Jak IV: The Avenging Angels
Right, so I've been trying to do some research for my timeline in this chapter, but I'm having crappy luck. So, hopefully it seems like it could be right, if not, I apologize in advance. Also, I'm sorry for how long this chapter took me to write. I lost inspiration halfway through and I'm so crazily busy that it's stupid. Anyway, special thanks to my two best readers and reviewers, JakMartheDarkWarrior and Oblique Strategies. Thanks for the continued feedback, and thanks to my awesome new reviewer, Ecofreakrsa17. Seriously, if you're reading this message, review...please! I want to know who is reading these chapters and what everyone thinks of it. Also, you can leave guest reviews, just no flames. Constructive criticism please.
So without further adieu, and a month-long delay, enjoy!
Chapter 7: Hunters
"So…where are we?" Jak asked.
"It's a special place in the Wastelands. Not easy to get to, especially since it's halfway across the desert." Nightingale said hopping out of the Retaliator with a smile.
It had been a week since Jak's last mission. Jak had spent the last few days training at the Avenging Angels HQ, honing his skills and spending time with the other Agents. Rune and Nightingale became two almost constant companions; other occasional companions were Chill, Blade or Sharpshooter. Today it was just Jak and Nightingale; Daxter opted out of the desert adventure because it was happy hour in the Bar at the AA HQ. Jak didn't want to be around when Daxter really started hitting the happy juice.
"Why do I have the feeling I'm the first person you've shown this place too?" Jak said hopping out of the Retaliator.
"Because you are" Nightingale smiled.
They had arrived at a small outcropping by the ocean in the middle of the Wasteland. After two hours of shooting down Marauder buggies and driving through the relentless heat of the desert, Nightingale had directed him to the location.
"What's so special about this place?" Jak said.
"Are you familiar with the Wasteland by any chance?" Nightingale asked.
"Yes, I lived in Spargus for a time. I was sent on missions into the desert, so I know my way around" Jak replied.
"OK, it seemed like you were familiar with the Wasteland. Anyway, this is my little Oasis in the desert" Nightingale said looking towards the deadly crags with a smile.
"You do know those are crags, right?" Jak asked.
Nightingale whirled around and kicked off the top of a sharp spire, revealing a button. Nightingale pressed it, and a passageway was revealed as the crags shifted.
"Oh come on! How the hell do you set these things up! Jak said exasperatedly.
"Did I mention that we have safe houses in the desert, just in case we get caught in a sandstorm or in case of an emergency? Only Agents on the Upper part of the Leaderboard are aware of where they are. And I am the only one who knows where this specific one is" Nightingale said.
"So why are you telling me?" Jak asked.
"Because I trust you Jak." Nightingale said with a smile as she walked down the stairway, which was lined with lamps.
The duo walked into a spacious room, with old fashioned furniture and had a cozy underground feel to it. Nightingale walked over to a chair and sat down in it and said "Home Sweet Home"
"Seems kind of lonely" Jak said as he leaned against the wall.
"Well, we only use these in case of an emergency. I've only had to use this place twice, and those were times when I had an injured teammate. And even then, they were unconscious. By the time they regained consciousness, we were already back at HQ. So technically, you're the first person besides me to see this one" Nightingale said.
"So, how did you do missions when you never talked at all?" Jak asked.
"I can use sign language, or I can just type words on a small screen I have programmed into my armor. It comes out of my arm and the person can just read what I typed. It took a while, but I got used to using it" Nightingale said.
"I just had Daxter do all the talking. I really didn't even need to say anything" Jak laughed.
Nightingale smirked and said "Well, I-"
Nightingale was interrupted by a ringing noise coming from a silver bracelet on Nightingale's wrist. It was a plain silver bangle that Jak thought was just jewelry, but apparently this was not the case. Nightingale frowned and muttered something that Jak didn't hear.
Nightingale tapped it and said "Agent Nightingale. Go ahead"
"Nightingale, return to base at once. We have detected movement in the desert close to your position. Get out of there, now" Disten's voice said from the bangle.
"What is it? The Metal Heads? Or is it them?" Nightingale asked, adding a dark emphasis on the last word.
"It's them, I'm afraid. Get to HQ now, quickly!" Disten ordered.
"Of course. Me and Jak will get there ASAP." Nightingale said.
"Good. Disten out" the Chief said before ending the transmission.
