Finding the Lost

I do not own any of the characters from the Jak and Daxter series, or anything pertaining to the story. Everything like that belongs to Naughty Dog.

SPOILERS:
This fic contains a few spoilers about Samos and Keira pertaining to Jak II. If you haven't beaten it yet you may not want to read this; it's really up to you. I know some people are picky about stuff like that so I'm giving an advanced warning.

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Here it is; yet another harrowing take on Jak's two years in prison. I'm sure this has been done many times before but what can I say? Inspiration can come at any time and my inspiration was the possibility that Jak could have suffered at the hands of Erol during his time there. This is my first try at a more adult fanfic, so don't kill me if it sucks! Also I decided to make Erol a sick, sadistic bastard (or something like that), so for any of you Erol fans; if you read this, you may become a little PO'd. I guess the real purpose of this story was to make any Jak fan want to take Jak into their arms and hug him forever because he had to go through such an ordeal (wait, that's what I want to do!). Ok, I'm done. Enjoy, and if you wish to flame me, flame away! I love all criticisms, both good and bad. Just no pointless, stupid comments, ok? Thanks!

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PS/ Though I may write about it, I do not in any way approve of rape, torture, and beating up people who can't fight back, all of which are mentioned in the below story. In real life those are serious crimes to me and I would never dream of hurting any person in that way. This story is fiction and is in my opinion a creative way to show the characters we love and loathe in a new light. As it is not real and no one was really hurt in the writing of this fic, I remain just another author who was inspired by a certain video game (and a few other nasty fanfics wri write my own story.

And that's all for now. On to the story….

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Finding the Lost

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A/N: Since I can't figure out how to make text Italic in this format, all of Jak's earlier lines are thoughts to himself. He is not speaking aloud until it is mentioned in the stthatthat he finds his voice.

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Jak's head hit the cold stone floor with a thud as a gun barrel was shoved in his back by a burly guard dressed in metallic red armor.
"Get some rest; you're going to need it after they get through with you," the guard said with an evil laugh. He turned and left the room, closing the rusty door behind him.
Jak groaned as he sat up and carefully touched his throbbing forehead with one hand. He tried to ignore the pounding of a massive headache as his hand moved down to the tender spot in his left side to check for broken ribs. He winced and ran a shaking hand through his blond hair, damp with sweat; glad that he could feel no fractures though he was sure he would be sore for a few days.
"Stupid Guards," Jak mused angrily, "Did they have nothing better to do than kick the shit out of me?"
He remembered the trip through the rift gate; a rushing blur, then the explosion as the rift rider's occupants were thrown into oblivion. How he and Daxter were separated from Keira and Samos and literally flung into a strange new world unlike any Jak had ever seen before, only to be surrounded and knocked unconscious by one of the countless guards who were "waiting for him."
"Daxter," Jak thought somberly. Though he was glad that his friend was able to escape, he hoped that the little ottsel would be okay without him. From his brief glimpse of the city, it looked like a large unwelcoming place and what chance would a small furry ottsel haveit? it?
He sighed and slowly picked himself up off the floor. He stood in the center of his cell, turning slowly in a circle to survey his surroundings.
Four cement walls looking as hard and cold as the floor rose up around him about 8 feet to a cement ceiling, forming a tight cube around him. On the wall opposite Jak rested a small rusted bed frame on which lay a filthy, flat mattress. The mattress was bare of any pillows or sheets. With a shudder, Jak saw a shackle attached by a thick chain to each of the bedposts. Though the shackles were rusted, Jak could see the metal underneath was a deep, burnished violet.
"I've never seen a metal like that before," Jak mused as his eyes moved to the left of the bed, falling on a small equally filthy basin.
"I sure hope that isn't the bathroom," Jak thought, making a disgusted face. He quickly scanned the remainder of the room, but aside from the bed and basin it was entirely bare.
"Well, no hope of escape through the walls. Let's check out the door."
Jak approached the rusted iron door. It was a plain recta bor bordered by a row of equally rusty rivets, but had no handle or mechanism in which to open it. It was also the only source of light in the dank little cell, which filtered through a rivet bordered window barred with rusty iron pipes. As far as he could see the door was hinged on the outside and would most likely open outward. Shrugging his shoulders, Jak put his hands on the door and began to push. The door groaned in protest as Jak leaned his shoulder against the door and focused all of his strength on opening it. Unfortunately, the door proved stronger than it looked, and Jak soon gave up on it.
