Gol pays Jak another visit. How nice of him.

Chapter 27: Unwavering

It wouldn't be much longer before the robot was repaired. Gol had since fixed any damage it had received, and the cooling system he had designed several days ago was nearly complete. All that was left was another proper Dark Eco crystal and testing.

And then there was the matter of the boy. That wasn't overly important right now, as the repairs to the robot had taken longer than he had expected, and there was still a city that needed destroying. Nevertheless, he knew Maia was anxious about beginning their research on the boy, despite being equally as excited about finishing their assault on Haven City, such a fickle thing she was. In fact, she would pester him everyday to see the boy, and he had resisted for a good week now. He probably couldn't relent much longer.

Once again, as had been happening at least once a day, usually more, his dear sister flew into the room, interrupting him from his work, but his task was forgotten as soon as he saw the state of his dear sister's face. A large bruise now adorned her left cheek, dark and beginning to swell. He would kill that boy. But, not before he had that fool begging for death.

He went to meet her as she landed, his aching back not slowing him down as much as it usually did, and tried to put a hand out to her face, but she avoided it. Why was she smiling so much?

"Oh, you noticed my newest 'battle scars', dear brother," she said, as she dodged away from him once again when he tried a second time to get a better look at her. "It's just a simple bruise. It will heal."

"It was the boy, wasn't it? He did this to you!" Gol settled for studying her injury from afar, while his thoughts turned to imagining how he would tear that boy apart with his bare hands. And he would relish every second of it.

Even his newest efforts to gauge what had happened to her were thwarted when she ran around him, as if she was trying to be difficult, and she probably was, and he turned to watch her. Normally, she had a worse temper than his, so why was she so calm?

With her bruise no longer visible to him, he followed her to where she had stopped before the robot, gazing up at it with her hands on her hips. "It's looking good, dear brother."

The Sage moved in front of her and grabbed her by the arms. "Dear sister, did he do anything else to you?"

She laughed. "Don't worry about me, dear brother. You always seem to forget that I can take care of myself."

She wriggled around in his grip, and he released her and stepped back, but continued to watch her, eyes narrowing. "What are you hiding, dear sister? Even I can't avoid your anger so easily."

"Oh, I already punished him enough, dear brother." She clasped her hands together, face beaming with a wicked glint in her eye. "You remember the rat?"

"Did you finally catch him?"

"No, but it's the next best thing. He thinks I exterminated the rat." She unclasped her hands and swung her arms back down to her sides. "And I have a group of our slaves guarding the hallway outside his room, so he won't know the truth. The rat won't go anywhere near them if he knows what's good for him, and if he does stray too close to the boy's cell, he really will be dead."

Gol crossed his arms. "So you've given up on killing the rat yourself, then?"

"No, I'll still do it. He's just a tough thing to catch, but I'll get him eventually." She put her arms behind her back and rocked on her feet. "Unless our slaves get to him first, of course. Otherwise, I will skin him, just like I planned on."

"I see. So you are not angry at the boy, then?"

"Not as angry as I normally would be." She tilted her head and squinted her eyes. "Why?"

"Oh, no reason." He turned on his heel to face away from her and looked up at the robot. "I was going to pay the boy a visit for what he did to you, but I suppose if that's all settled, I'll just get back to work."

"No, no!" he heard her say from behind him. "I'm still a bit cross at him, and my cheek stings. Let's go!" He was made to face her again when she tugged on his arm. "Come on, come on! We still have to experiment on him! You can't keep me waiting any longer, dear brother! I've suffered enough today as it is!"

He rolled his eyes. "All right, dear sister. I'm coming."

She released his arm, spinning around to take flight and speed off towards the hallway. He sighed. It really wasn't fair that she was the same age as him, but managed to possess so much more energy. He'd be willing to bet her back didn't ache every morning.

Gol tried to keep pace with his much more youthful twin sister as best he could, and they arrived a short while later in the hallway outside the boy's room, filled with a dozen or so of their servants. Many of the things were occupied with nothing but ambling about, and all of them appeared to be rather unclear on what they were supposed to be doing. Surely they didn't need to waste this many of their servants to keep a simple rodent away. Was he really that difficult for her to simply catch herself? Even the boy didn't need this many guards, with the constant weakened state his dear sister had been keeping him in.

The creatures watched them as they walked by with a strange amount of interest, as if they were aware of the fact that they shared something in common with the two that ruled over them. They must have sensed the Dark Eco within the boy, as well, as several were crowded around the door, snuffling and scratching at it. Surprisingly docile things they could be, when in the right mood. Apparently he had done a superb job of training them.

Well, mostly. When Maia attempted to push them out of the way to open the door, one hissed at her. "Oh, shut up, you stupid thing!" She gave it a sharp whack to its snout, and it retreated. The rest of its group did the same, looking back at her several times as they tried to get away from the one who might come for them next.

"I told you I could take care of myself," Maia said, before opening the door and sauntering into the boy's cell. The creatures started to crowd around again, and no matter how much he tried to shoo them away, they simply stayed put and stared at him. He glared at them before following his sister into the room.

Like before, the boy was sitting in the corner, but now he was bloodied and bruised. He hardly looked at them, simply sat there with arms crossed, staring at the corner across from him. Gol could feel the Dark Eco within the boy more than ever now. He wasn't keeping it suppressed as much as he had before. The Sage grinned inwardly. Good. Learn to embrace it, boy. Then, we won't have to be enemies. Not that I won't still make your like miserable for all the trouble you've caused us.

