Here it is, chapter 17! Expecting more of Dagg? Read on to find out, and don't forget to review and comment, criticize without flaming and as always, enjoy!
-Jack Knights
"We're lost aren't we?" Link said. They'd been Sector Seven for at least four hours, the working clocks placed around the hub said so, and they were no closer to finding a mechanic than three days ago. Link had finally gotten used to the smell, although he now had a head ache from the stifling air.
"We're not lost," Sheik said haughtily. "I just don't know where we're going yet."
Link stomach growled in protest. "Well, could we at least stop for some food? We haven't eaten since before entering Oocconia."
"Goddesses, you're such a whiner," he muttered. "I'm not sure if any of the street food around here is gonna sit well with you. Or me, for that matter."
Despite his foul mood, Sheik managed to find a half-decent place to eat, buying for Link and himself a roll filled with meat of unknown origin. The patrons of the restaurant seemed to enjoy them just fine, so Link didn't ask where it came from and ate it hungrily. Afterwards, while Sheik went about talking to the residents of Sector Seven, trying to find a mechanic who could help them, Link walked aimlessly around the main square, which had long since lost its luster.
There were a few buildings that more or less resembled their newer counterparts in the Main Dome, albeit much more worse for wear. What had once been a fountain in the middle of the square was now just a beheaded monument, from which no water spouted forward. He sat amongst the ruined fountain, watching Sheik struggle with the bad-tempered people. When he offered to help, he merely blew him off, saying that these were 'his kind of people' and it would be best to just keep quiet.
Growing bored with Sheik's arguments, Link began watching the other people go by. It was strange to him to see Goron and Zora alike walking the streets, sometimes in the company of the other races. Stranger still, it was when a Twili ran past, his shoulder bag bouncing with his steps. How can they live in the light? I thought they couldn't stand it, Link thought idly. He suddenly noticed that as strange as it was to see all the different races of Hyrule living and working together amongst the trash of Sector Seven, one of them was missing. There are no Oocca here, or at least I've seen none yet.
Growing bored with people watching, Link stood and began walking, trying to imagine what Sector Seven was like in its prime. Looking at the buildings instead of the road, he accidentally bumped into another passerby, sending them crashing to the ground. Link nearly fell over himself, tripping over their affects, which had spilled from a brown paper bag.
"Watch where your going, dimwit!" they said, grabbing at their things.
"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention," he said, dropping to a knee to pick up a metal cover.
"If anything's broken or dented, you're gonna pay for it," they muttered, turning around to face him. Link was surprised to see that it was a girl he'd bumped into. Even more surprising was her looks. Her hair was very blonde and worn in a pleat, bangs framing a face of smooth angles. Although she was wearing pants and a vest, instead of a dress, she was almost identical to Princess Zelda.
"What're you looking at?" she said, eyes narrowed. She tapped him lightly on the forehead with a fist, then waved her hand in front of his face. "Hello? Is anyone in there?"
"Huh, oh, I'm sorry, were you saying something?" Link said, remembering where he was.
"Never mind," she said, snatching the plate from Link. "Well, it doesn't look like anything was damaged, so you're off the hook. Why do you keep staring at me, you some kind of creep?"
"Oh no, sorry, it's just you look a lot like an old friend of mine," he said, rubbing the back of his head. "It's quite uncanny, you know," he added with a laugh.
"Sure... whatever," she said, standing. "I'll be going now."
"No, wait!" Link said, grabbing her arm without thinking.
"Don't touch me," she said with a growl, wrenching her hand arm free. "Leave me the hell alone, weirdo!"
She turned to leave, running smack into Sheik, who had been walking with his head down. She dropped her things again, and Sheik ended up grabbing her by the arms to keep her from falling. He looked down, as surprised as she was that she was in his arms.
"Sorry," she muttered, dodging around him and running past a group of Gorons telling a joke. She disappeared from view, leaving a confused Sheik and an embarrassed Link behind. Link went over to Sheik, thankful for a familiar face.