From what he could see the cell was inescapable, with the exception of overtaking any guard who might enter and making a desperate dash to god knew where. Jak knew it was a foolish plan, but it was probathe the only thing that would get him out of this hell hole unless Daxter kept his promise and attempted his own rescue mission. Jak slowly walked to the wall opposite the door and slumped to the ground with his back against the wall.
His thoughts wandered to Keira and Samos, who had been separated from him and Daxter in the explosion. He hoped they had also survived, but the terrible feeling that they hadn't made it filled his heart and brought a lump to his throat. He barely felt the tears sliding down his face until they dripped onto his exposed arms. He brought his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, laying his head down as he shed a few silent tears for his lost friends.
The slow creaking of the iron door reached Jak's ears and he snapped his head up, squinting against the sudden glare of light stabbing at his eyes. A figure appeared out of the light and as his eyes adjusted to the brightness, Jak recognized the fiery red hair and harsh yellow eyes of the Krimzon Guard Commander who had spoken to him in the city. He knew the man's name was Erol; having overheard the guards as they were dragging him in a half conscious state to the cell he now occupied.
"What's this?" Erol asked, a twisted smile appearing on his features. Jak wiped the last of his tears away as he glared at the elf before him. "So are you one of those soft hearted innocents who've spent all of their lives in ignorant bliss to the ways of the world?" The older elf's face broke into an evil smirk, "It shall be all the more fun to educate you then." He slammed the door shut behind him with a furious bang. Jak looked at him with wide eyes as he slowly made his way to tower over the boy. The elf stood with his hands on his hips and stared down at Jak.
Jak didn't like the look the man was giving him one bit. As Erol knelt down, Jak broke his gaze and lowered his eyes.
Erol brought up one hand to Jak's chin and gently raised the younger elf's head, forcing Jak to return his gaze.
"Come now. You have nothing to fear from me. Yet," Erol whispered, and then leaned forward to give Jak a rough kiss on his lips.
Jak gasped in surprise as Erol's tongue probed the inside of his mouth. "Sick Bastard!" he thought as his anger took over. Jak curled his fingers into a tight fist and before he could stop himself, punched Erol solidly in the stomach, causing him to break the kiss as he fell back clutching at his side in pain.
"You little shit!" Erol yelled, but his voice fell on deaf ears as Jak made a blind dash for the door praying that it was unlo. He. He threw it open with a cry of triumph and began running down the narrow metal hallway before him. He could hear Erol shouting on his communicator for back up, but Jak's only thought at the moment was of escape. Any guards who happened upon him in his mad dash were roughly kicked or punched until they fell unconscious to the floor. The hallway stretched a good distance and Jak was panting by the time he reached a sudden fork in the corridor. The young elf paused to catch his breath as he glanced frantically back and forth between the two passageways, knowing he didn't have much time to decide.
"Left or right? Left or right? God, I wish Daxter were here; he would know which way to go," Jak thought as he gasped for breath. The sudden shouts of guards coming down the left corridor made the decision easy and Jak dashed down the corridor to the right.
"I need some place to hide until the alarms die down," Jak thought frantically as he ran, looking around him for a suitable place. He could hear the angry shouts of the guards closing in behind him and knew it was only a matter of time before he would be caught. Suddenly his gaze fell upon a small, deep niche in the wall to his left. At the last second Jak ducked into the niche and flattened himself against the wall. He knew it was very risky but by pressing his back against the wall he was virtually invisible to anyone who might be in the corridor. He could hear the shouts of the guards come closer as he held his breath, not daring to breathe until to his immense relief they rushed past him. Jak strained his ears, listening for any movement in the now empty corridor.
"Whew! That was close," He thought as he carefully peeked out into the hallway. He looked to the left and the right then seeing no one, quietly stepped out of the niche. He proceeded in the direction the guards had gone, careful to stay in the shadows as he went.
