Chapter Twelve:

The Price of Power

Erin could hear voices around her, but they were so distorted that she couldn't make out the words. It was as if the sounds were traversing a great distance before they reached her ears. She just couldn't grasp the meanings of the voices.

When she tried to open her eyes, the small amount of light pierced into her pupils. She instantly regretted opening them because the light gave her a headache. She rubbed her palms into her eyes, trying to eliminate the pain that it caused.

Footsteps approached slowly, she could hear them pounding in her head. She pulled the covers over her head to try and block out the sound.

An indent appeared in her bed as someone sat down beside her.

"Are you all right?" The person asked attentively.

Erin could tell that it was a woman's voice, and that it sounded familiar, but she couldn't place it. Erin groaned at the sound. "Turn off the light," her voice was hoarse.

The woman sighed, got up, blew out the small candle, and left. "I hope you feel better soon."

Another one of the spasms took her body, again, as the woman left her alone. Erin bit her lip as the unexplainable pain shot through her body. Her muscles stretched of their own accord, as if she had no control over her own body. But the one thing worse then the pain was the screaming in her head. The dark voice that was always there had grown into a full-out conscience, a dark conscience that ordered the deaths of all those around her; begging her to finish of their pathetic lives with one, 'merciful' action.

The twisted logic almost made sense to her. Life is pain, death is mercy. The voice chanted over and over in her head until she became delirious. Her vision started to blur as the chant reached its pinnacle. The pain finally halted, just as she fell unconscious.

"How's she doing?" Jak and Torn said in unison as Tess entered the room. Jak glared at the oblivious Torn. Why do you care?

She sat heavily into one of the empty seats across from Jak and Torn. "She was conscious, at least, but her fever is still high."

"Do you have any idea what it is?" Torn asked.

Tess shook her head. "The high fever and weakness are normal symptoms of the common cold, but the seizures and nightmares," she shook her head, "it's unlike any sickness I've seen."

She let her words sink in for a moment, "And on top of all that she seems to have an aversion to light and sound and her skin is abnormally pale, it's almost like she's a vampire."

"Has nothing helped?" Jak asked, considering what her sickness could be.

Tess shook her head sadly, "I've tried everything that I can think of."

Everyone sat in silence. Jak was worried for Erin, what possibly could be ailing her? He thought about everything that had happened to her in the last few days and could come up with only one answer. When Jak had saved her from the trap the Krimson Guards had set he had used the Dark Bomb. The force of the bomb had hurled her against a wall, but she had said that she was alright. Did the dark eco have a terrible affect on her body that he couldn't have foreseen? She had been in her sickened state for three days starting from the morning after he had saved her from the trap, it wasn't a coincidence.

Torn sighed and leaned forward in his chair. "I think we better keep everyone away from her, we don't know what's made her sick, but I can't have it spread to the rest of the Underground if it's contagious."

"It's not contagious," Jak stated.

Torn looked at him long and hard. "What makes you the expert, unless you have information that you haven't been forthcoming with…?"

Jak sighed, Erin hadn't told the Underground that she had been experimented on, and she had made Vin swear not to tell anyone that night that he had witnessed it. The Baron had no evidence that Erin was changing, but he had Jak on tape escaping from the prison cuffs with his dark powers. The Baron had blurted about it on the holographic news devices, hoping that the scared populace would turn Jak in. Erin had been lucky on that point.

"I'll go see if there is anything I can do," Jak said, avoiding Torn's question. He didn't want to give away Erin's secrets.

"Withholding information could be considered insubordination," Torn threatened. Which meant, of course, that Torn could punish them both for lying.

Jak glared back into Torn's hard eyes, neither of them were going to back down. "What are you going to do?" Jak threw in his face, "Kick us out? I don't think you would risk the chance of us going to the Baron."

If Torn's eyes had been hard before, now they were ice cold. "You're right, I wouldn't risk it."

