Jak IV: The Avenging Angels
Happy Holidays to all of you reading this! Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy Kwanzaa! My you have a happy new year as well!
So, I finally got that job that I talked about like 5 chapters ago. So, my update frequency will probably be somewhere from 2-4 weeks. I'm saying that because I have NO CLUE what my schedule is going to be like with school and work, so, I'm giving you a heads up now.
Sidenote, if I mess up on something grammar or spelling wise, feel free to let me know. I tend to miss a few details when re-reading it, and it looks different to a pair of fresh eyes as well.
Anyway, usual shoutout to the folks who reviewed last chapter, which included Ravens of Blood, CrimsonWolf999, Ecofreakrsa17, StaticBomb324, evilanimegenious, Oblique Strategies, Archangel Azrael, as well as a new guest reviewer known as Hazzard. Thanks for the feedback and support everyone!
Enjoy. And I hope you enjoy this Christmas present.
:D
Chapter 15: Eye of the Storm
The Metal Heads came hard, and they came fast. As the rain clouds above the city began to pour rain down upon the inhabitants, the battle began and the blood began to spill. The four AA Agents reacted first, and then the Freedom League sprang in action.
"Jak! You're with me! Nymph, protect the ship! Rune, go help Ashelin and Torn!" Blade yelled as he drew his Galvasword and discharged a burst of green lightning at a group of Ginsu Metal Heads.
Jak ejected his Blue Eco Mod and put in his Green Eco Mod. Blade glanced at him and said "Put all three in at once!"
Jak did as he said, and to his surprise, all three Mods fit inside different slots in the Morph Gun, and he could easily switch in between the three guns. Jak grinned and switched to his Blaster Mod and opened fire on the hordes of Metal Heads.
Blade yanked out two Barrier Knives, tapped the blue gem in the center of each of them, and hurled them into the sides of the buildings. He pulled out a third knife and tapped the jewel in the center of it.
Beams shot from each of the Barrier Knives so that a triangle of lasers formed a large barrier. Blade let go of the knife he was holding and let it float in place for a moment as the Metal Head changed towards him. He then grabbed the knife in front of him and flung it downward. The laser triangle formed by the knives began to spin wildly, taking out all of the Metal Heads that were charging towards him.
Jak jumped into the fray, firing left and right. Daxter opened fired with his pistol, scoring headshots right and left.
"Now this is more like it!" Daxter laughed as he tripled-tapped a Grunt in the chest.
"Cover me!" Jak muttered as he reloaded his Morph Gun.
Jak switched to the Vulcan Fury and unloaded onto the stream of Metal Heads, determined to keep them from attacking the civilians.
Shade came out of nowhere and kicked the Morph Gun out of Jak's hands and tackled him onto the ground. Daxter went flying from Jak's shoulder and watched in surprise as the two rolled on the ground. Jak reached for his pistol, but Shade made sure Jak couldn't get the upper hand.
Daxter scowled and said "Hey!"
Shade glanced at Daxter and was surprised when a bullet went in between his visor. Daxter reloaded his pistol and said "No one gets the drop on Jak"
"AGH! RIGHT IN THE EYE!" Shade howled in agony.
Jak rolled out from under Shade's body and grabbed his Morph Gun and said "Thanks Dax"
"Hey, with all the other times I've bailed you out of trouble, why end the streak?" Daxter replied as he hopped back on Jak's shoulder.
"Where do you think you're going?" a voice asked Jak as he began to walk away.
Jak looked behind him and saw Violet and Siren helping Shade to his feet. Shade plucked the bullet from his visor and flicked it onto the ground.
"That hurt. For that, I'm skinning you alive" Shade growled as he pulled out an SMG and aimed it at Jak.
"HEY!"
The three Hunter Agents looked to the side. A dagger flew in between Shade's eyes while a barrage of bullets fired upon the other two female Agents.
"AAAAGGHHH! AGAIN WITH THE F***ING EYES!" Shade yelled in pain.
Shade yanked the knife out of his face and blindly lunged at his attacker, who ducked under the blow and judo flipped him through the air.
"Jak! Back me up!" Rune said activating Aptos and spinning it wildly around her, radiating Red Eco.
"GET HER!" Shade roared, blindly lunging towards Rune with Dark Eco bursting from his hands.
Rune growled and two jagged spikes sprang from both ends of Aptos. Rune ducked under a dark-charged fist and delivered a series of quick strikes to Shade before running him through with Aptos.
Jak jumped back into the fray, unloading on the remaining Hunter Agents with his Green Eco mod, firing away at them. Siren looked at Jak and reached towards her neck, for the device the knocked him and Nightingale out last time.
Daxter aimed his pistol and shot Siren in the hand, causing her to yell out in pain and clutch her hand. Jak sprinted up to her, dodging the hail of gunfire, and fired five point blank shots to Siren, sending her flying into a nearby building.
A huge serpent-like Metal Head suddenly lunged at Jak from the side and he jumped back to avoid it. Jak laughed and aimed his Morph Gun skyward and switched to the Vulcan Fury.
"Come on, let's play" Jak laughed as he opened fire on the Metal Head.
The Metal Head lunged at Jak, who jumped back as the Metal Head slammed into the ground. The Metal Head hissed and lunged again. Jak kicked off the ground and into the air, landing on top of the Metal Head's back. Jak sprinted as fast as he could as the Metal Head turned around and snarled at him. Jak and Daxter fired into the face of the Metal Head, which roared and reared its head back again.
A green burst of lightning slammed into the back of the Metal Head's skull and it whirled around to see Blade standing in the street, Galvasword electrified.
Jak put away his Morph Gun and transformed into Dark Jak, ripping off his helmet as he did so. He sprinted along the back of the Metal Head as Blade kept it distracted. When he got to its head he delivered a point blank Dark Strike to its skull, killing the beast and causing it to explode in a shower of Dark Eco. Dark Jak landed on the ground and looked back at the spot where the beast was killed and spit in its direction.
Siren and Shade got back on their feet and looked ready for more. Shade pointed his hands at Blade and fired a barrage of EMP bursts at him, causing him yell out in pain as his armor seized up.
Siren began to attack Jak, who tried to bash her in the head with his Morph Gun but missed. Siren jammed two combat knives into Jak's chest and kicked him in the head, sending him crashing onto the ground.
