Disclaimer: I don't own anything. I'm just playing in Naughty Dog's sand box.

-Chapter Seventeen-

Jak had no idea what the Metal Head was referring to, but if it thought he was going to help it take over the world, or destroy it, or whatever it was planning, it could think again. Aiming right for the gem that had proven to be the weakness of the other Metal Heads he'd fought, he fired off another shot. The Metal Head roared when the shots connected, but it seemed to be more in irritation than pain. It certainly didn't stop it from coming forward.

"Give up, boy!" the thing snarled. "And maybe I will spare your friends!"

Jak snorted. Yeah, right. He wasn't a complete idiot.

"Bullshit!" Sig punctuated the sentiment with a blast from his Peacemaker, the crackling energy slamming into the monster's forehead with enough force to make it stagger. "Metal Heads don't show mercy - and neither do Wastelanders! There's more where that came from, baby!"

Unfortunately, the effect was short-lived. With a shake of its head, the Metal Head righted itself and screeched something that sent every other Metal Head swarming up the slope. Even the ones that were holding barrels of eco dropped what they were doing to join the attack. Jak's eyes widened as he realized just how much trouble they were in. Oh crap. Taking his attention off the Metal Head leader, he started pumping round after round of bullets into the Metal Head ranks. Beside him, with less frequent but more powerful shots, Sig did the same thing.

But it wasn't going to be enough and they both knew it.

"Jak, bust open those eco barrels!" Daxter suddenly shouted. The ottsel had stopped throwing rocks at the creatures and was now trying to pry the lid off of one of the barrels in question.

The eco... Of course! If Jak could get hold of some red or yellow eco, they'd stand a much better chance. Even blue or green eco would help. With the first chance he had, he swung his gun to the side and aimed for one of the nearest barrels. It exploded in a shower of green.

"Watch it, Jak!" Sig yelled. "Don't let the Metal Heads get too close!"

Jak quickly spun around, letting out a startled yelp when a small insect-type Metal Head tried to attach itself to his ankle. Kicking the thing away, he fired a few frantic shots to drive the other Metal Heads back. One of his shots missed, hitting another barrel instead. This one was filled with red eco, but it was too far away to do him any good.

He was still trying to buy a little more breathing room so that he could target another barrel when a blaze of white energy plowed through the Metal Heads in front of him. Jak tossed a grateful look at Sig, but the man was too busy to catch it. Buying Jak time had cost him ground with the Metal Heads he was holding off, and now two were close enough to launch physical attacks. Jak wanted to help him.

But he couldn't waste the opportunity that he'd been given, knowing that he'd be far more effective if he found the right eco. Two shots took out two more barrels, the first one filled with blue, the second one with green. Daxter immediately jumped off the barrel he'd been trying to open and headed straight for the remains of the barrel of blue eco, but Jak didn't have any time to wonder what he was up to. A yell of pain from Sig had already grabbed his attention.

Sig! He started to lift his gun to aim it at the monster that had its jaws clamped around the Wastelander's leg, but neither one was holding still and if he missed... He abruptly changed tactics and lunged forward, bringing the butt of his gun crashing into the back of the thing's head. Its jaws went slack as it was either stunned or killed and it fell to the ground. Jak gestured urgently at the green eco that had spilled on the ground.

Sig shook his head. "No time," he gritted out past the pain in his leg. "Not unless you can hold them all off on your own."

I can hold them off long enough for that! He swung his gun, knocking back another Metal Head, then firmly planted himself in front of the other warrior. Just do it, Sig! The tip of his gun blazed as he fired again and again. He didn't bother to count how many Metal Heads were already dead. For every one that fell, it seemed like two more took its place.

Fortunately, Sig didn't continue to argue. Either trusting Jak or knowing better than to waste time and breath, he fired off one more blast from his Peacemaker, then limped to the nearest pool of green eco. Without being able to channel it, it wouldn't be as easy for him to treat his injury as it would be for Jak, but just sticking his leg in would do it a world of good.

