Past and Present

PART 1

That morning Van seemed rather excited. I eyed him suspiciously as I left my bed and approached the Memory Bed. He was looking on his computer screen with wide eyes.

I shivered, waiting on him. The airconditioning down here was rather cold. I wish they would turn up the heat a bit. But last night he said some crap about 'it helped the machines run better'. I tapped my feet impatiently.

"Okay, good news! Your last brain activity shows we are able to skip a few years. I looked onto one of the saved memory logs we haven't accessed yet, and I could access it! We are now able to get to the part I really want to see. So please, if you will, get on the memory bed, and let us start."

I groaned, ignoring most of what he said, and climbed on. I was still, flat on my back, staring up at the ceiling when the screen came over my face. I sighed reluctantly. This was getting old fast. I wished he'd find whatever it was he was looking for, and be done. I was getting fairly angry with this man.

He logged on and scanned me, the same old process. I felt a chill go down my spine as I entered a coma again.

Link looked out over the endless expanse of forest in the noon sun. Few clouds were in the sky, and he was ready for travel. It was the perfect day, if only he had gotten more of an early start.

He started to climb down the path carved into the cliff, heading into the forest. He was 27, now. His childhood and teen years were cut short with the invasion of his home, and death of his parents. He had spent the last several years training, living in his little hut, waiting for the right time to claim the revenge he deserved.

I was surprised by how far the machine had skipped.

Link ventured deep into the forest, ignoring the sounds of the wilflife, that had once scared him as a boy. His short sword was attached to his back, with knives strapped around his chest. He was wearing a green tunic, with a small peasents' hood, a common wardrobe in the poor areas of cities. His boots were strapped securely, reaching up just below his knees. He was going to kill every Gerudo, if that's what it took to give his soul peace. He was even willing to kill their new King. He had snuck into town one day, and had heard that the Gerudos had a new king, by the name of... what was it? Gaydon? Ganon? That was it! Ganondorf.

They said he was the new hope for the realm. Link was going to make sure the only thing he was was dead. He continued to walk, looking up

MEMORY SKIPPED. ABLE TO PROCEED. REMAIN CALM, #3.

Link saw he was standing before great stone walls that surrounded the thriving city of Lone Lone. Link slowly walked past several tourists leave the town, all carrying baskets, pots, and large bags. Flags on the town walls fluttered noisily in the wind. Past the gates, Link could hear several noises, and lots of activity.

I tried to say 'Wow', but only recieved static in return. I forgot I couldn't interfere.

A guard approached Link, eyeing him suspiciously," No weapons allowed in the city. Turn back, now."

"This is supposed to be a Hylian city." Link responded cooly.

"Bwah! The Hylians were chased out four years ago! Now scram, punk!" he spat.

"Not the best thing to say, I am armed after all." Link responded.

"Wha-"

Link drew a knife and shoved it into the guards throat. He yanked it out and proceeded towards the gates. He really didn't want to kill that man. Once he arrived, the two guards at the entrance pointed their swords.

"No one enters with weapons, by law!" he barked.

"I was just given permission by an officer." Link replied.

"Whatever." he replied, stepping to the side.

Link passed him and walked calmly into the city, where several people were crammed into a plaza, milling about, bumping shoulders. Link crinkled his nose. The stench was awful. It was so thick, and basically just all around smelly, like feces and pee, and probably dead corpses. It made him want to puke. And the pleasent spices gave it a sweeter smell, amplifying the bad smell even more.

Merchants had their stalls set up in every nook and cranny. They beckoned people to come and buy, and others making poor profit begged in some cases. Link gently pushed a few people out of his way, heading onto main street. He had heard rumors this land was once a small farming village. That was just a rumor, though. Either way, even cows, as bad as they smell, would die smelling this crap. Link wasn't holding up so well.

He noticed two guards chatting down at a street corner. One was propped up against the wall, arms folded over her chest. The other stood there, talking nervously.

