A.N. Greetings once more readers, to all of you who have given this fic your support I thank you greatly, particularly to Lady Blackmour whose honest criticism in her reviews has helped me address several issues in my writing. Again I thank you all for your praise and hope that you find this chapter worthy of more. Enjoy,

The Visionary

Chapter Five-

War of the Titans

Erol was not the slim, muscular man he had once been, he stood taller at almost seven feet, his head seemingly melted to the mask that lay upon it, its eyes glowing with malevolent power. His shoulders were broader than even the bulky armour of the Krimson Regulars that lay dead all around him, the black flesh stretched over his malformed bones too tightly creating sickening angles and ripples whenever he moved. His lower half was similarly enlarged, the legs thick and muscular beneath armoured trousers, his boots heavy, evil things of dull metal and spikes. His whole chest and half of what had been his stomach had been replaced with metal plate that was married to the flesh with crude, ugly staples. There was a complex liquidity to the machinery that had replaced his left shoulder and arm showing it to be the work of a master craftsmen but the twitching and pulsing of the talons, showed his inexperience with the new limb.

Instinct kicked in as he turned at the sound of his name and Torn was already at top speed when his eyes found them, 'Move!' His voice rose in the bellow of command, his body whipping around to launch into a sprint as he squeezed the trigger of his pistol, letting it switch to full auto and send a spray of bullets at his monstrous opponent. As he feared they pattered uselessly off Erol's hide and metal armour, dark power pulsing beneath his skin, making him impervious to the attack.

His hand flashed out, for a moment they could taste the power charging in the air and then it was unleashed, a torrent of dark lightning spraying from Erol's outstretched fingers. Each beam sliced through whatever it touched, scarring the walls and floors with melted trails as they cut a swathe through the Krimson Regulars. Torn had moved just in time, throwing himself behind a pillar and gritting his teeth as he felt the blast of heat as the lightning smashed past him. Keira's time honing her reactions on the race track was not in vain either as the lightning traced toward her, her slim arms showing surprising strength as she seized her father's shoulders and threw them both into an open chamber as the barrage sliced by them.

'Use your grenades, blow the bastard to hell!' The Krimson Regulars snapped into action, ignoring the dismembered dead all around them as each of them tore a grenade from his belt and heaved it toward their monstrous opponent. Torn's contribution joined them, the blast as over a dozen detonated at Erol's feet consuming his grossly oversized form, flames and shock-waves scouring the hall, the walls concentrating it into a ball of destruction that must surely have destroyed the enemy.

Torn pivoted out from behind his pillar and dropped to one knee, his pistol snapping up as he squinted into the cloud of smoke left by the explosions, watching for any sign of what was to come next. Then the voice came, a low, grating sound that was at once the familiar tones of the human that he had once been and a terrible, new sound that sent a shiver down Torn's spine.

'Grenades Torn? Is that honestly the best you can do.' Erol stepped out of the cloud of smoke, his boots shaking the floor with each step. 'Take a good look at me Torn, don't I remind you of anyone? You're pet king for instance. When he lets go he becomes something not too different from me doesn't he.' An unfamiliar trickle of fear ran down Torn's spine as a glimmer of recognition sparked in the back of his mind. 'I am a dark eco warrior Torn, but not an accidental freak like that cretin. I am the personification of power Torn. I am a living nexus of dark eco, endlessly powerful and utterly invulnerable. My body courses with dark power, I cannot be harmed. But you can!'

As he spoke he threw out his metal hand, black lightning danced down his arm for a moment and then once again exploded from his hand, searing down the corridor as his laughter again rang out. Torn reactions again saved his life as he dove to the floor, forcing back a scream as a bolt of the lightning caught him a glancing blow on his back, biting through his armour as he felt the skin on his back blister. The second barrage had scattered the survivors of the third and Erol leapt forth with a roar of animal glee, intent upon close combat. His claws glinted in the palace lights as he brought them down and across in a wide, sweeping arc that cut down a half dozen members of the Krimson Regulars in moments and began the brutal melee.

