OMFG…straight up…this is 7 pages!! O-O Man oh man. If that's too long, tell me…I'm trying to find a happy medium!!!!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!
I wanna say thanks to all those who reviewed!! I'll give you each a personal thanks next time…must get this up!!! Woot!!! I love you all!!!! Without you…I would be nothing!! NOTHING!
Hey..if ya wanna see what my characters Myr and Lanya look like...go to my deviantart site...links on my main page...
Goggle Head Girl!!!! Jemisard!!!! Kyoko; Decendant of Aura!!!! ElementalGoddess!!!! Krimzon 1!!!! Kami Count D!!!! Courtney!!!! Demyrie!!!! You guys made me feel SO loved ::glomps ya all::
Taming the Darkness – Chapter 3 – Seeing Colors, Seeing Truth
Jak strode purposefully into the power station, his mind only on one thing—finding a way to help Daxter.
He came in just in time to nearly have Vin nearly run him over with his little hover cart.
"Oh jeez!" Vin stammered setting down a few feet from Jak. "I'm sorry Jak! I didn't even see you there!!"
"Yeah…great." Vin raised an eyebrow at Jak's indifference. "Look, I'm here fr one thing and I need it done quick!"
"Um, okay….shoot…well, not really cause then that—"
"Vin!"
"Yeah, sorry!"
"Look. That elevator into the palace you got working for us a while back—is there anyway that you can get it up and running again?"
"Er…" Vin scratched his head, his eyes darting around the room. He jumped back onto his platform, the sides snapping up as he lifted off the ground. "You see the thing is: I very well might be able to get it running again," He tapped a few buttons and moved some things around on his screen. "BUT, even though those power boxes you switched on last time are still active, the rerouting I did for the power conduits have been blocked. I think the Baron might have found it and put an inhibitor on the switches!"
"So you're telling me if I get rid of the main inhibitor then it'll free up the power for the elevator?"
"Pretty much." Vin stated looking down from his lofty altitude.
"Fine, just tell me where it is and I'll get it done." Jak turned to leave.
"You? Just you? Wh-where's Daxter?"
Jak's shoulders tensed and he glanced over his shoulder, but mot at Vin. "He was kidnapped."
"I'm sorry." Vin said sincerely, his voice soft.
"Yeah, me too," Jak started, his fists clenching tightly as he turned back towards the door. "But I will find him…so make sure you get that elevator running." Vin nodded as Jak disappeared out the door
-----
Jak looked down at the small communicator in his hand, Vin's face appearing whenever the paranoid mechanic appeared in front of the vid-feed.
Vin had contacted him when he was almost halfway to the inhibitor to tell him that there had been a rather nasty lock put on the inhibitor switch. Apparently the only known key was in the possession of one Baron Praxis.
"Don't worry, Vin." Jak said with a small smile before he closed the communicator. "I think I know someone who might know where a spare is."
Jak growled softy and took a wide U-turn, nearly clipping a few pedestrians in the process, and headed for the Hip Hog Heaven Saloon.
-----
Lanya watched as the colored outline of Daxter's aura writhed and arched against the table. "What the hell did you do to him!?" She yelled angrily, not at all wanting to be here when they decided to torture this poor boy.
The blood red aura of Erol shifted and she expected he was facing her…but his aura was so chaotic, that she couldn't tell. He was insane. That's all she knew.
"I only gave him something to loosen his tongue." The red cloud drifted over towards the table again and she followed it, wanting desperately to lash out at him.
"A truth serum!? You gave him a truth serum?"
"My, my…for a little blind girl you sure are smart!" She heard Myr hiss in warning and felt him gently reach up and touch her shoulder. His warmth calmed for a moment, but not long.
Scoffing at his remark, she continued. "I can't believe this…you could kill him. And then, then all your precious plans and our help will be pointless!"
"Aw, sentiment—how touching." The hand tightened on her shoulder. "He can't be killed by nothing more than a truth serum!" Erol laughed and she watched as his aura shifted, red to deep crimson to almost black.
"But if he—"
"If he struggles too greatly, the serum could cause heart failure, blah blah blah." His aura shuddered around him and Lanya felt fear for the first time in a long while. This man was heartless…he enjoyed the pain he brought to other people. "Heh, only the strong willed have a chance at even possibly fighting of a Veratas Serum and I can tell you right now that this," Lanya got the impression he motioned in Daxter's direction. "--This rodent is one of the weakest damn things I've seen crawling around Haven City." Lanya felt her eyes close, the auras around her dimming and disappearing.
