Chapter LIV: The Most Effective Form of Combat

LES: Climax! (hums a fanfare)

Muse: You better not get lazy on this one!

LES: Back from vacation, are you?

Muse: Yeah, the Caribbean was great.

LES: So… where's my parent's car?

Muse: Okay, yes, I stole it. And, due to too many tequilas and a teleport machine… I moved it to the other side of the garage!

LES: (looks in garage) It's not there.

Muse: It's true; there was a slight miscalculation.

LES: Where is it?

Muse: Orbiting Pluto… I think…

LES: WHAT? ORBITING PLUTO?

Jak: Now, back to the story.

The small ground moved into the Metal-Head Nest. Thankfully, since the majority of the Metal-Head army was attacking Haven City, the Nest was empty. Jak turned to Keira. "This is where I leave you." He said. "Go hide somewhere."

"But…" Keira began.

"Keira, what did you promise to do for me before we came?" Jak reminded her. The she-elf bowed her head in submission.

"Well, I won't let you go in there without every ounce of fire power you've got." Keira said as she gave Jak back the Morph-Gun.

He accepted the gun from Keira. "Keira… I love you and…"

"Aww!" Daxter said.

"Daxter, shut up!" Jak hissed. "You're not making this any easier!" He sighed, and then turned back to Keira. "Good-bye, Keira." He said tenderly.

Keira now had tears running down her face. "Good-bye, Jak. I'll always love you."

The couple embraced each other, overcome with emotion. They shared a short, but passionate kiss. Then Jak pulled away, turned around, and began to head towards his fate.

Keira watched him go, overcome by a feeling of uselessness, and she let more tears run down her face.

Jak walked over toward the Leader's chamber, which was a large, sunken-in room. The huge Leader himself sat in the middle of the room, the huge Rift Ring, glowing with a Dark light floated in the air behind him. The Leader looked up as Jak neared, and he bared his fangs in a hideous smile.

"Finally…" Metal-Kor hissed. "You've decided to join us." The Leader uncurled its tail from around something. It was the Kid, encased in a force field and definitely knocked out cold. "And you've brought the Precursor Stone! Good… the boy will now play his final part in this story!"

Jak glared at Kor. "You've already used him to open up the Tomb! What more do you want from him?"

"To open the Stone and die!" The Leader hissed. "You don't see it, do you? The result of a pathetic attempt to erase your memory."

Jak blinked in amazement. "Erase my memory? Why would someone do that?" Jak demanded.

"Why don't you ask you're dear, God-like creators?" Kor laughed.

Jak shook his head. "What is the child's part in this? Your quarrel should be with me."

"This child… is such a part of this…" Kor hissed. "And he's such a part of you. Don't you recognize him?" Jak glared at the boy. "The boy is you, Jak!" Jak's eyes widened and Daxter gasped. "And this place… this is where you were born… in the future!"

"But…" Jak tried to wrap his mind around the information he had just received. The boy… all along… was him? "How?"

"Long ago, a soothsayer made a prophecy that said you would be the one to destroy me. So you were hidden in the past and had your memories erased in the hope that you would grow and gain the skills needed to face me this very day!" The Metal-Head Leader grinned. "But Onin was wrong! Now that you've been altered with Dark Eco the Stone will never open for you, for it can only be opened by one with a pure heart… which you lack." The Leader glared down at the boy, young Jak. "Your younger self, however, still has the pure gift. He alone can awaken the Stone, and unlock the Precursor entity which sleeps inside!"

Jak looked down at the Stone in his hands. "This stone is a Precursor?"

"The last Precursor egg!" Kor corrected himself. "The last of an ancient race! Mar discovered it long ago and he hid it from me. Mar was a clever opponent! He covered his tracks well through time, hiding this last egg from me! He built the City and shield sorely for the purpose of protecting it." Kor sight. "It has been a long siege. But today… I will finally feed on the last Precursor life-force!"

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Jak hissed.

"Ah, yes. You have a rather large stake riding on this battle." Kor laughed. "Imagine it! You succeed in destroying me, you get your younger self to open the Stone, release the Precursor, and you'll be healed of your deadly disease. But, I've got just as big a stake as you. And don't think I'll go easy on you just because your death is near. Death has its arms wrapped around you. You reek of death! But I will not hold back, and neither should you, Son of Mar!"

