Ekobean: So, as you can see, things aren't going so well for Haven City.
Gol and Maia are going to attack the city with an army of thousands of
Metal Heads who are high on Dark Eco in three days. I hope you like the
next chapter.
Chapter 6
"Get moving!" yelled Ashelin over the commotion of the workers. The dust and sand of the Slums were airborne as hundreds and hundreds of elf feet stomped through carrying the latest high-tech weaponry. In just two days, Haven City had been transformed into a fort of guns and defense.
The palace was covered in guns; every point had a Red Eco cannon here or a sentry robot there. Every square inch of the security wall was covered in Yellow Eco lasers.
Inside the Palace, volunteers were being given Morph-Guns. Men and women alike were lined up in a line two miles long, shifting nervously, barely speaking. Torn and Brutter were sitting at desks inside, taking down names and ages. The volunteers would then be sent to the arms room where weapons and armor were applied and basic instructions were given.
The entire army, which consisted of 30,000, was split into five groups, one for each side of the city; and a large group for the middle section. The group to guard the north and the south were made up of Krimzon Guard. The parts to guard the east and west were made up of mixes of civilians and new recruits. In the center of the city was a group of 5,000 Krimzon Elite (Krimzon Guard with yellow armor), which were lead by Ashelin and Torn.
General Mogg, an old and experienced general led the large group to the north, while Sig lead the group to the south. Jak, surprisingly, was made the commander of the squadron of volunteers on the west side. Last but not least, the squadron to the east was lead by a young female warrior who had recently graduated from the military training of Haven City. Jak had heard very little about her, but he knew her name was Shady. Shady Sis it may have been.
They had just one day until Gol and Maia's attack. The six generals were seated tensely around a table in the top of the Palace. A holographic image of the city was floating from a small projector on the table's surface.
"So, Jak," said Ashelin, "I want your men guarding this entire section. No Metal Head gets through the wall, no one gets under you. The same with all of you." Five heads nodded in agreement.
"Governess," said Shady in her Australian-style accent (imagine that), "I don't understand why we put the civilians on the front lines. They have very little experience, and will most likely panic the moment the siren sounds." Ashelin sighed.
"I am aware of that, Shady, but we are extremely short on troops. This is the only way we could set up the army so that all sides of the city were guarded."
Shady nodded and sat back down in her chair, her brow furrowed in thought.
"So, is it agreed?" asked Ashelin. All the leaders nodded. All of them knew the odds, and they weren't good. There were so few of them compared to Gol and Maia's army. They would do their best in battle, till the very last person was standing. Their thoughts were interrupted, however, by a panicky voice that rang out through the cavernous hall of the throne room.
"Governess! Governess!" cried Dr. Veseer as he crashed through the door of the entrance.
"What is it, Veseer?" asked Ashelin. Veseer straightened himself and fixed his glasses before continuing.
"I have been doing a lot of work at the Power Station lately, managing the security walls, making sure that everything was operational."
"Yes?" said Ashelin impatiently.
"Anyway, I was doing this when all of a sudden the sensors went completely berserk. I looked into it and found...MASSIVE quantities of Eco under the city!"
"We already know that, Doctor," said Ashelin.
"No, no, no! Not Dark Eco, normal Eco! All four kinds right under the city!"
"What?" Ashelin cried, "how could we not have found it before? The sensors have never picked them up before."
"Well, they are all at least six hundred meters below ground."
"That explains it," Jak said simply.
"Governess, I think they're the Eco springs."
"It would make sense," said Samos, who had just entered the room, "I know the Eco Springs exist, but I never knew where. It would make sense for Mar to build the city above the Springs, so incase he ever needed them" –
"Like we need them now," finished Ashelin. She then turned to Veseer. "What is their position?"
"Well," stuttered Veseer looking over his notes, "according to my calculations they're located just around the lowest section of Mar's Tomb."
"It figures," Ashelin moaned, "Mar's Tomb is a maze. I would just make sense that what we need most is around the bottom part of his tomb. I'll send men down to search for it. Hopefully they'll be able to find it before it's too late. If we have that much Eco we may have enough ammunition to hold back the Metal Heads."
"Ashelin, wait!" cried Samos, "there may be another use for that much Eco." Jak turned to Samos. He didn't know exactly what the Sage was suggesting, but he had an idea, deep in the back of his mind. "We could create White Eco."
"Yup," Jak thought.
Ashelin laughed unsurely. "Samos, usually I agree with your statements, but here I'm afraid I can't. White Eco is a myth, everyone knows that. Even the Precursors didn't" –
"Write about it, yes," interrupted Samos, "but that doesn't mean that they didn't see it."
"Samos," began Ashelin.
