A/N: Hey I bet a good majority of you have all seen or heard all sorts of
new stuff on Jak III. If you're interested at all, you can go to
gamespot.com. They have videos and neat stuff you can check out if you
want to. If you're like me, you'll listen or watch more than once just to
drool over the goodness that the future of Jak and Daxter holds.
Right, I'm done rambling on about stuff you prolly already know, heh. So anyway... Slight warnings for this chapter, death, and a little bit of gore. But only at a small level... nothing you guys can't handle.
.
Thanks go out to the following reviewers:
Demyrie: As always, major thanks to you for always leaving such a great review that leaves me feeling like I accomplished something. As for 'Snake', she so mysterious, even I don't know exactly what I'm going to do with her, heheh... -huggwels and hands you her Daxie ploosh for keeps-
Yakow: Truth be told, I really did hate that password, and tried to show it through Daxter's opinion of it. But thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it
Disclaimer: if they were mine, I wouldn't have to research all of this information, ne?
.
.
.
.
.
Show our skill..?
Show our... SKILL!?
I'LL show her SKILL!
Pouncing onto her shoulder, I forced her face towards mine.
"Listen, lady!" I just don't know when to quit, do I? "We delivered your little box safe and sound. And I know that YOU know me and Jak here are more than capable of doing anything that you ask us to do! Right, Jak?"
I landed on the floor in font of her, sneering and waiting for Jak's agreement from behind me. When I heard nothing, I turned my head for reassurance.
"Jak?"
"What do you want us to do?" He asked her.
I jumped up and clung to the clothing on his chest, purposely bringing my face close enough to his to feel his breath on me.
"Tell her, Jak!" I pleaded. "Tell her! We don't need to prove ourselves to ANYBODY!"
"Calm down, Dax," He put his hands up defensively, then lifted my light body off of him and set me on the floor. It's so weird to be so light. I used to be like Jak, (a little lighter, of course...) and now, people can pick me up and set me wherever with out a problem.
"We'll be fine. If we're as capable as you say, it shouldn't be a problem, right?"
Why AM I getting all worked up? I think I just wanted to get out of there. I wanted to complete all of this woman's stupid 'jobs' so I can go back to my life.
Jak handed out the box to her and she gladly took it from his possession. Setting it safely on her desk, she turned towards us once again.
"I hear word that a contact of mine went off to the Pumping Station and he hasn't come back yet," she told us, getting straight to the point.
"You want us to go save his ass, right?" Jak smirked.
"Wrong," She corrected him. "I could care less what happens to him. I need you to collect money from him that he owes me. Get all of that money, deliver it to me, and we'll see what happens. Get going."
She turned her back to us, leaned over on her desk, and examined the map that was currently placed there. There was nothing left to say, nothing left to do, and so we left through the secret door in the corner of the room. Only when we started to climb the steps did I yawn and realize how tired I was. It must have been getting kind of late.
My eyelids half drooped as Jak jumped an innocent woman in a two-seater, tossing her aside like an extra part, and started zooming towards the Pumping Station. Sleep or no, I STILL had to shout at Jak for almost hitting a few KG's and for going way too fast for my liking.
Navigating through the city is hard, whether you know your way around or not. Narrow passages, citizens and guards, sharp corners and heavy traffic made it near impossible to go through the place without nicking something at least once. To prove my point, the vehicle we were in now was already smoking from the back. The engine was puttering and coughing smoke from trying to makes its way through. I don't think there was anyone who DIDN'T notice us go by.
I could hear the door to the Pumping Station clicking open before I could even see it. Jak kept on runnin', with me bouncing on his shoulder with him. His eyes always seem so focused and concentrated, and almost eager to start a new mission.
Almost as if... He NEEDED them to keep him going. The thought kinda makes you shiver.
I watch the familiar scenery pass me by with mild interest. The sand, the bridge, the ledges, blah blah blah... It wasn't until we reached the valve did we find who we were looking for.
It seems, for 'proving' ourselves, this was a pretty simple mission.
...
The guy was moaning in pain, limply positioned against the valve, with his legs sprawled on the dirt in impossible angles. His breathing contained an inhuman sounding gurgle.
