Chapter Three:

The Arena

The heat of the day had faded when Erin exited her hospital room, fully dressed, into the dark hallway. It had been several hours since Wyvern and she had parted ways. She hadn't the slightest idea what plan her friend was concocting, but it was worth a shot. Anything to get her back to the Haven City, and a certain man, she knew.

She snuck quietly down the deserted hall, knowing that the late working nurses had to be crawling around somewhere. Erin scurried with quick and silent feet towards the nearest stairwell, knowing that the elevator would make far too much noise at this time of night.

It took little effort to reach the stairwell, but her body was already getting tired. She had spent the last month and a half in a coma, after all. She was going to have to work to get back into shape when she got back to Haven City, if it was even possible to go back.

Erin tried not to think negatively, it would only make things worse.

She descended the ten floors of stairs and thought that she was going to die from exhaustion. Being weak and in a coma sure didn't help her physique any. She sat on the bottom step to regain her breath; now was the hard part of the escape she was trying to pull off. She somehow had to get through the large lobby without being seen. If she was, they might recognize her and call her parents and drag her back to her room. That just wasn't an option at this point.

She hated not being able to say goodbye to her parents, but somehow she knew that this is what she should be doing.

Erin clasped the letter she had written to her parents, she had spent the hours after Wyvern had left composing it, and hoped that she didn't sound delusional in it. She explained where she really had been since her disappearance, and why she had to go back. Erin didn't know if her parents would understand, but she assured them that she would be safe and happy where she was going. It was terrible compared to a face-to-face goodbye, but she wasn't going to leave without a word. It might plunge them into a deep depression.

She couldn't let that happen.

Erin stood and pressed on the door that opened into the lobby. A small sliver only, she didn't want to be seen. The nurses behind the check-in desk looked bored. The lobby was empty beyond the two older women behind the desk.

Now she just had to find a way around them.

It didn't look like it would be too difficult; they seemed quite occupied with a projection set highlighting the daily news. She could hear the anchor man's voice drone on about the top stories.

"…and in other news, a young girl managed to awake from a dark eco-induced coma. This is the first case in recorded history. The doctor handling her care made the comment today…"

The screen cut to the doctor that had taken care of her after she awoke. He was answering some questions about the miracle.

Erin took that as a sign that she should leave. She quickly moved out of the stairwell and crouched down in front of the desk where they couldn't see. She could hear the nurses talking about Erin's 'miracle'. While she hoped they were too busy talking to notice, she grabbed an item off the desk. She threw it down the hall from where she came and circled the desk, crouched close to the floor.

"Is someone there?" One of the nurses asked.

When she was sure they were too busy watching the hall, she skirted the desk and scurried quietly to the exit. Her heart beat fast, but no one called after her. She reached the cool night air outside, and the bright lights of the city. She had made it.

She quickly walked a block away from the hospital, just in case.

The many zoomers passed overhead. She went to the nearest public transit station and waited for a ride. Her house was on the outskirts of the city, in the suburbs. The large zoomer, a technological marvel, landed, and the few people filed in. The zoomers of her time were much more high-tech, as designers had had hundreds of years to improve the designs. The zoomers of the future could carry many more than those of Jak's time, which could only hold two max; well, two and an ottsel.

The zoomer took off without a sound and hardly affected those on the inside. She waited patiently for the stop number 15, the one that would bring her closest to her house.

It took about an hour for the zoomer to reach the stop that brought her back home. She was only a few blocks from her house, but she knew that that wasn't her home anymore.

She had made a new home in the past.

She raced down the deserted street; her house was the last one, and after her house was nothing but ruins of a much older city that had been preserved from the advancement of the rest. The old Spargus City had been built from nothing, according to history. Perhaps even with help from the Precursors, that's why her father had invested in studying it before she was born.

She looked at the house, longing to say goodbye to her parents, but she knew that they would try and stop her. It would just be too painful of a goodbye.

She raced past the house that had been her home since her birth and headed into the dark ruins. Her favorite sight in the ruins is where Wyvern and her had decided to meet, along with the place where this had all started, with the giant Precursor Ring.

Wyvern had lit the lanterns and bathed the chamber in light when Erin arrived. Wyvern gave her a big hug. "I've been doing some research," she started, "and I think we might be able to make this…Rift gate thing work."

"How?" Erin asked, pulling away from her friend's embrace.

