So I decided to upload after four days (finally) since this chapter turned out to be so...well, I can't think of any words to describe this chapter. It was really fun to write, that much I can say. I wrote it on New Years Eve, and finished it around ten minutes before 2013 took 2012's place. Also, I'd really like to thank those who have reviewed this story. Thanks a lot! ^_^
Disclaimer: I do not own the Jak and Daxter trilogy. They belong to their rightful and respectful owners.
Ko was terrified, that she knew for sure. Her heart thumped rapidly in her chest as she zoomed through the city at an extremely fast speed, her hair whipping behind her. She bit her lip to restrain herself from screaming in absolute terror as she spotted burnt corpses laying in New Haven. Fire still burned strongly in certain areas, and Ko realized that the city was being torn bit by bit slowly, almost as if the attacker wanted the others to yell out for help. The sandy blonde wanted help too, yet she knew that she would receive absolutely none. She would have to help herself.
Shaking her head, she stepped on the gas pedal, applying more pressure. The speed greatly increased, and she felt the girl stir. Ko glanced behind her, spotting the girl blink sleepily. The girl yawned, and returned to her slumber. At that moment, Ko realized how tired she was, drawing a yawn from her. The last time she'd slept was when she'd been knocked out, and that was around fourteen hours ago. The swimming had added to her exhaustion, yet she bit back the negative effects. She had to get this girl to safety.
"Sister!" an innocent voice yelled out, immediately catching Ko's attention. Ko scanned the area and spotted a small girl with burnt clothes clawing at debris, panicking. Biting her lip, she switched hover zones and parked. The woman looked back at the girl, and saw her awaken. She held up her hand and saw the girl understand. The girl nodded. "Sister!"
Ko ran over to the other girl, placing a hand on her shoulder. A sharp pain gnawed away at her hand instantaneously, drawing a gasp. She pulled back, yet found that her hand was limp. Her eyes widened as the girl stood, giggling. "Sister…" Ko took a few steps back, reaching for the dagger yet found a pale hand on her only cooperative hand. A sharp pain shot through her system, gaining a yelp. Ko looked at the girl with wide eyes, tears welling within them. "Sister, I finally found you," a sweet voice happily murmured.
"M-Mai?" she choked out, voice cracking. The girl standing before her couldn't be her sister, it just couldn't be. The once blonde hair was now black, along with shadowed brown eyes. A maniacal grin had replaced the once sweet, happy one. "No," she gasped. "No, no…no!" she screamed. If she could've, Ko would have pushed her away and run back to the girl, yet she couldn't. Mai's hand was tightly grasping her shoulder, sending shockwaves of pain through her body. She bit down on her lip as she fought back the urge to cry out. A metallic taste entered her mouth, and the teenager realized she'd bitten too hard on her lip. "Let go of me," she whispered, voice shaking from the pain coursing throughout her body. "Let go."
Mai smiled, the action screaming out that she was a sadist. She took a step towards Ko, and was so close that Ko could make out sparks dancing in her eyes. "I finally have you," Mai murmured. "I can finally take control of the world." The smile turned into another grin.
"No!" a young, innocent voice cried out, followed by Mai being shoved the ground. The young child was suddenly standing in place of Mai, breathing heavily. She turned around, facing Ko with wide, tearful eyes. Ko was frozen, the pain still radiating within her until she heard groaning and angry muttering. The child, touched Ko's right hand, immediately sending a warm feeling up her arm. Ko's eyes widened, but without any hesitation she grabbed the child's wrist and sprinted back towards the zoomer, breathing raspy and frantic. She placed the child on the passenger part of the zoomer, and flung herself on the driver's seat. Ko started the zoomer, switching hover zones almost immediately. The tail of the zoomer crashed into the ceiling an apartment building, sending the vehicle spiraling for a moment.
