Day 5
Bright morning light rose over the horizon. It's light touched the city that never sleeps. It shone through the large glass windows of the hospital ward. Kiera sat beside Jak's bed. She could see Jak's condition had worsen since the injection. The side effect of the drugs in his system was evident. His fever went up as his heart monitor kept a quick beat. His forehead was creased slightly with invisible pain and his body sometimes jerked or flinched from some sort of internal pain. Kiera knew the poison was eating his insides and she felt helpless to relieve him. She couldn't imagine the pain he was going through. For something to constantly deteriorate everything that kept you alive, without numbness or effective pain killers, his suffering was slow and unmerciful.
She squeezed his rough gun hardened hands. It felt warm and dry under her own skin. Emotions welled in her chest. Somehow finding out the person who did it seemed to do little to help Jak in his state. It was more for her own benefit and sanity. She rather keep her mind occupied with finding out who did this then to sit by and do nothing. If Jak didn't somehow make it then she had something to go for. Something that Jak would do if their positions reversed.
"Are you ok?" a voice asked
Kiera turned to face the voice. Her emotions ran away from her face as she saw who it was. It was the young doctor she met in the elevator. His chocolate brown eyes showed concern as his gel sleek black hair glisten in the yellow sunlight. His broad face showed warmness as well as concern. She didn't know why but she immediately warmed up to the rookie doctor.
"Yes, I'm fine"
He stood beside her chair.
"Is this your friend?" he asked, his voice in concern
"Yes"
"Yeah. Everyone in the hospital knows what happened here and everyone is being questioned. It's putting a lot of jobs and reputations in jeopardy" He said quietly
She looked at him, "Are there suspects?"
"No just rumors. None of them have any evidence or anything hard to base anything. But that hasn't stopped the rumor mill from turning" he continued
"Oh"
"Hey I realized, I never got your name" he said suddenly
"Oh" she smiled quickly, "Kiera"
He returned her gesture, "Raynor"
"How is life in the hospital?" she asked trying to make some conversation
"Oh well you know, hectic. Treating patients and trying to get them back on their feet" he shrugged, "First time for everything I suppose. Some things happen that med school didn't train you for"
She smiled wryly and turned her attention to Jak.
"Listen" his voice suddenly breathed in her ear, she stiffened at the tone, "There are people who know who you are and what you are doing. I'll be careful if I were you. They obviously known for sometime or they wouldn't have done this to Jak. I'll back off if I were you"
His tone became a little rough at the end. He moved away and she turned to him in surprise. He turned and walked away before she had a chance to see his face. He walked out of the ward. She abruptly got up and caught up with him.
"What do you mean?" she asked
He continued walking.
"Tell me!" she demanded pulling at his arm
He turned to her. His gentle face hard and set, "I told you what I know. My job is on the line if I'm seen with you. We never had this conversation. We never met"
He turned back and walked away. She stood there taking in what just unfolded. If what he said was true then someone already knows her investigation and may go to desperate measures to hide themselves or kill off Jak much more quickly than he was now. If all this was true, she had to be careful from now on. If she angers these unknown people even more then more people could be injured as a result. A new found determination flared in her heart. It was more important than ever to find out who had done this. One thing she hated is to be beaten at a game. A dangerous game which Jak and possibly others could be at risk. She hoped the Underground team in the Snowy Mountains was doing much better than she was.
Shivers raked though his body. Everything was cold. The air, the ground even his own hands were cold. He knew he was sick. Coughing erupted from his lungs. Only a few moments ago his mind woke up from unconscious, only to find he was cold and alone on an isolated ledge. He didn't know how he'd survive the fall. He didn't know how he'd survive the night, all he knew now he was beyond help. Sig and the others were probably defeated by the Metal Heads and the winter chill already lowered his body temperature. He'd most likely had frost bite on his limbs. So he was alone. Left to die.
Another coughing fit echoed in the morning air. He wanted to die. He wanted to die right now instead of wasting away on this ledge from the coldness and hunger. Food? Since when he had eaten? It had been so long...
"Oh Mar" he cursed as he struggled off the ground.
His arms that were lifting him gave way and he fell back to his laying position.
"Fine" he spat to no one, "I like this position anyway! Laying on cold rock is a great way to die!"
Tiredness swept over him as his body shivered, desperately trying to keep warm.
"Stupid mountain, stupid snow, stupid Metal Heads!" he cursed to himself as his teeth chattered
Another coughing fit came. He turned on his back and coughed until it subsided.