"What did you call me?" Jak demanded.

"Son of Mar." Kor repeated. "Because that it what you are. You are the last living descendant of my greatest enemy, Mar… the only remaining member of a long and noble bloodline."

"Noble?" Jak asked.

"But, of course you won't remember. Allow me to remind you of your full title." Kor paused dramatically. "Your full name is Jak Mar, the one true heir and Prince of Haven City!"

"Excuse me…" Daxter said. "Did you just say 'Prince'?"

"Oh my God!" Jak couldn't think of what else to say. "Are you saying I'm royalty?"

"As royal as your ancestors." Kor said. "A great line of Kings, Warriors, and Heroes! What else would you be?" Kor paused. "I've waited a long time for this. To fight someone who could match the skill that Mar displayed… or even your father."

Jak stared at the Leader. "My… father?"

"Yes… a great Warrior he was, too." Kor said.

"Who was he?" Jak asked, curiosity overwhelming him. "You knew him?"

"He fought me once. He lost and was able to crawl away… like a coward." Kor grinned when he saw Jak frown; he knew he had pushed a button. "Where he is now… I can't say. Though the wound I gave him was fatal."

"My father was not a coward!" Jak roared.

"How do you know?" Kor asked. "You probably don't even remember his name or what he looked like, let alone what he was like." Kor growled. "Get ready, Jak Mar, to face your destiny."

"Wait!" Daxter said suddenly. "I think you're forgetting one thing, megalomaniac!"

"What?" Kor demanded.

"We've got the Precursor Stone, and you've got zilch!"

"Not for long!" Kor hissed. The same type of Dark Eco blast that killed Praxis powered up around Kor's skull-gem and e launched it into the ground below Jak's feet. The ground disintegrated under him and he fell to the same level as the Leader, buried under fair amount of rocks and boulders. The Metal-Head Leader laughed, as he believed that the last living descendant of his greatest enemy was finally dead. He got up to check the rubble and find the Precursor Stone. Suddenly, a pale hand, tipped with long claws popped out from under the rocks. Then the rest of the body appeared. It was Dark Jak. His pitch black eyes narrowed angrily and he growled. "Never give up, do you?" Kor asked the Dark Monster, who didn't answer. "It might be better for you to die. Believe me, I've looked into the future. The War to end all Wars is coming, and I doubt that you want to be a part of it." Dark Jak growled, and started to begin to change back to normal. "Die!" Kor roared.

The Leader rushed at Jak, who was trapped in-between his transformation and pretty much helpless. The powerful monster caught Jak with the flat side of his claws and sent the elf flying, hard, into a wall. He cried out as he impacted, a few ribs shattering on impact, and he hit the ground. Jak held his chest, but the ribs were already healing and snapping back into place. Jak stood back up. "Really cowardly of you." Jak growled. "Attacking when I'm in the middle of a transformation."

"I already told you, I'm not going to go easy on you." Kor said. "Now fight! Fight for your life!"

Jak's eyes narrowed. "Fine." He materialized a broadsword and dropped the Morph-Gun. He raised the weapon. "Come and get me!"

Kor leapt at Jak, his claws raised. Jak raised his own weapon to block the claws. Then, after Kor raised his claws to strike again, he ducked under his guard and slashed at the Metal-Head Leader's chest with all his strength. However, the weapon merely glanced off his armor.

Kor reached down and grabbed Jak with his enormous claws. He picked Jak up and held him right next to his face. Kor growled at Jak, his foul breath washed over Jak, and he gagged. "You are the Great Hope? You are pathetic!" Kor spat, his grip tightened on the elf, driving air from his lungs. "I expected better from one of noble birth like yourself!"

The words rang through Jak's memory. They were almost the same exact words the Metal-Head Leader spoke to him in his nightmares.

Panic filled him. Without thinking, he conjured a dagger and stabbed the Leader blindly, catching the monster in its hand. Kor dropped the elf, more from surprise than actual pain. Jak hit the floor and stood, gasping for air.

