Jak IV: The Avenging Angels
Don't own anything except my own characters, and as always, thank you to my awesome readers and reviewers. Seriously, you have no idea how thrilled I get whenever someone gives me a review. It can make my whole day. I am also open to ideas for future chapters and such, or ideas for new Metal Heads. Seriously, I'm very adaptable; if you don't believe me, check out my Black Ops Zombie . Anyway, just leave your suggestions in a review and I'll message you back. Thanks a ton everyone.
Enjoy!
Chapter 6: Darkness Ascension
"OK, so are you ready to go?" Jak asked for the 3rd time as Rune fumbled through her room.
"I CAN'T FIND MY APTOS!" Rune yelled angrily.
They were supposed to have left thirty minutes ago, but Rune had misplaced her preferred weapon of choice, her Eco-Spear. Jak and Daxter were now waiting, not very patiently, outside of her room while Rune literally tore her room apart.
"For the love of-just leave without it!" Daxter yelled.
"NO!" Rune yelled.
"What's the hold up?" Blade asked walking up, suited up with a wide array of blades and knives and two pistols.
"Rune's looking for her Eco-Spear" Jak said.
"Ah, Aptos. That thing is pretty useful. Best to wait until she finds it" Blade said.
"AHA!" Rune yelled as she threw open the door, revealing her holding her beloved Eco-Spear, Aptos.
"About time" Daxter grumbled as Rune closed her door after making sure she had everything.
The group headed towards the Docking Bay and got into a transport. After a day off, the Docking Bay was busy, with several Agents running around and one or two ships entering and leaving the area every few minutes.
"Come on, we're in this one" Rune said pointing to a nearby transport.
The group got into the transport, unaware that they were being watched by a familiar woman with black hair.
"Be safe…all of you" Nightingale murmured before turning around and walking back into the hallways.
Haven City:
"Wow…this place is a mess" Daxter said as they got out of the transport.
"Mess" was an understatement. In the few days since Jak and Daxter left, Haven City had been reduced to even less than what it had been before. The reconstruction efforts that were taking place before now were nonexistent. Blood was splattered on the ground every few yards. Metal Heads guts and traces of Dark Eco were on the ground, and parts of buildings that had been destroyed lay in the streets. Freedom League Fighters rushed around, either helping fight off random Metal Head attacks in other parts of the city, or just trying to move the bodies.
"Man…this is…" Blade said with a shudder.
"A nightmare" Rune muttered, tightening her grip on her pistol.
"Come on, let's see our contact" Jak said angrily, and Rune nodded.
All three of them put on their helmets and walked towards a small two-story house, where their client was waiting for them. As soon as Jak walked through the door he heard a familiar voice say "Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in."
Jak and Daxter's heads turned towards the corner of the room, where a table sat, covered in plans and stuff. Standing at the table was Torn, along with Ashelin.
"Daxter? Is that you?" Ashelin asked.
"The one and only!" Daxter proclaimed as Jak removed his helmet.
"Jak!" Torn and Ashelin said with obvious relief.
"We thought you both we're killed!" Torn said stepping forward.
"Come on Torn, you should know that after all this time, you can't kill us" Daxter said with a grin.
Jak and Ashelin looked at each other uncomfortably. The last time they had met, they had broken off their relationship, because it wouldn't be fair to Torn and Keira, neither of whom knew of their shared kiss. Ashelin nodded, showing Jak that she didn't resent him for wanting to break it off, and Jak nodded back.
"Guys, I'm a member of the-" Jak began.
"Avenging Angels. We know, Chief Disten contacted us the other day. Good to see you're safe" Ashelin said.
"Ashelin, Torn. This is Agent Blade and Agent Rune. Guys, this is Ashelin and Torn" Jak said.
"We've met. Good to see you both made it out of the Freedom League HQ attack alive" Rune said.
"So, Disten mentioned you need help regaining the Port area of Haven?" Blade asked.
"Yeah. The Metal Heads have constructed three giant walls out of the debris from the fight for the city, blocking all access to the Port sections. Worse yet, one of the bigger Metal Heads have made a nest out of each of the walls" Torn explained.
"So, you have three huge walls that are literally crawling with Metal Heads. Any idea of what kind we're dealing with?" Rune asked.
"Well, it's just one Metal-Pede, but it killed over a hundred soldiers now. They burrow under the earth, but they've made this horrible wall and laid eggs in it. Worse yet the Metal Heads are protecting the egg site, so we can't do anything" Ashelin said.
"OK, so what's the plan?" Daxter said.
"That's why we called you in. We need each of you to hold off the Metal Heads so we can detonate a bomb at each of the wall sites. Protect the transport vehicles as they go to each of the Wall Sites and protect the Freedom League Fighters while they set up the bomb. It should be strong enough to destroy each of the walls." Ashelin said.
"Are the transport vehicles really slow?" Daxter asked.
"Umm…Yes…how did you…?" Ashelin asked.
"We're used to it" Jak said with a sigh.
"Come on, let's go" Blade said.
A little Later:
"All right, now it's a few hundred yards to the first wall. Whether or not you want to stick with the transport is up to you. Just keep them off of us" Torn said as the Freedom League Fighters loaded the first bomb.
"You've got it" Rune said reloading her ASP.
Torn hopped into the transport and began driving the vehicle, which of course had to go at an astounding speed of one mile per hour. Jak kept up with the vehicle with a very slow walk. Daxter pretended to fall onto the ground and began to crawl as though his legs were broken, keeping up with the vehicle.
"Torn, why can't we speed this thing up a little?" Jak asked in a very annoyed tone.