Rune and Violet began to exchange blows, and Rune yelled out in pain as a massive burst of lightning shot from Violet's palms and sent Rune flying across the street.
Siren tapped her neck and shockwave of sound blasted from her helmet and into Jak, who yelled out in pain and was hurled through the air. Jak landed on the ground about 40 feet away.
Blade slowly got to his feet and was somehow able to dodge a shot from Shade's SMG. Blade's armor reactivated and he drew out his pistol. He knew the old rule; never bring a knife to a gunfight.
Blade took cover behind a Zoomer as Shade opened fire. The Zoomer began to spark from the damage, and Blade knew he only had a few seconds left before the thing exploded, so he slapped a grenade onto the side of the Zoomer and jumped to the side as it exploded, sending the Zoomer flying towards Shade.
"SON OF A BIT-BAM!"
Shade fell onto the ground as the Zoomer collided with his skull. Blade looked around for Rune and Violet, but they had disappeared from view. Blade turned his attention to Jak and Siren, who were now battling with combat knives. Jak gained the upper hand and disarmed Violet with a kick and jammed the knife into her collarbone. Violet blasted Jak off of her with a bolt of lightning from her palms and staggered away. Blade raised his Galvasword high into the air and swung it in an arc, unleashing a wicked bolt of green lightning that struck Violet in the back.
Violet yelled out and crashed onto the ground a few dozen yards away. Violet got to her feet angrily and yanked the knife out of her collarbone and hurled it at Jak, who snatched it out of the air. Violet realized she was outnumbered for the moment, and dashed down an alleyway. Blade glanced back towards Shade's body and it was gone.
"These guys sure know how to take a hit" Daxter commented as Jak picked up his helmet.
"It's one of the things that makes them so dangerous…they'll be back soon. Come on, let's find the others" Jak said to Blade and Daxter, who nodded.
"You go down the main street; I'll take the other route and meet up with you guys at the Port!" Blade said as he dove into another swarm of Metal Heads.
Rune was able to lose Violet and found a moment to catch her breath. She stepped back out onto the street to see a group of Freedom League soldiers protecting a group of children from a horde of Metal Heads with long blades for hands and black armor-like skin about 200 yards away. Rune ran as fast as she could, but realized in horror that she'd never make it in time.
The Freedom League fought valiantly, firing at the Metal Heads while outnumbered, but were overwhelmed and slaughtered. The children came after that, and Rune actually stopped from sheer horror at the sight of the children's dismembered corpses lying there in front of her, blood gushing from their slain bodies.
Rune took out her two pistols and aimed them at the Metal Heads, shaking visibly.
"I'm going to kill you all…slowly" Rune said coldly as she opened fire.
Jak dashed down the road and found himself near the area where the chaos had originally come from. There was a trio of Hunter Agents firing into the street with sniper rifles from the stage Havoc had been speaking on, pinning down a group of Freedom League troops. Jak sprinted towards the group and weaved in and out of the gunfire and jumped into the air, kicking one of them in the head. Jak transformed into Light Jak and deflected the gunfire off of him with a Light Barrier and back at the Hunters, who scattered and fled.
Blade danced through the horde of Metal Heads, Galvasword in hand, and delivered death blow after death blow to the swarm of Metal Heads. He bashed a Grunt in the skull and decapitated it easily with his Galvasword while firing his pistol with his other hand. He slashed his way towards Rune, who was now teaming up with Torn and Ashelin and firing into the horde of Metal Heads with her dual-wield pistols.
"There's too many! We've got to fall back!" Ashelin yelled as she scored a headshot on a Grunt, causing it to collapse onto the ground.
Torn scowled and lashed out with his long knife, slashing and hacking while firing his pistol into the horde.
Rune slapped her arm, which was decorated with a rune of an open eye-like symbol. A wicked blue flash burst from her arm, blinding about 30 Metal Heads in front of her, causing them stop their attack and clutch their eyes in agony.
"ATTACK!" Rune yelled, switching to her Yellow Eco Mod on Aptos, slipping in a small cartridge into Aptos that was glowing yellow.
Aptos changed to its 4th form, turning into wicked gunstaff. Rune charged into the horde, backed by 10 awestruck Freedom League soldiers, and began to fire into the dazed horde.
After killing the group of Metal Heads, she stopped to look at the damage the battle had caused. Many of the buildings were damaged beyond repair, and many were on fire. The dead lay in the street, with their blood flowing like water as the rain fell down, as if the heavens were sobbing at the meaningless bloodshed.
Rune looked at the carnage for a moment, and then joined back in the fight with a heavy heart.
Meanwhile, Jak was fighting a group of Metal Heads that were threatening a group of civilians caught in the crossfire. Jak ducked and fired his pistol five times into the skull of the Grunt as Daxter unloaded onto the Metal Heads trying to surround Jak. Jak ducked as a Dark Eco blast came soaring at him from behind the shield of a Stalker. Jak smiled and transformed into Dark Jak and vanished in a burst of Dark Eco.
Jak reappeared in front of the Stalker and reached through the shield like it was paper. He then crushed the Stalker's throat and caused it to explode in a shower of Dark Eco. Dark Jak spun around and delivered a series of Dark Bolts to the hordes of Metal Heads streaming down the streets, keeping them at bay and allowing the Freedom league to regroup.
"Thanks for the save Jak!" the one of the soldiers said gratefully.
"Time to take back the city!" Dark Jak yelled as he delivered Dark Strike to a swarm of Metal Heads just joining the battle, killing them all at once.
The Freedom League troops cheered and opened fire onto the crowd of Metal Heads, causing them to retreat. Jak reverted to his normal form and helped drive the Metal Heads back.
A Hunter Agent with white armor joined the Metal Heads and attacked the Freedom League soldiers with wicked bursts of wind shooting from his palms, sending the troopers flying backwards onto the ground.
Jak pulled out his knife and hurled it towards the attacker, who yelled out as the knife slammed into his heart. He fell to his knees and fell to the ground. Jak walked over to the Hunter and yanked out his knife, and without missing a beat quickly stabbed a Grunt attacking him. The Hunter's head snapped up and he blasted Jak and Daxter into a nearby store with a burst of wind. He then warped on the spot in a burst of darkness.
Meanwhile, Rune was having a bit of trouble.