Torn lay on the floor for a moment, transfixed by the horror of the spectacle as he watched a dozen of his men fall within the first few seconds of the fight. Fire-lance shots seemed to bounce from Erol's hide as he all but ignored the weight and blows of those who fought against him in hand to hand, laughing that terrible laugh as he continued to cut a path. But he had forgotten that Keira had saved her father from his lightning or perhaps he had not known of the powers sleeping within the sage's deceptively frail body. Either way he was unprepared for the torrent of green eco that slammed into his back as Samos reappeared in the hall.

His staff was gripped between both hands, his features set in a mask of rage that was truly frightening on a face normally so apathetic as he glowed with the power of the eco coursing through him, using every shred of effort in him to smash the monstrosity he faced. Erol was plucked from his feet by the power of his beam, driven through the air as his laughter changed into a scream of pain that was cut off as he smashed into one of the palace walls. A shudder seeming to run through the entire structure as he was crushed into the metal wall, the terrible scream of metal buckling and tearing accompanying him as he was pounded relentlessly against it.

Then the spell was over and for a moment silence reigned, broken only by the sounds of Samos' panting breaths, his body still locked in position. Keira appeared behind him in the doorway, her voice rising in unfamiliar command. For though she had taken little or no part in the activities so far other than as Jak's keeper her pacifism had only been due to a lack of knowledge and the insecurities that went with it for one such as she who craved information. Now however she knew what was occurring and knew what would happen if she did not intervene, as she had always done, she rose to the occasion.

'Torn, get your men out of here! We don't stand a chance against him! We've got to get out of here until Jak arrives…' Yet before she could finish, her words appeared to be prophetic. At that very moment, just as Erol pulled himself free of the wall into which Samos had imbedded him a second darkness leapt onto the battlefield, one with white skin and vengeance in it's voice as it too recognised the new enemy.

'Erol!' In his dark form Jak's voice was a sibilant hiss that filled the hall, his eyes focused in hatred amplified a thousand times by the dark rage that he allowed to take over. Just as Erol managed to find his feet in the hall Jak was on him in a roaring, seething barrage of claws, fangs and spears of dark power. The two fighters collapsed into a tangle of limbs as their dark powers clashed, lightning scouring the halls as each of them slashed, bit and kicked at the other, their claws tearing at each others flesh. But for all the ferocity of Jak's attack it was Erol that struck the first telling blow, an explosion of dark eco sending Jak arcing backward into one of the palaces' great halls this one with a massive window overlooking the city far below.

Jak twisted in the air to land on one knee in the centre of the hall, his eyes immediately locking once more upon his prey. For his part Erol did not give any ground, loping after him with long, powerful strides until he entered the hall as well. The two stared at each other for a moment, circling slowly as sparks of eco crackled from their limbs, muscles bunching and knotting in preparation for the next attack. They spoke no words, each of them allowing themselves to be consumed by the dark rage burning inside them, Erol's body loosing some of its posture as his shoulders hunched animalisticly, a low growl bubbling from his throat as he flexed his claws.

Then they attacked, each rushing at the other as they summoned dark eco to their aid, spheres of lightning crackling into existence around their hands. They clashed once more, their claws hacking at each other scoring great wounds through their opponent's flesh as the leapt about the hall, unnatural acrobatics and inhuman abilities providing an almost balletic swiftness to the fight. But this was not a normal fray and wounds that would have ended any other battle were gone almost instantly in this one, skin both white and black knitting and sealing almost as soon as claws hacked it apart.

They slashed at each other for what seemed an eternity, great gaping wounds spattering blood across the floor and walls as they leapt and clashed, retreating for a moment before once more jumping at each other. But the physical conflict was only a foreground for a greater battle as power built in the air, the lightning leaping from their two bodies gradually increasing as the two fought more and more frenziedly, giving themselves up the dark power within them, letting it come out in full force.