"Hey! Incoming Metal Heads!" Torn yelled ignoring Jak's question and pointing towards the front of the road, where about thirty Ginsu Metal Heads shot towards the group.
Blade walked out in front and pulled out a silver double-edged sword that gleamed in the sun. Blade made quick work of the group of Metal Heads as he swung his sword expertly, blocking the small rotating blades spinning around the Ginsu's body with his sword and easily cutting down the weaker Metal Heads without much effort.
"Nice work Blade" Rune said appreciatively.
"Thanks. Grunt behind you by the way" Blade said nonchalantly.
Rune nodded and spun around and fired three times, triple tapping the Grunt's skull. Rune then laughed and said "I love healthy dose of violence in the morning"
BAM!
Rune looked to the side to see Jak firing his Morph Gun, killing another wave of Ginsu Metal heads. A small cluster of Metal Head Gems fell onto the ground as Jak mowed down the Metal Heads and made a path for the vehicle. Rune pulled out an energy pistol and began firing both of her pistols at the oncoming groups of Metal Heads while Blade slashed and hacked his way through the horde. Jak fired his Morph Gun over and over again, green blasts killing several Metal Heads at once.
Suddenly a Grunt burst out of nowhere and tried to tackle Jak to the ground. Jak rolled out of the way and stabbed the Metal Head in the skull with Nightingale's knife, killing the Hora-Quan where it stood. Jak grinned and put away his Morph gun and stabbed at another Grunt, hitting it in the throat. Jak whirled around and roundhouse-kicked the Grunt in the face, killing it as his boot crushed it's skull. Jak noticed three Stalker's aiming their guns at the vehicle from on top of a building.
"Three Stalker's on the roof!" Jak yelled.
"On it!" Rune yelled, firing her Dual-Pistols at the trio of Stalker's, fending off the Metal Heads as the Transport passed under the building.
Jak ducked under a punch from and Grunt and spun around, kicking the Grunt hard in the chest before stabbing it in the throat. Jak grinned as he felt the Dark Eco that dropped from every Metal Head he killed transfer into his Eco Storage, and through that into him. Jak continued to watch the transport as it flew by with the speed and grace of a Yakow that got shot by the Peace Maker.
"Hold on, I'll speed this thing up" Jak said walking over to the rear end of the vehicle.
"Jak! What are-" Torn began to say before Jak ripped off his helmet and tossed it to Torn. Jak then turned into Dark Jak and began pushing the transport, making it go way faster than it had been going originally.
"It's about time" Blade said as they finally began to get closer to the wall.
Jak looked up at the horrid thing looming before him. It was a twisted, disgusting structure in every sense of the word. It was a structure made entirely out of scrap metal, concrete, and Metal Head eggs. It stretched about 60 yards upward and blocked the Port Entrance completely.
"This isn't just a random Metal Head structure. Either their getting smarter, which I doubt, or their Leader put them up to this" Blade said.
"So how do we do this?" Daxter asked Torn.
Jak turned back into his regular self and Torn tossed him his helmet, which he put back on. Torn barked orders at the three Freedom League Soldiers, who began to offload the bomb.
"You three watch our six while we set up the bomb" Torn ordered, and the group nodded.
Suddenly something shot out of the Earth and screeched loudly, making everyone flinch. Jak looked up and saw a huge dragonfly-like Metal Head, with three huge claws and two heads, each one insect-like. Jak noticed that the eyes on each of the head's were a milky white color.
"It's blind" Jak said to Blade and Rune, who nodded.
"That is one ugly piece of work" Daxter commented.
"Rune." Blade said.
"You've got it" Rune said activating her Eco-Spear.
Rune ran a finger down the length of the rod and it flashed white. A red cartridge fell out of Aptos and into Rune's open palm, where she clipped it onto her belt. Rune then pulled out another cartridge, though this was one blue.
"Blue Eco Mod" Rune said putting the cartridge into a small slot on her Eco-Spear.
Suddenly the rod became charged with Blue Eco, which radiated off of it. Several rotating blades began spinning from the tip of tip of the Eco-Spear.
"You both keep it busy, I'll move in when I've got a clear shot" Rune said.
"Come on Jak!" Blade said pulling out his sword and dashing forward.
Jak grinned and ran forward, pulling out his Morph Gun. Blade ran over to a fallen Zoomer and drove towards the Metal Head, which was snarling and firing Dark Eco blasts out of its mouths. Blade jumped off of the Zoomer, which slammed into the Metal Head's side and exploded, and landed right on its back.
Jak swiftly dodged all of the Dark Eco blasts and fired his Morph Gun several times at the soft underbelly of the huge Metal Head, which roared in agony at the combined attack. Jak noticed a small opening in the Metal Head's underbelly that was glowing light blue, and yelled to Rune "I think I know where you can throw that thing!"
"You'll have to get it to show me the spot, otherwise I can't hit it" Rune called back.
"Blade!" Jak called.
"On it" Blade said twirling his sword in the air and then jabbing it into the Metal Head's back.
"Reeeeeaaaahhhh!" the two heads screeched as Dark Eco seeped out of the wound.
The Metal Head reared, and Blade clung to his sword for dear life. However, the weak spot on the underbelly of the Metal Head was now visible.
"Now!" Jak yelled.
Rune hurled her Eco-Spear and it hit home, going straight into the Metal Head's stomach. Suddenly the Metal Head began thrashing wildly, screeching in agony. Unfortunately, Blade was still on it. The Metal Head hurled Blade off and he landed with a thud about ten feet from Rune, who laughed at him.
"What happening to it?" Jak asked pointing to the Metal Head.
"Blue Eco is discharging itself in its body, attacking all of its internal organs. It'll be dead in ten seconds" Rune said.
…Thud.
