Annie, Get Your Microphone! (New)

Chapter 8: Snakes On A Train

"So, where now?" Annie asked, with two of the three pieces of her song in her hands. "Hold on, hold on." Iggy said, analysing the location of the last piece. The screen on his tracking device said: FATIMA, DUBLIN, IRELAND. "We have to head back to Dublin." Iggy said. "Alright, off we go then." Ludwig announced, as he started the Clown Car's engine. He lifted it out of the Mullaghmeen Forest, and he started flying it all the way to the location where the third piece was. Wendy was watching the song contest on her phone again. "Now for our next contestant!" Moira announced. "From Drogheda, Louth, please welcome..." Dermot paused. "Kayleigh O'Shea!" Dermot and Moira left the stage as the next contestant came onto the stage. The Koopalings and Annie were just above Dublin when Iggy exclaimed. "Ludwig, stop! Head where my tracker is pointing." "Where is that?" He asked. "North-west-north, and then stop." Iggy answered. Ludwig headed left, and they could see train tracks next to a hospital below them. "We're in Fatima now. Ludwig, descend!" Annie said. Ludwig descended the Koopa Clown Car by a train station, but it wasn't the kind The Koopalings knew; the station had a shelter on a raised platform, inside the shelter were metal seats and a giant blue machine that people were pressing. There was another shelter just like the one The Koopalings and Annie were on the other side of the tracks, of which there were four in total. "What is this?" Wendy asked. "This is the Luas." Annie answered (it's pronounced like Louis), The Koopalings looked at Annie, confused. "The what-now?" Larry asked. "The Luas; it's a tram network." Annie replied. "Right," The Koopalings said in unison. "But what does that word mean?" Larry asked. "It's Irish for "speed"." Annie replied. "And I think Camilla might be here." Annie said, peering into the crowd. Larry handed Annie a walkie-talkie, which was navy blue in colour. "Take this, we'll be in The Koopa Clown Car while we follow the, um, ...Luas." Larry said. The Koopalings returned to the Koopa Clown Car while Annie waited for the Luas. Annie took the waiting period as an opportunity to find the last piece of her song. "I love when you and I sing a song." Annie sang, a violin melody floated from the crowd. Everyone turned to look at the middle where the melody came from. Annie couldn't see who was in the middle of the crowd, but she suspected that it was Camilla.

