"Alright, we're ready to transfer," Seth said. Link nodded as Autumn strapped him up to the machine.
"I hope this works," he said to her, clearly showing his nervousness. She didn't respond, just continued to hook things up to the transfer machine.
"Autumn, please say something," he begged. She shook her head and Link could see tears coming out of her eyes.
"I'm going to be fine," he said after she was done. She walked towards the door to the control room and turned to face him. Her short black hair covered half her face, but her green eyes showed brightly under the laboratory light.
"I'll never forgive you if you die, Link," she said," And if this hurts you, I'm going to kick your ass."
"What if I'm fine and the master sword can combine into one piece again?" he replied. She shook her head, she saw what the machine had done to the experimental mouse.
"If you come out of here completely fine, even if the master sword isn't reverted back to normal.. I'll... I'll lock myself in your bedroom for a whole week," she finished with a wink. Link's eyes grew a little wider. He looked through the window next to the door to the control room.
"SETH DON'T LET ANYTHING TO ME!" he shouted. Autumn finally smiled and shook her head, but her tears continued. Closing the door behind her, Link could see her through the control room window walking up next to his little brother.
"Oh great, merciful goddesses... please let this work," he said to himself.
Autumn walked up to Seth.
"Why didn't you tell him what happened to the mouse when you tried this on it? When you were trying to read its brain waves?" she asked the young 15 year old blond boy. Seth shook his head.
"It wouldn't matter if I had told him or not. He's determined to fix the Master Sword and connect all the pieces. Even if he knew, he'd still do it," Seth replied.
"Why can't it be a normal sword? You know, if it gets chipped or shattered just melt the metal and make it better? Stupid shit," she said, fading off. Seth clicked some buttons and the machine kicked on.
"All right bro, you're going to feel an odd tug at your body. Sorry if it hurts, I'll start small," Seth said into the over com.
"Give it your all baby!" Link shouted, trying to get past the knots in his stomach. Seth turned a nob from 0 to 1. The machine began to slowly extract the energy from Link. Tubes transferring the power of courage that were linked to Link's body, ran up the wall behind him, along the ceiling, and into the room opposite of him, adjacent to the control room. Thats where the shattered Master Sword lay. Link immediately began feeling a sharp pain. It felt like a rushing sore through his muscles that pulsated out of him and originated from within him. He grimaced closing his eyes and gritting his teeth.
"It's already hurting him at the lowest setting, turn it off!" Autumn shouted at Seth.
"Ah come on! Turn this up! Ahh... uhh.. Is this all your puny machine has, come on!" Link blurted out, hearing Autumn over the intercom.
"Link's right... We not transferring enough of the triforce's energy from him, fast enough for the Master Sword to react," Seth said slowly. Autumn slammed her hands on the panel.
"Damn it, what the hell are you two thinking! If he dies, there will be no POINT in trying to have the master sword and having a man of the hero's blood line here!" Autumn argued," And you're 15! You hear me, fif-fuckin'-teen! There's no guarantee that the Triforce of Courage will go to you if he dies!"
"Don't listen to her Seth! Turn it up! It's our only chance!" Link shouted.
"You bastard!" Autumn screamed looking at Link through the control room window, tears coming out of her eyes. Seth listened and turned it up to 5. Link's head jolted backwards and he screamed, blood pouring from his nose.
"Why'd you turn it up that high, that fast!" Autumn shouted at Seth. She ran to the door and tried to open it, but it was locked.
"Once the machine is up after 3 the door locks. It's dangerous to go in there.." Seth said quietly. He looked at the camera view of the Master Sword. He saw that the many hundred metal shards and slivers were glowing green.
"Link it's working! Either we turn up the machine and get more power to it, or we can wait at this setting for a few minutes," Seth said nervously into the intercom mic.
"OPEN THIS DAMN DOOR!" Autumn screamed.
"Ahh! Turn it UP! GET THIS OVER WITH! AHh!" Link shouted. Seth bit his lip, he really wanted to turn off the machine. He clicked up the machine to max, 10. Link stopped screaming and became paralyzed. His pupils grew small and all the breath was taken out of him. Seth checked the master sword room cam. The room was completely black.
"Turn it off! He's DIEING! Seth PLEASE!" Autumn begged. Seth immediately turned off the machine. The door unlocked and Autumn rushed in and began to quickly unstrap Link. Seth inched his way in to the room, looking at his brother with a tremendous guilt in his eyes. Link hunched over and fell on Autumn's shoulder. Autumn held him and stroked his frizzed blond hair crying.
"Please be okay, please be okay, please be okay," she repeated over to herself. Link moved his arm a bit and then wrapped it around Autumn, his arm going around her back and his hand resting on her shoulder.
"Guess this means... I won't be having a night time visitor, heh heh," he said weakly," Sorry Autumn."
"Oh no no no, it's okay. Don't be sorry," she said pushing him to sit up, so she could look at him," I'll visit morning, afternoon, and night for the rest of our living lives. I'm just glad you're still with me." Link smiled at her and then drooped his head.
"What happened to the Master Sword," Link asked. Seth shook his head.
"I don't know... the cam is off," Seth replied. Just as he said that, there was a large thump in the room where the shattered master sword lay.
"We should get out of here," Autumn said, feeling an ominous presence.
"Not..ehh.. without.. the master sword," Link said, trying to get himself up. Autumn stopped him.
"Wait here," she said. Standing up, she walked over to the transfer room's door and unlocked it. She noticed it felt extremely cold. The door slowly creaked open. The green light that had shone before was gone and there was a pitch blackness. It was an ominous darkness, that the light from the other room could not pierce. A darkness that held substance. She ventured slowly into the room and was automatically blinded so she walked back out.
"It's too dark in there, get some flash lights," she said. Seth ran into the control room and grabbed a light. After turning it on the oblong shaped and silver colored light floated next to his head. The light projected in the direction his eyes were looking. Autumn and Seth ventured into the dark room, but the darkness still smothered the light. They could barely make out their hands in front of them. By instinct, they made their way to the center of the room, where the Master Sword laid on a table. It was still there, in its shattered remains. Autumn began sifting the master sword into her pouch on her belt and the pieces shrank to fit in perfectly into the mechanical vessel. Suddenly the darkness began to lift and the light next to Seth's head could cover more area. The overhead light even began to flicker back on and the green florescent glow came back. Suddenly, Autumn and Seth could here Link attempt a garbled scream from the other room and they immediately ran to him.
"Link-," she began but then gasped. A dark human-like figure had a grotesque hand gripped around Link's throat. Seth shouted and ran towards the figure and tried to grab at it, but he ended up falling on the floor. The darkness just moved like a mist and Seth had fallen right through. The figure made a hissing noise and disappeared from sight and reappeared on the ceiling. The misty figure formed a more solid head image. It silhouetted a shadowed face with short hair and red eyes. It hissed again and disappeared into the ceiling.
Link coughed and coughed, trying to catch his breath and regain his composure. Autumn rushed over to him and stood him up.
"We have to get out of here! What the hell was that?" Autumn said as her and Link left the laboratory and into Link and Seth's apartment. Seth just shrugged, but he had already guessed. The darkness was Link himself...
* * *