Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from the Jak & Daxter™ series. The only character I own is my OC, Cara. All others are owned by Naughty Dog™. Any of the soundtracks I provide for future portrayal of my story are not owned by me and are used solely for the purpose of this story. The rating of the chapters in this story are subject to change, varying from T to M. This will be noted at the top of chapters for discretion.

R&R: Encouraged and appreciated.

She's Worth Defending

Chapter 2: Eco Freak

T

I sat in the lab, in silence. It's hard to believe that this lab was ever silent. While looking at my reflection in the glass, I placed a wild strand of blonde hair behind my elongated ear. My eyes strayed from my reflection to the door behind the glass when I heard it open. Just like everyday for the past couple months, in strolled CDR. Erol, Baron Praxis, the 'Eco Freak' (which he had been unpleasantly named), and four Krimzon Guards.

"Set him up." Praxis commanded. He walked past everyone else and towards the torture device, still with a composed posture.

Eco Freak walked in handcuffs around his wrist and ankles, his face looking towards the ground.

A guard butted him in the back to so he'd keep moving.

I could see his face from here. So exhausted, so out of it. His blue eyes were glazed over and accompanied with dark circles. He had, yet another, bruise near his eye and his lip seemed to have been healing from being busted open. He stood in front of the chair motionless as the guards began to release him from his handcuffs.

"You know the drill." Praxis said, nonchalantly.

Eco Freak didn't move.

CDR. Erol stepped towards him. "Now, I would hate to cause you more pain, considering everything you've been through," Eco Freak looked up at him as he moved closer to him, "but, I can't have you being difficult." And as CDR. Erol said those final words, he got uncomfortably close to the prisoner's face. Eco Freak continued his hazed stare, but looked directly in my Commander's eyes. "Now," They were practically nose to nose, "Be a good boy and get…in…the chair." CDR. Erol retreated a little and chuckled, but was to only be greeted by a nice, powerful headbutt.

CDR. Erol stumbled back, hissing through his teeth. He placed a hand over his head and then looked at his hand to see if his experiment drew blood. With narrowed eyes, and a frustrated yell, he lifted his arm and backhanded the Freak across the face. The Eco Freak's head turned at the contact and he was immediately thrown onto the torture chair by the guards. He didn't even bother to fight. He just let them strap him in. The Baron just stood there, completely unfazed by everything.

I walked closer to the protection glass and crossed my arms, looking at the chaos before me. Every time I stand here I ask myself the same question.

What have I done?

Why am I here?

For the sake of research?

After the incident before, I was recruited to watch in the lab. This was a position I should have been monitoring from the very beginning. I trusted CDR. Erol and the Baron, especially, to make sure things didn't get out of control. Of course, when I asked to accompany them in the beginning, that thought was rejected immediately. The Baron then started referring to my 'Eco Mutation program' as the 'Dark Warrior program'. Also, that the program was solely being supervised by him. He insisted that this was a bigger step. The Baron said he would prove to me that doing my experiment his way would work to our advantage. I shouldn't have let this happen, but then again, I would never have any say.

But, daydreaming about what I would have done differently won't change anything now. The jolt of Dark Eco and the sound of agonizing screams reminded me of that.

I could barely watch as the prisoner was brutally tortured right before my eyes. It wasn't the first time I have witnessed this, but it doesn't and will never make it easier.

I'm a medic. When someone comes to me because they are sick, I can't sympathize, only treat. When someone comes to me because they are hurt, I can't sympathize, only treat. I have had people walk into my office and never take a step back out. I'm used to illness and death, but to watch someone being tortured, over and over, usually resulting in them being treated by me constantly when it could be avoided - it hurts.

The wave of Dark Eco stopped.

"Dark Eco injection, Phase 1, complete. Bio readings nominal and unchanged."

"Turn it up." The Baron demanded, obviously frustrated.

"Gladly." CDR. Erol smirked and looked to a guard who was in charge of the Eco pump. He gave him a thumbs up and received a nod in return.

No.

I couldn't hold it in anymore.

I pressed the 'Call' button to receive attention from both my higher-ups'.