"That was 4 seconds" Daxter said as Blade picked himself off of the ground shakily.
"Oh yeah, well than you can suck my-"Rune began to say.
"All right, the bomb's set up! Get out of here!" Torn yelled as he hopped back into the vehicle and drove it away quickly.
The group ran away from the wall and was able to get to cover before the bomb exploded. The force of the bomb demolished the wall, destroying the eggs at the same time. The civilians, watching from a hundred yards away, cheered and began to help the Freedom League soldiers clear the debris off of the street.
"Come on, we've got two more to go!" Torn said as they headed back to where they began, and they loaded up the second bomb.
It took another hour to get over to the other bomb and transport it to the next wall site, which was much further away. This time, the Metal Heads had brought out about thirty Spyder Gunners, all of them glaring at the group.
"Damn it, even if one of those things hit this bomb, we're toast" Torn growled.
"I've got this! You all protect the bomb" Blade said drawing out four faintly glowing knives.
"Are you doing what I think you're doing?" Rune asked him.
"Only way to clear a path" Blade said drawing back his arms.
Blade hurled one knife to his right and then to his left, and then upwards in the same directions. Blade then pressed a button on his armor, just by his left knuckle. The four knives began glowing a faint blue color. Suddenly each of the knives shot a beam towards the other knives, creating a strange light blue barrier, separating them from the Metal Heads. It looked kind of like the walls Count Veger had set up to block the entrances to certain areas of Haven just weeks ago.
"What are you doing?" Jak asked.
"Improvising" Blade said taking out a fifth knife and tapping a small section of the wall.
A laser shot from the wall and connected it to the knife. Blade laughed and said "I've been waiting for a chance to use this again. Jak, any chance you can transform again?"
"Yeah, but If I keep doing it, I'll run out of Dark Eco" Jak said taking off his helmet and tossing it to Torn.
"Jak, don't you even think about-" Torn began to say before Jak transformed into Dark Jak and began pushing the transport.
"Never mind" Torn sighed.
"OK, we're all set!" Daxter said.
"Gotcha. Rune, protect the transport from Metal Heads coming from behind! Jak, focus on pushing the transport. Hey Daxter, want a weapon?" Blade asked the Ottsel.
"Nah. I've got this!" Daxter said grabbing Jak's Morph Gun off of his back.
"All right, this will stop any Metal Heads coming from the front. Daxter and Rune, you protect Jak and the transport. Got it.?" Blade said.
"Roger!" Rune said.
"I'm on it!" Daxter said with a wide grin.
"Ready!" Dark Jak growled.
Blade tapped the center button on the knife and the knives in the buildings suddenly dislodged themselves, though they remain fixed in the position they were when they were in the building. They simply floated in midair, connected to the other knives by a blue laser. Blade's knife was now glowing dark blue and as Blade walked forward, the wall moved with him. The Sypder Metal Heads shot at the light blue energy wall Blade had produced, but the attacks simply dispersed into nothing.
"What is that?" Daxter asked Rune.
"It's one of his armor's abilities. It's his laser wall; it's a shield that can protect him from incoming enemies. It's perfect in a situation like this, where the street is flat, because Blade can just walk forward and be protected from enemy attacks. And when enemies hit the shield…" Rune trailed off.
BZZZZZZZZT!
…thud.
"That happens" Rune said pointing to the Sypder Gunner charred to a crisp after it tried to swipe at the wall.
"Yes, but using this depletes my suits energy reserves quickly. I'll be good until we reach the wall, after that, I'll have to allow my suit to recharge" Blade said with a grunt as more Spyder Gunners fired at the wall.
"How long will that take?" Daxter said.
"A few hours, which we don't have" Rune said pulling at her ASP and reloading, as a wave of Grunts emerged from a nearby alleyway, growling and snarling at the group.
"You've got to keep them away from the bomb! Do whatever it takes!" Torn said jumping off of the transport and pulling out his knife and pistol.
Daxter scurried over to Jak and said "Don't worry buddy, Orange Lightning's got your back!"
Rune dashed forward and kicked a Grunt in the skull, crushing its face in with her armored boot. Rune dropped to the ground and fired three shots at another Grunt, resulting in a magnificent triple tap to the chest. Before that Grunt fell to the ground, Rune ducked to avoid a Grunt's punch and judo flipped it onto the ground. The Grunt tried to rise but Rune stomped on its neck, shooting it three times in the skull.
"Wow, what is it with women around here that you should not piss off?" Daxter s yelled firing the Morph Gun over and over, fending off the waves of Grunt's.
(It's true you know)
"Shut up and shoot you rodent!" Torn barked as he shoved his knife into a Grunt's throat and fired a shot into its skull, killing it instantly.
Daxter, Torn and Rune held off the Metal Heads while Jak shoved the extremely slow transport to the wall. The Metal Heads were figuring out that the wall could kill them, but they could only back up to the wall, meaning that when they got to the wall, Blade was able to kill the remaining Metal Heads by simply walking up to the wall.
Blade fell to one knee and said "Man…that never gets any less draining"
Jak walked over to Blade and growled "I pushed a 10 ton transport for a almost a mile!"
"Good point" Blade admitted.
Jak transformed back to his normal form and he said "Nearly out of Dark Eco. I can probably do my dark form for another minute before I'm out completely."
"How about Light Eco?" Daxter asked firing the Morph Gun twice to kill the few remaining Metal Heads.
"Not nearly as bad, I've got about 5 minutes worth of Light Eco" Jak said walking over to Daxter and grabbing Morph Gun.
"Hey, I want a gun!" Daxter complained.
Jak grabbed his sidearm, an ASP, and tossed it to Daxter, who grinned and said "Light and deadly, like me!"
