Jak IV: The Avenging Angels

by FlygonNick

As the war with the Metal Heads escalates further, Jak allies himself with a group of Metal Head hunters known as the Avenging Angels, where makes new friends and creates new bonds. Join Jak as he realizes the final Prophecy of the Precursors, finds love and loss, and uncovers the identity of the true evil that destroyed the Precursors so long ago. Cover art by TaquetoCagy.

19. Blackwood Island

Jak IV: The Avenging Angels

This was a very LONG chapter, actually my longest yet. I had to stop writing simply because I felt like it'd never get done. If there are some parts that seem like they could've gone on longer, fact is I cut that part short because the chapter wouldn't get done for another week.

I re-watched the Precursor Trilogy on YouTube. Very helpful considering I can't play the games anymore. If you don't know what it is, it's a special video, I'm not entirely sure where it came from, I'm assuming some special edition of Jak III or something, which recaps all three Jak games. But that's not all, Daxter is the one commentating. It's really funny and was very helpful for me when I started writing this.

Also, I have been working further on my Pokémon story, to the point where I'm sure that I will want to reader participation. More info on that when I have more of the story up.

Anyway, this chapter came out before an Apocalypse update, which only happened because I had a four day surge of inspiration that made me write a crapload. I've been incredibly busy with college, so pardon the delay in updating. As opposed to Apocalypse, I've been consistently working on this; it's just taken forever with homework and due to the length of the chapter.

Also, according to review and feedback, I need to work on my actions sequences. I'll keep that in mind, and if they aren't up to par this chapter, then I'll just work on it next time. Keep in mind I do read and consider all reviews. Constructive critics and feedback and criticisms is encouraged, though go easy on me this time because of the length of this chapter. I didn't mean for this chapter to be this long, and I can't spot every error (not trying to make excuses for myself, I'm just saying). It takes multiple read-throughs to get most of the errors.

Shoutout to my ever-so-amazing reviewers from last chapter, which included doubledamn, Evilanimegenious, StaticBomb324, S-B216, Ravens of Blood, Hazz4rd,Ecofreakrsa17, Oblique Strategies, a two new guest reviewers known as JakMan002543 and Mr. Mar, Archangel Azrael, as well as two new reviewers known as Aoife Calder and angel. nieves. 1656. Thanks a ton for the feedback and support everyone.

Special shoutout to the story's 100th reviewer, and one of my first reviewers since the story began, and that's Oblique Strategies. Thanks for the support for all of these chapters, you freaking rock!

Enjoy this insanely long chapter.

Chapter 19: Blackwood Island

"Nervous?" Jak asked Nightingale, who shook her head.

"I'm excited. This is the first big mission I've been on since before I started talking" Night said with a small smile.

Jak and Nightingale were sitting down on the floor of the Docking Bay, chatting while the waterfalls crashed down around them.

Jak was armed with two new Morph Gun attachments, including a very powerful Red Eco Wave Mod, , and another Green Eco Mod, which was a Mod that allowed Jak even greater range and power with his Green Eco shotgun at the cost of using two bullets per shot.

Nightingale was armed with her trusty shotgun, with ten disc grenades attached to her armor. Her whip was attached to her hip and her two SMG's were attached to her shins, with her GED's attached to her thighs.

Iris was lying down comfortably in Jak's lap, while Jak leaned against a wall. Nightingale closed her eyes and sighed contently, and Jak smiled. Daxter and Tess were curled up next to them, seemingly asleep, though Jak knew better. Daxter was more alert than most people thought he was.

"You OK?" Jak asked Iris with a small smile.

Nightingale nodded and said "All is well. So for now, I'm content"

"What's that supposed to mean? We're about to go on a dangerous mission!" Daxter yelled suddenly.

"Weren't you asleep?" Iris asked opening an eye with an amused expression.

"My Daxter is more watchful than an eagle-hawk" Tess said lovingly.

Daxter ignored both comments and said "How are you so happy?"

Nightingale sighed and said "I just am, Daxter…" Daxter gave her a skeptical look, and she gave in and said "If you really must know, I'm glad that Jak's OK"

Jak was surprised by this and said "Really?"

"I was so worried…but you're OK now. And that…well, it made me happy" Nightingale said with a shy smile.

Jak smiled and said "Thanks Iris"

"You two are so adorable" Tess commented, causing both Jak and Iris to blush.

"So, how did you get that amulet?" Jak asked Iris, who sighed and said "I got it in Spargus…I never did tell you what happened there, did I?"

"No, you didn't" Jak replied as Nightingale took out her new amulet and held it up to the light, admiring it.

"I found my long-lost uncle there, and his family. Apparently they had fled the City long before my parents decided to leave as well. I found him when I was sent by Disten to Spargus, where I was supposed to help this family who was being harassed by a strange man. This turned out to be Shade, and he was trying to capture my cousin Susan. I was able to protect him from her, and she led me to my uncle" Nightingale explained.

Flashback:

"Come in, come in" Nightingale's uncle, Stann, said warmly as he welcomed his long-lost niece into his home, which was modest but not austere. The walls were made of stone and a few pieces of furniture were in the house. Not bad for a Wastelander home.

"Your Aunt is out on a Relic Run. Shell be back shortly. Would you like something to drink? Water, tea, wine?" Stann asked.

"Tea's good. I'm not that much of a drinker" Night admitted with a laugh.

"My sister wasn't either. You look so much like her. Our looks tend to run in the family on the girls side. look! Even little Susan here looks a lot like you" Stann laughed as he gestured to his daughter, who grinned toothily.

Stann fixed Nightingale a cup of tea and even set aside some biscuits and honey, both of which were rather hard finds as far as Spargus went.

"The times in Spargus are much better than in Haven City, that is for sure" Nightingale commented as she took a sip of the cool tea.

"It's a nice change of pace, but I can't imagine what they're going through in Haven. Those people catch a break…it's such a shame really…" Stann murmured as he sat down.

"Iris…I don't want to open old wounds but…what happened to you? Why did your parents die? What happened?" Stann asked.

"Get Susan out of the room. She doesn't need to hear this" Nightingale said quietly.

"Susan. Could you go to your room for a few minutes? Me and your cousin Iris need to catch up" Stann said.

"OK daddy" Susan said cheerfully as she skipped to her room.

"She's adorable" Nightingale said with a small smile.

"She's mine and your aunt's world. Our light in the darkness so to speak. Now, please…tell me everything" Stann said softly.

Nightingale recounted everything she could remember. The transport being shot out of the sky, the deadly crash. Wandering the desert, being captured. The forging of the weapon, and Jakob's betrayal…

"What a coward! I hope that gutless fiend burned alive in the Wasteland" Stann swore angrily.

"He lived, and he's the Leader of the Freedom League" Nightingale said.

"What, but…Torn!? He's Jakob? That's…" Stann sighed angrily.

"I just found out recently, I was just as shocked as you" Nightingale admitted.

Nightingale recounted, rather emotionlessly, how she was beaten and tortured over the next few years, with her uncle gripping the armrests of his chair until his knuckles were white. Iris told of how she was saved by Disten and the Avenging Angels, and how she decided to live among them until she came of age. She explained how she had joined them an made a new life for herself.

"Disten…strange fellow. His father helped found Spatgus if memory serves. He's one of the greatest-versed heads of Precursor Lore that I know of, save Seem the Monk" Stann admitted.

"He was the only person I spoke to. Save for him, I remained utterly silent. I had given up in a way…especially after Rush died" Nightingale muttered.

Nightingale spoke of Rush and his death, and how bad she took it. How she had been driven to the depths of despair, and had felt so alone. She even admitted to Stann that she had a dream that she shot herself in the heart. Stann was surprised by this. Who would think that his young, once cheerful and playful niece had been driven to such a state of sadness and dispair?

"I was so sad…so alone…every day was a struggle…this lasted for about a year, and then Jak came. He saved me from myself" Nightingale said with a small smile as she said Jak's name.

"Jak? Hmm. Interesting" Stann said.

"What's interesting?" Night asked.

"Nothing. Anyway, did you discover why that man was after Susan?" Stann asked.

"It seemed he was more interested in her amulet" Night said, pointing to the amulet that rested on the table.

"So…that's what they're after" Stann said quietly.

"What is this about?" Nightingale asked.

"Iris…they are many other ancient families besides the House of Mar. Our family holds some secrets too, and one of them is that amulet. It is one of the many keys that can open the Door to Light" Stann said.

End Flashback:

"He told me that it was just one piece to a giant puzzle, and its one my family has a connection to" Nightingale said.

Jak thought about this new bit of info, and Nightingale looked up at Jak and said "Why do they call you Mar?"

Jak smiled and said "Didn't I tell you that?"

Nightingale shook her head and said quietly "You're Jak…you're My Jak, right?"

She was scared that Jak wasn't what he said he was. That there was some deep, dark secret that he was keeping from her, and because of that secret, it would tear them apart. It would push him away from her.

"I always be Jak" Jak then smiled and hugged the Agent playfully and said "I'll always be YOUR Jak"

Nightingale realized she had slipped up, and was even more surprised at Jak agreeing with her. She blushed dark red and said "Get off!"

"Fine" Jak said laughing loudly.

"My name is really Mar. I was separated from my father, King Damas, when I was young" Jak said.

Nightingale gasped and said "Wait…Damas was the original ruler of Haven before Praxis. That means that…"

"I was the heir to Haven…at least before Praxis" Jak said with a shrug.

"You're not mad that you can't rule Haven City?" Nightingale asked curiously.

"Nah. It's more fun hanging with you guys and killing Metal Heads. I feel like I'm really making a difference, and this time, I have people I can trust by my side fighting with me. Half the time, I only had Daxter with me against a hundred Metal Heads in the middle of nowhere. Now I've got you, Rune, Blade, Chill, and the others watching my back" Jak said with a smile.

Nightingale smiled widely and said "You're not tempted by power…your truly set on helping others…you're so selfless"

Jak shrugged and said "Someone's got to do it. I'm just glad I'm not alone on this anymore"

"What about me!?" Daxter demanded.

"Besides you Dax" Jak said with a grin, quieting the Ottsel.

Daxter was interrupted by Rune, Sharpshooter, Phoenix, Blade, and Chill walking into the Docking Bay, talking loudly. Chill quickly noticed Nightingale and Jak's position, and said "Wow, look at the two lovebirds"

Jak and Nightingale both blushed without realizing it and quickly separated. Chill laughed and said "Too easy"

"So are you Chill" Blade replied, earning a smack in the head from Chill.