The subtle threat lingered in the air for a moment. So, either he would keep us prisoner, or kill us. Jak didn't think that Torn would kill them, it would scare away anyone who was seeking to join the cause, but then again, Torn could just say that he discovered that they were spies and disposed of them. How far would Torn go to keep people in line? Well, he was a Krimson Guard at one time…

Jak sighed, "Anything that Erin may or not be hiding is her own business." Jak said, hoping it would be enough to sate Torn and keep Erin's secret intact. "If she wants to tell you, she will."

Jak turned his back on his commander and left before he could stop him, thinking that the oracle would surely know how to help Erin.

"You cannot fight me forever."

The hysterical, demonic laugh that followed echoed in the dark around her, beating at her senses. She could feel the presence somewhere in the enveloping darkness, taunting her but never making it's presence known.

She tried to run, but she was just so weak that she could hardly stand.

The terrible voice just laughed at her mockingly, a deep croak that felt no pity. "You are going weaker by the day… it is just a matter of time…"

Erin's heart beat as if a drum was pounding in her chest. "No…!"

"Can you deny what is happening to your own body as we speak?" It echoed back.

In an instant Erin realized that the sickness had nothing to do with any common virus. The dark eco was consuming her faster than expected. The reality of her own mortality sank her heart. She could give no response to the darkness.

"It won't be long until it is I who is in control," her dark entity laughed ruthlessly.

Jak entered the old house alone, he had left Daxter at the Hideout. Inside were the hundreds of candles on several tables that never seemed to burn out, and the candles never were replaced. It was odd really, candles that would never burn out…

He walked to the back of the hut, to the large stone statue erected as a wise man to the lost. As Jak approached the large, empty eyes filled with the glowing power of the Precursors.

"Why have you approached me, Great Warrior?" The deep, booming voice filled the small hut.

Jak knelt before the statue. "Please," he started, not sure how to proceed, "My friend is very sick--"

"--We know this," the Oracle cut him off.

Jak stopped for a second, stunned, "Then you must know how to help her!"

The Oracle didn't respond for a moment while Jak waited, his heart beating.

"We cannot stop what she is doing to herself."

Jak's heart wrenched, they couldn't help her. Then his mind assessed the rest of the Oracle's statement, why would she possibly do that to herself?

"What do you mean?" Jak asked, trying to comprehend the statue's statement.

"When you both were changed by dark eco, the affect was that it gave you unsurpassed power, but at a price. The world is full of dark eco, but most people can't see it unless it is in large quantities. You two can see it even in its less pure form."

Jak now knew why no one on the street could see the small bits of dark eco all around the city.

"You two," the Oracle continued, "are like sponges to dark eco. Whenever you get too close to it your bodies naturally absorb it, and even suck it out of people's bodies."

Now he also knew why dead bodies turned into dark eco, because everything has a small portion of it inside them.

"So what is wrong with Erin?" Jak asked.

"It is critical that you both release the dark eco you build up, other wise it will take it's toll on you much quicker than anticipated. Your friend, Erin, refuses to turn into her darker self, and in doing so she is killing herself much faster."

Jak was stunned. He had realized the connection with how changing made him feel less tension from the dark eco, why hadn't Erin?

"If Erin releases the dark eco inside her, will she get over her sickness?"

"Her sickness will pass, Warrior, but I fear that the damage to her body has already been done," the statue answered remorsefully.

Jak's heart seemed to stop beating. "You mean…" he paused, fearful of the answer, "…there is nothing you can do for her?"

"We are too far from any power source that could grant me the ability to cure her--"

"--There must be a power source close by," Jak stated, his voice rushing from anxiety.

"I fear not, Warrior. Only in our temple in the great desert could we have the strength for such work."

"Then I'll take her to the desert," Jak answered breathlessly, trying to convince himself that it would work.

"You would never make it. The Metal Head army is on the move, heading towards the city even as we speak. Such a journey would be suicide."

"There must be something I can do to help her!" He yelled, exasperated.

