Tittle: Fighting the demon

Author: Quick-demon

Disclamers: Jak II characters aren't mine, just borrowing them for a little while. I'll give 'em back…I promise! *Flutters eyes* Oh and Naughty Dog rulez!

Rating: PG

Game: Jak II. After the game.

Summery: "Hmmm doesn't sound too hard! Just find Eco get out of there and be back here to party! Sounds good to me"

Jak and his motley gang of friends are off to find Eco to power the cities shield walls. The Shield walls are failing and the remainder of the wondering leaderless Metals Heads are getting close to the city again sensing their weakness. Jak and his friends are sent overseas to a new land to find it. Who are these new creatures that are on this new and strange land? What makes them more dangerous than the Hora-quan? Jak faces a deadly enemy that may endanger his friends as well as himself…can he save them in time before they face destruction?

Sorry, I had to make a little cliffhanger in the summery :) Enjoy my story!

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Jak entered Haven forest. His trusty long time friend and partner Daxter sat on his shoulder. Jak pulled put his all-familiar Morph gun and switched it to Blaster mode. The weight felt right in his hands as he made his way down the hill to the small river.

The sun shone on their faces as birds chirped in the misty morning air. It felt good to get out of the city and get back to nature. It felt like home to him, reminded him about all the times he was little. How he went climbing in the trees, swimming in rivers and lakes and eating fruit from large various trees. He missed home.

He knew that the city was his home. After the fall of Praxis and the defeat of Kor, he was made welcome and he was the hero of the city. People often smiled at him or gave him some of their produce for free; even if he politely declined he was still flooded by people giving him showers of gifts and praises.

After all he was the heir of Mar.

Sometimes Jak would get sick of playing 'hero'. Risking his life for it all. Sometimes it was a little much. He was expected to do suicide missions and come back alive. He called it a 'hero's burden'. A hero has to uphold responsibilities during his time. Well that what he told himself but he's beginning to think that he was just at the right place at the right time.

"Jak! Can I use the gun this time?" Daxter suddenly asked and Jak snapped out of his thoughts, "Please! I would like to give the baby a little action. Arrrrgghhh"

Jak smiled, "No Dax, she's mine. You can get your own gun from somewhere else"

"That's no fair. You always get to handle the baby! I would like, just for once…" Daxter kept complaining

"Fine! Do you want to face the Metal Heads?" Jak growled

Daxter winced, "Ah, on second thought I can wait. Heh, heh"

Jak smirked; he knew he'd get it his way.

It was just a routine mission. Some wondering Metal Heads reach the forest and threatened the city. It was Jak's and Sig's job to flush them out. Sig was busy elsewhere and so Jak had to do the dirty work.

Not that Jak mind that is. It was better than the sewers that the Krimson Guard had to do.

Purple energy whizzed passed his long ear. Jak immediately turned to the source and fired his weapon into the emptiness of the forest. Instead of the bullets hitting the hard rock wall it met a large familiar figure. The figure screamed as came visible it fell dead. Jack smiled. As his mission had begun.

Soon he made his way through the lake and to the large tree that the young Samos mediated at one time. He killed every Metal Head that hid amongst its terrain. When he was satisfied that his job was done he slipped his gun in his holster and gave a satisfying sigh.

"There. About 50 Metals Heads less to worry about" Jak said as he headed back down through a small cave.

"Yeah. That was some shooting. Those Metal Heads have no chance!" Daxter praised, "How about going to the gun course and give me a whirl at the baby.  Me and the Peace Maker we'll go a long way!"

Jak rolled his eyes, "Like I said Dax get your own gun. This one is mine!"

"Oh come on Jak!" Daxter whinnied, "It's not like I'm going to brake it!"

"If you stop spending so much money into the Naughty Ottsel, then you can buy a really good Peace Maker" Jak told him

"What? And stop partying? No way!" Daxter shook his head then shrugged, "I can just borrow yours!"

"Oh don't worry about it" Jak sighed; the Ottsel didn't get the message.

***

They entered the city. He hopped on his Zoomer that Keira gave him as a gift. She had been working on it since the Rift Rider was completed. She did it mainly to stop Jak from stealing and hijacking everyone else's vehicles. The Zoomer that Keira modified had harder armour, better turning and faster. A lot faster. In a flash the Zoomer hummed alive.

"Jak, you think you could drive…" the Ottsel was cut off

Jak stamped his food on the accelerator and they were jerked back with sudden speed that it sent the Ottsel flying off Jak's shoulder and hanging on his fluoro hair.

"SLOWER" he screamed over the wind finished his sentence

Jak dodged through the city, nearly missing people, guards and other vehicles. He turned tight corners with ease and zoomed through with out a care. Adrenalin pumped through his veins as a tingerly familiar sensation went though all his body.

"AAHHHHH" Daxter screamed as wind raced in his mouth and around the eyes, creating a comical rippling effect

Jak just gave a manic laugh in response as he changed hover heights narrowly missing people and other crafts. Their loud motors rushed though for a second then the roaring wind returned.