"Hey, one more word and I'll bust out the chains next time" Chill threatened, and Blade winced and shut up.

"It's honestly astounding how open you two are with your sex life" Phoenix said with a giggle.

"I'd rather it be private, but this is Chill we're talking about, so I'll settle for everyone talking about it openly" Blade grumbled.

"All right everyone! Are we all ready to disembark?" Disten asked loudly as he walked out into the Docking Bay.

Jak and Nightingale got to their feet and nodded, as did everyone else.

"Then load up" Disten said with a nod.

"Agent Nymph. Are you ready?" Disten asked the crimson-haired Agent, who was making last minute preparations.

"Yeah. All right guys, hop onboard" Nymph said as she hopped into the seat of her Raven.

Agent Jet, who was Nymph's co-pilot for the mission, said cheerfully "Please keep your arms and legs inside of the vehicle at all times. No flash photography is allowed, eating and drinking is prohibited, and"

Beast grabbed Jet by the neck and growled loudly, causing the lower ranked agent to shut up. Beast nodded and walked over to an open seat and sat down.

Jak and Nightingale sat down next to Rune and Phoenix, who gave them both a smile. Rune had colored her hair black and blue for the occasion. Jak then realized another thing about Rune and Phoenix.

They were pretty much identical, but Jak realized another difference between the two of them. Where Rune has several intricate tattoos on her neck (which was mostly covered up by the black leather suit under the armor), not her face, and other parts of her body, Phoenix had no tattoos. This struck Jak as odd, and when he asked the twins, they laughed and Rune said "I'm a bit of rebel where my tattoos are concerned. I got my first one when I was 16"

Jak shrugged, and returned to chatting with Nightingale.

"All right guys. Strap in, I'm about to go" Nymph called back.

Everyone secured themselves, Tess kissed Daxter goodbye, and the group flew into the sky.

Nightingale had briefed each of them both individually. Based on the schematics of the buildings, it'd be a rather straight shot to the Vault. Nightingale spoke to everyone in the transport in turns, asking them what they'd be doing. She herself would be on the team to the get the Precursor Map. The group continued to talk as they drew closer to the Island and the hundreds of soldiers and Hunters waiting to kill them all.

Blackwood Island:

Blackwood Island was once a beautiful place, known as the Evergreen Isles. It had large luscious trees and a beautiful serene coast that made it a wonderful place to be. The animals there were all friendly, and green Eco was abundant in the environment.

This was no longer so.

The Hunters had moved in and made the Island one of their bases of operations. The island was now a multi-leveled fortress with turrets, towers, and enough Metal Heads roaming to take out Haven City once and for all. The beautiful trees that once stood tall were now black trunks and skeletal looking trees, giving the island its name. The sea below the fortress was constantly churning and rolling, making any surveillance from the water impossible. The great storm clouds constantly circling the structure also made it difficult to find the fortress and see what was going down below.

It also made for great cover for the Avenging Angels.

Nymph carefully flew through the storm, with Jet co-piloting. After a few moments of flying, Nymph slowly stopped flying.

"OK guys…you ready?" Vin asked nervously.

"Hey, relax new guy. We're pros at this" Phoenix said coolly as Nymph slowly descended through the thick cloud cover.

"Easy for you to say. Activating cloaking…good luck you guys" Vin said.

"Lock and load. Everyone make sure you're in synch and your connection is good. Communication is going to be essential here" Nightingale said to the others, who nodded.

Jak was amazed at how easily Nightingale handed out orders, and everyone seemed to trust her judgment and wisdom. He recalled what Rune had said about them never having a serious injury when Nightingale was leading.

"All right. Team B, you're first" Night said to Royal, Nymph, and Beast, who nodded.

Nymph activated auto-pilot and handed the controls to Jet, who was sitting in the passenger's seat. Nymph strapped on a light machine gun that had flowing red and pink designs on it with a scope.

"You guys ready?" Nymph asked nervously.

"Keep a cool head my dear, and everything will be fine" Royal said comfortingly, and Nymph smiled.

"Come" Beast grunted as he stepped towards the back of the transport, which was opening up now.

"Activating missile launchers, napalm strikes, and Eco bombs" Jet said as he slowly flew over the facility.

Every droppable weapon the ship had was launched towards the base, the screams of the Hunters and soldiers below could be heard clearly, even several hundred feet in the air. All of the soldiers began to run over to the area that had been bombed, which led them all away from the center of the base.

Beast took a deep breath and jumped from the transport, plummeting towards the metal catwalk a hundred feet below the layer of clouds. He landed on the catwalk with a grunt, and grumbled into his communicator "Clear"

Nymph took a deep breath and said "Here goes nothing!"

Nymph took a running jump out of the transport, doing a flip in the air as she flew into the air. Royal chuckled, shouldering his rather large SMG, before saying "I better join them"

Royal looked at the others watching them and said "Best of luck to you all"

Royal walked over to the edge of the transport and jumped down. Royal landed lightly on the reinforced steel catwalk and said "Shall we?"

"OK, Team C, wait five minutes, and then follow us into the main facility. You're to be the lookout for us while we find and break into the Vault. Neutralize anyone and anything that tries to come after us. We're counting on you" Nightingale said to the others.

"Come on guys" Nightingale said as she pulled out her shotgun and cocked it.

Jak smiled and said "Ready Dax?"

"SIGH…as I'll ever be" Daxter muttered.

"Come on. We've got a Map to find" Rune said as she slid a Yellow Eco cartridge into Aptos, causing it to morph into its yellow form.

"There's a trying to look for a map, which we need to look for something joke here. I'm drawing a blank though. Any suggestions?" Sharpshooter asked the others, who looked him with a confusion.

"Bah. Whatever" Sharpshooter said as he aimed his rifle at the ground.

Rune walked over to Sharpshooter and said "Are you checking to see if the ground is clear?"

"No, that guy dropped something shiny. Of course I am!" Sharpshooter said wryly as he attached a suppressor and fired a couple shots.

"We clear?" Jak asked after a few moments.

"Yeah. Let's go" Sharpshooter said as he jumped from the ship down to a nearby rooftop.

Rune nodded and looked at the others.

"Be safe. All of you" Rune said quietly.

Rune walked over to her sister and gave her a quick hug. Phoenix hugged her sister back and said "Go kick some a$$ sis"

"I plan on it" Rune said as she sprinted towards the edge of the transport and kick flipped off of it and fell down below to join Sharpshooter.

"Blade, I'm counting on you to let me know what's happening above. Stay in constant contact" Night said to Blade, Phoenix and Chill, who nodded.

"Shall we?" Jak asked casually, offering Nightingale his hand.

Nightingale blushed dark red under her helmet and said "Of course. T-thank you"

"My pleasure" Jak said with a grin as he and her walked to the edge.

Jak transformed into Light Jak and grabbed Nightingale's hand, and two of them jumped off of transport, with Daxter screaming as they fell.

"They are so adorable" Phoenix said.

"Still a better love story than Twilight" Jet said.

"What did you say?" Blade asked.

"Nothing. Get ready to drop, I need to get out of sight and into the storm. I'm a sitting duck up here" Jet said.

"Our timing seems to be perfect. There's very little movement above ground, even though we just bombed tem" Blade said as he drew his Galvasword.

"I just hope this thing goes well. Last mission I was on, didn't go so well" Phoenix said with a grimace.

"Don't worry. Everything will be fine" Chill said with a laugh.

Meanwhile:

Royal, Nymph and Beast made their way down the stairway and immediately encountered a group of soldiers.

"Intruders! Open fire!" one of the soldiers yelled.

"Fat chance!" Nymph yelled as she made 20 clones of herself and charged at the horde.

The soldiers quickly fired at the clones, which screamed and fell onto the ground before dispersing.

"Ha! We got 'em!" one of the soldiers yelled triumphantly.

"Are you an idiot? Those were holographic projections. Though we may have injured the real one" one of the smarter soldiers said, looking around the room.

"Not quite boys" Nymph said cheerfully as Beast emerged from behind them, glowing dark red.

As Beast tore apart the soldiers, Royal helped Nymph to her feet. Nymph shook off the effects of using her enhancement, and Royal said "You shouldn't use it so much. Five or six clones should be the maximum you should use, and you're still recovering from your injuries from the Haven City attack"

"I'll be fine. Come on, we've got a diversion to set up" Nymph said walking down the hallway.

Nymph and Royal made their way into the courtyard of the HQ, where there were hardly any soldiers. Royal took care of them with a couple of quick shots to the head.

"So, I was thinking a Cherry Bomb would be a good idea for a diversion" Nymph said.

"I'd figure we take things up a notch" Royal said with a chuckle as he pulled out a small blinking device that looked like a glowing black and blue ball.

"A Harbinger H12!? How did you get Tech to…wait, I don't want to know" Nymph decided.

"This will get their attention" Royal said with a light laugh as he attached it to the base of a large tower in front of them.

"Shouldn't we get far away or something?" Nymph said.

Royal shook his head and walked back over to Nymph and said "No worries my dear"

Royal walked over to the side of a building, and Nymph followed. The bomb went off about a minute later, creating an almighty explosion that destroyed the entire tower and killed every Hunter inside of it.

"If that doesn't get their attention, nothing will" Nymph said.

Beast walked out of the nearby hallway, his hands drenched in blood, and grunted "Harbinger H12?"

"Yep"

"…Hmph" was Beast's response.

The Tower slammed into the side of the base, destroying a good chunk of it. The trio readied themselves for the soldiers and Hunters that were sure to come out. Within seconds, a swarm of Hunters had appeared, looking confused and dazed.

"Intruders! Kill them!" one of the Hunters yelled.

"Agent Beast. If you could?" Royal asked calmly.

"Gladly" Beast growled as his entire body burst into Red Eco.

"What the-BAM!"

Beast made quick work of the Hunters, incapacitating them with incredible speed. As he stood over the motionless body of the final Hunter, he roared into the sky.

"He's scary sometimes" Nymph muttered.

"What else would you expect from a former Marauder?" Royal said with a small hidden smile.

Beast snarled angrily as another Hunter appeared from thin air and grabbed Beast by the skull. Beast roared and tore him off of his head, and then punched him in the skull, sending him crashing senseless onto the ground, a trail of blood seeping from his helmet.

