Jak IV: The Avenging Angels
Howdy folks.
OK, so this is driving me nuts and I am calling upon the aid of my reviewers and readers. I was browsing profiles, presumably the profile of someone who reviewed or favorited the story, and I came across an OC Quiz on a profile. Essentially, it's a quiz you can do for an OC character and you can have them answer it. If you have one of these on your profile, review and let me know, because I want to do one for Nightingale, since she's my favorite OC.
Shoutout to the people who reviewed last chapter, which included SnowyDusk, evilanimegenious StaticBomb324, Ecofreakrsa17,Obliquew Strategies, as well as 6 new reviewers (technically 4 since two of them jut got accounts, but have been reviewing before this, but oh well),known Toothless killer, S-B216, Hollis Pierman, JakXter724,doubledamn, and Hazz4rd. I love getting feedback, and it's kinda cool that this story has surpassed the reviews that my other story had at this point. Pretty amazing.
Also, special shoutout to JakXter, who is in the process of making some AMAZING cover art for the story. It looks fantastic, and I'll be using it for Parts 3 and onward. So, special shoutout to her for being awesome and doing this for me.
Also, I was planning on doing some Chill backstory later on in the chapter, but it'll take too long to do now and get it out for my deadline. So, that'll be next chapter. In fact, I have more done for next chapter than I have for this one.
Enjoy!
Chapter 17: Fall From Heaven
Flashback:
Four Years Ago:
Chief Disten walked out the Watcher, the large ship that Jak had woken up on just four years later. He was followed by an Agent in dark red armor and about twenty other Agents.
Disten was garbed in all white armor, just like the Agents around him. Disten waited and allowed the other Agents to go ahead. He then walked back onto the ship and said softly into the shadows "It's OK. You can come out now"
A young girl crept from the shadows, looking terrified out of her mind. Her pale face was the only thing visible from the shadows. Disten walked over to her and smiled.
"You don't have to be scared anymore. I'll protect you. You can trust me" Disten said kindly.
The girl looked down at the floor, not responding.
Randall Disten looked at the girl and said "Miss. I don't know what you experienced in that Stronghold. But I'm here to help you"
The girl remained silent.
"Can I at least know your name?" Disten asked.
The girl looked at him, with shimmering green eyes filled pain…pain…and pain.
"I…" the girl began to say before coughing violently.
"Are you OK?" Disten asked worriedly.
"I'm...I'm Iris" the girl managed to finally say.
Disten looked relieved and said "There we go. Come on, let's go get you fixed up, and then we can figure out what happened to you"
Iris nodded and walked out of the shadows. She had very long black hair that went down to her knees, and she was very toned for a girl her age, though she was still very thin. She looked about 16 years old. She wore thin, leather like armor that left her feet and arms bare. It was held together by a few scraps of metal. Disten at first thought she was a young Marauder until she had slaughtered several of them with her bare hands with in a feat of strength he'd never seen from someone so young.
Iris and Disten walked out of the ship, and Iris gasped.
"What…where…are we?" Iris said hoarsely as she gasped at her incredible new surroundings.
"This is my home. This is our Sanctuary. A place where we can be safe. As long as you stay here, you're safe Iris" Disten said with a smile.
"S-safe…" Iris murmured.
"What are those?" Iris asked softly, pointing at the waterfalls.
"You've never seen a waterfall before?" Disten asked curiously.
"No…I've been alone for a long time…" Iris murmured.
"I see. You were trapped in that awful place for so long…" Disten said quietly.
"Well, you can recover here for as long as you need to" Disten said.
Iris frowned and said "How…"
Iris frowned, as if trying to remember how to speak, and said "How do I know I can trust you?"
Disten pulled a black shotgun from off of his back and tossed it to Iris, who caught it with surprise. Iris grabbed the shotgun and immediately liked how it felt in her hands. It was as if this weapon were made for her.
"There. You're armed, I'm not. If you don't feel like you can trust me, shoot me in the head at your earliest convenience" Disten said with a smile.
Iris admired the gun with awe, having not seen such a thing since she was very little, and then nodded. The two walked down the snow white hallways, which nearly blinded Iris after being in the dark for so long.
"Too bright" Iris whispered almost too quietly for Disten to hear.
"You'll get used to it. I promise" Disten said kindly.
Disten took Iris to the Infirmary, where a tall man with long black hair and goatee walked out of it. The man regarded the duo with a nod, and then walked down the hallway. Iris took note of the skull on his armor and the blood-red accents. She felt a shiver run down her spine for some reason.
Disten ushered Iris into the Infirmary, where a woman with long blond hair beamed at her.
