Super Mario Bros. Ch. 1

SUPER MARIO BROS.

Brooklyn, 1995

The rain pelted the asphalt hard as a woman clutching a bundle tightly to her chest ran hard through the night. At a corner, she looked furtively over her shoulder, her haunting blue eyes scanning the space but seeing nothing except cars which lumbered through the precipitation, and headlights blinding anyone who looked at them. Not seeing what she was looking for, the woman cinched her cloak tighter around her frame, adjusted the bundle in her arms, and resumed running. Finally, she stopped in front of a church run orphanage where she placed the bundle she was carrying on the top step. She removed something from around her neck, placed it on top of the bundle and knocked rapidly on the door before turning and disappearing into Brooklyn’s rain soaked streets.

Cars honked their horns and the drivers shouted obscenities at the woman as she ran into the street to an open manhole cover which she climbed down into the city’s sewers. In the dark and dank sewer system she continued running deeper into the labyrinth of tunnels, still looking over her shoulder every few seconds. Finally, she stopped at an intersection of the sewer pipes to catch her breath. She didn’t see the tall pale figure in military garb emerge from the shadows behind her until it was too late. The person lashed out and grabbed her arm in a grip as strong as iron. The woman whirled around and gasped when she saw her assailant.

“Koopa!”

“Where’s the stone?” asked Koopa, his eyes glinting dangerously in the low light.

“It’s safe from you!” the woman spat and slapped Koopa in the face as hard as she could.

Surprised, the military man released his grip on the woman who stumbled a few steps before regaining her footing and running again. But Koopa was faster than she was and threw her against a wall when he reached her.

“My patience wains. Tell me where the rock is.”

The woman got back on her feet and saw that they were in a very old part of the sewer. The timbers supporting the tunnel looked rotted and ready to cave in. Maybe if she was lucky Koopa would be caught in it. The queen put her hastily conceived plan into action faster than one would have thought possible and threw all her weight against the support beams which broke with one blow, initiating a collapse right above her. Koopa let out an angered hiss as he watched the cave-in bury the queen, taking the information he needed with it.

“General Koopa,” came a voice over his radio.

“What is it?” he snapped.

“General, the portal is starting to destabilize. It is advisable that you return immediately.”

Koopa looked one last time at the rocks that had taken his prize before replying. “I’m on my way.”

The fact that he had failed to obtain the needed information was but a minor setback in his grand plans. He could afford to wait for now. Eventually Koopa would find the stone and with it he would ensure the future of his species. His victory was inevitable.

SMB

At the church where the woman had left her bundle one of the sisters who worked there opened the door and looked out into the cold dreary night. Seeing nothing up or down the street the sister looked down and saw what had been left on the doorstep. It was a baby, barely a year old. She picked up the baby and carried it into its new home. Inside the other sisters came to fawn over their new charge. When brought to the Mother Superior, she took the strange rock that had been left with the baby and held it up to the light. It was a curious object and looking at it the Mother Superior got the feeling that this child had a grand destiny ahead of it.

She had no idea how right she was.

SMB

Brooklyn, 21 years later...

“Mario Brothers Plumbing, no leak too small. Yes, sir... no sir, we can take care of it... we can be over soon... yes sir, don’t let anyone touch it, leave it to the professionals. Thank you, sir!”

As soon as the phone was put away a grin stretching from ear to ear appeared on Mario’s face. They finally had a job!

“Luigi! We’ve got work!” he called out as he walked into the living room of the small rundown apartment where his younger brother lay on the sofa watching some show on close encounters or some other such nonsense. “C’mon, get off your butt and get your tools, Luigi. There’s a broken dishwasher at Mama Leone’s.”

“Hang on, Mario, this guy on Miraculous World says he just spent a week in another dimension,” Luigi protested, his eyes never leaving the TV screen.

“The only thing miraculous I know is that we’ve still got a roof over our heads and food to eat,” Mario shot back as he picked up the TV remote and hit the power button. “And what’s this? Don’t tell me that you’re actually spending money on this!”

Mario had found issues of the New York Post and a few other magazines that reported on aliens and the supernatural. The headline on the Post was about another girl from Brooklyn who had gone missing.

