Jak ended up laying on the ground to the side of the wreck. He struggled to his feet, shaking his head to regain orientation, then it occurred to him. "Kina?!" he looked around for her. He didn't have to look very hard.
She was siting indian style about twenty feet in front of the wreck. Her bright red clothes were a little more rumpled and dirty, and she was pissed. Two words came to Jak's mind as he saw her standing there: Apocalypse, and Doom. She growled, glaring at the ground near her feet, "that... was SO epic fail."
"Are you okay?" asked Jak, not seeing anything particularly wrong.
She took a deep breath, "...I sprained... my ankle."
"In those boots?" The boots may have been bright red, but they were defiantly not just for show. They had thick soles, laces for size adjustment, as well as buckles. They looked as though they were designed as combat boots, then adjusted slightly to go clubbing. If Kina's ankle was sprained wearing those, then it would have been broken bones otherwise.
"Yes, in my epic bitch boots. But I've been in worse situations and come out unscathed!" her complaining over she got back to business, "I will find who shot at us, and I will destroy them."
They heard a chuckle, "with a sprained ankle? I'm not sure even the legendary Shalakina Nitheru can accomplish such a feat so injured."
The two warriors whirled around and saw him. Count Veger was standing tall, with that obnoxious smug look on his face.
"Oh, it's YOU," Shalakina spit out. She made 'you' sound like more of a swear word that 'fuck'.
"Disappointed?" Veger drawled mockingly. A rock hit him on the cheek. Jak missed Kina throwing it.
Kina was holding another rock, tossing it in the air and catching it. "Hardly. You tried to actually HURT me for once, which means I can finally kick your ass, and I won't get complaints from people who actually MATTER."
He puffed up, "And who might that be? Your precious Damas? He couldn't even protect your SON. You missed over a decade with your precious child because your LOVER couldn't protect him." Veger glanced pointedly at Jak smirking. Jak growled baring his teeth.
"First, Damas is my husband, and my last name is Mariku," Kina said calmly. It was a scary, dangerous calm. "Second, he is more of a man than you could ever be, and Third... what IDIOT that taught you basic arithmetic? My child was born FOUR years ago."
Veger laughed, "isn't it obvious? Jak is from another world. He has family resemblance, and only your son Mar had that extreme of a capacity for eco."
Her eyes blazed with fury. "You son of a BITCH," she threw her second rock. Veger ducked and blocked this time, but he still winced as the rock collided with his arm. "What the FUCK!"
Jak put an arm on her shoulder, "wait, what's going on?"
"Swirly-logic," She snarled and took a deep breath, "Damas and I NEVER had you tested. The only way he could know the strength of your gifts with THAT much certainty is by testing you HIMSELF."
"What?" he was still realizing Veger shouldn't know about the time travel.
Veger chuckled. "Fine, I'll admit it," he said. "I TOOK your child from you. I couldn't miss such an opportunity. The product of the Mariku and Nitheru bloodlines? The two most powerful channeler families in the world? I HAD to see what such a combination could yeild. If he hadn't escaped my experiments could have yielded something great, but he disappeared one night, and instead, became a MONSTER." Jak snarled at him, flashing Dark. He HATED human experiments.
He smirked, "thank you for opening the door to the precursors. Don't worry, I'll be back to purify this world later, starting with you three." He ran to a transport and jumped in, taking off.
"After 'im Jak!" Daxter yelled, jumping on his shoulder and pointing towards the tunnel.
The hero looked at the ottsel and raised his eyebrow. "You're willing to go in there?" Jak asked amused. "Without a fuss this time?"
Daxter shifted embarrassed and grumbled, "ya, well, don't get used to it. It's just that NO ONE hurts MY best friend, and lives to brag about it! Let's get 'im."
Shalakina chuckled, following them into the transport, "I've got to say youngling, you chose a good voice of reason."
"Voice of reason?"
"A friend who is crazy enough to stick with you through thick and thin, and sensible enough to tell you you're being an idiot. Thus, voice of reason: to take over for the one in the back of your head that died."