The tide of the fight had carried her towards the Port, where she had to defend civilians from the Metal Heads while they looked for cover. She now under fire from a group of Stalkers, determined to get the group of civilians.
"Jak! I'm pinned down!" Rune yelled as a small horde of Stalkers opened fire on her.
Rune ejected the Yellow Eco cartridge from Aptos and put in her Green Eco Mod, activating a green energy shield to protect them from the oncoming gunfire, but it wasn't going to hold for long under the barrage of attacks.
"I can't see them from here, but I think I have a way to take them out!" Jak replied into the communicator as he ran towards the Port.
"Just do it!" Rune cried as her shield began to crack.
Jak let the Light Eco flow through him and he turned into Light Jak. Jak kneeled on the ground and held his hands close to his chest.
Light Jak closed his eyes and focused a large portion of his remaining Light Eco into a ball. Light Jak began to supercharge the ball, making it smaller and smaller until it couldn't be contained anymore. He then fired the ball, which shot off like a rocket into the sky.
"Jak!" Rune screamed as her Green Eco shield cracked down the middle.
"We're done for!" a woman screamed, cowering before the gunfire slowly breaking the shield.
Rune then yelled out in surprise as a whitish blue ball of energy fell from the sky and exploded in the midst of the Stalker Metal Heads, killing them all instantly. Rune allowed her shield to disappear and said to the civilians "Get indoors. Now"
The group thanked Rune for her help and quickly went to go find shelter. Light Jak slowly fell from the sky like an angel, landing lightly next to Rune. Light Jak reverted to normal and put his helmet back on.
"Thanks" Rune said gratefully as she lowered her shield and admired the dead Metal Heads.
"My powers are growing…I've never been able to that before" Jak murmured.
Tess and Daxter suddenly appeared from an alleyway, being chased by a horde of Grunts. Tess yelled angrily and fired some sort of pistol that caused the entire alleyway to collapse and kill all of the Metal Heads.
"Nice one!" Daxter said with a grin, and Tess winked.
"You two OK?" Rune asked.
"Aside from a few close shaves, literally" Daxter showed them a spot where his fur was missing on his tail, "we're all right"
"I was able to get into my weapons cache and got me and Daxter some more weapons" Tess said gesturing to the bag on her hip. Daxter was holding a small machine gun that was glowing bright blue for some reason while Tess was carrying three pistols.
Havoc then appeared in a burst of darkness in front of Jak and Rune, clapping slowly.
"Impressive, you managed to take out a third of the main attacking party. But you fail to realize the true purpose of this campaign" Havoc chuckled.
Daxter scowled and fired a shot towards Havoc, who caught in the bullet in his skull. Rune dashed forward and stabbed Havoc in the back with Aptos. Havoc snarled in agony and Rune kicked him towards Jak, who unloaded about forty rounds of his Vulcan Fury into Havoc's chest. Havoc burst into a cloud of Dark Eco and a Hunter in green armor with red accents collapsed onto the ground.
"Hahaha…you thought that our Champion would so willingly walk into the enemy's clutches?" the Hunter Agent gasped as he got to his feet, yanking Aptos out of his back and tossing it towards Rune, who caught the spear. He tapped the gaping, bleeding holes in his chest, which all sealed up quickly.
Violet landed next to the Hunter and said "You all right Doppelganger?"
The gaping wounds in the Hunter's body began to seal up and he said "No worries Vi. The Dark Blessing does wonders for me"
"Havoc couldn't be here himself. Sorry" the green armored Agent laughed.
Rune starred at the fake Havoc in horror.
"Wore green armor with red accents. One of the Agents referred to him as Doppelganger…" Phoenix's words echoed in her mind.
Rune smiled on the inside of her helmet.
"You all will pay…you killed Brother Skull…and the price for that is death" Doppelganger growled as he pulled out an Assault Rifle and aimed it towards the duo.
Jak charged towards the male Hunter but was stopped by Violet, who came at Jak with a knife charged with blue lightning. Jak began to exchange blows with the Hunter, who fought viciously. Violet gained the upper hand and kicked Jak in the chest before punching him in the jaw. Jak fell to the ground, but kicked Violet in the leg and flipped her, causing her to fall. Jak got to his feet and grabbed Violet by the leg and hurled her into the side of a nearby building, causing her to go crashing through a nearby window.
A large bolt of blue lightning shot from the window and Violet yelled angrily, firing a bolt towards Jak, who sidestepped it and opened fire with the Vulcan Fury.
Violet was able to get behind cover and hurled a grenade into the air, landing next to Daxter.
"Dax!" Jak yelled.
Daxter kicked the grenade back towards Violet, who yelled out as the grenade exploded by her, sending her flying into the open. Violet got to her feet and hurled a bolt of lightning at Jak, which struck him in the chest and sent him flying through and air and onto the ground, and he didn't get back up.
"Jak!" Tess and Daxter yelled.
Violet cracked her neck and said "Who's next?"
Tess laughed and said "You've got no idea who you're dealing with, do you?"
Tess pulled out a small black pistol and aimed it at Violet, who laughed.
"What's that going to do?" Violet snickered.
Tess handed the gun to Daxter and pulled out a second black pistol from her bag.
"This!" Tess said firing the pistol.
A small ball flew from the pistol and landed at Violet's feet, exploding violently. Violet was blasted backwards, but remained on her feet, though dazed from the explosion.
Daxter grinned and said "And just when I didn't think you could be any more awesome"
Tess winked at Daxter and the two began to fire their grenade-firing pistols. Violet yelled out as she became engulfed in explosions. When Daxter and Tess stopped a huge cloud of smoke had consumed Violet. When the smoke cleared, they saw her standing. She was bleeding from her chest and head, and her helmet was horribly cracked, but she was standing.
"No…I have to…beat you…for Skull…" Violet gasped.
Violet then fell to her knees and fell to the ground, her helmet rolled off her head and her purple hair spilled out onto the concrete. Tess and Daxter realized that it was Violet who had been on stage earlier with Havoc.
Three Agents suddenly materialized out of nowhere and one of them picked up Violet bridle-style. One of the other Agents grabbed her helmet, who Daxter realized was the Hunter who had attacked them wind. Another one of the Hunters was Shade from earlier, who said "Our mission is done here. We got the message across to the fools in this city. Everyone, fall back!"
And with that the four Hunters vanished.
"What the hell was that about?" Daxter asked.