Beast glanced at them, perhaps hearing what they had said. After a moment, he said "Come"

Beast turned around and walked towards the remaining survivors, ready to sate his desire for more destruction.

"He's…he's a Marauder?" Nymph asked in surprise.

"Oh yes. It was very surprising to everyone when Beast asked to join us. It seems as though the Metal Heads killed his little sister. Beast is a prime example of the old saying that you can't judge a book by his cover. Despite his wild and cruel upbringing in the Marauder Fortress, Beast is a very protective force. Like when he saved Nightingale and Jak from Havoc for instance" Royal said as he began to walk after Beast.

Nymph walked alongside the older Avenging Angel Agent, and said "Do you think that he and Nightingale…?"

"Yes. I believe he was a Marauder around the time that Nightingale was imprisoned as well. They knew each other before they became Angels" Royal said.

"Do you think he…?" Nymph trailed off.

"No. I think if he was one of the people who helped torture Iris, then he wouldn't be alive to help us. Disten told me that Nightingale made sure to personally kill each and every Marauder who had tortured her before she met him all those years ago" Royal replied.

Meanwhile:

Sharpshooter ducked just in time to avoid a sniper shot and quickly took aim and fired, shooting the attacker in the throat. The soldier fell to the ground, clutching their throat.

"I wish we could get the map without them trying to kill us" Sharpshooter muttered.

"Tell me again why can't Havoc just march into the Sanctuary and kill us all? I mean, he knows where it is" Daxter asked Sharpshooter.

"We have special Failsafe's incorporated into our security systems. Anything that has Dark Eco in them or has self-generating Dark Eco in them can't get in the Sanctuary. You're the exception to the rule Jak, because you've got Light Eco in you. There's a lot more to it as well, but there's a reason we call the HQ Sanctuary" Sharpshooter explained.

"So, how long until Havoc and the Hunters find a way around the failsafe?" Jak asked as he dodged a blast from a gunstaff.

"Who knows? Weeks, months, years?" Sharpshooter replied as he jumped from his cover and fired a series of shots, taking out several other soldiers that were firing at them from the hallway.

Jak made a move to go down the hallway, but saw a group of soldiers advancing towards them from a side room. Jak transformed into Dark Jak and grinned evilly.

"Time for some fun!" Dark Jak laughed as the soldiers opened fire.

Dark Jak vanished in a burst of Dark Eco and reappeared in a burst of darkness, tearing apart the soldiers with ease using razor sharp claws and insane strength. Nightingale flew by Dark Jak while Rune slipped by using her cloaking to go into the next corridor. Sharpshooter calmly walked down the path, firing his sniper rifle at seemingly random points into the sky. Dark Jak glanced at where Sharpshooter had fired his last shot and saw a limp body fall from a metal catwalk and plummet into the water.

Sharpshooter looked at Jak and said "Unlike them, I like to fight smart. I just delayed response teams by a good five minutes"

"I could've delayed them by ten minutes" Dark Jak grunted.

"I could've delayed them by thirty" Daxter added.

"Come on you bozos. We can't leave our ladies waiting" Sharpshooter said jokingly.

Jak returned back to normal and said "I don't have a thing for her"

"Sure you don't. And Chill isn't going to bang Blade tonight" Sharpshooter said as he reloaded his rifle and walked into the base.

"I heard that James" Blade said with a growl.

"I did too" Chill said cheerfully over the radio.

"What the-? Get off the line!" Sharpshooter yelled.

"Nah. There's no one over here. I think the response teams are delayed or something. Did you do that?" Chill asked.

"Yeah, any action where you guys are at?" Sharpshooter asked.

"Nope. I-hold on" Chill said.

Sharpshooter heard the sound of gunshots and heard Chill say "I may have to call you back"

Sharpshooter ended the transmission, shaking his head.

The two walked inside of the complex, where Nightingale and Rune were crouched behind a large metal crate. It seemed as though the fortress was half base, half warehouse.

"Come on, this way" Night said as she crept down the hallway.

The group made their way through the base, working together to fend off the soldiers. Everything went perfect until the first Hunters arrived.

These Hunters were all armed with sniper rifles. A larger Hunter with a huge sniper rifle was at the end of a long hallway, standing tall while the others were crouched low and aiming their sights down at the AA Agents. He seemed to be the leader of this particular bunch. Siren could be seen standing behind them, her helmet off and bandages wrapped around her throat. Her black hair was tied in a ponytail, and her grey eyes looked at Nightingale down the hallway with apprehension.

"TAKE COVER!" Night yelled as she ducked under a nearby pillar.

"OPEN FIRE!" the Sniper Hunter Leader, who seemed to be a pretty high ranking, said to the others, who fired their rifles repeatedly.

"Deadshot, you got this?" Siren asked the Sniper Leader, her voice sounding rough and shaky.

"Yeah. And don't talk Siren. You're still recovering" Deadshot said quietly as he crouched and aimed his rifle.

Rune snarled after about two minutes of being shot at and said "This is taking too long…"

"I've got an idea. Give me a sec, OK?" Night murmured.

"I've got an idea too" Jak said as he stood up.

"Jak, what are you doing?" Night asked.

Jak answered by turning into Light Jak.

"Jak, no. Stay here, we need to think of a plan that's-" Jak ignored her and sprinted out from cover, towards the Hunters.

"JAK WAIT!" Nightingale yelled, sprinting from the cover after him.

"Nightingale!" Sharpshooter yelled.

"Dammit!" Rune said as she looked out from behind the pillar.

Nightingale kicked off the ground and soared wildly into the air, trying to make herself a harder target to hit. Meanwhile Jak had thrown up a Light Barrier, which was deflecting all of the sniper fire back at them. The snipers scattered and took cover as their shots were reflected back at them.

"Hold your fire. Shooting him won't help. Hit the black one" Deadshot said calmly as he aimed his rifle skyward and fired a single shot.

Nightingale saw the Hunter aim his rifle and changed directions, but the bullet, which was glowing bright blue, continued to follow her. Light Jak finally reached the Hunters and unleashed a Light Strike at the group, which scattered as the concentrated ball of Light Eco slammed into the ground and sent them flying.

Deadshot whirled around and fired a shot at Jak, who deflected it back at him. Deadshot pulled out a small dagger and blocked the sniper shot and then hurled the knife at Light Jak, who deflected that with a Light Barrier.

Deadshot fired a few shots into the air at Nightingale, who was frantically trying to outfly the bullet that was following her.

"What is this thing!?" Nightingale thought as she soared around and around.

More bullets began to chase Nightingale, who growled angrily and soared at Deadshot, who was now trading blows with Light Jak.

Light Jak ducked under a round-house kick and uppercutted Deadshot in the head, sending him crashing onto the ground. Deadshot rolled to his feet and pulled out an SMG and fired at Light Jak, who deflected the shots back at Deadshot, who yelled out as the shots went into him. Apparently his armor was thicker than that of other Hunters, because he got up without healing.

"Dark Incineration!" Deadshot grunted as he thrust out as his hands.

Black flames shot from his hands and engulfed Light Jak, who yelled out in agony as the flames burned and damaged him.

Nightingale suddenly flew into Deadshot, knocking them both to the ground. Deadshot rolled on top of Nightingale, who was panting slightly.

"Night!" Light Jak, who was changing back into Jak, yelled out in distress as Deadshot drew back his hand, charged with Dark Eco.

Deadshot laughed, but before he could do more than that the homing bullets that were stilling aimed at Nightingale slammed into Deadshot's back. The thick armor he was wearing kept the bullets from passing through and hitting her.

"AGH!" Deadshot groaned as he rolled off of Nightingale.

Jak walked over to Nightingale and said "OK…I could've planned that better"

Nightingale scoffed and turned away angrily. Jak blinked in surprise as Nightingale walked down the empty hallway.

Rune and Sharpshooter walked over to Jak and Rune said "Are you OK?"

"I'm fine. What's with her?" Jak asked.

"She never gets mad at Jak" Daxter said as he watched Nightingale pull out her shotgun and crouch behind a metal barrel, glancing at the hallway ahead.

"You can't just do whatever you want Jak. This is a mission, an important one, and Nightingale is in charge. She cares about you, so of course she'd go after you when you did that, and she was nearly killed for it. She probably feels like you don't care about her as a Leader and that you took advantage of her by acting like that" Rune said.

Jak glanced at Nightingale and remained silent.

"I'm not saying to go apologize. I'm just saying talk to us whenever you do something risky like that" Rune said as she walked down the hallway and towards Night.

Jak was about to join them when Sharpshooter said "Look!"

Jak turned around and saw Deadshot limping away, supported by two other Hunters. Deadshot looked at them said "Kill them"

The remaining snipers, who were either hiding or unconscious until now, aimed their rifles and opened fire. Jak grabbed his Morph Gun and took cover while Sharpshooter scooped up a fallen sniper rifle and pulled out his own.

"Two sniper rifles?" Daxter asked blankly.

Sharpshooter shrugged and jumped out from the cover, firing with both rifles. Two of the Hunters cried out as several bullets tore into their skulls and hey fell onto the ground, twitching as the life left their bodies. Deadshot grabbed the two Hunters holding him by the shoulders and warped with them in a burst of Dark Eco.

"Thanks" Jak said as he began to heal himself.

One of the Hunters that had been shot in the skull slowly got to his feet and hurled a grenade clipped to his belt at Jak, who snatched up the grenade and threw it away. Sharpshooter aimed his rifles at the Hunter, who shot a burst of Dark Eco at Sharpshooter, who went flying backwards with a yell as it slammed into his chest.

"You Angels…damn you all…" the Hunter panted as he tried to heal the massive gunshot wound to the skull he had, and succeeding.

Jak switched to his second Green Eco mod as the Hunter hurled another grenade, and Jak fired a huge blast of Green Eco that made the grenade explode in midair and caught the Hunter off guard. Not expecting a shotgun to have such range, he flew back with a yell and crashed onto his back.

Sharpshooter got to his feet and shakily said "I'm going to feel that tomorrow"

"I fell ten thousand feet the other day"

"He's got a point you know"

"…shut up"

The Hunter slowly got to his feet and pulled out a black cutlass and dashed towards them. Sharpshooter dropped one of the sniper rifles he was holding and aimed his sniper rifle, which charged up a small ball of energy at the tip.

"Ready…" Sharpshooter murmured as he aimed through the scope.

"Aim…fire" Sharpshooter said as he calmly lined up the shot, taking as much time as possible.

