Jak was roused by a sudden loud noise. He leapt to his feet, shaking his head to clear it. The light was moving on its own, a deep rumbling growl accompanying it. The sand all around Jak began to shift and slide about like liquid. Jak struggled to keep his feet and stay in the light. His head was clearer than it had been previously, so he was able to move quickly without nausea. The sand moved underfoot, but Jak was in his element. It was moments of pressure like these that Jak's conditioned instinct came into play. His feet found solid holds and his legs churned strongly to keep him in the light. He grinned smugly. Let them come. I can take it.
The ground before him, lighted by the beam, suddenly dropped out of sight. Jak snapped his goggles over his eyes found that the far edge was just within jumping distance. Jak's bare feet left the near ledge in a mighty leap. He kept his eyes fixed on the opposite side of the rift. White sand flew around him, stinging his unprotected face, but he did not feel it, so intense was his purpose. He did not drop his gaze into the abyss.
Jak's left toes caught the far edge and his momentum carried his body in an arc. He rolled over his right shoulder and back onto his feet to continue running. He soon found out two very important things. One was that the ground was stable on this side of the crevasse, and the other was that he was dead on his feet.
He stopped and rested his hands on his knees, ready to continue if the need called. Just then, the bright overhead beam changed. It decreased in intensity and became yellow, revealing much more of the darkness beyond. He peered out of the lighted area, repositioning his goggles to allow for more clarity. Jak could see much more than he had, but the room appeared much too large for any definition of size. He could see no walls, no ceiling; only smooth white sand disappearing into darkness.
He glanced behind him into the newly opened crevice. The gap was now far too wide to leap, and the cut extended infinitely in either direction.
He panted briefly, regaining his strength, then set out with renewed vigor. The light, as usual, followed him, lighting his footsteps. The sand remained firm under foot, and no noise could be heard but the soft swish of his bare feet through the sand. As Jak ran, he began again to think of past escapades with his ever-present and, he grinned, ever-annoying friend.
"Jak, we'll get 'em this time, I mean, all you have to do is put in a little effort, and well, y'know, bedtime for bonzo!" Daxter patted Jak on the top of his head as he braced himself for the next wave of metalhead attackers. Jak charged the peacemaker, judging the amount of time it would take the attackers to get within range. He let off a shot which immediately took out the forerunners. Jak knew he did not have time to charge again, so he slipped the gun into its holster and squared off.
"Do yer stuff, buddy!" Daxter cried and got a better grip on the pauldron.
Jak searched deep within himself for the switch; the tiny change in emotion that would transform him into a machine. Instantly, his eyes turned dark, and horns sprung from his forehead as his fingers became deadly claws. An animal growl escaped his clenched teeth. He turned to his enemies, now no more than a few feet away, and smiled evilly. He bounded into the air and executed a graceful front flip, catapulting his body back toward the ground. Dark Eco erupted around him as he hit, causing the attackers to be thrown into the air, instantly killed.
Jak laughed like a maniac and glanced around, searching for more prey. Daxter cowered on his shoulder, trying to be invisible. Jak stood for a moment, the conflict within showing in his eyes. He bent over, and the darkness passed, leaving a diminished young man in the place of the terrible beast.
Jak ran his fingers through his hair.
"It's so frickin' cool when you do that..." Daxter trailed off. "Kinda freaks me out though." Jak nodded and sighed.
No changes had come to Jak's endless prison. The white sand and silence surrounded him. It felt good to lope along again in his natural pace, but he began to get frustrated at the monotony of his surroundings. His mind told him that it was impossible for the room to be infinite, but his eyes and ears gave him no clues to back that up. He was beginning to get hungry and was no little bit thirsty. He had no idea how long he had been there, but it was surely more than a day.
Jak stopped and turned his head form side to side, tuning his pointed ears to a sound. It was a faint mechanical hum, coming from somewhere underfoot. He knelt and turned his right ear toward the noise. There was certainly something there, underneath the sand. Jak began frantically digging, scooping large handfuls of the fine sand and flinging them behind him. He soon found that it was very difficult to dig the sand, as it would spill back into his excavation, but he slowly made progress. As he made the hole deeper, the hum grew louder. Finally his hands felt hard, cool metal through the grit, and the hum ceased. He ran his hand along it, uncovering more of its shape. His fingers found the edges and he tried to pry it from its place. The piece slowly rose from is grave and the sand slid off it with a hiss. Jak held the piece of metal up to the light. It was a precursor artifact, but he did not recognize it. Its shape was oblong with flattened edges. It was the normal precursor bronze color, but much larger than an orb. He turned it over in his hands, studying the unintelligible markings along its surface. He placed each of his hands on the flat edges and the letters began to glow, accompanied by the former hum. The piece became warm in his palms and he attempted to place the object back on the sand. However, he could not take his hands away, the metal seemed to cling to him, and he fixed his eyes on the writing.