Chapter Seven:
The Dangers of Boredom
Jak, Erin, and Daxter walked into the large tent. The first impression that hit the trio was that this definitely was the home of a mystic. Many strange objects hung on the wall. Trinkets and baubles of many shapes and sizes, along with countless other objects that they couldn't name.
Daxter leaned from Jak's shoulder and gingerly touched a dead hanging animal, "Coooool! Check out the dead stuff!"
To Daxter's surprise the animal called out in pain. "Touch the goods again, rat boy, and you'll be," the bird cawed in anger, "counting with your toes!" With an indignant flutter he dropped from his perch and flew to an old woman sitting on many pillows in the center of the tent, landing on her large, oval hat.
Jak and Erin just shook their heads and followed the monkey-parrot. "I am Pecker!" The bird said with a flutter of its wings. The trio couldn't help but snicker at his…unusual name. He seemed to be used to such a reaction, because he rolled his eyes. "Yes…yes, I know! My mother, she was….very vindictive. I am Onin's interpreter."
The wrinkly old woman started to signal with her hands, which were covered in a mystical blue aura. Pecker ignored any further snickering and focused on her movements.
"Onin welcomes you, blah blah blah blah blah, the usual boring salutations…She says that it's nice to see you again, Jak."
Jak noticed Erin's head turn quickly in his direction. Hadn't they established that they were from different worlds than this one?
He was mystified by Onin's greeting, but passed it off as old, jumbled nerves. "But we've never met before."
Pecker waved his wing dismissively. "Before…after…it's all the same."
"Oh! Oh! Let me try!" Daxter piped up as Onin continued to use her sign-language. "Aaah... she wants a... She wants a yakow bone! A yakow bladder! No, I got it! For many moons she has waited for--"
At this point Erin know that Daxter would continue to make stupid meanings to Onin's gestures, so she took action by grabbing him off of Jak's shoulder and firmly placing her hand over his large and over-used mouth. He grunted irately for a few moments, then silenced. Jak just tried not to laugh too loud.
"Close…but NO! Onin says that you seek answers about the Tomb of Mar."
"So what do we need to know?" Erin asked, still covering Daxter's mouth.
The tent was quiet, except the grunts of Daxter, for a few moments as Pecker watched Onin's gestures. "She's going on and on about mystical energy channels, evil curses; stupid 'ooooooo' crap. Forget all that, I'm gonna sum this up quickly, because now you're cutting into my siesta time. Onin wants you to recover three artifacts from the Precursor Mountain Temple. Not two! Not four! THREE! Use the Warp Gate at the northwest side of the city, and bring back the three items you find!"
The trio exited the tent into the Bazaar section of the city. The early morning air was quiet, up until Erin released Daxter's mouth.
"HEY!" Erin gritted her teeth at the sound of his voice, and just tossed him, unceremoniously, at Jak.
Daxter hit Jak in the chest, and due to the fact that Jak didn't try to catch him, he had to grab Jak's tunic to keep from falling to the ground.
"Why I otta…!" He called to Erin's retreating back. When she didn't take his threat seriously, he grabbed the nearest item at hand at threw it at her.
"OW!" She yelled as the small black object hit her in the back of the head. She turned to Daxter sitting on Jak's shoulder in a fury. Jak tried not to laugh when Daxter's ears dropped to his head in fear.
"Whoa! Calm down, Sweet Cheeks."
Erin just rolled her eyes and grabbed the object that Daxter had used as a projectile off of the ground. She just glanced down to see what he had thrown when she noticed a picture of a young, beautiful red-head on the front. Her hair was wrapped into corn-rolls along her head, giving her an intensity and strength that added to her beauty.
"Who is this?" Erin asked, noticing a small ball of jealousy burn in her stomach and trying not to let it show on her face.
Jak noticed her jaw clench slightly. He hadn't told Erin about Ashelin, perhaps he was afraid of her reacting the same way that Keira had to Erin. For the last week Jak had tried to talk to Keira, but she just was gruff and gave him short answers, if she answered at all. He was in the dog house with Keira, and his reluctance to tell Erin of Ashelin seemed to just have put him in the dog house with Erin.