Kor pulled the little dagger from his hand and crushed it. "A valiant effort." Kor laughed. "But I am a creature of Darkness, Dark Eco Poisoning won't effect me." Suddenly, Jak winched and held his stomach as a wave of pain shot through him. That could only mean one thing. It was time for him to die. Kor laughed. "But Dark Eco Poisoning effects you, and it looks like your time is almost up."

"No!" Jak cried. "I'll kill you before I die!"

"You are weak! You are worthless! You are dead!" Kor hissed.

"No!" Jak materialized another sword, but the Metal-Head Leader merely pulled it out of Jak's grip and tossed it aside. The Metal-Head Leader brandished his tail through the air, and Jak got a horrible sense of foreboding.

"Now you die!" Kor roared. "So ends the line of my greatest enemy… Mar!" The tail flew forward; ready to disembowel the poor elf… just like in his nightmares.

Suddenly, a new voice rang through Jak's mind, one that was also from his dreams. 'Sometimes… the bravest and most effective form of combat is knowing when to dodge…'

Jak opened his eyes, everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. Dodging?

He looked down. The Morph-Gun lay at his feet. He looked up, the spike-tipped tail was close now. Without thinking exactly what he was doing, Jak let his legs go weak and he collapsed to the ground.

Kor's tail slashed through the air where Jak's stomach had been a nanosecond earlier. "What the...?"

Jak grabbed the gun and switched it to PeaceMaker mode. He aimed it at the Metal-Head Leader's ugly mug and fired.

The shot hit the Leader right in the face, blinding him instantly. Kor roared in pain, and covered his useless eyes, which ran heavily with blood. But Jak did not let up. He fired at the Leader's face over and over until he ran out of ammo.

The Metal-Head Leader was badly hurt and blinded, and he had enough. But he would not leave until he had taunted his foe. "You think that by killing me you'll get what you really want?" Kor demanded. "You won't. Your fate is set now. You should have let me kill you; it would have saved you from endless pain. Just wait, in a few months, you'll wish you were dead! And I'll be back to grant your wish!" The Metal-Head Leader spread his dragonfly wings and began to fly in the general direction of the Rift Ring, but he flew too low and hit the rim of the Ring. The Dark Eco the Ring contained began to attack the Leader's already ruined body. He may have been immune to Eco Poisoning, but he was not immune to the destructive effects of the millions of units of Eco that assaulted his body. The Metal-Head Leader's body exploded as the Eco overloaded his system, leaving only the head intact.

The head fell down and hit the ground, and Jak joined this action. "Oh God!" He yelled.

Daxter seemed to realize what was going on. "Keira!" He yelled.

However, the yell was hardly necessary, for Keira had come running as soon as she heard Jak's yell. She dropped down into the room and ran over to Jak. "Oh my God! Please, Jak, not now!"

"There's no time…" Jak gasped as the pain of the Eco Poisoning was quickly returning. He gave her the Precursor Stone. "The boy… have the boy touch the Precursor Stone!" Jak ordered.

"The boy?" Keira looked around, then she saw the unconscious boy. "Oh…" She ran over and shook the small boy violently until he came too. "Touch the stone." She ordered. The boy hesitated.

"Do it, Kid!" Jak ordered. "It's the only way to save us."

"Us?" Keira asked. But the Kid did as he was told and touched the glowing green stone. Suddenly, a bright light shone from the stone, illuminating the whole chamber Keira dropped the stone and backed away, as did the boy. A figure stepped out of the stone.

"What is it?" Keira asked.

"A Precursor." Jak gasped. Everything was going dark.

The Precursor looked down at Jak. "It is finished." The Precursor said. "Our ancient enemy is no more. Take hope, Brave One, the terrible Darkness inside you is now balanced by a glorious light!" There was a pause. Jak moved, then he pushed himself off the ground. Keira rushed forward and helped Jak get to his feet, but he was able to stand on his own.

"Keira? The Dark Eco… it doesn't hurt anymore." Jak and Keira looked at each other. Jak smiled happily. "I'm cured."

Keira almost cried for joy. She embraced Jak and he gladly returned it. He even took it one step further by picking her up and spinning her around.

A feeling of amusement filled the air. It took Jak a second to realized it was the Precursor. He set Keira down and turned to it. "Thank you." Jak said earnestly. "How could I ever thank you enough?"