I could smell the blood before I could see it. I don't know how I missed it at first. The source was his stomach, which he had blood pouring out through a wound, soaking into his clothing and smothering his hand, which was fruitlessly trying to cover it. With parts of him caked in dry blood, his body almost lifeless and fully vulnerable, he didn't see us approach him. Or if he did, he never let onto it. He was too busy gasping over the pain he must have been going through, and struggling for each new breath he took.
I tore my eyes away from him. I've seen suffering many times before. I don't plan on going into details but it's been pretty bad. But no matter how many times I've seen it, it makes me sick each and every time.
As I landed on the sandy ground, I kept my back turned and listened intently as Jak slowly squatted down next to the wheezing man.
What kind of thing can you say, if anything at all, in this situation? 'Are you alright?' Tch! From what I saw a few moments earlier and from what I was hearing right now, the guy had been suffering for a while now and it was only a matter of time before he...
I gulped. Death was such a horrible thing. So horrible, and yet I see it, and sometimes even assist in it almost every day of my new life!
I heard the man groan loudly, and scratch at the ground beneath him as if it could somehow ease the pain. I was so concentrated on the sound of his struggles for life, I almost missed Jak passing me by. I looked at him to find him flipping through cash in his hand, counting.
When he had finished, he stuffed it in his pocket and started walking again.
"Jak..."
My voice stopped him in his tracks, but it did not turn him around. His ears lowered and his shoulders sagged, and he looked upwards at the dirtied sky. The only sound I could hear was the wind brushing my fur, and the tortured man moaning behind me.
"Jak."
This time he turned his head, his eyes filled with anger, sadness, and guilt. He didn't have to say anything, it was too obvious.
There was... nothing we could do to save him.
After a few moments, Jak walked over and kneeled down next to me, placing an apologetic hand on my hunched back.
"What do you want me to do?"
It felt so wrong to just leave him there. I almost stuttered my next statement, unsure if I really meant it or not.
"We should at least end it..." I trailed off at the end, but Jak still understood me. He gave no indication of his current train of thought. He only stood up again and reproached the guy.
Slowly, Jak reached behind his back and pulled out a gun and steadily aimed it at him.
"M-Metal Heads..." He gasped, and Jak lowered his weapon to let him speak. "E-Everywhere. No es-escape! Ambushed!"
He coughed and blood sprayed at his distorted feet. "Snake...she-she promised that no-nothing would -- "
He reached out a trembling hand and grasped Jak's pants, tugging weakly at them and lowering his head.
"Eco...don't -- "
If he finished his sentence or if he said anything at all after that, I didn't hear it, because at that moment, I heard a growl from above. I looked up just in time to spy a metal head in mid-jump, coming right down at us. With a short scream I leaped onto Jak's shoulder plate and at the last second, Jak rolled out of the way and as soon as his gained his footing he aimed his laser at the monster and fired twice, killing the creature, who plopped lifelessly on the ground.
The area seemed deadly silence after that, and Jak and I both held our breath and listened closely to anything and everything around us. It was hard to hear over the dying man's efforts to breath. All at once, growling and hissing was heard, and the next thing I knew, metals were... everywhere!
We were surrounded.
"Eh, Jak? We got company!" I squealed, informing him of our current situation. You know... just in case he missed the little fact that we had nowhere to run.
Immediately, Jak switched guns to his peacemaker, aiming it at the closest oncoming metal head. With a jerk, he fired and the metal head was shook violently by the shots electrical charge.
Destroying that one must have angered the others because after that one was killed, the rest of them jumped at as. Closing my eyes tightly, I crawled inside of Jak's tunic, curling into a ball as if it could somehow make everything go away. I could hear Jak grunting and the sound of his fist meeting metal head flesh, and of course, the sound of said creatures dying - one by one.
A few times I think Jak had taken a hit. I could almost FEEL his adrenaline going up, and I could definitely feel his heart race faster by the minute. I poked my head out for a second just in time to see Jak reach out and jab one in the face. I ducked back down. There sure are a lot of those guys.
After a moment, I heard Jak firing his gun. He jumped into the air, spun around and started randomly firing in all directions. He fired round after round, combining his gun power with hand to hand combat.
