"Hey there, Luigi," said Fred as he walked into the lounge.
"Hey, Fred."
"As the Professor said, we have both clock hands now. All there's left to find is the rotor."
Luigi set down his plate of food.
"I've sent texts to Chad, Brad, Thad and Conrad," he said, "and still, there are no further developments regarding my bro."
"Have you tried Peach?" suggested Fred.
"Yeah, I sent her a few texts, but she's busy. If she isn't trying to run a kingdom, then she's on the lookout for that turtle."
"Tell me about it," murmured Fred.
"My big brother remains in parts unknown, and I'm about to go crazy with worry—so I do not need to put up with the Professor's b.s. right now."
"About that—he totally agrees with you that Polterpup is cute, but the thing is, regular dogs cause less trouble," said Fred.
"I've always wanted to have a dog," said Luigi. "More specifically, a puppy." He cleared his throat. "Do you guys have some clue where the rotor is located?"
"Not yet, but the Parascope detected plentiful ghostly activity on the east side of the Old Clockworks," said Fred. "Come on—the Professor will tell you about it."
Luigi stood and followed Fred out of the lounge.
"Are you ready to look for the rotor, Luigi?" asked Gadd.
"Do I have to answer?"
"Well, then—Fred and I suspect that the ghosts are keeping it hidden on the east side of the Old Clockworks—which explains the paranormal activity."
"The ghosts practically have that area on lockdown," added Fred. "Luckily, we have a few tricks up our sleeves."
"There's another Pixelator camera in the area in question," said Gadd, "so all I had to do was hack it and adjust the destination!"
"Cool," said Luigi.
"Who knows? Maybe you'll even catch the ghosts off guard!" Fred said cheerily.
"I'd like that," murmured Luigi.
Gadd lowered the fourth monitor. "Here's a picture of the rotor," he said. "Keep an eye out for it."
"Will do," said Luigi.
"Ready, youngster? Give 'em what for!"
"Count on it," said Luigi.
"Oh, and try not to get distracted by thoughts of that ghost puppy," said Gadd, rolling his eyes.
"Yes, Mom," Luigi told him.
"Guys," Fred said in a warning tone.
"See you when you get back," Gadd said briskly before activating the Pixelator.
...
When Luigi arrived at the east side of the Old Clockworks, the first thing he saw was a Sneaker, holding the rotor. This Sneaker had strange white markings all over their body, giving them a cracked appearance.
"Hey!" cried Luigi.
The Sneaker glowered at him for a few seconds before flying off.
Luigi collected himself, checked his map and saw that he was at a service elevator. There was a large safe nearby, but when he flashed it with his Strobulb, it shuddered before falling several inches.
"Okay, then," murmured Luigi before proceeding into a gear chamber.
He stepped onto a lift which took him to a lower level, and the Sneaker appeared again before disappearing through a wall. Luigi peered through a crack in that wall to see the Sneaker socializing with a Greenie. Then, another Greenie floated by, spotted Luigi and covered up the crack with a brick.
The Dual Scream rang.
"Yello?"
"My God! We need to get you inside that storage room!" exclaimed Gadd.
"You have a way of doing that?" asked Luigi.
"I should've thought of this earlier," said Gadd, "but I hired a Toad assistant to look after the Old Clockworks. His name's Zed, and he may be able to help you. Give me a second to locate him—okay. He apparently went to check on a malfunction in the synchronization room."
"Synchronization room..."
"I can't believe I forgot about him!"
"You've been forgetting a lot of things lately," Luigi heard Fred chime in.
Gadd huffed. "Working for me must be really terrible," he said.
"Aw, it has its moments," said Fred.
"I'll find Zed in no time," said Luigi. "Ciao."
He hung up and headed down a stairwell into another lower level, walking across a bridge of crates and through a door which transported him to another of those red coin mazes. This maze also had a fifteen-second time limit, and it was more complex than the previous mazes. He still managed to collect all the coins with a few seconds to spare, and he was rewarded with a chest containing a ruby.
Back in the gear chamber, Luigi pushed through a door into the service elevator, jumping as the safe he'd seen earlier crashed to the floor, sending up a shower of dollar bills. He vacuumed up as many as he could, and then he continued into a maintenance hub. There, he used more of those wires to cross to the other side, and then he stepped onto a large gear, uncovering a hidden door with the DLD. This door opened into a crank room.
