BD: Ho-ah! And there you have it. Noooow… we're edging close to Keira's appearance, my luffs. X3 Then it's down hill from there… though… Xx; I'm only a fourth through the Script. Ah well, I shall proceed and see what else I can milk from my muse before she goes dry.
Disclaimer: Refer to Chapter Eight. D:
Chapter Nine
"Well, that's two gold medals in the bag. You ready for the real deal, Dax?" Jak asked the ottsel as he held up the two medals. The ottsel sighed and shook his head as he laid his ears against his head.
"I wasn't even ready for those races… How much longer until the race?" Jak pushed his bedroom door open, and then looked up at the clock before replying. "I'd say a good hour." Daxter hopped off of Jak's shoulder and onto their bed before he crawled over to the nearest pillow and lied down. "Well, I'm taking a nap."
Jak folded his arms over his chest, and then smiled at the ottsel. "Just be sure to wake up when I tell you to." Daxter waved his paw lazily at Jak before nuzzling his head against the pillow. Jak shook his head, and then left the bedroom only to meet Ark, who was leaning against the wall outside the room. The blonde looked his brother up and down before frowning and walking away. Ark quickly pushed himself off the wall as he followed Jak.
"Look, Mar, I'm sorry for not tellin' you sooner," Ark said as he tried to keep up with Jak. The blonde stopped, then turned around before glaring up at his brother (Jak's so short it's cute XD).
"Just so you know I'm tired of every part of my life being a secret. Right about now, I'm sick of surprises!" Jak yelled before continuing on his way down the hall. Ark rubbed his neck, and then quickly followed after his brother.
"Look, you weren't supposed to know about me, anyway!" Jak halted in his steps once again, then turned to Ark. He glared at him suspiciously. "And why not? Hell, I didn't even know Damas was my father until he died." Ark rubbed the back of his head and looked down for a moment before he lifted his head and smiled at Jak, throwing his arm around his shoulders.
"Like a good big brother, I'mma treat you to a drink or two at the Bloody Hook, all righ'?" the older sibling suggested, giving his brother a light shake. Jak shoved Ark's arm off of him. "I don't drink."
"C'mon, Mar, I promise I won't get ya drunk—I know ya gotta race!" Jak sighed and shrugged. "Fine, whatever." Ark grinned and gave the blonde a hard slap on the back. "That's the way to do it!" The two then headed for the Bloody Hook.
Jak tapped his fingers against the beer mug as he stared down at the frothy drink. Ark chugged down his beer, and then watched Jak for a bit before laughing lightly. "I'm guessin' you ain't drinkin' that?" The blonde shrugged, and then pushed the mug over to his brother. Ark shrugged as well before taking the beer and drinking it. Once it was gone, he took out a cigar and lit it.
"So, tell me what you wanna know," Ark said before taking a smoke. Jak stared down at his hands as he tapped his thumbs against the bar counter.
"Anything. Especially why I wasn't supposed to know about you." Ark held the cigar between his fingers as he scratched the side of his head. Jak then looked up at the man: there was no lie—Ark was truly his brother. They both shared the same facial features and even the same build. The only difference was that Ark was taller and his eyes were a soft shade of blue-purple like Damas's were. Jak guessed that he inherited his blonde hair and blue eyes from his mother. Ark tapped his cigar against the table, and then put it in his mouth, biting down on it.
"Well, Mar—" Jak shook his head.
"Just call me Jak. You might round up some unwanted attention," the blonde said before lifting his hand to get the attention of the barmaid. "A soda." The maid nodded before Jak turned to his brother. "Continue."
"All righ'… I was disowned by Dad," Ark began before turning around to the bar counter. He removed the cigar from his mouth as streams of smoke escaped from either sides of his mouth. Jak thanked the maid for his drink, and then frowned at Ark. "Why would father disown you?" Ark laughed softly, and then looked up at his brother.
"He had every righ' to, I'll say that much," the older sibling said before sighing. "I betrayed 'im. Veger was apart of the Council even when Dad was in-charge of Haven City. So…" Ark signaled for another beer as he took another smoke and exhaled. "Using his great persuasive skills, ol' Veger managed to talk me into turnin' on Dad by basically killin' him so I could have the throne. Heh, that Veger…" Ark narrowed his eyes, and then slammed his fist on the table. "That two-timing S.O.B. goddamn turned on me! He tol' Dad about the whole conspiracy, while in the process subtractin' himself from the equation. Dad really didn't wanna exile me…" When the beer mug was placed in front of him, Ark grabbed onto it and rubbed his fingertips roughly against the glass. "But that damn Veger got the Council to do some crap that if Dad didn't consent, he'd be removed. With that pressure, I was forced into exile. With me gone, you were the new heir."