"Is this all you can throw at me?" he shook his fist at the heavens, "After all the hell I've been though is this they way you want me to die? I try to do a good deed for someone who always do good deeds and you go and try to kill me?"
His voice echoed across the summit air.
"Well screw you!" he continued his useless rant, "I can take more than that! I don't know why you hate me so much but I wont take your shit!"
His cursing was interrupted by another coughing fit. Who ever was up there running the show, made Daxter's fate clear. Practically he was hating it. Here wasting away while Jak was wasting away in hospital. He had failed. Something he never wanted to do. He feared and dread the fact he'd failed his best friend. Jak relied on him to pull him through as Daxter relied on Jak to save his ass.
Suddenly grunting noises were near.
"Awww crap" Daxter groaned. Then he asked the heavens sarcastically, "Come to finished the job?"
Large shadows appeared over him.
"Go on finish what you've started" Daxter challenged the shadows, "I don't care any more"
The shadow loomed near and he felt a hand slid under his cold Ottsel body. Unconscious decided to take over that point. He knew fully well he wasn't going to wake back up, he knew wouldn't see Jak, Kiera or even Samos's wrinkled old face ever again. He had failed to do what he had set out. It was up to Sig and the others to get the plant... if they did survive...
"Sorry" he whispered before he closed his eyes
"Good news Kiera" The Shadow announced, "Our spies might know who injected the drug into Jak"
Kiera snapped her head to the younger version of her father, "Who?"
"A man named Yarmir. He's a surgeon in the Emergency wing of the hospital" young Samos informed
Kiera walked around the small Underground Hideout.
"Apparently he's escaped investigations" The Shadow continued
"Nrim is the superior of that wing" Kiera stated remembering the profiles she had read, "I knew the culprit had to come from another wing"
"Hmmm, I've read Nrim's allaby and he has no reason to do this to Jak" The Shadow pointed out
"No he hasn't but probably he knows someone who does. We should find this Yarmir and get some info. We're grasping straws here" Kiera suggested
"I agree but we don't want to alarm him or anyone else. If what you said, that someone is keeping an eye on our progress, is true then we have to go about it quietly"
"How do we do that?" Kiera asked
"One of the spies can bring him here for questioning" young Samos let out a smile
That smile scared Kiera.
"Alright cherries, lets move out!" a deep voice bellowed across the cold mountain air
The Underground men grumbled and heaved their packs. They hiked out of the cave and onto the deep whiteness. The blizzard last night was ruthless and caved them into their shelter they had found. They had yet again scraped the edge of fate and beaten the Metal Heads by the scrape of their teeth.
It was luck to find shelter neaby after the defeat of the Metal Heads. The black Metal Head wasn't seen and neither was Daxter. Sig knew the fate had befallen the orange rodent and knew there was no way he could had survive the blizzard if he was still alive. With time ticking against them Sig had to push himself to move on and abandon all hope of ever finding him. If Jak survived he wouldn't be very happy to find his furry friend gone.
In the mid morning light Sig and the team plowed through the waist deep snow, following the map that Torn had given them. Sig hadn't treked very far from their starting point when he stepped on something hard and odd. He stopped and looked down to see what it was. Upon looking at it he bent down and picked it up.
It was Jak's gun.
Sig looked around and saw a ledge nearby. Last night's fight with the Metal Heads was covered by the blizzard's snow. So nothing appeared to give a hint to where abouts of the Ottsel. Sig sighed knowing getting the medicine was more important than finding him. Daxter would have wanted that. He slid the gun in his own back pack and continued the trek up the peak.
"You idiot!" the man from behind the mahogany desk raged, "Spies and rumors are crawling around the place! How are we to operate now?"
"It wasn't my fault! Your the one who left an electronic trail by accessing the archives" the other man retorted back
"I want you to put the girl out of action" the man behind the desk finally announced
"What?" the other gasped
"I have no time to hire anyone else. Just make her get off our trail! Just until her boyfriend is dead" the man sneered
"I don't think..."
"Don't think. Do! Unless you have a better idea?" the man behind the desk slammed his fist upon it
The black haired man sighed in defeat. He ran his fingers through his gelled hair, "No I don't have a better idea"
"Well then. Go do it. If the Underground finds out then you will deal with forces much more tougher than me" the man from behind the desk warned
"Don't worry. There is one thing I know and that is to cut deep, where it hurts" the black haired man said dangerously before leaving the office.
The man from behind the expensive desk leaned back in his chair and sighed. He needed to do something to save his ass or it'll be kicked, severely.
Continue to Chapter 8
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