1Disclaimer: I don't own Jak and Daxter.

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Chapter 25

The Life Seed

Lykaios growled. "For one thing, you could stop trying to suppress me every goddamned minute."

"Well I wouldn't have to if you wouldn't react to everything that moved."

"I don't! Just Krimzon Guards and Metal Heads."

"Which we see at least three of every five seconds." Jak told him.

"Forgive me, I want revenge."

"So do I, but that doesn't mean I'm going to kill a Guard in the middle of Main Town now does it?"

Lykaios glared. "You've been tempted."

"Because of you!"

Lykaios laughed, a harsh bark. "Don't lay all the blame on me, Jak. Before you were even aware of my consciousness, you wanted death to befall everyone associated with Baron."

Jak was silent. "You know I'm right."

"That doesn't mean I'd actually do it!" The two almost identical elves glared each other down for an unmeasurable amount of time before Lykaios broke the silence.

"Whenever Ambika comes out. Whenever she's allowed to come free, so am I." He held out his right hand. "Deal?"

Jak glared once again. "Fine." He shook Lykaios' hand and a burning pain shot up his arm. "What the hell! What did you do!" He pulled his hand away to see a dark scar forming on the underside of his left arm.

The eco demon shook his head. "Don't look at me." He raised his arm to show Jak a similar mark.

Faintly, Jak heard Raye's frightened voice, but it was hard, as though it was far off. "Samos!"

"What is it, Raye?"

"Look at Jak's arm!"

--

Samos peered at the sleeping man's left forearm to see a dark purple scar forming there. "Oh my."

Daxter turned to the sage. "What is it? Dark Jak?"

Samos shook his head. "This is to neat to be the work of Jak's other half." Raye's eyes widened and she pulled off her right glove to reveal a similar mark. It was made up of what looked like several tribal wings of all different sizes and lengths overlapping each other.

Looking from her own hand to Jak's arm she got an idea. Cautiously, very cautiously, laid her palm on the slowly forming mark. Burning pain shot up her arm, and Jak jerked in his sleep. She pulled away to see the mark finish itself quickly, a mirror image of Raye's.

Slowly, very slowly, Jak woke up. "Wha...? Raye?" He blinked when Raye hugged him tightly around the neck, remembering his ribs at the last second.

She pulled away and smacked him. "Don't you ever do that again!"

"Ow! What'd I do?"

Daxter climbed onto his shoulder. "Well, you were only asleep for nearly twenty hours..."

Blink. "I was?"

"Yes, you were." Raye snapped before walking up the stairs and outside, her glove forgotten on the bed.

As Jak looked after her, confused, Daxter sighed. "She was worried out of her mind. She thought that your ribs had actually broken and one had punctured something important. She nearly stomped out to storm the Palace and kill Errol herself. Then your skin started smoking..." Jak looked down at his arm, which was still smoking slightly.

His eyes narrowed. "What is this?" He touched it tentatively. Nothing happened.

Daxter climbed down and examined it more closely. "Ooh, cool."

"No it isn't." Jak told him.

"Whatever. So, have any cool dreams while you were hibernating?" Jak explained what had occurred in his mind with Lykaios.

Samos looked interested. "Hmm, interesting. It seems that the Oracle managed to affect you telepathically while physically affecting Raye."

Daxter, who had migrated down to near Jak's hip, looked up. "You know, after Raye woke up when you headed off to the Gun Course to meet Sig, she was looking at her hand. Jak? Jak, where are you going?"

As the words left Daxter's mouth, Jak had gotten up and started pulling his shirt on. "I need to talk to Raye. Alone." He added as Daxter started to climb up to his shoulder.

"Oh. Okay. I'll be in here then." He sat back down on the bed. "Alone, forgotten, unwanted..."

"I'll be right back." He pulled on his boots, grabbed Raye's forgotten glove, and walked up the stairs.

