Happy birthday to me, happy b-day tooo me! La-la-la-la-la-la-laaaaaaa! La-la-la-laaaaa-laaaaaaaa!… wow, subtle hint there….

Anyway, sorry this chapter took so long. The fight scene took ages to work out…

Sweet sixteen! And Barcardi! Man, I love dem breezers.

Yoko Child Of The Moon

Squee! Thanks!

LunarSquirrel:

They do huh? Oh well.

Hmmm…I can't win either way with the croca-dog thing can I? Just pretend its dead….please?

Afeenaninganing:

Thanx for the inspiration and the ideas. Jaks mother name is STILL undecided, and will be untill she makes an appereance. BTW I know Mars his first name, but it makes more snence (to me) to make it his sentence.

Invader Hera:

eats sandwich aw, don't cry! Heres another chappie

Johnick:

hugs thank you! Heh, naw I don't mind being called dude. I call everyone 'mate' and 'man' (even if it's a girl) so nope!

MarySueCrudder:

Thank you! It seems we share opinons, lol.

Mary-Sue Destroyer:

Bite me.

yes for 1 2:

EMILY- I hope this chapter is clearer!

AMATHEST- Too true!

babyblues15:

Thanx 4 the support!

Dark laughed as he strode through the sensors. He wasn't a lizard anymore, but an elf. However, if you tried to explain what type of elf he was, you would say he was...blurry. And powerful. His form slid from one form to the next, from short and stocky to tall and lanky, in nano-seconds, while seeming to not change at all. Looking at him for too long would give you a migrane.

It thrilled him, walking alongside his prey, choosing who to spare for the time being. His ears prikeled at the sound of voices in the distance.

"How can you lose someone? He was bl…"

Hello, Daxter. Thought Dark, and walked closer to the ottsel, who was perched on Torns shoulder.

Hello prey.

"-dy COMATOSE! He couldn't move if he friggin tried! His back was practically in two pieces! HOW?"

"Shut up Daxter. And for the Fifth time, Get your flea encrusted feet off me."

"And if that wasn't enough," screeched Daxter, ignoring Torn, "Mrs. I-can-take-care-of-myself get her ass kicked by a five-hundred year old hoboe!"

"You're five-hundred years old."

"I, Torn, am a god. And gods do…stuff…"

"Stuff?"

"Yeah, like smiting the unworthy, beening worshipped by beautiful women…"

"-Getting fleas."

"Get- hey! Don't make me smite you!"

"Oh yeah, how do you plan on doin' that?"

"Oh don't…tempt…" Daxter sniffed the air, his ears drooping. "Oh." He said.

"Oh?"

"Good news is I think I found Jak…"

"And?"

"I can only tell 'cos hes the only guy who could have that much dark stuff packed onto him to reek of the stuff." Daxter added.

"And?"

"The air stinks with the goop. Which is NOT GOOD."

"I thought you said 'he couldn't move if he tried'? how dangerous can he be?"

"Very. Think Dark Jak. I suggest we do what everyone else does when Dark comes to play – run like hell. Screaming."

Torn let his eyes rove about. A street, filled with normal looking people. Not a hint of Jak's trade-mark neon hair, glowing wings or katana-claws. He watched as a man turned down a side-street down a side street, followed by a predatory-looking young man.

In the ally, the 'preditory young man' felt his arm snap as Dark Jak caught his hand delving into his pockets. The mugger slid to his knees, gasping in pain.

Torns ears picked up the delicate sound, and slowly edged towards it.

Dark hurriedly put a hand over his victims mouth, stifleing any screaming…he then sifted his grip minuitly, and snapped the boys neak in two. As the corpse slumped forward, a wallet slipped out revealing a photo of the decised and his family.

It was dark in the ally, but Torn carried on regardless. Metal frame work lay tisted and blankened, and blobs of mealted glass decorated the ground like chewing-gum. As Torn eyed the deralict scene, stepping over a used needle, he saw a crystalline crimson tear-drop fall from an exposed girder above their heads. Torn shone his torch up and saw pale fingers laying limp on the metal.

"Why are we here?" Hissed Daxter.

"Because."

"Jak? Jak? Its me Torn-"

"-You're insane! We're dead! What the hell was that for?"

"He going to show either way…"

"He's Going To Disembowel Us!"

"You should listen to the Precursor, Torn." Dark said, while he slid himself casually out from the shadows, no longer elfin.

Torn weighed up his chances. He had his dagger, a few hand-guns and a torch to use against this…thing, and possibly the pole laying on the floor. The monster opposite him had teeth, claws, a size advantage and dark eco running up and down the lengh of his body.

In other words, he was screwed.

Turning to run, he slipped, and landed on his back. He felt the syringe dig into his side, and mentally added HIV to his personal list of 'Things going to kill Torn'. Rolling he saw long black claws scythe where his head had been a second later. Somewhere, the glass bulb in his torch shattered probably from the arcing sparks of Eco, and the light went out. Torn rolled to the side again and ripped the needle from his side as the claws came back, scoring five deep groves in the concrete where he had lain.