"Who's this, Chief?" the medic said.
"This is a new friend of mine who'll be staying with us for as long as she needs to. Her name is Iris" Disten said.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Kerri" the medic said cheerfully, extending her hand towards Iris, who starred at the hand for a moment before cautiously shaking it.
"I need you to give her a physical. We have no way of knowing what sort of damage those monsters did to her while she was their prisoner" Disten said to Kerri, who nodded.
Disten turned around and walked towards the exit of the room, and Iris cried out "D-don't go!"
"Don't worry Iris. I'm just going to wait outside this room. If you need me, just call and I'll be there. Kerri is going to make sure you're OK, and is going to help treat any of your injuries. I need you to listen to her, OK?" Disten said to the young black-haired girl, who nodded.
Disten slowly walked out of the room and said "Poor girl. May Precursors save the scum that did this to her"
"Chief!"
The Agent in all red full body armor with even darker accents walked up to Disten and said "Hey Boss. Where've you been?"
"Remember that prisoner we found?" Disten said.
There was a loud thumping noise and there was a muffled yell in the room behind them, but the two Agents didn't hear it.
"That little girl from the fortress?" the Agent asked.
Disten nodded and said "She's very…out of sorts. It'll take a very long time for her to adjust to the world around her. At least we found her when we did…she looks as though the hope has been bled out of her until there was nothing left"
"Think she'll ever want to join us?" the Agent asked curiously.
"Agent Rush, you know we only accept those who have lost someone precious to them from the Metal Heads. Chances are she'll just want to stay with us until she adjusts. How long that'll be I'll have to" Disten began to say before Kerri burst out of the ER.
"Chief, come quick! That girl's gone nuts!" Kerri yelled.
BAM!
The Chief and Rush burst into the room, to find a male medic lying on the floor, knocked out. A large gash was on his head, and Iris was aiming Disten's shotgun at him. Her Marauder outfit was on the floor, and her naked back was shown to the two Agents. Iris looked at the two Agents for a moment, and then turned her attention back to the downed medic.
"Iris!? What are you doing!?" Disten said.
Rush then gasped and pointed at Nightingale's back and said "W-what the hell?"
Disten then took a closer look at Iris's back and gasped in horror.
A horrible collection of scars and slashes, some fresh and bleeding slightly and some slightly healed, marred Iris's back. It looked as though this girl had been whipped raw and tortured over and over again during her imprisonment. The girl ripped the medical coat off the medic and wrapped it around herself to cover herself up. The white coat instantly became stained with blood. Iris turned around, holding Disten's shotgun tightly in her hands.
Rush glanced at Disten, waiting for instructions. Disten slowly walked over to Iris and said "Why did you do that to him?"
"He…he touched my scars…it hurt" Iris whispered fearfully, so quietly only Disten heard her.
"He didn't mean to hurt you…we just want to help you" Disten said softly.
"Liar!" Iris whispered.
Iris quickly bashed Disten in the skull with his own shotgun, taking the Leader by surprise, and sent him stumbling backwards. Iris cocked it and fired it into the air threateningly, trying to scare Rush, who was drawing his sidearm.
"Kid, you have no clue who you're dealing with" Rush said calmly.
Suddenly Iris was being knocked across the room, a red blur disarming her with a quick jab. Rush pulled the Chief to his feet and said "Learn some respect kid"
Iris slammed into the opposite wall and slid to the ground, shaking horribly. Iris slowly got to her feet, though she now crying silently, tears running down her face.
The two Agents glanced at each other and walked over to her and Disten said "Rush, hand me the healing salve. The strongest one we have"
"Sir I-"
"Now"
Rush walked over to a nearby medical cabinet while Disten said "You're very strong Iris, do you know that?"
Iris looked at him and Disten said "Let us help you"
Iris nodded, still sobbing softly. Rush brought Disten the healing salve and Disten said "This may sting a little at first, but it'll help heal your injuries"
Iris lowered the coat and hissed as Disten applied the medicine, but sighed as she felt its healing properties ease the pain in her back. After a few minutes, Disten handed the salve back to Rush, who had been watching the proceedings with interest. The sad girl's tears slowly stopped, though she still wore a pained look on her face as she buttoned the coat back up.
Rush walked back over to the girl, and knelt down in front of her. The girl looked at him and Rush looked into her eyes and smiled underneath his helmet.
"So…your name's Iris, huh?" Rush asked quietly.
The girl remained silent, but nodded sadly.
"Well, my name is Rush. Actually, it's my codename, but it's a nickname I like. Do you have a nickname?" Rush asked Iris.
Iris thought about it for a moment, and then nodded.
