Hiya folks! Chapter's 5 and 6 coming your way. these've been written for a while now but i've avoided posting them because i feel terrible about not updating my other stories that people have been demanding updates for (I'm so sorry!) I've been trying to make a decent update for Channeler,Conduit but Fuck its proving hard as hell to write and seem /believable/. so, as i work on this, i spit out some updates to WIR. Enjoy :)
It couldn't be. There was no way. How could she be dead? Not after being such a strong willed individual when he'd first met her. He took a brief moment to assess her condition. What he saw turned his stomach. Even Daxter seemed to pale slightly, deathly silent as he realized the gravity of the situation.
Whatever fat she had before was gone, withered away with time revealing bones with startling definition. Her lips were dry and cracked, scabbed over from where they had bled previously. Her prison uniform had become so tattered and frayed that it did little to cover her body. The lack of cloth revealed a myriad of scars, bruises, lesions and scabs as recently made wounds struggled to heal despite her poor condition. What the hell had they done to her...
He heard a loud clanging noise, and boots against hard floors. Shit-! He must've tripped an alarm. Even if Sake was no longer with them, he'd at least find someplace nice to bury her- it was the decent thing to do. No doubt they'd just throw her corpse into some incinerator or outside the walls for the wild animals to feast on. So cautiously, he hefted her body into the air, startled at how light she was, easily no heavier than eighty or ninety pounds. Then again he'd spent the bulk of the last two years working out nearly every day and that likely contributed to it.
Daxter was glad to be out of that cramped dark space. Now a building wide alarm was blaring and Jak could see faces of men and women in more or less a similar condition to Sake staring out at him from between the bars of their cell doors. Some shouted out, demanding that they be set free, insisting Jak aid in their escape. He paid them no heed, as many were no doubt horribly unstable. Down the hall he ran, immediately dodging right as he retraced his steps back to the main room where Daxter had found him shortly before but he came to a screeching halt as he saw a wall of guards coming from that direction. Immediately he turned and fled the opposite direction.
"Prisoner Escape in Progress. Threat Level Red." The female voice of the prison's automated system said calmly overhead. Now the Prison was in an uproar, Inmates were banging their food trays against the outsides of their cell doors and Guard captains were ordering men to their stations to control the oncoming riot.
Jak had no idea where he was going. But it seemed Daxter did. The normally obnoxious ottsel was dead quiet as if deep in thought. Finally he pointed to a door.
"There!" Daxter shouted, "I spent a lot of time exploring this place. That way leads to some service rooms. More specifically waste disposal." He certainly didn't like the idea of 'waste disposal' and what 'waste' entailed but it was their only option and the only escape route not crawling with Krimzon Guards. Jak nodded and ran full bore for the door, shouldering it as it caved inward while being mindful of the body in his arms and the door bounced off the wall, then immediately closed behind him as they blew through at full speed. Daxter indicated another turn, then a door on Jak's left.
The door didn't budge first time, and Jak cursed lightly under his breath, setting Sake's body on the ground gently before making a grab for the door's handle. It didn't budge still so he backed up, raised his foot and kicked as hard as he possibly could. Immediately the door's frame splintered and one of the hinges even threatened to shear off its support. A few people inside, civilians from the looks of it, shrieked and Jak paid them no mind as he lifted Sake's body and Daxter pointed him to a large tube and a hatch.
"That drops right down into a reservoir." Daxter helped Jak get the door open and the civilians fled when they witnessed a talking animal opening a fairly complicated set of latches. He half laughed, but was still very serious. Jak peered down inside once the door was open. It was just barely big enough for him to fit, even holding Sake so he began to heft himself into the opening. From what he could see it was a straight drop for a yard or so before it curved.
"There he is, OPEN FIRE!" A guard in the doorway shouted and several piled in, beginning to shoot wildly in Jak's general direction. His eyes went wide and without hesitation, threw himself blindly into the dark tube. His arm burned and he knew instantly he'd been shot but that only nagged at him momentarily as he felt himself become weightless for a moment as gravity did its job. Then he impacted the bend and began to slide. Behind him he could hear bullets ricocheting off the metal, and the guard captain demanding to know where the tube let out at.
A few twists and turns later and Jak was soon free of the suffocatingly small space, plunged into the fairly clear water below. Silently both Jak and Daxter were thankful that the stench in the air was livable and the water didn't leave them covered in a nasty film of brown. When he landed, he'd done his best to keep Sake above water as much as possible and set her up on the metal platform before pulling himself out. Daxter was already hard at work ringing his fur out, poised on all fours before shaking his body back and forth like a crocadog.
"Jak, Up there. Do you see what I see?" Daxter pointed to an indent on the far wall into which was set a slatted vent cover, too high to jump to but there were several boxes scattered throughout the area. Dim light streamed in through the grate but there was a clear unmistakable image of dull dark blue sky and the faint glimmer of stars. The smell that wafted in was not much better than the one their current environment gave off but Jak could detect the subtle scents of fresh air mixed in, rich with the odor of plant life. He never knew freedom could smell this good.