"Shut up and shoot Dax" Jak chuckled firing his Morph Gun at an approaching Grunt.
Jak, Rune, Blade, and Daxter fought off the small groups of Metal Heads while Torn and the Freedom League Fighters readied the bomb.
"It's ready! Let's get the hell out of here!" Torn said leaping onto the transport along with everyone else.
The explosion tore through the formidable wall of metal and Metal Head and as the wall came tumbling down, the citizens began helping clear the rubble off of the street.
"All right, we've got one wall left. Let's get to the wall site ASAP" Torn said.
The group loaded the final bomb onto the transport and headed towards the last bomb site. Jak had the strangest feeling that someone was watching them, but he shrugged it off. Though he did look back once and catch a figure in a black hood looking at him from on top of a building before disappearing.
"Rune, someone's up there watching us" Jak muttered.
"Where?" Rune asked reloading her ASP.
"On the rooftop" Jak pointed, and Blade and Daxter looked too.
"I don't see anyone; they must have realized you noticed them though. Let's focus on the objective Jak, and then we can focus on that" Blade said.
"All right guys that Metal Pede is sure to show up soon, so keep your heads up" Torn said.
The ride to the wall was eerily silent, and the three Agents were anxious. Where were all of the Metal Heads? Jak shivered and said "This isn't right"
"I know. It's too quiet, where the hell are the Metal Heads?" Blade asked.
Suddenly, there was a tremor that shook even the buildings. Everyone remained silent until another tremor shook the area, and Jak said "I really hope that was just an earthquake"
"Well, maybe if this thing didn't go 1 mile per hour, we'd be done by now!" Blade said angrily, directing this toward Torn.
"Hey! Why don't you-" Torn began to retort before the ground exploded in front of them.
The several large boulders shot out from the ground as a huge Metal-Pede exploded from the ground. It was at least 80 feet long and had giant pincers on its mouth, as well as a Blaster mounted on its head. The creature stared at them for a solid five seconds before letting out a piercing screech that shattered all of the glass in the windows on the buildings. Then it lunged at the vehicle.
Suddenly a huge green laser shot from somewhere behind the transport and slammed into the Metal-Pede's face, sending it flying backward into the wall. The creature scuttled around and screeched at the group, who jumped out of the transport, ready to fight.
Jak looked back and saw that the hooded figure was holding an Energy Rifle, and had fired the shot that saved them. The figure fired again, and in the glow from the rifle Jak saw that the person was a woman with black hair.
"Is that…?" Jak trailed off as the woman ran quickly ran into an alleyway and out of sight.
"Blade, got any plans?" Rune asked.
"Yeah, activate your shield mod. Jak and I will fend off this thing. Protect the transport at all costs" Blade ordered.
"Got it" Rune said
"Got it" Jak said.
"You two hold that thing off while we get the bomb into position. Got it?" Torn said, and the three Agents nodded.
"Let's get em' Jak!" Daxter yelled.
Jak grabbed his Morph Gun and dashed towards the Metal-Pede, which began firing from its head Blaster. Rune deactivated Aptos and put in a Green Eco Cartridge into the slot after ejecting the Blue Eco cartridge. A green energy shield appeared around the end of the spear and spread so it could cover the transport.
Jak and Blade fired at the Metal-Pede, which started firing at the two of them with its own Blaster. Their bullets seemed to bounce off of the Metal-Pede's exoskeleton, and Jak began to think that this Metal-Pede was somehow different than the other ones he had fought, and would require a different approach.
Jak rolled to the side and jumped on top of the Metal-Pede, noticing a strange glowing purple sac that was on the back of the Metal-Pede's head, 80 feet above.
"That shouldn't be there, but I'm betting if you hit it, something good will happen!" Daxter yelled, and Jak nodded and tried to climb up the writhing Metal head which roared and dove back underground.
Jak dove off of the Metal-Pede before it escaped into the ground. Jak broke his fall with a roll and said "Attack the purple spot on the back of its skull!"
"Why? Is that it's weak spot?" Blade yelled..
"Hell if I know! Just shoot it, unless you've got a better plan!" Jak yelled back.
"Good point! Glowing purple sac thing it is!" Blade said pulling out one of his knives.
The Metal-Pede shot out of the ground again and fired several shots at Jak, who did a handspring backwards to avoid them. Blade jumped onto a fallen Zoomer and leapt onto the Metal-Pede's back, where he hurled his knife at the purple sac growing on the back of its head. The Metal-Pede moved it's head at the last second and the knife soared through the air.
"Damn! I usually don't miss!" Blade swore.
"Well, let me give it a try!" Jak yelled throwing his own knife at the sac.
The Metal-Pede writhed again and dodged the knife, and Jak snarled in his helmet and aimed his Morph Gun and fired at the sac, but the gun didn't have the range to hit the sac.
"Any ideas?" Blade asked Jak as he fired a few times at the sac, but the Metal-Pede kept writhing around and shooting at them, making hitting the small sac on the back of its head next to impossible.
"There's no way we can get up there. We'd have to crawl up its back and stab it!" Blade growled as he rolled to the side to avoid several more blasts from the Metal-Pede.
The transport was still making its way towards the wall, but Rune had to remain stationary and the shield she had made to protect the transport would only protect it if she remained on it.
"We've got to get up there, but how?" Jak asked.
"Hey Daxter, do you think you could get up there?" Blade asked.
"M-me!" Daxter asked.
"He's got a point Dax. If we gave you a knife or a gun, you could destroy that sac by running up its body to the head" Jak said.
