I do not own Jak 3. If I did, …well, let's not go there.
ThoughtsJak ran over to Pecker with Daxter still on his shoulder. Pecker began to fly in place as he saw them coming towards to palace ruins. "Where have you been? I've molted three times already just waiting for you. Onin says we must go through the palace ruins. But I think…uh oh…" Pecker said. Pecker then flew away as three satellites come up from behind Jak. After watching Pecker fly away, Jak turned around to face the satellites.
"Jak let me just say, before it's all over, riding on your shoulder, although it is kinda bony and uncomfortable, well, you've been a good pal," Daxter said as the satellites neared them.
"You too Dax. These adventures…they've been great," Jak said before the satellites struck. Jak prepared himself to dodge when the blow came, but he did not know how long he could continuously do it. The first attack was made for his head by the satellite in the middle.
Jak ducked underneath the attack as he pulled out his morph gun, after realizing that he was devoid of both types of eco for the moment. Switching the gun to Super Nova, Jak pulled the trigger. As the explosion when off, Daxter began to cheer. "Yeah! We sure showed them, righ' buddy?" Jak smiled at Daxter as the dust began to clear.
Before it was fully cleared though, Jak felt his spine tingle as Daxter's fur stood on end. Without waiting for the dust to fully clear, Jak began to slowly step away from where they were, and still might be. As they both sensed something wrong was taking place, the extended claws at the end to satellite shot out at Jak from his left.
Jak barely dodged the blow, only getting part of his shirt torn, but what he did not realize was that it was a trap. When Jak dodged that one blow, he failed to notice the other attack made from his right. In that moment of distraction, Jak was impaled. He felt the burning sensation of his flesh being torn apart on his right side as the satellite wrenched its claws free.
"NO!" Daxter yelled, seeing the entire scene play out with little that he could do. He saw Jak's eyes widen and begin to glaze over with pain as he wrapped his arms around the wound in an attempt to stop the blood flow. Quicker than they could react, another satellite swung at Jak and hit him directly on his left side. The force of the blow knocked Jak from his feet, and Daxter from Jak's shoulder.
As Daxter hit the ground, he began to pray to any god that would listen, that this was just some horrible nightmare. Please let Jak be all right, let him not be hurt, let him live! He opened his eyes, hoping he would see the green-blonde locks that belonged to Jak, the ones that he saw every time he woke up from resting next to Jak's head. Instead, he was met with the sight of Jak on the ground while three satellites hovered above him.
"JAK!" Daxter cried out as he saw one of them preparing to fire at Jak's form. Jak's eyes focused a bit at the sound of Daxter's voice. He saw the satellite about to strike and rolled out of the way as the blast was fired. He got to his feet and looked for Daxter, finding that the little, orange ottsel was not hurt, just shaken, Jak let out a sight of relief.
His sixth sense came into play again, allowing him to dodge another attack without turning around. Jak then turned around and managed to mostly get out of the way of another assault from one of the satellites. The claws managed to clip him across his left cheek.
Then, out of nowhere, the satellites began an all out assault. The strikes came more frequently, not allowing Jak to catch a break, or even letting his wounds begin to close. Jak vision began to blur from the blood loss and exhaustion his body was going through.
The colors began to blend together as everything lost its defining lines. Jak, not being able to focus, began to waver before his body collapsed. One last thought entered his mind as he began to fall unconscious, please let Daxter leave here safe.
Daxter watched in horror as Jak's body hit the ground as the satellites prepared for another attack. Daxter looked around the area to search for an object to use against the creatures. Finding nothing but rocks, Daxter picked up a medium sized one and threw it at what he thought, was their leader. The rock shattered upon impact. Smooth Dax, 'cause if Jak's Super Nova bullets don't work, there's not a single, fuckin' chance in Hell, that rocks will.
Daxter noticed their gaze upon him, but then noticed that their attention went directly back to Jak's still form. NO! Why won't they leave him alone? Um, …there's got ta be somethin'… Daxter looked around and noticed nothing in the piles of ruble that were around. Jak wasn' supposed ta go like tha'!
