This is easily one of my favorite chapters so far. I had alot of fun writing it. And it shows, being nearly 4,000 words without this author's commentary :P It's a little angsty but i gotta keep the emotions true to the original! :)
Just as the old man said he would, Jak soon found himself face to face with a rather upset blond haired woman who seemed less than pleased to see a complete stranger, especially a kid, in the alley. However she certainly didn't fit the name 'Torn' and certainly wasn't a man. Jak glanced back nervously at Sake's unconscious body in the zoomer before peering at the individual behind the girl.
"We're looking for Torn. Kor sent us." Jak said, immediately disregarding the woman who stepped aside.
A man approached, red-brown hair bound in tightly woven dreadlocks. He was thin and wiry, but looked as if he could easily carry his own weight and handle himself in a fight. His face was firm, dark eyes sunk deep into his skull and his chin looked chiseled from stone. His face was adorned in a vast number of faded black decorative tattoos originating from his forehead before spreading out like a digital sunburst. He spared no time in invading Jak's comfort zone, placing himself well inside the young man's personal bubble. Jak leaned back, but didn't back up. "Um.. Are you—Torn?"
"Maybe this guy's a mute- like you used to be." Daxter temporarily broke the tension and the red-haired man seemed taken aback by a talking animal. It was startling, but hardly derailing.
"New faces make me nervous." The man gritted out, words carrying a bite to them. His probative gaze bored into Jak and he struggled to keep his composure. "Word is, you're out to join the fight for the city.." Immediately the man, whom Jak was certain was Torn, began to circle, hands resting at his side as he seemingly sized up the kid before him. Jak just stared, keeping eye contact. "You know, Picking the wrong side could be... Unhealthy." Torn closed the gap, once again putting a mere inch or two between himself and Jak.
"We want to see the Shadow." Jak ordered, refusing to be put off by an angry man with a death wish. The man snorted back laughter.
"Not likely. If you wanna join something, why don't you and your PET.." He gestured to Daxter who muffled a growl. "-go join a circus.." He was walking away as if to leave the trouble twins where they stood, but pivoted on his heel and unsheathed a fairly large curved dagger. It glistened brightly in the light above, edge razor-sharp. "Unless you've got the fur for a really tough task." He ran his thumb along the edge, testing its quality. "Steal the Baron's banner from the top of the Ruined Tower and bring it back to me. Then.. Maybe we'll talk." Daxter was almost entranced by the way he tossed the blade carelessly into the air, scattering light before Torn caught it effortlessly mid-rotation.
His introduction to the tattooed wonder left a bitter taste in his mouth and Jak furrowed his brow to toss the feelings aside. For now he had one final pressing matter- What to do about Sake. He couldn't leave her in the vehicle, and he couldn't take her on their little adventure. His only hope was that the Underground might shelter her until he could find someplace more suitable.
"I'll do it. But.." Jak could already see Torn was going to regret the next words out of his mouth but he continued anyways. "I have someone with me.. A girl. She's in bad shape. Can she stay here until I find someplace for us?" He tried not to show the complete stranger the fact that he cared about her, and worried for her safety, fearing he might exploit it.
"Do we look like a daycare?" Torn retorted as he sheathed the blade then crossed his arms. "Or a hotel?"
"Its only until I come back." Jak countered, half snarling. "I don't have any other choice."
"Fine. She can stay here for a night. But, we'll see if you come back alive." Torn sneered then gestured to a wall behind him. It was painted with a green and black shield and a dagger. The wall slid aside. "Take her inside and put her on one of the beds. Then go get me my damn flag."
Jak was already in the process of lifting Sake, carrying her into the narrow stairwell that was hidden behind the faux wall. Several bunks lined either side of the interior and he laid her on one closest to the furnace on the left side. Then he hightailed it, not wanting to overstay his welcome. Torn watched the blond teen and his orange rat climb into the double-seater they arrived in and take off. Heh. Kids. Think they can waltz into any place they please and demand to be given the best treatment.
If she had to compare the feeling to anything, she'd say it was dizzying, like being strapped to an underwater roller coaster in space. All around her was dark and only an invisible source of light cast a faint glow down upon her. She was moving, she could tell. There was a faint smell with a hint of salt and the ocean but maybe that was just her mind playing tricks. She didn't know where she was being taken to but she felt no pain and perhaps, just maybe she was being taken away from that dreadfully dismal hell hole she had called home for the last two years.
For the first time in two years, she felt genuine comfort. Wherever she was, it was warm and all around her was soft. The pain that normally clouded her mind and the fatigue that normally immobilized her was beginning to fade and her mind could finally function unimpeded. It was a welcomed sensation.
Somehow, she felt she wasn't alone. There were.. people, and voices. Foggy and muffled but just clear enough to understand.
