Soaring
First Arc: Act Eleven
Time had passed, too much time in fact. The long silence and lack of activity in the tower caused Jak's stomach to toss and turn. By this time, Daxter had long left Jak's shoulder and had placed himself on the cold ground. He laid there, one arm extended toward the ceiling. Daxter spoke aloud as he counted the tiles on the ceiling. He had far passed one hundred, Jak was sure he was making up numbers by now.
"What time do you think it is?" Jak asked.
A frustrated Daxter pushed his tiny torso up from the floor. He began to imitate rolling up his sleeve and looking at a watch. After a moment of silence, he turned at shot a glare at Jak.
"Gee, it's half-passed I DON'T KNOW!" He snapped.
"Hm," Jak muttered to himself, lifting his hand to his chin. "It's been more then ten minutes, I'm sure of that."
"Oh well." Daxter huffed before letting his lower torso fall back to the floor.
"It's odd," Jak continued to speak to himself, "I was sure we'd see one KG by now." Jak removed his hand from his face and turned his attention back to Daxter. "Something must be wrong."
"Oh Jak," Daxter lifted his left arm into the air and began to wave his hand up and down. "You worry too much!" He said in a calm tone. "So what we haven't seen a KG? You should be grateful!"
"Maybe…"
Could Daxter be right? Jak began to chew on his bottom lip as the thought processed in his mind. Perhaps he had his guard up too often. Perhaps he had lived on the edge for so long he could only assume the worst. Things were different now, weren't they? It was time to lighten up, live and turn his life around for the better.
"WHAT WAS THAT?"
Jak jerked out of his thoughts and turned to see Daxter, now standing, with a look of horror on his face. Jak was quick to act, pushing himself from the wall and reached behind his back to touch his Scatter gun. He ripped the gun out from behind him and lifted it to chest-level.
"What did you hear?" Jak asked in a harsh hush.
"Listen." Daxter said, as he cupped his ear with his paw.
Jak lowered his head and allowed his ears to twitch in the cold breeze. He was listening harder then he ever tried before. Anything, any little noise could result in danger, he had to be on his toes. Jak then shut his eyes in an effort to clear his mind of any thought. He needed to just listen. Then, out of the blue, there it was. Tap, tap, tap. Footsteps. Jak's eyes snapped open and he gathered himself. Someone or something was coming.
Jak looked down to Daxter, releasing one hand from his gun, and placed his index finger to his lips. He then made a low 'hushing' sound before returning his hand to his gun. Daxter gulped before scurrying behind Jak's leg. Jak then began to take very slow steps forward, toward the sound. He pressed his back against the wall as he scooted down the long hall until he came to a corner. He waited at the corner, his gun lifted and ready for use.
The taps started to become louder and faster, it was coming closer. Jak clenched his jaw and prepared himself for battle. He gripped the handle on his gun; his hands become sweaty with anticipation. Tap, tap, tap. It was right around the corner. Jak inhaled a deep, silent, breath through his mouth before tightening all his muscles. It was time to face whatever was around that corner. With one swift movement, Jak jumped out from his secure hiding place with his gun lifted.
"Don't shoot!"
Jak froze. He could feel his eyes widen at the sight in front of him. Standing before him, with both hands raised in defense, stood Kat. Her pink hair still swaying from the sudden jump Jak had made. She had a look of terror on her face that Jak couldn't describe.
"Kat?" Jak asked, feeling his muscles relax.
"KAT?" Daxter's jaw dropped open with shock.
"I didn't mean to scare you!" Kat managed to speak, "I was just…"
"That was a close one, sister!" Daxter spoke, removing himself from his hiding spot behind Jak's leg. "You need to be more careful!"
"I thought you were with Vin." Jak asked, lowering his gun.
"Well, I was." Kat let her arms drop to her sides. "But I wanted to…to…well…"
"WELL?" Daxter huffed with a glare directed toward Kat.
Kat ducked her head between her shoulders. Jak watched as a deep red color began to spread across her cheeks. She lifted her right hand into the air and placed it behind her head. She began to scratch at her scalp and muttered to herself. Her long black tail snaked its way in front of her body, its end twitching and quivering.
"I uh…"
"Listen," Jak removed his right hand from his gun and placed it on Kat's shoulder. "What matters is that you're here now."
Kat's eyes widened as she watched Jak's hand as it was placed on her shoulder. He could almost feel the heat radiating off her face, what was wrong with her? Was she sick or something? She stood, silent and stared at his lone hand.
"Did Vin get out all right?" He asked with a cock of his brow.
Silence.
"HEY!"
Kat jumped. She returned her stare to the two boys in front of her. She looked down to see Daxter standing on the floor with his tiny orange arms crossed over his chest. He was tapping his right foot on the floor as he glared at her.
"W-what?" Kat stuttered. "I'm sorry I didn't hear you."
"I said," Jak spoke as he released his hand from her shoulder. "Did Vin get out all right?"
"Oh!" Kat straightened out her back. "Yes!" She then began to release a set of nervous giggles.
"Hey, are you okay you know…in the HEAD?" Daxter asked, his voice strained.