Sharpshooter fired the shot and a huge beam of energy shot from the rifle and struck the Hunter in the chest, tearing a hole through his chest and finally putting him down.

"Nice shot" Daxter said in surprise.

"It's a gift"

"Come on, we should keep going" Jak said to Sharpshooter, who nodded.

Nightingale stormed down the hallway, her mind racing.

Jak had hurled himself in harm's way once again, but this time he ignored her orders as leader of this mission…why? She was in charge, and he knowingly ignored her orders and did what he wanted to. Did he not respect her as a friend anymore?

"As if a failure like me could ever keep his respect…I'll never be good enough to deserve Jak" Nightingale thought miserably as she walked down the empty hallway, firing a few shots to kill the few soldiers that were there.

She then stopped and glanced at a nearby panel in the wall in surprise. She had been utterly caught off guard by what she saw.

"What is this doing here?" Nightingale muttered.

It was a mirror, a large ornate mirror. Utterly out of place in the iron grey hallways, but here it was. Nightingale starred at it in wonder and removed her helmet, starring at her reflection. Rune appeared from the end of the hallway and said "Nightingale? Are you OK?"

Nightingale continued to look at the mirror though, as though transfixed by her own reflection.

"Why are you looking at that mirror?" Rune said curiously.

"Rune, look. Look into it" Nightingale said softly.

"We're in the middle of a mission, can't this wait?" Rune asked.

"I've cleared the hallway, we have a moment…please, just look into it" Night asked with a pleading note in her voice.

Rune took off her helmet and saw her reflection. She smiled, and said "OK, what am I supposed to be looking at?"

"Yourself"

"What?"

"What do you see when you look in the mirror…are you proud of what you see?" Nightingale asked.

"What do you mean?" Rune replied with a confused expression.

"I mean…can you look into a mirror, and look your reflection in the eyes?" Nightingale asked.

Rune thought about it as she looked at her own reflection.

She had made mistakes in her life, some large and small, and she knew herself fairly well. She knew she was a little overprotective of her friends and especially her sister. She had her quirks, but she considered herself a good person who had done rather well in her life.

Could she look into a mirror and not flinch at what looked back at her?

"Yes. I can look at my own reflection. Why are you asking?" Run asked.

"Because, I still can't stand my reflection…" Nightingale sighed tiredly, looking away from the mirror.

"Why?" Rune asked as she put her helmet back on.

"Because, I know deep down, that I'm not proud of who I am. I've let down so many people…I'm a failure just trying to make up for my mistakes….I just can't look into a mirror and look at myself. I just…can't" Nightingale whispered with self-loathing laced in her voice.

"Night, you're not a failure" Rune said as she put a gentle hand on Nightingale's shoulder.

"Rune. Thanks…but it's not that easy for me…I can't just brush this off" Nightingale said with a sigh as she put her helmet back on.

Nightingale suddenly whirled around and kicked the large and beautiful mirror, shattering the two women's reflections and causing a shower of glass to rain down on Nightingale and Rune.

"Let's get going…" Nightingale murmured as she walked down the hallway.

"Mirrors…why does that remind me…of a song?" Rune asked herself.

Sharpshooter and Jak reappeared in the hallway, talking with Daxter about how if the world was ending, what would they want to do.

"Personally, I'd like to go down drinking" Daxter said.

"Fighting" Jak said.

"I may take the Chill approach and just have this massive org…well…you know" Sharpshooter trailed off suggestively.

"Careful there bucko. This story is only rated "T", no need for detail" Daxter said.

The trio found Rune standing in a hallway, looking down at Nightingale's retreating figure. They also noticed the glass on the floor, and the broken mirror.

"What happened here?" Sharpshooter asked.

"Hey. Sharpshooter. Can you look yourself in the mirror?" Rune asked.

"What?" James replied with an amused laugh.

"I'm serious. Can you look at yourself, and be proud of who looks back at you?" Rune said.

Sharpshooter picked up a large shard of glass and looked at it, seeing his reflection. After a moment he said "Yes, I can. Why?"

"Nightingale said that she still can't see herself in a mirror. She hates her reflection" Rune said.

"Why?" Jak asked.

"She said she's let too many people down, and that she's made too many mistakes" Rune said as she walked down the hallway.

"Jak, you seriously need to make your move on Nightingale. That'll cheer her up" Sharpshooter said as he walked down the hallway with Rune.

"I DON'T have a thing for her" Jak protested.

"Sure, sure. So, could you two bozos look at your reflections?" Sharpshooter asked.

"Yes" Jak and Daxter said with hesitation.

"Hmm. You seem so sure" Sharpshooter said with an approving nod.

The group heard gunshots up ahead, and began to sprint towards a fight between Nightingale and ten soldiers, who were getting the hell kicked out of them.

Meanwhile:

Blade sheathed his Galvasword as the Hunter's head hit the ground.

"That's the last of the reinforcements. At least that batch" Blade said to the others, who nodded.

"You're still clear Night. We'll let you know if anything comes up" Chill said to the Number 1 Agent, who responded with a tired "Thanks for the update. Keep me posted, OK?"

"Can do" Chill said as she reloaded his pistol.

"Well, well, well…what have we here?" a familiar voice said with a chuckle.

Blade whirled around, but was hurled backwards by a lightning bolt of pure Dark Eco. Blade fell to the ground with a yowl and began to thrash wildly.

"No!" Chill yelled as she ducked under another lightning bolt of darkness.

Chill looked towards their attacker, who she recognized in horror. Shade cracked his knuckles and said "Agent Chill. Agent Phoenix. Pleasure to meet you both once again ladies"

"YOU!" Chill snarled as her armor turned into a suit of ice.

Phoenix growled angrily and pulled out a small orange dagger and said "I'm going to torture each one of you monsters for what you did to me"

"Heh. Sad, I don't know what you're looking for…Havoc isn't here. He's meeting with our Leader in Haven City. You chose a pretty damn good time to attack, I have to admit. These soldiers are pretty much worthless, and there aren't that many of us Hunters here…I have to admit, we're pretty screwed, aren't we?"

Shade sighed and said "But, as a Hunter, I am bond by the Oath. I must protect the Hora-Quan, at all costs"

Shade then let out a bellow and became immersed in cloud of Dark Eco. Chill flung out her hands and shot a flurry of dagger-like icicles at Shade, who let out a wave of Dark Eco, destroying them. Chill fired a few bursts if ice from her hands while Phoenix pulled out a pistol and fired at Shade, who snarled as the attacks hit him.

The ice was making hard for him to move, but he was able to rip a chunk of stone from the ground and throw it at Phoenix, who jumped into the air to avoid it. She then hurled a flaming knife at Shade, who yelled out loudly as the knife began to burn him.

"What is it with you Angels and knives!?" Shade demanded as he yanked out the knife, which burnt his hand horribly, and flung it on the ground.

Phoenix ran forward and slashed at Shade with another burning knife with a snarl. Shade leaned back to avoid the slash and sent Phoenix flying backwards with a pulse of Dark Eco. Phoenix screamed and fell to the ground, but began to quickly get back to her feet with a growl.

Blade slowly got back to his feet and saw that Chill and Shade were now battling with out, with Shade using a black longsword while Chill used her enhancement to block and dodge. Shade suddenly grabbed Chill by the throat and began to choke the life out of her.

Blade let a rush of anger go through him and he quickly aimed his Galvasword at Shade, letting the energy in it charge up.

Phoenix jumped back into the fight, kicking in Shade's knee to make him drop Chill, and now the two Agents were trading blows with the Hunter Agent. Who even with his Eco powers was having trouble dealing with the two very angry women.

Blade got into a stance and activated his third and final enhancement.

Phoenix jammed two of her flaming knives into Shade's chest and yanked down on them as she slid underneath him, flinging him over her shoulder. Shade yelled out as he slammed into the ground, right with the sights of Chill, who began to blast him with a barrage of Ice Blasts. Shade growled and fired a Dark Bolt at Phoenix, who barely dodged it and took cover behind a barrel.

"RAAAAH!" Shade snarled as he broke free of the ice prison and swiped at Chill, who brought up her hands to block the swipe.

Phoenix ran out from her cover and shot Shade a few times with her pistol, causing the Hunter to growl in annoyance and fire another Dark Bolt, this one catching Phoenix in the chest and sent her crashing into the wall. Shade released the attack and allowed Phoenix to shakily get back to her feet again.

The Hunter looked at the two women near him, forgetting about Blade in the background, and said "You both are determined. I'll give you that. Too bad I have to break you into little pieces"

Shade took a deep breath and the two Agents felt a huge rush of Dark Eco become active inside of Shade, whose hidden face was contorted in pain. His armor began to glow…no…not glow. The opposite of that. It seemed to take AWAY light. A darkness seemed to emit from his a sort of aura that made the room darker.

Shade put a hand against the wall to steady himself, and he muttered "Arranst protect me…"

Shade let out a feral roar and fired a huge burst of Dark Eco at Chill, who created a shield of ice without thinking, just in time to prevent the attack from killing her instantly. Instead the shield cracked and shattered form the incredible force and sent her skidding backwards, her arms trembling uncontrollably.

"What is he?" Chill murmured as she pulled out a pistol as her enhancement deactivated and cooled down.

"I am among the chosen to serve our Goddess of Darkness, and her Champion. We will not be stopped!" Shade said as he advanced towards him.

"Chill! Phoenix! Attack Plan 36!" Blade yelled suddenly.

Chill and Phoenix nodded quickly and Chill reactivated her enhancement and fired a continuous beam of ice energy at Shade, who took the attack head-on and growled in discomfort rather than pain.

Phoenix flung her palms out and said "EAT IT A$$HOLE!"

A huge plume of white and red flames shot from Phoenix's hand, engulfing the Hunter Agent. Shade felt that more than the other attack, and now the two attacks began to slow him down. The flames and ice also made it hard for him to see anything in front of him.

"COME ON! IS THAT THE BEST YOU GOT!?" Shade demanded.

"Heh. Not quite" Chill laughed lightly.

SSSSSSLINK!

Shade felt a shiver go down his spine as he felt his arm fall to the ground, followed by the most intense pain he had ever felt in his life sear across his midriff. Blade stood behind him, kneeling down on the ground facing the opposite direction, his faintly glowing Galvasword pointed in a skyward stance.

Shade clutched his bleeding stump with his other arm and pressed his arm across his chest as he collapsed on the ground, trying desperately to mend the wound and stem the flow of blood.