"Oh dear.. She's dreadfully weak. Where did you find her again?" Male, gritty, possibly an older man, Not the same as the one she heard just a little while before.
"I didn't find her. Some blond haired kid brought her in here." Male, still rough but younger.. She recognized this voice from before. Torn, she thinks.
"It's a miracle she's even alive.. This tattoo, I've seen one like it before."
"D..305. I saw them too, a few years ago. Its a Prisoner ID tag."
"Hmm.. Do you smell that..?"
"..Yeah.. I remember smelling it when I was a guard. Sedatives. We used them to calm hostile prisoners."
"And from the looks of it, she's been subjected to high doses for quite some time.. It will take a while to detox her. Help me gather supplies."
"Wait we're going to help her? I knew I shouldn't have let the kid bring her here. Anyways It's been over an hour. I better go make sure that idiot hasn't gotten himself killed." There was a heavy noise, like stone sliding against stone.
"Whatever you say. Fine, Tess, Could you please come help me?"
"Mhmm. What is it you need?" A new voice now, a woman. Her voice was high but sweet in a sugary way without sounding young. It was comforting. Then she felt a soft hand on her forehead.
"Hang in there, young lady. We'll get you fixed up.."
The stranger's tone of voice was relaxing and reassuring, completely opposite of the aggression she had become so accustomed to. Blatant disregard for her well being was replaced with compassion and finally she was someplace safe. Oh how tired she was, and she could sleep peacefully without fear. So with her mind wandering to the first pleasant thoughts she had had in two years, she drifted back into an easy sleep.
Torn never liked the areas beyond the walls. It was far too quiet and it made him horribly uneasy. And more oft then naught they were crawling with metal heads and other wildlife that had since taken up residence after the civilians of Haven had abandoned it. But for now the coast was relatively clear. In the distance he could see the tower and much to his amazement, the young man nearing its apex. The concrete platforms that encircled the old tower crumbled as he jumped from each to the next, using an old banner pole to swing and hurl himself to the platform where the prize stood, lazily blowing in the ruin's fowl air. Its corners had long since been shredded from years of exposure to the great outdoors.
He watched with amusement as the kid took hold of the banner's pole and yanked it free from the cracked stonework then slammed it down triumphantly. As he did so, the thin floor beneath crumbled away and the boy tried in vein to reach safety before he was left completely hung out to dry. Then he plummeted a story before landing in an old awning spanned between two support struts. The fabric nearly gave way to his weight but it rebounded and flung him high into the air. The orange animal fell too, hitting the awning and bouncing near instantly. Meanwhile the blond kid landed gracefully on a thin metal wire and began grinding down it like he'd done it before- Torn had to admit, THAT was impressive, and highly amusing.
Daxter wailed loudly as he felt himself weightless and unable to maneuver in time to avoid the metal wire spanning the watery depths below. He collided groin first, the wire stretching a split second before hurling him higher in the air. Jak had already expertly dismounted the wire, flipping head over heels mid-air before landing on one knee and standing. Daxter was hot on his heels, impacting the soft moist sand face first and kicking up a cloud of sand that peppered both Jak and Torn.
Torn watched in awe and Jak turned to see what made the normally collected man gape in shock. The tower was literally falling apart. Chunks of walls spider-webbed with vast cracks and pieces separated from the building. It was a cascading failure, starting at the top where Jak and Daxter had stood mere seconds before. As debris fell onto the floors beneath, the structure's integrity quickly failed and the whole thing came crashing down in a glorious cloud of destruction.
"...Yeah... I guess you guys are in." That was all Torn could say and Jak helped Daxter to his shoulder before grinning widely. It seemed they'd fit in very well here...
Once back in the city, Jak and Torn went seperate ways to avoid being seen together. That didn't mean that Jak took his time however. He rushed back to the hideout, astounded that Torn had arrived before him and was already hard at work coordinating their next move. Sake was nowhere to be seen. Daxter took the time to be obnoxious- he was great at that. The ottsel dove from Jak's shoulder and pranced over to a large pipe coming from the wall that drained into a water basin, the inside bone dry.
"Whoo! Bein' a BIG hero sure makes you thirsty!" He then yanked on the massive lever and the pipes gargled before spitting out a thick brown sludge. Torn growled but struggled to stifle a grin as it blasted Daxter full on. The ottsel turned before coughing up the putrid smelling crap. He worked hard to get rid of the taste, wiping his tongue on his own fur which amazingly was an improvement over the taste of sewage.
"The Baron turned off all the water to the slums." Torn glared at nothing in particular, hoping that whatever crossed his gaze would shrivel up and die. "He's willing to sacrifice innocent lives just to destroy the Underground." There was a sense of guilt in his voice, and the words carried a weight that pressed heavily on Jak. "I shouldn't be suprised- I've seen his evil before, while serving in the Krimzon Guard." Torn paused, contemplating the ground. "That's why I quit."
