The ABC's of Perfect Mistakes
Chapter Twenty-Four: X is for eXtremes
It was a buzzing that woke Parker from her slumber, and it was the fall from the booth that truly woke her up. She groaned her head spun with a thousand needles pricking her brain and her eyes, the dizziness soon faded as she focused on a single spot at the bottom of the table. She could hear Daxter shouting for her to be quiet as she grabbed her communicator, the buzzing stopped and she glared at the floating screen. Torn's picture was on its screen and was followed by his voice.
"I see you didn't drink yourself into a coma."
"No, but I was still sleeping." She grumbled. "What do you want?"
"I need you to go out to the War Factory-"
"You mean the one that Jak blew up?"
"The War Factory's ground level and turn off the power to it. Ashelin thinks it's taking up too much power and that everything of father should be destroyed of quickly."
"What about that palace?"
Torn chuckled. "Pray that she destroys it." He ended the connection. Parker stretched and grabbed her communicator, it was only 9:43 in the morning. Not many people would be awake to do this mission with her -and she was more than capable of doing it on her own. Although she'd feel safer if someone came along with her, and she knew the exact person she wanted.
Taking the transporter to the War Factory was easy, even the driver didn't question why they were going. The drive was quiet, even though Daxter was there and he took the time to sleep instead. When they landed Parker picked the Daxter up and hurried down the steps. She waved to the driver, before they left the switch she'd need to comm him again. She put Daxter on her shoulder and stretched.
"Why did I agree to come with you?" Daxter grumbled as she flashed her pass at the sensor.
"You didn't really, I kidnapped you from your new bar." She smirked. "And Tess handed you over willingly after I promised to keep you safe."
"Riiiight..." Daxter said glancing around. "So aren't going up top are we? Cuz I don't want to see Krew guts everywhere, I'm still hung over from the night before."
She groaned and swayed slightly on the elevator, the thoughts of Krew decomposing body parts made her sick too. She shuddered against the air conditioning that was on, Torn was right, this place sucked up too much power considering that no one was working here now. She got on the moving pad, some pieces were burned thanks to the fire that burned above. The electrified gate was now off and she walked easily through to the next section.
At the top of the second section, she stared down into the yellow slime that the factory produced. She heard that the slim was from the weapons Krew was developing, the Krimzon Guard robots that Lena had designed -although Krew tweaked her original design they still came out the way she wanted them. Both her and Daxter jumped when they heard a clang, three KG Bots rolled down from a pipe. She blinked, all productions on KG Bots had been halted until Ashelin found a use for them. She shot them where they stood, dodging to the left when one tried to shot her. She spun punching one in the control panel, she felt Daxter grabbed her gun and shoot at the bot. She glanced up to him, he gave her a big smirk before passing her gun back to her. She crossed a bridge to the other side of the factory, over the slime and past the bodies of Krimzon Guards that didn't make it out in time. There were black scrooch marks on the walls and the ground, bits of the factory were also melted away.
"Sooo," Daxter said leaning on her head as they took the elevator up. "Do you like my bar?"
"It's the same as Krew's," She looked up at him. "You just put a giant you outside and added Metal Kor's head."
"That didn't seem to bother you when you were drinking."
She smirked. "And that's what sets you and Krew apart. His booze tasted like piss, yours was good."
"You threw up inside."
She rubbed her temple. "Don't remind me."
She walked down the cobblestone walkway and hopped across the stopped escalator, the next platform was stopped as well and had a landing out for her. She followed it to another stone room, all the control panels she past were either melted or missing but this one was smaller and sat in the corner. She ran up to it and swiped her card, it took a minute before the computer booted up.
"So what now?"
"Just gotta shut it down." She said with a smile. "Turn off the power and disable the KG Bots, also I'm going to make it remotely accessable for Ashelin."
"And in English that mean..."
"I'll make it so Ashelin can control it from her room."
"Can we go to her room?"
"We'll have to get past Torn, do you think you can irritate him enough that his head explodes?"
"Sure why not? Can we get Lena in on it?"
Parker nodded. "Oh yah, Lena will love that. She might even film it so we can have it forever."
"I'd like that," Daxter jumped off her shoulder and onto the panel. "What else are you doing?"
"Changing the password so only Ashelin can access it because I don't trust you."
Daxter gasped. "Words hurt Parker! How could you think I'd use the system as my personal play thing?"
Parker glanced to him and went back to typing. "Because I know you'd copy the password and come back on a drunken night to impress Tess... or Jak." A sudden beeping made her jump and look up, the alarms were flashing red and then white.
