CHAPTER 7 NEW BEGINNINGS

Amber woke up to see Carl welding what appeared to be part of his chest armor. She sat up and put her arms behind her head and stretched with a huge yawn. She then noticed it was more then just the chest armor. "Ask him how the repairs go." She mouthed to Kathy.
Carl suddenly stopped and lifted the welding mask from his face. "Oh , you're awake now huh?" His smile grew on his face and nodded. "Good," Carl took off the helmet and placed the welding torch and gloves to the side. "now we can get back to your training."
Amber responded with a long groan and Carl began to laugh. "What's so funny?!" She asked indignantly.
Carl smiled warmly and walked up to Amber, still sitting on the bed. He reached out and placed his hand on her cheek, causing her heart to beat madly. Something about that touch just made her go crazy! And she was about to put her hand on his when he took it away. "That face you made when I said that." He flashed his smile again and she silently pleaded to The Tree for him to do it again. "It was so cute! Hahahaha! Besides I was only kidding." 'Ohhh, the audacity of that man!' Amber thought angrily and "Hmf"ed and turned her head to the right, away from him.
Carl chuckled. "Oh, so I guess you don't want to go out for some fun tonight huh? okay, I guess you want to train...I'll start getting the gear ready."
"No!, that is I mean to say, that going out tonight will be fine." Amber said too quickly for her liking.
A half smile from Carl. "Good, but you're gonna have to do something with that hair of yours, we wouldn't want you to get noticed now would we?"
"Well, I'll think of something." Carl didn't like the smile that Amber now had playing at her lips. "How long do I have to get ready?"
"Awhile yet, just chill for a while, mmmm two, three hours, then start getting ready, okay?" Carl responded as he pulled a drape around the workshop half of the room and Amber soon heard the wielding gun firing up again.
"He'll be to involved in the repairs to even notice anything for the next few hours, just don't move the separation, you might get injured from metal or something like that." Kathy said into Amber's right ear.
Amber nodded sharply and sat on the edge of the bed and crossed her legs and thought about what to do, now that she found out who The Trezen really is, she really didn't have anything to do. Shrugging she started up the old wooden steps of the basement to the doorway that lead into the kitchen. "Well, I think I'll vegetate for awhile." She said hopping over the top of the leather couch in the living room and turned on the TV.
After finding out that there was nothing on for the fifth time, she settled on a news channel. As the stock market report was on, she heard the computer beeping. 'Huh?'
She peeked up over the back of the couch and saw the computer screen flashing. Walking over she saw:

Encoded Transmission Please Enter Password:

Amber looked at the screen with curiosity tapping on her shoulder. 'I don't think Carl will like being interrupted so....' She sat down in the chair and furrowed her brow. 'Password huh? hmmm, let's try....'

TREZEN

A second later, a new screen appeared:

Password accepted

'Well, that was easy enough.' Amber thought with an inward laugh. 'For being so secretive, Carl should have thought of something different than that!'

Incoming Encoded Message

"Carl, It's me." 'A woman?......maybe I don't know Carl as well as I thought I did...' Amber thought somewhat sadly. "Ganon, he's planning something, and it isn't donating money to charities! I think it might have something to do with her, but I cannot tell for certain yet. Something bad is going on at that tower, and I don't like it one bit.

End of Transmission Save Message? Y/N?

Amber hit the Y key and the message was saved. 'Ganon? Who in Nayru's name is that? And who is Her?' Amber thought as she looked at the clock on the computer screen Noticing the time, she hurriedly made her way downstairs and began preparations for the night, the thoughts of the message tumbling over and over in her mind.


"Hey, Carl!" Kathy shouted in his ear.
Carl grimaced and picked up a rag and wiped off his hands. "Quitin' time huh?"
"Correct, you also have an urgent encoded message."
"Play it." Kathy did as was requested and Carl almost paled. "Damn it, why now?" This was defiantly going to hamper the evening, at least on his part. He was just glad that Amber did have to worry about it. Carl decided that he was going to have to put on a care free front this evening while they enjoyed themselves.
When Carl moved back the partition between the shop and Amber's living quarters, his breath caught in his throat. Amber had put on his sisters favorite bluegreen dress, it fit so perfect Carl nearly choked. He knew who the dress fit a woman's form, he had seen his older sibling wear it often to prestigious events with the family, but never did Carl think that it could fit so. The back draped all the way down to the lower back, showing her bare skin. The spagetti straps that held the dress over Amber's slim shoulders came down and connected the front, pushing her breasts almost teasingly high. The garment hugged her legs, with a long slit that ran from her ankle all the way up her hip on the left side. She turned, her raven hair finding it's place on her right shoulder. Carl just stood and stared, mesmerized.
Amber noticed him then, her cheeks flared with crimson. "Did your sister like this dress?"
"Linna, her name was Linna." He closed the partition back once more. "Yes she did, and now I do to."
This caused Amber to blush even deeper "Just 'cause I'm in it huh?"
"That could be it as well, so I take it that you want to go someplace fancy tonight?" Carl chuckled.
"Yup! You guessed it, I call this payback for leaving me in that cell."
Carl rolled his eyes. "I'll be hearing about that until I die won't ?" He began to walk to the steps. "I'll come down stairs when I'm ready."
"Okay!" Amber called to him as she fixed her hair up into a bun.

