Route One
By Snare-chan
Pairings: Hinted Jinx/Jak
Ratings: PG-13
Category(ies): General
Warning(s): Cussing
Status: Continuation, 1/5
Summary: They knew the mission wouldn't be easy, in fact it was set to get worse before it got better. If only they knew just how bad it would really be…
Notes: I completely, without a doubt, 100 percent blame this on jaygoose and her be damned love for the Jinx. If it weren't for her nothing like this would have ever happened. I hope you're proud of yourself, missy, because look what you've gone and made me do! ;P
In all seriousness, though…yes, I'm serious, you really don't see Jinx used a whole lot, do you? Well this all changes today! Band together my fellow fanfic writers, and unite to bring the smoking, cussing, wisecracking, blonde bomb expert to life! Or something.
Disclaimer: I dun own Jak and Daxter, Jak II, Jak 3 or Jak…anything; wish I did like everyone else. They should put Jak in stock, then I'd buy it all!
"You boys in the mood to cause some more trouble?"
Jak and Daxter calmly made their way to the back of the Naughty Ottsel, taking a seat at the bar next to Torn. Neither needed to answer, the mere perk of long and furry ears at the mention of some action was sign enough of their thoughts on the subject.
"Because I've got a scout that's reported new metal head nests, and they've infiltrated our turf."
The proposition sounded pretty nice. By this point they were already ahead in the war, but it was a position that could still be easily lost at any given moment. Anything they could do to help destroy either of their enemies, the KG bots or metal heads, was a risk that was worth taking. Still, some are more cautious about such good sounding news...
"I'm sure this is a stupid question, but uh...exactly where is it?"
"Where else, rodent? The Metal Head city. Well, the start of it anyway."
"Why did I have a feeling you'd say that?" Daxter moaned, dramatically making a show of almost fainting off Jak's shoulder. He managed to prevent this from happening by collapsing against his friend's head.
The old KG Commander continued without pause, "It's currently cut off, so you'll have to find a way in - or make your own."
"And that's where I come in."
While Jak had predicted that their mission wouldn't go smoothly, he'd had no idea that it'd be as bad as this. Things like this never worked out right - metal heads were unpredictable, unstable, and instinctive. You'd have better luck trying to figure out Dark Jak's next move than a metal head's. Not to mention infiltrating enemy lines is never an easy job. Usually it's a one-man deal due to the hazard factor, so when you have two and an ottsel, it's asking for trouble.
Problem was, he and his accomplices hadn't even crossed the border into MH territory yet. The gates, which he'd opened not too long ago, were just coming into view and already they'd run into heaps of problems. Namely, lots and lots of Sling Blasters and Grunts.
"Hey, pretty boy, ya mind kicking it up another notch? We've got metal heads on our asses here!"
"He's already going as fast as he can!"
Not to prove his partner wrong or anything, but Jak revved the throttle and increased their speed. As the world passed them by, it began to blur, resembling splashes of random color on a green and yellow canvas out of the corner of his eye.
"JAK!"
"Now this is more like it!"
He barely acknowledged them as he instead concentrated on what was up ahead. Whenever he raced like this, at full speed, nothing existed but the open road in front of him. Traveling in this swampy terrain might not be the same as racing in a stadium, but all that really changed was the amount of thrill involved.
And nothing beats an adrenalin kick like driving for your life.
Their destination, a hidden ammo facility in the old part of the city, was tucked away very well. The building with the nest in it was located close to areas that the people of Haven had already taken back, and since they didn't want the enemy to have a chance to retrieve it later, it was up to this small party to keep that from happening in the future.
From what Torn was able to tell them, there were only two ways to even identify the site: one being from above, and the other from the back of the stronghold. At the current point in time, it would be impossible to approach either entrance without catching unwanted attention, so they were going to infiltrate the government building beside it and sneak on through.
Supposedly, the old ammunition hold was made near the start of the old Baron's rule. It was a backup in case one of the main factories went out of commission or was destroyed, so a good portion of what was made was tucked away for safe keeping.
That building, from what he was able to understand, should connect right through, basement-to-basement, to the ammo storages. Unfortunately, since it was so close to the ammo point it was also right in the center of the marshy area; getting there would be half the trouble.
All of that, at least, explained why it was several feet underground and undistinguishable except by blueprints, but he couldn't help but wonder why the metal heads would be stupid enough to lay their eggs in a place with enough explosives to nearly take out that entire area. It was like they were asking to be blown sky-high, in which case Jak and company were more than happy to oblige.