"It does exist, Ashelin," said Jak, standing up. Everyone turned to Jak. He felt slightly uncomfortable under their staring eyes. "I've seen it, and so has Samos, Daxter and Keira...and so have Gol and Maia."
"And Jak is the only one to have used it. In fact, I believe that Jak is the only one able to use it." It was Samos' turn to feel uncomfortable as all eyes turned to him. "There is a Precurian Prophecy that states that: 'When Darkness rises beyond all bounds, Light shall become Day, and bring Darkness to the ground, Yet only Light may become Day, and all others may fade away.'"
"What does it mean?" asked Sig.
"Well, I believe that Jak may be the Light described in the Prophecy. I think that it means that if anyone else besides Jak tries to use White Eco, they may, well, 'Fade away.'"
"So Jak may be our only hope for saving the city," muttered Ashelin.
"This is deep stuff," said Shady, "I'm going to bed." Without another word she got up from the table and left.
"I'll order four of my men down into His tomb," said Ashelin, "and I think that we should all take Shady's advice, especially you Jak. The Metal Head forces arrive tomorrow, and if Samos is right, we'll need you more than ever."
The leaders slowly departed from the table. Jak walked slowly down the street to the Industrial area. So, just like that, he would be the savior of the city? This was going to fast, and his brain hadn't fully processed it. How could this be happening?
Jak walked in through the front door and threw his shirt off and sat down on the bed. He sat there for several hours in a trancelike state. He was going over so many things in his mind. He didn't react when he heard the front door open, or when he heard Keira call his name. He didn't look up when she walked in the room and touched his face gingerly. "Jak," she said softly, "Daddy told me all about what you talked about. Listen, I believe that you can do it. You've defeated those psychos before, and you can do it again. Listen, whatever happens tomorrow, I'll be there. I'll be fighting with you. I believe in you."
Jak looked up into Keira's pure, clear eyes. They slowly leaned in and kissed. Her arms slowly wrapped around him and they embraced. He wrapped his arms about her waist and returned the kiss. The night was theirs.
The air outside was cold and silent. The stars twinkled like shining tears in the black face of the night. The calmness of the city could have calmed anybody to sleep.
It was the calm before the storm.
Ekobean: I worked a lot on this one. I hope you liked it. If you're a pervert you can imagine that they did stuff at the end. If not, you can imagine something else. Go ahead! I won't be mad...much. Read and review!!!!!!!!!! (
To Shadowsister: Recognize anyone? :-D
Chapter 6
"Get moving!" yelled Ashelin over the commotion of the workers. The dust and sand of the Slums were airborne as hundreds and hundreds of elf feet stomped through carrying the latest high-tech weaponry. In just two days, Haven City had been transformed into a fort of guns and defense.
The palace was covered in guns; every point had a Red Eco cannon here or a sentry robot there. Every square inch of the security wall was covered in Yellow Eco lasers.
Inside the Palace, volunteers were being given Morph-Guns. Men and women alike were lined up in a line two miles long, shifting nervously, barely speaking. Torn and Brutter were sitting at desks inside, taking down names and ages. The volunteers would then be sent to the arms room where weapons and armor were applied and basic instructions were given.
The entire army, which consisted of 30,000, was split into five groups, one for each side of the city; and a large group for the middle section. The group to guard the north and the south were made up of Krimzon Guard. The parts to guard the east and west were made up of mixes of civilians and new recruits. In the center of the city was a group of 5,000 Krimzon Elite (Krimzon Guard with yellow armor), which were lead by Ashelin and Torn.
General Mogg, an old and experienced general led the large group to the north, while Sig lead the group to the south. Jak, surprisingly, was made the commander of the squadron of volunteers on the west side. Last but not least, the squadron to the east was lead by a young female warrior who had recently graduated from the military training of Haven City. Jak had heard very little about her, but he knew her name was Shady. Shady Sis it may have been.
They had just one day until Gol and Maia's attack. The six generals were seated tensely around a table in the top of the Palace. A holographic image of the city was floating from a small projector on the table's surface.
"So, Jak," said Ashelin, "I want your men guarding this entire section. No Metal Head gets through the wall, no one gets under you. The same with all of you." Five heads nodded in agreement.
"Governess," said Shady in her Australian-style accent (imagine that), "I don't understand why we put the civilians on the front lines. They have very little experience, and will most likely panic the moment the siren sounds." Ashelin sighed.
"I am aware of that, Shady, but we are extremely short on troops. This is the only way we could set up the army so that all sides of the city were guarded."
Shady nodded and sat back down in her chair, her brow furrowed in thought.
