Once again, Gol and Maia demonstrate that they are not adept in the area of hospitality in regards to their, ahem, "special guest".

Chapter 23: Fixing and Breaking

Gol continued the repairs on the Dark Eco cannon, still detached from the robot and laying on the floor in a most dreadful state, plates of Precursor metal bulging and bent, screws twisted, while some pieces were blown clean off. And the crystal was no more. All that could be done with it at this point was to disassemble it, replace what couldn't be salvaged with new components (not to mention making adjustments to the frame to allow for better airflow), and develop a system that would keep the crystal at a safer temperature. How frustrating it would be if it decided to explode in the middle of battle. How embarrassing, too.

He worked to remove one piece that had been turned in such a way by the blast that the screw securing it was hardly accessible, shoving the screwdriver in there with a growl, his efforts becoming even less effective as anger got to him. He jerked it one way and then another, now probably more in an effort to let out his growing aggravation rather than an actual attempt to remove the hidden screw, before taking a break to cough and hack, only to then clutch his aching shoulder with his free hand. Oh, as if his body hadn't had enough pain. Maia had bandaged up his injuries, but it would still take time to heal, and until then, his thwarted efforts to repair the robot would be further hindered by the additional fact that sharp pain ran through his shoulder every time he moved it. He wheezed a few times, tightening his grip on his shoulder until a dull ache replaced the stabbing sensation, then, got back to work. The robot wasn't going to fix itself. If only someone could repair him.

After some time and a few swears he saved only for special occasions, Maia landed nearby, her silence and his preoccupation with the robot and his shoulder and the unfairness of the world in general keeping him unaware of her presence until she spoke. "I paid our guest a little visit, dear brother."

He looked up for a moment, eyes half-lidded and expression sour. "Did you now?"

"He's a feisty one. Not unlike Teeth." She laughed. "I paid him back a little for what he did to you, dear brother." She put a finger to her chin in thought. "How fascinating to find another person similar to us. And it just happens to be that boy, of all people!"

He worked the wrench as far as he could into the slot, jiggling it until it seemed to catch something. "Yes, a most surprising coincidence if there ever was one. His exposure was obviously much different from ours, though, dear sister. He lacks the control that we have."

Maia clasped her hands together and bounced on her feet. "Oh, when are we going to 'study' him, dear brother?"

"There's plenty of time for that," Gol said, as he began to turn the screwdriver, feeling the reluctant rotating of a battered screw, only to have it slip, leaving that arm shaking and him wishing oh, so much that Maia wasn't here so he could toss the screwdriver across the room. He hung his head and attempted to take a deep breath, which had the opposite effect of calming him when he failed at doing that, as well, and removed the screwdriver from the slot, leaning his weight on hands now resting on the surface of the cannon. "But first, we must fix the robot and deal the final blow to Haven City."

"Oh, yes, of course. But, as exciting as that is, we can still take a break every now and then, can we not, dear brother? Haven City's not going anywhere, and our army still has the place overrun. I checked. I know."

He stood up straighter, eyebrows raised. "You wish to delay the destruction of Haven City? How very unlike you, dear sister."

"Only a little. I'm intrigued by the boy. Can't you understand that? And once Haven's a smoking hole in the ground, it's not like we'll be entirely free to study him then, either."

Gol sighed. "Help me with the repairs a bit longer, dear sister."

"Then…" She put her hands behind her back and leaned towards him.

"Yes, then we can visit the boy again. We do have so many things to 'thank' him for, after all."

"And it would be most impolite to keep him waiting, wouldn't it, dear brother?"

The Acheron siblings worked some time longer on the robot, attempting to remove what was left of the damaged pieces of the cannon's frame, as stubborn as they were in their efforts to resist removal, while they tossed ideas back and forth on what would be needed to keep the crystal from overheating again. And Gol also made sure to mention the extra testing that would be necessary in order to ensure that this didn't happen again, a perfect time to bring up such a thing, as it would not be dismissed quite as forcefully as usual with Maia in her current, high spirits. The Dark Eco crystal generated quite a bit more heat than he had expected (it was something he barely considered, a thought that drifted through his mind once during the early stages of the cannon's construction and then was gone, and he wished now that he had caught it before it had been forgotten), and it may take several tries to find the correct method of combating this. And there was little excuse for her to argue anyway. She said herself that Haven City wasn't going anywhere, and all the while, the onslaught of their army would continue to make the city weaker, which would only make their victory even easier when the robot was ready to finish them off.

Finally, when enough progress had been made, by Maia's standards, though, not his, and his dear sister had become too antsy to be of much help anymore, the Sage decided it was about time to indulge her in her wishes. And so they began to walk down the halls towards the room they had found for the boy, though it wasn't long before Gol stopped, turning his head to the side. He swore he could hear scurrying. He looked around, but nothing out of the ordinary could be seen. He narrowed his eyes as he considered a pillar nearby. It sounded like the scampering of a rather large rat.

