Shattered glass, mangled or missing equipment, and papers strewn across the floor of the factory was not what Link wanted to walk into on Monday following a meager four hours of sleep. He ran a hand over his face and steeled himself, going into work mode.
"Alright, Zaeva. Take inventory. I want to know what's missing, equipment-wise. Elle, I want you on damage control. Survey what we've got left and see what's salvageable. Teake, check on the car that's supposed to be going to the client today, assuming it's still here and in one piece." Link bent and started gathering papers, checking to see what they were. Manuals with instructions for building everything from engines to cooling systems.
Manny stepped into the room and let out a curse. "What the swiving hell happened here?"
"What does it look like, asshat?" Elle snapped. "Someone swiving broke in last night and wrecked the place."
"Shit. Does Deku know?"
"He's on his way, and so are the cops," Link informed them grimly. "I'm going to check in the office. Teake, that car is your first priority."
"Well, it's here, but you ain't gonna like it, boss." The older woman shook her head as she came back around the equipment, stepping gingerly around the mess on the floor. "Fuckers stole the spark plugs and catalytic convertor, knifed the leather seats, then took a piss in the open cushions and all over the floorboards. It's gonna take a lot of time to get this shit all taken care of."
Link checked the wall clock. "We've got seven hours til the buyer gets here."
"Slight good news, Link. None of the heavy machinery was stolen," Zaeva was happy to report. "They made a mess of the wiring cables and unplugged a bunch of shit but discovered it was too heavy to move so they took what was cheaper and smaller to haul out."
"Thank the Goddess." He exhaled and looked around the room. "Alright. The cops aren't gonna like it, but I'm gonna say it anyway: get to work on the car. Focus all your energy on getting it cleaned up and the parts replaced ASAP. That's the top priority."
"You got it." Zaeva saluted. "You heard the man! Let's move, people."
"Hey Link. Rough— Whoa." The male voice from the doorway cut himself off. His radio squawked, and the tanned young man listened for a long moment before mumbling a quick reply, then he called loudly to an unseen companion. "Revali. Grab the camera from the car, would you?"
Link shook his head slightly in disbelief. "Rough morning indeed." He was silently thankful that the police department had dispatched his long-time friend, Tuft. The violet-eyed, dark-haired man with a goatee was one of the few people, apart from Fae, who knew about both jobs that the blond worked thanks to the regular runs that the officer joined the two dancers on.
"Which one of us is the senior partner here?" His companion sniffed as he came into the room. His mouth fell open. "There are ways to reorganize a factory. This is not one of them."
"No shit," Zaeva snarked as she pulled her head out of the car. "You want the pics before we take the cushions out? If we remove the stuffing and repair the slashes, we can put the cut part on the underside where nobody will see. The buyer won't take the seats out. They're anchored to the frame."
"Everybody needs to step back and let us take pictures before anything else gets touched!" Tuft's jovial tone had turned to all business. "Now, which one of you got here first?"
"I did," Elle raised her hand. "Got here five minutes before Link arrived. Saw this swiving mess."
Link took the minute while Tuft was taking her statement to unlock the door of Deku's office and step inside. Boot marks marred the bottom of the door where someone tried and failed to kick it in. The inside was untouched, allowing Link to breathe a faint sigh of relief. The locked drawers with all the bookkeeping, and client lists were intact as well. Whatever the burglars had been after, they hadn't been able to succeed with all of their plans.
"Link! Get out here. There's something you need to see." Zaeva called.
He hurried to the doorway, stopping in his tracks when he saw the group of employees gathered. On the wall behind the machines that helped mold the glass for the windows, were four words graffitied in bright red spray paint. You're dead, old man.
His stomach twisted. This wasn't a random break-in as they'd originally surmised. No, there was malice at work behind this. "Has my father arrived yet?"
Revali gestured to where the old man was seated on the floor, holding his cane. "We need his statement and yours. Do you have security cameras installed?"
