A/N: Sup fishes! So here's 11. I had a bit of trouble writing this one initially, since i changed a few mechanics of the story overall that made the old introduction to this chapter obselete, so i had to rework things, not that that really matters at all 8D Hope you guys enjoy it!
Jak, Daxter, and Sake only visited the UG Headquarters briefly, just long enough to clean up, wash their clothes, eat, then make their way back to the Hip Hog.
Just like the night before, the evening hours had opened the doors to the saloon and patrons were already well underway to getting themselves plastered. Krewe was drifting around, straightening a trophy when the trio entered and he hovered down to greet them.
"What is that horrible smell...?" Krewe sniffed at the air like a rabid hound.
"Oh great, we do your dirty work in the sewers and come out smellin' worse than a wet hip hog in a warm barn!" Daxter barked, then took a moment to sniff at his own fur. Sure, they'd all washed up but the odor clung to them like death. "This could have a serious impact on the lady factor.." the Ottsel whispered into Jak's ear, making the blond roll his eyes. Typical.
"No..." Krewe grunted, and something within him made a terrible noise that sent chills up and down the spines of anyone within earshot. "I think it was my lunch, actually. Nice work in the sewers."
The hefty man fanned himself vigorously. Indeed the day was warm, warmer than most as summer was beginning to hit full force, the heat making the already tired and weary Havenites even more-so.
"I guess you're looking for that weapon upgrade, hmmmm." Krewe said matter-o-factly. Sake inwardly nodded. "Well there's a Blaster mod stashed in some crates at the port. Find it, and its yours." He topped it off with a teasing laugh.
It had been an hour's worth of searching when Jak was ready to hit something in frustration. They'd checked alleyways and generally any place where you could stash a crate with some weapon mods without it being suspicious. All of their efforts thus far had turned up completely fruitless.
"Hey, Jak, lets swing by that old man's gun course. He might know something." Daxter said, at which point Jak grunted.
"Its worth a shot." Sake said, surprised by the Ottsel's stroke of genius. Or maybe it was just a stroke, who knew.
"Fine."
Go figure. It'd been there all along. The moment they stepped in, the geezer tending to the place waved 'em over and put a wooden crate onto the counter. Popping the lid off with a pry-bar, Jak, Daxter, and Sake beheld the beauties within.
Two shining new blaster mods, settled in next to each other in a mound of hay. Jak slid the mod onto the barrel of his morph gun and twisted it, locking it into place. A barrel extended from the mod, and a red laser sight propped out from the top. Sake did the same. Then like before, they both faced the gun course.
Sake turned out to be quite the marksman with the blaster, preferring the range it afforded her- range that would benefit her greatly in battle since she wasn't too keen on the 'up close and personal' style that Jak revelled in so much. The blond renegade was admittedly impressed as he watched her take on the course after him. It had been set up with some new target varieties, some moving very quickly. He.. hadn't performed as admirably as he had hoped for, scoring well below Sake but still high enough to appear on the top ten board.
As she came out the exit door of the course, she shot Jak a cocky grin and he made a face that was somewhere between jealousy and 'get over it'. He was then jarred from the moment by the communicator in his pocket. Krewe's voice erupted from its speakers when he answered. Back to the Saloon.
They were barely a foot through the door when Krewe greeted them, holding a stapled collection of papers.
"I have a proposition for you Jak."
Here we go again. Sake immediately tuned Krewe out. She'd just ask Jak about the Jellyroll's next escapade on their way out the door. The jukebox next to the door was far more interesting then whatever Krewe had to say as she flipped through the selection of songs in a language she could hardly read. But.. of course, she subconsciously paid attention.
"Racing is the biggest sport in the city. Errol is the undisputed Grand Champion."
Sake felt her blood run cold. Errol. Errol. ERROL. She gritted her teeth, fighting back the urge to hiss at the mention of his name.
"He's crazy, and dangerous on the track, Ha ha- My kind of guy... Only a fool would dare race against him, ey?!" Krewe barked over the low rumble of the evening's patrons and a few glanced toward the commotion before going back to their drinks and hushed secrets. Jak fanned away the odor of the man's breath. "And that's where you three come in.
"A client of mine is looking for a fast driver for her racing team. Here's a security pass to get you into the Stadium section, and uhh.. your contract- With just a few trifles for me... I've already signed your names to save time!"
Daxter caught the packet as Krewe haphazardly tossed it aside.