After Daxter thought this, he heard a part of the wall to his right be torn down as a car tore through the dust. Daxter recognized Damas as the driver as he locked eyes with Daxter and then looked at Jak. The sudden movement caught the attention of the satellites. Damas shot bullets at them, just to find out that they had little to no effect on the creatures hovering near Jak.
Daxter ran towards Jak and attempted to awaken him. While Daxter continued his attempts, Damas hit the gas pedal and used a turbo as the creatures neared him. Damas drove straight toward them, hitting a pile of rubble and using it as a ramp, killing them on impact. The car swerved as it hit the ground again. Damas hit the brakes and jumped out of the car.
"Hurry, get in the car," Damas said. Daxter looked at him with tearful eyes, he could not even recall when he began to cry, but he believed it was when he tried to feel Jak's heartbeat and found that it was slower and still slowing. Daxter nodded and bolted for the car. Damas looked at Jak with sad, heavy eyes. If only I had arrived sooner.
Damas could tell that there was serious damage, seeing the various pools of blood from when Jak was fighting, the paleness of his skin, the blue tint to his lips, his shredded clothes, and the gaping hole with torn edges on his side. Damas lifted Jak and began to pray for his safety. For some reason that he could not tell, he felt like Jak was his own son.
Damas quickly made it to the car and placed Jak's limp body in the passenger's seat. Daxter immediately went to Jak's side, in hopes that it would help. Damas got into the car and drove as fast as he could out of the hole he created in the wall.
"I haven't been here for a while and Jak won't make it through the trip to Spargus, so tell me where we should go," Damas said as he picked up speed. Daxter nodded and looked out the side.
"We should probably get to Samos, he should be able to help Jak. …Take a right." Daxter gave Damas the quickest path to their Headquarters, not wanting to risk Jak's life. Damas followed all of them and was led to the proper building.
"Is this the place?" Damas asked as he stopped the car just a bit in front the entrance.
"Yup," Daxter said. Damas and Daxter got out of the car, Damas took Jak out and they neared the entrance doors. The doors opened and they took the elevator up. Damas could not help but feel sad when he felt Jak's blood soaking his clothes. He's too young to die.
"Which one?" Damas asked, asking about which person, as they entered the room. No one had noticed their presence until Damas had said this.
"What are you two doing-WHO IS THAT?" Pecker yelled after Damas spoke. "Onin says 'Never mind that, Damas must put Jak down so Samos can heal him'." Everyone looked at them after Pecker yelled.
"By the Precursors," Samos said as they caught sight of all of the blood and Jak's poor sate. As Damas put Jak on the ground, Samos ran over to Jak and began to summon Green eco. The wounds began to slowly heal but stopped before they were even half way healed.
"What's tha hold up for?" Daxter yelled, not liking that Samos had stopped and Jak blood continued to pool out of him.
"I'm afraid that I cannot do anything more," Samos said, "the damage is too extensive."
"What the fuck!" Daxter yelled. "Why does it always have to be so damn difficult for us!" Damas looked around the room and realized at downcast gazes and anger filled him. They are giving up! They will just let him die! I refuse! He will not die on my time! Not when I have a say, he won't!
"Get some bandages and a bowl of water with a cloth," Damas said. "I will not allow Jak to pass without a fight." A few people Damas did not know ran into other rooms and shortly returned with the items he ordered for. "Where is a spare bedroom?"
"To the left of us," Ashelin said. Damas picked up Jak and entered the room; the others closely followed him. Damas removed Jak shirt and a few of the people flinched at the site. The hole was still in Jak's right side, only now it was slightly smaller, gashes adorned his torso, bruises covered his left ribs, and blood was everywhere, whether it was coagulated or still liquid.
Jak breathing was shallow and his heart was beating at a slower pace. Damas took the cloth and wet it. He then proceeded and wiped the blood from Jak's torso, after having to repetitively wring out the bloodied water. Once the blood was gone, they could see why Samos could not fully heal Jak. Although his major organs were missed, a whole area was missing, ripped out.
A few others had to look away as they saw the impairment and the blood that continued to pour out of him. Damas wrapped up his torso and then checked for further injuries. "There is no damage to his legs or arms," Damas told them.