Maia laughed as she leaned against the wall behind her, arms crossed, but the boy made no indication he had heard. "Still sulking about your flea-ridden friend, are we?"

"If it's any consolation," Gol said, walking by his sister to stand before the boy, "your friend is at least in a better place now than you are." She really did need to do something about the rat. Lying to the boy was all well and good, but it didn't prevent the rat from causing trouble as long as he lived.

The boy still made no response. The quiet was welcome, but he was sure it wasn't going to last.

"Now that the destruction of Haven City is imminent," the Sage continued, "my dear sister and I have a little leisure time to engage in our true purpose for keeping you here. You are a most interesting specimen. In fact, we have never found a person like you, with the Dark Eco living within, while you continue on unchanged. We would like to study you. And I would give you a chance to come quietly with us to the lab, but I assume you aren't going to take me up on that more than generous offer, now will you?"

The boy muttered something.

"Excuse me. I didn't quite catch that."

"I said, unless you can get rid of the voice in my head, I'm going to keep making things as difficult for you as I have been." The boy's voice was soft. It didn't have the same diffidence as the Sage remembered hearing a week ago. It seemed his dear sister had been successful thus far in breaking the boy, after all.

Gol chuckled. "Are you now? Well, I am capable of much the same." He turned to see several of the creatures peering into the room, kept at bay only by a simple glance from Maia. He motioned for several of them to come in and pointed at the boy. "Carry him."

The creatures started to crowd through the doorway, pushing past each other and taking a short break to look to Maia for approval. She stared back with a half grin and raised an eyebrow at them, and they continued farther into the room. While this was going on, the boy didn't so much as move. Gol glared down at him. "Don't think I'm joking, boy. Get up now, or you're going to look rather stupid."

The Sage stepped back as their servants moved towards their target, whom he caught finally standing up as the monsters moved in to surround him. It's too late for that, boy. I gave you a chance to come of your own volition, and you didn't take it. And then, just before the creatures could grab him, the boy cried out, a purple wave of energy shooting out from him in all directions, sending the creatures and the Sage flying back into the walls. What in Precursors' name was that? Gol thought, as he slid to the floor, eyes wide. Maia and the boy were the only ones still standing, she slumped against the wall, clutching it for balance beside her brother, while the boy's old grin had returned to his face as his skin changed back from white to its normal color.

"That should keep the voice away for a while. Thanks."

Gol couldn't stop himself from gasping for breath, the air having been knocked out of him during his impact with the wall, but he would only hurt the boy worse to make up for his temporary show of weakness. Not to mention he now had the indignity of sitting on the floor! The Sage stood up just as the creatures were attempting to do the same. He growled at the boy, and then directed his rage towards his servants. They were getting in his way! He shoved them aside and marched to the one that had made him look like a fool, stopping right in front of him. Darn the boy for being slightly shorter than him, so their eyes didn't quite line up!

"You don't make me look like a fool, boy. Understand?" Before the boy could make any other obnoxious comment, the Sage grabbed him by the throat with one hand. The boy opened his mouth to speak, but only a choked sound came out. The Sage grinned. "That's what I like to hear."

The boy grabbed at the hand around his throat and snarled at him. How dare that insolent boy! Perhaps Maia hadn't done such a good job, after all.

"Well, after that display just now, I'll just have to take you there myself."

He released the boy for only a second before electrocuting him. That would teach him to resist. Once he finally let up, the boy fell to the floor, holding himself up with his hands, panting. After a moment, he looked up at the Sage, eyes filled with a hate so intense, it could melt hell itself. "I will escape from here. And I will kill you both." His voice was hoarse, but no less forceful. "You can't take away what matters to me and expect me to obey you. It'll never happen. I will stop you, even if it kills me."

Gol stared down at him. It seemed that, rather than break him, Maia had only strengthened the boy's resolve against them. Even when he believed he was losing all reason to live. It was unsettling, to say the least. The Sage said nothing, only motioned for the creatures to return. Weakened as the boy was, Gol no longer was in the mood to drag him to the lab himself. He felt like if he touched the boy kneeling before him, he'd burn, the boy's rage seemed so tangible.

He turned away as the creatures surrounded the boy again. Even Maia's amused expression was gone, as she watched the boy like an animal that might attack. They looked at each other, and she nodded, as if in silent agreement that the current situation was not as funny as it was earlier. She walked out first, and then he did, followed by the creatures, with the boy in tow. They walked in silence, while Gol wondered why the boy didn't struggle. Why didn't he?

They arrived in the lab, now containing a table made for this very purpose, and their servants dropped the boy down on it with a motion from Gol. Further instructions, and they put the manacles on the boy's wrists and ankles. Now he struggled, but less than expected. It was like he knew now wasn't the time to escape. Not yet, but later perhaps. The Sage narrowed his eyes. No, you're not going anywhere.

If he got away, it would be bad for us both.

Nonsense. They could handle this simpleton. He just couldn't be allowed to leave. He had to be punished. For everything. Gol nodded, and the creatures left, though he wasn't nodding to them, but to his own thoughts. They could handle the boy, whatever happened.

The Dark Sage strode forward, Maia now already on the other side of the table. He had expected a great deal of satisfaction for getting revenge on the one who had imprisoned them in the silo for over three hundred years, so why was he not looking forward to this? He watched the boy on the table, whose eyes twitched to the side to meet those of the Sage. Why did he keep staring at him? He broke eye contact with the boy to look at his sister, whose smile was starting to return, now that events were starting to settle back to the expected. Let's get this over with.

"Hand me the syringe, dear sister."

Please review.