"We, the racers, hereby agree to give Krewe all proceeds from race earnings, endorsement fees, broadcast fees, syndication residuals, vehicle sponsorships, mall appearance fees, collectable card assets, fast-food tie-ins, use of likeness rights, talk show deals, clothing lines, all print lines including book, novella, comic, pamphlet, ticket-tape, neon signs, bathroom graffiti designs," A gasp, "Toy rights, shoe lines, mood rings, game rights-"
The Ottsel froze mid-sentence, taking a massive breath. Sake stared in complete disbelief at the Orange fuzzball, his speed-reading easily prying her from her Errol-enduced rage.
"GAME RIGHTS?!" Sake blanched. Heh. Funny coincidence, that!
Daxter continued. "Vitamin endorsements, city movie kick-back deals, and, of course- all death and dismemberment accident insurance claims." Finally he breathed in several full breaths, shooting a glare toward Krewe who was grinning sheepishly.
"Ehehehe.. We can work out the.. tiny details later. If you can get from here, to the
Race garage near the stadium in less than seven minutes, my client said she would consider letting you drive for her team. Of course, both you and Sake will have to qualify separately.. Make me proud, Mmm?" Krewe did the best he could to straighten his back and puff his chest out, fanning himself still. Then he waved them off and disappeared behind the curtain toward the back of the bar.
"You're not seriously considering this, are you Jak?" Sake said, bending over to pick up the contract which Daxter had thrown to the ground much the way Krewe had tried to do moments before. As she did so, there was a whistle from behind her and she spun around, shooting a death glare at the brave- no , stupid soul that dared whistle her way. The men in the booths shrank into their seats, like they'd seen a monster or something.
"Hell no." Jak took the contract from Sake as they made their way toward the door. Upon exiting, he tore the contract into pieces before stuffing it into an already-full garbage bin outside the building. "But its a great excuse to drive really fast. What do you say?"
Sake thought about it. If her mother knew what she'd been doing, she'd've been grounded for a year. But, her mother wasn't here and while that thought left a pang of sadness in her mind, she did like the idea of driving headlong through the busy streets as long as there were no casualties.
"Count me in."
Six minutes, forty-two seconds, and several miles later, the teens came to an abrupt stop at the front of the Stadium. Neither bothered to hide their stolen rides as they jumped off and sauntered into the garage. Where there wasn't tools and zoomer parts, there were trophies and ribbons. The smell of motor oil and fuel filled their noses.
"Uh, Hello? Krewe said someone was looking for a race driver?" Jak raised his voice to be heard above the noise of a pneumatic wrench. A figure moved behind a large green curtain.
"I'm busy right now. You must be Krewe's new errand boy." Jak scowled at the mention of errand boy. But to Sake, the voice rang vaguely familiar, like someone from her past, or maybe it was a story, or a game. "Look- I don't mean to be rude, you did get here fast- But I'm not interested in any new drivers right now."
Jak put on the most sly grin possible, leaning one arm on a vehicle lift before resting his free hand on his hip. "Is there.. anything we can do?" He cooed.
"No!" The woman suddenly shouted, and Jak cringed at the sound of something being knocked over. A wrench slid out from under the curtain and a thin oil-caked hand reached out from under the curtain to grasp at the tool. "I'm working on a uuhh- secret v-vehicle project!"
"Okay, Sorry." Jak cut the smooth talk. Man this woman was rude in a weird familiar way.
"Listen, If you think you've got the guts to race in this town, try taking my prototype jet-board out on the Stadium course." Jak and Daxter grinned to each other and mouthed something in silence. "Beat the Stadium challenge, and MAYBE I'll consider you." The shadow shifted, resting on the frame of whatever contraption she was working on. The pose accentuated the shapes and swells of a curvy feminine figure and Jak quickly found himself entranced by the wiles of this mystery woman. Daxter waved a paw before the blond's face as the corner of his mouth twitched- Yep, gone to the world. Both Sake and Daxter shook their heads in disbelief and once the stranger returned to her work, Jak was jarred from his hormonal stupor.
Much to Sake's disappointment, there had only been one Jet-board prototype within the stadium's entrance. Jak had the pleasure of taking it out for a spin, smashing the required score with relative ease. There was one point during the time trial when he nearly nailed himself in the nuts on a grind pipe but he avoided becoming a eunuch, but just barely. She was sure he'd have a gorgeous black and purple bruise on the inside of his thigh by morning.
Upon returning to the Garage, Jak boasted about his success, only to be shot down by the judgmental mechanic. When Jak asked why, she was quite ready to remind him that he worked for Krewe. He took a moment to comment on the shining trophies littering the room, all of which were from within the last two years judging by their date stamps on the metal plates.