"You already do. You must convince Erin to release the dark eco within her. Ever minute that passes makes her weaker. You must go!"

Jak turned and ran out of the rickety old shack, not wanting to waste one more minute than he had to. He needed to help Erin.

All the candles waved in the breeze caused by Jak as he ran by. The blue orbs of the statue lingered for a moment. "We only hope that you are not already too late."

Tess ran into the common room of the Hideout from the bunk area. Torn heard her frantic footsteps and looked up from the intelligence that his scouts had just given him.

She stopped in the doorway and called for him to follow, then led the way into the back rooms.

When Torn stepped into the room, he could see the reason for Tess's worry. Erin was thrashing uncontrollably in the bed. Her entire body was lashing out against her surroundings, leaving bloody cuts on her.

Torn ran over to the bed and tried to hold Erin's arms still. "Tess, try and hold her legs!"

The instant that Torn touched her, Erin let out a scream and fought even harder than before.

"What's wrong with her?" Tess asked, trying to keep Erin's struggling under control. She was terrified of Erin's condition, and what it was doing to her.

"I don't know, but if we don't do something quick she's going to thrash herself to death!"

Erin's fevered seizures continued to worsen with each passing second. Torn had to put all of his weight on Erin's arms, and still she struggled hard. Torn had to practically lay on top of her to keep her from hurting herself. She even got away once and smashed a hand across his nose. Torn quickly grabbed her wrist and pinned her down again. How can she be this strong?

"What are you doing?" Yelled a voice from the doorway.

Torn looked up for a split second, Jak was standing there in a silent rage. "She's having seizures!"

Jak's anger quickly turned to fear, Erin wasn't doing as well as he had hoped. "You both need to leave," Jak demanded, forgetting pleasantries because of the direness of the situation.

Torn looked up at him as if questioning his intelligence. "Are you mad? Without us she's going to hurt herself."

Perhaps it was fear for Erin's life that made him act as he did, or perhaps it was his jealousy. Without thinking about the consequences, Jak seized Torn by the scruff of his shirt and threw him backwards, away from Erin. Tess stepped back quickly at the show of violence.

"Get out!" Jak demanded, and in a desperate attempt to save Erin, grabbed each of her arms.

The terrifying purple energy enveloped both him and the unconscious Erin in a moment. He wasn't sure how fast Torn and Tess vacated the room, but when he next turned around they were gone.

Even in such a weak state, Erin fought the darkness with all her strength, just as Jak was fighting to keep his normal presence. The darkness called from within both of them, and with their combined dark eco stores they could not fight it off forever.

Erin was the first to turn. She threw Jak away from her and against the wall. Dark Jak took over as he slumped against the wall. He jumped up and crossed the room quickly. They met in battle at the center of the room.

Jak tried to control his darker self, but Erin was far too weak to struggle for dominance over her own mind. Dark Erin was much more powerful than he had expected. All the dark eco pent up inside her no doubt gave her more strength then Jak, but his dark side wasn't going to give up. They both fought with all their strength, leaving them both drained and in weak piles on the floor.

Some of the wooden bunk beds had been smashed in the melee, leaving wooden debris scattered perilously on the floor. Jak landed on a pile of splinters, but he was too worn out to notice his discomfort.

When Jak finally gained the strength to move, he lifted his head and looked over at Erin. After the fight she had passed out again, but at least her skin wasn't as pale as before. Her breathing was steady and strong, hopefully that meant that she was going to be alright.

At that moment his superior officer decided to reappear, looking anything but thrilled. His face was red with rage, his hand on the blaster in it's holster. "Do you have any idea what you've just done? You endangered this entire operation with that little stunt!"

Jak just tried to control his anger while Torn vented his.

"What would have happened if all of the members of the Underground were here? The two of you could have done much more damage than all of the Baron's past efforts combined!"

"It was necessary," Jak refuted, gritting his teeth in anger.