Spying a small duct in the wall to the left of him, Jak decided to use it to find some way out, knowing that he couldn't creep down the corridors forever. He pried off the small cover and squeezed through the hole. Luckily the vent was wide enough for him to turn and reaffix the grating. As the vent was too narrow to even crouch in, Jak was forced to slide on his stomach across the smooth metal of the vent. He couldn't help the smirk that had started to spread across his lips at the fact that he had punched the commander of the Krimson Guard. "I hope I broke one of his ribs," Jak thought angrily, "How dare he do such a thing to me? Did he seriously think that I was some scared little boy who would immediately succumb to him?"
The vent branched off into three other vents and Jak, after a thoughtful pause, continued down the middle vent. The vent started sloping downward gently and he crossed his fingers that this was a sign the way out was near. The soft murmur of voices made Jak halt abruptly, beads of sweat popping out on his forehead until he realized they were coming from the area below the grate in front of him. He inched over to the grate until he could peer down upon the occupants of the room below, gasping in shock as he saw the familiar figure of a certain green skinned sage bound fast to a chair. His fist clenched in anger as he realized the voice of the other occupant belonged to Erol.
"Speak, you stupid oaf!" Erol spat, anger glittering in his eyes. "Where is the Underground Headquarters located?"
"I have no idea what you are talking about," Samos replied calmly.
Erol stepped up to the Sage and slapped him across the face. It took all of Jak's will to stop himself from jumping down into the room and kicking the older elf's ass.
"Lying about it won't help you, old man! We know that you are involved in the Underground movement fighting the Baron!"
"I told you," Samos replied, drawing out each word very slowly, to the increasing anger of his captor, "I….. Have….. NO….. IDEA…… What….. You're…… Talking….. About!….."
With a frustrated cry, Erol punched the Sage across the jaw. Samos gasped in pain, yet said nothing as Erol glared at him darkly.
"Don't play dumb with me; I've been informed by several Underground …..guests here," Erol smirked, "that you are strongly connected to the rebellion against the Baron."
"No doubt innocent people you've tortured until they'ly any anything to appease you." Samos replied with contempt.toldtold you, I have no idea what you're talking about so why don't you take your pistol, shove it up your ass, and get THE HELL OUT OF HERE!!"
Jak smiled in spite of himself; shaking his head. Even in such a dangerous situation as this, Samos was still good old grumpy Samos.
Jak's grin faded as Erol gritted his teeth, curled his fingers into a fist, and punched Samos squarely in the stomach.
Samos cringed, slumping forward in the chair, and coughed.
"Don't even think you can get away with that attitude old man," Erol continued, moving his hand to the sheath where a dagger was stored. "Being a difficult prisoner could get you into trouble." Giving a meaningful smile, he slowly unsheathed his knife and ran one finger lightly along the blade.
Samos watched with wide eyes, helplessly struggling at his bonds as Erol slowly approached him, tapping the blade against the flat of his palm.
"NOOOOOOOO!!!!" Unable to take anymore, Jak punched out the grating and fell down headfirst with outstretched arms, landing on Erol and knocking him away from Samos.
He wrapped his hands around Erol's throat, ignoring the strangled protests of the elf below him. Seeing Samos treated in such a way by such a bastard made something snap inside Jak. He wanted nothing more than Erol dead at that moment.
"Jak…? Jak! You're okay!" Samos cried out in surprise at the sudden appearance of the boy.
Samos' startled words reached Jak's ears and he paused to give a brief smile to the Sage. He didn't let go of Erol but his hands loosened a bit so the elf could at least breathe.
"You…wait until…I get my…..hands…..on you….."Erol said with pure malice between gulping in breaths of air. Jak, giving Erol a hate filled grimace, once again tightened his grip.
"What are you doing?!" Samos cried out when he realized that Jak had full intention of killing the man at his mercy. Though Samos wanted more than anything to see Erol get what he deserved, he never thought it would be Jak who would commit such a crime.
Jak paused at Samos' outburst, looking at the Sage in surprise. Unfortunately he lost his grip on Erol, which was all the older elf needed to break free of Jak's grip. Erol head butted the younger elf who fell back clutching his head. Erol had hit him in the same place the guard had butted him with the rifle.
"Jak, watch out!" Samos cried as Jak sprang to his feet, narrowly dodging another attack by Erol and cowered behind Samos' chair, turning the chair at intervals to keep it between him and Erol.