"This girl hasn't spoken to other people in a very long time, it'll take a while before she'll be ready to speak to anyone other than me" Disten said.
"Why does she only talk to you?" Disten said.
"Good question. Iris, care to explain?"
The girl shook her head silently, and Disten said "Rush, can I count on you not to speak about her to anyone? The medics I can talk to later, but can you not speak of her existence until we know more about her?"
"Yeah. You know you can trust me Boss" Rush said with a nod.
"Good. Go have Turo make a meal and have him bring it to my office" Disten ordered.
"Got it"
Rush extended an arm towards Nightingale who flinched, but then relaxed when she realized that he was patting her head. She sighed in relief and closed her eyes, enjoying the strangely comforting feeling. He then ruffled her hair and said gently "Be good Iris. You're in good hands"
Rush walked out of the room, and Iris touched her head in wonder.
"Are there…more people like him here?" Iris whispered.
"Like Rush?" Disten asked.
"People…who are kind" Iris said softly, as though she had never heard of such a thing before.
"Yes. We're a family of sorts here. You can be safe here Iris" Disten said.
Disten got to his feet and revived the medic, and explained the situation.
"I'm so sorry Miss. I wasn't sure how sensitive the marks on your back were. I'll be more careful next time" the medic said sincerely.
"You're sure you're OK?" Disten asked the medic, who nodded and left the room to go get Kerri.
"OK then. Iris, can you come with me to my office. There we can talk about what happened to you" Disten said.
Disten turned around and heard a quiet voice say "Nightingale"
Disten turned around and saw Iris looking at him.
"What was that Iris?" Disten asked.
"My nickname…its Nightingale…tell that man for me…the one in red" Iris said.
Disten nodded and said "Nightingale…it has a ring to it. Now, come along"
The young Nightingale nodded and followed Disten out of the Infirmary, curious and scared, but for the first time in a very long while she was also…
Hopeful.
Meanwhile:
Present:
Jak, Chill, and Daxter made their way to the Docking Bay, where an Agent in silver and green armor was waiting for them. The Agent walked over to Jak and said "I'm Agent Jet. Ranked 26 on the Leaderboard. I'm supposed to fly you to Haven City since Nymph's recovering still"
Jak shook the Agent's hand and Chill asked "Ready to go?"
"Yeah. Hop in the back and we'll be on our way" Jet said to the white-haired Agent, who nodded.
The group quickly made their way to the city, though Jak could notice Jet was nervous. When Jak asked, Jet responded with "There's been an increase in Hunter Airship activities as of late. We could get blown out of the sky at any moment"
The Raven arrived at the city without incident, and a few minutes later and trio was disembarking at the Port.
"I'll be right here. Go get Vin and hurry back. And be careful out there" Jet said to the others, who nodded.
Chill, Jak, and Daxter walked down one of the less destroyed streets, taking side roads when they could. Most of the Zoomers that had been on the street were either in use, or on fire. Or just flaming wrecks on the side of the road.
Chill shook her head and said "Those monsters…I remember when the city used to be nice. I mean, it's never been nice per say, but this…"
"I've never had the pleasure of walking down the streets when it was nice. I just want to keep the city from getting any worse" Jak replied.
"Yeah, well. It's not easy with the Metal Heads and Hunters running around" Daxter said.
"True. So many good memories though, despite what this city's been through. I remember this guy I used to date-" Chill began to say.
"And you screwed him six ways to Sunday in the middle of the street?" Daxter asked.
Chill looked taken aback and said "Just because I'm a flirt doesn't mean I'm a sex hound…"
Chill then laughed and said "OK, yeah, I'm a bit of a sex hound. But I KNOW I'm a sex hound. Besides, it's only because Blade can't be serious about a relationship"
"Seriously? Blade can't be the serious one?" Daxter said skeptically.
"Nope. I've been trying to beat it into his head for months"
"Kinda kinky if you ask me" Daxter said, and Jak burst out laughing.
Chill chuckled and said "We've degenerated into friends with benefits. He doesn't want our relationship to get in the way of what we've got to do. It's a shame really"
"So, what's with you being a 'sex hound'?" Daxter asked.
"I'm very comfortable with my body, and I'm not afraid to use it to get what I want. I've manipulated a lot of people, though I'm not altogether proud of it, but it was for a good cause. I helped in the Underground in that manner for a while. I was able to get on people's good side and gathered Intel for Torn" Chill said with a shrug.
"So is that why you've tried sleeping with every guy at the Sanctuary?" Daxter asked.
"Why do you assume I sleep with only guys?" Chill asked.
Jak and Daxter looked at each other in amazement, and Chill burst out laughing at the expressions on their faces.
