Nothing had really changed it was still the same old war, The Baron was still a miserable tyrant, Erol was becoming more sour as his experiments failed and Serena still had to take Jak for his eco injection cycles. She had not spoken with Torn in sometime as the underground were lying low.
She visited Sig occasionally and spent her nights dreaming of ice blue eyes turning to black.
Today she sat in the war room listening to head councilman Count Veger and Erol argue. "Out of the five experiments on people with eco all have died except for one! " Veger said. " What you and that woman are doing is an abomination!"
"Yes but this one called Jak is still going he seems resilient but he hasn't died as of yet he shows promise. " Erol said looking at the charts.
"If we just look to the precursors the light will show the way. " Veger said. "Screw the Precursors!" Serena interrupted them. "What have they done for us?" She crossed her arms as she leant against the holo-map.
"Who asked your opinion girl?" Veger spat at her and swung his precursor cane at her.
"I wouldn't do that if I was you." Erol grabbed ahold of the Count's wrist before the blow landed. "Screw this I'm out of here I have better things to do then listen to you two bitch back and forth."
Serena left and went to the prisons.
She went to Jak's cell and went in. They had become friends in a strange way and conversed when they could. He turned and looked at her, he was turning from a young and frightened boy into a hardened and resilient young man. His hair had grown longer and he had grown facial hair. His hardened face softened as he saw who it was who walked into his cell. Serena sat on the cold metal bed across from him. "Well it is almost that time of day again." She told him. He nodded, "Same time and same place." He spoke in a low voice. "Yes well not much changes around here..." Serena paused for a moment.
"Wait a minute you just spoke didn't you? " Serena stared at him flabbergasted that the man she had been dealing with for eight months just spoke. "I've been practising and after one of the cycles it just came to me, I'm as surprised as you are. " He chuckled and seemed quiet pleased with himself. "Well what ever you do, don't let Praxis or Erol catch you talking. "
"I won't okay. " Sounding like a typical teenage boy. "Good, right well you know the drill. "
He stuck his arms out, and she clamped the cuffs on and accidentally touched his hand.
Her mind went black and then all she could see was the monster within him, the one she dreamt of over eight months ago, pale skinned, black bottomless eyes and a deranged smile on its face, bolts of dark eco poured off him. Her vision cleared and Jak was staring at her speaking, a concerned look on his face. It wasn't until he said it the second time she heard it. "Serena are you okay?" He asked her. "I'm fine, just fine." She replied quickly gathering herself. "You checked out for a moment then and the look on your face was of terror. " "I'm fine alright! " She snapped at him. She pushed him out if the cell and towards the lab maybe a bit rougher than she should have. Little did she know this would be the last time she saw him for a long time.
Seasons and time passed the war was getting worse, it was nastier and bloodier. A dark gloom not only hung over the city of Haven but over it's people as well. It was in a constant state of dispare and miserableness.
Nearly two years from the start of the dark eco warrior project, Serena was now spending more time out of the city on missions at the drill platforms and helping protect the cities eco supplies at the strip mines. Metal head attacks were becoming more and more frequent they were becoming more organised and they were loosing power to the shield walls daily, rolling power shortages meant more people were forced into the slums. Crime had risen and the cells were filling. She had not seen Jak in months she missed their talks they had in the dark of his cell, he was the only one she could confied in and get an honest opinion out of. Torn still wanted Serena close to Erol and to pass on what little information she had about the experiments but it was getting harder and harder to meet him without getting caught, everyone was under suspicion.
She continued to be with Erol and had begun to learn to love him in his own ways, and she had stuck by him for those two years. The once cheerful man who loved her more than anything had become obsessed with the dark eco warrior programme and was driven to see it to completion.
She hardly saw him, he would spend the odd night at her place but he had grown distant as the two were always in separate places. He still loved her but it was becoming hard to find the time to be together, the war was driving a wedge not only between the people and the guard of Haven City it was driving a wedge between them. She walked into the commanders barracks and stripped off the yellow armour plates, with heightened security around the palace and outer walls all guard had to wear armour plates when on duty as more troops were being randomly attacked by citizens and the rogue metal head that made it's was inside the city walls.
The guard presence in some areas of the city had almost tripled in this time as The Baron spent so much time and resources searching for the underground and arresting anyone who was suspected of harbouring underground fugitives.
There were also continuous suicide missions to recover precursor artifacts from the time and rule of Mar, the cities founder and builder.
