#8: Luigi's Contacts
By Emerson Kluge

From the Mushroom Kingdom, Luigi took a different path than Mario, avoiding the main road and choosing less traveled areas to reach his destination.

Now, he ducked between the buildings of an outlying industrial city, dim light cast from grimy windows guiding him in the late evening twilight.

Red, hellish fired flickered on the horizon next to factories belching grey ashen smoke. The soot smothered the land black and already Luigi's eyes and fingernails were laced with it. It stuck in his pores and smudged his shirt and overalls.

Koopa Troopers patrolled regularly, sauntering down the streets looking for anyone without the correct colored armband. Even those with the right markings could not be guaranteed peace from the powerful officials though, and avoided the patrols whenever they could.

Luigi ducked down an alley and waited for a pair of Troopers to pass before approaching his destination. Another steel door in another dilapidated industrial section, marked with another chalk line. He pressed the handle-less door without effect and then knocked. Tense moments passed as he waited for an answer, the next Koopa Trooper patrol would come soon and it was impossible for Luigi to blend in with the city's native inhabitants.

From behind a sharp whistle echoed briefly through the street. Luigi turned to see a Rex looking down on him from a rooftop across the street. The purple dragon-like creatures were a distant cousin to the yoshis and more intelligent, though only in comparison. The Rex pointed to a door below him and stepped away from the roof's edge, out of sight.

Luigi crossed and pushed through the other door, entering a gloomy warehouse. The stone walls and ceiling towered above him and goods sat waiting in their alcoves. The musty odor of wet dust hung in the air and light from overhead lamps pooled on the floor.

A large arrow on a stand pointed forward. A second arrow at the end of the corridor pointed left.

Luigi walked confidently and rounded the corner to see an old, grizzled Koopa Trooper behind a desk flanked by two Rexes. Magikoopas watched from a mezzanine above as a tank filled with baby Bloopers and Cheep-cheeps bubbled in the corner.

The gangster sat patiently as Luigi approached.

"I was told you wanted to meet me." Luigi stopped, giving himself room to maneuver. "I assume that means you can help."

"Not me personally. I am middle man right now. But I can discuss for him, your business." The gangster gestures to a cabinet beside the fish tank. "First, would you like something to drink? It must have been some time."

"My business is helping Mario and Princess Peach. What can you do for me?"

The gangster looked down. "I do not like the informality, but I suppose you have a right to be hurried. Very well. What I have for you, is what I have for me. A way of moving things out of Bowser's keep. Is my business."

"You're stealing from him."

"Please, this is an oppressive regime. We are merely rightfully liberating the people's property."

"And then you sell their rightful property back to them."

"Is business. There are risks. They cannot take them, we can. There is danger. I should not be compensated for this?"

"So, how do I get to this 'way'?"

"First, I need some assurances. Every time you or your brother come through there is trouble in business. You toss Bowser a good one," he grinned and chuckled for just a moment before his face fell again. "But you also hurt us. Stock is lost, networks disrupted, clients..." The gangster searched for the word. "Not so alive. Dead! Dead, you might say."

"And what do you want from me?"

"This part of my business is very special to me. It would be very difficult to recover from losing him."

Luigi thought. "He's safe with an exception. If it comes to either him or Peach, Mario or Daisy," Luigi let the words sink in. "You know who I have to choose."

The gangster smiled and chuckled. "This I expected. I don't like, but is acceptable."

"Risks."

"Risks." The gangster agreed. He turned in his chair. "Morton!"

A door opened and Morton Koopa Jr. wearing a permanent scowl waddled forward to stand beside the gangster.

Luigi stared at the gangster. "I don't like this."

"Luigi..." the gangster tried to sooth.

Morton pointed. "You wouldn't be here if it wasn’t for me."

"Yes, Mario and I have had to come here quite a few times on your account. Your father..." Luigi started.

Morton sneered.

The gangster held up his hand for quiet before Luigi could continue. "Luigi, you can see, Morton does not share Bowser's family resemblence. Not like the others. He is, touchy, about this." He dropped his hand slowly. "It is best if you don't make any assumptions about his parents."

Luigi waited a moment to continue. "What do you want?"

"What anyone else wants in this place. He wants to leave. To be out of the Koopa Kingdom."

Luigi shook his head. "I can't guarantee that."

"It is encouraging for business that you did not lie, Luigi, but we seem to be at blockage." The gangster talked factually. "That is his only condition."

Everyone jumped as a voice came from the shadows. "If emigration is what you want, I can get that for you. I can get it easily."

The gangster squinted into the darkness. He turned to a Rex.

"Don't. Try to harm me and you're problems will be with Luigi too."

The gangster growled and grit his teeth. "And, exactly, who are you that can do what Luigi can't?" he finally called.

"Hi," the figure stepped into the light. "I'm Daisy."

The gangster stared at her. "Ah, this is wonderful, both Luigi and the lovely Princess Daisy of Sarasaland." The gangster chuckled, but his face drooped as he came to a sudden realization. "How, may I ask, did you get in here?"

"I came in the back."

A Rex leaned over and whispered in the gangster's ear. "I have been informed there were guards on that door," he spoke tersely. "They would not have let you in."

"They will recover."

"Ah." The gangster clapped his hands. "Back to business then."

"I'll offer full immigration and naturalization in Sarasaland in exchange, Morton will show us how to get into Koopa Keep undetected."

The gangsters smacked the table soundly with his hand. "Agreed."

"And what do you get out of this?" Luigi asked.

"I get to know the 'way', which only Morton knows at this time."

"And," Daisy added. "You get a perfectly legal contact in Sarasaland."

The gangster smiled. "I see you understand business."