I was half asleep writing this, trying to be the writing machine I say I am. I hate leaving chapters unfinished when I write them so no matter how late it is sometimes I push it a bit Lol. If there's any mistakes please point them out, meaning misspellings or I got a name wrong or something. I won't go back to add a comma or something small like that, too tired. ZzzZzz Anyway enjoy Zzzz.

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Chapter 12

Jak hovered over the large war room table with his eyes on Torn as he prepared to strategize. A map of the warehouse and its surrounding perimeters was laid out before them. It was already covered in Torn's markings of lines and calculations. Daxter tapped his foot on Jak's shoulder, obviously annoyed by the sly grin and the smoke blowing his way from Jinx. Omoi was sleeping inside a guest room guarded by two FL guards in place of Jinx. Jigs and Myke had found Seij and Anya and brought them to the war room as ordered. Now they all eagerly awaited their commander's thoughts.

Torn looked up from deep thought at the soldiers in front of him. He took a deep breath before he stood up. He had a determined look on his face as his blue eyes furrowed from concentration. This was an operation that he had to come up with quickly and it left no room for failure. It had to be executed with utmost perfection. Not only did the governor's life depend on this but the status of the city. He eyed Jinx to put out the cigar and to Daxter's relief Jinx nodded and put it out. Now was not the time for games.

"Alright men, so we understand how this works right? I'm assigning two main units of men. We can't bring all of the FL on this mission since most of them need to be here to guard the city in case of the worst. The governor would have it no other way. Her people come first. As for us, the two main units will be lead by Seij and Anya, Jigs and Myke. We will surround the premises but no will enter until I give the signal. I'm going in first. Jak and Jinx, you know what to do"

Jinx and Jak nodded. "Yeah, you send us in to be the target practice in case of worst case scenario but what can be worse than that!" Daxter waved his arms in protest and Jak grinned although his comment was ignored.

"I'm counting on Jinx for the explosives he'll be planting on the roof and Jak will be my back up man in case anything goes wrong while I'm in there. They must not sense your presence. This is a stealth mission for the both of you. That means you shut your pie hole Daxter!" Torn pointed his finger at the orange ottsel on Jak's shoulder and he smiled nervously.

Torn continued, "Take out anyone that sees you and rid the bodies from the eyes of their comrades. I will be providing the distraction and speaking to Cutter to free the governor. We are not to attack unless they do not agree with our terms or something goes wrong. Remember this mission is to protect and save Haven's governor at all costs. Hopefully if this goes right, we can just arrest them on charges of treason, kidnapping and assault and everyone will be fine. Any questions, speak now because we won't have the time when we're there"

Torn looked to the others, searching for any doubts or question in their eyes. Jinx, Jak and Daxter nodded in determination as well as Seij and Anya. However his gaze met Jigs and Mykes and he saw their inner struggle of whether or not to say what was on their minds. Torn smiled at their nervousness as he crossed his arms.

"Yes Jigs and Myke?"

It seemed that they were both caught off guard and didn't expect their commander to see right through them. They hesitated and Torn knew they needed some privacy.

"Get your men together and get the supplies. We'll be leaving as soon as possible"

Everyone nodded and exited the war room, leaving Jigs and Myke alone with their commander. Torn motioned for them to continue now that they had privacy.

Jigs pulled on his collar nervously, "Well sir, no disrespect but we were wondering, with such a serious mission…why-why trust us to it?"

Torn simply smirked and they stared at him puzzled. He walked around the table to place a reassuring hand on both their shoulders as he spoke. "Men, do you have something precious to you that you want to protect?"

Myke raised a finger, "W-well yeah…my girl"

Torn nodded and turned to Jigs for his answer. "U-umm well…" He hesitated as a drop of sweat trickled down his nose. Myke eyed him to spit it out. Jigs mumbled, "My mother"

Torn released a laugh neither of them had ever heard before. He shook Jigs. "Good, good, mothers are good too. Well the reason why I chose the both of you is because I feel like we have something in common"

"We do?" Myke asked as he raised a surprised eyebrow at his usually serious commander.