The young child cried out, burying her head into the crook of Ko's neck. Ko felt a liquid sliding down her neck, and narrowed her eyes, regaining control of the zoomer. "No!" a shrill voice screamed. "No!" Ko instantaneously turned the throttle, sending the zoomer forward around ten feet. As Ko managed to escape her deranged sister, she felt anything but happiness and relief. She felt a weight pulling down her heart as she drove towards a refugee camp. The only thing that reassured her was the young child clutching to her, but even that added pressure.
She gave a small, unhappy snort when realization sunk in. The world was screwed.
When Ko arrived at the refugee camp, she was surprised to see so few people there. She pulled to a stop, observing the area with curious eyes. A medical area was set up, and that's where many people lay. She spotted a woman sobbing on top of a man's unmoving body, and she looked away, a nauseous feeling rising in her throat. Other tents were set up in various locations, yet she could immediately see that more tents were unoccupied than occupied. The nauseous feeling rose even more when realization set in, but she forced it back, unhooking the young child's arms.
Ko faced the young child, expecting to see haunted, terrified eyes yet was only met with closed eyes. A small smile appeared on her features. The eighteen year old carefully picked Yoko up, carrying her bridal style over into the camp. All inhabitants stared at her as she walked towards the center, seeming surprised to see such a small child. An old woman spotted her and rushed over, a look of amazement on her face. "A child?" she gasped, eyes wide. "Is she yours?" She looked up from the child, eyes shocked.
Ko shook her head. "No, I found her on the streets. I suspect that the Freedom League is trying to take her in as a hostage, and this is the only safe place for her," she informed the woman, voice steady and surprisingly calm. The woman furrowed her eyebrows as she looked over the child, eyes trying to see any wounds. "She's fine besides some scrapes."
The woman smiled happily, holding out her arms. Ko swallowed roughly, looking down at the child's peaceful face once more. She sighed, and handed her over to the woman. "Tell her that I'll come back for her one of these days," she murmured. The woman nodded, and Ko turned, strolling away.
She couldn't help but feel like she made a terrible mistake.
The blonde, tan teenager sped through the Port, eyes scanning the area. Her eyes allowed everything to sink in extremely quickly, and that's what allowed her to immediately sense something was wrong when there were road blocks. There also appeared to be many, many Freedom League guards starting from where she entered down until where the shooting range was. Her brown eyes narrowed, and she turned the throttle even more. It wasn't until she looked at a small monitor did she realize that the distress signal was radiating from the Naughty Ottsel. Her eyes widened, her breath shortened and she felt her body begin to pump with adrenaline. "Jak…Daxter…"
She furrowed her eyebrows, her face contorting into one of fury and distress. A cry escaped her as she switched hover zones, turning her zoomer at a 90 degree angle. She allowed the zoomer to crash into multiple guards, gathering frantic shouts. Ko ignored the noises around her, sprinting into the Naughty Ottsel.
When she spotted the newly developed Metal Heads dragging an unconscious Jak towards the door, everyone froze. Ko was the first to react, screaming out as she shoved her elbow into one of the Metalhead's head. The other Metalhead created a series of strange sounding clicks and growls, and when Ko turned around she realized why. The Metalhead was speaking into a communicator, causing Ko to growl.
The eighteen year old lunged at the enemy, knocking it to the ground. She heard Jak's body hit the ground, wincing from the painful sound, as she threw multiple punches at it. It wasn't until she heard felt a familiar pain reappear in her shoulder did she realize the abnormality of these Metalheads.
Frowning, Ko sat up from her hunched position, breathing heavily. She got to her feet, observing the Metalheads. When she heard yelling from outdoors, she cursed and grabbed Jak's body, throwing it over her shoulder. A large exhale of breath escaped her from the weight, but forced herself to be oblivious. She ran out of the door, as fast as possible, her shoulder crying out. The blonde ignored it, controlling her breathing until she spotted dozens of Freedom League guards and Metalheads pointing weapons at her.
Ko looked around, desperately searching for the relief of an escape, yet found nothing. She set her position into a defiant one, holding her head up high as she glowered at all of the figures. They returned the look.