"I sure do. Hold on while I make an escape route." Jak left Sake's body where it lay, and he failed to notice her chest rise then fall briefly. He put all his weight against a massive crate then pushed and it slid fairly easily across the floor. He repeated this process once more with a set that were double stacked until they were lined up with the grate. It would be a small climb but he'd make it easily. After retrieving Sake's body, he scaled the boxes and quickly kicked the metal grate out of its frame. It flew out and down, clanging loudly against the ground below and Jak almost felt dizzy staring down. It was easily a three story drop and it'd hurt but that was the price to pay for freedom. So, he cradled Sake close and Daxter instinctively held on for dear life as Jak hoisted himself out of the window.
Hitting the ground didn't hurt as much as he thought it would, Sure it made his bones ache but nothing broke and that was a plus. Sake was no worse for wear and for that he was thankful. Daxter was grinning from ear to ear and he was happy to breath in two full lungs of the only slightly more fresh air.
"We're free Jak, thanks to me!" Daxter cooed.
"Thanks Dax, but I don't think we're out of the frying pan yet." He was staring thoughtfully down at Sake. She'd never once moved in all this and he was becoming convinced that she might actually be dead. The thought made his heart sank.
Jak walked on, cradling her close. Up ahead he could see an elderly man with a young green-haired boy at his feet. There were many other people too, all walking slowly and without purpose or direction, heads hung between their shoulders in obvious dismay. Many wore tattered and stained clothing, shoes with worn soles and the entire district wreaked of decay and waste. Jak quickly concluded that really, conditions beyond the walls of the Prison weren't much better. At least being in prison meant food every day, albeit discolored tasteless slop.
Jak was coming to pass the elderly man now and as much as he would have liked to move on unnoticed, that was not the case as the man called out to him.
"H-Hello strangers!" He called out, old voice withered and somewhat scratchy with age. "My name is Kor." Jak could see a strange sense of desperation in the man's eyes, and hear the urgency in his voice. He gritted his teeth- he didn't have time for this, not with a potentially dead girl in his arms whom he needed to bury decently. Maybe he could scare the old man off, but he admittedly had questions.
"You look like a reasonably smart man." Jak stalked forward, trying his best to seem imposing but failing due to his arms being preoccupied. The old man recoiled and took a step back, fearing that he had potentially angered the younger individual. "I want information. Where the hell am I?" Daxter leaped from his friend's shoulder, landing near the green-haired child.
"Eer—uh, Sorry, he's new to the whole.. 'conversation' thing." Daxter leaned away as the boy attempted to reach out and pet him, and the kid noticed his obvious hesitance, pulling his hand away in fear before taking a step toward Kor and grabbing helplessly onto his pale blue-grey robes.
"Well my.. Angry young friend... You are a 'guest' of his 'Majesty', Baron Praxis- The ruler of 'glorious' Haven City." The old man answered, dusting his robes subconsciously. His face twisted into one of disgust as he heavily emphasized several words, as if to mock their meaning.
"I was just a 'guest' in the good Baron's prison." Jak retorted, unknowingly clutching Sake's body in closer. The man watched closely, seeming to inspect her curiously.
"Inside a cell, or inside the city- Walls surround us both. We are all his prisoners." His face was awash with dismay, and the same desperation Jak had seen moments before. Then the old man turned and seemed taken aback. From their vantage point, they could easily make out the shapes of half a dozen armored men approaching, their red armor gleaming in the pale yellow light of the street lamps above. They moved quickly and with purpose, shoulders up and out as they moved with a strange sense of pride. Jak immediately went on the defensive, yet remained inactive for fear of inciting another alarm. "Oh dear.. Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time, I'd move on if I were you.."
"By order of his Eminence, the Grand Protector of Haven City, Baron Praxis- Everyone in this section is hereby under arrest for suspicion of harboring underground fugitives." The guard obviously had no idea who Jak was, and he was thankful. But, the blond knew they'd have a fight on their hands in mere seconds, as the Krimzon Guard never did anything peacefully. He moved to set Sake's body down and he noticed a guard watching him suspiciously. Daxter of course felt the hair on his neck stand on end.
"Surrender and DIE!" yelled the third guard. Daxter froze, taking a step forward, paws in the air.
"Uhh Excuse me sir- Don't you mean Surrender OR die?"
"Not in this city!" the old man gasped out, nearly tripping over his own robes as he backed away. "Protect us from these guards and I'll introduce you to someone who can help you!" He quickly ushered the boy with him and they backed away a good distance. Daxter took his place on Jak's shoulder and the duo quickly dove into the fray.
Jak's first pounded into the first guard's face, sending him to the ground as the second two raised their batons. Jak dodge quickly below a prong of electricity that threatened to stop him cold, turning on his hands and sweeping his legs beneath both guards who both toppled like mighty giants. A small group of reinforcements were already closing in and Jak sprang to his feet, allowing his legs to arch high in the air, catching the first of the squad in the flurry of kicks. He toppled back into a guard behind him and there was a brief moment of confusion as they worked to untangle themselves. Behind him, the first three guards Jak had downed were recovering and he doubled back to deal swift blows to each. They hit the ground hard, unconscious and maybe even dead. Jak couldn't care less.
