Miss.Ecofreak: whoho! Two chapter uploads in two days!

Zakura: As if you've never done that before. Did anyone answer your question?

Miss.Ecofreak: checking the reviews is your job. But still.

Answer to Dark Mar: I'm impressed! Quenya is the first elven language that J.R.R Tolkien made. Long live Tolkien

Zakura: ehm... he's dead

Miss.Ecofreak: What? why? when?

Zakura: he died years ago! before he even finished Silmarilion

Miss.Ecofreak: hm, yeah. it was completed by his son. But enough LOTR-talk. Now for another uplifting chapter!

Zakura: uplifting?

Miss.Ecofreak: stop being so negative. Things have gone bad long enough. Brighter times are coming...

Zakura: We'll see about that.

CHAPTER 30

OF FAMILY AND TREACHERY

Erol

We took the air train out to the wasteland.

Even the bird tagged along, only because nobody was able to catch her and bring her back to the cell.

Cornelius didn't say a word the whole trip.

I was hoping he would give up, but then again, he was too much like me to give up.

The air train stopped in an unforgiving desert where Cornelius was literally thrown out of the train.

"What do you think? A bit barren isn't it?" I said, "There's still time to give up"

"And there's still time for you to realise that your IQ is far bellow average" Cornelius snarled back.

But the sparrow wasn't that tough.

"You can't do this! He's your brother!" she said.

"The law is the law, get over it!" I yelled, "Brothers or not, he's a criminal"
"Drop it Tanya. Just go back to the city" Cornelius said.

"I don't want to leave you" Tanya said, "You wouldn't last a second out here!" (Miss.Ecofreak: does this sound familiar?)

"Neither will you" Cornelius said, "Go back and help Shara, tell her I'm sorry"

The bird flew down to Cornelius and landed on his stomach.

I didn't want to look. I never wanted this to happen. Then again, even out here I knew my little brother had a small chance of surviving, if only…

Suddenly, a roar in the distance broke the silence.

"What was that?" I asked in surprise.

"Metalheads" one of the guards answered.

I looked around, over a sand hill; five large metalheads appeared, on the looks of their faces I could tell they didn't just pass by.

"What are you waiting for? Shot them!" I ordered.

"No way commander" the guard answered.

"How dare you defy my orders? Kill those metalheads!" I yelled.

"My orders come from the baron. This kid was to be executed, not exiled" the guard answered.

"But…"
"No buts commander, we're leaving, let the metalheads do the work you didn't have the guts to finish"

I looked back on my little brother, if he was scared he sure hid it well, the only thing that seemed to worry him was that Tanya was still on his head.

"Stay back Tanya, don't let them take you too" he said.
"I don't want to" Tanya said, I could swear I saw tears running down her face, "You're my best friend"

"You're my best friend too Tanny" Cornelius answered.

Before he got time to say more, a large ball of dark eco fell down right next to the two.

Tanya was knocked out, Cornelius rolled over to the other side.

"Looks like you won at last brother" he said to me, before he disappeared around a cliff.

"Come on commander, we have to go" the guard said.

"Just wait" I answered.

I jumped out of the train and picked up the unconscious bird.

"Now we can leave" I said as I climbed back into the train.

As we left, I saw the brown-haired boy standing at a hill, looking for us.

He must have seen that I took the bird, because all remains of fear was gone from his face.

He knew he was going to die, and he didn't care, as long as his friend still lived.

A thought struck me as lightning.

Cornelius was right all along, he wasn't like me. He was much more courageous.

Cornelius

I saw Erol picked up Tanya before he left.

I guess it's true what the Shadow always said about there being something good in everyone.

The metalheads were advancing towards me, I was unarmed, and wearing no more protection than my every day clothes.

Was I scared? You bet, but I wasn't ready to show the metalheads.

My only concern was for Kate and the others, what would the baron do to them?

I closed my eyes and pictured Kate's face when she found out what had happened, I'm so sorry I didn't come back to you I thought, All I ever wanted was to help you rebuild your family, let you and you brother have the status you deserved, but I have failed.

Any minute now I would feel the teeth of the metalheads in my body.

I waited, but nothing happened.

Instead, I heard the sound of a roaring engine, not a zoomer-engine that's for sure.

I opened my eyes again, just in time to see the metalheads fall over, dead.

Two large vehicles with even bigger wheels appeared over the hill.

Marauders? Could this be the wasteland-bandits who hid in the mountains around here?

Or could it be the wastelanders?

The men in the cars noticed me quickly, who wouldn't? I stood on the top of a sand hill for the precursor's sake!
One of them came up to me.

"Hey kid, what are you doing out here?"
"Sunbathing?" I said. Those who say there are times when you should stop joking around lied.

The man laughed, "You're a funny one, from Haven right?"

I nodded.

"Well kid, the wasteland is no place for a city-boy like you" the wastelander said, "But I like you. Do you want to come back to Spargus with us?"

"Nooo, I want to stay out here and die in the desert, I've always wanted to try that" I said sarcastically, (Miss.Ecofreak: fine. That was a reference to Dork3) "Of course I want to!"
"Then hop on" the wastelander said and jumped back into his car.

Erol

I ran up to the baron's palace, still holding the sparrowflut in my hand.

Baron Praxis was standing in his throne room, looking out of the window.

"Is something bothering you commander?" he asked.

"You know precisely what's bothering me" I answered, "Those metalheads, you sent them didn't you?"
"Erol my boy, what makes you think that?" Praxis asked, "I didn't send them personally. All I did was to ask the metalhead leader for a small favour."

