Chapter 6
I know, it's INCREDIBLY late! I'm so sorry! (People really need to throw things at me more to make me write) I'll try my bestest to keep this updating semi-regularly, if people promise to keep reading it. Remember, only a couple of reviews per chapter make Keskes not very likely to want to write more! (Cause what's the point of writing when people don't read, ne?)
Anyway, this is basically an inbetween chapter to see how many of you are still paying attention to this, and to get people back up to scratch with it. I have most of the next part planned out, so it shouldn't take too much to get it written out. Because this is a small-update chapter, I haven't really had it beta-ed as much as I should (that and I lost contact details for my wonderful beta-reader...), so please forgive me! bows
As always, reviews are a gift for writers, and lack of them starves creativity. ;;
-
Daxter stared with rising panic at the still growing pool of blood around Jak. He wasn't sure if he was grateful or terrified when he noticed Jak had blacked out, grateful that he wasn't suffering any more pain, and terrified that he wouldn't wake up again.
"There's got to be something..." the ottsel whimpered, his eyes still locked on Jak's.
"You can't do anything until the medic team arrives." Torn said tersely, sweeping the horizon again with his eyes. "And seeing as it's difficult to navigate in this place, especially due to collapses in the Metalhead Nest site, that could be a while."
Daxter whirled on the other man, tail bristling with anger. "Dammit Torn! Don't you care about anything! Jak.. he's dying... and all you do is STAND there!"
Torn's eyes narrowed. "I don't care.." he said, then turned the full force of his glare on Daxter, causing the ottsel to shrink back. "Who said you could judge who cares for what? Of course I care! Jak is a good friend, a valuable worker and we've been through a lot together, but standing around wailing that he's dead, when he isn't, won't make things any better! What we need right now is for you to shut up, and hope to the Precursors that that medic team gets here before you really have something to cry about."
Daxter recoiled as though Torn had slapped him, finding that for once his witty comebacks and lightning fast answers had deserted him. He returned his attention to Jak, only to see his friend's eyelids flickering open. "He's waking up!"
Torn glanced down, "Better try and keep him awake, at least you'll know he's alive then."
Daxter nodded and smiled a huge, slightly panicked, grin. "Hey Jak, old buddy," he began nervously, "This ain't so bad is it? I mean, you can shake this off no problem! We took down Kor and all..."
Jak coughed again, the movement wrenched at the large spike still fixing him to the ground and caused him to scream in pain. Blood splattered Daxter's fur, but he barely noticed. The small ottsel was seized with the sudden desire to rip the offending piece of Metalhead from Jak's torso, as though the action would somehow make everything better.
"Dax.." Jak gasped when the coughing stopped, "My bag... the Eco..."
Daxter could have kicked himself right then. The Eco! There was Green Eco in there, Jak could use it to at least stop himself from dying. "I'll be right back, buddy." Daxter said, racing to where he hoped the bag had landed. He vaguely recalled flinging it to the side when the Metalhead struck, mostly because Daxter was clinging to the bag, and sharp claws caught in coarse fabric took a while to remove. Now he was glad he hadn't ripped free of the thing when he'd jumped.
He just hoped the Eco was all right.
A dust-colored bag in dust-colored dust proved difficult to find, and Daxter was twice as frantic, all the while he was searching, a little voice in the back of his mind was telling him exactly how long Jak had been lying like that, and how much longer he would be able to hang on...
There! Daxter dove for the bag, and dragged it back to Jak's side. It was then he became aware of a conversation going on over his head.
"Where the hell is the Medic Team?" Torn growled down the communicator, "I've got a man dying here! Look, I don't care how many injured you have, get here now or you're all Metalhead meat!" Torn snapped the communicator closed, then glanced at Daxter. "What's that for?"
"Jak wanted it." Daxter said, "Green Eco can help keep him alive, right?"
Jak swallowed and licked his lips before rolling his eyes to look at Daxter. "Is that... the Eco?" His voice sounded harsh and pained. Daxter nodded, and ripped open the fastenings on the bag, revealing the Eco cargo within. Several of the containers had shattered, Daxter noticed, but there was still a decent amount of Eco. More than enough Green Eco to keep Jak alive.
"Here you go, buddy." Daxter said as he pried open a container. "This'll help at bit.."
"Th..anks."
"Hey, wait a minute!" Daxter protested as Jak grabbed the container from his paws, but his friend was already pouring the green, life-giving substance over himself. Jak gave a little sigh, and dragged the bag to his side.
"I need to finish this.." he muttered.
Daxter didn't know what was going on as Jak, gasping and choking from the pain, reached into the bag for the remaining containers, ripping the lids from them and allowing the substances to flow into his body.
"Jak! You only needed Green Eco! Jak!" Daxter yelled, but Jak ignored him as blue, red, green and yellow sparks danced across his body. Torn stared, but he obviously knew little about the other Ecos, and seemed unsure about what to do.
Jak let out a sigh as the last container of shining blue slid into him. "I had forgotten..." he whispered. "Daxter... I need.. before this energy fades..."
"Jak?" Daxter placed his paws on Jak's arm. They looked so small in comparison. His ears drooped a little. "You can't go... I need you."
Jak chuckled, but it quickly became another fit of pained coughing, more blood sprinkling on Daxter's fur. Jak reached out carefully and brushed Daxter's ears tenderly. "I said... wasn't finished yet..." The Eco sparks spun faster, becoming more and more agitated. Torn stepped back as large charges of raw Eco energy earthed themselves near his feet, but when Daxter tried to move back, he found Jak's fingers gently but firmly holding him in place.
"J..Jak?"
The sparks were gone now, replaced by much larger bolts of Eco energy, dancing over Jak in the exact same way the Dark Eco did. Daxter whimpered, but Jak's face remained locked in a gaze of intense concentration. A couple of the Eco bolts seemed to brush each other, and this triggered all of them to begin interweaving in a complex pattern above Jak's torso. The pattern began to compress rapidly becoming brighter and brighter until Daxter found he could no longer watch the display and keep his eyesight.
"Jak! You shouldn't be doing this!" Daxter screamed, though outside of a faint, yet building humming, the Eco energy was eerily silent. "JAAAAAAKKK!"
The Eco had shrunk to the size of normal Eco globes, blinding white in color, and was sliding across Jak's ruined chest and down his arm. Daxter yelled and lost all composure, clawing and biting frantically to escape as the new Eco came towards him. He tasted blood in his mouth for the second time that day, when the created Eco surged forward and earthed itself painfully in his head.
Blinding light filled Daxter to the brim, blocking out all sights, sounds, feelings and even the taste of Jak's blood. The white light became everything, no longer painful, but a deep persistent throbbing that matched his heartbeat. It soothed his body, and Daxter felt it reach deep inside of him, finding something that he felt he should remember, but had almost forgotten and pulled-
Daxter's body was on fire, he could feel the fur burn away from his skin, feel his flesh melting off the bones and heard the horrible cracking as his bones themselves shattered from the heat. 'So this is how it ends. I always thought it would be... different.'
Daxter stumbled forward on legs he didn't have, heard the voice of Torn, caught between panic and remaining calm as he told the medics what to do, and knew that the painful eternity had been a single moment in time. Knew that Jak was still dying, but he could no longer be there for him.
Daxter fell into darkness, while knowing that when he woke, his friend would be gone.
-