More security checkpoint were put in place and the prisons were becoming ever fuller. She was busying herself in her locker putting away the armour plates when a pair of gloved hands covered her eyes.
A voice whispered in her ear, "guess who? "
She could barely contain her excitement she smiled, she hadn't seen him in two weeks after being out on the drill platforms, she turned to see Erol. She threw her arms around his neck and jumped on him, he caught her as she wrapped her legs around his waist. She kissed him passionately and he returned her kiss.
" I have barely seen you in the last couple of months and not at all in two weeks Erol!"
"I know, I'm sorry I haven't been there I want things to go smoothly with this warrior programme, I feel like we are close. "
" I know but why don't you come to mine tonight Mmm?" She stroked his face and looked into his big amber eyes. "I'll make it worth your while." She kissed along his jaw to his ear. " You are a naughty minx why have I stayed away for so long?"
Serena lay in bed next to Erol, she had been feeling bad about not seeing Jak she felt as though she had betrayed him.
Over her time in and out of the palace she had been monoriting the areas around the prison cells for potential blind spots in surveillance and escape routes. If the opportunity arose for her to somehow help Jak to escape to the underground she would.
Earlier discussions in the year with Torn had urged her to try and find these routes. She lay awake thinking of them most nights.
The war room was tense, the Baron was at his final straw with the eco experiments and was closing in on finding where the underground was. "Acheron, I want you to set up a unit to flush out the underground, Intel has told us that a large portion are being harboured in the slums, I want a unit out there to eliminate all threat! Anyone in the south end of the slums in the red area is to be arrested and or eliminated if the resist." He slammed his fist on the desk.
"Yes Baron Praxis," she responded quickly.
"Erol I want you to do one last session on that boy and that's it!"
"Yes Baron Praxis."
"Now both of you out of my sight and get going Acheron you will be in that lab as well once you have organized the troops. "
"Of course Baron. " She replied. He had become more short tempered than usual and had beaten more than a few men in the last month. She organised the troops to start a raid on the slums and then went to the lab to meet Erol and the Baron.
"Acheron go get that thing out of the cell and meet us here. " Erol demanded, she sighed and went to the prison cells. She opened Jak's cell, there stood not a boy but a man his face in a scowl he didn't smile when he saw her like he usually did. "Hey Jak." She said. "What happened to you? You left me with Erol and his lackies do you have any idea what they like to do to prisoners? " He sounded both angry and dissapointed at her, she had her fair ideas of what Erol and his men got up too, Erol wasn't a kind man to any one he wasn't fond of. "I'm sorry Jak if I could have been here I would, come on I have to take you up." She apologized to him hating the fact she couldn't be the one to make his life a little less miserable while he was here. An idea came to mind, "if I find a way to get you out I will." She whispered.
He nodded at her and she put the handcuffs on him and walked him to the lab.
"Well why hasn't the little boy grown up." The Baron commented. Jak spat at him in the face, The Baron didn't even think for a moment before he backhanded Jak across the face and he fell to the floor. Erol laughed at the boy and Serena helped him to his feet. "Insulant boy, I want his dose to be as high as possible Sullivan!" He yelled. Serena and Erol locked him in the chair as he struggled to reach The Baron.
The machine came to life as the Baron paced up and down the walkway waiting for it to finish.
The machine finished and the automated womans voice sounded. "Dark eco injection cycles complete, bio readings nominal and unchanged. "
"Huh" sighed the Baron, "nothing, I was told this one would be different!"
He spat out walking towards Jak's head. "He seems to be resistant to your experiments Baron Praxis, I fear the dark warrior programme has failed. " Erol replied to him trying to keep the Baron's temper down. The Baron grabbed Jak's hair and pulled hard, "you should at least be dead with all the dark eco I pumped into you!" He threw his head against the metal chair. Serena stood back away from them not wanting to end up in the wrath of The Baron slipping into the blind spot of the security camera, she had noticed a couple of months ago, she felt like this might be her chance to help Jak.
She watched them with intent the Baron walked and turned from Erol "What now? Metal head armies are pressing their attacks with out a new weapon my men can't hold them off forever. " He said following him. "I will not be known as the man who lost this city to those vile creatures!" The Baron turned and roared in anger moving towards Erol he stepped back from the Baron. "Move forward with the plans!" He pointed at Jak still strapped to the chair in a daze. "And finish this thing off tonight. " The Baron began to leave. "As you wish." Erol leant over Jak and grabbed him by the front of his shirt. "I'll be back later, " he laughed and threw him back down. He walked out the door with The Baron leaving Serena in the room with Jak. Everyone had just left him there, Serena just stood there not knowing what she could do. She knew she was in a blind spot on the security cameras and the techs room wasn't monitored. No one had given her orders as to what to do, Serena could see this as the opportunity she was thinking of last night.