"What are you doing, you idiot! I'm no shield!" Samos yelled angrily. Jak rolled his eyes, holding up the ropes he had somehow untied from Samos' wrists.
"Oh," Samos replied, jumping up and leaping out of Erol's way. "But you didn't have to give me a heart attack!"
Jak smiled faintly as he quickly jumped over Erol's left arm, which sideswiped the air where his stomach had been. But years of intense combat training had homed Erol's skills and he quickly raised his rigrm, rm, butting Jak again in his head with the knife handle. This made Jak pause and sway unsteadily on his feet. Erol grabbed the young elf roughly and began to bring the knife down into the boy's chest when he was tackled by Samos. The two fell to the floor as Jak dropped to one knee and then also collapsed onto the hard ground.
The last thing the young elf saw was Samos and Erol rolling on the floor as they fought. As his eyes closed, welcoming the blackness before him, his last thought was the hope that Samos would win.

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Jak groggily awoke some time later. From the damp, musty smell he could tell that he was back in his cell. His head was throbbing, but when he tried to move his hand to cradle the ache, he found his arms wouldn't move. The headache forgotten, Jak struggled in panic against the iron shackles that held him face down to his bed. To his dismay, he felt the same cold weights on his legs. Jak was trapped.
"That was quite a show you put on two days ago," A familiar voice said with an evil chuckle.
"Two days? It's been two days since---OH MY GOD!! SAMOS!!!"
The distress on Jak's face as he gaped at Erol must have been obvious for the older elf laughed again.
"It was very easy to subdue your friend. To his credit, I'll say he put up a reasonable fight, but a mere Underground member is nothing compared to a fully trained Krimson Guard Commander. You would have been better off had you continued on your way through the vent, boy. Though I must say, I'm rather glad that you didn't."
Jak didn't hear much of what Erol had to say after the first sentence. "Samos," he thought worriedly, "What did he do to Samos?"
"Oh, dear, it seems you aren't paying attention." Erol continued, noticing Jak's worried expression. "Could it be you're worried about your friend?" Erol had approached the bed until he was near Jak's head. He brushed the boy's hair back with his hand. Jak looked at the mattress as he roughly flicked his head away from the older elf's touch. Erol grinned at his defiance before continuing.
"Ifraifraid to say that your friend has not been very….cooperative. We were forced to….how shall I say this?...coax the information we needed out of him. "
The expression in Erol's eyes made Jak fear the worst for Samos. He struggled against his bonds, vainly attempting to free himseo heo he could finish what he had started earlier, mainly throttling Erol until he choked to death.
"Samos! Why didn't you let me kill him when I had the chance?! If I had go rid rid of him, you wouldn't be… "
Erol smirked as he gently touched the shackle with his fingers. "Try as you might, you cannot break these chains." His fingers made their way up Jak's arm and the boy shivered at the cold touch.
"But don't worry boy, they shall be removed in time. Unfortunately," Erol grinned sadistically, "You will be far too gone to even attempt what you did two days ago once the Baron and I get through with you."
Taking his hand away from the boy's arm, Erol suddenly slapped Jak in the face. "But you've been quite the troublemaker, boy. And I'm not one to let such behavior go unpunished."
Erol got up on the bed behind Jak and knelt between the boy's splayed legs. Jak turned his head frantically to the side, straining to see what the older elf was going to do.
Erol pulled a gleaming knife from the sheath on his belt licklicked it, a dark grin spreading over his features. "You must pay for disobeying your master, boy. I want to hear you beg for mercy!" Jak shuddered as he felt the cool blade slide under his tunic and up his back. Erol parted the jagged edges, exposing the boy's bare back.
"Your skin is so beautiful, so unmarred." Erol grinned evilly as he stroked the back of the trembling youth below him. "It will be such a pleasure to break such an innocent, untainted specimen as yourself."
With a flash, Erol whipped the knife across Jak's back, grinning as the youth cried out in pain. Through eyes squinted with anguish, Jak could see Erol bring the blade to his lips and lick it clean.
Noting the intense anger growing on the boy's face as he struggled against his bonds Erol continued, "Now, now, boy. No need to be angry. After all, you broke the rules. And breaking the rules means punishment!" Erol whipped his knife across Jak's back again as he spoke the last word, and once again Jak cried out in pain.