Raye looked up from her hand as the door slid open and Jak walked out. "You forgot this." He offered the glove to her. She grabbed it and slid it back on, the action allowing Jak to see the mark on her hand. "Raye-"

"Jak, I'm not in the best of moods right now." She snapped, turning to walk off. He grabbed her arm.

"Look, both of us have this same mark. It's got to be there for some reason."

"And you think I know what it is?"

"Actually, yes."

Raye was silent for a moment. "It... it's a sign of our dark eco contamination."

Jak sensed she was hiding something. "That's it?"

"... And a sign of the deal we made with our other halves." She muttered after a moment. "Ambika told me after it popped up. Though I'm guessing mine was a little less painful than yours, considering I made my deal willingly."

Jak scoffed. "I didn't have a choice in the matter."

She turned around finally, her hair whipping up against her cheeks. "Look, why don't you just ask Lykaios for an answer and stop being a jerk to me?" She snapped, her bright blue eyes blazing and voice rising with every word.

"How'd you know his name?"

Raye blinked. "What?"

"How'd you know his name? I didn't tell you."

"I don't know. It just popped into my head after I touched the mark on your hand."

Jak opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off as Samos walked out of the Underground. "Jak, Raye, I need the two of you to get something for me."

Raye pulled her arm out of Jak's grip. "What is it?"

"I need the two of you, and Daxter I suppose, to retrieve something out of my old hut in Dead Town. It is of great importance to me, and I greatly need it."

'The Life Seed.' Raye thought, close to laughing. Samos actually did need it, otherwise he wouldn't become... sagely. "All right, Samos. C'mon Raye." Jak walked off, Daxter still scampering up his shirt to his shoulder.

"Hold on." She turned to Samos. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something Samos."

The Sage nodded. "Of course, Raye."

Raye turned to Jak. "Go ahead without me." Jak nodded and zoomed off.

Samos and Raye walked back down into the Underground. "So, what is it that you wanted to talk about Raye?"

She sat down on Torn's work table, because he wasn't there. "Well, Onin showed me this vision of she and you sending me through a Rift Gate when I was a little kid."

Samos nodded. "I see. I didn't expect her to tell you so soon."

"But... that means that I'm from here, right? From Haven City?" She asked.

Samos nodded. "Yes Raye, you are. When you were a child, you were targeted for eco experiments because of your channeling abilities."

"I'm a channeler?"

He nodded again. "Yes, and a very powerful one. That is why both you and Jak were able to survive Baron Praxis' Dark Warrior program."

"But why didn't you just send me back to the past like Jak? Why'd you send me to Earth?"

Samos frowned. "If we had sent both of you to the same place and time, the trail would've been to easy to follow. We feared that you both would be placed in great danger if you were together. So, we separated you."

Raye paused, thinking this through. "So, if you went back with Jak, then who... who did you send to watch over me?"

"No one. It was very difficult to send you to a different world, sending someone else through and making them blend in as well... it would have been close to impossible."

"You mean my ears?"

He nodded. "You understand quite a bit of this Raye."

She laughed. "Nothing surprises me anymore." She paused, not sure how to word her next question. "Samos, did you know who-" She stopped as her talkbox rang loudly and she picked it up. "The number you've dialed is busy. Please hang up and try your call again later. Have a nice day."

"Funny, Raye. Very funny." Jak's voice crackled through. "Is Samos there?"

Raye handed the talkbox to Samos. "It's for you."

"Jak, have you reached my old hut?"

"Yeah. What are we supposed to be looking for?"

"It should be hidden on the top shelf behind some old boxes." Samos said.

"Hold on..." There was a yell of protest from Daxter in the background. "Found it." Silence. "It's a seed."

"Yes. Before we went through the rift, I was nurturing this Life Seed from the Great Tree. You must take it to Onin so she can prepare it for Samos."

"You mean, you?" Daxter asked.

