Unlucky chapter thirteen... Muhahahaha! (That's for you Randi!)


Chapter Thirteen:

A Double Betrayal

The enormous chambers of Mar's Tomb were extensive and majestic. Torches lit on the wall as Jak and Daxter passed, adding a mystical air to the ancient place. The ceiling to the main chamber was so tall that the light from the torches couldn't reach it, making the darkness seem to go on forever.

Jak tried to ignore the many rodents that ran around from the corner of his eye.

"Hey, Jak, look at this," Daxter pointed at one of the nearby walls.

Jak followed to where Daxter indicated and was shocked. He read the Precursor Runes in amazement. It seemed it was Mar who befriended the Lurkers and allowed them into his society. The runes told of the long war with the Lurkers, until the day when Mar made an agreement with his enemies. The runes read "and the Great Mar beseeched the Lurkers, offering their chieftain much in exchange for piece between the two races."

"Mar was a REALLY busy guy," Daxter commented.

Mar built Haven City, built the extensive eco mines that power the entire city, not to mention built the technology that is the basis for all of Haven's defenses, transportation, and communication. He was a legend to every man woman and child on the planet.

"Yeah," Jak answered.

The duo moved on through the tomb, stopping occasionally to admire the scripture on the walls, and listen to the stories that they had to tell. One piece of scripture told of how the Metal Heads came to the planet in a massive invasion, which Mar saved the city from sure destruction, but he never lived long enough to see the Metal Head race expelled from his home.

"What's a poem doing here?" Daxter wondered aloud.

Jak read the poem that Daxter pointed out:

Together in darkness; the darkness first;
The heart shall bloom when times seem worst.

Amid the darkness the light shall grow,
The power of heart it shall show.

A balance met, of dark and light;
Born in heart and strength of might.

Together the two shall end the strife;
Between that of death and life.

Together to start, together to end;
Together all worlds they shall mend.

The day when dark and light co-in-side;
The day when past and future collide.

Jak recognized the last line of the poem. "That's what the Oracle said!"

"What?"

"The day when past and future collide, but why would the Oracle tell me that?"

"Who knows what those silly Precursor block heads think," Daxter answered.

But something deep down inside made Jak think that he had found something significant. The Oracle was mysterious; did the Precursor's really send him to this time for a reason? What about Erin? Jak read the poem several more times, trying to force himself to remember every last detail in case it came in handy.

About the third time reading it, Jak noticed that a large chunk of stone was missing from the bottom of the wall. A strong blunt force chipped away the last of the poem. Jak dropped to his knees, looking for the missing piece.

"What is it?" Daxter asked irately, trying to keep his balance on Jak's shoulder.

"The last of it is missing," Jak said, continuing to look.

"The bit that is missing probably turned into dust long ago," Daxter commented.

"You're probably right," Jak said as he got back on his feet. The chunk that was missing from the wall was quite big, only the Precursor's know how much of the poem was missing, and even what the poem means.

"Come on, Jak. Let's find the Precursor Stone and get out of this dusty Tomb before the Baron shows up."

With that, Jak and Daxter left the rune covered walls and continued on in the enormous Antechamber. About halfway through the chamber, steps dropped down into a flooded area. Moisture had build up for the past few thousand years.

Jak pulled out the Jet-board that Keira had given him. Guess it was time to see if it worked on water.

He threw the board on the water, and then jumped on it. He was relieved that it worked; he didn't want to get soaked in Mar's chilly tomb. Jak boarded across the water, heading towards the great gate at the other end.

"So," Dax asked from sheer boredom, "where are these fabled 'tests that only the true heir of Mar can pass.'"

Jak shook his head. When they reached the other end of the chamber, the large gate wouldn't budge. That's when Jak noticed the two smaller doors on either side of the chamber.

He took the door to the left, hoping that it was the right one to choose. When he reached the platform before the door he stepped off the Jet-board and stepped into the tests.

"FREEZE!"

Erin was sure her heart stopped beating.

Samos instinctively raised his hands.

Kor took a step back, hiding behind Erin and Samos. Erin had no time to remark on his cowardice, or their stupidity for dropping their guard.

"Don't move!" The leader of the KG squad yelled.

Twenty guns were pointed at them as the Guards moved closer.

