A/N: New chapter! Yay! Thanks to the following reviewers:
Lioness of darkness all will be explained somewhere in either this chapter or the next. ...Maybe. It will be somewhere in this fic. If I can remember where I wrote that part down...growls at her own absentmindedness
Eva Kasumi I didn't tell you because...I posted it as a spur of the moment thing. Maybe that wasn't such a good idea...and there will be meanness but for a different reason. And there WILL be a happy ending!
KazPar you nearly gave me a heart attack! Damn you! Naw, luv ya really!
Vilyia
DarkMistress950 hey, you're lucky to get it this early! And now this chapter is soooooooooooo late! I am sooooooooo sorry!
LittleMissGothicChyld you should remember this one! I let you read it once! But I can't remember how much you read.
Karr rah? Slightly scared
Autumn Dynasty
Jenner
Disclaimer: the only characters I own are the ones you don't recognise. Some appear in this chapter that wanted to be frighteningly short. I'm talking a page or less here!
Warnings: Same as last time - Yaoi, vampirism. A little blood, a little love, a little 'Torn, why is your hand on my ass?' grins Also, I've taken a lot of stuff on vampires from the Night World books by L. J. Smith. Also, I have no idea if they have TVs, cameras (though I think they do from the pics on the Underground wall...) and stuff like that in the actual Jak world but they do here. Deal with it. I do say its AU in the summary!
(((story start)))
Ashelin was to announce in public the vote that was to take place about Dead Town the next day. A large crowd had gathered outside the main entrance to the palace to hear what she had to say. Most of them were journalists and photographers from various newspapers, Jak noted as he scanned the crowd. He was sitting behind Ashelin and Torn next to a few other apparently important people. Ashelin stood at the front centre, with Torn a step behind her to the right, acting as a bodyguard. Not that Ashelin really needed one. She'd proved that the first time Jak had met her.
"...We realise that as the people of Haven City lost friends and family so the people should decide what happened to that part of our city..." Ashelin went on to give the details.
'Ashelin should fire whoever writes these speeches...' Jak thought, scanning the crowd that had gathered. Most of the people were news reporters and journalists with tape recorders and photographers with cameras. None of them posed a threat.
Jak glanced around him. Nothing about this event really interested him and he wasn't sure exactly why he was here. Probably because it was good for Ashelin if it showed that she had the support of the city's hero. The blond looked towards the blue summer sky. A few clouds drifted across the sky and sunshine glinted off something metallic on a roof behind and to the side a bit of Ashelin's press conference.
Jak's eyes widened. The 'something metallic' was a gun! He couldn't tell what kind of gun it was but the person was definitely aiming it towards the stage. They hadn't noticed Jak had seen them and seemed to still be sighting their target. When the person turned away for a minute Jak saw it was equipped with a laser sight. Jak looked back to the crowd and at Ashelin. He had to act natural in case the person realized that he'd been seen. If that happened Jak might not have an opportunity to save whoever was the target.
There wasn't a red mark on Ashelin's back so Jak knew she wasn't the target. A quick glance back towards the person on the roof let Jak know he was ready to shoot and just seemed to be waiting for a signal. Jak looked back at Ashelin, checking again to make sure that she wasn't the target. But there still wasn't a laser mark. So if Ashelin wasn't the target, who was?
Jak glanced at Torn. He didn't really expect him to be that target because he couldn't think of any reason why anyone would try to kill the tattooed elf. The little red mark was there, on Torn's back, in just the right place for anything shot from that angle to go straight through his heart. Jak gasped. This person was trying to kill Torn!
Jak looked around him again, searching for anything that could be a signal. On top of the building opposite, Jak saw light being reflected off a mirror. He glanced back to the person with the gun in time to see him nod and turn back to the gun. Jak threw himself forward and knocked Torn forward off the stage as something whistled through the air and embedded itself in the place where Torn once stood.
The two elves rolled forward as the crowd screamed and scattered. Ashelin immediately turned to see who had fired but the person had gone. A quick signal sent guards into the building to find the person. She turned to her friends lying on the ground.
Jak was pushing himself into a sitting position where he'd rolled on to his back. He turned to Torn. "Are you okay?"
But Torn didn't answer. He was staring in shock at the object stuck in the stage.
A wooden stake tipped with a sharp silver point.
For a couple of days after the assassination attempt Torn had been ordered to stay home in case the people tried again. He wasn't happy about it. Every day so far he called Ashelin a couple of times, trying to get her to let him get back to work.
Jak hadn't seen him since the incident but he'd heard all about it. At the moment he was home as well, relaxing in front of the TV. He and Daxter had moved into Keira's ground floor apartment with her while they looked for a place of their own. Daxter, at the moment, was with Tess, probably cleaning up and closing The Naughty Ottsel for the night. Keira was working late on a zoomer for an up-and-coming racer at the garage that she owed a favour to so she wouldn't be back for a while. That meant Jak was home alone, peacefully watching TV.
That was, until the rock smashed through the window behind him, narrowly missing his head.
Several more quickly followed and Jak had to quickly exit the room. He stood in the hallway, back against the wall and watched more rocks and stones come flying through the window.
'Keira's going to be so pissed...' he thought as he looked at all the glass and rocks on the floor. One rock had a note wrapped around it. Jak stepped forward to pick it up during a pause in the bombardment. He quickly pulled the note off the stone and read it. It said:
We know you are in league with our enemy.
Come out and face the consequences.
Jak cautiously approached the window. His shoes crunched on the glass on the floor.