Blue light suddenly flared in the alcove behind him, startling Jak enough that he nearly let a Metal Head get past his guard. With his attention entirely devoted to avoiding those razor sharp teeth, though, he couldn't look back to see what it was.

Daxter's shout saved him from having to try. "Jak! Sig! I got the ring open with blue eco! Let's get out of here!"

Jak's heart leapt in his chest even as he blasted a hole right through the eye of another Metal Head. Two more hurled themselves at him, but with hope singing through his head, his reflexes seemed faster than ever. One Metal Head was shot while it was still in the air and the other was thrown back as he slammed it with his gun. Without a moment to lose, he turned and raced toward the waiting portal.

A buzz of wings in the air was the only warning Jak got before something strong and sharp latched onto his arm from behind. Before he could fully register what was happening, he was jerked into the air, then another Metal Head flew forward and ripped the gun from his hand.

"Jak!"

Pain lanced through his arm, momentarily stealing his breath, but as hard as he twisted and thrashed, he couldn't break the Metal Head's grip. Up and up they went, until something bright flashed through the air, clipping one of the creature's wings. With a stomach-wrenching lurch, they plummeted, the Metal Head beating its one wing madly.

But before they could hit the ground, another sharp set of talons buried into his shoulder, his arm, his side, slicing right through the leather vest like it was paper, and a giant hand lifted him back up. Struggling against the pain that blurred his vision, Jak tried to pry the talons away with his free hand. He cried out when the Metal Head leader only tightened its grip.

"I finally have you within my grasp," the Metal Head gloated. "I'm not about to let you get away that easily." The monster flicked the smaller Metal Head away, then adjusted its grip so that both of Jak's arms were pinned to his sides. Its claws were covered in Jak's blood from where they'd already pierced his body.

"Don't worry, Jak, I'll save you!"

No. Jak's breath caught again as he registered Daxter's voice and he fought even harder to break free. No, Daxter, stay back! Just go through the ring!

"Daxter, no!" Sig's sharp, commanding voice cut through the din of fighting.

But the only noise that Jak heard was a high squeal that cut off abruptly. Daxter! Jak snapped his head around, straining against the hand that held him as he tried to search for his friend, but one small ottsel was too hard to spot in the sea of Metal Head bodies. Daxter! Wait, there was Sig, plowing through the Metal Heads with fierce determination. He was-

The world spun as the Metal Head leader turned around. "Come, boy. Your ancestor's tomb awaits." With a speed that belied its size, it strode down the hill and away from the fight.

Jak never saw what happened to either Daxter or Sig.

-o-

Damn it all to hell! Sig snarled as he jabbed his elbow into the face of a Metal Head that had tried to sneak up from behind. Flipping his gun horizontal, he reversed the motion and threw all his weight into a forward thrust, shoving back two Metal Heads in front of him. All the while he kept his finger on the gun's charging mechanism, waiting for the next opportunity to fry these miserable bastards.

Just such an opportunity came, and he used it to clear his path the rest of the way to where Daxter's broken, bloody body lay next to Jak's gun. Not wasting any time, he scooped up both the creature and the strap of Jak's gun and immediately began his retreat. He spared only one glance in the direction of Jak and the Metal Head leader, but he knew there was nothing he could do for the kid. Damn it, damn it, damn it!

With one hand occupied with carrying Daxter, he couldn't fire any more shots. However, there were also fewer Metal Heads behind him, and those were generally smaller ones that had slipped past while he'd been busy with more immediate threats. Swinging his gun like a club, he batted them aside with enough force to send them flying. No, those weren't the ones he had to worry about. The ones he had to worry about were the big ones that were almost literally breathing down his neck. A large, almost feline Metal Head with powerfully corded muscles lunged after him with claws extended. Sig threw himself to the side only barely in time to escape dying, but those claws still raked across his armor, tearing through the parts that were made of leather. He could feel the lines of fire where the claws made contact with his skin, but there was no time to acknowledge the pain. With a curse, he shoved the Metal Head back as hard as he could, then all but dove for the glowing transport ring. Light flooded his vision...