Obvious flirts me and Link thought.

Link walked past them, trying to keep a low profile and mix in with the crowd so they wouldn't see his weapons.

I need to find the town leaders. he thought. I will kill each one in each town, ending with Ganondorf. Their empire will collapse, surely. Maybe even recruit some Hylians in Castle Town? That way I can get them to run smaller missions, so my impact will have a bigger effect. Nayru, I should have just planned this all out back home.

"You sir, come here, and try my fine bread!" a man accosted Link.

"No thanks, I'm running an important errand." he replied simply.

"Okay, well, sorry to bother." he said, walking off embarrassed.

Link turned the corner and found a man helping tourists, pointing them in the right direction, and recommending certain stores. Link approached him.

"Excuse me, who is the current town leader?" he asked.

"No, excuse me, what? Do you have that much sand in your ears, sir? " he exclaimed.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you were supposed to help new people in town. Must have mistook you for another man around here." Link snapped bitterly.

"Oh alright, it's a man named Sonorah Bin Laden; a man from the desert! If you must know more about him, he's giving a speech at sunfall in the plaza." the man begrudgingly told him.

"Thanks." Link muttered, walking off.

Some static appeared, and I realized I still existed. I was so caught up with Link's feelings and actions, I had forgotten I had existed. It was like dreaming. If you tried to interact in the dream, you woke up, and if you did nothing, you forgot you even existed until waking up.

It must have become a nightmare, as a suspicious town guard approached Link, hand on his sword. His metal armor was gleaming far too brightly in the sun.

He's young. He must be of low ranking. He'll be easy. Link observed.

"Sir, what are you doing with those weapons?" he asked loudly. A few citizens turned their heads.

"Sorry?" Link answered, pretending he hadn't seen the man.

"Oh, don't play stupid. We don't allow men with weapons to enter the city." he said even louder, causing a few to back away, forming a crude circle around the two. Children stared with wide eyes, trying to grab the attentions of their parents.

"An officer gave me permission to pass. How do you think I got past the guards at the front? I was given permission." Link replied smugly.

"Sir, I want you to come with me for questioning." he said in a dark voice, taking a small step towards Link.

Oh Din, I'm gonna have to kill him! Link thought frantically. He had only killed one man before, and that was years ago.

"Well, c'mon!" the guard barked," Lets go!"

Link drew his sword with amazing speeds, result of too much time alone. He lunged at the man and swung. Their blades met, causing sparks to fly. The guard roared in frustration. The people started to run.

Link swung again, the guard blocked. Link narrowed his eyes, and started to swing towards the guard's side. He brought his sword town, trying to block.

As he did, Link raised his sword back up swiftly, bringing it back down on the man's head, killing him almost instantly. There was a spray of blood as he fell to the floor, his eyes rolling back into his head. Link sheathed his sword and started to run, seeing more guards approaching.

He looked down and alley and ran there. I tried to get him to climb the wall, like I had done with the mugger, but I remembered I was not in control. Too much brain activity caused static to pass over my vision, yet again.

Link's heart-rate was up, his eyes darting side to side. Finally, he got the right idea, and scaled a crude, two story store, using the loose bricks and rough edges to climb.

He jumped from one roof to the next, people on the ground staring with wide eyes. He did this until he came to hide behind a box, breathing heavily. He could still hear guards running and shouting, several streets back, still trying to find him.

My vision blurred, and I awoke in front of the screen. It moved away from my face, and the metal clamps binding me to the machine let go, and I sat up, stretching my back.

"That was very interesting!" Van exclaimed, clapping.

"Are we done yet?" I asked with my adjusting vocal cords.

"In fact, we are. You may rest."

A/N: How does everyone like the story?

Reviews are awesome as ever. Seriously, if you like the story, hate it, love it, or if it's okay, tell me. If you cannot read it for any reason because of bad writing, tell me why. When I recieve critique and appraises, it really helps.

Thanks,

-Sam