"What was all that about?" he asked Link.
"I mistook her for someone and she ran," he said, cheeks reddening.
"Looks like you scared her pretty bad," he said, trying to look around the corner. "She even left her stuff behind."
Link was already bent low, collecting the metal parts from the ground, putting them back in the bag she had carried them around in. I should have known better than chase after her. Of course she's not Zelda, this is a different time. Even so, Princess Zelda died a long time ago.
"Hey, these look like arm plates," Sheik said, bending down to pick up some of her things. "Yeah, they are. And these are pulleys, cogs... wouldn't you know it? Looks like you found us a mechanic. And she might deal with neural appendages too. What's you say we go take her back her stuff?"
"Where do we even find her?" Link said as he hefted the bag in his arms. She was carrying all this? Heavy... "She disappeared, who knows where she is now."
"That's what the receipt is for," Sheik said, waving it in front of Link's face. "We go back to the store, explain things and get an address."
"And if she didn't give the seller of these parts an address?"
"She will have; mechanics are few and far between. If they want a good dealer with quality parts, they'll go to the same person again and again. And if they get a big part, they might even deliver it to their workshop. Find the workshop, find her and you get a new arm."
"Even if she won't help me, the least we could do is return her purchases," Link said in agreement.
"Alright then, let's go find this place," Sheik said, a new resolve in his step.
After asking around, they finally found the place she had bought parts from, thanks to a Zora kind enough not to outright blow them off. The shop was small, crammed with all sorts of mechanical parts and plates. On the outside, hanging on one hinge, was a sign that read 'Mech Surplus.' They went inside, Link still toting around the heavy parts, his arms feeling like lead. How in Naryu's name did she carry all this? Sheik went up to the small counter and rang the rusted bell there, calling for the owner. Link walked around the shop, looking at the parts stuck to the wall.
"Hold your goddamn horse!" came a hoarse voice from further behind in the store. "I'm coming, I'm coming."
From behind a stack of curved metal rods appeared a short, hunched over old man. His hair was gray and falling out, but his eyes were sharp as he eyed Link touching the buttons on a panel that looked ancient.
"Don't touch nothing you can't afford, son," he warned and Link shied away from the console, going over to where Sheik stood. "What can I do you for? Doesn't look like much, judging by what your friend's carrying there," he added, seeing Link with the bag.
"We ran into someone who dropped their goods," Sheik said as Link hefted the heavy bag onto the counter. "She left them all behind and we wanted to return them."
"And why did you come here?" the old man said, waving them off as he went into the back of the shop. "You probably stole those from her and want to find her workshop so you can steal from that as well."
"Hey, we are not thieves!" Sheik shouted, slamming a fist into the counter.
"Sure, kid, and I'm the King of Hyrule," the old man scoffed.
"Sir, it was an honest mistake!" Link shouted, and the old man paused, looking back at them. "I mistook her for someone else and she ran. I just want to return what's hers."
Sheik looked at him like he was crazy, and Link glared back, telling him with his eyes to keep quiet. The old man shuffled back to the counter and grabbed a chair, standing on it to reach Link's full height. He leaned forward, studying him; Link stared unblinkingly back, unable to look away.
"Let me see those parts," he said, riffling through the bag. He inspected each item, gently putting them down onto the counter as he finished with them. "These are all third and fourth rate parts, none of them are—"
He paused as he reached the last item in the bag, a small silver cog, bent slightly in an elegant curve. The old man rubbed a hand across his face, sighing. "This one here is mine."
"And here's the receipt to prove it," Sheik said, slapping it down next to the other parts. He looked at the Sheikah, lips pursed and eyes narrowed.
"You, you I don't trust," he said, pointing a finger a Sheik. "You look like you'd sell your own mother for a penny."
"I would never—"
"Him, on the other hand," he said, looking at Link. "This one has an honest air about him, something we so rarely find down here in Sector Seven. Where you from, kid?"
"Ordona," he said, automatically.