Soon they reached the port. But instead of hovering above the water to avoid traffic Jak made a sharp turn right and went right into traffic. Daxter could only scream as his stomach went flipping and flopping around inside. This was worse than that time he got drunk…

To Daxter's great relief he saw the Naughty Ottsel. His pride and joy and his swinging joint since the accident with Krew. But Jak showed no signs of slowing down.

"Jak" Daxter his voice with rising panic

"Yes buddy?" Jak's voice was now deeper and menacing

"STOP!" Daxter screamed

Jak smirked, "Sure anything for my little buddy"

As they neared the door the opening doors, Jak slammed the brakes and the Zoomer came to a sudden halt. The sudden jerk sent Daxter flying forwards inside the building and landing inside the boxing ring that resided in the middle of the joint.

Daxter slid and slammed into the ropes on one of the sides. Daxter was dazed as his mind tried to comprehend the last few seconds of what happened. There were a few people who saw what happened and were in the building at the time. Tess was one of them and she came up to Daxter in worry. Daxter opened his eyes and saw her.

"Oh Daxter are you ok?" she said in her worried voice

Daxter's mind finally gripped with his surroundings and slid into he's normal character, "Sure sugar, if you kiss all my boo, boos"

Sig was there also and approached Jak.

"That was some hell of a parking cherry!" Sig scoffed as Jak hopped off his Zoomer and walked in

"Yeah well, I like my driving fast" Jak replied in his tough tone, a glint of madness hinted in his eyes that made Sig frown.

Daxter got up, "Yeah! Some driving! Next time why don't you drive into a whole nest of Metal Heads and get us both killed!"

"Relax Dax, I was only having some fun" Jak said smoothly giving a grin

"Fun…FUN! You call that FUN! I think I need a new heart and stomach with all the driving you do! But this stunt was crazy! You were insane!" Daxter ranted on

Jak gave a mischievous smile, "your not half wrong"

Then it hit Daxter. Jak was acting strange. Jak liked excitement and adventure but he never drove so dangerously before. Either he needed a hobby or he was getting more and more reckless.

"What do ya mean?" Daxter asked

Jak slumped from his posture and seemed to loose his act as he rubbed his eyes, "Ah forget it. Sorry"

Keira approached them all and spoke before Daxter could protest, "Hi guys, I'm glad you're all here. Torn wanted us to locate some natural Eco wells to keep the shield wall running and the Eco in supply"

"Why doesn't the Krimson Guards do that?" Jak asked

"Because these wells are far away from the city. Where the Metal Heads haven't even been," Keira explained

"Hold on there Chilli pepper, how far are we talking?" Sig inquired

"Well the Metal Heads took over all this land and sucked the Eco wells dry. So the natural Eco would have to come from the outside" Samos filled in now making his presence known in the room, "I sense that large amounts of Eco are coming from over the sea"

"The sea?" Daxter blinked then he thought out loud, "Where there's sea there is a beach and where there is a beach there is WOMEN! When do we leave?"

"Sooner the better" Samos ignored Daxter's narrow mind, "The Eco supply is getting critically low because of the Baron's foolish scheming and we need those supplies soon or the shield wall wont protect us from the remaining Metal Heads. Even if they are leaderless they have enough brain to pose a threat"

"Wait, let me get this straight" Jak shook his head and waving his hand, "We're going over the sea to another place to find Eco because we're running low on it"

Nods only confirmed his statement.

"Well then where is this place and does it have any one living there?" Jak concluded with his questions

"It's about 100 throws north from here, we'll take an Air Train there by ship we sail to the new country" Keira answered his first question

"We don't know anything about the new land, only that it holds a great amount of Eco. Our job is to just find it. Torn will send a retrieval team to properly store and send the Eco back here" Samos answered the second question

"Hmmm doesn't sound too hard" Daxter murmured, "Just find Eco get out of there and be back here to party! Sounds good to me"

"How long does it take to get there?" Jak asked

"All together, I say a week or two" Keira replied

"A week or two?!" Daxter almost yelled, "Just getting there. I better call Brutter so he mind the place for me"

"I thought you didn't like Lurkers Dax" Jak sounding surprised

"I don't but Brutter seems to have to same taste for partying as I do and anyway he owes me a favour" Daxter replied

"So when do we leave" Sig asked

"This afternoon. Unfortunately I wont be accompanying you. I have to protect Haven Forest and help keep the Metal Heads at bay," Samos informed

"Well let's do it" Jak smiled

***

They all crowed at the port in front of the air train. The sun began it's setting with an orange glow and gave the water a weird but wonderful colour. People decided to head home for the night as some partygoers put on their best clothing and headed out for a night on the town.

Torn was there to give the motley gang a farewell.

"I sent a team a few weeks ago to build up a ship for you to sail on. They should be ready when you arrive. They will take you to the new land and locate the Eco" Torn informed, "This mission is important. If we don't get Eco into this place it will turn into a war zone"

"Is that your farewell note? No goodbye or nothin'?" Daxter asked with a hint of sarcasm

"No good byes to you rodent" Torn growled, "I'll be glad to see you go"

"Awww I knew there was a fuzzy warm spot in there just for me!" Daxter said in mocking sarcasm

"Can it orange rat!" Torn growled taking a disliking to Daxter since he and Jak jointed the Underground.