MISSING MISSES STILL A MYSTERY

PAULINE SANTINI sixth BROOKLYN GIRL TO DISAPPEAR

“Don’t throw that out, that’s the issue with the article about the missing Brooklyn girls and the scientist whose brain got turned into cheese.”

“Why do you read this stuff? It’s garbage. And that stuff is never gonna happen, how could it?” Mario laughed.

“Hey, it could happen, anything’s possible, Mario. You just gotta believe,” Luigi stated as he grabbed his tool belt and followed Mario out the door.

Mario and Luigi were Italian-American plumbers and owners of the struggling Mario Brothers Plumbing Service. Mario was of average height, stocky, proudly wore a mustache, and was athletic, having played on his high school football team. He was level headed, a rather no-nonsense kind of guy, and the eldest of the two brothers at thirty. Luigi was twenty-three, taller than his older brother, clean shaven, and built like a track runner which he was a part of in high school. He was the dreamer, the one always ready to believe in what others would call impossible.

“I believe, Luigi,” said Mario as they pulled out into traffic in their battered old step van. “It’s that what you believe and what I believe are entirely different things. You believe in UFOs, Atlantis, and the Loch Ness Monster. I, on the other hand, believe that our rent is four weeks overdue and that our plumbing business has a major leak. Hey! What are you doing? The turn is up ahead!”

Luigi, who was driving, had turned into an alley instead of the street he should have.

“Trust me, Mario,” he grinned. “I got a feeling about this alley, this will get us there faster.”

“You’re crazy, Luigi. Every time that you get a feeling about something we end up bruised, broken, or in some kind of fracas.”

“Hey, there are hundreds of animals like birds and turtles that navigate on instinct and my instincts tell me that this is faster.”

“Again with the birds and turtles? You talk about them so much I’m beginning to hallucinate birds see turtles in my sleep! With your head in the clouds all the time it’s a wonder you ever learned a serious craft like plumbing.”

“Well you and pop forced me.”

“Forced you? What are you talking about? You’ve got free will, haven’t you? I’m the one who was forced into the family business. Pop made me promise I’d continue our family’s plumbing excellence.”

“Look, we’re here!” Luigi exclaimed as he braked. “What did I tell you? We shaved some time off our arrival.”

“Yeah, and it’s an absolute miracle that we made it alive, especially with you driving.”

“I thought you didn’t believe in miracles.”

The brothers got out of the truck only for Mario to moan when he saw the white van that was parked in front of Mama Leone’s. It had a company logo on it and text across its surface.

Santini Construction

Commercial – Industrial - Residential

Plumbing

Toll Free: 1-800-FIX LEAK

“Oh great! Santini beat us to it again! How does he do that? C’mon, Luigi, let’s see if we can’t salvage this.”

Mario grabbed his tool belt from Luigi and walked into Mama Leone’s, a determined glint in his eye.

Two people in white coveralls Mario recognized were standing in the back of the restaurant talking with the manager, Johnny.

“It’s Doug and Mike. This just keeps getting better and better.”

“It’s a two-day job, and that’s if we get the parts we need on time. You know how it is with ordering parts, right?”

Mario hustled over and cut in before either the rival plumbers or Johnny could say another word.

“You said it was a broken dishwasher when you called us for the job,” he chewed out while glaring at the white suited plumbers.

“It is, it leaks from the bottom,” said Johnny, still visibly anxious over the situation.

“That could be either a washer or a hose. It’s a two-hour job, max. These two hacks are trying to snow you.”

Doug and Mike looked at Mario and Luigi and then at Johnny.

“Could you excuse us for just a minute?” asked Mike as he grabbed Mario by the tool belt and dragged them out of earshot of the manager.

“Hey, nobody touches my tools,” growled Mario as he slapped Mike’s hand off his belt.

“Sorry, I understand. And I assume you, Mario, understand that no one messes with our boss,” both plumbers leaned in and pointed at the company logo on their coveralls, “Santini. Know him?”

“We grew up in the same neighborhood. He was the oldest kid on the street and a bully. And he’s not a plumber, he’s a second rate hack like you.”

