Jak IV: The Avenging Angels
Umm…not sure if I mentioned this, but this is post-Jak III, but before Jak X: Combat Racing. Also, I would like to thank my first three reviewers,dante0058, JakMartheDarkWarrior and Oblique Strategies. Every time you review, it just keeps me going. Thank you so much, and thank you to those of you who have favorite me or added me as a favorite author. You all are equally awesome! Please, if you like my story, please submit a review. It only takes a second and I love to know what you guys liked or didn't like about the chapter.
HELP: Also, if anyone can give me more information on the whole image uploader thing we can now do for our stories, I'd greatly appreciate it. I've found a lot of cool pictures I can use for the story, but I've been having trouble getting a hold of the artists who made the pictures (you know like on Deviantart). Also, if it's from the game, how do you get permission from the owner? Please, someone help me out here, I'd be so grateful if you did.
Now that that's out of the way, please enjoy! (lol)
Chapter 4: Backstabber
Jak woke up the next morning feeling better than he did yesterday, and by that he meant less sore. Jak sat up and sighed deeply. Haven City was in chaos now. Just when he thought he'd saved everyone, the Metal Heads come back and ruin everything. Well, it was about time that he dealt with the Metal Head problem for good. He was an Avenging Angel now, and he would do everything he could to make the Metal Heads pay.
Jak got up and stretched, waking up Daxter, who was sleeping sprawled out in the chair. Daxter rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and said "Hey Jak, feeling better?"
Jak didn't answer as he pulled Nightingale's knife out of his boot and set it on his bed and pulled his boots on. He then slipped the knife back in his boot wordlessly.
Jak looked at Daxter and said "Are you coming with me or not?"
"Yep. Not feeling better. Coming!" Daxter said running over and hopping onto Jak's shoulder as he exited his room.
Jak walked down the hallway to the Mess Hall and found Rune there, along with Sharpshooter, eating breakfast. Rune took one look at Jak and said "Jak, you all right?"
"Asked the same thing and got a look. Give him time." Daxter said jumping off of Jak's shoulder and into a chair.
"When's my first mission?" Jak said ignoring Daxter's remark.
"Well, the Chief has the two of us scheduled to do a routine Metal Head nest raid later on today, to test your skills. But before we can do that, we've got to get your armor and weapons set up, and we should run you through the obstacle course before we go. Let's eat first, and then we can get you down Tech's workshop and get your armor. He should be done by now." Rune said.
"He can finish a high-tech custom suit of armor capable of protecting you from serious wounds, capable of absorbing Dark and Light Eco from the environment, and built in with multiple devices and gadgets and stuff in just a day?" Daxter asked in amazement.
"Yep." Rune said.
"Pretty much." Sharpshooter said taking a swig of coffee.
"So who handles the weapons?" Jak asked.
"Well, new recruits usually have their mentor or a higher ranked Agent to help them find the weapon that's right for them, which Rune will take care of. We have an extensive Armory that has everything from rocket launchers to Energy Spears capable of shattering a Stalkers shield." Sharpshooter explained.
"What kind of weapon did you use before?" Rune asked.
"I used a Morph Gun, with 4 different Eco Mods equipped on it and 2 upgraded mods on each one of those. So all in all, I had 12 guns in one" Jak said.
"Ah, good choice. Perfect for a multitude of situations. Well, your Morph Gun was destroyed, so we'll have to get you a new one. Our models our equipped with up-to-date technology and have an overall better performance than the Morph Gun you had. However, seeing as you're just a rookie, we can't give you all of the mods, yet." Rune said.
"Figures" Daxter muttered to himself.
"Yeah, you start out with the standard Green Eco Energy Shotgun mod, pretty useful and slightly more powerful than the Morph Gun's Scatter Mod. We've also got special ammo cartridges that are small enough to be stored on our armor, allowing you to easily reload weapons and not rely on ammo crates." Sharpshooter explained.
"Each of us has a signature weapon, usually something that allows us to perform our missions easier. For Sharpshooter, it's his modified A9-XM Energy Rifle. Capable of firing both bullets and energy bursts. For me, I use the standard AX9's, or Energy Pistols as you know them, and as my backup, I keep a simple ASP handy. Everyone's different, and everyone had different strengths and weaknesses. I also have another weapon, that rod one that you saw, which I'll explain about later" Rune said.
"Here's a question. How do you all pay for this stuff? This has to cost a fortune just to have the weapons you all have." Daxter asked.
"Well, like I said, we've been getting some financial backing from Haven City recently and occasionally get supplies if any of us head to Spargus. But for the most part, we pay it off by selling the excess Metal Head gems we find, offering our services to Haven or Spargus if they need some extra security or muscle, and of course, we pay for our expenses by selling the rare metals and gems we find when we explore the desert's caves." Rune said with a smirk.
"There's gold in the desert?" Jak asked skeptically.
"You'd be surprised. That's also why the Marauder's are so protective of the desert. Their bloodthirsty killers, but they've got an affinity for gold, precious metals, and gems. We often have to fight them just as much as the Metal Heads. Which is a win-win because we get paid by Damas for killing the Marauders we find. By the way, have you gotten any word from him lately? We've lost all communication from him and we haven't contacted Spargus in recent weeks due to the Metal Head attacks." Sharpshooter asked.
"Damas…was killed." Jak said quietly.
Rune gasped and Sharpshooter swore angrily.
"I liked him. He was a fair and good man. How do you know he was killed?" Sharpshooter asked.
"A bomb went off in the car he was in and it crushed him. I was there when it happened…he was my father." Jak said in a whisper.
Rune looked at Jak and said softly "I'm so sorry for your loss."
"I didn't know him that long. I had only met him a few months ago. He never knew he was my father, but he treated me like a son. He looked out for me and saved my life. As he died, he gave me something that made me realize that I was his son" Jak said fighting back a choking feeling in his throat.
"What did he give you?" Sharpshooter asked.
"I'm sorry, it's important and should stay secret." Jak said.
"It's fine. Tell us when you're ready. Jak, you're one of us now. We're a family, and we've all lost someone. That's why we are known as the Avenging Angels. We are sworn to avenge the deaths of the ones we've lost, and to protect others who cannot protect themselves." Rune said softly.
The group finished their meals in silence, and when they were done they got up and headed towards Tech's workshop. Sharpshooter had leave and told the group bye. When they arrived, Tech was slumped over in his chair sleeping, as his snores could be heard outside of the room. Rune smacked him upside the head and said "Is Jak's armor done?"
"What? Oh-oh yeah, I got it done a few hours ago. Everything's running perfectly, and I must say this has been one of my more interesting assignments. Come here." Tech said getting up and stretching and walking over to a worktable covered in a white sheet.
"Behold!" Tech yelled revealing the armor.
The armor itself was dark blue, like his usual attire, except for the orange chest piece, which had the Seal of Mar in the center, made out of what looked like pieces of both Dark and Light Eco Crystals. The crystals weren't glowing though, as though they were sucked of energy. The arms and legs of the armor were dark blue with white and orange trimming in certain places, and an orange and white helmet that all Agents had, which looked similar to a racing helmet. Jak noticed a black leather outfit underneath all of the armor, and said "What'd with the black outfit?"
"It's a specially treated material that help protects you from extreme cold and extreme heat. If ANY of your armor gets damaged, come see me. Also, any extra Metal Head gems you find can be traded, if you have enough, for extra gadgets and stuff for your armor. Let me show you some of the armor features." Tech said walking over to the boots.
