This chapter was a bitch and half to write. I knew for this chapter that I wanted to introduce the characters to each other in a manner that would reveal their powers, or at least, the presence of special abilities without just being all 'hi im jak and i haz powurz lawl'. I must've rewritten the last two thirds of this chapter four or five times. one even involved Sake asking if Miami had been destroyed, but it wound up with a good third of the story digressing into her backstory and this fic isnt about her.

Either way i'm definatly pleased with this version. Hope you enjoy, please RnR :)

I'm still trying to write a decent update for Homefront, and MEHalo(Which will get a new name, and likely a rewrite, to really put Liara's place as the Shadow Broker to use, as well as work in some Details from ME3, like the modified normandy since my Shepard told TIM to take a flying leap. either way stay tuned for those updates.

Also with stories finally getting 'covers', i'm going to make some cover art for my fanfictions! I'm so happy we can finally put up images!

"Sssttttt, Easy, easy- Damnit that hurts." Jak cursed lightly, gritting his teeth as a woman padded a damp cloth against the back of his head, crimson from blood. "It's just a minor cut." He protested, not pleased with the entire ordeal.

"You're lucky it didn't kill you." Sake was sitting infront of him, simaltaniously whiping at several other minor cuts and contusions.

"You of all people should know its not that easy to kill me." The king smiled wide as the nurse behind him placed the bloodied wrag into a pan of water and made her way out of the throne room. Several others were already hard at work sweeping up the glass and sand but replacing the windows would be a few more weeks of work. Jak could only pray they didn't have an issue with sandstorms between now and then.

"Not to worry, I recall." Sake reached a hand up and tapped the side of his face gently, as if to reassure him of some unspoken contract.

"And don't forget, I heal quickly." Cautiously Jak stood, momentarily fighting the sensation of nausea. Head wounds were always the worst and it had bled profusely for the last hour. Before being found by the servants, he recalled slipping in and out of conciousness until someone finally helped him to a seat and called for medical assistance. He explained to Sake at least a dozen times now but, she insisted that he be careful. Feh. He had a city to run and people to protect and mouthes to feed and a strange man in their infirmiry- Oh that's right, the man with short ears. "Sake, you said we had a uh.. guest?"

"Oh, right. Keep quiet about it though. Come, let me show you." Sake took it slow, knowing he might be a little woozy from the injury, but Jak followed alright as they boarded the elevator down to the ground level and then made their way toward the stadium, attatched to which was a fully staffed and stocked medical facility. Hospitals were a rare occurance in the day and age, few people barely trained in medicine and even fewer trained in surgeory. Haven had been home to a few of these talented individuals who fled from the tyranny of the Baron during his rule. Spargus openly welcomed them, happy to feed and shelter the life-saving men and women as long as they agreed to patch up the gladiators and stitch up any of the Wastelanders wounded in desert.

The walk to the stadium was normally a short one but far faster on Leaper. At the bottom of the elevator shaft from the Palace rested a stable of sorts, home Leapers which a few children attended to. There were several mounts inside but only two belonged to the royalty, both adorned with salvaged Precursorian armor which had been shined until it gleamed in the desert sun. Both Jak and Sake donned their steeds and made for the Stadium, taking the freight elevator at the base of the steps into the infirmiry upon arrival.

The elevator, as slow as it was, gave Jak time to reflect. It wasn't often he had the time to think back.

"Spargus has come a long way." He said softly, thumbing the metal pendant that hung around his neck on a leather cord, a symbol of his lineage.

"A lot can happen in ten years. Last I checked, Spargus' population was three times what it was during Damas' time." Sake watched Jak's expression contort to one of unease. "I know you miss him. He would be proud."

"I know, I know. I'll be fine. I think I'll pay him a visit after all this." He crossed his arms, leaning against the wall of the makeshift freight elevator. Oh Mar was this thing slow but it beat walking up a massive flight of stairs.

"Still hard to think that the city has nearly doubled in size as well. I'm beggining to think we might actually be a real city like Haven, instead of an encampment for its refuse." Sake beamed. Indeed Spargus had come a long way from its most humble begginings. Unlike Haven, crime was a word not commonly spoken amongst the people and with a caring leader on its throne, they were content with their quality of living. But the comforts of easy living did little to soften the Wastelanders' prickly demeanors. Instead the harsh environment had only made them stronger and more united as a people.

"Oh also, after this we need to talk about the latest group of refugees." Jak said, breaking Sake's train of thought.