"I'm fine," Kat moved her hand to her cheek as the train of giggles continued. "My head is elsewhere. You know, Torn says I can't chew gum and walk at the same time."
"I'd believe it." Daxter said with a roll of his eyes.
"Speaking of which," Kat continued, removing her hand from her warm cheek. "Where is Torn? He told me that he was coming with you two."
Jak turned his head to one side and peered over his left shoulder. "He said he was going down to the lower garage to disable the Hellcat cars." Jak paused for a moment before speaking again. "But it's been awhile."
"Oh," Kat's eyebrows dipped downward to accompany her frown. "I hope he's all right."
"Don't worry." Jak returned his glance to Kat, one hand lifted to calm her. "He can take care of himself."
"Still…"
The room quickly fell into silence. Jak hummed to himself before crossing his arms over his chest. He kept his head turned to the side, watching the hallway behind him. Kat slouched over and began to yawn. Upon hearing her make any sort of sound, Jak shifted his eyes back to look at her. He younger female had both eyes shut and her hand over her open mouth. Why was she so intriguing, even when performing the simplest tasks? It was something he hadn't felt before, something he couldn't put a name to. She was so familiar; her looks, her mannerisms and scent and yet she was such a stranger. It was if he could predict her every move before she made it. Where had they met before?
"What's your connection with Torn anyway?"
Jak was broken from his thought process by the sound of Daxter's voice. He moved his chin to face forward and watch the small Ottsel. Daxter had both arms still crossed over his chest, clearly ready for questioning.
"Me?" Kat asked, with her index finger pointed at her chest.
"No, no," Daxter shook his head back and forth, "I was talking to the Precursors, YES YOU!" He shouted, releasing his crossed arms from his chest.
"We're…" Kat muttered to herself.
"Wait," Daxter began with one hand lifted in the air. "I've got a better question!" He replied with a snap of his orange fingers. "How the HELL did you get here in the first place?"
"I told you!" Kat snapped, both hands now gripped into fists. "I'm not telling you anything until you meet the Shadow!"
"Oh come on." Daxter waved both of his hands downward. "Who KNOWS when old grumpy is gonna let us meet the Shadow! Can't you tell us anything?"
Kat puffed both of her cheeks up with air. Her eyebrows dipped downward on her face as she glared at the smaller, orange Ottsel. She released a small 'hmph' from her closed lips before throwing her arms over her bust. She then proceeded to turn the other way, refusing to look either boy in the face.
Jak narrowed his field of vision at the young female. There were a few questions he would like her to answer. He had waited long enough; he deserved some kind of explanation. After all the shit Torn had put him through, running here and doing that, he needed something from her.
"Have you done that before?"
Kat felt her eyebrows arch and her eyes widen. She looked over her shoulder, her eyes landing on Jak. He was looking back at her, his face free of any anger. She slowly began to unfold her arms from her chest, letting them fall to her sides. Her eyes remained on Jak as her lips began to part.
"Done what?"
Jak felt a smile pulling at lips. "Sing in front of a group of people, like that."
Kat paused for a moment as blood began to rush to her cheeks. "Why?"
"You're good at it."
She arched her back before lifting both hands to her cheeks. She released a small gasp as her hands slapped against her face. Her cheeks burned hotter then ever before, he was sure that she'd explode at any moment. "Y-yes." She managed to speak. "I have."
"Has Vin ever done anything like that before? He seemed like he knew what he was doing." Jak asked as the smile on his face continued to grow.
"We both have." Kat turned to one side in an attempt to further hide her blushing face. "When I first arrived in Haven, I performed. Vin helped."
"Ah, I see." Daxter took a few steps forward while nodding his head. "Was that BEFORE or AFTER you stole the Green Eco from our island?"
"After."
Kat froze. She let her mouth drop wide open before jerking her body backward to face Jak and Daxter. Had she really said what he though she just said? No, there was no way she could have spilled the beans so easily. What was wrong with her? Could his pervious compliment distracted her that much?
Kat's eyes landed on Jak first. The older male moved his lips to the right side of his face then shifted his weight to his right leg. His arms remained crossed over his chest. He cocked a single thick brow, completing his stance. Kat let her eyes fall down to Daxter the small Ottsel shot her an 'I told you so' look that made her wince in fear.
"I knew it!" Daxter announced. "What gives, girl?"
The playful grin on Jak's face began fade. "Why would you do something like that?"
"Then to LIE about it!" Daxter hissed before pouting.
Kat gulped aloud before shrinking between her shoulders. She lifted both hands to chest-level before playing with her fingers. A deep blush of embarrassment flashed on her cheeks as she muttered to herself. Her tail dropped from the air, and sunk behind her back in shame.
"Nothing you could ever do could be that bad…all right?"
His words from back then echoed through his mind. He was so forgiving back then, could he be that way now? After all that had happened and after now finding out about her true intentions? He wasn't sure he could, he'd been through too much pain. But why did he want to forgive her?
"I had to do it."
The two boys felt their eyes widen as Kat began to speak. She tilted her head downward, her pink bangs hanging over and shadowing her eyes. She allowed her hands to fall from her chest and hang by her sides.