Daxter just poked out his tongue at him.

"Well you better be off or you'll wont reach the sea by schedule" Samos interrupted

They all said their goodbyes. Tess gave a big kiss to Daxter, which made his orange cheeks go a brilliant red. Keira farewelled her father in a hug and soon Jak, Daxter, Sig and Keira boarded the red Air Train. The back door closed at the Train took off into the air and over the wall. They waved all the way.

Soon the four relaxed. Sig lay down on his seat taking up all the room, "If you cherries don't mind, I'll be gettin' some shut eye"

Keira fell into Jak's arms as now they were away from Samos's gaze. They spoke no words but enjoyed each other's company. Daxter hopped off Jak's shoulder and slipped into a corner and sighed. Daxter didn't like when Jak and Keira got all mushy.

It was going to be a long ride.

For four days they stayed in the Air Train, cramped, bored and grumpy. From time to time they went for a pit stop but had to get moving again without enjoying the outdoors. Soon darkness fell and the four companions decided to get ready for bed again. Blankets were handed out and all slipped into their uneasy slumbers.

Keira took the opposing seat from Sig. Jak slept on the floor with Daxter curled up on his belly. The low hum of the Air Train engine lulled them to sleep.

He stood in front of dark eco. Its black velvet purple reflected the white eerie  moonlight. Large tall trees sheltered the lake. This place was exclusive. Secret, that only few could find. Jak wasn't told that, he just felt it.

Jak looked at the lake. He hated the inky darkness, how it is merciless to anything that fall into it. Yet he loved it. He loved how the Dark Eco made him stronger, made him unique… made him powerful. How he can lose control and unleash a wave of power on the Metal Heads and how they recoil in horror at the sight of him.

Even his friends, at first were afraid of him or treated him different for his new found behaviour. Even if they didn't show it they knew what power he had, he controlled. But now seemed to forget the potential he holds for destroying their lives. Not that he wanted to but the danger was still there.

His heart felt a tug as he stood there on the banks. The calm depths called him. It beckoned to come in and bathe in the darkness. His rational mind refused to take no step. He knew if he touched the murky liquid he would be gone. The tug grew stronger. Jak resisted. Soon the tug came a large wave of temptation. His feelings seemed to flood his mind. He tried to think clearly but his heart was the voice in the matter. It listened to the mind no more. Finally Jak couldn't take anymore and his mind gave in.

He involuntarily took another step and another. As if someone else was doing it he jumped into the air and was about to dive in…

…When he jolted awake. He breathing was in shallow gasps as he realised it was all a dream. Daxter grunted as the jolt threw him from the warm pillow to the cold floor. Jak tried to relax himself as he noticed that Keira and Sig were still asleep. Daxter rubbed his eyes.

"Hey! What's the big idea?" He growled, "I was enjoying a beach full of women and you had to spoil it!"

"Sorry" came the quiet reply

Daxter crawled to his feet and walked over to his best friend, "Are you ok Jak? Did you have a bad dream or somethin'?"

"Yeah" Jak muttered

"Maybe you should have some Yakow milk. But since we're living on 'rationed food'" he spat the word 'rationed food', "We don't have any"

"It's ok Dax. Go back to sleep" Jak waved him off

Daxter felt a little offended that his friend will not talk to him freely about problems. They were best friends and real close buddies. Daxter wasn't easy to get rid of.

"I can't go back to sleep, no thanks to you" Daxter replied but not much sarcasm or anger in his voice

"Well try" Jak replied

"Not until you tell me what's going on!" Daxter crossed his arms and stared at Jak stubbornly

"What do you mean?" Jak replied innocently

Daxter rolled his eyes, "This whole psycho thing. You're becoming more dangerous! Before we left you drove like a manic. I almost lost my fur because of you!"

Jak sighed as he recalled all his times of becoming a little 'crazy'. He looked away and sighed again, "I don't know Dax"

"Whaddaya mean ya don't know? You do know!" Daxter growled, "You just wont tell me!"

Jak turned his head back Daxter and snapped, "Because it's none of your business!"

"It is my business Jak! I wanna help! I thought we were friends!" Daxter played his guilt card

"We are friends…it's just too hard to understand" Jak sighed his anger gone

Daxter looked into Jak's blue eyes and saw a sense of loneliness, fear and sadness. Daxter decided to get real honest.

"Jak, I will understand coz we're best buddies. Through thick and thin we've been and you wont tell me a simple problem? Well when ever you ready to talk I'm hear for you buddy" The orange Ottsel revealing his more sensitive side that was rarely seen.

Jak seemed surprised. Daxter turned away and crawled up on Jak's stomach to return to sleep. He shut his eyes and hoped his words took affect on his elf looking partner. Jak sighed and closed his eyes as Daxter's words sank into his mind and his heart. They brought comfort that he was not alone against the perils that resided in him.

TBC….