"So, is it agreed?" asked Ashelin. All the leaders nodded. All of them knew the odds, and they weren't good. There were so few of them compared to Gol and Maia's army. They would do their best in battle, till the very last person was standing. Their thoughts were interrupted, however, by a panicky voice that rang out through the cavernous hall of the throne room.
"Governess! Governess!" cried Dr. Veseer as he crashed through the door of the entrance.
"What is it, Veseer?" asked Ashelin. Veseer straightened himself and fixed his glasses before continuing.
"I have been doing a lot of work at the Power Station lately, managing the security walls, making sure that everything was operational."
"Yes?" said Ashelin impatiently.
"Anyway, I was doing this when all of a sudden the sensors went completely berserk. I looked into it and found...MASSIVE quantities of Eco under the city!"
"We already know that, Doctor," said Ashelin.
"No, no, no! Not Dark Eco, normal Eco! All four kinds right under the city!"
"What?" Ashelin cried, "how could we not have found it before? The sensors have never picked them up before."
"Well, they are all at least six hundred meters below ground."
"That explains it," Jak said simply.
"Governess, I think they're the Eco springs."
"It would make sense," said Samos, who had just entered the room, "I know the Eco Springs exist, but I never knew where. It would make sense for Mar to build the city above the Springs, so incase he ever needed them" –
"Like we need them now," finished Ashelin. She then turned to Veseer. "What is their position?"
"Well," stuttered Veseer looking over his notes, "according to my calculations they're located just around the lowest section of Mar's Tomb."
"It figures," Ashelin moaned, "Mar's Tomb is a maze. I would just make sense that what we need most is around the bottom part of his tomb. I'll send men down to search for it. Hopefully they'll be able to find it before it's too late. If we have that much Eco we may have enough ammunition to hold back the Metal Heads."
"Ashelin, wait!" cried Samos, "there may be another use for that much Eco." Jak turned to Samos. He didn't know exactly what the Sage was suggesting, but he had an idea, deep in the back of his mind. "We could create White Eco."
"Yup," Jak thought.
Ashelin laughed unsurely. "Samos, usually I agree with your statements, but here I'm afraid I can't. White Eco is a myth, everyone knows that. Even the Precursors didn't" –
"Write about it, yes," interrupted Samos, "but that doesn't mean that they didn't see it."
"Samos," began Ashelin.
"It does exist, Ashelin," said Jak, standing up. Everyone turned to Jak. He felt slightly uncomfortable under their staring eyes. "I've seen it, and so has Samos, Daxter and Keira...and so have Gol and Maia."
"And Jak is the only one to have used it. In fact, I believe that Jak is the only one able to use it." It was Samos' turn to feel uncomfortable as all eyes turned to him. "There is a Precurian Prophecy that states that: 'When Darkness rises beyond all bounds, Light shall become Day, and bring Darkness to the ground, Yet only Light may become Day, and all others may fade away.'"
"What does it mean?" asked Sig.
"Well, I believe that Jak may be the Light described in the Prophecy. I think that it means that if anyone else besides Jak tries to use White Eco, they may, well, 'Fade away.'"
"So Jak may be our only hope for saving the city," muttered Ashelin.
"This is deep stuff," said Shady, "I'm going to bed." Without another word she got up from the table and left.
"I'll order four of my men down into His tomb," said Ashelin, "and I think that we should all take Shady's advice, especially you Jak. The Metal Head forces arrive tomorrow, and if Samos is right, we'll need you more than ever."
The leaders slowly departed from the table. Jak walked slowly down the street to the Industrial area. So, just like that, he would be the savior of the city? This was going to fast, and his brain hadn't fully processed it. How could this be happening?
Jak walked in through the front door and threw his shirt off and sat down on the bed. He sat there for several hours in a trancelike state. He was going over so many things in his mind. He didn't react when he heard the front door open, or when he heard Keira call his name. He didn't look up when she walked in the room and touched his face gingerly. "Jak," she said softly, "Daddy told me all about what you talked about. Listen, I believe that you can do it. You've defeated those psychos before, and you can do it again. Listen, whatever happens tomorrow, I'll be there. I'll be fighting with you. I believe in you."
Jak looked up into Keira's pure, clear eyes. They slowly leaned in and kissed. Her arms slowly wrapped around him and they embraced. He wrapped his arms about her waist and returned the kiss. The night was theirs.
The air outside was cold and silent. The stars twinkled like shining tears in the black face of the night. The calmness of the city could have calmed anybody to sleep.
It was the calm before the storm.
Ekobean: I worked a lot on this one. I hope you liked it. If you're a pervert you can imagine that they did stuff at the end. If not, you can imagine something else. Go ahead! I won't be mad...much. Read and review!!!!!!!!!! (
To Shadowsister: Recognize anyone? :-D