"Drop your weapons," he ordered gruffly.

Erin pulled the Morph-gun from her back and the pistol from its holster and dropped them to the floor.

"Well, well," said another guard who was at the back of the squad, "What do we have here?"

The Guard pushed his was forward to the leader, pulling the young boy by his hair.

Erin stiffed immediately, failure ripped through her soul. They had just let the KG get a hold of the only weapon the Underground had against the Baron. With the heir to the throne of Haven City dead, the Baron could take the title of King. If that happened, then even the city elders couldn't stop him.

Her heart beat out of control, so harshly that she was amazed that the Guards couldn't hear it. She had to think of something, and do so fast. Samos had given her the mission of guarding the only person that was a threat to the Baron, and if she failed, the city would pay the price.

She may not have been born in this time, but over the months she had grown used to the 'undeveloped' technology. She had grown used to the fact that this was now her home, and she wasn't going to let her home die without a fight.

In a flash she changed into her loathed form and jumped into the middle of the squad and started the killing that she hated so much.

Jak entered the Trials of Mar cautiously. Ancient places such as this had a tendency to have a mass of traps seeking to kill anyone that entered. He should know, when him and Dax still lived in Sandover, they had spent most of their free time exploring ancient Precursor tombs. Of course, Samos ordered them to stay away from Precursor artifacts, but that's part of the reason that they did. Jak could remember running a muck in the jungle near Sandover, collecting small Precursor items, and sneaking over to Misty Island.

The last activity is what made Daxter into the silly ottsel that he is today, instead of the awkward redhead he used to be. Jak had to admit that Dax made a great ottsel; it seemed to fit his personality better anyway…

The narrow hallway opened into another large chamber. This chamber was much better lit than the last, keeping the kanga-rats and other rodents at bay.

Jak and Daxter walked forward into the chamber, and the door closed behind them; the point of no return.

Ahead in the chamber was a large walkway made up of large tiles of many colors; yellow, red, green, and blue. Jak stepped on a yellow one carefully, hoping that it wasn't a trap.

Jak heard a slight click as he stepped on the pressure-plated tile. He jumped back, expecting a poisoned dart to fly towards his head. The only thing that came was a beeping sound.

He stepped forward on the plate again and the beeping resumed.

"Over there, Jak!" Daxter pointed ahead to another tile, a red one. The tile was lighting up and in time with the beeping.

A quick assessment told Jak that this was one of the trials, not a trap. He quickly followed his instincts and jumped to the blinking red tile.

When his feet left the yellow tile, all the others of the same color dropped from the walkway. A quarter of all the tiles fell into a seemingly endless pit below, making Jak almost loose his balance on the red tile.

When Jak had regained his balance, he noticed that another tile was blinking, and jumped for it. This pattered continued until he reached the large door at the end of the tile road. Jak jumped for the landing to the door, and the tile that was under his feet just seconds before fell into the endless abyss below. Jak watched it soar down into the darkness; it seemed to catch his mind's eye. It looked like it could fall forever.

In an instant Jak pulled himself back to his senses. He had a job to do, so he took a deep breath and entered the next stage of the trials.

Erin could feel the crimson blood on her hands, on her face. Her eyes could see the actions of her body, but nothing she thought could stop her. The only notion that floated in her consciousness was that she needed to save the boy. He was the only weapon the Underground had. His life is what mattered, not her own.

With only the sheer force of mental power, she kept her darker self occupied with killing those in the red. The color of blood is what she focused on; the swirling madness of her darker identity followed her command, killing in her wake.

The Baron had sent his troops down into this ancient structure to die.

She would not let them pass, even if it cost her life.

For every Guard she sent into the next life, another would appear out of the elevator, and each strike she threw against them cost the strength that she desperately needed. Her darker form was weakening from the loss of her dark eco stores.

The waves of Krimson Guards retreated as they continued to come down the elevator, trying to shoot her from a distance. Dark Erin advanced on them quickly and ended their lives.

The last wave opened the elevator to find almost a hundred of their dead companions, and the deadly woman standing amongst them, waiting. The woman was stoic and serene, until her eyes fell on them. Her shocking looks changed to that of hatred. It was something from a horror flick.

