Chapter 21
At Long Last
Pausing only momentarily to take a deep breath and steel his nerves, Colin quickly turned the handle on the door in front of him, shouldered it open with a loud bang, and brought his stolen pistol up in the exact manner his father hand taught him, yelling "Freeze!" in his most authoritative voice.
The shooter, leaning against the far wall, stared at Colin, dumbstruck, a half-eaten Twinkie falling out of his mouth.
The class was a mess of overturned desks and discarded papers; clearly, this shooter wasn't particularly concerned with order. The students, numbering roughly fourteen or so, all sat clumped in the corner. They looked afraid, but not terrified like the others. More nervous than anything else, like a group of skittish horses that had been startled by a snake, but had since calmed down.
And there, sitting against the wall, his hands bound behind his back with duct tape, sat Ralph.
Colin felt some of the tension in his chest ease; so that's where he went… Well, at least he was still alive.
The redhead had a sour expression on his face, clearly upset that his attempt at rescuing the class on his own had gone awry. He was captured, but he didn't seem to be injured in any way, other than the injury he'd sustained earlier fighting Veran. His trusty brass telescope was nowhere to be seen.
"Ah, Colin!" Ralph exclaimed, sounding delighted. "Excellent timing, good fellow! Er, you wouldn't mind lending me a hand, would you? I seem to be a little tied up at the moment…"
Colin ignored him, his focus maintained on the guard who only now started to move. Ignoring the bits of half-chewed snack cake that plastered the front of his now-filthy shirt, the boy moved as though to grab the gun he'd discarded on the filing cabinet beside him.
Inhaling sharply, his heart rate increasing drastically, Colin tilted his hand to the side and pulled the trigger. With a blast the bullet punched through the filing cabinet, making the shooter jump back with a girly squeal.
"Hands in the air!" Colin barked, hoping the edge in his voice would be taken as anger and not terror, like he knew it was. It was a miracle that his arms weren't shaking, but his legs might as well have been jello for all the stability he was getting.
The boy obeyed immediately, biting his lower lip, his weasel-like eyes darting back and forth as he searched for any form of escape.
Colin advanced slowly, making sure not to trip over one of the overturned desks. With every step that Colin advanced forward, the would-be shooter took one backward, up until he'd managed to back himself into the corner, his entire body trembling.
Now that he wasn't in imminent danger, Colin allowed himself to be a bit more observant. The quivering boy (he didn't know his name, from school or from his brief stint as Ganondorf's informer) in the corner was rather heavy-set, which explained the three empty boxes of Twinkies on the teacher's desk. His black extra-large t-shirt, stretched taut over his engorged belly, was plastered with bits of the spongy yellow treat, telling Colin that he was a slob. As if the state of the classroom hadn't informed him of that already.
Approaching the desk sideways, his pistol still trained on the boy, Colin licked his lips and slowly extended his free hand toward the cabinet. His fingers scrambled across the cold metal for a moment before snatching up the gun. Quickly stuffing it barrel-first into the waistband of his jeans, Colin scuttled back towards the door that he'd left ajar and closed it with his foot, feeling relief flood through him as the door snapped shut.
He'd done it. He'd saved the class.
Now to get them settled and move on.
"Ralph," Colin said quickly over his shoulder, "Come here so I can cut you free."
Ralph clambered to his feet awkwardly, struggling to rise without the use of his hands. When he'd finally managed it, he strode towards Colin with a dignified expression, as though trying to regain the honor he lost by being captured.
Sending the boy in the corner a warning look, Colin snatched a pair of scissors out of a mug on the teacher's desk and began hacking through Ralph's bindings as quickly as he dared, careful not to cut him.
"Excellent work." Ralph said, sounding just as haughty as ever. "Truly, I am in your debt. Though I should say that I had everything under control, of course."
"Of course." Colin muttered absently, struggling to work the scissors with one hand and keep his gun trained on the attacker.
"Everything went well on your end?"
"Just peachy." he replied, sighing with relief as he finally managed to cut Ralph free. "There you are." He added, tossing the scissors back on the desk and returning his free hand to his arm to steady his aim.
"Ah, splendid!" Ralph replied, tearing off the last shreds of the silver tape as he stepped back, massaging his wrists. "Though to be fair, you did have a slight advantage over me. You had a proper weapon. Why, if I had-"
"Well, now you do." Colin cut in, annoyed, tugging the reclaimed pistol out of his waistband and slapping it into Ralph's open palm.
He was right, in a way. Ralph probably would have been able to handle the room no problem if he'd had a gun like Colin did, but he didn't need to be so defensive about it. This wasn't a contest.
Turning his attention back to the room, Colin began issuing orders while Ralph admired his newfound toy with disturbing glee.
"You." Colin ordered, gesturing to the fat boy with his weapon, "Over there. On your knees."
"P-P-Please," The boy stammered, his voice surprisingly high-pitched, "I-I w-wasn't-"
"Shut up! Get over there, now!"
Sniveling, the boy hurried to obey, falling more than kneeling down onto the floor in front of the teacher's desk, tears falling down his pudgy face. Colin felt sick.