"Fine! But this proves that this whole organization is NOTHING without me!" Daxter said grabbing a knife from Blade and scurrying over to the Metal-Pede, which was firing at the transport. Daxter quickly dashed up along the Metal-Pede's back, knife clenched in his teeth.
"Chiaroscuro! Blade! Aptos' shield can only take so much damage!" Rune yelled as the Metal-Pede fired nonstop at the transport.
"Come on!" Blade said pulling out his pistol and opening fire at the Metal-Pede.
Jak pulled out his pistol, realizing this had a much better range than his Morph Gun and fired at the Metal Head, which turned its head at them and screeched at them.
"Now what?" Jak asked firing several shots at the Metal-Pede's skull.
"THIS!" Daxter yelled plunging the knife into the Metal-Pede's sac.
"Reeeeaaaassh!" the Metal-Pede screeched as it flailed around in pain. Daxter clung onto the Metal-Pede for dear life, but was flung off of the Metal-Pede. Jak dashed to the right and caught Daxter as he plummeted towards the ground.
Daxter panted heavily and said "Next time…you do that."
Blade looked up and saw the Metal-Pede was turning its head towards them.
"Got any ideas?" Blade asked Jak.
"Not a one, unless you want me to drain the rest of my Dark Eco, which I want to save for an emergency"
Suddenly another green laser shot from the rooftops and slammed into the Metal-Pede's skull, sending it flying into the wall. The Metal-Pede screeched in pain and Jak saw the hooded woman limping away down the street with an Energy Rifle.
"Why is she here?" Jak asked himself.
"Jak! Get your head in the game!" Blade yelled dodging some more shots from the Metal-Pede.
"How about it Jak, you got a plan?" Daxter muttered to Jak, who shrugged.
"Well…it's stupid but it could work" Jak said readying himself to use light Eco.
"What are you-?" Blade began to say before bright blue tentacle-like wings shot out of Jak's back and he leapt into the air, flying right at the Metal-Pede.
The Metal-Pede screeched and fired several shots at Jak, who created a bluish barrier around himself. Jak continued to flap his wings as he soared above the Metal-Pede.
"J-Jak? What are you doing?" Daxter asked nervously, eyeing the ground a hundred feet below them.
Suddenly Jak forced the Light Eco back and let the Dark Eco come forth. Jak's wings disappeared and claws shot out of Jak's hands as he became Dark Jak. Jak plummeted towards the ground and drew his fist back as he neared the Metal-Pede's head. Jak concentrated all of his remaining Dark Eco into his hand and blasted the purple sac at the back of the Metal-Pede's skull with the Dark Bomb.
The Metal-Pede's purple sac exploded and the gigantic Metal Head fell towards the ground. Just as it crashed onto the ground, Dark Jak landed lightly and stood up, observing the damage.
"OK…that was pretty badass" Blade said walking over to the Metal-Pede and dislodging the giant Metal Head Skull Gem from its head.
"Nice work Jak! Now let's set up the final bomb and reclaim the Port!" Torn yelled as the final bomb was taken off of the transport.
The final wall toppled towards the ground and the debris was swept off of the road. Rune walked over to Jak and said "That was amazing!"
"Impressive, even by your standards Jak. You've won us a big victory today. With the Port reclaimed, we're that much closer to regaining control of the city. By the way, some of the crew is holed up in the Naught Ottsel, you may want to swing by there and see them" Torn said walking back towards the transport.
"I wonder if Tess is there! Come on Jak, let's go!" Daxter said eagerly.
"Who's Tess?" Rue asked.
"Daxter's girlfriend. She was turned into an Ottsel by…the…well, that's not important" Jak amended.
"Well, we've got some time. Let's go" Blade said walking with Jak towards their favorite pub, the one Daxter owned.
After ten minutes of walking, Jak decided that this was stupid and high-jacked a large Zoomer. Within thirty seconds, they reached the Naught Ottsel.
Blade snickered at Daxter's headless body on top of the bar, impaled on a pitchfork and said "Nice sign"
"HEY! Shut up! I head to sacrifice a lot of things in this stupid war!" Daxter yelled.
"Daxter?" a voice said through a crack in the door.
Tess emerged from the door and squealed "Oh my little baby!"
"Hey there Sugar, here comes your hero" Daxter said in a smooth voice as he and Tess embraced.
"Oh, you bought some friends? Come in, any friend of Daxter is a friend of mine!" Tess said cheerfully.
"Jak my boy! I'm so glad to see you!" another familiar voice said from within the bar.
"Samos!" Jak said as the Green Eco Sage walked over to him.
"It's so good to see you my boy. Things have gotten rough around here since the attack on the Freedom League Headquarters. As I hear it you're a member of Avenging Angels. Yes, I know about that. It's probably for the best. Attacking the Metal Heads directly may be the best course of action." Samos said walking over to a booth and sitting down.
"Samos…did…did Keira…?" Jak trailed off.
Samos looked at Jak and shook his head.
"I'm sorry, Samos. It's all my fault, I-" Jak began to say before Samos held up a hand to silence him.
"No Jak. It is no fault of yours that my daughter has…passed. It is the Metal Heads who are to blame, and their leader." Samos said with a heavy sigh.
"Who could this new leader be though? That's what I want to know" Blade said walking into the bar.
"Oh yeah. Blade, Rune, this is the Green Sage, Samos. Samos, this is Agent Blade and Agent Rune." Jak said introducing everyone.
"Pleased to meet you" Samos said politely.
"Likewise" Rune said.
"Same here." Blade said.
Daxter and Tess had walked into the back, to find some more Naughty Ottsel Supreme. But everyone could hear the thumping noises throughout the bar.
"I am not cleaning up that mess" Samos said in an annoyed tone.
"I think its adorable Daxter found a girlfriend." Rune said.
