Dead Centre
Right guys and gals time for another chapter in my Jak story unfortunately it's been a very long time coming like 5 months in the making and by that I mean I had writers block and got distracted by a few new hobbies and with my uni work but now I am back for a while hopefully, maybe, I dunno but on the bright side I do actually have a chapter for you now it's got my story back on track I know where I am going, I have my own little lore story going within theis story some details have been said in previous chapters but no spoilers just yet. Anyway I've had to up the rating to M for this chapter as it is rather a bit more adult than any other I have done. I know I've been pushing the border line region for a while now but hopefully it is now in the correct place anyways long explanation over, I hope you enjoy the chapter and as always I don't own Jak but I do own Ortz!
Ortz crept forward to Seem who had a stern scowl on her face, which Ortz had almost become accustom to, she didn't even react to his advance she just turned and walked down the large well lit corridor. The gold plating and brown mud walls just caused the light to bounce around the room making the end seem almost blinding; he struggled to see through the blinding light as he walked out into the sun baked landscape.
"Jesus its hot here," Ortz said calmly as he wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"You are weak," Seem snapped at Ortz who just rolled his scarf up over his head covering his short cut hair and tattooed neck bearing the remnants of his time in the guard. "Good those might get you killed here."
"Good to know." He replied as he rolled his sleeves down to cover the rest.
They turned into the streets of Spargus, people were everywhere, they all had something covering their heads with short sleeved t-shirts on. Some women had full head wraps on. All had armour on and had old style rifles on their shoulders. They looked cobbled together with what the people could get their hands on.
They eventually arrived at a well with a man in a long robe with a pistol attached to his leg, he had a bald head which was embedded with KG tattoos. He was stood on the edge of the well and was preaching to his humble crowd who just sat in his presence as if he was some sort of deity. His was telling of how the suns in the sky would bring an end to humanity and rewrite the earth's history for anew, just as it had for the ancients.
As Seem walked towards the man he stopped his words and ordered the people to disperse with just a flick of his hand. "Seem," He nodded as he walked towards us the people giving him room as he walked. Seem nodded in response as he stopped when one man crossed his path. "You useless sack of shit," the man exclaimed as he grabbed the man buy the scruff of his neck. The man was almost crying with fear as the preacher picked him up off the ground with one arm. There was a feeling in the air was the man was lifted higher into the air. Suddenly sparks flew as the man erupted in a flash of blue and purple arcs of lightening. "You will not be doing that again." The man demanded as the ashes of the man floated off into the wind.
Seem just stood there as Ortz tried to keep a brave face. The man turned to face the two of them as he wiped the ashes off his hand and checked his pocket watch which sat in the pocket of his shirt which he had beneath his robe, it was a posh shirt with pin striping the gold chain of his pocket watch did everything to embellish himself with aristocracy, despite his blue facial coverings.
"Bloody sorry about that," He said calmly as he re shimmed his robe over his shoulders concealing his shirt once again. "Rupert Acheron, but please call me Preacher." He held his hand out to Ortz as he seemed to disregard Seem.
As Ortz reached to shake Preacher's hand, he hand his wrist pulled forwards and his sleeve rolled up by Preacher. "As I expected. Seem why do you even try to deceive me?" He posed to Seem rhetorically.
Ortz could feel the hairs on the back of his neck start to stand back up on edge his pulse raced as the man's grip tightened to an almost crushing level. Soon as he knew what was happening a single arc of lightening stuck his wrist burning him deeply but nothing more happened other than a deep red burn. He cringed expecting to be turned to ash but still nothing happened.
"Maybe I misjudged you," He said in his very aristocratic voice which had changed vastly from when he was stood on the well.
"Fuck!" Ortz exclaimed as he grabbed his right wrist which had been burnt coving it from the intense sunlight.
"Mind your tongue, I'm still not sure of you yet peasant," The Preacher snarled at Ortz, "Seem we need to get out of here, I feel my presence is attracting too much attention."