"These boots are specially reinforced to give you the extra kick in your…well, kick attacks. Also, I've put in some special suppressors in there that'll protect you from high falls. As long as you land on your feet, you'll be fine. Now, in the helmet, you have the standard communicator, which can be used to contact any Agent or anyone in the command center. Also, you can switch over to a thermal visor and a night-vision visor if your press on these indentations on the helmet."
"As for the armor itself, its reinforced Lightsteel metal. Also, I've taken the liberty of using some actual Precursor metal to make the chest piece, as well as the orange parts of your armor, and as for the Seal of Mar you requested, I did something very special. Using Dark and Light Eco Crystal fragments, I set up a special Light and Dark Eco extractor. Is draws out Eco in the ground and stores it in the crystals which you can then transfer into your body. Eco is everywhere, and this allows you to harness the natural Light and Dark Eco around you. Also, this suit adjusts to fit you, so if you were to become any bigger, it will still fit you perfectly"
"Though if I need to become Dark Jak, I'll have to take off that helmet first. I doubt it's as accommodating as my armor" Jak thought to himself.
"Noted." Jak said.
"As for weapons, you're able to fit any larger weapon on your back, from rocket launchers to shotguns. Extra ammo or detachable mods for your guns can be put on your belt. Also, there are two spots for your sidearm. Each of your shins, about where your knees are, is where you would put say, a pistol, or something. As for your knife slot, every agent has two places where they can put knives, it's up to you where you put them. Whatever's easiest for you. One's on your left shoulder, and one's on your right arm." Tech explained.
Jak went behind a small wall and changed into the armor. It fit him perfectly, and he was able to move like he could in his normal clothes. Jak grabbed the helmet and put it on. Suddenly the armor's visor lit up and numbers and signs appeared in front of him. After a moment they disappeared and a small sensor showing Eco stores, which were at 0, appeared in the side of the visor. Jak looked around and said "Not bad."
"Your welcome." Tech said dryly.
"Looks badass" Daxter said with a smirk.
"It suits you" Rune said.
Jak took the helmet off and walked back over to the table, where a long knife with elegant designs on it lay. Jak picked it up and then pulled out Nightingale's knife, comparing them. On close inspection, Jak noticed an elegant bird design on the blade. On the handle of the knife there was a featherlike design on it. It was simple, yet it made the blade special.
"That bird design looks familiar….is that Nightingale's knife?" Tech asked in amazement.
"Yeah, she bumped into Jak, literally, and nearly decapitated him with it. Then she just gave him the knife. Weird huh?" Daxter said.
"Well, Nightingale is a mystery to all of us, but she's not a bad person. She's never put us in unnecessary danger in missions, and she's not one to randomly lash out at people. I think that was her way of saying "Welcome to the family"." Tech said thoughtfully.
Jak put his blade in his right arm and put Nightingale's knife in his left shoulder slot. Jak grabbed his helmet and said "Thanks, you did a good job"
"My pleasure, kill some Metal Heads and we'll be even." Tech laughed.
"Amazing job like always Tech. We've got to get Jak's weapons and put him through some tests. We'll see you later." Rune said as the trio walked out of the room.
Rune then took Jak to get his official AA Key Card, which not only was his Avenging Angels I.D., but it allowed him to open several of rooms in the facility. Jak put the key card into a side pocket in his armor and walked with Rune towards the Armory.
The group walked down yet another hallway, meeting one or two agents who looked at Jak with interest. One of them said "Hey Rookie, can't wait to see you squirm when you fight those big bad Metal Heads!"
It was a hulking man in dark red armor. He had a huge Gatling gun on his back and had two knives on his belt, and he looked ready to use them. He looked at the group and laughed.
"The what?" Daxter asked the man, who ignored him.
"Ha! Jak could kick your sorry hide to Spargus with no problem." Rune scoffed, causing the man to walk towards them angrily.
"We'll see about that! You and me! The Pit! Tonight!" the man yelled pointing at Jak.
"I'll see you there princess" Jak smirked as the man huffed away.
"The Pit?" Daxter asked Rune.
"It's where we hold on nightly fighting sessions. It allows us to test each other's abilities, improve our skills, and gives us an excuse to beat up idiots like him. That was Crash. He can drive and talk crap, and that's about it. He walks around like he's number one, but he's actually 29th out of 32 on the Leaderboard. He resents all rookies and those on the upper Leaderboard" Rune explained as they continued on their way to the Armory.
"So, what should I expect?" Jak asked.
"OK, here are the rules of the Pit. The rules are to fight your opponent until they surrender, or their knocked out. It's a one round brawl, and that last team, or person, standing is the winner. You can use energy pistols and special energy weapons only. Laser Swords are used most of the time, and are our special brand of energy pistols which we call the VA71. It's much weaker than my energy pistols, though they still pack a punch. Laser Swords are designed to hurt, but if you were to stab someone it wouldn't be able to kill them. The challenge match that you and Crash will have will most likely be a match with Laser Swords. Those aren't able to seriously hurt anyone wearing our armor. I'd recommend not hitting him anywhere that is not protected by his armor. The black under-armor isn't made to protect you from Laser Sword and energy pistol shots. No lethal attacks, no special mods in your armor, and no low blows. Just don't go overboard and you'll be fine. Beating a person who's at a higher rank than you on the Leaderboard makes you look better and will increase your standing in the AA. We calculate many factors when assessing an Agent's skill level. You'll be going up the board before you know it." Rune said.
The reached a large steel door that required a pass code to get into. Rune quickly punched in a code and the doors opened, revealing the largest array of weapons Jak had ever seen.
"Now that's a lot of guns." Daxter said.
Every sort of gun, semi-automatic, pump-action, automatic, and many more were stacked in boxes and displayed on shelves. Every weapon you could think of was in there, organized from smallest to largest. Rune walked through the aisles of weapons and found a stainless steel container. She opened it and inside of the case was a sleek and shiny Morph gun. This model was slightly smaller and was a shiny silver color, and had several slots for each of the mods one could equip it with.
Jak picked it up and tested the balance of the gun, which worked perfectly for him. Rune picked up a shiny green attachment piece with silver around it and placed it into a slot on the Morph Gun, where it fit perfectly with a satisfying click. Jak grinned as the gun shuddered and a shotgun tip emerged from the front of the Morph Gun with a green glowing outline on it.
"Green Eco Shotgun Mod. Capable of dealing a respectable amount of damage to enemies in front of you" Rune said.
Jak nodded and Rune said "Also, this eco mod has 10 shots per clip."
Jak tested out the gun by aiming at a nearby test dummy and firing at it. The energy wave that emerged from it was narrower and went further than the Scatter Gun Mod, and the discharge from the gun was light green, but it was essentially the same as the Scatter Gun.
"Nice" Jak said with a wicked grin as he fired several more times at the test dummy, reducing it to scraps of cloth and metal in no time at all.
"Good work. Now we're going to head to the training hall and see how well you do on the obstacle course." Rune said.
Two Hours later, Jak, Daxter and Rune left the obstacle course in high spirits. Jak had acquired a high score that had gained him the tenth best score on the Obstacle Course Leader Board. Jak was right below Chill on the board now, and that was only his first time ever running it.
"Impressive. You'll fit right in with skills like that" Rune remarked as the trio made their way to Chief Disten's office.
