Authors Note: And yet another chapter underway peoples! THIS IS THE SECOND LAST CHAPTER OMG OMG OMG OMG!!!!! NEXT CHAPTER IS THE LAST ONE OF BOOK TWO WEEEEE! Shwee! To my lovely reviewers:
Miracle Mar: Lmao, same here. I would not want to be around when he's that pissed off XD. I'm glad you liked it, sorry for the late update! (yes don't we all lol) Thanks for the review!
xoxReneeOrionxox: Thanks! Yes, that was my favorite part of the chapter as well :3 Thanks for the review!
Ukee Chick: Lol, glad you're enjoying it! Thanks for the review!
Yasu XIII: Lol, I'm really glad you're liking it! Thanks for the comment and the review!
And now on with the chapter!
Through Another's Eyes: Book Two
Chapter Thirteen: Coming to a Close
It was oddly chilly, Tera decided.
The blonde shivered slightly as awareness came back to her, sleep slowly drifting away. Pale eyes slitted open, wincing at the speck of sunlight that shone through the window. Groping around, Tera frowned and sat up, yawning and stretching before glancing behind her. Ah, of course, that was why she was so cold. Jak was curled up at the very edge of the bed, sound asleep and completely wrapped in the blankets.
"Blanket hogger," Tera muttered under her breath, yawning again. She reached over and grabbed the blanket, tugging at it. Jak gave an indistinguishable groan and held it tighter, making the girl growl quietly. The blonde took hold of the blanket, this time pulling on it a lot harder. She almost had it when Jak rolled, tugging both the blanket and Tera back over to his side.
Tera gave an irritated sigh and had resigned herself to not getting any blankets when Jak's comm. went off in the main room, making her jump. The sound woke Jak up, the male yawning and pushing himself from the bed, leaving Tera to snatch the blankets back. Still half asleep, Jak ignored Daxter's mumbling from his bed and picked up the comm., hitting the button, "Yah?"
"It's about time you picked up!" Jak winced at the volume of Samos' voice, "I need you three to go into Dead Town and get something from my old hut. I left something extremely important there, and we need it. So get moving!"
"Fine, Samos," Jak hit the off button on the comm., sighing and heading back towards the bedroom. At least they'd managed to get a decent sleep for once...
Going back into the room, Jak stopped, one eyebrow rising in amusement. Tera had literally buried herself under the blankets, hiding herself completely. The male shook his head, chuckling softly, "Come on, Tera. We have a mission from Samos."
"Do I have to?" the girl whined from under the covers, voice muffled.
"Yes, Ter," Jak pulled the covers off, grinning at the girl, "We have to get something from his old hut."
"Oh fine," Tera sighed, pushing herself from the bed and fixing up her clothes. They both pulled on the other parts of their outfits before heading out, Jak balancing a sleepy Daxter on his shoulder as they grabbed a zoomer and sped off towards Dead Town. They reached it fairly quickly, heading outside the city wall and into the area that was once Sandover Village. It still gave Tera chills.
They hopped over to where a mech. suit waited for them, the two blondes sharing a look. Tera sighed, rolling her eyes, "You smash things in the mech., I'll shoot any metal heads in the way."
"Sounds good," Jak smirked, hopping into the mech. along with Daxter, powering it up. He approached the first wall, Tera shooting down the two grunts that waited when the wall had been smashed in. They repeated this process several times, though occasionally Jak had to push a stone block into place so they could get to the next level. After knocking down a pillar that bridged the gap between the stone and Samos' old hut, Jak hopped out of the suit, the three heading into the old building that they had known so well.
"I spent many a day cleaning up this place for old greenie!" Daxter piped, jumping down from Jak's shoulder to wander around a bit.
"Brings back memories," Tera whispered, eyes going around the hut. It was sad to see the place she'd grown up in in such bad condition.
Jak was silent, his eyes going up to something near the roof that was giving off a soft glow. The object floated down from the roof, Jak catching it when it was in arms reach.
