Chapter IX: Mortal Soul

LES: Finally, I'm going to start taking steps to kill Jak emotionally and spiritually. Warning: Attempted rape in this chapter. It is only 'attempted' but if you don't like it, don't read it.

It had been five months, five months in hell.

Five months.

150 days.

3,600 hours.

216,000 minutes.

12,960,000 seconds.

Five months that the treatments didn't feel any less painful. Fifteen men entered the 'Dark Warrior Program'… five never made it past the first treatment. Since then, it had been a guessing game. The Baron and Erol raised the Dark Eco level whenever they saw fit. Three more men had died this way. Two others had also died, but they died at the hands of their fellow experiments.

However, though all this hell, Jak, Sorus, and three other prisoners named Spike, John, and Onus were the only survivors left.

That day, everyone sat in different corners of their containment cell, not even bothering to look at each other. Each one trying to stay as still as possible as to not revive the pain in their sore limbs.

Jak sat in a corner, staring at his feet. A few strands of blonde hair blocked his vision, something he was not use to, and he continued to glare.

Jak had been having trouble with a temper lately. This was also something that he had never dealt with before. But now he found himself in a foul mood all the time. Jak, however, felt his anger was justified. After all, he had been wrongfully imprisoned and then used in the Baron's sick idea of a science experiment.

Jak felt anger boiling within him and he punched the wall for no particular reason. The rest of the men looked up and Jak stood up. "Praxis!" Jak roared although Praxis couldn't hear him. "Are these damned torture sessions supposed to break us? Because it's not working! You hear me, Praxis? You'll never break me!" Jak suddenly felt his anger run dry and he was suddenly aware of how foolish he looked. He sat back down, ignoring the gazes of the other men.

"Keep thinking that if it gives you hope." Onus said sadly. He was shivering violently. He hadn't felt well after their last treatment, and he was worried that it was Eco Poisoning. You develop a whole new fear of Eco Poisoning when you witness eight men die from it.

"You don't have Eco Poisoning." Spike said stubbornly.

"Don't give him false hope!" John hissed at him. And then he paused, a look of terror slowly spreading across his face. "The Guards are coming!"

Jak listened and he heard the sound of Krimzon Guard boots coming down the hall. This sound filled him with a pure terror; this sound meant that it was time for their daily torture.

A Krimzon Guard Captain led the group, and man who was obviously drunk. His eyes were blood-shot and he smelled of cheap booze. His blood-shot gaze scanned everyone in the small room. Finally his gaze fell on Jak. He grinned, but not the 'you're-about-to-be-tortured' grin, but a different one, one that gave Jak the creeps. "Him." The Captain said, pointing at Jak. The Guards opened the door and grabbed Jak, who put up a weak fight, but was quickly subdued.

The Guards began to lead Jak down the hallway, but it was not the way to the dreaded machine, which Jak had been on for several months, but a way that he had never been down before.

Without warning, Jak was tackled from behind and, caught off guard, he fell to the ground. He hit the ground hard and had all the wind knocked out of him. Someone was pinning him to the ground.

"Good job, men." The drunken Captain said, it was he who was bodily pinning Jak to the ground. "Now, go back to the cell and get another to go to Erol. This one is going to be 'busy.'" The Guards turned and ran off. Jak didn't like this at all, he didn't like it one bit.

The Captain flipped Jak over so that Jak was lying on his back. The drunk Captain's face was about an inch from Jak's… much too close. Jak could smell the booze on his breath and almost gagged. The man straddled Jak so that he couldn't move. "Augh! Get off me!" Jak spat.

"Shut up! You should thank me, bitch!" The drunken Captain said. "As long as you are here, you don't get a treatment."

"Cra…" Jak never finished his swear as the man forcefully pressed his mouth to Jak's. Jak squirmed and tried to escape, but he was weak from repeated torture, starving, and beatings. No! Jak cried out in his mind as the man continued to force the kiss.

Finally the man stopped and Jak spat, trying to rid himself of the man's saliva. "Just try to scream." The Captain taunted. "No one is going to help a prisoner like you. You are worthless!" He gazed at Jak, his eyes full of lust. That look made Jak want to puke.

Jak was too preoccupied with the man's lust-filled eyes to pay attention to his hands… and big mistake. The next thing Jak realized the man was attacking his pants, trying to get at what he wanted. "No!" Jak cried as he vainly tried to fight this man off, but he was losing. Jak closed his eyes in despair. Then, quite suddenly, and deep rage welled up inside him. Jak's eyes opened, a violent fire burning just beyond. Something rose up within Jak. "No!" Jak repeated. This time, however, it was more like a growl. Jak, in his possessed rage, gripped the man him around the neck.

