"Heheh, so I take it ye ain't mad about that cherry bomb I fergot about…?" The shit-eating grin on Jinx's face almost completely hid the veiled fear which was perfectly understandable when someone is holding a gun to your head. Sighing with relief, Jak uncocked his weapon and reholstered it, leaning up and pulling Jinx with him to stand. The demolition-man was covered head to toe in soot, and as soon as he stood up he started coughing a bit, expelling flecks of dirt and solidified eco from his throat. "Sorry for the rude introduction, but I didn't exactly want ya throwing off the explosion." Leave it to Jinx to put more value on the way a bomb explodes than the life of a friend.
"What're you doing here Jinx?" The grungy blond tugged a cigar from a pocket and chewed off the tip. "What's it look like Jakie-boy? I'm blasting out some eco! Got a contract from the guard that they want a few more chunks outta this old strip-mine. Ain't that why you're here?" Jak let the curiosity show before turning to the spot where the explosions originally came. "Lemme guess. Torn didn't tell you?" the place was eerily quiet, so much so that Jak could hear the soft 'flick' of Jinx's lighter. "Lemme fill in the blank goldilocks. This place has been ignored by the metal heads for a few weeks for some reason. So its quieter than Krew's deals. Torn had this idea to bug the place for months, but you guys' didn't exactly have any cover to keep some guard from snooping around while you set up the tech. That's where ol' Jinxie comes in!" Tapping his cigar and puffing his chest, Jinx looked the part of a cartoon. Jak rolled his eyes.
"I get it. So you got the contract and let Torn know his 'in' had arrived. How much more demo have you got?" Jinx shrugged, starting to walk back to a wall of sandbags a generous distance from the previous explosion. "I got work all week. But you guys may need some clues when to set up the bugs, cause in between explosions you ain't got nothing to keep the guard from gettin' curious." Letting Jinx walk the rest of the way to his stash, Jak turned back to go and retrieve Dax and Vin. As soon as he turned out of Jinx's sight however he suddenly felt dizzy, practically falling into a rock-wall for support. He growled gutterally, holding his forehead as if his hand could leech the pain away. "What the fuck is going on with me…" A shiver ran through him again and he stumbled to keep walking again, trying to escape his memories.
"So you knew that bomb-rat hm? I suppose that's how you managed to kill me…" Jak mumbled a half-hearted 'go away' as he struggled across the level ground. "Now why would I do that boy?" Letting his irritation get the better of him, Jak's eyes rolled black and he screamed to no one "Go the fuck away!" A sudden squeal disrupted his thoughts as he looked over and noticed he had returned to the gate. Vin stared with petrified eyes, and Jak had a creeping suspicion that the elderly-looking elf was dangerously close to soiling his pants. "Lets go. I figured out what the explosions are. Jinx is providing cover-noise for our operation." Daxter materialized from behind Vin with some uncertainty in his gait and voice.
"Hey buddy, you seem stressed. You sure you don't wanna just blow off Torn and drop by the hip hog for a drink or something?" Jak shook his head, blinking quickly as he realized he was still clutching his forehead. "No Dax, I'll be fine. I'm just having some trouble thinking." Dax slapped the back of Jak's neck playfully, as one would slap a friends back. "Well then all the more reason to drink and give yourself a reason not to!" Jak sighed but smiled genuinely. "Yea, maybe."
The mission passed quickly. Dax wound up helping Vin more than Jak did, so he wound up lolling just outside of the blast radius, keeping watch and feeling useless. The one good thing seemed to be that the erattic explosions kept Jak from thinking, and consequentially kept thoughts of that disembodied voice from his mind. Soon the final machine was in place, and Jinx was returning to other parts of the mine since cover was no longer needed. As the three of them were about to leave however, in the quiet with the distant sound of Jinx's explosion, Jak paused. "Hey buddy, you comin?" Dax stood by the open portal, dwarfed by it and looked bedraggled. Something didn't sit right here, and Jak waved his friend off. "Go on ahead Dax, I wanna talk to Jinx. I'll be right behind you…" Jak didn't hear what Dax said in response. Something was unnerving him. It was only when he returned to where the bugs were placed that it occurred to him.
It was quiet.
Suddenly struck with concern, Jak started into a run, into the general area where Jinx had left toward when they parted ways following the mission. He had to slow down as soon as he reached a certain point however, because the air was choked with dust. Lungs wracked, eyes watering, Jak arched his back as he coughed into his hands. The air tasted like dark eco, and Jak's thoughts became irrationally frantic. "Jinx! Where are you?!" Through the smog of dust a small figure collapsed and Jak ran over, dragging the mysterious frame out of the dust where the air was clearer. Jinx wasn't unconscious, but he was near dead weight. He seemed to have trouble walking, controlling his muscles, and he didn't speak. As soon as the air became clearer, Jak collapsed to his hands and knees, dropping Jinx and focusing on clearing his lungs. As he was about to turn to check on Jinx he was knocked over.
Lying on his back Jinx felt heavier than expected. That little frame was mostly muscle it seemed because in Jak's still dazed frame of mind, he couldn't push the blond off. "Jinx, What are you doing? Get off." Red lights and alarms went off in Jak's mind all of the sudden, and Jinx closed his lips over Jaks. Flashes of pain enveloped Jak's senses. Held down, the metal bites his wrists and ankles. Intrusion. His mouth always tasted like blood. Jinx's mouth tasted like his cigar smelled. Everything else melded to his memory. He couldn't move. Couldn't push Jinx off. The uncomfortable feeling of that bulge, except this time instead of being against his hips, he felt it against his stomach, tiny differences accentuating Jinx's height. But the rest was too similar. Too rough, too violent. Jak tore his mouth away, and gasped air. A memory and reality overlapped. Jak's heart froze in fear. Seven words ripped through his consciousness like a knife.
"God I missed the way you taste"