Zoe POV
I shot awake from my nightmare, laying in my bed. I pushed aside the thin blanket, my waist and knees bandaged. I looked around to see that I was alone. Another nightmare.. I thought to myself, standing and grabbing my jacket. It was a little dusty but I shook it, putting it on and entering the main room to find an old man and little boy.
"Oh. You're awake. How do you feel?" The old man asked, hobbling towards me. I sat down right beside the boy, who was drawing away on a piece of paper.
"Like I got hit by a Zoomer. What happened? Who are you?"
"My name is Kor. This young boy really doesn't have a name. He doesn't speak. Your friends brought you here after an apparent attack on the palace. You were injured and the young girl named Tess and I patched you up. Torn is currently out and so are your friends."
"Well thank you." I nodded in appreciation, now looking at the young boy. He tugged at my sleeve, looked at my lap.
"What's up?" I asked him, but he slid onto my lap and continued to draw.
"He seems to like you. He's very shy."
"Poor guy." I muttered. He reminded me of Jak but when we were kids.
"Zoe. I couldn't help but notice that dark eco runs in your veins." Kor says after awhile, never looking from me.
"Well, you can thank the baron for that. Daek Eco is the reason I'm alive. The year and a half I was in the prison, they experimented on me. Turning me into a monster."
"A monster?" he asked.
"Yea. I can transform. Skin turns pale, tattoos appear darker, eyes go black. I.. I can't do it often, just whenever I'm angry. I've been learning to control it." I said, the boy pintinh at the picture. I looked at it, seeing a drawing of man with white hair and purple skin.
"What's this?" it wasn't anything special but it looked like..
"Oh, your friend Jak saved us from the Baron's forces but transformed like you described."
"What?"
"Zoe!" Torn exclaimed from the doorway.
"hey tattooed wonder."
"You said you were going to stop them from doing something stupid." He said, crossing the room.
"Yeah, but they didn't stop me from doing something dumb." I shrugged, but winced at the pain.
"What happened?"
"I blew up a lot of stuff." I said, he sighing and facepalming. I brushed the boy's hair aside, as he continued to draw.
"That was dangerous, reckless, and stupid."
"Well, two out of the three things you said sums up my experience here in haven city. Speaking of which. You mind driving me to tge elevator? I left something there."
"You mean The zoomer Jak brought here?"
"Heck yes. We got spray paint?"
"We should. I got a feeling that you stole that zoomer."
"Well duh. Mine exploded." I shrugged, picking the kid up and putting him on the table. I couldn't help but notice his necklace. Kor just stared daggers at me, but I ignored him and patted the kid on the head.
"Zoe, please tell me it isn't one of the Krimzon Guard's."
"Technically, yes and no." I shrugged, grabbing a blue hankerchief and the black spray paint, heading to the street and began working on painting Erol's zoomer. Well, my zoomer. It took me at least a half hour, I looking over it satisfied.
"Nice ride, Zoe." I heard Daxter say from behind me. I turned around and smiled, the both of them approaching me.
"Yeah. Might take it to the mechanic's shop and give her some juice."
"I still can't believe you stole Erol's Ride! He's gonna be so mad!" Daxter exclaimed.
"Well I punched him first." I shrugged.
"You got balls I'll give you that." Jak said, offering a hand. I took it, he gently helping me up.
"How mad was Torn?"
"Furious. Sent us on a mission as punishment."
"Yikes." I shook my head as we went back inside.
"Scouts report movement in dead town. Creatures moving towards the sacred site just as before." Torn said as us three approach the table.
"What happened, uh, before?" Daxter asked.
"Metalheads broke the old city wall. We fought them but then the baron pulled back, leaving everyone outside the new barrier to die. Only the shadow stayed and somehow stopped the attack."
"And now you expect us to go out there again?"
"You catch on fast. If you prevent the metalheads from reaching the sacred site the shadow will be…most grateful. He'll even might ask to see you. But hey, im probably wasting this, but here's a Vulcan barrel for that peashooter of yours. Believe me. You're gonna need it."
"I uh, need a gun too." I said, "Mine kinda got lost in a firey ball."
"You are not planning on going with them, are you?" Torn raised a brow.