Daxter dared Erin's temper and jumped from Jak's shoulder to hers. "Whew, she's a betty! 'Ey, Jak? We saved her elegantly-formed butt out at the Pumping Station when you were attempting the racing challenge." Erin looked up at him on her shoulder and couldn't ignore the drool forming around his mouth as he thought about Ashelin's butt. "That hot tamale was so thankful for our assistance that she gave Jak her digits, 'ey, Jak?"
Jak just knew what he was in for. Another friend wouldn't talk to him now. Now that Daxter had opened his big mouth.
When he saw the jealousy flicker in her eyes he knew he was dead.
Erin swallowed any feelings she had on the subject in an instant, calmly handed Daxter the security pass over her shoulder, and started to walk for the nearest zoomer. "We have a lot of work to do, so let's go." She said calmly over her shoulder to Jak, keeping any emotion out of her voice.
Jak was momentarily stunned; no yelling? No cold shoulder? He followed reluctantly behind her, just waiting for her to change her mind. She climbed into the passenger seat of the zoomer with Daxter still on her shoulder, Jak climbed into the drivers seat, started the zoomer up, and headed for the City Gardens. She still didn't say anything. Throughout the entire trip to the Garden's she didn't mention Ashelin, just talked absently about their mission. Perhaps he had been worried for nothing.
After stomping through the Precursor Mountain Temple for a few hours, they managed to uncover the artifacts that Onin had sent them for. The trio returned the artifacts to Onin for safe keeping and returned to the Hideout. Erin was her usual friendly self, to Jak's eternal surprise. A fact he was thankful for. Keira would hardly talk to him, and that bothered him. He may not feel the same for her as he used to, but she was still a close, childhood friend. If Erin wouldn't talk to him, he didn't know what he'd do.
When Torn informed them that they had the day off, due to the fact that he didn't have any missions for them, they all left the dead-end alley looking for something to do.
The sky was cloudy, a thankful retreat from the usual heat that beat down on the city. An idea hit Jak, and without a word he set off for the zoomer.
"Where are you going?" Erin asked as she followed him.
He just climbed into the drivers seat and looked back with a sly grin. "Want to get into some trouble?"
Erin stopped to consider for a second. "What kind of trouble?" She asked smoothly; though she had already made up her mind.
Jak smirked, "The fun kind."
Erin quickly rounded the zoomer and climbed in. "I'm game!" She was slightly surprised about her readiness to get into some mischief. The old her would have quickly declined any such offer, but the new her was ready for some excitement. What a change dying can bring to your choices, huh?
He started the zoomer and flew off for the Power Station. It didn't take them ten minutes to reach the tall building.
Jak led the way up the large ramp way to the small door to the control room of the Power Station with Daxter on his shoulder and Erin following close behind. They entered the room to see Vin at a computer console at the other end of the room. He glanced at their direction when they entered, but quickly returned to his furious typing.
"Vin, buddy, we need a favor," Jak said in a friendly voice as they approached.
Vin raised an eyebrow at the tone in his voice, "I can't help you with your eco bill."
Jak smirked, apparently this jumpy guy did have a sense of humor after all. "We need you to switch on the access elevator in one of the Palace's support towers."
Vin looked up from his keyboard in surprise. "Sheesh, that's part of the old B-Zone power grid? It hasn't worked for years.
Erin understood then what kind of trouble they were going to get into. The 'breaking an entering to annoy the Baron' kind of trouble. It sounded fun to her. "Well, if it's too hard for you, I understand. Power stuff can be tricky," she commented in an innocent tone.
"Tricky?" He grunted, apparently ready for a challenge. He moved quickly to another computer consol and typed into it, bringing up a blueprint of a lot of wiring and technical drawings. "I could route the B-Zone conduit lines through the bypass grid, shunting past the eco rings to connect the inductor tubes in series…" He moved around the room with speed, turning many knobs and switches. Erin tried to follow what he was saying, but found it too complicated. The trio was just left in the dark as he continued to talk to himself as he worked.
"…and presto, you've got instant lift juice!" Was about the only thing that they all understood. Whatever he was talking about, apparently, he had figured it out.
"Vin, you're a genius!" Jak commented.