The Luas arrived shortly thereafter, there were people getting off, people boarding, and Annie quickly got onto the Luas, walkie-talkie in hand. Since there were no available seats, Annie held onto a yellow pole before the Luas started moving. "Okay, I'm on the Luas. Over." Annie whispered into the walkie-talkie. "Copy that. Over." Larry replied. Annie held her walkie-talkie close to her body so nobody would suspect a thing. "Next Stop: St. James's Hospital, An Chéad Stad Eile: Ospidéal San Séamas." The text-to-speech voice announced. "That's where Camilla will go when I get my hands on her." Annie said under her breath. The Luas stopped outside the hospital, near the entrance. "Why are there two different stops outside the same place?" Wendy asked herself, looking up from her phone. The ninth song 'River Sunrise' ended, and Dermot and Moira returned. "Alright, that was Kayleigh O'Shea and 'River Sunrise'." Dermot said on the microphone. "Now for our next contestant!" Moira chimed in. "From Navan, Meath, we have..." Dermot paused. "Andrew McCaughren!" Annie edged forward through the Luas, out of the way of incoming passengers. The Luas started moving again, and the Clown Car followed it. "Next Stop: Heuston, An Chéad Stad Eile: Heuston." The voice announced. The Luas advanced down the road past an apartment complex, some convenience stores and coffee shops before swerving past a building and an obelisk sitting on a stone island in the middle of the road, next to a couple of trees. "I know that place, Dee says he used to call it "Garden Island"." Larry exclaimed, pointing at the island. "That's great, Larry, but we have to follow Annie." Ludwig said, driving the Clown Car down an incline after the Luas. "I better check on Annie, and see if she has made any progress." Larry said, pulling out his walkie-talkie. "Annie, come in, have you found the last piece of your song, yet? Over." He said. "No, I haven't. I can't see through these people. Over." She replied, unable to see Camilla through the crowd. "Well, please keep us updated. Over." Larry requested. The Luas finally stopped outside a humongous and beautiful train station. "Look at that train station, totally InstaGoomba-worthy." Wendy said, looking up from her phone again. Larry smiled, awkwardly, while the other Koopalings (except Morton) groaned. The tenth song 'Life is a Rollercoaster' ended. "That was Andrew McCaughren and 'Life is a Rollercoaster'." Dermot said as he and Moira returned to the stage. "Now for our next contestant! From Longford, we have..." Moira paused. "Cian Peters!" Back in Heuston, passengers left, others got on, and others stayed on. Annie moved forward again, to locate Camilla. "Where could she be?" Annie wondered. The Luas began moving again. "Next Stop: Museum, An Chéad Stad Eile: Ard-Mhúsaem." The Luas crossed a bridge over The Liffey and swooped around a little park which contained a large pond with a giant monument of a river goddess. "Dublin is quite a lovely city, now that we've seen it first-hand." Wendy said to herself. The Luas stopped outside a museum. "I'm outside the National Museum. Over." Annie said, moving forward through the Luas once more. She grabbed another yellow pole before it began to move. The Koopalings followed it. "Next Stop: Smithfield, An Chéad Stad Eile: Smithfield." The text-to-speech voice said. Meanwhile, the eleventh song 'Drunken Funk' ended. "That was Cian Peters and 'Druken Funk'." Moira said as she and Dermot came back onto the stage. "Now for our next contestant! From Cavan, we have..." Dermot paused. "Sinead O'Shaughnessy!" "Oh no! Annie better find that last piece! It's almost time for her to sing!" Wendy said, anxiously. Annie decided not to stand around anymore and moved carefully through the crowd to somewhere close to the cockpit. And then she saw it. There was someone in a trench coat, wearing high black boots and a brown fedora. Annie cleared her throat and sang the last line of her song to see if this was really Camilla. "I love when you and I sing a song!" Sure enough, the same violin melody came from the trench coat. Annie whipped out her walkie-talkie. "Guys! I found her! Over." She said, urgently. "Get her! Over." Larry exclaimed. Camilla started walking away from Annie, but the latter dove through the Luas and tackled her, causing Camilla to drop the last piece of Annie's song. Annie grabbed the piece while it was still in the air. She walked away from Camilla, quickly. "I did it, guys! I got the last piece of my-" Annie said, happily on the walkie-talkie, but she was interrupted as Camilla got up from the floor and ran after Annie. She tried to run from Camilla, but she grabbed Annie's arm, tightly. Annie proceeded to screech in agony. "Annie!" Larry exclaimed. "Ludwig! Descend!" He said to Ludwig. Ludwig lowered the Koopa Clown Car. On the Luas, a balding, broad-shouldered man in a black t-shirt and jeans along with two other people held Camilla back as she tried to break free while a young woman with curly red hair held Annie's hand, comforting her. Multiple people were calling the police on Camilla. The Luas stopped in Smithfield, outside a courthouse next to an old coffee shop by an empty ditch. Ludwig landed the Clown Car by the station and all seven Koopalings got out of the Clown Car. Most of the passengers got off the Luas, while Camilla was still being detained. "Where is Annie?" Larry asked, panicked. Annie came running out of the Luas, in tears, with the last piece of her song, and the walkie-talkie in the other. "Annie! What happened?" Wendy asked. "I got the last piece of my song from Camilla, but she attacked me!" Annie explained through tears and sobs, there was a large bruise on her arm. "Oh dear, she grabbed you, hard." Ludwig said, gently holding Annie's arm. The police had already arrived on the scene. Camilla was being taken off the Luas by the conductor and some passengers. "The good thing is; you've found all three pieces of your song." Ludwig said. "Now, let's get back to the theatre, I'm sure it's time for you to go onto the stage." Wendy chimed in. Annie looked down to look at the last piece, but it wasn't in her hand. "Where did it go!?" Annie asked, frantically. "What?" The Koopalings exclaimed. "The last piece of my song! It's gone!" Annie exclaimed. They turned around and saw Camilla dashing away from the crime scene. "Oh, for heaven's sake!" Larry exclaimed. "Of course, Camilla! She'd do anything to get out of trouble!" Wendy moaned. "Oh great, that's all I need now!" Annie sighed. Since Camilla got away, The Koopalings got into the Clown Car, defeated, and started to fly back to the Gaiety Theatre.