CHAPTER 4 DREAMS AND NUANCES
"Carl, hand me the Regina 45 would you please?"
"Sure dad."
"Just think of it my son," Carl's father took the wrench. "my core module will be complete soon. Then my mobiles will be given life!"
Carl gave a brief smile and was drawn to the control panel. "Dad, something's wrong." A second later, they were engulfed in an explosion that threw the two through the air. Carl looked up to see a sheet of metal coming down.
Carl's eyes opened quickly. 'Not that damn dream again...' He exhaled heavily and saw Amber watching him. "Hey," He stretched.
"You were dreaming," she frowned her brow. "you okay?"
"Yeah, now you said something about going out to eat?"
***
"Have you found out how to make the mobiles go rouge on command yet?" Ganon's face was of stone as he talked into the computer screen.
"No, it isn't possible to crack into the boy's algorithm code, not with our current technology anyway."
"But yet you could manufacture that rouge mobile this afternoon, how is that?"
"It was quite simple, we took the core out of a mobile that was in the process of going rouge and replaced it in the mobile that you witnessed today."
"Hmf, well have you gleaned anymore information on that damn hunk of metal?"
"By that you mean The Trezen?" The brown haired man asked him from the screen.
"Of course I do you fool!" Ganon slammed his robotic hand on the table, making a small crack.
"I'm sorry, Lord Ganon!" The man apologized quickly. The man's video feed moved up into the upper left hand corner of the monitor as a 3-D model of The Trezen appeared on the screen. "The Trezen appears to have a Hylian inside the armor. We don't know who it is yet, but Blin and Fos are working on it."
"Feh, idiots."
"Now, the weaponry of this suit is quite dangerous." A square surrounded the suit's right arm and enlarged it. "It has four 45 caliber machine guns mounted on the top and underside of the right arm." The square returned the right arm back to the body, then enlarged the left. "The left arm has a possible psyonic blade of some kind. We aren't completely sure of how that works just yet but there are theories." The left arm went back to the body, then four small boxes surrounded the hands and feet, enlarging them as well. "These are called knucklebombs, very powerful charges that explode when activated. It cuts through most, if not all, rouge mobile armor. And speaking of armor," A video that showed this afternoon's mobile attack began playing on the screen. "The Trezen's armor can withstand enormous firepower, even from the police's A suits."
"Such perfection...." Ganon's eyes glowed with greed.
"Or the next closest thing to it. This piece of machinery is at least a decade beyond anything available now."
"Good, good." The Ganon Corperation president leaned back in his black leather chair. "Keep me informed on any new developments. Oh, and one more thing."
"Yes Sir?"
"How goes my special interest?"
"Uh," The man fiddled with his collar. "Not good would be an appropriate phrase."
Ganon frowned. "Well, I'm not too surprised." He sighed. "Just keep looking."
The man sighed in quick relief. "Of course." Ganon severed the connection and rubbed his temples.
"I can still feel your blade cutting through my hand and severing me from the power of the Triforces, Sage. And Emily...." He felt the scars and burns on his face. "Your balefire spell still taunts me each time I look in the mirror." He sneered. "I still plan to exterminate your descendants." Ganon gazed out the window wall of Ganon Corp. toward the ancient walls of Hyrule Castle. "It has taken me five thousand years to get back to life, I'll be able to wait a little longer."
***
"I never thought someone as thin as you could eat so much!" Carl teased as he and Amber walked down a busy street in the evening sun.
"Oh hush, it's all your fault anyway. You and your training that is." She sniffed. "Besides, it was so good!"
"Yea, The Dragon's Lair always has the best." A moment of silent walking. "So, have you kept up your search for the elusive Trezen yet?" He asked in a mock mysterious tone that was answered with a punch in the arm.
"Yes," She looked down for a moment while still walking. "although I haven't had much of a chance as of late."
"I'm sorry about that...."
"Why?" Amber asked.
"Oh, uh....no reason really."
"Liar." Kathy said in his ear. Carl growled briefly and Amber giggled.
"Kathy, you shouldn't antagonize Carl like that." Carl gave her a 'how did you know?' look. "I've lived with you long enough to know when Kathy is picking on you."
Carl adjusted the frames resting on his nose somewhat aggravated. "So do you want to practice your cybernetics tomorrow?"