"Eh…" He apparently wasn't given many compliments with his job, "Actually…Mar was the genius. People said he made most of this stuff long ago - the shield-wall system, the eco grid." Vin stopped for a moment to dream about such mental power, but shook it off. "Anyway, to get that elevator moving, you gotta find and turn on all the old B-Zone power boxes located in the city. There are five of 'em!"
Daxter grinned, "That doesn't sound so tough!"
"No," Vin agreed, "Except those power boxes are guarded by motion-sensing turbo cannons!"
Daxter's grin faded fast.
"But, if you can destroy the cannons, and switch the boxes on, I can do the rest."
With a word of thanks they all went for the exit. "Just don't tell the Baron I ever saw ya!" Vin called as a final warning.
"That just shows how much faith he has in us, doesn't it?" Erin laughed as they headed back for the zoomer.
The trio made quick work of the defense turrets that guarded the power switches. Jak drove while Erin and Daxter shot at the turrets and any KG's that were stupid enough to get in their way. When the final switch had been pulled Vin contacted them on their communicators and informed them the power was up on the access elevator in support tower 7. When the coast was clear they slid into the support tower without any mishaps.
Erin groaned to match the noise that came from the old elevator lift when it was introduced to their unaccustomed weight. "Do you think this thing is safe?" She asked.
Jak shrugged his shoulders, causing Daxter to bounce. "Only one way to find out."
Erin took a deep breath as Jak hit the elevator button. A loud grinding sound reached their ears, and for a few seconds Erin was sure that the elevator was going to collapse. Once the lift started moving the grinding sound stopped, a fact that Erin was glad for.
The elevator made the long trip to the top in no time. When the door opened they were greeted by the howling wind calling across the sky. From this level Erin could see the Precursor Temple high in the mountain. She could see the beauty of this world much clearer.
"The city looks much better when you're not close enough to see the decay," Erin commented, almost to herself.
"Yeah," Jak agreed as the approached the end of the platform. He stopped in his steps as he noticed that it was a sheer drop to the ground. They were so high that Jak was sure that it would take ten minutes to hit the concrete. Wouldn't want to fall off that…
He felt Daxter perk up on his shoulder. "Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to splat on the ground? Like squash!" He clapped his small hands together to identify the instant you would hit the ground with a weird little grin on his orange face.
Both Erin and Jak looked at him, eyebrows raised. He raised his hands in response. "What!"
Erin started to laugh first, Jak quickly followed.
When the fits of laughter had passed, they all looked for the easiest way to cross the wire-like structure that ran strait up to the Palace. After scouting out a path, they started the long trek. It was slow going, the Baron had countless defenses that spanned the entire way. Some walkways gave way beneath you, while others shot electricity at you. They hadn't made it half way before they were out of breath. They found a relatively safe spot and stopped for a breather.
"The Baron is paranoid!" Erin said between breaths. "How many people would've been able to make it half as far as we did?"
Jak sat down on the platform and shook his head. Their exposure to dark eco had enhanced their resistance to pain, given them more strength, and made their senses more acute. Probably no one could have made it that far.
Once they had caught their breath they returned to their mission. After dodging many more traps and a rotating gun turret they made it to the roof of the large and impressive palace. Dark clouds had formed in the sky, a light sprinkle of rain started to pour down on them.
"Oh, great! Do you know how hard it is to keep my fur from frizzing?" Daxter complained to himself. Jak just rolled his eyes.
"I love the rain," Erin commented as she looked up to the sky and allowed the small amount of moisture to cool her face.
Jak looked at her, he had never known anyone that had loved the rain! It was just an irritant.
Erin noticed his look and smiled, "Where I'm from we don't get much rain."
A loud, muffled yell reached their ears. They followed the sound to a large intertwining of windows that looked down into one of the large rooms of the Palace. They each approached it and looked down into the room cautiously.
"Get out, you fools!" The Baron yelled at a group of guards that had entered the throne room.
Without a word they complied, except one. Erin looked down to a mass of red hair. It was Erol, again! She could feel the anger from inside, but since she had talked to the Oracle she had learned to control it, for the most part.
Erol took his place beside Praxis, who was on the throne. In an instant a holographic projector displayed a three dimensional picture of the ugliest creature you have ever seen!
