Thanks for all the positive feedback everyone!

This chapter was quite difficult to write without it sounding completely horrible. I couldn't even think of a good name for it! Enjoy!

Chapter 8

Jak woke up the next morning feeling like his head was so swollen it was on the point of exploding from crying himself to sleep. Slowly, he lifted Keira off his chest and went to the bathroom. He looked at himself in the mirror. He was still dusty from the day before, and had a line of dried blood along his brow. Hopping into the tiny shower stall, he scrubbed his body of yesterday's grime. As the scalding water pelted his tough skin he wished so badly to awake from the nightmare.

What will those things do with a three month old baby? Jak thought and cringed at his graphic imagination, Why my son? Why was I taken? My brother? What did they gain from us? All these thoughts and more made their way through Jak's tired mind.

When Jak at last got out of the shower, he dressed and came out into the small room. He saw a petite nurse offering Keira some food. Bluntly, she refused and told her to get out. Jak walked up and took the bowl of oatmeal from the nurse, nodding as if to say he would take care of it.

The nurse left and Jak sat on the edge of Keira's bed holding up the bowl. She looked into his eyes pleadingly, full of pain.

Jak tried to appear lighthearted, "Keira, you have to eat. You don't want Trajan to come back and see his mom half starved, do you?" He had a hard time saying his son's name, but tried to smile for encouragement.

Reluctantly, Keira allowed for her blonde fiancée to spoon feed her until Torn and Damas walked in unannounced.

"We're going now, Jak," Torn said, adjusting the holster on his belt.

"I'm coming with you, then. I'm ready now," Jak stated, not to be swayed this time.

Torn was about to protest but Damas stopped him, "Good. Let's get moving."

Jak looked back at Keira, who nodded with a tear and whispered, "Bring Trajan back."

He kissed her on the lips, tasting the salty tear that had landed upon them. Glancing back at her one last time, he locked his eyes with hers and left.


Not ever having ridden in a land vehicle before, much less drive one, Torn, Ashelin, and Jak rode with King Damas in his large and sturdy desert 'car' known as a Gila Stomper. This was the top choice among the Wastelanders, as it had an automatic gun turret mounted on top of it, killing any enemy that moved.

The way to Marauder territory was well known by all Wastelanders. The two rivals had been at each other's throats since Damas had founded Spargus some twenty years ago.

Twenty-five desert vehicles followed their leader over the sandy dunes and over the small river into enemy grounds. Above them, five KG carriers flew, holding about 25 soldiers in each. It wasn't a very large force, altogether only about 220 strong; but then again, most of the enemy hadn't had the pleasure of escaping Spargus City with their lives.

What the combined force of Haven and Spargus lacked in number, they made up with the highly destructive and highly accurate weapons they packed with them.


The lead cars and carriers were now in view of the Marauder fortress, an island in the middle of a large lake, small bridges leading to it from the main body of land.

The group came to a stop and two 'warning' shots were launched off from an artillery vehicle beside Damas's Gila Stomper. Jak sat in the vehicle impatiently, watching the shots go off. His skin was positively burning with anger and he just wanted to go, to move, to kill. But, as much he hated to admit it, he knew they couldn't just fire upon the fortress from here, risking Trajan's safety. Damas had touched on what they would have to do on the drive there, but Jak did not want to acknowledge it; making a bargain with those...things.

Thankfully, his rational side took over his warmongering mindset, reminding him that he just wanted his son back safely.

It was like the Marauders had predicted this bargaining tactic, as a single vehicle traveled towards them from the bridge and stopped. It was their move now as Damas slowly drove down towards them.

Damas, Jak, Ashelin, and Torn got out, leaving their weapons behind, and walked within ten feet of three gruesome-looking Marauders. One held a wailing Trajan.

His son being metaphorically dangled in front of him was too much for Jak to handle, and he started for his son, only to be held back forcefully by Torn. The young King clenched his teeth, every muscle in his body tense as he stared at the spiky-armored wearing elf that held his son with one hand, and a gleaming blade in the other.

The one who was apparently the leader, taller than the other two and more heavily clad in armor, stepped forward, eyeing up Jak.

"I see we have the 'Great King of Haven City' in our presence," he spat in a scratchy voice, "No more than a foolish teenager!"

Then Damas spoke in a menacing voice, "What do you want in exchange for the child?"

"Oh, and the mighty desert King Damas...Can't keep a handle on your own children, let alone...your grandchild..." he hissed, shifting his snake-like eyes towards the distraught baby. "Maybe you want to know what happened to your own brats before we start dealing, eh? You have to know what you're dealing with..." The Marauder leader was just toying with them now, knowing he had the control.

