LightEcoDragonlRiderEqualLightEcoKing

LightEcoKing: Yeah, I changed it. Thanks FlyingCherry and Krin for reviewing.

FlyingCherry: Yeah I accidently posted Chapter IV twice. And if you were gonna say Kor-Clone, you're right!

Krin: Thanks for all of your advice. On the subject of Pyrah, he was originally set to have Shea's spot, but then I thought she would be better as a Kor-Clone than Pyrah, since Pyrah had just helped destroy a Metal-Head nest and all.

Chapter VI: Light Perception

9:00 AM Wasteland

Jak was close to death. He had been walking in the hot desert sun for hours upon hours. After trying to use his beacon to signal the people of Spargus, Jak had continued walking in the desert city's direction. It was impossible for him to reach it on foot, but there was nothing else to do but to try. Hours later, he was still walking. He felt totally and completly drained. His mouth was dry, lips hopelessly chapped, and the only moisture was his sweat, which ran from his golden hair down his face, and to his feet.

Jak slumped to the floor. His face fell into the hot desert sand, and that was when he gave up. He knew he was going to die out here.

'So much for becoming king.' Jak thought to himself. With his death would come the end of Haven City and then Spargus. The Metal Heads, left unchecked, would multiply and eventually inhabit the entire planet. And, more important than anything, he would never see Kiera again. He'd had his last kiss in the Naughty Ottsel, there was no denying it.

As Jak prepared to succumb to unconsciousness once and for all, he heard a distant sound. Steadily, it became closer and louder. Jak was upset. What the hell was it that was disturbing his final moments? He forced himself to his feet, and at first, he thought it was a mirage.

The Krimzon Guard Hoverbus was flying toward him at an alarming speed. Too tired to move, he held up his hand and hoped it would stop.

It didn't.

"Oh shit! Kiera, you maniac, I think we hit something!" Daxter leapt onto the dashboard to peer outside. "It's Jak!"

Kiera stopped the hoverbus and opened the doors. She leapt outside and ran over to the front of the giant vehicle. Jak lay there. He looked dead. Undaunted by his appearence, Kiera put a hand to his heart.

"He's alive!" She called to Daxter. "But barely. Here help me get him into the bus."

With a stupendous effort, Daxter and Kiera lifted Jak into the hoverbus. Kiera took out a bottle of ice water from a cooler she'd brought. She opened it and poured some into Jak's mouth. He swalloed, still unconscious, until Daxter jumped onto his chest.

"Look buddy, we travel out here in this hot, sweltering desert to save your ass. Risking our lives to come and help you out. The least you could do is be alive when we find you!"

That did it. Jak sat up, slowly, cautiously. Without thinking, he grabbed the water bottle from Kiera's hands and chugged it down, stopping only when the bottle was drained. Breathing slowly, he looked around.

"Daxter, Kiera." His voice was raspy, and his throat hurt. Just swallowing was painful.

Kiera flung her arms around Jak. "Oh Jak, I was so worried. Everyone is. Even Torn is staring to feel a little bad. Oh gosh are you okay? Well of course you're not okay, I mean you've been stuck here all this-"

Her next words melted into Jak's mouth as he kissed her. Daxter shuddered. "I knew I should've stayed at home, I just knew it!"

10:00 AM Spargus

Jak sat on Damas's throne. It was his first time ever doing so, and it felt akward. There were thousands of people in front of him, bowing and paying homeage. Jak held up his hand for silence, and it was granted instantly.

"Thank you people of Spargus. I have come to inform you of an iminent threat. I need all able-bodied citizens of Spargus (which is almost all of you) to arm at once and prepare for war. Metal Heads may approach the city at any given moment. There is no time to explain, but we need to be ready for a full scale attack. Kliever has informed me of the mounted gun turrets. I need a man behind all of them. I want snipers at the top of the city gates, ready and waiting. And I want scouts North, South, East, and West. Report if there is any type of Metal Head related activity. That is all."

The people of Spargus vastly diferend from those who inhabited Haven City. They were quick and efficient, and in less then ten minutes, his commands had been met. Giving orders had come natural to him.

Jak sat heavily on the throne. It was stone, and very uncomfortable, and he supposed it was built like that for a reason. Leaders were not supposed to be comfortable. He rose from the throne and went to find Daxter and Kiera.

Kiera was using a communications device to speak with Ashelin. The sight of her holographic head did not frighten Jak. He sat next to Kiera and looked at Ashelin.

"Jak? It's great to see you alive again. Torn feels really-"

"Yeah yeah forget about it. Where's Shea?" Jak did not want to talk about Torn.

"No one know's where she is. Torn's sent a search team to find her."

"It won't do any good if he doesn't know where to look. She's in the sewers, I'm sure of it." Jak's voice took on a bitter tone.

