Beginning the infiltration into the fortress. Please read on.

Don't own anything (including lines) expect the concept of the story

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: TRAPPED

The sun had just set near the Forsaken Fortress. The search lights were on, moblins were patrolling the perimeter and laser sensors scanned the area. The wall, like Kratos said, was impossible to climb with Link's grappling hook. Luckily, the piton gun Sheena gave them proved quite useful. They sailed to an unmonitored part of the fortress and used the guns, although Genis was having a difficult time handling it.

"Stupid gun…" Genis mumbled. "It…won't…work…"

The others had already scaled the walls. "What's taking you so long?" Link asked.

Genis pointed the gun in the air and said, "It's this piton gun. It won't acti--"

Before Genis could say 'activate', the gun shot up in the sky and pierced Link's hat and grabbed onto a battlement. Genis then, 'accidentally' activated the device pulling him up and landing him on top of Link.

"Ow…" Genis mumbled. "Sheena probably made this thing difficult for me to operate." He got off Link.

Link dusted himself off, looked at his hat and said, "What do you Sages have against my hat? Is it the color? Is it the shape? I for one like this hat and every time I get a new one, it's ruined by either YOU OR YOUR SISTER!"

"I'll get you a new one," Genis replied.

"Where do you think they're keeping Raine?" Aryll asked.

"I know!" Kratos exclaimed. "She's up the stairs in the highest room in the tallest tower."

"How do you know that?" Tetra asked.

"I read it in a book once," Kratos replied, dully.

"We have no time to dawdle," Wilder said. "We must make our way to…whatever Kratos just said."

"You mean up the stairs in the highest room in the tallest tower?" Kratos asked.

"Yes…that is correct…"

They made their way into the fortress. When they got inside, Kratos went ahead of him. Suddenly, there was a buzzing sound.

"What's that sound?" Tetra asked.

"Coming from…up above!" Aryll exclaimed.

A statue of a moblin's head glowed red eyes and shot an unsuspecting Kratos. He was on fire; literally. He sniffed around.

"Smells like me…burning," Kratos said. He took a good glance at himself. He started to run around, yelling. Everyone sweatdropped.

"Behold the great ruler of the eastern seas," Tetra said.

Kratos finally found some water to cool down. "You would be yelling to if you were on fire!"

"Stop goofing around," Link replied. "We got to find Raine."

Up, up, up more stairs. Link was seriously getting annoyed.

"They never had all these stairs the first time," he said.

"I must admit, I'm losing my diligence," Wilder replied.

"Is Raine even worth the trip?" Kratos asked.

"Of course she is!" Genis exclaimed. "I must rescue my sister no matter what the cost!"

"Alright, but do you really need all of us?" Tetra asked.

"I was there when all of you needed me," Genis replied.

"Uh…you really didn't to that much, professor," Link said.

"I don't need you to help her."

They finally reached a large, black, door that had a skull on it.

"He must be in here," Link said. "Are you all ready?"

Everyone nodded. Link opened the door slowly. Instantly, a trap door opened beneath them, causing everyone to fall down into the bottom level of the fortress. They all appeared to be in another dungeon.

"Ah, crap!" Kratos exclaimed. "We climbed all those stairs for nothing!"

"Great, you guys got captured too?" A voice asked. Everyone looked to the corner of the room. It was Raine.

"You said she would be up the stairs in the highest room in the tallest tower," Tetra said to Kratos.

"I thought so too," Kratos replied.

"I was in the highest room," Raine said. "But I annoyed Lord Irving so much he threw me down here." The guards came in and compensated all of their weapons.

There was no method of escape. The bars were near each other so neither Raine or Aryll could squeeze through them. Also, the lock was only opened by voice command only limiting their options. There were other people too; probably from Windfall, accused of conspiracy and propaganda. They were frightened, scared and talked of a room called 'Room 101'. A few minutes later, a darknut guard opened the door and called to a prisoner wearing nothing but rags. He looked like he was going to keel over at any minute.