"Yes, this mission isn't only to protect our governor but our city. So on this mission I want you guys to not only think of it as protecting the governor of Haven as a Freedom League soldier but as protecting those most precious to you. You guys remind me a lot of me in my new recruit days and I see a lot of potential on the two of you"

"S-sir!" Jigs eyes began to glisten and Myke's cheeks were growing pink from the awkward moment between the three of them. Jigs opened his arms and motioned toward his commander. Torn's eyes widened and he automatically raised his hands up to defend himself from the incoming hug.

"Ok soldiers, don't get carried away" He cleared his throat, "Enough with the nice stuff. It's time for the raid. Don't prove my faith in you wrong"

They both raised their hands against their heads in respective stances. "Sir! We will complete the mission sir! We will not let you down"

"Good, now let's get going"

One hundred of the FL's available men and women were gathered and packed into zoomers and combat vehicles. They quietly made their way through the dark frigid night towards the direction of Kras City. Everyone was briefed on his or her duties on the mission and they knew that it left no room for failure. Not only was their governor's life on the line but so were their commanders as well as their fellow comrades in arms.

Finally after about an hour drive they parked about five minutes from the warehouse. It was a deserted grassland in the outskirts of the city. All that was heard was the chirping crickets beneath the green grass blades. The trees hushed in the breezes as the shadows of wings flew across the white full moon. It was obvious why Cutter had chosen such a place away from prying eyes.

Torn bit his bottom lip nervously as he stepped out from his vehicle. He motioned for the two teams to be assembled. Fifty men each team excluding their leaders along with Torn, Jak, Daxter and Jinx. They stood in five rows of ten, aligned with each other in perfection with their bodies stiffened in respective stances.

Anya and Seij held their guns at their sides as they paced back and forth in front of their team, barking orders and observing the status of their men. Jigs and Myke were still nervous but thanks to their commander's pep talk they regained some confidence in themselves. They organized their team and checked their status. Jigs unexpectedly tapped Myke on the shoulder and he turned to him with a questioning hmm.

"W-well I just wanted to say that- I'm not only here to protect the city's governor or my mother but you as well, my brother in arms and my friend"

Myke grinned underneath his helmet. He and Jigs were childhood friends and both joined the FL at the same time. Myke threw his arm around Jigs and shook him. His eyes were wide and glistening with joy. "I love you too man"

Suddenly they realized the strange and puzzled gazes they were receiving from their team. Myke and Jigs turned to look at each other and gasped, jumping away from each other quickly. Myke raised his hands up in innocence, "U-um it's not like that"

Jigs cleared his throat and tried to sound more masculine, "Y-yeah so get back to work. We're here on a mission remember"

Meanwhile Jak, Daxter and Jinx were stocking up on their weapons and supplies. Torn nodded to himself, satisfied with the organization of the two teams of men and their leaders. Torn walked over to his vehicle and opened the trunk. He pulled out a gray lab suitcase and he leaned on the side of the car away from his soldiers. He popped it open on the ground and stared at the clear syringes full of black bubbling liquid. They gave off a purple hue in the moonlight. He pulled out a large rubber band and tied it around his arm so that his the purple vein would pop from the inside of his elbow. He used his teethe to pop off the top to the needle and spit it out into the grass. He failed to hear the footsteps storming towards his as he aimed the needle at his arm.

"What the hell are you doing?" Jak grabbed Torn's hand before it could inject the needle into his arm. Torn looked up at the blond's angry gaze and sighed before lowering the needle to his side. Jak released his hand and awaited an explanation.

Daxter's eyes widened, "J-Jak…is that what I think it is?"

"What's it look like I'm doing? I think you're familiar enough with it to know what it is" Torn scowled at him. It was a reaction Jak didn't expect but he continued to pry.

"You can't do that Torn" Jak gritted between his clenching teeth. Veins bulged from the sides of his temples as he locked eyes with Torn. Torn shared an equal stare full of anger. Neither one of them seemed to back down.

"I don't remember asking your opinion"

"Dark Eco is fatal! Your body won't accept it. You don't know what kind of side effects you'll get from it and that's if that dosage you're about to inject doesn't kill you first!" Jak's voice grew loud toward the end as his face inched closer to Torn's. Unexpectadely Torn retaliated and brought his face near Jak's as well. He needed to show Jak that he wasn't intimidated and no one was going to change his mind about this decision. He clenched his fists at his sides, still holding the syringe.