Jak, Rune and Daxter were briefed on their next mission. The Avenging Angels had located a Metal Head Nest Site a short distance away from Spargus, and it needed to be destroyed as soon as possible, though the three of them needed to scout out the cave before destroying it. After being briefed on the details, Rune, Jak, and Daxter exited the Chief's office and went to the Docking Bay, where they got in a transport.
"So, how are we supposed to get out of here anyway? Is there a secret tunnel or what?" Daxter asked.
"Yeah, though I'd recommend you buckle up first" Rune said.
"Why?" Jak asked as he and Daxter buckled up.
Instead of answering, Rune signaled to a mechanic behind a terminal on the runway, who gave her a thumbs up. Rune revved up the engines and shot the transport towards the largest waterfall.
"AHHHHHH!" Daxter screamed as they shot towards the waterfall and slammed through it and emerged on the other side. They were outside now, and Rune steered the transport to the east, towards their destination.
"Don't…DO THAT!" Daxter gasped clutching his heart.
Rune chuckled while Jak shook his head as they shot off towards the Metal Head Nest Site.
Nest Site:
The transport lowered down behind a few large crags, out of sight of the patrolling Stalker Metal Heads. Rune and Jak got out of the transport. Daxter shuddered and said "I don't like this "
"I get that feeling every time I do this, you never get used to it" Rune said putting on her helmet and securing it.
Jak put on his helmet and secured it as well. The sensors inside turned on automatically and Jak looked at Rune and heard her voice in his ear.
"Hey, can you hear me?" Rune said muttered through the communicator.
"Yeah." Jak replied quietly.
"Good. Let's advance along the wall, stay out of sight, and don't move until I say so." Rune instructed, and Jak nodded.
The cave itself was smooth and circular; the very dirt itself was black as death, as though drained of vitality. Several large crags and boulders littered the cave, which Jak personally was thankful for because this was a stealth mission.
The duo quickly advanced into the cave, making sure not to be spotted by the sentries. As the duo made their way deeper into the cave, they noticed that the grunts were staying towards the entrance and the stronger Metal Heads were going deeper into the cave.
"Why are they moving like that?" Jak muttered.
"Probably something down there that needs the stronger Metal Head's protection. Let's go see." Rune said tapping her temple.
"What are you doing?" Daxter whispered.
"Vision Enhancer. It's a feature all of us have in our helmets. It's essentially something to help you zoom in on things, like a sniper rifle scope" Rune explained as she looked around.
"There's a way further in past those rocks, they're going into a crevice. Keep your head down" Rune said.
"Hey, I've been doing this just as long as you have! You don't have to keep stating the obvious" Jak snapped.
"Whatever, just shut up and follow me" Rune said jumping down the small ledge, and Jak followed.
Suddenly a larger Metal Head burst out of the tunnel and roared, drawing the attention of all of the Metal Heads. This Metal Head was fifteen feet tall and had the head of an ox, but a huge humanoid body, with thick black armor-like skin and holding a huge gun-staff.
"Never seen a Metal Head like that before" Jak muttered as the stopped behind a large boulder, which hid them from sight.
"Me neither" Rune said tapping her helmet a few times.
"Now what are you doing?" Daxter asked.
"Taking pictures with my visor. It's the third button on the left temple. You should take a few pictures of the Metal Head too. All pictures we take are automatically sent to HQ. You may want to take some time and learn more about all the functions in your armor" Rune advised Jak, who nodded and began to take pictures of what was going on and said "After we destroy this hellhole"
The large Metal Head's head suddenly turned in their direction and his yellow eyes narrowed. The Metal Head sniffed a few times and then roared at the other Metal Heads, who began to advance towards Jak and Rune's location.
"Crap! We've been found out!" Rune muttered pulling out her energy pistols.
"Its playtime" Jak grinned pulling out his Morph Gun.
"On three…one…two...THREE!" Rune running out from behind the rock and firing her pistols at the smaller Metal Heads, killing three Grunts with a few well-placed shots to the skull. The Stalker Metal Head's opened fire on her, but she jumped out of the way and grabbed meter-long steel rod that was on her back and threw it at a Stalker who brought up his Dark Eco shield.
"And what the hell does throwing a rod accompli-" Daxter began to say before the rod burst into flames and a spike sprang out from the end of the rod, shattering the shield and killing the Stalker by smashing into its skull.
"Never mind" Daxter said as the Stalker fell to the ground and dissolved into a cloud of Dark Eco.
Jak ran out from the rock and fired his Morph Gun several times, killing 7 Grunts effortlessly as the Green Eco Shotgun Mod made quick work of the weaker Metal Heads. Jak ducked under a few shots from a Stalker's Dark Eco blaster and fired at it while it's shield was down, killing it in three well-aimed shots.
Jak ducked under a swipe from a Grunt and round-house kicked it in the head, killing it as its skull caved in. Jak side-stepped a punch from a Grunt and fired into its face at point-blank range, sending it flying twenty feet until it crashing down. Suddenly Jak's Morph Gun went flying out of his grip and landed twenty yards away as a Stalker aimed its Dark Eco Gun at him from point blank range.
Jak took off his helmet and said with a devious grin "You have no clue who you're dealing with, do you?"
Suddenly claws shot out of Jak's nails and his skin took on a darker color. Horns shot out of his head and he had a demonic gleam in his eyes. Dark Jak smirked as the Stalker shot directly into his back, causing absolutely nothing to happen. Jak's hand shot towards the Stalker's skull and grabbed it. Jak's grin widened as he crushed the Stalker's skull into dust and hurled the body fifty feet away.
"What the hell? What's wrong with Jak!" Rune shouted as she dodged several Dark Eco blasts.
"He's using his Dark Eco form! Rune, just stand back and watch the magic!" Daxter yelled as Jak slashed open a Grunt's chest and ripped it in half with an evil smile as black goo gushed out of the Metal Head's chest. Jak looked to his left and saw four Stalkers's aiming their Dark Eco Guns at him, and he grinned and turned invisible.
"He can turn invisible! What IS he!" Rune exclaimed as she kept her distance as each of the Metal Head's seemingly collapsed onto the ground with horrific injuries and wounds.
A few Metal Heads looked as though they were tearing themselves to pieces. Suddenly Jak reappeared and began charging up what looked like a ball of dark lightning. Jak let out a snarl and released the Dark Strike, unleashing a huge burst of Dark Eco that killed 11 Stalkers and 15 Grunts at once. Jak grinned and then looked around, noticing he was surrounded on all sides.
"Get em' Jak!" Daxter yelled as Jak leapt into the air, focusing all of his remaining Dark eco in his fist.
Jak fell to the ground and punched the ground, releasing a massive wave of dark eco. Each of the Metal Heads surrounding was blasted off their feet and killed instantly by the immense wave of Dark Eco. Each of the Metal Heads crashed onto the ground and dissolved into a puddle of darkness.
Jak slowly began to change back to his regular self, due to running out of Dark Eco, as his horns and claws receded and his skin became its regular color again. Jak let out a small groan as he regained his senses and put his helmet back on. He then picked up his fallen Morph Gun to contend with the other Metal Heads.
The larger Metal Head was standing off to the side and observing quietly, not helping the other Metal Heads in any way.
"So…Ywolsatox was correct. He is a formidable opponent" the Metal Head muttered.