"Well, from what I've found, you need specific artifacts to get this thing to work…"

"But how are we going to get them?" Erin asked, trying to think of how they were going to pull this off tonight.

"That's what's funny," Wyvern started, "we already have them. Your dad uncovered them when he found this ring. They were buried right next to it."

Erin was sure it was strange, but it almost sounded like she was meant to go back in the past. Someone had buried everything she would need together in the same place; Erin took that as a positive sign.

"What do we do next?" Erin asked.

"Well," Wyvern started, looking at her personal data assistant for the information she had gathered, "We have to get this Precursor thing to work." She held up a Precursor artifact that resembled an egg, and was about the size of Daxter's head.

Erin took it from Wyvern's hands and held it, looking for anything that stood out on its surface. She found a small button on the side. When she pressed it the artifact came apart. The top half of the 'egg' opened and floated above the bottom, the inner pieces came alive. They were rings that spun around a small object in the middle.

Wyvern was amazed that she figured it out so fast.

As if to answer the silent humming of the egg artifact, the giant gate ignited in a flash of light. Erin looked at the swirling blue and white light in wonder. "Where will this gate take me? Is there any certainty that it will take me to the right time?"

"Well, no…" Wyvern started.

"How did I know I'd find you here?" A voice sounded behind the oblivious duo.

Erin stiffened and turned around to the face of her father, expecting anger. What she saw surprised her.

His eyes were sad, but not accusatory. He seemed almost as if he had expected her actions. He stepped forward and pulled the activated Precursor artifact from her shaking hands. He touched the moving rings on specific Precursor symbols. The small portions he touched on the three different rings started to glow with a golden light. Once he had finished, he looked down into the eyes of his loving daughter.

"These coordinates will get you back."

Erin's eyes started to water as she could hardly find the words to say. "You're letting me go?" She asked, barely above a whisper.

Owen smiled sadly. "The Precursors granted me a vision to show me what to do, that's how I knew you two were up to something." He smiled at Wyvern and Erin. "This is your destiny, Erin, and I won't prevent it."

The tears overwhelmed Erin as she hugged her father goodbye. Her father slipped something around her neck.

Erin held the small golden medallion her father had just given her. "This necklace," he started, "was with you when I found you."

Erin paused, "Found me?"

Owen smiled ruefully, "Yes, it was on a night like tonight. You were transported into this very chamber right before my eyes, just a lone baby. I hadn't the slightest idea what had happened for you to come through the portal, but I knew that you were meant for something more than the modest life we live."

"This necklace," he continued, "was the only thing you had with you, the only real link to your past. I hope it will bring you luck in whatever the Precursors have planned for you."

Erin hugged the man she had known as her father tightly; trying to comprehend the events that led to her being transported to be raised in this time. Where was she born? What time was really her home?

She pushed her doubts aside and hugged her father tighter, for he would always be her father, the man who had raised her. "You've been a wonderful father to me," she cried quietly. She slipped the letter she had wrote him and her adoptive mother into his hand. "This will explain everything."

Owen smiled. "You take care of yourself." He didn't bother to hide the tears that had clouded his vision, "And know that whatever you do, I and your mother are very proud of you."

Erin slowly pulled away from Owen's embrace. Wyvern stepped forward and hugged her best friend tightly. "I'll miss you, Erin."

"I'll miss you, too."

Erin stopped momentarily on her way to the large gate which would transport her back in time, a place where she would never see her adoptive parents, or Wyvern, again. Tears came flooding out for many minutes as she hesitated, trying to remember everything about the people she loved.

Finally, when Erin had gathered the strength to leave, she stepped through the gate.

On the other side was black. She found the flashlight out of the supplies Wyvern had given her. The light faded from the gate just as she switched on the flashlight. The gate closed.

There was no going back.

She was in the same tomb, but hundreds of years in the past. Time hadn't quite torn apart the walls as they had from the time she grew up in. Erin placed the Precursor artifact that held the coordinates at the base of the large rift gate, to the place that her father would find many years in the future. Somehow she knew that it was what she was supposed to do.

Erin left the tunnels behind. She stepped out into the open daylight before her. The Wastelands of Haven City's time lay before her. The wind whipped sand into her face, which stuck to her countless tears. She looked out over the seemingly endless horizon, holding the small, golden medallion that held the secrets of her past. Whatever chance she had of getting out of the Wasteland seemed slim, but she felt that everything up until this point had come to pass and she had lived. Her adoptive father had believed that she had a powerful destiny, and now Erin was beginning to believe that she really had a destiny…

…And it wasn't to die in the unforgiving Wasteland.

