Chapter 13: Chloe

---

Pizza grease was not the most difficult thing to clean off a plate. It was a simple few good wipes with a dish sponge and then a rinse before setting it on the dish rack. Daisy had cleaned bigger and more difficult messes before around her castle when she wanted to help out.

"Are you sure you don't need any help?" Shivers asked. He was hovering right next to her.

"I'm almost done," Daisy grabbed the last plate. "I just need to clean this and two more glasses and I'm done."

"You just seem to be a bit troubled."

"I just have a lot on my mind." It was only one thing, or rather one person on her mind. Peach and Mario were the ones who had informed her of Luigi's transformation and she took that in good stride. She even accepted the fact he was married. Of course she wasn't sure how serious the situation was until she had seen Luigi hours earlier. It wasn't the fact he was a Koopa that had gotten to her, or the ring on his hand. It was when he said he was falling in love with Wendy.

Why did it get to her? They weren't engaged, they weren't going steady, and they weren't even boyfriend and girlfriend. Like Luigi, she wasn't even certain if they were dating. Maybe it was that saying about not knowing how well you got it until it is gone?

If he weren't married would she still find him attractive as a reptile? He still had the same beautiful light blue eyes as before, the same friendly smile, even if his teeth were now longer and sharper. He was the cutest Koopa she had seen.

"I could ask the professor to release Melody from her portrait," Shivers smiled. "She could play something nice on the piano. There is the saying about whistling while you work."

"Thank you for the offer," Daisy smiled back at him. "But I am almost finished."

"I understand," the ghost's smile faded.

"However I can still ask Gadd to release her. It would be nice to have some soothing music. Maybe Gadd and Iggy would work better and faster with some back ground music."

"Oh splendid," Shivers's smile returned. "Best not to mention the upcoming royal ball to her. She used to live for such an event," he pause and turned back to face her. "No pun intended."

"I understand," Daisy felt a little disappointed she was also not going to such an event. She never did meet Mallow.

"The same for the Whirlindas. The music and the dancing would have been perfect for them."

"Those balls are a bit stuffy, mostly just dancing and talking. I prefer parties with games and other entertainment," she smiled. "That's what we will do. While everyone is at the ball we will have a party."

"Where will we have this party?"

"Here of course, we'll let all the ghosts out and can call Toad and Toadette, and Yoshi of course."

"We should run by this with the Professor," Shivers reminded her.

"I'm sure he'll like the idea," Daisy knew that even if he didn't she would be able to convince him. "It is a few days from now and both and Iggy would like the break." She skipped her way down to the basement door. "Professor Gadd."

"Ah good Daisy," Gadd called up from the bottom of the stairs. "We have a small task for you."

"What is it?" Daisy asked once she stepped down off the bottom step.

"We need a scan of this," Iggy held up drawing of a strange machine. "Also a scan of the blue prints. They are pretty big, so you might have to scan them in two or three different sections and then use the art program to copy and paste them onto a larger format."

"No problem," Daisy smiled.

"And once you are done you can save it to a disc and upload the information to my laptop," Professor Gadd added. "And save it on a back up disk, also on my flash drive."

"And mine," Iggy added.

"I'll be happy too, professor, you know that Mario, Peach, and Luigi are going to a royal ball in Nimbusland?"

"We have heard it," Iggy said." Not just from them. Wendy has sent me the e-mail detailing everything."

"I thought that on the same night, we could have party, for just us," Daisy said. "And the Ghosts."

"A party for the ghosts, that sounds like a delightful idea," Gadd smiled. "I'm sure they will enjoy it."

"Not just them, for us, and Toad, Toadette and Yoshi, we can have games, music, dancing, and food."

"A party?" Gadd sat up. "For me as well? I like parties."

"It would be a nice break," Iggy added.

"So can we?" Daisy teetered on her heels.

"Of course," Gadd nodded. "We will have a grand ole party."

---

Halfnote Bay

It was a good thing Larry made sure to clean and rub oil on his salt rocket launcher, ever since they had left Tempo Town here had been nothing but zombies, zombies, and even more zombies. There were also various spooks that also came out during the night, shadows, hobgoblins, and straw heads. He was thankful they had yet to come across any dopples or reachers.

"The flare is about to end," Kamron shouted. He was holding his wand above his head.

"I'm on it," Larry fired his weapon at the line of zombies in front of him. "Actually we are on it." He said as soon as he heard Silhouette fire her gun.

"Kamron look out," the cat girl shot her gun towards Kamron's direction.