The man suddenly felt Jak's hands close in on his neck and he looked back into Jak's face. There was a change. He no longer saw a venerable little kid, but he was a rage that knew no bounds shining out of his eyes. He was surprised, no one ever fought back. "What the…" He gasped, but he was unable to say anymore as Jak's grip closed off his windpipe.

Jak's eyes burned as his grip tightened, he was squeezing so hard that his fingernails had pierced the skin and was drawing a large amount of blood, which was staining Jak's hands. The man was trying to escape, but Jak held on, no pity or mercy was showing from his eyes.

Finally, the chocking began to subside and Jak watched as the light in the man's eyes flickered and went out. The man was dead. Jak had killed his first ever elf with his bare hands.

Jak rolled the body off him, his hands still drenched in the man's life-blood. He stood up and looked down at his first kill. Whatever had possessed Jak to kill a man was still in control, he looked no different, but his mind was not his own. He looked down at the corpse and laughed, he laughed like a maniac over his first killing. Jak, or the thing that possessed him, looked down at his hands, still covered in blood, the crimson contrasted with his skin and the beauty of the colors hypnotized Jak.

He brought his hand up to his mouth and began to lick the blood off his fingers. Jak shuttered in pleasure as the warm liquid ran down his throat, his breathing became shallow and ragged in ecstasy.

Suddenly, Jak stopped mid-lick. He slowly drew his hand away from his mouth in disgust at what he had just done. And then… he saw the body, the body of the man who tried to rape him. Jak looked at his blood-covered hands in horror, realizing the full extent of what he had done.

"No…" Jak gasped, falling to his knees. "No…" This was it, he had done it… the most evil of sins: he had killed another elf! This man, no matter his sins, would never see another day, and it was all Jak's fault. Jak didn't even realize that he was free during the hour it took the Guards to find him there. He was trying to invent some excuse that would make it all right. He came at me first. He tried to rape me… I was just defending myself… I did nothing wrong. But it wasn't working, he had killed someone and what was worse, on some level, deep within his mind, he ENJOYED it!

The Guards found Jak in that same spot, staring at his bloody hands and the body. He had been caught 'red-handed.' Jak had to endure several beatings. Most of them were for killing a Krimzon Guard Captain, and some were for daring to be out in the prison without a Guard around. But Jak didn't even feel them; his own conscious was more painful to him than a thousand beatings. You're a murder, and you enjoyed it! What would Keira say if she saw you now?

Jak looked down at his hands. No one even bothered to offer him a rag to clean off the blood, which had long since dried out. She'd say I'm a monster. Jak thought to himself sadly. She'd hate me…

(Night)

Jak was pegged by nightmares, as usual, but these ones were worse than usual.

Jak was drowning… drowning in blood. He tried desperately to get to the surface, but something was holding him back. Jak looked down to see what it was and almost screamed. It was a monster! It had pale skin, black malicious eyes, horns on its head, and strong, clawed fingers that were gripping Jak around the ankle.

"I live!" The demon proclaimed, its demonic voice echoing around Jak even though they were submerged in blood.

"What do you want?" Jak asked, though only bubbles came from his mouth.

This didn't seem to matter as the demon pondered the question. "To exist." The demon said finally. "But, I also what to help you get the revenge that you want in the deepest, darkest corners of your mind. Together, you and I, we can kill the one who is doing this to you… Baron Praxis!"

"Kill?" Jak asked. "But I don't want to kill. It's evil."

The demon laughed. "Poor young Jak, don't worry, it gets easier with every kill. Soon it gets where you can't wait to kill again!"

"I'll never be that way!" Jak swore. "NEVER!"

The demon laughed again. "We'll see." He paused. "We'll see."

The demon and the blood disappeared, but another figure appeared, that of a girl. Even though she had her back turned to Jak, he recognized her immediately.

"Keira!" He cried, running up towards her. She turned around to face him; her beautiful green eyes met Jak's. "Keira, it's me." Jak said, putting his arms around her. But, to his surprise, Keira backed away from him, confusion radiating from her eyes. "Keira?" Jak asked.

"Who are you?" Keira asked.

Jak's heart sank. "It's me… Jak."

"No." Keira said. "I don't know who you are, but you are not my Jak!" Keira shook her head disapprovingly. "My Jak would never kill someone, no matter what!"