"Come out come out wherever you are…" the green armored Agent whispered as he looked for Rune.
BAM!
Another bullet caught Doppelganger in the head, but he couldn't find the attacker. He glanced at his surroundings, tense for any sound.
"This is for my little sister!" a voice snarled at the Agent from behind him.
Doppelganger yelled out as steel pipe-like weapon shot through his chest, his heart impaled on the other end. The Hunter coughed violently and went limp. Rune suddenly reappeared behind him and removed the Hunter from her weapon. Jak, who had been woken up by Daxter and Tess, walked over to Rune with both Ottsels on his shoulders.
"Cloaking?" Jak asked as he admired the pool of blood and the dead Hunter.
"No one. And I mean NO ONE messes with my sister" Rune said coldly.
"Guys! Get back to the ship! NOW!" Nymph yelled in their headsets frantically.
Rune and Jak sprinted towards the where Nymph had parked the ship.
If they had looked back however, they would've seen a familiar face walk over to Doppelganger's dying body and place a finger on Doppelganger's exposed heart.
"Be healed, my brother" Havoc whispered with a smile as a dark spark flew into the slain Hunter's heart.
Jak, Rune, Daxter, and Tess saw Nymph surrounded by a group of Grunt Metal Heads and a few larger ones. To their surprise, they saw her holding them off with just a pistol, but she was obviously injured with the way she was holding her shoulder.
"We need a distraction to break through" Rune said worriedly.
"On it!" Nymph replied.
Nymph clamped her hand around her wrist and all of a sudden, about thirty copies of Nymph appeared throughout the horde.
"SCATTER!" all of the Nymph's yelled at once.
"What the hell?" Jak asked Rune as they ran to the ship.
A burst of green lightning surged by them and Blade appeared next to Jak and said "It's her armor enhancement. Advanced Holographic Projection. Each of those clones can take and dish out a few hits before disappearing"
Jak watched in amazement as ten copies of Nymph worked as on to bring down a large Scorpion-tailed Metal Head that had joined the fray. Each one of the holograms were agile and deadly. And were able to work in perfect unison with one another.
Jak then realized that this sort of enhancement must take a serious toll on the user, and he hoped Nymph could keep up the attack.
The group got to the Transport and Blade yelled "Come on!"
One of the Nymph's hopped into the driver's seat and activated the Transport's thrusters. She ripped off her helmet, her faced drenched with sweat. She closed the transport door and activated the ship, which rose into the air.
Jak noted the amount of blood seeping from her shoulder, and transformed into Light Jak and injected a very small amount of Light Eco into the wound to cauterize it. Nymph hissed in pain, but ignored Jak's presence and turned her attention to the Metal Heads attacking her hometown.
"All right you slimy scumbags! This one's for my big bro!" Nymph growled as she turned the Raven-Ship towards the Metal Heads.
"Arch!" Nymph said.
"Yes Agent Nymph?" Arch replied as she appeared in a flash of blue light from the ship's dashboard.
"Kill them all" Nymph said coldly.
"Of course. Targets locked. Firing all weapons" Arch said.
Several machine gun turrets, laser cannons, and missile launchers emerged from the Raven Ship and opened fire onto the hordes of Metal Heads in the city, effectively cutting into the attack force and giving the Freedom League a chance to catch their breath. The few remaining Hunters were caught in the crossfire as well, and began to retreat back into the shadows.
"Nice one!" Tess said with a grin.
"Good job kid" Blade said approvingly.
Nymph grinned tiredly and said "That's all I can do. We've got to get back to base, otherwise I'll pass out and we're stuck here"
Nymph flew the group away from the small fires and destruction that was Haven City and Jak realized with a hint of sorrow that this wasn't going to be over for a long time. That the fight for the city was going to be harder than ever.
Sanctuary HQ:
Nymph staggered out of the transport and collapsed onto the ground, her face white and her shoulder bleeding badly.
"Get a medical team in here! NOW!" Blade yelled at a nearby mechanic, who sprinted into a nearby hall.
Nymph passed out on the floor, but not before asking Jak "Hey…no hard feelings about earlier, right?"
Jak smiled and said "Not at all. You saved a lot of lives"
Nymph sighed and said "Good…"
A few moments later she was rushed away by medical personnel. Blade offered to report in to Disten. As he walked away, Tess let out a low whistle.
"This place is amazing…" Tess said, eyeing the waterfalls in amazement.
"Hey! Jak! Can she stay here with us?" Daxter asked excitedly.
"Rune?" Jak asked.
Rune took of her helmet, smiling, and said "Sure. If you want, we can get a room set aside for just the two of you"
"Sounds great!" Tess said cheerfully.
"Now I can sleep in for once" Jak muttered, and Daxter scowled and thumped him in the head.
Chill walked into the room, followed by Royal, and said "Jak, we've got a problem"
"Just one? Haven City just got leveled by the Hunters, thousands of Metal Heads everywhere" Jak replied.
"What!?" Chill and Royal yelled.
Jak and Rune explained what had transpired in Haven City.
Royal swore and said "Cowards! We were so close to getting control of the city again, and they had to go and-"
Royal cut himself off and kicked the side of the wall angrily.
Chill gave Royal a sympathetic look and he said "Hey, we all want things to go back to normal. It'll be all right"
"My dear, I don't think you understand. The longer this war drags on, the more lives that are lost. This stunt just ensured that this war won't end for a long, long time!" Royal said quietly before turning on his heel and walking off.
Chill sighed and ran her hands through her hair. Chill looked at the blood pool on the ground and said "Who got hurt?"
"Nymph" Jak replied.
"Really? Weird…she usually stays in the ship; it's not like her to get involved in a fight" Chill muttered.
"And who's she?" Chill asked, pointing to Tess.
"Daxter's girlfriend Tess. She designs weapons for the Freedom League" Jak explained.
"Nice to meet you!" Tess said cheerfully.
"Ditto. Come on, I'll give you a tour of the place" Chill said.
"That's kind of you" Rune said.
"More like I'm bored and Blade won't be done with his report for a while, so I've got some time to kill" Chill admitted with a chuckle.
A Few Hours Later:
Sanctuary MCC
"Over 20,000 confirmed dead, over 25,000 wounded. A third of the Freedom League is dead…what now?" Royal asked Sharpshooter, who sighed deeply.