Positioning himself so he was behind the boy, he motioned to the teacher to rise and join him. Miss Dina, a thin, sour looking woman, appeared uneasy but rose to her feet anyway, carefully tiptoeing around students and furniture alike until she was at Colin's side. She sent the boy a short, distasteful glance from behind her gaudy, bejeweled spectacles before fixing Colin with a guarded look, her lips thinning.
"Miss Dina," Colin said softly, giving her what he hoped was a reassuring smile, "my name is Colin Smith."
"Ah, and I am Ralph Ambi, your hero and savior-"
"I know who you are, boy." Dina cut in flatly, effectively silencing Ralph. "The semester started three months ago. I'm perfectly capable of learning my own student's names."
Ralph flushed, abashed.
"Er, right…" Colin said slowly, feeling a little awkward. "Well, I need you to listen to what I'm going to tell you, and please don't interrupt; we don't have much time."
He added the last part as much for Ralph as for the teacher. Farore only knew they'd be in here forever if he decided to embellish upon Colin's every sentence.
Miss Dina regarded him thoughtfully for a moment before nodding as if giving permission, her garishly ornate dangling earrings swaying. The many rings on her fingers clinked together as she folded her arms. Dina he knew loved jewelry, and the tackier the better. He noticed her dress was wrinkled; she likely wasn't pleased about that.
Clearing his throat roughly, he pressed on. "The police have invaded the school. It's just a matter of minutes before they make it up here. Me and some friends discovered a plot by Ganondorf to order all of the remaining hostages be executed before the police could make it to them, which is why we're here. However, we need to go; there are other rooms that need help. Please, stay here, and keep your students inside; it's not safe to wander the halls right now."
If Miss Dina found anything outstanding or out of the ordinary in his admittedly bizarre tale, she didn't comment. Instead, she shot the sobbing boy on the floor a disgusted look and asked, "And what do you suggest I do with him, pray tell?"
Colin shrugged, gun still trained on his back, his arms starting to feel a little stiff from being held up for so long. "Tie him up. Shoe laces, backpack straps, duct tape, whatever. Just make sure you stay here. And try to keep quiet; it sounds like the battle's gonna reach the second floor any second now, and we don't want the attackers to realize you're here and try to finish their job."
"And if things get out of hand?" She replied quietly, giving him an unreadable glance. She was eyeing Colin's gun with interest.
Colin groaned inwardly; what, was he supposed to come up with everything? No way was he giving her his only form of protection. Forget that.
"I dunno. Hide? Fight them off with Ralph's telescope? Whatever, just do what you have to do."
She inhaled slowly, looking thoroughly displeased that he hadn't offered her his weapon, but he decided to ignore it. They were running out of time. The fight downstairs would reach their floor any minute now. It was only a matter of time before he wasn't able to navigate the halls safely, and Zelda could be in danger like Ralph was. Curse him for allowing her to wander off unarmed…
"Right." He said, anxious to get a move on. "Well… Ok then. See you later."
Turning on his heel and ignoring the curious glances of the newly liberated students, he quickly made a break for the door, his thoughts whirling in his head. Ralph followed quickly at his heels, appearing anxious to get away from Dina and her bitter disposition.
"Mr. Smith!"
Freezing, his hand on the doorknob, Colin took a deep, steadying breath, then turned back to face Miss Dina, bracing himself for whatever overly-judgmental comment she was about to throw at him.
She examined him for a moment through her glasses, giving him a once-over with her beady eyes before gathering herself up primly and saying, "Thank you."
Colin stared, dumbstruck.
"It's a relief to see there are still boys of valor in this school. I was beginning to lose hope." She shot Ralph a disgusted look, making him bristle indignantly, his jaw hanging open as he struggled to find the words to defend himself.
And with that, she turned her back on them and began issuing orders to the students in the corner regarding their new captive, snatching up a meter stick and holding it aloft like a rapier.
Flabbergasted, Colin slowly turned the handle and exited back into the hall, his head spinning. Miss Dina had never complimented anyone to his knowledge in her entire time as a teacher at this school. She was a stiff old woman who brooked no nonsense and never showed any sense of humor or compassion for weakness. And yet she'd thanked him…
A small smile crept onto his face as he jogged quickly down the hallway.
She thought he had valor. Maybe he did… after all, he'd just risked his life, again, to save a group of strangers and his overly flamboyant comrade. It'd be much easier to just hide in the bathroom until the Police had cleared the area.
If only Aryll could see him now…
Aryll…
His smile vanished instantly. Aryll… Would she ever forgive him? He knew what he'd done was wrong, but… Could he really be blamed?
He squashed that thought vehemently. Yes, he could be blamed. Sure, he'd do anything to protect her, but he'd effectively sacrificed the lives of everyone who'd died today to do so. To be fair, there was no guarantee that the police would have been able to break through any earlier than now. It's entirely possible that his giving the frequency to Ganondorf had changed nothing in the overall scheme of things... But if he was being honest, it probably bought Ganon an hour or two, if not more. Lives had been lost because of what Colin had done… He wasn't deserving of Aryll's forgiveness…
Still… He'd turned around, hadn't he? He'd joined Zelda and warned the police, effectively countering the mistake he had made. He'd helped get the police in, and now, because of his assistance, all of the other captives would be freed soon. And he was even helping to save the rest of the captives at great personal risk on the possibility (Zelda seemed to think it was a fact, but she never revealed her source, if she even had one) that they'd be killed before they could be saved. Surely, that had to count for something… right?