Deku shook his head. "We never had a reason for them. The club next door has outdoor cameras. I thought that was adequate. Clearly, I was mistaken."
"I'll make some calls to have them installed as soon as possible," Link vowed, crossing his arms over his chest. "By the end of the week, if they've got the time."
"We'll follow up with the club owner and see if their cameras picked up anyone entering the building," Tuft informed them, jotting notes on his pad. "If we're able to track anyone down, do you intend to press charges?"
"No."
"Yes."
Deku and Link exchanged glances over their contradictory statements before Deku spoke. "We will discuss this privately before we come to a decision. It will take time for you to do a full investigation. We would prefer not to make any rash choices."
"Indeed. I will be taking a personal leave at the end of the week since I am getting married this Saturday, but Tuft will remain as your point of contact for this case." Revali grimaced as he caught a whiff of the odor emanating from the car. "Take his card. I'm going to go talk to the club owner. I'll meet you in the car, Tuft."
Tuft only half heard from where he stood, intently listening to Zaeva explaining why having the spark plugs were essential to the car's engine properly working.
"Tell him what I said, will you?" Revali groused to Link as he stalked out of the factory.
Link bent to gather up the rest of the papers from the floor.
"Leave them." Deku coughed and gestured for his son to join him. "Help an old man up, will you?" He leaned heavily on the blond and his cane while he stood on shaky feet. "Can the team get it done in time?" he asked in a low voice.
"I have every reason to believe they can and will," Link replied earnestly. "The shop may be a disaster by the time the client arrives but with every set of hands here, we will finish in time."
"Good. Did they get into the office?"
Link shook his head. "Not from what I can tell. The door was locked, and nothing appeared to be out of place."
"The forms I need to take to Impa tomorrow are in the safe. Everything's been written up, per the phone call I had with her last week. She's going to go over them with us to verify everything is in order. Then should anything happen–"
"Father, don't talk like that. Please," Link interjected. "Just because someone broke in, it doesn't mean that you're going–"
"Should anything happen, you and Aryll will have my will established, and Impa will have a copy for safekeeping too," Deku finished as if he hadn't been interrupted. "This has been planned for more than a month, Link. Spray paint and vandalism of the shop won't scare me."
Link gave a slight nod of assent. "Nor will it scare me. I gotta help the team though. You staying around or heading out?"
"I will be here until lunchtime. Then I'll be back when Miss Ebon arrives." Deku shuffled into the office without another word.
Link blew out his breath, rolled up his sleeves on his button-down and went to work. It would be tight, but doable, provided they didn't hit any more snags along the way.
The normally jovial mood was replaced with a tense focus on the monumental task of replacing the stolen and ruined parts of the car. Link barely paused, single-minded in his drive to lead his team.
"Boss." Elle shoved the clipboard into his hands. "Checklist."
He looked at the blonde woman in surprise. "Already? But it's…"
"Ten minutes til the client is scheduled to arrive. Final checklist is ready for you to go through." She pressed the keys into his hands. "Give it a try."
Link slid into the driver's seat. The urine scent was gone, as were the filthy, ruined cushions. Leather polish was the smell filling his nostrils while he turned the key in the ignition. The engine turned over with a rumble and purr that had the blond grinning. He made a quick note on the clipboard before turning it off and continuing with the inspection.
"Do you think we pulled it off?" Zaeva hissed to Teake. "I've never been so stressed in my life."
"It's just a job. Worst case and they hate it, then we'll fix it and get it better next time." Teake shrugged. "We don't have any control anymore. It's all up to the client."
"Speaking of which, it looks like the client has arrived," Elle said, peeking at the door that divided the front entrance where the clients interacted with Deku from their workspace.
The thieves had made their entrance by smashing in one of the large glass windows by the front door before barrelling into the main factory to take what they wanted. Cardboard boxes from car parts had been used to temporarily board it up until the glassworks in town could come with a custom replacement.
