Rainbow Road [Super Mario Bros.]

19

As they ran for the transport ship, looking for a way onboard, Mario got a call. It was Dash.

"Mariooooooooooo!" he cried; Mario could barely hear him over the din of the Shipyard. "Majooooooooor update! Nabbit's been spooooooooted near the--"

"Shipyard? I'm there now. We're heading over."

"Understooooooooooood! Goooooooood luck! I'm ooooooooooorganizing backup. Three mooooooooooore shrooooooooooms are headed your way!"

They pounded down a slope in the Road, struggling to keep the giant transport ship centered in their sights -- it was harder than it sounded, as all the sparks and glare from the rockets were making the shadows move about weirdly in this giant space. Luckily, the police lights on the flying shrooms blinked continuously up ahead like a waypoint marker in an open-world videogame.

They arrived at the base of the ship, which Mario estimated was about half as tall as the highest tower of Peach's Castle. They spent a moment pacing, trying to find a way over, but frustratingly, there was a giant gap between them and the network of metal scaffolding stacked around the ship's rugged hull. Mario was wondering whether or not they could cross the breach in a long jump when a squat figure appeared out of the dark on the other side and waddled to the edge of the scaffolding, glaring over at them.

"Hey, whatcha gawkin' at?" It was a Monty Mole, wearing a utility belt filled with screwdrivers, measuring tape, and a giant mallet. "This ain't no tourist scene, this is a hard-hat zone! Move along before ya get hurt!"

"We aren't tourists," Mario said, shaking on his phone's light so the Mole could see his face better.

"Lackaday!" the Mole cried. "Mario Mario! Whatcha doin' up in a place like this?"

"An escaped criminal has illegally spacewalked and landed somewhere on your ship," Mario said. "We need access to the roof! Quickly!"

"Well that just bucks my teeth! Gimme just a second, I'll get y'all over right quick!"

The Monty Mole faded back into the shadows and scurried to the base of the ship, where there was a giant control panel with glowing buttons. He jabbed one of them, and there was a growl, scrape, and then a keening skreeeek: a long rusty bridge extended from the ship and closed the gap between the ship and the bridge. Mario and Luigi headed over and carefully made their way onto the scaffolding. The Monty Mole pressed another button, and the ship's ginormous door began rolling up, revealing a giant, empty space beyond the size of a gymnasium.

"Elevator's at the end of the hall to the right," the Monty Mole shouted over the din. "Anythin' I can do to help, folks?"

"Clear this site!" Mario shouted. "I don't know for sure, but things could get dangerous!"

"Okie dokie!" The Mole wrangled a radio out of his belt and began yammering orders.

Meanwhile, Mario and Luigi dashed into the darkness, heading down the hall that the Mole had indicated until they reached the very end, where indeed lay a freight elevator the size of their room in the Orbital Motel. The trip to the top took two heart-pounding minutes -- Luigi bit his nails the entire time, and not just because they were crime-fighting again.

You can't mess up this time, he thought. Don't be afraid! When Nabbit comes toward you, do what Mario would do: grab him and throw him down! You can do it!

The doors opened, and they were on the roof, a large, flat, metal space swarming with red and blue lights. The flying shrooms were straight ahead, and in their lights stood several police toads, one of which was talking on a radio. He looked up when the Mario Bros approached.

"Mario, Luigi!" he cried. "Thank stars you're here: Officer Jack! Dash told me you were coming."

"What's happening?" Mario demanded. "Where's Nabbit?"

"No idea," Officer Jack said. "He landed about three minutes ago. We've recovered his vehicle--" He pointed a ways away, to where two police toads were rolling Nabbit's now-visible space scooter towards them-- "But he's made himself scarce. We think he's somewhere inside the ship."

Alarm washed through Luigi. "We just had the door opened!" he exclaimed, tugging on Mario's arm. "What if he was down there somewhere, and escaped after we went to the elevator?"

It was a terrifying point. Had they just given Nabbit a clear avenue of escape? "Luigi," he said, "go back down and tell that Monty Mole to close the door back. We have to seal off all the exits."

"R-right!" Luigi swung to go, but Officer Jack cried, "Wait! Take this, Luigi." He tossed the younger bro a radio. "If we're going to corner him, we need to coordinate our efforts. Ring us once you get the door closed."

Luigi headed off, and Mario said, "Do you know where he disappeared into the ship?"

Officer Jack led him over to a giant air vent that curled out of the metal roof like an apostrophe. The grate that went across the top was lying on the ground, bent out of shape: Mario could imagine Nabbit kicking it free and then swinging inside.

"Anyone go after him?" Mario asked.

"No," Officer Jack said regretfully. "Too dangerous."

Mario thought for a moment. "We need the blueprints for this ship. We'll have a better idea of where this pipe lets out, and where to start looking."

"Do you think he's even still in the pipes?"

"Good point," Mario admitted. "Maybe not, but we have to start somewhere."

"Ok. They sent the specs a couple of minutes ago." Officer Jack rapidly jabbed at his phone and pulled it up on his screen before handing it to Mario. "But in the meantime, I'm going to be sending officers to the lower floors to start eyeballing the place."

"All right." Officer Jack began giving orders, and as the officers jumped into action, Mario rapidly scanned the blueprints. The air system looked a mess -- a veritable spaghetti of pipes, grates, and other twisted tubing. It had only been a few minutes since Nabbit had disappeared, apparently, but the slippery robber could be anywhere by now...

Static came over Officer Jack's radio, and the toad said, "Yes? Luigi? Did you get the door--" Officer Jack straightened. "What?"

Mario looked up. "What's happening?"

Officer Jack turned to him, eyes wide. "He says he spotted Nabbit. He's on the ground floor!"