"You can't!" I talked into the intercom. "If he's injected anymore, he'll die! Is that what you want? All m-…your research! Killing him will only throw all of our findings into the fire." I could hear my voice echoing from inside the chamber.

Praxis and CDR. Erol passed a glance at each other. The Baron signaled CDR. Erol to lean in, in which he complied.

My Commander looked to me with a devilish smirk before he signaled the guard, once more, to bump up the levels of Eco for the next injection.

I clicked onto the intercom again, "Wait!" You can't-…"

"Shut up, bitch! Learn your place!" My Commander looked back at me and quickly turned back around.

I released the trigger on the intercom, not taking my eyes off of my Commander. I could hear the beam charging up. It has never pumped this much Dark Eco before; it sounded like it was going to short circuit. The tip of the laser spun rapidly before it shot the largest, brightest concentration of Dark Eco I have ever seen.

CDR. Erol watched with a smile while the Baron looked expressionless. The purple haze from the Dark Eco reflected off of their faces.

The victim's back arched. He clenched his fists tightly as the Dark Eco surged throughout his body. His eyes were closed and his face contorted in pain. He yelled, he screamed, he begged, but the surges didn't stop. He struggled to break free, thrashing his body back and forth. Blood vessels broke around his eyes and mucous carelessly dripped from the corners of his mouth. I watched as the veins in his arms practically popped, desperately trying to gain strength to break from the straps.

The pumped stopped.

He fell roughly back onto the chair. He opened his eyes. His chest was heaving as he struggled to breathe; as if he forgot how. The Freak's head titled to the side before his eyes rolled to the back of his head.

"Dark Eco injection cycle complete. Bio readings nominal and unchanged."

The Baron scoffed. "Nothing! I was informed that this one might be different!"

"He is surprisingly resistant to your 'experiments' Baron Praxis. I fear that the Dark Warrior program has failed." CDR. Erol said, his eyes following the Baron, who was now pacing.

"Agh!" The Baron turned towards his experiment and lifted his head by grabbing a handful of his hair. "You should at least be dead with all the Dark Eco I've pumped into you!" The Baron than slammed the Freak's head back down on the chair.

I was fidgeting. I was uncomfortable. I thought that my hands would stop shaking if I placed them in the pockets of my coat, but I felt an empty vile at my fingertips and carefully pulled it out. The vile read: Mutated Green Eco.

Yes, I've continued giving the prisoner Green Eco. I needed to. I couldn't let him die. That's against what I stand for. I became uneasy when the Baron spoke of how he didn't understand how his 'specimen' has lived for so long. I had to keep this poor man alive.

"What now? Metalhead armies are pressing their attacks. Without a new weapon, my men cannot hold them off forever!" CDR. Erol shared his concern with the Baron, but more so, showed fear, which I never saw often.

"I will not be remembered as the man who lost this city to those vile creatures!" The Baron exclaimed and rushed towards CDR. Erol, "Move forward with the final plan!" He then looked to the chair, extending an arm towards his prisoner. "And finish off this 'thing' tonight."

"As you wish." CDR. Erol stepped aside as Baron Praxis began to walk towards the door. He, then, turned to the Freak. CDR. Erol placed a hand on the prisoner's shoulder and leaned over above him. "I'll be back later." He grinned before turning away to walk with the Baron.

I just sat there. I felt less anxious when CDR. Erol and Baron Praxis left the chamber. If only there was something I could do. I sat with my knuckles against my head, my arm propping up my head. I was in a daze, just staring at my legs.

I quickly looked up when I heard a voice I've never heard before inside the chamber. The voice was overly exuberant and squeaky.

An orange looking squirrel rode a floating platform to the man, who was barely conscious now, and spoke to him as if he knew him.

I quickly put my hand over the 'Alert' button, but couldn't press it. My hand just hovered over it. I kept watching the two.

"Ding, ding! …Third floor!…Body chains, roach food, torture devices." The squirrel jumped from the platform onto the prisoner. "Hey, buddy…you seen any heroes around here? WHOA! What'd they do to you?" He had no worry in his voice as he surveyed the man on the chair. "Jak," he whined, "It's me…Daxter!"

Jak?

