This is the first Jak based fanfic I've ever written. Basically in the games, I was unhappy about Jak's and Keira's reunion, and how Keira never really got to see Dark Jak, so I decided to write a fanfic about them meeting for the first time in two years.
This is a one shot thing, so yeah, enjoy!
x
Jak walked swiftly through the crowded city streets, his head bowed as he pushed his way through the bustling throng of people, refusing to notice how everyone seemed to move out of his way leaving a gaping gap in his wake. Daxter scanned the crowd from his perch on Jak's armored shoulder, his small claws clicking slightly whenever they came into contact with the strong metal.
Reaching the stadium, he walked into the quiet halls, a stark contrast to the busy streets, and made his way to yet another one of his faceless employers. He reached the curtain, and gave a loud cough, announcing his arrival.
"There you are!" exclaimed a high voice, "I thought you would never come, talk about a time waster."
Stoically ignoring the comment, Jak bit down his anger, he couldn't risk a public outburst, he'd never done one before, and he wasn't about to lose control now. Closing his eyes he forced the darkness back, which even now was beginning to creep over the edge of his vision. Not now, he thought to himself, I can't endanger everyone, not now.
"Look," he growled, "I've got plenty of other jobs and plenty of other employers, so just tell me what you want me to do, and get it over with."
The voice sighed, and the curtain rustled slightly, as his employer shuffled around, a loud clang sounding as she dropped some tool on the ground, "Well with that attitude you sound like you're the one in charge here, don't forget, I'm the one paying your bill."
Jak hissed, a menacing sound, and took a step towards the curtain, before Daxter jumped down in front of his brother, "It's ok Jak, let it go, we'll just go back to Krew and get reassigned, we don't need her!"
A gasp and another clang, as the curtain was roughly pulled to one side, and the identity of his employer was revealed.
Keira stood in the doorway, a welding mask pushed up off her face, which was streaked with grease and oil, and her blue, green hair hung just above her shoulders, in the way Jak remembered. Hell she was even wearing the same sorts of clothes. Looking at her, standing in the doorway, an incredulous expression on her face, Jak almost thought he was back in Sandover, and then he looked down, at his dark, dirty clothes and scarred hands. Or not.
"Jak?" Her voice was quiet as she stared at her old best friend, a pitying expression entering her eyes, "Jak, what happened to you? How can you talk?"
Jak almost smiled at that open mouthed look on her face, but then it hit him, as if she had slapped him in the face. Why was she allowed to stay so completely the same, so happy and healthy as always, while he was the one who was tortured to the brink of death, tainted beyond all recognition?
His eyes flashed a deep black, and Keira took a half step backwards, her eyes widening with shock, "What- what happened?"
"I'll tell you what happened," his voice was low, and quiet, "While you were allowed to live the last two years of your life, happy and carefree, where was I? Where was I? In prison, being-" He faltered, how could he tell her? How could he begin to explain what had happened?
"You, why didn't you try to find me, why didn't you look?" His voice adopted a pleading tone, as he looked, at the girl of his dreams, in what should have been a happy reunion.
"Jak, we thought you were dead," Her tone was hushed as if she were conversing with a ghost, "We all did, and maybe it was wrong, maybe it was stupid Jak, but we were scared, we didn't know what else to do." Her eyes widened further as if she had heard him properly for the first time.
"Prison? Prison, Jak? What were you doing there? Did you do something to offend Baron Praxis?"
Jak gave a twisted smile, ignoring the look of warning that flashed across Daxter's face, as he inched away from his brother. "Yes prison, as soon as I arrived, I was locked up by Errol, Praxis' muscle, he took delight in exacting my punishment. As for the crime? I haven't done anything. Yet. Though I intend to commit a crime worthy of what I was sentenced to."
Keira looked down at Daxter, noticing him for the first time; she took in the wary look on his face, and looked between the two, almost at a loss for what to say, or how to respond.
"E-Errol?" She asked, taking a step toward Jak, "Errol? What are you talking about, he's the gentlest man I know, and he would never take pleasure in something like that."
Jak stared at Keira for a long moment before she looked away, scared by the power and menace of that stare, what had happened to the Jak she knew? What had happened to the innocent, mute boy from Sandover?
"Keira," Jak stepped forward, and placed a large hand on her shoulder, willing her to look him in the eye, "I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't blame you, it's just you have no idea what they did to me, they treated me like an animal-"
"We treated you like one, because you are one Jak."
Jak froze, before spinning around, his hands reaching for his guns, for he knew who that voice belonged to.
Errol stood before Jak, leaning on one hand that he had pressed against the wall, a sadistic grin on his face, "Well, well, well, a happy reunion, sorry I had to interrupt, but please Keira step away from that thing now before he contaminates you, and we wouldn't want that now would we?"
"Contaminates me?" Keira looked up doubtfully into Jak's eyes.