Eventually there was some unseen signal and the powers were unleashed. Jak was the first to call on them, pulling back one hand as he let out a terrible scream of rage and black eco blossomed in his palm, growing until in an instant it consumed his forearm within a dark sphere of crackling power. He slammed it home, detonating the ball as he smashed it into Erol's guts, the explosion lifting his larger opponent from the fight and sending him hurtling across the hall. He smashed into a pillar, the stone construct shattering as his body crashed through. But Erol was by no means finished and twisted before he hit the floor, coming down on all fours as dark lightning crackled along his frame for an instant. Then like a leaping panther he unleashed his own attack, becoming a blur of darkness as he sped across the room and straight into his smaller opponent sending him skidding across the floor until he was stopped by the wall.

Jak's recovery was similarly swift as he leapt back up and sent a bolt of seething lightning from his hand and into Erol, his roar shaking the hall as the energy emitting from the fight drove back their audience, shattering the massive windows. But Erol gathered his power into one hand for a moment and swatted the attack almost contemptuously aside, the power blasting a hole through the wall as he leapt forward once more. This was the start of the rest of the fight, the first sign of Erol's superiority. For as the fight continued it became increasingly obvious that Jak, despite his formidable dark gifts was no match for his opponent. Erol's attacks became increasingly telling as Jak began to take longer and longer to recover from each while his own seemed to have less and less effect upon his opponent.

In a last desperate attempt to turn the tide Jak planted himself as Erol once more leapt into the air, dark lightning gathering around him as he prepared his next attack. Drawing in a deep breath Jak let the last shred of his power fill him, and change him. As Erol descended space seemed to twist and stretch for an instant as Jak's body suddenly exploded upward and outward, some monstrous shift growing him to three times the size of a man, lightning exploding outward from his new body.

This last power, his last resort seemed to have paid off and his claws swept upward as Erol hesitated for a moment. They swatted him aside, sending him thundering into a wall from where he slumped to the ground, coughing up a mouthful of blood, the first sign in him of a real injury. As he struggled to stand once more Jak's massive form sprinted across the hall faster than could be believed, his hands already raised, ready to strike. As Erol shakily regained his feet Jak's massive fist descended to pound him once more into the floor a moment before a second blow sent him into another wall, Jak's change amplifying his power a dozen times, allowing him to pulverise his opponent.

But it was his last resort for a reason, the change put a great strain upon his powers, draining his reserves all too quickly and as he whirled to finish his task once more he seemed to choke and fall forward, collapsing onto his hands and knees. The same twisting and stretching of space occurred in reverse, leaving him once more the smaller of the two combatants, and as his skin lost its sickly white pall and his hair regained its lustre now by far the weaker of the two. He stared at his hands for a moment, his eyes widening as he no longer saw claws upon them and then his eyes rose as Erol staggered to his feet, wiping away the trace of blood from his lip.

Once more he spoke no words to show his hatred for Jak but merely ran at him, black lightning trailing from his claws as he raised them above his head, a wild laugh to triumph bubbling from his throat as he foresaw his victory. But though Jak no longer had dark eco at his command he was by no means helpless and with a defiant roar leapt to meet his charge, one hand flashing up from his boot as sunlight glinted on metal. Erol roared in pain as Jak drove his boot-knife into the side of his throat, some remnant of the dark transformation allowing him to thrust the blade home through his hide. But once more physical wounds proved useless against the power of dark eco and Erol's fist swept him aside as he plucked the knife from the wound and absent-mindedly snapped it in his fingers.