Laughing, Erol wiped the blade on Jak's ruined tunic. "Are you ready to speak yety?" y?"
Jak breathed heavily as the sharp pain on his back slowly subsided to a dull ache. He squeezed his eyes shut and turned his head away from Erol.
"No?" Erol replied, tracing Jak's spine with the point of the knife as he spoke. The knife left a shallow cut all the way down and Jak whimpered, pushing his shoulder blades tensely together and pressing his body into the mattress as he willed the pain to stop. At Jak's response, Erol pushed the knife deeper into his flesh.
"As if I would ever grovel to someone like you!" Jak hissed inshis his head, gritting his teeth in stubborn silence; not wanting to give Erol any more satisfaction from his pain.
The knife reached the hem of Jak's pants, "Even if I were to tell you that your friend paid tenfold for the little stunt you pulled?" Erol said.
Jak gasped at the thought of what Erol might have done to Samos. His fingers dug into his palms as he trembled again, thise ine in anger.
"You know, it always amazes me how fragile a person can become when subjected to pain," Erol spoke calmly as he removed the blade and stabbed it into the mattress to the right of where he knelt. Jak sighed and went limp as the knife blade was removed. His relief was short lived, however, as he felt Erol's hands on the hem of his pants, tugging at them and pulling them down below the younger elf's knees.
"I'm afraid," Erol leaned forward, lying on top of the boy tispeisper in his ear, "That such an old, weak man as your friend didn't last very londernder such a strain. It's sad really; all he had to do was utter the location of the Underground and we would have given him a quick and painless death."
At those words and Erol's sickening laugh, Jak felt his anger reach the boiling point. The unshaking anger that Samos had died at the hands of the elf above him flared inside, for he could do nothing to avenge Samos' death. Inst he he was helpless; bound to the bed and at the mercy of the sickening man who lay on top of his bing,ing, aching back. Jak gave a snarl as he fought against his bonds, cursing the strength of the restrictive metal.
"Once chance! All I want is one chance with this bastard free of these stupid chains!"
"Beautiful isn't it?" Erol continued, still lying on Jak, only this time he began running one hand up and down Jak's left side, his fingers painfully probing the tender flesh where the guards had kicked him. "The finest Reginum mined from deep within the caves of what was once called Snowy Mountain; an ore that is virtually unbreakable when forged into metal. Only the force of a thousand demons could break these chains."
Jak felt something he had never felt before, a pure hatred stirring deep within his veins. The anger, fueled by the pain of the wounds he had received since his capture caused something inside to break loose and tear itself free from within. Jak's voice, after a lifetime of silence, burst from his mouth and echoed throughout the tiny cell.
"FUCK YOU!" Jak cursscrescreaming at the top of his lungs with his newfound voice. "Fuck you, you sick, twisted bastard!"
"Ah, now we're getting somewhere," Erol leaned back onto his knees, drawing one hand down Jak's back until it rested on the sensitive organ below his buttocks as he began to undo his own pants with the other. "I knew I'd make you speak, Jak. No's t's time to make you beg."
Jak moaned in response to Erol's touch even as he was inwardly cursing the man who knelt over him.
"Damn him! Not like this; please not like this!"
He squeezed his eyes shut against the pleasurable sensation, knowing that it was terribly wrong. He had always believed his first time would be with Keira, as the two of them had begun to form a relationship that Jak guessed would become much more than friendship; not chained to a filthy bed unable to stop another man from…..Jak really didn't want toish ish the thought.
Oh the unfairness of it all! Even in his worst nightmares, Jak never imagined such a fate to befall him. He gasped as Erol's fingers pushed deep inside him, warm and damp with what Jak guessed was Erol's own saliva. "Yuck," Jak gritted his teeth against the discomfort, his nails digging into his palms until the fingers were removed.
"Now boy," Erol leaned forward again and hissed in Jak's ear as the boy under him trembled. "Now that I know you can speak, I want you to say my name."
Erol leaned back, pausing for a momentore ore thrusting his manhood into Jak's entrance. Jak screamed as Erol began to thrust in and out.
"Say it boy!" Erol panted, increasing his pace.