"I had to. I was on a mission, to bring back Eco from the past to help the future."
"How were you able to time travel?" Jak asked.
"What does it matter now?" Kat jerked her head upward and looked to Jak. "I failed in my mission and that's why I'm here." Kat then began to walk forward, passing Daxter first.
"Where are you going?" Jak pondered as Kat began to pass him by.
"I'm going to find Torn." She said in a simple tone.
"What?" Daxter turned around to face Kat. "Why are you so attached to him?"
"Listen," Kat turned back to the duo, a single hand raised. "Until the Baron is dead, I'm going to follow Torn." Kat's eyes shifted from the two boys, to the floor. "No matter what."
Jak opened his mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by the sound of a loud siren. Jak jerked, and straightened out his back. He tilted his chin to the sky and began to look at the flashing red lights on the ceiling. Daxter lifted both hands to his mouth in surprise and quickly turned to Jak for protection.
"Torn!" Kat squeaked.
"He must have tripped an alarm." Jak replied as he turned back to face Kat.
"I have to go get him!" Kat stared at Jak, with a look of urgency on her face.
"No," Jak walked toward Kat, his right lifted in aide to stall her. "We shouldn't separate."
"But-"
A sharp buzzing ripped through the air. Jak watched as the image of Kat's face changed. Her look of seriousness disappeared from her eyes. Her face drew a blank. Her eyes seemed to dull in life and her mouth dropped open. Before he could say another word, he watched as her body fell from the air. She was pushed off her feet and began to drop to the floor. He wanted to reach out but his limps were frozen, numb. A warmth in his right arm caused him to flinch. It was burning, stinging, aching. And before he knew it, he saw the world around him start to spin. He felt his head grow light as the tower around him swirled. His feet felt invisible as he too fell to the ground.
He hit the cold floor hard. He groaned after his back slammed against the concrete. As if on instinct, he reached out with right hand to grab at his left arm. He grunted as his fingers wrapped around his wet, warm arm. Taken back by the wet warmth on his arm, Jak turned his head around to see that his arm was dripping with blood. A laser bullet had hit his left arm.
Daxter released a squeal of fright before jumping to all fours. He ran toward Jak and began to tug at his shirt. It didn't take long for Daxter's eyes to fixate on the blood leaking from Jak's arm. He flinched on sight and began to hyperventilate.
"Jak? JAK?"
Jak shut his tight. He could hear his name being called but could do nothing about it. He wanted to speak, but the pain in his arm forced him to do otherwise. Why had this hurt so much? He had been through worse. Beyond and through all the pain, he managed to sit upright. His managed to flicker open to see Kat before him. The young female was on the ground, belly down, moaning. His eyes shifted down to her belly to see a small pool of blood beginning to form. She withered under her pain, moving her right hand over her wound. After a moment of heavy breathing and groaning, she became silent.
"Jak! I'm going to find help!"
Jak turned his head to one side to see that Daxter had begun to flee the scene. Jak grunted, it was even painful to breathe. He felt the weight of his body give out and he toppled backward, his head hitting the floor beneath him. This was the last thing he needed.
XoXoX
Out of the darkness a set of footsteps echoed through the halls. Erol walked toward the two fallen Underground members with a satisfied smile equipped on his face. He first walked toward Jak, where his smile turned into a frown. His curled his lip at the sight of Jak and as he stepped toward him, began to nudge him with the toe of his shoe. He gave him a small bump first, to ensure he was knocked out then gave him a hard kick to the side. Oh how he enjoyed seeing his prey lay lifeless beneath his feet. And this was no ordinary prey; this was Jak, the failed Dark Warrior. It was taking all of him not to kill Jak, as he lay defenseless on the ground.
"Too bad I didn't come here for you." He said amongst the eerie silence. "I didn't expect to find two freaks here." Erol then looked over his shoulder to see the fallen female. "I guess freaks travel in packs, isn't that right Jak?"
Erol let out a small growl before giving Jak a final hard kick to the side. Upon contact, Jak's motionless body was pushed to one side, his face falling to his right. How disgusting he looked there. A failed attempt to make the perfect warrior; it wasn't only revolting, it was pathetic.
"Either way, I'm going to leave you here to rot." He spoke to an unconscious Jak just before walking away from the blond.
Erol then stepped over to the wounded girl. He watched as the blood pool spread out on the floor. He then knelt by her side and moved his hand toward her. He pushed back the stray pink hairs covering her face and placed his hand on her forehead. She was still warm. His hand then moved from her face down to the ear on the side of her head. He ran his gloved fingers over the black hair covering her mongrel ears.
"I'm gonna make good money for this catch." He muttered to himself.
He shifted his hand from her ear to her side. With one single push, he shoved Kat over to her side. She lay, back flat on the floor, facing upward. Without any hesitation he moved his hand over her stomach and began to pull up her top to reveal a small bullet wound. It wasn't bleeding nearly as much as he thought.
With a small grunt, Erol pushed himself from his kneeling position and stood up straight. He glared down at Kat for one silent moment. He then reached down to her and plucked her from the floor. He carelessly threw Kat over his shoulder and began to leave the building, leaving Jak on his own.
Act End.