The cowards quickly raced back into the elevator and ascended back into the light.

Dark Erin receded into normal Erin. Her body hurt from the exertion, and she would feel bad about the deaths that she caused, but she hadn't let them get the boy.

Erin turned around, and standing there was Samos. He was frozen in shock, eyes seeking no meaning from his surroundings. His eyes held the emotions of shock and fear, but worst of all, repulsion.

She clenched her jaw, what was she to expect? She was a monster, and nobody would ever understand the pain that it brought her.

"Where is the boy?" Erin asked, forcing herself to forget the accusing look.

Finally Samos snapped out of it, he blinked as if seeing the world for the first time. He looked to his side. No one was there. "He was here just a moment ago!" Samos said disbelievingly.

Erin knew now what had transpired. She had frightened the boy; he would never want to be around her again, the monster.

She shifted her eyes to the battlefield that she had just emerged. Bodies lay in torn piles, she hated that the boy had to see that.

It was then that she noticed a presence missing.

"Where's Kor?"

A quick scan of the large chamber showed that Kor wasn't anywhere in sight. Erin knew immediately where the boy had gone, and took off down the only place they could have gone, down a narrow half-finished tunnel that made it's way in a circular pattern around the Tomb.

After several trials, Jak had succeeded in opening the mighty door to the inner catacombs of Mar's tomb. If the previous chambers could be described as grand, the inner ones could only be describes as majestic.

The bright lighting accented the rose colored metal that accented the pillars and stone in circular designs. The walkway lead right up to a huge stone statue of a Precursor holding a giant green gem that seemed to glow of its own accord.

"Welcome young warrior," the Oracle's voice came from the statue "Many eons have passed since our hope burned so brightly. Today you have proven yourself worthy to receive Mar's legacy."

"This tomb wasn't so tough!" Daxter claimed from Jak's shoulder.

"What you are about to receive contains grave power, and with it comes grave responsibility," the Oracle warned. "Eons ago, the Precursors waged a terrible war with the Hora-quan, those dark creatures you refer to as 'Metal Heads'. Driven by their dark leader, the Metal Head legions destroyed our great civilization, and now they swarm the universe unopposed, looking for the last relics of our power. Mar tried to hide the Precursor Stone in this tomb to protect it from them. It is our last hope, and you were chosen to keep that hope alive."

"I think you've got me confused with someone else. I just want the Stone," Jak stated, he only wanted the Stone so that Praxis couldn't get his hands on it.

"It is time to fulfill your destiny!" The Oracle continued, ignoring Jak's hesitation, "Behold!"

The Precursor Stone glowed brightly for a moment, showing it's deadly power.

"Wow!" Daxter yelled, eyeing the Stone, "let's get the goods!"

A humming sound filled the air as Jak approached the statue. Jak turned around just as a large mechanical Krimson Guard Spider flew in through the large open door to the Tomb.

"You fools! You brought me right to the Stone!" Praxis proclaimed arrogantly. "Your pitiful Underground friends were no match for my guards above!" Jak's heart lurched, fear for Erin cast an icy feeling in his chest. He wouldn't kill her, would he?

"Now I will gain the power I need to crush my enemies!" Praxis flew forward in his mech and attached himself to the face of the statue and destroyed the only path that Jak could get to the Stone. "And after claiming the Stone, I'll begin with you!"

"Abomination!" The deep voice of the Precursor Oracle echoed through the large chamber. "The Precursor Stone was not meant for you!"

The door that Jak had so perilously worked to get open by completing the Tests of Manhood closed, leaving no option for Jak but the one he would have followed in any case. Jak pulled the morph-gun from his back and aimed for the large machine trying to drill the Precursor Stone free from the statue's grasp.

Erin ignored the protests of her muscles and continued to push her body to its limit. Pain ripped through her legs and lungs as she ran down the long path that was cut out of the earth before her. Torches built into the walls lit as she passed, giving out its mournful light to those who traversed the lonely stone that made up the tunnel.

Sweat beaded on her forehead and pooled in her clenched fists as she left her footprints on the damp, cold ground. She had known for a long time that something wasn't right with that old man. He seemed to know more information than all the scouts in the Underground put together. But he wasn't always so eager to give away his information, as if calculating every word that passed his lips, always cautious of saying too much.