Colin took a deep breath, fighting the weight of guilt that threatened to swallow him as they turned a corner and continued on, Ralph's jaw still working furiously though not emitting a sound. She'd never agree to go out with him again, but… if he could just get her to forgive him… even a tentative friendship would mean the world to him. He cared about her opinion so much…
A frown tugged its way onto his face. Where was Aryll anyway? She'd left with Midna and Sheik to save Link a while ago. Link, Colin knew, was being held upstairs in the main office, so it was safe enough to assume that was where she was. There was no reason for them to have ventured downstairs amidst the chaos… Unless they'd somehow already managed to rescue him and they'd been trying to find an exit…
Shaking his head roughly, he shook the thought off. There was no point in dwelling on it now; he had to believe Aryll was safe, else he wouldn't have the strength to do what he knew needed to be done?
As he and Ralph rounded yet another corner, they were hit by a wave of sound; screams, stampeding footsteps, and the overwhelming sound of gunfire, all of it emanating from just down the hall.
The battle had finally reached the second floor.
Gut-wrenching fear suddenly seized Colin, and he felt himself break out in a cold sweat as he cast his eyes about for a place for them to hide. Din blast it, he needed to get to Zelda! He was so close!
"Is that… Is that the battle?" Ralph asked, breaking the silence that had hung over the two since they'd left Dina's class. He sounded anxious, but not in the excited way he had been earlier. The pistol was shaking slightly in his hands, and his face had gone pale.
Noticing the door for a classroom he knew would be empty about ten feet ahead on the left, Colin made a break for it, snagging Ralph's arm and towing him along, easing the pistol in his hand, his breath coming in frantic pants.
Before he could make it two steps, three figures rounded the corner, running full speed towards him.
The only reason Colin and Ralph still lived was because all three were facing back the way they came from, firing randomly at their pursuers. Two held pistols, but the third carried an assault rifle. He was providing the cover fire for his comrades in short spurts of rapid gunfire, and if the shouts echoing from down the hall were any indication, the Police were being prevented from advancing because of it. He didn't seem to have many spare cartridges on his person, but that didn't do much to ease Colin's concern. He knew what needed to be done.
Inwardly praising Nayru for his father being a cop and forcing him to learn how a use a gun, Colin dropped swiftly to one knee, aiming his pistol with one hand and steadying his arm with the other.
He took a quick, deep breath.
The first bullet took the machine gunner in the back, causing him to cry out in alarm and pain before falling to the ground, his gun spewing bullets randomly into the lockers and ceiling, the ping of ricocheting metal nearly drowning out all other noise. Before he fell, Colin had already turned to fire his second bullet, catching one of the other shooters about mid-thigh. He staggered backward, miraculously still on his feet until one of the bullets from the machine gunner bounced off of the metal surface of the locker and struck him in the chest. He fell without a sound.
The third one was smarter than his comrade. As soon as he heard the machine gunner cry out, he'd let out a loud curse and turned to the side and darted down an adjacent hallway, Colin's bullet missing him by a matter of inches and gauging a deep furrow into the brick wall.
The machine gunner had finally stopped shooting, and for a moment all was silent. Colin panted heavily, feeling spent; who knew shooting a gun took so much out of you?
Something sick settled into the pit of Colin's stomach.
I just killed two people…
"That…" Ralph began, his tone flabbergasted, "was amazing! Where on earth did you learn to shoot like that?!"
"My father." He replied gruffly, not exactly feeling proud of his achievement.
At the sound of the approaching voices at the end of the hall, Colin stiffened, panic overwhelming any and all logical thought processes. What if he was wrong? What if it wasn't the police coming towards him? He'd be trapped with nowhere to go…
Hurriedly scrambling to his feet, he darted to the door he'd previously noticed and threw it open, entering the dark, empty room. Ralph followed him without a word, and Colin shut the door quickly behind him, leaving it barely cracked open so he could see outside.
His breathing was frantic, and his heart was pounding uncontrollably in his chest. He'd just killed… The battle was… Were they police coming towards him, or… What about his father? Zelda? Aryll? What was he going to do?
At the sound of quickly nearing footsteps, Colin felt his grip on the now-warm pistol in his hands tighten, and he hurriedly stilled his breathing, leaning his shoulder against the wall, all of his attention on the narrow strip of light just before his eyes, Ralph leaning over his shoulder to get a better look.
Suddenly, the forms of two black-clad men darted past. He could see the bullet-proof vests, the standard-issue rifles gripped in their hands, the white words 'S.W.A.T.' imprinted on nearly every part of their person. And, most importantly, the golden star on the chest of the man in front, glinting in the dim fluorescent lighting…
Colin's chest tightened painfully, and he felt his grip on the gun in his hand slacken in shock.
