Soldier: A Story Featuring You
by Leinad
Chapter 1: In the Beginning
“Do you think?” asked Zinovia, her voice breathless.
“I’m not sure,” replied Murasaki, equally excited. “He’s taking me out to the nicest restraint in town. It’s been over a year now; I think he’s gonna...”
“Oh, I hope so, Linkin’s such a nice guy,” replied Zinovia. She was a good looking young women in her early twenties and had been close friends with Murasaki for several years. “It would be so great to see the two of you together.” Zinovia played with her hair absentmindedly as she spoke, which Murasaki noted passingly as a typical habit of Zinovia while she was nervous.
“Me too. It would be wonderful,” agreed Murasaki. She was a pretty woman, although not as pretty as Zinovia, and slightly older. “Come on, help me get ready. It’s only 3 more hours.”
“Terrorist actions in Chicago have been attributed to the crime-lord Charton by several sources,” said the newscaster. “Police say that he has gone into hiding and are unable to locate his whereabouts, although one anonymous source said that they have several leads which they cannot reveal at this time.”
“Oh, come on, change the channel!” Yelled Linkin at the bartender. “Find a football game or something.” He was a handsome, brown haired man in his late twenties with stylish glasses, and a very big sports enthusiast. Seated next to him was his best friend, Agent. Agent was a short Asian man who looked very unintimidating. The truth was anything but. He was a dedicated martial artist and a master sharpshooter. Agent was deadly with no weapon and even more so with one. Linkin was no novice with a gun himself. Although he could never match Agent’s unrivaled shooting ability, he was a decent shot and far from inexperienced with a gun.
Across the bar sat Ganondorf. He was a broad-shouldered muscular man with a deep bronze tan. He wore a tight gray T-shirt. It pressed against his body, showing off his impressive muscles. He glared across the bar at Linkin and Agent. To either side of him sat two of his friends, Znights and Cloud. “You want we should take ‘em out, boss?” asked Znights. Znights had been a former member of the mafia, but had come clean after serving several years prison time and joined up with Ganondorf.
“No, how many times do I have to tell you?” replied Ganondorf in his thick Austrian accent. “You can’t just kill people with no provocation. I’ll be back. In the meantime I have an assignment for you two.” He whispered instructions in their ears, then stood up and walked across the room towards the two sitting across from him.
Linkin was showing Agent the engagement ring he had picked out for Murasaki. “Do you think she’ll like it?” he asked nervously.
“Of course she’ll like it,” responded Agent. “You two were made for each other.”
“If she accepts, you’ll be my best man?” asked his friend.
“Of course,” replied Agent. He felt honored at the prospect.
“Oh, how sweet, I always thought you seemed a little strange, Linkin, but I never thought you’d have the nerve to come out of the closet and propose to him. I wish the two of you the best of luck.” Linkin and Agent spun around to see Ganondorf over their shoulders, a mocking grin on his face.
“Oh, shove it, Ganondorf, I’m not in the mood for any of your bull**** today,” retorted Linkin as both he and Agent jerked up from the counter and walked away.
“What’s a matter?” called Ganondorf. “Ashamed that I discovered your secret? Planning to elope?”
Linkin spun, but Agent grabbed his arm, “Don’t let him provoke you, man. You can’t get in a fight now, you’ve gotta go propose.”
Linkin quickly came back to his senses and they walked out, ignoring Ganondorf’s cutting remarks following them out the door.
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Zinovia waved goodbye as Murasaki left her house and walked down the street. Unfortunately she turned away too soon to see dark hands reach out of the shadows and grab her. She disappeared down a side alley without a sound.
“Oh, come on, change the channel!” Yelled Linkin at the bartender. “Find a football game or something.” He was a handsome, brown haired man in his late twenties with stylish glasses, and a very big sports enthusiast. Seated next to him was his best friend, Agent. Agent was a short Asian man who looked very unintimidating. The truth was anything but. He was a dedicated martial artist and a master sharpshooter. Agent was deadly with no weapon and even more so with one. Linkin was no novice with a gun himself. Although he could never match Agent’s unrivaled shooting ability, he was a decent shot and far from inexperienced with a gun.