"Who are you?" Keira asked. The others waited for the answer, wanting to know who was the one to help Jak.
"He's Damas," Ashelin said.
"I can tell them who I am," Damas said, telling them about Spargus, and his son. A light clicked on in Daxter's head.
"Wait, your son is a little boy, green hair, had a crocadog, weird amulet, and was 'bout this tall?" Daxter said as he jumped up to the bed and pointed to how tall the young Jak was.
"Yes, how do you know this? You know where he is?" anticipation filled Damas at the fact that he might finally be reunited with his son again.
"We sent him back to the past," Samos said. "To grow up and become…Jak." Jak? Damas thought. Jak is Mar, my son? He has grown so much. "We also came from the past, and Jak has changed over the years." Damas smiled.
"My son grows up to become the strong man I always knew he would be," Damas said with a sad tone in his voice. "He will live and continue to be strong." Everyone smiled at this, but they were interrupted at the sound of Jak coughing.
"Ugh," Jak moaned as he slowly opened his eyes. "Where am I?" before Jak could even get an answer though, he was hugged by everyone, though they were careful of his injuries.
"You are at the headquarters," Samos said. Jak eyes widened.
"The satellites, the catacombs!" Despite his pain, Jak tried to rise out of the bed.
"You have to rest," Damas said.
"Yeah, we don' plan on losin' ya already," Daxter said as they pushed him back down.
"Onin says, 'The catacombs can wait for the time being. Veger cannot enter for they are sealed and only the heir of Mar can open the doors'," said Pecker.
"Veger," Damas growled.
"What do you know about Veger, Damas?" Daxter asked.
"He's the one who took my son from me."
"He took Jak!" Everyone exclaimed.
"What?" Jak asked. As they filled Jak in, he felt dizzy a few times, and a bit nauseous. Whether it was from blood loss or not, Jak did not know or really care. The next thing that he knew was that he was running to the bathroom, and then expelling his earlier meals into the toilet.
He felt someone rubbing his back as he finished. Jak wiped his mouth and was helped to his feet; he then realized that the person was his father, Damas. As Jak and Damas walked out of the bathroom, he began to sway a bit and was helped to the bed, where he collapsed and fell asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow.
"He's resting now, I think the lack of blood caused his body to react violently," Damas said. They exited the room, and every once in a while; Damas would enter and change the bandages. Daxter stayed in the room and watched Jak sleep, eventually, Daxter fell asleep near Jak.
Daxter awoke to the sound of alarms going off. Making sure that Jak was still resting, Daxter climbed out of the bed. He ran out of their room to find that smoke was pouring out of the kitchen in the HQ. Daxter entered the room and for once, was actually grateful that he was short. Seeing how he did not have to breathe smoke, he made it to the people easily, and laughed at the sight of Damas and Samos both trying to cook.
Damas was covered in eggs while Samos was covered in what looked like melted cheese. "I told you that we should have done it my way," Samos said as he removed something burnt from the stove.
"And I'm telling you that if you had followed my directions, it would have came out fine!" Damas argued back.
"I don't think so! Daxter could probably cook better!" Samos yelled back. Daxter grinned, Wait…was that a compliment? Oh well, close enough.
"Like you could do so much better!" Damas yelled back.
"I could!"
"In your dreams!"
"Break it up you two!" Daxter yelled as he jumped in between the two. "I don't want to see two old men fighting while covered in food."
"Fine," said Damas, knowing that if they woke Daxter, it would only be a matter of time before they woke Jak.
"Alright," Samos agreed.
"Good," Daxter said while grinning. Greenie actually listened to me! An' did what I said! Today is gonna be a good day. "Now you guys clean up this mess an' leave tha' cookin' ta' tha ladies." Daxter then turned around and left the kitchen, hoping Jak was still sleeping. As Daxter entered the spare room, he heard the others enter the kitchen and question the elderly men.
Daxter looked at Jak after he climbed back into the bed. Jak was still in the same position; Daxter doubted that he even moved in his sleep. But deep down, Daxter knew that that was a lie, he had woken up before because of one of Jak's nightmares. Seeing that Jak was still in a calm state, Daxter climbed onto Jak's chest, curled up, and drifted off to sleep.