"That's not normal... is it?"
"The alarm shouldn't be going-" She yelped as the building shook, a shudder that broke the cobblestones and the made the panel spark. Daxter jumped back as the screens went fuzzy before going black.
"What the hell did you do?!" Daxter shouted.
"Nothing! I mean... it should've just went into the remote mode or... something..."
"Or something?!" Daxter shouted again. "Do you even know what you're doing?!"
"Yes! I mean... no, I've only seen Lena do it once."
"Then why didn't you bring Lena!?"
"I don't know!" The building shook again and she could feel the vibrations of a strong motor. She glanced to Daxter before running, Daxter jumped on her shoulder as the building gave a giant joint that threw her against the wall. She hissed as her shoulder burned, she climbed back to her feet and ran back the way they came. She didn't get far until a pack of KG Bots blocked their way. She turned and ran the other way.
"Um, home is that way!" Daxter shouted.
"It's blocked."
"You can take a couple KG Bots!"
"It wasn't just the Bots!" She shouted over the buzz of machinery. "There was a door." She skidded to a stop just outside the weapon room, Daxter jumped off her shoulder and started dialing a number in his communicator. She ran inside and spotted a Dark Eco Bomb, she'd have to light it and then run like hell. Maybe she could blow a section of wall out, they could get into another room closer to the exit.
"Mayday! Mayday!" Daxter shouted into his communicator. "We need help here!"
"Where are you?" Jak asked. Parker paused glancing to Daxter, but he didn't seem to notice her. She dropped the bomb down beside the wall and lit it with her lighter. She ran back, grabbed Daxter by his tail and ran into the weapons room.
"We're at the War Factory! Parker did something and now the place is going crazy!"
"Stop telling him lies!" Parker shouted.
"You're trying to kill me!"
"It would be-" The explosion was deafening and it tossed her far, her head collided with something hard and she fell to the ground. Her vision was black, she blinked several times before the outlines of things started to come back. She looked around as the ringing in her ear grew, she couldn't hear anything out of her right ear again. She turned slightly and saw blood, Daxter carried out from under a barrel. He was bleeding from his head but still clutching the communicator.
Daxter said something to the communicator before his face drained of colour, he looked to her and said something. She shook her head and pointed to her ear. She slowly got to her feet, ignoring the spinning that came with the pain. Daxter crawled up her arm to her left side.
"The War Factory's in the air!" Daxter shouted into her left ear, she blinked and stumbled out of the room. Her side ached as she stumbled forward, moving as slowly as she could. She stumbled over her own foot when a gust of wind blew against her, she dropped to her knees and looked over where the bomb used to be. She expected to see another room but not the city below. They weren't that far from the buildings but far enough if they fell it would be deadly. Her communicator buzzed, she answered it without looking at the face.
"Hello?"
"Thank God!" Jak shouted. "Daxter's communicator died out, Olivia, they're that way. Stay where you are, I'm coming to you. And keep this line open!"
"Attention all KG Bots," A voice said above her. "Parker Drake is on our ship, find her and bring her to me, alive."
A chill rushed through Parker, she crawled towards the opening and looked down. They'd just past the palace, it looked so large against the fading backdrop of the city. She gave a moan as Daxter hopped off her shoulder, his tail was bent at an odd angle and he was missing a patch of fur on his back.
"Come on Park," Daxter shouted. "Get up!" She forced herself to her knees and sat back on her heels, she looked to her left and saw sparks from a group of KG Bots trying to get into their area.
"We're gonna have to jump..."
"What?!"
"We need to jump." She said again, she forced herself to stand, groaning against the pain that bloomed in the back of her skull. She held out her hand for Daxter, he looked to her and then to the massive opening. He took a second before climbing up her arm and holding onto her vest.
"Please don't kill us."
"That seems like the better outcome." She mumbled glancing to the KG Bots, she backed up slightly. If she got a running jump and was able to land on the building they might survive.
"I'm jumping..." She said to her communicator.
"What?! No! Stay where you are!"
"No." She said simply before running and pushing off the jagged metal. She passed all the exposed metal and wires before entering the free area. She gasped and choked on the sudden air that filled her lungs. She squeezed her eyes readying herself for the impact when something grabbed her wrist, it yanked her upwards before grabbing her other arm. She opened her eyes as Jak pulled her into the Hellcat, Daxter scrambled off her shoulder and hugged Jak's shoulder.
