|Haven City|
The silence between Jak and Daxter was uncomfortable, hanging heavy in the air as Jak operated the adjusted Zoomer that Valentine had rigged. Every time he realized that he had been supposed to bring her to safety with this, he sped up just a little bit more, until Daxter was screaming in his ear, pleading to slow down.
Below him, everybody in the city seemed to be dazed by the recent events. People were gathering, talking in hushed tones. Every once in a while, he could see small groups of men talking with each other, occasionally pounding a fist in the palms of their hands. More often, he could see women gathering, shaking their heads with their hands on their hips.
Once he was near the entrance of the Underground, he parked the Zoomer gently. It could be it would come in handy when he had to break Valentine out of the Baron's prison. The door to the entrance opened grating, but he didn't have the patience for it to open wholly, slipping through as soon as he fit.
Down the stairs, he was greeted by a fist colliding with his face. Jak fell back against the bunk beds, looking up to see a furious Torn.
'You idiot!' he yelled, voice more gravely than usual. 'What sorry excuse do you have for this situation? Wait, I don't need to hear it. Do you realize what you have done?' he pulled his hand back for another punch, but found himself stopped by the young Samos.
'I fear your punches will not harm him more than his own actions have done, Torn.' Samos told his friend, looking at Jak with eyes that were surprisingly moist. 'I don't think any blow the Baron would deal now would quite be able to rival this pain.'
Jak got up on his feet, slightly shaky. For a moment the Dark Eco in his body almost took over, but he forced it back. Comforting his cheek, he replied just as gruffly. 'Why are you acting like she's dead? We just have to bust in there and break her out. By tonight she'll be chewing us all out for messing up her plans.'
Samos shook his head. 'If only it were that simple. As we are speaking…' he had to breathe again before he could continue. 'As we are speaking she is already being transported somewhere out the city.'
Torn walked to his desk, towards some papers that didn't look they had been lying around for years for a change. He grabbed them, and shoved them in Jak's hands with so much force Jak found his breath being knocked out of his body.
'What are these things?' Daxter asked, picking up one from the ground. It all looked like a bunch of hogwash to both him and Jak.
'An encoded message, detailing where they are bringing Valentine.' Torn said, holding what seemed to be a decoded version in his own hand. From the looks of it, it had been crumpled up and smoothed out several times. 'Where she's going now, there is no way we can follow. In the Wasteland, further than we can reach with our equipment…' Torn slammed a fist on the table.
'But, why would they bring her away from town? It doesn't make any sense. She should be here.' Jak said, the sinking feeling in his stomach returning. The only reason he had been able to make it back here was because he'd convinced himself that they would be able to rescue her before any real harm could be done to her.
'It makes perfect sense. The Baron would love to use her as bait, but he knows you've eluded his plans to capture the both of you too often. Instead of risking losing one of the people he was chasing after, he decided to cash in his winnings early and make sure we can't get her back.' Samos said. Suddenly he looked as old as the Samos Jak remembered from his childhood.
'The place they are taking her… she will be known as 'subject Alpha' there. The Baron has scientists who will examine her to know what exactly makes her tick. What it is that makes her capable to use Eco in the way she does.'
'Then she'll be safe, right? They won't hurt her as long as they need her.' Jak interjected. He had to keep on holding that slight sliver of hope…
'The Baron has given orders that they are free to use whatever means they see fit, because 'subject Beta' is still on the loose.' The way Torn glanced at Jak made very clear who subject Beta was supposed to be.
Jak grabbed his hand with his two hands, squatting on the floor. Tears stung in his eyes, but he forced them back. Tears wouldn't be able to help Valentine now. 'This isn't what I wanted.' He said, softly.
What he had wanted was to tell Valentine he had been sorry about how he had been acting. He had wanted to tell her that with all of the air cleared. That was the reason he had been late. All he had wanted was to be able to be honest with her. Honesty for the woman who had taken him in when he was such a mess, who had taken time to teach him what she knew.
'Get used to it.' Torn said, shortly. He crumpled up the decoded paper again, before letting it drop on the desk. 'Life rarely gives people what they want.'
|Spargus|
Valentine had to blink several times before she realized where she was. The ceiling she was staring at was beige and uneven, as if she were lying in a cave of sorts. The air was cool, and the shadows flickered as if the light source in the room was being delivered by a candle.
'You shouldn't move yet.' A strange voice next to her warned. Valentine turned her head to the side, finding she had been bound to the bed with clean, white bandages. When she could see the markings on the woman's face, she had to blink again.