"Necessary?! Necessary to threaten the entire war effort?" Torn demanded angrily. "What's worse is that you both lied about a danger in our own ranks!" He yelled and pointed at Erin. "I have heard stories about you, Jak, but I guess that I just assumed you had some control over your own actions!"

The anger welled up inside Jak as he managed to find the strength to stand and face Torn eye to eye.

"It was necessary for me to do, because if Erin was left in that condition for any longer it would have killed her! And she didn't want to tell anyone about her dark powers because she was ashamed of the monster she becomes." Jak was too tired to continue any such arguments with Torn, and turned to leave.

Torn grabbed his shoulder, forcing Jak to face him. "You will tell me everything that you both have been hiding, starting with what the Baron did to you two in prison to cause your condition," he stared Jak in the eye with a iron-hard look.

Jak glared back.

"Consider that an order," Torn added.

Jak sighed, it was one thing to omit parts of the truth, but disobeying a direct order could get them both kicked out of the Underground. Where would they go if not here? They would have nowhere to go.

"We'd better get Erin a place to rest first," Jak muttered, defeated and exhausted.

Since both Erin and Jak destroyed most of the bunks, Torn moved Erin into his private quarters for the time being.

Torn led Jak into the common room, and they both sat down.

Jak followed Torn's order, telling him about everything that had transpired in the prison, starting with the Dark Warrior Program. Jak found it hard to talk about it, he hadn't even talked about it with Erin, they just pretended that it didn't happen. Torn got up and started pacing in anger when Jak described the countless people he had seen undergo the experiments and die from the dark eco exposure. Torn had seen many of the atrocities that Praxis had committed, yet this seemed to surprise him.

Then Jak continued the story, telling of how Erin was captured and experimented on as well. Jak would just have to hope that Erin could forgive him for telling Torn the truth.

Torn continued to pace when Jak had finished the story. Jak just waited in silence.

"So, how much control do you two even have over yourselves?" He finally asked.

"We are still the people we were before the experiments, but now we have a dark…" Jak paused, trying to figure a way to make sense, "…entity… that constantly seeks control over our bodies."

"And this entity, how often does it threaten your control?" Torn asked.

Jak sighed irritably, "Not too often."

"I'm going to need a better answer than that, Jak," Torn ordered.

"What do you want from me?" Jak yelled as he stood from the table.

"What I want is a guarantee that what happened tonight won't happen again, Jak. I am responsible for all the lives under my command, and I won't put them in any unnecessary danger," Torn reasoned. "There is a war going on, one we are losing I might add, and the last thing we need is a threat from within our own ranks."

Jak sighed again, he was so tired, but he also understood what Torn was saying. He swallowed his irritation, "About every two weeks our dark counterparts act up, depending on the week."

Torn stopped for a moment to contemplate. "Can you guarantee that no one in the Underground is in danger if I allow you two to stay?"

"Yes," Jak answered without hesitation.

Torn leaned closer to Jak from across the table. "Very well, Jak, I will hold you to that," the atmosphere cleared slightly as Torn showed his own fatigue. "It is late, and tomorrow we are furthering our attempt to find Mar's Tomb. Get some rest."

Jak nodded, only too eager to comply. He went to the bunk room and fell into the closest bed that was still in one piece.

When Erin's eyes opened, she didn't recognize her environment. Countless diagrams and posters were plastered in the walls. A paper-laden desk sat in the corner with a small lamp sitting amidst the piles of reports. Foreign blankets covered her sore body.

She sat up in the bed, but still couldn't recognize anything. Her mind was fuzzy, had she really turned into her darker self, or had it just been a dream? She prayed to the Precursor's that it was just a strange dream.

Whether or not it was a dream, she should get up. Even though her body was sore, she felt more refreshed than she had in a long time.

She kicked the blankets off of her, threw her legs over the side of the bed, and… stepped on something that moaned. Erin gritted her teeth as the mass of cloth came to life at her feet. A head full of red locks sat up, and a shirtless torso stretched in the faint light.

"Nice to see that you're awake," Torn said as he yawned.