The four plumbers held a staring competition for a few seconds before Doug called over to the manager. “What’s it going to be, Johnny? The Mario Brothers or Santini?”

Over where he stood Johnny swallowed nervously. After all, names were important here.

“Two days you said? That sounds f-fine”

Doug and Mike smiled and walked back out to their truck to collect their gear.

“Unbelievable. They’re not a company, they’re a mob,” Mario muttered.

“I’m sorry, Mario,” Johnny said as he approached the brothers. “I know your old man was friends with Mama Leone before he passed away. How about I make it up to you with a complimentary meal?”

“Yeah, that sounds great!” Luigi smiled, who had a particular weakness for Mama Leone’s meatballs. “What do you say, Mario?”

“We’ll take it in a box.”

SMB

“Santini, I’d love to get my hands on him and wrap a pipe wrench around his neck. His people are always beating us to jobs, I can’t figure it out!” growled Mario, now behind the wheel. “And what’s wrong with this van? I thought I told you to fix the radiator!”

Their step van had indeed started making noises and sounded like it was ready to die any minute. Mario quickly pulled over so they could check the engine.

“Ease up, Mario, it’s been making that sound all week,” Luigi said.

“C’mon, Luigi, you didn’t tell me that!” Mario groused as he and his brother got out to lift the hood. “Be careful, it’s hot.”

Mario’s word was true as when the engine hood was opened the brothers were blasted in the face with steam.

“I’ll see what I can do with this. Here’s my phone, check for work,” said the elder brother and handed Luigi his cell phone before starting to look at the engine.

SMB

Larry and Roy had not been having a good week. A week ago the portal that had connected their world to the one they were currently in had become active again for the first time in twenty-one years. Their boss, Koopa, had immediately sent them through to bring back the long lost princess. The only problem was that thus far the two had failed to bring back the right woman. They were back in the other dimension again for one last attempt.

Larry was walking back to the car he and his cousin had procured after stopping at one of New York’s many hot dog carts.

“Here,” he said handing Roy his hot dog after getting in the car.

“What is it?” Roy asked, sniffing the food cautiously.

“They say its dog,” Larry replied and threw his bun out the window.

“We’d better not blow this again, Roy. Koopa will de-evolve us if we screw up again.”

“Right, so don’t blow it this time.”

“There she is!” Roy exclaimed so suddenly that Larry nearly choked on his hot dog.

“You sure?”

“Yeah, two arms, one head, two legs. Let’s go get her.”

“Nah-ah, you’ve been wrong the last several times. If you think it’s her then you go get her. I’ll wait here. I’m not getting de-evolved.”

Roy made a face at Larry and got out of the car to trail their target until she reached a suitable place to be abducted. It wouldn’t do to get entangled with this world’s law officers. She was just reaching an opportune place for Roy to grab her when two workers carrying a thick pane of glass walked out in front of him. The would-be kidnapper didn’t see the glass but felt it when he smacked against it hard. By the time he looked up again the target had disappeared.

“Where’s the girl?” asked Larry when Roy returned to the car empty handed.

“I lost her.”

“That’s just great,” Larry complained and poked Roy in the eyes.

So far their week did not show any signs of getting better.

SMB

Luigi had checked the messages on Mario’s phone. There was no work for them.

“Where you going?” he asked Mario who had finally looked up from the engine and was walking towards the store they were parked in front of.

“To get some water,” the elder brother answered. “Any work?”

“Nah, we got nothing.”

Mario grunted and walked into the mini mart. Luigi hung back, intending to turn on the truck’s radio and listen to music but collided with someone and was thrown to the ground when he turned around.

“I’m so sorry,” Luigi started saying as he hurriedly got to his feet and extended a hand to help the other person up. “I should have been more mindful of my surroundings.”

“No, it’s my fault, I was looking at my phone instead of where I was going,” the person insisted while accepting the offered hand from Luigi.

When Luigi got his first look at the person’s face, he had to catch his breath. She was beautiful! Her eyes were a haunting shade of blue, her face heart shaped, and her hair was a shade of amber so bright and intense it almost seemed unreal.

“Hi,” was all Luigi could manage to say in that moment, having lost his ability to form complete sentences.