Jak hung his head in shame. "He—he was—…" Jak paused. "He was going to rape me."

"So? My Jak would've used self-defense." Keira said. "My Jak would never kill… never… he'd never kill…" Keira slowly faded away and Jak was left on his own.

"IT WASN'T MY FAULT!" Jak cried out to the abyss, falling to his knees in anguish.

Suddenly, there was a loud growling noise, a familiar one. Jak got up and faced the monster that haunted his dreams. The monster was laughing as its tail swung around itself and, once again, embedded itself in Jak's stomach. Jak gasped in pain as it cut though his insides. Soon, the tail was withdrawn, but it took most of Jak's insides with it. "Thou shalt not kill!" The monster roared. Jak fell to his knees once again, hands cupped around the hole in his stomach. Jak looked down at his hands, covered in bright blood—his blood.

Jak felt the blood-loss begin to affect him. Jak fell over backwards and lay on the ground, a pool of blood slowly expanding on the ground around him.

"You see? You'll never win!" The monster laughed. "You shall die!"

Jak then woke up in cold sweat. He managed not to scream out loud and draw attention to himself. Jak looked around the dark cell; five other figures were there. Which meant that everyone had survived this round of treatments. Onus' form was shaking visibly… maybe he did have Eco Poisoning. Eco Poisoning could last anywhere from several seconds to a few weeks, depending on the natural Eco skills of the sick one.

"Where were you?" Someone asked. Jak looked up and saw that it was Sorus who asked him the question. "You were the first one taken, and the last one brought back… besides… I didn't hear your screams."

Jak looked away. "I don't want to talk about it." Jak said, looking at his hand, which was still stained in blood. Someone up there must hate me. Jak thought to himself.

"Well, I do, you lucky bastard." John said sourly. "You didn't get tortured today!"

"Just drop it, okay." Sorus said, taking Jak's side. "He doesn't want to talk about it."

"Of course. Protecting him, Sorus? After all, he is just a kid!" Spike growled. Everyone's tempers were rising. And there was a good chance that if they didn't stop, someone else was going to end up dead.

Jak's eyes screwed up with annoyance at everyone's bickering. Jak's eyes reopened with the same type of fire they had possessed earlier. "Do you what to know where I was?" Jak demanded angry. John and Spike nodded. "That bastard of a Captain took me to another part of the prison and tried to rape me!" Jak spat.

"Tried?" Sorus asked.

"Yes, 'tried'!" Jak snarled. "I killed him! I killed him with my bare hands!" Jak held up his hands to show them the bloodstains. "I killed that bastard, and I ENJOYED it!"

The other prisoners stared at Jak; they didn't understand why he was making such a big deal about it. They didn't understand that Jak was still young, 'goody-two-shoes' innocent boy on the inside and that he considered murder to be the most horrid of sins.

Suddenly, the sounds of someone emptying the contents of their stomach on the cell floor was heard and the argument stopped. Everyone turned towards Onus, who had just thrown up; he was now shivering harder than ever. Jak's anger evaporated as he studied the puke. Dark Eco was present, that was it, Onus was dying of Eco Poisoning. Jak walked over to Onus and squatted down so that he was eye level with him. "I have Eco Poisoning?" Onus asked.

Jak considered lying, but then he decided against it. "Yes." He said. "It's slow acting Eco Poisoning."

Onus let out a sigh that was more like a shudder. "I don't want to die from Eco Poisoning." He said finally. "And I can't stand the torture anymore… I just can't…" Tears formed and Jak admired him for it. "Please…" He begged. "You guys can make my death quick and painless."

Jak nodded. "Sorus? I can't kill again… never again… not even a mercy killing."

Sorus got up and moved over to where Onus lay. Jak moved out of the way, and everyone in the cell watched solemnly. Moonlight from a high, barred window illuminated Onus' face. Sorus placed his hands on either side of Onus' pale, sweating face. "This will be quick, I promise." Sorus said.

"Thank you." Onus gasped. With a quick movement, Sorus twisted Onus' neck, killing him instantly.

Sorus stood back and looked down at the body. "You know…" He said. "I've killed more people than I could count during my years as an assassin, but I can never remember feeling this sad."

"That's because he was a friend." Jak said.

"I guess it's just us now." Spike said, looking at Sorus, Jak, and John in turn. "And we will live long enough to make it out of here!"

LES: Woot! Jak's first kill and Dark Jak is sort of introduced! Jak is almost there… almost…