Erin just sat stunned, why in the blazes was she in his room? His private room?

She must have had a shocked look plastered on her face, because Torn smirked. "Don't worry, I'll let Jak explain everything that has happened."

Torn got to his feet and pulled a shirt over his strong shoulders. "If you feel up to it, you should get up and eat something."

At the mention of food, Erin got up from bed and followed Torn, she was starving.

Erin watched Torn work over the stove from the table in the small kitchen. It wasn't long until a plate full of eggs was set down before her.

"Thanks!" She said enthusiastically, then dug in.

Torn ate from his own plate and studied Erin. She seemed all right to him. No signs of sickness or aggression from her dark self.

Erin noticed Torn watching her. "What?" She asked.

"You sure you're all right?" He asked, slightly concerned.

"Yeah, I haven't felt this good in… a long time," she said as she poked her fork into her eggs.

There was a pause in the conversation. "Jak told me everything about what happened in prison," Torn said carefully.

Erin looked up quickly, then dropped her head back down to her plate. "He did?" She asked quietly.

"Yes," Torn answered, "but don't get mad at him, I ordered him to tell me."

"Why?"

Torn sighed, "After the…incident last night, I felt that I needed to know the whole story."

Erin froze and looked into Torn's eyes, she had just hoped that it was a bad dream. Apparently not.

"I understand," Erin said quietly and got up to leave. The fact that it was necessary didn't make her feel any less mortified.

"Erin, stop," Torn said, "you have nothing to be ashamed of, you had no control over what Praxis did to you."

"Whether or not I had any control over what happed does not change what I am," Erin stated quietly.

"Perhaps not, but hating yourself won't change anything either," Torn commented, "I should know."

Erin turned to face him, this time his eyes held a definite sadness that she had never seen before. She didn't know what to say.

"I've hated myself for years," Torn stated flatly. "When I was a Krimson Guard, I did things that a later regretted. I told myself I was just following orders and if I didn't follow those orders they would kill my family, but I still regret it to this day."

Erin got the hint that Torn didn't ever talk about his past from the hesitant words that came from his mouth.

"Then one day, I couldn't live with myself to follow the heinous commands I was given. They threw me in the Prison and tortured me. I would have died there if it was not for the Baron's daughter, Ashelin."

Erin couldn't help but interrupt. "But why did she help you?"

"Ashelin is nothing like her father, she's had ties to the Underground for years. She arranged for a way to allow me to escape, and told me how to get to the Underground."

Erin noticed how Torn avoided talking about any relationship between him and Ashelin, but decided to let it drop.

"When I was free, I went to check on my family," Torn hesitated, "Praxis…he had ordered my family killed for my disobedience." He stopped, obviously trying to compose himself, "they're dead because of me…"

A dead silence filled the air between them. Time seemed to drag on.

"I'm…I'm sorry, Torn," Erin said, feeling inadequate.

Torn waived a hand, dismissing her apology. He didn't need people feeling sorry for him. "What I've learned from my life is that hating yourself won't help you, you just have to do what you can to remedy the situation. By being here, both you and Jak are trying to stop the Baron from experimenting on more people, so that they don't have to go through the same pain as you have. The only thing that keeps me going is the hope that one day the real heir will be placed on the throne, and Praxis's reign of terror will end."

Another gap in the conversation left the room quiet.

"Have you always been such a motivational speaker?" Erin asked.

Torn laughed at her question, breaking the downhearted mood. "I suppose I had to learn."

"If you're feeling up to it," Torn continued, "we plan to make our attempt to getting into Mar's tomb today, time is running out and we need to get in there before the Baron does."

"Yeah, I'm up to it."

"Good, then get ready, I expect everyone to get up shortly. It won't be long until we make or break the legend of Mar's Tomb."

Jak, Erin, and Daxter made their way to the Precursor Temple near the forest. With the completed seal of Mar, Jak opened a new path down a narrow canyon that had previously been inaccessible.