"You do know he used to be human, right?" Samos said.
"WHAT!"
"I see Jak hasn't told you yet. Yes, Daxter was once a human. He and Jak disobeyed my direct orders and Daxter fell into a pit of Dark Eco. After that, he was shot out of it and emerged as the furry little pain in the a$$ that you know today" Samos said.
"Wow. And how about you Jak, how'd you get your Dark Eco powers?" Blade asked.
"Ever hear of the Dark Warrior Program?" Jak asked.
"Whispers here and there. Why?" Blade asked.
"Let's just say that I was the only one of their experiments who survived in the program" Jak said quietly, shocking Blade and Rune.
"By the Precursors, then you mean they…" Rune trailed off.
"Injected me with Dark Eco. Over. And over. And over. And over again. For two years I was tortured in that Palace. Now, I can harness all of the Dark Eco in my body and direct it in a way that I choose." Jak said gritting his teeth in anger.
"Like at the new Metal Head Leader?" Blade guessed.
"Bingo. Samos, do you have any idea of who or what it is?" Jak asked.
"Well…I have several hunches. One of them seems particularly likely, given the fact that the older and stronger Metal Heads are attacking. Yes…if my theory is correct, even you may not be able to save us this time, Jak" Samos said gravely.
"What's the theory?" Rune asked.
"I'll have to look into it. Onin and Pecker must be contacted. They have both gone into hiding, after the Freedom League HQ fell. We must find a way to get to them, wherever they may be" Samos said.
"Any ideas?" Jak asked.
"Not at the moment. If we had two or three more of you Agents, and Jak and Daxter of course, we could fight off the Metal Heads long enough to search for them. But that's a job for another day. Torn contacted me the second you destroyed the last wall. Good work, all three of you. I'll contact Chief Disten and tell him that Haven owes the Avenging Angels for aiding it in its darkest hour." Samos said.
"All right Samos, see you soon. Come on Dax!" Jak yelled.
Daxter and Tess emerged with their fur looking distinctly ruffled. Daxter laughed nervously and said "Hey, don't be jealous"
"Now Jak, remember to watch out for Daxter, OK? Because even though I'm like this now…" Tess began to say.
Tess pulled out a slim long sniper-rifle that began pulsating and shooting out electricity. Jak and the others took a few steps back while Daxter watched with his tail twitching.
"I'LL STILL HUNT YOU DOWN AND HURT YOU REALLY BAD! Ok?" Tess ended the statement cheerfully.
"I love you" Daxter said fondly as he hugged his girlfriend.
The Ottsel couple kissed and the two groups said farewell. Jak, Rune, Blade, and Daxter made their way back to the transport, and began their long journey home.
Avenging Angels HQ:
The group landed in the Docking Bay and saw Chief Disten and Nightingale walk up to the transport. Disten was in an expensive-looking black suit today, and Nightingale was wearing her training gear. Nightingale smiled when she saw Jak get out of the transport. Jak took off his helmet and looked at Nightingale suspiciously.
"Mission Accomplished" Blade said with a grin as he took off his helmet.
"Well done. Now that the Port is open to the population of Haven City, they will able to get supplies and efforts to assist them will be easier" Disten said.
Jak walked over to Nightingale and said "We need to talk"
Nightingale smiled and said innocently "About what?"
"You know" Jak growled at her, causing the others to become confused.
"About what Jak?" Daxter asked.
"Grr…nothing" Jak said, letting it go for now.
"Well…anyway, excellent work. Jak, you've officially moved up in the Leaderboard to Rank 29 because of your success. Also, because of your recent success, you've also been awarded this Yellow Eco Mod. It's known as the Blaster Mod, withwhich you may be familiar . Use it well" Disten said tossing Jak a yellow cylindrical container.
Jak grinned and said "So, when's our next mission?"
"Soon. I've located a possible Precursor Artifact Location. But that'll be for later on. You are all dismissed" Disten said with a smile.
"So, what now?" Rune asked.
"Well, I've a person to meet…about a…thing" Blade said walking away.
"Wonder what that was about?" Daxter asked.
"Well, there's always the possibility that he's meeting Chill for a…well, a specific type of favor that requires…well…" Jak trailed off.
Nightingale and Rune giggled and even Daxter chuckled at the thought of Blade and Chill…well, together. Daxter then said "Well then, if anyone has any objections, I say we get some grub!"
"I second that" Rune said.
The four headed towards the Mess Hall and ate their fill, chatting about the events that had happened that day. When asked what she had done for the day, Nightingale blushed and said that she had been doing physical therapy exercise, like the Medic had instructed her to do. Jak didn't buy it, and was prepared to confront her about it, but decided to wait until they were alone.
"All right, I'll see you guys later" Rune said as she walked to her room.
"Night!" Jak, Nightingale, and Daxter said.
"OK, so what was with you-" Jak began to say as he turned towards Nightingale.
"Shh! Later. Meet me where you heard me sing for the first time. I'll explain there" Nightingale said with a smile as she walked back down the hall.
"What the hell did that mean?" Daxter asked.
"She wants to meet me alone. Sorry Dax" Jak said as duo headed to their room.
"Wait a minute...you're going to meet her in that Bathing Grotto place again, aren't you?" Daxter asked as he looked the other way.
"Yep. Sorry Dax" Jak said taking off his armor and getting into a pair of sweatpants and a black T-shirt.
"Night." Jak said as he grabbed his towel and closed the door.
Jak quietly made his way down to the Bathing Grotto, where Nightingale's knife was stabbed into the wall. Jak smiled, because he knew this wasn't an attempt at being hostile, it's just that Nightingale was incredibly shy. Jak walked through the doors and looked around for the black haired woman. He heard someone swear nearby, and crept closer to investigate.