"Why?" I asked.
"Your brother was a nuisance, he had to be executed" Baron Praxis answered, "I told you that if he agreed in helping us he could live, but if he didn't, he would be killed on the spot. Something you didn't do"

"I…I thought it didn't matter" I said, "I mean, out in the wasteland… he can't return from there right?"

"If the wastelanders find him the whole point of the banishment is pointless! The only way to be sure he never returned was to make sure he died" Baron Praxis said, "I know why you're worried. You're probably scared of what you parents will say when you tell them your little brother is dead."

I nodded; I didn't want to cause my mother more pain.

"By the way. What is that bird doing here?" Praxis asked.

Tanya had awoken, and she was now twirling around in my hand to get loose.

"Er… It was my brother's" I said, "She's harmless" I put the bird on my shoulder, "Don't do anything stupid. Or he'll probably kill us both" I whispered to her.

The bird nodded silently and hid under my race mask.

"I'll tell your parents the bad news, but now, I've got an important meeting" Praxis said.

He turned towards a large communicator behind me.

I turned around too. Seconds later, a large monstrous face appeared on it.

"What the is that?" Tanya said surprised.

"Watch your language bird. That's the metal head leader" I said.

"Ah, the young commander has returned" the leader said with a smirk, "Did my warriors do well?"
"They did the job alright" I said. I felt Tanya turned around on my head, as if she thought if she didn't look at the MH-leader he would disappear.

"Good. Now for the payment" the leader said, now turning towards Praxis, "I haven't gotten much eco the last week, my warriors are getting hungry"

"I told you, I will have more eco by weeks end" Praxis said, "We'll have it delivered directly to your nest as promised"

"I grow inpatient with your puny gestures" the metalhead leader said, "Give me the agreed upon eco soon or the deal is of!"

That guy was really getting on my nerves, calling us as if we were his personal pizza shop.

As soon as the transmission was over, I turned towards the baron again.

"He's toying with us!" I yelled, "Let me lead an assault on the nest before it's too late! I can take him!"

"Patience commander. No one has ever penetrated the metalheadnest, you know that. I've seen what comes of such foolish plans", his hand went over the metal part of his face, "No, we play helpless. We train them to eat from our hands, and then… Tell Ashelin to up her patrols! I want that tomb found!"

"But your daughter has not been…agreeable" I said.

"Hmp! I'll se to that problem. One way or another" the baron said.

I halfway hoped that the meeting was over now, please don't have him mention…

"AND FIND THAT CHILD!"

Damn! He said it again.

"If you spent half as much time searching for that brat as you spend flirting with that mechanic girl we would have pinned his royal ass on the wall long ago!" Praxis said.

"What am I hearing? Erol's got a girlfriend?" Tanya whispered.

"Shut up" I whispered back, "I'll find him. With enough persuasion I'm sure our spy will…"

Suddenly, a sound from above interrupted me.

It sounded like sneezing.

"What was that?" I said and grabbed for my gun as a reflex.

"We've got visitors" Baron Praxis said, "I'll better give them a warm welcome"

"What in the name of the precursors was that all about?" Tanya asked.

"That's absolutely none of your business. You're lucky I didn't leave you to die in the desert" I said.

"I don't know about that. You seemed to have it all planned out all along" Tanya said.

"I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about" I answered.

"Come on. You could have killed Cornelius all along, but you didn't. Why?" Tanya asked.

"I've already said that" I answered, "It was for my parents"
"Yeah right. This is not about your parents Erol, it's about your brother" Tanya said, she flew of my head and landed on the floor.

"Ask yourself this question" she said, "If your parents had died long ago, would you have killed Cornelius as you were supposed to do?"

"Of course" I said.

"You're sweating" Tanya said, "You can't lie to me commander. Cornelius was your brother and you never meant for him to die!"

"What do you know about that? Nothing!" I yelled at her.

"If you really hated Cornelius that much you wouldn't have taken me back to the city would you?" the sparrow said, "Your parents wouldn't care less if I died. The only person in your family who ever appreciated me is most likely dead. I should have died too, if it weren't for one small thing. You saved my life! And don't tell me it's because I am an innocent victim because no Krimson guard would ever care about that"

"Shut up" I said, "Shut the hell up."

"I'm not stopping before you admit it" Tanya said, "No elf would ever wish for it's sibling to die, not really. No matter what happens, you will always be brothers."

"Is he… how is he… he's not"

I wanted her to shut up. Why couldn't she just shut up?

"There's a fire in the basement!"

I could end this easily, just turn around, face the sparrowflut, pull the trigger on my gun and she would be dead.

"He went to the toilet... this is not good".

But I didn't do it. My parents were parted, my uncle wouldn't care less, my brother was dead, and this bird, Tanya was all I had left of my old family.

Miss.Ecofreak: some bad things happened here, but some good things as well

Zakura: And you've just shown the readers exactly when in Jak2 this chapter takes place.

Miss.Ecofreak: jepp. Baron Praxis just left to give Jak a piece of his mind. Too bad he failed

Zakura: Jak's the hero, even Daxter admited that. once

Miss.Ecofreak: And if you're wondering about those lines written in italics up there they are flashbacks to chapter two, my brother actually found it weird that all the main characters remembered exactly what happened that night but well... Erol was six back then and a large fire is not easily forgotten.

Zakura: And Kate and Ashlein were five and Cornelius four. He's actually yhe youngest of the main characters here

Miss.Ecofreak: Anyhow. Leave a review and you'll make me happy. and I'll try to update soon, I'll just have to figure out what to write first:)