The walk had been very quiet, and Jak was worried. "Are you mad at me?"

Erin looked up. "Hmm?" She sounded distracted. "No, I guess I couldn't keep my dark side a secret forever."

"So, we're ok?"

Erin laughed, "Yeah, we're still friends."

It was very early in the morning, the sun hadn't even risen all the way yet. Daxter was half-asleep on Jak's shoulder.

Eventually the canyon opened up to a larger area, which had a lot of machinery. Jak pulled a small pack from off of his back and pulled out the three artifacts they had collected before. The gear, the crystal, and the lens.

Erin took the gear, an irritated Daxter took the crystal, and Jak took the lens. On a count of three, they each placed their artifacts in their designated places.

Jak was standing on the platform where the lens went, and he had to jump back as it raised into a long sleek tower. All three watched in amazement as the lens refracted the light into a bright beam of light, and aimed it out over the distance.

"Torn, can you see where the beam is pointing?" Jak used his communicator.

"Unbelievable!" Torn answered, "The Tomb has been inside the city all along! You must all get there before the Baron figures out what's going on, I'll send Kor with the kid to meet you there."

Almost the entire city was deserted in this early hour, which would be a great asset to the Underground. Hopefully they could get the Precursor Stone before Praxis even got wind of what was going on. The trio raced through the empty streets to the center of the city. Shattered remains of a statue of Praxis was littered around a blast hole in a city wall. Inside the hole was a security door. The entered the elevator beyond, which took them miles under the city at a fast rate of speed.

When Jak, Erin, and Daxter exited the elevator, Samos, Kor, and the kid were there waiting.

"We must hurry!" Kor prodded. Who knows how long they had before the Baron got involved.

"You did it, Jak! You actually found Mar's tomb!" Samos the Shadow exclaimed.

"Great! Now what? We send this poor kid into a meat grinder?" Jak asked.

"This is the day I've long awaited! To hold the fabled Precursor Stone in my hands," Kor commented.

The others were too occupied to hear Kor's statement, and they didn't hear the longing in his voice. Erin did hear it, something wasn't right with that old man…

"You must be cautious, child. The tests of manhood are sure to be fraught with peril and Mar's heir must face them alone," Samos chided the young boy.

Erin's suspicions were halted at Samos's words. "What? He has to go in alone? How is he supposed to defend himself?"

"I'm afraid that this is our only choice," Samos continued.

"I'll go in with him," Erin demanded.

"That…"

"Welcome, heir of Mar," the deep voice of the Oracle interrupted Samos, "Finally, the chosen one stands before me. Enter and prove yourself worthy to claim the ancient birthright."

The small group stood in awe as the massive door lifted from it's ancient resting place, but as the massive portcullis reached the halfway mark, it stopped.

"No!" The Oracle proclaimed, "This child is too young to face the tests!"

The door started to descend.

"What?!" Kor screamed, "No!"

"Do something, Jak!" Samos yelled.

Without second thinking, Jak took off at a dead run for the door. Erin was just seconds behind him. Jak barely had time to slide under the door.

When the door slammed shut, Erin and Jak were on opposite sides. "Jak?!" Erin yelled, pounding her fists on the large stone door.

No answer.

"Great tree limbs!" Samos said disbelievingly after he reached Erin's side, "He's gone to face the tests!"

"No," Kor concluded, not far behind Samos, "he's gone to his death."

Erin pulled herself away from the door and turned to yell at Kor, "He's not going to d--"

"FREEZE!" A masked Krimson Guard yelled.

Authors notes: Man, did I have a long Christmas break. Relatives...what more can I say? Sorry it has taken a month to update, but this semester I am taking five (FIVE!) dual-credit college classes. I am still going to be working on my story, but I don't know when the next time I can update is.

Well, the next chapter is the climax of the story, I know it didn't happen here in the game, but after this chapter is where the story changes significantly, which will change what happens in Jak 3. What is going to change here? You'll just have to wait and see! Please review!