49. A known criminal
Link didn't trust the only taxi available outside of the airport, the driver appeared to be under the influence. So, he decided to walk, even though it was going to be a very long walk, Link bought a few water bottles and they started to walking without a direction. All the information provided was that he was treated recently in a rural community clinic due to an electrolyte imbalance. No name or age, no direction either, hence the only option available is to head for that clinic and start asking around. As they were walking, Zelda felt a little tired, and the need to drink a little. She asked for a small recess to drink. The boys complied and pulled out their own water bottle to drink. The Princess remembered she wanted to ask Link something as she was storing her water bottle.
ZELDA POV
"Link, have you received any information about the kids?" Zelda asks
"Yes, their families have been located, they will be returned shortly. Millie was kidnapped, Ben was an accident, he got inside the bus by himself, he was just curious of the BIG car and unsupervised, it was easy for the abductors to just take him too. Both families were searching for them"
"Wow… I am glad for Ben and Millie, but I was asking for kids who drowned" Zelda clarifies
"What about them?" Link answers annoyed
"It was an organ farm you said, and they died, where the organs still used?" she asks puzzled by his tone of annoyance
"I don't know, and I don't care" Link states plainly
"WHAT? But... the organs, they were meant for other kids, right? they still need that organ"
"Let me repeat myself, I could fucking care less" Link stops and turns to stare directly at Zelda
"I will tell you something that for some reason you keep forgetting, so engrave it on your head this time. I am NOT the hero, I am not here to save anyone, I will if it does not interfere with my primary mission AND if I feel like it" Zelda's eyes start tearing, he just breaths in and continues "the buyers paid to kill a child so their own child could live, they don't deserve any sympathy from me"
"But their children, they are innocent in all this" Zelda tells him sobbing
"Not sure about that. A rose doesn't bloom in gravel. The parents paid for someone to freeze children to death, to ensure the integrity of the organs for later use on their own child. What can I expect from a child raised under the guidance of narcissistic parents? I will tell you what, for him to grow up and do something even worse and end up under one of my blades… I rather them death now than having to deal with them later" Link tells her bluntly
Zelda's eyes are tearing heavily, but she refuses to shed them "They don't have to follow that path; they could turn out to be good"
"That type of outcome is RARE; I am not going to waste my and SWORD'S time waiting to see how it plays out. I say good bye and good riddance" he ends on a somber tone
Zelda whimpers finally letting the tears fall, but she immediately wipes them using her hands, Link now turns to address Robert who has remained stoic during the whole discussion. Link was doubting about what he was about to say next… but he had to follow the bread crumbs.
"This IS part of what the job involves, you still want in?" Link asks Robert almost challenging him.
"it's cruel but necessary, I don't see a reason why I should withdraw from my choice" Robet declares
Link nods at his brother pleased, and they reassume their walking. Zelda eventually stopped crying all together, she could not believe Link to be so cold blooded, but apparently, he was. And the worst thing about it is that he has a very solid reason to be like that.
I fucking HATE this, he is right… I mean there are unicorns that manage to break family curses, but if that is not you, you will always be a diluted version of your parents.
How the fuck does he do it? be able to detach himself emotionally like that? I can't do that; I still feel for the organ-buyers, and for the kids who will not receive the organ they need. How messed up is that? how can I feel pity for them… after what they put Ben and Millie through. I guess this is what Impa RIP meant when she told me: being TOO GOOD of a person is the same as being an IGNORANT.
I personally believe that ignorance is one of the steps you take on the path of becoming evil… I don't want to be evil. I need to grow a backbone deal with my emotions.
Zelda then noticed they were partly inside an establishment; she rolls her eyes blaming herself again for zoning out on her thoughts and not paying attention.
"I just told you; we don't accommodate underage people, I don't want the Federals shutting down my business" the owner told him, almost pleading him to leave her alone and go somewhere else.
"And I sustain my answer, CALL this number" he pushes a small piece of paper with the number using his finger "to verify the authenticity of my Power of Attorney. IF the federals dare bother you about this, you can counter demand them, it's a long process but they will end up paying you money for the trouble" Link ends with a smile
The owner looks nervously at the floor from side to side "I am not sure about this, putting up this Hostel took years of savings, and other sacrifices, just to throw it all to the ground with a fake POA"
"I could waste my money elsewhere you know, but I REALLY want to rent here, it's closer to where I am going. Let me suggest something, I will leave my things here and pay for the night up front, you make the call and verify my Power of Attorney, once everything checks out you will guide me to the area we are to use."
