Chapter 6: The Unbalance

Location: Haven City

The old soothsayer Onin meditated as she always did; trying to sense the young heir and where he was in the world; however with two in existence it wasn't very hard to do. Her milky white blind eyes continued to stare into nothingness. Jak or Mar were not in danger…yet. The two were one and the same. Young Mar was learning very quickly how to do things by himself and was getting attached to his new friends; especially Jak. As for Jak, he was too busy becoming the best racer in existence. He's already defeated many of the standing champions; but this future that he was building for himself was not what he was suppose to be doing. This was not the future she'd seen when she met the anger young man only a year ago. No, this was an uncertain future.

Suddenly a vision hit her so hard it made her gasp with its intensity. In her mind she saw darkness spreading, not in the future; but the past. Something young Mar was supposed to do to ensure the world would be safe. She also saw the young warrior Mar being killed and the line of Mar being destroyed forever because of this darkness. Looking deeper into this vision she saw two people with pale skin standing over a Precursor robot and opening the dark eco wells! These two people were laughing maniacally until suddenly they screamed in horror at what they'd done and saw themselves being twisted into monsters. Then just as suddenly the vision ended.

Onin shook herself to get rid of the deep and uneasy feeling she suddenly had. Looking forward she could sense her familiar nearby and promptly told him to get the Haven officials and both Samos' here pronto.

Ashelin and Torn looked at Onin as she finished telling them and the twin Samos' what had happened. "This is grave news." The older Samos said. "We must find Jak and get him to send Mar back; otherwise Haven City will never exist."

"Wait, Mar?" Torn asked. "You mean to tell me that LJ is Mar, the Mar?"

"No, of course not." Younger Samos said not sounding amused. "Damas called his son Mar after his ancestor."

"Yes, that's true." Older Samos said, "But, young Mar and Jak are actually one and the same."

"WHAT!?" both Ashelin and Torn yelled causing the older members of the group to wince. "Okay, so Jak is Prince Mar, who was to be sent back in time to-"Ashelin looked at the older Sage.

"Sandover Village." He paused as he saw everybody freeze. "And yes, it's the same Sandover where Kor and his kind will one day destroy. The citizens will not all perish, most lived and joined Mar, who lead them into victory over the metal heads and with his channeling powers held off the myriad of metal head armies while the people built the Haven City wall. He would later return to the city with Precursor tech which would be the foundation of information that he'd use to make the shield, the generators, holographic displays and even our weapon systems."

"So without Jak growing up in Sandover?" Torn asked

"If Jak doesn't send his younger self into the past and if my younger self doesn't go as well;" older Samos gave a sad sigh. "Young Jak won't meet a young Daxter and I won't have my daughter Keira. Daxter will never grow up with Jak. Instead he will grow up and never go to Misty Island and without Jak there neither will go on their journey to the North to Gol and Maia's citadel and they will never discover that the two Dark Sages are going to open the damn Silo's." he shook his head. "The silos will open and they will flood the world with their darkness. All Elvin life will come to an abrupt end!"

"Shit." Torn cursed. "Well where are they?"

As Ashelin went to open a comm. link to Freedom HQ Onin's hands lit up as she began to speak. Pecker looked at her; his eyes widening. "Onin says that Jak and his friends have joined the Kras City Racing Circuit and is currently in the winning standings." He paused as her hands continued to rapidly fly through the air. "She also says that right now they're in Spargus City; which is a tough Wasteland city that's ruled by…WHAT!" his eyes winded. "HE'S ALIVE!"

"Who?" Ashelin asked as she approached the seer.

"Damas!" Pecker squawked. "He's alive!" he turned to Onin. "She says that King Damas is currently hosting the racing games and in the end the winner will have the choice of trying out for citizenship of Spargus. She says she sees danger for both Jak and Damas in the very near future. Both from themselves and an outside entity; somebody we all thought was dead, but is in fact very much alive."

"Who?!" Torn demanded, causing Pecker to flinch.

"Erol." The monkaw replied causing everybody to go silent.

Location: Spargus City

Jak look outside the window of his vehicle as the first race got on the way. He could see Keira in the pits with Mar. The jumbotron overhead had G.T. counting down and all soon as the annoying man said one he was off. He saw ahead of him a group of blue eco balls and hit them immediately and zoomed past everybody. "Right behind you Cherry." He could hear Sig in his ear piece and smiled.

"Not for long!" Daxter yelled, "Orange Lightning coming through."