"Who knows…I doubt Haven could come back from an attack of that magnitude. I'm just glad our guys made of it out of there" Sharpshooter said as he looked at the holo-map of Haven City.
"I can't believe the Hunters are truly allied with the Metal Heads. I mean, we've all guessed at it for a while, but…how could they believe such lies?" Royal said quietly.
"Who knows?" Sharpshooter said with a scowl.
"It is possible that they could be being manipulated…" Royal said after a few moments.
"It doesn't matter whether their doing it by choice or not. They're still the enemy and need to be put down because of what they did" Sharpshooter said.
"I agree, but knowing our enemies motives will help us anticipate them in the future" Royal said.
The door opened and Rune and Phoenix walked into the room, with Phoenix using crutches and Rune limping heavily on her right knee. Both were wearing white t-shirts and black sweatpants, and it was one of the rare occasions where it was hard to tell them apart since they were twins. Normally you could tell them apart from their armor, and if they weren't wearing that, their highlighted colored hair. But without either of those things, they looked nearly the same.
"Hey guys, how's it going?" Phoenix asked.
Sharpshooter walked over to Rune, who looked tired, and said "How do you feel?"
"Sore, but I'll recover. That's more than I can say for Haven City" Rune said with a sigh as she walked over to a nearby chair and sat down in it.
"How was it?" Royal asked, which caused Rune to glare at the older Agent.
"How was it? How was it!? It…was a massacre…people died right and left…the city was in flames…how the city is going to recover? The only silver lining is I found Doppelganger and ripped his heart out, so I got Phoenix some payback…but…that doesn't matter anymore… " Rune said miserably as she ran her hands through her hair.
Sharpshooter walked over to Rune and put a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him and stood up, throwing her arms around him. Sharpshooter muttered something and Rune hugged him tightly, trying to get any comfort from the carnage she had witnessed.
Phoenix leaned against the side of the table, looking down at the ground. She slowly clenched her fists and whirled around, kicking one of the chairs across the room. Her broken leg screamed in agony, but she didn't care at the moment.
"I should've been there!" Phoenix muttered furiously.
"There was nothing you could do in your condition" Royal said soothingly.
"Just like last time! There was nothing I could do when I got captured in Haven City! Nothing I could do in the convoy attack three months ago I was supposed to protect! I'm sick of not being able to do anything about it! It's about time I made a real difference!" Phoenix growled as she stormed out of the room, without her crutches.
"Royal, go give her her crutches. She can't walk very far without them, no matter how pissed she is" Sharpshooter said, and the older Agent nodded and grabbed the two crutches. He regarded the two Agents, still hugging, and said "I'll see you two in the morning"
Rune held her composure until Royal left the room. She broke down and Sharpshooter murmured "Alli…come on…pull yourself together…"
"It was awful James…it was just…all those people…all gone…" Rune sobbed.
Sharpshooter knew that Rune saw everyone in the AA as her extended family, and that she cared deeply for all of them. James, AKA Sharpshooter, held Rune as she sobbed for the lost, the dying, and the ones who's loved ones were lost in an attack that should've never happened.
"They'll pay…all of them…they'll pay for this!" Sharpshooter thought angrily.
Jak collapsed into his bed, exhausted and sore. He glanced at the knife Nightingale gave him, lying on his bedside table and said "Where are you? You should be back by now"
The blade twinkled in the lamplight before Jak turned it off. And Jak soon fell asleep with worries, bloodshed, and death on his mind, as well as concern for his missing friend.
The Next Day:
Knock Knock Knock!
"Jak!"
"For the love of Precursor's, can't you people let me sleep in for once!?" Jak growled and he tossed his blanket off of him and opened his door.
It was Royal, who looked very concerned and distracted.
"Good morning dear boy. Just thought I'd let you know that your ranking on the Leaderboard rose again, thanks to your efforts in Haven City. You're scheduled for a Ranking Battle with me in a few days since you're 21 and I'm 20 on the Leaderboard. Just thought I'd give you a friendly heads up" Royal said.
Jak grunted and started to close his door.
"The Chief also has a mission for you…it's about Nightingale" Royal said seriously.
Jak nodded and closed his door again, this time with no intentions of going back to sleep. Jak suited up and headed to Disten's office quickly. He found Disten running his hands through his hair, looking worried.
"What's wrong with Iris?" Jak asked.
"Nightingale has vanished. She's disappeared from our radars; we can't get a lock on her location. We think she deactivated her armor's tracking chip." Disten said.
"What!?" Jak said in surprise.
"She requested to go to Haven Forest and finish a mission she failed to do a year ago. She failed to return in the amount of time I told her to be back in, so I'm sending you to find her and back her up, and to get her back here. There's more…a severe storm system is going to be travelling over Haven City for the next few days, so traveling back will be dangerous. I'd recommend packing several days' worth of supplies and staying in a cave in the forest, or under some type of shelter" Disten said.
"Anything else?" Jak said.
"Jak…you know how Nightingale is…she's…she demanded this mission, even though she failed it before…I guess it's because…" Disten trailed off.
"Because?"
Disten shook his head and said "It doesn't matter…"
Jak nodded and said "She'll be brought back safe and sound, don't worry"
"Jak…go to her…find her, and bring her home. Remind her that we care for her…that you care for her…please" Disten said quietly.
"I'll bring her back safe" Jak replied as he walked out of the room.
"Nightingale…Iris…what happened….why are you doing this?" Jak murmured as he walked down the hallway.
"It's going to be hard to get to her" Daxter said.
"Dax. You'll have to sit out for this one" Jak said.
"I'll stay in the MCC and keep radio contact" Daxter said.
"Thanks. Come on, I need to see Tech"
A few Hours Later:
"So, can you do it?" Jak asked Nymph.
"Well…normally I wouldn't…but I kinda owe you both, so…I'll get you there. But you'll have to find your own way back. My ship can't maneuver through that forest, and I can't spend too long flying with my arm" Nymph said gesturing to her bandages.
"All right, I'll be back with Nightingale soon" Jak said to Disten and Daxter, who nodded.
The unlikely duo hopped into the ship, which rose into the sky.
The ship flew into the dark and stormy sky, towards Haven City. As they flew over the city some time later, Jak scowled as he saw Freedom League soldiers putting out fires or moving the dead. Nymph sighed and said "It's always been like this…"
"I've only been in this time period for a few years, so I wouldn't know" Jak said.