"Good work, you three!" Samos' voice popped up again, Jaks comm. jumping out of his pack to float in front of them, "Before we came through the rift long ago, I was nurturing that Life Seed from the Great Tree. It seems the Metal Heads are attracted to its power. Take the seed to Onin now. She will prepare it for Samos."
Daxter frowned, "You mean… you?"
"No, the other me, Daxter!" Samos snapped, "My younger self needs the seeds power to become… sagely."
"So… let me get this straight," Daxter paused, "It's fair to say that by bringing your younger self the life seed now, we helped you become the sage you are today? We helped you get your powers in the first place? And you never thanked us?!"
"Thank you, Daxter… now go do it!"
"FINE! Sheesh!" the ottsel jumped back onto Jak's shoulder once more, "Let's get this over with!"
"Sounds good," Jak agreed, tucking the seed into his pack and heading for the exit. Tera took one last glance around the hut before following, the three anxious to get out of the dead area.
They first took the seed to Onin in order to get it 'prepared' for Samos, then headed out to Haven forest to find the underground leader. It wasn't too hard; he was meditating in front of the Great Tree, and looked up when they approached.
"Samos told me to… I mean," Jak stumbled, "you told me to… or… well… I mean your older version… ah… whatever. We heard you needed the Life Seed," he tossed it to the sage.
"Yes," the young Samos' voice was calm, "Its power will help me speak to the plants."
"There he is!" guards voices from behind them startled the group, the renegades whirling to spot KG air trains approaching.
"Roger. We're en route!"
"I see 'em!"
"Jak, Tera, protect me from these guards!" Samos exclaimed, "I must ask the plants vital questions about our future!"
"On it," the two blonds took up positions on either side of the sage, Samos rising into the air as he meditated with the seed. They shot down the guards as they appeared from either side, quickly shooting down the Hover Guards as soon as they flew up over the edge of the area.
Surprisingly, they went down fairly quickly, soon falling back and flying away. Jak and Tera shared a smug look before turning back to the sage, Samos looking horrified at what he had seen.
"The Life Seed gave me a terrible vision!" he started, "The Baron is planning to destroy the Precursor Stone! He aims to… crack it open somehow. If he does this, the energy released will be beyond comprehension! It will destroy the world and more… ending all life! The plants are crying out for protection! You must stop the Baron, Jak! Stop him, however you can!"
"That Baron is a lunatic," Tera mumbled as they left the forest, "He has no idea what he's doing…"
"Makes you wonder how he got on the throne," Daxter mused.
"Yah…" Jak paused, looking around once they reached the city again, "Makes you wonder…"
A beep came from his comm., alerting him to a new message. "It's from Vin," was all he said, jumping to snatch a zoomer and taking off once they had all gotten in.
As usual, the nervous man was working away at his control panels when the three entered, not noticing them at first.
"Hey there, sack a'nerves!" Daxter greeted, "How's the bzzzzzt stuff going?"
"I've got good news and bad news," Vin activated the platform he was on, floating up to a screen, "The good news is Kor tells me that we've got enough power online to keep the shield walls up. So for now, the city's safe," he paused, "But I don't know how long the system can hold…"
"And the bad news?" Jak asked, planting a hand on his hip.
Vin floated back down, "We've detected a cluster of Metal Head eggs growing up at the Strip Mine site. Now, you've got to go back there and find a way to destroy those eggs before they turn into a whole new army of creatures!"
"I noticed the crane was carrying a large metal container," Jak started, "If we could jump onto the container, we could drop the crate from above."
"High? Jump? Drop?" Daxter gulped, "Why don't I like the sound of that?"
"Sounds like you're going to be needing the jet board for that," Tera pulled her comm. from her belt when it beeped, "And we've got a call from Brutter, so I'd may as well had take care of that while you guys are at the Strip Mine."
Jak frowned, "You sure you'll be ok? It's probably regarding lurkers-"
"I'll be fine, Jak," Tera managed a weak grin, "I've got to get over my fear sometime."
