Two Sides to Everything
Disclaimer: I don't own anything from the Jak trilogy of games, they belong to Naughty Dog. The only things I own are my original characters like Colle and Zack.
Chapter 6: Secrets
For the next couple of days Jak stayed in Haven training the new recruit in the basics. He went out early every morning and came to the Naughty Ottsel each night. The training wasn't so tough that it gave him time to think. 'If the Precursor Crystal is similar to the Stone we found in Mar's Tomb, then it's possible the Crystal could be in a cave or a tomb of some sort.'
"You look like you had fun." Daxter was waiting at the bar for any customer that happened to walk in.
"How can two people we found in the Wastelands be important? And what is this 'ancient' enemy? We haven't seen so much as a Metal Head uprising lately. I'm sure that if there was something out there we would have found it by now." The metal head armies were almost completely destroyed.
"You think too much." Daxter poured him something to drink. "Lossen up a little."
"You seen Samos lately? You said you went to HQ yesterday." Jak swallowed.
"Well, he left after I did. He went to Spargus. He wanted to visit with the monks."
"Do you know when he'll be back?"
"Not a clue." Daxter poured himself something too. "Looks like Torn's been hitting this stuff a little hard. He spinds too much time in here."
"I'll head out in the morning, then." Finishing his drink, Jak stood up. "I'm leaving, Dax. Maybe this time I'll get some decent sleep." Jak walked through the streets of Haven. Thinking it would take longer to walk all the way to New Haven, Jak got into the nearest zoomer that happened to be occupied.
"Can't I get one minute of peace? Just one?" Jak spoke as his comm. went off for the third time that day. He clicked it on.
"Jak." It was Samos. He sounded worried. "Jak, we have a problem."
"What now?"
"The kid's gone."
"What kid?" Was he supposed to remember everyone he came across?
"From the desert. His sist-."
"He's probably out wandering the city again."
"He's been kindnapped. Colle has gone out into the Wastelands. She took one of the rovers. She won't last ten minutes out there."
"What about Sig? Or Kleiver? Can't they go get her?" Why was he always the one doing everything? It was starting to get a bit rutine.
"They're out getting rid of some Metal Heads the have started acting up recently." Samos's voice took on a different quality. "We can talk later, Jak. My guess is that young woman is very important. We need you to get her and herbrother back." The comm. shut off.
Jak turned his zoomer around and went for the port. Getting back into the transporter he arrived in the sand ridden lands an hour later.
In the garage, Jak chose the Gila Stomper. It would do better in an onslaute of Marauders. The sky had grown darker with the bright green star shining.
"I can't believe this. She took my Screamer. She had a hard time with the leapers, there's no way she can drive that." Jak looked out into the sands searching for Colle or any enimies. "At least it'll be easy to find her." Jak had put trackers in each of his vehichles. The Screamer appeared on his screen as a blue blinking dot.
With nothing distracting him, his mind began to wander to a few days earlier. He had helped to find Zack, Colle's little brother. When he first saw her, her eyes were full of fear. Even after Zack had been found, her dark blue eyes still held some fear. 'What is she afraid of?' He could ask her when he found her though it wasn't any of his business. He had many questions to ask her (and her brother).
The blinking blue dot grew closer until Jak was able to see the Desert Screamer. Colle was having a hard time controlingit on the dunes. He picked up his radio and spoke, "Colle, what the heck do you think you're doing out here?"
"Jak?" Came his reply.
"Yeah, it's me. What are you doing?" He drove closer.
"They took him!" She was crying. The Screamer came to a stop. "Those stupid furballs took my brother!" She started to move again.
When the furballs were mentioned, Jak first thought of the Precursors, but that couldn't be right. "Colle, stop so we can talk. First follow me." Jak pulled into the nearby ruins that for some reason the Marauders wouldn't go anywhere near.
"I have to follow them! I can't go and chat!" She jumped over the side of the Screamer when it came to a hault.
"Calm down. You won't be able to catch them like that." Jak too got out. He went to the Screamer and took the keys.
"What are you doing?" Colle walked up behind him.
"You're coming back with me." He took a chain from the Stomper and hooked it to both vehichles.
"No, I'm not. I have to bring him back. He's all I have left." Colle tried to remove the chain from the Screamer but couldn't.
"I'll get him back, but first I'm taking you to Spargus." He finished and got ready to go. He turned to Colle. She didn't seem to budge. "Look, I'll bring him back, okay? I want you to go back to Spargus first. You won't stand a chance out here. You can't bring him back if you're dead."