Not long after Daxter fell asleep, he heard someone enter the Headquarters. "You mind telling me what is going on here!" A hoarse voice yelled out. Recognizing that voice as Torn's, Daxter swore softly.
"If he don' shut up, he's gonna wake ya up," Daxter said softly to Jak. Daxter then, for the second time that day, climbed out of bed and left the room. "Yo! Tattoo-ville!" Daxter growled as he neared Torn. Torn raised an eyebrow and Daxter. "Ya mind turnin' down tha' volume of ya're static-like voice! Jak's sleepin'!"
"Why? What the hell happened?" Torn asked, looking at everyone with a questioning glance.
"I'll fill you in later Torn," Samos said as he neared the spare bedroom occupied by Jak. "First I can heal little bit more of Jak's wounds."
"Then put ya're green ass on hyper speed and get movin'!" Daxter yelled before he ran back to the room. Samos' eye twitched as he followed Daxter. When he least expects it, I'll knock some decency into that fur ball's skull. Everyone else entered the room and watched. Samos removed the blood soaked bandages just to find that the wound was larger than last time.
"What the fuck?" Daxter muttered to himself as he stood on the opposite side of Jak. "Is it me, or is the hole bigger?"
"It's bigger, but how?" Keira responded.
Daxter looked at them for answers and noticed that Torn had gotten a paler than he normally was. Squeamish, is he? What happened ta tha tough guy? Oh well, I'll tease him lata', but now we've got a big problem, well…bigger problem. "How'd this happen, Green Beans?"
"Honestly, fuzz for brains, I don't know," Samos said as he began to heal the wound some more. Finding that it was healing less than it should have been, Samos tried to use more eco, only seeing that the effect had not changed.
"Ya meant ta do tha' righ'?" Daxter said with wide, worry-filled eyes. Samos shook his head in response. They re-wrapped his wounds and left Jak to rest. "What could be causing his wound to grow in size?" As they pondered this question, Daxter's acute ears heard a faint voice calling for everyone. Recognizing the voice as Jak's, Daxter ran into the room. "I'm here!" Daxter said after he entered the room. He looked at Jak and noticed that he was slightly flushed and lightly shivering.
"Jak? Hold on, I'll get tha otha's," Daxter said once he saw Jak's unfocused eyes. Jak mumbled something to Daxter before Daxter ran out of the room. "We've got anotha' problem!" Daxter shouted. Once they all noticed him, Daxter then ran back into the other room, with everyone running in after him.
Damas placed the back of his hand lightly on Jak's forehead. "He has come down with a fever," Damas said. "I'll go get a damp cloth." As Damas left the room, Daxter noticed that Jak's lips were slightly moving, movement that showed he was trying to talk. Daxter put one of his ears as close as he could to Jak's mouth and tried to listen to what he was saying.
"…Water, …please," Jak barely whispered. Daxter lifted his head and nodded towards Jak.
"Righ' away!" Daxter said. "Jak wants some wata' ta drink, seein' how I'm less than half ya size, can one a' ya get some?" Keira nodded, but Ashelin left to get some for Jak before she could even move. Keira growled at her body once she realized that she had beaten her to helping Jak.
Daxter imitated a cat hissing when Keira glared. Damas returned with damp cloth and placed it on Jak's forehead after he folded it. Jak muttered a barely audible thanks to Damas, and Damas nodded and smiled reassuringly. Ashelin then entered the room with a glass nearly filled to the rim with water.
"Think tha's enough wata' Sweet Stripes? Or do ya wanna drown Jak next?" Daxter commented once he saw the amount of water in the relatively large glass. Keira began to smile as Daxter began to make Ashelin blush. As Ashelin blushed though, she also glared at Daxter for deriding her and calling her Sweet Stripes.
Ashelin handed the glass to Jak, who gratefully took it. Jak slowly sat up, thanks to the aid of Samos and Damas, and took a sip of the cold liquid. "Thanks," Jak said softly. He placed the glass down on the small table next to the bed and then tried to sit up fully.
