Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Jak and Daxter or the games, they rightfully belong to Naughty Dog. The characters that I do own are Mia and Lokie as well as Aeon, Yoma, Akatsu, Iori, Seraphim, and Tehanu but the Stalker, Centurian, Grunt, and Sling Blaster Metal Heads belong to their rightful creator. This is for entertainment purposes only.
I Don't Date Animals
Chapter 11 - Possession and Control
Maia was struggling against the rope that kept her tied, she was unable to remove the knot, "This accursed bitch!" Just as Jak stepped into the clearing, he watched as she was tied up, and Daxter had to bite his lip to keep from laughing out loud. The more Maia struggled the more the knot tightened and the more she grew frustrated. "I hate her! I hate her!" Jak couldn't help the grin on his face while Daxter sat on his shoulder, it was too funny to see the sage struggling with just some rope. As he stepped towards her, Maia didn't realize that he was there, so focused on the rope that she didn't hear anything around her. "I'll kill that bitch! One or another I'm going to get rid of her."
"Not if I stop you first," came his whisper. Maia stopped struggling only to find that strong arms wrapped around her body. She yelped in surprise, wanting to move to see who had captured her but the voice revealed who had hold of her. "I'm not going to let you destroy the one woman that I love."
"Love? Love is a fantasy, a myth! It doesn't exist."
"It does. Didn't you love your brother?" Maia fell silent, "I love Mia with everything I have in me and I'll do anything I can in my power to bring her back." The sage was still silent while he continued in a quiet voice, "You see Mia was the only one to see me as a person and not some monster. Here you are a monster and I'm a monster but she saw me as a person just as she sees you as a person. Mia has a gentle heart but she's strong and I love that about her. So if you're going to reside in her body give her some respect."
"Never."
"Fine." Jak freed his hands, wrapped a piece of cloth around her mouth, and untied the rope, he attached it to his waist, "You fly, I'll fly, and I guarantee that I'm stronger than you." Maia fumed silently behind the gag while he lead her out of the temple area. She still struggled against the ropes but it was futile, eventually she gave up until she could think of something else. "Don't even think about dark eco because I'll absorb it just as I'm siphoning off the small bits that you try to use on the ropes." Maia fumed once more and gave up, he turned around, and grinned to himself with Daxter whispering in his ear.
"Good job buddy! Great thinking on Mia's part. She was smart enough to realize that tying her up was a good idea and then wait for you. But where are you taking her?"
"To the temple in Spargus."
"Why?"
"They helped me realize my white eco abilities perhaps the oracle there can help her."
"It's a good idea. We haven't tried that yet."
"That's because it's hard to catch a flying sage."
Daxter bit his lip once more to keep from laughing while Jak grinned, "Buddy...you're hysterical!"
"I know."
They proceeded through the forest into the city and towards the docking area for Spargus, he boarded, tugged Maia on board, and took a seat while it flew off towards the desert city.
Jak was lead to the room where Sig was sitting there with Seraphim, the metal head looked at Maia tied up, and her blue eyes narrowed at her. "It's alright Seraphim, she can't do anything. I've been siphoning off her dark eco and she doesn't seem to be able to figure out how to untie this knot." Sig chortled laughter while he asked what he was doing there. "I've come to see Seem and the temple." Sig nodded and told him to do whatever he needed while Seraphim followed him. She kept her eyes on Maia who only groaned as the heat baked her ash colored skin.
He found the monk and Daxter told him what he wanted so that Maia wouldn't hear, the monk nodded, and lead them towards the temple. Jak entered, pulled Maia into it, Seraphim followed in while Daxter stayed on Jak's shoulder. Seem said, "Leave her alone. She needs to face her own fears." Maia grumbled behind the gag, Jak watched as Daxter and Seraphim left the room, he loosed the knot, and immediately ran out. The door closed behind him, leaving Maia in the temple room alone, she glanced around while removing the rope, and the gag.
"I'll kill him." Her crimson eyes wandered around the strange room, she sauntered from one end to the other wondering what it was that they wanted her to do in there. "Hm..." She tried to use her dark eco abilities but they were nulled out. "How is this possible?!" Immediately the sage ran up to the oracle statue that was sitting there. "I demand to know why my powers don't work here!" There was silence while she squinted at it, "The precursors were all morons." The moment that she turned her back, there was a loud booming voice in the room.