"Yes contaminates you, or kills you, to be honest I'm not sure which one it'll do first. After all it is Haven City's worst criminal, the worst there ever has been I think."
Keira's mouth opened slightly, and she knelt down, placing a hand under Daxter's chin, "Dax, is it true?"
"Yes Keira, regrettably so," Errol continued, ignoring the growls coming from Jak with increasing ferocity. "So if you'll just step away I'll have it apprehended or killed, so we can stop it from hurting anyone else."
"A-anyone else?" Keira stood up ignoring Daxter's pleas and turned toward Jak, "Jak, just what is going on, what have you done?"
"What has it done? You mean you haven't told her Jak? Haven't told her about the innocent people you've slaughtered?"
Keira gasped and backed away from Jak, despite Daxter plucking on her trousers, a horrified expression on her face. "Jak, did you, did you really?" Jak opened his mouth, but words just wouldn't come out, how would she understand, how could she? He looked deep into her eyes and saw the fear there, the disbelief that he could ever do something like that, changing into the clear understanding that Jak wasn't the little boy that she knew, that she had loved. That this Jak was different, he was wild. He was a killer.
His pleading look was more than enough of an answer, and she stumbled backwards into Errol's out stretched arms, her entire body trembling as she stared back into Jak's blue eyes, once so clear and pure, now they were shadowed with something dark, something that flickered at the edge of his pupils.
Errol smiled a cruel, vindictive smile which made Jak's blood boil to look at, how smug the commander looked as he placed an arm comfortingly around Keira's shoulder, a mocking look in his eyes as he rounded on Jak once again.
"You see Keira, he isn't human, he's an animal, just an eco freak who is a danger to society and those around him." Errol's mocking tones made Jak quiver, his hands dropped from his gun holster, to hang loosely by his sides.
His eyes narrowed, and a crackling purple light glimmered in the bright blue, which was darkening with every second that passed. His fingernails began to darken, and extend into razor sharp points which cut into his palms, forcing him to unclench his fists. Daxter streaked forward, and tugged at Jak's leg, trying to get his brother to look him in the eye, "Not now Jak, please not now," he begged, trying to catch Jak's eye, but to no avail.
"You see Keira," continued Errol, "He's just an eco freak, who has absolutely no control what so ever, you deserved to be locked up didn't you? Didn't you Jak?"
Jak growled and his hair grew slowly, turning from a golden green to a deep purple, and his skin paled, his features adopting a fierce expression, a dark smirk which revealed twin fangs. "Oh my precursors," whispered Daxter, unable to believe that Jak was about to lose control in a public place, "Keira, get away from Errol now, Jak wouldn't want to hurt you, please Keira…"
"What's the matter freak?" Errol voiced, louder this time, smiling at how his provocation had worked, "I bet you'd liked to hit me wouldn't you, you dumb mute?"
Hissing Jak bounded forward, moving in a crackling haze of purple lightening which left a foul smell in the air of something akin to dark eco. Raising a clawed hand, he knocked Keira out of the way, ignoring her shriek of alarm, and leapt on to Errol, scratching him down his left arm with a swift motion. Smiling insanely, Jak kicked the soldier in the chest, before darting away, coming around for the next series of attacks.
Despite the pain he was in, Errol smiled, "See Keira, see what he is, he's an animal, a beast, something which must be destroyed at all costs-" He was cut off by Jak seizing his throat, pulling him upright until he was in a standing position, his head against the wall, gasping for breath.
"Jak! Jak, stop!" Keira screamed, "Please don't hurt him!" She stumbled forward and pulled at his arm, tears streaming down her face. Jak slowly turned his head and looked her in the eye, his clawed hand still holding Errol's head against the wall despite his spluttering protests.
Keira took half a step back, and stood there trembling, fighting the urge to run and never look back, to flee from the beast that stood before her, to flee from that twisted grimace that lit up his features with every weak protest Errol made. She looked away, before reaching forward, "Jak, Jak you're hurting him, put him down n-"
Jak struck out, with his right arm, releasing Errol as he did so, and his claws raked Keira's forearm cutting deep, almost to the bone, which caused her to scream in agony. Daxter darted forward, pulling himself up his brothers leg and from there onto his shoulder, "Jak, are you in there Jak? You have to stop now before you kill someone, you hear me? Stop now!"
Reaching up, Jak grabbed the Ottsel by the scruff of his neck and threw him against the wall, where he lay unconscious and unmoving. All was silent, all was quiet, save for Keira's labored breathing and for the slight crackling which surrounded Jak as the dark eco moved around and inside him, enhancing his stamina and strength, enlarging his muscles and lungs, increasing his blood lust.
For a second clear blue broke through the purple, and a flash of gold streaked through his hair, before the Jak creature crouched down on the floor, head in his arms, groaning. Raising his clawed hands he raked the sides of his face ignoring the salty blood which spilled onto the ground around him, as he struggled internally trying to regain control.
