-1I'm back…..and I feel this is the last chapter I should have to say I don't own this, with any luck everyone will have gathered that now.
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Jak rolled out from behind one car to duck behind a wall as his previous hiding spot was blasted apart. As he slammed another clip into his gun he glanced around the wall. Another breech of the wall had metalheads pouring in with force. He and a couple of freedom fighters had managed to slow the flow of creatures and evacuate the area of civilians. Still, he didn't know how long he and the three others could last. They had already called for back up, now they could only wait and hope.
The sound of renewed, heavier gunfire told him help was finally there. Ducking out from behind the wall he ran forward with his Vulcan gun, firing into the monsters. Help had made it on time and everyone was going to make it out alive. For once things were going right. Once they pushed the monsters back out of the city, killing many along the way, several fighters stood guard as they got a repair crew to start on its way to the breech. As soon as he was sure they could handle themselves, the blond hero proceeded on his way to the lab. Maybe, just maybe, this new city could help solve their metal head problem.
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Daxter came out of the empty building with a tight red vest on over a loose white shirt. Black boots protected his feet and he continued to wear the strange pants given to him by the precursors that had changed with him. Many leather straps held up his clothing and soft leather gloves covered his hands, all except for the fingers which had been obviously cut off. He had also managed to find an odd pair of goggles that he used to push his hair back out of his face.
Torn looked over the boy with surprise. There was an odd look of determination in those soft blue eyes he had never noticed before, never even realized was there. It was like looking at someone entirely different than the ottsel he had come to know. The moment was lost as he received a big, bucktooth grin. "How do I look?" The older man snorted. "Like a fool." With a pain in his chest it dawned on him just how well this young man and Tess would have looked together. He caught himself as a tear slid down his cheek.
Dax walked forward with concerned look on his face. This man never cried. "Um…Torn, buddy, got something in your eye?" The red haired Capitan shook his head as he started to smile. "I just pictured how wonderful Tess would have looked on your wedding day." The younger man's breath caught in his throat as a painful wash of emotions crashed down on him. Torn reached out to him apologetically. "I shouldn't have said anything. I'm sorry," the sorrow in his voice was tangible. Dax shook his head as if to say it wasn't his fault.
"W-what happened wasn't your f-fault." The angered older man shook Dax violently by the shoulders. "It's as much my fault as it is Jak's." Daxter pulled himself away with a glare. "You didn't promise to protect her with your life, only to let her die." His mouth dropped open as a closed fist connected firmly with his jaw. "You foolish little prick. You instantly jumped to conclusions without a care for just how devastated Jak was." Torn resisted the urge to sock Dax again as he glared defiantly at him.
The orange haired boy sneered at the man. How could he possibly understand what was going on between him and the man he used to call friend? "Him, devastated? He sure didn't act like it." He spat the words with venom directed not towards Torn, but Jak. "You're so stupid. You have no idea. As if it wasn't bad enough for him that Keira was badly hurt in the previous breech, he lost a good friend when Tess died. He had done all he could. He was defending her to the best of his abilities when he was knocked out by a metalhead. He had already used all of his light eco and dark. She refused to leave."
The younger man turned from him and placed his fingers in his ears, obviously not interested in the truth. Torn yanked his hand down and held it there to keep him from putting it back. "You. You weren't there for him. He tried so hard. He nearly died, if I hadn't blocked a metalhead that was going for him he would have. He told her to stay out of the way, but when he lost consciousness she hopped up on the bar and started shooting." Daxter yanked his hand away and turned from the man, walking to the hole in the square, staring down the darkness, eyeing the metal that made up the belly of the city. Torn placed a hand on his shoulder to comfort him.
"I tried to stop her, but it was too late. Jak had just woken back up. He unloaded a clip into the back of the creature, hoping, praying he could stop it in time. He has a shorter temper than you, he couldn't help but be mad that you accused him of not trying." Dax nodded. "I remember when he was the calm one, always cooling me off. He was always critical of himself, and I just had to push it." He sat down with a sigh, the older man joined him with a frown, it wasn't often he connected with people, but he felt he needed to be some sort of comfort.
"You know, he never did get over the fact that he had knocked me into that dark eco. It was always an accident, but he felt so responsible." Torn smiled at this, is sounded like Jak to never drop something that happened six years ago. "You two can put that behind you now, and, with time, you can heal and learn to cope with what happened to Tess, together." The orange haired teen nodded. It was silent for a few seconds before a flash of green across the square caught Dax's attention.
Both men looked up to see a sparkling green creature bathing its paw with a long tongue. Dax instantly recognized that cat like figure and stood up with a jolt. Torn followed suit, reaching slowly for his gun, until Dax raised his hand to stop him. "It's a muse, but what is it doing here?" The creature that was said to be long extinct in this future sat there with its perfect poise, waiting for anyone to try and catch it. Again memories of running around on that dark, miserable rock reminded him of just how close of friends he and Jak really were.
He crouched down and cooed to the small animal as he inched slowly towards it. He stopped completely as it stood and turned to him. "Here little muse, come here." If it could, the creature would have surely rolled its eyes at him, as was Torn was doing so right behind his back. The creature came running forward and Daxter smiled, hoping for once the creature would come to him, rather than lead him on a wild goose chase. Instead the creature jumped onto his back and used him as a spring board to reach Torn's shoulder. The older man groaned as he attempted to lean away from his new self designated pet, rubbing against his face.
After a short glare, the younger man started laughing. "I think it likes you." Torn snorted. "And how exactly do I make it stop?" The teen shrugged and shook his head. Light seemed to explode around them as the setting sun's rays bounced off the almost entirely glass city. The muse yawned tiredly as it curled itself against Torn's neck. Dax nodded in agreement with it. "I think we should get something to eat and find a place to sleep. I don't know about you, but I don't really want to be outside around here when it gets dark." Torn nodded as he started through the town, hoping he could find someplace that looked safe.
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I hope that chapter wasn't to abrupt. Sorry to all the Tess fans, I love her too, but I figured only something like this could break them apart and hurt their friend ship. I know I wrote Torn in as a nice guy this chapter, but I had this image in my head of him feeling like he had to help Dax since he couldn't stop it either. Don't worry, the muse will actually have a use latter. Hope you enjoyed it.