"The precursors are the ones who built the temple that you created the golem from."
She spun around, glaring at the talking statue, "How could you know that?!"
"You should worship the orange rodent as they are precursors."
"IMPOSSIBLE!"
"Completely true."
"You lie you wretched old statue!"
"SILENCE!" The voice echoed loudly around her, she covered her ears, and glared at the oracle, "You were sent here because you do not know your place. You should not be here."
"How do you know what's supposed to go on?"
"I am the Oracle. I see all, know all."
"How?"
"I am everywhere and nowhere but you seem to not notice those in front of you, Maia."
"How do you know my name?"
"I knew that you would return one day but I did not expect to see you in Mia's body. She is a kind person and you have tainted that." Maia smirked to show that she didn't really care about her host, "Without her you would not be here." Still the sage smirked and the oracle bellowed in anger, a blast of white eco shot towards her, and hit her square in the chest. Maia fell down on her back, gasping for breath, and glared at the statue. "You need to learn respect."
"What the hell was that?!"
"White eco."
"I know that!"
"You underestimate the power of white eco as you never studied it."
"There wasn't any to study!"
"Then why dark eco?" She was silent and the oracle chuckled, "You blindly followed your brother and became corrupted by the eco. It is a living being, all eco is, and can corrupt or save the person wielding it. You should have known before being consumed by its madness to cover the world in a blanket of darkness. A world where there would be no one but you." Maia was silent, "You cannot bring your brother back."
Maia screamed at the statue and began to launch dark eco spheres but the statue simply puffered them out with white eco. Eventually she flopped on her bottom, exhausted, and with no access to dark eco; she huffed. "I hate this..." The oracle was silent while Maia sat on the ground, she took in a breath then let it out, and puffed out her cheeks in the process. Her mind was turning back to the days when it was just her and her brother. "Why can't I bring him back?" There was silence from the giant statue, she grew angry, and gathered all of her dark eco reserves, she launched the largest sphere she could towards the statue while screaming at it. "GIVE ME BACK MY BROTHER!"
The oracle countered the dark eco with a glob of white eco that continued on towards her, she grew scared, and the glob surrounded her as it landed square on her body. She was thrown hard against the ground and fell unconscious while the precursor statue simply watched. Maia felt herself being pulled away from the body of her host, she screamed to have it back, but she could only feel how she was pulled into a vortex where the ending was not something she could predict.
The memories that flooded her mind were not hers, she noticed that they were her host's, and she watched them with fascination. The love that her host held for her brother was just like her own that she became more fascinated with her. The memories continued to flow and the more she saw, the more that Maia felt her own loss but nothing prepared her for what happened next, Mia's eyesight vanished, and Maia wrapped her arms around herself. The darkness she was used to but not this kind, not the kind where she couldn't see any thing but only hear. The late sage kept hearing voices, indeterminate voices, sounds that she thought she recognized, but it was all so maddening to her. Maia screamed out, clamped her hands over her ears, fell to her knees, and continued to scream.
Her lower lip trembled but she felt hands on her shoulders, she glanced up to see her host standing there, she shoved her away, but Mia took a seat next to the fallen sage, she whispered, "Just close your eyes and listen." Maia stopped screaming, closed her eyes, and listened to the sounds in the memories. "See? It's not as scary as you think it is."
"Why are you king to me?"
"You're misunderstood but you're also like me."
"I'm nothing like you! You're weak!"
"Am I?" There was silence, "I loved my brother as much, if not more, than you did."
"Ridiculous, no one could have loved their sibling more than I."
"I beg to differ." Maia looked over at her host who was smiling, "You see, I was left with no one but my brother, just like you. He was my everything, he took care of me, raised me, and never left my side. I loved him very much just as you did and I even followed him into the rebellion just like you followed your brother into dark eco study." Maia was silent as she listened to her host, "But he was taken from me just like yours. So I think that is what allowed you to surface. We both lost our brothers, unable to bring them back no matter how much power we had or what we were willing to sacrifice. It just doesn't work like that. Death is permanent, we cannot bring back those we lost, we can only remember them in our hearts." The sage glanced over at her host, she noticed that she was just staring off into the distance, "I'm stronger than you. I could have crushed you or assimilated you in an instant but I didn't."