Nymph didn't even blink in surprise. Instead, she looked wistful and said "Must have been nice…to not have to worry about those damn things every day"
"You said back there when you attacked the Metal Head's that "this one's for my big bro". What was that about?" Jak asked.
"Well…my brother was in the Krimzon Guard. I…I always looked up to him. He was a great guy, not one of those corrupt jarheads that used to be around a few years back…He was my idol, my hero, and my best friend. He helped protect the weak in the city, and was looked up to by everyone in my neighborhood. I always dreamed of being strong like him, and helping people. He died along with five others when a Metal Head swarm ambushed him at the Pumping Station…I joined the Krimzon Guard when I was 18, and eventually joined the Avenging Angels after two years. Can't say that I've been the best person though…what would my bro think of how I've acted..." Nymph said quietly.
"What happened between you and Nightingale anyway?" Jak asked.
"It…it's not my proudest moment. I had just joined up, I was so excited. Everyone was really nice and greeted me with open arms…except Nightingale. I kind of kept trying to get her to talk, I guess I came off as annoying…she lashed out at me on my first day, knocking me right into one of the waterfalls in the Docking Bay. All of the others laughed at my reaction while Nightingale just…watched. I felt so…jealous. She was the best. So powerful, nimble, the Chief's favorite…and when I saw her face the first time…I thought she was going to be hideous or something…like a monster…but no, she had me beat in beauty as well…" Nymph sighed.
"I felt so overcome by jealousy…and I saw how see looked at…" Nymph stopped herself. Jak didn't know how Nightingale felt about him, did he?
"I saw she cared about you, so I taunted her and used you to break her spirit…after you, Nightingale, and Blade knocked some sense into me…I realized I was the monster…that I was just torturing a girl who had been through enough already" Nymph said with a shaky sigh.
Jak saw the shame on her face, and found he wasn't mad at her anymore. If anything, he respected her more for coming clean and admitting all of that.
"You're not a bad person" Jak said after a few minutes.
"Really?"
"No. You just made a few bad decisions. We all do it. The good thing is you're trying to change" Jak said with a nod.
"T-thanks Jak" Nymph said with a smile.
Arch appeared in a flash of light and said "You're coming close to your destination Agent Nymph"
"Thanks Arch. Always good to know you're looking out for me" Nymph said gratefully as Nymph grabbed the wheel.
Jak realized that she had been talking the whole time without her hands on the wheel. Nymph noticed Jak's surprise and said "I had Arch drive the ship for the most part. I didn't realize how painful flying with my shoulder is, and the pain meds I have to take don't exactly clear me for driving this thing, so I haven't taken them yet"
Jak shrugged as Nymph gained control over the ship and said "Preparing for decent"
The ship slowed down and began to descend down to the forest floor. Jak glanced at Nymph, whose face was contorted in pain. The ship landed on the ground and Nymph said "Get out and find her"
Jak nodded and opened the door. Nymph sighed in relief and pulled out a syringe. She jammed it into her shoulder and said "Ah…sweet relief"
"Agent Nymph, you know you're not allowed to drive while on that medication" Arch warned the Agent who flew the ship back into the air.
"That's why you're flying me back Arch" Nymph said with a smile as she reactivated the auto-pilot.
The A.I. laughed and said "My pleasure"
Jak landed onto the ground and sprinted through the forest as fast as he could. As Jak came to a clearing, next to a giant cliff that led out to a 500 foot drop, he grinned. When he came to the large ledge he rolled and then kicked off the ground, shooting forward like a dart off the cliff. Jak soared through the air and stuck his feet out to meet and side of the cliff, where he landed…standing on the cliff face.
Flashback:
"Gravity Boots eh? I actually have a few of those enhancements ready to be installed. You sure that's what you want?" Tech asked.
"Yeah. My ranking is 21 on the Leaderboard now, so I should be able to get enhancements soon. It'll be really helpful to have when I'm low on Eco" Jak said.
"Why does Jak get all the cool stuff?" Daxter asked.
Flashback End:
Jak walked alongside the cliff, keeping an eye out for any disturbances.
"Roaaaaah!" a Metal Head roared.
Jak sprinted alongside the cliff, grateful that if he fell he could fly to the ground. Jak eventually heard the sound of a shotgun being fired in the distance.
And then Jak slipped.
"AAAHHHH!" Jak yelled as his foot slipped on the wet rock face and he fell to earth.
Jak turned into Light Jak and fell to the ground lightly, and then reverted back to his regular form. Jak scowled and realized he would have to practice before he got the hang of this enhancement. Jak continued to scour the forest while the rain poured around him, making it difficult to see. Jak followed the gunshots, determined to find the black-haired solider.
Jak walked up alongside a tree that was about 80 feet high, and felt a sense of satisfaction as he walked up it no problem, shattering the laws of physics.
"Where are you?" Jak muttered.
He heard the sound of a shotgun being fired again, as well as a yell in the distance that sounded like the M.I.A. Agent. Jak ran back down the tree, slipping again, and made his way towards Nightingale.
Jak came to a clearing and out of instinct, jumped to the side. A massive bolt of lightning struck the ground where he had been just seconds before, and Jak realized the wisdom in laying low in the forest until the storm blew over.
Jak finally found her, firing her shotgun over and over again into the face of a giant Metal Head in the middle of a ravine. The Metal Head had the body of an ox, but had purple armor-like skin with horns capable of tearing through a Hellcat Cruiser with ease. It was one of the biggest and fiercest looking Metal Heads Jak had ever seen.
And it was crying.
Black tears running down its face, which was covered with burn marks. It had been dismembered to the point where it was just a crying head and torso. Two other Metal Heads behind it lay dead.
"P-please…e-end…it…" the Metal Head whimpered in agony on the ground as Nightingale fired again.
"NIGHTINGALE!" Jak yelled.
Nightingale's face turned towards Jak, illuminated by the lightning flashing around them. Nightingale out her shotgun on her back and threw a grenade down the Metal Head's throat.
The Metal Head convulsed and died as the explosion tore apart its heart, and it dissolved into a cloud of Dark Eco. Nightingale looked away from Jak and stumbled away from him, eventually falling onto her knees next to a small mound.
