Chapter 30: Surprise Surprise
Music: Jerry Was a Racecar Driver by Primus
'Jerry was a race car driver,
he drove so god damned fast
He never did win no checkered flags
but he never did come in last
Jerry was a race car driver,
he'd say "El solo number one"
With a bocephus sticker on his 442,
he'd light 'em up just for fun
Mood: Insane O.o
Disclaimer: Writers lie, just like your parents.
We made our way over to the race garage after rescuing the Lurkers because the Class One Race started in a few hours.
Keira and Samos were standing in front of the curtain that was always closed, talking quietly, neither looking up as we walked in. I heard Jak cough, and Keira looked up with wide eyes, but calmed down when she saw who it was, but still managing to throw a glare at me through the relief on her face.
I rolled my eyes at her, but walked behind Jak, attaching myself to him as much as I could, and cocking my head to listen into the conversation.
"I'll show you guys what I'm working on, if you promise not to laugh." Keira said, fiddling with the curtains. I'd probably laugh.
"Ooooo, I love surprises!" Daxter exclaimed. "And I love to laugh! Show me! Show me!" He started tugging at the curtain. Keira sighed at him, but opened the curtain anyways, revealing some sort of vehicle-like machine.
"I've been building a replica of our crashed Rift Rider machine from old artifacts." She informed, pressing a few buttons. I rolled my eyes again. Could she be focusing on anything less important? But I mean, getting back to our time…
"That's my girl!" Samos said fondly, stamping his walking stick.
"But I'm still missing two pieces." I blinked. Of course.
"Figures..." Samos mumbled.
"Vin says I need an artifact called the Time Map and an old energy gem history books call the Heart of Mar." She said, gesturing over to two pictures on the wall. I searched my memory because both looked really familiar. "And I've looked in every book on Precursor history I can find, but the Rift Ring seems to have vanished!" Well, honey, that's cuz we're in the future. I though snidely to myself.
"You did all this?" Jak asked, eyebrows pushing together. "I mean... that's useful." He rolled his eyes, obviously sharing my thoughts on the importance of the matter at hand.
"Oh, will you two stop moping around and make up already?!" Daxter asked, shaking his head.
Before anyone else could speak, the revelation hit me. "I've seen the both of those!" I said excitedly. Well, as excitedly as my usually blank face would allow. "Jak, Krew has them! We got him the heart, and…" I trailed off trying to peg the memory, shaking on hand in the air. Jak grabbed my wrist, looking at me in amusement as I tried to remember "Oh! Those goons brought it to him, the ones with the explosions." I looked up from where I had been staring at the ground. Both Samos and Keira were staring at me like I was mad. I got mildly offended; I wasn't that emotionless, usually. I mean, I was angry a lot…
The rest of my thought were cut off by Jak, who apparently realized what I had been talking about, said, "We'll get those two artifacts." He grabbed my hand, lacing our fingers together, getting ready to pull me to the door, but we were stopped by the Comp's voice.
"Attention all drivers. The Class One Championship race is about to begin!" I froze up, standing stock still, wiping my face of emotion.
"Well, here goes…" Jak trailed off.
"Jak... I just wanted you to know... well, you're the best racer I've ever seen." Keira said, gazing up at him with wide, fond eyes, and fuck, could she make it any more obvious?
I sneered. No mention of me.
"You better keep us alive," I said, mouth twitching. "If you don't, I'm never speaking to you again." I turned my nose up, still hiding a smile.
Jak saw it and planted a kiss on my lips before pulling us out of the room, Keira yelling some encouragement to Jak in the distance.
I rolled my eyes again, thinking about how if I kept doing that, my eyes were going to fall out.
xMx
Once we were on the bike and situated, the platform we were on began to lower until we were on the ground with the other six racers. There was a big empty gap right next to our Racer, and I didn't even have to wonder who it was for.
As if proving my thoughts, Erol drove up and stopped in the spot, pulling up his mask to talk to us. "I want more than just to win, eco freaks..." Erol hissed fiercely. "I want you! Both of you!" Was Erol looking for like sex partners or something? Because that sounded sort of creepy. My nose twitched in revulsion, and I pulled the black bandana up to cover it and fixed the goggled on my eyes, pressing my face over Jak's shoulder to watch as a big circular platform lowered down with the Baron on it.
"Greetings, racers!" Praxis welcomed, and I hissed, I couldn't help it when I heard his voice. "Today your nerve and skill will be tested for our amusement." He brought his fingers together in a steeple, surveying the racers. I was surprised to Baron didn't notice me or Jak. But I guess we were hiding in plain sight. Literally. "If any of you should by some small chance beat our grand champion Erol, then you will be awarded a month's supply of Eco!" He continued and I felt my fingers twitch and light up with the remnants of Eco in my body just as the thought of more. I widened my eyes and focused on putting it out, because if anything was going to get us noticed, it was definitely that. Praxis lowered his voice and his eyes, speaking quickly and quietly. "And a short tour of my palace to see how the other half live. Good luck, and die bravely!"
I fixed my goggles one more time, flattening myself to Jak's back, glaring at Erol. "Ready?" Praxis asked. "Get set!"Jak set his shoulders, fixing his grip on the bike as the light came down. "Go!" Praxis yelled, and we were off.