She said nothing. Jak took that as her agreement and climbed into the Stomper. Colle lingered a moment then followed suit. The return trip was uneventful. Not a word was spoken between the two. Only one strange thing happened, or rather, didn't. Not a single Marauder was seen.
Around midnight, Jak walked through the halls on his was to bed, after talking with Samos in the throne room. Going past a certain doorway he looked when he felt the gental breeze of summer. This door led to the balcony. Jak stopped when he noticed someone. Colle was sitting next to the railing holding something close to her.
"Go away." She could feel someone watching her from behind.
Jak walked to the edge of the balcony and saw the lights of the peoples' houses. "I'm sorry about earlier. I will bring him back."
"I can do it. I've done it before." She lowered the object she'd been holding. Jak got a look at it. There was a drawing of some sort on the cover of a book. It was too dark to tell what it was.
Jak sat down not far away from the girl. There were so many things he wanted to ask, but he didn't know where to begin. Then he knew. "How did you know my name?"
Colle looked at him thinking of how to answer. If she told him the truth, he would think she was crazy. 'Who knows, maybe I am.' She had told Samos thinking he might understand, he just looked at her pityingly. Finally she replied, "I can't tell you that."
"Why not?" It involved him, he had the right to know.
"You wouldn't believe me."
"Try me."
"You really want to know? You want to think I'm crazy just like that old sage?" When he didn't answer she went on. "Fine, I'll tell you." Colle explained to him that she wasn't from here and that where she lived he was only a video game charater.
Jak had sat quietly through the whole thing, but Colle could tell he was having a hard time swallowing it. She handed him what she had been holding. "This is my brother's. It came from our world. It's all the proof you'll need."
He flipped through the pages and looked back up at Colle. There was that same fear in her eyes as before. Finishing his glances at the pages he gave it back to the girl. "What is that?" His whole adventure of becoming a Wastelander and going to Spargus for the first time was in there. Every single mission.
"It's a strategy guide. They're used to help people play games." She spoke softly hoping he would leave. He didn't plan on it. She was still hiding something.
"There's something I've noticed everytime I look at you." Jak spoke quietly through the silence. He hopped that he didn't sound as stupid as he thought he did. "You're scared. You try to hide it, but it still shows. You're scared of something, what is it?"
Colle didn't look up.She barely knew him, at least outside of the game. He could be totaly different.Was she going to tell him everything now? It wasn't like he had a right to know. But she wanted him to know. Taking a deep breath, she started. "I had a boyfriend back in my world. His name was Jeremy."
For some reason Jak had a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. He couldn't explain why he felt such feelings. He had only known her for a very short time. Perhaps it was some other feeling. Maybe it was what he thought. This girl could be lying to him. He wasn't sure if he should've believed her, but something inside him told him that she was telling the truth.
"He would always come over, either mad or drunk. He was the worst person you would ever want to meet. He was so cruel to me, but at least he didn't threaten to kill me." She lifted the game guide with Jak's picture on it. "We were playing this game the night Jeremy came over. I thought I had locked the door."
The moonlight flowed into the room after coming from behind a cloud. The light filled the room and covered the balcony. It was bright enough for Jak to see Colle clearly. Tears were briming at her eyes. Now he felt bad for asking. And for doubting her.
"Jeremy would always argue about nothing and when I didn't agree with him..." She rolled up the sleeve of her left arm. There was a large dark bruise that covered most of her lower arm. She then pulled up part of her pant leg to show him her ankle. A scar streatched from right below the bone and up past to where she had the leg pulled up. "We had argued earlier that day, it had been about Zack. He hit me and I fought back." Her voice was starting to give out. "Our parents died last year, you see. They were killed in a plane crash durring a business trip. Jeremy had been nice around them. They trusted him.
"That nightJeremycame over. He had brought a gun and shot Zack." She was crying completely. "I took him and ran. I almost lost him. Zack almost died. That's why I have to bring him back, he's all I have left."
Jak sat there stuned. He didn't know what to do. She was so quiet and innocent he couldn't imagine anyone taking advantige of her. He had never had to deal with something like this let alone think about it. She had been in a situation when she could do almost nothing and when she did she paid for it. Why hadn't she told anyone?
Colle sat crying minutes after. Jak hated to see this. He wanted her to stop, but most of all he wanted to see the fear gone from her eyes, to she her smile a ginuine smile. He then did something most unlike him. He moved over to the crying girl and rapped his arms around her. Why he had done this was a mystery even to himself.
Colle stiffened slightly then relaxed knowing he wouldn't hurt her. She layed her head against him and tryed to calm dowm.