"Why?"
"I wanted to get to know you."
"I hate you."
"That may be true but I still wanted to know you and this is a good way to find out who you really are Maia." The sage gasped as she turned her pale lilac eyes onto her, "I can't see you. I never have and I won't ever be able to. But you did allow me to see my children, when you took over my body, the world burst to life with color. Things I wouldn't be able to have ever seen again if not for you, so, in a sense I let you take over because I wanted to see my children and Jak. Perhaps that was selfish of me because you didn't understand what I wanted."
Maia sighed, "Who are you?"
"I'm Mia. Nice to meet you."
Maia cracked a half smirk, "Your very name is an anagram of mine. You really are interesting. I can see why Jak loves you."
"I'm not interesting, I just have a heart to see people as they are. Jak's not a monster nor are you. You did what you did because you wanted your brother to be happy, there's no wrong in that."
"How can you say that? I was going to destroy Haven City."
"So? You thought you could bring back your brother just as I thought I could too at one point but I realized that you can't bring back those who are gone. You just can't."
Maia nodded, "What happened to your brother?" Mia only pointed to the memories that were able to flash to life, Maia cringed at what her brother had looked like with pulsing veins of red eco until those images faded and they were only left with sounds. Maia closed her eyes to try and imagine what was going on, when it finally ended, she bit her lower lip. "I see. So that is where your power to call me here came from. I don't blame you. I felt the same way when he locked my brother and I into that vat of dark eco but I had the foresight to put my energy into a precursor artifact. I wasn't sure if it would work so I didn't tell my brother."
"It's alright. What are you going to do now Maia?"
The sage sighed, "The only thing that I can do."
"What's that?" Maia smirked as she embraced her host, their two bodies were flooded with white eco, and the pair left those memories together. Eyes fluttered open, they were staring up at an unfamiliar ceiling, she felt odd, and as she sat up she could feel her bones ache. The woman rubbed her head, she felt as if she had been hit by a Metal-saur but she took her time until that booming voice asked how she felt. She covered her ears as her head pounded, "I feel like I've been run over by a Metal-saur." The voice bellowed laughter while she only grimaced. "You're being very loud but thank you."
"You are well Mia and I see that Maia has given you a gift."
"A gift?"
"Look upon me child." Mia looked up to see the oracle, she blinked a few times, and gasped, "That is correct. Maia has assimilated into your system but not before giving you a gift. You truly touched the sage of Dark Eco and now you have her ability but do not let it consume you."
"I won't but...how can she give me my sight?"
"I cannot answer but be grateful."
"You don't have to tell me to be grateful. I can only do one thing in return for her kindness." The oracle asked her what it was, "I cannot answer that." The oracle bellowed more laughter which made her wince but she still smiled up at him. She got to her feet, Mia could tell that she was unsteady, and in the quiet room her stomach growled. This made the oracle laugh even more, "I suppose I'm hungry. Maybe someone outside will have food." The oracle used his powers to open the door that kept her separated from the others.
"Mia." She looked over her shoulder at the statue, "You are very kind hearted. You gave the sage the one thing that no one could have given her." When she tilted her head, he replied, "You gave her empathy. Maia felt that no one would be able to feel what she had gone through but you did. You and she are one and the same; you're lives may have been different but you still showed her empathy and that is the reason she gave you our sight."
"I know. I will always remember her because she was kind too." Mia left the room after thanking the oracle once more. Her footsteps crunched on the packed sand, she noticed that there were three figures, and an ottsel waiting for her. Seraphim immediately ran up to her even though the monk and the hero told her to be careful. Mia embraced the female metal head, the Slinger rubbed her face on her cheek while Mia returned the gesture. Jak and Seem watched closely, Mia opened her eyes, and the magenta irises held a twinkle in them as she looked at Seraphim. "You're beautiful Seraphim." The two males looked at one another before taking a few steps towards her. Her irises looked up, "Hello Jak, Daxter." Her eyes locked onto the monk, "You must be Seem. It's nice to see you."