"You two are just too easy!" Chill laughed.
"Yeah, I've had a few hurrahs at the Sanctuary. But I'm just having fun. Doesn't make me some sort of harlot. Besides, you're not my type" Chill admitted when she recovered.
The trip stepped out onto a new street and walked into a street filled with Metal Heads. Jak pulled out his Morph Gun and switched to the Vulcan Fury. Daxter pulled out his pistol and aimed it at the horde.
Chill laughed and said "Let me show you how a lady gets things done"
Chill tapped both sides of her temples and said "Sub-Zero"
To Jak's amazement, ice began to spread from her temples and her hands and feet. Soon Chill was immersed in a frigid armor coating that glistened in the sunlight. Chill held her hand out to the side and large and jagged ice-shards emerged from her palms, turning her arms into a deadly armor. Jak had to admit, out of all of the armor enhancements he'd seen so far…
This was probably the coolest.
One of the fierce sword-armed Metal Heads from the sewers ran at Chill and slashed at her, but she caught the attack with an open palm. Chill's other hand turned into an icy fist and she punched the Metal Head in the skull, sending it flying back into the horde.
"My turn!" Chill said dashing into the fray with a burst of frost shooting from her boots.
Chill dashed into the horde and jammed an ice blade into the throat of a Grunt Metal Head before yanking it out and stabbing a Stalker in the chest. She decapitated the Metal Head and said "Well? Are you going to stand there, or are you going to help?"
Jak grinned and opened fire with his Vulcan Fury while Chill made short work of the small horde of Metal Heads. Chill judo-kicked a Grunt in the skull before jamming a huge icicle in its skull and wrenching the Metal Head gem from the inside out. Jax switched to his Green Eco Mod and blasted apart the horde, allowing Chill to go in for the kill. Chill's armor flashed white and fifty dagger-like icicles shot from her armor and impaled the remaining Metal Heads.
When the group had been killed, Chill held out her hands and said "Revert to Regular Temperature"
The ice encasing her receded back into her armor and she turned around and said "So, now you know"
"Ice blades and ice armor? That's it?" Jak asked with a grin as he took off his helmet.
Chill took off her helmet, looking offended, and said "Not just that"
Chill pointed her palm at Jak with a grin. Jak noticed a small white circle on her palms, and three seconds later a small white ball of energy shot out of the circle and slammed into Jak's chest. Jak howled in pain as ice quickly spread from his chest all over his body.
"That too. As well as many other things" Chill said with a smile.
"Come on Jak! You're losing your touch" Daxter said with a laugh.
Jak turned into Dark Jak, quickly breaking out of the ice block. Jak reverted to normal and caught up with the chilly yet flirtatious Agent, who was walking ahead whistling.
"So, how did you join the Avenging Angels?" Jak asked.
Chill laughed and said "If I didn't think you had a thing for Night, I'd say you were trying to get a little…" Chill leaned close to Jak and whispered seductively "closer to me"
Jak rolled his eyes and said "You're not my type"
Jak then realized what she had said about Nightingale, and quickly said "And I don't have a thing for her"
"Psh. Yeah, right. Jak, I don't blame you. The girl is drop dead gorgeous, she's a best fighter in the AA, and she's so sweet and innocent, unless you really piss her off. I'm surprised you two didn't actually get intimate in that cave" Chill said with a grin.
"Well, she did kiss me on the cheek" Jak admitted before realizing that he should NOT have said that.
Chill and Daxter laughed and sang "Jak and Nightingale, sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"
Jak blushed and growled "Dax. Shut it. She was delirious with fever and she was just grateful I came for her"
Chill looked at Jak as if he were stupid and said "Wow, you really are that blind when it comes to women"
"Told you. Dense as a Lurker" Daxter said with a disapproving sigh.
Jak growled in annoyance, but reflected on their words.
If he had to be honest with himself, yeah, he was definitely attracted to Nightingale. She was insanely beautiful, she had the most pure voice he'd ever heard, and she was a powerful and capable fighter, which is kind of why he had a thing for Ashelin a few months back…
He cared about her, he knew that much. He would easily take a bullet for her, hell, he already had. Being with Nightingale was something he'd never experienced before. Someone who was a lot like him, but relied on him and cared for him as much as he cared about her.
With Keira, it was just a mutual crush, but because of the events in Haven City, it never really got to become something else. Not anything to the scale with Nightingale. He'd only known her for a short time, and here she was becoming something…more.
"Got to stop getting distracted" Jak decided, pushing off this reflection until later.
Tech's Workshop:
"All done Night. The repairs were easy, though you did a lot of the work on your own" Tech said as Nightingale walked over to her armor.