"You," said the darknut guard, "Room 101."

"No!" The prisoner wailed. "Not that! Not Room 101! Not again! Please, I already told you everything I know! I confessed to everything I did! Just tell me what you want me to say! I have a wife and two children! Take them instead of me! Bash their heads in! Torture them! Kill them! Just please, spare me!" The prisoner dropped to the ground, begging, "Please, not Room 101!"

"Room 101," the guard said in a monotone voice.

The prisoner looked around nervously. He was finally carried off by two more guards.

"Man, he's desperate," Raine said.

"Why do you say that?" Genis asked.

"Simple, he doesn't have a wife or children."

All the prisoners were being eyed by a camera installed in that room. Lord Irving was looking at them, sitting on a chair, surrounded by many other cameras.

"Weak-minded simpletons," he said to himself. "Why is Lord Ganondorf interested in the one called Genis Sage?"

Genis took out the Crown of Heaven.

"Why are you taking that thing out?" Link asked.

"Might as well do something in here," Genis replied. "I never spend any time on trying to decipher the letters on this relic anymore…"

Lord Irving nearly fell of his chair. He saw the object that Genis held in his hand. It was instrumental in Lord Ganondorf's plan.

"O'Brien!" He yelled into the intercom.

"You called sir?" A voice answered back.

"Bring the one called Genis Sage into Room 101. I need to talk to him."

"Understood, sir!"

"And don't forget the object that he holds in his hands!"

"Yes, sir, right away, sir!"

O'Brien was another one of Lord Irving's darknut generals (aside from the now deceased General Gage). He was a solider that obeyed only either Lord Irving or Lord Ganondorf. Just like the rest of them, he was buff but dull-witted. He was accompanied to the cell where Genis and the others were.

"You," O'Brien said, pointing to Genis, "Room 101."

"Alright, then," Genis said, getting up. Raine grabbed his sleeve.

"You're not seriously going with them, are you?" Raine whispered harshly.

"Maybe I'll get some to some answers of our question," Genis replied. "Don't worry, I'll be fine…"

"Get a move on!" O'Brien yelled. "And bring that object you have with you!"

Raine released Genis' sleeve. Genis was carried off to Room 101.

"Do you think he'll be okay, brother?" Aryll asked.

"I hope so, Aryll," Link replied.

In Room 101, Genis was strapped into a flat bed. There was a machine above him. It looked like a huge gun. Lord Irving came into the room.

"Mr. Sage," Lord Irving said. "I'm pleased to meet you again."

"Irving," Genis mumbled. "What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to talk."

"Yeah, I'm strapped into this bed, unable to move, and you want to talk."

Lord Irving approached a table, outlined of all the things that Genis had with him before he was imprisoned in the cell.

"Do you see all of these things, Mr. Sage?" Lord Irving asked. "I highly doubt you do from that position. They are things that you had before you were trapped. Very odd things mind you. A piton gun…a pen…a watch…and this."

Lord Irving picked up the Crown of Heaven.

"A very interesting object," Lord Irving said. "I believe it is called the Crown of Heaven."

"So you know about it?" Genis asked.

"Yes, I do. I also know what it is capable of doing."

"And what is it capable of doing?"

"Opening a portal to another world, of course."

"If you already know what it is capable of doing, why am I here?"

"I need to know what you found out about the object."

"I didn't find out anything."

"Is that so? Something tells me you're lying."

"Well, I'm not."

"Mr. Sage, we can do this the easy way or the hard way." Lord Irving was practically in his face. "And believe me; you don't want the hard way."

Genis spat in his face. Lord Irving wiped himself off.

"Alright, then," Lord Irving said. "I guess you want the hard way. Activate the laser."

The laser started to activate, hitting the bottom of the bed, slowly moving towards Genis.

"This laser will cut you into two."

"Do you expect me to talk, Lord Irving?"

"No Mr. Sage. I expect you to die."

Man, this is suspenseful. How will Genis get out of this one? Please R&R