Across the bar sat Ganondorf. He was a broad-shouldered muscular man with a deep bronze tan. He wore a tight gray T-shirt. It pressed against his body, showing off his impressive muscles. He glared across the bar at Linkin and Agent. To either side of him sat two of his friends, Znights and Cloud. “You want we should take ‘em out, boss?” asked Znights. Znights had been a former member of the mafia, but had come clean after serving several years prison time and joined up with Ganondorf.
“No, how many times do I have to tell you?” replied Ganondorf in his thick Austrian accent. “You can’t just kill people with no provocation. I’ll be back. In the meantime I have an assignment for you two.” He whispered instructions in their ears, then stood up and walked across the room towards the two sitting across from him.
Linkin was showing Agent the engagement ring he had picked out for Murasaki. “Do you think she’ll like it?” he asked nervously.
“Of course she’ll like it,” responded Agent. “You two were made for each other.”
“If she accepts, you’ll be my best man?” asked his friend.
“Of course,” replied Agent. He felt honored at the prospect.
“Oh, how sweet, I always thought you seemed a little strange, Linkin, but I never thought you’d have the nerve to come out of the closet and propose to him. I wish the two of you the best of luck.” Linkin and Agent spun around to see Ganondorf over their shoulders, a mocking grin on his face.
“Oh, shove it, Ganondorf, I’m not in the mood for any of your bull**** today,” retorted Linkin as both he and Agent jerked up from the counter and walked away.
“What’s a matter?” called Ganondorf. “Ashamed that I discovered your secret? Planning to elope?”
Linkin spun, but Agent grabbed his arm, “Don’t let him provoke you, man. You can’t get in a fight now, you’ve gotta go propose.”
Linkin quickly came back to his senses and they walked out, ignoring Ganondorf’s cutting remarks following them out the door.
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Zinovia waved goodbye as Murasaki left her house and walked down the street. Unfortunately she turned away too soon to see dark hands reach out of the shadows and grab her. She disappeared down a side alley without a sound.
Chapter 2: The no-show
Linkin paced again nervously through the lobby. Although he knew in the back of his mind that the odds of her showing up at this point were low, he refused to believe that she had just not come. Sitting in one of the red leather chairs, he again checked his cell-phone. No new messages.
He just couldn’t understand it. This wasn’t like Murasaki at all. She had never been late for a date in her life. Why would she be late now? He considered calling her house again, but wondered what good it would do. She hadn’t answered the first three times. Where could she possibly be?
A Waiter came up to him. “Sir, if you don’t come to your table now, you’ll have to forfeit your reservations.”
Linkin sighed. She was half an hour late. There wasn’t a point in waiting any longer. “No, she’s not coming. I’ll have to leave.” The waiter looked sympathetic at his plight, but walked away hurriedly to give some else his table. HIS TABLE! The table he had had to reserve months ago just to get in! The table he was supposed to propose at.
Numbly, Linkin rose from the chair and headed for the door. He felt a strange lack of emotion. Although the grief should have been tearing him apart, he just felt empty inside. It was a full moon that night, and as Linkin walked to his car, he was illuminated by its light and the light of a full cloudless sky full of stars.
Walking down the street, he thought about Murasaki. She was such a wonderful girl. How could she do this too him now? He wondered if she had realized that he was planning on proposing and not showed up so as to not be forced to reject him. But how would she know. He didn’t think he had made it obvious.
This just wasn’t his day. He had brushed off the run-in with Ganondorf, thinking about Murasaki, but it really irked him that that man always managed to get under his skin. Especially that fake Austrian accent he had been using. Ganondorf seemed to think he was Arnold Schwarzenegger sometimes. Why would he even want to change his accent? Although Linkin could never admit it, he was jealous of Ganondorf’s sexy English accent.
He reached his car and jammed his key in the ignition. As his anger escalated over Ganondorf, and Murasaki’s failure to show up, it took him several tries before he managed to turn the key in the door.
He drove home in a daze, making turns he had made hundreds of times back to his house, driving on instinct. It seemed like only seconds before he arrived at home.