"What the f-ck do you expect me to do huh!"

Jak stood back, still holding his firm gaze. Now was not the time to be fighting and it would discourage the soldiers. Daxter watched them nervously. Torn leaned on the car again and used his free hand to massage the back of his neck. There was a long pause between them as their heavy breathing steadied. Their bodies relaxed and their anger was brought to a simmer.

"I may not have been blessed by the precursors with Light powers nor was I cursed with the immunity to Dark Eco. I'm just a man…a man with my own strength and I need to protect what's most important to me at all costs. If you didn't have those powers and it was Keira in there, what would you do?"

He looked up at Jak for a response. His words hit Jak hard as his angry gaze softened. He was right. Torn didn't have any special powers or special gadgets. He would've done the same if he didn't have his powers and it were Keira in there. As much as he feared his friend's life, he knew he couldn't stop him just like if it were the other way around, Torn wouldn't try to stop Jak.

Jak finally nodded and placed a hand on Torn's shoulder and squeezed. He released it and took off his racing jacket. His firm arms were already bare with the short sleeve shirt he was wearing under his jacket. He bent down to tie a rubber band on his arm and grabbed a syringe for himself. He stood up next to Torn.

They shared a quick gaze of understanding before they brought their eyes to each of their arms. They slowly injected the deadly liquid into their veins. Jak's body was already immune to Dark Eco so the pain he used to feel had grown numb over time. Yet even though Jak was calm, he knew Torn's was feeling it cutting through him. His body was never exposed to Dark Eco. Jak remembered his first dosage from the Baron's experiments. It wasn't a pleasant feeling. Jak knew Torn would never express pain or weakness in front of his soldiers.

Torn clenched his teeth and his knuckles paled as he injected the liquid into his arm. He clenched his fist as the clear glass syringe emptied. It wasn't a large dose compared to the ones that Jak was going to inject into himself but it was enough to make him feel the burn inside. The foreign liquid began to course through his veins. He held the pain in him as he placed the needle back into the suitcase. He freed his arm from the rubber band as he stood on one knee staring at the suitcase.

Jak bent down beside him, "You ok?"

Torn nodded and stood back up. Jak injected himself with the left over two syringes, which was a full dosage for him. He closed the suitcase and handed it over to Torn who locked it inside the trunk of his vehicle. Jak put his racing jacket back on and began to strap his weapon to his back. He turned to Torn who was leaning on his vehicle with his arms crossed. His hand covered the black scar marking the entrance in which the Dark Eco entered his veins. He looked on ahead with a clenching jaw. It was admirable how he was dealing with the pain even though it was only the beginning stages.

"You and Jinx go on ahead. You know what to do. I'll do one last check up on the men before I head there"

Jak nodded, "Good luck my friend" He tried to grin and hide his concern. Torn shared a counterfeit grin with him as well. Jak turned to walk over to Jinx and they began walking toward the warehouse. Vehicles and zoomers would attract too much attention.

Daxter whispered down to Jak, "Oh boy, Ashelin's gonna kill you if she finds out you let tattoo wonder pump himself up with Dark Eco"

"Yeah well I'll be fine with that. As long as Torn makes it out alive to see it" He hushed his companion as they continued forward.

He couldn't help the worry tugging at his insides and the uneasiness bubbling in the pit of his stomach. He couldn't help feeling that letting Torn use Dark Eco was a bad idea. He hoped that he wouldn't regret his decision. He hoped that Dark Eco wouldn't do to him what it did to others. He hoped it wouldn't kill him or even worse, turn him into a bloodthirsty demon with no sense of friend or foe. If that were to happen then he'd only endanger the governor instead of save her. He knew what the sane Torn would want him to do if it came to that. To prevent him from hurting Ashelin, he'd want Jak to kill him.

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Bet you didn't expect Torn to do that huh? Just so you guys know since I will be mentioning Eco more, I think Eco comes in many forms as you may have noticed so I just imagine it can be drank, applied, injected, used in weaponry etc. So Torn is pumped with a foreign liquid coursing through his veins. Will it prove to help the mission or make it worse? What effect will it have? Who is Cutter and what is his motive? Will they save Ashelin? Gotta wait for the next update guys, sorry.