"Oh thank you, thank, you, thank you!" He cried. Jak gave a sigh of relief as Daxter hopped about the Hellcat, Parker took in a sharp gasp when she saw the War Factory. Large chunks of it were missing and she could see the hole she made, but what really made her shudder were the KG Bots flying around it. Who did that voice belong to? Why were they ordering the Bots to capture her?
"Are you stupid?!" Jak shouted at her.
She looked to him. "What?"
"Are you stupid?! What did the alcohol do to your brain?" He forced her to look at him. "Why on earth would you go alone?!"
"Hey!" Daxter shouted from Olivia's shoulder. "I went with her!"
Parker watched as he glared at Daxter, his gaze softened before looking back to her. She could tell that there was something else fueling his reaction, it wasn't anger over not including him. He held her close as a group of KG Bots flew towards them, firing but missing as Olivia dodged and flew towards the Port. She dug her nails into his shoulder, feeling the same emotions she felt when Erol first took her captive. She was so close to dying again, so close to being without him. Her heart began to race, the same way it did that night as she tried to escape -but this time she'd get away.
Once the Hellcat landed, she broke from Jak's arms and jumped out of the vehicle. She hit the ground hard, feeling in the impact rattle her teeth, but she didn't let that stop her. She ran, ignoring her name being shouted by her friends. She kept moving, the world blurring past her in melting pot of grays and blacks. She didn't glance back or stop when she ran into people, she just picked herself up and kept moving. Taking corners on the balls off her feet before someone grabbed her, spun her around and used her own speed to throw her up against the wall. She crumbled to her knees as pain ebbed its way into her brain from her shoulder, she looked to her attacker.
He breathed heavily as he came closer, Dark Eco crackling all around him. From his claws blood dripped to the ground, he bent down in front of her and quickly changed into Jak again.
"Sorry," He said touching her injured shoulder. "It was the only way to keep up with you."
"Why did you save me from Erol?" She whispered.
"You're still hung up on that?" Jak snapped, he stood and glared down at her. "I've saved you at least three times now, what do I have to do to prove that I'm offically invested in your safety and the city's safety?"
She stood, slowly, using the wall to support herself. He was right. He'd saved her countless times, even when she didn't even know his real name but here she was, waiting for him to betray her, to betray the city. She leaned against the wall as he moved closer, looking at her shoulder before looking to her. She jumped at his touch, a hand on her cheek. He leaned closer, his face inches from hers and he gave a soft chuckle.
"This is insane, you know."
"I know..." She whispered as something pinged off the wall behind them, Jak snapped to attention and pulled her closer, sandwiching her between himself and the wall. She turned her head when she heard another bang followed by a growl from Jak. Down the street were a group of civilians. A couple of them holding a gun or holding weapons made of random pieces of junk. She clenched her fist on Jak's chest, none of them looked happy to see them. "What's going on?"
"We'll be on our way then," Jak said slipping one arm around Parker's waist. "Don't let us stop your interesting night." Another shot was fired, this time causing Parker to cry out. An inch or so Jak would've been dead.
"We want the girl." A man shouted. "She's the next Baroness of Haven, there's no way we're putting another Praxis on the throne!"
"And then, we're going to kill you!" A woman shouted, stepping forward. "You're the dark creature that let all those Metal Heads in!"
"We've heard stories! You change into something dark and dangerous, there's no way we're letting you kill another one of our people!"
"Jak..." Parker whispered, she'd seen riots before and the blood bath always followed. Although she hadn't seen any big ones, Ramsay always talked about them and the work that came with control them. Torn wasn't in the right place for control this if it went wild. "Jak," She whispered again. "We need to go, Torn can't handle any riots or fights right now."
"I know," He hissed, pulling her backwards.
"Stop!" A man shouted, his voice shook as he spoke but he didn't low his gun. "Or I'll shot you dead!" Parker glanced to her left, one of the Baron's voice boxes sat near the group glowing in the blue light that came with it. She slid her hand down her side, she pulled her gun out slowly before turning quickly throwing a knife at the man that was their leader. It lodged itself into his shoulder, he screamed as she shot the voice box and then threw another knife at the other man that ran forward to shoot at them. He collapsed to the ground as the voice box exploded in a burst of Blue Eco and electricity. She called her knives back, both snapping back into their holsters. She turned quickly, grabbing Jak's hand and running away from the ground. They needed to get to a safe house, the rumours would soon spread that they attacked the citizens.
And they were gonna need to be somewhere safe when the Hellfire hailed down on them.
TBC...