Jak cracked a smile at the word usage while she walked with Seraphim to close the distance, "She has been healed." They looked at the white Sling Blaster, her voice was soft, comforting, like rain falling on metal. "Maia has given sight when there was none." Mia nodded, "This is good. The sage has found someone who can understand her loss, yes?"
"Correct. I was able to meet Maia and I am glad that I did, she's not a horrible person. She loved her brother the same as I loved mine. We both lost our worlds and that is what drew her spirit from the precursor artifact in the mountain temple to me." Jak nodded while she continued, "I will always be grateful to the late sage, she gave me my sight. I can see once more and I can't express how much I owe her."
"It is alright Mia. She knows." Mia nodded while Seraphim smiled and watched as the woman embraced Jak with Daxter on his shoulder. The orange ottsel gave a thumbs up to Seraphim, who responded the same way. "The family is whole now but I can sense that you have something you want to do Mia." She nodded, "Can you share?"
"Not at the moment. I have only one way of honoring Maia but it's going to have to wait until the proper time." The metal head nodded while everyone walked back to the city, "I'm hungry. I hope there's food." Jak laughed while Daxter hitched a ride on Mia's shoulders since she had never seen him before.
-::::::-
When they returned to Haven City a few days later, Yoma was the first to run up to his mother, she hugged him, followed by Akatsu, and then Iori. She smiled at all of them, happy to be home with them, and her magenta eyes landed on Aeon. He was awestruck that she could see him but he gave a lopsided grin, "It's good to see you Aeon."
"Yeah, you too."
"How's Ryker?"
"Not hatched yet."
"It will take some more time. You must have a lot of energy for him!"
Aeon chuckled, "I hope so!"
There was another voice in the Naughty Ottsel, "It's good that you've returned." Mia looked at the strange wastelander, "I'm Tehanu."
"I've heard of you."
"And I you." Mia smiled while Tehanu nodded, "I know that you will work to be a sage of Dark Eco but tread carefully."
"I know. Maia's given me a gift and I will not forsake it. I have everything that I want and I won't let her memory go in vain."
"You are truly kind hearted Mia."
"Thank you Tehanu." She nodded while Aeon furtively glanced at her, Mia nudged him, and he shook his head. Mia whispered to the ex-Freedom Fighter, "She'll be better than Keira, of that I can be certain." He shrugged which made her smile, "In time." He nodded while holding his egg on his lap and stroking it, "Ryker really likes you."
"How can you tell?"
"His egg is shivering. I do believe that he'll be very loyal to you because you saved his life."
"That's good. I don't want him to be afraid of me. It must be strange but I've gotten used to talking to him. At first it felt silly but then it became normal. I kept reading the notes I have of your life so far with grown metal heads and they fascinated me so I thought I'd share them with Ryker. He seemed to like it too so I began to read the first book to him."
"Oh how sweet!" Aeon nodded while Tehanu listened to the male speak with Mia about how Ryker was always shivering when he spoke. "It seems that Ryker truly does love you. Yoma's egg was the same way when I spoke to him." Yoma glanced around which made Mia laugh, he grinned while Iori sat close to Mia on the floor, guarding her. "Iori won't part with me because Akatsu and his eggs were also the same. Always shivering when I spoke to them or sang them to sleep. Do you do that with Ryker?"
"Of course! I consider him...well..."
"A son?"
Tehanu watched Aeon while he nodded bashfully, "You are a good teacher Mia." The woman with magenta eyes smiled and thanked her while Aeon glanced over his shoulder at Tehanu. She was smiling at him, "Aeon?" He kept staring at her, "When Ryker hatches would you like to scour the wasteland with me for an egg?" Aeon looked at Mia who winked at him and turned back to Tehanu and nodded. "That's wonderful. Just let me know when he hatches and we can set a date. Ryker can come too."
"I wasn't going to leave him out. He goes where I go especially now that Haven City is more welcoming of Metal Heads but that's only when they're accompanied by humans. So if I need to go anywhere that's too dangerous then I'll leave him with Mia." He turned to her, "If that's alright."