He's a spy for Praxis!

There was no denying it now, why else would he take the boy and run? He now doubt would fetch a reward worth his weight in gold from the Baron.

Erin swore that she would kill Kor if he reached the Palace before she could intercept them. If she did reach Kor before he reached the Palace, she would let the Underground do with him as they please. What would be the cost of his betrayal?

Many more torches passed as she pursued the old man. An eerie feeling crept into her heart, how could that old man possibly make it so far in such a short amount of time? She should have overtaken him by now…

The long tunnel curved at a slight degree to the left, but no torches were lit in the distance that she could see.

It was inhuman at the rate that he had to be going to stay ahead of her.

Finally she spied a torch lit in the distance, but as she approached she noticed that the tunnel had abruptly ended. The lights lit a small antechamber that contained another small door into the tomb, and lying on the floor was the young boy.

Erin's heart sank; had Kor given up the chase and just killed the boy? She ran up to the boy and kneeled down beside him, searching for a pulse. Thankfully his pulse was steady and strong.

Kor had to be around somewhere.

A horrid and deep laughing echoed in the small stone room. Erin frantically searched for its origin.

Outside of the reach of the torches floated a Skull Gem. Erin gasped at the sight of it. Its' glowing and evil light no doubt belonged to the largest Metal Head she had ever seen. Bu worse than its size, was its intelligence. Never before had she known of a Metal Head capable of speech.

"You are a fool," it laughed, "and have been a hassle to me from the beginning."

Erin quickly pulled herself to her feet and grabbed her morph-gun from her back, ready to defend the boy to her death. Then the meaning of his words set into her brain, from the beginning?

"Kor?" She mumbled; it couldn't be…

The laugh took on a merciless tone. The movements of the creature brought its large girth into the light. The many leg-spikes stabbed into the stone floor as if there were cutting through paper. The twenty foot monster stepped forward, light shined off of his countless claws and tusks. His massive frame could hardly stand at it's full height in the cramped chamber. His body was incased in the metal-like skin from where their name derives.

Erin stood still in shock. A cold blanket seemed to have been rapped around her, chilling her to the bone. The impressive beast before her could only be the one that controlled all the others, the Metal Head leader had been in their midst since the beginning. Even with her suspicions, she had never imagined that Kor's betrayal would run so deep.

"Impressive, Erin, you are quite the detective," the voice said mockingly, it was similar to Kor's human form, but much deeper and malevolent. His huge jaw clicked in irritation. "Your suspicions have put me in a peculiar position; it seems that only one of us will leave this cave alive."

His vast body stepped closer menacingly. "Unfortunately for you, this far under the city my strength is no longer hampered by the defenses of the city."

Erin took her defensive position between Kor and the boy, pointing her morph-gun at the creature that had to be twenty times her size. "I won't let you hurt him!"

The monstrous head laughed mockingly. "Perhaps your powers of detection are not quite as acute as I had perceived. No, I have no desire to hurt the boy, yet." He let his threat linger in the air. "Right now you are the only one I plan to hurt."

The monster used his spike/legs to lunge at her, she barely had time enough to dodge the large creature. She dove and rolled to the side and took fire at the back of the creatures head. It roared and whipped around, ready to lunge at her again.

She dove and rolled again, but this time Kor was ready for it.

He whipped his large, barbed tail around in her direction. Erin was too focused on his head, and didn't see the large, spiked tail until it was too late. The barbs cut deep into her side and threw her into the nearest wall, her morph-gun went flying out of her hands. Her small body hit the stone wall and slid down to the filthy floor, motionless.

Metal Kor stepped closer, laughing at his triumph. "Foolish girl," he muttered as he raised a large spiked foot over her immobile frame. In a sweeping downward motion, he brought his deadly spike down.

In a flash of purple, Dark Erin jumped up and stopped the spike with her bare hands just before it pierced her torso. The devilish smile left Kor's grotesque face, and he growled in anger. She dove again as the tail lashed out at her. While in this state Erin's reactions were heightened, giving her a better chance to defeat her enemy.