Drawing his duel-barrelled Eco revolvers, he fired in the beast's general direction. The ruby shots did noting more than ricocheted off his hide. He snapped his head to the side as vengeful claws ripped through his ear. Throwing himself to one side, he aimed at and obvious weak spot. His crimson shots hit their intended target and Dark screamed as blood and gore spurted from his left eyeball like a grisly faucet. Blinded, hissing in agony his turned to face torn tough nostrils flaring as he caught Torns scent. And charged.

Scrambling backwards Torn unloaded both his clips in his hide then tossed his firearms down and whipped out his curved dirk. He stabbed at the reptile, only to have talons lock against the blade. The two bloody combatants stood, locked, for half a second, before Torn's dagger shattered. In desperation, he stabbed forward with the broken blade. Dark drew his head back for his kill, Torn slammed his foot into the tough beak tip, knocking the beast back. As Dark recovered, Torns hand scrabbled against the cold floor, his finger tips slicing themselves against the sharp metal. Bloody fingers closed around a reassuringly solid object, then propelled it forcefully into the monsters face with a resounding thud against the approaching fanged maw.

Dark, in retaliation, rolled with the blow, bringing his thick blade-tipped tail into play, gouging a trench through several of Torn's vital organs. Weaving his black tongue around a shattered bone white tooth, watching the man before him twitch in agony with his good eye. Bronze scales as large as cobblestones sparked and spat with purple poison as he stalked forward, and bit through Torns wrist, and began lapping greedily at the rivulet of red flowing freely from the wound.

Torn ripped his arm away – but the damage was done. Blood dripped down his arm, then hissed and bubbled as raw Eco shot through his body, effectively paralysing him. Blood slick claws tilted his head back-

Then were knocked away by a glowing blur. Enraged and temporally blinded from the sudden light, the monster lashed out, to be blocked by glowing shields of light. Leaping away from Torn, claws slashing wildly, Dark chased his counter part as she sped out of the ally.

Torn meanwhile lay on his back, clutching at his wrist.

'I think he's gone. Can you stand?' The blur was back, suddenly, hovering above his chest. Torn grunted weakly.

'…Here.' She said, landing on his chest. 'Let me.'

A Torn hissed and arched his back as the light eco surged through his system, feeling like the dark eco was running through his veins again. Panting, he looked at his wrist and saw a fine blue scar where the mortal wound had once been. Through his the hole in his shirt he could see a web of navy blue bleed into normal tan. Raising his hand, he patted his ear, feeling the lumpy scar tissue, which Torn reckoned was deep blue as well.

'Up you get. Please, I don't know how long it will be before he returns.'

Torn nodded shakily, and stood. With a sinking feeling, he realised something.

No Daxter.

'Where is he?' He said looking around.

'Who?' Asked the little creature.

'An osttel-.'

'Oh, Daxter, he's hidden under that-' here she gestured at the rubble- 'as I didn't know if giving him light eco would be wise. He's fine, just unconscious.'

Torn nodded. 'Who are you?' he asked, but then shook head. ' that', he amended 'I have a feeling I won't believe it if you did.'

Light Jak hovered near his face. 'Probably wise.'

Maia slidiled inside the prison cell, eyes on the handsome, shirtless man who lay in her clutches. 'Yeah.' She said smirking, 'you're gay. Just look at that hair!' She giggled, tugging on the locks that had grown back after being lopped off in Sparagus. 'Disgusting colour, by the way, darling, Yellow is sooo not you!' She twirled an albino lock of hair round her finger. 'Now white hair like mine, that's classy. You're hair would look good in a snowy white shade, hmmm?'

Jak moaned, and turned over.

'Hot, but gay.' Maia said. 'Pity.' She stroked his head absently. Them worked her way up his ears. She stared hungrily at Jak, caressing his ear tips…then pulled away sharply. 'Hot, but Jak's blood.' She reminded herself. 'I will not dirty myself by using Jak's kin for my pleasure.' And she left the room.

Jak opened one eye. For once he was glad he had been in the barons prison - he could play dead real good because of it.

Jak thought. That was close.

The mechanical door in Sparagus whirred open as an BE-buggy slalomed into the city, accompanied by the less than welcome parting shots from marauders blazing through the dust cloud behind it. The driver slipped out of the buggy, looking for all the world like he had forgotten to breathe in his…interesting journey through the wasteland. He half listened to the loud curses from the desert prowlers as the twin doors slammed shut behind him.

"Cutting it a bit fine, aren't we Blue-boy?"

The Sage jumped half a foot in the air, eco crackling in shock.

"Then again," the voice continued, "you're the first one here, apart from me. So it looks like we'll be spending some quality time together. An', trust me with this, I use tha word 'quality' in the loosest possible way." The trench coat wearing figure stepped forward from where it was watching.

"I'm the sage of Yellow Eco. I live round these parts."

Blue eyes narrowed. "You…are not- I mean, Precursors, you're a woman!"

The woman laughed. By the lighting the Blue Sage could see he jaundiced features. "This is Sapragus. I can wield eco better than anybody here. Shoot better than anyone too. So I got the job."

They both fell into an uneasy silence.

"The Oracle had been active today-tonight, she muttered almost apoligetically. Nither had any clue why, "its sent its monks out into the desert, looking for temples. Mar knows why."

"Really?" asked the other sage. "I wonder why."

Untill next time, see ya!