Then again, the beasts probably didn't expect many to get far enough to do much damage…
A purple shot of eco heading straight for them broke through Jak's deep concentration, causing him to swerve out of the way. The side of their vehicle collided with the nearby wall, and sparks flew as moss and other plant-like life broke off to reveal the metallic layers of offices beneath. He really hated two-seaters. It was like trying to control a Blast Bot. At least their durability made up for the lack of mobility – which was about the only thing he could say the machines had going for them.
He ignored the loud yelp of fear right next to his ear as he pushed off the wall to correct their direction as another bout of firepower floated through the air. This time he wasn't so lucky to get by, and the contraption rocked with the force of eco as several blasts struck home. One glance back revealed thick clouds of black smoke and fire spouting out the end. So much for durability…
"Hey, Jakey; cutting it a little close there!"
"We're almost there!" he shot back, pushing the Flyer to its limits. He knew he should have gone with a damn Cruiser…they might be slower than anything around, but at least they could take more than a shot or two.
"There's the opening, Jak!"
The entrance wasn't much, just a small crack between stones near the bottom of their destination. If you weren't really looking for it, you could pass right on by and never know the difference. Maneuvering around to it while taking on heavy fire from Snipers was neither graceful nor pleasant, but by using their vehicle as a sort of battering-ram to pass through the ground troops and the small inlet, he managed it with little effort.
As soon as they were grounded he loaded his gun and, setting it to Beam Reflexor, he fired two random shots to distract those few metal heads left from the crash, giving them ample time to make their getaway and hightail it inside to begin this whole ordeal.
"Ok, boys, the nest won't even start until we get to the bottom of this joint, so if you were expecting a short stroll through the park, you can banish that thought now," Jinx started calmly, having been briefed about all this far before Jak even got wind of it. He knew why he was here, anyway – to provide the brawn, though both were going to do be doing some dirty work.
"Are these things ever meant to be quick and easy?"
"Not really; just thought I'd let you know we're gonna have a lot of bonding time ahead of us. And don't go screamin'; the place is loaded with them metal heads. One false sound and – bam! – getting into this place will be a total blow out."
"Hah! Jak and I aren't afraid of some bloodsuckers! You just concentrate on finding that equipment, and we'll worry about-ARGH!"
Without warning, the ceiling above them gave away, a large Stinger landing right on top of them. Jak quickly disposed of it with one shot before giving his friend a doubtful look. Daxter returned it with a sheepish one of his own.
Rolling his eyes, Jinx decided not to even comment, instead proceeding forward and starting them down the path towards the basement. How in the world he knew even remotely where he was going was a mystery, since the place was in absolute shambles. Green material was covering every inch of the floors and walls, sometimes even cutting off areas that might have at one time been hallways or doorways to other rooms. If that wasn't causing enough problems, most of the building was falling apart at the seams. Holes in the floor, the ceiling collapsed…it was like an obstacle course set out right in front of them.
Getting through wasn't the only challenge for them, either. As they moved through the corridors of the building, they had to move quickly as well as quietly, something easier said than done. Almost every sidestep, no matter how careful, seemed to give them away, and one wrong jump caused unwanted squeaking that alerted the whole floor of their presence.
Jinx hadn't been joking when he said the place was busy, either. Metal heads were after them no matter what they did, and disposing of them was more of a challenge than usual. Jak in particular had to be careful in which gun mods he used, otherwise he'd have the whole place crashing down on them.
"Are we there yet?"
Jak had to give it to his friend; he had been quiet for almost a whole half an hour.
"Buddy, don't you dare start that!"
"…So, are we there yet?"
"We've got two more floors, pipsqueak, keep your freakin' pants on!"
Dax was about to point out that he didn't wear pants, hadn't for a while, and had he had any left he certainly would keep them on. But since that was currently not the case…Jak quickly silenced him before he could start something. None too gently, perhaps.
"Ow! What was that for!"
"Do I have to blow someone's head off to get some peace and quiet around here! Fuckin'-"
Skittering was heard up ahead, causing everyone's complaints to fall silent. The sound happened again, this time to their right. Then their other right. Then up above… They looked all around, eyes darting for the slightest sign of where an assault was coming from, but there was nothing for them to see. Hesitantly, Jinx sparked one of his lighters to life.