"Whooaa!" a familiar voice shouted, causing everyone to face the origin of the voice. Ko's eyes widened and a grin spread across her weary, injured face, brightening the tan skin. The sight of Daxter soaring at the cluster of enemies with a zoomer sent relief and hope throughout her body, and a small chuckle escaped her. The zoomer crashed into a large group of enemies, sending them flying. The zoomer halted in front of her, unharmed, with a cackling Daxter, who was bragging about his 'amazing' abilities.
Ko threw Jak onto the driver's seat, mounting a few inches behind where his body laid. She immediately spiraled forward, switching hover zones at the last second. The eighteen year old spun the zoomer around, soaring towards where the hide out was. The sounds of gunshots and yelling greeted her ears, yet she ignored it all, only focusing on the throbbing in her shoulder. "Thanks, Daxter," she thanked, looking over at the orange Ottsel. He was perched on Jak's back, poking his neck.
Daxter looked up at the sound of his name, and grinned widely, busting an arrogant pose. A smile replaced Ko's tight, straight lips. "That was nothin'!" he exclaimed. "You should've seen me in the Class Two race! So there I was…spiraling down the race track with a sputtering zoomer. That nasty Errol had messed with my zoomer, immediately causing one of the main parts of the zoomer to burst into flames…"
Ko tuned him out, focusing on the metal road ahead of her. Her knuckles tightened around the throttle, aching and begging for her to slacken her grip, but Ko ignored them, narrowing her eyes. I wish I could sleep…
Sleep's real nice.
I love sleep.
I love you, sleep.
Ko was hallucinating. She realized this after she dropped Jak on one of the old bunk beds, turning around to be met with the haunting face of a Krimzon Guard. The following action was a punch thrown to the helmet of the guard, only to be met with the wood of another bunk bed. Curses were strewn out of Ko's mouth as she danced around the room, clutching her hand. Daxter just watched her, seeming confused.
"Umm…you okay there, Bipolar Munchkin?" he asked. Ko looked over at him, a pained look shimmering in her eyes. She stared at him for a moment before shaking her head, releasing a weary string of laughter.
"Hehehehe…it's okay, Ko. You're not going insane…there's no rabbit speaking to you…there's no rabbit talking to you…" she whispered, voice unsteady and weary. She continued shaking her head, muttering to herself as she paced back and forth in the room. Daxter merely watched her with curious eyes, before eventually deciding that Ko's abnormal behavior was not his problem and heading to sleep next to Jak.
After five minutes of silence, Ko looked up from a large map and smirked. She rushed over to a hidden closet, yanking it open with maniacal grin and a thumping heart. When her eyes met a large cardboard box with a white paper that had big, red letters, she chuckled darkly, yanking it open. She was met with many metal boxes, and she gently pulled five of the ten out. The eighteen year old propped them open, meeting the sight of a dozen bombs. "Ohohohohooo…we have got ourselves a party today!" she chuckled.
Without any hesitation, Ko grabbed an old, torn backpack and stuck the five metal boxes inside. She zipped it up, slung it over onto her back and sprinted outside, eyes wide with excitement and lips turned upwards in an insane grin. The bunny on her shoulder had a grin too, she noted.
A loud groan echoed throughout the old Underground hideout, causing a certain sandy blonde to look up from a series a maps. Another blonde sat up, rubbing at their head whilst cracking their neck. A certain orange Ottsel yawned, stretching before jumping off of the bed.
When bright blue eyes spotted Ko, they instantly became wide and a jaw dropped in shock. "K-Ko?" Jak gasped. Said girl smirked, lifting a mug of what he suspected was coffee. He watched her take a sip before returning to surveying the maps, and the dryness in his mouth suddenly was noticed. A frown appeared, and he looked around the room.
