Chapter LI: The Metal-Head Leader

LES: Sorry about the wait when I told you this story was done. Well, wait no more, cause NOW it's really done! AUGH! Short chapter warning. But, if things go as planned, then this story is finished and it won't matter. Okay, instead of going straight to Keira with the completed Rift Rider, we're going to the construction site first.

(2 days left. Oct 10, 2269)

As soon as Jak walked out into the City with Daxter on his shoulder the TalkBox activated once more.

Vin's shaky voice came over the speakers. "Kor… Construction site…" The Box shut off, with Vin's last words ringing in the duo's ears.

"Construction site?" Jak asked. "Where's that?"

"It's not too far from here." Daxter said. Jak stole a zoomer and followed Daxter's instructions to the Construction site.

Jak walked into the large construction site. The first and only thing he was Praxis, accompanied by only four guards.

Jak grinned. "Praxis will die today!"

"Where's Kor?" Daxter asked.

"Who cares?"

With a roar, Jak ran down the ramp to ground level. Praxis heard this and turned. "Eleven?" He drew his blade. Jak materialized a blade of his own.

He rushed at Praxis, sword raised and ready to fight, when…

A figure dropped out of the sky and landed in front of Jak, who slid to a halt. He lowered the weapon in surprise, as did Praxis. It was Kor.

"Kor?" Jak demanded. "What's going on?"

Kor's old face looked over at Jak and a wicked grin spread across his face. "I'm sure you know, Jak. Deep down in your darkest nightmares!" Suddenly, Kor's face changed. It only happened for a second, but Jak did not miss it. His teeth grew into layered, razor-sharp teeth and his eyes turned the strangest shade of yellow. Jak's insides ran cold; he had seen that face before… in his nightmares… a long time ago. The shadowy man with sharp teeth and glowing yellow eyes. That man had turned into… For the first time in his life, Jak felt pure terror overwhelm his system. "We've met before, remember?" Kor turned to look at Praxis. "Everything's going exactly as planned!"

Kor moved away from the group, laughing manically. He tossed aside his cane, he didn't appear to need it. Suddenly, huge dragonfly-like wings sprouted from Kor's back. He began to expand, a hundred times his original size. His skin tore and ripped as the being became too large for it. The monster uncurled itself. Terror filled the very being of Jak's soul. Pain blossomed in his stomach as the memory of this reoccurring nightmare hit him. "AUGH!" Jak groaned, grabbing his stomach.

Still, the monster grew. Soon, it had the familiar maw, long claws, and the dreaded spike-tipped tail. "It's the Metal-Head Leader!" Daxter yelled. "Kor's the Metal-Head Leader!" Jak glared up at the deadly monster, hundreds of times his size.

"Now you see!" Metal-Kor hissed in a loud and powerful voice. "Without the Shield wall disrupting my powers inside the City, I am my full potential now!" He glared down at Praxis, who looked miserably small next to the enormous Leader. "So for the last time… GIVE ME THE PRECURSOR STONE!"

Praxis raised his sword in defiance. "If this City must die, then we all die!" Praxis charged the Metal-Head Leader, the four guards raised their weapons.

The Leader wasn't all that concerned. He quickly powered up Dark Eco around his skull-gem. He released the energy at Praxis. The four guards dissolved instantly and Praxis went flying fifty feet through the air into a large stake of fifty-gallon drums of Eco. Twenty tons of the stuff rained down on Praxis, burying him completely.

Jak watched the Metal-Head Leader take to the air. "I'll find that Stone if I have to crush this City one brick at a time!" Metal-Kor threatened before he took off into the distance.

Jak looked at the pile that Praxis was under. He wasn't sure what made him do it, perhaps he just wanted to see Praxis' body, but he ran over and began to shift some of the drums aside, searching for the Baron.

He finally uncovered Praxis' body. He coughed, Praxis was alive. "Wait." Praxis gasped, he must've been very badly hurt. "Don't kill me yet. You are the supreme weapon, Eleven, and I made you. You were supposed to kill the Metal-Heads, that is your purpose. Still… any leader worth his salt always has his back-up plan." The Baron pulled out a remote control and pressed a button. Jak looked around. Another Piercer Bomb rose out of the ground, the Precursor Stone attached to the top. "Protect this City, Jak, destroy the Metal-Head Leader." Jak realized that this was the first time Praxis had ever called him by his real name. "Remember, Jak, the first rule in making a bomb, is to always… make two…"

With those final words, Praxis, the evil Baron of Haven City and Jak's mortal enemy, died.

Jak looked at the dead body for several seconds. Praxis was dead and Erol was dead, so what else was there to live for? He looked at the bomb with the Precursor Stone, his Precursor Stone. That was something to live for. Jak walked over. "Daxter, can you get the Stone?"

"Sure, I'm going in." Daxter jumped up onto the bomb, and he slipped in a small opening in the side of the bomb. "Man, what a mess of junk in here. All jumbled coils and switches…"

"Be careful, Daxter!" Jak called. "One wrong move and you'll destroy us all!"

"Jeez, no pressure." Daxter grumbled, and then he growled loudly. "Should I unhook the blue wire? There's a ton of blue wires in here!" A pause. "Wait a minute! Are Ottsels color-blind?"

Jak blinked. "Daxter!"

"Hold on, let me break a few more things and see if anything pops loose…" Daxter said. There was a tense pause. Suddenly… "BOOM!" Jak jumped, despite himself. Then he looked up and saw Daxter holding the Precursor Stone. "Haha! Got ya!" Daxter laughed.

"Daxter!" Jak began angrily.

"Like taking candy from a baby!" Daxter said proudly. "Here you go." He tossed the Precursor Stone to Jak, who caught it.

"Finally, the Stone is back in the hands of its owner." Jak said. He put the stone in his pocket. Jak looked one last time at Praxis' dead body while Daxter jumped onto his shoulder.

"Do you really think I could forgive you for what you did?" Jak asked, Of course, there was no answer. "You tossed me into prison for no reason, you tortured me for two years." Jak paused. "You let the Guards beat us and do with us what they wanted. You tried to kill me more times than I can count. And the whole time… the whole fucking time you took away my humanity by calling me 'Number Eleven'!" Jak growled. "You killed me, Praxis, you killed me! And, for that, I hope you rot in hell, you bastard! You'll never be forgiven… not by me!"

Jak turned and ran out of the Construction site without a backwards glance.

LES: I've lost control of this ship! It's swiftly heading for a collision course!

Jak: (growls) Just shut up!