"Jak," Samos said as he and everyone else in the room tried to keep Jak from getting up. "What are you doing?"
"The catacombs, I have to get there," Jak said a little louder as he struggled to get up but was losing the fight. "The Dark Makers' ship is coming, I have to stop it…"
"No," Damas said. "You must rest."
"There's not much time though, Erol could have already woken the ship's cargo. I have to stop him."
"You have to rest," Samos said. "It will have to wait."
"But it can't!"
"Jak, you're health is more important," Torn said.
"If I don't stop him, none of us will even live!"
"Jak, you're gonna reopen tha' bad boy if ya don' settle down," Daxter said as Jak began to calm down.
"Dax, I have to go."
"Not righ' now ya don'," after Daxter said this, he climbed up to Jak's face and began to run his paws through his hair, knowing that it would relax him. Jak calmed down and began to doze off after a short while.
"Since when did you know how to calm Jak down?" Torn asked with one eyebrow raised.
"Since I knew him." Even though Jak was now fully asleep, Daxter continued to run his paws through Jak's hair, lightly massaging Jak's scalp.
"It always calmed Mar, or should I say Jak, down as a toddler," Damas said, smiling as he remembered young Mar calming down in that manner after becoming upset.
"Okay Samos," Torn said. "Spill it, what the fuck is going on here?"
"Actually, we do not fully know yet," Samos responded. "Daxter and Damas were the ones there, and they have yet to tell us what happened there."
"I'll brief ya guys, seein' how I was there the whole time," Daxter said. "But if ya're squeamish, leave now." Seeing that now one was willing to leave, Daxter continued after taking a large breath and swallowed the spit in his mouth. "Well, we were on our way to tha catacombs, when we met Pecker, who flew away like a pussy," Pecker glared at Daxter and was about to lunge at him when Onin signaled him, telling him to let Daxter finish, "when the Satellites came. Jak musta been out of all eco 'cause he didn' change, after findin' out tha' bullets, of all kinds, didn' work, we kinda learnt tha' them fucka's claws ain't their only weapon, Jak managed ta dodge most a' tha attacks, but no' all a' 'em. One of them impaled him, hence tha hole, and cut him up, along with a few broken bones. Then Damas came in an took 'em out wit' his spiky car."
"Jak was right though," Torn said. "We really don't have much time left."
"Well, what should we do? Jak's in no condition to leave," Keira said.
"We have to do something," Damas said.
"But what?" Ashelin said. As they stood in the room trying to figure out the riddle, Daxter was hit with an answer.
"Wait," Daxter said, not ceasing his actions. "Onin said tha' only the heir of Mar could open the doors right?" Onin made some more symbols in blue light and Pecker nodded. "Well, isn't Damas an heir of Mar? Couldn' he open tha doors?"
"Holy Precursors, I think Daxter might have actually had an idea!" Samos said. Daxter mocked Samos and barely dodged the swing made at him from Samos' stick. "Watch it." Daxter stuck out his tongue and ducked again. They heard a low moan from Jak as he rolled onto his bad side. A hiss escaped Jak's lips as his face contorted in pain.
Damas gently rolled Jak onto his back as Jak mumbled in his sleep and began to sweat. "No, leave 'em 'lone. …Don' dare. ……Fuck off-" Jak whispered as he lightly thrashed about. "No, …no. Go 'way. Can't. …He's suff'rin'. Stop, …too dark. Need-" After Jak said this, Jak bolted up from the bed. His breathing was harsh; his skin pale, clammy, and drenched in his own sweat.
"Jak? Ya 'kay?" Daxter asked as he went closer to Jak's shaking form. Jak looked at Daxter with blurry, tear-filled, dull, haunted eyes. The eyes of a lost soul, filled with pain and too much stress. "Calm down, it'll be all right."
"…Dax?" Jak barely whispered as Daxter began to near him. Daxter nodded and as soon as Jak's eyes began to clear, Jak reached over, grabbed Daxter and hugged him. "It won't stop, never stopping," Jak whispered to Daxter, knowing that he knew what he was talking about.