"Oh, really? Backwater towns always produce such fine upstanding men like yourself," the old man said, rolling the cog between his fingers. "That is, until they leave the province. What's a green-gill like you doing here, in the seedy underbelly of the Fallen City?"
"Ordona burned to the ground," he said, deciding it was best not to lie. "I have no place to go," he added, which wasn't a lie entirely.
"I won't ask how you ended up with this figure," he muttered, pointing at Sheik, who ignored him, "but I'll give you the information you need," he finished, packing the parts carefully back into the bag.
"Thank you," Link said, giving the old man a smile.
"She lives over by the water facility. I can't remember exactly where, but it's the only workshop on that block, so it shouldn't be too hard to find it."
"Alright then," Sheik said, handing the bag to Link. "Let's get going, Link."
"Come back when you get tired of chasing after him," the man said, disappearing into the back of the store. "I'll give you good, honest work. It might not pay much, but it's better than begging."
"I'll think about it," Link said, walking out behind Sheik. "Thanks again!"
Once they were out of earshot of the store and other prying ears, Sheik turned to him, his face widening with a sly smile.
"I didn't know you acted so well," he said, smacking him on the shoulder. "That innocent kid look and 'woe is me' voice put that old coot over the edge! Good going; now all we need is to find the girl and convince her you're not crazy!"
"It wasn't an act," he muttered as they walked on, heading for the tram station. Still, I feel bad for having to half-lie to the old man.
A strand of hair fell into Link's face and he tucked it behind his ear. My hair has grown much too long, he mused as he judged it's length; it reached past his shoulders now. I wonder if I should cut it, or just tie it away? The sky outside the dome in Sector Seven was growing dark quickly and the temperature dropped considerably. He shivered at the sudden change, wishing he had a coat. No wonder the Oocca left this place behind, it's freezing at night!
"See that?" Sheik jarred his thoughts, pointing into the distance a building consisting of several triangles, lit up with blue lights. "That is the water treatment facility. It's one of the last here, in Sector Seven. Once this one goes, this whole district will have to be shut down."
"And what will happen to the people that live here?"
"They'll have to leave, obviously, maybe go to some of the other districts, or leave Oocconia entirely," he said with a shrug. "Most of these people are too poor to afford anything better."
There was a harsh scrapping noise of steel on stone and the tram lurched forward suddenly, screeching to a halt. The lights went out, not only in the cart, but in the entire district. The now familiar hum of electricity disappeared and Link stood, looking out the door.
"Most of the dome is dark," he remarked, squinting in the half-light. The temperature fell quickly without the lights and Link could see his breath in the air.
"Sit back down before you fall over," Sheik said, crossing his arms in his seat. "Give it time, the light will come back on."
As he said it, the hum of energy returned, and in small sections at a time, the lights turned back on. The tram shuddered back to life, groaning as it sped forward, knocking Link down when it bounced back onto the track. He sat up, hair in his face as Sheik shook his head, laughing lightly.
"Told you so," he chuckled.
After another few minutes, they reached their stop, getting off the tram right across from the water sanitation buildings. The light was dim here, almost completely dark, save for a few street lamps, spread our far apart down the streets. Said streets were completely empty, save for a few cats running after a rat. As Link walked, he remarked how loud his footstep sounded in the silence.
"Where is everyone?" he whispered, not sure why he did.
"Most of this district is occupied by Twili," he explained, his voice also low. "They sleep during the day and become active at night."
With that the clocks around them chimed darkly, loudly striking twelve. Midnight, Link thought as he readjusted the bag in his arms. I've been here a full day and already I feel like I'm a part of the doldrum life of Sector Seven. Several doors opened on the streets they traversed and Twili surged onto the streets around them, going into shops and talking amongst themselves. It's like an inverse world; their day starts as the night begins.
"Over here," Sheik said, grabbing his arm. He led Link over to a two story building, where the bottom half had been converted into a shop. Above the door was the painting of a wrench. "I think we found the place. Might as well let her know we're here."