"He won't be bothering us again" Blade said coolly as he sheathed his sword.

"Blade, that was so damn hot" Chill said with a light laugh.

"Are you two alright?" Blade asked, ignoring the remark.

"Yeah, more or less. I'm guessing you didn't jump in because you wanted to analyze his attacks and prepare a counterstrategy?" Phoenix asked casually.

Blade nodded and said "My Dash enhancement pretty much gives me an extra boost in power if a need to take down a hard opponent. I just needed you to slow Shade down a bit"

"Come on, we should get back to our previous position outside of the main entrance. Team A should be close to the Vault, and we can't let them get sidetracked by more enemies" Phoenix said as she began walking back towards the main entrance outside.

THUD! THUD! THUD!

"What…the hell…was that?" Chill asked.

"I don't know…but it sounds big" Phoenix said with a bored tone.

"Come on!" Blade said as he sprinted outside, finding himself face to face with a 60 foot tall Metal Head.

It had large deadly claws and a long scaly tail. It had a large ox-like face and had a Metal Head gem the size of a Yakow in its skull. Its thick armored skin was pitch black, as were its cold eyes, which were narrowed in anger.

"YOU DARE ATTACK THE SERVANTS OF OUR GODDESS? YOU SHALL PAY FOR THIS!" the Metal Head roared angrily, though it wasn't facing them.

"I wonder who he's talking too." Phoenix said.

Blade swore angrily and sprinted towards the creature.

Chill swore as well and reloaded her pistol, also walking towards the Beast.

"What's wrong!? Why is going towards that thing?" Phoenix asked.

"AAAGHH!"

Both women heard the yell of pain, even from the other side of the courtyard. It was Nymph, and they both sprinted towards the new battle taking place, even as another one took place below the base.

Two Minutes Earlier:

Nymph dodged a sniper shot and took cover behind a barrel as Beast lunged at the attacker and broke his neck. Nymph was secretly glad Beast was on her team, even if he was a little…merciless at times. With Beast's power and Royal's intelligence, she was fairly comfortable with her teammates and felt that she had reliable people watching her back.

Royal quickly made his way to Nymph's position, and said "Are you OK?"

"I only got hit twice, I'm fine" Nymph said as she moved her hand, which was covered in blood.

Royal pulled out a small black device and clamped it onto Nymph's wound. She hissed in pain, but felt the blood flow stop.

"That should help the bleeding, but you should stay here and offer long-ranged support" Royal said as he glanced around, making sure the courtyard was clear.

"We really caught them at a bad time" Nymph said.

"Yes. Disten is a very careful man. His timing has always been impeccable" Royal admitted as he reloaded his SMG.

THUD!

"What the-?" Nymph said turning around.

A huge Metal Head peered out from the large wall next to them, and growled angrily. It slowly moved over the wall so it was standing tall above them.

"An Aimperditor. One of the Elder Metal Heads," Royal said taking a cautious step back.

"This isn't good…" Nymph muttered.

"YOU DARE ATTACK THE SERVANTS OF OUR GODDESS? YOU SHALL PAY FOR THIS!" the Metal Head rumbled as it advanced towards them, its clawed feet creating a loud thud every time it took a step on the metal floor.

Nymph aimed her rifle and fired a quick burst at the Metal Head, which scoffed as the bullets bounced harmlessly off of its armor. The Metal Head then spun around and brought its tail down next to Nymph, who let out a loud yell as the tail nearly crushed her.

Royal jumped back and pulled out a small stick-like device that wad sparking wildly and hurled it at the huge Metal Head, which roared as the stick exploded violently as it struck it. Beast stealthily made his way to the stairway and attacked the beast from above, bashing it over the head with his hammer. The Metal Head roared in pain and caught Beast with a backhanded blow, sending him flying across the courtyard.
Meanwhile:

Rune ducked as another Hunter tried to slash at her and kicked him in the chest. She whirled around and roundhouse-kicked him in the skull, sending him flying off of the platform and crashing down onto the ground, landing badly on a metal barrel. Rune hopped down onto the ground and glanced over at James. Sharpshooter was firing from behind a crate, taking out anything that came towards Rune as she dispatched the soldiers.

Nightingale and Jak were a ways away, trying to disarm a security system. Jak was all for just bashing down the door, but Nightingale angrily said no.

"Are you OK?" Daxter asked.

"Fine"

That settled it. She was NOT fine.

"Night, I'm sorry I didn't listen to you back there, OK?" Jak said in an exasperated way.

"Why did you do that? You could've gotten hurt again! And this time it would've been my fault" Nightingale murmured.

"No it wouldn't have. I should've listened to you. I'm sorry. I didn't know that it'd hurt your feelings" Jak said, his pride hurting a bit.

"You shouldn't have done it in the first place! I know you're used to being on your own, but you're part of a team now. You should have at least told me of your plan!" Nightingale snapped furiously.

Jak sighed and said "I'm sorry Iris. OK?"

Nightingale stopped for a minute, her anger quickly subsiding, and she said "Apology accepted. You're lucky it's you. If anyone other than you did that, I would've pummeled them senseless"

Jak chuckled and stood next to her, his Morph Gun in hand, as she continued to work the strange lock on the door. Jak aimed his Blaster Mod and picked off a few stray Metal Heads that were running at them. It wasn't very hard watching Nightingale's back, but it was a job he took seriously, for reasons he was still unsure of.

"Come on!...This is getting annoying. If only Nymph were here, she's good at picking these things" Nightingale sighed in annoyance.

"Can I-?" Jak began to say.

"No"

"…fine" Jak sighed, letting her have this small victory.

The door suddenly flew open, and Nightingale let out a small laugh.

"COME ON!" Daxter yelled as Rune dropkicked a Hunter in the skull and putting him in Sharpshooter's sights to get shot over and over again.

Nightingale gasped as a large humanoid KG Deathbot dropped from the ceiling, its weapons and lasers trained on the trio. Jak switched from the Blast Mod to the Vulcan Fury Mod, and Daxter sighed in displeasure at having to fight deadly psycho killer robots yet again.

"How did they get ahold of KG Deathbots?" Jak asked as he aimed his Vulcan Fury at the robot.

"The Hunters are working with the Metal Heads; it doesn't surprise me that they're in with the KG Deathbots too." Nightingale said as she pulled out her two SMG's and got ready for a fight.

"I'll watch your back" Jak said.

Nightingale smiled and said "I've got yours"

"And I'll guard you both, since we all now Jak is useless without my help" Daxter said dryly as he aimed his pistol at the KJ Robot, which began to move towards them.

Sharpshooter walked out from his cover as the remaining Hunters and Soldiers were eliminated. Nightingale, Jak, and Daxter were further along down the hallway and out of their line of sight. Sharpshooter took that moment to reload his sniper rifle, and Rune saw another Hunter appear from his blind spot and take aim at him with a SMG.

"NO!" Rune yelled as she ran in front of the line of fire and activated Aptos's Green Eco form, producing a shield that enveloped the two AA Agents. The shield appeared right as the Hunter fired his SMG, blocking every shot that was fired.

"What the-!?" Sharpshooter said as he turned around, confused.

The Hunter scoffed as he lowered his SMG and said "Come on man, I can't catch a break today"

The Hunter disappeared in a burst of Dark Eco and reappeared behind Sharpshooter and judo-chopped him in the neck with a burst of Dark Eco, sending him falling senseless to the floor. Rune let out a gasp of terror, and prayed to the Precursors that he was just knocked out.

"This guy is gonna die now, got it?" the Hunter said with a laugh pointing his SMG at Rune.

Rune let out a scream of rage and tackled the surprised Hunter to the ground. Rune balled up her fist, dropping Aptos on the ground, and punched the Hunter square in the jaw, and she heard a loud crack.

The Hunter blasted her off of him and stumbled to his feet. He grabbed his broken jaw and began to heal it, meanwhile Rune pulled out her ASP and her energy pistol.

"I like a lady who can give as good as she can take. I respect that" the Hunter chuckled as he pulled out two pistols of his own.

The two soldiers didn't move, so the Hunter said "Why are you here?"

"Why should we tell you?" Rune asked.

"It doesn't matter. You'll all be screaming soon enough, and I'll be able to sit back and listen" the Hunter said with an odd laugh.

"What is it with you Hunters? Why side with the Metal Heads? They drain and kill this planet, and fill it with Dark Eco. Why worship them in this manner?" Rune asked.

The Hunter lowered his pistols and looked away, and Rune realized that he was seriously considering the answer.

"Why…why do I…why am…why am I here? I don't even…the voices…" the Hunter muttered.

"Kill her my servant…kill her…" Arranst whispered in the Hunter's head.

"Why?" the Hunter demanded as he clutched his head, dropping his SMG.

"I don't want to kill her though…" the Hunter said quietly.

"You will kill her!" Arranst whispered coldly.

The Hunter let out a scream of agony and yelled "GRAB YOUR FRIEND AND RUN!"

A huge wave of Dark Eco burst from the Hunter, who screamed in agony and fell to his knees, facing downwards. Rune gasped and instinctually rushed forward to help, but she was forced back by the raw waves of Dark Eco radiating off of him.

"Hail Arranst…Queen of Darkness…" the Hunter groaned as he pulled out two pistols and opened fire.

Rune rolled to the side and avoided the initial shot and returned fire, scoring several hits on the Hunters chest and shoulders. The shots did very little to him, and the wounds healed almost instantly. Rune activated her cloaking enhancement and moved away

"I will find you…I will kill you…such is the way of the Hunters…" the Hunter groaned in a dead tone.

The Avenging Angel Agent slowly crept up behind the Hunter and drew her knife, which had various intricate runes and symbols etched into it. Rune carefully approached the Hunter, and was slowly moving forward to stab him when he whirled around and grabbed her by the arm in a grip of iron.

The Hunter whirled around and threw Rune across the room, causing her to slam into the side of a crate. Rune fell to the ground with a yell, and slowly got back to her feet, her back throbbing in pain.

Rune looked at the Hunter, who was walking forward slowly, yet purposefully. Whereas the young Hunter was playing with her before, this new possessed version was trying to kill her. She knew she had to either put him out of his misery, or find a way to knock him out of it.