In his depressed mood, Linkin didn’t even notice the note at first. It took several times walking by the small piece of paper that had been shoved under his door before he bent down to pick it up. It was a short typed note. Linkin’s eyes widened as he read it.
If you ever want to see Murasaki again bring $10,000 to the train station just off of 8-mile road at 3 o’clock tomorrow. Leave it in an unmarked bag on a bench. If you do not comply, or if you attempt to contact the police, we will kill her.
With it was a picture of Murasaki, naked and covered in bruises tied to a chair and gagged. She was in a dark room and Linkin couldn’t discover anything from her surroundings.
Linkin sank to his knees in combined agony and ecstasy. She hadn’t broken their date on purpose. He was nearly giddy with joy at that truth. But it was a dark joy, a very dark joy indeed. His girlfriend had been kidnapped and he had no way to pay the ransom.
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Linkin paced again nervously through the lobby. Although he knew in the back of his mind that the odds of her showing up at this point were low, he refused to believe that she had just not come. Sitting in one of the red leather chairs, he again checked his cell-phone. No new messages.
He just couldn’t understand it. This wasn’t like Murasaki at all. She had never been late for a date in her life. Why would she be late now? He considered calling her house again, but wondered what good it would do. She hadn’t answered the first three times. Where could she possibly be?
A Waiter came up to him. “Sir, if you don’t come to your table now, you’ll have to forfeit your reservations.”
Linkin sighed. She was half an hour late. There wasn’t a point in waiting any longer. “No, she’s not coming. I’ll have to leave.” The waiter looked sympathetic at his plight, but walked away hurriedly to give some else his table. HIS TABLE! The table he had had to reserve months ago just to get in! The table he was supposed to propose at.
Numbly, Linkin rose from the chair and headed for the door. He felt a strange lack of emotion. Although the grief should have been tearing him apart, he just felt empty inside. It was a full moon that night, and as Linkin walked to his car, he was illuminated by its light and the light of a full cloudless sky full of stars.
Walking down the street, he thought about Murasaki. She was such a wonderful girl. How could she do this too him now? He wondered if she had realized that he was planning on proposing and not showed up so as to not be forced to reject him. But how would she know. He didn’t think he had made it obvious.
This just wasn’t his day. He had brushed off the run-in with Ganondorf, thinking about Murasaki, but it really irked him that that man always managed to get under his skin. Especially that fake Austrian accent he had been using. Ganondorf seemed to think he was Arnold Schwarzenegger sometimes. Why would he even want to change his accent? Although Linkin could never admit it, he was jealous of Ganondorf’s sexy English accent.
He reached his car and jammed his key in the ignition. As his anger escalated over Ganondorf, and Murasaki’s failure to show up, it took him several tries before he managed to turn the key in the door.
He drove home in a daze, making turns he had made hundreds of times back to his house, driving on instinct. It seemed like only seconds before he arrived at home.
In his depressed mood, Linkin didn’t even notice the note at first. It took several times walking by the small piece of paper that had been shoved under his door before he bent down to pick it up. It was a short typed note. Linkin’s eyes widened as he read it.
If you ever want to see Murasaki again bring $10,000 to the train station just off of 8-mile road at 3 o’clock tomorrow. Leave it in an unmarked bag on a bench. If you do not comply, or if you attempt to contact the police, we will kill her.
With it was a picture of Murasaki, naked and covered in bruises tied to a chair and gagged. She was in a dark room and Linkin couldn’t discover anything from her surroundings.
Linkin sank to his knees in combined agony and ecstasy. She hadn’t broken their date on purpose. He was nearly giddy with joy at that truth. But it was a dark joy, a very dark joy indeed. His girlfriend had been kidnapped and he had no way to pay the ransom.
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“Are your instructions clear?”
“We are to kill the ones known as Linkin and Agent.” Replied Wolf, softly. He was standing next to Identity 51 in a dark room. They were both big men, and deadly assassins.
“Yes,” came the voice of the dark figure across the room. ‘You two will receive your usual pay for the job. Just make sure you wait until after 3’o’clock tomorrow. We have to wait until he has led our true target out in the open.”
