"Link…"

A voice… a familiar female voice pricked at his mind, seemingly appearing from the inside of his head.

"Link… you must wake up..."

A brilliant golden light shone in his vision, threatening to blind him, yet he did not shy away from it. It felt warm, comforting in a way.

"Wake up, Link."

He let the pleasant light envelop his senses, and he saw something shining through it brighter than the rest. A figure, familiar but foreign. He opened his mouth to speak, but the words died in his throat as he heard her words clearer than ever before.

"Wake up, Link!"

His eyes shot open with a start and he opened his mouth, breathing in like it was his first breath, yet he didn't breathe. No, he couldn't breathe. He was floating, submerged in a chamber of ice-cold water. As his chest constricted and burned with the need to breathe, panic settled in him as he looked for a way out, thrashing and kicking at the round glass front of the pod. To his right, he saw a button, and without knowing its purpose; he pressed it.

He spilled forth out of the pod along with the water inside it. As he fell, something got ripped out of his throat he didn't realize was there before. He gasped and sputtered as he clutched at his chest with his right hand, the feeling of breathing being painful and laborious.

The air that touched his skin was even colder than the water that he was submerged in, making his hairs stand straight as a shiver took hold of his body. A cough racked through him, and along with it came spurts of water from his lungs. He laid there for a while as the panic melted away and his breathing settled.

Once he could breathe again, he attempted to push himself up, his hand still clutching at his chest. Oddly, he didn't feel his arm push against the ground like he was attempting. In fact, he didn't feel his left arm at all. Confused, he looked over and a terrible feeling ran through his gut at what he saw.

His left arm was gone from the elbow down, a mere stump. The panic he had felt earlier resurfaced tenfold as he racked his mind for what had happened to him before he was put in that odd chamber.

As he looked back through his memories, he realized he didn't remember… anything. Not even his name. He thought back to the voice he had heard before he awoke. Link is what she had called him. Link… it felt right, especially coming from that voice. Although he had a name now, it didn't calm him down when he realized he couldn't remember anything else. Where he was, how he got here, what happened before he was put in that chamber, the fate of his arm. Hell, even with a name he didn't even remember who he really was.

His breathing rapid and shallow, he used his remaining arm to push himself off of the cold metal floor. He stood on weak legs, and as he looked down, he realized another thing. He was completely nude, and his body was covered in an assortment of scars he didn't recognize. Before his panic could rise any further, the voice pierced his mind again.

"Link, there is a chest with some things inside to equip yourself with just to your left. Take them."

The voice calmed Link calmed a bit before he decided to search around the room, ignoring her order in search of the source of the voice. Something inside him urged him to find whoever was speaking to him.

"I am not with you physically. Please, take the items that were left for you. They will help you."

Giving up his search at her proclamation, he sauntered towards the chest which sat just beside the chamber. It was a simple metal trunk with a latch on the front, which he flicked open with his remaining hand. Inside were a set of brand new looking tan pants, along with a green shirt of the same quality plus some leather work boots. With much difficulty, Link put on the pieces of clothing, especially struggling with the boots as he could not tie them. After a few frustrating minutes, he gives up on the last boot with a sigh. Looking down into the chest again, he also finds a sheath and a knife that looked more like it was made for combat than utility. Unable to strap it to his waist, he clumsily puts the knife in the sheath and stuffs it in the pocket of his pants. Luckily they were fit well enough, as they didn't slide off his figure with the extra weight.

He looked around the room again, taking in his surroundings for the first time since he had fallen out of the pod. The ceiling, walls, and floor were all made of the same metal, looking shiny and clean like it was just polished yesterday. Pipes ran above him, and many hung down over the pod he had escaped from, which sat in the middle of the rounded room. Behind him was a corridor leading to a large metal door, and beside it sitting on a pedestal appeared to be… an arm?

Not a normal arm, thankfully. This one appeared to be made of metal, smooth and sleek looking. Link looked down at his stump and back to the arm. Was that… for him? He looked back at the pod and then focused on the voice he had been hearing in his head.

"Is this arm for me?" His voice croaked as he spoke as if he hadn't ever spoken in his life. "And who are you? Where am I? Why can't I see you?" The questions that had been plaguing his mind spilled out of his mouth when he finally realized that he actually could speak.

"Link, please, I have little time with you as it is. I promise you will learn these things in time. Take the arm. It will attach automatically once you put it over your elbow."

Link was less than happy with this answer. Why couldn't she just tell him now? He had almost drowned first thing when he woke up, then the realization that his dominant arm was gone. And now she couldn't even tell him her name, at the very least.

"No, I need to know who you are first. What's going on?" The air was silent, save for the humming emanating from his pod. After a moment, he heard her speak again.

"My name is Zelda. Once you get out of here, someone will be waiting to tell you other things that you want to know. As of right now, I have little more time to speak to you. Please, take the arm." She pleaded with him now. Zelda pleaded with him. Yes, that would sate his curiosity for now.

He made his way to the pedestal and picked up the arm. It was lighter than he expected it to be, but still much heavier than he thought practical to lug around with him at all times. He wouldn't complain about it if it meant he would have two hands again. Raising it to his elbow, he put his stump in the joint, and instantly, an absolutely mind-numbing pain shot through his arm straight to his brain, bringing him to his knees as a cry of pain leapt out of his throat. It seemed to last forever, but in reality, it was only a few seconds. Once the pain stopped, Link opened his eyes and looked at his left arm.