Jak had spent the last two weeks working hard for the Wastelanders, as well as their King, trying to prove his worth. He had gone on many missions, from gathering Precursor artifacts uncovered by the shifting sands to saving the hides of some Wastelanders who had been caught in a particularly bad sand storm. Not to mention fighting for his life in the large Arena.

He had been forced to fight and kill other people desperate to gain citizenship to Spargus City, rather than slowly dying in the Wasteland. After his second fight in the Arena he had come to understand why they used such a barbaric method to prove worth. They had to weed out the weak, or one slipup could cost the entire city. Without the strong and smart people guarding the gates, the last of the Metal Head forces could sweep through the sparsely defended city. With most of the city's energy spent trying to keep the sand from eroding it away, what little people they could spare much be good at their jobs.

Jak couldn't say that he approved, but then again, he had only lived in the city for two weeks.

Unfortunately, however far they were from Haven City inhibited the use of any communicators. He couldn't get a hold of anyone with the Krimson Guard, and no one would let him too far away from the city with a dune buggy. Well… there was Kleiver who did, but Jak highly doubted that he would point him in the right direction.

Being stuck could put Haven City in danger, considering that he could have vital information. Whoever had tried to kill him when they stranded him in the Wasteland no doubt needed him out of the way for a reason, and he doubted it was a personal squabble. Someone was making big plans, or maybe Jak was starting to get paranoid.

Going through what he had could do that to a person.

Over the last year, Jak had noticed that he had a tendency to get irritated for hardly any reason. Most people thought that it was related to the loss of Erin, but Jak knew that wasn't the only factor. The dark part of him had been growing constantly, threatening his control. At least until he had found the ancient Precursor Temple on the mountainous islands out to sea from the Wasteland.

They had granted him the gift of balance.

They had given him what he had been seeking to save his, and Erin's, life in Haven City. Not that it did Erin any good now. Before, he hadn't even considered looking for the answer in the Wasteland. It was a horrid place that only brought death, and it never crossed his mind that the answer to saving their lives could be found in such a desolate place. The light powers had saved him from the slow decaying his body had been going through since they day of his first injection, but it couldn't save Erin now.

Jak walked in the streets of Spargus, just thinking. He couldn't sit still for too long, it just drove him crazy that something could be happening in Haven City and he was just running errands for a King of some sand castle in the desert. Besides that, he had spent the entire last year keeping his self busy, trying not to think of Erin's death. When he had nothing to do, like now, it only gave way to letting his mind wander to tender subjects best left alone.

Thankfully everyone in the city seemed to forget he was a Krimson Guard, the first few days had been spent in hiding from the evil glares and snide comments of the populace of Spargus, but now that people left him alone he could see this city for what it really was; an oasis in the harsh desert.

To gain acceptance into the city a person had to go through hell, but it was a heaven compared to the desert just on the opposite sides of the walls. It was then that Jak wondered if that was another reason, other than to protect the Precursor Stone, Haven City inherited its name from the protective walls that surrounded it from the outside desert.

Jak wished that Daxter was with him. Over the last year he had seen him sparingly, trying to keep his distance from his upbeat friend and Tess, who practically fawned day and night over each other. It just reminded him of her loss. But the last two weeks made Jak miss Daxter's positive, if somewhat obnoxious, attitude.

The screeching of his Spargus communicator cut through his thoughts, Jak was thankful though, he needed something to do.

Damas' voice spoke from the other end, "Your final Arena battle will start in an hour; take your place in the Arena." Jak gave a small smile, Damas tried to make it sound as if he had no concerns for others, but he did care passionately for the people of this city. He cared what happened to them, unlike the past ruler of Haven City. Spargus was in good hands.

Jak quickly made his way to the Arena Stadium, fighting would keep his mind off of other things. That was always his constant mission, keeping his mind off of other thoughts.

It took only a few minutes to reach the Arena, but Jak wanted time to clean his morph-gun, yet another pastime he used to distract himself. He found a small table at the back of one of the warrior rooms and got to work. The desert sand could cause a weapon to malfunction in a much quicker time than just being worn out, and with a major battle to the death going on, he couldn't afford to take a chance. The sand in the moving joints of the gun would grind on the circuits, which could also cause the gun to misfire.

