Title: Deceitful balance
Author: Quick-demon
Disclaimers: I don't own Jak and Daxter. But if I did and had all that power, I'll use it to build a giant palace! I'll have the biggest harem of men (coz I'm a girl) the world has ever known. And I'll have a giant swimming pool filled to the brim with chocolate! Yeah, yeah, gooey chocolate… slightly minty, and the men and I will jump in together
Only characters that are not originally in the game are mine. All mine, my own... my precious...
Rating: PG-13 (low-level course language. But gets stronger and more frequent as the story goes on. Violence gets stronger at the end)
Genre: Action/adventure, general, drama... a little mystery, a little supernatural and maybe a little suspense.
Game: Jak II. After older Samos was rescued from prison and before Jak defeated Erol at the races.
Summery: When a brutal gang kidnaps Jak, Torn and Daxter attempts to set his free by a deal but things are not what they seem. As they all are caught in a deceitful web Daxter gets dreams from his two-year separation with Jak, which may hold the key to helping Jak or eventually send him to his doom.
A/N: Punctuation errors may appear through out the story. I apologize for them as I usually go over my work. Then again I'm only human. I'll fix'em when I get a chance to.
Jak yawned and rubbed his tired eyes. It was late and he and Daxter been doing missions all day. Jak looked up and saw the white moon peaking above the shabby slum buildings. He sighed. His best friend yawned and stretched his orange furry arms.
"I'm pooped. Why do we have to go to the Underground to sleep? Can't you rent out a place or something Jak? I sware Torn is going to do something nasty to me one of these nights!" Daxter complained
"Sorry Dax. Maybe if we had some money we could rent something out…" Jak sighed
"Well the Underground should pay us! We do all the dirty work, we go and risk our lives, and we fight Metal Heads and do get any thanks for it? NOOO!" Daxter ranted on
"Relax. After a few more missions I see what we can do. Sleeping at the hideout doesn't really appeal to me either" Jak reassured
Suddenly a loud rumbling noise sounded from above. Jak looked up to see a large silhouetted airship above. It came low. Jak suspected it was the Krimson Guard and whipped out his trusty gun.
Shadow figures jumped down from the vehicle above as the vehicle came down to land. Jak began shooting at them. The unsuspecting figures fell at the fire, the rest scattered about.
"JAK do something!" Daxter pleaded
Jak kept shooting at the unknown strangers. They took cover behind corners and rubbish cans. Then they started to fire at Jak. Jak rolled out of the way and took cover behind another corner.
"Who are these people?" Jak growled
"I don't know? How would I know?" Daxter panicked
"Probably the Baron decided to send some goons after me" Jak smirked, "I got too much for him to handle"
Jak readied his gun, "Let's give them something to tell the Baron"
"Don't do anything stupid" Daxter murmured in a small voice
Jak looked at Daxter offended, "When did I do anything stupid?"
"Well when we went up the elevator and to the palace and spied on the Baron" Daxter pointed out, "The Baron caught us and…"
Jak frowned at him. Daxter recoiled.
"Never mind…" Daxter put on a nervous smile
Jak rolled his eyes and readied himself. He quickly turned the corner and pointed his Blaster gun at different hiding spots and started to shoot blindly. He retreated behind the wall but heard no returning fire. Curiously Jak peaked around the corner and found it was empty.
"They're not here…" Jak murmured in confusion
"JAK!" Daxter screeched
Jak quickly turned around and pointed his gun at the opposite direction but his reaction was too slow. The dark figures moved quickly to him and one knocked the gun from his hand. Jak attempted to throw a punch but the figure blocked it and fisted Jak a punch.
Jak was prepared to release his alter ego to destroy these guys. He concentrated on his anger, hate and pain. He felt power building in his system. His opponent seemed to notice Jak's attempt and shouted something to one of his 'friends'.
Jak could feel the demon rising, grabbing hold of his very being. Then out of the blue Jak felt a sharp pain in the side of his neck. His transformation stopped as he grasped his neck. His hand touched something cold and hard that seemed to be half embedded into his neck.
He felt dizzy and tired. His muscles began to falter as his mind threatened to blackout. Jak struggled to keep awake and try to fight his opponent.