"Well, it's always good to be able to repair your armor in case it gets damaged. You taught me that" Nightingale said modestly as she examined her armor.
"So, what happened in that cave?" Tech asked curiously.
Nightingale blushed and said "N-nothing…"
Tech removed his helmet, revealing a rather handsome young man with dark brown hair, with blue intelligent eyes. He wore black glass and with a faded scar on his cheek. The young man regarded the Number 1 Agent with a knowing look.
"Come on, I've been around the block once or twice Nightingale. I know the look of someone who's in love" Tech said laugh.
Nightingale flushed even darker red and looked down at the ground, embarrassed. Tech smiled and said "Hey, it's nothing to be embarrassed about. Jak cares about you a lot, and he's always looking out for you. He's also your best friend and the guy who got you to open up and speak. It's no small wonder that you haven't…"
Tech trailed off suggestively and then took a drink of water, and Nightingale said "Why does everyone think me and Jak should have sex? Seriously, what the heck?" Nightingale said in an offhanded way, causing Tech to choke on the water he happened to be drinking at the time.
The doors to the workshop opened, revealing Tess and Blade.
"Hey Tech, I checked out your blueprints for those Disc Grenades you mentioned the day before yesterday." Tess said hopping up onto a nearby table as she rummaged through her bag.
"I found her walking down the hallway with a bunch of explosives. So, naturally I followed her. It figures that this was your doing Tech" Blade chuckled.
"Disc Grenades? You never mentioned that you were developing a new weapon" Nightingale said to Tech,
"I never told anyone about your newest weapon either. I have a lot of projects that I do that no one knows about. It's better that way" Tech said.
Tech had been around for a very long time, nearly 8 years. He remembered when Nightingale had come to the Sanctuary, and remembered the scared and silent girl who sometimes helped him repair the damaged armor of other Agents. Tech had sometimes called Nightingale his assistant, something she always had taken a little pride in.
Nightingale never spoke, not even once, to him. Yet he was proud of his assistant, who was surprisingly good at repairing armor and making adjustments to weapons. Nightingale and Tech were good friends, even before Night had opened up and spoken to Jak. Well…she at least tolerated his presence better than the others anyway.
Tess pulled out a small white and black disc; it was only a few inches big. Tess tapped the middle of it, and the entire grenade flashed red and spikes appeared along the edges of it. It was like a Frisbee from hell.
"You activated it?! Throw it!" Blade yelled out, surprised Tess had activated it on the spot like that.
Nightingale snatched the explosive and hurled it towards the empty end of the room. The device soared through the air like a Frisbee. A very deadly Frisbee. Nightingale snatched up a small gun-like device and fired it at the Disc Grenade, The explosive became engulfed in a blue circle of energy which absorbed the explosion.
"Quick thinking" Tech said with a laugh, and Night smiled and said "Thanks"
"You're a natural at building weapons. It takes me awhile to design something like that, and you did it in no time at all" Tech said in amazement.
"To be fair, my little Daxter helped me a bit" Tess said with a grin.
"So, what're you two doing?" Blade asked Tech and Nightingale.
"Doing the final touches on Nightingale's armor. It's nearly done. Plus I've made several small modifications to increase efficiency. Plus, I've added extra slots for holding explosives, and as per your request, I've added another sheath to your armor" Tech said to Nightingale, who smiled.
"Thanks. I've got another knife I want to use for the Mission, and that brings the total number I can carry with me to four" Nightingale said.
"So, how have you been getting ready for the mission Night?" Tech asked.
Tess had been filled in on the events that had occurred at the Sanctuary over the past few months, and Daxter had told her about this big mission that would involve multiple Agents, and that the Chief thought that Jak would be a prime candidate for it.
"What's this mission?" Tess asked.
"It's an assault on the main Hunter HQ. We need to retrieve an incredibly important artifact that both the Avenging Angels and the Hunters have searched for for years. The Hunters have acquired a Precursor Map that shows where the relic is. It's a shame that Rush isn't here. He'd love a chance to go on the mission" Tech said without thinking, and he realized in horror what he had said and looked at Nightingale, who had clenched both of her fists and was looking straight down at the ground.
"Rush…" Night murmured, trying to fight back the torrent of emotions that emerged when she heard his name.
"It wasn't your fault Nightingale" Blade said quietly.
"Of course it was…Every person who I trusted more than I should have, I let down. Havoc became a monster, and I could've stopped him before it was too late. But I didn't. I could've helped Rush when he got hurt too. But I wasn't able to save him. And I will never forgive myself for failing both of them" Nightingale said with self-loathing in her voice.