“If I may ask, sir, who is our true target?” asked Identity51.
“That is none of your concern,” came the reply. “Just do the job that I hired you for.”
“We are to kill the ones known as Linkin and Agent.” Replied Wolf, softly. He was standing next to Identity 51 in a dark room. They were both big men, and deadly assassins.
“Yes,” came the voice of the dark figure across the room. ‘You two will receive your usual pay for the job. Just make sure you wait until after 3’o’clock tomorrow. We have to wait until he has led our true target out in the open.”
“If I may ask, sir, who is our true target?” asked Identity51.
“That is none of your concern,” came the reply. “Just do the job that I hired you for.”
Chapter 3: The Warehouse
Tlozoot crouched behind the small pile of crates. He consciously forced his breathing to slow, feeling his heart beating hard against his ribcage.
Looking across the room he nodded his head to jadept, the kid of the group, barely legal, who slipped from his hiding place into the shadows on the side of the room. Tlozoot surveyed the huge warehouse, stretching up to a high ceiling above him. Then he braced his hands on the ground and glanced again across to jadept, who nodded at someone on the other side of the room that he couldn’t see and then gave a nod to tlozoot.
Tlozoot rose and leveled his gun as simultaneously he, jadept, and znights opened fire on Gamefan and AKArev who dived for cover firing as they moved. AKArev stumbled as a bullet caught him in the leg, but kept moving.
Tlozoot held his gun steady, following Gamefan and squeezed off two shots, missing with both of them. Then he felt a stabbing pain through the side of his head and he lost consciousness.
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“Come out Ganondorf!” Shadow held a tlozoot’s limp body by the neck, with a gun to his head. Jadept spun towards him, but lowered his gun when he saw the position his friend was in. “If you want this guy to stay alive, you’d better come out now!”
Ganondorf stepped forward from the shadows off to Shadow’s right, “what do you want?”
“You stole something from my boss. He wants it back.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” said Ganondorf, genuinely mystified. He mentally started running through a list of things he had stole recently. Nothing valuable enough to warrant this kind of retaliation.
“Don’t play games with me!” Shadow screamed, he fidgeted the gun and shook tlozoot’s body. “Just give it back and we’ll leave.”
By this time, Shadow’s supporters had moved out from their cover to stand around him. All except AKArev, who lay behind a large crate, bleeding slowly, unable to muster the strength to make the trip across the room. Behind Shadow stood Gamefan, Spritemaster, Geemu and Pyro Yuy, all glaring as menacingly as possible across at Ganondorf and his assortment of subordinates.
“I’m not playing games.” Replied Ganondorf levelly. “I’ve acquired many things recently. If you could be a little more specific, I would be happy to return whatever it is you may be missing to you.”
As Shadow described the object, Ganondorf’s expression brightened as he recalled exactly what Shadow was talking about. Then it darkened, “I don’t have it anymore. I sold it.”
“Where? Who has it now?” Shadow seemed very anxious to have such a simple object.
“A street merchant. I don’t know how you could find him now. All I have is a name.”
“What is it?” Shadow was growing more impatient with every minute that the conversation progressed. He twisted the gun menacingly into Tlozoot’s temple.
“Funky, his name’s Funky Mushroom...”
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“You’ll have to try Max, he’ll know what to do,” Agent told Linkin over the phone. “If anyone can solve your problem it’s Max.”
“I don’t want to get him involved,” replied Linkin. “We need to keep him safe.”
“It’s for Murasaki, dude, Max has the resources you need. He can still lay low and track down a little information for us.
“You’re right,” sighed Linkin in resignation. His thoughts raced as he traced over the possibilities. They were few. With no way to find Murasaki, and no way to pay the ransom, he had to find whoever had kidnapped her before it was too late. “Why don’t you call Zinovia, and let her know what happened. I’ll head on over to Max’s place.
“Sure thing,” replied Agent. “I’ll meet you over there once I’ve talked to Zinovia.”
Tlozoot crouched behind the small pile of crates. He consciously forced his breathing to slow, feeling his heart beating hard against his ribcage.
