Chapter 15
By shadows/of/flame
The words washed over Keira. They were going after the one thing in the world that she was afraid of. Well, apart from losing her friends, but you couldn't really go after that could you?
After flashing Jak and Tess a shaky smile, she nodded. "We'd better go and see what the Shadow has to say..." she murmured with a heavy heart. She was half convinced that something bad was going to happen to her if she went back there, and she was usually right.
Jak squeezed her hand tightly, causing electricity to spark between them. She squeezed back tightly, and heard him murmur; "We'll take care of Erol. You and me, we can both get revenge."
"T-Torn too." Keira finally managed to say, waving her hand down the stairs at a bed.
The name rung in Jaks ears again.
"The Shadow says hes got a minor concussion, but..." she clung to Jak, hiding her tears in his tunic.
"Bodyguard, right? Oh... from Erol"
Keira nodded. "He was sending me death threats. So I asked the Shadow if I could have someone to take care of it..." she laughed, "and I got a bodyguard."
"I'm just glad you're alright..." Jak muttered, threading his hands through her hair. "If something had happened to you"
A blush crept over Keiras face, and Daxter made gagging noises next to them.
"Oh do be quiet Daxter." Keira shushed, giggling. "We haven't seen each other in two years; are we not allowed to reunite?"
"No, because Tessy baby and the Shadow are a-waitin' us!" he said, dashing into the hideout.
"Whats the plan, and does it involve kicking the Barons ass?" Jak asked, and the look in his eyes scared Keira.
The Shadow was, coincidentally, hidden in the shadows, and Jak couldn't see his face.
"Yes, actually, it does." the old man chuckled. "But Erol is, more surprisingly, a bigger threat to us than the Baron. Erol has already attacked Torn and Keira, and if Keira is as affected as she was before... to put it this way, we'd be doomed."
Jak cleared his throat, and everyone could swear the Shadow glared. "Ah, yes, and he experimented with dark eco on Jak. We a) cannot let any other people be experimented on, and b) cannot let anyone else get seriously injured."
The two, big beady eyes focused themselves on Tess.
"Tess? Take the talking rodent, and serve at the bar tonight. Krew and Erol are having a meeting about the upcoming Class 1 races. See what you can find out - Daxter, hide close by. Tess, try to eavesdrop when you serve them."
Tess nodded, and Jak gratefully handed Daxter over, glad for some peace and quiet.
And its not like Daxter minded either.
"Keira, I want you to take Jak to the Stadium and give him some training. Hoverboard, zoomer, whatever, hes rusty and that will need to be fixed."
She kenw why - Erol was a racer. They were going to need to get into the Palace to see the Baron, so Jak'd have to beat Erol to get the security pass. And hopefully kill the crazy racer in the process, but one was never so lucky.
"Yes sir."
Jak followed Keira outside, protesting as she jumped into the drivers seat of the two-seater zoomer. She grinned.
"You don't have the keys, and the Shadows words are law."
As he reluctantly jumped into the passenger seat, inside the hideout two blue eyes cracked open.
"Oimdgishead..." the person muttered, coherent words not forming in his mouth, and instead a string of jumble coming out.
Torn gently rubbed his eyes, hissing as it hurt, and cracked them open again to see if he could see anything.
Nope. Nothing, nada, not a thing.
"Shadow... Keira...?"
0o0o0
"Jak, these are my zoomers from the past, except a little different. You have to concentrate"
Keiras' green eyes bored into Jaks' blue ones, which meant he couldn't keep his eyes off her.
"Jak... Earth to Jak..." she waved a hand in front of his face, hoping for a response.
Nothing.
She tried a different tactic, moving a step to the left. Only his eyes moved.
She didn't know whether to be disgusted, annoyed, or pleased at this 'turn' of events.
"Jak! JAAAAAAK! Theres time for, er, other things later. Now is the time to think, and make your brain full of knowledge! The stuff you need some more of!"
This finally snapped Jak out of it, and he looked at Keira for a few seconds as though she was from another planet.
"Zoomer race. You and me, two laps around the track."
He nodded, sliding his goggles into place and jumping onto the zoomer.
Keira got onto hers, and the lights flashed.
Three.
Two.
One...
GREEN!
She slammed down on the accelaration, zooming ahead of him. He rolled his eyes as she passed, but only just keeping ahead of him.
'She definitely has a few more dozen hours on these things under her belt...' he murmured to himself, trying to keep up with her.
She crosed the finish line only a few seconds before him, but a smug expression claimed her face all the same as she got out of her zoomer.
Jak got out of his and crossed his arms, grinning.
"Well done. Looks like I need some practise." he grinned.
"Serious practise." she giggled, and Jak took her hands in his.
"Will you help me then?" he asked her, making her heart rise in her chest.
"Of course I will Jak! I'm your friend, remember?"
Jak nodded, a sad smile claiming his lips. "Friend huh..."
Torn groaned as he limped to the stadium door, quietly opening it and hoping not to disturb Jaks training.
"I'll always be here when you need me."
That was Keira. Torn stopped dead in his tracks.
"Of course."
Torn saw Jak claim Keiras lips; her kissing him back, and that, and the pain from his still fresh headwound, was all it took for him to fall into a dead faint onto the floor.
For his sake, Erol had better not find him before the others did.