"Jak?" Daxter asked worryingly
"I feel… tired…" Jak murmured before collapsing on his knees
"JAK! Come on! Don't give up on me now! I need you to fight these guys, you know how I can't fight…" Daxter wailed
Jak's eyes were closing sleepily. Daxter slapped him on the face a few times but it did nothing for the unconsciousness Jak was slipping into. Daxter saw the foreign object in his neck. He grabbed it and yanked it out. Jak hissed at the pain. Daxter held it in front of Jak's face for both of them to see.
It was a metal dart. It had three points on one end and the other end simply had a rounded point.
"Well this explains…" Daxter started
Jak finally fell forwards and blacked out to the world around him.
"Your sleepiness... Never mind" Daxter muttered
He turned to see the shadowed figures coming towards them. Daxter turned back and tried to wake Jak up. He slapped and shook his unconscious friend.
"Jak! How can you do this to me?" Daxter wailed as he saw his effort had no effect
Daxter saw the man standing over him. He didn't know what to do. Run or stay and fight? The decision was made for him when one of the men batted him off Jak.
Daxter felt the hard ground burning his skin as he slid across it. After he came to a stop he looked up and saw the men carrying Jak onto their airship. Daxter had to get on that ship before they could leave. He couldn't be separated from Jak again and who knows what they'll do to Jak. He couldn't fail Jak. Not again.
Despite his protesting muscles, Daxter forced himself up and ran towards the ship. The last man was going inside the door. He turned and saw the little orange rodent running towards him. He grabbed his pistol and shot the ground in front of Daxter.
Daxter stopped and fell backwards as the ground exploded in front of him. The man shot again and again around the same spot. Daxter heard the man chuckle.
"If you want to play 'hero' little rodent, here" the man chucked something white at him
It landed in front of Daxter. He picked it up and frowned at it.
"I believe we'll meet again" the man said and went inside and the door slid shut
The airship began ascending off the ground. Daxter ran towards the ship but the hovering air pushed him out of reach. The ship rose higher and higher and disappeared into the night sky.
Daxter sighed. He was alone again. Fear settled in. He didn't want to be alone. He didn't want to go through what he went through for the two years he was away from Jak. Then he realised that he wasn't completely alone. Keira was around and so was Torn but he wouldn't go to Torn even if his life depended on it. He needed to go to the stadium.
He looked at the white object that was in his hand. He recognised it to be an envelope. Probably a ransom note, Daxter thought and sighed.
"I need to go to Keira, yeah, she'll know what to do!" Daxter murmured to himself
He ran into the streets to find some means of transportation.
Was he dead? No, pain was surfacing in his head. He might as well be because the pain was getting stronger and stronger. He slowly opened his eyes. Bright light dazzled his eyes so he quickly shut them again. The pain in his head raged like he had a hangover. He felt groggy and felt he didn't think straight.
After lying awake for some time he attempted to reopen his eyes. With a little more success he slowly opened his eyes, trying to get his eyes accustomed to the bright light.
He shifted his body but felt restricted. He lifted his head and saw his ankles and wrists were restrained. His head went back down and he sighed. He was back where he started.
He took note to the room around him. It was empty, except for the bright light that hung over him. The walls were some form of sturdy metal and the flooring was pretty much the same. He heard the metallic door slid open. He turned to see a tall broad but rugged man that had an identifiable ugly scar on his right cheek. He had hard green eyes, dirty long brown hair that was tied back, brown tunic and black pants. The man also had other decorative trinkets like a metal chest plate across his chest and torso, black spike shoulder armour on one side, he had black leather gauntlets one arm and a brown wrist band on the other.
"So this is the criminal that everyone is talking about," the man sneered
"Who are you?" Jak demanded
"My name is Horak and this will be your home for a long while" the man paced around Jak
"If you wanted to give me a home you could of just offered" Jak said sarcastically
Horak chuckled, "I have to apologize for your captivity but if we met in different circumstances we would have been good friends"
"Yeah, I'm sure we would have been close buddies" Jak said in flat sarcasm
Horak smiled devilishly, "I guess you wonder why you're here"
"Not really. But I guess it has something to do with the Baron" Jak said flatly
Horak laughed, "The Baron? If this had something to do with that rumpus ruler then you'll be in the fortress beginning your life again as a lab rat"
"I take it I'm not in the Baron's care nor in the prison. So, scar face, where am I?" Jak demanded
"Far underground in the city. I'm involved in a secret organization called T.I.D.A.M," the man told him
"T.I.D.A.M?" Jak looked confused
"Trade in Illegal Drugs And Money" Horak spelt it out, "We're spread all over the city and only care for drugs, valuables and most of all money"
"So why kidnap me?" Jak growled
"Its how we do things around here. One of your friends has wronged us and we use different means of revenge" the man replied
"Revenge?" Jak growled, "Who?"
