Love Child

fadingshadesofpurple

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, they are copyright Naughty Dog/SCEA. You should know this by now.

Anyways, thanks to all those who reviewed: Jak Fan

I know, not many people, but still.

I hope those who are reading it found it just as enjoyable as the above did.

On to the next chapter.

Chapter 10. A Chain Reaction...

He became aware of voices first, hushed voices, speaking over him. One masculine and one feminine.

"He's lucky to be alive..."

"Yes, but I wouldn't say that, after what I've heard the Baron saying about him."

"He's lost favor in the Baron's eyes?"

"Oh yes, very much so, with this last mission."

"What a shame."

He opened his eyes, blaring light seared through them, he shut them again. Then he reopened them slowly, and caught the faces of the speakers, a young nurse and an older doctor, before they turned away from him.

He shifted his weight, found that he was laying on a hospital bed, wearing next to nothing and covered with a thin blanket. An IV tube was attached to his left wrist, where a steady stream of green eco purred its way up his arm, into his shoulder and the rest of his body. It's warmth soothed him, kept him calm, even as a voice that almost always grated on his nerves could be heard speaking not too far a distance from him.

"Is he awake?" the voice, deep in vibratto asked.

"I am not sure, sir."

"Wake him up if he isn't."

"Sir, I do not know if I can do that..."

"Are you defying my orders you snivelling little rat of a doctor?"

"N-No, my liege. I'll do it."

Silence, and he managed to turn his head slightly in the direction of the speaker, clearly the Baron. The doctor came up to him and looked at him, before calling back to the Baron. "He's awake, sir."

The big man came barrelling through what appeared to be a maze of beds, each containing a wounded soldier hooked up to a green eco life support system of sorts. The Baron ignored each one and focused his attention on his commander, approaching him and leaning over him, so that all Torn could see was the fierce one eye of his Lord, twitching in anger.

"Commander," he started.

"Sir," Torn hissed weakly before.

"Do you realize what has happened?"

"No, sir."

"Well, you imbecile!" his voice raised in anger, catching the attention of some of the nearby nurses and doctors. "You lost the drill platform to the Metalheads! My main eco supply is gone because of you! The place is a wreck! Gone, Gone! and because of you!" The tyrant was screaming so loud that everyone on the floor of the hospital grew silent and watched from a distance as he assaulted the poor commander with vicious words.

"All of my men have been lost, with the exception of the few good men, unlike you, who are still fighting for their lives here! What am I supposed to do? Why don't you tell me, and try to redeem yourself if you can?"

Torn's only answer was to smirk up at the Baron. "Sir, I can only say one thing."

"And that is?"

"If you had granted me the men I asked for before this horrible assault, we would not be having this conversation."

This made the Baron turn red with fury, but Torn continued on, unabashed.

"I asked you for more men and rations. I knew I was outnumbered, when faced with Metalhead Cloakers and Metal Jackets and Grunts in large numbers, all masking their attacks with the harsh weather the location of the drill platform is prone to getting. I implored you for more numbers, knowing that we were outnumbered and our chances of winning were a hundred to one, but did you grant me those men when I asked? No, instead you pointed your finger at me, just as you are doing now, for losing in the face of terrible odds."

"Are you done?" the Baron hissed, seething with rage.

"Yes, I only wanted to point that out to you."

"You, why you! How dare you try to blame this on me? You had enough men to take care of business, you snivelling little-You wasted them and their skills! And you have the nerve to point your finger at me and blame me for these shortcomings of yours!" The Baron moved behind Torn's bed, and laid his twitching, fat hand on the top of the green eco life support system"The doctors here tell me that you are still quite weak, and without support from green eco, your chances of dying would greatly increase. With that in mind, I oughta to unplug your life support system right now and leave you to die in agony for all the agony you've caused me!" The Baron reached up, found the the point where the long IV tube entered a sack filled with green eco, and grabbed onto it, with deep intentions of pulling it out. This caused a gasp from the doctors and nurses around him, and he glared at them all, earning their silence and respect almost instantly.

"Go ahead," Torn groaned back. "After what I've seen, I'm not afraid to die..."

There was a tense silence. The Baron's fingers tightened on the tube...

...and then laxened. "But I won't," he said in a quiet, but deadly tone. "You were once an excellent soldier and even better commander, and knowing all of that, I'm going to give you a chance to redeem yourself from this horrible mistake in your career. I will give you command of one more mission, of what I will not say yet, and you had better, for yourself, carry it out successfully, or you will know the full extent of my wrath. Is that understood, commander?" his Lord hissed in a tone laden with painstaking severity.

It took several seconds before Torn finally answered. "Yes...sir.." he finally weakly made out.

"Good," the Baron stepped back from the bed, and turned to his top commander, who was standing patiently behind the Baron the whole time this tirade was going on. "My Lord?" he spoke up finally, catching the Baron's attention.

"What is it Commander Errol?"

"I have a report for you, sir, concerning the the Precursor Artifact mission...and your daughter."

The Baron glanced down at his commander, before he turned and headed for the hospital wing exit. Errol followed him closely behind. "Tell me more," the Baron said.

"Well, sir..she's gone-" They were gone before Torn could hear anymore.

He laid on his back, wondering what kind of dillemma he had gotten himself into, while doctors and nurses shuffled about the floor, looking down at him with pity as they passed his bed. Before long, he sank into a deep sleep...