Chapter 18
By shadows/of/flame
Em... you inspired me by talking about Veger wanting Torns ice cream XD. Thanks!
No one could believe it.
Veger... Veger was a human again? And he was trying to kill Torn and Keira?
"What do you want?" Jak snarled, getting to his feet and not letting his eyes leave Vegers.
Torn also stood up, glaring at Veger who had now appeared, blocking their exit from the ruins of the Palace.
"What do you think I want? Why of course - to finish off the job I came here to do - kill these two twerps."
"Why do you want to kill us? What would you gain from it?" Torn glared, hatred burning in his eyes.
The bald, liver spotted man laughed.
"Gain? Oh please. You two hold something that not many others have... Not the power to channel eco, a practise long forgotten, but... pure souls."
Keira looked at Veger as though he had just waltzed into the room wearing a sombrero and a kimono, sporting a bushy moustache, and singing the Care Bear song.
"What...?" she murmured, disbelieving.
Veger cackled, his laugh ringing in Torns tortured ears.
"That "incident" you and Torn were in 2 years ago... remember? Thats what proved to me that your souls were pure - your ability to heal was amazingly significant."
Keira remembered that incident - just after her and Torn had met for the first time, there had been a horrific KG vs pedestrian shoot out, and Keira had found out then, with people injured and dying all around her, that she had some of her father healing abilities.
"Pure? But... we've killed so many people! Revenge, hate... lust... they aren't good! They taint the soul!" Keira exclaimed.
The older man chuckled.
"Yes, you are correct. But your souls are still pure, regardless of a few petty actions and wants, and I want there to be none left in this world. If there are none, humanity will thrive on the bad things in life."
Torn was shocked to the roots of his supposedly pure soul.
Him, pure? When he had been so jealous of others, being harsh to Jak and all the other Underground men, wanting revenge against Jak and Ashelin... lust for Keira, the only one he had ever truly loved and feared to lose?
"Why should you kill the only pure people in the world then!" Torn cried.
Veger smirked.
"If there is nothing good left in this world to cling to, then all will fall into evil doings. Think about it - a city filled with druggies. Tramps prowling the streets, addicts stealing money for illegal drugs... Its the perfect plan! They will be so utterly dependant on man made things, if a ruler gives them what they want, they will bow to their rulers will!"
Ashelin shook her head. "I am the ruler of Haven City, and Jinx of Spargus. Neither of us are going to supply drugs to our cities!"
Veger cackled. "Jinx? That fellow that has a permanent cloud of smoke above his head?"
He chucked some photos at Torn, and Torn gaped.
They were pictures of Jinx being tortured.
"We tortured Jinx until he complied with us, and it will be easy enough to do the same to dear Ashelin. But first, of course, we must get rid of the pure of heart..."
Some Krimzon Guards rallied up behind Veger, and cocked their guns at the pair.
Keira closed her eyes, her heart beating wildly. Were they really going to die?
"Aim... fire!"
A set of roars emitted from Torn and Jak, and Keira spun around quickly enough to see Torn bowl her out of the way.
As she fell, she hit her head, and her gaze swam as she tried to focus.
She griped blindly, and eventually picked up Ashelins fallen gun that she had snuck out of the hospital, and wondered whether or not firing would be a good idea.
She could very well easily hit one of her allies- Ashelin, or one of the two dark creatures that were attacking Veger and the Guard.
Ashelin was mowing down the the KG that were approaching with the Vulcan Barrel, but as more and more came she didn't doubt that somehow Veger had either bred them, or got some outside forces to help him.
'Is this ever going to end? Are me and Jak ever going to live happily, or are we forced to live in a warzone, forever fighting? And of course, Torn and Keira, but... Why can't this stop?'
As she wasn't paying enough attention,a bullet grazed her leg, and she winced inwardly at the blood trickling down her leg.
Out of the corner of her eye, the red-head noticed Keira had something in her hands, but what was it?
Ashelin didn't know nor care at that very moment- she had bigger fish to fry.
TwoKrimzon Guards, while she had been thinking, had snuck up behind her and were trying to strangle her to death.
She tried hard to breathe, as everyone does by default when they are getting strangled, but she knew it was futile to try. She had to think of some other way.
"Haha, we've got her." one of the KG cackled, but Ashelin wriggled free as soon as the KG started cackling.
"Thats why bragging gets you no where." she snarled as she kneed the guard in the stomach and shot him.
The blue haired girls vision had not become much better, and she aimed at a red thing, hoping it was a Krimzon Guard.
She pulled the trigger, and a hiss erupted from the thing, or person she had shot.
"Hes down! Hes down! The girl shot him! Get him quickly!"
Keiras heart froze, thinking she had shot Jak, or even Torn.
She couldn't see a thing anymore, and if someone shot her she would be none the wiser to it.
Ashelin kept shooting at the retreating guard, and ran over to Keira.
"Keira, you did it."
"W... what did I do?" she yelped.
Ashelin helped her up, and the two started walking towards the hospital.
"You shot Veger. Jak and Torn are on their way to try and finish him off."
"I... I shot him?"
Keiras head swam, and she stumbled a few times, Ashelin supporting her every step of the way.
"Yes, you did quite a good job. I'm taking you to Freedom HQ, then you can get some rest and wait for news of the other two."
Keira had no choice, and as soon as they reached Freedom HQ she curled up in Torns chair and fell asleep.
0o0o0o0o0
No words were used, but Torn could pretty much make out the gist of what Jak wanted.
Revenge.
It was simple enough, as Jak had told Torn many times before, even under the influence of alcohol, he could tell the story clearly of how Veger had set a bazooka on their car and killed his father, the best warrior he had ever known.
Torn also wanted revenge on the bald man, but for different reasons.
Not that Veger had personally hurt him, but he thought Veger had something to do with the shield wall being withdrawn.
All those years ago, as the shield wall was withdrawn from where was now known as Dead Town, Torn had watched his parents ripped apart by Metal Heads.
The dread-locked ex-commander also couldn't get over the fact that Veger wanted to kill them for having pure souls.
He wouldn't let Veger get away with it.
People saw the dark creatures and ran away screaming, not wanting to see the ugly things.
Not the horns, nor the crackles of dark eco, but the looks on their faces was cold and chilling enough to freeze over Volcanic Crater.
Luckily for Torn, no one could recognise him, the dark eco pretty much hiding his tattooes, so he was safe.
But everyone knew who Jak was, and wondered who he was saving them from this time, and who the other dark figure was at his side.
The two eco freaks were set on getting to Vegers base, but they could only find it if they followed the KG Hellcat in front of them, so neither let their eyes off it.
An unfortunate carpet merchant stepped towards them to offer his wares, and as he started to speak, Jak ripped him to shreds.
Nice.
Neither knew what the outcome of this little excursion would be, and whether or not they would come back alive, but the dark eco injected fiends knew it could only be good for one side.