...and then he was tumbling out the other end. Barely pausing to regain his balance, he set Daxter down and wheeled around, already charging his Peacemaker. When the first Metal Head tried to follow them through, he let the blast fly, taking both it and the transport ring out in one violent explosion.

The silence that filled the air afterward was almost deafening. Slowly, Sig lowered his gun, then set it aside completely and shrugged the strap of Jak's gun off of his arm. Kneeling next to Daxter, he carefully turned him over so that he could examine the ottsel's injuries.

It was bad. He was no animal doctor, but even he could tell that. The Metal Head that had caught Daxter as he'd tried to reach Jak's gun had chomped down on him and shaken him like a rag doll before tossing him aside in favor of going after Sig. The bite marks seemed especially large on the ottsel's small body and the gaping holes and torn flesh continued to spill blood out at an alarming rate.

He had to stop the flow of blood. Daxter didn't have that much to begin with. Stripping off the cloth that circled his waist and acted as a belt, he quickly unhooked his pouch and water skin, then started tearing off strips to bind up Daxter's wounds. It was only a stopgap measure, he knew, but without any kind of medical supplies, it was the best that Sig could do. When he was finished, he stuffed the shredded remains of the belt into his pouch, then tied both it and the water skin onto loops in his armor before retrieving both the guns.

"Hold on, chili pepper," he murmured as he knelt back down. "Just hold on. I'll get you to someone who can patch you up." Lifting the ottsel as gently as he could, he glanced only once at the broken remains of the transport ring before setting off at a brisk pace. Now was not the time for regrets.

Now was the time to get to the city, get Daxter treated, and make a call back to Spargus. Something big was going down and Damas needed to know about it.

-o-

If Sig had had a choice, he would have preferred to take Daxter back to Spargus and to one of the healer monks. As it was, he didn't think the ottsel could survive that long, so it was Krew's bar that Sig headed to instead. The crime lord may not particularly care for or about anyone he hired, but he was not the type to throw away anything he considered useful - unless there was something greater to be gained. For that purpose, there was a medic that Krew's people could go to.

For a price. Krew never did anything for free. Sig grimaced at the thought of owing the fat man anything, but again, he had no choice. There wasn't anyone else in the city he knew he could go to without worrying about being reported to the Krimzon Guard. He wasn't exactly a wanted man, but he was associated with Krew. The last thing he needed right now was some overbearing guard breathing down his neck while trying to dig for information on the crime lord's latest operation.

This early in the day, Krew's bar was all but deserted. A vaguely familiar man with red hair stood at the counter, talking to Tess, but his voice was low enough that Sig could only hear a few words about a shadow and something missing. The Wastelander shook his head and dismissed it as unimportant.

"Tess," he said, cutting into the conversation. "I need you to contact Krew's medic. And get me a first aid kit."

Tess looked up at him, surprised, but apparently one look was enough that she didn't argue his demands. "What happened?" she asked as she bent down to retrieve the first aid kit from under the counter. The man she'd been talking to frowned and stepped back, eyeing Sig and his burden warily. Sig ignored him and stepped forward to set Daxter on the counter.

"Got in a fight with some Metal Heads," he said shortly. That was all Tess needed to know and would more than explain the injuries.

"What, you stole their lunch?" the man asked dryly, gesturing at the bloody ottsel. His voice was rough and raspy, as though his vocal cords had been damaged. Given the tattoos on his face that indicated at least some past involvement in the Krimzon Guard, that wouldn't be too surprising. Injury was an all too common hazard of that job.

"Close enough," Sig grunted, not particularly inclined to answer the man's questions. As soon as Tess handed him the first aid kit, he opened it up and set to work, peeling away Daxter's bandages while she made the call to the medic.