She ran around the creatures large legs, avoiding the spikes, and clawed at his vulnerable, soft underside. Kor howled again and started stomping his large spikes, trying to run Erin through. Dark Erin was too quick, she climbed Kor's massive body, using the spikes on his body to her advantage. She needed to get to his head, striking his brain would bring the monster down.

It was the only chance she had.

Dark Erin carefully scaled the creature. He reached his clawed hands up, tearing at his own flesh in pursuit of her. She continued to climb, avoiding the swipes he made for her. Dark Erin managed to make her way to the top of the large creature. She raised her large claws to his Skull gem.

It was the one weakness the monster seemed to have.

Dark Erin scratched at the skin holding the Gem into place with triumph. Kor's screams just added to the euphoria of her success. The purple-ish color of his blood matted over her claws as she dug deeper into his head.

In that instant everything seemed to slow down. Indescribable pain entered her system; Kor had finally struck a blow. The strength of the hit from his dangerous tail sent her flying off of his large carcass; she smote the wall again and landed in a bloody heap on the cold floor. She stayed conscious for just a moment as the blood rushed to the surface of her wounds. A small amount of panic reached the surface as she noticed the size of her lesions.

The panic stopped as the darkness reached out to greet her.

Kor howled in angry triumph. He had been wounded far more than expected from the small girl. Most of his injuries were self inflicted, due to Erin's strategy. He yelled again as he saw the torn and amputated wings that he had ripped off in his attempt to kill Erin.

She would pay for her impudence.

Kor grabbed the unconscious boy from the stone floor. In his passing he struck a small support beam at the edge of the tunnel with his barbed tail.

Erin's body was lost in the dust and debris from the cave-in.

Finally the Baron's metal flying contraption exploded from the countless rounds Jak had pumped into it. Too bad for the city, the Baron always had a backup plan. His small escape pod exited the debris from the mech.

"Nice try, but the Stone is still mine! Don't worry... I will use the Stone to its full potential. Soon, all who oppose me will be destroyed by its power!"

Jak landed several more shots on the Baron as he fled, but the pod moved too quickly for Jak to do any real damage. Praxis escaped through the main door to the tomb, but with a final attempt to kill Jak, he fired a missile at the door. It came crashing down, blocking the exit.

Jak muttered a curse. He needed to get out of this damned tomb and see if his friends were alright. The Baron had hinted that he captured them, would he run more tests on Erin?

"This way, Great Warrior," The Oracle commanded urgently. The floating white light in the shape of a figure pointed to a small passageway to one side of the large antechamber.

Jak didn't question the Precursor. Perhaps if he wasn't so occupied with his own worry, he would have noticed the sorrowful tone in the Oracle's voice. Perhaps if he wasn't so exhausted he would have noticed a connection between the Oracle's voice and the need for urgency.

But he was blissfully ignorant to the situation as the floating Oracle led him to a much smaller door to the rear of the tomb. Blissfully unaware, that is, until the door opened up before him.

On the other side the chamber was dark. It took a second for his eyes to adjust. Piles of broken and shattered stone lie in many uneven piles. Dust still floated through the air, making his nose itch. The gritty air tore through his lungs as he stepped forward into the dangerous room.

"What is it that I'm supposed to do?" Jak asked the Oracle who had entered the chamber at his side.

The sorrowful glow of light flew higher into the chamber and with a wave of his hand the torches re-lit, casting their mournful beams on the scene before them. As the light filled the chamber, the Oracle disappeared with a final, desolate burst of light.

Jak observed the collapsed tunnel. Then he noticed a body. He rushed over to the small pile of rocks covering the body and quickly worked to uncover the poor person. He recognized the clothes, but refused to acknowledge it at first. His hands moved faster, trying to uncover the crushed woman, for the frame was too small to be a man.

Jak could feel the desperate need to hurry, he had to save her!

He quickly uncovered her, and tuned her over. His worst nightmare was real, it was Erin.

Disregarding the code of personal space that had dictated their relationship since the day they met, he cradled her head in his lap. The darkness didn't threaten their control. She was unconscious and lying in a puddle of her own blood. The crimson color paled her skin in comparison.

"Erin?" Jak whispered mournfully. He gently shook her.

The iced feeling in his stomach receded slightly when she moaned.

"Don't worry, Erin, I'll get you out of here," He said, more to himself, trying to force the words out of his clogged throat.