Metal heads…they were everywhere. On the walls, across the floor, the odd angles of the ceiling and support beams…everything that could fit one currently had a MH perched on it. It was like out of some nightmare – one that they couldn't currently wake up from. Slowly, they started to back up, but quickly found out there really was nowhere to back up. Jak's only cover was being back-to-back with Jinx, and that wouldn't really do them much good when those beasts decided to attack.
"Kind of remind ya of somethin'?" Jinx murmured, his lighter still lit and causing several of the golden jewels around them to glitter, reminding them of their current threat.
He had hated that mission too. But this wasn't the sewer, which had been stable and made with several layers of metal and cement. Wordlessly, Jak switched his gun over to Vulcan Fury, since he was going to have to take the chance and use all the firepower he could get.
"Jak?"
"There's no time; I'm gonna try and make a path. Go for it if you can."
"You have to be kidding me!"
Apparently he must have been, because it was not possible to free up enough space for anyone to get through. After a volley of shots, a path would begin to appear, only to get flooded back up again. If he shot one, two more took its place. Jinx had even pulled out his pistol, but it wouldn't hold out for long against these numbers. This just wasn't working like he'd planned.
"Jinx, you got anything that can take these guys out?"
"Like something that won't have this building doin' a Haven Palace impression and collapsin'?"
"Just something big enough to...make a distraction, or create a hole to get through."
"Oh sure, because we can sooooo run at the speed of light!" Dax interrupted coolly, "While we're on the subject, why don't we have Dark-boy help with the explodey! Nothing like being flattened like a pancake."
"..."
"Wait, I didn't mean it Jak!"
"Jinx, switch places with me."
There was no time to argue, and so they circled around back-to-back so that Jinx was now facing the way they'd come and Jak towards the exit. All the while he fired shot after shot, wanting to get some distance between their enemies. Once there was enough room he packed up his gun and…just let it all go.
The transformation was instantaneous. Tapping into that familiar store of dark emotions and power was like a second nature to him now, and not having been summoned in a while, his other side was almost overeager to wreck some havoc. He had enough control to fire off one shot to clear a path; it was only a small strip that Jinx would have to squeeze past in a couple of minutes, but it was the best he could do at the current point in time.
"Aw man, this is bad!"
"You heard the man, so no time for whinin' chipmunk!" Grasping the orange ottsel off Jak's shoulder, he moved at the same time of Jak's first big attack.
Now that he was alone, it was much easier to get rid of the current metal head population that was unfortunate enough to stick around. Despite the difficulty, Jak kept his strength hidden, wanting to create a long enough distraction for his companions to get down to the basement before he tried anything serious.
The creatures weren't very clever, and it wasn't long before they tried to solve the threat with their numbers. The masses went at him all at once, trying to overpower Dark Jak with a dog-pile assault. As they clawed at his legs and crawled over him, only a second later did an explosion of pure dark eco send them all flying back to the corners of the small space.
The floor gave a threatening shake before stilling. Those few metal heads that had survived the large blast recovered quickly, this time approaching more cautiously. They'd already underestimated their prey, and as they began to circle him, they were careful to surround him. Dark Jak had no patience for this, and by now his allies had most likely made it.
With a snarl, he slammed his fist into the ground, sending out a dark purple ring. The shockwave left nothing behind, including the floor. With a final lurch, the level shattered like it was glass, breaking off into little pieces.
His work done and no more things left to kill, Jak returned to normal before he retreated to the exit his partners had already passed through, leaping the last couple of inches to the stairwell. After a quick glance down from his position, it was clear they would just take too long, and with a daring leap, he fell through the last few layers of the building to land at the bottom floor. To soften his fall, he pulled out his Jet-board at the last minute.
Behind him, everything was coming down like an imploding circus tent. Floor after floor tumbled through, creating a several-ton weight heading straight for him. Just up ahead, he spotted Daxter and Jinx, confirming that they'd gotten here safe and sound.
"What the hell'd you do, blondie!"
"Yeah, you've literally brought down the house!"
"No time, gotta run gotta run gotta run!"
Still on his Jet-board, he grabbed for Jinx's arm, pulling him along before he hopped onto the nearly-too-small mode of transportation. Dax transferred shoulders, having to shout for even him to be heard over the noise.
"Jak-"
He already knew what Dax was going to say, even as he watched for falling rubble. "We're going to make it!"
Suddenly the world around them exploded, sending the board and them into hyper drive before knocking them off.
Then it all went black.
To be continued…