Overhead, a massive transport moved into position and the back hatch opened. Guards poured out, all cocking their weapons as they primed themselves for the ensuing battle. Now it was one on twelve, and the Guards allowed their overconfidence to blind them.
Jak felt his body suddenly go hot as fire and as the guards circled like vultures, something within him was clawing its way out. He was losing the internal battle and finally the entity within broke free. Jak's skin paled, fingernails grew into razor sharp black claws and his eyes clouded black, glistening and beady. Two thick black horns now grew from a mane of untamed silver-grey hair, hardly contained by his goggles and bandanna. Violet arcs of lightning danced around the thing like marionettes. Now the dark beast belted out a defiant roar, leaping a great distance toward one of the guards in a fit of blind rage.
The guard screamed in agony as his insides were quickly liberated from his stomach, metal armor no more effective than paper-machet at stopping the creature's clawed hand from doing its worst. One down, eleven to go. Then he leapt to the next, landing on his hands before hurling himself at the man and pushing him hard into the uneven ground. His skull smashed against the stone and he slumped, dead.
One by one, each guard fell- some to gruesome violent deaths while others found themselves face to face with the compacted pavement until only two remained. They shared a quick glance of desperation and dropped their weapons, turning and running full speed in the opposite direction, screaming the entire time about a monster and 'not being paid enough'. The creature roared in their direction, face twisted into an beastly snarl with its eyes narrowed. But, it was obviously tired, panting heavily as its chest heaved and it shook its head. All at once the color returned to Jak's skin and hair as the horns and claws became nothing but a memory.
As Jak returned to himself, he gawked at the blood and his stomach lurched at the sight of the bodies torn asunder. The area around them was deathly vacant of people, likely scared off by.. whatever had just occurred. Everything hurt, and his veins were on fire. He clenched his fists a few times, hoping to reassure himself that he was really the one pulling all the strings.
"Woah, That was cool- Do it again!" Daxter shouted.
"Something's.. Happening to me... Something.. he did- I-I can't control it." Jak gritted out, jaws clenched tightly as he narrowed his eyes. Now the pain was starting to subside and cautiously the old man and boy approached. Daxter was grinning, oddly enough as he was seemingly unphased by the slaughter fest that had occurred mere moments before. However he could see that Jak was suffering internally and laid a reassuring paw on his friends leg.
"Very impressive.." Kor commented, hand stroking idly at his long silver-white beard as he analyzed the surprising young man before him. "Hmm, What you just did was very brave... This child is important." He gestured to the small boy who nervously folded his hands together. Daxter closed in and looked him over once more.
"This kid?" Daxter turned to either side and the boy recoiled, raising one leg and his arms as if to shield himself from some assault. "Hmm, he looks kinda scruffy."
"Thank you for your help.. But I must get this boy to safety.." Kor was turning away now, preparing to leave. Jak was too preoccupied to press the issue regarding that 'someone who could help them', but Daxter was on the ball.
"HEY- What about us?" Daxter gestured, then crossed his arms defiantly.
"There is an underground group waging war against Baron Praxis. Its leader, the Shadow could use fighters like you." He was turning to leave now and reluctantly the child followed. "Go to the slums.. Fine a dead end alley near the city wall. Ask for torn.. He can help you." Just as quickly as the man had entered Jak and Daxter's lives, so he had left, leaving behind the bloodshed that surrounded Jak.
With the old man gone and the alley abandoned, Jak worked quickly to concoct a safe quick way to get Sake someplace safe. He could see at the end of the alley that there was an opening, and parked at the end was a fairly wide-bodied vehicle. In many ways it reminded the blond of the Zoomer Kiera had made back home. It hovered effortlessly above the ground, yet was unoccupied and seemingly off.
"Dax, stay here, watch Sake. I'll be right back." Jak insisted, turning and taking off at a light jog, stepping aside to avoid a fairly disturbing trail of intestines. Upon reaching the vehicle, he was quite pleased that the vehicle required no actual keys, just an ignition switch which he turned and the twin engines roared to life. After a few seconds of figuring out the controls, he was able to propel himself back in the direction were Daxter and Sake were. The ottsel leaped up into the vehicle as Jak dismounted and worked to lift Sake's body and place it gently in the other seat. As he climbed back in, he flicked a switch and the vehicle rose to match the altitude of the other Zoomers at the end of the alley.
Just then he heard something- a faint noise.. breathing, and even a gentle whisper.
"You came.." Jak's eyes immediately focused on Sake and he could see now that she was breathing! Immediately he felt a renewed vigor overtake him and with it, a new purpose- to get her someplace safe where she could get medical attention. Daxter noticed Jak's strange new enthusiasm and mustered a smile- he was glad to see his friend so full of energy- the two brutal years in prison doing little to stifle his young spirit.
For now the triage made their way out of the alley and into the flows of traffic. They were free, Sake was alive, and Jak was going to kill the Baron. Finally things were looking up.
If you're interested in the original, check my profile! And as always, PLEASE PLEASE RNR. Comments are my FUEL :)