Raye laughed as Samos got frustrated. "No, the other me Daxter! My younger self needs the seed's power to become sagely."

"Wait... so you're saying the entire reason you have your powers is because of us! And you never said thank you!"

Samos groaned. "Thank you, Daxter. Now get going! Raye will meet you at Onin's tent. He turned off the device and handed it back to Raye.

She pocketed it. "I'd better get going so Jak doesn't beat me there. Thanks Samos." The sage nodded and Raye walked out the door.

--

Raye arrived at the door to Onin's tent as Jak turned around the corner. She stopped, letting him catch up. "Hey. Have any Metal Head trouble?"

"Not really." He walked inside, Daxter jumping to the floor as he did.

Pecker greeted them. "Onin says what took you so long? We had to skip lunch waiting for you three!" The soothsayer clapped and blue sparks hit the monkaw's back. "Okay, okay. She really says 'thank you for saying the Life Seed.' But I wouldn't say that if I were her!"

Raye nudged him with the toe of her boot. "Well, then it's a good thing she's the soothsayer and you're the translator, huh Pecker?"

He crossed his arms. "Hmph. Give Onin hte seed and she'll prepare it for Samos." Jak handed the seed to Onin, who levitated it in front of her. As they waited, Pecker stared at the seed. "Mmmmm... bird seed..."

Daxter turned around. "Back off, feather weight!"

Pecker put his hands... err, wings on his hips. "Listen tiny tail, I was leading my hundredth flock south before you had fur one between your legs!" He smirked. "Not that your fur means anything."

Daxter glared. "At least I'm not some over stuffed, over yappin' mouthpiece for the world's oldest professional!" He motioned at Onin. Then, flapping his arms like wings, he said in a stupid voice, "Jak says 'have a nice day.' Jak says 'I can't think on my own.'" He tapped the side of his head. "Jak says 'Go bite yourself!'"

"That's it, rat boy! Now you've really pissed me off!" They both started making karate poises and sounds.

Jak turned around. "Knock it off, both of you!"

They glared at each other. "You're lucky I'm famished." Pecker warned Daxter, poking the ottsel's chest. "Onin says take the energized Life Seed to young Samos in Haven Forest. It will give Samos the power he needs to finally see the forest from the trees. Go, quickly."

Jak and Raye walked out, Daxter climbing up Jak's pants' leg to get to his shoulder, muttering insults.

Raye looked over at Dax. "You know, it would benefit all of us if you two didn't start arguing at every inopportune moment."

"He started it! And besides, you aren't one to talk." He muttered, pouting on Jak's shoulder.

Both elves looked away. "Um, Jak... I... I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier."

"And I'm sorry for being a jerk. He held out his hand. "Truce?"

Raye took it gratefully. "Truce. Now, we'd better get to the forest."

--

Jak and Raye stepped off the Precursor platform that led to the main part of Haven Forest, both a light crimson. They'd had to both ride it at the same time, but it was to small to let them both stand normally, forcing them to stand very close. "Samos is probably back there." Raye pointed to the giant tree that was visible even from their spot.

"Let's go." Jak walked off, Raye following.

As they over the bridge that led to the tree, they saw Samos, the young Samos, meditating. Jak walked forward. "Samos told me to... I mean you told me to... or... well... your older version... ah, whatever. We heard you needed the Life Seed.

Samos stood. "Yes. Its power will help me speak to the plants."

Raye's ears twitched. 'Raye, KG behind us!' Ambika shouted.

The noise grew louder as Jak and Raye whipped around. Ultra-sensitive hearing picked up their voices. "There he is!"

"Roger. We're en route."

"I see 'em!"

Samos took a step back. "Jak, Raye, protect me from these guards! I must ask the plants vital questions about our future!"

The elves nodded. "Jak, stay down here. I'll take care of the ones with rocket packs." She tossed him her morph gun and released Ambika, who took off immediately. "Eat this!" She shot down the three flying towards them with a few quick blasts. She was knocked to the ground when the turbulence from the two transports disturbed the air above her. She folded her wings to her body and crawled away from the pressure pinning her down to the grass and flew back up, above the giant red vehicles.