"You've got to stop blaming yourself, especially with what happened to Rush" Tech said to Nightingale.
"I miss him Tech. Every day I miss him. He's the closest thing I've had to a brother ever since my real brother died. He knew what I was saying without me needing to speak. He was always there for me, even when I couldn't be around others. And I let him down…I let him die..." Nightingale said miserably.
"He died trying to help you. He died the way he wanted to, fighting the Metal Heads. Besides, you gave him something he wanted to hear for so long" Tech said soothingly.
"What would that be?"
"You spoke to him. Night, you don't know it, but we've been waiting to hear you speak for a long time. To hear your voice. Rush had always been fond of you, you were his favorite out of all of us… he told me that before he died, he wanted to hear you speak to him. And you gave him his wish" Tech said softly/
Nightingale starred at Tech in wonder, and Tech said "He'll always be with you in your heart. And you know he's watching you right now. And I'm sure he's proud of how far you've come"
Nightingale smiled, and hugged Tech. Blade smiled and said "Seems like Jak's got some competition, huh Night?"
Nightingale quickly broke the hug and said "S-shut up!"
The group laughed loudly and began to speak more of "the mission" and what it would entail. Nightingale's thoughts would sometimes drift though, thinking about Jak and how he made her feel, and how the people she let down continued to haunt her.
Meanwhile:
The trio arrived at the Power Station, which was surrounded by Metal Heads, just watching the place. Jak let Chill kill this bunch, wanting to see her in action again.
Jak watched how Chill fought, and was surprised to find out that she was not as reliant on her armor enhancements as Tech had said. She was a very skilled fighter, and very good at using her environment to her advantage. She killed a huge winged Metal Head by causing a lamppost to fall on its skull, shattering the powerful Gem on its head and causing the Metal Head to electrocute itself with the burst of energy that was emitted from the crushed gem.
"Coming?" Chill said with a laugh as she gestured towards the Power Station, through of a path of dead Metal Heads.
The group quickly walked through the Power Station, where Vin appeared in a flash of dark blue light.
"Oh…it's you. Thank god…" Vin said tiredly.
"Vin, we need you to come with us" Jak said, walking in with Chill and Daxter.
"Who's that?" Vin asked, gesturing to Chill.
"I'm Chill. We've met already Vin" Chill said with a laugh.
"Wait, that voice…Nicole? Is that you?" Vin asked in surprise.
Chill took off her helmet, letting her pale blond hair fall free, and said "Yeah, it's been a while huh?"
"You two know each other?" Jak asked.
"Yeah, I was in the Underground. Me and Vin used to see each when I had to swing by the Power Strip for Torn" Chill said cheerfully.
"Wait…don't tell me you two…" Daxter trailed off.
"I think I gave him kiss on the cheek once" Chill said after a moment, and Vin laughed embarrassedly.
"That's probably the furthest he's got" Daxter muttered, and Jak bit his tongue to keep from laughing.
"Anyway, I was a double Agent in the Baron's palace. I worked closely with Ashelin and a few other key contacts for the Underground, like Vin" Chill explained to Jak and Daxter, who nodded.
"You look great. So how've you been? I wondered what happened to you all these years. But even Torn didn't know what became of you when the Baron captured you. We thought you died" Vin said in a hushed tone.
"Nearly did. They killed Karen, and I was rescued right before they tried to kill me. I joined the Avenging Angels after that to get even with the Metal Heads and Baron Praxis. What happened to you though?" Chill asked Vin, who turned into a full body form instead of just a head.
"The Metal Heads attacked the Power Station back when Praxis was still in control. I converted my entire body into data and transformed myself into an Artificial Intelligence" Vin said.
"That's incredible. But you're still in a lot of danger. I mean, the Metal Heads could come at any minute. They were just watching the place before I took care of them. We think you should come with us. We have our own A.I. at the Sanctuary; you could work with her and not only get help maintaining the Power Station, but the entire city" Chill said to Vin, who considered it.
"Her? You have a female A.I? Interesting…" Vin muttered.
"Here we go" Daxter muttered in Jak's ear, and Jak rolled his eyes.
"Fine, I'll go with you guys. It's a little lonely here anyway" Vin said.
Jak walked over to the servers and inserted a special device that looked like an oval chunk of metal. Vin yelped as he transferred himself to the device.
"Kind of cramped in here" Vin grunted.
"Can you still maintain a connection with the Power Station?" Jak asked.
"Yeah, I'm still good. Now come on, let's get out of here" Vin said to the others, who walked out of the power Station.
The group quickly made their way back to the ship, where Jet was waiting for them.