By the time Jak had finished cleaning his weapon he could hear the cheers of the spectators in the Arena, waiting for the show to begin. Jak was ready, if he won this next Arena challenge he would be granted citizenship into Spargus, which would in turn allow him to leave the city to try and contact the Krimson Guard, perhaps even return to Haven City.

Jak gathered his wits as he stood before his designated door into the pit, where only one victor would crawl out. Such was the way of things in the Wasteland.

Jak could hear King Damas address the gathered crowd, heightening their excitement. He announced that this was a third ring Arena challenge, and the victor would be granted the honor of becoming an official Wastelander. The crowd roared, cheered, and howled, waiting for the bloodbath to begin.

The door before Jak opened to the madness of the Arena. He jumped down the ten feet to the ground and got to work eliminating his opponents before they eliminated him. Jak knew there were only twenty men in this Arena fight, all the people who had managed to survive the last two. Jak was sure to count all the men who had fallen, so he knew exactly the number that was left.

Before Jak even fired a shot, three people were down. Jak fired at anyone within range. Ten people were down before ten minutes had passed. Leaving nine people that Jak had to watch out for.

The large Arena pit was split into four quadrants; half of the remaining people were in the same section as him, while the other half of the group dueled at the opposite quadrant closer to the King's throne. Jak focused on the group he was a part of.

He took cover behind a stone platform as an opponent fired heavily on him. Once the rally had ended Jak dove from behind his cover and fired. The man hadn't expected Jak's plan. He fell to the ground as a shot tore through his abdomen.

That left three more men in Jak's quadrant, and another four on the other side of the Arena. Jak circled the platform in time to see one opponent shoot down another. That left two Jak had to deal with. Jak fired on the unsuspecting man, who dropped instantly. One left in this area.

He tried to ignore the echoing cheers from the crowd as he searched for the last man in the area. He found the man hiding behind another small platform; he shot at Jak but missed. Jak took him down with one well-aimed shot.

Jak then turned his attention to the other side of the Arena. From this distance he could see only two people remaining, other than him. Quickly he ran for the other end, just in time to watch one person shoot the other.

Now there was only one person left.

Jak crouched down behind another platform before he could see him, hoping to remain hidden. Jak quickly reloaded his weapon and readied himself for the final battle that would bring him closer to getting back to Haven City. One bad thing about being in cover was that Jak couldn't see the other person, who had hidden on the other side of the same platform.

Jak inched closer to the edge of his side, trying to see the last person who stood in his way. His eyes moved with a precision that the Krimson Guard training had given him. Jak reflexively gripped his morph-gun preparing to jump out and shoot at anything that moved.

After gathering his breath, Jak pushed off from the platform. He quickly eyed his enemy, but his mind registered who it was a second before he pulled the trigger.

The morph-gun dropped to his feet in his shock.

It wasn't possible, she couldn't possibly be…

Jak couldn't deny what his eyes saw; the red and brown hair, the bright eyes. She had changed in the time they had been apart, but he could recognize her anywhere.

" Erin!" He gasped.

Her morph-gun tumbled to the floor, unwanted. "Jak," she breathed back. "I've been looking for you--"

Jak stepped forward, unheeding the calls from the crowd, uncaring of Damas's voice yelling. At that moment, only him and Erin were in the Arena, in the entire world for all he cared. He kissed her.

If Jak wasn't completely focused on the woman he loved in his arms, perhaps he would have heard the disapproving yells from the crowd, or even the catcalls from the younger members of the audience. The life that had felt so empty since Erin had disappeared flowed back into him as Erin kissed him back.

Erin went suddenly rigid, the hands which had been around his shoulders, pulling him closer, tried to push him away. His heart suddenly did a nosedive when a lone thought penetrated his mind, was she embarrassed to be seen with him?

When he looked down at the struggling Erin, he understood that it was for an entirely different reason. The purple electricity that had kept them apart before now arched between them, and Erin was trying to get away from him so she didn't hurt him.

Jak refused to let her go.

In a flash of white light, he transformed into his light form. Erin could feel the calming sensation run through her body, keeping the darkness at bay. She looked down at Jak's white, glowing arms, which were tenderly holding her own. She understood instantly that he had found the hope they had once been searching for together.