'I hadn't expected to see a member of the Precursor Worshippers here.' she tried to say, her voice coming out as a whisper. The woman placed a glass filled with water to Valentine's lips, forcing her to drink. Next to the water, there was also a taste of something else. When the woman noticed Valentine's panic she calmly said :'you are hurt quite badly. Sleep will make the healing process go faster.'
Darkness engulfed Valentine again, even as she struggled to remain awake. 'I want to speak… with… King…'
Seem watched as the young woman fell back into her sleep. King Damos walked up behind her, arms clasped behind his back. Both of them looked at the sleeping Valentine, at how the candle light painted shadows on her injured form.
'What are your thoughts about her?' Damos asked, wanting to know what gave the young woman the gall to ask for him, twice in a row.
'She has been infused with the power of our creators.' Seem announced. 'That is not a power for our kind to have. It would be more merciful to end her life now, instead of subjecting her to more suffering.'
A low growl answered that statement. Meta climbed from underneath the opposing bed, keeping a watchful eye on Seem. Damos glanced sideways to the Metal Scout, before shaking his head.
'The woman will live, for now. We need to know why she was sent here. And everybody is given a fair chance in our Arena.' Damos announced. He watched a tear creep from behind Valentine's eyelids as she slept.
When Seem moved away, Meta took her place back at the side of her injured friend, sweeping her tail around to warn Damos that he would fare better not to come too close.
The next time Valentine opened up her eyes she was still staring at the same ceiling. And she was still tied to the bed for some reason. But when she turned her head around to see who was around, this time she was pleasantly surprised by a pair of all too familiar eyes, and a lolling tongue coming from between an impressive set of teeth.
'Meta.' She whispered again, hoarsely. Meta acknowledged her friend by rolling her head around, before she ran her long tongue across Valentine's face.
'I'm so happy you're okay.' She continued, her voice stronger this time. She wanted to lift her hand, but the bindings kept her in place.
Meta noticed the obstruction, and a few quick bites and pulls later, Valentine was free again. Or at least she was, until Meta jumped on her legs, demanding some attention. Valentine happily complied, pressed her face against the Scout's shoulder. Hot tears sprang into her eyes for a moment.
'Thank you, my friend.' She said softly. 'Thank you for not betraying me.'
Meta let her tongue run across Valentine's face again, before settling down on her legs again. Now that her initial emotions had passed, she realized just how sore she was. The linen shirt she was wearing was so oversized she could easily see the bandages wrapped around pretty much her entire torso. Bringing a hand to her face, she winced when she felt the gashes that were now covered in crusts.
'Well… so much for my superstar looks.' She mumbled.
Her hand still hurt like hell, but a few days of not being abused seemed to have subdued the pain. When she reached out a hand towards the glass of water, Meta let out a growl. Taking the hint, she sniffed the water before drinking, and detected once again that medicinal undertone.
'Sleep is good for me, at least that's what the monk told me. But…' her stomach growled loudly. 'Some food would go a longer way in getting me healed up.'
Hearing this, Meta jumped back on the ground and moved towards the exit. Valentine nodded, slowly swinging her legs out of bed. She was shaky, but she didn't drop through her knees immediately.
'I hope I'll be myself again soon.' She thought, taking unsure steps after Meta. The Metal seemed to be following her nose, backtracking regularly to make sure her friend didn't get lost. When Valentine started wobbling dangerously, Meta stepped in immediately, placing herself underneath her friend to support her.
Soon after they reached the kitchen, much to the dismay of the elderly cook who was in the midst of preparing dinner.
'Get that… that thing out of my kitchen.' The gray-haired woman commanded.
'Sorry. Can't.' Valentine managed to bring out. When the woman noticed it was a patient, she turned over a more concerned leaf.
'Oh, my dearie, you shouldn't be out of bed! The monks gave specific orders not to let you walk around until you're fully healed!' Even if the woman exclaimed her concern, there was still no sign she was planning on going through Meta to get Valentine back to bed.
Valentine heaved herself on a heavy wooden bench, sweat beading on her forehead due to the exertion. 'I was hungry.' She explained curtly. The short trip here had taken more out of her than she would like to admit. Her skin started to itch now that she detected a trace of Dark Eco. She directed her gaze to one of the big pots on the stove, pinpointing it as being fueled by the power that scourged her body.
The woman nodded. 'Of course you are, you're nearly skin over bone. And you've been out for three days cold, apart from some few moments when you were awake. If you'll go to bed right away, I'll let you have some dinner.'