"Dad…?" he whispered softly, hardly daring to believe what he'd seen.
Before he could come to grips with what he'd witnessed, another movement in the hall caught his attention: a boy was creeping slowly down the hall after his father, a pistol held in his hand, a look of triumph on his face. As he passed out of Colin's line of sight, dread sunk into the pit of his stomach; the third shooter… he'd waited until the cops passed, then went after them.
He was going to kill them while their backs were turned.
Fear and anger suddenly coursing through him, Colin clenched his teeth, seething, and threw the door open, stepping back out into the hallway.
He paused for only a second to examine the hallway before him: two police officers stalking quietly down the hall, one wearing a blue collared shirt beneath his vest and a familiar silver watch on his left arm, and behind them a boy who was silently raising his gun to point at their retreating backs.
"Stop, villain!" Ralph bellowed unexpectedly, catching Colin by surprise, and as all three males turned to face the sudden noise, he quickly brought his pistol up and fired.
Ralph, however, had absolutely no training with fire arms. Having not prepared himself for the kickback, the gun flew out of his hand as soon as he pulled the trigger, landing with a clatter, the bullet lodging into a locker ten feet away from his intended target.
The boy, realizing he'd been caught, sneered darkly and tried to turn his gun, but before he made it even halfway, Colin's bullet took him through the chest.
The boy jerked backward, a surprised look flashing across his face before he dropped to the floor beside his gun. He didn't move again.
Panting heavily, Colin slowly lowered his gun, his gaze fixed on the shooter's inert form while Ralph hurriedly scrambled across the floor to reclaim his weapon, his face as red as his hair.
Now I've killed three…
Down the hall, a familiar voice pierced through his thoughts, bringing him back to reality.
"Put your gun down, Shiro! That's Colin! That's my son!"
Colin waited patiently as his father jogged quickly back down the hall to join him, Shiro following more slowly, keeping an eye on the surrounding area.
When his father was within earshot, Colin turned to him slowly, his heart heavy with remorse as he realized what he had to do. He needed to explain to his father what he'd done, the truth about his betrayal. How would he react? Was he in legal trouble? Would his own father have to arrest him?
"Dad," he began, his voice croaking, "I-"
Colin suddenly found himself swept up in a fatherly embrace, effectively cutting off what he was going to say.
"Oh, Colin…" his father whispered, hugging him fiercely. "You're alright! Your mother and I, we've been… so worried about you…"
"I'm sorry…" Colin replied, letting his arms encircle his father's waist.
"No!" he said quickly, laughing a little, "No, don't be, it's not your fault! I'm just… so relieved that you're…"
Colin felt sick. Not his fault? Maybe not, but he certainly hadn't helped matters. He had a feeling his father wouldn't be too pleased to learn his son had been the reason why it took so long to get in here. But still… he had to tell him. He needed to know the truth.
"Dad…" Colin said, trying to start again, but Rusl suddenly pushed him out to arms length, giving him a quick once-over with his eyes.
"You're not harmed, are you?" He asked quickly, "Uli will kill me if anything's happened to you."
"No, Dad, I'm fine, but-"
"That was a good shot." He said, over riding Colin once again. "You've gotten pretty good. You'll be a shoo-in at the academy when you're older, no doubt about it."
"Dad-"
"Who's your friend? Why are you in the hallway? I specifically told you-"
"Dad!"
Rusl blinked, looking astounded that his son had just shouted at him. Colin flushed slightly, but kept his gaze determined. "Dad, please, I need to tell you something."
"Well, what is it? Speak up, son, I'm listening." Rusl replied lightly, looking uneasy.
Colin took a deep breath, struggling to steel his nerves.
"Dad, I-"
"Rusl, we don't have time for this." Shiro cut in from the side, casting nervous glances down both sides of the hallway. "We need to move if we're going to get Colin and his friend out of here before we get attacked again."
"What?" Colin blurted out, alarmed.
"Right…" his father muttered, looking troubled, "I don't suppose you know how we're going to do this, do you? Maybe we can leave them in a classroom until things are safe-"
"I'm not being left behind, and I'm not leaving!"
Both his father and Officer Shiro sent Colin blank looks.
"I'm sorry?"
"Colin, be reasonable. We can't let a minor roam around-"
"Listen!" he spat, growing impatient. "Don't give me that garbage about me being a minor. I've been doing fine without you 'til now. My friends need me; I'm not about to abandon them simply because my Dad's the chief of police and I get special treatment."
"Colin," his dad said, adopting a lecturing tone, but Colin cut him off.
"Aryll's still in here. I'm not leaving without her. And Zelda's counting on me and Ralph, we're not about to abandon her either."
"Righto! We shall never abandon a woman in need! Onward the fight!" Ralph cried valiantly. He was promptly ignored.
Shiro looked annoyed, but Rusl's adopted a pensive expression.
"Zelda?" he said curiously, "You mean the girl from the phone is Zelda Nohanson?"
Colin blinked. "What? I don't know what her last name is, I only met her today. But that's not important! She needs my help!"