Link slid out of the car and closed the door. "Everything appears to be in order. Manny! Get the back door open so I can pull it around."
The man nodded and went to manually open the rolling garage door.
Zaeva sighed and slid her back down against an empty part of the wall. "That was the fastest I've worked in a long time. Shit, I hope we don't have another day like that any time soon."
"We shouldn't," Link said optimistically. "We'll get the factory back in order, new cameras in place, and we'll be back in business. It won't keep us down for long." He gestured that he'd be right back before starting the shiny new car and slowly pulling it out the back door.
"How'd she look? The client, I mean," Zaeva asked Elle.
The blonde engineer shrugged, her braids swinging. "How do they usually look? She was wearing a slinky black dress and looked like she could've been a model. Probably getting a car thanks to a wealthy boyfriend or something. Swiving capitalists have more money than brains," she mumbled.
"Quit your chatter and help me get this shit cleaned up!" Teake barked irritably. "Some of us want to get home before midnight."
"It won't take us that long," Zaeva countered as she fixed one of the buns on her head that had come loose. She glanced down at her filthy clothes and sighed. "Guess it's another laundry night."
"Hot date at the laundromat. Sexy," Elle said blandly. "Make sure you've got a thong in there to wave in front of his face when you're switching from washer to dryer."
"I can't tell if you're joking or serious when you use that tone!"
"Take it however you want."
The women fell into easy banter while Link walked in the front door of the shop to join his father and the client.
"Ah, Link. This is our buyer, Miss Mar Ebon. And this is my son, Link Forrest. He's my second-in-command, and the one responsible for ensuring that the unfortunate incident this morning did not alter our plans to have you pick up the car this evening," Deku explained. He had taken the time to go home and change, and was now dressed in a brown suit that accented his dark brown eyes. His long, gray hair was slicked back, and his beard was neatly trimmed, clearly ready to impress their client.
Link turned and got his first glance at her. The woman was attractive and took care of herself, there was no denying it. She was older than he was, early-forties if he had to guess, with long black hair that hung down to her right shoulder. He was surprised to see an undercut that ran above her left ear up the side of her head. That style was more typically worn by those closer to his age, yet it suited her, as did the pair of small gold hoops dangling on her left ear.
She wore a snug, ruched black dress with a high neck and flowy half sleeves, dark pantyhose, and open-toed black stilettos. Link's gaze went back up to her cold, indifferent face, silently noting the pair of scars across her nose, and the darker brown skin paired with violet eyes that denoted her Zonai heritage, like his friend Tuft.
"Pleasure to meet you, ma'am," he said with a slight bow of his head. "Forgive my appearance. I didn't have an opportunity to do more than wash my hands in preparation for your arrival."
Mar cracked a faint smile as she eyed him, taking in the stains on Link's worn jeans and faded button-down. "No need to apologize. I can appreciate a man who's not afraid to get his hands dirty, and is willing to own up to his shortcomings in the presence of a woman."
Link took a handkerchief out of his pocket and carefully wiped down the keys before extending them to her. "It will require fuel before you leave town. We only put in enough to test and get a few miles. I trust that you'll find everything to your satisfaction."
"Thank you." The slight smile flashed again as she took the key before turning to Deku. "You're accompanying me to dinner, then taking a cab back so I may return to the Capital?"
"That is indeed the plan. It will allow us the chance to discuss the details of the vehicle and answer any questions you may have during the test drive," Deku replied. He glanced at his son. "I'll send you a message when I'm back at the house so you won't fret over me."
"Thank you," Link grinned at him before turning back to Mar. "A pleasure to meet you, Miss Ebon. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to call." He handed her one of the factory business cards. "Forgive me. I've got a factory floor to finish cleaning and a team to feed before they head out for the night."
"Take care of your team. They are fortunate to have such attentive leadership." Mar gave a nod. "Nice to meet you as well."
Link ducked through the door marked 'Employees Only' and found Zaeva throwing balls of paper at Elle who was cursing and firing them right back. "What's going on here? I thought you wanted to get home before midnight."