Jak spun around and kicked another Grunt in the head and blasted another Stalker in the face with his Morph Gun, killing it. Rune saw a Grunt creeping up behind Jak and ran towards it, jumping into the air and kicking it in the back of head. Rune landed lightly and grabbed her rod weapon from the Stalker's corpse.
"OK, now that was badass!" Daxter yelled as Jak fired three shots at the horde of Metal Heads.
Rune then spun around and opened fire with both her energy pistols on a group of Grunts coming from the opening of the caves. Red lasers shot out of the energy pistols and blasted apart the Grunts effortlessly. The duo continued to pick off the Metal Heads until only five remained, and then the Metal Head Leader roared at the Metal Heads and began grunting in a strange way. The other Metal Heads backed off and retreated and the Metal Head Leader stepped forward.
"You two fight well, but know not what you are facing. I am amongst the Aimperditor, the eldest and strongest of the Hora-Quan. You will not leave here alive" the Metal Head Leader rumbled as it got closer.
"Jak, be careful" Rune said aiming her pistols at the Metal Head, who chuckled deeply.
"I am Olsolan, and there will be no escape!" the Metal Head said aiming its gun staff at the duo.
"Jak…" Daxter said nervously as Jak reloaded his Morph Gun with a grin.
"DIE!" Olsolan roared as it fired a massive Dark Eco laser from its gun-staff.
Rune and Jak jumped out of the way of the beam, which reduced a large crag to rubble, and opened fire on the Metal Head, who roared and swung the gun staff at the ground next to Jak, who was barely able to roll out of the way in time.
Jak aimed his Morph gun and fired at the Metal Head, who smirked and fired another Dark Eco laser at him. Jak leapt high into the air and fired his Morph Gun in the Metal Head's face, causing him to stumble backwards in pain.
Rune ran up to the Metal Head and leapt fifteen feet into the air, with her flaming rod, driving the wicked burning spike at the end into its chest. The Metal Head roared in pain and tried to swat Rune away with his hand, but Rune dropped to the ground below the Metal Head and fired both of her pistols into its eyes.
"AAAAHHHH!" The Metal Head roared in agony as it covered its face with its hand.
"Jak! Run into the hole! I'll be right behind you!" Rune shouted.
Jak nodded and dashed towards the hole while Rune continued to fire at the Metal Head, who yanked the rod of its chest and tossed it onto the ground. The Metal Head shot another blast of dark eco from its gun-staff, narrowly missing Rune by millimeters. Jak turned around as he entered the hole and saw Rune barely dodge Dark Eco beam after Dark Eco beam.
The Metal Head twirled the gun-staff around and then fired several Dark Eco blasts in quick succession, causing her to have to run around the cave and quickly change directions to avoid the attack. The Metal Head then swung the gun-staff at Rune, who did a back-flip to avoid it.
"Die already!" Olsolan bellowed as he slammed the end of his gun-staff next to Rune, who jumped on top of the staff and ran alongside it and kicked Olsolan in the face hard, causing him to stumble backwards a little.
"Think she can take him?" Daxter asked.
"Maybe, but I don't like the thought of her fighting that thing alone" Jak muttered as Rune landed on the ground and get smacked aside by the Metal Head's gun-staff, sending her flying in the other direction, and sent both of her pistols flying out of her grip. Rune slammed into the side of the cave and fell to the ground, hard.
"Rune!" Jak yelled running towards the Metal Head and firing several times at its back.
Olsolan whirled and ground and grabbed Jak with both of his clawed hands, chuckling.
"Fools…you cannot hope to best me!" Olsolan rumbled as its grip on Jak tightened.
"N-No!" Rune said getting to her feet and limping towards one of her pistols.
Jak gasped in pain as the Metal Head's grip threatened to break his ribs. Jak grunted as he struggled to break free, and his mind raced to figure out how to escape. Jak had no Light or Dark Eco inside of him, so he couldn't go into either of his forms, so how could he break out of Olsolan's grip? Jak looked up and saw his reflection the in the Metal Head's eye, and saw in his reflection the hilt of Nightingale's knife in his shoulder sheath. Jak grabbed Nightingale's knife from its sheath in his armor and thrust the blade right into the Metal Head's eye.
The Metal Head bellowed in agony and let go of Jak and clutched its face as blackish goo gushed out of its ruined eye. Jak fell to the ground lightly and grabbed his Morph Gun and fired at the Metal Head several times, causing him to howl even louder in pain. Red lasers shot towards the Metal Head as Rune began to fire one of her pistols while making her way to her other fallen pistol.
"RAAAAAAAAAH!" The Metal Head bellowed as it grabbed its gun-staff and aimed it at Jak and fired, this time scoring a direct hit in Jak's chest.
Jak was hurled backwards into the wall and slammed into it, but he was able to keep his grip on his gun. Jak fell to the ground wincing and looked up. The Metal Head was several yards away and getting closer to him, and Jak saw Rune pick up her rod-weapon behind the Metal Head.
The Metal Head smirked and fired a blast of Dark Eco at Jak in the chest, causing him to yell out as the Dark Eco surged through him. But Jak could feel the Eco retreating into the Dark Eco crystals in his armor, protecting him from the effects of the attack, but not from the pain of the Dark Eco. The Metal Head leader looked confused as to why Jak hadn't died from the huge amounts of Dark Eco being injected into him.
"Sorry pal, but you can't kill me with Dark Eco" Jak laughed.
Suddenly the Metal Head turned around to see Rune firing both of her pistols at the Metal Head Leader, who was trying to draw him away from Jak. Olsolan snarled and fired a Dark Eco beam at Rune, who ducked to dodge it and continued to open fire.
Jak then noticed a white light glowing out of the corner of his eyes and saw something he couldn't believe was here. It was a very familiar looking white rock.
"A Light Eco Crystal?" Jak muttered reach over to the crystal and grabbing it.
Light Eco surged into him and his felt stronger and calmer. Rune was continuing to dodge the Dark Eco blasts, but she was still hurt from that direct hit she took earlier. Jak knew that even with her skill, she couldn't keep it up forever with that injury.
"Dax, get his attention" Jak said, and Daxter grinned.
"Hey big tall and ugly as hell! Your face looks like the rear end of a Lurker!" Daxter yelled.
Olsolan turned around and his eyes narrowed angrily. It turned it's back to Rune, so it didn't see her draw back her arm and activate her rod-spear, which had burst into flames again. Olsolan lifted his gun-staff and lifted it high into the air, intending to crush Jak with it. Jak smirked and knelt on the ground and let the Light Eco flow into him as he clapped his hands, slowing down everything around him.
Time had slowed to a crawl, and only Jak was unaffected. Jak calmly walked out of range of the attack, whistling as he did so. Jak picked up a rock and threw it at Olsolan's skull, smirking as he continued to walk away.
"OK, I think that's far enough" Jak thought letting the Light Eco fade away and allowing time to flow normally again.
Olsolan's gun-staff slammed into the ground, hitting nothing but rock. The Metal Head leader was baffled and was looking around, trying to find Jak. Jak muttered in his communicator "Now Rune!"
Rune hurled her flaming rod-spear at Olsolan, who turned around at the last second and let out a groan as the rod pierced his chest and embedded itself into the cave wall behind him. Olsolan let out a final roar of pain before collapsing onto the ground and dissolving into a cloud of Dark Eco. A large Metal Head Gem fell onto the ground with a thud.
Jak walked over to Rune said "Are you OK?"