"Colin, she needs to be rescued, and that's why your father and I are here. Let us do the dangerous work; you've done enough as it is."
If he was annoyed before, Colin was furious now. They just weren't listening to him! They were treating him like a child! As if any of them could still be called that after today.
Resorting to Zelda's story, Colin angrily blurted out, "Ganondorf is about to issue an order to his people who are guarding the last of the students. He's going to tell them to kill them before you can get to them. There were six rooms. Me, Zelda, and Ralph saved one group, then split up to help the others. I did one room, Ralph did another," He carefully left out the part where he had to rescue the red head, for his sake, "but that still leaves three, and I don't know how much time we have left or how Zelda's doing by herself. She needs us. They need us."
"Colin," Shiro said, sounding frustrated, but Colin cut him off.
"That's about forty students for us. How many have you two saved?"
That brought about a stunned silence.
"Exactly. Of the four of us, we seem to be the only ones who know what we're doing. More importantly, we're the only one who seems to be remembering that there are more lives than ours at stake right now. Those students need me. Zelda and Aryll need me. But we can't do it alone. Dad, Officer Shiro, we need you, and you need us. I know where the students are, and I know my way around the school. Please… Let me help."
He hadn't meant to sound pleading at the end, but he couldn't change anything now. All he could do was stand there and stare determinedly into his father's impassive face and silently please with the goddesses that he listen to him just this once…
After what felt like an eternity in the relative silence that was broken only by the sounds of gunfire and screaming that echoed ever nearer in the halls, his father gave a weary sigh and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand.
"Shiro… my boy has a point."
Colin and Shiro adopted twin looks of shock.
"S-Sir, you can't be serious!"
"But I am, Shiro." he said simply. "If we turned back to escort Colin out of here, we'd be being selfish. There are other students whose lives are in danger, and if Colin is correct, we don't have a lot of time to save them. He'll need to be our guide. I don't like it, but… I think it's our only option."
Shiro swallowed back his response, shaking his head for a moment and looking furious. Finally, he said, "…You're right, sir. I… Goddesses, but you're right… But I wish there was another way."
Nodding, his father turned his gaze back to Colin. "We'll need to move fast, and together. You two stay behind us, you hear? And leave the fighting to us unless absolutely necessary. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir!" Colin said, feeling elated.
"It would be my honor." Ralph replied, performing another odd bow.
Rusl nodded, looking at Ralph askance as he adjusted his rifle in his hands. "Then let's get going. Where to first?"
"Zelda said she was going to Mr. Adler's room. It's on the other half of the building."
He nodded curtly, and together the four set off at a trot, Shiro in the lead, Colin jogging beside his father, Ralph bringing up the rear.
"Your mother will be so proud when she hears about this." Rusl said quietly. "And then she's probably going to kill me."
Colin laughed, shaking his head ruefully before turning his attention back to the job at hand. Zelda, he thought desperately, Aryll… hold on. We're on our way.
Ganondorf's footsteps thundered down the narrow staircase, his eyes blazing with malevolent rage. Every footstep echoed in the stairwell, impacting like a hammer with the force of his hulking size. He clenched his fists in fury, the sound of his cracking knuckles reverberating like a staccato of gunshots.
Hero was missing.
He'd made a bee-line for his base of operations as soon as he'd realized the Police had foiled his plans, intending on ending Hero's life and claiming Power once and for all. Only when he'd arrived at the main office, the door was ajar, Hero was gone, and Sakon's body was lying on the floor amidst a pile of dirt and broken pottery.
Rage had welled within him like an inferno at that moment, the flames licking at his heart, consuming him from the inside. All his planning, his hard work, for naught…
Arriving in the abandoned hallway before the library, he struggled to hold in the anger that was building steadily in his chest. With a wordless roar, he spun on the spot, driving his fist into the wall beside him, sending shockwaves through his arm. His blood was pounding in his ears, drowning out the pain he knew he should be feeling. Growling, he turned and continued on down the hall towards the nearest staircase. There must be something… some way he could find Hero… Some way he could still obtain the Power he sought.
He needed to do… something. Something to direct all this anger, to channel his destructive urges. He wanted to destroy, to maim, to kill… To punish those who had caused his plans to fall asunder… But how? Alone, he knew he would be more than a match for any of them. But united, he would not deceive himself and believe he could take on the entire police force. Not without having claimed the Triforce first…
At the thought of the police, the image of Rusl Smith came unbidden to his mind and he sneered dementedly. What he wouldn't give to kill that man… Why, right now, he was likely reuniting with that precious son of his and was on his way to saving the rest of their captives…
Captives…
With a sinister grin, he whipped the walkie-talkie out from within his large dark overcoat and turned, prowling down an adjacent hallway. Perhaps he couldn't kill Smith outright… but he could make sure he had no one to save.
With fiendish glee, he held the small metallic device up to his mouth and pressed the button. "This is Ganondorf. Heed my words. The police have infiltrated the school. We have been compromised. Any moment now, they will be upon you, and will kill you without hesitation."