"There will be a time for that." The Precursor said. "However, you have done good and you deserve a break." Jak felt something tug on his coat to get his attention. Jak looked down. It was his younger self.

"Hey, Kid." Jak said, picking him up.

"The Past meets the Future." The Precursor said. "Now it is time for your destiny to be secured."

"I understand." Jak said, he turned to the she-elf by his side. "Keira, get in contact with your fathers. We need to get the Rift Rider here."

The Precursor nodded. "Do not worry about your future just yet." It said. "Let me assure you that you will be guaranteed safety for some time. We will meet again." And with that, the Precursor disappeared into the Rift Ring.

The trio watched the Precursor go, but Daxter took the TalkBox to take care of it. "Oh, Jak, we're finally going home!"

Jak shook his head. "We are home, Keira. Both of us."

"What?" Keira asked. "How could we be home?"

Jak held the Kid closer to his face. "Can't you see the resemblance?"

Keira looked between Jak and the Kid. Her eyes widened. She saw it now… green hair… blue eyes… the same soul. "But… he looks just like you!" She gasped.

Jak mouthed the words: 'He is me.'

"Oh my God!"

"And that ain't the half of it…" Daxter began, but Jak cut him off.

"That's not all. You are here too… I've seen you."

"What?"

"You have the same memory blank as me. It's so we won't remember growing up here. Haven City is our home, Keira. But… to me… it's slightly more than that."

"What do you mean?"

"Jak's the…" Daxter began.

"It's nothing." Jak said. "It's not that important."

Suddenly, the Krimzon transport entered the Nest and landed. Samos, Samos, and mini-Keira hopped out. Keira stared.

"See? I told you." Jak laughed. "Hey, Keira, which one, do you think?" Jak asked. Keira looked at Jak, who was still holding his younger self, who just looked confused.

Keira looked between the two. She alone probably understood the magnitude of Jak's question. He was asking her to choose between the old him, the quiet and innocent boy he once was; and the man, the murderer that he was today. There was really nothing to think about. She walked up to the man and touched his cheek. "This one… without a doubt."

Old Samos walked over to Jak. "It is time. The Rift Rider will be used to send young Jak back to a place where he will grow up, safe from harm."

"Wait a minute." Young Samos said. "It's you… I mean it's me! I have to take him back and watch over him in the past, don't I?" Old Samos nodded. "Ah, grub-roots! Talk about being in the wrong time at the right place."

Jak set the boy that would be him someday on the seat of the Rider. "Hey, Kid, you take care." Jak paused. What piece of advice could he give his younger self? Jak smiled. "Oh, and trust me on this… stay away from ANY Wumpbee Nests on your ninth birthday, okay?"

The Kid nodded. Then he took off the small amulet that he wore around his neck and he gave it to Jak, who accepted it.

"Daddy, I don't even know if the Rider will work." Keira began worriedly. "I might have messed up…"

"Don't worry, Keira, your Rider is absolutely perfect." Old Samos said while Jak helped mini-Keira into the Rider. "This is the very machine we found… or will find later."

"What? I just built this… after seeing the first one, I mean." Keira said. "It's based on what I remember from the first…"

"Honey, the more you think about it, the more it hurts the head." Daxter said.

Samos got in the Rider and it began to move towards the Ring. Little Jak waved back at the group. "I'll take good care of the child." Young Samos assured them. "And don't worry, I'll be back in time for the celebration! Farewell!" The Rider and its passengers disappeared into the Rift.

Jak sighed and shook his head, and then he turned to Samos. "Thanks Samos… without you…"

Samos waved Jak off. "No need, I was only doing my civic duty when I rescued you off the streets." He glanced at Jak in a way that said that the civic duty he preformed was rescuing the crown Prince of Haven City. Samos would have figured it out. "It's funny, though. The boy won't remember any of this…"

"No…" Jak said as the Rift Ring fell into a thousand pieces. "I do remember the light."

LES: Well? Was this chapter up to snuff, or what?

Muse: Uh… Only your readers can answer that.

LES: Oh, right. So, my loyal, loving fans… was this chapter up to snuff. Well, now I got to get to work on the last chapter. If it's posted, just continue on.