Damas breathed sharply, knowing they wouldn't get anywhere soon, especially if they upset them.

"I should start at the beginning, so you can fully enjoy the story," the disgusting being smirked at the widening of Damas's eyes and Jak's anger, "The 'Prophecy'? Have you heard of it? Of course you haven't, the Baron found it long ago, amongst the hidden archives of Mar, and destroyed it..." the leader glanced around, soaking in the effect of his little 'story'. " 'The son of the Desert King will prevail over the greatest threat of the race of Elves.' Blah, blah...So the great Baron gave us weapons in exchange for your son," the Marauder looked around at the shocked faces and continued on, "The first one was easy enough, the little shit was always parading outside the safety of your city walls. He was what? Thirteen? Fourteen, then Damas? ...Anyways...Praxis told us he was no good, 'Not the one' he said. So, we sold him to the Krimzon Guard, and left him in an alleyway for them to find..." the Marauder let out an eerie laugh.

Torn and Ashelin looked at each other. That Marauder had just explained the exact way Torn had been found ten years ago.

"You!" Torn shouted, still holding Jak by the shoulders, "That was...me!"

Damas looked at Torn bewildered, "What?"

The leader cackled again, "This is too good...A family reunion?!"

Damas started for the leader, curling his fist in a white knuckled ball, anger flashing in his eyes.

The grisly leader tsk'ed, "Not so close, King," he motioned to the elf holding Trajan and on command, he held the blade close to the baby's face.

"No!" Jak shouted, fighting against Torn and uselessly reaching out, wishing so bad that he could just hold his son.

Then, the oddest thing happened. A beam of pale blue light surrounded his outstretched hand and then exploded around him. Jak looked around and saw that everyone seemed to be frozen, expressions were still and Torn's hands were like stone around his shoulders. He moved free and ran for his son, taking him from the Marauder's hold. The brightness around him began to fade and he returned to his former place in front of Torn.

Everything all of the sudden continued as if Jak's stunt had never happened.

"What the-?" The marauder that had been holding the baby shouted, seeing their leverage now in Jak's arms. He ran towards Jak, sword in striking position. Torn quickly got out his pistol that he had hidden in the belt of his pants behind his back and shot the enemy before he had a chance to swing. He then held up the gun, pointing it at the remaining two Marauders, daring them to move.

Walking right up to the leader, Torn pointed the pistol underneath its pointy chin.

"You sold me to those Krimzon Guards...Leaving me in that alleyway...I didn't even remember my own name!" With that, Torn backed away from his face, his rage continuing to build, and fired a shot directly into the Marauders head. The body fell to the ground right before the last Marauder's feet. The coward turned to run, but not before Torn unleashed another two shots into its back. The KG General then released his grip on the trigger and let the gun fall to the sand, turning around to see Jak, Ashelin and Damas staring at him.

"Mik?" Damas asked in disbelief.

Torn blinked twice when Damas said his real name, it sounded so familiar...yet distant.

Then, all their attention was distracted as a war cry sounded from the fortress. Abandoning the mystery for now, they rushed back to their car and drove back over the dune where the small force waited. It was time to rid the desert of the Marauder infestation.

In the car, Jak shielded Trajan from the sharp wind and tried to calm the hungry baby down.

Once the vehicle came to a halt, Damas yelled over Trajan's cries, "Jak! You need to get back to the city, take the extra Sand Shark from one of the artillery divisions!"

"I can't just leave you guys!" Jak shouted back.

"I'm telling you this as a father...something you should be thinking as, too!" He had beaten Jak there.

Jak felt ashamed, How could I possibly want to put my son in more danger?

He got out of the vehicle and put his scarf up, zipping up his son inside of his jacket. The wind was picking up, blowing sand everywhere, making for low visibility. A storm was surely on the way.

He took the Sand Shark and went back to Spargus in lackluster fashion. He had never driven a land vehicle before, and driving on the traction-less sand was no place to learn. Carefully, he drove, with his son still cuddled safely inside his jacket, navigating between the dunes and rocks.

Twice the time it would have taken any decent driver, Jak finally drove into the garage sector of Spargus. Leaving the engine running, he unzipped his jacket and held Trajan properly, heading for the hospital and hoping the battle was going well for his friends...and family.


Yes, silveremerald202, you got it, it was Torn.

Hope it wasn't too obvious to the rest of you!

Anyways, tell me how you all thought this chapter went, I wasn't too sure about it.

Now I'm off to write chapter nine...which I have yet to start, very unlike me!