Luigi worked his way across, detonating Robombs and revealing hidden gears, which in turn caused all of the gears to start rotating. Using these gears, Luigi could further explore the crank room, making a stop in a small alcove, where he found a Boo.
"Boo! You got me! Nobody hare except Boony Raboot!" cackled the Boo.
It didn't take long for Luigi to capture Boony Raboot, and then he grabbed a golden bone before wandering over to some sort of locker room, where three Slammers were gathered.
He didn't wait for them to notice him, flashing his Strobulb as soon as he was close enough, taking two Slammers by surprise. However, the third one attacked with a shockwave blast that slammed Luigi against a wall and jarred his grip, allowing the two Slammers to escape. Luigi shook off the pain and went back on the attack, capturing all three Slammers after two more tries.
During the struggle, one of the lockers had opened, and there was a key floating inside. Luigi pocketed the key before checking the other lockers for anything salvageable, coming upon a Gold Greenie. After defeating them, he went back into the maintenance hub, where he unlocked the door to the synchro gantry.
In the synchro gantry was a contraption with a lever. When Luigi pulled on that lever, the gears turned, and a bird like the one you'd find on a cuckoo clock popped out, picked him up and deposited him on a walkway. From there, he finally reached the synchronization room.
And then, he found Zed.
Like Fred, he was frozen in a portrait, mouth open in a scream. In front of the portrait were three gears. Luigi reasoned that if there was some way to turn those gears, then he could create a walkway enabling him to reach that portrait and free Zed.
Luckily, there were three rotors, one of them hidden, each of them controlling one of the gears. Using the vacuum, Luigi turned each of the rotors until the gears' spokes were no longer obstructing his access to the portrait. Then, he hurried across the newly-created walkway and shone the DLD on the portrait, releasing Zed.
Zed was none the worse for wear, save for some dirt and bruises. As soon as he got to his feet, he gave a joyful cry.
"Lu—Luigi?! THE Luigi? AAAAAAH!" he cried. Composing himself, he went on, "Um—it's an honor to finally meet you, sir. I'm a huge fan!"
Luigi blushed as he shook Zed's hand. "It's an honor to meet you, too. Professor Gadd told me to meet you here."
"J—s. I was sure he'd forgotten about me," said Zed.
"He almost did," said Luigi. "The rotor to the Clock Tower Gate is missing, and maybe you can help me find it. I saw a Sneaker take it to the storage room."
"Storage room, huh? Okay, let's go take a look! But first, there's—something you should know about me."
"What's that?" asked Luigi.
"I—I have an irrational fear of clocks," Zed confessed, looking at his feet.
Luigi was outraged. "Then why in the Inferno does Professor Gadd have you working here?!" he demanded.
"It's not his fault," Zed told him. "I asked him to station me here."
"Why?"
"Because—I wanna be like you," Zed confessed. "I thought that I could beat back this stupid fear by volunteering to watch over Old Clockworks. Just like you were able to beat back your fear of ghosts to save Mario. Your actions have inspired a lot of people, myself included."
"Wow," said Luigi. "I'm—flattered."
"I didn't know it would be so hard, though," said Zed.
"It's hard, but it's doable," said Luigi.
"In the meantime, though, you'll have to keep me away from any large clocks or gears," said Zed.
"I can do that," said Luigi.
"Okay!" chirped Zed. Then, he shuddered. "D—n, this place gives me the creeps..."
Luigi suctioned Zed onto the Poltergust's nozzle and carried him across the gears onto safe ground. Just as they reached the door, the rotors began spinning wildly, and those gates trapped the duo inside. Luigi heard some Greenies laughing and turned to Zed.
"Don't be afraid," he said. "I'm gonna get you out of this."
Zed nodded, and then Luigi crept forward, stunning two Greenies with a powerful Strobulb flash. One Greenie had a green paranormal shield, and the other had a red paranormal shield. The man in green rocked back on his heels and waited until the Surge meter flashed red before pressing the red button, shattering both paranormal shields. One more Surge sucked the Greenies into the Poltergust.
"Wicked cool!" cheered Zed.
"I know, right?" smiled Luigi.