"So you were the original heir…" Jak said as he stared at his brother. Ark nodded slowly, and then drank the beer before shoving the glass aside. "Yeah. I ain't even allowed to set foot in Haven—most people'll probably remember me an' I'll be damned if I walk aroun' bein' remembered for things I did when I was only a kid." Angrily, Ark put the cigar back in his mouth and sat there for a while, inhaling the toxins before exhaling the smoke out of his nose. He then removed cigar and exhaled. "Anyway, I was stuck in the desert where I managed to join up with the Marauders. I stayed with them for a while until I got double-crossed by their leader for refusing to attack Spargus when Dad founded it. So once again, I became a lone wanderer until I met up with a bunch of guys who worked for Krew in the desert. Sig found me an' took my sorry ass to Ol' Yakky an' I been workin' for 'im ever since." Jak tapped his fingers against his mug as he stared down into his reflection.
"And I thought I had it bad." Ark laughed, and then patted Jak on the back before grabbing his shoulder and shaking it. "Bro, you always had it bad." Jak looked up, slightly annoyed, and then looked over at Ark. "And you know this how…?" Ark smirked as he then rubbed his chin and chuckled. "I still got sources in Haven. Jinx is one of 'em. We were good friends when I was a kid." The older brother stood up and got one last smoke from his cigar, before squishing the butt into an ash tray.
"Dark Eco Injections, banished from the city, your lil' girlfriend ran away an' Samos hates ya," Ark said before leaning in and whispering, "Ya killed Ol' Yakky… Just how do you plan on explainin' that one to Raynnie?" Jak shook his head and sighed.
"Hell if I know."
"Well, besta luck to ya," Ark said as he patted his brother on the back. Jak rolled his eyes, and then looked down at his drink.
"Yeah, because luck is such a good source of help, especially in my life." As he said this, the rest of the team entered the Bloody Hook before taking seats around the room. Daxter hopped up onto Jak's shoulder, and then smiled as he ruffled his best friend's head.
"Did Jakky have a good time bonding with his older brother?" the ottsel asked. Jak rolled his eyes, and then poked Daxter's side.
"I'm nineteen, not twelve, Dax. It's not like he's my new hero or something," Jak replied as he looked over at Ark, who was scratching the back of his head. The younger brother smiled at his sibling, causing Ark to grin before the television flipped on and everyone looked up at it. G.T. Blitz and Pecker were on screen.
"Once again, we bring you all the racing action as close as it gets!" G.T. said with his usual enthusiasm and over-cheesy grin. Pecker nodded, and then brought his feathered fingers together.
"Yes, indeedy. The winner here will move one step close to qualifying for the big championship race." G.T. chuckled at this, and then edged towards Pecker as he said, "But that step could be right off a cliff. UR-86 has never lost in this event before and the crowd is screaming for another mechanical mashing here today." The camera then cut to UR-86, which was merely standing there making its usual robotic motions.
"Look at '86's confidence, his poise, his game face is just rock solid!" the commissioner said. When the camera switched back to Pecker and G.T., the monkaw merely rolled his eyes before bluntly stating, "Yeah, well he's a robot. What do you expect?" Daxter drew his attention from the television, and then flopped onto the table.
"We're dead," the ottsel said as he lowered his head. Jak crackled his knuckles, and then proceeded with cracking his neck as Sig began talking.
"Watch yourself out there, Jak. He can really light up a track, both with his speed and his weapons." Jak rolled his shoulders back, and then smirked as he looked up at the television. "Let's melt this sucker." Sig grinned, and then patted Jak on the back.
"That's what I'm talking 'bout, cherry!" Daxter sighed, then jumped onto Jak's shoulder as Jak got off the bar stool. Ashelin, Torn, Rayn, and Sig left the Bloody Hook, leaving only the two heroes and Ark. Ark stood up, and then patted his brother's shoulder before grinning.
