(Samos' disembodied voice, start of opening speech)

What has come to pass is only the start of the tale, what comes next? I haven't a clue. The small knowledge I held of what was to transpire has passed, what will come of the Lost Prophecy and who it entails, only the Precursors know.

With one of the prophesized heroes lost, the only hope of the planet is for me to try and console the other off of his dangerous and destructive path. He has fallen far from the desired path, but the plants still whisper of hope, even with the approaching apocalypse.

The faith of the plants keeps me from giving up hope. But what hope that is left may be coming too late. The darkness is approaching, and with it could be the end of all.

(End of Samos' opening speech)

Book II

Prologue:

The Precursors Intervene

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.

He turned from Erin and left the debris filled tunnel. Leaving the one he loved behind because he had no other choice.

Jak didn't see the torches flicker after he left, nor did he see the figure of light materialize by Erin.

The Oracle floated down by her unmoving form. He placed his small hands made of light on her throat.

"She yet lives," the Oracle stated, as if to no one.

As if contemplating his next move, the Oracle paused. The tunnel was deathly quite for many moments.

"We must send her to a place where she can be safe so her wounds can heal." The voice quietly commented to itself.

"But if we send her anywhere, it could draw the Dark Makers attention, quite a dangerous move," another voice from the Oracle commented.

"It could put the entire planet in danger," agreed another.

"We all know that they would find us eventually, and she is one of the prophesized ones, meant to stop the Dark Makers. We must send her some place safe, or she will parish."

Again the tunnel went quiet, as if the multiple people were discussing what to do in their minds.

"So it is agreed?"

The figure made of light hovered down closer to Erin. He placed his glowing hands on her abdomen; a small glowing covered her wounds, healing what he could.

"Stop," said another voice from the Oracle, "or we will not have the strength to send her!"

The glowing from the healing stopped.

"Hear us, Erin. We have done all we can for now, you must let time heal what's left of your wounds. We are sending you to a place where you'll be safe."

Again the Oracle placed his hands on her abdomen, but this time the light wasn't a slight glow. A brilliant white light engulfed Erin. If anyone had been looking at the sight they would have been temporarily blinded.

When the stark light dissipated, only the Oracle remained. The glow from the Oracle was greatly diminished to the point where it was almost indistinguishable from the light from the torches.

The Oracle disappeared, and the torches went out.

Chapter One:

New Enemies

Jak bolted up from his bed, trying to chase away the whispers of his nightmares. Again he had dreamt of her death, and again he wished he could forget. It seemed that every time he closed his eyes, her haunting face was there to greet him.

It had been almost a year and he found he couldn't stop thinking about her.

It had almost been a year and Jak was sure her memory was driving him insane.

Every waking moment his mind would be obsessed with lingering on her, and, as of late, he couldn't even sleep without being reminded of her. It was growing increasingly harder to sleep at night.

Jak was sure that the city wasn't helping him forget.

Every time he left the new headquarters for the Krimson Guard, all he would see was how the city reminded him of her. Every time he saw his friends having fun together it just reminded him that he was alone. Jak knew that his friends were worried about him, but he knew he couldn't stand to be in the city any longer.

He had to get out of there.

Jak moved from his bed in his own private chambers. The new Krimson Guard was under Torn's command, as Baroness Ashelin had commanded. Jak had officially signed up for service in the Krimson Guard not long after Torn took command. He had nothing else to do. It didn't take him long to reach the rank of lieutenant.

He needed some time alone, and with his rank he was given the right to have some leave-time. Every year they were permitted to have two weeks of time to spend on their own, other than the usual leave time of the other solders. Jak hadn't used his two weeks yet, something he was glad for, because he really needed some time away from the city.

Jak wasn't sure what he would do, or where he would go, but anything was better than being locked up in the Krimson Guard facilities. Jak was sure that if one more of the people of the city thanked him for defeating the Metal Head leader he would explode.

Jak grabbed his military issued duffle bag and stumbled over to the light switch in his room. The darkness parted quickly before the burst of light. Jak had to close his eyes for a moment so they could adjust. Once he could see again, Jak moved quickly to the dresser on the other side of the room.

He opened the drawers and haphazardly grabbed several changes of clothes and then moved to his small bathroom and grabbed anything else he would need. His bag was a mess as he just threw everything in without caring about the wrinkles his clothes would get from stuffing his bag in such a way.

It didn't matter anyhow.

Once Jak had gathered everything he thought he would need for the next two weeks, he glanced at the clock. It was early in the morning and the sun had just started rising. The sky was starting to turn a lighter blue in the distance.