Rune wasn't deluding herself; the Hunter was probably a lost cause. But there was a chance…a slim one, but a chance…that maybe he wasn't doing this voluntarily…maybe the Hunters were being forced into serving the Metal Heads…

The Agent went invisible again and scooped up Aptos, slipping in a Red Eco mod cartridge and reappearing in front of the Hunter.

The Hunter wordlessly fired his pistols at Rune, who swiftly blocked the shots with Aptos while running at the Hunter. The nameless Hunter drew a black combat knife and blocked Rune's first attack, which was a quick jab aimed at his jugular. Rune was glad that the Red Eco cartridge was the one that amplified strength, because power boost from being possessed was just enough to make the two of them equal in strength. Rune began to exchange blows with the Hunter, who continued to fight back silently.

"FIGHT BACK! DON'T LET YOURSELF BE CONTROLLED LIKE THAT!" Rune screamed as she disarmed the Hunter and stabbed him in the chest with the spear-like tip of Aptos.

The Hunter coughed violently and backhanded Rune away, sending her crashing onto the ground. Rune slowly pushed herself up, only to find her own weapon pointed at her throat.

"Prepare…to…die…no…don't want…" the Hunter muttered.

Aptos deactivated in his hand and fell to the ground as a small rod. Rune, thankful that the weapon only worked for her, moved her left leg and quickly kneed the Hunter in the back of the knee, causing him to the fall to the ground. Rune grabbed Aptos, activated it, and pointed it at the downed Hunter, who looked up at her.

The Hunter shivered and went limp onto the ground, panting heavily. He tore off his helmet, revealing a terrified young man younger than Nightingale. He had spikey blond hair and pale blue eyes. He was drenched in sweat, and had bags around his eyes.

"Kill me. Do it. Lady Arranst is in too deep. She's in my head. I don't care for the Metal Heads, but the others are convinced that what they're doing is right. I don't. Kill me. End it, please" the Hunter begged.

Rune's hand trembled.

"What's your name?" Rune asked finally.

"Chase…that's what my brother and sister Hunters call me anyway. We don't carry our old names with us when we become Hunters. So I'm Chase…why does it matter? Kill me before Arranst takes control again and kills us both!" the Hunter demanded.

She had killed in the heat of battle, many times before. But having an enemy before her, begging for death, when they weren't entirely in control of their own actions…?

Rune lowered Aptos, and Chase yelled "Are you an idiot!? Kill me already you dumb b!tch!"

Rune felt a spark of anger, and then let it go.

"Can't you fight back?" Rune asked desperately.

"Only if I could get all of the Dark Eco out of me. It's the only way to free me" Chase said tiredly.

Rune nodded and reached for something on her belt when she heard an audible hiss of anger emit from the Hunter, who grabbed his head and screamed.

"KILL HER YOU FOOL!"

"NO! I DON'T WANT TO KILL ANYMORE!" Chase screamed as he grabbed his pistol and aimed it at his temple, attempting to finally end it once and for all.

"NO!" Rune screamed as she tackled him to the ground and kicked the pistol away.

"KILL…HER…NOW!" Arranst snarled as the Hunter howled once again, a fresh wave of Dark Eco rolled from his body.

"Hail Arranst…Long live the Hora-Quan…" Chase said as he pulled out his other pistol and fired at Rune, who deflected the shots once again.

"Who are you!? Why are you doing this!?" Rune screamed at the force possessing Chase.

Chase laughed ethereally and said "I am Arranst. That is all you Angels need to know…for now…as for this fool, he is my servant. Hand-picked to serve me and the Hora-Quan while we cleanse this planet of those who wish us harm"

"But they invaded this planet to harm us! To drain our planet and kill us all!" Rune protested.

"Details details…what matters now is that you die now…and that those foolish friends of yours die as well" Arranst said through Chase.

Chase suddenly disappeared and reappeared in front of Rune, punching her in the chest. Rune flew back and crashed hard onto the ground. She managed to roll of out the way as a Dark Bolt flew by her and slammed into the far wall.

Chase vanished and reappeared again, this time stomping down on Rune's head hard. Rune screamed in pain as the Hunter attempted to crush her skull.

"Time to die, little Angel!" Arranst said through Chase, who seemed to regaining some sense of self.

Chase scowled as Arranst made him pull out a pistol, aimed it at her Rune's head, and murmured "Sorry…I just can't fight her anymore"

Suddenly Chase's chest exploded in a shower of blood as two guns fired through his chest repeatedly. Chase howled in pain until the bullets stopped shooting, and fell onto the ground, clutching his stomach. Sharpshooter stood behind him, his helmet off and the side of his head slick with blood, but otherwise unharmed. In his hands were two black SMG's, bloody as well.

"James!" Rune said with a sigh of relief.

"Are you OK?" Sharpshooter asked.

"Y-yeah…poor Chase…he tried to fight back…he tried to fight her off to save me…" Rune murmured.

Chase rolled over; his gunshot wounds half healed already, and pulled out a knife and kicked off of the ground, lunging at Rune. Sharpshooter bashed him in the head with his SMG and put him in a chokehold.

"Kill…kill…kill…" Chase hissed.

"Rune! Do it!" Sharpshooter yelled as he tried to contain the Hunter.

"I…I can't kill him!" Rune said desperately.

"No, there's another way. The Light cartridge!" Sharpshooter yelled.

Rune gasped and reached into a small white slot on her armor, which discharged a small white Eco cartridge. Rune ejected her Red Eco cartridge and inserted the Light Eco cartridge into her Eco-Spear.

The length of Aptos shivered, and then the Eco-Spear became engulfed in a fiery white aura. Rune let out a yell and stabbed Chase in the heart with the spear.

"NOOOOOOO!" Arranst and Chase screamed as the Light Eco surged into Chase.

The Hunter screamed in agony and fell to the ground as all of the Dark Eco inside of him was purged. Rune held onto the spear, and didn't let go until Chase had stopped screaming. Rune pulled the spear out, leaving the Hunter unmarked.

Chase opened his eyes and said "She's…she's gone…"

"You're free. I was saving that one Eco Cartridge for an emergency. It was incredibly concentrated Light Eco. It's strong enough to destroy any Dark Eco it encounters, which is why it cleansed the Dark Eco from your body" Rune explained.

The Hunter nodded and said "I have to get out of here. They'll kill me if they found out I've turned my back on Arranst. I don't want to kill anymore"

Sharpshooter rubbed his bloody skull and said "As much as I hate to admit it, the kid's got a point"

"James, is it possible for us to take a prisoner?" Rune asked.

"We don't take prisoners, or dead weight. And we're not killing this kid in cold blood either, which is why he's still here" Sharpshooter said.

Chase watched the two Agents discuss his fate wearily, and said "Could I come with you?"

"Excuse me?" Sharpshooter said.

"I'm done with this. I need to get out, get away from this island of darkness and shadows. I want to go with you guys"

"Disten won't like it" Sharpshooter said.

"He'll be my responsibility. Besides, he'll be in a holding cell. At least until we can figure out what we want to do with him" Rune said.

"Fine. Let's knock him out to be safe" Sharpshooter said as he moved behind Chase.

"Wait, what the fu-" Chase began to say before he was judo chopped in the neck by Sharpshooter, knocking him out.

"That was just mean" Rune said teasingly.

"I can't believe you saved him, and now you're letting him come with us? Even if Nightingale approves of this, which I doubt, Disten would hardly be a fan of this plan" Sharpshooter said.

Rune moved Chase behind a crate and hid him from sight. Sharpshooter patched himself up and got the gash on his head to stop bleeding.

"Jak! Now!" Nightingale yelled as she sliced off the other arm of the KG Robot with her Eco-Whip.

Dark Jak snarled and charged up a huge ball of Dark Eco, he fired at the robot. The KG Robot exploded violently as the Dark Strike slammed into it. Nightingale retracted her whip and said "Nice work Mar"

Jak looked at Nightingale, who probably realized Jak was giving her an annoyed look, and said "Oh come on, you call me Iris, don't you. I should be allowed to use your real name too. I don't call you Chiaroscuro, do I?"

"No. Good point" Jak relented.

"That's because the writer is too lazy to keep writing out Chiaroscuro" Daxter said, causing both Agents to look at him.

"Um…I mean- hey look, there's Rune and Sharpshooter!" Daxter said pointing to the two Agents.

Rune walked up to Nightingale and said "We have a slight…problem"

"Like?" Nightingale replied.

Rune and Sharpshooter explained the situation, and Nightingale sighed and said "Disten has to decide for himself. I think we should bring him back for questioning, but this is out of my hands. I'll let you know what Disten says before we leave"

Rune nodded, and the group pressed on.

Thirty minutes later, and group found themselves at a hallway that branched off. One way, the Vault. The other, a series of doors leading into a large open room.

"You two go get the Vault open. Me, Jak, and Daxter will check out the other end" Nightingale said to the group, who nodded.

Nightingale and Jak cautiously made their way to the room, which was filled with huge drums filled with Dark Eco.

"SURPRISE!"

A Huge Metal-Pede burst from the wall and roared loudly at the trio. It had several purple Dark Eco sacs on it and a very large horn on its head. Daxter and Jak began firing at it while Nightingale ran at the creature with her shotgun out.

"Nightingale!" Jak yelled.

Nightingale however fell to her knees and slid underneath the charging Metal-Pede and fired her shotgun multiple times at the underbelly of the creature, shooting off the Dark Eco sacs on its underbelly. The Metal-Pede reared back and snarled angrily, and then flopped over dead on the ground.

Jak and Daxter looked at Nightingale in amazement, and she said "Everything's got a weakness"

BAM!

A variety of smaller Metal Heads burst through the ceiling, surrounding Nightingale, reloaded her shotgun, ready to fight again.

Jak moved to run forward, but found himself in a full-nelson. An incredibly strong full nelson. Jak broke out, but before he could do more than that he was kicked into an Eco Drum. Nightingale heard the commotion and saw Violet attacking Jak from behind.

"Gotcha!" Violet laughed as she grabbed Daxter, who had fallen onto the ground, and hurled him clear across the room, sending him crashing into a pile of Eco Drums.

Jak charged at her and fired a shot with his Blaster Mod, but she vanished in a burst of darkness. Violet reappeared in a burst of Dark Eco and put Jak in another full-nelson.

Before Jak could break out, Violet wrapped her legs around Jak's waist and began to electrocute him with her armor enhancement. Nightingale struggled to get to him while the Metal Heads attacked her, and by the time she finished the last of them off, Jak was down on his knees, barely conscious.