Through their talks, they learned that there was an elevator at the base of one of the Palace's support towers that would give them access. Jak was eager to exact his revenge against the Baron. Problem was, the elevator was as dead as dead could get. That could complicate things.
Through it all, Sake had begun to feel increasingly nauseous. Her mind played battlefield to a difficult fight as she struggled to keep a grip on herself.
Between all the mentions of Errol, the thoughts of her mother and home, her emotions had begun to play tricks and she swore she could hear oily voices crawling through her like fingers.
Nothing it said made any sense. It was just a cacophony garbled whispers until suddenly, the voice congealed in a deafening crescendo and echoed in her mind.
'Free me..'
With a sigh, Jak rubbed his forehead and spun on his heel just as Daxter leaped back onto his shoulder from the zoomer lift. "C'mon Sake, lets get go-"
Much to his surprise, Sake was nowhere in sight. As he stepped out of the garage, he looked left toward the other closed garages, each bearing text indicating which team they belonged to. No one there, just a homeless man asleep in the corner next to a massive poster of Errol. But when he looked right, he saw Sake rounding the corner leading out to the front entrance of the stadium.
"Sake, wait up!" He called out, breaking into a light jog. She was already half way down the steps, walking like she was in either a lot of pain or..
No. Not here. Not in public. Not around so many innocent people.
Jak went white as a sheet and ran after her as she reached the bottom of the steps, falling to her knees. He made it just in time to grap her arm but she swiveled around and slammed her fist into his chest. He was too late, the transformation was well on its way. As he flew, he smashed into another man who fiercely pushed him off while cursing loudly, but the moment the man caught sight of a horned pale skinned monster, he screamed and ran as fast as he could in the opposite direction.
The screams had a domino effect as more civilians caught sight of the source of the commotion. By that time, Sake had already focused on another terrified Havenite fleeing the scene and she dove for him. She closed the gap, claws cutting deep gashes into the man's back as she swiped at him. He screamed and crimson flowed.
"Everyone, get out of here!" Jak ordered, not that he had to remind anyone. A woman stood on the sidelines and gawked, either too stupid or too scared to move. The blond only had enough time to turn to her and tell her to run when he saw her hit the ground and scream as her throat was slashed. All thet remained was a gurgling sound as the life faded from her eyes.
"Sake, get a hold of yourself!" Jak cried desperately. Daxter had shriveled on his shoulder, terrified and unable to do anything but offer his support.
Naturally, the creature that was Sake didn't listen. Instead it hissed and snapped at the air like a feral creature. Jak didn't see the rage in her eyes that he'd seen when they visited the Oracle- Instead he saw fear, desperation. What had been so jarring that it spooked her into a transformation?
"Sake, killing innocent people isn't right, you have to stop.." He'd try to reason with a Dark Eco mutant. This was a fantastic idea... Not. Again Sake snapped at the air and bared her teeth, her head jerking in the direction of another scream.
"... Mama?" A small boy, barely older than seven or eight, stood paralyzed as big tears streamed down his cheeks.
"No, No, Sake, Don't!"
For Jak, time seemed to slow to a crawl as he dove into action. The boy didn't move a muscle when she lunged, only screamed at the top of his lungs.
Then, in the nick of time, Jak had his arms around the child as he curled and rolled end over end. The boy shrieked as Sake sailed harmlessly over them. Just as Jak hit the ground, so did she. He set the child down, giving a firm push in the direction behind him and ordered him to run. This time the boy was smart enough to comply and a man had been waiting to grab him with open arms before he, too, fled.
The courtyard was empty, save for Jak and Sake. The city's alarms were alive and already Jak could hear the sirens from Krimzon Guard patrols closing in.
"Its just us now." Jak stood, whiping his cheek. Somehow she'd managed to cut him. He received only a growl. "Sake, Listen. There's no reason to be scared. Just calm down." A hiss. It was no use. She wasn't going to listen to anything he said. He only had one option.
"Daxter, go hide. And take this, just in case." He removed his morph gun and handed it to the Ottsel who reluctantly took it, but didn't climb down. "I said go, now."
Daxter swallowed hard, the knot in his throat remaining as he slowly dropped down from his friends shoulder, gun in hand. He backed away, weary as Sake seemed to watch his every move. Jak noticed and stepped more in between them. Finally he was close enough to a large planter and he jumped in to hide in a bush. What he saw next made his fur stand on end.
Jak seemed to relish in the changes as he allowed his darker form to take hold, however he seemed to have much greater conscious control over his new found self. He raised one arm, waving two fingers as if to beckon her closer. She let out a furious roar before jumping at him.