"Of course it is. I don't mind having a Metal Head Daycare at the forest, it's the perfect place for them anyway." Aeon grinned and stated that she should open one, "That's not a bad idea! I've already got a little group there and there's so much space but I'll have to ask Jak." On cue the male wrapped his arms around her shoulders, Iori was happy that Jak had returned from whatever it was that he was doing for Ashlin.
"I don't mind. It'd be good for Iori!" The Grunt growled in joy, Mia thanked him but he replied, "It's your home too. Do what you want but little Iori needs to back off on the tea!" Mia laughed while Iori grunted something that made Akatsu and Yoma stare at him. Jak looked at the brothers and asked, "What did he say?" Iori grunted once more and they both looked at one another before turning to Jak.
In unison they said, "We cannot say."
Mia stared at them but she smiled, "They can have secrets too. That's what siblings do, they keep secrets from their parents." The brothers nodded in unison while Iori returned to guarding his mother and his secret that no one seemed to understand. Mia stroked his head, he purred, "You're a good boy Iori. When we get home I'll make a big pot of that tea you keep bringing me." He growled happily while she continued to stroke his head and Jak took a seat at the counter to drink a pint. She watched as Tehanu took a seat next to Aeon to speak to him about how he found the egg and how he came to be Mia's helper. She smiled and continued to stroke her green Grunt, Iori loved the attention, he couldn't get enough of it until the doors opened and Keira popped in. Immediately Iori stood up on his full height and growled deeply at her. Yoma and Akatsu were going to jump across the counter at her but Mia stated, "It's alright."
"So you're still alive."
"I'm still breathing."
"That's a shame."
"You can try what you want but you won't win."
"Why's that?" Mia stared straight into her eyes, "How can you see?!"
"Maia gave me a gift of more than just sight." Keira gulped when Mia formed a floating dark eco sphere in the air followed by three more, they simple floated there, like small flames. "This is her other gift. Just as she was a sage of Dark Eco so will I become. You should learn Green Eco if you want to help, you father is a sage after all."
"Whatever."
"Are you going to pursue this matter further?"
Keira sighed, "If I haven't been able to get rid of you yet then what's the point in continuing? You're like a thorn in my side."
"Good. You'll always know that you can't get rid of me." Keira was going to turn away but Mia added, "If you try to harm my children again..." A sphere appeared in front of her, it was shaped into a rigid Metal-saur's face, "I have more tricks than you can imagine with dark eco." It dissipated as her face paled and Mia returned to stroking Iori so that he would calm down.
"Don't worry. I won't go near you or your family again."
"That's all I ever wanted." The bar returned to normal after that and Mia said her farewells while Jak asked if he should go with her. "No, it's alright. I'll go home and rest, Iori will be with me." He nodded while he gave her a kiss farewell, she parted ways with Tehanu and Aeon as well her sons. She exited the bar, she took a deep breath of the air, and Iori looked up at her. She smiled at him, "Let's go have some tea shall we?" He barked and followed happily by her side as they took the familiar path to the forest fortress.
-::::::-
Sunlight drifted over closed lids, they fluttered open, magenta irises came into contact with those familiar glowing green eyes, a tongue lolled out, and began licking her face. She laughed while she sat up and rolled around with the green grunt. "You cute little boy!" Mia hugged Iori, she nuzzled his neck, and he reciprocated the gesture. "You're always with me. Why?" He simply sat there and had his tongue hanging out of his mouth, "I wish I could understand you but I can't. I was able to understand Dark Jak and Yoma but not you. I wonder why." She could see a twinkle in those glowing green eyes of his and she smiled, "Well as long as your brothers can understand you. Now let's go have some tea. You have leaves for me?" He barked ran off and returned shortly later with some new flowers, "These are new." She touched the petals, he shook his head, when she touched the leaves, he nodded. "Alright tea from the leaves then." He barked happily and trotted behind her inside the house while she made placed the leaves in the water so that they could steep.
Night fell upon the forest, there were quiet sounds in the night, she was sitting on the lawn with her tea in hand, sipping it. Magenta orbs stared up at the sky, the stars were bright, and Jak joined her, he looked up at the sky with her. "It's beautiful."
"Yeah."
"You've been out here every night."