"You're a monster." she growled. Opening her eyes she saw they were filled with the color of blood and realized Erol must have gotten right in front of her.
She felt Myr's strong arm wrap around her shoulders.
"Me? A monster?" Erol laughed and she watched as the sickening color left to go stand beside Daxter. "Thank you."
Lanya pulled against Myr until she was free, but reached behind her and gripped his pale hand before starting forward.
Daxter was nearly sobbing, his mixed aura pulsating as he tried to fight back everything that was going through him. She could tell he was in pain, she could feel the pain herself like no one else could. The dark blue and dark green auras of both his selves twisted together in pulsing waves.
'Myr,' she thought towards him, feeling the familiar tug of their mental connection. 'We can't let him stay like this. We can't leave him here like this…'
It seemed like forever that she watched the blood drenched aura of Erol as he happily watched the thrashing Daxter. Finally she felt a comforting weight press into her thoughts.
'It could cost us everything here. We might loose our protection from the Baron.'
Lanya turned her head to peer into the depths of her lover's aura, the golden glow was solid and unwavering…just like Myr himself. He didn't care one bit about the Baron…she could feel that much. 'Then in the end, it's up to you.' She turned back around to see that the violent twisting of Daxter's had slowed, be he was still making small mewling noises as the serum continued through his system.
There was a small laugh behind her and she felt the sudden absence of Myr behind her.
His gold aura flitted by, making its way over to Erol's, and Lanya didn't need to be told what to do.
They were going to do their best to save this boy…even if it cost them what they were here for.
-----
It hurt. It hurt like nothing Daxter had ever experienced. The searing heat of whatever Erol injected into him traveled through his body like a wild fire. He felt it spread across his entire body and even to the tips of his fur before retreating from his limbs and pooling in his chest.
He felt his eyes stinging, the tears already soaking and matting the fur around his eyes and down his cheeks.
It was only when he thought that the pain was almost at its end that the heat that had pooled in his chest exploded. It felt as though someone had taken steel hooks and hooked them beneath his ribs, pulling them until his very heart and all things hidden were exposed to the world around him.
He began to writhe and twist against the leather and steel straps again, still knowing it was of no use, but hoping anyway.
He felt feelings surface and memories flash by as the pain worsened. He began to see pictures of Sandover, of Jak, of his life before dark eco. Then he began to see Jak as he saw him everyday…his friend and unrequited love interest. Daxter slowly began to panic. Could everyone see them, his thoughts? Could they see how he felt about his BEST friend!?
He tried in alarm to repress them, to keep them from the open air, but it only served to make the pain worse. A loud mewling cry escaped his lips and his bit down hard on his lip to try and stifle anymore. He heard Erol talking, but the white hot pain dulled his senses and he couldn't make out what anyone was saying.
Opening his eyes he was able to set his blurry and tear-filled gaze on a rather irate Myr that was stalking towards him.
"Kill…me…" he whispered to Myr, hoping the dark sage heard him. I don't want to live anymore…I don't care if Jak comes…he won't be in time and I'm not as strong as him. Never as strong as him. He pleaded with Myr, pleaded with his eyes…but Myr only looked down sadly and continued over to Erol.
Daxter let out a whimpering sob, fresh tears flowing down his cheeks.
He was never going to survive this…not without Jak.
Jak…Where are you, Jak? I need you.
-----
Myr watched Daxter, watched as he gasped out something incoherently, and watched as his eyes pleaded for the pain to stop. 'Lanya…You better hurry up and get to him.'
There was a tinkling of laughter in the back of his mind. 'I'm getting there…you forget I'm blind?"
Myr rolled his eyes and stopped just beside of Erol. Erol looked up, his hazel eyes burning into Myr's gold ones. "Yes?" he asked angrily. He wanted to be watching the serum's effects on the small creature, not looking at some no-it-all researcher.
"I regret to inform you, that you will not be interrogating this boy today."
Erol laughed. "Says who?"
Myr smiled. "Me." And with a single wave of his hand, Myr had sent Erol flying into the far wall where he slumped down to the floor unconscious.
Myr rubbed the back of his hand and pouted. "That hurt more than I should have."
"It's because of his hard head. Now, if you're done crying, get your ass over here and help me!"
Myr turned from where he was and practically sprinted the few feet to where Lanya stood beside Daxter, her long nails gently scratching his stomach in soothing strokes. Daxter still twisted, his face contorted in agony.