Looking across the room he nodded his head to jadept, the kid of the group, barely legal, who slipped from his hiding place into the shadows on the side of the room. Tlozoot surveyed the huge warehouse, stretching up to a high ceiling above him. Then he braced his hands on the ground and glanced again across to jadept, who nodded at someone on the other side of the room that he couldn’t see and then gave a nod to tlozoot.
Tlozoot rose and leveled his gun as simultaneously he, jadept, and znights opened fire on Gamefan and AKArev who dived for cover firing as they moved. AKArev stumbled as a bullet caught him in the leg, but kept moving.
Tlozoot held his gun steady, following Gamefan and squeezed off two shots, missing with both of them. Then he felt a stabbing pain through the side of his head and he lost consciousness.
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“Come out Ganondorf!” Shadow held a tlozoot’s limp body by the neck, with a gun to his head. Jadept spun towards him, but lowered his gun when he saw the position his friend was in. “If you want this guy to stay alive, you’d better come out now!”
Ganondorf stepped forward from the shadows off to Shadow’s right, “what do you want?”
“You stole something from my boss. He wants it back.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” said Ganondorf, genuinely mystified. He mentally started running through a list of things he had stole recently. Nothing valuable enough to warrant this kind of retaliation.
“Don’t play games with me!” Shadow screamed, he fidgeted the gun and shook tlozoot’s body. “Just give it back and we’ll leave.”
By this time, Shadow’s supporters had moved out from their cover to stand around him. All except AKArev, who lay behind a large crate, bleeding slowly, unable to muster the strength to make the trip across the room. Behind Shadow stood Gamefan, Spritemaster, Geemu and Pyro Yuy, all glaring as menacingly as possible across at Ganondorf and his assortment of subordinates.
“I’m not playing games.” Replied Ganondorf levelly. “I’ve acquired many things recently. If you could be a little more specific, I would be happy to return whatever it is you may be missing to you.”
As Shadow described the object, Ganondorf’s expression brightened as he recalled exactly what Shadow was talking about. Then it darkened, “I don’t have it anymore. I sold it.”
“Where? Who has it now?” Shadow seemed very anxious to have such a simple object.
“A street merchant. I don’t know how you could find him now. All I have is a name.”
“What is it?” Shadow was growing more impatient with every minute that the conversation progressed. He twisted the gun menacingly into Tlozoot’s temple.
“Funky, his name’s Funky Mushroom...”
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“You’ll have to try Max, he’ll know what to do,” Agent told Linkin over the phone. “If anyone can solve your problem it’s Max.”
“I don’t want to get him involved,” replied Linkin. “We need to keep him safe.”
“It’s for Murasaki, dude, Max has the resources you need. He can still lay low and track down a little information for us.
“You’re right,” sighed Linkin in resignation. His thoughts raced as he traced over the possibilities. They were few. With no way to find Murasaki, and no way to pay the ransom, he had to find whoever had kidnapped her before it was too late. “Why don’t you call Zinovia, and let her know what happened. I’ll head on over to Max’s place.
“Sure thing,” replied Agent. “I’ll meet you over there once I’ve talked to Zinovia.”
Chapter 4: Assembling of the Fellowship
Max grinned as he finished hacking into the top secret CIA files. It was quite troublesome how frequently they changed their system, forcing him to get past security again every time he wanted to read their files. He started downloading the current files to a disk, then turned toward his other computer.
He was arranging a business deal with one of his many clients, under his hacker-alias, which was notorious for its many computer crimes; m6514309. Everyone wondered where the cryptic number came from, and Max liked it that way.
Then a knock came on the door of his apartment. “Max, it’s me, Linkin,” came the voice from outside.
“Coming,” called Max as he walked to the door, peering through the peephole before opening it to insure that it was really Linkin.
The light from outside seemed quite bright in his dimly lit apartment, illuminating a short man with glasses. It is an interesting conundrum that the world is ruled by nerds and yet worships athletes. Max was the epitome of nerdom, and a behind-the-scenes master of the world.
Linkin stepped in the doorway, peering around as his eyes adjusted to the light. Then he moved over towards Max’s computer. “What do you have going on here?”