Amber looked around the street and smiled slyly. "Only is you buy me some ice-cream!" She pointed to a brightly colored building with ice-cream cones painted on the doors.
"Dessert after all that?" Carl sighed. "Very well,"
"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!"
"Yeah, yeah." He said dismissively. "Next thing I know you'll be able to get me to buy you expensive jewelry."
"Ya think so? Hmmm, I'll have to work on that then." Carl just exhaled loudly and shook his head.
Later that night when Amber was slipping into a silk shift for sleep, she started a conversation with Kathy.
"Kathy?" She mouthed.
"Mmhm?"
"How does Carl...think of me?"
"What do you mean?"
Amber blushed. "You know...does he like me?"
"He has mentioned that you have a very likable personality. And that you were pretty cute." The last sentence came out biting.
"But no mention of 'liking' liking me?"
"Not that my memory database can recall."
"Oh, I see..." She whispered disappointedly. "Do you think that he ever would?"
"How should I know, I'm not a mind reader."
"Well you could ask him, couldn't you?"
"I could but I'm not, what do I look like a secretary mobile?"
"Geez, sorrrry! What's up with you?" Amber frowned.
"Nothing!" Kathy's voice went higher.
"Oooooh, I get it now." Amber laughed.
"What? What do you get?" Amber kept giggling as she laid onto the bed and pulled up the sheets up to her shoulders. "Goood niiiiiight, Kathy." She said teasingly.
***
A middle aged woman sat down at her terminal and logged on. Her thick black hair was in a braid half down her back. "Kathy." She said to the screen.
Kathy's computer image came onto the screen. "Oh, its you Mrs. M. Good evening"
"Good evening, has our little Amber done any snooping lately?"
"She has gone through some of Carl's things trying to find why he is so secretive about everything, where he gets his funding, things of that sort."
"Still up to his old tricks, is he?" Mrs. M said with a delighted smile. The image nodded. "Well then, tell him that I want to have a talk with him, Hylian to Hylian." Her emerald eyes smiled wider.
"You Know Who wants to see you." Kathy said as Carl was attaching a wire into his elbow and read the output.
"That old crone?" He sighed. "I swear I'll never get anything done around here!" He pulled the wire from his body with a grunt. "What does she want?"
"She would like to speak to you about Amber."
"Sheesh, remind me, why I put up with her?"
"Money," Kathy said simply.
Carl shook his head as he stepped into his hardsuit. After pulling a brown trench coat around the armor to blend in, he put on a fitted cap that had a gothic style 'D' on it. "I wonder what she wants about Amber." Carl asked himself, stepping into the light blue chamber and shooting off into the starry night sky.
***
Mrs. M heard a thump on her roof and smiled knowingly. She pushed a button and soon Carl joined her in the room. "Good evening Mr. Trezen, so nice to see you again." She smiled courteously.
"What do you want?" Carl's face was hidden by the shadow of the bill of his hat, "And make it quick, I'm a very busy man."
The woman's smile faded. "I guess you didn't get his sense of humor."
"Din Damn it, I'm not who and what you think I am!"
"What you are," she said hotly, "is Hyrule's hope for the future." She sat down.
"If you have something important to tell me, then do it. If not, then I'm leaving." He turned and started walking.
"Tell the girl who you are." She said, authoritatively.
"She already knows who I am." He turned his head around and saw her frowning out of the corner of his eye.
"Then tell her what you are smart ass." Carl furrowed his brow and walked out of the door and into the black night.
"He's too stubborn for his own good." Mrs. M smiled warmly. "Just like he was...." She sighed then turned back to a blue monitor screen filled with old Hylian script.
"Was there really a need to be so rude to her?" Kathy asked.
"Was there really a need to drag me all the way across the friggin' city?" Carl mouthed silently, pulling the bill down to cover more of his face.
"No, not really......Carl, how do you feel about Amber?"
"Huh. why should you care?"
"I don't" she lied.
"Then why did you ask?" He mouthed with a crooked eyebrow.
"I don't know...." Kathy trailed off.
"I see," 'How do feel about Amber?' He asked himself; memories of her laying on the ground pouting like a spoiled little girl, her blushing as he complimented her cooking, her wavy black hair flowing down her back, that sweet smile, her fussing over him the day he was 'attacked' by the mobile, those memories made him smile. So wrapped up in his thoughts was he that Carl didn't hear a bum asking for money until he asked a third time.