“Hello,” she smiled at him. “Look, I’m sorry for running into you, it’s just that I have somewhere I need to be and I’m running late. I was checking my texts and that’s why I didn’t see you.”

It took a second more for Luigi’s brain to engage after she spoke and he stammered out a reply. “No, it’s alright. But it sounds like you could use a ride. I’ve got a van. It’s broken right now but I’m hoping it will be a quick fix.”

“That’s nice of you. Yeah, a ride would be great if you can get your van fixed. Thanks.”

At that moment Mario walked out of the store, carrying a large bottle of water and muttering under his breath.

“Hey, Mario!” Luigi called. “We’ve got a lady here who needs a ride. I said we might be able to give her one if we can fix the truck quick.”

“I don’t know, Luigi. Where do you need to go, miss?”

“Not too far, just the other end of the Brooklyn Bridge.”

“Hey, the bridge isn’t too far from here. We can have her there in no time, what do you say, Mario?”

“Well... all right,” he acquiesced. “I guess the bridge isn’t too far out of the way. If this will really help you out, miss, please step into the van. Fortunately, all we need to get it running again is some water for the radiator.”

“Thank you,” the girl said and flashed a thousand-watt smile. “This means a lot to me; you have no idea how important it is.”

After pouring in the water, the engine sputtered to life and the trio were on their way to the Brooklyn Bridge.

“I can’t thank you enough for this ride,” the woman was saying. “I’m Daisy, by the way.”

“Luigi, and this is my brother, Mario. What do you need to get to the Brooklyn Bridge for?”

“Have you heard about the dinosaur excavation going on by the bridge?”

“Of course!” Luigi exclaimed. “I love that kind of stuff! What’s so urgent at the dig that you have to be there today?”

“The discovery of the fossils has disrupted the installation of a new pipe for the city waterworks and the head contractor is coming down today to try and smooth things over and get the project back under way. I have to be there because I’m the boss.”

“Really? You’re in charge of the dig? That’s impressive, you must really know your stuff,” Luigi grinned. He was falling for this girl more every minute.

“I better know it; I’ve wanted to be a paleontologist for as long as I can remember. The site has been great, we’ve found some new species and iridium in the rocks. We think it could be the impact site of the meteorite that wiped out the dinosaurs sixty-five million years ago.”

“There used to be dinosaurs in Brooklyn?” Luigi asked excitedly.

“There used to be Dodgers here too,” Mario spoke up. “Who’s the contractor you’re holding up?”

“Santini Construction.”

“Santini? Now I’m really glad we gave you a ride, I hope you really stick it to that creep.”

“Why? Do you have a beef with Santini?”

“Something like that. You see, we’re plumbers and that mobster is running us out of business. We just lost a job to his goons.”

“He’s not making it easy for us to dig up the bones either. He has his men harass us every day, it’s slowing us down.”

“The guy really is a mobster,” Mario muttered.

“That’s an interesting crystal you have there,” said Luigi, indicating the crystal pendant that Daisy was wearing around her neck. “Did you find that at the excavation site too?”

“No, actually. It was with me when I was found.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I was abandoned. I was raised by the Sisters of St. Teresa. This rock is all I have of my parents.”

Silence permeated the van as they drove the rest of the way.

“As much as I’d like to continue a conversation with you, we have reached our destination,” said Mario as he parked the van outside the excavation which was surrounded by picketing construction workers.

“Hey, I just want to say thanks again for the ride. I really can’t miss meeting Santini. If this works out, then maybe we can finish the dig without any further interruptions.”

“It was no problem, Daisy, now go knock Santini down a few pegs,” Luigi grinned and watched her walk off to meet the construction mogul. “She really is pretty, isn’t she?”

“Yeah, she is. You should ask her out,” Mario smiled.

“No, no I can’t,” Luigi started protesting.

“Come on, what’s wrong with you?” Mario encouraged. “Ask her out or you might regret it later.”

While Mario was attempting to convince his brother to ask Daisy out, Daisy herself was approaching a tall man with slicked back hair and wearing an expensive suit with a hard glint in her eyes.

“Are you the boss around here?” he asked as she approached.

“I am.”

