Chapter 10—Decisions

Samus ran down the hallway toward the main control room, shooting down any Spider Drones that she encountered. The entire time, she kept thinking about what Ganondorf was up to, and why he suddenly didn't want to go after Spinne. She took her frustration out on any and all Spider Drones. She stopped occasionally to scan different parts of the ship, hoping it'll give her some clues as to how to shut down the laser.

"I'll deal with Ganondorf later, once I complete the mission," she hissed to herself. She eventually made it into the main control room. She cautiously looked around, finding the room eerily quiet. She quickly turned around once she heard the door slam shut. She aimed her beam cannon at the newcomer in the room. "Ubel, I presume?"

"You are correct," affirmed the assistant. Ubel slowly strutted towards Samus. She wore a dark purple, skin-tight, long-sleeved jumpsuit that looked almost similar to Samus's Zero Suit. Her long, black hair flowed behind her with every step. Samus fired a shot at Ubel without warning, and was shocked at how quickly the woman dodged. Ubel darted at Samus, and the two quickly engaged in a hand-to-hand battle. Samus grabbed the collar of Ubel's suit and slammed her against the wall, pointing the beam cannon at her face.

"Where's Spinne!?" interrogated Samus forcefully. Ubel merely grinned.

"Like I'd tell you?" Ubel then grabbed Samus by the wrist that was holding her and threw the bounty hunter away. Samus fired a few shots at Ubel, which the dark-haired woman easily dodged. "Just like how I'm going to tell you that the countdown on the firing of the laser has already begun." Samus quickly looked at the main computer that was attached to the laser itself. The timer was at ten minutes and ticking away by the second. Before Samus could make another move, she felt something slam onto her back. "I wouldn't move, if I were you…unless you want that motion-sensor bomb on your back to explode."

"What the-!?" Samus's eyes widened and she tensed up. Ubel merely laughed.

"You see, Sammie," she began, "your scanners can pick up how to shut down the laser, but that requires movement. We can't have you spoiling Doctor Spinne's plan like that. If you want to shut down the laser that badly, then feel free to move…but you'll die in the process, along with your friends that are on this ship."

"Link…" Samus muttered. Ubel tilted her head slightly, grinning.

"You didn't mention the Gerudo. Now why is that? Was there a little lover's quarrel?"

"Lover's quarrel!? Are you insane!?" Ubel chuckled once more.

"You and I both know there's some chemistry between you two," taunted the woman. "Doctor Spinne and I both saw how well you two work together when we were spying on you two in the kitchen." Samus narrowed her eyes dangerously at Ubel, who merely laughed once more. She made her way to the door and opened it. She looked over her shoulder at Samus, grinning wickedly. "By the way…eight minutes until Gegend's impending doom. Ta-tah." Ubel then closed the door behind her, locking Samus inside.

Ganondorf quietly made his way into the room Link was being held in. He approached the unconscious hero and studied him carefully. He checked Link's vitals and could tell the boy was barely alive. Ganondorf grinned.

"I've been waiting for this day for a long time, Link," began Ganondorf. "For seven years, I've waited to get the Triforce of Courage from you, and now it's in my grasp." Ganondorf clenched his fist as both the Triforce of Power and Courage radiated on the back of his hand. "And now that I have it, there's no reason for me to keep you alive." He placed his hand around Link's neck and squeezed slightly, noticing his hand was shaking. He tried to tighten his grip further, but found that he was having trouble in doing so. He narrowed his eyes, a hesitant expression forming on his face. He stayed that way for a few moments before pulling his hand away, letting go of Link. "Why…!? Why can't I kill you!? I can't…" Ganondorf yelled in frustration and punched the wall next to Link's head, caving it in a bit. He began to breathe hard as he glared at the ground. "Link's completely helpless…he can't fight back…then why can't I kill him!?" He closed his eyes and reflected for a few more moments. "It's…it's because he can't fight back…there's no joy in killing him when he's already dying…even if he is the bane of my existence." He quickly grabbed his head and shuts his eyes tightly as he saw the images that Link had embedded into his mind by Spinne. His eyes shot wide open once the scenes ended and he felt his body tremble slightly. He lifted his head up and looked at Link. He shakily placed a hand on the boy's face and lifted his head up to get a better look at it. Link's skin was very pale with the exceptions of his cheeks, which were stained with tears. Even though he was unconscious, his expression was still one of sorrow. Ganondorf's expression softened slightly when he laid eyes on Link's sad state. He then narrowed his eyes, letting Link's head droop back down as he let go. "Spinne…Spinne is the reason behind all of this…everything has been thrown into chaos because of him…everything about me has been thrown into chaos. That needs to change…starting with you, Link!" Ganondorf yelled and grabbed Link's chest with his right hand tightly. His face contorted in pain as they both began to glow with a green aura. The Triforce of Power glowed brightly along with the Triforce of Courage, but the latter piece quickly faded away. Courage's light was rekindled on the back of Link's hand; it glowed dimly, then slowly returned to its original glow. Both men stopped glowing as Ganondorf let go and staggered backwards, catching his breath as he placed a hand on his chest. The color in Link's skin began to return to its natural color as he slowly regained consciousness.

"Nngh…wh…what?" breathed Link. He slowly lifted his head up and looked at Ganondorf, who merely stared back at him with an unreadable expression. "Ganondorf?"

"Yes," was all Ganondorf managed to say. He grinned, then walked over to Link and ripped away his bindings. He quickly caught Link as he collapsed, then helped him to his feet.

"You…you saved me," he uttered. "But why? You could have killed me if you wanted to."

"I do want to kill you," admitted Ganondorf, grinning. "But not when you're unarmed and defenseless like you are. I want you to die on my blade in battle." Link stared up at him, then smiled slightly.

"Thank you." Ganondorf nodded to him slightly. Link then frowned. "The laser...Spinne tricked me and got the energy he needed from me…I'm so sorry." Ganondorf narrowed his eyes.

"I saw what he did…" he growled. "Samus is already on her way to find Spinne and hopefully she found a way to shut down the laser. We need to go find her and help her out." Link looked up at Ganondorf and nodded, a determined look on his face. Ganondorf grinned. "That's the pesky hero that I know. Come on, let's go." Ganondorf quickly ran towards the door, with Link following behind. Link suddenly stopped.

"Wait!" he shouted. Ganondorf skidded to a halt and turned around. Link scowled a bit. "I don't have any weapons."

"You have enough strength to do hand-to-hand combat, don't you?" Link nodded. "Just stay close by then." Link nodded slightly again, then caught up with Ganondorf. The two ran down the hall towards the control room, then slew to a stop as their way was blocked by Spider Drones. They turned around and saw more Spider Drones approaching, completely blocking their path. Link and Ganondorf stood back-to-back, looking at each other over their shoulders.

"Great, now what?" questioned Link. "We're completely surrounded."

"Give me a moment,Hero, I'm thinking here!" snapped Ganondorf as he surveyed his surroundings.

"It better be a quick moment, because they're closing in on us!" Ganondorf looked at the Spider Drones and saw that they were, indeed, coming closer to the pair with each step. He cursed under his breath as the drones readied their guns, pointing them at the two.

"…Fuck…!"

Sorry I took so long to update, guys! I've had some stuff going on in my life (like finally getting a job, yay!) and my workload with my classes has been heavy. Things will finally settle down after next weekend and I can finish the story. Please keep those reviews coming! I like them. A lot. Please. Feed the starving artist--I mean writer--I mean DAMMIT!! I love you all smiles