"I'd better go and tell him. See you in the city Jak." Ashelin cut the connection.

Jak held his head in a hand.

Suddenly, there was a flash of blinding white light. Standing before Jak were three ottsels. The Precursors.

Daxter leapt down off of a nearby table. "Listen, guys, I owe you I really do. These pants, they're, well, awesome."

The Ottsel Leader chuckled. "Think nothing of it Daxter." He looked back at Jak.

"Listen, Jak, we don't usually do house calls, but this is important."

The Ottsel Surfer took over. "The balance of good and evil has, like, shifted. Once again, you're the hope that stands between this planet, and total annihilation. Dig?"

Jak nodded slowly. It had always been difficult to understand the Precursors. They spoke in innuendos and riddles.

"What we're trying to say is that, we've come to give you a new Light Eco ability. This should be the last, unless the dummy over there thinks up any more."

"Wait, you mean it's him who comes up with my Light powers?" Jak asked, glancing at the idiotic looking ottsel.

"Well, yes. It's called Light Perception, Jak. It enables you to sense the prescense of Dark Eco. We, we he, created it for your impending task. Hold still Jak, this will only take a moment."

The Ottsel Leader pointed his staff at Jak. There was another blinding white glare.

"Now Jak, close your eyes and think of Eco."

Jak did as he was told, and when he reopened them everything changed. He looked at Kiera. Her body was shaped the same, but it was made up entirely of Green Eco. Skin, eyes, and hair didn't exist. It was all green. All except for a tiny spot in the center of her chest which was a swirling mass of light eco. Next he looked at Daxter. He was also green, with spots of red and light eco. He looked at the Precursors, but it was as if they were not there. Jak closed his eyes again.

"Light Perception works with no consideration to distance. Try thinking of a place far away."

Jak closed his eyes again, and thought of the sewers. It was a mass of Dark Eco. Several Metal-Heads knelt working at the base of something massive.

"The weapon."

The Ottsel Leader nodded grimly. "Yes the Metal Heads have a weapon Jak, and it is charging even as we speak. It's in the Sewers, but has outlets all over the city. Once activated. Unspeakable amounts of Dark Eco will be unleashed upon the city."

Jak frowned. "Where is the eco coming from? Someone would have noticed if the city's eco was being diverted."

"Precisely. Which is why they're getting they're eco from here, in the desert. In just a few hours, the Metal Heads will have gotten the amount of eco that they need. They will activate the weapon. Haven City will be destroyed. We have given you all you need Jak. Find the eco and cut of the connection between here and the sewers. Once you have done that, you need to go into the Sewers and destroy the new Metal Head Leader, Jurahat. I garauntee that once he is dead, the rest will follow. Go quickly, and prove to us that you are worthy to be called Mar."

And with that, they vanished.

Jak walked slowly to the open window where the citizens of Spargus where gathering amno. Some were sitting atop leap

11:00 AM Freedom HQ

Torn sat on a hard, wooden chair, twisting a dreadlock menacingly between two fingers. He was wondering what had gotten into him. It was so incredibly unlikely that Jak would try anything with Shea. The prospect was laughable, but he had looked into Shea's eyes and believed. It was the same look he wore when he first met Kor. Kor had gotten so deep into his ranks before he was finally found out.

He went over his last conversation with Jak. He had called Shea "one of his most trusted officers" but in truth, he had just met her a few weeks after Jak had killed Kor.

"SHIT!" The new Krimzon Guard leader pounded his fist painfully as he came to terms with his oversight. Shea was one of the clones that had resulted from Kor's demise. She had infiltratd his ranks in the same way Kor had, and some how, he'd believed her over Jak. He looked at the time, and his heart sank. 11:00 AM. Jak was surely dead now.

12:00 AM Wasteland

"Uhhh, Jaaaaak! I'm not so good at steering this thing!" Daxter cried from the driver's side of the Sand Shark. Jak was using Light Perception. His whole body was glowing an eerie blue. Occasionally, he would rasp, "Right", or "Left". Finally, with a slight shake, he returned to normal.

"It's just up ahead."

"Here's an idea...Why don't you drive!" Daxter snapped.

Hurridley, Jak took shifted over the driver's side, just as they narrowly missed crashing into a wall. A wall.. in the middle of the desert.

"It's in here. Through these walls."

"Uhhh Jak, do you no WHAT is those walls? It's a Maurauder camp!" Jak looked grimly at Daxter.

"That's too bad."

Jak 's whole body began to tense, and his skin started to glow blue again. His eyes turned yellow, and angelic wings sprouted from his shoulder blades. Daxter hurridley grabbed onto Jak's foot as he lifted into the air. Jak descended lightly on the ground in front of about sixty Maurauders.

Each of them were looking directly at Jak, weapons out and ready. Almost simultaneously, they rushed at him.