"Hmm? Oh sorry I didn't bring any money with me tonight." Carl said dissmisively.
The grungy man stood up behind him and pulled out a knife. "I know you have some, you just don't want to give it! Well, I think I will be able to change your mind."
Carl continued to walk along. "I told you I don't have any."
The man reached out and pulled on Carl's trench coat, ripping it off and revealing his armor. "Holy Farore!" He exclaimed as Carl whirled around, his face contorted into a angry sneer.
Carl grabbed him by the neck and forced him to the wall. "Give me one good reason why I don't kill you." He said as he pressed his left hand up to the man's forehead. The man was hyperventilating and couldn't answer. "I'm waiting."
"Uh, uh." Carl squeezed his neck tighter.
"Sorry, I just can't take any chances of anyone knowing the identity of The Trezen. No hard feelings you understand. After all, you brought this on yourself."
His psyblade stuck through the back of the man's head and into the building. Carl turned the saber off and the man fell face first into a puddle, the muddy water turning red with his blood. Carl shook his head and, making sure no one was watching, and continued walking into the mist filled night.
***
"Papa!"
"Amber, get back!" A tall man yelled holding a bat as he faced a rouge mobile that mutated into a locust like being. "Run away to your Aunt's house!"
"But Papa, I don't want to leave you!" Amber cried gripping a broom handle.
The mobile rushed at Amber's father and nearly took him down. Now facing the mobile's back, he hit it across the back. The machine turned and roared. "Leave, now!" Amber stood frightened. "Damn it! Go!"
Amber looked at him then quickly at her dead mother who's arms still clutched her crying baby brother and then ran out of the house. As she slammed the door behind her, Amber heard a scream of horror and began to cry, running down the street as fast as she could.
Amber opened her eyes and sat up in bed, wrapping her arms around her chest and shivering.
"Amber, are you sick? You are shivering and sweating at the same time."
"No Kathy, I'm fine....just a dream is all." She looked across the room distantly. "Just a dream."
"Carl, hand me the Regina 45 would you please?"
"Sure dad."
"Just think of it my son," Carl's father took the wrench. "my core module will be complete soon. Then my mobiles will be given life!"
Carl gave a brief smile and was drawn to the control panel. "Dad, something's wrong." A second later, they were engulfed in an explosion that threw the two through the air. Carl looked up to see a sheet of metal coming down.
Carl's eyes opened quickly. 'Not that damn dream again...' He exhaled heavily and saw Amber watching him. "Hey," He stretched.
"You were dreaming," she frowned her brow. "you okay?"
"Yeah, now you said something about going out to eat?"
***
"Have you found out how to make the mobiles go rouge on command yet?" Ganon's face was of stone as he talked into the computer screen.
"No, it isn't possible to crack into the boy's algorithm code, not with our current technology anyway."
"But yet you could manufacture that rouge mobile this afternoon, how is that?"
"It was quite simple, we took the core out of a mobile that was in the process of going rouge and replaced it in the mobile that you witnessed today."
"Hmf, well have you gleaned anymore information on that damn hunk of metal?"
"By that you mean The Trezen?" The brown haired man asked him from the screen.
"Of course I do you fool!" Ganon slammed his robotic hand on the table, making a small crack.
"I'm sorry, Lord Ganon!" The man apologized quickly. The man's video feed moved up into the upper left hand corner of the monitor as a 3-D model of The Trezen appeared on the screen. "The Trezen appears to have a Hylian inside the armor. We don't know who it is yet, but Blin and Fos are working on it."
"Feh, idiots."
"Now, the weaponry of this suit is quite dangerous." A square surrounded the suit's right arm and enlarged it. "It has four 45 caliber machine guns mounted on the top and underside of the right arm." The square returned the right arm back to the body, then enlarged the left. "The left arm has a possible psyonic blade of some kind. We aren't completely sure of how that works just yet but there are theories." The left arm went back to the body, then four small boxes surrounded the hands and feet, enlarging them as well. "These are called knucklebombs, very powerful charges that explode when activated. It cuts through most, if not all, rouge mobile armor. And speaking of armor," A video that showed this afternoon's mobile attack began playing on the screen. "The Trezen's armor can withstand enormous firepower, even from the police's A suits."
