SATURDAY AFTERNOON

Midna?

Damn, this was familiar. Link, frustrated, looked down at his paws. He hated this. He hated this SO much.

"Midna?" He asked. Well, it was more of a bark.

A low moan replied to him. "No… not again…"

Link turned his head. A small imp was lying there, limply hanging on.

He sniffed her idly.

Midna moaned again and sat up, her head pulsing. "It's me, don't worry… I'm as cursed as you are when it comes to this energy…"

Link lowered his head back down to the floor. He began to walk again.

Midna changed her position. "Does it bother you at all?"

Link sniffed the air. "Not anymore than it bothers you that I'm a beast."

He continued to walk, gathering speed now. He passed a few spirits.

Suddenly, His paw began to sting. Link ignored it.

"Midna." He barked. "You seem…sad."

"I am, Link. I really am. Imagine being stolen by strange people and transformed into a hideous creature by these strange people…"

"Yeah… I have no IDEA what that feels like…"

"Sorry… It's not your fault."

Link's hand prickled again. He was running now. He couldn't focus on it.

Midna buried her face in his neck.

Link was still running, but then his instinct switched to autopilot. His brain zoned out completely and he saw Zelda, staring at the sky.

"… have I reached you?" Zelda asked. She slowly came into focus.

Link walked closer to her. They appeared to be in the middle of nowhere.

"I think so. What are you doing?"

"Trying to contact you. How are you okay?"

"Change of plans- I found a loophole in the plan and fought my way past Zant and the guards. Then I found Midna and released everybody."

"Where are you now?"

"Rushing down a corridor with Midna on my back, trying to find my way out without hurting her. And you? Why aren't you in your dorm?"

"I'm coming to help you."

"…that's nice, Zelda. But I really want you to turn around and go back."

"But… I want to help."

"Yes, I know, but I've got a tingle in the back of my head. I think you shouldn't come."

"But… you're my Mr. Fluffy."

"Be that as it may, I've got all the help I need."

"But… you're my Mr. Fluffy."

"Zelda, I just want you safe right now. So head back."

"But…"

"What?"

"You're MY mister fluffy."

"Zelda…"

"I'm coming to help you, Mr. Fluffy."

"But Mr. Fluffy can find his way back home by himself. He's well trained."

"Mr. Fluffy is a dumb mutt who can't find his way out of an empty room. You're getting the Mr. Fluffies all mixed up."

"Mr. fluffy is offended."

"Mr. Fluffy should be. Now I'm coming to get him."

"NO, you're not."

"YES, I AM."

"Zelda, DON'T come. Period. Exclamation point. Cross bones. Biohazard."

"Mr. Fluffy, we appear to be breaking up. I can't hear you. I think you said to come." Zelda gave him a peck on the cheek and then started to fade.

"ZELDA!"

She waved happily and then dissapeared.

"Damn."

"Midna?" Link barked. Midna patted his head. "Yes?"

"… How much do you know?"

"As much as any other person knows."

Link halted.

"How much information do you know that I don't? – IMPORTANT information."

Midna was silent. Link waited impatiently.

Then Midna yawned her petty little yawn.

A tingle ran down Link's spine. Letting out the prisoners out had been confusing and time consuming. He felt like his pressing the secret brick was no accident, especially since now he was, well… lost in a fog. Letting out the prisoners had helped them, which was good, but now he probably couldn't get out.

He was trapped like a rat.

Or, lab rat, per say.

Or, actually, a lab WOLF.

Somebody was after him at this second.

"Link, let me put it this way… I know more than I should."

Link began moving again. He might as well.

"I know a lot of secrets. This fog, for example. Its ground shadow crystal mixed with helium and whatnot. It's not technically possible, I presume, but it IS dark magic,-"

"CHEMICALS." Link corrected her.

"Dark magic. And I know about Twili, and Hylians-"

"Who?"

Midna let out a silent moan. He was so clueless.

"Hylians and Twili. The twili are people that are not as powerful against Zant. He even started a project to control them. I believe that's how he got to you, by finding somebody with Twili. I watched a lot of tests, undercover. I saw you transform. I know almost as many dark magic effects as you do,"

"You mean the chemicals."

"Yes, Link, I mean the chemicals." Midna growled, gripping his ear. Sadly, her imp's squeeze was not nearly as strong as her human squeeze. Link didn't react.

"But I also know a lot about you."

"How much?" Link asked, feeling suddenly self-conscious.

"I know that they've cloned you."

"Cloned?"

"They've made a duplicate. He was a shadow."

"They couldn't get all the chemicals into me at one time, so they made another."

"No, he wasn't tested on. He was going to be used to learn more about who you were. Like a probe…He's gone..." Midna pressed her hands into her eyes.

"He killed himself?" Link was taken aback. It was quite possible. He quite nearly did it himself, it he had been coherent enough to find out a way how.