Jak watched as his best friend and he were now tied for first. He then saw a red eco blob ahead and grabbed it with his car, which activated the eco generator in the back and suddenly he had mines. Smiling he pressed the turbo button and flew past Daxter, and nabbed another blob of eco, this one of yellow eco, which activated the eco generator again, this time for the front and now he had missiles. He continued to pick up blue balls of eco and spat out his mines as he saw another red blob ahead and turboed again towards it. As he turned the bend around the area that went by the water he saw that the red eco had given him a shield. He then heard Sig gasp as he was hit in the back and was taken out of the race as his back axel was taken out completely. "Keira!" he heard Sig yell and turned off his link with Sig.

"Dax, Sig's out!" he yelled towards his friend through the link.

"Grreat!" he heard a sarcastic reply. "It was UR-86 I bet!" the poor red head hated that robot. It reminded him of all those times as an ottsel that he had to run past those death bots in the Fortress while he was trying to find Jak and get his best buddy out of prison.

Jak came up to the finish line and smiled as a ding went off in his car, telling him and that there was one lap left.

Damas grimaced when Sig's vehicle was taken out and the back end of his race car was in flames. Thankfully the big man got out safely just as he young woman came out quickly and the two of them got the downed car out of the way as round two began of the race. He could see the cameras everywhere and the jumbotron over head showed that Jak was still in front. Just then a peacemaker round was shot off by not one, but three cars. That would certainly take out Jak vehicle; but Jak seemed to know as his eyes left the track only and then return and he smirked. Just as the first peacemaker went in for the kill, a shield popped up and the crowds went wild. The entire track vibrated with the cheers and Damas couldn't help but smile himself as Jak crossed the finish line in first followed by the loudmouth red head Daxter.

Upon standing he exited the track for the pits to talk to Sig, only to find the large man waiting for him outside his box seat. "Sig." he greeted. "Where's Mar?"

Damas could see the man shake his head. "You still don't see it do you?" Sig sighed.

"I know you want me to believe that story," he could see Sig was about to say something. "but it's too impossible."

"Have it your way." Sig shrugged and turned to leave and then looked at his King. "You coming Lordship?" he asked sounding slightly miffed.

Damas followed silently behind.

As they approached the parking garage they could hear celebrations from inside. Suddenly Daxter rounded the corner and saw Sig with a strange guy and suddenly had a very bad feeling. "Uh, guys." He said, "Sig's got a friend with him."

Jak grabbed Mar and ran into the side room; Keira shut the door behind him. Jak sat Mar down on the couch and went over to a locker where he had his morph gun and grabbed it. Placing his pointer finger to his lips for Mar to be quiet, the boy nodded and crawled behind the couch with Mutt suddenly lifting his head off of the carpet and run off towards Mar, who shushed his pet.

Outside Daxter grabbed his pistols and hid 'em on his person on the back of his pants. Keira grabbed a crowbar and Tess suddenly found her dagger interesting as she played with it as Sig entered the building with Damas beside him. "Hi'ya Sig!" Daxter said as he leaned against his car. "You crashed and burned man!" he said sounding like there was laughter behind his voice.

Sig nodded. "Where's Jak?" he asked

"Pro'lly getting' his trophy." Daxter grunted as he scratched his chin and lifted his head a bit higher as one eye drifted to the door to the other room.

Sig saw the signal. Hiding like I told him. "Then we'll wait." Damas said as he walked past Sig and into the garage. He wasn't dumb, he saw the weapons the two girls were handling and saw the pistol that the red head was trying to hide on his back that was hidden by his racing jacket. Then there was the obvious door in the corner or the room. It was then very obvious that they were standing in front of the door and that was probably where Mar was being hidden.

"Jak's a good kid. You'll him." Sig assured Damas, his signal to Jak to come out.

Meanwhile on the inside Jak snuck outside a window, after putting the strap of his gun around his shoulder. Dropping down he walked back around the front and walked up behind Sig. "Sig." he greeted, causing both Wastelanders to turn around. "Was wonderin' where you went off to." He snickered. "Who got you?"

Sig groaned. "That bucket of bolts."

Jak looked at Daxter who began snickering. "Really Sig? A robot beat you?"

"Shut it Cherry." Jak smirked as he spotted the older man and felt his breath catch as he recognized this man from a memory he'd had a few months back when they'd been still living in Haven City. "This is…"

"King Damas." Jak breathed his eyes wide.