Horak smiled evilly, "When he falls into our trap I shall bring you the head"
"What?!" Jak growled and tried to sit up on the chair but was held back by his binds
Horak laughed and turned towards the door then turned back to Jak, "If he somehow survives he can endure your suffering and demise"
He walked out and the door slid close behind him.
"Coward!" Jak shouted after the man
He heard the man laugh hoarsely on the other side.
Daxter hopped off the Zoomer and ran to Keira's garage. He ran straight in but skidded to a stop and turned to leave when he saw Samos and Torn were also there.
"Daaaxter!" a grumpy voice echoed across the room
Daxter cringed as he had been made. He stopped and turned to face the two people that were in his bad books. Daxter gave a smile and a small wave.
"Hi" he murmured
"What are you doing here?" Samos growled
"And where's Jak?" Torn added
"Well uh, that's the thing, uh, he's gone" Daxter said nervously
"Gone?" Torn growled, "What do you mean gone?"
"Like poof! In a puff of smoke!" Daxter said sarcastically
Just then Keira poked her head out from behind the curtains.
"Oh hi Daxter. What's going on?" she chirped
Daxter sighed, "Let me this start again. Jak is gone. Some secret but heavy guys took him away in an airship"
"What?" all three of them chorused
"And left this" Daxter finished handing Torn the envelope
Torn looked at it suspiciously and slid the envelope open. Torn unfolded it and scanned the computer print. His eyes widened and then glared. He looked from the letter to the awaiting expressions of the two people and an Ottsel.
"Traitor" he began to read, "When you read this letter your friend, Jak, is in our care. We have taken him as a consequence of your actions"
Daxter stiffened at these words.
"But if you wish him back in one piece meet us in Dead Town at first light. T.I.D.A.M" Torn continued
"T.I.D.A.M?" Daxter squeaked his orange coloured face turning slightly pale
"Who are they?" Keira asked oblivious to Daxter's reaction
"T.I.D.A.M stands for Trade in Illegal Drugs and Money. Don't let their corny name fool you. They're a motley gang of thieves that do anything to get their hands on Illegal drugs and other expensive art and jewels and sell them on the black market" Torn explained, "They're very dangerous. Though they have left the Underground alone they are a potential threat to us"
A long pause let the new information to sink in.
Torn sighed and shook his head, "Its all my fault"
"Your fault?" Daxter practically cried in surprise and somewhat relief
"Yes" Torn leaned back and folding his arms, "Before I joined the Krimzon Guard I was caught up with the wrong people as a kid and ended up in the T.I.D.A.M organization. I worked for them over a few years but one mission I was smuggling 'Spike' in to the city but the Krimzon Guard caught me and I failed to deliver the illegal drug. After my release of prison I decided to quit the gang and join the Krimzon Guard, leaving my mission incomplete"
'Spike?'" Samos asked unfamiliar with the slang
"Illospan. It's a hyperactive drug that has a tangy taste to it and highly addictive. It's used in drinks as powder"
"But why, after so long?" Keira asked, "And why Jak?"
"I don't know" Torn shook his head sadly
Torn didn't really care all that much for Jak. Even though Jak was a good asset to the Underground he always left Jak alone. He and Jak didn't always get along but since they met the Shadow, things have been going a little better. Torn knew Jak didn't like him much and he didn't really care. He wasn't the friendly type but he grew to respect and trust the man.
Torn saw the sadness on the peoples' faces and he knew he was the only one who can really assure Jak's safe return. Torn wasn't the man that would do anything for anyone but when he saw he was depended on and couldn't let the newly acquainted friends down. Torn sighed and made a decision.
"I'll have no choice but to do what they asked and make sure Jak is returned" Torn stated
"I'm going with ya" Daxter volunteered bravely
Torn glared, "I not going to have an annoying little orange rat following me"
"Jak is in trouble and… I'm not going to lay back and do nothing!" Daxter spat stubbornly
"Fine" Torn snorted, "Just don't get in the way"
Forward to chapter 2!
Looks straightforward? Well think again... Mohahahaha... cough, cough
Review. Let me know how I'm going.