Jak had the Morph Gun out and ready. First, he launched a Gyro Burster into the air, letting the hailstorm of fire do it's job. Next, the Peace Maker was out. He tried not to kill Maurauders, knocking them out and leaving them. It was an easy battle. The Maurauders were sluggish and indefinite.

"It's right here." Jak muttered once the camp was free of conscious Maurauders.

"What is? What are we even doing here?" Daxter asked. The fight had thoroughly ruffled his feathers, er.. fur.

In answer, Jak moved back a few feet, and let fly a Plasmite RPG. He fired them in the same spot, until a sizable hole had appeared. Next he peered into it.

"See that pipe Dax? That's the Dark Eco that's going to the sewers."

With that, he turned into Dark Jak. His blond hair became gray, his sky blue eyes transformed into hideous beatle colored black ones. His whole skin grew pale, and his nails turned into foot long, vicious talons. He leapt into the whole and tore at the pipe. Once the steel had been ripped in two, he bent and twisted both ends of the pipes so that there was no way they would meet. With a sigh, Jak returned, pausing for a moment to gather himself again. Then, he scooped Daxter onto his shoulder, and opened the huge drawbridge that seperated the camp from the rest of the world.

1:00 PM

Torn sighed, and prepared to establish the connection to Spargus. For perhaps the fourth time in his life, he was nervous.

"Hello Jak?" Torn stared at monitor, cursing the marvels of technology.

"Torn." Jak's voice was flat and emotionless. When he'd been kicked out of Haven City the first time, he'd felt nothng but sheer rage and anger. Now he was calm. Torn looked sheepish.

"Look Jak, I'm sorry about kicking you out. I think you're right though, Shea a Kor-Clone!"

"Really?" Jak asked. "I never would have guessed."

"Look Jak, normally I wouldn't take bullshit, but you've got every right. I'm sorry."

His words softened Jak almost instantly. This was the first time he'd heard Torn apologize and mean it.

After a moment, Jak asked, "How's the city?"

"We blocked the sewers off, since the Kor-Clones are in there, according to you."

And then something inside Jak's furiously clicked. "The water!"

"What? What do you mean Jak? The water in the sewers is waste. We don't get our drinking water from there."

Jak recalled a time that seemed aeons ago. He and Sig had gone to the Pumping Station once. On the way back, Sig had explained how the water from the Pumping Station ran through an intricate system of pipes that ran through the sewers. The pipes remained independent of the other pipes in the sewers.

"Torn, put out an alarm! The water!"

Torn's eyes filled with comprehension. He was gone for about quarter of an hour, and then he returned.

"Done. A couple of people have used it for cooking, but the bacteria should be destroyed when it boils."

"Not bacteria Torn. I was talking about Dark Eco."

2:30 PM Haven City

Jak stopped the blue hoverbus and helped Kiera out. Daxter rolled his eyes with annoyance.

Torn and Ashelin were waiting to greet them. Torn stepped forward, eyes downcast.

"Jak, I'm sorry." He extended his hand, and Jak took it.

"Don't worry about it. I'm beginning to like the desert. Enough with that though, what do we have on the sewers?"

Torn shook his head hopelessly. "It's awful. Metal Heads are actually leaving the sewers now, and they're on a rampage. I put Sig on the frontlines and he says it's going bad. Jinx has got a few explosives to blow open the sewers."

"Why aren't the opening?" Kiera asked quizically.

"Metal Heads have locked them. Where they learned this, I've got no idea."

"Maybe I could help him, where is he?"

"Freedom HQ." Ashelin responded. "I'll give you a lift, I'm on the way there myself."

Torn suddenly grabbed Ashelin around her waist, elicting a seldom heard giggle which disolved into a moan as they kissed.

"Great! I get nothing but mush on the way here, and now this! Suddenly I miss Tess, where is she?"

"Gun Course, maybe you should go meet her."

Jak jumped onto an abandoned zoomer. There were a lot of these. Torn explained, "Everyone's home, with there families. If I were a civilian, that's where I'd be too."

2:35 Gun Course

Tess stood next to a mod that more than half he size. It was a bright orange. Jak knelt to hear what Tess was saying.

"I call it Flaming Rain. I programmed it to auto target Metal Heads, by identifying their deoxyribonucledicacid."

Jak raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, sorry, let me put it in idiot terms." The ottsel giggled for a moment. "DNA. It's like the Gyro Burster, but it won't harm you."

Jak plucked the mod from her tiny paws. "Thanks."

LightEcoKing: Muhuhuhaha! I'll leave you in suspense there.

Remember this. The Precursors don't lie, nor do they make mistakes. Jak does.

Also, this is the second to last chapter. The next one should be pretty lengthy, and it will be the last. Jak makes his choice!