"Nightingale, what's going on?" Jak asked.
"It's hard to explain. But you know how we hunt Metal Heads?"
"Yeah?"
"Well, let's just say you can't make everyone happy. There is a group of soldiers who have pledged themselves completely against our cause. They are an elite group of soldiers that are roughly equal to our might in terms of resources and weaponry. We have no idea why they do what they do, but they stop at nothing to hinder our efforts against the Metal Heads." Nightingale said reloading her SMG.
"Wait, so they help the Metal Heads?" Jak asked.
"Well, we've never seen them do it, but we're certain that they are. Either they're in league with them, or they're being forced to help them. Why else would they constantly interfere in our missions and attack other Agents? They're very skilled and have a lot of resources at their disposal. They need to be treated with caution" Nightingale said as she began walking back out to the Retaliator.
Nightingale and Jak hopped inside of the vehicle and sped off, not noticing the figure hiding the in the dunes a short distance away.
"Hey, this is Skull. I've got two of them in my sights" the man said talking into a communicator.
"Any positive I.D.'s?" a woman asked, speaking on the other line.
"One who I believe is the injured Agent Nightingale. The other seems to be that Dark Eco warrior. Agent Chiaroscuro. Should I take them out?" Skull asked
"No. Let them go for now. We've got a Precursor Artifact to find. The Key had to be somewhere in this desert" the woman said ending the transmission.
The man got to his feet with a sigh. He was wearing battle armor, similar to that of the Avenging Angels, except for the black armor plating on the chest plate in the shape of a skull. There were glittering black crystal shards in his armor, which was bone white itself.
"Too bad. I was hoping to have a bit of fun with them" Skull said with a sick grin.
The man put his helmet on and looked through his sniper rifle, looking at Jak and Nightingale as they drove away.
"Heh, I'll be seeing the both of you real soon. Hahahaha…"
Avenging Angels HQ:
Nightingale hopped out of the vehicle and said to Jak "I wonder why they are in the desert?"
"Hell if I know. I didn't even they existed until an hour ago" Jak said hopping out of the Retaliator and tossing Nightingale the keys.
"True. Come on, let's head to the MCC and see what's wrong" Nightingale said walking over to the door.
Jak and Nightingale walked to the Mission Control Center and found Chief Disten walking towards them. Disten told both of them to follow him to his office, and both Agents followed him.
Five minutes later Jak and Nightingale were sitting down in Disten's office, looking confused. Disten then turned around and smiled.
"You both have developed a close friendship as of late. One of the best Agents in the Avenging Angels, and most arguably the most powerful and capable of the Agents, based on what've you've done in the past. You two could be quite the team. Also, you stumbled upon an artifact of critical importance."
Disten walked over to a glass container, which housed the Precursor Rod Jak, Daxter, and Nightingale had stumbled upon the other day. Disten lifted up the glass and carefully picked up the rod.
"This rod is made of solid Precursor Metal. It has several strange properties, the most discernible of which are it has the ability to channel Eco. It may have other properties, but those will only be uncovered in time" Disten said.
"Really? How did you discover this?" Nightingale asked.
"Well, when Jak handed me the rod the other day, I noticed something, very small of course, but it caught my attention. As the rod left Jak's hand, a small light blue spark flew from Jak's had. I realized that that was Light Eco, and that this rod, much like my own staff, resonates with it."
"So, have you figured out what it was used for originally?" Nightingale asked.
Disten shook his head. He handed the rod to Jak, who tried channeling some light eco into the rod. The rod flashed white, and Precursor lettering could be seen running along the length of the rod.
"Astounding. Let me translate this" Disten said examining the rod.
"Beware, those who hold the Key to Darkness. This is but one piece to our greatest puzzle, one that will lead to this realm's destruction, and to our ruin. If thou is determined to open the final rift, then seek out the twenty fragments, and be warned that doom awaits you" Chief Disten read with a frown.
"What does that mean?" Jak asked.
"I have no idea. We need to take this to someone who knows about the Metal Heads, far more than even we do." Disten muttered.
"Onin and Pecker. If we can find them, they can translate what this rod's message is. I'm sure of it" Jak said.
"Well, I just thought that because you two, and Daxter, who is currently drinking his way through all of our alcohol, found the artifact, you should know what I have found out about it. Anyhow, you may remember that I mentioned that we have located another Precursor Artifact. We believe that it is linked to the both Precursor Rod and the Precursor Lens that Jak found a few days ago." Disten said.