Torn most likely was already up and about, so Jak left his room and headed downstairs to the mission room.

Just as Jak had thought Torn was up and looking over the 3-D projection map of the Metal Head moments outside the city and out into the Wasteland. Ever since Jak had killed Kor, the remaining force of Metal Heads had been scattered in the wind, hiding out in the sandy desert. Sometimes a small group would try to get into the city, but with Vin's new modifications to the scanners they could see them coming a mile away.

Jak set his bag on the floor as he went to salute his commanding officer, as was mandate. Jak thought he would never get used to the critical rules that he must follow to be an officer, but it wasn't as hard as he thought, all it took was some practice.

Torn returned his salute and turned his attention back to the projection map.

"Sir," Jak started, "I request my leave of absence."

Torn looked back up, it was then that he noticed that Jak wasn't in his uniform. He raised an eyebrow at Jak, everybody knew about Jak and how his behavior changed drastically after Erin's death. Torn sighed slightly to himself as he was forced to question Jak's request.

"Jak," Torn started, dropping the formality the was usually required, "Keira would never forgive me if I allowed you to go out on your own. We both know you haven't gotten over…"

"Don't start," Jak demanded, cutting across Torn's words. He had heard this time and again from everyone around him. Everyone was worried about him, and it just made him sick and tired. He would have to figure this out without their help.

Keira had been the worst, always begging for him to talk to her. He knew that she was afraid for him, perhaps thinking that he would go out and do something crazy again. Like when he broke into the Palace on his own, or when he went into the Metal Head nest without backup. Keira just couldn't understand that Jak didn't want to talk about it.

"I really wish that everyone would just stop worrying about me," Jak started, trying not to let his irritation slip into his voice. "I can take care of myself."

Jak could remember when he would have blown up at Torn for saying anything on the subject. Jak knew that he had calmed down over the last year, but it didn't make the pain go away.

"Staying here is just making me edgy," Jak continued, "I just need some time alone to think."

Torn let out another sigh, "Keira is going to kill me."

Jak gave a little smile of gratitude.

"Just promise you won't go out and do something stupid," Torn eyed him hard.

"I just need some time to think, that's all. No 'one man army' assault on anything, promise," Jak assured Torn.

Torn didn't look too convinced, so Jak decided to leave before he changed his mind.

Jak gave a huge sigh of relief when he exited the Krimson Guard headquarters. The slightly salty air hit him full in the face when he stepped outside. The sun was starting to show itself, but the streets were empty other than his fellow Krimson Guards.

He was free of orders and giving them for the next two weeks.

Jak hadn't known how good that sounded until that moment. He had the time he needed to clear his head, and he was sure that it would do him good.

Jak walked along the Port at a leisurely pace. There wasn't anyone to recognize him and congratulate him at this hour, and the Krimson Guards would just ignore him and continue their rounds. The Baroness had changed their uniforms in hopes to help the people forget the brutality of the past KG. The new uniforms had more grey in them than red, changing the outlook considerably. Jak had to admit that Ashelin knew how to rule. The city was happier than it had been in years, and the fear that had kept people locked up in their houses was gone completely.

Some time passed and all Jak did was walk around the Sea Port. The cool morning air gave him some comfort, but when the sun had risen and more people entered the streets, Jak grabbed a zoomer and flew up on the top flying level. Hopefully he wouldn't be recognized up there. Jak took his time to reach what had once been called the 'Water Slums.' Baroness Ashelin had tore out the old rotting houses and built completely new construction. The outcome had turned out to be the favorite part of the city to the people. It represented the brighter future that the Baroness was building them.

Jak flew over to the nearest hotel and secured a room. He didn't have a house of his own. His life had revolved about the Krimson Guard and helping to end the Metal Head race for good. He hadn't bothered to buy a house; he would just go home to an empty feeling. At least at HQ there was always something going on.

After sitting in his hotel room for about an hour, Jak decided that he needed something to do. Having time to relax just let his mind wander onto a subject that he tried to avoid.

Jak suited up in his Krimson Guard uniform. He had a plan to exit the city, he may be off duty, but him and Torn were the only ones that knew.

After gathering some food and water, Jak left his room and headed over to Northern HQ. There was a chance that Keira was there, but it still was early. Vin would have her fix any of the Hellcats that had malfunctions. Vin was in charge of maintenance of the security systems, as well as organizing and keeping everything working.

When Jak opened the door to Northern HQ, Vin greeted him.

After going through a conversation with Vin, Jak requested the use of a Hellcat for a mission.

"That's funny," Vin started, "Torn didn't send any orders over for the use of one."