Seem grumbled and nodded as the man walked in front of the two now disgruntled people, but why was Seem helping him, was he her leader or did he have power over her.
"Who the hell is he?" Ortz grunted to Seem who was walking in a prayer like state.
"It does not matter to you outsider."
After a further two more minutes of walking the man arrived at a set of heavy blast doors, the Preacher coughed and then simply said, "Seem." To which she shrugged and wandered over to the control panel which controlled the pulleys on the door mechanism. As she flicked a switch the panel a large steam powered machine kicked into life, the loud mechanical sounds of the engine made Ortz realise how much more advanced the technology in Haven was, even in the slums they at least had a reactor to power the area. After a few seconds of groaning the machine suddenly lurched into life as the groaning gave way to the sounds of metallic screeching as the huge door lifted up on its pulleys arose into the air. It must have weight at least four tonnes but a set of steel cables had managed to lift the hulk into the air high enough for people even one as tall was Preacher to walk through.
Ortz was in awe of the structure but Seem glared him through the gate before hitting the release on the far side of the complex. The door came down with a crashing thud which caused a man who was working on a transport vehicle.
"Ah Seem you ruddy wet blanket," He shouted in a very Glaswegian accent, "How have yee' been?" He again shouted as he hugged her picking her off the floor.
"Will you drop me you fool?" Seem demanded as she wrestled her way from the scots grip.
"Aye, you're just a foocking grumpy as yee' ever were," He said with a huge ear to ear grin. "Now who the foock are yee'?" He asked Ortz who was slowly becoming more adjusted to the scots shouting.
"Ortz…" He began as he held out his hand.
"Ah, Christ where did yee' find this limp dick does yee'r kind really take all the shite that gets booted now?" the man said to Seem abruptly.
"it was Damas' idea, I had no say," She explained to the man scooped up a large set of bronze armour from beside the vehicle he had been working on.
"No shit," The man said surprised.
"I know, well let's get out of here and out to the temple." Seem smile for once at the Scot who now looked at Ortz with even more distrust.
"Can we board the vehicle now we're done discussing the peasant?" Preacher asked from his new found leaning post next to the vehicle that the Scot had been working on.
"Aye, let's get foocking to it," the Scot said as he jumped into the driver's seat of the vehicle and fired up the huge engine. The sound of the huge pistons and the firing gasoline which pumped through the vehicle caused the entire room to shake, the noise inside the semi enclosed room was almost deafening as Ortz and the others climbed on board.
"Alright laddie, open the gate," the Scot shouted into a small radio handset which sat just above Seem's lap. "Eh, no getting kinky you bloody tart!" He then shouted at her as he brushed her leg with his hand as he gripped the steering wheel. The gate slowly opened after this and the vehicle jolted out of the gate screaming fire and smoke in its wake, leaving a strong scent of burnt fuel in its wake.
The dust from the barren desert kicked up in the tread of the tires which had a three inch tread. They were churning a lot of dust but as they continued to roar forward they hit dune after dune shuddering up the face and cascading down the back side shaking the crew to the extent where Ortz was nearly threw out. He grabbed hold of the roll bars on the top of the vehicle to stop himself falling from the vehicle.
"Is it too rough for yee', ya KG foocking pussy," too used to your damn hellcats and zoomers that a real machine makes you shit your pants and cry to that caunt Praxis!" The scot shouted as he bumped the vehicle over another dune.
"What the fuck is that?" Ortz shouted over to the scot as he reached the peak of the dune.
"Ah shite!" The Scot shouted as he looked in the direction of the incoming object.
"Marauders!" Seem shouted as she hunkered down in the vehicle.
"Look ya wee nanny, take this and keep those foockers off our ass!" The Scot shouted as he lifted a machine gun up and passed it to Ortz who checked the belt and closed the receiver on it.
"Guns up!" Ortz shouted as he started to hammer two to three round bursts out towards the oncoming vehicle.
"Don't talk just shoot yee' lit'le prick!" The scot angrily shouted at Ortz as he continued to fire out to the vehicle which was closing in on them fast.