Jak slowly walked over to Nightingale, whose face was drenched from the rain. She was bleeding from the side of her head as well as several spots in her armor. Nightingale didn't move as Jak approached her, and Jak realized what she was kneeling next to.
A grave.
It was a mound of dirt with a stone slab standing as a grave marker. A red cracked helmet, the kind AA Agents wore, was lying next to the grave marker, which Jak realized had an inscription on it.
"Here lies Agent Rush, who died in his mission to save this world from the Hora Quan.
May he rest in peace"
Nightingale continued to remain still, her eyes closed tightly. Jak kneeled down on the ground and said "Night…you OK?"
Nightingale opened her eyes and said in a raspy voice "You're better?"
"Of course. Why are you out here, all by yourself?" Jak asked.
Nightingale sighed and said "It's….it's a long story…and I don't-"
"Iris, you've got to stop suppressing your feelings. The only way to get over these things is talk about it, not bottle it up" Jak said firmly, but not harshly.
Nightingale slowly got to her feet, picking up her helmet. She took one glance at the makeshift grave, and then looked up at the sky as a bolt of lightning soared overhead. Nightingale swayed on the spot and said "I think…I think I'm going to be-"
Nightingale then spun away from Jak and vomited onto the ground. Jak watched in concern as Nightingale fell to her knees panting heavily and wiped the bile from her mouth. She then began to pound the ground with her fist, sobbing quietly. Jak kneeled down next to her and said quietly "I'm going to set up camp in the cave over there, come join me when you're up to it, OK?"
Nightingale nodded and let out a howl of misery. Jak walked over to the cave and began to set up camp. He gathered branches for a fire and began to sort through his supplies. He took off his helmet and set it on the ground and tapped a small button on the side of it.
"Hello Agent Chiaroscuro. How is your mission progressing?" Arch asked as she appeared in a flash of blue light.
"Mission accomplished. I need to talk to the Chief" Jak said.
"Of course. One moment please" Arch said as she disappeared.
Jak tended to the fire until Disten appeared as a hologram.
"Jak! How is she?" Disten asked.
"She's…upset. Who was Agent Rush?" Jak asked.
"She still blames herself…" Disten said shaking his head
"Who was he?" Jak demanded.
"He's a former Avenging Angels Agent. He was the former Number 1. Nightingale was at the #2 Rank when he died, so she got promoted to the Number 1 Rank. I also have reason to believe he was the first person Nightingale learned to trust after her imprisonment." Disten replied.
"How did he die?" Jak asked.
"About a year ago, he and Night went on a mission to kill a group of Metal Heads in Haven Forest. It was in the midst of a powerful thunderstorm…Rush was struck by lightning while on the mission and died as a result. Nightingale didn't tell me anymore than that, but I'm assuming since we never got his armor or his body back that she buried him in Haven Forest"
Jak sighed and said "Night…"
"Have you found a secure place to lay low for a while?" Disten asked.
"Yeah" Jak replied.
"Good. Stay in Haven Forest for a few days; try to get Nightingale out of this slump she's in. I'll notify you if anything else comes up" Disten said.
"OK. Jak out" Jak said ending the transmission.
Jak continued to tend to the fire, adding some of the few dry branches he had been able to gather to the fire. Jak walked to the outside of the grave and saw Nightingale still kneeling by the grave. Jak walked over to her and said "Hey…"
Nightingale looked up at him, the picture of misery. Her eyes bright red and bloodshot, but her voice was steady.
"Jak…please just…" Nightingale's composure broke and she broke down again.
Jak kneeled down on the ground next to her and said softly "Night...you need to get out of the rain. You'll catch something…please"
Nightingale nodded and Jak helped her up. Jak and Nightingale walked to the cave, where Jak sat Nightingale down on a rock.
"I packed some extra clothes for you. We'll be here a while. Get settled while I get some food for us" Jak said.
Nightingale nodded and began to remove her armor. Jak walked outside with his Morph Gun.
"She's overcome with grief…I just hope I can get through to her" Jak muttered to himself.
About an hour later Jak came walking back into the cave with two dead Kangarats, which he was surprised to find living the forest. Jak looked around for Nightingale, but she wasn't in the cave. Her armor, flex suit, and some undergarments were thrown on the ground where she had been sitting before. Jak looked around outside and yelled "Nightingale!"
"I'm over here!"
"You OK?" Jak called.
"Yeah. Just don't come over here!" Nightingale called.
Jak shrugged and took his own armor off. He then set himself to the task of skinning and cooking the Kangarats. Jak changed into a T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants as the food cooked. Nightingale came walking into the cave, soaking wet and wearing only a towel.
Nightingale looked at Jak and said "I had to wash the blood off of me. I took a few hard hits in the fight"
"Do you want me to heal you?" Jak asked.
"Not yet. Let me put some clothes on" Nightingale said quietly as she bent down and went through he bag.
Jak chuckled and turned around to give Nightingale some space. A few minutes later Nightingale stumbled over to Jak and sat down next to him as he stoked the fire. She was wearing a pair of white shorts and a black T-shirt that went down to her knees. Jak noticed that her face was flushed and she looked weak and pale.
"How are you holding up?" Jak asked.
"I could use a drink" Nightingale said dryly.
Jak laughed and he handed a small Kangarat on a stick to her. Nightingale smelled the Kangarat and said "What did you season this with?"
Jak pointed to the small bag of assorted spices lying on the ground and Nightingale began to tear apart her Kangarat ravenously. She finished before Jak could take four bites.
"Sorry…I haven't eaten in days. I've been fighting those monsters lying dead outside for the past three days" Nightingale said with a sigh as she washed her hands in the rain.
"Tell me what happened" Jak said as he began to eat his Kangarat.
"I left the Sanctuary three days ago-"
"No. Tell me what happened a year ago. Then why you've been avoiding everyone. THEN what happened here" Jak said firmly before taking another large bite of the rodent.
Nightingale sighed and said "We'll be here a while"
"We've got time. We'll be stuck here for three whole days" Jak said.
"Get comfortable then"
"Before I do that let me heal you" Jak said as he finished his dinner and cleaned his hands in the rain.
Nightingale winced and took of her shirt, and Jak scowled. Nightingale was hurt way worse than he thought she was. Her chest was covered in large purple bruises. Nightingale had a large gash on the side of her head as well. Nightingale covered her chest with a towel, glad her fever covered her embarrassment by making her face red.