"YOU were a Krimzon Guard?" Jak stated the obvious, rather loudly he might add. "Hmph- Uh-Well that explains your charming sense of humor." Jak grinned and Daxter choked back a laugh. Both went silent though as Torn's death-glare persisted, threatening to kill Jak where he stood.
"My friend in the guard tells me the valve to turn the water back on is located outside the city- At the Pumping Station."
Jak's stomach flipped. "Outside the city? What about the security walls?" He crossed his arms and Daxter butted in.
"What about the METAL HEADS? It ain't no pettin' zoo out there! Peeps been getting' deep six'd!" Daxter crossed his arms, clarifying little.
"Find a large drain pipe in the north wall. It'll take you outside the city to the Pumping Station. Get to the main valve and open it. If you survive, the slums will be indebted to you. If not.." Torn paused to add effect and he watched Jak's face go dark. "Maybe we'll have a touching moment of silence in your honor." He cocked a sly grin and Jak was quickly learning that this was a signature of his. Cocky bastard. Daxter wrinkled his brow.
"I'd like to give him a 'touching moment'.." The ottsel did his best to resist the urge to slap the shit out of the Painted fence post of a man, leaping up onto Jak's shoulder. They weren't ready to leave yet however.
"I don't see Sake. Where is she?" Jak took another moment to scan the room. There weren't even signs that Sake had been laying in that bed nearest to the furnace at all.
"She was moved to a back bedroom. We've got her on a Green Eco drip and some pain meds." Torn's expression was aloof and Jak wondered how bad it really was. "She's back there but don't get comfortable. We need that water back on." Jak followed as Torn pushed off from his desk and escorted Jak back to a curtain covering a narrow hallway. They made their way past a few rooms, then finally to one toward the end.
"If it was my decision, she'd still be up front. We don't have the resources to spend on complete strangers. We can barely treat our own men." Torn growled but Jak shrugged it off. The man had a valid point. When Torn opened the door, Jak subconsciously sucked in air and bit his lower lip. He wasn't sure what to expect. Time seemed to slow as the door opened and he could see the shape of someone beneath the sheets of the bed against the far wall. The room was dimly lit by a lightbulb overhead that flickered every few minutes.
Much to his surprise, Sake was sleeping peacefully. Her eyes were closed and her mouth open slightly as she breathed slowly and deeply. Everything about her spoke of peace.
"There's something else." Torn gestured to Sake as he leaned against the doorframe. "The Shadow says she's lucky to be alive. He wagers she'd've been dead in the next several hours if you hadn't brought her here. We're having to do a rapid detox."
"A rapid detox-What's that?" Jak swallowed hard. He was going to rip Errol to shreds.
"My guess is, they've been spiking her food and water with sedatives. Was she a violent or rebellious type?"
"Neither, really. Only knew her for a couple days before they seperated us, but she was never one for rules." Jak's mind went back to those first days, to the showers and to the time they spent being branded as dead. "How long?" Jak looked at Torn who raised an eyebrow. "-How long would you say they were drugging her?"
"Shadow wagers two years. There's such large concentrations of it. I'll be amazed if she doesn't come out of it with horrible complications."
Jak pondered stepping in and making sure she was truly comfortable but there was a mission that needed doing and slums to save. Without water, they were as good as dead. He breathed in deeply then sighed, turning and leaving the doorway. Torn watched him go, glanced back at the sleeping girl, then closed the door as he left too. Jak was already on his way out of the safe house and Torn hoped he wasn't sending the boy into a meat grinder. After all, it seemed like Jak was the only person who cared if the girl lived or died and part of him wanted to make sure she lived. Her death would likely mean losing Jak and he'd be lying if he wasn't already convinced that the kid was a valuable asset to the Underground's efforts.
While sleep had come easy to her, restful dreaming did not. It didn't take long for her thoughts to be consumed by nightmares and in the blink of an eye she startled awake and bolted up- already pale skin even paler as she breathed heavily. She swallowed, head jerking side to side as she worked to get a grasp on where she was. Then she glanced down, horrified at the sight of a plastic tube tipped with a needle inserted into her forearm. Quickly she made a grab for the fabric holding it in place and worked to knots.
"Hey, hey whoa, don't take those out!" Someone yelled, but Sake ignored it. It wasn't until she felt a hand on her wrist that she froze solid, blue eyes locking gazes with a matching pair of cerulean eyes. It was a girl, with bright yellow-gold hair and a gentle face.
"What's going on. Where am I. Where's Jak." Sake sputtered, desperately trying to refrain from pushing the stranger aside, disconnecting herself from the lead and making a break for it.
"Calm down. You're somewhere safe." The girl began. She was slowly untying the cloth bandage for Sake who was somewhat surprised to see her doing so. "Jak, the boy who brought you here? He's gone right now.. Torn has him doing a mission."