Yes… the same was also true for him. There was no way he'd be escaping this school alive, or else not in custody. This was his only chance. He needed to make it count.
"Here are you final orders:" he continued, not waiting for a response. "Kill everyone. Leave no survivors. Let Hyrule forever remember your deeds this day. That is all."
He half expected Veran to call him back as she was so wont to do, and he was pleasantly surprised when she didn't; as if he needed the added irritation. Perhaps she was finally learning her place… though it was more likely she was scared witless by his pronouncement. It was true, however. Veran wasn't going to make it out of the building alive, and Ganondorf couldn't help but grin at the thought.
The sound of the raging battle had finally managed to make it to the second floor, though it had yet to reach him. For the moment, the battle was contained at the ends of either hallway as his forces struggled to keep back the obviously better trained and equipped police officers. It was likely the police would make it up the stairs in the center of the school, the ones closest to his position, in only a matter of moments, and for that reason Ganondorf knew he had to move.
Letting his feet carry him blindly forward, he retreated into his pensive musings.
The only hope for salvaging his plan was if he somehow found Hero before the police could completely overthrow his forces; an inevitability, and one that would come very, very soon.
However, searching out Hero was foolish. Though it was likely he was trapped on the second floor, just like Ganondorf, it was still a large school. He wouldn't have time to search the entire thing before Smith found him.
If only there was some way he could make Hero come to him…
Ganondorf's brows drew together and he frowned thoughtfully. Make Hero come to him? But how? How could he even communicate with his prey if he didn't know where he was?
An increase of gunfire and a gurgled cry of pain in the distance punctuated his thoughts, but he pushed them away. Casting his gaze about as he walked, his eyes alighted on a circular metal speaker on the ceiling, and he smirked.
Of course. The PA system. If he made his way back to the main office, he could use the speakers to communicate with Hero directly, no matter where he was in the building.
But Hero was no fool; he would charge up to the third floor alone simply because Ganondorf told him to, and if he tried his plan now, the police would surely come flocking to him like pigeons to a bread crumb, eager to take him down.
No… He needed to be careful, conniving… He needed an ace in the hole, something to ensure that Hero did what he said…
He needed a hostage.
But not just any hostage, Ganondorf mused, turning a swiftly as the sounds of battle drew nearer, more screams and gunshots echoing just down the hall, the entire school seeming to shake from the wrack of the battle. He needed someone close to Hero, someone he'd willingly risk his life for.
The first person who came to mind was his brat of a sister, but he discarded it. There was little chance the girl remained in the school; the police's presence insured, if nothing else, that Colin had made it out with the girl in tow and had warned his father of Ganondorf's plans. A foolish mistake indeed, allowing the boy to leave, and one that he was now paying for dearly.
Indeed, Aryll Hero was not an option. However… who else was there? Shadow? A possibility, though whether Hero would risk his life for the best friend who had betrayed him was another story. Perhaps Twili then? Would Hero sacrifice himself to save his best friend's girl?
Ganondorf scowled darkly, anger and frustration building inside of him as he considered the futility of his plans.
Was he never destined to obtain the Power he sought? Was he too weak, too feeble, to hold that piece of the sacred triangle that he so desperately desired?
Or… Perhaps was it that the Goddesses feared him? That they knew of the strength he'd obtain, that he'd one day rise up and take their places? Yes… Yes, that must be it… They were interfering.
But… The Goddesses never directly interfered in the lives of mortals. They were too far below their notice. No, they couldn't be the cause of his downfall this day…
Unless…
Ganondorf's pacing slowed to a stop, his eyes wide as the realization hit him.
Of course… It was so obvious, why had he not seen it earlier?
The Triforce pieces called out to each other, drawing the bearers together like magnets, yearning to be hole once more.
The Triforce of Power was nearly complete, the golden insignia glowing on the back of his hand. And if one piece was here… the others likely were as well.
Courage and Wisdom. They were here, in the school, right now. They must be. There was no other logical answer. How else could his plans be upended?
But who? Who were they? In whose faces would he see the semblance of his age-old enemies, the Hero of Time and the Princess of Destiny?
Hero of Time… Hero…
Yes… It could only be him. The Hero of Time was surely Link Hero, his mortal enemy. It explained so much.
His greatest foe, come once again to thwart his plans. Well, not this time. This time, he would crush him, squeeze the life out of him until his third of the Triforce was in Ganon's possession. Then he would move on to Wisdom, wherever she was. She would come to him, of course. It was fate. Their meeting was destiny. It was always destiny.
Something surged inside of him then, a strength and energy he'd never before experienced. It flowed through him, golden and sweet, making his eyes widen and his nerves tingle with expectation. The back of his right hand burned, as though yearning for Ganon to move, to find the other two pieces and claim them for his own so it could be reunited with its missing pieces.
Ganondorf turned on the spot, his head suddenly clear. He no longer cared for the battle at hand; it didn't matter if the police overthrew his men. There was only one thing on his mind, and one thing only.
Find Hero.