Tears sprang into her eyes as she watched Jak's body arc through the air, his limbs limp as he spiralled toward them. He hit the wall above her, hard, the sound of bones cracking audible as he bounced onto the floor, sprawling lifelessly at her feet. For a moment shock coursed through her, stunning her mind and body as she saw the blood leaking from his flank, his face closed to her, unconscious. Then adrenaline flooded her as she whipped around, ignoring her suicidal choice of action as she snatched up Jak's rifle from his holster, raising it to her shoulder as she screamed.

She was as unfamiliar with the rifle as she had been with the pistol she had held earlier but as Erol rushed towards them it would have been hard for her to miss. Yet as the bolt streaked through the air and the kickback of the rifle sent her tumbling backward onto the floor all it appeared was not in vain. As the bolt of yellow eco took Erol in the shoulder it did not fizzle into nothingness as all the shots before had, instead the sound of searing flesh hissed through the air as Erol screamed in pain, rocking back in shock. They stared in amazement as he clasped his hand over his wound, gritting his teeth as he watched them with wild eyes, cursing that Jak had fallen into their ranks.

'No! Too weak… lost too much power! I'll be back fools, and next time you're pathetic pet freak won't protect you!'

For the first time Erol retreated from a fight as Torn brought his gun up, the dark eco warrior leaping from the floor with unnatural agility to alight upon a high balcony, loping out of sight before any of them could try for another shot. As Keira stared after him in amazement a hand gripped hers weakly, calling her eyes to Jak as he reached for her.

'Gate 3… escape… get to… gate 3.' She nodded once, pressing a feverish kiss to his forehead as he slumped into unconsciousness again before turning to Torn as he ordered the Krimson Regulars into a cohesive force, gathering them around him.

'Torn, he said we have to get to gate 3. He's got some way for us to escape there.' The Krimson Guard commander looked down at the unconscious fighter and grunted as he turned.

'You heard the lady. Form up and let's get going.' He glanced over his shoulder at Samos, nodding at Jak's recumbent form. 'You got enough juice left to carry him?'

Samos nodded, letting the glow of green eco surround him as he prepared the little power he had managed to recover. 'I won't drop him. Now come on, I doubt the Krimson Elite plan on letting us stand around talking much longer.' As though to punctuate his words a golden armoured form stepped from a doorway on the opposite side of the hall, levelling his fire-lance as his voice rose.

'Here! I've found*' Before he could continue he was cut down by Krimson Regulars even as they broke into a run, shouts sounding as the Krimson Elite closed in. Samos and Keira ran in the centre of the fleeing party, Jak's body borne along beside the floating sage as an aura of Samos' power surrounded him. Keira watched his face as every movement brought a twitch of pain, gripping his hand as she hoped that his monumental struggle to protect them, to protect her, had not been in vain.

They moved in a running firefight, snapshots echoing down corridors and through chambers as their every step was dogged by the Krimson Elite. One by one they were brought down but they were never halted in their mad dash, casualties left in their wake as they bulldozed through those that opposed them. There were far fewer that ran from the Palace's third gate and into the smoggy air of the industrial district than had set off but as they drew to a sudden halt outside they wondered if perhaps they had been wrong to follow Jak's advice.

The gate opened out onto a wide plaza in the industrial district, factories and processing centres walling in the courtyard, walkways criss-crossing overhead between the structures as they rose all around them. Normally it would have teemed with labourers and business men as the citizenry of Haven City moved about their daily business but at that moment it was empty as the workers deserted their posts to escape the any collateral damage from the battle in the palace. Empty at least save the six Krimson Guard carriers that hovered a few feet from the ground in the centre. Whether Regulars or Elite piloted them was a crucial unknown. As it a familiar voice crackled into life over the loudspeakers on each craft it turned out that neither was the correct answer.

'Get down!'

Keira's eyes widened, 'Daxter?' Before she could say any more Torn seized her and threw her to the floor an instant before the pursuing Krimson Elite arrived at the gate. As the first of them stepped out into the open courtyard the cannons on the underbelly of each of the carriers exploded into life, a spray of bullets peppering the gateway. The Elite were caught in the open, death-cries rising as they were mown down by the fire, shell casings littering the asphalt as they dropped in a steady hail from assault cannons, their tinkling impacts an undertone to the deafening roar of the shots.