“Oh, just downloading some CIA files,” replied Max. “Nothing big. What’s up?”
“Murasaki’s been kidnapped.” Linkin’s reply was short and to the point.
“What? Who did it?”
“That’s what I was hoping you could tell me,” replied Linkin.
Max headed for his second computer. “You’ll need to tell me everything.”
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Linkin, Agent, Zinovia and Max sighed as once again, Max’s efforts came up empty. “Look, this is getting us nowhere,” complained Linkin.
“How about Ganondorf, maybe he was involved?” asked Zinovia. “Agent told me about your run-in with him last night.”
“That’s a good idea,” Max chimed in. “You guys check out there, and I’ll stay here and keep checking with my contacts to see what I can find. We can meet back here in, say... three hours?”
Agent turned towards Linkin. “It’s really your choice, she was your girlfriend, you got the ransom note, what do you want to do?”
Linkin considered for a moment, but seeing no alternative, he was quick to agree with the others. “We aren’t accomplishing anything standing around here. Max can probably check things better by himself anyways. Let’s head over to Ganondorf’s place.”
Max glanced at the clock. “Three hours will make it just before midnight. See you guys then?”
“Yeah,” said Linkin. “We’ll be here.”
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Wolf finished picking the lock and slid silently into Linkin’s house. Good, it was empty. He looked around cautiously, quickly absorbing the floor plan. Pulling out his miniature infrared camera, he snapped several quick pictures of the surroundings. He carefully examined various rooms, then dug through drawers until he discovered the most important thing he was looking for. Linkin’s extra car and house keys. Smiling to himself, he headed out, making sure to lock the door behind him so there would be no trace of his actions.
His next stop was his weapons dealer, a legit business man with a hidden back room. Wolf always had basic supplies on hand, but he enjoyed using some of the more interesting methods. For job he was keeping it simple, but he did need various explosives. That was the annoying thing about explosives, you used them once and they were gone. The cost of keeping himself stocked took a substantial cut from his wages.
The deal was conducted quickly and Wolf left, satisfied that this would be another easy kill.
Max grinned as he finished hacking into the top secret CIA files. It was quite troublesome how frequently they changed their system, forcing him to get past security again every time he wanted to read their files. He started downloading the current files to a disk, then turned toward his other computer.
He was arranging a business deal with one of his many clients, under his hacker-alias, which was notorious for its many computer crimes; m6514309. Everyone wondered where the cryptic number came from, and Max liked it that way.
Then a knock came on the door of his apartment. “Max, it’s me, Linkin,” came the voice from outside.
“Coming,” called Max as he walked to the door, peering through the peephole before opening it to insure that it was really Linkin.
The light from outside seemed quite bright in his dimly lit apartment, illuminating a short man with glasses. It is an interesting conundrum that the world is ruled by nerds and yet worships athletes. Max was the epitome of nerdom, and a behind-the-scenes master of the world.
Linkin stepped in the doorway, peering around as his eyes adjusted to the light. Then he moved over towards Max’s computer. “What do you have going on here?”
“Oh, just downloading some CIA files,” replied Max. “Nothing big. What’s up?”
“Murasaki’s been kidnapped.” Linkin’s reply was short and to the point.
“What? Who did it?”
“That’s what I was hoping you could tell me,” replied Linkin.
Max headed for his second computer. “You’ll need to tell me everything.”
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Linkin, Agent, Zinovia and Max sighed as once again, Max’s efforts came up empty. “Look, this is getting us nowhere,” complained Linkin.
“How about Ganondorf, maybe he was involved?” asked Zinovia. “Agent told me about your run-in with him last night.”
“That’s a good idea,” Max chimed in. “You guys check out there, and I’ll stay here and keep checking with my contacts to see what I can find. We can meet back here in, say... three hours?”
Agent turned towards Linkin. “It’s really your choice, she was your girlfriend, you got the ransom note, what do you want to do?”
Linkin considered for a moment, but seeing no alternative, he was quick to agree with the others. “We aren’t accomplishing anything standing around here. Max can probably check things better by himself anyways. Let’s head over to Ganondorf’s place.”
