Sorry for the long delay! Basically apart from block, I have no real excuse other than being distracted and lazy. Thanks for the follows and reviews, especially the guest review comparing Link and Dark to Legolas and Gimli! (not sure which is which) I am honoured! Funnily enough there's a sort of LOTR reference in this chapter! Cookie if anyone spots it. I think that was all I wanted to say for now...I promise the next chapter will come much quicker!
Chapter 4
The woman flicked on the strip lighting in her dingy laboratory and walked briskly over to her workbench. She opened up her notebook and picked up her pen.
Test 23:
Increased dosage of vaccine 25%
The woman picked up a pre-prepared hypodermic syringe from a rack on the bench. Rolling up her sleeve, she pushed the needle through her pale skin and depressed the plunger, forcing the green fluid into her body; her eyes scrunching up slightly at the pain.
Please, please, work this time.
The woman reached to one side for a small glass jar containing several tiny robotic devices. She opened it up using just the thumb and middle finger of the hand that held it and used her free hand to pick up one of the tiny robots with a pair of metal forceps. Re-closing the lid she replaced the jar on the bench and held up the tiny robot to the light.
So strange, that such a small thing can cause so much damage
The robot resembled a spider, except that it had a shiny steel exoskeleton, patterned with red and blue markings. Its' tiny legs wriggled and flailed against the grip of the forceps, futilely trying to find it's intended target.
The woman sighed and glanced at the bench, just to check she had her scalpel close to hand, lest things go…..awry.
She placed the tiny bug on her forearm, where is circled for a few seconds, before, all of a sudden, it's tiny legs began to dig under her skin! The woman felt no pain, not since the corporation had manufactured the critters to contain anaesthetic in their legs. She watched as she allowed the bug to wriggle around under her skin whilst she carefully counted the seconds.
Five, Six, Seven, Eight…..
She bit her lower lip; time was running out.
Please! Thirteen, Fourteen, Fifteen…..too long!
The woman sighed and reached for the scalpel and plunged it tip first into the skin on top of the bump. Once it ceased its' wriggling she used the forceps to part the incision in her skin, forcing back her flesh so she could grip the tiny robot underneath. She lifted it out and looked at the device longingly.
I only have a few of you left, how much more is it gonna take to kill you all.
The woman turned to her computer and tapped a few keys, making the monitor fuzz into a screen of static. Through the interference a garbled voice could be heard.
"Yes Agent One, how are the tests going?"
"Not good Professor, 25% still wasn't strong enough"
"Repeat the test again, just to be sure!"
"I can't, I only have a few more tektites left to test on"
"Increase dosage 15% then"
"Is that safe?"
"Just do it! Don't bother me again until you do!"
Two more days had passed since Dark and Malun had graced the Sanctuary with their presence and were now in the thick of making plans for their departure. Dark's ankle appeared to be healing well and with no other destination or plans to stay long term at the compound he seemed anxious to Link to be moving on again.
Link was reluctant to argue against his choice. He'd made no secret of the fact he didn't trust Dark, not as far as he could throw him, even if he seemed to be kind to Tael and Malun, and polite and respectful to Telma and the others. There was just something about the dark man that brought out the worst in him. Almost as if he was instantly under his skin.
As a result, Link found himself always on guard around Dark, which began to take its' toll as there are only so many places in the compound to be, even in one as large as the Sanctuary. Of course it didn't take Dark long to work out that Link wasn't about to start trusting him anytime soon, not that it bothered him as such. But if the guy was planning on coming along with him and Malun to trek across Hyrule, he was going to have to learn to cut him some slack.
He trusts in Malun, that's something, at least.
Link could feel Dark's eyes on him, watching him closely, as he packed supplies of medicine and dried food into his back pack. He refused to look up, much less give Dark the satisfaction of seeing his irritable side. It was only when Dark started to chuckle softly that his impatience got the better of him.
"What!" Link snapped incredulously at the dark man, who stood with one foot angled against a stone pillar.
"I just thought it was funny, you the other day, asking about me and my life and didn't bother telling me your life story" Dark chuckled in reply.
Link huffed and returned his attention to packing.
"Well, you never asked" Link said, without looking up.
"Yeah, you just assumed I was gonna trust you. But that's how guys like you work I guess"
Link stopped what he was doing and looked up at Dark, forking his eyebrows at him.
"And what's that supposed to mean"
Dark dropped his foot and strode over to Link, towering over him, his grin fading slightly.
"People like you, I've seen your type all my life. You go round thinking you're better than everyone else and act like everyone's supposed to revere you, like we all owe you a debt of gratitude that we're allowed to walk in your presence and breathe the same air"
Had it not been for Dark's grinning Link might've believed in his words. But he had begun to understand, this was just another test- Dark's way of sizing him up, trying to work out how Link would handle himself if things got tough.
"Fair enough" Link said reluctantly, "But there's not really much to tell about my life, and it's certainly not as privileged as you seem to believe"
"Humour me" Dark said sarcastically.
"Well, I never knew either of my parents, I grew up in an orphanage in Ordon, left there at sixteen, met Zelda when I was working for Telma, married by nineteen, Tael arrived a year later and well, that's it."
Link looked up at Dark when he didn't hear a response after a few seconds, no sarcasm, no put-downs, not even a slight laugh. He was just standing there with crossed arms and staring into the space between them, biting his lip slightly, as if he were mulling something over in his mind.
