XXXVI
The Boom Bunker
Luigi, Daisy and Falco stood at the end of the ridgeway on the high cliff. Looming in the distance was a towering structure wreathed in flame. Oil pits that had once fueled their machines surrounded it like a nocuous moat. One of those machines, the mighty megahammer itself - once a staple of Bowser's fearsome fleet - lay in pieces and was left to rust. Dark matter, purple like a bruise, bubbled up from steam vents in the ground and hung in weightless clumps. One touch of the stuff meant a sure death. Guarding the large portcullis was an electrogate that was made of two pylons on either side that sent an electric current back and forth. At the very top of the ominous tower was the black flag of the koopa army, a warning to any would-be assailants.
"What is it?" asked Mario through the earpiece.
"Brother. It's their Boom Bunker."
"Bullshit!" said Toad through static as the reception dipped. "That was destroyed."
"Then, they must've rebuilt it," Falco said matter-of-factly.
"Bastards have been busy," said Fox.
"How's it look, Luigi?" asked Mario.
A shadow touched each of them as they stood in the wake of that colossal outpost. Daisy looked away from the Boom Bunker as its black turrets filled her with dread and sorrow. Lady Bow had told them that the hour was later than they realized but Fox had taken it for bluff and bluster. Now, he knew just how wrong he was and the oversight shook him. How could I be so naive, he thought. Luigi wondered why he wasn't gassy until he realized that he wasn't afraid. He was sad. He looked at the pathetic pistol in his hand, so small and insignificant. What arms could he use against the might of the koopas?
Finally, he said simply, "Operational."
"Sonuva…" Toad groaned.
"How do we destroy it?" asked Mario.
"In the Air Raids, bombers blasted it to bloody Hell," said Luigi in a faraway voice. His mind raced from his body to that dark place when hopelessness sets in.
"We're a bit light on a professional bombing squadron," said Falco.
"Give me an option, Luigi." His brother's voice had command and vigor. There was no quit or give in him and it shocked Luigi back to his senses. He racked his brain for those tiny annotations in the history holos, the little details the professor swore wouldn't be on the test but you committed to memory anyway out of paranoia and mistrust. The thought struck him like a lightning bolt.
"If it's the same as before, the bunker draws power from a series of underground neblunium reactors that are connected to an insulated network. The network keeps the rhythm of the reactors, making sure they fire in sequence for a continuous supply of energy. If we can get into the bunker and hack the network, we can make the reactors fire at once. Theoretically, that should overload the system and…"
"And boom," said Falco.
Luigi nodded.
"Do it," was Mario's simple command before the intercom cut out and hissed static.
"We're just supposed to fight our way into that bunker?" said Daisy, raising her hands and then slapping her legs.
"Captain's orders," said Falco, cocking his rifle.
"He acts like we're real soldiers," she said to Luigi. She looked to him to back her up in this. They shouldn't have been out there in the first place. They weren't qualified and it wasn't fair.
"I'm a real soldier," Falco protested.
"And we're both grateful to have you with us," said Luigi. He looked at Daisy and shrugged. She puffed out her cheeks, turned, and walked forward in a huff. Falco nodded to Luigi and smiled, who responded with a nervous chuckle and ran after his fiance.
Suddenly, a swarm of paratroopas armed with RPGs flew overhead. They fired a volley at the rockface, which caused a violent slide of stone. The rockslide was intended to bury them but a stroke of luck was on their side and instead formed a stone wall that separated Falco from the couple.
"Are you fucking serious?" screamed Daisy at the rock, which bounced her words back to her in a muffled echo.
"Keep going," said Falco, now communicating through the earpiece.
"What happened?" called Toad.
"Paratroopas. I'm gonna circle back, see if there's another way up."
"No," radioed Mario. "I want you to provide ground fire. Draw their attention. Luigi, Daisy, make haste for that bunker."
"Understood." He raised his assault rifle and fired a barrage of thermal rounds at the paratroopas that circled like vultures. He saw his rounds ripple through their shields and he smirked to himself. There's an opportunity, he thought. He ducked behind a rock as they returned a volley from their side arms. Now that they were aiming towards the bunker, they were careful not to use their explosives, less their hard work at the rebuilding effort go to waste. Falco readied his omnitool and waited for it to complete its charge. As a practiced engineer, he had a neat little trick up his sleeve just for these paratroopas. The charge gauge filled to completion and he waited for a break in the volley. The break came and he seized his opportunity. He jumped out from behind the rock and with a flick of his wrist, fired an overload blast from his omnitool at one of the paratroopas. The blue energy orb hit him square in the shell and overloaded his shield causing it to rupture. The explosion set off a chain reaction with the other paratroopas' RPGs, causing the grenades to detonate all at once. Ash, blood and bits of shell rained from the sky as the fireball flashed and went out.
Luigi and Daisy watched the fire and smoke from behind the rockwall and then looked at each other. His lips tightened into a thin line and he held his hand out to her. Her eyes welled with tears as she placed her hand in his. Together, they ran for the bunker. Guarding the portcullis were the two Boomerang Bros, back from their long exile. They were hulking brutes and their boomerangs were like razor blades, which they tossed with ruthless accuracy. Daisy screamed but two shots rang out and the boomerangs stopped short and fell to the ground. Two more shots and the Boomerang Bros fell dead, both shot between the eyes. Daisy looked and saw Luigi, his prosthetic hand raised with the pistol. He looked down at his hand in shock and horror and saw that it was steady. They reached the portcullis and threw themselves on the winch. The rusted metal was stubborn but with a mighty push, they wrestled it open and entered the belly of the Boom Bunker.