"Well," Jak quickly thought of an excuse, "I came strait over here from Southern HQ, and he had to deal with a dispute between two of his officers, so maybe he just hasn't had time to send them yet."

Jak watched as Vin accepted his explanation. Vin had no reason to distrust him, which was good. Jak knew he would get an earful for taking a Hellcat without expressed permission, but it was a sacrifice he was willing to make. Flying at top speed over the Wasteland dunes sounded to good to pass up.

Vin handed over the keys without hesitation.

Jak headed quickly towards the Hellcat before he got caught. He started the ignition sequence, the humming of the engine calmed him, it was defiantly worth it.

Jak had started his takeoff when Vin came rushing over waiving his arms. No doubt he had requested the orders from Torn and found out that they didn't exist. Jak couldn't help but laugh, he was going to be in big trouble when he got back.

He had no intention of stopping now, so he gunned the throttle and took off out of the hanger bay. The wind whipped through his short cropped hair, the usual military cut. The thrill of the speed made his heart race. He hadn't felt so alive since before he had been captured in the Baron's Prison.

It was defiantly worth it!

Jak flew off over the city walls, from this height it seemed so silly that he had felt so caged within them. Everyone was just a small dot below him and quickly becoming smaller as he sped out over the wide open desert. Everything seemed so much simpler when he was behind the wheel of a Hellcat, and without Daxter there to complain, Jak could push the flyer to its limit.

He pushed the wheel foreword, hard. The flyer went into a dive, dropping altitude quickly. At the last second Jak pulled up out of the dive. The sand whipped up in his face from the wind he had caused. Jak just laughed for what seemed the first time in ages.

For the first time he felt free from worry.

In that instant Jak decided that he needed to get out more often. Then he threw the Hellcat into a barrel roll. With a hard turn to the right, the flyer whirled around and around until the earth and sky melded into the same color.

He was about to throw up before he finally straitened out his bearings.

Jak was ready to do another aerial trick, but the proximity alarm on the Hellcat bleared to life. Jak quickly glanced at the panel, and found that an enemy had locked on to him. What was worse was that two missiles were headed in his direction, fast.

He dropped the flyer closer to the desert floor, hoping to lose the missiles in the dunes, but every movement he made was mimicked by the projectiles. It was then that Jak knew that he was in big trouble, they were heat-seeking.

The part of his mind that wasn't concentrating on staying alive wondered who would be firing at him. The Metal Heads were barely a threat anymore, and even if they were they didn't have the technology for such weapons. The smartest among them had been killed by Jak. It was a mystery that would have to wait until he was safe.

Right now he had to loose the missiles that were catching up to him.

Jak sped off to a rocky canyon, hoping to lose them in the pile of rocks. The day was heating up; Jak had to wipe sweat from his brow. He raced through the dangerous canyon, hoping that the missiles would hit the canyon wall.

He wasn't having any luck. The missiles had to have been of unique design to follow him so well. It seemed that they could also sense things in their path and adjust their trajectory. Who could design such weapons?

The alarm on the panel blared even louder. The missiles were within a few feet of him.

Jak knew that if he went any faster in the canyon he would die from crashing into the stone walls, not the missiles. So Jak pulled on the wheel of the Hellcat and flew up, almost at a ninety degree angle from the ground.

Still the missiles followed him.

When the engine of the Hellcat started to sputter and choke, Jak reversed his direction into a dive. He flew at top speed towards the ground. The missiles were right behind him. He pulled up out of the dive a second too late, the tail of the Hellcat struck the ground hard, ripping off one of his rear stabilizers.

The missiles plowed into the ground right behind him, and the explosion sent the rear end of his flyer up. He hit the sand dunes upside-down; Jak abandoned the controls and covered his face with his arms. The sand ripped at his uniform as he hit the next dune. The impact about tore him out of his safety restraints. Jak could feel the vertigo as the Hellcat bounced up and hit the top of the next dune. After that impact the flyer lost most of its momentum. It slid to a halt in the sand, finally. Jak felt nauseous.

Jak unclipped his safety belt and awkwardly slid into the sand. If there wasn't a safety cage over the cockpit of the Hellcat, Jak was sure he would have died.

He was slightly dizzy, but he knew he had to keep moving. Whoever wanted him dead probably would come to scavenge the wreckage. He grabbed the pack that held his food and water, and headed for a shaded area away from the Hellcat.

The heat of the desert was already getting to him by the time he reached the rocky outcropping that provided some shade, but he wouldn't let himself drink any of his water yet. He didn't know how long he would be stuck out here in the Wastelands.

