Falling Worlds; Zelink, Modern Magic AU (The Legend Of Zelda)

The Lab (9)

"Zelda stop!"

She sped her pace as he chased behind her.

"Stop!!" he yelled again, his voice far off.

She didn't stop; this wasn't any of Link's business.

Zelda was almost to the lab's doors anyways. Then she yelped in surprise as arms wrapped around her waist and brought her to a forced halt. She twisted around to see who had grabbed her, and her eyes widened when she saw Link. "How did you-"

"Stop. Just... stop," he said.

"What is your problem?" she said as she struggled to throw his strong arms off of her.

"He's running a dangerous experiment and you can't go in there," he said. "Besides, you're the one with the problem."

She scowled. "Yes I do have a problem, so let me go."

"No. Tell me about it."

"I...I already told you I... " Zelda shook her head, but she gave up and stopped struggling. "I've never gotten hurt before," she said in a defeated voice.

"Like emotionally?" he pressed.

Zelda laughed at that, but only a short burst. "Are you playing dumb? No, I mean physically. I'm not seeking relationship advice from my father."

Link let her go but held onto her wrist so she couldn't bolt. "So what are you asking him then?"

"He studies the supernatural, I don't know..."

Link scowled, but it didn't seem to be aimed towards her. "You can wait to ask him when the experiment is over."

Zelda tried once more to wrench her hand free from his grip, but his fingers were as immovable as iron. "Fine," she submitted with a growl.

Link nodded and then loosened his hold slightly. "You want to tell me what you were thinking of asking him?"

She was partially distracted by the hand on her wrist. "Well I don't know exactly, but I do-" Zelda started to say, but then the ground shuddered underneath them, and the lights all around them flickered.

"That's coming from the lab," Zelda realized, worried.

"We should stay out of it."

"What? What if they're in trouble!?" she asked. "Come on!" she said as she finally yanked her hand free and ran to the lab door.

She opened it and ran inside, Chell was nowhere to be seen, and the lab door was closed. She crossed the lobby and tried the door to the lab. "It's locked."

"We should leave it be then."

"The ground is shaking, Link."

"All the more reason to let them do their experiment uninterrupted."

Zelda stared at him. "Are you serious?"

"What?"

"You're fine with just ignoring the shaking ground and flickering lights?"

Link shrugged. "It's none of our business."

"Of course it's my business! My dad is in there."

"We should go back home," he said as he turned back to the front door.

Zelda shook her head as she went on her tippy toes to grab the key from the top of the door frame. She unlocked the door and slipped inside before Link noticed she wasn't following him.

"Dad!" she called as she walked down the hall. There was no response, and she made her way further into the lab. "Dad!"

The chameleon tank was rattling loudly, and several containers had shaken themselves off of the counters and onto the ground.

She rounded one more corner, calling out once more.

Then her father finally answered, "Zelda? No don't come in here!" came his frantic reply.

She stopped immediately. "What's going on? Everything is shaking and the lights-"

"I can't explain right now-"

As the room shook, Zelda couldn't help but step around the corner to see what was happening; curiosity killed the cat.

She saw, or really didn't see, something in the center of the room. It was a strange, glistening nothing. But that 'nothing' was also shaking and shooting out red electricity from what she thought to be its center.

"Zelda please! Get out of here now!" her father yelled.

With his strict voice in use, Zelda quickly stepped back and was making her way behind the wall again when her father did something she had never ever heard him do before.

He swore.

That was when she knew something was very, very wrong.

Suddenly, with a burst of red, scientists fled away from the center of the room. The subject of the experiment started to glow an ominous crimson. Cracks appeared in what looked like glass. Time seemed to slow as she watched the scientists run away from... whatever it was.

And before Zelda even knew what she was doing she had run out in front of Jeffrey, who had tripped in his attempts to escape, and spread her arms.

"No!" her father yelled, but his voice came too late.

The experiment exploded into hundreds of pieces that embedded themselves into everything.

Everything but her and Jeffrey.

Zelda flinched as she felt herself get hit by the glass, but nothing punctured her skin. Each shard shattered on impact; straight into dust.

In the aftermath of the explosion, she looked back at the little man. "Are you okay?" she quickly asked.

He nodded, his mouth open in shock. "You... You zaved me... zank you..." he said in a weak voice. His eyes widened, and he stared with a look of horror at something behind her.

She turned around quickly, and her entire world shattered as fiercely as the glass.

Her father lay on the ground. Several large, glowing red shards sticking out of his no-longer-white lab coat.