An hour later, Colle had completely stopped crying. Jak had been looking at the stars and wondering what he was going to do next. He would have to go rescue Colle's little brother. He couldn't bear to see her like this again. Realizing that she had stopped moving, Jak looked down to find Colle asleep with her head on his shoulder. He felt so comfortable with this girl. It wasn't like when he was with Keira or Ashelin.
Feeling the burn from the lack of sleep in his eyes, Jak closed them thinking he would only rest. Soon he found himself dreaming of things like they were in Sandover Village.
Dream Sequence
The white beaches of Sentinal were warmed by the morning sun as Jak walked along the water's edge. Being home made him feel at peace with himself. Always remembering the way things were and the peacefulness of everything around him. There was one thing missing though.
The suroundings began to shift and change into the dark and dingy city of Haven. A darkness that Jak had never known existed began to emerge within him. The dark eco inside changed his appearance and increased his thurst for revenge and blood.
Something within him was stuggling. He could feel both the light and darkness inside him. They fought constantly now. One trying to become stronger than the other. There was no longer a sense of balance to distinguish them. It was getting harder to control.
At first the battle inside Jak only left a slight pressure then slowly it began to turn into a searing throbbing pain. His head felt as if it would exploid. It was becoming unbearable. The darkness was beginning to grow stronger. It was coming out.
End Dream Sequence
Colle awoke the next morning to the brilliant sun shining in her eyes. Slowly opening her eyes she was able to see the people of Sargus waking up and going about their business. Felling something warm beside her, she looked to her right. Blushing imidiately when she saw what was next to her. It was Jak. Major butterflies were forming in her stomach. Colle looked at Jak while he slept, you never saw it in the game. He looked so peaceful. Being with him and warmed by the sun made her feel there was nothing wrong in the world, but there was. She had to get Zack from those creatures. 'I thought they were the good guys.'
"Morning, Colle." Jak said drowsily when he sat up. He yawned and rubbed his face.
"Good morning." She was surprised he was so comfortable with the situation. She watched him as he got up and walked to the balcony. He yawned again.
"I haven't slept that good in over a week." The palace was facing the ocean. The sun was bearly above the horizon. The light was throwing shades of pink, orange, and yellow across the water. "I think it's time to eat."
At the mention of food, Colle perked up. She was starving, she hadn't had any food since the morning before. "That's a good idea." She stood up too and went to stand beside Jak. The wind blew at Colle, bringing the smell of the sea. Then she remembered that she hadn't bathed in almost two days. The sand from the desert was still in her hair.
"I'll go see if Samos is up yet." Jak walked through the double doors leaving Colle alone. This gave Colle a chance to get cleaned up.
Colle went to her room and picked out some clean clothes that had been given to her. She grabbed a small red shirt with dark leather triming and medium brown pants. She headed toward the palace bathroom to get the sand out of her hair. Twenty minutes later she emerged with wet hair and a refreshed feeling about her.
The hallway was filled with the smell of breakfast. Not knowing where to go, Colle followed her nose until she reached the kitchen. There was a small table with plates on it. Three of them had food. Jak was sitting at the table with Samos. The two of them were talking over something in hushed tones and stopped when they spotted Colle.
"What? Did I do something?" She walked over to the third plate and sat down in front of it.
"No, Jak and I were just discusing an issue that had come up in Haven city." Samos chewed some yakow meat.
"Does that mean you're leaving?" She looked at Jak. She wanted to stay with him and she didn't know if he would take her along with him.
"Yeah, it seems that Torn's been extra irritable lately. He want's me to check out another disapearance. The thing now is that's there are three people missing." He finished eating and got up to leave.
"Wait. I want to come with you." Colle started to stand up. "I won't get in the way."
"No. It might be too dangerous." He walked out the door and to the elevator with Colle right behind him. "Besides, from what you told me last night, I can guess that you don't havemuch of afighting experiance." It may have hurt her but it was the truth.
"Then teach me." Colle stood in front of Jak stopping him from getting onto the elevator. "You can teach me how to fight and stuff. Then you won't have to worry."
Jak thought on it for a second. It sounded reasonable. She would be able to protect herself and her brother if the situation ever called for it again. Maybe then she wouldn't be so helpless and he wouldn't have to see her cry anymore.
"Alright, I'll teach you how to fight. It won't be easy, and you can't complaine." Jak walked around her to step onto the lift back to the ground level.
"Thank you, thank you." She thought of something. "So does that mean I can come with you to Haven?" She looked hopeful.
"Okay, fine. You can come. But don't get in the way."
"I won't."
"Where have I heard that one before." Jak smiled to himself.