Eventually, the sounds fell and eventually ended, and I once again poked my head out to see the damage. Countless metal heads were everywhere, their bodies tangled and their insides spilled onto the dirt. Jak put his gun away and I crawled back onto his shoulder.
"Yeesh!" I breathed, trying to break the silence. "So THAT'S what happened."
Almost instantly, Jak and I both recalled the man from before and Jak whirled around.
His once slouched body was now fully laying down, arms obviously broken by the looks of their position, eyes open and frozen in fear on his young face, and new wounds pouring fresh crimson to cover the dried maroon. Fresh scratch and bite marks covered his once fair and pale complexion. He was dead.
And as bad as I felt, all I could think about was getting back to the city so we wouldn't be next.
"Let's get out of here before more come," I quickly suggested. Jak stood staring at the mangled body for a few seconds longer, almost as if saying a prayer, before turning the other way and darting for the entrance to the city as fast as his legs would carry him.
.
.
As soon as we were back in the city, Jak rounded a corner and pressed himself against a building. He sunk to the ground and ran a hand through his hair.
"Hey Big Guy," I tried to comfort. "Still a little queasy?"
"Don't get me wrong Dax..." Jak started. I love being able to talk with Jak. I mean, I love how he's able to talk with me. I think I'm the only one he can do that with. "I feel bad and everything, but what's bugging me is what he was trying to say."
"I really wasn't paying too much attention." The blood and death and danger must have distracted me or something.
"Something about Novanya. Or he called her Snake, rather."
"Yeah, so?"
"Then something about eco."
"It was probably nothing important. Besides, why bother trying to figure anything out now? Right now, we gotta deliver the money. Once we're there, THEN you can question her all you want."
Jak sighed, and lifted himself back up on his feet, with support from the wall.
.
.
.
.
.
A/N: Sorry for...yet AGAIN, another lousy and maybe a little bit confusing chapter. But please review anyway, flames allowed ! This story isn't as popular as I hoped it would be. With only 2 or 3 reviews per chapter, I'm not sure if I should even continue or not. I dunno, I might just keep going for my own personal pleasure of writing stories
Anyway, I honestly DO hope you enjoyed this chapter, as well as the story itself so far.
C.V.
Right, I'm done rambling on about stuff you prolly already know, heh. So anyway... Slight warnings for this chapter, death, and a little bit of gore. But only at a small level... nothing you guys can't handle.
.
Thanks go out to the following reviewers:
Demyrie: As always, major thanks to you for always leaving such a great review that leaves me feeling like I accomplished something. As for 'Snake', she so mysterious, even I don't know exactly what I'm going to do with her, heheh... -huggwels and hands you her Daxie ploosh for keeps-
Yakow: Truth be told, I really did hate that password, and tried to show it through Daxter's opinion of it. But thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it
Disclaimer: if they were mine, I wouldn't have to research all of this information, ne?
.
.
.
.
.
Show our skill..?
Show our... SKILL!?
I'LL show her SKILL!
Pouncing onto her shoulder, I forced her face towards mine.
"Listen, lady!" I just don't know when to quit, do I? "We delivered your little box safe and sound. And I know that YOU know me and Jak here are more than capable of doing anything that you ask us to do! Right, Jak?"
I landed on the floor in font of her, sneering and waiting for Jak's agreement from behind me. When I heard nothing, I turned my head for reassurance.
"Jak?"
"What do you want us to do?" He asked her.
I jumped up and clung to the clothing on his chest, purposely bringing my face close enough to his to feel his breath on me.
"Tell her, Jak!" I pleaded. "Tell her! We don't need to prove ourselves to ANYBODY!"
"Calm down, Dax," He put his hands up defensively, then lifted my light body off of him and set me on the floor. It's so weird to be so light. I used to be like Jak, (a little lighter, of course...) and now, people can pick me up and set me wherever with out a problem.
"We'll be fine. If we're as capable as you say, it shouldn't be a problem, right?"
Why AM I getting all worked up? I think I just wanted to get out of there. I wanted to complete all of this woman's stupid 'jobs' so I can go back to my life.