"You're falling behind, Baron." The monster said.
"I've told you, I'll have more eco by week's end. We'll transport it directly to your nest, as promised!" Praxis bellowed at the Metal Head leader's floating head.
"A deal is of no value if you can't deliver, my dear Baron." The creature's deep voice mocked Praxis' station. "I grow impatient with your puny gestures. Give me the agreed upon eco soon, or the deal is off, and your precious city will pay the price!"
His threat hung in the air even after the projection of him vanished.
Erol stepped forward, anger easily readable on his face, even from their high vantage point. "He's toying with us! Let me lead an assault on the Nest before it's too late! I can take him!"
"Patience, commander. No one has ever penetrated the Metal Head Nest. You know that!" Praxis traced a hand over the metal plate that covered half of his face and back along his skull. "I've seen what comes of such foolish plans," he mumbled, showing the slightest bit of remorse.
The show of regret was lost quickly in the sea of his treacherous mind. "No, strength is their weakness...We play helpless... We train them to eat from our hands, and then…"
He quickly turned to his second in command. "Move forward with the final plan! Tell Ashelin to up her patrols. I want that Tomb found!"
Erol's face contorted, "But your daughter has not been…" Erol paused for a moment, searching for the right word. He had made the mistake of insulting his daughter once before, only once. "…agreeable."
Praxis groaned at the inconvenience, his daughter had been becoming a hassle as of late, "I'll see to that problem. One way or another."
"Ashelin is the Baron's daughter?" Jak couldn't help but whisper harshly to Daxter.
Any conversation that was to be had on the subject was lost as the Baron continued to talk in the room below. "And find that child! If you'd spend half as much time looking for that little brat as you spend flirting with that mechanic girl, we would have pinned his royal ass to a wall long ago." Jak's mind lingered on the 'mechanic girl' mentioned, they couldn't possibly be talking about Keira, could they? He strained his mind, trying to hear every word that the two said.
"As you wish. With enough persuasion, I'm sure our spy will…"
"AHHHCHOOO!" A large sneeze escaped from Daxter. With a quick movement Jak grabbed Daxter and pulled them both from view, Erin followed suit.
"What was that!" They heard Erol call out.
They all moved farther from the windows, it was time they got out of there in case the Baron decided to investigate. If he was paranoid enough to put defenses on an impassible tower, he was paranoid enough to investigate a noise. Jak led the way back to the long structure that connected to the defense tower that they had activated.
An engine blared into their ears as a large mechanical object flew into view.
"So, we have rats in the walls, do we!" The voice of the Baron greeted them through a loud-speaker. "Back for a few more dark eco treatments! Well, allow me to put you both out of your misery!" Accompanying his words was the sound of missiles that shot out from the mechanical suit.
Jak and Erin both dove in different directions to avoid the projectiles. They each hit the ground, rolled, and ran in the opposite direction of the Baron in his flying machine as more bullets rained down on them.
They both ran for a hallway-like area between two palace spires, hoping to lose the large mech. On the other end of the 'hallway' it opened up to a larger flat area of the roof. The Baron inside his mechanical suit was waiting for them.
They stopped in their tracks, but when they turned around to run, an electrical force field was preventing them from leaving the way they came.
"There is no escape for you!" The Baron laughed hysterically through his speakers.
The trio got split up again as energy bullets were shot at them. Jak and Daxter went one way, Erin went another. Praxis flew to the spot that they had been at. When his back was exposed Jak and Erin shot at him. Sadly the bullets just bounced off just inches from the suit.
"He has a force field!" Jak called to Erin. They stopped shooting, not wanting to waste ammo.
"What do we do!" She yelled as she jumped behind a vent as more bullets followed her.
"Just don't get shot!"
Erin rolled her eyes, Daxter was always trying to make any situation comical.
After a few minutes of dodging countless bullets, they heard a clicking sound. The Baron was out of ammo. Jak raised his weapon, testing for a weakness.
To their complete relief the shots made contact, seconds later Erin's yellow bullets joined Jak's blue ones. In moments Praxis flew into the energy field, which re-charged his shield and ammo.