"Where is it?" Jak asked.
"Well, there's a slight problem. Jak, are you aware of the group that threatens our Organization…our family?" Disten asked.
"Yes, but who are they" Jak said.
Disten smirked and said "I believe we have time for a short history lesson"
"My father, Charlles Disten, was the leader of the Avenging Angels when the Organization formed over twenty years ago. I was twenty seven when my father created the Organization. He said that the Metal Heads needed to be destroyed, lest anyone else suffer the same fate our family did.
"For nine years he led the Organization, and in that time, we fought against not only the Metal Heads, but a group just as ruthless. They are known, as the Hunters"
"Hunters?" Jak said.
"Yes. They're human, but they're…different. They're much stronger and much more agile than they look, for reasons unknown. They've fought relentlessly against us from the beginning, and every attempt at communication has been returned with threats and violence. We've lost dozens of Agents to them over the past few years, including my father" Disten said.
"I remember hearing about that. Didn't Gallius die there too?" Nightingale asked.
"Yes. Gallius Jarkas co-led the Avenging Angels with my father. You see, he and my father were together in battle, just the two of them against a horde of Metal Heads. They had been battling several Hunters before being ambushed by the Metal Heads"
"They both perished in the battle, and I became leader of the Avenging Angels. Since then I've led, and I think I can say I've done a decent job" Disten chuckled.
"That you have" Nightingale said with a small smile.
"I'd like to think that's because of capable Agents such as you and Jak. I have a good feeling about you Jak. I know you'll help us vanquish the Hora-Quan once and for all. Even with these, Aimperditor, these Elder Metal Heads appearing, I am confident that we can overcome them, so long as we work, as a team" Disten said with a smile.
"As you may know, around twenty years ago, Damas was the ruler of Haven City. Before Baron Praxis betrayed him, Damas helped fund the Avenging Angels and helped us get started. When Damas was banished to the Wasteland, we returned the favor. He gathered a group of people like him, banished…forsaken…left for dead, and head towards the more hospitable areas of the desert. We helped protect them from the Marauder's and when they needed help with the building of Spargus, we aided them"
"So you knew my father well?" Jak said.
"Yes, Sharpshooter told me about that. You, being Damas's son. I'm sorry for your loss Jak, he was a good man, and good friend. I was an Agent when my father helped Damas build Spargus, and we remained in contact until about a month or so ago…I now know why" Disten said with a sigh.
The three had a small moment of silence for the fallen warrior, and then Disten cleared his throat.
"Now, for your next missions Jak. The artifact that seems to have a connection to this Precursor Rod seems to be hidden within the depths of the Wasteland. I need you to go into the depth of the Chamber that holds the relic and retrieve it. Bring it back to command undamaged. Also…try to learn along the way why there are so many Hunters in the desert…you can never be too careful" Disten added darkly.
"Sir, can I come with Jak on this mission?" Nightingale asked.
"What? No, absolutely not. You're still not cleared for missions, Nightingale. Light Eco healing treatments or not" Disten said firmly.
"You've seen me in the shooting range and in rehab. You know I'll be alright in the field" Nightingale insisted.
Jak looked at both of them and said "It's no problem, really. She'd be a great partner"
Nightingale smiled and glanced at Jak. Disten wavered, he didn't want the closest thing to a daughter he had to be in danger, but he knew she was in good hands.
"Please, I really want to go with Jak" Nightingale said with a slightly pleading look.
Disten frowned and said "Fine, but let Jak take care of the Metal Heads, you are there only as his backup. Jak, make sure Nightingale doesn't overexert herself"
"Yes sir" Jak said.
"All right, the artifact seems to be located in an old Precursor ruin that we uncovered several weeks ago, towards the Monk Ruins. I'll have the coordinates sent to you in a few minutes Jak. There is still a lot of Hunter activity in the desert, so take the Sand Runner and take the less direct routes to the objective. Understood?" Disten asked.
Nightingale and Jak nodded and Disten said "Then good luck, both of you"
Jak and Nightingale walked out of the office and Jak said "Our first mission together"
"Not really, I don't have my armor, and I'm just here for backup, so it's not a real mission for me. But we'll be on a mission soon enough, once I'm completely healed." Nightingale said with a smile.
"Do you have any other armor you could wear?" Jak asked.