"You better not be talkin' crap. I expect to see you alive after this race," Ark said. Jak rolled his eyes, and then smirked at his brother before punching him in the shoulder.
"Trust me, I've got this. Time to show these people what true racing is." Jak then left, causing Ark to smile as he ordered another beer.
"Raynnie's fine on her own…" he said as he received the beer. He then chugged it down before slamming the mug onto the counter. "Good stuff! That Jak, hell, there's no lie—he's from the Mar Family."
After the final race of the First Grand Prix, Jak passed with flying colors, beating UR-86. As he entered the Bloody Hook, he received a view glares from those who had lost the bet and those who worked for Mizo. Jak took a seat at the bar as Ashelin and Torn and Daxter and Sig followed behind. Torn grabbed Jak's shoulder, then grinned at him. "Good job. Now just don't screw up with the next three big races." Jak smirked.
"You can count on that." Ark and Rayn were already sitting at the bar when Rayn stood up and approached Jak while smiling.
"Simply marvelous racing! You truly have a talent for this, I must say," she said, causing Ark to roll his eyes. He turned on his bar stool, and then leaned back against the counter. "Oh c'mon, it's in his genes. Hell, I'm ready to race!" Rayn released an exasperated sigh before going over to Ark and taking a seat next to him.
"You're not racing until I say you can. I still don't feel very safe with all this tension building between our team and that Mizo fellow's…" she said as she placed her hands in her lap. Ark smirked and lifted an arm to wrap around her shoulder but only received a death glare in return. Sig folded his arms over his chest, and then looked up as the television screen switched on. G.T. seemed a bit annoyed when the camera started rolling but he quickly covered it up with his usual large grin.
"That was a big win for the newcomer, my fine feathered friend," he said before chuckling and saying lowly, "We're gonna have to pay some attention to this boy." Pecker nodded, and then waved his hand, causing the camera to shift more in his direction.
"I've done some digging, G baby, and I've uncovered more information about the rumors of that big underworld bet—someone is manipulating the sport!" the monkaw said. The camera then switched to G.T., whose temper was slowly rising despite his "happy" appearance.
"You know… Ha ha ha…" That's when G.T. exploded. "I've been covering this sport for decades. Do you honestly think you can come onto my (BEEP)'n show and make me look like a (BEEP) fool! Well, (BEEP) you!" Pecker stared in awe at G.T. Blitz's barrage of anger before the monkaw flew off as G.T. leaned in to grab him. Missing, G.T. yelled, "(BEEEEEEP)!" before the technical difficulties screen switched on. Everyone stared at the television, stunned, until Daxter cleared his throat.
"Well, uh…" the ottsel began. Jak nodded slowly as he pulled his eyes away from the screen. "Yeah…" Sig shook his head, and then walked over to Jak.
"I almost forgot to tell ya, rookie," the man began, causing Jak to turn around. Sig folded his arms over his chest. "Seem told me she had a mechanic on the way here. The person's supposed to arrive here some time tomorrow." Jak's eyes widened and he smiled broadly.
"Do you know who it is?" he asked naively until he quickly cleared his throat, trying to put the bad ass persona back on. "I mean… Did Seem say anything about knowing this person? Male? Female?" Sig shook his head and shrugged.
"Seem told me it was a male, a little bit older than you. Actually, I know the guy—he's like a brother to me." Jak nodded, and then turned around before drumming his fingers on the counter.
"Yeah… well, that's… That's nice. It's good that we can finally have a mechanic," Jak said before forcing a smile. "That'll lessen the work around here so we can focus more on racing. Anyway, uh…" Jak glanced up at the clock before standing up. "I'm gonna go. See you guys in the morning." Daxter jumped onto Jak's shoulder as the blonde left. Rayn covered her mouth with her fingertips.
"I wonder what's bothering him all of a sudden…" she whispered to Ark. Ark did not say anything and merely nodded. Ashelin could only sigh.
"Well, so much for finding Keira," she said as she shook her head. Torn looked in Jak's direction. "Nothing's ever easy for that guy."
BD: And there you have it. I think I'm losing my drive. ; I'm thinking about abandoning the script in a bit and juts skipping to the end… Who knows? Anyway, I don't think this was my greatest chapter and I fear I'm going down hill from here…
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed. Reviews greatly appreciated… I'm so hungry… And trust me, I have waaay too much free time. Laughs sheepishly.