Route One
By Snare-chan
Pairings: Hinted Jinx/Jak
Ratings: PG-13
Category(ies): General
Warning(s): Cussing
Status: Continuation, 3/5
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: Saa…two more chapters to go, yes! Now the real fun can begin, though my favorite chapter is coming up. Hope you enjoy, and as always love those reviews! Hugs, kisses, thanks, child giving…I mean love all around.
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!
It was completely silent in the cavern-like space. His companion had drifted off some time ago along with the soft glow that came with lighter and cigarettes being burned away, similar to the minutes ticking off his lifeline.
He wasn't sure if Jinx was even breathing anymore, though if he himself was, perhaps the other was too. All that smoking couldn't have been good for him, but he'd still done it. Tiredly, Jak shook his head, trying to stay awake. A vain attempt, since the motions only made him drowsier.
Coughing harshly, he curled up on himself, his goggles sliding down his forehead slightly with the action.
'Lady luck and her guardian angels sure are taking their time…'
He'd heard somewhere that when you're close to dying you start re-living your life, sort of like an out of body experience. Only for Jak, it seemed like he was forced to watch the last couple of minutes of his life in slow motion – what he'd heard, what he could have done differently, how he never got to say goodbye to Daxter.
'…guardian angels…'
Another cough erupted from his lungs, this one strangely more painful than the last one had been.
'…angels…'
Starting awake with a gasp, Jak gagged slightly in surprise as he was unable to take in enough to comply with his lungs' demands. He lurched forward and tugged down his red scarf, trying to free a little room for his throat. The blonde had no idea when he'd dozed off or why he'd woken up for that matter, but he had an inkling that he was forgetting something.
He raised a hand to his forehead, rubbing it in deep thought. Had he been dreaming? Looking back on his thoughts, he could only recall bits and pieces, much of it of little importance now. What was he forgetting?
His breathing was becoming labored as he wracked his brain for what it was he needed to remember. It was something Jinx had told him, an absent note or lapse of sanity. It was crazy, though it was hard to pick out what the other said that was not of that nature.
"An…gels?" Was that it? The word felt familiar, rolling off his dry tongue with a feeling of rightness. But what about angels?
Maybe I'm the one going crazy, now the renegade thought dryly. This idea was all he had so far, and with his remaining amount of air nearly depleted, it was all he had time left for. Latching onto it, he started to list everything about them – the only good kind of angel is one with wings.
Wings…That's when it clicked.
Finally having made a useful connection, he strained to keep with it. Nodding slowly, he attempted to get to his feet. Trying to do so only got him more of a headache as he collided with the roof of his confines, so he voted for crawling over to Jinx. He'd only have one shot at this, because if the plan didn't kill him then the lack of oxygen would. Jak was a man of chances though, and was willing to take the risk towards survival.
Feeling with his hands, his fingers touched the fabric of a pant leg, and moving upwards, he felt his way along. A twitch or two under the pads of his hand revealed that the other man wasn't dead yet, and muttering something that he hoped would keep the other from asking him what he was doing, he finally found what he was looking for. Lifting the lighter out of Jinx's pocket, he snapped the metal clip to fire it up, looking over the two bands of explosives laid out on the other's chest.
He was no expert on these sorts of matters, and trying to find something timed was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Flipping a couple over and going through a few didn't help, and added with his failing vision, made matters worse. How did the other fit so many on here and know which were which?
"Jinx…any…thing timed?"
A couple seconds passed where the other didn't even move, but finally, a calloused hand reached up and tapped two particular pockets, which revealed to hold some red and blue looking metal contraptions. Without wasting another moment, Jak snatched the palm-sized boxes and started placing them towards where he'd talked to Daxter last. Unable to hook them up or reset them, he made due with what he could manage, pushing down on a lighted switch and watching the clock numbers count down from ten seconds.
00:10
Scrambling back, he snatched the other's now-unconscious form from his position against the far wall and cradled them both as far away from the exploding devices as possible. In that short span of a couple seconds, it was nerve-wracking. Usually living on the edge didn't bother the renegade, but fighting to the death and waiting to see if your body is going to become part of the décor were hardly the same.
00:05
The eco boxes made some sort of clicking sound, signaling that they were about to go. Bracing himself, Jak clutched Jinx closer, his head ducking down as he hoped this would work.
00:01
Like a Peace Maker going off at full power, a gigantic explosion of bright red lit up the entire cavity and then some as pure eco went skyrocketing off every which way. Rocks and metal shattered as the bombs' destructive capabilities completely wiped out the debris that had been covering the two comrades.
As soon as the devices had gone off, Jak had tapped into that new power he'd discovered, the white eco… When sparks started flying, his wings unfurled, providing even more cover for them as he created a shield of light to protect them.
Eyes clenched shut, he could only hear as material pounded against his magical shield. Stones belted against it like bullets, threatening to shatter it as time went on. It was becoming too risky to stay in this spot, and with the last of his strength he started in a random direction. If he could get around a corner or hide behind a pillar it would sure make his job easier.
Disappearing into a room, he let up on his shield and light form when all the commotion had settled down. Drained and ready to get as much oxygen into his lungs as possible, he collapsed, gasping and panting. He only had enough energy to briefly check over Jinx before allowing himself a well-needed rest…one he'd actually be waking up from.
"Jak…?"
He winced, the current disturbance one he could do without. He was still tired and worn out, and only had one thing in mind: sleep.
"Jak, buddy, wake up!"
"What is it?" Mumbling incoherently he rolled over, receiving a yelp right in his ear.
"Hey, pal, watch where you're moving! You almost got my poor tail…"
Suddenly peeking open one eye at the loud voice, at first all he got was an eyeful of orange fur. Opening up the other got him the sight of a cute, button nose.
