Chapter 13
Jak didn't look back. He refused to let himself. He needed to steel himself for the battle ahead, let the weakness of his emotions go for the time being.
Turning on the laser of his blaster gun, he looked around at the tough and haggard Wastelander army that he was waltzing into Haven City with. A formidable group it was, headed by their fearless leader, King Damas. A man any of them would give their life for, Jak could tell and could understand why that was.
The returned Haven-er shook his blonde-green hair out of his eyes as he climbed out of the ditch that surrounded the door to the Pumping Station. As he looked around, he felt a strange sense of relief at the arrival of familiar grounds, his home turf, so to speak. Now they just had to wait for Torn and company to meet them in their 'borrowed' Krimzon Guard armored outfit.
It wasn't more than five minutes after the first of the Wastelanders began filtering in before Torn showed up. He was greeted by the cocking of thirty or so guns, but when he threw off the helmet and held up his hands, he was rightfully met with Jak and Damas.
"Holy Mar, wasn't expecting to get shot in the face by you guys, let's save it for the real enemies, can we?" Torn smirked and shook Jak's hand vigorously, glad to have his comrade, and not to mention best fighter, back in town.
"You ready to finish this?" Jak asked, the battle-hungry animal inside him itching to get out.
"I've been ready for this since I quit the Guard seven years ago, Jak."
"Good. What's the location of the nearest guards? And how's the security of the Palace handling without me there to test it lately?" He chuckled as Damas walked up next to them, shaking hands with Torn.
"Well they have the Sewers crowded with Guards waiting for you guys to come through there; this'll sure be a shock to those bastards. I'll bet the Baron can't wait to see you again Jakky-boy."
"Let's finish this then." Jak looked to Damas who nodded in agreement and signaled to his army to get into formation.
"They have the newbies on patrol; we'll be able to take care of most of them without setting off the city alarm before we get to the Palace. But I have our Resistance Patrols hiding out around the entrance to the Sewers in case they get any funny ideas to come out and see what's going on," Torn explained quietly as they walked through the open traffic ways that were usually filled with zoomers and KGs during the day.
Before they left their entrance to the city, Damas had sent his own trusted scouts ahead to snipe whatever would hinder them. But, it wouldn't be long before an entire army heading for the Palace would be discovered.
Keira sat on a rock under two palm trees just outside the entrance to Haven. She felt useless. There were only several people left behind with her, those that were to maintain the water-crafts. She knew she should just go and sit inside the one of the boats, where the rain wouldn't be drenching her continuously as it was now, but she didn't. Even though Haven was a dirty and dangerous place, to her, it was still home, still the place she was born and raised, a place where her friends still lived in poverty. It had only been a month since she had left so abruptly, but secretly, she missed it; especially the Stadium.
The young girl eyed her watch with a sigh. 3:20 a.m. They had only entered the city 35 minutes ago. She wondered what was going on, whether or not Jak was scared, or shooting, or running, or…
'Of course he's not scared!' She reprimanded herself, 'Jak is the most capable man I've ever met, he'll come right through that door with that adorable grin of his saying that he marched right up to the Baron and knocked him off of his high horse…' Right?
And suddenly, she was on her feet, surprised by the blaring of the city's alarm system going off.
Jak took out the three guards in yellow armor that had thought themselves sneaky enough to blindside him and a small group he was leading by hiding in a crevice between two houses. He had never seen yellow armored Krimzon Guards before, and instantly knew by the number of rounds it took to kill them that their armor was thicker and more protective than the regulars.
Damas wasn't far behind Jak, with his own legion of Wastelanders. And altogether, the entire contingent wasn't far from the Palace at all. In fact, at that moment, they were exiting the Industrial Sector entering the Bazaar, through which was one of the routes to the Palace.
Ignoring the blaring alarm, they steadily made their way through the Bazaar and up the stairs and were at one of the sides of the Palace. By now, Baron Praxis's Palace Guards were standing outside in a surprisingly orderly formation. But Jak could sense something; fear. With his enhanced senses he noticed the trembling hands holding shock and blaster rifles, and could hear the increased breathing and heart rate of the swarm of KGs. This was it.
"Surrender! And throw down your arms if you do not wish to die!" Damas boomed across the distance that was between them, the KGs coming from the direction of the Palace door.
They said nothing, but a few of them looked around to their lieutenants for what to do.
"Sucks to be them," Torn muttered under his breath behind Jak, who grinned menacingly, waiting for the right time to fire.
When Jak heard the first shot, he jumped into action. He was a blonde blur in the skirmish. And even when the KG back-ups came from the other direction around the square-based Palace, not an ounce of worry entered his mind. He felt his rage building inside him, but would not release it, not just yet. No, that animal, he was saving it for someone special.
And just as he was thinking of the all the sinister things he would do that Baron, while mowing down KGs with his blaster, he heard that gruff voice he had heard in Prison, speaking to him like he was a creature of no ability for thinking. The alarm had stopped, and the loudspeakers that usually blared the alert was now sounding the Baron's voice.
"You think you've won, JAK?! Well it seems that you're little girlfriend wasn't so sure either!" He cackled and ended abruptly with a chilling laugh, but not before Jak heard what he thought was a muffled scream in the background.
Jak froze. Keira! She had entered the city! But why? How did she get caught when they had thoroughly cleansed the area of any threat?
And then, a blinding pain shot through his shoulder. He had become a target in those few seconds of extreme fear rushing through him and was now bleeding profusely from the a little below his shoulder, near his collarbone where the armor was thinner to allow for movement of the arms. He almost fell with the pain, but staggered until he had himself steady. He grabbed his gun with his left hand and began shooting wildly, but still careful enough not to shoot any of his own.
Jak saw Damas a couple yards away and made for him, knowing that he had probably heard the Baron's message, but was too involved in the gunfight at the moment.
"Damas!" Jak yelled half in pain, half in urgency.
"Jak! Fall back, you're injured!" The Desert King shouted over the ensuing battle.
"…Can't! He…He's got Keira!" The young renegade bellowed, his eyes starting to water, but not just with the excruciating pain of his wound. "I-I'm going inside the Palace!"
"Jak- look at your shoulder! You'll bleed to-"
"I'll go in with him!" Torn came up behind Jak with a ripped piece of material, taking off Jak's armored plating around his shoulder and creating a make-shift tourniquet.
It was obvious Damas wouldn't be able to stop them. Jak would not be stopped. He watched as they eased around the edges of the skirmish and easily made it past the distracted KGs. He doubted he would see them again.
Ooooohh. What will happen inside the Palace?