With his newfound drive, Ganondorf's sojourn through the battle-torn school building no longer felt harried or harassed. He was completely at ease as he strode down the halls, apathetic towards the sounds of pain and death that reverberated off of the cold, empty lockers and grungy tiled floors.
Turning down the nearest hallway, he was met with an interesting site; before him, facing away, crouched three officers. They knelt behind opened doors, two on the left and one on the right, trusting the heavy, aged wood to give some cover from the bullets raining down on them from the opposite end of the hall, where two of Ganondorf's own cronies were situated in a similar position.
Never breaking stride, Ganon drew the gun from his pocket and deftly shot the first officer in the back of the neck. He dropped like a sack of bricks.
The second and third turned back, surprise and alarm evident on their faces, but before they could react Ganon pulled the trigger twice more, and they too fell to the ground, motionless.
His men cheered savagely as Ganondorf drew near, patting each other on the back and heaping him with praises. His expression never changed as he raised his gone once again and shot the first boy in the chest.
He fell with a cry of pain, and his companion's jaw dropped.
"Wha-?"
Ganon's bullet caught him in the throat, and he fell with a gurgle.
Calmly, Ganondorf continued on down the hall.
It wasn't until he was nearly back at the library that Ganondorf finally halted just before an intersecting hallway, the sound of voices reaching his ears.
Pressing his back against the wall, he eased the gun in his hand, preparing to take them out.
The words that drifted to his ears, however, made him pause. "…that difficult, Sheik."
Ganondorf's eyebrows rose in surprise. Sheik? Sheik Shadow, the traitor?
"Aw, come on Midna!" the familiar voice whined back playfully. "You know it was hot. Don't try to deny it."
He heard a teasing snort and an 'oof!' as he assumed Twili shoved him before she responded sarcastically, "Oh yeah, let me tell you… It was a massive turn-on watching Kafei bust in and rescue you."
Ganondorf, who'd been preparing to turn down the hallway and capture Hero's two unwitting best friends, hardly daring to believe his luck, froze at Twili's last words. Kafei? They weren't alone?
Shadow let out an indignant grunt and muttered sourly, "I had everything under control…"
"Sure ya did, sweetie." Twili replied lightly, and there was a spatter of feminine laughter; there was more than one female in their group. How many were there, anyway? He was tempted to peer around the corner to gauge the situation, but he didn't want to give himself away yet. He couldn't risk giving up what could be his only chance to capture Link's two best friends, his only bargaining chips.
"Look," Shadow said, sounding impatient and a little hurt, "How was I supposed to know the guy had another gun? Everyone else in this school only seems to be carrying one. He caught me by surprise, that's all."
"Ah, don't worry, Sheik," A new voice spoke up, sounding suave and confident, "It's not her fault my innate sexiness overshadowed you. It's a fact of life that you'll need to get used to."
There was another ripple of laughter, during which Shadow let out a sarcastic "Yeah, yeah, shut up…" and the second boy, Kafei, said, "Come on, Zel, back me up here!"
A new voice, female, and slightly higher in pitch than Twili, let out a bemused chuckle before saying, "Sorry, Kafei. Black trench coats don't really do it for me. Besides, aren't you already taken? What would Anju say if she could hear you right now?"
"Probably that she agrees, that I'm unbelievably sexy and she's lucky to have a god like me in her life."
Shadow let out a snort of laughter, and Twili deadpanned, "And so humble. What a catch."
"What can I say?" Kafei responded cheekily, "It's hard to be humble when you're perfect in every way. Right, Zelda?"
"Why do you keep asking me?" she asked, laughing.
"Because you're the only other single girl here, obviously. I can't be asking Midna, Sheik might start getting jealous!"
"Oh, I don't think there's any chance of that, bud."
"Besides, Zelda's already stolen the heart of a certain blonde haired, blue eyed acquaintance of ours…"
"W-what? N-no, I-"
"Oh come on, Zelly." Twili said loudly, drowning her out, "We all know you like him. You're wearing his sweater, for Farore's sake. Besides, he couldn't take his eyes off you when you two crashed into each other. Plus there was the whole 'lying on top of him for an extended period of time' thing…"
Ganondorf, who was quickly growing tired of the puerile conversation, felt himself tense in excitement at this Zelda girl's next line.
"Midna, come on! Link and I are just friends! We're not even technically that yet, I just met him yesterday, and not exactly under the best of circumstances if you remember correctly…"
Did this girl have some sort of romantic connection with his prey, Link Hero? This could be just what he needed… If he takes the object of Link's affection to the office and then makes his announcement, Hero will have no choice but to come running… He'll need to make it clear that if any police come, the girl will die. That ought to be enough to make certain that his demands met.
There he was, at the end of his rope, and the Goddesses saw fit to deliver to him this last chance as an act of divine providence…
But how was he to get her alone?
"Oh, I remember. You certainly swept him off his feet." Twili tittered girlishly, and Zelda groaned.
"I think we're getting a little off topic here, guys…" she mumbled petulantly, and one of the males sighed.
"She's right. Ganondorf already gave the order to exterminate all the students over the walkie. That was like, five minutes ago. We need to go check up on the others and make sure everything went ok."