"Daxter?"
"Yes, it is I! And you, you are finally awake!"
The already up-close sight of his friend got a whole lot closer as his face received a furry hug. Carefully, so as not to smoosh his friend, he started to sit up. Almost obediently, his friend hurried over to his usual perch on Jak's left shoulder for balance. Or to get comfy; it was one of the two.
"What happened?"
"What, hit your blonde little head too hard, pretty boy?"
The new voice came from over in the corner, and not wanting to jar his head any further he turned his entire body around to face its owner. Jinx, very much alive and ready to make things go boom, was back to gnawing on the end of a cigar. The previous experience must have wiped out his cigarette stores.
"No…maybe," he admitted softly, his voice needing to get used to talking now that he had air surrounding him. "Do you remember what happened?"
"Luck's right hand angel apparently paid us a visit, eh?" Not waiting for an answer, he stood up, brushing off the green bits of powdery plant life and dirt from his clothes before offering a hand up to Jak. He took it gratefully, needing a moment to regain his balance before doing anything.
"Where do we go now?"
Jinx merely pointed behind him. Glancing over his shoulder his sights were met with a huge hole the size of a civilian transport vehicle, and beyond that was something that resembled the sewers. Water merrily dripped from the cracked edges of the entrance and smells Jak could have happily gone without wafted through at them.
Heading back out since all of them wanted this over as soon as possible, they passed into the even darker area, Jinx activating a light switch on the floor as they passed.
"You had me worried there for a moment, Jak," Daxter suddenly spoke up, his words betraying his nonchalant voice, "I was looking everywhere for something to get you guys out when you nearly brought the place down. Again."
Jak rolled the shoulder his partner was sitting on, it being his equivalent to 'thanks for worrying'. Dax nodded before straightening up and nearly yelling down the pipe, "I thought the nest was in the basement of some building?"
"Torny's scouts said it might be in a basement. It still might be; these pipe'ins could lead into it."
"Oh great, and I just had my fur dry-cleaned!"
Instead of pointing out that his friend already is dirty thanks to the previous building's collapse, Jak pulled out his gun with the Plasmite RPG mod. Now that they were on stable ground, he didn't have to worry as much about what he used to get rid of their enemies. This was a very fortunate thing, because it turned out the place was covered wall-to-wall in all sorts.
"We must be getting' close," Jinx noted aloud, his booted leg footing another bomb into a secluded corner to go off later. The more places they cut off for the metal heads the better.
"We had better be! I'm actually starting to get used to this smell," Daxter whined, huddling closer to Jak's hair, "And I feel a cold coming on!"
"You've got a furry coat, how can ya even get sick?"
"I just can!"
Jak shook his head, feeling a slight tug from where Dax had taken hold of some hair to use as a makeshift blanket. While Jinx was busy setting up, he decided to move on ahead a little and clear things up so they could progress faster. As he turned the corner he was only met with a mesh wall, some Precursor text spray-painted on a nearby surface in bright yellow.
(Danger: Turn back now or face the wrath of the Baron)
"This must be the place, eh?"
"…"
"Yeah, yeah…I'm going."
His friend scurried off his shoulder and over the wall to disappear on the other side. If this was the place, he didn't want to go blasting any holes through the wall in case his bullets hit more than just it. While he waited for his partner to open the way, Jinx rejoined them just in time to see the fence pull away to let them through…to see the biggest group of explosives any man could witness. Row after row of every kind of bomb and grenade lined every inch of floor and wall, for as far as the eye could see.
One look at Jinx confirmed this was some sort of commando dream come true, the expert's grin almost too big to hold onto the stick stuck in-between his teeth. It was almost scary how he resembled a kid in a candy store.
"Woo-boy; the Baron was packin'!"
What else could be noted were the several sickly yellow and green eggsacks hanging on the surface of everything. Clusters of them were on the racks and floor. None of the parents seemed to be in the premises, however, which seemed kind of strange.
"How long will it take you to set everything up?"
"Hm?"
The other was scrounging through a box he'd opened to their right, several small black and white contraptions brimming to the top. Whatever they were, they had his full attention, so with a shake of his head, Jak vouched to start exploring until the other was ready. For him it was probably like some superstore, and he'd be about and around the place for at least an hour before bothering to get the job done.
Heading a bit deeper in, Daxter eventually rejoined him, chattering away and asking questions Jak couldn't answer. The farther back they went the older the nests became, signaling that they had arrived here just in time to destroy large numbers of the MH army before they hatched and were able to do any damage. A couple days more and several of the nests here would most likely be overflowing the small outposts they'd set up above.
"What do you think this one does?"
"Don't touch it," Jak muttered instinctively, following his companion as he moved over to a large shelf on his other side.
"Aww, I'm not going to!" As he said this, he lifted one of the contraptions up to examine it better, the small round device shining a brilliant yellow color. There was some small bit of script on it. "The…Destroyer F15h-12K…hm, sounds promising."
Beside it were some others, all equally the same size but shining a different shade. The batch of them seemed to be designed with all the ecos in mind (save white, of course), but what their purpose was, Jak had no clue whatsoever. Besides names and a short line of statistics he couldn't understand, there wasn't anything else written.
Growl…"You hungry too, buddy? I sure am, when's lunch?" Dax absently asked, positioning himself back on Jak's shoulder.
"Hn…wait, what?" Jak started, looking haphazardly at his companion. He'd thought the sound just now had come from him. "Wasn't that you?"
"No…wasn't that you?"
Exchanging a nervous glance between the two of them, they slowly turned around.
To Be Continued…