Jak handed out the box to her and she gladly took it from his possession. Setting it safely on her desk, she turned towards us once again.
"I hear word that a contact of mine went off to the Pumping Station and he hasn't come back yet," she told us, getting straight to the point.
"You want us to go save his ass, right?" Jak smirked.
"Wrong," She corrected him. "I could care less what happens to him. I need you to collect money from him that he owes me. Get all of that money, deliver it to me, and we'll see what happens. Get going."
She turned her back to us, leaned over on her desk, and examined the map that was currently placed there. There was nothing left to say, nothing left to do, and so we left through the secret door in the corner of the room. Only when we started to climb the steps did I yawn and realize how tired I was. It must have been getting kind of late.
My eyelids half drooped as Jak jumped an innocent woman in a two-seater, tossing her aside like an extra part, and started zooming towards the Pumping Station. Sleep or no, I STILL had to shout at Jak for almost hitting a few KG's and for going way too fast for my liking.
Navigating through the city is hard, whether you know your way around or not. Narrow passages, citizens and guards, sharp corners and heavy traffic made it near impossible to go through the place without nicking something at least once. To prove my point, the vehicle we were in now was already smoking from the back. The engine was puttering and coughing smoke from trying to makes its way through. I don't think there was anyone who DIDN'T notice us go by.
I could hear the door to the Pumping Station clicking open before I could even see it. Jak kept on runnin', with me bouncing on his shoulder with him. His eyes always seem so focused and concentrated, and almost eager to start a new mission.
Almost as if... He NEEDED them to keep him going. The thought kinda makes you shiver.
I watch the familiar scenery pass me by with mild interest. The sand, the bridge, the ledges, blah blah blah... It wasn't until we reached the valve did we find who we were looking for.
It seems, for 'proving' ourselves, this was a pretty simple mission.
...
The guy was moaning in pain, limply positioned against the valve, with his legs sprawled on the dirt in impossible angles. His breathing contained an inhuman sounding gurgle.
I could smell the blood before I could see it. I don't know how I missed it at first. The source was his stomach, which he had blood pouring out through a wound, soaking into his clothing and smothering his hand, which was fruitlessly trying to cover it. With parts of him caked in dry blood, his body almost lifeless and fully vulnerable, he didn't see us approach him. Or if he did, he never let onto it. He was too busy gasping over the pain he must have been going through, and struggling for each new breath he took.
I tore my eyes away from him. I've seen suffering many times before. I don't plan on going into details but it's been pretty bad. But no matter how many times I've seen it, it makes me sick each and every time.
As I landed on the sandy ground, I kept my back turned and listened intently as Jak slowly squatted down next to the wheezing man.
What kind of thing can you say, if anything at all, in this situation? 'Are you alright?' Tch! From what I saw a few moments earlier and from what I was hearing right now, the guy had been suffering for a while now and it was only a matter of time before he...
I gulped. Death was such a horrible thing. So horrible, and yet I see it, and sometimes even assist in it almost every day of my new life!
I heard the man groan loudly, and scratch at the ground beneath him as if it could somehow ease the pain. I was so concentrated on the sound of his struggles for life, I almost missed Jak passing me by. I looked at him to find him flipping through cash in his hand, counting.
When he had finished, he stuffed it in his pocket and started walking again.
"Jak..."
My voice stopped him in his tracks, but it did not turn him around. His ears lowered and his shoulders sagged, and he looked upwards at the dirtied sky. The only sound I could hear was the wind brushing my fur, and the tortured man moaning behind me.
"Jak."
This time he turned his head, his eyes filled with anger, sadness, and guilt. He didn't have to say anything, it was too obvious.
There was... nothing we could do to save him.
After a few moments, Jak walked over and kneeled down next to me, placing an apologetic hand on my hunched back.
"What do you want me to do?"
It felt so wrong to just leave him there. I almost stuttered my next statement, unsure if I really meant it or not.
"We should at least end it..." I trailed off at the end, but Jak still understood me. He gave no indication of his current train of thought. He only stood up again and reproached the guy.
Slowly, Jak reached behind his back and pulled out a gun and steadily aimed it at him.
"M-Metal Heads..." He gasped, and Jak lowered his weapon to let him speak. "E-Everywhere. No es-escape! Ambushed!"