The first thing to take care of was cleaning the ottsel's injuries. With a wad of gauze, he soaked up as much of the blood as he could, then started liberally dousing the wounds with alcohol. Daxter was lucky that he was unconscious, because Sig knew from experience how much this would hurt like a bitch. He'd certainly be making more noise than that very soft whimper.

"Aw, poor little guy," Tess cooed when she came back. "Did some nasty Metal Head try to eat you?" She reached out and gently smoothed the hair on the ottsel's head, clearly not expecting him to answer. "Don't worry. The medic will be here any minute."

"Startin' to get a little too crowded for my tastes," the man commented. "See you around, Tess, and keep your eyes peeled."

"I will," the blond promised cheerfully. "Take care of yourself, Torn." Torn just nodded before walking out of the bar.

Torn. So that was why the man seemed familiar to Sig. The former Krimzon Guard was part of the growing rebellion against Baron Praxis and sometimes worked out deals with Krew. Sig hadn't ever had reason to work with him directly, but he'd heard about him and seen him maybe once or twice. He glanced at Tess, filing away that brief conversation and his suspicions about it for later.

"Where's Krew?" he asked when he finished tying off the last of Daxter's bandages. The work would be undone soon enough, once the medic arrived, but he still felt better knowing that the injuries had been sterilized and the strips of cloth binding them weren't from his less-than-sanitary belt.

"Oh, he's gone up to the stadium. He heard about this new mechanic that showed up - supposed to be really good. He wanted to see if she was worth hiring." Still absentmindedly petting Daxter's head, the barmaid shrugged and smiled wryly. "You know how he is about racing."

Indeed. And wasn't it just convenient that Krew happened to be out when Torn came by to talk to Tess.

But now wasn't the time to speculate about where Tess' true loyalties might lie. In fact, it worked out to his advantage that Krew wasn't there.

He met her eyes squarely. "Listen, Tess, I need to make a call, and after that, I'm gonna have some business to take care of. You remember that kid who was with me a few days ago?" When Tess nodded, he went on. "This is his friend, Daxter. Could you do me a favor and keep an eye on him?"

Tess tilted her head as she considered the request. She turned her head, looking at the wall behind her - or more specifically at the drawing that Jak had given her - then at the unconscious ottsel on the counter. The likeness wasn't good at all, but Tess' face softened anyway. She met Sig's eyes and nodded, smiling.

"Sure," she said. "I can make a little bed for him in a box and put him under the counter. Even if Krew spots him, I'll tell him he's my pet." Her eyes glinted with mischief and amusement. "If he complains, I'll just remind him about the last health inspection. He still owes me for that."

Although Sig didn't know the details about what had happened in that inspection, his mouth still quirked upward. He could only imagine. "Thanks, Tess. That makes two I owe you now."

Tess waved his words aside. "Nah. This one's for Jak. Bring him around again sometime, will you? He was a nice kid."

Sig's expression immediately sobered, but again he didn't say anything about the events in the pass. "I'll try," he promised, the words meaning more than he could convey. Jak may not have been a Wastelander, but after what had happened in the pass, he was a comrade in arms as far as Sig was concerned. The boy hadn't hesitated to come to his aid or to place himself directly between the Metal Heads and Sig to give him a chance to heal his injuries. And he'd paid for it. If Sig could find where Jak was, and if the kid was still alive when he got there, he'd do everything he could to bring him back.

Your ancestor's tomb awaits. It was the only clue the Metal Head had given for where it was going, but it was enough for Sig. For whatever reason, the thing thought Jak was related to Mar, which meant there was only one tomb that it could be referring to.

Mar's tomb. A tomb that was supposed to be lost to the world.

A tomb that he knew that Damas had visited. Damas would know where it was, and possibly what the Metal Head wanted. Whatever that goal was, it apparently posed a threat to the whole world. So even though it was dangerous to try to transmit anything between Haven and Spargus, Sig felt more than justified in breaking radio silence.

-End Chapter Seventeen-