"If you keep taking risks like this, I don' know what'll happen" Jak sighed as he placed his hands on her lower chest and began to heal a large bruise and a huge slash on her stomach.
Nightingale hissed as he applied pressure to her four broken ribs and said "Jak…do you know what it's like…to have someone you completely and utterly trust?"
"Yes" Jak said immediately.
"Every time I start to trust someone…something terrible happens to them…after being imprisoned for so long, you don't really trust anyone…especially after what Jakob did to me…Rush was the first person to gain my trust...He was kind, he taught me the ropes, even though he was the top Agent and I was just a Rookie. I think he saw me for who I was, through the veil of silence I had around me…He stood by me when no one else would…It was when I finally rose to the number 2 rank that we got a mission together…it was to eliminate a group of Metal Heads that were lurking in Haven Forest"
"It was the night of a massive thunderstorm. I hadn't seen a thunderstorm in years, so I was in awe the whole time" Nightingale said as Jak healed her back.
"We found the Metal Heads. Those three that I killed…they were too powerful for us, and Rush told me to run for it…but I stood by him, like he did for me…"
"Just when it seemed like we could kill them…" Nightingale's voice dropped to a whisper.
A flash of lightning streaked across the sky and a deafening thunderclap reverberated through the area. Nightingale closed her eyes and screamed in fear, tears rolling down her face.
"Night! What's wrong?" Jak asked, concerned.
"He was struck by a bolt of lightning to the head… All I c-could do was lay there on the ground while he was b-being…" Nightingale cut herself off with a sob.
"…I f-flew us out of range of the Metal Heads and to this area…he died in my arms…I spoke to him before he died…he said that m-my voice was beautiful, and he was glad he finally got to hear me s-speak…" Nightingale whispered as tears rolled down her face.
Jak continued to heal her slashes and bruises and she eventually put her shirt back on and continued to cry. She was still roughed up pretty badly, though he was still amazed that she had taken down three huge Metal Head by herself. As soon as she was healed he drew her close and wrapped an arm around her while she cried. Jak realized now why she had been acting strange back in Haven.
It was the storm. As a result of seeing a dear friend die from the lightning bolt, Nightingale had developed an intense fear of lightning that was borderline paralyzing. Just the fact that she had come here, knowing that the storm was coming, meant that she was stronger than he thought she was.
"That must be why she's scared to go to Haven City…because it can rain there, and in the desert she doesn't have to worry about that" Jak realized as he ran a hand through Nightingale's hair.
"Jak…when Rush died, I became more distant…I had…no contact…I didn't want to make any friends, only for them to die and hurt me again…but it happened anyway" Nightingale murmured.
"Havoc…Jazon…he had a twisted sense of humor and he loved fighting and carnage…but he understood me more than anyone else did. He was forced to watch his brother be tortured and killed by the Metal Heads. Havoc was, drawn to me, he said. He could tell I had been through a lot, and he sympathized with me…said that if he had the resolve, he'd remain silent and turn away from everything as well. He said that he had always admired me ever since I joined...he also knew that underneath all that skill and silence was an amazing person, someone truly beautiful, waiting to be released" Nightingale said quietly.
"So, why did he hurt you?" Jak asked.
"Something had been off about him as of late. He had been complaining of nightmares and visions…he said I was involved sometimes, as was…Mar…it seemed crazy at the time, but with what's happened since…I think something or someone made him dark. He wasn't in control when he attacked me" Nightingale said quietly.
"Do you forgive him?" Jak asked.
Nightingale shook her head, but said "No, but I'm glad he did it"
"Why?" Jak asked in surprise.
"Because, I became friends with you. And ever since then, I've never been happier" Nightingale said quietly.
"After what happened to Rush…and then Havoc being corrupted…and then you got hurt because of me…I just…I couldn't take it anymore. I had to redeem myself for failing them…for failing you…I'm a terrible friend" Nightingale whispered sorrowfully as another tear rolled down her face.
Jak smiled and said "No you're not…you didn't let them down…you didn't let me down either…friends accept friends for who they are…Havoc and Rush cared about you Night. Just like I do"
Jak wiped a tear from her eye and Nightingale sighed shakily and murmured "Jak…"
Jak moved closer to Nightingale and hugged her. And Jak held Nightingale as she recovered her composure. She felt so safe, in his arms. She hadn't felt so…relieved, in such a long time. This was someone who cared about her…who saw through the shell of pain and bitterness and saw what lay underneath. She felt like Jak was the only person who truly understood her.
"So, what happened in Spargus?" Jak asked after a few moments of silence.
Nightingale looked at Jak and said "I'll tell you tomorrow. I haven't slept in days. I'm so tired…and weak"
"I told you you'd catch something" Jak said, noticing Nightingale shivering and her face bright with what he realized was fever. He placed his hand over her forehead and felt it was burning hot.
"I should probably stay away from you then, I don't want you to catch it" Nightingale said quietly moving away from Jak.
"Come here already, you're freezing cold right now. It'll take more than some cold to get me sick" Jak said firmly.
Jak positioned himself to where he was close to the fire and could throw more wood on in it during the night without moving. He gestured for Nightingale to come closer to him. Jak grabbed a blanket from his pack and wrapped it around them both.
Nightingale moved over Jak, who pulled her close to him and wrapped his arms around her, as if to protect her. Nightingale blushed pink and looked up to Jak, who smiled at her. Nightingale rested her head in the crook of Jak's neck. Jak rested his head on top of Nightingale's head, his chin resting in her damp black hair.
"Jak?"
"Yeah?"
Nightingale turned around and kissed Jak on the cheek, blushing madly, and said "Thank you Jak, for being my guardian angel"
Jak blinked in surprise at the kiss, and then smiled at the feelings the young raven-haired woman gave him. Jak held Nightingale a little closer to him and murmured "Sing that song for me…the one I like"
Nightingale smiled for the first time in days, and then began to sing.
End of Chapter:
Action, fluff, and satisfying reviewer demands.
Winning.
Tell me what you thought of the chapter by reviewing in the section below. Also, let me know which of the stories mentioned on my profile page you'd been interested in seeing me write. Or, you can just say you're here for Jak stories, that's fine too.
Merry Christmas everyone! And Happy Holidays to all!
Until next time, FlygonN out!