"I'm just a little bruised. I'll be alright, though I won't be doing any of those moves for a week. Hey, can you get Aptos for me?" Rune said pointing to her rod.
"What is that?" Jak asked grabbing the rod out of the wall and handing it to Rune, who tapped it with her fingers and it shrunk down to a small six-inch cylinder. She then put it on her belt and clipped her pistol in her shin side-arm slot.
"It's my special weapon, made specifically for my use. It's essentially a staff, except it's got a pointed tip at only one end. It's virtually indestructible, and can set on fire just from me touching it." Rune explained.
"How can it burst into flames?" Daxter asked.
"I'll tell you later. We've got to put this place out of commission first" Rune said as she walked over to her other fallen pistol and picked it up.
Jak walked over to the spot where Olsolan fell and picked up Nightingale's knife. Jak wiped the blade off with his hand and wiped the blood on the cave wall and sheathed the blade.
"I should thank Nightingale for giving me her knife" Jak remarked as he walked over to Rune, who removed something off of her back, that Jak didn't notice before.
It was a small circular object, black and red with blinking blue lights on it. Rune held it in her hand and put her other pistol away and said "Probably"
"What's that thing?" Daxter asked.
"It's a bomb, capable of destroying this cave and kill every Metal Head inside. After we scout the rest of the cave, we'll place the bomb and get the hell out of here" Rune said.
"Got it" Jak said as the duo made their way to the crevice at the other end of the cave.
After a few minutes of walking, the duo found themselves in a large circular chamber, with a rock slope leading down into the bottom. Jak and Rune looked down and saw a variety of Metal Heads, all of them pacing around what looked like a few thousand egg sacs on the walls.
"OK, so what's the plan?" Jak asked.
"This." Rune said tossing the bomb down to the where the Metal Heads were. The Metal Heads all looked at the bomb with interest, though none of them knew what it was. Rune pulled out a small device that had a small red button on it. Rune waited about five seconds and then pressed the button and threw it down along with the bomb.
"Are you serious! That's your plan!" Daxter whispered.
"Yep. Let's get the hell out of here!" Rune said limping as fast as she could.
The group had just made it out of the cave when a huge explosion went off within the depths of the cave. The explosion was so powerful that flames erupted from the cave.
Jak whistled and said "Strong bomb"
"That it was. It's a Firebird Special, and it's one of my personal favorite ways of destroying a Metal Head nest." Rune said limping towards the transport.
"Hey, give me a second" Jak said as he let the light eco flow into him.
"What are you-?" Rune began to say as Jak became immersed in a bluish-white light.
Jak healed his wounds from the fight using his Light Regeneration ability. Jak looked at Rune and walked over to her and placed his hand on her injured leg. Light Eco flowed from Jak's hand into Rune's wound. Rune let out an involuntary groan as her leg healed and Jak let the Light Eco faded away.
"Thanks Chiaroscuro" Rune said with awe in her voice.
Jak took off his helmet and said "No problem. To be honest, I didn't even know I could heal other people. It was just something I was trying out. How does it feel?"
"Much better, thanks." Rune said taking off her helmet and getting in the transport. Jak and Daxter did the same and less than a minute later; the transport was flying away from the burning Metal Head Nest, and back towards the Sanctuary.
"So, what do you make of all of this? The Elder Metal Heads showing up, I mean?" Rune asked.
"I don't know, but the one I fought yesterday mentioned that the Precursor Lens was important to them" Jak said.
The trio flew in silence before Rune said "So…when were you going to tell me you could do stuff like that?"
"Hey, this isn't exactly information I want to be made public. I have Dark Eco and Light Eco powers, and I'll be using them to help the Avenging Angels. That should be enough for you" Jak snapped.
Rune sighed and said "I'm sorry, recent events have made me a bit…on edge. I just want you to know that I'm someone you can trust, and you can confide in me if you want to"
"Thanks"
"Hey, he can confide in me! Back off toots!" Daxter yelled.
"So sorry to get in between you two" Rune chuckled.
"S-shut up!" Daxter yelled angrily.
"So, if you have so much power, why didn't you use it to fight off Nightingale when she put a knife to you?" Rune asked.
"That's a good point Jak, you could've outmatched her, and you just let her get the drop on you. Plus, you could've easily broken out of her grip if you became Dark Jak. What gives?" Daxter asked.
"Well, first of all, I could tell she wasn't trying to hurt me. She was testing me, to see how I'd react. Because I knew there was no real danger, I didn't feel the need to change into either of my Eco forms. Second, I didn't expect her to be that fast, so she actually did surprise me" Jak said with a smile.
"I swear, I think you're just addicted to danger" Daxter muttered, earning a punch from Jak.
"Damn straight I am" Jak said leaning back in the seat.
Rune laughed and steered the transport back to HQ.
Sanctuary:
"Very well done, both of you. I'm worried about the Olsolan Metal Head you mentioned. You said that these Metal Heads were the oldest and the strongest Metal heads?" The Chief said.
"Yes, he said he was part of the Aimperditor. Ever heard of it sir?" Rune asked.
"Yes, though it was years ago and I can't remember where. I think it was somewhere in Haven City…hmm…well, it can't be helped now. We'll analyze what we've got now and see if we can't find out more about this. Well done both of you, you can rest until we have a new mission for you." the Chief said, and both Rune and Jak nodded.
"Dismissed." Disten said turning around in his chair and writing down something in a book.
Rune and Jak walked out of the Chief's Office and shut the door behind them.
"Hey, thanks for what you did back there at the Nest…you know, coming back to come help me" Rune said turning around and looking at Jak.
"You would've done the same for me" Jak said simply.
"Maybe so, but still, thanks all the same" Rune said with a smile.
You're wel-" Jak stopped talking suddenly, and Rune turned and saw what he was looking at.
It was Nightingale. She was staring right at both of them from thirty feet away. Nightingale slowly walked up to Jak and looked at her knife in his sheath. She extended a hand towards Jak and unsheathed her knife and examined it intently, closely looking at the intricate bird design on the blade. She ran a finger down the blade and for a second, Jak could have sworn she muttered something, like a whisper in the wind. It was far too faint to hear though.
"Thanks for the knife. It saved my life today" Jak said with a smile.
Nightingale looked at Jak in the eyes for a full minute, and Jak returned her gaze. Finally, Nightingale nodded and handed the knife back to Jak, who re-sheathed it. She then turned around and walked down another hallway, not making any sound the entire time.
"I wonder what her voice sounds like?" Jak asked.
"Probably soft and sexy sounding" Daxter said, earning a slap in the back of the head from Rune.
"Come on, let's go get some dinner. Then we can stop by The Pit. You've got a match tonight. Actually, there are two matches tonight." Rune said as the trio made their way to the Mess Hall.
"Oh yeah, me and Crash. Who else is fighting in the Pit?" Jak asked.
"Nightingale. She's facing Beast, Blade and Havoc in a three-on-one Battle Royal!" Rune said excitedly.
"I'm guessing these matches are pretty exciting?" Jak said with an amused smile.
"Damn straight they are! Come on! Let's go eat!" Rune said grabbing Jak's hand and pulling him towards the Mess Hall.
The Pit:
Two Hours Later:
"The following Battle Simulation Challenge is a bout between Agent Chiaroscuro and Agent Crash. It will be a One-on-One Battle with Eco weapon and ability limitations. Only energy weapons are permitted." Arch said.
"So, how do you think he'll do?" Chill asked.