She couldn't let Erol kill Jak, a hover deck appeared and the orange rat serena recognized from the day he fell popped up. "Third floor roach food torcher devices, hey baby don't worry orange lightening is here. " He pointed at Serena, she just looked at the orange rat not sure of what to say her mouth slightly agape.
He jumped ontop of Jak "Seen any Hero's around here?" His ears dropped and his expression was one of sadness. " Jak it's me your old pal Daxter " Jak's eyes rolled into the back of his head still feeling the after effects of the cycle. "Well that's a fine hello," the rat named Daxter suddenly became angry " I've been risking my tail literally to try and find you. " He walked down Jak's body stepping on his crotch and Jak let out a groan. Serena couldn't help but giggle at this as she watched the scene unfold. "Say something, please for once just say something!"
Jak's mind snapped back into place his eyes came back into focus "I'm going to kill Praxis!" He yelled.
"Shhhh" Daxter put his hand over Jak's mouth. "First we need to get you out of these restrains." Daxter began to try and undo the restraints, but he was not big enough or strong enough. Jak started to pant and breath heavily, his skin began to change to the pale white his eyes grew dark and his fingers turned to razor sharp claws. Jak growled and broke the metal restraints with ease, Daxter jumped off Jak in terror. "Or you could do it. " Daxter whimpered walking backwards, Jak walked towards him dark eco sparking off him electrifying the air around him. "Jak!" Serena yelled at him finally finding her voice, she pointed a pistol at him but he kept walking towards Daxter.
"Jak don't you make me pull the trigger! " She yelled at him again. "Jak it's your friend Daxter!" He covered his arms over his face and shook as Jak lifted the razor sharp claws to strike him down.
Jak froze his appearance changed back and he came back to reality shaking on his legs. "Daxter? " He asked. "Jeez remind me not to piss you off!"
He hopped up on Jak's shoulder.
"Oh I got you some new threads as well you should put em on."
Jak changed not caring Serena was there in fact he had almost completely forgotten she was. She found her voice, "look Jak I'm sorry I haven't been there for the last couple of months but there is a blind spot in the camera so try and act like I'm not here I have been in it the whole time. "
"Your point being?" He snapped.
"Now, Jak I think we should let the sexy lady talk. " Daxter perked up his ears and winked at her again. She ignored him, "I can tell you how to get out of here but I can't pretend I haven't noticed your gone, I can give you a minutes head start and sound the alarm. See that vent up there?" She pointed to it just above the cells.
"That will be your way out and get you into the slums you should be safe for a wee bit, I will try and get out and find you but lay low, I will have someone to help you on the other side, we aren't all bad Jak I've put some serious thought into this, and the Baron needs to be stopped. You might just be that person to put a stop to him. "
" Thanks sweetcheeks, be seeing ya, come on Jak you heard the lady she's gonna sound the alarm in a minute." Daxter said trying to be smooth. "Thanks, Acheron," Jak said he smiled quickly and he was gone.
As promised she hit the red emergency button in the hall, the blast doors for the prison section came down the lights turned red and started to flash as well as a monotone beep began. The automated womans voice sounded, "prison escape in progress," Serena lent on the wall and sank to the floor knowing she was going to be in for a hell of a ear chewing not only from Praxis but Erol was going to be pissed. "Shit! Well I'm in for it now." She spoke to herself, got up and walked to the offices downstairs whistling and flicking her pistol around in her hands, she was probably going to end up with a nice shiner across her face and an hour or two interrogation as to what happened she sighed and decided to meet her fate head on. At least she had remembered what the precursors had said to her, she stared at the bracelet, she helped lighten the load.
"What do you mean he just escaped! "
The Baron slammed Serena into the wall of the interrogation room pinned by her shoulders. His face searching hers an inch from her face, he grabbed her by the throat squeezing till their was no air, Serena could see black spots in her vision.
"No one escapes my prison!" He yelled, just before she slipped into unconsciousness he backhanded her across the face, splitting her cheek open with his ring and sending her to the floor. She gasped for breath as the spots began to fade from her vision. The pain was unreal across her face and blood began to fall from the cut and drip to the floor. She began to get up slowly and made it to her hands and knees when The Baron's foot connected with her side sending her into the wall. "Useless bitch! Just cause you think you have Commander Erol wrapped round your finger does not mean I will let you off lightly!"