"The Krimzon Guards from Haven?"

"Yeah. They were thrown out, no longer needed. But alot of them think Spargus is something to take for themselves. We've had an issue with alot of them bullying merchants for stock and such." Jak sighed and his mouth curled into a distinct frown. Sake rolled her eyes. The elevator came to a stop, and the double doors slid open revealing a long wide hallway. The smell of sulfur was thick but tolerable.

"Those people were idiots for not electing you into power."

Jak frowned again, contemplating the ground as he rolled the words over in his mind. "They made their choice. Seems the new Baron has made his too. But we've got to do something about the KG." The elevator crawled to a stop before springing on its own support cables. Just as they stepped out, their communicators sprang to life with a flurry of beeps. Jak was the first to answer his.

"You better get down here Your Highness, FAST. We've got a situation!"

Cole gasped for air, desperate for a breath as he felt the very life being squeezed out of him. The Beast had him in his clutches, massive molten hand putting such a pressure on him that Cole feared his very bones would be pulverised into dust or snap like twigs. He was screaming, he thought but it was hard to tell over the roar in his own head. No matter how much he flailed, throwing everything he had at the massive goliath, nothing phased it. He pounded on the Beast's hand, discharging massive amounts of power with each impact before arching both arms high and summoning a bolt of lightning from the dark orangey-red clouds above.

Jak and Sake broke into a frantic sprint, half-skidding around two corners before grinding to a halt infront of the narrow doorway that flashed bright blue in uneven strobing pulses. A terrified young Monk was against the far wall of the hallway, nursing bright fresh burn marks on his arm and sobbing loudly.

The frequency and brightness of the light spilling from within was enough to blind and disorient all present, including the two guards that were stationed at that room. Jak turned to the young monk, crouching as another older Monk sprinted up from the opposite end of the hallway. "What happened?" Jak half shouted. The younger Monk was shivering uncontrollably, curled in on him self as he whimpered.

"I was-I was treating a wound when suddenly he started thrashing." His words were broken by fearful sobs as he held onto his forearm. The leather that had wrapped it previously was missing, the edges of what remained burned black and curled. "Then there was a bright flash and I was thrown against the wall! The guards barely managed to drag me out of there before calling you.."

"Get him to safety!" Jak ordered, pointing to the older Monk who quickly worked to heft the younger boy up off the floor and away from danger. "Sake lets get in there and figure out what's going on."

Sake felt a childish fear creeping up her spine, the hairs on the back of her neck bristling as that fear stirred something primal and dangerous. She analyzed Jak's expression and he seemed much the same as he took point and cautiously stepped through the threshhold into the room. Inside, a man fidgeted uncontrollably on the now burned bed and black marks covered much of the room.

Then all around them was a wash of white as electiricity danced. For a moment, time slowed to a crawl and both clamped their hands over their ears in an effort to stifle the booming noise that originated overhead. Outside the window, the skies suddenly turned ominous and a bolt of lightning sliced through the air. It slammed into the roof just above Cole's room before winking out. A deep thunderous rumble faded and all at once everything went quiet.

Jak and Sake stood, bewildered as they watched the man's bare body go limp. Then just as he went still, he jolted up in a loud shriek of pain, eyes open as wide as they could go while he breathed quickly and deeply in shuddered breaths. His body was drenched in sweat.

It was a nightmare, thank god. Cole swallowed hard then went back to panting, just trying to regain his composure. His throat was dry and it stung like he'd been screaming. He ran his tongue over his lips but it was no more effective at relieving his thirst than a rock. Slowly the world stopped spinning and he was able to level out his breathing. However there was still the unmistakable burn in every muscle like he'd just taken a dip in the Atlantic Ocean and his head was ringing loudly with every little sound. Suddenly there were voices and his head jerked to his right. Bad idea.

Immediatly he dazed and barely caught himself from collapsing forward and sideways. With both hands he rubbed groggily at his face to chase away the bright flashing spots infront of his eyes. They obeyed and his vision cleared. Now he could see a collection of strangers staring at him, their faces filled with confusion, fear, and worst of all- aggression, a deadly mixture. Just as quickly as things came into focus, something metalic was shoved in his face and Cole quickly realized he was staring down the razor sharo blade of a sword. He nearly leapt out of his skin.

"Holy shit-" Cole sputtered, more suprised than terrified. A long eared man with vivid yellow-green hair was staring back at him with eyes as blue as the sky. He was accompanied by a woman with similar ears and an equally aggressive demeanor.

