Fire's Child
Chapter 9- Red Eco Demon
Torn did want the information. He was very glad to get it. That was after he yelled at Jay for a good 5 minutes. Jay wasn't really paying attention; she was more interested in her cuticles.
"I know you're helping us on your own accordance, but we need commitment. You can't just go off when we need you here!"
Torn's lecture was only a dull droning to Jay. She was paying attention to something more important and much more interesting.
A thin beam of red light was pulsating through the air. It was like a trail, leading from inside the Ottsle to somewhere out side, no doubt to the outskirts of the city. The beam was emitting an eerie humming. The air itself was vibrating
Jak had had enough. He pulled Torn aside and whispered angrily. "Lay off! She wasn't feeling too well earlier."
"She should be doing her job, and so should you." Torn hissed back.
"Lay off!" Jak repeated.
The conversation was left at that. They went back to find Tess, Ashlein and Keira talking about...things. Sig and Daxter were arguing about Daxter's prices of alcohol and liquor, especially that supplied to close friends. Jay was standing in the middle of the room, frowning. Her head was tilted to one side, like a curios young kitten.
"What's wrong?" Jak asked as he walked over to her.
Jay continued to stare at nothing.
"I found Tyr." was all she said.
Torn looked as if he would have kissed her. The Red Eco experiment was found. Though not a word was said, it was obvious what the mood was.
"What now?" asked Jay.
They were walking all the way to the other side of the city. They were following some invisible trail that only Jay could seem to see. Luckily, she had given the exact location and address, so no-one felt awkward.
They walked quietly but not silently. Torn lead with Sig and Daxter following. Tess, Keira and Ashlien came next and Jak and Jay were last. Jay was testing Jak, to see if he had any psychic potential.
"Ok," she said. "What be here, in my clenched fist?"
"What is it?" Jak asked.
"Oh hoho, no. I'm not falling for that again!"
Jak had quickly asked "What is it?" so Jay would just as quickly answer back. It had worked the last three times.
Jak did not have clue what was in her hand and told her so. Jay opened her hand and reviled a ring.
"Oh well. I guess you're just weird." Jay smiled.
Jay told him that a psychic talent could be hereditary in families.
They walk for a while longer, the siblings cracking strange jokes.
"Ok, I got one!" Jay tried to control her laughter. "It's a bit stupid but what the hell.
"A blonde guy gets home early from work and hears strange noises coming from the bedroom. He rushes upstairs to find his wife naked on the bed, sweating and panting.
'What's up?' he says.
'I'm having a heart attack!' cries the woman
He rushes downstairs to grab the phone, but just as he's dialling, his 4- year old son comes up and says,
'Daddy! Daddy! Uncle Ted's hiding in your closet and he's got no clothes on!'
The guy slams the phone down and storms upstairs into the bedroom, past his screaming wife, and rips open the closet door.
Sure enough, there is his brother, totally naked, cowering on the closet floor.
'You jerk!' says the husband, 'my wife's having a heart attack and you're running around with no clothes on scaring the kids!'."
"What the hell!" Jak clutched his stomach and laughed along with Jay.
They were being stared at. But no one seemed to care.
"We're nearly there." announced Torn.
Jay seemed to get a serge of Blue Eco, for she raced forward, laughing.
"Tyr!" she called.
"What?" came a voice from inside a battered down house.
"Emerge from your dwellings and grace us with your presence!"
A head popped out of a window. A head of a 30-ish year old male. A small child ran out of the house, pursued by an older child and a woman who was unmistakably their mother.
"Hello Jay, it's nice to see you again." said the woman.
"Hey Teeah." replied Jay.
"Jay!" the man, who was most obviously Tyr, shouted from inside the house.
"Mr. Red Eco!"
After Jay had finished screaming and every one had been introduced, they were invited inside. Torn sat at the table and talked to Tyr.
Jay had persuaded the children to eavesdrop and relay what they were talking about back to her. Everyone else was anxiously waiting for the message as Jay lip- read.
"Listen... I... am... gay." Jay translated.
"You can't lip-read, can you?" Daxter asked.
"Of course I... can't"
"You know, you could have waited and we would have told anyways." Torn came out of nowhere.
Jay screamed. Then everyone else screamed.
"What're y'all screamin' about!?" said Jay.
Everyone looked at her in annoyance. She returned the look with one of her own.
"What were you gonna tell us then?" asked Ashlein.
"Well, Tyr has decided to join the Krimson Guard." Torn replied.
Jay gasped in melodramatic shock. "You WHAT!?" She screamed at Tyr. "Are you insane!? You do know that the Commander is a raving lunatic that suffers from schizophrenia, don't you!?"
Jak, Daxter and Sig silently laughed. No-one had ever said that to Torn's face, but, technically, she didn't say it to his face.
Torn, naturally, was fuming. But common sense prevented him from tackling Jay right then and there.
"Then why are you in the KG?" Tyr asked Jay, hoping to change the subject.
"I'm not... am I?" Jay replied.
"NO!" said Torn. "And I am extremely thankful for that!"
Actually, now that Jay thought about it, she didn't really know what her role was. All Torn had told her was that he wanted help with locating the other experiments. But what was going to happen after they were all present and accounted for?
And what was their purpose, come to think of it? Why did Torn want the original Eco experiments?
Jay asked herself a number of questions related to the purpose of the Eco Demons. She tried to reason some answers, but they were all very unlikely.
The others were talking, but it was all muffled. She couldn't make out any of the words. It was as if she were underwater.
She then noticed a something from the corner of her eye. It was gone in a flash but by then she knew exactly what it was, having seen it a number of times. And besides, now it was of a feeling she got, and she had that feeling right now.
"Hey, guys." she said.
Everyone continued talking. Annoyingly, their voiced were still soundless.
"People." she called again.
Again they continued talking as if she were not there.
Oh God! High School flashback! Jay said to herself.
"Fine! Ignore me! See if I care!" Jay almost yelled.
Finally, she was acknowledged
"And about fucking time!" Jay exclaimed.
"Sorry." some mumbled.
Jay snorted in disgust. "Well I just thought you'd all like to know the Dreal is currently cooking at his house in the Water Slums. But since youse all don't care I'll just shut up."
Believe it or not I'm always ignored. It's like I'm not there. I could go up to someone, put very bad make-up on them, ruffle their hair, steal their wallet, put a bag over their heads and repeatedly hit them with a comically over-sized frying pan or some other hilariously large object and they wouldn't even notice. Maybe not to this extent but I WAS trying to make a point. Shut up!
Luck and Love,
Anita