I've Got the Strangest Feeling This Isn't Our First Time Around

66

"How is she?" Snoozemore asks.

"Don't lie." Pauline orders.

And the medic doesn't, "Dizziness, fatigue, weakness in the muscles. Climbing fever. And her lung capacity is--"

"Bad." Pauline finishes.

"If they get any worse, you're looking at shortness of breath, blackouts, asphyxiation."

"Pardon?" Pauline asks.

"Choking to death." The medic clarifies.

"Forget the truth. Lie to me." Pauline backpedals.

"And the bad news train just keeps making stops." Mario says as he, Luigi and Snoozemore rejoin them. "There's no way we're all not infected, according to the computer."

"I'm sorry." Pauline says weakly.

"What's the plan?" another technician asks.

"We figure this out." Snoozemore says. "We're all dying."

"Elara's formula was a bust." Luigi says. "How much time do we need to figure out the problem so we can fix it?"

"Computer gets it in moments, but we need a sample from before she became contagious." Mario replies. "So we know exactly how she was affected."

"I got that before we were put on lockdown." The medic says. "In the medical bay."

The medic types in their credentials, but it doesn't let him in, so he tries it again.

"Is there a problem?" Snoozemore asks as he and the team join him.

"I can't get in there." The medic explains.

"Security precaution." Snoozemore says, typing in his credentials.

"Must've figured out the poisonous spores are in here and is locking us in with it." Luigi theorizes.

"Why not twist the knife, just to really drive it home." Mario snarks.

"Why can't you do an override?" Luigi asks.

"Snoozemore, Nosang." Snoozemore says to the panel, prompting Luigi to look at Mario in amusement, who grins back.

"Confirm voice key. Override." Snoozemore orders, but the panel just displays Override Rejected.

"What do we do now?" Mario asks, while something catches Luigi's eye.

"Where does that air duct go?"

"As everyone knows, the Dream Lab is built inside the old ruins of Pi'illo Castle. Underneath us is a ventilation shaft that leads into underground areas. To reach the duct in the medical bay, you'd have to get inside from the entrance under our feet and climb the shaft." Pauline tells the group.

"I'll do it." A technician offers.

"Impossible. It's a long climb, and your arms would give out before you got there." Pauline says.

"Then me?" The medic jumps in.

"We need you here more to keep us from getting sicker." Snoozemore shakes his head.

"You don't need to do this. I'm fine!" Pauline insists.

"Not just for you. For all of us." Snoozemore tells her, as the medic suddenly walks over to Luigi and checks his temperature.

"I'm fine." Luigi huffs.

"No you're not." The medic says. "You're getting warm too."

The group looks at Luigi for so long, he snaps, "Hey, stop looking at me like I'm already dead!"