"Lanya, a shield, if you please." Lanya nodded and left Daxter's side, Daxter making a small croaking noise when her fingers disappeared from his fur.
Myr went to Daxter's side as Lanya lifted her hands and created a shield around themselves and the table. "Listen to me Daxter. If you want any of that pain to ease up, you need to except the fact that truths you wanted to stay hidden are now easily accessible. You need to realize that there is no way you can keep them from us!" Daxter howled in pain. "DAXTER!" Myr shouted in the ottsel's ear. "I give you my word as an Eco Sage and as a living creature that I will not ask you questions that will lead ANYONE to your friends or incriminate you. Please, just help us help you!"
Daxter's breathing slowly began to return to normal, but the crease across his brow showed Myr that there was something he still wanted to hide.
"Myr! I think they might be heading back up…"
"Daxter, what happened to make you like you are today."
Daxter groaned, and opened hazy blue eyes. "I feel into a vat of dark eco."
"You fell into a vat?" Myr looked confused, but Daxter nodded.
"Where?"
"Misty Island." Daxter's voice was a straight monotone, no emotion, no inflections…it was unnerving.
Myr's eyes widened. "What…When!?"
"Before we came through the time rift." Daxter let out a ragged breath and closed his eyes again in another wave of pain.
"Wh-who would use a whole vat of dark eco for…for anything!?" He hadn't been asking Daxter, only talking to himself, but Daxter answered anyway.
"Gol and Maia."
"Gol and Maia!?" Myr cursed. "Those damn lunatics…I'd truly hate them if they weren't my ancestors…"
"Myr!!" Lanya shouted. "Hurry UP!"
"Right, right." He focused back on Daxter. "Daxter, do you know if there was anything done to the eco you fell in?"
Daxter's eyes were screwed shut as he shook his head. "I think it was pure dark eco."
Myr chewed intently on his bottom lip, trying to figure something out. He very well could do it. If it wasn't diluted or contaminated he could just reverse the effects. He knew he could, he knew he could do this. Myr looked down at the pained creature in front of him.
"Daxter, tell me…Would you rather be and Ottsel or would you want to be put back to normal?"
Daxter's eyes widened for a moment in shock then in consternation. "I don't care…so long as…so long…"
"'So long as' what!?" Myr pressed.
"So long as I'm with Jak."
Myr and Lanya both turned to look at each other. Daxter turned his head and refused to look at them so Myr smiled and ran his fingers over Daxter's brow in a comforting gesture.
"Daxter, if I could possibly make you human again, would you want me to try?"
Daxter felt his stomach fill with butterflies and he looked up almost happily.
"Yes."
"Well," started Lanya, her voice slightly hitching. "Whatever you guys plan on doing had better be done quickly…I can feel people making their way up here!"
"Alright. Daxter, this won't hurt a lot, but it will sting so I suggest you brace yourself."
-----
Brace myself? Apparently Sage-Boy's never had this serum shit shot directly into his blood stream. I remember the dark eco bath I took…if this works…if it's anything like it was then…I'll be able to handle it like a pro!
Daxter watched through blurry eyes as Myr leaned down and with one swipe against each leather strap, Daxter felt a limb go free.
Soon he had curled himself in a fetal position, trying to keep the pain from spreading anymore. It hurt and it still burned through his veins, but not as fiercely as it had nearly half an hour ago.
He felt Myr's cold hands on his back and felt his fingers snake down across his belly. His cool fingers felt wonderful against his hot fur and he prayed that they would take some of his heat away.
"Now hold still Daxter." Myr whispered softly. Daxter felt Myr's fingers getting colder and colder. He felt that familiar crackle of energy that Jak got whenever he transformed…the same cold energy he felt coursing through every cell wall of his being when he took a tumble into that dark eco so many years ago.
Something deep within him stirred and he knew right off he didn't like the feeling of it. As the coldness increased and the pain from the serum decreased, that thing deep within him began to fight its way to the surface.
What was it? Why was it there? Daxter felt questions race through his mind at warp speeds, but they were moving to quickly by for him to ask them aloud. He soon uncurled from his fetal position and laid himself flat on the table, twitching every time Myr sent a wave of dark eco through him.
This isn't so bad…No, this isn't so—Daxter's eyes widened as he felt something bubbling inside of him. He felt as though another part of himself was suddenly trying to get free. Not wanting to let it go, he began to thrash about, trying to knock away Myr's hands.