"I know."
"You're always outside or inside or doing something."
"I won't let this go to waste. You never know when it will be gone and I do it for Lokie too."
Jak smiled, "You still miss him."
"Always. It's been almost a year."
"Yeah." They were silent as she sipped her tea, "Is that new?"
"Uh-huh."
"Iori knows something doesn't he?"
"Doesn't he always know something that we don't?"
Jak chuckled, "True." They looked up at the sky together, he noticed that the garden she created had blossomed as well as her group, and her Metal Head Daycare. "You enjoy it here?"
"Of course I do."
"Good."
"Why do you ask?"
"Well...it's just that I think it might be a little cramped now."
"What makes you say that?"
"The Band of Brothers back inside have been busy building an extra wing."
"Really?" He nodded, "Have you seen it?"
"No. They won't let me look."
"Huh...interesting."
"Yoma told me once that when they're ready, they'll come and tell us."
"I wonder what it could be."
"Me too. The suspense is almost too much." She chuckled while Jak got up, he helped her up, and the pair headed inside only to be stopped by Iori. He barked at them and they followed him through the house while she still sipped her tea that she had made. "I guess we're going to find out what's behind this door." Mia chuckled and nodded, Iori ran into the room, and the pair stopped in their tracks while Akatsu and Yoma finished moving some furniture around.
"What you think?" asked the blue Stalker.
"You like it?" questioned the red Centurian. And the green grunt barked happily while Mia looked around, she entered, and smiled at everything they had done. They could see that Mia was pleased with the new room, there was two of everything, two bureaus, two beds, two cribs, two bathrooms, and everything was carved out of wood.
"It's all so beautiful!"
"I agree but why two of everything?"
Iori barked and Akatsu and Yoma both grinned. The red Centurian stated, "Iori says that we can tell you his secret now."
Yoma nodded, "He say that you need two of everything."
"But why?" asked Jak again.
"Because mother needs to eat for three." Jak glanced at her, she was shocked but held onto her cup, she sipped it, and Iori rubbed against her leg. She smiled down at him, "Iori always knew when it was time. He brought you different leaves to help with nutrition. He may not be able to speak but he always knows how you are feeling mother."
"How?" she asked.
The blue Stalker smiled, "Iori special Grunt. He have special connection to you through egg."
"I did nothing different than with yours."
"Not true. Iori egg fused with green eco. He healed you whenever you hurt yourself, healed you so quickly, you never knew. When you cut finger once, blood fell onto egg, and he absorb."
This time Akatsu finished, "Because he absorbed your blood, he has a special connection with you. He's only a Grunt and unable to learn to speak but he knows how you feel better than you do sometimes."
Mia stroked his head, "That explains why you're always cheering me up when I'm down." He nodded and barked happily, "The three of you, thank you so much!" She could feel tears at her eyes, her three Metal Head sons embraced her while Jak watched with a smirk. Yoma motioned for him to join in and he did just that which made Mia laugh. As they parted their family moment, she wiped the tears away, and finished her tea. "You three are the best sons any one could ask for."
"Now you have two more on the way," joked Jak.
She chuckled, "Yes I do." She looked down at Iori, "Do you happen to know if they're boys, girls, or one of each?" He growled at Yoma and she looked to her oldest son for the answer but he growled to Akatsu, these were growls that she didn't understand which made her quirk and eyebrow at them.
"Iori want to know if you have boy name and girl name picked out." She nodded, "Good then no worries." Mia nodded even though Jak was perplexed, "He tell when time is right but Mia know." It was then Yoma sauntered up to his mother, he placed his hands on her shoulders, and kissed her forehead. "I always call you Mia but I happy to have you as mother. You always call me son, honey, and sweetie. Now it my turn to call you something loving. I call you mother from now on. I sorry I did not before."
She smiled and hugged him, "It's alright Yoma. You can call me whatever you want."
"You so understanding mother." Akatsu grinned while Jak smiled at the pair, Iori looked from to the other before barking happily. When they parted, he added with a wink, "Now we get siblings we been waiting for!" Everyone laughed as Mia praised all of their hard work, she promised them that she was going to get them some nice Yakow meat from the market once morning came.