"He had to attack my back! Why not my arm or stomach? Somewhere I can put this salve on. How am I supposed to reach my back!" Nightingale complained.
Jak looked over some bushes and finally found the woman he was looking for, and then, he realized that much like the other night, he came in at a good and bad time. It was good because he had an awesome view of Nightingale's breasts. She had no top on, but was thankfully wearing pants this time. It was bad because she had seen him pop up out of nowhere.
Nightingale let out a scream and flushed a dark red and covered her chest with her towel. Jak groaned and walked into the clearing and said "We've got to stop meeting like this"
"Turn around!" Nightingale whispered as her face turned even darker red.
"Fine" Jak said turning around.
Jak waited a few moments before turning around, and was surprised to see Nightingale was gone.
"Nightingale?" Jak called out.
"Over here!" Nightingale called from next to a waterfall.
Jak walked over to it and was surprised to see that Nightingale was up to her neck in the water, and her clothes were folded neatly about ten feet away from Jak. Nightingale cocked her head at Jak and said "Well, if we're going to talk about this, then I might as well be comfortable. It beats you trying to peep on me when I'm applying burn salve to my back."
"OK, let's just get down to it. Why did you go to Haven City?" Jak asked.
"So, you recognized me then?" Nightingale said softly with a shy smile.
"Of course I did, you weren't exactly disguised the best, though I think it's because you wanted me to recognize you." Jak said sitting down on the ground next to her.
"Maybe I did. Anyway, I'm not sure why you're complaining Jak, I saved your life when I shot that Metal-Pede with that Energy Rifle" Nightingale murmured.
"I'm complaining because you could've gotten killed. You're an amazing fighter, but you're also hurt, and even you can get killed just by not being at your best" Jak said.
"I'm feeling better!" Nightingale protested.
"Only because I healed your legs!" Jak snapped.
"It's not my fault my legs were broken!" Nightingale replied, sounding hurt.
"I know that, but you should still act as though they were still broken. You're hurt, and you've got to take it easy until you're back to your old self. You've got to take care of yourself Nightingale; there are people who care about you. And your being pretty damn selfish if you're just going to run around and put yourself in danger" Jak said, causing nightingale to look away, looking ashamed.
"Do you care about what happens to me?" Nightingale asked softly.
"Yes" Jak said.
Nightingale smiled and said "I'll try and take it easy, Jak. But only if you promise me that when I'm back at 100%, you and I go on a mission together"
"You're on" Jak said, sounding relieved.
Nightingale reached her hand out of the water and she and Jak shook on it. Nightingale then dove underneath the water. Jak could see her swim gracefully towards the waterfall, her injured back appearing every few seconds like a dolphin skimming the ocean's surface.
Jak smirked and said "I think she's trying to be flirty with me"
Jak quickly undressed and dove into the water. Jak contemplated whether or not he wanted to chase her down, he was pretty tired. But then again, it wasn't every day that he went swimming with beautiful naked women. So what the hell?
Jak swam towards the waterfall, making sure to go underneath the water so he could escape the deluge pouring down from above. Jak reappeared from underneath the water and found Nightingale sitting down next to him, wrapped in a towel with her feet in the water.
"Welcome to my little spot. Care for a drink?" Nightingale said pulling out a bottle of wine.
Hidden behind the waterfall was a cozy little cave. Nightingale was sitting down on the stone ledge, smiling down at him. Behind her was a small wooden table and a Power Cell powered mini-fridge (Jak thought those didn't even exist anymore). A small lamp was on the table, giving the waterfall cave a warm, cozy atmosphere. A small bag full of clothes lay on top of the table, as did several towels.
"You're kidding me" Jak said with a smirk.
"Nope. It took me a while to get this area of the waterfall cleared out, even longer to make sure no one could find it. I have an escape hatch over there I can go through to get out through the other side so I can stay dry" Nightingale said as she tossed Jak a towel.
Nightingale closed her eyes as Jak got out of the water and dried himself off. Jak wrapped himself in the towel and sat next to her. Nightingale opened her eyes and smiled and said "Wine?"
Jak grabbed the bottle and uncorked it, downing a third of it in one go. Jak passed the bottle to Nightingale and said "I'll pass this time around; I don't have the best constitution when it comes to drinking. The last time I got drunk was…well, two years ago. I was annoyed at one of the Agents for something he said to me, something about me being a mute. It upset me so much I tried drinking to calm myself down. The next morning, I woke up the next morning in the middle of the Wasteland wearing my armor and surrounded by 20 dead Marauders"
Jak shook his head and took another swig from the bottle. He had a pretty strong constitution, so this was nothing to him. The two just sat behind the waterfall and talked for about an hour, not really paying attention to the time. Nightingale seemed to be enjoying herself, relishing in the opportunity to share her experiences with someone else. Jak talked about some of his and Daxter's adventures too, before they had arrived Haven City, and Nightingale listened intently, awed at what the young hero had done even before he had come to Haven City.
"Astounding. Simply astounding!" Nightingale said softly as Jak finished his tale of how he defeated Gol and Maia at their citadel.
"I guess so. You make it seem as though I saved the world" Jak joked, and Nightingale laughed in her own musical voice.
"So, you how is your back healing up?" Jak asked after a while.
"Not well I'm afraid, it hurts horribly and I can't move without at least one of the slash marks hurting" Nightingale muttered with a grimace.
Jak looked at her back and saw the jagged slash marks on her back, at least sixteen in total, courtesy of Havoc. The mark in the middle of her back, where Havoc stabbed her, was a large burn mark, and would probably never heal naturally…unless…
"Nightingale, do you trust me?" Jak said.