Meta let out a growling sound, at which the woman let out a sigh. 'I suppose I have some lizard legs lying around that haven't made it into the stew either.'
A few moments later Valentine was presented with a thick stew and a few slices of bread. Her stomach growling even louder, she hardly took the time to blow on her food, shoveling it in almost as fast as Meta was crunching her lizard legs. As the elderly woman saw the rate at which the stew was disappearing, she already had a second bowl ready for Valentine by the time she finished the first one.
'Now you just let Macie take care of you, dearie.' The elderly woman said, touching her white hair to make sure it was still in a bun. Glasses hung from a chain around her neck, and she looked over at Valentine with a loving look as the woman wolfed down the food.
Halfway her second bowl, Valentine remembered her manners. 'My name's Valentine. And my friend here is Meta.' she said, nudging her head towards the Scout who already had finished her meal.
Macie looked at the Metal Head with a less loving look. 'More like eating me out of supplies, you mean. If I let her have her way, she would have made off with most of the meat in the pantry here. But of course, the boss wouldn't let anything happen to the both of you until he has a chance to talk to you.'
'You mean King Damos? He's really here?' Valentine asked, being handed a third bowl that was making its way down the hatch slightly slower than the previous ones.
'I was hoping I could have a word with you.' A serious voice sounded from the doorway.
Valentine's eyes grew bigger when she saw her King before her own eyes. Even after all these years, this was a man who's presence you couldn't lightly forget. She tried to stand up, but before she had made a decent start, he gave her a slight shove back in her seat.
'My Lord.' She said, temporarily forgetting what she wanted to say.
His eyes glanced over the bowl of stew, and towards the already finished bowls that were standing on the sink. 'I'm glad to see you have an appetite. A good warrior needs to keep their strength up.'
She nodded, wiping her mouth clean with the sleeve of the oversized shirt. 'Yes sir.' She replied. She couldn't believe her eyes for a moment. Mar's father, the man who was supposed to be ruling over Haven, was standing in front of her.
He took a seat in front of her, signing towards Macie. She handed him a bowl of stew as well, before cleaning up the mess Meta had made during her meal. The Metal Head retreated to Valentine's side, clearly not feeling comfortable with the elder woman.
'There are not many who come here referring to me as their lord.' Damos said. 'Most have to be retaught their position when they arrive here. So the question remains, who are you exactly?'
Valentine lowered her eyes. 'I'm from the house of Ashanti, my Lord.' She glanced up quickly to gauge his reaction. 'My mother was assigned to the care of your Lady wife, while my father…'
'… while your father was one of the most accomplished guards I had back in Haven.'
She could feel how Damos was trying to decide just what he would have to do with her. She went back to eating, trying to seem intimidating even during this action.
'And so a member of that family managed to survive. The Ashanti were always tougher than most.' He said the last not as a compliment, but as something that was simply to be expected from them. 'Still, I have the feeling that is not everything there is to know about you.'
She shook her head. 'Where should I begin?' she wondered out loud.
'Start at the end. How did you end in the Wastes?' he asked her, as he started to eat.
'I… it was not my intention to be honest, my Lord. Some of the men of the Underground, an organization that fights the Baron, had been captured. Because of my position, I was the most logical choice as a diversion. But…' she found she had to swallow away an expected moment of grief. 'The person who was supposed to aid me in my escape never showed up. He abandoned me, and I was captured.'
Her fists clenched in anger, bending the spoon she had been holding. 'I was abandoned by the person who was supposed to be the one I could trust the most.'
Damos eyed her appraisingly. 'You have anger in you. That is good, if you know how to use it. The Arena will be more interesting with you in it.'
She looked back to Damos. 'The Arena?'
Damos stood up, his bowl empty. 'Things here are not as how they were in Haven, young warrior. If you wish to remain here, you will have to prove your worth in three tests. If you fail in any one of these, you will be cast out of the city.'
Valentine let herself slide of the bench, kneeling on one knee. Her uncombed long hair hung beside her face as she spoke. 'My Lord, not only do I desire to remain in this city, I wish to remain here in the same position that should belong to one of my family. My family has guarded yours since the very start, and I fully intend to do the same.'
She looked up, her blue eyes sparkling with determination. 'I also have news of your son, my Lord. After I tell you how I have shamefully failed him and you, you may cast a first judgment on me.'
Damos looked at her with an expression she never would have guessed able to appear on his features. He looked like a father who had been presented with a glimmer of hope after years of wondering. He knelt down to help her up.
'Tell me. Tell me everything there is to know about my son.'