Nightingale shook her head and said softly "No, I don't"
"Let's swing by Tech's workshop, maybe he'll have something for you to wear on this mission" Jak said.
"Good idea, let's go see him" Nightingale said quietly.
Tech's Workshop:
"So that's the situation Tech" Jak said.
"OK, first of all, glad to see you're feeling better Nightingale, I was pretty worried about you. Second, your old armor was damaged much worse than I originally thought; otherwise you would've had it back by now. I've had more requests for repairs in this past month than in last year alone" Tech complained.
"Well, there have been more Metal Head attacks lately, what with the war in Haven City" Jak said.
"True. But it still doesn't make this job any less annoying for me at the moment. Anyway, I think I can help you in terms of short-term armor. Nothing spectacular, but its good enough" Tech said walking over to a small room.
Tech emerged with a set of armor just like Mar's armor, except that it was a shiny silver color. The armor consisted of a chest plate, bracers and greaves.
" This is similar to the armor you had on when you came in here Jak, except it's made of a steel alloy treated with small amount of Light Eco. It's not as strong as the armor Jak has, but it's good enough." Tech said handing the armor to Nightingale, who slipped it on and began to move her body, testing out her flexibility with it.
"It's not perfect, but it's really good. Thank you" Nightingale said.
Tech nodded his head and said "All right then, good luck to both of you"
The dup turned around to leave before Tech said "Oh and Nightingale, your armor will be done the day after tomorrow"
"Really? Thank you Tech. Were you able to include the changes I wanted?" Nightingale asked quietly.
"Of course, I just have to make some small changes to the visor and I'll be done. Now if that's all, I've got to get back to work" Tech said turning around walking over to his workbench.
"Why are you making changes to your armor?" Jak asked.
"Havoc", Nightingale shivered as she said the name before continuing, "damaged my armor to the point where it couldn't be returned to the state it was before. The blood had short-circuited all of the devices in the armor, and essentially ruined it. So Tech salvaged the frame of my armor and some of the pieces that were still operable and he's been making me a new armor"
"Come to think of it, I haven't seen Havoc since he attacked you. Isn't he supposed to be back by now?" Jak asked Nightingale, who stopped walking and frowned.
"You're right. He should've been back by now. It doesn't due to waste time on missions, especially when in the Icelands. Some of those Metal Heads are particularly dangerous" Nightingale said.
"You aren't worried about that scumbag, are you?" Jak asked.
"Not really, but I don't wish him ill harm" Nightingale said softly.
Jak grunted, but otherwise remained silent as the duo made their way into the car pool. Nightingale led to Jak to the right-hand side of the room.
"This is the Sand Runner" Nightingale said.
"I like it" Jak said with a grin.
The car itself was a little larger than the Sand Shark, and had a sleeker and slimmer look to it. The paint job was a light brown with a jagged black stripe going along the side. There were two side machine guns on the sides of the car, but from what Jak could tell, this thing was made for speed, not firepower, due to the shiny engine in the front.
"Um, do you want to drive, or do you want me to?" Nightingale asked.
"I'll drive" Jak said, and Nightingale nodded and hopped in the shotgun seat.
A few minutes later, the duo was in Wasteland once more. Jak was amazed at the how the Sand Runner flew through the desert, far faster than any of the cars he was used to driving. He easily outran all of the Marauder Buggies tailing them. Jak looked at Nightingale, who had her eyes closed and was humming to herself tunefully.
"I wonder what song she's singing now?" Jak thought as he smiled inwardly.
Jak looked behind him, seeing that the Marauder's were far behind them now. Jak checked his visor, which was giving him directions to the objective, and said to Nightingale "We're getting close, are you ready?"
Nightingale opened her eyes and said "I'm always ready"
About ten minutes later, the duo arrived at what looked like the entrance to a cave. There was a tower of Precursor metal just outside of the cave, which proved they were in the right place. Jak and Nightingale hopped out of the car and carefully crept into the cave, unaware that once again they were being watched. It was a women dressed in a similar manner as Skull. She was aiming a sniper rifle at Jak's heart, and was itching to pull the trigger.
"Yeah, I see two of them now. Should I engage?" the woman asked.
"No, let them get the artifact first, then take care of them" a man replied on the other end.
"Skull and Siren are in there, what about them?" the woman asked.
"Tell them to wait until the Angels have retrieved the artifact, and then kill them" the man said.