Jak whimpered, tears squeezing out of his tightly shut eyes, but he kept silent.
"SAY IT!" Erol smacked Jak hard in the back of the head. Jak cried out in response, but still refused to speak.
Erol grabbed Jak's shoulders as he furiously rode the boy, digging his nails in until blood trickled from the younger elf's fle Ja Jak felt humiliated and ashamed, but he knew that the older elf wouldn't stop until he did what he asked. Sighing a deep, shuddering sigh and digging his nails into his palms until they bled, Jak feebly whispered, "Erol."
"What?" Erol replied, gripping Jak's shoulders even tighter.
"Erol," Jak said a little louder, gasping at the pain. "EROOOOLLLLLL!" He shouted as Erol reached his climax. The older elf shuddered and collapsed on top of the boy.
"Now that wasn't so hard, was it boy?" Erol said between breaths of air. Jak glared at him as best he could.
With a laugh, Erol got off the bed, zipping up his pants and pulling the knife out of the mattress. He walked around to the head of the bed and knelt down to look Jak in the eye.
Jak, deep hatred for the elf before him flashing in his eyes, averted his gaze as Erol again cupped Jak's chin in his hand and leaned forward.
"I believe you owe me something we never got to finish," He said and then pressed his lips against Jak's, shoving his tongue forcefully into the boy's mouth to finish the kiss he started before Jak's attempted escape.
When Erol finally pulled away, Jak's face had taken on a completely disgusted expression. Erol was smiling his twisted smile and Jak couldn't stand the sight of him. That leering, sadistic man who had taken everything from him. It was bad enough that his dear friends and his old way of life had been lost to him, but what infuriated Jak the most was that such a man had taken away his innocence in a few painful minutes.
Jak, grimacing in anger, raised his head to meet Erol's gaze and spat right in his face. Furious, the older elf gave him a harsh slap across the cheek with one hand as he wiped the saliva off of his face with the other. "You've got nerve, boy. Remember, you are now mine. I own you and I alone decide your fate."
Erol stood and turned, walking outthe the room. Jak lay still until after the door had shut behind his tormentor and his footsteps faded into the distance. When silence had returned to the empty corridor, Jak gave in to his feelings and struggled madly against the shackles that still held him down.
"That bastard! How DARE he?! How dare he think he can play with me like some toy! Just wait until I get my hands on him! He'll pay for what he's done!" Jak fumed as he continued to vainly struggle. Since he had found his voice, the words seemed to flow nonstop in the wake of his tirade.
"Damn RegiCRAPCRAP!" He screamed, giving up and slumping down into the mattress. His face twisted into a hate-filled scowl as he thought about what had happened to him and that such a man had brought feelings he could almost call pleasurable to him. No, he could call them pleasurable. Though the rape was painful, it was a new sensation, a wonderfully new sensation. This was what Jak hated the most. What Erol had done was horrible, but Jak almost wished the older elf would give him more.
"NOOOO!OOO!!!!!" Jak threw back his head and screamed. "No," he whispered, dropping his forehead against the mattress. "I'll never give in to feelings like that. Never." Silent tears began to fall down his face, but he didn't try to stop them.
No matter what happened to him in the future, one fact would always remain; he was a toy, a plaything to be used at the leisure of his tormentor. His tears increased as that thought settled upon him.
"I'm lost," Jak cried. "I'm lost, alone, and for the first time in my life, scared." He gave a feeble laugh into the mildewed mattress. "Me, the Hero; the guy who fights the good fight and always wins. To be reduced to such a state in a few fatal minutes. But, even so, I mustn't give up. Though Samos is….gone," Jak's voice trembled as he spoke the word, "I must be strong for Daxter and Keira. I must survive and somehow get out of here to find them. I only hope I can find them and it is not already too late."
At the thought of his lost friends, memories of Samos, Keira, and Daxter ran through his mind. Samos, who was like a father to him, Keira, who he loved and protected, and Daxter, who he had always defended and saw as his best friend in the whole world. Each one dear to Jak and each one ed aed away from him so violently. Jak let himself cry, for he knew that these tears would be the last he would shed for a long time. Only vengeance and hate would remain once he was finished, but hidden deep within his heart was the sad feeling that he would never again be the happy, innocent, carefree boy he was in the past. Erol had seen to that.