Swooping down in front of one, she growled at the soldiers still inside. "Hello boys." She flew down and shoved the door back up, welding it shut with two eco-charged fingertips. She flew up to the driver's window and slammed her hand through, cutting it badly, worse when her fist went through the guard's face plate as well. She broke the lock and threw the door to the ground, slipping inside. She hit the autopilot button. "Where would you like to go?" The computer's voice, the same as the one that she had been forced to hear for two year's in Praxis' prison, asked.

Ignoring Ambika's protests, Raye took back over. "Back to the Palace."

"Confirmed. Destination, Baron Praxis' Palace." Raye jumped to the ground as the transport flew off, the guards still inside yelling in protest. Raye ran back towards the stairway to help Jak. 'You could've sent them to the bottom of the Port, at least. Or the Metal Head nest.'

'I want them to stay alive. There's no need for pointless killing. They hadn't done anything to us, not yet anyway. Maybe this will scare them badly enough to make them quit.'

'You're getting soft, but I see your point.' Raye ran up to see Lykaios, surrounded by corpses, strangling a guard that was probably still alive from the look of glee on his face. "Lykaios, stop it!"

He looked over his shoulder at her and, with a viscous grin on his face, snapped the man's neck. "There. I stopped."

Ambika took Raye's mouth. "You idiot! You didn't have to kill them! We just had to protect Samos, not add more lives to the death count!"

Lykaios glared. "They deserve it after what they did to us."

"No one deserves that!" She gestured to the corpses that had been murdered in the most brutal ways she'd ever seen. Lykaios glared one more time before turning back into regular Jak.

Samos stood from his meditation, ignoring the corpses. "The Life Seed has given me a terrible vision. The Baron is planning to destroy the Precursor Stone! He aims to crack it open somehow. If he succeeds, the energy released will be beyond comprehension! It will destroy the world and more... ending all life! The plants are crying out for protection! You two must stop the Baron! Stop him, however you can!"

Jak and Raye both nodded. "We'll stop him." Jak said.

"I'm returning to the Underground. I need to speak to my older self." He picked his way through the corpses and walked away.

It was then that Jak seemed to realize the extent of what he'd done. "Oh Mar... did I...?" Pure horror spread across his face.

Raye hugged him. "It wasn't you, Jak. It was Lykaios."

Jak took a shaky breath. "Never again... I'm never letting him out again."

Raye, who was still hugging him, let go and laid a hand on his shoulder. "You'll have to eventually. If the eco in your system is allowed to build up to high, he'll force his way out. It's better if you let him out peacefully than have him fight you."

He didn't respond, just looked around. "How do we get rid of these?" He knelt down and touched one on the chest plate, and it burst into purple flames. "Woah!"

Raye did the same. A rush of eco flew through her fingers at high speed, setting the corpse aflame. She pulled her hand away, staring at her palm. The mark was glowing brightly and tingling. "Well, that's new."

They burned the rest of the corpses, the flames touching nothing else, not even the grass under the bodies. "Okay, as creeped out as I am, that was so cool!" Daxter cried.

"Daxter, that was not cool. That was dangerous." Raye scolded. Jak's talkbox rang and he pulled it out.

"What's up Vin?"

"I need you and Raye to get to the Power Station. We've got a problem."

"Okay, we'll be there as fast as we can." He turned to Raye. "Come on."

--

SC: Wow, I finished this one pretty fast. Sorry if the first part is shitty, I just felt the need to have some kind of mark that signified Jak and Raye's touch of the dark side, not to mention the agreements. It was that, or have them sign contracts, and that last one would just seem weird. I'll try and finish Child of a Shinobi's chapter quickly too. Read and Review people!

Ja ne!

SC