I apologise for not posting for over 6 months now. Since Naughty Dog hasn't announced any new games, I've been pretty much dead when it comes to writing. Nothing to Psyche me up, yaknow? Well, I've been dealing with alot of things, and one of which was getting myself to get off my lazy ass to write the 23rd chapter. I intend to upload 24 within the week, but as you folks know, I have a habit of not keeping my word. However, I will do my best to update on time. This chapter is rather important to the storyline, so I suggest you read it before just tossing it aside as a dead fiction. I still intend to finish this, and I definatly want to work on the sequel. (Yes, there's going to be one. The entire script's already written in my head. :D)
Without further delay, I give you my short chapter of filler with some Storyline stuff to keep it interesting. X.x
The left corner of her mouth visibly twitched. Jak noticed this. "What's up Sake?" His gun lowered for a moment, and then was raised to make sure he wasn't caught off guard.
"I'll tell you what's up; the worst stench of my life." Sake replied rather huskily. Jak took a few wiffs.
"I don't smell any-" She was no longer standing next to him. Instead, she was sprinting at full speed towards the inner workings of the Metal Head Tower, traversing its unusual terrain until she reached an open area. Jak did his best to ward off enemies by himself and catch up to her. She had stopped in the center of a platform, staring up.
"He's here. I can sense him."
"Sake, have you lost it? The only things here are the Metal Heads!" She raised her hand, shooshing him.
"I KNOW he's here."
"He who?"
"Errol."
Jak felt his breath catch. "Errol? But h-"
"Two years of being raped and enslaved can do this to you." Daxter cringed on Jak's shoulder. "You could.. call it a connection. I guess. I could always tell, when he was coming to beat me, or when he wanted to have a little fun." Her skin was loosing color quickly. Her eyes faded to a charcoal black with a dazzling luster. Jak's body froze.
"So you can sense him?"
"He knows we're here, and he's laughing." Bones stretched; blood rushed. "He's laughing at me.." Her body trembled and her head hung low. Jak reached a hand out; Her skin was as cold as ice.
"Lets finish him, then."
"No."
"W-What do you mean?"
"I'm the one whose going to kill that bastard." A few crystalline tears dropped from the corners of her eyes. They were the last shred of sanity holding her back.
Jak watched as her shirt gave way to a set of bat like wings. A tail twisted and twirled violently behind her. He backed away.
"Sak-"
"This isn't Sake, you fool. I'm Catalyst and don't forget it. Now if you don't mind, I have a job to finish." Jak felt his body contort and ache as it slammed against the nearest wall as the demon flung him back. When his vision focused, he could see Catalyst taking to the skies, wings beating rapidly to carry her high. She flapped as hard as possible; the roof of the tower was approaching quickly. However it did nothing to stop her as she slammed directly through it. Chunks of rock, 'flesh', and debris flew this way and that. Errol grinned then turned to face the demon who had landed about 20 to 30 feet from him.
"Long time no see Sake! Care to come over and give Errol a hug…?" The human side of Errol's face twisted into a sadistic smile. The robotic half did its best to match, but failed.
"I'll pass. However, I'm dying to kill someone, and you're on the menu." Catalyst growled an animalistic growl, followed by a very animalistic roar.
"My my… someone is very frisky…"
"Shove it, tin can."
"Come on Sake, I didn't treat you all that bad now… There's no need to be so harsh!"
"Give me a break. That robotic body must be glitching or something because I'm afraid you are terribly mistaken." Catalyst charged towards Errol, claws and teeth bared in an offense manner. With a single beat of her wings, she was launched into the air where she landed on top of Errol. Holding onto him with one hand, her feet braced herself against his shoulders while the other hand was raised high for a single deathblow strike. Errol had other plans in mind. Her guard was down and he grabbed her by her wings, flinging the demon across the room and into a wall. The sound of a cracking bone resounded. Errol laughed. Catalyst struggled to stand; one wing dangled behind her, limp and aching.
"I thought I trained you to behave better than that my dear." Errol's heavy metallic feet thumped the ground hard in front of the demon as he grabbed her around the neck with his robotic hand. Her own hands grasped the cold metal. He raised his only eyebrow as her eyes flashed a dangerous purple. Within seconds he was buried into the ground, stomach completely gutted. The only regret Catalyst had was that it was metal and not raw flash for her claws to rend. Errol stood, sparks flying from his circuitry as he stood and headed for the teleport gate.
