Yeah, I died. You guys are lucky though, in...let's see...two hours, I'm
leaving for a two-week-long trip to the Carribbean! And then I'll be back
for two days. And then I'm on another week-long trip.
Just so you know.
Yay for people who still review even though I died! ; I'm not going to respond to them all this time, because if I don't update fast, my mom's gonna come home and I won't have time to update.
So nyah. Go read now. It's longish.
Vin's clammy fingers fumbled for the communicator, which he always kept handy at his wait. His panic-stricken face searched the mass of little buttons for the one labeled "Jak". He kept him on speed-dial, just in case. He also had the Underground and ambulance on the dial. You could never be too careful.
After a few tense seconds he found the button and pressed it, holding the communicator close to his mouth. It was only a matter of time before the rest metal heads realized that they could get into the city easily. "Pick up, pickuppickup!" he pleaded, and was relieved to hear the click of the other comm. Vin's mind told his body not to panic, and to inform Jak rationally of the situation.
But that didn't happen.
"The shield walls are down!" he screamed into the mouth-piece, "I repeat, the shield walls are down!" Vin paused, taking a breath, "SABOTAGE!" he yelled loudly, not caring if Jak's ears were damaged in the process. He needed to get across the urgency of the matter to the thick-headed teen. "Kor did it!" he continued. He was about to explain his accusation, when he paused. Time felt frozen to him for a second or two, as a bone-rattling bang reverberated through the laboratory. He grabbed the edge of a moniter to keep his slight body from toppling over. Immediately realizing what it was, his heart sunk.
"AHHHH!" he yelled, not meaning to scream in the moniter, "JAK! They're banging at the door!" Directly after this was said, a second bang nearly sent him off his feet again. The transmission ended as this force sent device onto the floor. Hopefully the message had gotten through to Jak. He told himself not to worry, though it was hard. He gripped the edge of the computer, knuckles turning white, as his eyes stayed locked firmly on the steel-inforced door.
With each new clang from the Grunts' skulls, it seemed to moan in protest, while the entire lab shook violently. It was nearly all metal, which carried the vibrations even farther. Vin's breaths were uneven now, as each passing second he grew more terrified. He tried to keep his thoughts straight, and figure out what to do until Jak arrived. His first idea was the most obvious. He turned around, and began typing quickly into one of the computers. It was difficult for him to not accidentally push the wrong button, as his hands were jittery. As he pushed enter, a robotic female's voice sounded over a speaker. "
Access denied. Laboratory security system not responding." His eyes grew wide, as he tried another code.
"System not responding." She repeated, and another bang on the door sent him off his feet this time, landing with a thud on the metal floor. Vin's eyes never moved from the door. He knew that at least more than one metal head was trying to get inside. If they did, he was dead, he knew that. His only hope was in the blonde Underground fighter, Jak. He wouldn't leave him here, would he? Jak was his friend, or something. They were on the same side, at least. He had saved his life once before, he could do it again, couldn't he?
Another bang.
Vin had help him out a lot, with the B-Zone conduit lines, and the Underground as well.
Another bang.
Jak would save him...wouldn't he?
---
Back in South Town, near the greasy hole-in-the-wall that was HipHog Heaven, Jak stood in the middle of the street, frozen. He stared at his communicator disbelievingly. The shield walls? They were down? That meant...a flow of thoughts rushed through his mind, as Daxter sat, silent, on his shoulder. For once, it was Jak who broke it.
"Let's go." He said firmly, face twisted as though he had made a difficult decision. Daxter looked at him questioningly.
"So, we gonna go save Vin's skinny butt?" asked the ottsel, claws gripping Jak's shoulder plate. He was surprised, and a little concerned, when Jak didn't answer. He just kept running, not too fast, down the walkway on the pier, rushing by the Slummers as thought they weren't there. His face was set, eyes narrowed, as he pressed forward.
"Jak?" said his furry companion cautiously. Jak kept running, not looking or caring where he was going.