"Thirsty?" Ko asked, causing Jak to return his eyes to her. He saw her hold up a water bottle, and before she could even count to two he was over there, gulping down the water. When he set the water bottle down, his thirst quenched, he met Ko's amused eyes. "I'll take that as a yes…"
Jak furrowed his eyebrows, remembering what happened a day or two ago. He crossed his arms, giving Ko a look that she returned. "How are you alive? Last time Dax and I saw you, you sacrificed yourself. You should be dead," he told her, voice rather calm.
Ko held his gaze calmly, face emotionless and eyes revealing nothing for once. After a moment of silence, her lips twitched and a chuckle escaped her as she rocked back on her ankles. "Ahaha…thought I'd go that easily, eh?" she asked, voice amused. Jak frowned. "Well, the events that occurred decided that going to the back of my head was the most appealing thing to do, so I don't remember. All that I do remember is regretting saving your sorry butts!" Ko flashed a joking, gleeful grin.
Daxter hopped up onto the table, putting his paws on his hips. He gave her a look that caused her to raise her eyebrows. "Why were you looking at our butts?" he asked, causing Ko to reel back, mouth wide open and stammers escaping her. Jak slapped him upside the head, a disapproving look on his face. "Hey, hey, hey! I was making a valid point!"
"Yeah, your only one," Jak replied, causing Ko's stammers to turn into laughter as she leaned against a nearby wall. Daxter glared at Jak, and said man returned the look calmly.
"You two are my cheap entertainment," Ko chuckled, standing up straight. A large grin was implanted on her face. She placed her hands on her hips. "As much as I hate to say this, however, we need to get to work. I know, I know. Both of you are mentally groaning and saying, I'd rather deal with a drunken, angry Torn than work, but guess what?" She leaned in, a serious look on her face. "I've dealt with it once or twice, and work is much more appealing than dealing with that again." Ko grinned cheekily, pulling back.
Daxter pattered forward, observing the maps while Ko babbled on about how amazing her newfound plan was and that it would be a success without a doubt. He spotted various red circles in certain areas of Haven City, and grew deeply confused. "Hey Bipolar Munchkin!" Ko glowered at him, both because of her nickname and because he interrupted her. "What's with all these circles? Torn would get piiiisssssed off at you if he saw you decided that his maps were a coloring book," Daxter said.
Ko's annoyed expression turned into one of pride as she clutched the maps to her chest, dancing around the room before stopping. She pointed a finger at them both, a mischievous look on her face. "This beautiful piece of art is the majestic work from this gorgeous brain!" she exclaimed, voice excited. Jak and Daxter shared a look, both declaring that she was insane. "It's my plan!"
"And let's hear how craptastic it's gonna turn out to be," Daxter muttered, rolling his eyes. Ko immediately flipped him off, placing the maps back on the table.
"So, I'll get on a zoomer and zoom on in to the Freedom League HQ, give 'em a little surprise and book it! Then, you two will sneak into the HQ, rescue Torn, and possibly Ashelin if she's not trying to kill me at that point, and then book it back to this awesome place! There's some medical supplies in that closet over there," the eighteen year old gestured towards a closet near the back of the room, "because I have the feeling that he'll definitely be needing it. Oh, and if you do get Ashelin, knock her out and sedate her when she wakes up."
"What happens to you?" Jak asked, getting a look in the eye from Ko. He immediately spotted a distressed look in her eyes, but it disappeared in a heartbeat. She grinned, and Jak mentally facepalmed.
"Don't worry about good ol' me!" she happily cheered. "I got my crazy ninja moves if shiz hits the fan! No one can compete with that!" She performed a kick in the air, and punched the air at the same time, but a painful sounding crack came from her leg almost immediately. Ko's face immediately scrunched up, and she was suddenly on the ground, clutching her leg to her chest while rolling around.
Jak and Daxter shared another look, sighing simultaneously. Ko's head eventually popped up over the table, a normal expression replacing the earlier pained one. "There's some breakfast bars over in that cabinet. I suggest that you eat one since we're heading out in a minute."