Amber smelled Carl before he spoke to him. The cologne he wore was the same as her father's and it made her feel sad and secure at the same time. "Ready to go Amber?" Amber turned around and nodded approvingly, but not at the question that Carl asked. "Then let us be off." He crooked out his right arm and Amber took it around hers.
"Such a gentleman." She giggled.
"Oh yes, that's me! Mechanic, Assassin of Mobiles, and Gentleman! Hahahah!!!" 'I wonder how many more times I'll be able to laugh with her.'

"What, you didn't know I had a car?" Carl asked with a sly grin on his face as he helped Amber into the passenger side.
"How can I Mister Secret?" Amber said with a hint of laughter.
As Carl drove along on the city's roads, he kept thinking about the message, wondering what Ganon was going to do. How much time would he have left to train Amber, to see her become what he knew what she was to be in the future.
Amber thought about the same message all through dinner. Although she tried to keep a happy demeanor, Carl saw right through it. He had asked her what was wrong, but she denied it. The fun time that was meant to be really wasn't that evening for both of them.


***


"Lord Ganon," Fos said in his rasping voice.
"Don't call me that in public you idiot!" Ganondorf growled as the ancient gerudo stepped from his black stretch limo. His driver shut the door.
"I am sorry Mr. Dragmire!" Ganon buttoned the blazer of his suit and began walking briskly toward Ganon Tower. "We are getting closer to finding the girl's family. We've been looking for three straight weeks, who ever they are, someone doesn't want us knowing."
"That is no excuse, I want them found!" Ganon growled again and clenched his fist. He stopped infront of a gold and glass plated elevator and turned to his stoolie. "Or else." Ganon stepped into the elevator.
"Yes Mr. Ganondorf-" Fos' voice was cut off from Ganon's ears as the doors shut. Halfway through the trip in the elevator, his cell phone rang.
"Speak."
"We have finished it, Lord Ganon." The Gerudo smiled evilly as flames of power and lust flickered in his golden eyes.

"....and it's armor is even stronger than the Trezen's." Ganon smiled as he gazed upon a blood red suit of powered armor. Built to his huge height and frame, it was an impressive piece of work. The helmet's lower half, a cold gray that matched the hand and foot armor. The visor was jet black that matched the color of Ganon's cold heart. Each foot and hand contained knuckle bomb charges while the hands where specially fitted to allow the King of the Gerudos' magic to flow from his hands to his opponent.
Ganon ran his finger over the right arm of the suit. "How do you know it is that strong?"
"We ran test after test, remember when the Trezen got shot by the Firebat helicopters?"
"Yes,"
"Well," The gray haired scientist continued. "we fired the same shells, the same number of times, three, with just a small dent. We even fired one extra time to be sure."
"Ah! Wonderful!" An oily smile played upon Ganon's thin lips. "I cannot wait to use it on the man that calls himself The Trezen!"


***


"Damn it Carl!" Amber said rolling on the ground as Carl slammed the butt of his boe on the wooden planked training room floor over and over again. She trapped the boe in her arms and flung him as hard as she could.
Her trainer flipped and landed on his feet. "Excellent!" Amber got to his feet. "Now, Kathy level three please."
"Right away Carl." More power surged through their bodies and Carl charged at the girl. He tool a stab at her. Amber leaped up and landed on the wooden pole with a cat's grace.
"You're getting slow Mr. Trezen."
"Slow?!" Carl whipped the boe from under her feet. Amber leaped back and tackled Carl to the ground. Carl threw her off with his leg and she slammed onto her face with an 'Oomf!" Carl flipped to his feet and twirled the staff. "Come and get it."
Amber charged and stepped into the swing of Carl and wrenched it from his hands. the boe just missed the whiskers on Carl's chin as he swung his head back. The intense training lasted for more hours and ended when Carl put up his hand. "All right." Carl said heaving his breaths. "That's enough. You did very good today." He began walking stiffly from the training room, mumbling about himself being to old for this. Amber smiled and wiped the sweat from her brow.