"He's a natural. Crash doesn't stand a chance" Rune said with relish.
"Even if he's not allowed to use his Light or Dark Eco powers" Daxter thought to himself.
There was a rack of weapons that appeared out of the wall, displaying swords and guns of all shapes and sizes. Crash walked over and picked up a sword hilt that was on the rack.
"Heh…what a pathetic little wuss you are. I'll crush you in no time flat." Crash said as he tightened his hand around the grip of the sword hilt, causing a wicked laser blade to form from the hilt. Jak grabbed a Laser Sword too and activated it by closing his hand around the grip.
"OK…never used one of these before…but I'm a quick learner" Jak said testing the balance of the sword.
"Are both combatants ready?" Arch asked.
"Ready" Crash said with a smirk.
"Ready" Jak said getting into a stance.
"Commence Pit Challenge in 3…2…1…Begin." Arch said.
"Heh, since it's your first time newbie, I'll go easy on you" Crash said walking forward with his sword held loose in his hand.
Jak wasted no time and dashed forward and bashed Crash in the head with the hilt of the sword. Crash stumbled backwards as Jak kicked him in the chest and slashed him in the chest with the sword, causing him to yell out in pain. Crash yelled out in anger and swung his sword at Jak's neck, but Jak blocked the attack with ease.
A scoreboard was hanging in the room where all of the Agents stayed to watch the fights, showing every single Agent's ranking and point total. The total was calculated due to mission success, amount of Precursor artifacts found, amount of Metal Heads killed, and record in the Pit. Jak's score was at 1000, but began to rise rapidly as Jak continued to effortlessly beat the crap out of Crash.
"OK…not bad newbie." Crash panted getting to his feet.
"Hey, are we done with our warm up?" Jak asked casually.
"Why you little-!" Crash yelled charging at Jak with his Laser Sword and swinging it at Jak's head.
Jak leaned back and avoided the swipe and ducked under a two-handed swing and kicked Crash in the chest, sending him skidding backwards several feet. Crash ran forward and slashed at Jak's chest, but Jak swiftly blocked with his own sword and ducked from another swipe with ease.
"Crash doesn't stand a chance. Jak's way too fast" Rune said.
"Wanna make this more interesting?" Chill asked.
"Do you mean you want to make a bet on the fight?" Rune asked.
"Yep"
"I'm in." Rune said pulling out a bag full of gold coins from a side pouch on her armor.
"You're gambling?" Daxter asked.
"Yeah, why?" Chill asked.
Daxter dug a few gold coins out of his pockets and said "Count me in ladies!"
Jak laughed as Crash swung his sword wildly, missing over and over again. Jak caught his blade and whirled around, sending the Laser Sword flying out of Crash's grip. Crash ducked under Jak's swing and sprinted towards his sword, but Jak swept his legs out from under him and he crashed onto the ground.
Jak leapt into the air, ready to pounce on him from above. But just as Jak shot towards the ground, Crash rolled to his feet and jumped back. Jak fell towards the ground, stopped himself with his hands when he hit the ground, and pushed himself forward, kicking Crash in the face with his boot.
Crash flew backwards and landed on his back with a thud. Crash got to his feet and picked up his sword, and said "OK…maybe it's time to get serious"
"Oh, by all means, astound us with your skill" Jak said with a heavy amount of sarcasm.
"WHY YOU LITTLE COCKBITE!" Crash yelled grabbing another sword off of the rack and activating it while swinging the other sword at Jak's throat.
Jak swiftly ducked and blocked the other sword and rolled underneath Crash's arm and got into another stance. Crash yelled angrily and swung both swords at Jak, who ducked and punched Crash in the head and delivered a kick to his stomach, sending him stumbling backwards. Jak dashed forward and punched Crash in the chest, causing him to skid backwards once more.
"Time to end this" Jak said with a grin.
Crash growled and threw his Laser Sword at Jak, who side-stepped it and said "You're not that smart, are you?"
"RAAAHH!" Crash yelled as he swung at Jak's skull with as much force as he could.
Jak ducked and punched Crash in the chest, following up with an uppercut that sent Crash flying into the air and crashing down on his back. Crash tried to get back up but Jak put his Laser Sword to Crash's throat and said "I win"
"The winner of the Pit Challenge is Agent Chiaroscuro" Arch announced, and everyone in the observation room, codenamed the "Watchtower", cheered.
"He's good." Chill smiled as Jak deactivated his sword and waited for the huge pressurized door to open.
"That he is" a man said from the corner of the room.
He had short spiky pale blond hair and a rather handsome face. He stood at about six feet and wore light grey armor with black trim. He had a crossed-sword emblem on his shoulder and had at least seven knife sheathes in his arm and two energy swords on his back. His hazel colored eyes looked at both of the woman before him, and they both smiled at the new arrival.
"Blade, good to see you. How's your arm?" Rune asked.
"Completely healed, thanks for asking. The new guy's pretty damn good, Crash isn't the best fighter here, but I've never seen him get this outclassed" Blade said walking over to the window.
"Jak's really good, you should have seen him today on our mission" Rune commented as she accepted several gold coins from Chill, who was looking very annoyed as she paid coins to both Rune and Daxter.
"Hmm…Beast, are you ready?" Blade asked Beast, who was standing in the corner.
"Ready" Beast said in his deep gravelly voice.
Beast was wearing light brown and white armor, with a helmet with long sharp, horns on it. Beast walked over to the group and said "Where's Nightingale?"
"Not sure. She should be here by now" Blade said.
"Maybe she's giving up?" Chill said jokingly.
"Never. Nightingale's not one to-" Blade began to say before the door slid open, revealing Nightingale and another person in full body armor.
The man with Nightingale had long black hair and calculating brown eyes, with a black mustache and goatee. He wore all white armor with blood-red trimming on it and had a skull insignia on his shoulder.
"Havoc. How was your mission to Haven City?" Chill asked.
"Pretty good, well, for me anyway. The city is in total chaos. Metal Heads everywhere, people dying left and right, tons of blood. Just like my initiation." Havoc chuckled.
"How is that funny? The city is a wreck right now and they need as much help as they can get" Blade asked Havoc, who shrugged.
"I have a dark sense of humor" Havoc smiled.
"No kidding. Nightingale, you ready for your match? Three-on-one is pretty tough you know" Rune asked.
Nightingale looked Rune, but remained utterly silent.
"I'll take that as a yes" Chill said.
The rear door of the Watchtower opened and Jak walked through it, grinning from his victory. Nightingale walked up to Jak and looked at him for a moment before heading down to the Pit Battle Floor.
"That was fun, not really that tough though" Jak said.
"Jak, this is Blade and Havoc. Guys, this is Agent Chiaroscuro, our newest recruit" Rune said.
"Good job newbie. Now let's show you how a pro does it. Come on you two" Blade said shaking Jak's hand and following Nightingale through the door.
"So, tell me more about Beast, Blade and Havoc" Jak said observing the Agents as they walked onto the Battle Floor with Nightingale.
"Well, Beast is just that, a beast. He can take a lot of damage and he's very strong. He uses a XK War hammer in the field, and he doesn't talk much, and if he does, it's in short simple sentences." Rune said.
"Blade is…awesome" Chill said with a grin.
"Yes, because you want to ride him like a Leaper Lizard" Rune muttered loud enough for everyone to hear.
"And not ashamed of it, that man is damned sexy" Chill retorted.