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!" Nightingale yelled furiously as she flung a Disc Grenade at Violet.

To Violet's surprise, as she was hoping she wouldn't attack her in fear of attacking Jak, the explosive slammed into shoulder and sent her tumbling off Jak, who collapsed onto the ground, inadvertently avoiding the explosion that engulfed Violet.

"Jak! Are you OK!?" Daxter asked as he ran over to Jak.

Jak stirred slightly, and changed into his Light form to recover faster. That said, Violet stumbled to her feet, blood seeping through her armor. A static-like aura of Dark Eco surrounded her now, effectively allowing her to heal any wounds she received, at least until she was beaten for good. Nightingale hurled another Disc Grenade at her, causing her to jump to the side and dodge it. Jak slowly pulled himself into a kneeling position, panting heavily as the Light Regeneration took effect.

Nightingale and Violet began to trade blows back and forth. At times Nightingale had the advantage, at times Violet did. The two continued to fight until Nightingale finally got the upper hand and kicked her three times in the chest before kicking her in the head.

"Agh! Die already!" Violet said as her hands charged up with electricity.

"Violet's lightning enhancement…" Jak realized.

"NIGHT! WATCH OUT!" Jak yelled.

Violet shot a huge burst of lightning at Nightingale, whose eyes dilated in fear as the bolt soared towards her. She managed to duck underneath it, but she obviously very shaken.

"W-w-what was that!?" Nightingale whispered as she looked over at Violet, who was advancing towards her.

Violet laughed and fired another bolt, causing Nightingale to scream even louder and fall to the ground in fear. Violet laughed and said "Aww, is the little Angel scared of a little lightning?"

Violet shot a bolt of lightning at Nightingale, who screamed in agony as the electricity coursed through her. Nightingale convulsed and screamed in both fear and pain as Violet kept up the attack. Nightingale somehow got to her feet, though she was shaking visibly.

"NIGHTINGALE! FIGHT BACK!" Jak yelled.

Violet fired another bolt at the stunned Nightingale, causing her to howl in pain once more and fall to the ground.

"She's using her lightning fear against her!" Jak thought in horror as Nightingale once again tried to get back up.

Nightingale screamed again as Violet blasted her with another burst of lightning, causing her fall onto the ground and tear at her helmet until she managed to rip it off. She then lay there, twitching horribly. Violet began to laugh loudly and said "Is this really the best the angels have got? I mean, by all rights you should be dead by now, but come on. This is pathetic!"

Nightingale looked up, her face contorted in pain and her eyes dilated in raw fear. Nightingale somehow began to pull herself up once again.

"STAY DOWN!" Violet yelled as she shot another bolt of lightning at Nightingale, who took the attack head on, and though another spasm of fear tore through her, she got to her feet.

Violet shot another two bolts of lightning from her palms at Nightingale, who sidestepped both bolts. Nightingale looked coldly at Violet as a tear ran down her face. Nightingale calmly pulled out her shotgun and cocked it, her face a mask. The one thing that betrayed her true emotions – the burning green eyes filled with anger.

"How…dare you!?" Nightingale whispered softly, though everyone in the room heard her.

Nightingale shot towards Violet who fired another bolt of lightning at Nightingale, who dodged it and flew up to Violet and bashed her in the head with her shotgun. Violet fell to the ground but rolled back to her feet, only to be shot in the chest by Nightingale's shotgun, sending her flying backwards onto the ground in a spray of blood.

Iris's expression was still a passive mask. She then cocked her shotgun and said calmly "Why would you use that against me like that?"

Violet coughed up a globule of blood in her own helmet and tossed her helmet onto the ground. Violet's purple hair spilled out of her helmet, and she looked up unbelieving at Nightingale, who could've killed her by now.

"You killed Skull. You stand in the way of Havoc and our Goddess. That's why I used your little weakness like that…Pathetic really" Violet chuckled.

The black haired agent growled angrily and fired a shot at Violet, who rolled out of the way and blasted Nightingale away with a bolt of lightning. Nightingale righted herself with her jet boots and landed on the ground. Nightingale let out a yell and ran at Violet, who pulled out a small two-handed axe off her back and ran at Nightingale with it. Nightingale ducked under the first swing and blocked the second with her shotgun. She then spun around and kicked Violet in the stomach before bashing Violet so hard in the skull that she fell backwards. Violet managed to get to her feet and toss a hunting knife from her belt at Nightingale, catching her in the neck. Nightingale yanked the bloody dagger out of her neck and flung it on the ground. Nightingale clamped a GED down on her neck while Violet gathered her senses.

Iris pulled out her whip and activated it, allowing the Red Eco whip to coil around itself. Violet tried to shoot another burst of lightning, but Nightingale lashed out with her whip. The Red Eco-whip was now a dark crimson color and the attack tore through Violet's armor causing Violet to scream out in agony as the whip touched her skin of her hand, drawing blood. The whip retracted and Violet clutched her bleeding wrist with a whine of pain.

"You…you…AGH!" Nightingale growled furiously as she whipped the fallen Hunter again, this time in the shoulder, sending her falling onto the ground. Nightingale raised her whip high into the air and brought down on Violet's back, spraying the ground with blood. Nightingale whipped her again and again with the raging Red Eco whip, lashing out wherever she could reach.

"Night! Stop that!" Jak yelled.

"How dare you use my fears against me!? You evil, selfish, tainted b!tch!" Nightingale screamed as she kicked Violet in the chest as hard as she could, sending her rolling away.

Violet rolled around and blasted Nightingale off of her with yet a burst of lightning. Nightingale landed on her feet and lashed out with her whip, wrapping it around Violet's bare neck this time. Though the whip was now a light pink color, as though Nightingale had willed the whip's energy back. Violet was panting and her face was contorted in pain, but she couldn't move. Nightingale calmly walked over to her and said "I should kill you…itwould be so easy to rip your head off…"

"But I won't"

Nightingale then deactivated her whip, causing Violet to crash onto the ground, shaking. Nightingale then put her hands in her face and began to shake visibly. Jak slowly walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her.

"It's OK…it's OK…" Jak murmured as she embraced him tightly.

"Thank you Jak" Nightingale whispered gratefully as she buried her face in Jak's chest.

"Are you OK?" Jak asked.

Nightingale hesitated, and then nodded.

"Then come on. We've got to a job to finish"

Nightingale glanced over at Violet and said "Should we leave her here?"

"She won't be going anywhere" Jak said as Nightingale picked up her helmet. Two Agents woke Daxter, who had been knocked out during the entire fight, and made their way back to the Rune and Sharpshooter at the Vault.

Violet slowly opened her eyes and murmured "Damn them…damn them all…I might just bleed out before I can move again"

Doppelganger appeared in a burst of Dark Eco and saw Violet on the ground. He ran over to her and fell to the ground and said "Vi…can you hear me?"

"Yes…" Violet murmured.

"They're here for the map. If we let them get it and leave, then they won't search the compound further. We had too few Hunters here to hold them off in the first place, and they've taken out about half of the soldiers we have here. We need to let them get the map so they leave, and then we need to retreat to Haven" Doppelganger said to the downed Agent, who looked confused.

"What about the Key?" Violet asked.

"We have to accept our loses. Deadshot is hurt, Shade is unconscious and barely alive, Siren can't fight right now, and I can't hold them off by myself" Doppelganger admitted as he picked Violet up bridal style.

"Always the modest one. Even when you were an Angel" Violet said before passing out.

"Yeah well…old habits die hard, as they say" Doppelganger said with a smile before bursting into a cloud of Dark Eco on the spot.

"Took you both long enough" Sharpshooter said, lowering his sniper rifle with a sigh of relief as Nightingale and Jak walked into view. Several dead Hunters were piled in to a corner, dripping blood onto the ground, obviously taken care of already.

"What kept you?" Rune asked.

"Violet. She's gotten stronger, and she…well, she tried to take advantage of Night's fear of lightning. She took care of it though" Jak said.

Nightingale looked a little ashamed at how easily she had been terrified out of her mind like that, and Jak bent down and muttered "We've all got something we're afraid of. That doesn't make you weak. Remember, you're strong"

Nightingale smiled, though she was still not convinced.

"Watch my back, I'm going to try to open the Vault" Rune said.

Rune inserted a Red Eco cartridge into Aptos and the rod burst into flames. Rune jammed the burning Eco-Spear into the Vault and began to slowly burn through it. It was obvious that the Vault was well-protected, because two KG Blast Bots suddenly dropped from the ceiling and turned to face the Agents.

"Oh come, now these things!? What next, a horde of Metal Heads?" Daxter asked sarcastically.

A horde of Metal Heads suddenly came down the hallway, snarling and roaring.

"You and your big mouth!" Nightingale said with an annoyed scowl.

"Hey! In the future, don't ask for sh!t" Sharpshooter said as he began to fire at the Metal Heads, picking them off one at a time.

Nightingale pulled out two disc grenade and flew high into the air. She spun around like a top and hurled both explosives at one of the KG Blast Bots, which exploded violently and took out for five Metal Heads. The other KG Deathbot began to fire at her, so she flew through the air trying to throw it off, getting closer to it as she did.

"What are you doing!?" Jak yelled.

Nightingale landed on the ground and rolled under a laser beam fired by the KG Blast Bot, pulling out her shotgun in the same movement. Nightingale fired her shotgun over and over again at the underside of the KG Blast Bot, which began to spark and malfunction. Its knees eventually buckled and the robot crashed onto the ground, with Nightingale jumping out of the way, before exploding.

Nightingale put away her shotgun and pulled out her whip, which burst into a dark crimson color. A large doglike Metal Head charged at Nightingale who decapitated it with a flourish of her whip.

"Should we help her?" Daxter asked.

"Quiet. I'm concentrating" Rune murmured as she continued to work.

Jak pulled out his Morph Gun and began to fire at the horde circling Nightingale, though he shouldn't have bothered, she was handling herself well.

Nightingale always managed to strike down anything that came near her, and Jak watched in amazement as the raven-haired women reduced to the horde of Metal Heads to a pool of Dark Eco.

Jak walked over to Nightingale, who was panting slightly. Jak absorbed the Dark Eco as he walked over it and said "That was incredible Night"

Nightingale blushed on the inside of her helmet and said "Stop it Jak, you're embarrassing me"

Jak laughed as he and her walked back over to Rune and Sharpshooter.