Jak and Erin stuck to that strategy; they took cover until Praxis has used up his energy, and in the time it took him to re-charge they attacked with full force. It didn't take very many times of using this plan for the Baron to figure they were using his weakness against him. This served to anger the Baron and, unfortunately for them, anger didn't make Praxis sloppy. He changed weapons to a heat seeking rocket launcher. They had stirred up some serious trouble.
Erin rolled behind a crate and pressed her back against it for comfort, hoping that the obstacle would hide the heat her body was giving off. By now the rain was pouring from the sky, she was thankful that the moisture kept her face cool. She was breathing hard, her heart pounding. They needed to finish the Baron off before they passed out from exhaustion. Jak was behind a nearby crate, he looked her way and his face paled visibly.
"Erin, move!"
The urgency in his voice forced her into immediate action. She dove from behind the crate a fraction too late. A rocket made contact with the crate, causing a large explosion. The explosion wouldn't have been too bad, except the fact that the crate was filled with eco, which magnified the detonation ten fold.
A vibration filled the air as the crate exploded, the sound resembled that of a lightning strike. Jak yelled as Erin was lost behind a wall of flame. He couldn't tell if she had cleared the blast area. With a new found fury he turned his attention back to the Baron and shot like a mad man.
Jak didn't spare a moment for gloating when the Baron's flying contraption exploded. Instead he ran for the last spot he had seen Erin at. He scanned the area quickly and saw her limp body had been thrown dangerously close to the edge of the roof. She was literally lying inches from a long fall to the city streets below. Jak ran to her and placed his hand on her throat, checking for a pulse. In his fear he forgot that they couldn't touch each other. He pulled away quickly as the dark eco electricity formed between them.
"Dax, check for a pulse!" He spat urgently. Immediately Daxter jumped from Jak's shoulder down to Erin, his small, orange fingers searching for the beating of her heart. Jak noticed blood coming from several cuts on her body, but he couldn't tell how serious they were.
For what seemed like an eternity Dax felt for a sign she was so much a breathing. "She's alive!" Dax called out relieved. Jak released a breath he didn't realize he had been holding, relief flooded his senses, for a moment. A humming engine reached his ears, he turned around quickly to see that the Baron had survived, his mechanical suit had a small escape ship that he was now floating in. His half-metal face twisted into an evil smile.
"Surprise!"
The Baron had one last trick up his sleeve, or should I say rocket? He had managed to save just one, which he now shot at Jak and an unconscious Erin. Jak stood in front of Erin protectively as the rocket shot from one of the gun barrels.0
Instant, red-hot anger filled Jak with an intensity he had never known. His anger for the Baron multiplied in a second. He didn't fight the darkness, he let it take over. His dark self faced the incoming rocket without fear. Time seemed to slow, to Jak, as the rocket sped towards him. Dark Jak raised his arms as dark eco electricity shot from his fingertips; detonating the rocket feet from him. The explosion hurt his body, but it was a fraction of the damage he would've taken if he was in his normal form.
The dark eco drained from his body, returning his to his usual form. Jak stood his ground as Praxis lost control, "The dark powers I gave you can't protect you forever! Since I made you, I can destroy you!" His voice lowered to a deep growl as he voiced his promise, "We'll meet again soon."
Like the coward that he was, Praxis flew away into the darkening sky. Rain was still pouring when the Baron made his exit. Jak turned back to Daxter and Erin. Erin still didn't give any signs that she was alive. Jak stood as close as he could without making contact as Daxter tried to wake her up.
After several minutes of Daxter prodding Erin in the gut, she awoke. Her eyes fluttered open; the first thing she noticed that Jak was standing over her looking quite worried. She tried to sit up, but terrible pain cut through her and she stopped moving.
Jak saw her close her eyes to the pain, the sharp intake of breath. He pulled a small package from his belt pack and handed it to Daxter. Daxter took the green eco pack and opened it. The green eco-goo turned into a green shimmer-y mist as it was absorbed by her body. Erin let out a breath as her pain dulled, the cooling sensation brought comfort to her aching muscles.
Erin sat up; she was stiff and sore, but she'd live. Thanks to Jak. She looked at the man who saved her, but came to a sudden realization, "Jak, your bleeding!"