The Elite tried to take refuge behind the gates as the doors slowly closed, the sheer weight and size of the portal meaning that it took half a minute before they were safe from the carriers. It also meant that it would take almost the full thirty seconds before they could re-emerge. They all knew better than to waste the time and the entrance ramps at the rear of each of them were already dropping as their cannons ceased their fire, the metal barrels pinging as they cooled. Torn needed no further invitation and dragged Keira to her feet as he urged his Krimson Regulars forward and into the vehicles.

As she gained her feet a grin split her face as a short, familiar figure leaned out from the rear of the lead carrier, beckoning her onward as he called to her, 'Heya toots, bet you never thought you'd be this glad to see me!'

As the Elite realised what was happening outside they began opening the gates once more, the doors slowly inching open as they readied themselves should they have to face the same wave of fire that had cut down over a dozen of their accomplices the last time. But they were too late, even as the first of them leapt from the entrance and brought his fire-lance to bear the carriers lifted into the air, turning away from the palace as their ramps closed once more, the Krimson Regulars safely aboard.

Inside the first one Samos gently lay Jak upon a bench, watching as Keira sat beside him, lifting his head into her lap as she watched his face carefully for any signs of life. She turned to her father to speak but Daxter's voice cut her off as he challenged Torn, staring up at the commander from his perch of the opposite bench.

'What the hell happened in there? I was ready to send my wastelanders in to storm the palace and come and lend a hand when Jak showed up out of nowhere and told me to grab some carriers and wait here. I figured he was gonna go ugly and didn't want us in the way. Now I've seen him fight those guys, even the Elite got didn't stand a chance once he wigged out and got all dark. So can you explain to me exactly how he got his head kicked in?'

Torn watched the palace fading in the back window as the carriers swept over the city. 'Erol's back.' He replied grimly, hearing the ottsel's sharp intake of breath. 'Apparently after his accident the Baron had him transferred to some sort of secret labs, they must have been outside the Palace because me and Ashelin checked every inch of the place and destroyed anything to do with the Dark Eco Warrior Project. Somehow they managed to keep him alive and now he cane use dark eco just like Jak. Only he's stronger… a lot stronger.'

The ottsel's face was subdued as he turned to Samos, nodding toward Jak. 'Is he gonna be okay?'

Samos gave his daughter a reassuring nod as she looked up at the ottsel's question, 'He'll be fine. It's just a couple of cracked ribs, I've seen that boy dancing with worse. Mostly he's just exhausted from the fight, but since it's eco exhaustion rather than physical it'll take a lot longer for him to recover. Normally I'd expect it to take anything up to a week but with a boy like Jak it shouldn't take more than a day or two before he's back on his feet.'

Torn let out a slow breath as he wrestled his thoughts into order, forcing himself to think logically rather than panic over the apparent hopelessness of their situation. 'Hey, Fuzzball.' Daxter scowled but turned an attentive face toward him, 'Tell your men to head to the old Underground Headquarters. That's where I told Ashelin to rally our troops if something like this happened.' The ottsel nodded, disappearing into the cockpit as Torn turned to Samos.

'So what now sage? You're the eco expert!'

Samos turned a scowl at him, banging his staff into the floor as he rose to his feet, 'Don't you dare snap at me boy! Erol's been imbued with dark eco that has affected him in ways far different from Jak's receipt of these powers. Right now I don't know how to beat him and I sure as hell am not about to start to tell you what to do with your soldiers, as far as I'm concerned they're your responsibility. Once Jak wakes up I'll talk with him, see what I can find out. But until then the only thing we can do is retreat and lick our wounds. Hopefully it'll take them a while to sort out the mess we left of the palace and we'll have time to plan where to go from here.'