Rune was nearly finished opening the Vault, and when she had finally finished cutting a hole in the thick Metal, she said "OK, Jak. Bust that thing in, could you?"

"Sure" Jak said as he turned into Dark Jak.

Dark Jak took a step back and punched the circle as hard as he could, knocking the piece that Rune had cut out into the Vault, revealing a large hole big enough for a full grown man to enter.

Nightingale went into the hole first, followed by Rune and Jak. Sharpshooter elected to stay outside and keep watch while they search for the map.

Jak, and Rune stepped into the dark room, and Nightingale activated her Eco whip to make a faint light.

"Hold on" Jak said before turning into Light Jak, illuminating the room in a dazzling light.

"Thanks" Rune and Nightingale said.

The group began to search for the Map, which Daxter ended up finding. He held up a large rectangular tube and said "I remember when I used to think this stuff was just boring told crap"

"You mean ten minutes ago?" Light Jak asked.

"Yep. I still think it's boring old crap" Daxter admitted.

Nightingale grabbed the map from Daxter and she unfurled it, revealing an old wrinkled scroll.

"Looks like a regular piece of-" Daxter began to say before the paper turned silver and began to flash white.

"Wow…" Night said breathlessly.

"Come on Night, we've come across things much cooler than a map" Sharpshooter said with an amused chuckle from outside the Vault.

"No…look" Night breathed softly, and the other three walked over to her and saw what she was looking at.

A row of glyphs suddenly appeared on the back of map and a beam of light shot into Nightingale's eyes, causing her to scream in pain and go flying into the back wall.

"NIGHT!" Light Jak yelled as he ran over to her.

"Ugh, my head…" Night groaned as she held her head in her hands.

Nightingale opened her eyes, the symbols on the paper still burned into her brain. Her head felt like it was in a vice.

"What…was that!?" Daxter asked.

Jak turned back to his normal form knelt down to Nightingale, who was sitting on the floor rubbing her eyes, and said "You OK?"

"Y-yeah. That was weird" Nightingale said as she opened her eyes again.

Jak could've sworn that there were white symbols reflected in Nightingale's green eyes now, but he didn't want to say anything. He did help her up and walked over to the map and said "This is in Precursor, right?"

"Yes. As you all know, translating Precursor text can take years to do, since there's no clear cipher for the language. It also can't be spoken at all" Rune explained to the others.

Nightingale frowned and was about to say something when a searing pain went through her head and she clutched her skull with a moan. She closed her eyes tightly as light flooded her eyes.

A flood of visions surged through Nightingale's mind.

She was soaring north across the Wasteland, over the Marauder Fortress that she lived in for so long…

Over the dunes of the desert, over a large mountain, still going north…

She finally stopped at the base of a large volcano, where she saw a small cave in between two pillars made of glass.

Nightingale blinked again and her vision cleared.

" Night, you OK?" Jak asked, and Nightingale nodded.

"Bizarre…but I think I know where the Artifact is" Nightingale thought as she put away the map.

"We got what we came for, now let's get the hell out of here" Daxter said.

"This seems to be the only thing of value here, everything else seems to be useless clutter" Rune said as she picked up a chunk of Precursor bronze and tossed it back into the pile.

The group then heard Sharpshooter fired several shots and he yelled "Come on ladies, move it!"

Meanwhile:

Blade ducked as the Metal Head, which was codenamed Skullcrusher by Chill after it crushed a soldiers skull with its fingers randomly, fired another laser at him.

"This thing just won't die!" Phoenix yelled as she picked up a fallen rocket launcher and began to fire rocket after rocket at the creature.

"We need something stronger!" Blade yelled.

"So do I, and you're giving it to me tonight!" Chill yelled as she fired a barrage of ice blasts from her armor.

"Not helping Chill!" Blade replied angrily as he deflected a Dark Eco laser and unleashed a bolt from his Galvasword, which only enraged the beast.

"Do we have anything stronger?" Phoenix asked.

"Nope" Blade replied as he took cover.

"I wish. I'm kinda getting a headache" Chill replied as she ducked behind the cover where Blade was and reverted to her normal state, the ice receding back.

"Hey, find your own cover!" Blade said quickly.

"Aw, what's the matter? Not big enough for the two of us?" Chill said charmingly.

"Not now Nicole, later. Preferably when no one's around and there's not an 60 foot tall Metal Head about to kill us" Blade said.

"That just makes things more exciting. And you do know how I love excitement" Chill said with mirth in her voice.

"Tell me about it. I'm still sore from that…adventure" Blade shivered slightly.

The Skullcrusher charged up another blast and fired at the steel pillar Blade and Chill were hiding behind. Phoenix dashed out from her cover and fired a few more rockets into the creature's face, which contorted into a snarl. It brought down a large clawed hand and nearly crushed Phoenix in half.

"COME ON YOU WUSSES! HELP ME OUT!" Phoenix bellowed at Chill and Blade.

"I'm going to feel this tomorrow" Blade sighed.

Chill laughed and dashed out from the cover, not before pulling out a black scimitar, the very same one she used to defeat Baron Praxis all those years ago. Blade jumped out and drew his Galvasword and charged it.

Beast slowly got to his feet and growled angrily, and charged right back at the Leviathan. Nymph began to stir from where she had landed and Royal helped her up.

"My head…" Nymph groaned.

"You probably have a concussion. Stay here" Royal said as he pulled out a second Harbinger H12.

"How many of those do you have!?" Nymph asked.

"Just this. I was planning on saving it, but I guess it can't be helped. We need to get this in the belly of that beast. It's a shame Nightingale isn't here" Royal said.

Meanwhile, Rune was waking Chase up. The young Hunter slowly awakened to find himself in handcuffs.

"This is Jak, Daxter, and Nightingale. They're going to make sure you get to the Sanctuary in one piece" Rune said kindly.

"T-thanks" Chase said as he got to his feet.

"Let's get one thing straight. This is a terrible idea. The only reason I'm even letting Rune do this is because I trust her" Nightingale said quietly.

"Thanks Night" Rune said with a smile.

Jak glared at the Hunter, who shrank back under his fierce gaze.

"Try anything. I dare you" Jak said simply as he walked away.

The group made their way out of the complex, and found themselves in the middle of an epic battle.

"Oh for the love of all things sane, please tell me they didn't wake up the Gilgamath!" Chase said with an annoyed sigh.

A huge Metal Head was rampaging around the top level, smashing everything in sight. The AA Agents had done a number on the beast already, but it looked as though it was designed to take hits and dish them out as well. Nymph was staying at the side, offering covering fire for the others while Beast, Blade, Chill, and Phoenix were attacking it head-on. Royal was crouching down on a nearby catwalk, looking down on the others.

"Guys, give me an update. What the hell is going on? I said keep in radio contact" Nightingale asked.

"This thing started attacking us; excuse us for not reporting in!" Nymph growled angrily.

"This thing just takes whatever we throw at it!" Chill yelled as she avoided being shredded by the Gilgamath's razor sharp claws.

Nightingale looked around the area, looking for anything that could be used to help bring this thing down. She noticed a large power box with several long cords running from it. Nightingale smirked and said "Royal, Nymph. See that power box and cords?"

"Um…Yeah. Why?" Nymph asked.

"Nymph, keep that thing distracted by shooting it in the eyes. Sharpshooter, you do the same. Try to blind one of its eye while you're at it, but make sure the other one is functioning. Royal, wrap the cords around the things ankles, make them slack enough to where it won't notice" Nightingale said.

"Jak. Take Chase and get to the helipad, we've got to meet up with Jet for extraction. Keep an eye out for any Hunters along the way" Nightingale said to Jak, who nodded.

"W-wait"

The group looked at Chase, who said "They'll think it's suspicious if I go with you guys so willingly. You may have to like, blindfold me or make it look like you're taking me prisoner"

"Or we could knock you out again" Sharpshooter said.

"Well yeah, but that'd hurt like hell-" Chase began to say before Sharpshooter grabbed him by the head and slammed his skull into the a Metal storage container, knocking him out.

"That felt great" Sharpshooter said cheerfully.

Jak chuckled and hefted the Hunter over his shoulders, to which Daxter scowled at. Rune looked at the two as they left, and said "So what's the plan?"

"We should be able to electrocute that thing with the power boxes here. Rune, slip a Blue Eco cartridge into Aptos and activate it. When I say go, jam it into the power box. Everyone else, keep it distracted, and then when Royal is finished, lead it over here" Nightingale instructed.

The plan went pretty much flawlessly. Nightingale watched as Royal quickly wrapped both large cords around the Metal Head's legs while the others blasted it with gunfire, ice, flaming daggers, and green electrical discharge. After Royal had finished, the group led the Gilgamath over to the power boxes, where Rune jammed Aptos into the power box with her Blue Eco cartridge activated. A massive burst of electricity went through the cords and began to electrocute the Metal Head. The Avenging Angel Agents continued to attack the Metal Head as it was being shocked to death. After a full minute, the Metal Head exploded violently in a huge burst of Dark Eco.

"Good work guys" Nightingale said to the others.

"Quick thinking Night" Chill said with a laugh.

"Thanks. Come on, let's get the hell out of here" Nightingale said as she began to walk to the helipad, where Jak and Jet where waiting for them.

The group quickly got onto the transport, which rose into the air. Chase was slumped over, bound and gagged on the floor, tied up with rope for good measure. Nightingale applied a GED to Nymph's gunshots wounds, cauterizing them, and with that Nymph hopped into the co-pilot's seat, letting Jet fly them home.

As the ship flew through the storm clouds, the remaining soldiers and injured Hunters looked up in anger, and the flames of revenge began to grow in their hearts.

Nightingale realized someone was trying to contact her via helmet radio, and heard Disten say "Hello there Nightingale. How did it go?"

Nightingale smiled and said "Mission Accomplished. We're en route to the Sanctuary. I'll tell you everything then, OK?"

"Very well. But Jet informed me that you're bringing a Hunter here? Is that right?" Disten said.

"Rune's idea. I thought we could get some info out of him and just keep him locked up" Nightingale said to the Chief, who sighed.

"Very well. I look forward to a full report. Disten out" the Chief said as he ended the transmission.

End of Chapter:

I enjoyed this chapter as well. Took forever to do though.

Pecker and Onin will make their long-awaited return in the final chapter of Part 2! So for those of you who've wanted some Daxter/Pecker bickering, well, you'll get your fill in chapter 20.

Please review and tell me what you thought!

Until next time, FlygonN out!