Maia, having already left him behind in her rush to visit the boy, returned from around a corner. "Brother, come already." And she was lost to sight again before he could speak.

He gave one last look at the pillar, then, followed after his sister. Rats would be easy enough to exterminate later, he supposed.

Upon reaching the door to the boy's room, he held out a hand, and Maia dropped a key in his palm. How fortunate they were able to find a locked storage room to use, a perfect holding cell after they had cleared out the contents, old boxes and strange Precursor artifacts that he hadn't yet had the time to inspect. Gol unlocked the door and heard movement from the chamber within. He grasped the doorknob, anticipating some trick from the boy. He chuckled to himself. That fool still didn't know who he was dealing with. And the Dark Sage would make sure that he learned.

He opened the door, a wicked smile on his face, only to see the boy sitting in the far corner, arms crossed. He yawned at them.

Gol watched him a bit longer, and the disappointment must have been evident on his face, because the object of his displeasure gave him a knowing grin.

"I've been waiting for you," the boy said.

The Sage walked into the room, while Maia stood guard by the door. "Get up, boy."

"I'd rather sit."

"You don't sit when I talk to you. Stand."

This only caused him to snuggle into the corner even more. "Make me."

Gol sighed and rolled his eyes. Unlike Maia, his purpose for coming here was not solely to punish the boy for his meddling, but for research, as well. But, if he wouldn't cooperate, then so be it.

The Sage lunged forward and grabbed the boy by the collar, pulling him up and slamming him into the wall, holding him far enough up so that the boy had to stand on tiptoes. Their faces now close, nearly nose-to-nose, he growled. "When I tell you to stand, you stand."

The boy's grin remained. "I understood that."

Gol let him go and stepped back. He studied the boy for a moment longer, who watched the Sage right back with a relaxed ease he had no right to have, before raising a hand, sending out electricity that engulfed the boy. While the boy's face contorted in pain, he made no sound, but only clenched his teeth, the rage in his eyes overpowering any pain that may have been seen there. When Gol released him, he slumped, but remained standing. Breathing heavily, his eyes rose to stare into the Sage's, eyes burning with a hate that almost seemed tangible, and yet the same smile grew across his face again as if it hadn't just been absent.

The Sage watched him with half-lidded eyes. The boy had changed so much since they had last seen him, no longer a naive, lighthearted youth. And he could feel it more than ever. The Dark Eco churning within the boy, like a storm fighting for release. He was filled with pure power, but he suppressed it. But, why would he do that, when he could let that power loose and stand a chance at freeing himself? Apparently, the boy still felt the same disdain for Dark Eco that everyone else did, despite being able to see its power firsthand. He was even more of a fool than Gol could have imagined.

The Sage smiled, but this time, it wasn't intended as a threatening look. "Oh, dear boy, we are so much alike, and yet so different. I can sense the Dark Eco inside you. It is calling out to me. Why will you not let it out?"

"And become like you? I'd rather die."

Gol chuckled, a raspy sound of dry leaves. "That can be arranged. But, that time has not yet come for you, I'm sorry to say. We have more useful purposes for you first." The Sage took a strained breath, then, put his hands behind his back. "So, boy, what put you in such a state?"

"Scumbags like you, as a matter of fact."

Gol snorted at this, while Maia spoke up behind him. "Can I zap him, dear brother?"

"No, not now, dear sister. How can our guest see we are not monsters if we punish him at every slight?" That woman didn't see them as such. One of the few that hadn't. She wasn't really as stupid as he had first thought, compared to the average person, at least.

"How could you say such a thing, dear brother?" Maia said. Gol looked back to see her pouting, arms crossed. He raised an eyebrow at her, then, directed his attention back to the boy, who then, as if to make a point, slid down the wall back into a sitting position.

Gol shook his head. "Standing too tiresome for you, boy? And I thought I was getting old."

The boy simply looked at him, but said nothing.

"As I was saying, who was it that gave you the gift of Dark Eco? Whoever it was, you should have thanked them for giving you power beyond what you ever could have hoped to acquire otherwise. And we would have killed you by now, if you hadn't possessed such a thing."

"I thought you said you weren't monsters."

Gol frowned. "I see you aren't going to cooperate, then."

"Did you expect me to?"

"I see. I suppose you are not quite ready yet for our purposes." He turned to his sister, who raised her eyebrows, sensing something most entertaining coming up. "Dear sister, why don't you see what you can do about making the boy more…pliable?" He looked back over his shoulder at the boy, watching him for a moment longer before turning to leave, noting the large grin on Maia's face as she watched her soon-to-be victim.

As Gol walked down the hallway, he heard the crackling of electricity and finally, the boy's cries. His smile widened.

They have their work cut out for them with Jak, no? Please review.