Daxter struggled to follow the fight. Both of them were so fast and brutal that it was terrifying, Neither of them gaining much sway for long. Violet crackled around them in a torrent of lightning as crimson started to dot the otherwise pristine concrete.
It was then that the courtyard began to come to life once more, a dozen Krimzon Guard vehicles surrounding them as the fight carried on, none daring to move a single inch closer as the two creatures battled it out. Daxter feared the worst as he watched Jak's actions become less defensive and more offensive. He was losing himself to the fight.
Sake was blindingly fast as she dove for Jak who raised his arm, side stepped, then brought his fist down hard and fast. It nailed her square in the side and she hit the ground, rolling once before she shakily began getting back up. Jak stalked toward her, face twisted with rage and excitement as he bared his teeth like a wild animal. He grabbed her by her by the throat, putting his knee into her stomach and pushing hard while he squeezed with both hands.
She gasped for air, clawing at his hands but she couldn't pry them free. Each guard seemed on edge, yet quietly thankful that they'd only have to fight one freak instead of two. Daxter secretly hoped they'd intervene but they just watched, some laughing and placing bets.
"Lazy sonnova..." Daxter swallowed, nervous but determined. If these useless sacks of flesh weren't going to do anything, then he'd damn well have to. So, he stood up straight, threw the compressed morph gun over his shoulder and tightened the strap, then dove from the bush with a wild war cry, running on all fours at top speed.
Ottsels could jump incredibly high for their size, and Daxter used that advantage to easily span the distance between the ground and Jak's head. He met his target, grabbing both of his friends ears and pulling. Jak half screamed, immediately letting go of Sake before making a grab at Daxter who nimbly dodged to either side. Eventually he wasn't fast enough and Jak managed to grab a hold of his foot, flinging the Ottsel as hard as he could.
Daxter swiveled mid air and landed on all fours, fur standing on end as he nearly hyperventilated. Oh no, no no no. Not good. Jak stalked toward him with pure bloodrage in his dark beady eyes and with a shriek, Daxter beat feet and took off in whatever direction would take him farthest away from the thing trying to murder him.
He was fast approaching the ring of guards and they all made grabs for him as he dove between their legs. They immediately dispersed though as Jak barreled toward them, chasing after the Ottsel. He followed the orange flash of movement up the steps and into the corridors leading to the stadium garages.
Daxter ran as fast as his legs could carry him, but ground to a screeching halt a foot from a wall, glancing side to side in a panic only to realize that he'd gotten himself cornered. Maybe Jak hadn't caught up with him yet. Though as he turned, he found himself staring into his best friends eyes. There wasn't an ounce of recognition.
Sake coughed, one hand on her throat while the other groped at the ground in an attempt to get her bearings. The sky overhead blurred as colors danced then congealed into figures and shapes. She quickly realized that she was staring down the barrels of half a dozen rifles, and that she was herself again.
Then there was gunfire and one of the guards overhead crumpled to his knees, then another and another as their cries filled the air. Then another scream, Daxter!
She rose to her feet quickly and saw the source of the gunfire. Several Underground members had surrounded the guards and were gunning them down in cold blood. This was her chance. She had to find Jak and Daxter. Before one of the rebels could stop her, she took off toward the direction she'd heard Daxter scream from, rifle in hand.
"Jak, Please. Please stop, I was only trying to stop the fight!" Daxter pleaded, morph gun in paws as he aimed it shakily at his best friend. Jak inched closer slowly until barely a foot remained between them. The Ottsel felt his blood run cold and he swallowed. Jak raised both arms, letting out a deep roar. Daxter cringed, finger tightening on the trigger.
No pain, Nothing. Whatever was going to happen didn't. Either that or he was dead. Finally he dared open his eyes, letting his finger off the trigger as he stared up. Above him, Sake stood with her own weapon in hand, breathing fast. She had nailed him in the back of the head with the butt of her gun.
"You alright Dax?" Sake grunted. Then gunfire rang out behind them and she barked in surprise and pain as she grabbed at her right shoulder. Crimson drooled from the wound and as she pulled her hand away to investigate the damage, she realized that there was more blood on her than there should have been. Dizzyness overcame her and she fell to her knees.
Daxter narrowly avoided being crushed as she collapsed.
The homeless man in the corner certainly had no clue exactly what the hell just happened.
A/N: 12 up next. Shit's gettin' srs! Please R&R!
I will say this tho. The one bad thing about rewriting this old story is having to go back and reread my old shit to make sure i've got the flow of the story right. lawl