Max glanced at the clock. “Three hours will make it just before midnight. See you guys then?”
“Yeah,” said Linkin. “We’ll be here.”
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Wolf finished picking the lock and slid silently into Linkin’s house. Good, it was empty. He looked around cautiously, quickly absorbing the floor plan. Pulling out his miniature infrared camera, he snapped several quick pictures of the surroundings. He carefully examined various rooms, then dug through drawers until he discovered the most important thing he was looking for. Linkin’s extra car and house keys. Smiling to himself, he headed out, making sure to lock the door behind him so there would be no trace of his actions.
His next stop was his weapons dealer, a legit business man with a hidden back room. Wolf always had basic supplies on hand, but he enjoyed using some of the more interesting methods. For job he was keeping it simple, but he did need various explosives. That was the annoying thing about explosives, you used them once and they were gone. The cost of keeping himself stocked took a substantial cut from his wages.
The deal was conducted quickly and Wolf left, satisfied that this would be another easy kill.
Chapter 5: A False Trail
“So, what are we looking for?” whispered Zinovia.
“Any place that could be the room in the picture,” replied Linkin, even quieter.
“Why don’t you show us the picture?” Asked Agent, in frustration. “That would be a lot more helpful than just telling us it was a dark room.
Linkin paused for a moment before answering, “it’s just a dark room, you can’t see anything, that’s all there is to it.”
Agent doubtfully agreed, and they ceased talking as they steadily inched closer to the large warehouse that was Ganondorf’s hideout.
As they neared the large front door, Linkin motioned for Zinovia and Agent to lean close and whispered, “You cut around to the right, you cut around to the left, I’ll see if I can get in this front door,” inclining his head toward Zinovia and then Agent as he gave his instructions. They both nodded, and then all three slipped silently off into the night.
Linkin crept quietly forward until he was right in front of the large door, glancing up, he saw a key hole, and put his eye to it. It lent him a very narrow view of the inside of the building. He could only see in a straight line ahead of him; all that was visible was several piles of boxes. The whole room was well lit and he was unable to locate any doors.
He backed up slightly and began to slowly ease the door open, wincing as it creaked loudly. Easing in the door, he managed to get a good look around the room. It was all brightly lit, with no space for hiding anyone.
Cloud smiled as he snuck up quietly behind Linkin as Linkin stepped further into the building. Linkin looked around, missing Cloud, who stayed carefully behind him. Moving in closer, Cloud grabbed Linkin from behind, locking his arms behind his back. A brief struggle ensued, but Cloud had the element of surprise and quickly overpowered Linkin, who fell to the floor, unconscious
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“So, what are we looking for?” whispered Zinovia.
“Any place that could be the room in the picture,” replied Linkin, even quieter.
“Why don’t you show us the picture?” Asked Agent, in frustration. “That would be a lot more helpful than just telling us it was a dark room.
Linkin paused for a moment before answering, “it’s just a dark room, you can’t see anything, that’s all there is to it.”
Agent doubtfully agreed, and they ceased talking as they steadily inched closer to the large warehouse that was Ganondorf’s hideout.
As they neared the large front door, Linkin motioned for Zinovia and Agent to lean close and whispered, “You cut around to the right, you cut around to the left, I’ll see if I can get in this front door,” inclining his head toward Zinovia and then Agent as he gave his instructions. They both nodded, and then all three slipped silently off into the night.
Linkin crept quietly forward until he was right in front of the large door, glancing up, he saw a key hole, and put his eye to it. It lent him a very narrow view of the inside of the building. He could only see in a straight line ahead of him; all that was visible was several piles of boxes. The whole room was well lit and he was unable to locate any doors.
He backed up slightly and began to slowly ease the door open, wincing as it creaked loudly. Easing in the door, he managed to get a good look around the room. It was all brightly lit, with no space for hiding anyone.