Ganon felt his eye twitch; so, his orders were being thwarted by this rag-tag group of wanna-be heroes? Disgusting… Well, soon enough they'll realize that all of their plans were for naught. Just as soon as he found a way to snag the girl…
"You're right…" Twili replied, sounding resigned, then suddenly adopted a brisk, business-like tone, "So, where to?"
"Well…" Zelda's voice replied, sounding thoughtful, "There are only three more rooms. Link and Aryll have one, Ralph has another, and Colin has the last one."
"Colin? Colin Smith?" Shadow exclaimed, mirroring the surprise Ganondorf felt. "You mean he's still here?"
"Yes?" Zelda asked, confused. "He's been helping me since the beginning. Why, do you know him?"
"Er… yeah." Shadow replied, sounding uncomfortable. "He's Aryll's boyfriend. Or, ex I guess. They sorta had a fight earlier and-"
"Ok, really? Does now seem like the best time to be discussing relationship drama?" Twili cut in, sounding aggravated.
There was a bark of masculine laughter, followed by Kafei saying, "Well if this isn't a case of the pot calling the kettle black! What was all that a minute ago about Zelda and Link?"
"It's not important right now!" She retorted, "Zelda's right, we need to get moving. It sounds like the police could reach us at any moment!"
"Right, so, Mid and I will go after Link and his precious pixie sister." Sheik said, ending the brief argument. "What about you two?"
"Zel?"
"Well… I guess we go for Colin. He's on the other side of the building though, so…"
"Right. Be careful guys."
"You too."
"Later."
As the sound of footsteps both faded off into the distance and drew nearer, Ganondorf realized the group must have broken up, and he prepared himself to move. He didn't even bother to check if the duo heading towards him was the correct one; something told him the girl was headed towards him. It was almost as if he could feel her drawing nearer…
With relaxed indifference, Ganondorf stepped slowly around the corner, stopping dead center in the middle of the hall, a triumphant smile sitting cruelly on his face.
The two teens who had been walking toward him froze in place, expressions flitting from confusion to shocked realization to terror in a matter of seconds.
"Ganondorf…" The blonde haired girl breathed weakly, her face going ghostly pale.
"Correct." he replied monotonously, enjoying the thrill of fear he saw run through the two at the sound of his voice. Something strange was happening… almost like a buzzing, something echoing in his core. It was almost as though the air was charged with electricity. The back of his right hand prickled in anticipation.
"You…" the boy growled, his face distorting in rage below a mop of bizarre purple hair, and in a flash he'd raised his arm, a black pistol flashing in his hands, aimed right at Ganon's heart.
He was too slow. Before the boy had even managed to take aim, Ganondorf's finger was pulling the trigger, and with a bang and a scream of pain, the gun went flying from the boy's hand, landing with a clatter behind him.
The boy hissed as he examined his hand, the bullet having ricocheted off of the gun and grazed his fingers, leaving a bloody red gash across four of his digits. Blood dripping on the floor, he turned his hate-filled gaze on Ganon, clearly seething, and whispered softly, "Zelda… Run…"
Before she had a chance to respond, he charged forward, bringing his uninjured hand back as though to strike. Calmly, Ganondorf angled his gun lower and fired once again, blowing a hole in the boy's shin.
He fell to the floor with an agonized scream, clutching at his ruined appendage.
"Kafei!" Zelda cried out in desperation, surging forward to help her fallen friend.
"Don't move!" Ganondorf barked, turning his pistol on the girl, and she froze in terror, her breathing erratic.
The girl's fierce, tear filled amaranthine eyes locked with Ganon's, and the odd buzzing sensation seemed to magnify.
"What do you want?" she whispered fearfully, and Ganondorf couldn't help but smirk.
"To go on a little… field trip." he replied lightly, then darted forward suddenly, seizing her by her forearm and dragging her forward.
"N-No! Stop, I-"
The girl's desperate pleading cut off suddenly, her eyes growing wide as a sudden jolt of electricity surged between the two, making Ganondorf's hair stand on end.
"What…?" The girl whispered softly, a dazed expression on her face.
Ganondorf, however, was silent with shock.
The Sacred Triforce insignia on the back of his hand was glowing with a fierce golden light, sending shockwaves of energy through his body, making his every particle seem to hum. But that wasn't the most surprising part.
There was another Triforce, this one on the back of the girl's hand. And it was glowing just as brightly.
A slow, cruel smile split Ganondorf's face in two, and his shoulders began to shake with silent laughter.
He had found her at long last… The Princess of Destiny… and it had been completely by accident.
Ganon could no longer help himself; throwing his head backward, he let out a roar of laughter that echoed throughout the halls.
"W-what's going on?" The girl stammered, trying in vain to break free of Ganondorf's grip. "Why is it… Why are you… What are you going to do with me?!"
Tilting his hand so the girl could see the glowing symbol on the back of his hand that mirrored her own, he felt a perverse sort of pleasure filter through him as her face paled and her knees went weak.
"Come, Princess," He chuckled darkly, turning around and dragging her weakly protesting body behind him, "our Destiny awaits us."