in the air, the floating temptation of a bridge. They each exchanged looks with one another. None of them had seen anything like it.

"Turn on your grav-stabilizers," said Mario, reaching for the button on his boots. The soles of the shoes glowed blue to indicate the stabilizers were active.

Daisy's brow furrowed. "I didn't feel the gravity change."

"Me neither," said Luigi, barely above a whisper. He was lost in his thoughts at the strangeness of this mighty long-forgotten cavern.

"Mario's right," said Toad, activating his stabilizers. "Better safe than dead."

Mario placed a timid boot on the lowest hanging girder and pressed. Despite some give, the girder held its place. The beams were narrow and he had to cross his feet one in front of the other to make his way up. After three girders, he reached the top of the rock ledge, which leveled out ahead of him. Seeing his success, the others followed with Luigi bringing up the rear. "Wuh-wuh-woah," he stammered. "I don't like this."

"Just don't look down," Daisy called back.

At the end of the rock ledge, there was a break in the stones, which led to a hole. At the bottom of the hole was another green drain pipe. But there was something odd about this one. Despite the darkness, it shimmered a rainbow of colors like soap smeared on a window pane.

"Weird," said Daisy.

"This must be where the other signal was coming from," said Luigi, verifying that was indeed the case on his nav-cuff. "Just as I thought. We are directly under where the black box was."

"I've never seen a drain pipe glow in the dark," said Mario. "Have you?"
"No," said Luigi, "but I've read about them. If I'm not mistaken, it's a warp pipe."