Carl stripped off his shirt and tossed it to the floor as he walked over to his bed and sat down, hands between his knees. Out of habit he glanced at the small picture on his dresser when his whole family was still alive. His eyes went to a small wooden box. Carl walked over and opened the top carved with the triforce and a small fearie on either side of it. Resting inside a cushioned red velvet lining was a small golden amulet on a leather strap. On either side of the amulet, there were what appeared to be frequency waves, but not exactly. "Mama...." Carl's mind soon went back to the day his mother died.

"Carl, your mother would like to talk to you." Carl's father said stepping out of the bedroom. Getting up, Carl nervously walked into the room, his dad shutting the door as he left.
Carl saw his mother lying in bed. Most of the thick brown hair was now gone and her skin drew tightly over her bones. The sparkling emeralds of her eyes still held the same brilliant shine. The disease she had had destroyed her body.
Mother smiled. "Carl, my son...." She took her hands and placed them on his. "My son, you have a very important destiny for Hyrule and her people."
"Destiny?" Carl's ten year old mind could not understand.
"You may not understand now, but in time it will be revealed to you." Carl gave a quick nod. Mother let go of his hands and took something off her neck and placed it in Carl's hands. Wrapping his small hands over the golden pendant. She said. "This is the sign of your destiny, and," Mother started having trouble breathing. "And you will know the time when to pass on this powerful symbol of Hyrule. "She coughed weakly. "Tell your father to come in here."
"Okay, Mama...." Carl said hugging his mother for the last time.

"My Destiny" Carl clutched the amulet tightly in his hand and walked from his room. Amber nearly ran into him.
"Carl!" She grabbed his hand and drug him over to the TV screen.
"What in Farore is wrong Amber?!"
"Look at the TV!" Amber said frantically.
"Last night in Kakariko, a house was broken into and the occupants, 55 year old Panrah Foxwood and her husband, 57 year old Jaykob Foxwood were kidnapped." The male reporter said in his pressed gray suit. "Kakariko police say that they don't have much to work on, but it is apparent that it was not a burglary, as was first thought."
Amber turned to her side, grabbing Carl's arm. "That's my Aunt and Uncle! Do something!"
"I'm sorry, this is all my fault..." Kathy said in their pointed ears. "I tried keeping where they lived a secret for as long as I could. He had so many people working on it that I couldn't block them all."
"No one is blaming you Kathy," Carl said. "I know this was an eventuality from the message I got a few weeks ago."
'So I was 'our little friend'!' Amber thought. "So who is Ganon?" She asked.
Carl's eyebrows rose in surprise. "How in Nayru's name do you know about Ganon?"
'Oh, smooth Amber.' She mentally kicked herself doing some fast thinking. "Uhhhh, you said so."
"Uh hu, when?"
"Just now."
Carl looked at her over his blue rims. "A-a-ammb-e-e-r" He said suspiciously.
Even though Amber was an inch taller than her friends, she felt as if she was about six inches tall from that look. It didn't take long her for her to spill the beans. "Okay, okay, I heard that same message you did." The silence coming from him was deafening. "I-"
Carl held up his hand. "Stow it, I don't need to hear your reason." Amber could still sense aggravation from him but kept her mouth shut since it had gotten her in enough trouble already. "So....what should we do about this?" Carl smirked mysteriously.
"Are you sure she's ready Carl?" Kathy's face frowned on the TV screen.
"I guess we'll have to see, won't we?"

As the elevator stopped and opened, the two Hylians strolled out and Carl halted her in the center of the pit. "Stay here." Carl said with a sly smile upon his visage.
She watched him walk over to a control panel and push a series of buttons and a compartment began slowly rising from the ground. Her eyes widened as more and more of the object could be seen. She gasped aloud when she could see it in full.
The armor was pure glossy black from head to toe save for the visor on the helmet which was turquoise. Even the foot and knuckle bombs were like the night sky. Carl walked and stood infront of the armor, arms crossed. "You like?"
"Did you rebuild the Trezen?"
"No, I repaired that armor suit." He chuckled. "but this isn't the Trezen." She gave him a blank look. "I call it Thera, my greatest work."
"I take offense to that." Kathy said from a nearby monitor.
"Besides you Kat....anyway, we might as well get you suited up."
"You mean this is..." She could hardly speak the words she was so giddy at the moment. "This one is mine?" Amber pointed to the armor.
"Seems that way." Carl said with a gentile smile.
"OOOOOO!!!!!! Thank you!!" Amber put her arms around Carl's waist and squeezed. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
Carl winced and tapped Amber's shoulder. "Air!"
She blushed and undid her arms from him. "Sorry."
"S'okay." He breathed in deeply and exhaled. "Now, go into that room, there will be a black bodysuit hanging there. Take off all your clothing and put it on, I shall be waiting for you here." Amber gave a quick nod and went into the room to change.
"So, you have given into your destiny?" Kathy asked as Amber closed the door.
"Not completely." He held the amulet in his hand from under his shirt. "I still intend to come out of this trial alive."