"Have we met boy?" Damas asked as he eyed the young man. Bright blue eyes starred wide at him, greenish blonde hair a testament of days spent in the sun and being bleached by its rays.

"Sortta." Jak replied. "Can I speak to Sig for a moment?" Damas gave a nod as he turned back towards Jak's friends who were still standing in front of the door.

"What is it Jak?" Sig had seen Jak's reaction to meeting the king of the wastelanders and now was curious.

"You never said your friend was my Dad." Jak said quietly, not wanting Damas to overhear them.

"So you remember him?" Sig questioned as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Yeah." Jak replied as he scratched behind his neck and looked at Damas who was starring a hole into the door. "I think Mar should see his Dad."

"Think the kid will remember?" Sig asked not wanting to force this. It had to be Jaks decision.

"I don't know." Jak said almost too quietly. It was then that he heard a whine and could see Mutt's nose under the door.

"Jak, the dog is gonna rip the door off." Daxter complained. "Oh! You promised to take me to the markets after the race, so don't you-"

"I haven't forgotten Dax," he walked over to the door. "Mutt probably just has to go out." He cracked the door which allowed Mutt to run out; but instead of going to Jak the coca dog ran directly to Damas and knocked the king on his ass and proceeded to slob the man up from chin to hairline.

Damas burst out laughing. "Down boy!" he ordered but was completely ignored by the wiggling beast who was happy to see the king.

"Mutt!" Jak cried out as he closed the door, but not all the way. "Get off of him boy!" Jak grabbed Mutt by his collar. "Bad Mutt." Jak scolded the coca dog.

Suddenly a high pitch cry was heard from the door. Jak and Damas turned to see Mar standing there. His jaw dropped and eyes wide.

"Mar." Damas whispered softly and approached the young boy. "Do you…Do you remember me, son?"

Mar's eyes went from his father to Jak and then back, he gave a slow nod and almost too soft to be heard he spoke one word. "D-D-D-Daddy." He stuttered as he walked past the door and into his father's awaiting arms.

"WAIT A MINUTE!" Daxter yelled and then pointed from Damas to Jak and the back. "You're Mar's Daddy? Then does that…" he looked at Jak when suddenly a squawk was heard by everybody and a very tired looking Pecker landed on Daxter's car. "OH NO, NOT YOU!" Daxter screamed at the familiar.

"Shut it rat-boy!" Pecker yelled. "Sorry to intrude, but Jak; we have a major problem."

Damas stood up with his son in his arms. "What kind of problem?" Jak asked as he watched his father.

"Oh, I don't know…how about WORLD ENDING!" he yelled. "You keeping your younger self in the time instead of sending him back in time is upsetting the balance of the world!"

Damas' arms tightened on Mar, who gave a cry of protest. "What is the meaning of this?" he yelled.

"Quick review for you your majesty." Pecker began but was interrupted by Tess.

"Jak and Mar are one and the same." She said and as she was about to continue Daxter interrupted her. "Jak stopped Mar from opening the Precursor Stone and then stopped him from going through the rift gate in the metal head leaders nest."

"I couldn't let him go through the pain I went through." Jak said sadly as those pain filled memories surfaced.

'Without them though you wouldn't be who you are. 'Dark said as he appeared in Jaks mind only to be ignored by the hero.

"As admirable as that is; you," Pecker pointed at Jak as he continued, "have to send him through the rift gate, otherwise Gol and Maia Acheron will open the silos in the past thus flooding the world with dark eco. This will not only kill off the young warrior Mar; and your own line, but will kill every Elf on this planet at that time or would ever be born."

Everybody was stock still. "I-"Jak looked at his younger self. "I just wanted to protect him. He deserved better than what I got." He looked at Daxter. "Everything was fine until we returned to Haven. Once he returns; "he looked at his own hands. "he'll be tortured by Praxis for two years with dark eco; he'll be turned into a weapon, a tool."

Daxter's ears fell back a bit. "Yeah, but he'll also be the one to kill his mother's killer and kill the metal head leader and will become a kickass hero." Sig said with a smile. "Now Cherry, I ain't for takin' a man's kid away; but…" he looked at Damas who nodded. "I think the kid has to go."

Walking over to Jak, Damas handed him Mar."Take him." Damas said as he pulled away. "Then come back to Spargus, it's where you belong son."

M-Angel: Yes, I'm letting Damas say good-bye to his son. *sniffle*