Torn acquiesced, turning as Daxter re-entered the compartment, hopping onto the seat next to Keira as he took in his best friend's state. 'How many wastelanders you got?'

Daxter shrugged, 'Not sure, got about ten of em with me and… maybe forty, fifty back in the harbour area, all of 'em with some serious hardware though and tough as nails from huntin' metalheads.' He caught the look in Torn's eye and jumped to his feet. 'Hey, don't think even for a second that they work for you. They work for me and I'm only lookin' out for my buddy Jak here, I don't make a move until he's back on his feet.'

Torn scowled at the ottsel but held his tongue, no matter his opinions the furball had just saved his life and almost three dozen of his men. 'Fine, I'll give you and your men quarters in the Underground's complex until Jak. We can look after him better here than you can at the Ottsel I'm sure.'

Daxter shrugged, conceding the point before retreating into the cockpit, pointing the way to the pilot as the carriers dropped from the sky to weave between the buildings at street level, dodging around the few civilian vehicles that had braved the streets. An odd calm had settled over the city and its citizenry, but one that held a dread and foreboding, as though they lay in the eye of the storm and merely awaited when it would next unleash its fury on them. As far as Torn was concerned that was a good thing, it would keep civilian casualties to a minimum if the fighting spilled out onto the streets, which it was looking increasingly likely to.

As the carrier's swept around the final bend and into the cul-de-sac that housed the Underground's headquarters he saw the turrets hidden behind the façade of the buildings track them for a moment before he transmitted the clearance code. As they watched the street beneath them suddenly split down the middle, the hiss of pneumatics rising above the drone of their engines as the hidden bunker was revealed to the carriers. As Daxter watched wide-eyed Torn allowed himself a small smirk of satisfaction.

'What? You thought underground headquarters was just that one little room?'

Daxter's eyes raised to him and he shrugged, 'Well actually yeah.'

Torn let himself take in the base as the carriers lowered into the hanger. 'Afraid not.' The Underground had spent years constructing this place, building it into the city's sewer system and hiding it away from the Krimson Guard. For years it had been their base of operations, from where they had struck at Praxis' oppresive regime. Now, after being the enemy of the Krimson Guard for so long, it swarmed with them, every walkway and chamber filled with red-armoured Krimson Regulars, those with wounds stretched out in rows as medics tended to them, technicians and officers moving calmly through the hive of activity. The hanger had not been designed to take carriers and was already filled with a variety of bikes and speeders left over from the clandestine activities of the underground, all surreptitiously modified to include weapons. But Torn found a way to fit in the carriers, they would come in handy later.

Torn opened the ramp and took over command effortlessly, his voice cutting across the orders of the captain already on the landing platform as he ordered his troops from the craft, signalling to them where they should go, using his familiarity with the base well. It was a simple matter for one of his experience to see to it that the steady flow of retreating troops arriving from the various safe-houses to which he had directed them was matched by an equal flow of patrols that left the base. His swiftness was well-rewarded and by the time a familiar voice called him from his post he had ensured that over half the city was firmly in his hands despite the loss of the palace.

'Torn, come to the command centre. I have to speak with you.' Ashelin's voice came into his ear from the small head-set he wore. He obeyed her quickly but did not simply leave his plans half-complete, with the same smooth skill with which he had taken over command of the flow of the troops within the base he once more relinquished it to his officers before making for the command centre. It was the room that had so often seen him in conference with Jak, Officers in the Krimson Guard, some of them men he had instated straight from their positions in the underground, surrounded the low table and offered him their salutes as he entered. The maps spread before them covered in an intricate scrawl of detailed notes and tactical data, a hundred pins scattered through the streets to represent where their forces were positioned. To most it would have been a confusing whirl of data but Torn took it in with a glance, knowing that the same understanding of the situation was present in the mind of the tall slender, woman whose eyes pinned him the moment they rose from the table.