Larry turned in time to see a hobgoblin grab Kamron by the collar and moan out a song. "Damn it." He looked up, and sure enough the flare faded, and as long as Kamron was mute he would not be able to cast another one.

"Keep firing," Silhouette struck the blunt end of her weapon on top of a zombie's head before she spun around and fired at another corpse. "Don't stop, it is almost dawn."

"I'm not stopping," he continued to aim at anything that would either shuffle or float and fire the powerful rockets made out of salt rock, sometimes a single shot was enough to take out two.

"Don't worry about me," Kamron said. He was able to get his voice back and when Larry glanced at his friend's surroundings he was able to see the clear puddle and the fragments of glass. "Another flare?"

"Just use your magic on the floaters," Silhouette instructed.

"Spirit drain," Kamron pointed his wand at one of the shadows.

Larry was able to focus on the corpses, and most of them could sense the approaching dawn. There were less around than before and those that were still out were already shuffling to wherever it was they hid during the day. He wasn't going to allow them all to run away. He fired two more rockets before heard the familiar click, not of his gun jamming, but of him out of ammo.

"Not now," he glared at his launcher. "Don't run out on me right now."

"That isn't when you say it," Silhouette lowered her shotgun. "You complain to your gun when you have run out and you are surrounded by the enemy, not when they are gone."

"But I wanted to get rid of them all before they are gone," Larry said. "That way there will be less of them the next night." He knew he should let it go. The point was as mute as his corpse finder.

"We can fight more of them tonight," Kamron said.

"He's right," Silhouette nodded. "First we need to find a hotel and check in."

"Is it nappy time already?" Kamron asked.

"Not yet," Silhouette stared at him. "It would be easier to take inventory of our weapons and ammo when we are in a room, unless you feel tired."

"Only a little," Kamron yawned. "We did get up pretty early."

"Before we find a hotel I want to get something to eat," Larry rubbed his stomach. He missed the large and elaborate meals he received at the castle. "And we may have to wait. Most people don't want to leave the safety of their homes when it's dark. A lot of places are probably not open, not for a few more minutes anyway."

"That means there is no one at the front desk of any hotel," Kamron said.

"We are on foot," Silhouette pointed out. "By the time we make it to anyplace they will be open. I agree with Larry, food first and then we find a room. What is everyone in the mood for?"

"Whatever is open," Larry stared at the pink stained sky. The place was the same as he had last remembered, except there was one main difference. There was a tall brass statue. "Plenty to find since we are in the middle of town." He pointed at the statue.

"Ah yes, the town square statue," Silhouette stared at the statue. "I wonder what the town founder looks like."

"I have no idea," Larry shrugged. "This wasn't here last time."

"Did they have a town anniversary since then?" Kamron asked. "If they celebrated a centennial they might have put up a statue."

"It has been a couple of years since I've been here," Larry shrugged.

"Let's check it out," Silhouette was already ahead of them. "Might kill a few minutes for store owners and employees to get to their places."

"She is too hyper," Kamron whispered.

"You have to be very energetic to fight what we are fighting," Larry said.

"She might get us killed."

"I doubt it," Larry shook his head. "She is pretty skilled."

"Very, she almost fights better than you, no offense."

"None taken, but it has been years since I fought against the undead."

"Yeah, why would she be constantly fighting them?"

"Good question, and you should ask her."

"Me?" Larry blinked. "She did say she was fighting for someone."

"Hey, Larry, get over here." Silhouette was standing next to the statue. "You have got to see this." She was waving her arms around.

"Better go see," Larry ran up to the statue. What he saw nearly rendered his legs useless.

The bronze statue was carved to resemble him and it seemed to be staring at him. The statue even had its own salt rock launcher.

"Uh Larry?" Kamron tapped on his shoulder.

"I see it," Larry swallowed.

"You didn't tell me the people would be grateful."

"I had no idea."

"There is an inscription," Silhouette pointed at the plaque at the base. "'Larry Koopa, the champion zombie slayer, we of Half Note will be forever in gratitude to his hero'. I wonder if these are the folk who designed the game."

"Could be." Larry shrugged.

"Do you know what this means?" Silhouette smiled.

"The people here love him?" Kamron asked.

"Even better, free stuff."

---

The free stuff wasn't exactly free, not what Silhouette had hoped for. The people at the fast food diner were ecstatic that Larry had returned to take care of the zombies again. They were willing to let him have his order for free, while Kamron and Silhouette only had to pay for half. They all had the breakfast burrito combo, consisting of a burrito filled with eggs peppers and sausage, and it came with fried potato cakes and small cartons of juice. Larry had ordered two combos and two fruit cups.