Erin looked up into the loving, glowing eyes of Jak and felt more calm and in control than she had since she had first been infected with dark eco. Jak had found a cure…

"Jak, I--"

Suddenly, rough hands tore them from their embrace. The instant a pair of hands grabbed Jak, the light dissipated in a small shower of sparks in all directions. Jak fought the strong hands that held him, trying to get to Erin who was being pulled in the opposite direction.

She called his name but there were too many Arena guards standing between them. Jak fought harder, hearing the cheers of the crowd, as they led Erin in a different direction. He didn't want to lose her again. Erin was trying to fight the hands that bound her, but the men were much stronger than she was.

Jak watched helplessly as Erin was pulled through a small door on the other side of the Arena. Jak yelled in anger as he was pulled through another.

"How dare you defile the purity of the arena, newcomer!" King Damas yelled as Jak was dragged into the throne room. The guards unceremoniously tossed him on the ground at the King's feet.

Jak didn't care about the traditions of the Sand King's Arena, nor did he care how much trouble he was in, his only thought concerned Erin and her safety. "Where did you take Erin?!" Jak demanded as he climbed to his feet.

Damas seemed to ignore Jak's demand. "You deserve no mercy! I should toss you both into the jaws of the desert!"

Jak tried to step closer to the King, but rough hands clasped his shoulders, again. But this time they were accompanied by a voice. "Calm down, chili pepper, let me do the talking."

Jak quickly glanced over his shoulder. The large, burly guards who pulled him from the Arena were replaced by one large, burly Sig. "What are you doing--"

Sig quickly silenced him with a quick "Quiet!" and turned to address the King.

Sig stepped forward and talked quietly with the king, but Jak didn't bother to try and overhear their conversation, he was too concerned for Erin. Whatever punishment Damas had planned for Jak would probably be the same for Erin.

After several minutes Damas turned back to Jak. "Sig's trust in you has given you this one chance to redeem yourself, but just this once."

Though the King reserved his judgment, he didn't look too happy about it, and though Jak knew he was in the dog house, he still pressed his question. "Where's Erin?"

Sig grabbed his arm and spun him out of the chamber before the King had a chance to change his mind. Once the elevator to the ground level started to descend Jak turned to Sig and demanded answers.

"Why are you here in the Wasteland?"

Sig avoided the question. "If you don't want to be thrown into the desert, you better listen up, because I'm only saying this once. I risked my neck for you, now you must help me with a little problem I have with a small Metal Head nest. I need an able gunman to take into the heart of the nest, and since you happen to be in town, you're recruited."

It didn't bother Jak to pay Sig a favor, but it irritated Jak that no one was going to tell him where they took Erin. "What about Erin? Is she off the hook as well?"

Sig grew uncharacteristically solemn. Something was wrong; it was easy to see in his eyes. "Um… yeah, she has been excused as well."

"What's wrong?" Jak demanded, he was sick of being left out of the loop.

After taking a big sigh, Sig started quietly, "I hate to be the one to tell you this, but Erin collapsed after she was taken out of the Arena. We have no idea what's wrong, but I have an inclination that you do…"

Jak knew what was happening, and he needed to help her. The dark eco inside her was really starting to take its toll on her body. From the beginning Jak knew that the eco was having a worse affect on her than on him. She had been the worse off from the beginning, and he needed to get her to the Precursor mountain temple out near the ocean.

Sig grabbed Jak before he could sprint off the elevator. "I'm sorry Jak but Damas refuses to let you see her until we've finished our mission. His monks are taking care of her for now."

Jak tried to push Sig away, but the much bigger man was no push over. "Jak, if you leave now, you may very well bring all three of us down! I stuck my neck out for you, I go down with you!"

Sig had a point, but Jak hated to leave Erin, again. She needed his help, but he was obligated to help Sig.

"She'll be fine," Sig commented. "She's a strong woman."

Jak knew that Erin was strong, but the dark eco had been destroying her body for too long. He needed to get her to the Oracle so they could heal her, bring her back into balance…

Sig led Jak into the open streets of Spargus; to the main entrance. They needed a dune buggy to get them to the Metal Head nest.

Jak looked back longingly to the Palace, he knew that Erin was inside, but, yet again, he was forced to delay in helping her.

Author's Notes: YAY! A pretty quick update for me!!! And my annoying (LOL) fans finally get what they want, Erin and Jak have seen each other again! YAY! Well...review!!!