He kept a close watch on the Hellcat, waiting for the people who shot at him to appear.

They did.

A hovercraft flew forward to the wreckage. From the distance Jak could see they had weapons. They looked the Hellcat over for several minutes. Jak contemplated going out and facing them, but it they wanted him dead they would shoot him before he could get close enough to do any damage.

Just as he had suspected, they weren't Metal Heads, but then who were they? Mercenaries?

They searched the area around the Hellcat for many minutes, the sun started to rise higher in the sky. It was about noon when Jak noticed that they had communicators. They spoke several minutes to someone on the other end of the line.

Whoever was ordering them must have decided that Jak would just die in the Wasteland, and to be sure that he couldn't contact anyone, they fired on the Hellcat. It exploded in massive flames.

Then the mercenaries left Jak to die in the desert.

Waited until the flames died down, this took several hours, until he went to look at the wreckage.

Jak crossed the valley of dunes to reach what was left of the Hellcat. His only interest in the wreckage was that the homing beacon had survived, and that the KG could use it to track him.

Unfortunately it had been destroyed along with the rest of the Hellcat.

Jak cursed, nothing could seem to go right! He had gone out to get a little freedom and ended up getting into a big mess. He was lost in the desert and only had enough food and water for one day.

What was worse was that someone seemed to be out to get the Krimson Guards, if not Jak personally. Jak needed to find a way to contact Torn and warn him. It seemed like the city had a new enemy.

After scavenging anything he could from the destroyed Hellcat, Jak returned to his little cave. Perhaps he wasn't too far from the city. If he conserved his food and water and traveled only at night, perhaps he could get close enough to the city for Vin's new scanners to pick him up.

Perhaps it wasn't the best plan, but it was the only one he had.

Jak sat in the cave and tried to conserve his energy, and tried to ignore the thirst he was having. Even in the shade the heat was unbearable. He lay out in the back of the cave, trying desperately to cool down. The hours until sunset seemed an eternity, but finally the sun started to set.

For once in Jak's life, he hated the sun. The heat seemed to ignore the rest of the planet and come down on this one place. Jak wondered how many live had been lost in the hell known as the Wasteland. Jak had heard that Baron Praxis had taken to banishing people into the desert who broke a law, perhaps banishment sounded like a lesser sentence to the people then death. Jak now knew that banishment was worse; much worse. Instead of a quick death, they would die of thirst.

Jak decided that a quick death would be much more humane.

When the final rays of the day vanished behind the dunes, Jak had to force himself to get on his feet. The heat had seemed to sap all of his energy. Even with the sun down the desert was hot, Jak didn't know if he could ever escape it.

He cautiously stepped out into the desert. The soft sand slowed him down considerably; each step was an effort in the cooler air of the night. Jak was already tired; he didn't know how far he would have to go.

After some time on the dunes, Jak broke down and took a drink of his precious water and ate some of his food. He couldn't go on without them. Jak's progress was much slower than he had anticipated and his heart started to sink. There was no sign of the city; it must have been farther than he thought.

But Jak continued to walk, because it was the only way he could save himself. Each step drained his precious energy, and each sip of water he took only made him thirstier. He walked on for what seemed like agonizing days.

The breeze of the desert was absent during the cooler night. He could see his footprints in the sand in the moonlight. He vaguely wondered if it would help anyone find him.

The early light of morning was slowly creeping into the sky. The heat hit Jak, and he lost his senses. Throughout the night Jak's only thought had been to keep going, that he must keep moving. If he had been completely in his senses, he would have known to take shelter from the sun, but in his weakened state he just continued to think that he must keep going.

Not thinking of shelter, Jak continued to walk in the scorching sun. The light beat down on him with no end, burning his skin and eyes. The sun sapped up his strength quickly, and it wasn't long until he was crawling on his hands and knees. He had to keep going!

After many hours under the sun, what was left of Jak's strength left him. In his mind he was thinking that he just had to rest, just for a moment.

His eyes closed and he remembered no more.

When Jak woke, felt like he was drowning. He sucked some water into his lungs; he knew it was no dream. He found a foothold and pushed himself above the waters surface.

Jak coughed up some water, and continued to cough for many minutes, trying to expel the water from his lungs.

"Well, you've come back from the dead have you?" A voice asked as Jak tried to regain his breath.

Once Jak got it through his head that he wasn't in the desert anymore, and that he wasn't drowning, he found the person the voice belonged to.

A tall man stood above him at the edge of the pool, along with two burly men Jak took to be guards. The man with a crown on his head motioned the other two away.