"Such perfection...." Ganon's eyes glowed with greed.
"Or the next closest thing to it. This piece of machinery is at least a decade beyond anything available now."
"Good, good." The Ganon Corperation president leaned back in his black leather chair. "Keep me informed on any new developments. Oh, and one more thing."
"Yes Sir?"
"How goes my special interest?"
"Uh," The man fiddled with his collar. "Not good would be an appropriate phrase."
Ganon frowned. "Well, I'm not too surprised." He sighed. "Just keep looking."
The man sighed in quick relief. "Of course." Ganon severed the connection and rubbed his temples.
"I can still feel your blade cutting through my hand and severing me from the power of the Triforces, Sage. And Emily...." He felt the scars and burns on his face. "Your balefire spell still taunts me each time I look in the mirror." He sneered. "I still plan to exterminate your descendants." Ganon gazed out the window wall of Ganon Corp. toward the ancient walls of Hyrule Castle. "It has taken me five thousand years to get back to life, I'll be able to wait a little longer."
***
"I never thought someone as thin as you could eat so much!" Carl teased as he and Amber walked down a busy street in the evening sun.
"Oh hush, it's all your fault anyway. You and your training that is." She sniffed. "Besides, it was so good!"
"Yea, The Dragon's Lair always has the best." A moment of silent walking. "So, have you kept up your search for the elusive Trezen yet?" He asked in a mock mysterious tone that was answered with a punch in the arm.
"Yes," She looked down for a moment while still walking. "although I haven't had much of a chance as of late."
"I'm sorry about that...."
"Why?" Amber asked.
"Oh, uh....no reason really."
"Liar." Kathy said in his ear. Carl growled briefly and Amber giggled.
"Kathy, you shouldn't antagonize Carl like that." Carl gave her a 'how did you know?' look. "I've lived with you long enough to know when Kathy is picking on you."
Carl adjusted the frames resting on his nose somewhat aggravated. "So do you want to practice your cybernetics tomorrow?"
Amber looked around the street and smiled slyly. "Only is you buy me some ice-cream!" She pointed to a brightly colored building with ice-cream cones painted on the doors.
"Dessert after all that?" Carl sighed. "Very well,"
"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!"
"Yeah, yeah." He said dismissively. "Next thing I know you'll be able to get me to buy you expensive jewelry."
"Ya think so? Hmmm, I'll have to work on that then." Carl just exhaled loudly and shook his head.
Later that night when Amber was slipping into a silk shift for sleep, she started a conversation with Kathy.
"Kathy?" She mouthed.
"Mmhm?"
"How does Carl...think of me?"
"What do you mean?"
Amber blushed. "You know...does he like me?"
"He has mentioned that you have a very likable personality. And that you were pretty cute." The last sentence came out biting.
"But no mention of 'liking' liking me?"
"Not that my memory database can recall."
"Oh, I see..." She whispered disappointedly. "Do you think that he ever would?"
"How should I know, I'm not a mind reader."
"Well you could ask him, couldn't you?"
"I could but I'm not, what do I look like a secretary mobile?"
"Geez, sorrrry! What's up with you?" Amber frowned.
"Nothing!" Kathy's voice went higher.
"Oooooh, I get it now." Amber laughed.
"What? What do you get?" Amber kept giggling as she laid onto the bed and pulled up the sheets up to her shoulders. "Goood niiiiiight, Kathy." She said teasingly.
***
A middle aged woman sat down at her terminal and logged on. Her thick black hair was in a braid half down her back. "Kathy." She said to the screen.
Kathy's computer image came onto the screen. "Oh, its you Mrs. M. Good evening"
"Good evening, has our little Amber done any snooping lately?"
"She has gone through some of Carl's things trying to find why he is so secretive about everything, where he gets his funding, things of that sort."
"Still up to his old tricks, is he?" Mrs. M said with a delighted smile. The image nodded. "Well then, tell him that I want to have a talk with him, Hylian to Hylian." Her emerald eyes smiled wider.
"You Know Who wants to see you." Kathy said as Carl was attaching a wire into his elbow and read the output.