Jak nodded, "Alright, but if you need any help-"
"I'll call you, Jak, chill," Tera rolled her eyes, heading out of the station. Jak watched until she was gone before jumping into the warp gate.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
'I really hate this city', Tera grumbled mentally as she swerved the zoomer around a corner, stopping to let the fourth lurker off. She sped off, hiding behind some plants in the farm section and waiting until the alarms had stopped before heading towards the next lurker carrier. It was a fairly simple mission; rescue six lurkers from KG carrier vehicles and bring them to drop off locations. Not hard at all.
"Tera," the girl jumped when Jak's voice came through her comm., "We're heading out to the Drill Platform to take care of some business, but Keira wants us at the Stadium in Half an Hour."
"I'll just meet you guys at the stadium; I'm almost done this mission."
"Alright, be careful."
Tera tucked the comm. back into her pack, speeding off towards the final lurker hold. She took down the final carrier and dropped off the last Lurker, checking the time. She still had twenty minutes, but there was no point in waiting to head to the Stadium.
Despite not being on the best terms with Keira, Tera headed into the mechanics garage when she reached it, not wanting to stand outside by herself.
"Keira?" she called, frowning when she didn't see the mechanic, "You here?"
"Well well, if it isn't Jak's little friend," an all too familiar voice hissed from behind her. Tera froze, whirling around.
"Errol…" she stepped back, keeping her eyes on the grinning KG, "Where's Keira?"
"Oh, she's around here somewhere," the commander stepped closer, "where's Jak?"
"Like I'd tell you," the girl snapped, stepping back again. Errol gave a sinister smirk.
"Oh well, I'll see him on the track soon enough. And even if he does manage to survive the race," he moved to leave, "he won't be getting out of the Stadium alive…"
"I'll show you guys what I've been working on if you promise not to laugh," Keira's voice made the girls ears prick, turning to see her sister, Samos, Jak and Daxter walk into the room just after Errol had left.
"Oooo, I love surprises!" Daxter exclaimed, "And I love to laugh! Show me show me!"
"Ter, there you are," Jak frowned when the blonde approached, "Where've you been?"
"Oh… just waiting here…" her gaze went to the craft revealed when the green curtains were pulled back.
"I've been building a replica of our crashed Rift Ride machine from old artifacts."
"That's my girl," Samos grinned.
"But I'm still missing two pieces."
"Figures…"
"Vin says I need an artifact called the 'Time Map' and an old energy gem history books call the 'Heart of Mar'. And I've looked in every book on Precursor history I can find, but the Rift Ring seems to have vanished…"
"I've seen the Heart of Mar," Jak looked to Keira, "Krew has it. We'll get those two artifacts, Keira."
"Attention all drivers, the Class One Championship race is about to begin." Came the metallic voice over the speakers, Jak sighing and looking to the group.
"Well, here goes. The race of my life."
"Jak…" Keira stopped him, "I just wanted you to know… well, you're the best racer I've ever seen."
'Lame attempt at getting back on his good side much,' Tera muttered mentally.
"Hey!" Daxter piped, "What about me?! I helped get us here!"
"Do you wanna drive?"
"Against that crazy loon Errol?" Daxter shuddered, "No way! You got the handlebars, brother. And you better keep us alive or I'll never speak to you again! Obviously."
"Leave 'em in the dust, Jak!" Keira cheered.
The male nodded, turning to head out of the garage. Tera only remember Errol's words once her friend had left, biting her lip worriedly as they headed down to the stands. Jak would be fine… he was always fine… They sat in really close up seats, the girl looking down on the race line up, 'Please be ok Jak…'
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Jak jumped onto the free zoomer amongst the racers, preparing for the starting flag. Errol zoomed up beside him, drawing the renegade's attention.
"I want more then just to win, eco freak," he sneered, "I want you."