'Okay, all of you out. I need to speak with Commander Torn alone.' She dismissed the other officers and they obediently left them, knowing better than to question her orders. The instant that the door shut behind the last of them the two were locked in a feverish embrace as Torn closed the gap between them instantly to enfold her in his arms, pulling her against his armoured form.

'Thank God you're alright!' He whispered into her ear, the rare moment of passion between the two enough to draw the tender words from him. They had never really consummated their relationship in the years they had known each other, their moments together taken in time stolen from the rest of their lives. But they had come to rely on if not the presence then at least the knowledge of their partner's sympathy and comfort.

The two parted to sit side-by-side at the table, turning to watch one another for a moment. The make-shift hospital in the base was not far down the corridor from the hidden door that led to the rest of the base and in the silence the two heard the low cries of the wounded. He saw her face grow heavy as a particularly shrill scream cut through the door.

'Did we do the right thing Torn?' Her voice was heavy with unfamiliar self-doubt, the emotion as strange to her voice as it was to her face. 'Trying to set ourselves up as the new rulers once my father was gone?' She paused for a moment, unused to expressing any vulnerability. 'How many people have died, will die, because we wanted to stop Michaels and Erol from taking over?'

Torn took her hand gently between his, his heavily tattooed face bearing an unfamiliar expression of concern upon it. 'I don't know.' He did not try to coddle her, he respected her to much for that. Merely told her the truth of his feelings. 'But if we let Erol take over… if we give up. What he'll do will make the worst of your father's atrocities look like nothing. He's a monster Ashelin… If we have to the Guard will fight him down to the last man.'

Her hand tightened around his fingers as she rose from her seat to straddle him in his, their faces inches apart as her free hand rose, her fingertips grazing across his cheek.

'If you go off and get killed Torn, I'll never forgive you… not ever!'

He released her hand so that he could embrace her, pulling her close to bring her lips in range of the gentle kiss he brushed across them. A confident smile crossed his face as he sat back, his arms draped around her hips as she ran her hands over his armoured chest.

'The elite have been trying to kill me for years Ashelin. They haven't managed it yet, and they won't this time.'

Her hands twisted in his collar, the hidden muscles in her slim frame pulling him back to her as she pressed herself against him.

'It's not the elite I'm worried about Torn. Erol's out of your league, I've heard the reports of what he did at the palace. I want you to promise me that you won't try to take him on. We brought Jak in to deal with unknowns like this.'

Torn stared up at her, watching the fire dance in her eyes for a moment before he replied. 'Jak's failed Ashelin.' The sharp breath she drew told her that the revelation had been news to her, her hands releasing him as she retreated back to her own chair. 'He fought Erol in the palace today. Erol beat him, badly. We only just got away with our lives.'

Her eyes rose, 'Where is he now?'

'I've put him up in one of the dorm rooms, Keira and Samos are in their with him. The Fuzzball's there too, got a couple of his wastelanders on the door. One of em's the big bastard, what's his name, Sig. When they fought he weakened Erol enough for our guns to hurt him but even after a fight like that all we could do was scratch him… I don't know how we're gonna beat him Ashelin.'

She stared at the table in front of her as she stood, eyes fixed on the palace as her hands closed into fists. 'We'll find a way Torn. We have to…'

A.N. I'll bet most of you didn't see that coming now did you. I hope this new twist in the balance of power piques your interest enough that you will be around for the next chapter as the story is about to enter a new phase and I am very happy with the way things are currently progressing. As always, any reviews you have would be welcomed as I always appreciate honest views on my work. As an aside, to avoid further embarrassment to either party I would suggest that anyone who has issues with plot aspects of my fic notify me through private e-mail rather than review as I would like to remind you that this fic is my own interpretation of the Jak 2 universe and as such elements of it may differ from your own. But besides this, I hope you have all enjoyed the latest instalment of my work and look forward to reading your reviews.

Go With God

The Visionary