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Two Years Later…

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Jak screamed in utter agony as the dark eco was injected into his system. Never in his life had he felt such severe pain, and after 18 months of torture, he was sure he would be long dead before he could ever get used it. Erol's visits every few nights were a walk in the park compared to this. Twice a week, Jak was subjected to five ten minute sessions of pure anguish, with two minutes as a sort of break between each as the machine recalibrated itself. The Baron, after extensive research, had deducted that any more exposure proved deadly. Even so, Jak was the first of twenty five prisoners who had survived past the first five months, most giving in after only a few weeks. Jak often wondered as he was thrown back into his cell after each treatment how he managed to survive. As he lay on the cold floor, exhausted and unable to even move, he would remember the promise he had made all those months ago to find a way out and rescue his friends. Unfortunately, careful examina of of his cell proved that it was indeed inescapable ahe rhe repeated treatments, though thankfully only done twice a week were so exhausting that it took most of the time in between for Jak to recover.
His tormenter would visit when ever it suited him and Jak's back became scarred with numerous slash marks, each for a different reason. He didn't use the knife every night, but the rape was a continuous torment; Jak would grit his teeth and hold back his cries as that hateful man penetrated and violated him so hly.hly. He quickly saw that the hateful words he flung at Erol were what the other elf wanted to hear, so Jak shut his mouth and tried his hardest not to speak. However, even this proved difficult as Erol would drag out the rape and either slash his back or grip his aching shoulders, reopening old wounds until Jak finally gave in to the pain and let Erol hear what he wanted to.
But even so, Erol's torment and rape were nothing compared to the blinding agony of the machine that mercilessly pumped the dark, pulsating liquid into his veins, burning like the fires of hell as it made its way through his circulatory system inch by painful inch. Every time Jak would struggle and every time, he ghe guards shackled him down on the chair with Reginum bonds, Baron Praxis would smile the smile that Jak came to hate so much; a sickening smile of satisfaction. He used it when he pushed the button to begin each "treatment", he smiled as Jak's back arched fully with the agony and his screams echoed around the massive prison, he smiled when Jak was dragged back to his cell by two guards and escorted always byl. Hl. However as the days stretched into months and Jak lost track of how long he had been in the hell that was Haven City Prison, the Baron's smile began to fade until he wore a grimace of deep disappointment and anger.
Even through all of the pain he was forced to endure, Jak smiled to himself as he saw the Baron's expression change; for the Dark Eco treatments weren't giving him the results he wanted, but his guinea pig wasn't dying. The treatment had begun nearly a year and a half ago and the Baron was furious that he saw no change.
"AAGGHH!!!You should at least be dead with all the Dark Eco I've pumped into you!" He yelled, grabbing Jak forcefully by the hair. Jak, having endured his fifth and final injection of the day, could only open his eyes in surprise at the rough touch.
"What now? Metal Head armies are pressing their attacks," Erol replied, as Jak's eyes rolled back into his head. "Without a new weapon, my men cannot hold them off forever."
"I will not be remembered as the man who lost this city to those vile creatures! Move forward with the final plan!" the Baron burst out angrily, then gestured to the prone figure lying on the chair to his left, "And finish off this 'thing' tonight!"
"As you wish. I'll be back later." Erol said with a wicked grin, grabbing Jak by the collar and bringing his face close to the younger elf's. Though he was too exhausted to do more than open his eyes briefly in response, Jak knew his last night alive wouldn't be a night he'd ever want to remember in this life or the next. He tried to will his body to respond but he couldn't move. The dark eco had taken its toll once again. Jak drifted in and out of unconsciousness, knowing that as he had been left alone, this might be his last chance to escape. The younge elf thought he had finally lost it when an all too familiar voice echoed in the empty room.
"Ding, Ding…Third floor…Body chains. Roach food. Torture devices."
Jak felt a familiar weight, one that had originally rested on his shoulder, jump suddenly onto his chest.
"Hey buddy…you seen any heroes around here? Whoa! What'd they do to you? Jaa-aak, it's me, Daxter,"
Jak opened his eyes, catching a brief glimpse of orange fur before his head fell back in exhaustion once again.