"Roger that. Violet out" the woman said.
The woman known as Violet lowered her rifle and said "Well, you both have a few more minutes. Better use them to find that artifact"
Precursor Chambers:
"I've been in a few of these Precursor Ruins, and I can say this one looks the most magnificent" Nightingale said in awe.
The duo founded themselves in a massive room, lined with small, complex Precursor machines, hundreds of years old. They all gleamed, as though they had been recently polished. Jak looked at his reflection and said "There's power in this place"
"I agree. Let's keep going" Nightingale said with a small smile.
The duo headed deeper into the Chamber, and came into a slim tunnel, lined with Precursor metal. Nightingale stopped Jak and said "Wait…hold on a second."
"Activate your thermals" Nightingale muttered.
"My what?" Jak replied.
"Your thermal sensors. First button on the right on your helmet" Nightingale said softly, tapping the button on the side of Jak's head.
Suddenly Jak's vision went black except for the thermal signatures of Nightingale, which were a red, orange, and yellow. Jak had never used this kind of thing before, and laughed at how weird it was.
"How is this helpful?" Jak asked.
"Because you can see cloaked enemies for one. Look around this corner, and tell me what you see" Nightingale whispered.
Jak took two steps forward and glanced around the corner. Two strange looking creatures, which Jak realized were Metal Heads, were pacing around in the next room, about twenty yards away.
"That's useful" Jak muttered.
"Use your Yellow-Eco Mod and your Thermal Sensor to get the drop on them" Nightingale whispered.
"On it" Jak said pulling out his Morph Gun and taking out the Green Eco Shotgun Mod and putting in the Yellow Eco Blaster Mod.
The gun shuddered and the shotgun tip retreated into the gun and the Blaster tip emerged, as did the ever so helpful laser that helped him aim. Jak quickly turned around the corner and the laser found itself on the face of the Metal Head. Jak fired three times, killing the creature. The other Metal Head whirled around and roared at Jak, but was quickly killed with three shots to the face.
"Nice job" Nightingale said deactivating Jak's Thermals with a light tap to the head.
"Come on, that thing's got to be in here somewhere" Jak said walking down the hallway, Nightingale close behind.
The duo continued to walk down the hallway, but they had the sinking suspicion that they were being watched. Jak looked over his shoulder, and could've sworn that someone was lurking nearby.
"Nightingale" Jak muttered.
"I know. I've got an idea, I'll tell you along the way how we'll deal with them" Nightingale whispered.
"Two AA Agents sighted. I'm waiting for them to retrieve the Fragment, and then we'll ambush them" Skull said, observing the duo from a nearby ledge, out of sight.
"Are you sure we can take them?" a woman asked as she sat down next to Skull.
"No worries Siren, they'll both be dead before you know it" Skull chuckled as Jak and Nightingale entered the next room.
Nightingale stopped Jak and said "Hold on, let me try something."
The room before them was empty, and there was about twenty yards separating them from the door to the next room. Nightingale had stopped Jak and was starring at the floor for a solid ten seconds. Nightingale glanced to her side and picked up a small piece of Precursor scrap metal and tossed it. The piece of scrap metal clanged as it bounced on the ground.
Suddenly, the floor opened up, and the scrap Metal fell into the hole. Jak and Nightingale walked towards the edge of the pit and saw a multitude of spikes made out of pure Precursor metal.
"Wouldn't want to fall down there" Jak muttered with a smirk.
"Caution is important when exploring these places. Come on Jak, we've got a little further to go" Nightingale whispered.
Suddenly a group of Metal Heads burst out from around the corner, and Nightingale smiled and said "It's been a while since I've killed a Metal Head, can I take them?"
"Sure" Jak replied, interested to see how Nightingale fought Metal Heads.
Nightingale knelt to the ground and pulled out her pistol. Without taking aim she fired a shot, scoring a direct headshot on a Grunt, who roared in pain and stumbled around. Even before the first shot hit it's target, Nightingale had fired three more shots, each one hitting the same spot the first one did.
"She can hit a moving target like that without even aiming… not bad Nightingale, not bad" Jak thought as Nightingale dashed over to the group of Metal Heads and leapt into the fray.
Nightingale ducked under a punch from a Grunt and kicked it in the head, sending it crashing onto the ground. Nightingale spun around blocked a Dark Eco Blast from a Stalker with her bracer and jabbed it hard in the throat, causing it to clutch it's windpipe in pain. Nightingale fired two shots and put it out of its misery.