“I’m Luca Santini, the boss elsewhere. How much longer are you going to be holding up my construction crew with this dig of yours? That waterworks pipe has to be installed soon and you and your fellow students are not helping us stay on schedule by going through the tunnel centimeter by centimeter with camel hair brushes.”

“We’ll be here for as long as our court order lasts, Mr. Santini. The college has explained to you how important this dig is. We’d be done a lot sooner if your goons would leave us alone and let us work.”

“Look at those men,” Santini pointed to the picketers on the other side of the chain-link fence. “They’re honest hard working men with families to feed. If they’re not working they’re not getting paid, and if they’re not getting paid their families don’t eat.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Santini, but this is an incredibly important find. We’re working as fast as we can and without any further disruptions your men will be back to work in a few days.”

“You look like you’re a smart girl. I’ll bet that you’ll be finished here by tonight. There’ve been a lot of girls going missing in Brooklyn lately. It’d be a shame if you were added to the list.”

“Mr. Santini, I will not be intimidated into abandoning this dig until all the fossils have been excavated. If you’d be kind enough to call off your goons your pipe will be installed that much sooner.”

The two glared at each other for a few moments until Santini sniffed, looked down, and turned to depart.

“Alright, you’ve made your position clear. Let me be equally transparent. Be done with your dinosaur dig by tonight or you’ll regret it.”

Santini got into his limo and drove off from the site, Daisy’s eyes never once leaving the vehicle until it had disappeared from view.

“That was really something, Daisy,” Mario applauded as he and Luigi walked up behind her. “You ought to be given a medal. That’s the first time I’ve seen someone stand up to that scumbag.”

“Thanks, I just hope nothing happens to the dig.”

“Come on, Daisy, what’s the worst that could happen? You spend a few more days digging up the dinosaur fossils and then Santini’s men can get back to work,” Luigi said.

“You don’t understand, Santini didn’t get where he is in the business world by being nice. If something does happen and it goes to court, we probably won’t be able to make anything stick.”

The three of them fell silent for a few moments until Mario nudged Luigi to get him to ask Daisy out.

“Y-you know, I bet I know what will put a smile on your face,” the younger brother stuttered.

“What would that be?” Daisy asked, taking an interest.

“Well, what if you go out with us for dinner tonight?” Luigi proposed nervously. “Mario’s got a date tonight with a girl called Daniella, and if you’re willing, perhaps we could make it a double date. Also, since there aren’t a lot of other girls at this dig that I can see, perhaps the two of you would like to talk. Of course, it’s no big deal if you don’t want to go out, it’s understandable. After all your dig is being threatened and...”

“Luigi,” smiled Daisy, “you’re rambling.”

“Am I? I’m sorry, I do that sometimes when I get nervous and it certainly doesn’t help that you’re very pretty and... did I just say that? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to come on so suddenly like that, it’s just... I’m rambling again aren’t I?”

Daisy’s and Mario’s eyes were alight with amusement and Daisy decided to take pity on the tomato faced Italian youth.

“Sure, I’ll join you for dinner. What time?”

“Y-you will? Great! Are you going to be here the rest of the day?”

“Yes, I won’t be going anywhere else.”

“Then how about we pick you up here at five o’clock?”

“Five o’clock works perfectly. I’ll see you then?”

“You bet. See you tonight Daisy. Bye.”

“Goodbye, Luigi.”

As the brothers left Luigi let out a shaky breath. His legs felt like they were going to give out any second now. Wiping some sweat from his brow, he noticed that it looked like Mario was struggling to hold back some laughter.

“All right, Mario, you got something you want to say?”

“Hey, considering the nervous wreck you became, I think you handled yourself rather well, but what would you do without me?”

“I wouldn’t mind giving it a try.”

“Oh come on, you were going to let her go.”

“And now she’ll think I’m a complete idiot,” Luigi moaned.

“No she won’t, you’ll impress her. Now let’s get back to the apartment and pick you out something for your date tonight.”

A/N: The first chapter in a re-imagining of the 1993 live action Super Mario Bros. movie starring Bob Hoskins, John Leguizamo, and Dennis Hopper that I'm working on. Any and all constructive criticism is welcome. Keep on writing.

Knight Writer 95