The prisoner struggled to open his eyes and lift his head to look at whoever was talking to him, and at that moment, standing on top of his chest. The man flinched and laid back down.

"That's a fine hello!" The orange animal narrowed his eyes at the man. "I've been crawling around in this place, risking my tail…literally, to save you… " He began walking on the man and happened to step on the blonde man's crotch, making the man involuntarily lift his head and go cross-eyed for a moment. "I've been looking for you for two years! Say something! Just this once!" The animal leaned down and grabbed the prisoner by the collar.

"I'm gonna kill Praxis!" The man raised his head.

The squirrel, his name apparently Daxter, covered the man's mouth. The man's words now being muffled and his eyes started to flutter and roll back. "Shhh!…Right now, we gotta get you out of here." Daxter jumped down to one of the man's wrists and started trying to figure out how to release him. "Just let me figure out how to open the security locks for your chair…so…"

In the meantime, the prisoner started to groan and heave his chest. The animal looked back just in time to jump from the chair when the man broke free from the locks.

The prisoner's skin was a pale blue, his hair a silver hue. Black talons replaced where his normal fingers would be and his eyes completely black. Dark Eco surged around his body as he inspected his own hands.

Daxter cowered away from his friend. "Or, uh, you can do it…"

The man got down from his chair and stood up straight. His chest heaved up and his talons swayed at his sides. The only thing I saw in his eyes was destruction. He started to walk towards his friend.

"Jak? Easy now. Easy, buddy. It's your old pal Daxter, remember?" Daxter looked away, covering his face with his hands as his friend raised his talons at him.

Just as 'Jak' was about to bring his claws down, he stopped.

"Daxter?" His demonic form faded away and his eyes returned to their normal blue. He stumbled back, holding his head.

Daxter quickly went back to his obnoxious behavior as he gave his friend a stern look. "What the HECK was THAT? Sheesh, remind me not to piss you off! Come on, tall, dark and gruesome." As Jak started to walk away, his furry buddy hopped onto his shoulder. "We're outta here. Oh, and I, uh, brought you some new threads. Put 'em on."

Jak stopped walking and his friend hopped down and back onto the prison floor. Daxter scurried over to the bag he had left next to the chair. After picking it up and checking the contents inside, he turned towards his friend and handed the bag to him.

"I hope this will fit your new…style." Daxter chuckled.

Jak stuck his hand into the bag and pulled out whatever what was in it. He didn't hesitate to break free from his prison suit. He pulled his arms out of it and began to push the suit down his body and stepped out. He had no patience; one pant leg got caught on his ankle and resulted in it being completely ripped off. He curled his thumbs under the waistband of his under-clothing and started to pull it off. That's when I realized I had been sitting here, just watching some person I didn't know get undressed. I quickly looked away.

Instead, I looked over towards the 'Alert' button again.

Should I?

"You good?" I heard Daxter ask.

"Yeah." Jak stepped down and wiggled his foot, making sure his new boots fit.

"Alright then! Now we're outta here!" Once again, Daxter jumped to Jak's shoulder. They walked off towards the door, only to end up jumping up into a vent to leave the area.

I found myself hovering over the button again and I just stared at it. I felt my fingertips brush against its surface. I already ruined this man's life. I don't have it in me to do it again.

What am I even doing here?

"Looks like we have, yet, another problem." I heard a male's voice behind me.

I quickly turned to see CDR. Erol and the butt of his gun.

I felt a sharp pain.

In a split second, my vision was blurry and horizontal. I watched as boots walked past me. CDR. Erol didn't hesitate to drop a fist onto the 'Alert' button forcefully. Red lights flashed throughout the lab, the noise of an alarm sounded, and that's when I knew I probably wouldn't be seeing the light of day again.

"Send some guards in here!" CDR. Erol yelled out into the hall. "And make sure that Freak doesn't set a foot outside of the HQ!"

The boots came back in my vision and started to walk away, only to turn around and stop right in front of my face.

CDR. Erol kneeled down, his face the only thing in my hazy vision.

"I knew you were more trouble than you were worth." My Commander spoke softly and then chuckled. He began to walk away while I watched countless boots swarm in front of me.

Everything went black.