"Sure it will buddy," Daxter reassured Jak. Jak closed his eyes tightly as tears began to fall from his eyes and trail down his face. Daxter shooed them from the room with his hand gestures, flicking his wrist so his hand moved in a 'scram' motion. Nodding, Damas left along with everyone else.
"It stopped fer a while didn' it?" Daxter continued, still trying to calm down the currently emotionally troubled man. Daxter felt one of Jak's tears hit his fur on the top of his head and knew that this one had to have been the worst.
"B-but not for long, n-never f-for long," Jak said through his tears. Jak could feel the tremors that were running through his body. He sniffed as he opened his eyes. "Sorry Dax, I shouldn't be so weak." Daxter was taken back from this statement.
"Weak? Ya think tha' ya're weak? Fer what? Cryin'?" Daxter asked, looking up at Jak, he saw Jak barely nod. Daxter shook his head. "Jak, ya ain't weak 'cause ya cry 'bout a nightmare tha's haunted ya fer a long time now, ya're weak if ya cry 'cause ya broke a nail playin' sports." Daxter saw Jak begin to smile at his comment. "See? Tha's weak!" Daxter then felt something wet near his right foot, looking down, Daxter saw that when Jak woke up from his nightmare, he tore the scabbing wound open again.
"We gotta patch this sucka' up or ya might…ya know," Daxter said. Jak nodded, a bit more relieved as he wiped his face with the back of his hand. "Plus, weak is also Samos, no matter what he tries, he always fails at somethin' and bitches at us." Jak smiled and shook his head. "I'll get tha otha's." Jak nodded and released Daxter.
Daxter then ran to the door and noticed that they closed it; Jak noticed this too and began to get up to help Daxter. "Hey! Ya lay your injured ass back down on tha' bed! I'll get it my self." Jak grinned and shook his head; he continued to try to get out of the bed. Before he could though, Daxter had run back to the bed and jumped at Jak.
Jak, not expecting this assault, was knocked back to the pillows again. "See? Ya're so injured; ya're as weak, an' probably as light, as a feather. Little ol' me took ya down, an' I'm an OTTSEL! Ya're just gonna lay here an' rest!" Seeing, in Jak's eyes that he finally gave up Daxter climbed off of the bed and walked back to the door. Taking one last look at Jak, who was still laying down, Daxter kicked the door.
"Hey! Ya'll can come back in!" The next thing that Daxter knew, he was squished between the door and wall.
Samos pulled back the door and said, "Oops, was that you Daxter?" in a sarcastic tone. "I didn't see you there." Jak was sitting upright, worry for his little; furry friend was easily recognized by the orange ottsel.
"Didn' I just tell ya ta lay down an' rest!" Daxter yelled at Jak. Jak smiled, seeing that Daxter was, indeed, fine. Jak slowly laid back down, after a few winces.
"It seems that it has reopened," Damas said as he noticed the blood. Damas also took a closer look at Jak's ribs and noticed that they were only cracked, not fully broken like Daxter had first believed. Removing the old bandages, Damas' left eyes twitched in a grimace as he saw all of the blood that was flowing swiftly from Jak's side. As Damas went to work on Jak, Samos, Daxter, and Torn were arguing, with Ashelin and Keira's inputs.
Jak eyes began to close while Damas was re-wrapping his torso, only to be jerked open again in an attempt to stay awake. Before long though, Jak's eyes had fully closed and he had fallen asleep while sitting up. Though, Jak was not sitting up for very long. In the middle of wrapping Jak's ribs, Damas noticed that Jak was leaning a bit too forward; only Damas' hold on him was keeping him upright.
Damas stopped what he was doing and turned his head to look at Jak, he then saw that Jak had fallen asleep again. Damas then turned to face them. "Would you all shut up?" Damas hissed at them. They looked at him and then noticed that Jak had fallen asleep again. They nodded and a few of them blushed in embarrassment. Damas returned to his work and put Jak's limp form back on the bed as soon as he done. Everyone then left the room to come up with a new plan, when Daxter thought of a brilliant idea.
Review if you want more, otherwise, it ends here.