"About time. Come on, let's get back to HQ" Jet said to the others, who hopped into the back of the transport.
The ship slowly rose into the sky once more, and the two Agents reloaded their weapons and began to chat one more.
Jak reflected on the events of the past few days once he had a moment to himself and Daxter, Vin, and Chill were chatting. He reflected on his unsure feelings towards Nightingale and the attack on the city.
"I need to get stronger…I have to protect them" Jak thought to himself.
BAM!
"What the hell was that!?" Daxter yelled as the entire ship rocked violently.
"Damn it! Hunter Airships incoming!" Jet yelled as he swerved to avoid a missile.
"Warning. Five Enemy Airships detected. Return fire" Arch said to Jet.
The Hunters closed in, opening fire onto the ship. Jet tried to avoid the gunfire, but the ships just tailed him and rocked the ship with projectiles.
"There's too many!" Jet yelled as he opened fire onto one of the ships.
"I'll handle this!" Jak yelled as he punched open the hatch on the ceiling and stepped out onto the roof.
Jak crawled up on the roof, leaving Daxter behind. He was able to walk onto the roof with his Armor Enhancement, allowing him to stay attached to the ceiling. Jak transformed into Dark Jak and shot a bolt off Dark Eco into the sky, destroying one of the ships. Jak fired a Dark Strike at another one of the ships, causing it to explode violently.
"I'm coming with you!" Chill said following Jak out of the hatch.
"Arch activate the Electromagnetic Attachment Field on the roof" Jet ordered.
Chill felt an electrical charge go through the ship, and found that her armor would stick to the ship and hold if she touched it. She felt a shiver go down her spine as she clambered out on top of the now stationary ship, several thousand feet above ground. Jak transformed back to normal to conserve his Eco.
Two Hunter Agents jumped out of their ships and landed on top of the Raven. One which was Shade, who landed on the roof and blasted the ship with a burst of Dark Eco, rocking the entire thing. Violet jumped down onto the ship as well, her fingers charged with electricity and Dark Eco. Jak lunged at Shade and tackled him to the ground. Shade kicked Jak off of himself and pulled out his SMG and opened fire. Jak turned into Light Jak and the bullets went bouncing back at Shade.
Chill began to exchange blows with combat knives with Violet, who shot a burst of lightning at her. Chill drew her pistol, sidestepped the bolt, and shot Violet three times in the chest.
Violet fell to one knee, clutching her wounds tightly. The injuries suddenly sealed up in a flash of purple and Violet got to her feet, drawing a long saber that was attached to her waist. Chill created a long blade of ice and readied herself.
"Die!" Shade roared, unleashing a Dark Bolt towards Jak, who jumped high into the air and as he landed, threw a grenade at Shade. Jak landed unsteadily back onto the ship, and realized that jumping while several thousand feet in the air on a not moving ship was an INCREDIBLY stupid thing to do.
Shade sidestepped the grenade and watched idly as it flew off the ship. Shade turned around to see Jak opening fire onto him with the Blaster Mod. Shade threw up a force field of Dark Eco, which absorbed every single shot fired.
"The hell? I can't even do that" Jak said in disbelief as he put away his Morph Gun.
Shade pulled out a longsword made of some sort of black metal and charged at Jak, who ducked under his initial slash and kicked him in the back. Shade growled angrily and delivered a series of power and quick strikes, but Jak was far too nimble. Jak rolled underneath Shade's outstretched arms and Jak grabbed Shade's wrist and hurled him off the ship with an almighty throw.
"Shade!" Violet yelled out as Shade tumbled off the side of the ship.
Shade reappeared in a burst of Dark Eco on top of the Ship, growling angrily.
"OPEN FIRE!" Shade ordered the remaining three ships.
"Damn it! Arch! Can you activate the Eco Shield?" Jet asked.
"No. Maintaining the Electromagnetic Attachment Field on the ship from this range is difficult enough. If I activated the shield, Agent Chill would fall off the ship." the A.I. replied
"Hey, Vin? Think you can help her out?" Daxter asked.
"Uh, I'll try. I don't really like meeting new people, I'm very awkward" Vin said.
Jet looked at the three ships, readying their weapons. He readied the Eco Shield as Daxter hopped into the front seat of the ship.
Daxter plugged Vin into the dashboard of the ship, and they heard Vin say "Um…hi"
"Don't get comfortable buddy. I was here first. Now activate the shield or I'm deleting you" Arch said sternly.
"Sheesh…testy, OK, let's see how the system works…"
"HEY! Watch where you're searching!" Arch yelled indignantly.
"Sorry! There we go, Green Eco Shield" Vin said with a nervous chuckle.