"To not have to endure what you had to. Actually, we don't know if he's dead or not. But he's appeared to have faded, and to have done so himself."

"That's… sad."

Midna wiped her eyes.

Link's pace slowed. It was harder to walk than normal, with all the dark fog around them.

Midna, too, seemed tired.

He pushed on. His paw was prickling angrily at him.

Was he being tracked?

Zelda was quickly stumbling through the forest. Jonathan was behind her.

They noticed a person rushing past them.

"Excuse me!" Zelda called. The person, a young boy with blond hair looked at her in shock. Behind him was a girl with short brown hair.

They both were bare footed, wearing worn shirts and jeans. Zelda recalled Link's first appearance.

"Did you come from the lab?"

Their eyes widened and they backed away. "We were forced to help! It wasn't our fault!"

Then they ran.

"Wait!" Zelda called out.

"Just let then go."

Jonathan whispered.

He seemed uncomfortable.

"Something wrong?" Zelda asked kindly.

"Yeah… um, I'm supposed to be somewhere."

"Where?"

"It's one o' clock."

"So?"

"I missed…Nothing, never mind."

Jonathan shrugged it off. Zelda was ahead of him again- she was more nimble and more eager to reach the destination.

They pressed through the shrubbery.

It had been nearly an hour after Zelda had contacted Link, and they still couldn't find the lab. After nearly despairing, Zelda's hand prickled. She looked up slowly.

In front of her was the lab peeking through the trees.

A truck was in the entrance, full of knocked-out chemists. There was a spot of blood on the ground, but no sign of anything else.

A pungent smell irritated her delicate nose. She took a step toward the entrance.

"Jonathan?" She asked. "Are you coming?"

Jonathan shook his head no. "I can hardly look at this place."

He stumbled toward the car and leaned against it. Hand on forehead, eyes closed.

Zelda nodded. "Try to make yourself useful…"

Zelda walked inside, one hand in her jean pocket, the other fiddling with her hair.

"Huh." She mumbled. She took a few more steps, glancing around. She walked down a hallway, bright lights lining the ceiling.

Zelda felt a hand tugging on her shirt sleeve.

Whipping around, she met the eyes of a little girl. The girl had dark brown eyes and dark brown hair. Her skin was evenly tan, despite the lack of sunlight.

"What are you doing in here?" She whispered.

Zelda swallowed. "I'm looking for a friend." She smiled softly, thinking about him, and how much courage he had to do this.

The girl shook her head and let go of Zelda's sleeve. "No point. They were all let out before they released the fog."

"Fog?" Zelda asked, bending down.

"The black shadow fog that turns people into spirits. Everybody got out, from what I know. All the chemists are in a secluded room for their safety, but the people in trouble got out." The girl stared at her feet.

"It's not much of my business, but he's still in here." Zelda patted the girl's head. The girl smiled.

"I can help you look… it's my job. It's really important, too. I've made sure everybody got out. All my friends left a while ago…" She said.

Zelda thought of the boy and girl who she had ran into a few minutes ago.

"My name's Luda."

"I'm Zelda."

Zelda stood up.

Luda nodded. She pointed down a corridor. "That's the way."

Jonathan examined the car. The door was unlocked. He opened it and pulled

A person out of the driver's seat. He pulled another out of the passenger seat, and two more out form the back. Leaving them in a groggy heap, He stripped them of their any weapons, and then climbed in the car.

He lifted up a carpet pad. A few wires poked their heads up.

He remembered studying mechanics, and bent down to re-arrange them.

Zelda noticed Luda looking down the hallway. Her eyes were glossy, yet determined.

"Luda." Zelda said quietly. "Your friends left. Go with them."

"No!" Luda's face turned red. "I want to help! I watched, not doing anything, as these people suffered! I was forced to HELP the enemy! I couldn't do a thing until now, and now, I will!"

Zelda smiled. "I understand. But right now, isn't your safety important, too?"

Luda's lip stuck out in a pout, but then retracted.

"You hate it here. I do too, Luda. You can go. You've done enough." Zelda smiled. "This is my job." She knew she had to be doing the right thing.

Luda's eyes sparkled with tears. "I just…"

"It's ok." Zelda ruffled Luda's hair and then pointed her in the correct direction to the exit.

Luda sighed. "I'll find my friends."

Zelda watched her leave.

She then ran down the hallway, determined to find Link.

Zelda heard a small click. She felt the floor below her give way. A trap?

Somebody knew she was coming and would go this way.

Luda? No, she had been trapped here. She wanted too badly to help to have done this.

Instead of screaming and freaking out, she made a grab to the side. Her fingers slipped. She fell, confused, and her mind was only focused on how she could get out and how she could find Link.

Her world became unfocused as she fell into darkness.