Ten minutes later, Amber walked from the small changing room and saw Carl staring at her and became quite self conscious. "Did I put it on wrong?" Amber asked blushing.
After Carl caught his breath from the sight of the very tight bodysuit he shook his head. N-no." 'Heh, glad she has to wear that.' "You're- I mean you put it on perfect."
"Down boy." Kathy said in his ear. Carl just ignored her.
"Now stay here and for Din's sake don't touch Thera yet! I'm going to change."
"Into?"
"My body suite of course." Amber was to entranced at her own suit to really care.

When Carl slid the spandex up his neck, the glint of the talisman caught his eye and picked it up. "Now is the time to pass on the power. You do know what that means Kathy."
"It's the day I've dreaded ever since the electricity first flowed through my circuitry." She sighed. "But there is nothing I can do to change something as powerful as destiny."
Carl chuckled ironically and walked out of the changing room and over to Amber. "That was quick." She said.
"Heh, well one becomes adapt at changing onto this thing in two years." A brief silence passed between them and Carl took her hand. "I have to give you something." From behind his back he pulled the trinket and placed it onto Amber's neck and down into her suit. "Placed upon you is an artifact that dates back close to the imprisoning war. It signifies great power and an important part in the fate of Hyrule and her people."
"The fate of Hyrule?"
"Yes, but I ca-"
"You can't say anymore, right?" Amber said as if it was an everyday occurrence, which it was.
"Exactly, now..." Thera opened up along the sides and the chest plate came down. "Step into the legs, it will seem cold at first but it will warm up quickly. Mind the plumbing connection."
"Yeah, yeah...ooo!! cold!!!" Amber eeked as she put her right leg into the armor then her left.
"Good, now lean down and put your arms in the, well the arms, hah!" As she did so, the armor stood and sealed itself, Amber's eyes widening in quick surprise. She lift her hand infront of her face and waved her hand and flexed her fingers. The black haired beauty got bold and tried to walk but didn't get anywhere and only resulted in Carl laughing. "Hold on, let me disengage the suit from it's port." He pulled the pin and Amber fell to her knees and quickly stood back up, Carl laughing harder.
"Its so light!" Her amusement drowned out the laughing.
"That's because its a powered suit, when you battery goes dead, you'll know it." Amber started walking, the metal clanking in the steel floor of the pit. She threw a few extremely rapid punches. "Everything feel alright?"
"Hmmmm, yeah."
"Good, Kathy, bring up Trezen."
"Right away Carl." the armor began raising from the ground directly behind Carl/ He turned and quickly armored up.
"Put on your helmet." Carl said doing the same.
Nodding, Amber reached up and took the helmet of the small shelf on Thera's port and put it on. Everything was digitally remade in the visor, with her battery and cybernetic output readings on the far sides. ~Wow, I like this.~
~Heh, I kinda figured you would.~ Carl said typing in coordinates of the launch computer. ~Now, I need to give you a quick run down of the suit's capabilities When you need a certain weapon, just think it, take this for example~ He thought about the gama blade and it activated. ~Then when you're done with it just think that as well.~ The blade faded away. ~Now, you have foot and knuckle bombs.~ Each activated and deactivated on her armor. ~A thermal saber that comes from your left under arm.~ She thought about that and a small compartment opened from her arm and Amber grabbed the hilt. Holding it infront of her the red blade flickered to life. After trying it out for a moment she put it back and the small compartment sealed itself again. ~Two more things. You have a rail gun on your right wrist and a gama shield on your left forearm.~ A turquoise elliptical shield appeared on her left arm.
~I feel like I'm invinsible!~ Amber exclaimed.
Carl couldn't help but laugh at Amber's enthusiasm but quickly became serious and held Amber's armor clad hands in his. ~We will rescue them.~ He said visor to visor at Amber.
~Carl, I-I~ Amber was interrupted by Kathy.
"Carl, coordinates and power is set." Amber sighed inwardly.
~Good, let's get this done by dinner.~ The launcher door slid open. ~Ladies first.~
Amber rolled her eyes. ~Such a gentileman.~ She said sarcastically.
~I know, its so hard in this day in age.~ The door slammed shut and Amber heard the lock clank into place. ~Hang on! 'Cuz this can get a little bumpy!~
Electricity began dancing around her suit, and the floor beneath them opened up. ~Heeeeere we,....Goooo!!!!!!~ Carl exclaimed as he was shot from the tube, Amber right behind him, screaming quite loudly.