For the first time Jak looked down at the sorry state of himself. The rocket's explosion had shot some debris at him, leaving several deep cuts. He hadn't noticed them until now; he had been too worried for Erin.
"I'll be fine, let's just get out of here before the Baron comes back."
Erin nodded and stood up. A momentary dizziness filled her head, but slowly passed. Daxter jumped up on her shoulder and they went on their way. They decided to walk right out the front doors of the palace and walked to the elevator. It was a long way down. Daxter filled the quiet void with his own voice, telling Erin everything that she had missed when she was unconscious.
"And Jak stopped the missile with his bare hands! Well, sort of…"
Erin looked to Jak, silently asking if Daxter was exaggerating. Jak just shook his head and smiled.
"Well…thanks, Jak," she said earnestly. They shared a smile.
"What about me!" Daxter ruined their little moment, "I healed you!"
She pulled the ever-complaining Daxter from her shoulder and hugged him a little too hard. "Thank you, Daxter!"
"Your…wel…come," he said as he tried to breathe. Jak just laughed.
The first thing that greeted the trio was Torn's demanding voice. "The city is on high alert. What the Hell did you three do?"
"Us!... nothing. We've been... ah... sightseeing, right Erin?" Daxter tried to act all innocent.
"Really!" He demanded dubiously. "Then why are the Krimzon Guard looking for… "a young woman with reddish hair, purple shirt with blue pants" and "a dangerous young man with light hair, blue tunic, and a rabid orange RAT on his shoulder"!"
"Ahh... Could be anyone. Orange is the new black this season," Daxter tried to prove his innocence.
Jak knew that there was no denying it, so he cut to the point. "Look, we've climbed up to the Baron's palace... and... we tripped a few alarms."
"Oh right... that too," Daxter seemed reluctant to confess, thinking that his pathetic defense would work.
"What! I didn't authorize a strike on the...!"
"Hey, we kicked the Baron's ass!" Jak cut Torn off. "Unfortunately, he escaped."
"...AND we overheard a secret meeting with the leader of the Metal Heads!" Daxter piped in, trying to keep Torn from getting too mad. It seemed to work, because his face turned from anger to interest.
"You saw the Metal Head leader?" The old man that they saved when they first escaped from the Fortress was there. Erin hadn't noticed that he was there until he spoke up.
"No," Erin answered, "he was on some communicator, but we heard him talking with Baron Praxis."
"The Baron is bribing the Metal Heads with eco!" Daxter finished her explanation for her.
Kor grunted in disagreement, "it will never be enough."
"But the Baron's gonna double cross 'em!" Daxter was just eager to give away their information.
"Is that so? Well our good Baron's wonderful 'charm' must have angered someone, because there's word from the Wasteland that Metal Head armies are on the move again!" Kor added his own information into the mix.
"Why didn't you tell me Ashelin was Praxis's daughter?" Jak changed the subject fast. "What's your connection with her?"
"That's none of your business!" Torn answered with a snarl, Erin noticed that his face became wary at the mention of any 'connection' with Ashelin. "Since you've stirred up the wumpbee's nest, you two and whiskers here need to get four of our people to new safe houses. Shuttle each agent to a location they specify. Move all of them WITHOUT any casualties. Don't screw this up!"
Jak decided to let the subject drop, for the time being. When Jak walked passed Erin, Daxter jumped to his shoulder. When Erin didn't follow, Jak stopped. Kor and the kid walked pass Jak and Daxter to the exit to the Hideout.
"Go ahead, I'll be there in a minute," she told him. He nodded and exited.
Erin turned to Torn when they were alone. "I just thought that you should know, the Baron and Erol had mentioned having a spy in the Underground. You should be careful about who you give your information to from now on."
Torn looked up from his papers into her eyes, she had his complete attention. She just nodded her head when he silently asked if she was telling the truth. When she felt that she had made her point, she turned and left the Hideout.
He sighed warily and laboriously took a seat. He had too many problems to deal with already. The possibility of a spy wasn't something that he needed to add to the pile. He took a drink from the glass in front of him. The Underground had been having too may troubles to deal with recently.
Here it is! Finally! School started for me, volleyball practice, writers block...well enough of my excuses, hope you enjoyed! And please review! Reviews inspire me to continue!