Zed took Luigi's hand, and they walked into the synchro gantry together. The yellow-spotted Toad's eyes widened, but then Luigi stuck him back onto the vacuum's nozzle, which calmed him.
"Hey—there's a conveyor belt over there," he said, pointing it out to Luigi. "See if you can shoot me onto it!"
Luigi waited for a gate to lower before taking aim and launching Zed onto the conveyor belt. Zed laughed and enjoyed the ride, while Luigi used the cuckoo clock to reach the exit.
He heard Zed yelp, glancing up to see a Greenie bothering him.
"Hey!" he barked. "You leave him alone!"
Just as he stunned the Greenie, a second Greenie distracted him. Fortunately, he'd diverted both of their attention from Zed, allowing him to hop off the conveyor belt and take cover. Zed watched in awe as Luigi battled the Greenies, laughing as he sucked them into his trusty ghost vacuum.
"Thank you," Zed said when the battle was over.
"You're welcome," Luigi warmly replied.
They went into the maintenance hub, where Luigi carried Zed across the large gear and launched him to the door at the other end. Some exploration below the large gear uncovered a ruby and some coins, and a spring launched him back onto the gear. But then, the walkways suddenly rolled up, two more Greenies arriving on the scene. These Greenies were armed with metal plates, and Luigi had to wait for them to attack first before finding an opening and stunning them. He was able to capture them without difficulty before using those wires to join Zed and usher him into the gear chamber.
As they stepped onto the sandy ground, the Sneaker Luigi had seen earlier jumped into their faces, startling them both. More of those gates slammed down, and the Sneaker retreated to a corner of the room, summoning a trio of Sneakers to attack Luigi and Zed.
"Stay behind me," Luigi instructed Zed before facing the Greenies.
He held down the Strobulb and flashed it at the first Greenie he saw, quickly capturing them before doing the same to their two buddies.
Laughing, the Sneaker summoned three more Greenies. This trio came armed with shovels, making for a more difficult fight. They tried to get at Zed, but Luigi wouldn't let them, taking many a jab from their shovels as he captured them one at a time. The shovels left cuts which stung and drooled blood, but his mind was on one thing, and one thing only—protecting Zed.
After defeating the second Greenie trio, Luigi next had to deal with another trio of Greenies who announced their entrance by bursting out from under the sand. These Greenies were protected by paranormal shields, two of them red and the third one green, and he had to dodge attacks while trying to break these shields. But once the shields were shattered, the Greenies had a small amount of HP and were captured in no time.
"Luigi..." breathed Zed.
"It's all right," said Luigi. "I'm all right."
Three mummies then dug themselves from the sandy ground. Zed cursed, but Luigi set his face, knowing that these "mummies" were simply Greenies on stilts.
"How are you gonna beat them?" hissed Zed.
"Watch this," said Luigi.
With several precise Strobulb flashes, he tricked the three mummies into colliding with each other, knocking them into the sand. He managed to yank the bandages off of one of them before the other two got to their feet. And then those green beetles joined the fray.
Luigi kept his cool, stunning the beetles and sending the "mummies" stumbling into the bridge of crates, incapacitating them long enough for him to pull off their bandages.
"These are some pretty smart ghosts," mused Zed.
"Yup," said Luigi as he stunned and then captured the Greenies.
The Sneaker hissed as they dove onto the battlefield. Luigi and Zed dodged the initial charge, but then the Sneaker swooped in again, grabbing the latter and hoisting him aloft.
Zed kicked and twisted, but the Sneaker's hold was iron.
"Put him down!" snapped Luigi.
"Flash him, Luigi!" shouted Zed. "Flash him!"
"I can't—he'll use you to block the Strobulb!"
"Don't worry about me, Luigi! Just get this S.O.B.!"
The Sneaker lowered Zed in order to taunt Luigi, and the ghost hunter saw his chance. He nailed the Sneaker with a Strobulb flash, allowing Zed to break free and land harmlessly on the sand.
Zed whooped. "Now we're even!" he cried.
As Luigi engaged the Sneaker, he found out that they were stronger than the previous Sneakers he'd encountered. They had more HP and could escape the suction easier. They'd try to grab Zed again, but the Toad was way too fast for them, Luigi constantly darting between the ghost and their mark. Eventually, Zed grabbed Luigi around the waist and pulled, giving more horsepower in the tug-of-war against the Sneaker.