Nightingale did a double-handspring and pulled her other pistol and eliminated the rest of the Metal Heads by filling them with bullet holes. As the last Metal Head fall to the ground, Nightingale brushed her black hair out of her face and said "I'm pretty rusty. I should've brought my shotgun, just in case"
"its fine Nightingale, you were amazing" Jak said clapping the woman on her shoulder.
Nightingale smiled and said "Thank you"
"Come on, let's go" Jak said pulling out his pistol and advancing through the hallway.
The duo continued to make their way down the hallway, making sure to be as quiet as possible. After about ten more minutes, the group came across a three hundred foot long bottomless pit. Jak sighed and said "What's with the bottomless pits?"
"Well, I if had my armor I could clear that gap no problem" Nightingale muttered.
"Hold on a sec" Jak said.
"What?"
Jak allowed the light Eco to come forth and his body turned light blue. Nightingale looked at Jak in surprise, but was even more surprised when he picked her up bridal-style and jumped off the ledge.
"Jak!" Nightingale screamed.
Suddenly wings shot out of Jak's back and Jak flapped his wings to gain altitude. Nightingale wrapped her arms around Jak's neck and clung for dear life as he flew across the pit. Jak landed lightly on the ground on the other side of the pit and reverted back to his regular self.
"There we go. That wasn't so bad, was it?" Jak asked Nightingale, who was shaking.
"Warn me next time, please" Nightingale said weakly.
"You mind letting go of my neck?" Jak asked.
Nightingale realized she was still in Jak's arms and flushed red.
"S-sorry Jak" Nightingale said as Jak set her down.
The two made their way deeper into the Chambers , until they finally came upon a small room. It was lined with Precursor Metal, and similar to the one Jak had been in when he found the Precursor Lens. There was a small pedestal in the center of the room. Floating on the pedestal, like all magical artifacts seem to do, which a small curved piece of Precursor Metal that was glowing a faint purple color. However, it looked as though it were broken from something much bigger, as the edges looked as though they could fit into another piece of something.
"What is that?" Jak asked Nightingale who shook her head.
"It looks malevolent. But…a mission is a mission" Nightingale said.
Jak slowly walked up to the pedestal and grabbed the relic. Jak put it in his bag and said "Mission Accomplished"
"Come on, let's deal with whatever is tailing us" Nightingale said.
"Any ideas?" Jak asked.
"Several, come on" Nightingale said walking towards the exit.
About ten minutes later, Jak and Nightingale emerged in the very first room of the complex. Jak glanced at Nightingale and she moved her head downwards fraction of an inch.
Jak took a step forward and grabbed a small ball that was attached to his waist. He grabbed it and tossed it into the air. White smoke blasted out from the ball and enveloped both of the Agents.
"What the hell!" Skull muttered.
"They're onto us" Siren said.
"Yes we are!" Jak yelled roundhouse-kicking skull in the head out of nowhere, sending him flying off of the ledge he was on.
"Skull!" Siren yelled, running at Jak and tackling him off of the ledge.
The two landed on the ground in a heap and Jak kicked Siren off of him and sent her flying onto the ground, where she rolled to her feet.
"Grrr, you knew we we're here!" Siren growled.
Jak laughed and said "You're trying to get the drop on me? Good luck"
"Drop this!"
Jak ducked and avoided the blade of a knife slashing at him by less than an inch. Jak punched Skull in the helmet and grabbed him by the arm and hurled him several yards away. Siren pulled out a pistol and aimed it Jak and said "Hold it!"
Jak looked at the woman and said "Who are you?"
The woman drew out her second pistol and threw it to Skull, who caught it easily in his hand. Skull was a bit taller than Jak was, and was armed to the teeth with a sniper rifle and a Battle Rifle on his back.
"I'm Siren, and this is Skull. And you are dead" Siren said pulling the trigger of the gun.
There was a bang and Siren's gun went flying out of her hand. Siren looked to her left and saw Nightingale aiming Jak's Morph Gun at her. The laser-sight rested on Siren's heart, and she looked all too ready to pull the trigger.
"Jak! Those are Hunter Agents!" Nightingale said angrily, eyeing Skull with distaste.