Jak arrived on the scene finally, only to see Errol rush by angrily. The metal man stopped, "I'm afraid our time is up, for I have a meeting with the most powerful beings in the universe." With those last words, Errol leapt through a teleporter. Jak spotted the Dark Eco crystal powering the device and grabbed it. Immediately the tower shook angrily. Catalyst cursed heavily, unable to fly in her condition. So, Jak snatched her up while Daxter held onto his shoulder. Sig had pulled up to the gaping hole in the chamber and the three leapt in.
Sig's timing was perfect, in that as they flew away, the tower blew. When they nabbed the chance to land at Onin's hut, Catalyst climbed out and began to walk away, the wing still hanging limp behind her. Jak leapt out as well and tried to follow her but she turned and struck at him. "Stay away from me.."
"But Sake-"
"I'm not Sake you fool, don't you get it? I still can't believe YOU are my mother's father. You're so stupid, and naïve. You have no idea what the future holds in store for you, yet you blindly charge on and expect things to turn out as planned." Catalyst was face to face with Jak now.
"What do you mean?"
"I'm afraid I can't tell you that. My only regret is that I can't complete my mission."
"What's your mission?"
"To kill you, and Sake for the pain you caused my mother."
"Your-mother..?"
"I'm done here." Jak could have sworn he saw the demon shed tears as she turned and sprinted away. He wanted to follow, but he hesitated. He knew she'd be fine. However, her comments worried him greatly. He wondered if Catalyst would try to kill Sake, but that was impossible. Sake was Catalyst's host, and he figured she wouldn't kill herself just to kill Sake, when she still had so many things to do.
The blonde entered Onin's hut. Pecker began to explain the next mission. Onin also insisted that Pecker go with him, but this upset him. The bird didn't want to go, but nonetheless he was forced. Jak then went outside and jacked a zoomer from a civi who was stupid enough to enter the conflict zone. The civi ran off screaming as a death bot chased him. Jak noticed a trail of blood on the ground, from the injuries Catalyst had sustained. He decided to follow them.
Ironically enough, the blood led him to his intended location. Once he ditched the zoomer, he found Catalyst standing in the water of the canals that led to the ruined stadium. The water around her was soaked red. Flesh from the broken wing was visible, and it was bleeding far too much to be a simple break. Catalyst's ear twitched and she turned to see him.
"So naïve… Following death blindly."
"I've always played my cards against death."
"A gambler I see."
"Give Sake back."
"Not yet, not until I'm done.." Jak noticed the flesh on the wing seemed to be steaming slightly, as if it was burning or something. It began to regrow and support the weight of the bone structure and membrane. She hissed in pain, clenching her fists. "Needless to say, You need me. Regardless of how much I absolutely hate you."
"Need you? You're causing her pain. We don't need you."
"Oh? How many times have I saved your miserable life?" She watched as Jak fiddled with that question in his mind. It obviously disturbed him.
"If you want to kill me, why didn't you just let me fall in the temple?"
"I couldn't let you die, not yet. It isn't your time to die."
"What are you?"
"What am I?—" She paused, and began to approach him. Before he could say anything, she was once again standing before him. Her healed wing stood erect behind her, the other folded. "I am the harbinger of death, I am the very essence of death. In a sense, I AM Death. I was created by my mother, to kill you. Her name was Rioka. She was the most intelligent person ever born. It was this intelligence that drove her to insanity."
"Why does Rioka hate us?" Jak would have taken a step back, but he wanted real answers.
"Why do the youngest usually hate their parents, tell me this…?"
"—Because.. they always get the short straw..?"
"Exactly."
"Then that means.. Rioka's my—daughter..?" Jak's face contorted in confusion. Nothing was adding up! Catalyst nodded and circled him a few times, tail flicking dangerously.
"You will learn more in due time. For now my time is up." As if a switch was turned off, the wings faded and the tail disappeared. Sake stumbled back and Jak caught her. She felt quite nauseous.
The two remained in the uncomfortable silence. Sake had heard every word, despite her dormant state in her own mind during the demon's occupation. Jak was effected most of all. Why did Rioka hate them? Most of all, why would he and Sake be bad parents?
"Jak," Sake paused slightly. Jak sensed her apprehension. "What sick game is history playing with us?"
"I honestly don't know. But for now, all we can do is just place our cards down and go with the flow." Jak climbed some rubble and struggled into a rather convenient access pipe which led into the bowels of the ruined Stadium. Sake soon regained some sense of balance, then followed Jak.
Children, this is what Dark Eco does to you! It seriously F--k's with your head:D; Lawl. Yes, this little plot twist is most likely confusing, but Catalyst is considered an Enigma after all. You'll learn so much more about her in due time. :) Until then expect chapter 24 soon.
I'd like to thank the peeps who've been posting comments, despite the absense of my writing. They're really awsome, and helped me kick myself to get things done.