"Yes, I am." I said, determined.
"You're hurt, Zoe. I won't-"
"you won't? You are not my father nor my boss torn. I am not letting them dive headfirst into something without backup."
"Okay. Here." He passes me a gun, this one with a pump action.
"She is determined to keep you idoits out of trouble. Y'all better keep her happy." Torn said, I already heading out.
"C'mon slow pokes. We can take my new ride."
After emptying our clips into what seemed to be an endless hoard of metalheads, we approached the so called sacred site. But what we found… was a very familiar building.
"Is that… is that? No, it couldn't be. That's not.."
"It's.. Samo's hut." Jak finished, I in shock.
"But how, when, where, why?" Daxter asked, hiding his face in his hands.
"We're in the future, guys. This.. horrible place is our world." Jak said, I placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Zoe? What's the matter?"
"I… I can't imagine how.." I looked at him.
"Hey its okay. Take it easy." He sooths, holding me steady. I felt ill and nauseous and my legs were weak. Maybe it was because of the concussion or the fact that we never left sandover village.
"The precursor machine must've shot us into the future." Jak said.
"then… what about that.. oh no. We.. we brought the metalheads to the past when we shot forward. We caused this jak." I said, tears beginning to form.
"No, no. It was the metalhead leader's fault. Not ours." Jak said, holding me close. Even daxter joined the hug, I feeling safe with them close.
After a few minutes of us standing there, we returned to the underground hifeout, The door slid open to reveal Torn standing with his arms crossed.
"Hey."
"The shadow decided its time to meet you three."
"Why's that old ruin so important to you?"
"There's a powerful energy source in that old house. The metalheads are drawn to it."
"Eco. Green Eco." I said.
"Yeah, we knew the guy who used to live there."
"So you're the new recruits who keep getting into trouble." A voice behind Torn said.
"Oh no, not you!" daxter exclaimed as we got a look at him. It was.. a younger version of Samos?
"What the hell?"
"Welcome to our humble underground movement. I am known as the shadow. But you may call me Samos. And you are?"
"I'm gonna pass out." I said, bracing myself against Jak again.
"Sheesh Jak, we went through all that to meet his holyness, old log in the head grandpa green?" Daxter asked, jumping down and pointing at the younger samos.
"Don't you know who we are?" jak asked.
"Sorry kid. Never seen you before. And I never forget a face. Especially one that ugly." He said, pointing at daxter.
"So it begins."
"How is this possible? We came through the rift with you, into the future right?"
"Yeah, you used to look older than dirt. And uglier than a knotted stump. What gives? Didja get a little nip and tuck while we were gone?" Daxter asked, Jak facepalming.
"Listen you three, I don't know what kind of twigs you've been chewing on but I don't have time for this. We've got a baron to overthrow, a child heir to protect, an invasion of metalheads to stop and a city to save. I say the schedule is pretty full. Besides, I haven't gone through any rifts. I hate teleporting."
"Sure sounds like the old samos."
"Right now, I need you to go to haven forest and root out a few metalheads. That forest is my source of power and I can't protect it for much longer. Chase down and destroy all metalhead scouts you find there. Good luck and welcome to the fight." He says, Jak nodding.
"Wait. Samos.. can I ask you something?"
"Yes?"
"You said something about it being your source of power. Like.. eco maybe?"
"I suppose so. Why?"
I nervously looked at torn and jak, then at Samos.
"I.. well need help controlling eco." I said, rubbing my arm.
"Hmm. If you boys don't mind leaving her in my care while you take care of the scout problem?" Samos asked.
"No, but give us a sec." jak says, pulling me into the side room.
"You sure about this Zoe? You and Samos didn't do well training before."
"this is a different Samos.. I think. Look, if we have any chance at anything we face I need to learn how to control dark eco. I am the dark eco sage."
"But I saw what it did to your dad… I just.."
"I know, Jak. Trust me. I'll be here when you get back." I said, touching his cheek Gently.
"Okay."
"You be careful."
"I always am." He shrugs, hugging me before leaving with Daxter.
"So, I didn't catch your name." Samos said as I approached the table.
"Zoe." I answered, taking off my jacket.
"Well, Zoe. Let's begin."