He coughed and blood sprayed at his distorted feet. "Snake...she-she promised that no-nothing would -- "
He reached out a trembling hand and grasped Jak's pants, tugging weakly at them and lowering his head.
"Eco...don't -- "
If he finished his sentence or if he said anything at all after that, I didn't hear it, because at that moment, I heard a growl from above. I looked up just in time to spy a metal head in mid-jump, coming right down at us. With a short scream I leaped onto Jak's shoulder plate and at the last second, Jak rolled out of the way and as soon as his gained his footing he aimed his laser at the monster and fired twice, killing the creature, who plopped lifelessly on the ground.
The area seemed deadly silence after that, and Jak and I both held our breath and listened closely to anything and everything around us. It was hard to hear over the dying man's efforts to breath. All at once, growling and hissing was heard, and the next thing I knew, metals were... everywhere!
We were surrounded.
"Eh, Jak? We got company!" I squealed, informing him of our current situation. You know... just in case he missed the little fact that we had nowhere to run.
Immediately, Jak switched guns to his peacemaker, aiming it at the closest oncoming metal head. With a jerk, he fired and the metal head was shook violently by the shots electrical charge.
Destroying that one must have angered the others because after that one was killed, the rest of them jumped at as. Closing my eyes tightly, I crawled inside of Jak's tunic, curling into a ball as if it could somehow make everything go away. I could hear Jak grunting and the sound of his fist meeting metal head flesh, and of course, the sound of said creatures dying - one by one.
A few times I think Jak had taken a hit. I could almost FEEL his adrenaline going up, and I could definitely feel his heart race faster by the minute. I poked my head out for a second just in time to see Jak reach out and jab one in the face. I ducked back down. There sure are a lot of those guys.
After a moment, I heard Jak firing his gun. He jumped into the air, spun around and started randomly firing in all directions. He fired round after round, combining his gun power with hand to hand combat.
Eventually, the sounds fell and eventually ended, and I once again poked my head out to see the damage. Countless metal heads were everywhere, their bodies tangled and their insides spilled onto the dirt. Jak put his gun away and I crawled back onto his shoulder.
"Yeesh!" I breathed, trying to break the silence. "So THAT'S what happened."
Almost instantly, Jak and I both recalled the man from before and Jak whirled around.
His once slouched body was now fully laying down, arms obviously broken by the looks of their position, eyes open and frozen in fear on his young face, and new wounds pouring fresh crimson to cover the dried maroon. Fresh scratch and bite marks covered his once fair and pale complexion. He was dead.
And as bad as I felt, all I could think about was getting back to the city so we wouldn't be next.
"Let's get out of here before more come," I quickly suggested. Jak stood staring at the mangled body for a few seconds longer, almost as if saying a prayer, before turning the other way and darting for the entrance to the city as fast as his legs would carry him.
.
.
As soon as we were back in the city, Jak rounded a corner and pressed himself against a building. He sunk to the ground and ran a hand through his hair.
"Hey Big Guy," I tried to comfort. "Still a little queasy?"
"Don't get me wrong Dax..." Jak started. I love being able to talk with Jak. I mean, I love how he's able to talk with me. I think I'm the only one he can do that with. "I feel bad and everything, but what's bugging me is what he was trying to say."
"I really wasn't paying too much attention." The blood and death and danger must have distracted me or something.
"Something about Novanya. Or he called her Snake, rather."
"Yeah, so?"
"Then something about eco."
"It was probably nothing important. Besides, why bother trying to figure anything out now? Right now, we gotta deliver the money. Once we're there, THEN you can question her all you want."
Jak sighed, and lifted himself back up on his feet, with support from the wall.
.
.
.
.
.
A/N: Sorry for...yet AGAIN, another lousy and maybe a little bit confusing chapter. But please review anyway, flames allowed ! This story isn't as popular as I hoped it would be. With only 2 or 3 reviews per chapter, I'm not sure if I should even continue or not. I dunno, I might just keep going for my own personal pleasure of writing stories
Anyway, I honestly DO hope you enjoyed this chapter, as well as the story itself so far.
C.V.