He tried to lift her, but he stopped immediately when she gasped and called out in pain. "Jak?" Her voice was weaker than the state she was in.

Jak's heart and throat constricted more than before. The soft sound of her voice was heartbreaking, as if she had already accepted her death.

"Yes, Erin," Jak answered her, barely able to whisper past his pain. "Yes, Erin, I'm here," he added in a voice stronger than he felt. He needed to make her know that he was there, that he was going to take care of her, that he wouldn't let anything else happen to her,

"He…" She started but was overcome with seizures. Her body lashed, blood tainted her lips as she coughed; sending her body into weakness.

Finally the seizures passed, leaving her worse off than before.

"He…" again she was attacked by coughs.

"Stop trying to talk," Jak quietly begged, "save your strength until I can get you out of here."

Erin was struggling to breathe, her body racked with jolts. The blood on her lips only added to the feeling of evident death that faced her. She was ghostly pale, her face grimaced in pain. She ignored his plea to stop talking, and continued to try and converse the message that seemed to be more important than her life.

"…the boy, he took the boy," she finally gasped out. Jak held her as she shook with tremors of pain, trying to ignore the terrible knot that constricted his throat, the horrid cold feeling of worry that consumed his stomach.

"We'll get him back. But first we need to get you out of—"

Her desperate eyes finally met his. "Leave me," she ordered in a quiet voice. Her eyes were begging, pleading with him to get the boy. Erin's eyes held a definite sadness, one that Jak would give anything to remedy.

"No, I won't leave you," Jak answered, perhaps a little too harshly. He wasn't going to leave her here in this dark, filthy hole. He was going to save her, he had to.

"Please, Jak," her desperation leaked through again. She was fidgeting with anxiety, and perhaps too much pain. She wasn't thinking about her well being, her mission was all that mattered. It was then that Jak realized it.

She didn't think that she mattered.

Jak's heart raced as her eyes started to close, she wasn't going to die! "Erin, stay with me! Open your eyes!" She was growing weaker by the second. Her body was slackening against his as he held her on his lap.

Erin's eyes opened tiredly at his demand, "I'm so… so tired…" was all she said.

"Erin, you have to stay here…with me," Jak didn't know if he was comforting her or himself.

Her half-open eyes focused on him for a second. A question lingered in them, but she was just too tired to try and voice it.

Her eyes closed again in her weakness.

"Erin!" He yelled, trying to call her back from oblivion.

Again her eyes fluttered at trained on the miserable Jak, his arms were tight around her, not willing to let her go.

"I…I love you," Jak said the statement that had been haunting his soul for an eternity.

Another seizure of pain tore through her muscles. When, finally, it passed, she wore her soul in her eyes as she looked at Jak. She forced her tired body to respond to her commands as she raised her hand, cupping is face sadly, lovingly.

"I love you too," her voice wasn't strained anymore and that scared Jak.

Her tired head fell to his lap, the loving hand dropped from his cheek, and she grew still.

A whirlwind of emotions ripped through his senses. Fury, longing, pain, but most of all, loss.

"ERIN!" Jak yelled, trying to revive her.

She didn't move.

He jumped back from her lifeless body; unwanted tears flowed from his broken eyes. His only thought was that he wasn't going to let his dark self transform her into dark eco and absorb her. He would get her body out of here; he wasn't going to leave her alone in this dreadful hole.

The terrible truth was that he couldn't get too close to her without absorbing her.

Some of his darker self shown through as he turned away from the inanimate body of the woman he loved, who he had been forced to keep his distance from, and even now he couldn't help her rest in peace. Fate wouldn't even grant him that one petty thing.

He clawed stone and rock, hoping that perhaps some of his pain would transfer into the cold and unfeeling substance. Jak continued on his destructive path until the strength of the darkness left his body. He collapsed in a miserable pile on the floor. He didn't bother to fight the tears that came; the body's wet and useless display of sadness.

Jak couldn't breathe; he couldn't force himself to inhale that which gave him life His body refused any comfort the mind gave.

Daxter, who had been at the door to the tunnel, watching, not wanting to disturb his best friend in his moment of desperate pain and sorrow. He slowly made his way to his friend from childhood. For once in Dax's history, he was at a total and utter loss for words. So he inadequately placed his hand on Jak's shoulder, who lie flat-faced on the stone floor. Daxter could feel Jak shudder, but could offer no comfort.