"Daxter," he hissed. "I have to do this! I have separate you from the dark eco or—"
"NO!" Daxter gasped and tried more vigorously to get away. "I don't want it out…it doesn't…it doesn't feel right!!"
Myr pressed down hard on Daxter's small chest and Dax realized that he was no match for the larger elf.
He lay there for what seemed like forever, Myr's chanting and soft words echoing in his ears. The darkness that lay within him, the darkness that everyone has but casts aside, the darkness that fed off the dark eco so long ago…it was there, waiting. Daxter could feel him and he wondered if this was how Jak felt.
Myr's whispering got louder after a long moment, and Daxter felt the terrifying darkness within him recede. Daxter also suddenly began to feel the cold air of the cell around him. He felt as though things had gotten quieter, but it was merely his hearing returning to the way it once was. He felt his body lengthen, bones re-growing and fur disappearing to reveal pale skin.
Reaching up shaking hands, Daxter ran his fingers down his face and felt a regular nose, lips, eyebrows, a hairline and bangs…he felt his long ears and shaggy hair. He lifted his hands and looked at his fingers—something he hadn't been able to do for years.
Feeling hot tears well up in his eyes, he looked past his hands and his gaze fell on Myr who looked a bit more than a little tired now. Daxter sat up, his heart racing. Was it true…could it really be that he was…was back to normal. Legs! He had his legs back. They were a bit more toned, but still lanky…still his! Myr smiled at him, his hands on the table the only thing keeping him from collapsing.
"Th-thank you." whispered Daxter, one hand going to his face to wipe off tears that were now flowing unabashedly down his cheeks. "I don't know how I'll ever repay you!"
Daxter was about to jump on Myr and hug his brains out, when the shield around them suddenly disappeared. Both looked over at Lanya only to see she was now sprawled out across the floor, her blood blossoming out beneath her on the metal floor.
Erol stood over her, a maniacal glint in his eyes and a dagger in his right hand. "Guess the little blind girl isn't that smart after all."
Myr growled and lunged forward away from the table and straight at Erol's face. Erol never moved from his spot beside her, only smiled.
"Calm it down," he stated simply, a spike shoe coming down to press dangerously on Lanya's head. "I wouldn't want to crush such a pretty face." Myr glowered. They seemed to stand there staring at each other for hours. But it had only been a few seconds after Myr's attack was halted, that the door slid open and nearly half a dozen guards rushed in, guns raised.
Myr hissed angrily, but didn't move. All their work…ALL their WORK! Lanya groaned from where she was on the floor and a soldier bent down to pick her up. It seemed Erol had sliced her shoulder and hit her across the face. A dark bruise was forming over her ash grey cheekbone.
"Well, well, well…" Erol made his way around Myr to the table that held a very naked and very terrified Daxter. "It seems as though you dark eco types run in packs!" He poked at Daxter's arm.
Daxter hissed in pain, not entirely use to the feel of his skin yet.
Erol then turned to look at the soldiers holding Myr and Lanya. "Take them up to block 3 and lock'em up. We'll deal with them later"
A soldier jerked Myr towards the door, jabbing him painfully with the end of his rifle. "Move it!" Myr bared his teeth at the soldier before calling out to Erol, "I will kill you for this, mark my words!"
Erol watched as the Krimzon Guard left with the two Dark Sages and opening the communicator on his wrist he smiled at Daxter in a most unpleasant way. "Baron Praxis?" There was a snappish reply. "You really need to get to cell block 5, number 228 right away! Our newest test subject has just done a very nice trick for us."
End of Chapter 3!!
MERRY CHRISTMAS YA'LL!!! I can't believe I finished this…I really hope this doesn't suck big time. It's real long…I think too long…yeck… I wanted to bring up a few facts in this one, but I fear they may have gotten lost in my rambling. It's currently 12:45 am on Christmas…or Christmas Eve…I do hope ya'll like…
::grins:: I think I'll like the next couple of chapters!!
Next time on "Taming the Darkness": Will Daxter EVER get saved? Where is Jak now? Why is Erol insane? Where are the lollipops!? Is Keira, Ashelin, or Sig EVER gonna show up in this fic? Will Goldbryn? What's a Metal Head's favorite candy? What is Myr and Lanya's past? (I'll actually be writing a story on that) What is this darkness in Daxter? Will it ever leave? Has it gone already, or is it just hiding and lying in wait…? Hmm…where's my shoe…Oh dear…::falls over dead:: sleeeepy….
READ AND REVIEW cause it makes me joyous…and it's Christmas…and I love you!!!!