Finally, the Sneaker's HP was depleted, Luigi vacuuming them up with one powerful Surge. He stood there, gasping, heart racing, sweat trickling into his eyes and mouth.
"Zed," he spoke after a while. "Are you hurt?"
"No," replied Zed, "but you are."
"Better me than you," said Luigi as the Dual Scream rang.
He stepped aside to answer it. "Yello?"
"Well done, Luigi," said Gadd. "You really taught that ghost a lesson!"
"They looked different than the other ghosts," observed Fred. "I wonder why..."
"They had white markings on them," said Luigi, "and I think those marking made them more powerful."
"Let's hope they didn't hide that rotor too well," said Gadd. "Get to searching!"
"Ciao," said Luigi.
He hung up and turned back to Zed. "C'mon," he said.
Luigi led Zed to the gear chamber's upper level, and then he launched the Toad onto one of the lifts. Zed's weight lowered it, allowing Luigi to enter the storage room. After yanking away a sheet, he discovered a passageway too small for him to access, but big enough for a Toad to fit.
"I see the rotor!" Zed cried. "Launch me in there, and I'll grab it for you!"
Luigi obliged, and then he dashed downstairs to meet Zed at the bottom.
Zed held out the rotor in triumph. "Found it!" he sang out.
Luigi took the rotor and high-fived Zed. "Great job!"
"Ugh—I can't believe I touched it," said Zed. "I feel sick. But now you have what you've come for, can you please take me back to the service elevator? There's a Pixelator Screen in there."
"Sure," said Luigi.
"Perfect—I can't wait to get out of this place," said Zed.
Together, Luigi and Zed walked out of the storage room, through the gear chamber and into the service elevator.
"Look! I see a ruby and some gold bars!" said Zed, pointing to a small catwalk across from them.
So, Luigi launched Zed to the catwalk and watched as the Toad gathered up all of the treasure. A spring bounced Zed toward the Pixelator Screen, and he handed the gold bars and ruby to Luigi, earning another high-five.
"Thanks," said Luigi.
He strode up to the Pixelator Screen and pulled the lever.
"See you in the Bunker, Luigi!" laughed Zed.
"See ya!" replied Luigi as he watched Zed go.
Shortly after Zed's departure, the Dual Scream rang.
"Yello?"
"Thanks for rescuing Zed, Luigi," said Gadd. "He's very eager to catch up with Fred. And nice work tracking that rotor down."
"Zed helped me," said Luigi, "but thank you."
"Hold on a sec. I'll bring you back."
"Ciao."
Luigi hung up and did a victory dance before he was transported out of the service elevator.
...
"Fine work, my boy!" congratulated Gadd. "You handled that well."
"What can I say?" asked Luigi. "I think I'm getting used to this."
He emptied the Poltergust into the Vault as he spoke.
"You said that the Sneaker you caught was more powerful than the others," said Gadd when he was finished.
"Yeah. They had more HP, and they were more likely to break free from the suction."
"And they had strange marks all over them," said Zed.
"Peculiar," Fred chimed in.
Turning to Zed, he asked, "Did Boos trap you in the painting, too?"
"Yeah," replied Zed. "As you can see, I didn't make it easy for them."
"Neither did I," crowed Fred.
"I'm just glad that I wasn't completely helpless," said Zed. "After Luigi freed me, I was able to assist him."
Luigi took out the rotor. "Do you need to examine this or something?" he asked Gadd.
"Keep it," Gadd replied. "You'll need it for the next mission."
Luigi nodded and slipped the gear into his pocket.
"We're finally ready to open the Clock Tower Gate and climb up to the top," said Gadd. "But first, there's something we need to review!"
"What is it?"
"Zed also had a snapshot from my tridimensional security camera with him," Gadd explained. "It was taken pretty recently, too. Hopefully it'll give us some useful information."
"Like whoever broke the Dark Moon in the first place?"
"Hope so," said Gadd. "I'll go ahead and process it now. Let me know when you're ready to look at it."
"All right," said Luigi, turning on his heel and walking back into the lounge, Fred and Zed trailing behind him.