Nightingale looked at him and said "Of course"
"Then move your towel, I'm going to try and heal your back" Jak said readying himself.
Nightingale flushed dark red and said "Umm…OK"
Nightingale moved her towel down; allowing Jak to see the true damage the Havoc had done to her. It was much worse than what he initially thought, and he was surprised Nightingale could move at all because some of the horrid slashes ran down to her lower back.
Jak let the Light Eco come forth and began healing the jagged slashes and burns all around Nightingale's back. Nightingale sighed as the calming and soothing presence of Light Eco began to heal her wounds. After healing most of the massive mark where Havoc stabbed her, Jak released his control on the Light Eco and let it retreat back into him. Jak wasn't able to completely heal her back; there was just too much damage. So he just healed the worst of it and mostly healed the stab wound.
"My back…it feels…amazing!" Nightingale whispered in amazement.
"That's good to hear" Jak said sleepily.
Using the Light Regeneration Ability on someone else was surprisingly tiring. And after the long day he had, Jak felt himself nodding off to sleep. Nightingale grabbed him just as his head was about to hit the ground and asked worriedly "Are you OK?"
"Yeah…that just, takes a lot out of me. The wounds were worse than I thought" Jak muttered as he tried to stay awake.
Nightingale gasped and said "This is all my fault! Come on, we need to get you to the infirmary."
Nightingale got up and helped Jak to his feet. Jak pushed her away and said "I'm fine, Nightingale. I just need to sleep"
"You're sure?" Nightingale asked.
"Yes. Are you feeling better?" Jak asked.
"Y-yes."
"Then that's all that matters" Jak said as he stumbled towards the small rock were his and Nightingale's clothes were.
Five minutes later Jak and Nightingale emerged from the Bathing Grotto, dry and dressed. Nightingale was still worried about Jak, but Jak was adamant that he was fine, and just needed sleep.
"Well, if you're sure. Good night…and thank you" Nightingale said giving Jak a hug.
Jak returned the hug and after a moment, the two broke apart. Nightingale walked down the hallway and Jak starred at her for a moment before heading back to his room, unaware that miles away, the forces of darkness were hard at work.
Abyss of the Darkness:
"W-what…where am I?" Havoc asked himself.
He was floating in darkness…deep…unrelenting darkness…with no sign of light anywhere…blackness was all around him. He felt a coldness so penetrating that it seeped into his very soul…and then the voice spoke.
"Jazon…Jazon…" the female voice spoke.
"I don't go by that name now! My name is Havoc!" Havoc yelled at the voice.
"Yes…you go by that name for the havoc you swore to unleash upon the Metal Heads, because they killed your brother" the voice spoke with a chuckle.
"H-how…how do you know this?" Havoc asked warily.
"Well…that's an interesting question. But I suppose I could say…that I know everything about darkness. About the darkness you have in your heart, just begging to be released" the voice crooned.
"D-darkness…in my heart?" Havoc said in disbelief.
"But of course. Why else would you attack someone who once thought of you as a friend? Jealousy, envy, and deep down…hatred. You loathed being second-best to an insignificant little whelp. So, you did what was only natural. You drove a blade into her back. Well played Havoc, well played. Such an action drew me like a starving man to a feast. Your darkness called out to me, when you committed such an act of betrayal." the voice said approvingly.
"It wasn't right, I know that. I was just…so tired of always being bested by Nightingale. She's-" Havoc began to say.
"A stuck up little witch who deserved what she got. Admit it, it felt good. Standing over her like that, seeing her ravaged body beneath you…yes, you loved that feeling, of being the top dog, didn't you?" the voice asked.
"I…I did. It felt…amazing" Havoc said with an air of finding out life's true meaning.
"Exactly. Just like killing that fool a few short minutes ago. It felt good too, right?" the voice asked.
"Y-yes actually…but what are you getting at?" Havoc asked.
"Well, I am in need of someone who can carry out my will. Someone ruthless, cunning, and most importantly…touched by Dark Eco" the voice said.
"What! But I haven't been touched by Dark Eco!" Havoc protested.
"Oh really? What about right after you stabbed Nightingale?" the voice asked.
"Wait…Agent Chiaroscuro hit me with that purple bolt of lightning…are saying that was Dark Eco? He can control Dark Eco! It's inside of me!" Havoc yelled.
"Yes, though you speak of it as a curse. The darkness can grant you power…power to destroy those who have held you back…embrace it. You can become…a God. Help me eliminate those who called you a friend, and destroy the Dark Eco Warrior. He has been a thorn in my side for too long now. Havoc, I need your help. Aid me in my quest, and grant you all of your desires." the voice said softly to him.
"…I am yours to command, Lady…?" Havoc trailed off.
"Arranst. Lady Arranst" the voice said, barely concealing its amused tone.
"What would you have me do?" Havoc asked.
"Hmmm…kill everyone in the town. Exterminate the witnesses" Arranst ordered.
"Of course" Havoc said reloading pistol and walking out the front door.
"All according to plan…hehehehe…all according to plan…"
End of chapter:
The plot thickens! I hope you all liked this chapter! Yeah, I wanted a bit of fluff after so much action. Also, for those who may have thought, why would Jak move up in the rankings after just three missions? Well, in Ratchet: Deadlocked, you move up to the top ranking in DreadZone by the end of the game. Besides, in the context of a game, after doing the first few missions, you move up in ranking. So, that's what I'm basing this off of. Anyway, who is Lady Arranst? And what are her reasons for manipulating Havoc? Find out next time, and please, let me know what you think, please review. It takes only a second and it means the world to me. Until then, FlygonN out!