"Ahem!" Jak coughed, trying to get this conversation back on track.
"Oh yeah. Blade is a fierce fighter, and as the name suggests, is a damned good swordsman. He carries at least five knives on him at once and is second only to Nightingale in Pit Sword Challenges. He's a really good guy, awesome leader, and a surprisingly good dancer" Chill said.
"And Havoc?" Daxter asked.
"Well, Havoc isn't the nicest guy around, let me tell you. He's got a twisted sense of humor, and he relishes any mission that involves destruction. Personally, I don't care for him much. The weird thing is he and Nightingale have developed a close friendship as of late. I guess it's only natural, seeing as they're numbers 1 and 2 on the board" Rune said.
"The following Battle Simulation Challenge is a three-on-one bout between Agent Havoc, Agent Blade, and Agent Beast against Agent Nightingale. There are no weapon limitations and the winner will be decided when every member of one team had been incapacitated. Agents…are you ready?" Arch asked.
"Ready" Beast growled.
"Ready" Blade said calmly.
"Ready" Havoc said coolly.
Nightingale nodded and activated a Laser-Sword and got into a fighting stance where her sword arm was drawn back and her other hand was outstretched. Nightingale stuck out two fingers and curled them forward, in a gesture that meant only one thing.
Bring it on.
"Commence Pit Challenge in 3…2…1…Begin" Arch said.
Nightingale remained still and waited for one of the others to make a move. Beast aimed his VA71 at her and fired several shots, which Nightingale swiftly blocked with the flat of her Laser Sword. Beast growled and activated his Laser Sword and ran forward, firing several more shots with his VA71. Nightingale blocked each of these with the flat of her sword and ducked under Beast's swing and punched him in the chest, sending him skidding backwards.
"She's strong" Jak noted.
"And fast. There's a reason she's ranked Number 1" Chill said with a smile.
"So, do you both actually like Nightingale, or what?" Daxter asked.
"Well, Nightingale is a brutal fighter, and her record in the Pit is the most impressive here. I've never actually held a conversation with the chick, but she's all right" Chill said.
"Nightingale's a good leader as well. She always make sure that were safe during missions, and when we have to take risks, it's usually her that's doing it instead of us" Rune said.
Nightingale blocked a slash from Blade and ducked underneath two shots from Havoc's VA71 with ease, and then jumped back to give herself more room to maneuver. Havoc and Blade began to fire at Nightingale with both of their VA71's, causing her to have to pull out a second Laser Sword to block all of the blasts. He arms were a blur as she blocked every single blast.
Beast charged forward with his blade raised and swung it at Nightingale chest, but this was easily blocked and Beast was slashed three times in the chest with both of Nightingale's Laser Swords before being kicked backwards and sent crashing onto the ground.
Nightingale then ducked, barely avoiding Havoc's Laser Sword by less than a millimeter. Nightingale dropped both of her swords and quickly grabbed Havoc's arm and hurled him over her, sending him crashing onto the ground. Nightingale scooped up one of her swords and brought it up just in time to block a downward slash from Blade, who laughed through his helmet and said "Never could get the drop on you, eh Nightingale?"
Nightingale didn't respond but pushed forward, causing their blades to move apart from one another. Jak smiled and said "She's showing me some new moves"
"Nightingale's always impressive. Though from what I've heard you're even deadlier on the battlefield" Chill smirked charmingly.
"Just so you know I'm not into you like that" Jak stated.
Chill looked shocked and said "Do you need to lie down or something? Rune, did he get hit in the head today? Or did you poison him?"
"Shut up both of you. Havoc and Beast just got up" Rune said pointing down to the field.
Nightingale was avoiding several energy blast shots from Havoc now, in addition to fighting off Beast and Blade. Nightingale ducked under a slash from Beast and leapt high into the air and kicked both Beast and Blade in the face, sending them both crashing onto the ground. Havoc came up from behind and brought up his sword, ready to deliver a two-handed blow.
Nightingale whirled around and fired 10 shots into his chest, sending him stumbling backwards with a yelp. Nightingale ran forward and jumped into the air, kicking Havoc in the chest and sending him flying fifteen feet.
Nightingale turned around and ducked to avoid a shot from a VA71 and jumped into the air to avoid a backhanded swing from Blade. Nightingale soared over Blade and grabbed him by his neck with her arms as she flew over his head and sent him crashing into the ground hard as she threw him over her head.
Beast charged at Nightingale and swung at her skull with his Laser Sword. Nightingale ducked and slashed Beast again and again with her sword and punched him hard in the chest. Nightingale then opened fire with her VA71, shooting Beast over and over with the gun. Beast roared in pain and kept stumbling backwards, trying to escape the gunfire.
Nightingale stopped firing and looked around her, looking for something. Suddenly she blasted from behind as Havoc opened fire on her with two VA71's, scoring several direct hits on the back of both of her legs, where the armor was nonexistent and her leather suit was her only separation from the attack. Nightingale did a handspring to avoid even more of the attack. The two looked at each from across the Pit, staring each other down. Nightingale's hand brushed her leg for a moment, and Jak knew that Havoc's blasts to her legs had done their job.
"Oh man…this is going to be good" Daxter said.
"Damn straight!" Chill said eagerly.
Havoc fired again, causing Nightingale to have to run to dodge it. Nightingale's hurt legs failed her though, and she stumbled forward and crashed onto the ground. Havoc ran forward and stabbed at her while she was on the ground, which struck Jak as very cheap.
"Hitting someone while their down isn't very honorable. I thought you all were above that?" Jak asked Chill and Rune.
"We are. I don't know what the hell Havoc is playing at. He shot Nightingale where the armor's protection was weakest, the back of the legs. If she takes any more damage to there, she may not be able to walk properly for several days" Rune said worriedly.
Nightingale rolled out of the way and shot Havoc four times in the chest while she was on the ground, causing him to stumble backwards in pain. Nightingale limped forward and grabbed her Laser Sword off of the ground and pointed it at Havoc, who laughed and said "Ready when you are"
Suddenly a shot was fired from Nightingale's left and Nightingale looked over and saw that Beast and Blade had recovered and were ready to fight again. Nightingale shifted her weight so it was not as hard on her legs and she pointed her VA71 at Beast and kept her sword pointed at Havoc.
Blade ran forward, this time holding two Laser Swords in his grip. He swung downwards, causing Nightingale to shift her focus from Havoc to Blade. Nightingale swiftly blocked his first slash and ducked under his second. Nightingale bashed Blade in the visor with the hilt of her sword and kicked him in the chest sending him skidding backwards.
Nightingale then fell to one knee and clutched her leg as Havoc watched from behind. Beast was walking closer, unsure whether or not he should attack. Nightingale got back to her feet and motioned for them to continue. Beast tentatively fired a shot at Nightingale, who side-stepped it effortlessly and fired 7 shots at Beast, who fell to the ground with a yell.
Blade suddenly appeared at her side and slashed at her with both of his swords, causing her to block with her sword at the last second. The force from the double-swing lifted Nightingale off of her feet and sent her flying several yards. She was able to right herself in the air, but she ended up landing hard on her feet, causing her to stumble again as her unsteady legs struggled to support her weight.
"She needs to get medical help" Jak said as Nightingale struggled to get back to her feet.
"We can't, not until the match ends or she calls us down" Chill said.
Blade and Beast advanced on her and opened fire with their VA71's, causing Nightingale to have to dodge them. Jak felt his respect for the silent woman increase as she, though badly injured, managed to fend off her opponents.