"Greetings, racers!" Jaks attention was drawn by the Baron's voice, Praxis standing on a floating platform in front of them with a couple of guards, "Today your nerve and skill will be tested for our amusement. If any of you by some small chance beat our grand champion Errol, then you will be rewarded a month's supply of eco!" he muttered a bit under his breath, "And a short tour of my palace to see how the other half live," he turned back to the racers, "Good luck, and die bravely!"
Jak grit his teeth, facing forwards.
The Baron raised his arms, "Ready? Get set! GO!"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The end of the race brought on a wave of cheering as Jak crossed the finish line first, sufficiently stealing the title from Errol. He came to a stop just beyond the finish line, sending a grin and wink up to where he knew his friends sat.
"Thank you, thank you very much," Daxter grinned, waving and blowing kisses to the crowd, "I love my public!"
Jak snatched his prize, the palace security pass, out of the air when it appeared, keeping his back to Praxis when the Baron floated down.
"Ah, a brave man of the people. And who is this worthy opponent," the Baron smirked, "In my world; good men are either bought or broken. So which is it going to be?"
Jak grinned then, turning around to face the man, "Surprise."
"What?!"
"Just a little closer," the renegade growled, motioning, "we need to talk."
"Fool!" the Baron spat, "Don't you get it? It's over, Jak! All the heroes died long ago! Only survival remands… by whatever means! This city is mine!" he motioned to the crowds, "These lives are mine! This war is mine! And in war… people die!" he snapped to the two KG's with him, "Kill him!"
Jak took a step back as the guards pinned their guns on him, but one suddenly looked behind him, "Look out!"
Errol came speeding from around the track, snarling, "I win, Jak!"
Jak jumped out of the way of the bike, the Baron floating away as Errol smashed into the eco supply, causing an explosion. All that was left of the commander was his racing mask.
The Baron recovered quickly, spotting Jak making a run for it, "After them!"
Jak ran as fast as he could, dodging and punching through guards as he dashed out of the Stadium. He didn't even bother with his gun, just jumping and grabbing the first zoomer he could and high tailing it out of the area.
"Jak!" Daxter screeched at one point, clinging to his friends shoulder, "What about Ter and the others?!?"
Jak slammed on the breaks just as they reached the palace, eyes going wide. Shit… what if they'd been caught?! Cursing at the sound of guards coming, he hopped off the zoomer and ran into the palace entrance, pulling out his comm. once it was safe. He hit the button, lifting it to his lips, "Ter, are you ok? I'm at the palace…"
"We're fine, chill Jak, we stayed in the garage while the alarm was going off. They didn't bother looking in here for you."
Jak gave a sigh of relief at her answer, "Alright, stay there and I'll call you once I'm done here." He hooked it back onto his belt, taking the elevator up to the main palace area. Walking in, he kept one ear pricked for any sign of guards as he headed into the throne room, looking around.
Ashelin slid out from behind a pillar, gun aimed at Jak, "I shouldn't have trusted you!"
"Back where we started, huh?"
"Don't play with me!" Ashelin snapped, moving closer, "All along you've been trying to undermine our war with the Metal Heads! Whose side are you on?"
"Listen Ashelin," Jak tried to reason with her, "your father's planning something terrible, and if-"
"My father can destroy the Metal Head armies once and for all!" Ashelin snarled, her gun now pressed to Jaks chin.
"If he cracks open the Precursor Stone, the explosion will kill all of us!" Jak slapped the gun away, "Don't you get it?!"
Ashelin backed up, eyes wide, her head shaking in denial.
"That's right!" Daxter smirked, "Not so hard, huh? Even I can figure this one out!"
Ashelin's gun snapped back to Jak when he moved to continue forwards, "Don't you move!" she grabbed her comm. unit, "Vin, come in."
"What? What? "I've got my hands full here, you know!"
"You know all about the Precursor Stone myth, right?"
"Sure, I did my Econecic Energy Doctorate on Precurian Theoretical Physics. Why?"
"What would happen if the Precursor Stone were to be… say… violently cracked open?"