"That old crone?" He sighed. "I swear I'll never get anything done around here!" He pulled the wire from his body with a grunt. "What does she want?"
"She would like to speak to you about Amber."
"Sheesh, remind me, why I put up with her?"
"Money," Kathy said simply.
Carl shook his head as he stepped into his hardsuit. After pulling a brown trench coat around the armor to blend in, he put on a fitted cap that had a gothic style 'D' on it. "I wonder what she wants about Amber." Carl asked himself, stepping into the light blue chamber and shooting off into the starry night sky.
***
Mrs. M heard a thump on her roof and smiled knowingly. She pushed a button and soon Carl joined her in the room. "Good evening Mr. Trezen, so nice to see you again." She smiled courteously.
"What do you want?" Carl's face was hidden by the shadow of the bill of his hat, "And make it quick, I'm a very busy man."
The woman's smile faded. "I guess you didn't get his sense of humor."
"Din Damn it, I'm not who and what you think I am!"
"What you are," she said hotly, "is Hyrule's hope for the future." She sat down.
"If you have something important to tell me, then do it. If not, then I'm leaving." He turned and started walking.
"Tell the girl who you are." She said, authoritatively.
"She already knows who I am." He turned his head around and saw her frowning out of the corner of his eye.
"Then tell her what you are smart ass." Carl furrowed his brow and walked out of the door and into the black night.
"He's too stubborn for his own good." Mrs. M smiled warmly. "Just like he was...." She sighed then turned back to a blue monitor screen filled with old Hylian script.
"Was there really a need to be so rude to her?" Kathy asked.
"Was there really a need to drag me all the way across the friggin' city?" Carl mouthed silently, pulling the bill down to cover more of his face.
"No, not really......Carl, how do you feel about Amber?"
"Huh. why should you care?"
"I don't" she lied.
"Then why did you ask?" He mouthed with a crooked eyebrow.
"I don't know...." Kathy trailed off.
"I see," 'How do feel about Amber?' He asked himself; memories of her laying on the ground pouting like a spoiled little girl, her blushing as he complimented her cooking, her wavy black hair flowing down her back, that sweet smile, her fussing over him the day he was 'attacked' by the mobile, those memories made him smile. So wrapped up in his thoughts was he that Carl didn't hear a bum asking for money until he asked a third time.
"Hmm? Oh sorry I didn't bring any money with me tonight." Carl said dissmisively.
The grungy man stood up behind him and pulled out a knife. "I know you have some, you just don't want to give it! Well, I think I will be able to change your mind."
Carl continued to walk along. "I told you I don't have any."
The man reached out and pulled on Carl's trench coat, ripping it off and revealing his armor. "Holy Farore!" He exclaimed as Carl whirled around, his face contorted into a angry sneer.
Carl grabbed him by the neck and forced him to the wall. "Give me one good reason why I don't kill you." He said as he pressed his left hand up to the man's forehead. The man was hyperventilating and couldn't answer. "I'm waiting."
"Uh, uh." Carl squeezed his neck tighter.
"Sorry, I just can't take any chances of anyone knowing the identity of The Trezen. No hard feelings you understand. After all, you brought this on yourself."
His psyblade stuck through the back of the man's head and into the building. Carl turned the saber off and the man fell face first into a puddle, the muddy water turning red with his blood. Carl shook his head and, making sure no one was watching, and continued walking into the mist filled night.
***
"Papa!"
"Amber, get back!" A tall man yelled holding a bat as he faced a rouge mobile that mutated into a locust like being. "Run away to your Aunt's house!"
"But Papa, I don't want to leave you!" Amber cried gripping a broom handle.
The mobile rushed at Amber's father and nearly took him down. Now facing the mobile's back, he hit it across the back. The machine turned and roared. "Leave, now!" Amber stood frightened. "Damn it! Go!"
Amber looked at him then quickly at her dead mother who's arms still clutched her crying baby brother and then ran out of the house. As she slammed the door behind her, Amber heard a scream of horror and began to cry, running down the street as fast as she could.
Amber opened her eyes and sat up in bed, wrapping her arms around her chest and shivering.
"Amber, are you sick? You are shivering and sweating at the same time."
"No Kathy, I'm fine....just a dream is all." She looked across the room distantly. "Just a dream."