"That's a fine Hello! I've been crawling around in this place, risking my TAIL,"
Jak winced as the ottsel stepped on a sensitive part of his anatomy. If he wasn’t so weak, he could have willed the annoying hallucination away. But wait; a person couldn't feel hallucinations, right?
"Literally, to save you! I've been looking for you for TWO YEARS! Say something! Just this once!"
Jak tried to sit up, tried to speak, to see if his old friend had really returned. The anger inside hirnedrned as he fumed at being almost comatose due to the Baron's wish for a killing machine. How dare he use innocent lives so cruelly? Jak knew from the conversations between Erol and the Baron during his "treatments" that others had come before him but were too weak to survive. Jak's anger reached boiling and as he felt Daxter shaking him frantically while screaming, "Say something! Just this once!" he found his body flow with renewed strength and his voice come back to him.
"I'M GONNA KILL PRAXIS!!!" Jak growled into the ottsel's surprised face, the darkness within him blossoming.
"Shhh! Right now we gotta get you outta here! Just let me figure out how to open the security locks for you so…" But Daxter's words fell on deaf ears as with a fierce snarl, Jak transformed into the creature the Baron had wanted so much to create. He broke his bonds and went after Daxter.
"Or, ah, you could do it…." Daxter replied, cowering slightly. Jak stared at the trembling creature through a red haze, and felt that it needed to die. They all needed to die for his suffering.
"Jak? Easy buddy. It's, it's your old pal, remember? Daxter!"
It was only Daxter's fearful utterance of a familiar name that made him stop, made him realize that his old friend had returned and finally fulfilled his promise of coming to save him. Jak fell back into his own form. Though he was still a little weary, his former exhaustion seemed to have vanished. axteaxter?" He stared in disbelief of his old friend.
"What the HECK WAS THAT?! Sheesh, remind me not to piss you off!" Daxter replied. Now that the danger had passed, he returned to his usual offhand comments, "Come on, Tall, Dark, and Gruesome," he continued, jumping on Jak's shoulder, "We're outta here!."
Jak walked past the hated machine and up to a pile of clothes lying on the floor. Daxter jumped down, gesturing to the pile. "I, ah, brought you some new threads. Put on. on."
Jak felt a smile creep across his face as he threw the hated prison garb aside and pulled on clean cream colored pants, fastening them with a brown belt. He winced as he pulled the blue tunic over his head and Daxter, noticing his pain, looked at his back with wide eyes.
"Jak?" He whispered as Jak tugged the tunic down over his wounds, some of which were still fresh. "What did they do to you?'
Jak looked at him with saddened eyes as he pulled on his new boots and gloves and fastened his shoulder armor. "They were monsters, Daxter. They took every part of me that made me the carefree, innocent youth you remember and blasted it to hell."
Daxter could only stare at Jak in grief. He slowly padded up to the elf and laid a hand on his upper arm. "I'm so sorry, Jak. If only I'd gotten here sooner, you---"
"No, don't blame yourself, Daxter," Jak replied, giving him a smile though he still felt empty inside. He fastened the ring across his chest which held his backpack in place, then put his own hand over the undersized paw. "I'm sure you did all you could to find me and I'm glad you finally came. Thanks Dax, for not forgetting about me." he looked at Daxter with eyes filled with gratitude and relief.
"Hey, Buddy," Daxter replied, giving Jak's arm a little squeeze, "I'd never forget about you. Besides, I need a big, tough guy to beat up anyone who dares to step on my tail!" He jumped once again on Jak's shoulder and Jak stood, laughing in spite of himself.
"Good old Daxter," he thought happily as he felt the comforting weight of his best friend return and the emptiness in his heart was suddenly filled as he gave another smile. Then nodding to Daxter, the two ran out of the torture chamber and into a quest that would change the fate of an entire city and save the lives of its countless occupants. In his travels Jak would find that despite Erol's harsh declarations about Samos, both he and Keira were alive and well.
And though Jak himself would become the anti-hero of sorts; he would find what was lost to him and come to know that no matter what happened he would be able to survive.

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The end. Questions? Comments? Angry mob of people who don't appreciate creative writing? *ducks as pitchfork narrowly misses her head* Ah well. One can't please everyone, eh?