"She started it!" Zaeva giggled, throwing another wad of paper at Elle. The shot went wide of its intended target but landed in the trash can. "She told me I had shitty aim!"
"Not my fault you couldn't get it consistently into the can. You decided to throw them at me. Long as it gets cleaned up, I don't give a shit. It's not like you could hurt me with paper balls." Elle rolled her eyes.
"Nah, you'd rather be hit with the fleshy kind in– Owwww!" Zaeva scowled at Link. "What was that for?"
"For starting shit you're not prepared to finish. The sooner you get the floor clean, the faster time will go until the food I ordered gets here." Link grinned when he saw her eyes light up. "I got the noodle place you girls all love so much. You earned it."
"You're the best, Link!" Zaeva hugged him tightly. "That made it all worth it."
He laughed and shook his head. "You rocked today, and deserve at least dinner. We'll do the basic cleanup, have dinner and head out. Tuft is doing extra patrols tonight to make sure that they don't return before we can finish getting the cameras installed."
The team worked for the following hour to get as much tidied up before the food arrived. The tension of the morning had faded and the jokes were flying full-force again when the notes of 'My Old Man' started playing and all eyes went to Link.
He sheepishly grinned and answered it. "I expected a text, not a call. Did something fail on the car?"
"Link, this is Mar Ebon. Your father's collapsed. I'm with him in an ambulance on the way to the hospital now."
His heart started pounding faster in his chest. "What happened?"
"I'm not sure. One moment he was fine, conversing pleasantly about the university we both attended in the capital, and the next, he was convulsing on the floor. The paramedics said it was some sort of seizure. I… I apologize for using his phone, but I had a feeling you would answer for him rather than an unknown number."
"I understand," Link managed to force out. He took a deep, cleansing breath before he asked the next question. "Will you stay with him until I get there? I'm ten minutes out."
"Of course. I'm so sorry this happened, Link." An inaudible voice murmured something before Mar spoke again. "We just got to the hospital. Come as soon as you can. I'll be waiting." The line disconnected before he could reply.
"Link, talk to us. You're deathly pale," Zaeva said, setting aside her container of noodles. "Is it your old man?"
He gave a single nod. "Collapsed at dinner. I'm on my way there now."
"Shit. Do you need anything? Want a ride?" Elle offered. "Might not be a good idea for you to drive on the heels of such news."
Link shook his head. "I need to be alone right now. I'll call you soon as there's word. Same time tomorrow."
"Don't forget your meeting in the morning." Zaeva handed him the sticky note with the reminder about the planned appointment with Impa at the law office. She pulled him in for a tight hug. "Try not to worry too much. He'll be okay. You'll see."
He nodded and headed out without another word, feeling the weight of his team's eyes on him until he got into his car and pulled out on the road. Hold it together. Remain calm. Remember your breathing. His phone went on speaker when he hit the third number on his speed dial.
"Are you calling out sick, Hero?" Urbosa picked up on the second ring. "That's not like you."
"My father's in the hospital," Link said in a monotone that caught even himself off guard. "He collapsed at dinner with a client. I'm on my way now."
She swore under her breath. "Go to him. Tell him he's not allowed to die yet. We won't let him. Don't worry about the club. Twi will perform in your place tonight, and we'll talk about rescheduling other shifts as needed. Keep us updated."
"Will do." Link hung up before he allowed the fear of the worst to creep into his mind. What had started out as a challenging day had gone from bad to worse. And if bad things came in threes? He had two from today alone.
No, he couldn't think like that. Whatever had happened, his father would be alright. This wasn't going to be the end. Link refused. Things would improve. They HAD to. What was it his father had taught him and Aryll from the time they were little? Courage and hope to move forward. Life was too short to be spent on lesser things. He didn't have much to cling to, but that mantra was his lifeline. Everything would be fine, provided he held onto his courage and his hope.