"Safe. How do I know its safe." Sake recoiled, gritting her teeth as the needle was removed. Quickly the girl placed the cloth bandage back over the puncture mark. It only bled a little. Sake finally took a moment to see exactly what the lead was connected to. Off to her left was a small side table, atop which sat a bowl that the lead was connected to. It had a liquid of some kind, clear with a faint gentle green glow.
"You're in a safe house with the Underground. We're the good guys." The girl gave a big smile and stood up. "What's your name?"
"D305-.." Sake paused, then swallowed. No- that wasn't right. "I mean Sake." She worked hard to muster a faint smile, and the stranger seemed satisfied.
"I'm Tess. Thirsty?" Tess was already making her way toward a doorway, and Sake could see a tiled wall, like a bathroom. "That is, if the water's back on yet." Sake listened closely and she could hear the sound of a squeaky faucet then a rush of water. Moments later Tess returned with a metal cup filled to the brim with fresh water. "Guess Jak succeeded. I imagine he'll be back soon then." It elated Sake to hear that. After all it'd be the first time she'd get to see him since their separation two years prior.
"Thank you.." Sake gingerly took the glass from Tess, sniffing before wrapping her lips around the rim and taking a long swig, gulping it down until the cup was bone dry. Subconsciously she waited for the dizzying sensation of the sedatives the guards normally laced her canteen with but it never came. "What's that though?" She pointed to the bowl with the faint green glow.
"Its a deluded water and green eco mix, along with some pain killers. It seems to be helping." Tess took the bowl and a few more things off the side table and handled each accordingly- disposing of trash and storing a few bottles, one of which filled with an even brighter green concoction. Indeed Sake did feel significantly better than she ever had in a very long time and a renewed energy now filled her- but there was still one thing she wanted more than anything else-
"Is there.. anywhere I can take a shower?" Sake gripped loosely at the sheets draped over her legs and she feared being told no. Tess nodded however and walked over, offering a hand.
"We've got a small washroom. There's no privacy but, it works in a pinch if you have to get clean fast." Tess helped her to her feet and it was then that Sake realized that she was horribly weak and unstable. She tried numerous times in vein to walk on her own but each time she'd begin listing to one side, Tess would be there to catch her. They left what Sake perceived as a bedroom and made their way toward another doorway that was wider than the others. The floor and walls inside were tiled and it wasn't much bigger than her old bedroom back home. A thick concrete wall separated the doorway from actually having a full view of the room unless one went around it. Three pipes came from the floor, anchored to the wall with thin metal straps before arching and widening into a perforated shower-head. Midway up the pipe were two valves. The feel of the washroom was reminiscent of the one in the prison and that unnerved her a little but there were no guards, no other shivering naked prisoners, and no Errol. This might as well have been heaven.
"This one's hot, and that's cold. But the temperatures aren't regulated very well. I'll go find you a change of clothes from some of my old things." Tess watched quietly as Sake had already begun stripping away the tattered prison uniform. The sad excuse for a tunic was no more than shredded rags and as Sake pulled it over her head, her hair fell to either side of her and Tess took a moment to soak in the horrors before her.
The girl's back was completely covered in waxy pink scar tissue, spanning nearly every inch in lines that went in all directions. She'd recognize whip marks anywhere. Many of the scars were old and dull, while several others seemed quite fresh- within the last few months easily. Her body was also peppered with bruises, lesions and sores and Tess fought hard not to look away. It was painful to look at and she could barely fathom the torture this girl had endured at the hand of their 'benevolent' leader Baron Praxis and his fine upstanding militant force.
Where there weren't scars or cuts, there was deathly pale skin void of life and long shadows fell from the ridges formed by Sake's bones. Ribs, hips, shoulder blades, her spine- it was all clearly visible. Beaten, tortured, and starved. It seemed life in the Haven Prison was a living nightmare. Death for any inmate would have been preferable to whatever horrors they would've been subjected to.
Sake removed the ruined pants now. Her legs were much of the same- cuts, bruises, scarring from old to new. Tess finally turned and left, in shock at what she witnessed. The Shadow was right- It was a miracle she was even alive- a blessing from Mar himself for sure.
Sake was alone now, basking silently in the flows of hot water. Steam rose around her and soon the walls were fogged with condensation. For an eternity she stood, just letting the water wash over her as she leaned against the wall face first for support. Then she crumpled to her knees and arched her head high, eyes squeezed shut as tears welled up in the corners and mixed with the deluge from above. For the first time, they weren't tears of despair, they were tears of happiness.
"It's over.. It's finally over..."
If you're interested in the original, check my profile. And as always, please RNR! Comments are my SOURCE OF POOWWWAAAHHHHH *sunglasses*