A green barrier encompassed the fighters protecting them and ship from the series of lasers and bullets that rained down from the Hunter Airships.
Shade and Violet looked up, realizing that they were now on their own. Jak took advantage of this and drew Nightingale's knife and lunged at Shade, who yelled out as his longsword was knocked from his hands and went flying off of the ship. Jak jammed the knife into Shade's chest and kicked him in the stomach before delivering a powerful roundhouse kick to his head, sending him crashing onto the ground.
"Take this!" Violet yelled, sending a bolt of lightning at Jak, who yelled out in agony as the electricity coursed through him. Jak dropped his Morph Gun and it fell back into the cargo hold of ship, out of reach.
"HEY B*TCH!"
"What?" Violet said turning around.
Chill's palms were charging with icy energy, and twenty bursts of ice shot out of her hands, each of the them hitting Violet in the chest. Violet groaned as the icy cold seeped through her, and she fell to her knees.
Jak slowly got to his feet just as Shade yanked Nightingale's knife out of his armor. He threw the knife at Jak, who caught it and flipped it in his grip.
Shade pulled out a combat knife, which seemed to be glowing white. Jak recognized it though; it was one of Nightingale's special knives. One of the ones that she reserved for emergencies.
Shade lunged at Jak, who lunged at Shade.
Violet got back to her feet and broke free from the ice prison and tackled Chill to the ground, Chill and Violet rolled along the edge of the ship before Chill yelled out in pain as Violet blasted her in the chest with a bolt of lightning, causing her and the pistol in her hand to go flying off the edge
"CHILL!" Jak yelled, turning into Light Jak and blasting Havoc with a burst of Light Eco, sending him sprawling backwards with a yell.
Chill soared back onto the ship, riding a cloud of what seemed to be ice particles. She fell back onto the roof of the ship and kicked Violet in the skull, sending her rolling down the length of the ship and off the edge. She let out a yell before reappearing on top of the ship again, albeit dazed from using her Dark Eco powers.
Shade kicked Jak in the chest, sending him skidding backwards, and then drew his pistol and shot Chill twice, who cried out as the bullets went through her left shoulder.
"Chill!" Jak yelled.
Chill fell onto the roof of the ship, trying to keep herself from bleeding anymore. She pulled herself into a sitting position, and was startled to see the blood was pouring from the wound.
"Sub-Zero!" Chill gasped as she clutched her chest, encasing herself in ice once more.
She couldn't use her enhancement too often; she had to let charge back up. The cold and ice would keep her from bleeding out, but she wasn't in much of a position to help Jak, and she would need medical care very soon. Violet got back to her feet and was advancing towards her with a jagged looking knife. Chill slowly got back to her feet, panting heavily.
"RAH!" Jak roared as he turned into Dark Jak and lashed out at Shade, who yelled as his armor was ripped open by Dark Jak's razor sharp claws.
"Bingo" Shade replied with a horrible smile as blood gushed from the slash on his chest.
Shade tightened the grip on the knife in his hands and stabbed Dark Jak in the chest with it, who snarled as the knife pierced his chest. Dark Jak then yelled out as the strange knife began to flash white and began to pump light Eco into him. Chill looked at Jak in concern as his skin began to flash back and forth between its regular tone and the darker tone it was supposed to have. Dark Jak began to convulse and stumbled backwards weakly as the knife flashed white over and over again.
"The mighty Mar…cut down by the very light that the Precursors so zealously praise" Shade said softly as Dark Jak slowly fell onto the roof of the ship, coughing up blood.
"Jak!" Chill yelled weakly.
Chill mustered up whatever strength she had left and disarmed Violet, sending her knife flying off the ship, and slashed her in the chest. Chill kicked Violet in the skull, sending her tumbling backwards and onto the ground. Chill jammed a large jagged icicle into her chest, so she couldn't get back up.
"DIE!" Shade yelled as he fired a blast of Dark Eco at Dark Jak, sending him flying off the edge of the ship and out of sight.
"NO!" Chill screamed in horror as Jak fell out of sight.
"We're done here. He can't change forms, so he'll be stuck wherever he lands. No need to waste our energy now that our main target has been neutralized. Fall back" Shade said as he began to disappear into thin air. Violet slowly got to her feet and vanished on the spot.
The ships departed, leaving Chill standing on top of the ship in horror at what just occurred.
End of Chapter:
Hmm…quite the predicament, huh?
So that's it for now, let me know what you all thought of this chapter in the form of a review. Next chapter will include Chill's backstory, Nightingale kicking more a$$, and a showdown for the ages!
Until next time, FlygonN out!