"And you two are Angels. All the more reason to kill the both of you and burn your bodies, removing all trace of your pitiful existence" Skull said grimly as he aimed Siren's pistol at Nightingale.
"What do you want with us? We haven't done anything to you" Jak said calmly.
"True, but we still wish nothing more than to destroy you. Our Master demands it, and demands that artifact you have in your bag!" Skull said firing at Jak, who rolled out of the way and kicked the pistol out of Skull's hand.
Skull tightened his grip on his knife and slashed at Jak, who blocked it with his own knife, the one Nightingale gave him. Skull kicked Jak in the chest, sending him stumbling backwards.
"DIE!" Skull yelled as he pulled out his Battle Rifle and fired at Jak, who ran to the side to avoid the continuous burst of gunfire.
Nightingale fired two shots at Siren, who jumped to the side to avoid the first one and sidestepped the second. Siren grabbed a small ball on her belt and hurled it at Nightingale, who leapt to the side to avoid it at the projectile stuck to the wall next to Nightingale and exploded violently. Nightingale escaped the explosion unscathed and fired several more shots at Siren, who was able to barely dodge them.
"Siren! Do it!" Skull yelled.
"I can't not enough time!" Siren yelled ducking from another shot from Nightingale.
"THEN I'LL DO IT!" Skull shouted, as he pressed the chest plate piece above his heart.
Suddenly Skull began to twitch wildly and fell to all fours, groaning. Jak looked at the other two women, who were still fighting each other fiercely. After about twenty seconds of twitching, Skull let out a howl of agony and then remained still.
"What the hell?" Jak muttered.
Skull slowly rose to his feet and looked at Jak. He stood up tall, and then began to laugh.
"I feel it. The Dark One's blessing, coursing through me!" Skull laughed manically.
Skull laughed and threw his Battle Rifle at Siren, who caught it and returned fire at Nightingale who was forced to go on the defensive.
"What…are you?" Jak muttered as he got ready to fight whatever this person was.
"I am one of the chosen ones, hand-picked the Dark One to cleanse the ones who are unworthy to survive. Unworthy to survive…just like you…Mar" Skull said walking forward slowly.
"How do you know?" Jak asked warily.
"My Master knows all…you see, my master has been watching you very closely…knows all about you…yet no one has ever been able to take you down…well, today I'll prove that I am the champion of which the prophecy speaks! And you…will be nothing!" Skull roared as a huge wave of force blasted Jak backwards.
"Jak!" Nightingale yelled.
"Give us the fragment!" Siren yelled as she continued to fire at Nightingale, who took cover behind a pillar.
"I've got to help Jak" Nightingale murmured.
Nightingale glanced to the left and spotted a rock pillar that was showing signs of wear, which was unusually considering the good condition the Chambers were. Nightingale's mind raced as she thought of a way to get rid of Siren and get to Jak. Several ideas came to her at once. And then it hit her.
Skull tackled Jak to the ground and jammed his knife into Jak's side, drawing blood. Jak grunted in pain, and punched Skull in his visor, sending him rolling off of him. Jak got to his feet and clutched his thigh as Skull got to his feet.
Jak pulled out his pistol and fired three shots at Skull. The first one missed, but the other two clipped Skull in the shoulder.
"Hahahaha…you think that can actually hurt me with those pathetic weapons? I am invulnerable to all mortal injuries, unlike you" Skull said pointing to the stab wound Jak was clutching.
"Now give us the fragment!" Siren demanded.
"Never!" Jak growled, allowing the Dark Eco within him to come forth.
Jak ripped off his helmet and horns grew out of his head and claws shot out of Jak's hands. Dark Jak smiled evilly and said "Let's play!"
Both men ran at each other and Jak quickly grabbed Skull by the throat and hurled him into the wall. Skull dropped lightly to the ground, undamaged and growled at Jak. Like two wild animals, Jak and Skull charged at each other and began to savagely attack one another.
"Come on little girl! Show me what you've got!" Siren yelled as she unloaded on Nightingale.
"OK, I've got to time this right…" Nightingale muttered.
Nightingale aimed her SMG and fired at the worn rock pillar, which collapsed next to Siren. Sirenlooked at the rock face and yelped in surprise as it collapsed right next to her.
Nightingale pulled out a frag grenade she got from Jak and released the clip and held it for a few moments, and then hurled it at Siren, who yelled as the explosive clattered on the ground next to her.
"Son of a-" Siren yelled before the explosive went off and hurled her into the wall.