He shook his head slightly when Tael's squeaky voice permeated the tension, chasing whatever stray thought it was from his mind.
"Daddy! I thought you'd gone without saying bye to me"
Link stopped what he was doing and hugged Tael tightly.
"No, my sweet, I would never do that" Link whispered into Tael's cheek. He pulled away from his son and cupped his cheeks with his hands, trying to make sure Tael was listening.
"Daddy's going out to find Mommy, you know that right?"
Tael nodded silently.
"I don't know how long it'll take but I promise you….I will come back"
There had been no tears from the four year old, only the solemn expression of understanding that no child his age should be forced to wear. Dark only stood back, watching the farewell embrace, with a curious sort of look on his face. He'd never really had to say goodbye to anyone he cared about. The only person who'd ever left him was his father, and he was too young then to remember anyway. Of course, there was still his mother…..that had stung, but he'd just sucked it up and swallowed the hurt down, until he couldn't feel it anymore.
"You all set to go?" Dark ventured after a little while. Link turned his head up to Dark and nodded. The blonde man looked on the brink of crying, but for once Dark took the option of deciding not to mention it.
"Right, I'll fetch Malun"
"Mister Dark?"
Dark glanced down at the little blonde boy, rather startled that he'd addressed him at all, let alone so formally. He quickly looked at Link, remembering to check he had Link's approval to engage in conversation with his son. Link gave a quick nod and Dark knelt down so he was face to face with Tael.
"What can I do for you Tael"
"Make sure my Mom and Dad come back okay"
Dark grinned a little bit. "Don't worry kid" he said, "Your Dad's the persistent type, I don't think I'll be able to get rid of him very easily"
Tael giggled and hugged Link's leg, just as Rusl, Telma, Barnes and Renado came in to escort Link up to the hatch.
"Malun's already up there waiting for y'all" Barnes stated.
Link zipped up his pack and slung it over his shoulder before giving Tael one last quick squeeze.
"Remember to do everything Telma asks, make sure you eat all your food and brush your teeth" Link fussed over him.
Standing back up and giving his only child one last loving glance he turned and walked out of the mess hall towards the metal staircase, followed closely by Dark, Rusl and Renado.
"You have my orders?" Link asked Renado, as he finished strapping on his heavy protective boots.
"Yes Link, we'll remain on standby for your instructions"
Link nodded and turned to check on Dark and Malun, who both stood ready and waiting to head out, already in their armoured gear.
"I guess this is it then?" Link sighed, placing one hand on Renado's shoulder. "Take care Renado, take care of everyone for me"
"And take care of yourself" the older man replied, "And you!" Renado turned to address Dark sternly. "Anything happens to Link, or the young lady here, I'll be holding you responsible"
Dark flashed a slightly daring grin, but did not actually say anything. The old man seemed pretty sincere in his threat, and Dark was fairly certain the old geezer still had some fight in him.
Rusl unbolted and pulled open the heavy door, exposing the harsh environment outside. Link allowed Dark and Malun to step through first and gave Rusl a farewell pat on the shoulder before stepping through into the howling winds.
The gales ripped through the valley, mercilessly pulling large chunks of boulder from the ancient mountains that surrounded the former village on either side. The old town of Kakariko, that had stood, unmarred by the passage of time for centuries, now ravaged and ruined within a few short months when the virus hit.
"We have to move fast and get out of this valley….before we get crushed" Dark yelled, trying to outmatch the sound of the wind in volume.
Link and Malun glanced at each other from under their masked faces and followed Dark, who seemed to take the natural lead.
The walk down the narrow passage that lead out of the valley was a treacherous one, that took almost two hours. As the walls narrowed the walk became easier, since the force of the wind was not so strong against them, but there was also far less chance of escape if any boulders should come tumbling down on them. At several points during the trek through the gully they had to stop dead in their tracks, or bolt as fast as they could to dodge the rocks that came tumbling down from above. Fortunately though, the wind storm seemed to have driven away any monsters, for now at least. Dark was glad of that. Despite his rather fortunate escape he was not planning on tangling with any helmasaurs again anytime soon.
As they approached the opening on to Hyrule Field, the winds appeared to die down significantly, enough even to remove their masks.
Link gasped as he yanked down the stifling black fabric protecting his nose and mouth, relieved to be finally breathing the fresh air. This was about as far as he went on a normal day, just a couple of hours walk. He had trekked a little further afield, but had always turned back in plenty of time to make it back before sundown. Sleeping out here was unthinkable for most people back in the compound, but Dark had insisted they would be quite safe.
"We'll follow the line of hills to the north for a couple more hours" Dark said, "That way we'll be about halfway to Castle Town before sunset"
Link groaned, crouching over to rest his hands on his knees. "Can't we rest up a little first, that was one hell of a hike" Dark scowled at him.
"Going soft on me already?" he sneered.
Link scowled back and shook his head. "I just think we should give Malun the chance to rest up"
"She's fine" Dark snapped, without so much as looking at the girl, "We keep moving"
Link groaned again and glanced at Malun who was smiling weakly at him as they moved off again, with Dark marching a couple of meters ahead.
"Thanks for trying to take care of me Link" Malun said, "But it's really not necessary, I'm tougher than I look"
"I don't doubt that Malun" Link replied quietly, still liking the way she said his name, "But to be truthful, I just wanted to stop for a bit….it's been…..a tough day in more ways than one"
"I can tell" Malun said.
"Do me a favour Malun, don't tell Dark I said that"
