Kiera stood in the garage, clipboard in hand, doing a routine check up on Jak's vehicle before the race.
Engine start up: check.
Missile launcher deploy: check.
Front mounted turret deploy: check.
As she continued checking off the items on her list, her heart ached in her chest. She kept thinking about last night, when Sig had told them the news. After Jak had slammed his door shut, she was a mess, they all were. Kiera called her father and finally told him what was going on. He was understanding, and had realized it was something serious when she had first asked to stay over. He told her how, he too, was upset and angered by the situation, just as Torn and Ashelin were when Sig called them to tell them how Jak took the news.
"He won't get away with this," Torn hissed from the other end of the communicator.
"I'll kill him myself if I have to."
"Not if I kill him first." Daxter interjected.
"Or I do." Ashelin added.
"Or I do." Sig chipped in.
"Or I do." Kiera echoed quietly.
There was a moment of silence between all 5 of them, before Torn finally spoke up.
"The next race is tomorrow, I'm not scheduled for that one, so I can fill in for Jak."
"Okay," Kiera nodded.
"I need to be there to do maintenance. Daxter, do you think you can watch over Jak until I get back. I would never forgive myself if I wasn't there and he… he…"
"Yeah," Daxter interrupted, he knew what she was getting at, Jak had nearly done it the other night when dark had taken over.
"I'll make sure he's alright and stays here. You guys do what you need to."
Kiera bit her lip to keep from crying as she now stood in the garage. What if he did kill himself while she was gone. Daxter was so small, he wasn't strong enough to pull Jaks hands away from himself that night he almost gouged himself to death. What if he did it again, and Daxter was powerless to stop him.
The sudden hand on her shoulder interrupted Kiera's thoughts.
"Hey," Torn murmured.
"He'll be alright."
Kiera took a deep breath before nodding.
"I know." she said, trying to smile.
Suddenly, someone walked in.
"Jak?!" Kiera exclaimed.
"What are you doing here?"
"Racing." He replied simply.
"But… you… I…" Kiera fumbled at a loss for words.
"Daxter!" Kiera cried, turning her attention to the ottsel on his shoulder.
"He came out this morning determined to race. We argued about it for hours, but he says he wants to race." Daxter said, rubbing an exhausted hand over his face.
"You want to race, Jak, but the real question is: can you?" Torn interjected.
"You've seen me on the track." Jak said.
"Sure, but-" Torn started, but Jak cut him off.
"I'm racing." Jak said.
Kiera crossed the room and grabbed Jak's hands. She looked him in the eye, quietly asking him if he was sure, if he really wanted to do this.
There was a determined glint in his eye, one she had seen in him more than once, so familiar and typical for him, but deep down inside her, something didn't feel right.
He gave her hand a small reassuring squeeze.
Kiera sighed.
"Okay," She lowered her eyes, giving his hands a small squeeze back.
"Okay." she repeated nodding.
Daxter perched on Jak's shoulder, next to the Roadblade at the starting line, waiting for the race to begin. The warm, deep, crimson of the hull reminded him of blood, like the blood he found streaked along Jak's thighs, like the blood that poured from Jak's arms.
Daxter wasn't entirely convinced Jak should be racing, but who was he to tell him what he can and can't do. The last thing he wanted to do was force him to do something he didn't want to. Fuck.
"Are you sure about this, Jak?" Daxter asked.
"We can still walk away."
"I'm not going anywhere, Dax," Jak said, his arms crossed, his mouth set in a firm line.
"I'm going to race, and I'm going to win."
Daxter swallowed thickly.
"Ah…okay. But what about G.T.? He's headed this way."
And the TV host was indeed headed their way. Jak took a deep breath and put on a menacing face.
"Well, well, look who it is!" G.T. said, microphone and cameras in tow.
"We were told there would be a last minute substitution, but it looks like that isn't the case!"
"Wouldn't miss this for the world." Jak said.
"Even with those nasty rumours going around about you?" Blitz asked.
"Let them talk. I'm going to say it right here, right now,"
Jak leered into the camera, he hoped Razer, and Mizo, and every other person who was counting on his downfall was watching.
"Nothing is going to stop me from racing."
G.T. laughed, patting Jak on the shoulder. Jak looked at the hand like he was inches away from ripping it off of his body.
"You gotta hand it to him folks, this rookie is nothing if not determined. We'll all just have to see if Jak can live up to the hype!"
As G.T. walked away, Jak hopped into his car. Daxter opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. What even was there to say? He glanced at the hull of the car again. He prayed it was the only red he saw today.