Cloud smiled as he snuck up quietly behind Linkin as Linkin stepped further into the building. Linkin looked around, missing Cloud, who stayed carefully behind him. Moving in closer, Cloud grabbed Linkin from behind, locking his arms behind his back. A brief struggle ensued, but Cloud had the element of surprise and quickly overpowered Linkin, who fell to the floor, unconscious
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Agent slid over halfway around the house before encountering a door on the final side. He stopped for a moment to wonder what his next course of action should be. Since he had not yet seen Zinovia, he could only assume that she had also discovered this door, and gone ahead inside. Linkin had probably also entered the other door. He decided that since there was little difference between the two doors, he might as well enter through this one since it was closest.
It was dim in the shadow of the pile of crates that Agent stepped out behind, but the remainder of what he could see was well lit. The first thing that Agent looked for was any sign of wither Zinovia or Linkin. Seeing nothing to even indicate that they had been near at any point that night, he moved on to their primary objective; locating any area that could possibly contain Murasaki and fit the description Linkin had given them.
Agent stepped out cautiously from behind the crates, glancing around as he did so to see if any of Ganondorf’s men were patrolling the area. It seemed oddly deserted. He would have expected that Ganondorf would have men patrolling around the clock.
Taking advantage of the security lapse, Agent stepped boldly into the center of the room for a good look around. There was absolutely nowhere that would be capable of hiding Murasaki. At least at first glance.
Agent was just about to give up when something caught the corner of his eye; it was motion on the side of the room! He dived for cover and peered out as he watched znights exiting from a small concealed door. Agent smiled, he must have found a secret room!
Znights turned and locked the door behind him, then headed across the room, seemingly lost in thought. Agent watched from his hiding place, his fear growing as Znights drew closer towards him. Znights walked directly up to the pile of crates behind which Agent was hiding and stopped. Agent’s muscles tensed in anticipation. It was over in a second. Znights turned his back and Agent was out from his hiding spot. He knew exactly the right spot to hit, and Znights collapsed instantly.
Agent searched him hurriedly, and quickly found the key. He headed over to the area that Znights had left. As he approached, he easily saw the door, it wasn’t hidden at all.
Concentrating on slowing his breathing, conscious of his pulse throbbing through his body Agent reached out and stuck the key in the lock. It turned easily and the door slid open softly. Agent quietly eased it open and slowly poked his head in.
As the door opened, his eyes widened with shock, but his trained body gave no audible signs of his surprise. Agent froze, as his mind raced to figure out a course of action.
It was dim in the shadow of the pile of crates that Agent stepped out behind, but the remainder of what he could see was well lit. The first thing that Agent looked for was any sign of wither Zinovia or Linkin. Seeing nothing to even indicate that they had been near at any point that night, he moved on to their primary objective; locating any area that could possibly contain Murasaki and fit the description Linkin had given them.
Agent stepped out cautiously from behind the crates, glancing around as he did so to see if any of Ganondorf’s men were patrolling the area. It seemed oddly deserted. He would have expected that Ganondorf would have men patrolling around the clock.
Taking advantage of the security lapse, Agent stepped boldly into the center of the room for a good look around. There was absolutely nowhere that would be capable of hiding Murasaki. At least at first glance.
Agent was just about to give up when something caught the corner of his eye; it was motion on the side of the room! He dived for cover and peered out as he watched znights exiting from a small concealed door. Agent smiled, he must have found a secret room!
Znights turned and locked the door behind him, then headed across the room, seemingly lost in thought. Agent watched from his hiding place, his fear growing as Znights drew closer towards him. Znights walked directly up to the pile of crates behind which Agent was hiding and stopped. Agent’s muscles tensed in anticipation. It was over in a second. Znights turned his back and Agent was out from his hiding spot. He knew exactly the right spot to hit, and Znights collapsed instantly.
Agent searched him hurriedly, and quickly found the key. He headed over to the area that Znights had left. As he approached, he easily saw the door, it wasn’t hidden at all.
Concentrating on slowing his breathing, conscious of his pulse throbbing through his body Agent reached out and stuck the key in the lock. It turned easily and the door slid open softly. Agent quietly eased it open and slowly poked his head in.
As the door opened, his eyes widened with shock, but his trained body gave no audible signs of his surprise. Agent froze, as his mind raced to figure out a course of action.
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