Jak had to force himself to concentrate on his breathing. It was the only thing he would allow himself to think about. In and out, in and out.

The sweet oxygen filled his lungs, offering a minimal amount of comfort.

When finally he stopped hyperventilating, he sat up, pointedly not looking in Erin's direction. He wasn't going to let the Baron get away with this! The Underground had been planning a way to get Praxis out of power, but Jak wasn't going to wait anymore.

He got to his feet, Dax climbed on his shoulder.

In a last movement he glanced back at Erin's quiet form. She looked peaceful, despite the many wounds that had caused her death. A sad angel; who's fate the world would forget.

Jak would send someone to get her body, he couldn't touch her. She would be buried with honor, though it was a death that she didn't deserve.

Torn sat at the common room table of the Hideout. Something was wrong, he hadn't heard from anyone in hours.

He sat there, trying to come to terms with what he had done. He had betrayed the cause, but it was to save Ashelin. The Baron had promised that no one would get hurt, but how much heed could you give to man like Praxis? He may have just killed everyone who had entered Mar's Tomb, and from the lack of information he had on the situation, he figured that it might be so.

A clatter at the door gave him a small amount of hope. The Baron hadn't captured or killed them all.

Jak entered the poorly lit room, looking as if he had climbed out of the rings of hell. His face was deathly pale, his eyes held a deep sorrow, but in front of that sorrow was the fury. His clothes were covered in blood and dirt.

"What happened?!" Torn demanded, damn Praxis!

Jak didn't bother to answer, it was just too painful to think about. He walked past Torn to the back rooms, the weapon's closet.

Torn followed irately, he didn't like being left in the dark. "What's going on?!"

Jak found a peace-maker upgrade for his morph-gun, along with all the ammo he would need for the mission. He put all the ammo he could find into a backpack and zipped it up. It was going to be a hard time ahead of him. But it didn't matter, she was dead. All that was left was a cold, hallow feeling.

"I'm going to the Palace," Jak stated, continuing to gather supplies.

"What?! That's suicide!" Torn protested.

Jak didn't bother answering, perhaps he didn't know all the Baron had under his control. It didn't matter, he tried to ignore the painful lump in his throat.

Jak placed the pack on his back, and headed out of the small room. He noted that Torn was still talking to him, but he didn't care.

"…What's that on your face?" Jak heard Torn ask.

He carefully raised his hand to his face, Jak felt the thick moisture on his cheek. He pulled his hand down and looked, blood. Her blood.

"This is all my fault," Torn commented. Something about the tone in his voice forced Jak to focus on him.

"What do you mean?"

"The Baron threatened to kill Ashelin for spying. His own daughter! I couldn't risk that, even for the Underground," Torn admitted sadly.

Jak lost control, he shoved Torn against the wall. His darker strength lifted him several inches off of the ground. "You told Praxis we found the Tomb!" It wasn't a question, it was an accusation.

It took Torn a moment to recover from his shock as he looked down at Jak. "You and I both know the Baron would have killed Ashelin!" Torn spat, trying to defend himself.

Purple energy cut through the air, silencing any more excuses from Torn. "So, you traded Erin's life for Ashelin's?!"

Torn froze at Jak's cutting words. "Erin, she's…?"

"DEAD!" Jak finished for him. Maybe he should be too… A dark voice murmured in his head.

Daxter finally said something, "Jak, he couldn't know that the Baron would kill Erin."

He's right, Jak didn't want to admit it, but Daxter was right. It may have been easier to blame Torn for Erin's death, but it wouldn't change who dealt her death blow. He let Torn drop to the ground, and he left the Hideout. A mystified Torn and questioning Daxter behind.

Besides, he had bigger fish to fry.

Author's notes: I know, I know, I know, I know! A terrible ending to the chapter, isn't it? Sorry... Hopefully next chapter soon, so you can see how Book I ends.

P.S. Don't stop reading this story because this chapter is sad! It will get better and happy again eventually! Please don't give up on me! LOL! I'm going to go and work on the next chapter now (ignoring my homework for you, my fans!)