Her ribs ached, she could barely catch her breath, she was sure a few of them were broken. He grabbed her and pulled her up by the hair and held her against the wall. " Now how did he escape?" He said quietly right next to her face.
" His bio readings were always shown to be nominal and normal, he changed into some sort of pale beast and broke through the restraints, you seen the security footage. I hit the emergency button as soon as I knew he was gone, I was in the tech room the whole time going over the data. "
"Lies!" He spat in in her face. " I will find out how he got out, until then you are on sewer patrol with Delta troop! " He let her go and stormed out the room. Two hours she had put up with his yelling, two hours she had been questioned and beaten. She sank to the floor as Erol stormed in slamming the door open. "Acheron, you better have a good reason as to how that boy escaped!" He shouted.
"Hah, you and the rest of the freaking palace. " She spat the blood out of her mouth on the floor not caring, there was enough on there anyway from her cheek and possible broken nose. She reached into her pocket and pulled a cigarette out and lit it. He turned to find her sitting on the floor with laboured breathing against the wall blood down her face and top. "Well looks like The Baron got here first I see." His tone changed, he bent down and inspected her face " Just as I thought, broken nose, hold still while I straighten it out. " He grabbed her nose either side and popped it back into place. She groaned but as she did she held her ribs. "So what you get out of it? " He asked her. " My arse handed to me, " she said sarcastically. "I ended up with a good kick to the ribs so a few of those will be broken and sewer duty for the foreseeable future." She laughed. "Ow fuck that hurts. " She complained.
" You got off easy from him a man in your position would be unconscious and barely alive, let's get you cleaned up."
"He doesn't believe me about Jak escaping, the cameras don't lie Erol what do I do? " She lied and tried to play his sympathetic side to get him to believe her. " I'll speak to The Baron, now let's patch you up. "
In the infirmary Serena sat on the bed whilst the nurse patched up her face and checked her ribs wrapping a bandage around them the purple bruising had already begun spreading up the side and across her back. She would have two black eyes and a permenant scar on her face. "You should really have a couple days off Commander Acheron." The nurse told her in a huff.
She waved her off, "Tell that to The Baron." She said sarcastically, she got off the bed and stormed out Erol followed her. "What now Erol you going to put me in the interrogation room next too?"
He remained silent. " I'll find him if it's the last thing I do. " she lied. He grabbed her arm, pulled her towards him and kissed her. " You know I like a woman who can take a beating." He smiled knowingly.
"But take it easy, I'm sure I'll be stuck in meetings due to Veger for the next week since that eco freak is out." He clenched his fist.
"I'll see you round anyway most likely. " She said a little dissapointed, he caught the tone of her voice. "Chin up I know I'm not always around, this war drives a wedge between everyone, I'll plan something for us." He told her.
"Okay." She kissed him and turned for home.
Once home Serena lay on the couch not wanting to move she had downed some pain meds when she got in. Sasha sat on her lap purring.
Her communicator went off.
"Serena it's Torn."
"Oh, hi Torn, what can I do for you?"
"I just had a visit from a man in blue tunic with blonde green hair, sound familiar?" He asked her sarcastically. "Oh the precursors Jak? Is he safe is he unhurt? " She said with worry. "Yes but I wouldn't say much for the troops you sent. He really saved our butts from being discovered. He said he had help getting out, how did that turn out? "
"Not well a broken nose, split cheek, and three broken ribs, oh and sewer duty for the foreseeable future and precursors only know with the incompetent troops I sent." Serena said with little enthusiasm.
"Well we need you, if this Jak proves to be useful he might just be what we need to help win this war. "
"I don't know how one person can make that much of a difference Torn but I'll see what I can do. " She said with little faith. "With a man with that much hate, I think anythings possible. Question do you know much about the pumping station?"
"Yes why is that? "
"The Baron's ordered the water off to the slums to try flush us out, won't work if we know where the valve is to turn it back on. "
"I'll get a map with it marked sent to you."
"Thanks Seri, any news from the palace."
"Not yet although I believe the Baron is planning on drilling new eco wells, so hopefully we will have enough stores to last a year for the shield wall. "
"And Erol? "
" Fine, not much really going on apart from him involved in a bunch of political crap with the council as Count Veger seems to be sticking his large nose into, although there is meant to be a large restock of ammunition coming in from Kras this week."
"Good, be careful Seri. "
He cut the line.