"What is it?" she asked, her eyes full of concern. She knew though deep, deep down that Jak was going to have to go fight.
"Since Kor's defeat, Ashelin's sent KG patrols out to the Wastelands to try and find if any Metal-Heads have been trying to re-group."
"Have they?" she asked. Maybe Jak wouldn't have to leave after all.
"None have come back."
"No Metal-Heads?" she asked but afriad of the answer.
"No men."
Tears sprung into here eyes as she grabbed him and held him close, like she was trying to imprint him onto her body. "Don't go don't go don't go..." she kept saying over and over and over again. "I just got you back Jak, I can't lose you again."
"You won't," he wispered. "You won't lose me, I promise." He looked into her green eyes and she pulled him in and kissed him hard and full on the lips.
Sig, Torn and Ashelin were still talking and going over some details and they assumed Rail was listening. He wasn't though, he was looking at Jak and Keria in the hallway. 'She's his now, she's his now,' he kept telling himself but he couldn't stop his fist from clenching or himself from remembering...
Flashback:
"And that's basically it," said Rail gesturing his arms in the air. "You've seen just about every inch of the palace that I have clearence too which, I might add, is all of it."
"And is that the tour you get when you win the Class One Race?" Keria asked, still clinging to his arm.
"Oh no," scoffed Rail. "That tour is pathetic, they show you the lobby, the gift shop and let you eat a meal in the cafe. You see more by looking in the windows from the city."
"Well thank you then," she said. The duo turned a corner and were in the same hallway that Jak and Keri were now. They were heading for the elevator but she stopped and turned to him. Rail turned to her and saw something in her eyes, something that he had longed for his whole life. Love. She leaned up to him and placed a deep, loving kiss on his lips.
Present:
"Are you alright?" asked Ashelin.
"WHAT!" yelled Rail slamming his fist on the table. He calmed down quickly though. "Yeah, yea. Just fine."
"Well," said Torn. "I just asked you if you wanted some new weapons and you just kept staring at the lovebirds."
Rail looked back and Jak and Keria were still kissing, much more passionately now. Rail was torn between several feelings. Happiness, because Keria was happy and he wanted that more than anything but also a mix of anguish, pain, and horrible, horrible sadness, because he wasn't the one doing it. "Sure," he said to Torn. "Suit us up." he turned. "JAK!" Jak turned. "COME ON, WE'RE GOING."
Jak turned back to Keria and kissed her again. "I love you, and I'll come back for you I swear."
"I know," said Keria, holding Jak so tightly that she thought she could never let go. "I know."
Jak lifted up her face and kissed her again. He held her gaze for what seemed like an eterneity before he turned away from her. He walked away briskly past Rail and straight towards Torn who was waiting in the elevator. Rail turned too but stopped, he turned around and saw Keria. He mouthed the word 'bye' and walked to the elevator with the rest and held her gaze until the door shut and she was blocked from view.
Jak, Rail and Sig walked down the palace stairs and strode to the Port. Jak, the hero of the city was met with cheers and applause but he didn't acknowledge them. Jak was never one who wanted what he had earned, except for her. He loved her, his love for her ran like a river that no dam could ever hold back and that not wall could block. He would tear down every wall, cross every path of fire and kill anyone who got in the way of him and her. He didn't like leaving her in the palace and it was all he could do from taking her right there and he doubted she would've minded. But deep down inside of him, so deep that even he didn't know it he knew that leaving her behind again was a mistake, one that he would have to pay dearly for.
Sig was unemotinal as he walked down the steps and towards the Port. He stopped at a memorial wall that had been built. Etched into it was all the names of the men who had died in the battle. Sig had had several friends who the Metal-Heads had claimed but aside from the the Wastelander felt no emotion. He had learned long ago to block out all of the feelings he had. He merely checked the ammo on his gun a few times, obviously execited about going to the main Wastelands. He never turned down a fight.
Then there was Rail. The black clad KG who was the most powerful weapon the city knew aside from Jak himself. He matched Jak in several other ways. He was a good a shot, as dedicated towards a cause and as in love with same woman. Rail had been with Keria. He had taken walks with her, he had comforted her on dark and lonely nights and he had kept her out of prison. Rail was a very leinent person. If he did something for somone and then they didn't even thank him he could stand that, hell he was used to it, but that was one thing he couldn't get over. He kept her away from the torture that Jak had to endure and she didn't care. The instant Jak came running back she forgot all about Rail. All about him...
Flashback:
Rail looked different today. He wasn't clad in his normal black ensamble. He was wearing blue jeans, a red tee-shirt but he still wore his black jacket and boots; and he was carrying flowers. They were a rare kind and Rail had found some in Haven Forest while he was on patrol once and he had picked them for her. He didn't notice however that a speeding Zoomer was flying above him, that Zoomer carried Jak. Rail walked up the steps and was about to go talk to Keria. But when he got to her garage he saw her hugging Jak, he saw her hugging another man. He was about to do something until he saw her lips move up and kiss him.
"No..." wispered Rail to himself. He began breathing fast and tears came to his eyes as hard as if someone had turned on a faucet behind his eyes. The sadness soon turned to rage as he broke the stems of the flowers he was going to give her and threw them to the ground. He turned and walked away.
He had tried to call her over the next few weeks but it wasn't worth it. He just got her machine but she never returned his calls and never tried to see him again. But one time he was close. It was during the Class Three Race. He saw her in the stands near the end of the race. Things might've been different if he hadn't turned his head to see who had won when the cheers exploded. At that second Keria got up from her seat and ran out of the aisle. Rail was already there but his head was still turning and she ran into him. She ended up pushing him down and running to the winner's circle. It had been an accident but Rail wasn't thinking clearly. As he saw Keria kissing Jak all he wanted was to have his gun. A stranger helped him back to his feet and Rail stalked out.
Present:
"You okay man?" asked Sig. "You like you're ready to kill someone."
"Kinda," said Rail staring daggers at Jak's back. No matter how many times he told himself he and Keria were over he kept feeling how unfair it was.
"Well save it for the Metal-Heads." said Sig smacking Rail on the back.
"Yeah." said Rail, not taking in anything the Wastelander had said, sat down in the Air-Train and waited for take-off.