For a moment, it seemed to just sit there, and Link wondered if it had even worked. He moved his fingers, balling them into a fist. The movement was fluid and natural. Moving the rest of his new arm, Link realized that the weight of the appendage seems to have disappeared now that it had attached, and for that link was grateful.

Upon further inspection, Link realized that the appendage had melded with his arm. Strands of metal ran flush up against his arm and to the back of his head. It was a perfect fit. It's like this arm was made for him, and he assumed that it was. This raised more questions in his mind, but he decided to hold his tongue.

"Now, use that arm to activate the door. All the scanners still operating in Hyrule should recognize you now." Link turned to the door and noticed a hand-shaped recess in the wall.

What she had said before bounced in his head for a bit. There were more places he would need to scan? What for? And Hyrule? Was that where he was now? The name resonated in the back of his head as he raised his new arm and activated the door which didn't lead to a hallway as he had thought, but a platform with only two buttons on it which read 'surface', and 'sub-surface'. With no other option, he pressed the surface button, and with a resounding creak of the old machinery, he began his ascent to the surface.

"Okay, now that you're out of that chamber, I have a bit of room to talk. Link, I am so happy to see that you're finally awake." Zelda's voice was warm now like she was talking to an old friend. "I know you don't remember me right now, but I assure you that in time your memories will return." She sounded confident enough that it put him at ease a bit. Perhaps his lack of memories was just a side effect of his apparent slumber. As he thought back, a question bit at his tongue.

"Zelda… how long has it been since I was last awake?" He eyed the spot in front of him with a curious eye, as if she were standing in front of him, although his brain couldn't think of what she might look like for the life of him. She took a few moments to answer him.

"Link, I know this will be shocking, but you've been asleep for a hundred years… I've been waiting for your return." Link's eyes widened in shock. One hundred years? That sounded absurd. To his eyes, he looked young and spry save for his lack of arm a few moments prior and the scars lining his body. How could he have been asleep for one hundred years?

Zelda seemed to be able to see his face as she gauged his reaction. "I can explain-"

She was cut off as the elevator shaft began to violently rumble, forcing Link to grab onto the railing that surrounded him as a brace. The rumbling stopped after a few moments and the elevator creaked violently. Link prays he will soon be off of the elevator, as its components seem much worse for wear than those inside the chamber. Taking a close look, the surrounding walls were dusty and rusted, and the gears that the elevator rode on seemed to be falling apart as well.

As if the goddesses could hear his prayers, above him a bright light shone as a door opened above him, dropping an immense amount of dust and dirt on top of him. He sputtered as he breathed for a moment, the air around him now much dirtier than it had been before. He closed his eyes as the light got brighter, only opening them once it came to a stop. His breath stopped in his chest.

The expanse of land he could see was filled with trees and rivers, birds chirped and animals sauntered on through the fields. It felt like he could finally breathe again, the sight in front of him refreshing his mind and bringing a small smile to his face. But something was wrong. He could also see a small town below him, destroyed and decrepit homes all that he could see. What had happened in the last one hundred years? Where was everyone? He stepped forward some more to get a closer look, not paying attention to the fact that he was on the top of a cliff that led straight down to the town. He regained his bearings before he walked himself off the ledge, stepping back slowly.

He looked behind him now, finding that the elevator he had emerged from had been hidden away quite well, sitting at the foot of another cliff surrounded by foliage and trees. He seemed to be standing at the top of a hill to his right that led down towards the town he saw. As his eyes followed the path downwards, they settled on a figure sitting next to a fire under an overhang. What looked to be a large man with a big white bushy beard looked up at the same moment Link had noticed him, waving after a moment of hesitation.

"Is that the person who's supposed to help me?" He waited for her to answer before he began his trek down the hill in case this wasn't who he was supposed to meet. After a while, he hadn't received an answer from Zelda and he grew slightly annoyed, but also worried. "Zelda?"

Another great quake shook Link as he stood, the cliff behind him crumbling slightly as the ground shook. He fell to a knee with nothing to steady himself on. He looked to the old man, who seemed to be unfazed by these events. Once the shaking receded, he heard Zelda again, this time sounding strained and faint.

"I can't talk any longer, Link, I'm sorry. I know you'll find your way. You are stronger than you know." Her final words were almost a whisper, but he heard them.

"Zelda? Are you okay? Zelda?" Unbeknownst to him, panic rose in his voice. Now, as he stood looking down on the land of Hyrule, Link felt only one thing.

Alone.

AN: Hey, how's it going? Hope things are well for everyone. Just a few things to say here after the close of this chapter. One thing I'd like to say is that this story is heavily inspired by fallout, but it is NOT set in the fallout universe. I will be borrowing a lot of creatures mostly from the fallout franchise, but no characters or locations will show up in this story. It's also more cyberpunk tech in this story than it is old tech like Fallout. Links arm looks a lot like it would in Deus Ex for those who have played it.

The second thing I would like to address is that for anyone who follows this story, updates will be slooooooow. I write for fun between other things I do so I only write in short minute burst throughout the day, very rarely sitting down just to write. I don't have most of the story planned at this point, but I had a concept I thought was fun and wanted to write, so I did. I just want to make this clear so as not to disappoint any followers with long delays. I hope you all understand. Perhaps in the future, I might have weekly updates, but for now, I only ask that you not count on it.

Alright, long-ass authors note out of the way, thank you for reading! I hope everyone who gets to this point has a fantastic day/night. Reviews are greatly appreciated, even if it's filled with reasons for your scathing hatred for the story. If you have thoughts, let me know! I read every single review :)