Great! As if I didn't have enough to keep me awake at night, you need one more thing to dread thank you very much! If someone actually had the Stone, according to my calculations… a runaway eco surge from cracking it open would… theoretically… destroy everything!"
Ashelin's face dropped, "Everything?!"
"All things! Every single thing! Now if you don't mind, I'm gonna go throw up. Bye-bye!"
Jak turned to the woman when she put her gun away, going over what had just been revealed, "Trust me, Ashelin. We have to stop him."
"I'll try to find out more," the red head was once again in control of herself, "but right now, my father is meeting Krew at a secret Weapons Factory near the Dig. Here," she pressed another security pass into Jak's hand, "That's my top level security pass. It'll get you into the factory, but it won't get you back out. We never had this conversation."
Jak looked down at the pass as Ashelin left, shoving it into his pack. He pulled out his comm., hitting Teras signal again, "Ter, meet me and Daxter at the Port as soon as you can."
"What? Why?"
"I'll explain when I get there," he hung up without another word, waiting for Daxter to get on his shoulder before heading through the passage Ashelin had opened up. Time to get out of the palace…
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Finally, we made it," Tera sighed in relief when the wave of robots finally ceased, the two able to put their guns away for the first time since they'd entered the Weapons Factory. After taking the air train to the factory, they'd had to fight their way through several floors of KG's and robots; not fun.
"This better be worth it," Daxter muttered as they entered the elevator, waiting as it took them to the roof. Exiting, it wasn't hard to spot Krew floating up near the tower.
Krew spotted them, floating down so he was right in front of Jak, "I knew you were special when I first met you Jak, and I commend you for making it this far. We've come a long way, eh?"
"Yeah, I'm getting real teary-eyed," Jak dead panned, walking forwards. Krew floated back up by the tower again.
"I love weapons. I love how they look… how they feel… even how they smell…"
Jak and Tera shared a look, the male shaking his head, "I think you need serious help."
"My favorite was the impossibly powerful weapon Mar built to blast open the Metal Head nest," Krew gave a sinister laugh, "Poor fool died before he could use it, ah well. But I have a new favorite. The Piercer Bomb I've just completed. My masterpiece is powerful enough to crack open the Precursor Stone, and release the untold energy inside! As soon as the Baron shows up with the Stone, we'll hide it in the last shipment of eco and deliver it to the Metal Head nest," Krew floated down near them again, "A surprise dessert, eh? Heh. Just take this gun upgrade and forget what you saw here."
Jak loaded the mod onto his morph gun, but looked back to the fat man, "Not this time, Krew. I'm through being your hired gun."
Krew floated back suddenly, "Then its war, isn't it?!"
"Look out!" Jak was yanked back by his scarf, barely missing being attacked by what seemed to be a mini, green version of Krew. There were tons of them, Jak whipping out his scatter gun in order to take care of them. Tera aided with her blaster mods where she could, the real Krew appearing again once all the clones had been taken care of.
They had to avoid machine gun fire from him, Jak using his peace maker on him. They had to repeat the process twice, finally managing to damage Krew enough that his chair could no longer keep him afloat.
Practically sobbing, Krew reached towards the Heart of Mar where it was sitting on the ground, Daxter picking it up.
"Is it to late to give me notice?" Jak smirked.
"Yah! We quit!"
"The city is already dead! I've sold you all out!" Krew gave a weak laugh, ending in a cough.
"Jak, I think we should be getting out of here!" Tera exclaimed, motioning wildly to the now activated bomb.
The whirr of a zoomer suddenly sounded, a KG vehicle piloted by a red head appearing over the edge of the platform, "Ashelin?"
"We're outta here!" the red head motioned for them to get in. Wasting no time, Jak grabbed Tera and jumped into the vehicle, Ashelin gunning it away from the factory and back towards the city.
A massive explosion sounded behind them, the whole weapons factory going up in flames as they arrived back at the city. Krew was gone.