Nightingale stepped out from cover and looked at the bullet-filled pillar she had taken cover behind. Nightingale smirked as she looked over to Siren and said "Better luck next time, little girl"
"RAH!" Jak roared as he slashed Skull in the chest, sending him crashing onto the ground, bleeding heavily.
Skull got back to his feet though and ducked under Jak's swipe and kicked him in the chest and punched him in the face, breaking Jak's nose. Jak stumbled backwards as Skull hurled two throwing knives at Jak, who was impaled by both. Jak growled and charged up a ball of Dark Eco energy and fired a Dark Surge at Skull's chest, sending him crashing into the wall.
Jak calmly walked over to Skull and picked the Hunter Agent up with one hand. Jak drew his other hand back, ready to shove his claws into Skull's chest. Skull stirred feebly, but was otherwise powerless now.
"J-Jak?"
Jak turned around and saw Nightingale, looking at him. She looked anxious, unsure of what Jak had become. Jak looked at Nightingale and saw the worry in her eyes, and dropped Skull to the ground.
Jak shook his head as he reverted back to his regular self and said "Remember when I said I could use Dark Eco?"
"That…was Dark Jak?" Nightingale asked quietly.
Jak nodded and Nightingale said "Does all having that power, ever frighten you?"
"Don't worry, where there's darkness…there's light" Jak said allowing a spark of Light Eco to spark at his fingers, and Nightingale smiled at that.
Jak suddenly grabbed Nightingale and yanked her towards him as a bullet soared through the air, where she had been milliseconds before.
"You…you…this isn't the last you'll see of us!" Siren growled, holding her pistol at the duo.
Nightingale scowled and the laser-sight of Jak's Morph Gun once again found itself resting on Siren's heart. Siren then began to laugh and said "You think you've beaten us? Think again. This'll knock you both out and leave us both free to find the Fragment"
Jak realized that this woman was dead serious. She put hand on her throat, which Jak noticed had a small switch on her suit. Jak grabbed a smoke grenade on Nightingale's belt and threw it at the ground. Right as the bomb hit the ground, Siren flicked the switch on her armor.
A sound filled the chamber, a sound so high-pitched that Jak and Nightingale felt incredibly disoriented. Enveloped in the smoke, Jak took out the Fragment and hurled it before he and Nightingale collapsed onto the ground and blacked out.
Later…
"…ak…Jak…Jak! Please, wake up!"
"What…what's going on?" Jak asked, regaining his senses.
Jak and Nightingale were in the chamber, where they had been before they had passed out. Siren and Skull were gone; it was just Jak and Nightingale.
"Are you OK?" Nightingale asked worriedly.
"Yeah…what was that?" Jak asked getting to his feet.
"Well, there's a reason she's called Siren. That device on her throat emitted a sound at a frequency that knocks those without protective headgear on unconscious" Nightingale explained, gesturing to her bare head.
Jak ran a hand through his hair and cursed himself for being outwitted like that…but-
"The Fragment!" Jak said looking at his bag, which was empty of all Meta Head gems he had collected.
"It's gone!" Nightingale groaned.
"Actually…"Jak said slowly, walking over to a pile of rocks he thought he threw the…
"Hey Nightingale?" Jak said.
"Yes?" Nightingale said gloomily.
Jak turned around with the Fragment in his hand, grinning.
"But…how?"
"I tossed the smoke grenade right before she activated that device and threw the Fragment away into that pile of rubble. I figured that they would assume we wouldn't have been able to get it if we didn't have it on us. After all, they didn't have the guts to go all the way through the tunnel to get it their selves" Jak said.
"That was…clever" Nightingale smiled radiantly.
"Thanks. Come on, let's get back to the Sanctuary" Jak said with small smile.
The duo walked out of the Chamber with their spirits high, but with questions swirling around in their minds. What had come over Skull during their fight, and what was the significance of the Fragment? Why did the Hunter's want it?
Only time would tell.
End of Chapter:
I'm so sorry for how late this chapter came out, I've been so busy lately and I had a bit of writer's block. I had a hard to time writing this chapter, simply because I didn't want to spoil parts of the story for later. Anyway, please review and let me know what you think. Also, for those interested in what happens to Havoc, don't worry. I'll get to that soon. Hopefully chapter 8 will be out within the next two weeks. Until then everyone, FlygonN out!