"Your light show nearly killed someone just now." The man with the sword growled. His dusty voice bounced around in Cole's head as he winced and grabbed at his forehead to make the flashing lights stop again.

"Light show-.." Cole dazed once more then took a brief moment to glance around the room. He thought back to his dream and was immediatly mortified. It suddenly explained the pitiful shape of the room and its likely once pristine decore. "Ah shit.."

There was a beep, two in fact. They were almost synchronised, but the beeps came in even cycles. Both the man and the woman reached for pouches at their waist and removed a square metal device. Cole watched curiously as the man flipped his open and spoke first.

"Jak here, What's the problem." Jak's question was met with a hail of static mixed with bits of crackled voices. Finally the noise subsided enough for the speaker's voice to be clear enough to understand.

"Jak, we've got another one of those anomolies from earlier!" It was a man's voice, from what Cole could make out. He was partially shouting over the sounds of gunfire, and engines, if he guessed right.

"Anomilies? You mean a vortex?" The woman said now, into her own device.

"Yes Ma'am. But this one's much closer to Spargas! In fact I think this one's gunna do its thing right inside the city!"

Outside, the skies were churning and began to spiral into a vortex. The very center was as bright as a sun, the light blinding all on the ground while the surrounding clouds were so black that even the night would seem bright. Electricity streaked acrossed the sky, some daring bolts even striking at the massive towers and pillars that dotted Spargas' skyline. Then the vortex gaped and birthed its monstrosity.

The entire city shook as an explosion rocked its very foundation. In the infirmary, the lights flickered as dust and chunks of rock were dislodged from the cieling. A siren began to blare out over the city and all the hair on his body stood on end as his eyes filled with panic.

"The hell was that?" He shouted, half into his communicator and half to the others in the room. Neither Sake nor Jak noticed the stranger behind them throwing himself from the bed and practically diving into his clothes which had been folded neatly on the side table, miraculously unscathed by the miniature electrical storm.

Cole then threw his bag around his shoulders after slipping his socks and shoes back on. There was another explosion and he nearly toppled over as the ground beneath him trembled. Now the two long eared strangers were leaving the room, staring slack-jawed out of the windows along the outer hallway at the source of the fearful noise. He joined them, implanting himself between the pair as they stared out of the window.

Five city blocks away, smoke rose in violent black plumes, blotting out the sky as orange embers filled the wind. The smoke cleared enough for Cole to see two glistening orange eyes stare back at him through the destruction.

The Beast was here.

"SHIT." He cursed loudly, instinctively making a grab for his Amp. His hand caught air and he stared over his shoulder only to see nothing. "Where is it!" Cole shouted, one arm pinning the woman against the frame beside the window while he raised his other fist to strike. He was instantly met with a fist to his jaw as Jak waylayed him hard from the side. He smacked into the ground and slid.

"Get your Hands Sake, asshole!" Jak snarled and a single spark of violet danced around him.

It was unlikely that anyone else would have seen it, but he did- the little flash of purple, an arc of energy that kissed his skin harmlessly. This man, this complete stranger- He was a conduit. Cole couldn't believe his eyes. He suddenly felt thirsty, he had all along but now it was more apparent. With barely a thought, his mind sent out an invisible orb of energy that expanded. Several sources of power lit up brightly, and when he looked at the strangers, he could see their nervous systems flowing with raw energy. The two people he'd seen before- Jak and Sake were their names, they were different. The flows of life through them were different, and a faint yellow nodule indicated the presence of the Conduit gene, albeit it different from any other Conduit he'd ever encountered. To make matters more interesting, the energry emenating from the woman was even more unusual, pooling mostly around her midsection in a bright cluster.

Cautiously he rose to his feet now, stumbling back a step. Another explosion rocked the building and a crack crawled rapidly down the hall, but nothing gave way. Cole stared in horror out of the window at the Beast as it gathered energy in its hands, then hurled it to the ground. Fire spread and the screams of death carried in the wind.

"I need my Amp, where the hell is it?" Cole bit at the air. The electricity surged through his body and his mouth felt parched. He was anxious for the inevitable- the thrill and the fear of the fight. Most of all, he had to stop the Beast, and keep it from destroying wherever this place was.

"You mean that forked thing we found with you?" Sake asked now. Suddenly the outer wall was blown inward. Rock and metal flew in all directions and when the dust cleared, the two guards that had been in the hall were dead, crimson pooling next to them. One had been impailed while the other's head was smashed against the far wall. Jak, Sake and Cole were all thrown too, hitting the wall before slumping, though each was relatively unharmed.