The hotel wasn't free either. The people behind the desk had divided up the price of the room three ways and removed Larry's section from the bill. Technically they got only one third off. Once everything was put away, Larry stepped out.

"Where are we going?" Kamron asked.

"The reason why we came here," Larry said. "The site of the lab."

"It is going to be difficult to find clues," Silhouette said. "They bulldozed the place and built a shopping center. That was what the lady behind the desk said."

"They bulldozed the place?" Larry asked in shock. "They can't, that was her resting ground."

"Didn't they give her a proper burial?" Silhouette asked.

"No," Larry shook his head. "They put up a headstone, but the explosion was huge. How could they do this?"

"I don't think they knew," Kamron said softly.

"How could they not know?" Larry growled. "How could they?" He ran towards the direction of the lab, and didn't care if anyone had followed him.

It took him a half hour to reach the place. A passing driver offered him a ride, and in return, Larry nearly bit the man's head off. He could have been more polite, he had asked everything about the lab, and the poor guy didn't know.

"Thanks," he barked out when he stepped out and onto the curb of the shopping center. "So this is now, your final resting place?" He stared into the window of the craft store; it was empty save for a toad sweeping the floor. He noticed the other stores in the vicinity. Two of them were department stores; another was one that sold those scented lotions and bubble baths that Wendy liked. Another was a dentist office. There was also a shoe store and a restaurant.

"Larry," Kamron caught up to him. "Don't do that."

"Do what?" Larry asked.

"Leave without us," Silhouette said. "We had to rely on running and teleporting."

"Teleporting?" Larry turned to Kamron. "You know how to teleport?"

"Not very well," Kamron still had sweat on his face and he looked paler than usual." I kinda got sick."

"You threw up twice," Silhouette said. "I nearly yerfed myself." She turned to the store. "Sad state of the world these days. They would rather have another one of these instead of hospital for kids."

"Don't say that," Kamron hissed.

"No guys," Larry held up a hand. He did not need for them to fight. "I never really got to say goodbye before." He fell to his knees. "I never got to thank her. She was special, and when we weren't fighting during the day she would take me places. We went to the arcade and to the skating ring, and the pizza place."

"Larry," Kamron whispered in a frightened tone.

"When I first started to fight I wanted to do it so I could take over Tempo Town and later all of Harmony, but she opened my eyes. She was the greatest friend a guy could have." He wiped the tears from his eyes. He could almost see her reflection in the glass. In fact he was seeing her reflection. "What?" He turned around, only to see the shocked expressions of his two companions.

"Don't turn around," Chloe's voice wavered. It sounded distorted, but it was her. "I'm still here."

"Chloe?" Larry spun around.

"Hello Larry," Chloe was floating in front of the glass. Her form was pale and transparent and had a soft glow around her body. "I never knew I was that much of an influence."

"Chloe, oh god I'm sorry," Larry stood up.

"Why are you sorry?" Chloe asked.

"I didn't come back for you. I never came by to thank you and say good bye."

"You couldn't have come back," Chloe said. "And we couldn't both leave, not with Howard."

"Is he around?" Kamron asked.

Chloe shook her head and pointed to the ground. "He's down there, where he should be."

"What about you?" Larry asked.

"I might have gone up there," Chloe stared at the sky. "I was on my way the first time. I think it is because I was brought back to life."

"I can find a way to get you to the good place," Larry said. "You deserve it."

"Do I?" Chloe blinked. "If it wasn't for me then there wouldn't have been an outbreak. They shouldn't have brought me back."

"Don't say that."

"It's true. I was supposed to stay dead. That was why I held Howard down."

"You deserve to be someplace better," Larry clenched his fists. "And there was a reason why you were brought back."

"It was because of love," Silhouette said.

"Maybe so," Chloe sighed. "But it was still against nature, and as such I have to stay here."

"Do you haunt the place?" Kamron asked.

"Kamron," Silhouette hissed and slugged him in the arm.

"Not quite," Chloe shook her head. "I stay hidden during the day and I explore at night. I have stopped a few would be thieves, and now that the zombies have returned I try to lure them into the paths of those who try to fight."

"You are still doing good," Larry said. "When this is over I'm going to make sure you get a decent resting place."

"This is where I died," Chloe stretched out her arms. "This is where I stay."

"My brother is a fan of a scientist who is an expert on ghosts. If anyone can help you it will be this guy," Larry clenched his fists. "I promise I will end this mess for you and bring you to someplace nice, someplace where you will be happy."