"My men tell me that they found your tracks leading away from a crashed flyer. Care to tell me what interest the KG has in the area?"

The man's voice wasn't asking, it was demanding.

Jak was still trying to clear his head, "Where am I?"

"You are in no position to ask questions, now tell me what interest the Krimson Guard has in the area."

"The Krimson Guard doesn't have any interest in the desert, other than tracking the Metal Head movements," Jak answered, trying to keep his voice civil.

"Interesting," the man said. He seemed to think something over, then introduced himself. "I am Damas, King of Spargus."

"King?" Jak questioned. "Wait, nobody lives outside Haven's walls... not a whole city."

"Oh, yes...we are the forgotten ones. Haven City's refuse, thrown out and left to die. But you know that very well."

Jak got the instinctive feeling that this King Damas didn't like him too much. "What are you getting at?"

Damas raised an eyebrow at Jak, "The Krimson Guard is responsible for us being here, taking each person here out in the desert to die. I'm sure you'll be well… accepted in the Arena."

Jak could easily understand the people's strife with the Krimson Guards, their history wasn't very…positive. "Arena? I don't have time for this. I need to…"

"I believe you have time for it. My men saved you from the desert, which means your life now belongs to the people of Spargus. And we will use it well. If it's actually worth anything."

There was no denying it; Damas had a real hatred for the Krimson Guard.

"We will see your worth soon enough."

Some guards led him into the arena and unceremoniously shoved him on to the large platform. They almost shoved him too hard, he had to struggle to keep his balance and falling into the lava that was surrounding the Arena. It was a prison, keeping it's prisoners from escaping.

Jak glanced up as the King of Spargus addressed the people who had shown up to watch the fight.

"Hail all citizens of Spargus! Welcome to the arena of death. These halls will once again test the newcomers, found in the bowels of he desert, each fighting to prove their worth to stay among us."

The King waited for the cheers of the crowd to die down and allow him to continue.

"Let the games begin!"

Jak grabbed the small gun tossed at him and he was forced to fight for his life.

Jak exited the Arena quickly.

It was obvious what the people of Spargus thought of him. They had booed him nonstop since he entered the winners circle and stood before Damas. Though Damas had his own hatred for the Krimson Guard, he allowed Jak access into the city without escort.

The first thing Jak decided to do was ditch his Krimson Guard uniform; it was liable to get him shot.

He hadn't even exited the doors to the outside world when he was confronted by a large, and dangerous looking, man. He stood tall, but he was wide as well.

He laughed dangerously, "I have never met a soul who was so…unanimously hated before."

Jak decided that he didn't like the man instantly. He had a quality about him that made it seem like he slithered out of the sewers. Perhaps many of the people who had been banished by the Baron had been undeserved, but Jak could tell instantly that this man had earned his sentence.

"I have a little business proposition for you," he drawled. "My name is Kleiver, and yours…?"

"Jak," he stated shortly.

"I watched you in the Arena, looked like you could handle yourself. I need some rodents taken care of, and if you help me out with a few other minor tasks, I may be willing to grant you access outside the city."

Jak was ready to turn down the man's offer instantly, but the last part caught his attention. He needed outside the city, perhaps he could figure out a way to contact Torn or Vin.

"Ok, I accept your offer."

The first task was simple enough; he had to kill of some rodents that were eating Kleiver's supplies. The second task let him leave the city. He had to drive out to the old ruins of a city and capture some young Leaping Lizards. The sun was getting low when he had finished capturing the little guys.

For his service, Jak was given the right to use one of Kleiver's other vehicles, the Dune Hopper. With it he could jump great distances and travel at a faster rate of speed. Jak was about to go out and search for clues on how to get to Haven City when he felt a calling.

It shocked Jak. The last time he had felt drawn to a place, it had led him to the Oracle in the Slums. Now it seemed to be pulling him again, after a year without contact, the Precursors seemed to be calling to him again.

Jak sat up in his seat and looked out over the desert. The sensation seemed to be drawing him to a particular direction. Curiosity won out over trying to find the city, so he sped off in the direction. When he reached the ocean bank, he saw a large mountain out in the water. Many small islands led the way to the strange mound, and Jak was certain that at one time it had been a bridge.

He revved up his engine and sped towards the first island, the last words the Oracle had spoken to him buzzed in his ears.

Author's notes: That has to be the fastest update in the history of this story! Two days!!! Must give credit to my friend Randi for helping to inspire me, and to a weekend of not having any homework (for once!!!!). I just hope that this chapter doesn't seem too rushed, well anyway, please leave feedback! ANYTHING!!!