Both of them shot her an incredulous look, in which she responded with a sheepish grin. The two of them quickly rushed over to the cabinet, grabbing a breakfast bar or two, and gulped it down in record speed. Meanwhile, Ko was staring down at the maps, sipping some coffee as she put her mind to work. If I do this…there's a chance of…nah, that's not possible. But…what if the Eco acts up? I can't allow that to happen. I suppose that if the Tainted Eco does act up, I'll have to remind myself that I'm just hallucinating and that it's not happening. Then again…what about Mai?
Ko sighed, stretching. "Actually putting whatever you have inside your head to work?" Daxter asked, hopping back up on the table. Ko shot him a glare, before releasing loud, long yawn. She took another sip of coffee before shaking her head, straightening.
"Alright, you guys ready?" she asked. The other two nodded, but before they could make it to the stairs, Ko was calling out, "I think that if you like living, you should take and use this." Jak turned around just in time to catch a Morph Gun, already having all four mods attached to it. He smirked deviously, gathering a few chuckles from Ko. "Good luck guys. Don't get captured or else I'll be seriously pissed."
"Wouldn't want that to happen since we'd have to deal with you since you'd have to come and retrieve us," Daxter replied, looking back at Ko as Jak walked up the stairs. He received the middle finger from Ko, rolling his eyes because of so.
When Jak and Daxter exited the HQ, Ko sighed, running a hand through her sandy blonde hair. She clenched her teeth. If this all goes to plan, they'll be able to rescue Torn. A fair trade, right? Ko thought, narrowing her eyes as she strolled up the stairs. "I just don't like the idea of dealing with Mai again…"
But the three of them knew that one of them would have to deal with Mai, possibly even Ashelin. And one person knew that they'd be dealing with at least one of the two.
Ko released another sigh, throwing her leg over the zoomer. She immediately switched hover zones, and spun around, zooming a few feet in front of her. The eighteen year old turned her head, and yelled out, "Wait till you see about an entire army zooming towards a certain somewhere okay? Then you attack!" Jak gave a quick nod, and spotted a solemn look appear on Ko's face. "Good luck! Oh, and if Mai spots you, do not let her touch you! Crap hits the fan ASAP!" She flashed a grin to cover up her grave look, but there was seriousness still in her eyes.
Ko turned the throttle, almost immediately entering New Haven. She spotted a few Freedom League guards and Metalheads on her way to the Freedom League HQ, causing her heart to thump in fear and excitement. Yet another sigh escaped Ko as she neared the HQ, her throat feeling unnatural and uncomfortable.
When her eyes met the skipping figure of Mai, however, a string of silent curses escaped her mouth as she pulled out a remote control. Mai stopped eventually, staring up at her with a confused yet gleeful look. Ko grinned cockily, finger nearing the button. "Happy birthday, beotch."
With that, a string of explosions veiled New Haven. Ko would've found it amazing if it wasn't for the throbbing and aching in her left shoulder. She spun around on the zoomer, turning the throttle to its max. Sirens immediately blared, and the voices of Freedom League guards and clicks from Metalheads came to Ko's ears. Of course, she realized that she didn't know where to go in order to escape them, gathering more curses. The now loud sounds of gunshots and sirens informed her that she had to get thinking. The throbbing in her left shoulder and her rapid breathing proved to make thinking difficult, and she found herself slouching over the handlebars. Her hands began to tremble, her pupils dilating and sweat pouring down her face.
Ko realized, about two hundred feet away from the Freedom League HQ now, that she was being enveloped in Tainted Eco.
Fast.
Welp, there it is! ^_^ I hope that you enjoyed it! I finally got a nice, long chapter done! I originally planned to have this chapter super, duper short (cause I'm lazy) but then I said, "I'm not gonna screw over my readers like that!" and got to work on it. Overall, I'm happy with this chapter. Some motives and plans are finally being set, and Ko's character development is finally beginning (I think that her development is beginning...I still have to finish my storyline outline).
Sorry about my rambling. Go ahead and leave a review. It'd make my day! Have a great day/week! ^_^