Eventually his black claws shortened and turned back to pearly white finger nails, and his hair turned into its usual green, gold colour, until, there sat Jak, blood stained with gouges in his cheeks, but recognizably Jak nonetheless.
He looked up at Keira, his eyes expressing such profound pity and sorrow, that he didn't know how to put it into words, how could he say what he felt? "Im sorry," he said gruffly, feeling tears form at the corners of his eyes, "I'm sorry."
He looked away, and saw Daxter lying, crumpled at the foot of the wall, "Oh god Dax, I'm sorry. What have I done?" He moved to his brother and gently picked him up, laying him in his lap.
Daxter opened his eyes groggily, "Jak?" He asked weakly, "It's you, isn't it? I'm sorry, I should have tried harder, I shouldn't have let you transform…" his voice broke off- he had fainted again. Jak shook his head, and picking his brother up he stood, turning to where Errol sat on the floor a small distance from Keira.
"I suggest you leave. Now"
"It would be my pleasure," Errol stood, and clutching his maimed arm, walked along the corridor, leaving Jak a gloating smile as he left, after all, his plan had worked, hadn't it? Keira had seen the beast which Jak had become; he was alienated, once again.
"Keira, the first aid supplies, where do you keep them?" Jak asked staring at the floor, finding he was unable to look her in the eyes; after all he didn't want to see the fear and pity he knew that would reside there.
"It's ok, I'll get them," she stood shakily, clutching her forearm in an attempt to stop the blood which flowed freely through her fingers where it dripped onto the floor below, making a slight thud as it hit the stone blocks.
She opened a cupboard and drew out a small, green pack which contained several canisters of green eco. Taking one from the pack she walked to Jak, and took Daxter's limp form out of his arms, refusing to look Jak in the eye. Gingerly she placed the Ottsel down on the table, and opening the canister she poured a small amount into his open mouth. Within a few minutes Daxter opened his eyes groggily, and sat up, wincing slightly as he moved.
"Ahh, nothing like the green stuff to cure a bad case of concussion!" He exclaimed before wiggling his tail and each of his limbs in turn, making sure nothing was broken.
Satisfied with her patients progress, Keira turned back to the pack and removed another canister, "Jak, we need to-" she broke off, Jak was no longer standing where he had been only moments before, rushing forward, she peered left and right to see where he could have gone.
Jak was lying curled up on the floor, obviously exhausted both physically and mentally. Crouching down beside him Keira looked at the pale face, stained with blood from the bloody furrows he had rent down his face with his own two hands. For the first time since Keira had seen him, his face looked peaceful, untroubled.
Unscrewing the lid off the canister, she poured a small drop onto one of Jak's cuts before he let out a strangled yell, raising a hand to brush the healing eco off as quickly as he possibly could. Panting heavily, he ignored the wide eyes stares from Daxter and Keira, he sat up slowly.
"What is that stuff? It burns like hell."
"It's just green eco Jak, just pure green eco, I don't understand, how could it sting you? Green eco is used for healing purposes only, there is no way it could harm you." Keira's voice was slowly going higher and higher in pitch and she looked on the verge of tears once again.
"Ahh, green eco that would explain it," Mused Jak, reaching into a pack which he had hidden in his gun holster. Opening the small package he withdrew a canister of a thick, purple looking liquid and unscrewed the cap slowly, before pouring a drop on his outstretched finger.
"Jak what are you doing! That's dark eco, you'll kill yourself!" Keira gagged, bringing a cloth up over her nose and mouth to protect herself from the potent smell.
Smiling sadly Jak rubbed the dark liquid into his cuts, sighing with pleasure as the gouges closed, leaving no trace of the furrows that had been there only seconds before, save for the dried blood which was stuck to his cheeks.
"Unfortunately not," He began, "It's just… Keira, when I was in prison, they experimented on me. They, they pumped dark eco through my body, it is in me, even now, it causes me to transform into that beast when I get angry, and I suppose it stops me from using any of the "good" eco's, well in their pure form anyway."
He broke off, taking in the horrified expression on Keira's face and reaching out he placed a hand on her shoulder, which he swiftly removed once she flinched, looking away as abruptly as if Jak had hit her.
"Look Keira, it's ok, I haven't changed, it's still me, and it's still Jak."
"You don't understand Jak," she whispered tears flowing down her cheeks; "We thought you had died, and, a piece of you has Jak, you're changed, you're… a killer."
She broke off, staring into her clasped hands, "I think it would be best if you left."
Bowing his head Jak stood, and lifting his brother gingerly he walked toward the curtain, "You Keira, you haven't changed at all."
With that he stepped out and walked down the silent hall without a backward glance a sense of pity welling up inside him, it seemed the darkness inside him was touching everything he loved, tainting it with the fear and uncertainty he felt now.