It took about ten seconds for the marauders to draw in close their vehicle, Ortz started to target the occupants of the vehicle with the MG but it wasn't having much effect as the marauders had up armoured their vehicle. The small grate their driver was hiding behind was now peppered by the lead which had come out of the MG.
"The fuckers aren't stopping!" Ortz shouted over to the Scot who just continued to drive forwards.
"Aye hang on!" He shouted as he rammed the marauders with the vehicle and tore a marauder from the passenger seat of the vehicle taking out the sheet metal from the driver's side. "There yee' go ya' wussy ass dickhead!"
"Thanks!" Ortz shouted back as he hammered the driver with the MG placing several shots into his chest causing him to flip the vehicle several times and land upright.
"Good shooting, dickhead!" The Scot shouted from the driver's seat.
"Your driving weren't too bad yourself," Ortz shouted back as he continued to cover the vehicle even though he was sure that all inside were dead, "How much further to the temple?" Ortz asked.
"About ten minutes now lad!" the scot replied as he continued to hammer the vehicle towards the temple.
"Ah fuck not again!" Ortz shouted as he continued to observe the vehicle as its lights lit up again and glared towards their vehicle, only now they had a machine gunner on top.
"You're bloody useless!" Preacher finally spoke after sitting in silence and just taking in the dusty air as we travelled.
"Fuck you!" Ortz shouted as he continued to open up on the marauder vehicle. They continued to exchange fire as they pelted towards the temple eventually they reached a small town with old mud huts and a few giant lizzards bouncing around the place. As soon as their vehicle entered the village the marauder vehicle backed off.
"They've fucked off for now!" Ortz shouted as he tried to compete with the noise of the engine.
"Yeah and for a reason!" The Scot shouted as he pointed out a set of figures up on the roof tops which lead through the village.
"Shit rocket!" Ortz shouted as a large flash of light headed towards the vehicle.
"Right let's finish this," Preacher said calmly as he shoot to his feet and held out his hand with his fingers splayed. He then closed his fist causing the rocket to shoot up into the air and crash down on the building which it had been fired from, the fire ball did not explode in all directions but was kept contained but after a split second a vehicle opened up on them but it wasn't for long as Preacher tracked it with his eyes causing the fireball to race towards the vehicle, it erupted it in a fireball which he allowed to disperse.
The vehicle cleared the village but now had several marauder vehicles behind them, Ortz continued to open up on the vehicle behind but they still had a large metal grate covering the driver. "Fuckers just don't quit!"
"Stand down now!" Preacher snapped at Ortz just as a large mountain came into view.
"Is that the temple?" Ortz asked.
"Yes," Seem told him in her raspy voice.
"Then step on it!" Ortz shouted to the Scot behind the wheel as he continued shouting despite the order from Preacher.
"I said stop!" Preacher shouted as the gun suddenly jammed and two of the marauder vehicles exploded. Leaving only one left. With a flick of Preacher's wrist the remaining vehicle split in two and crunched the remain crew inside but keeping the driver alive and floating in the air.
"Do you know what happens next?" Preacher asked the driver as he floated towards the vehicle that they were travelling.
"I'll fucking kill you!" The marauder shouted as he tried to draw his pistol.
"Yeah right!" Preacher chuckled as he closed his fist and lightening once again engulfed the marauder. The dust left simply faded into the dust kicked up by the desert. "Now, on to my temple!" He then said menacingly.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter I know it's a lot more violent and graphic than previous chapters but hopefully raising the bar will help with that, at least there's no smut in here, I don't have plans for it but 'the best laid schemes of mice and men gang aft agley,' after all, just so you know that's from the poem that inspired Of Mice and Men by Steinbeck, the poem is called To a Mouse by Robert Burns, I thought a Scottish poem would be applicable for this chapter. But anyway until the next time please review and tell me what your thoughts are on the story thus far and I hope you've enjoyed it PEACE!