Instead of going straight, though, Jak immediately took off through the passageway to the right, that I prayed to Sylence was a short-cut, not a death trap.
Thank Mar, it was. We came barreling out on another side, heading straight into a tunnel entrance. The Tracker Map said we were in first, but not by much.
There was a hole in the middle of the tunnel that Jak didn't notice until I shoved on his right shoulder. He turned the handlebars to the right immediately, glancing down at the hole as he passed by it nodding and pressing the boost.
We were still holding first place in the second lap, but Erol was quickly approaching. They didn't call him the best racer for nothing, I guess. We were going to prove that wrong, though.
He passed our Racer for a second, trying to cut us off, but Jak had better tricks up his sleeve. He used another boost, roughly pushing Erol's Zoomer with our, heading straight for the wall, trying to push him into it.
Erol realized what was happening before the plan could pull through, though, and jerked the handlebars to the right, sending his car careening off to the side for a second before he straightened up, giving us a small lead.
I pointed at the approaching short cut that I hadn't noticed last lap, and Jak turned into it, coming out at the other end and swiftly turning again to make it into the passageway just over the crossing line, putting us on our third lap, still in first.
About halfway through the lap, though, we ended up behind Erol because Jak missed the short cut but Erol caught it. It took up almost a whole lap to make it in front again, and I was starting to get worried that he might pass us again.
Erol was violently tail gating our Zoomer as we passed on the fifth lap, both he and Jak going through the short cut. At this point, all the other racers were completely forgotten, about half a lap behind us and Erol.
We only had to stay in first for another lap and then we would win. I leant into it, as if I were driving, trying to will the Zoomer to go faster than its limit.
Jak was neck and neck with Erol as we turned the corner to the last lap, and my whole body was tense, waiting to see if we would win. We had to. If we didn't, the whole fate of Haven City could pretty much be promised doom-by-a-stupid-leader-and-an-explosive-stone.
We did end up winning though, Jak using the last of the boost to rocket the Racer forward, careening over the finish line, leaving Erol way behind.
We slowly got off the Zoomer, and I grabbed the Palace access pass, tucking it into my pocket with rest, waving, and blowing sarcastic kisses at the audience, Daxter thanking everyone from the top of my head.
I finger gunned the audience, sticking my tongue out, smirked while holding Jak's hand. I was distracted, though, so I didn't notice the Baron's circle fly down until he started talking, and I froze, willing the blue sparks I could feel rising to the surface away. They went away, but I could feel my hair begin to spike up so much more, becoming much more pronounced.
"Ah, a brave man of the people." He praised, not recognizing either of us from the back. Jak and I both stayed with our backs facing him, smirking in turn. I adopted my most dangerous stance, crossing my arms over my chest and cocking a hip out, hair falling in front of one eye. "And who is this worthy opponent? In my world, good men are either bought or broken." Yeah. We were definitely broken. "So which is it going to be?" He asked jovially, but his voice was dripping fakeness. He was furious that someone had beaten Erol.
Jak and I turned around at the same time, relishing in the look of utter fury on the Baron's face. "Surprise." I said viciously, my voice ringing out through the now silent arena.
"WHAT?!" Asked in a quiet voice, dripping venom and disbelief.
"Just a little closer." Jak leered, waving his hand lazily as we both leant forward. "We need to talk."
"Fools!" The Baron exclaimed, smashing his fist down. "Don't you get it?! It's over, Jak! Maddy, all the heroes died long ago! You can't save anyone." I sneered at him, growling loudly. "Only survival remains... by whatever means! This city is mine! These lives are mine! This war is mine!" I watched out of the corner of my eye as Jak's pupils dilated and he started growling louder than me, his body tensing, already sparking purple. Angry Jak always set me off, and right now, we were a violently blue and purple pair ready to tear something – someone –apart. "And in war..." Praxis simpered, continuing on obliviously. "PEOPLE DIE!" I shuttered, claws snapping out and horns sprouting up, but I willed them away. "Kill them." Praxis ordered simply to the four guards at his sides.
I growled, ready to take on the whole army, ready to die. I felt my still sharp claws cutting into my palms and drawing blood as I leant forward, baring my teeth ferociously, looking for the button to let everything out.
Jak snarled loudly, and I heard the metallic sounds of his claws, but I was distracted by a KG yelling, "Look out!" And pointing off into the distance as a Zoomer barreled down the way, coming straight at us.
It was Erol. "I win, now!" He snapped loudly, pushing the Zoomer to full speed, about to hit us, but Jak squeezed my hand, and I used the residual strength of Eco flowing through my system freely to help Jak launch us off the ground and into the air as high as we could go, jumping straight over the oncoming Zoomer, and landing in a crouch on the other side, watching as Erol drove straight into the Eco supply.
I frowned at the loss of Eco, but smirked my darkest smile when I saw Erol's mask slide to a stop, bumping my left foot.
"Run!" Jak whispered into my ear, letting go of my hand as we both booked it out of the stadium, menacing laughter trailing behind us as we heard the faint echo of Baron Praxis's voice ordering, "After them!"
A/N: Once again, sorry for the shortness, but I promise shit's gunna go down in the next chapter! Review!
xMonster