Jak was the first to his feet, offering a hand to Sake as Cole grunted and pushed a piece of rubble off himself. Then Jak stared into the face of the massive creature assaulting his beautiful city. Gunfire was erupting from the streets, eco charged bullets pelting the creature but doing little more than tickling it. A massive fist broke through the dust, and Jak barely dodged it.

Cole felt himself being lifted and squeezed tightly as the Beast grabbed him. He wailed as John squeezed, threatening to pop him like a balloon. His head throbbed and all at once he raised his arms and brought them with all his force. The skies belched out a massive blue and white spear of light that drilled straight into the Beast. It didn't take much to blow entire chunks of John's head in all directions- Perhaps he was as exhausted from their last encounter as Cole was.

Jak watched as this man summoned lightning from the sky, the powerful bolt crashing into the attacker and splitting it like a log. Pieces flew this way and that, vanishing into embers before hitting the ground. Then its hand opened, releasing the stranger who was caught by an invisible power. This strange short eared man must've been a Channeler- There was no other way for anyone to harness the power of Eco unless they were one- and he seemed quite adept at wielding the power of motion and energy, Blue Eco, like he was born with it. All around rubble and people were suspended mid air, screaming and desperate for help. He turned to Sake who was as perplexed as he was at the whole ordeal. They shared a nod before unholstering their respective weapons and leaping from the rubble of the infirmiry building, only to be caught by the same indeterminate force.

The stranger was firing away rapidly now, not with a gun but his hands. Bolts of blue flew from his palms, blasting the creature head on as more chunks broke free and dissentigrated. It roared, eyes and mouth aflame as it began to form something in its hands. Jak and Sake felt themselves being pulled toward the thing and barely managed to latch onto the balcony of someone's home, hanging on for dear life. The man however used some sort of electrical thrusters in his hands to keep himself from being pulled into the orb of energy now nestled into the creature's palms. Then the pull ceased and they let go, only to feel the weightlessness take over once more.

Cole panted. He was running completely dry. His last encounter with the Beast had already managed to push the limits of his powers and now every single part of him burned like fire. If only the powers of Ice he'd been given by Kuo could sooth the burn.

Suddenly, all around began to rumble low and deep, like the very ground the they floated over was breaking apart. John folded his arms over his chest, curling a bit as he hung his head. Then he erupted up and back, arching his head back before screaming into the heavens. A dome of energy expanded from him, consuming a two mile radius of the city before vanishing.

The world around him smelled like fire and death. There was screaming all around and she could hear structures crumbling near by as the ground shook from the impact. Carefully she opened her eyes and things came into focus.

She rose in a flash, glancing around in the hopes of figuring out exactly what had happened. Fires raged all around, wooden structures nothing but charred embers that smouldered. Burning buildings spewed black smoke and she found herself laying very near the center of a fairly large crater. The two hundred foot tall molten creature was no where in sight. If she had to guess, it was easily ten blocks wide from edge to edge, yet the devastation extended well beyond that.

There were no corpses. Whatever bomb the creature had detonated must have vaporised It, and whatever dead therewould've been. Just a few feet away were the unconcious forms of Jak and the stranger. Both were coming to and she stood, brandishing a lengthy copper toned blade holstered at her back. Taking a battle ready stance, she closed the gap between her and the man, placing the blade to his throat as he came to, flat on his back.

"You seem to know what the fuck's going on- Mind explaining?" She hissed out, vision blurring. She blinked away tears of rage and sadness at the devestation brought down upon Spargas. Her face was twisted into one of pain and unshackled anger. The man raised both hands in defeat before trying to skid away but the blade followed. Jak joined now, gun at the ready. The stranger's eyes darted between them, putting a finger on the edge of the blade before pushing it aside gently.

"I'd be glad to, just.. get that thing out of my face." He grunted and there was a long thick tension between the three of them. The silenced lasted for waht felt like an eternity before Sake made a disapproving sound. Reluctantly, she lowered the blade, resheathing it. Jak was less than willing to reholster his rifle.

"That thing..." the man began, turning away and staring into the dismal sky, "...we call it The Beast."

hope you liked! Please RnR. Comments are greatly appreciated!

Previous comment replies:

MIcheal Shwartz: This is actually a great idea. I'm definatly working this in.

alaxbird: Have no intentions to do so! Hope you'll keep reading.

MaDmAN12435: Ask and ye shall recieve :)