Outside the window stood five people dressed all in black. Their faces were covered in scarves and bandanas.
"I have no idea what you mean. Go bother someone else!" Jak shouted at them, waving the note.
"You protected him! You saved the monster!!" one of the people called out.
"..." Jak thought for a minute. "You mean Torn? Sure he's strict but he's no monster!"
"You know what we're talking about!" Another snapped. It was a young female by the sound of it. "You know what he is!"
"I don't know what the fuck you're talking about!" Jak snapped in frustration. Who were these freaks anyway? And why couldn't they leave him alone to clean up the mess that they'd created so that Keira wouldn't kill him?
"Sure you don't," the girl said sarcastically.
"I don't! Now go away! Let me clean up the mess you made and let me live in peace!" Jak shouted, exasperated.
"Life will never be peaceful anymore for you," the first speaker said mysteriously.
With that said, the group ran off in different directions. Jak didn't care to follow any of them. All he wanted to do was tidy up in time for Keira and Daxter returning home. With a sigh he went to go find a dustpan and brush.
Keira arrived home about fifteen minutes later and Daxter not long after that. The mechanic girl was slightly pissed about her windows and Daxter made unhelpful comments about Jak throwing a party without them. Both were curious about what the strangers had said about Torn.
"Monster? Torn's not a monster!" Keira exclaimed.
"You didn't do missions for the Underground!" Daxter said. "I'm sure he meant to kill us with half of them!"
"Somehow I don't think that's what they meant," Jak said. "I'll pay him a visit tomorrow morning and try to get some answers."
"Yeah, you should. Do you think he knows what they meant?" Daxter asked.
"He might," Jak said. "You shouldn't come with me though, Dax. Torn doesn't like you much so he'd be more unwilling to share in front of you."
"I've got a club to run anyway," the ottsel said. He yawned. "I'm off to bed now. Goodnight!" he bounded out of the door.
"I'm going to bed too. Goodnight Jak. Don't forget to out the lights out. And board up the windows before you leave in the morning." Keira said. She kissed Jak on the cheek and walked from the room.
"Goodnight," Jak said. He turned back to the glass-covered floor and began to finish tidying up.
The morning came and Jak found some boards to put over the windows. When he was done Keira came out to inspect his work.
"You're going to go see Torn now? I called Ashelin and she said he's still confined to his home," Keira said. "He's really not happy with that so expect him to be pissed off at you for no reason."
"I know. If I'm not back by midnight, assume he's killed me," Jak joked lightly.
The green-blond hopped on his zoomer. Torn didn't live too far away so Jak was soon knocking on his door.
Torn answered the door looking very pissed off. "Unless you've come to tell me I can get back to work, I'm not interested," he growled at Jak.
"Torn, we have to talk," Jak said. "Something strange happened last night and it had something to do with you."
"Really?" Torn raised an irritated eyebrow.
"I'll explain inside," Jak said, pushing past Torn. The older elf shut the door behind him and led Jak into the lounge.
"Well then, explain," Torn said, gesturing for Jak to take a seat.
Jak looked around him. This was actually the first time he'd ever actually been in Torn's home. The older elf lived simply, as Jak had expected. The room was fairly plain. There was a TV in one corner and there were red leather chairs and a sofa. The carpet was dark red and the walls were white. A few shelves of books lined the walls and a coffee table in the middle of the room.
Turning to Torn, Jak began to explain. "Last night five people decided to throw rocks through the windows while I watched TV. One had this note attached," Jak said. He handed the note to Torn.
"' We know you are in league with our enemy. Come out and face the consequences.' Why would this have anything to do with me?" Torn asked.
"They said something about me 'saving the monster' Torn, and I know they meant you," Jak looked at Torn seriously. "Why do they think you're a monster?"
"How should I know? I have no idea what they meant. Now if that's all, you can leave. And tell Ashelin to let me get back to work!" Torn stood and glared at Jak.
"No Torn! I know you know! I just want a few answers!" Jak said, standing too.
"No!" Torn snarled. "I can't tell you!"
"So you do know!" Jak said triumphantly. "Why can't you say?"
"I just can't. I'd lose everything," Torn said, sitting back down. 'If I tell him, he'll leave...I'd never see him again and he'd hate me, maybe even join them and kill me...'
"Torn, I'm your friend. We're all your friends. Whatever it is, we'll understand," Jak said quietly. He bent down to Torn's level. "Tell me."
"No...I- you wouldn't believe me anyway," Torn said.
"How would you know?" Jak asked. Torn was beginning to really try his patience now.
"Look, Jak, just trust me when I say you won't want to be around me when you fid out," Torn looked at the floor. "Go home Jak and forget about it."
"I can't forget about it Torn. Not until I have my answers," Jak told him. "Tell me, Torn."
"No!" Torn shouted. He glared at Jak. "I've already told you I can't!"
"No, you won't. You can tell me, you just won't!" Jak argued. "As your friend, you can tell me." Jak looked into Torn's blue eyes, letting him know he was serious.
'Damn persistent brat...' Torn thought.
Jak was beginning to look annoyed. Torn realised he would have to tell soon.
"You aren't going to believe this. Or like it either, for that matter," Torn began.
"Just tell me, Torn," Jak said wearily. He was fed up with arguing.
"Fine, fine..." Torn muttered. He leaned back against the sofa. "I'm not human, Jak."
Jak looked blank.
"I'm a vampire."
(((chapter end)))
A/N: Lookit! Finished! Wow! ...Took me hours. But then again, I am working on several fanfics at the same time. Anyway, leave a review please! It will be muchly appreciated!