LINK POV
The owner of this Hostel is distrustful… that is understandable, she has to be to protect her business. Anyway, I believe her to be smart enough to notice she has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO LOSE. And to dissipate her distrust on us I offered to pay upfront, given that her other costumers pay the day after their stay, this should be enough to put her at ease.
"I… will need a few hours to check on everything, I must warn you though, if everything is legal and you still want to stay, it's gonna be on the shed, the 2 rooms available are full. The shed it's not dirty but nobody wants it because it's too small"
"it's the one at the back of this building, right? I prefer to describe it as cozy… we are going to love it" Link says winking at the owner
Link grabs the 3 backpacks and places them by the owner's feet behind the counter, he then pulls American dollars to pay, the owner was about to protest but quickly covers her mouth.
"I know it exceeds the amount required for the stay, take it as a tip for watching over our luggage and for the POA trouble" Link says nodding at the owner and approaches Lee and the Princess.
"We are staying here, I need to find a bank to exchange my dollars for Sidney's currency, and ask about the Aboriginal villages close by, to know how they take to strangers. The luggage is staying here. How about you two find something for dinner?" Link starts pulling out the dollars he had left, but Zelda stopped him.
"How about Lee goes searching for food and I stay here, I don't want to leave our luggage completely unattended, and I could search around the area, see what I find of use, we passed by what appeared to be a clinic or a hospital, I could check that out. Not that we need one right know but… just in case you know… this place feels like a hazard in itself"
I couldn't agree more, since we got here it feels like someone is watching… could be EVERYONE setting a land mark on us, not just a person or a group. Most people in the area are of mixed race, our white skin color stands out like a flare here.
"I hear you Princess, hence why I don't trust leaving you alone here, the clinic is too far from the Hostel, I will check on it later or tomorrow"
"Fair, I won't go to the clinic, but there is still 1 or 2 hours of sunlight left, I will only visit business located around the Hostel, nothing is going to happen to me so just go already, I want you both back as fast as possible" Zelda says as she pushes them away
"No time for negotiation then" Lee says raising an eyebrow as she retreats
"No need to, she is kind of right. Still, we should hurry. I don't trust leaving her alone here for too long"
"Any food suggestions, I have never been here" Lee asks not wanting to mess up
"m… if you find meat pies of ANY variation that would be great, 2 for me. Here" Links says as he hands over the bucks he still had, but Robert denies the money.
"You are short on money, go to the bank first to short that out, I brought my own money, dinner is on me since I don't need to save it anymore, right?" Lee smiles a little as he starts walking away in his food search
He is good down to the core, very rough on the outside, and a little edgy at some corners… but he is good. With luck SWORD will help me mold that, he can't be THAT good and empathic all the time, in this line of work it will break him.
Link walks around asking people where to find a bank, once he finally reaches one, he could not help but listen in on a lady talking to a man next to her. Apparently, there was a known robber around the area, and he put the lady's son in the hospital. The guy got a really good beating to his face and liver, also a deep stab on his thigh.
"I said to EVRYONE willing to listen, it's not safe here anymore, we should leave" says the lady
"don't be so rash, the situation is not as gloomy, this is a known criminal who is always on the move, soon he will leave the area… your son must have tried to fight him off, that is why he got the beating" says the man
There is a criminal on the lose right this moment, and my Princess is alone walking around. FUCK. I can't head back right now… I should change at least 500 dollars to AU dollars. And rush back to her. She is not safe on her own.
Link waited in line a few more minutes, after changing his dollars he started running back to the Hostel, after all, she DID say she was going to visit business around it, meaning she would not be to far away. As he was approaching the Hostel, he started feeling dread.
*You and your damn feelings
HEY, do not make the mistake of mitigating them, they have yet to fail me. Something IS happening, and not being able to locate her is not helping.
Link keeps jogging and then notices movement, a person was standing in the narrow space between the Hostel and another building, he appeared to be struggling with something. But once he got closer to the scene, he notices there was another person that was being blocked from view, … Link then realizes that the fist person is a man, and that he is wearing a ski mask.
He is a criminal, and currently mugging somebody. Well… not my responsibility, Zelda on the other hand IS my charge, I don't see her out here, I hope she is inside the Hostel.
Link started to walk away when the thief suddenly turned his head to look behind himself and noticed Link, he produced a small yell and dragged the person he was ambushing in front of him, revealing the victim was a female, he then placed a knife to her throat…
FUCK! WHY DOES THE VICTIM OF THIS FUCKING MUGGER HAPPENS TO BE MY PRINCESS