Havoc rushed from the side and swung his sword at her face, which she ducked under. Nightingale then kicked off of the ground, tackling Havoc to the ground. Havoc fell to the ground and Nightingale rolled off of him and onto her feet. Beast ran towards her and swung his Laser Sword at her, but she sidestepped it calmly and slashed him three times in the chest before bashing him the face with the flat of her sword and roundhouse kicking him in the face. Beast stumbled backwards and whirled around, disoriented. Nightingale leapt onto his back, clinging into the horns on his helmet. Beast struggled to throw her off, and even Blade and Havoc were keeping their distance.
Nightingale jumped off of Beast's back and hurled him to the ground by grabbing his horns on his helmet as she fell. Beast crashed onto the ground, just like Blade did earlier, and didn't stir afterwards.
"Now, why haven't you ever tried that?" Daxter asked Jak, who shrugged and said "Why didn't you?"
"Because…huh, that is a valid point" Daxter admitted as he returned his attention to the action.
Blade slowly advanced on Nightingale from the side as Havoc slowly approached Nightingale from the front. Jak could tell that Nightingale wasn't going to last for much longer on her hurt legs. Nightingale was crouching right now, barely able to stand at this point.
"Hey, you all right Nightingale?" Blade asked.
"She's fine. Let's continue" Havoc said firing a shot at Nightingale who rolled to dodge it.
Blade looked at Nightingale and Havoc for a moment and then shrugged. He walked over to Nightingale and said "Hey, are you sure you want to keep going?"
Nightingale nodded and opened fire on Havoc, who rolled to dodge her attack. Blade swung his Laser Sword at her, and she barely brought up her sword in time to block it. Nightingale pointed her gun at Blade and fired twice in his upper chest, causing him to lose his grip on his sword as he clutched the spot Nightingale had shot him in pain. Nightingale ducked underneath his arm and delivered a barrage of wicked slashes on Blade, who yelled out in pain before being bashed in the back of the skull by Nightingale's boot.
Blade collapsed onto the ground and didn't get back up. Nightingale seemed to realize what she had done and limped over to Blade, who was right next to Beast, who hadn't gotten up yet. The others in the Watchtower looked on as Nightingale examined each of the downed men and lightly tapped each of their helmets and shook them in an effort to reawaken them. After a few moments they began to stir.
"See? She does care" Rune said with a smile.
"Wait, what's Havoc doing?" Jak muttered, and everyone looked at Havoc.
Havoc was slowly creeping up behind Nightingale, with a Laser Sword in one hand and a VA71 in his other hand. Nightingale was carefully shaking Beast, trying to completely reawaken him. Havoc slowly brought up his boot and brought it down right on the back of Nightingale's knee.
"WOAH!" Chill and Rune yelled.
"We need to get down there!" Jak growled as he ran to the door of the Watchtower that led to the Pit Floor.
"Arch! Open the door!" Rune ordered.
"Please allow me one minute to complete request." Arch said as several cogs on the door began to move.
The group watched helplessly as Havoc brought his foot down on Nightingale's other knee, effectively crippling her. Nightingale was writhing on the ground in pain, and Beast and Havoc were too stunned to help her in any way.
"H-Havoc…stop that!" Blade yelled as he tried to get up.
Havoc blasted Blade in the face with his VA71, and did the same thing to Beast, effectively knocking them out once more. Havoc stepped over Nightingale and pointed his Laser Sword at her. He then stuck the blade underneath her armor and pried off a huge piece of her armor on her back, revealing her entire bare back to Havoc. Nightingale rolled over and fired several times at Havoc, who yelled in pain as the shots hit him at such close range. Havoc then lashed out at her and kicked her in the face, badly cracking her visor and sending her rolling back onto her back.
Havoc then stepped back over to her and sliced open her back with his Laser Sword, splattering the ground with Nightingale's blood.
Jak growled and ripped off his helmet and tapped into what little Dark Eco the suit was able to absorb from the Metal Head Nest. Jak began to transform into Dark Jak and he drew his fist back and punched the reinforced steel door, leaving a huge dent.
"Come on Jak!" Rune yelled at Jak.
Jak threw another few punches at the door, leaving more and more dents in it. Meanwhile, Havoc was slashing at Nightingale's bare back more and more, leaving the Pit floor drenched in blood. Nightingale was collapsed onto the ground, soaking wet in her own blood that it covered her entire body. She was shivering violently from sheer pain, and the others knew she wouldn't last much longer.
Jak hurled himself at the door, this time effectively taking the door off of its hinges and breaking it down. The group burst onto the Pit Floor just time to see Havoc twirl his Laser Sword in his hand and plunge it deep into Nightingale back.
Nightingale finally made the first sound any of them had ever heard, and it was something that sent a chill down each other their spines. It was a bloodcurdling scream of pure agony. Her body went rigid as Blade yanked the Laser Sword out, and then she collapsed onto the ground once more.
Jak felt torrent of pure rage surge through him as Nightingale fell silent once more, and in the blink of an eye, Jak was right next to Havoc.
"What the-!"Havoc yelled before Jak grabbed him by his throat in a grip of iron and hurled him across the Pit Floor, sending him crashing into a wall about twenty yards away.
"I'm going to get a medical crew for these three! Stay with her!" Chill ordered, and Jak and Rune nodded.
"That was horrible" Daxter muttered.
"Nightingale…you were amazing out there" Rune said softly, even though none of them knew whether or not she was still conscious.
"I'll kill him!" Dark Jak snarled taking several steps towards Havoc, who drew both of his VA71's and opened fire on the group.
Jak easily avoided each of the blasts and fired a bolt of pure Dark Eco at Havoc, who was once again hurled backwards into the wall and suspended there until Jak's attack ended. Jak slowly reverted to his normal state and said "Shouldn't have lost control"
"Hey, if I could do that I would've beaten him worse" Rune said throwing Havoc a dirty look as he crawled away.
Suddenly Chill and several other people carrying medical equipment burst through the door. One of them quickly set up a stretcher and carefully placed Nightingale on it, who still wasn't moving. Jak felt a pang of sympathy for the fallen Agent, who was now sporting a horrific mark on her back where Havoc stabbed her and a series of jagged slash marks on her back. She had not only fought off three other Agents while hurt, but even risked her own safety to see if two of them were OK.
"I hope she'll be alright" Chill muttered as Nightingale was carried out of the room.
Beast and Blade had their helmets removed and were being revived by two medics. The group quietly walked out of the room, contemplating what they had just witnessed, and wondering why Havoc had did what he did.
End of Chapter:
This chapter ended up being much longer than I thought, but hey, it happens, and I enjoyed every second of it. Anyway, I hoped you liked this chapter, and I'll have you all know that listening to A7X (Avenged Sevenfold, which is my favorite band) while doing battle scenes can make the experience more interesting. Also, I know the Morph Gun has three guns for each mod, and that green eco is not one of the original mods. Please roll with it for now, I have plans for that. Anyway, will Nightingale recover? What is with the Elder Metal Head's appearance, and why are they appearing now? And why did Havoc do what he did to Nightingale? Tune in next time guys and gals, and please, let me know what you think in the form of a review. Seriously, I love any feedback, positive and negative…though positive reviews are admittedly nicer. But, constructive criticism is nice too. Seriously, let me know how I'm doing OK? Until next time, FlygonN out!