"JAK!" said Daxter, a little louder. He could tell his friend was ignoring him, but couldn't fathom why. At the ottsel's shout Jak stopped suddenly, almost sending the little creature flying. After gaining his footing, he looked down at Jak, irritated. Jak continued to look straight ahead, his voice hollow. "We're going to get Sig. Vin'll be fine."
Daxter looked at him skeptically. But, defeated, he shrugged, nodding. Jak took off running again, too out of it to even notice a Slinger Hora-Quan slinking in the shadows.
--- Another bang, one of the countless. The sheer fact that the lab's doors had helf up to the relentless assault thus far was enough to boost Vin's spirits, if only a little. But that entire feeling of hope was snuffed out, as an ominous creaking of metal reached his ears. He yelped in panic, backing up into the computers, which were now useless. It was only a matter of time before—the scientist's thoughts were cut off as a gray-blue paw inched its way between the door and the frame. He gasped, not having realized previously how warped the door had become. A snarling and gnashing came from outside, and the paw was withdrawn.
One last bone-chilling screech of metal against metal shuddered through the lab, as the door slowly creaked open, revealing sputtering wires and dents in the outside of it. It feel to the floor loudly, and eight plated paws stepped slowly over it, their owner's eyes lcoked on the only living thing in the room—Vin, who was staring back in irrational fear. One of the Grunts' lips curled upwards slightly, revealing rows upon rows of impossibly tiny, sharp teeth. The other's golden eyes narrowed, and it took a careful step into the lab, shoulders heaving. It was all Vin could do to not scream, and hope Jak got their soon. Very, very soon.
He watched them enter the lab that he had once announced to be impenetrable, mind not computing well what was happening. He knew what they were, the most common brute strength force the metal heads had. Grunts, as they were named, are extremely common in areas with high eco concentration. It's their life force. But there weren't any more out there...they were all in the city now.
One of the creatures snarled at its partner, both of their eyes still on Vin. One slunk forward, teeth bared, putting very little space between the man and itself. Quickly, he scramble onto the computers, which were only about three feet high, but any space was good space. He tried not to slip on the slick surface.
"S-stay away! Shoo!" he shouted, hoping the noise would send the two away. No such luck. They remained, lizard-like tails swaying below their massive claws.
One Grunt seemed bored with the whole affair. It was hungry, and bloodthirsty. It stepped forward, and Vin clung to the shiny metal in fright, trying to still keep a small amount of distance between him and the creatures. He glanced over his shoulder, and saw the pit of darkness below him. It probably went down to the sewers of Haven, or lower. He hugged the side, not wanting his death caused by that either. He whipped his head back to the metal heads. The one was still very close, maybe enough to pounce. But he doubted it.
He was wrong.
Without warning, the Grunt sprang, sending it's tremendously heavy body into the air. Vin's mind shut down as he stared his death in the face. But his body responded with a reflex before his brain could, and his leg shot out, causing the Grunt's body to hit his shoe, not his chest, which is what it was aiming for. It fell back a few feet, but rose immediately. The only thing that had been accomplished was a quick aversion of death, but also making the Grunt furious. Eyes brimming with rage, it threw itself at the scientist again, and he kicked out at it once more. But instead of flinging the creature back again, it kept pressing forward, inching Vin closer to the edge of the console, near the pit. He could see the gnashing teeth too close for comfort.
His mind was blank. He was never the type to think of brilliant plans under pressure. At that moment, he knew one thing, and one thing only—Jak wasn't coming, and he was going to die. Though he often thought that, this time he was chillingly certain. To break him from his thoughts, the second grunt growled in irritation. It was tired of stalling, tired of playing cat and mouse. They needed to move on, meet up with the rest of the metal head army. It began pacing back and forth across the cold floor, waiting for the right opportunity. The other took a last attempted bite at his foot, then backed away towards its partner.
Vin could tell the monsters were playing with them, but not knowing the habits of metal heads well, didn't know what they might do next. But he did know what he had to do—he had to call Jak. Even if Jak was dead, he had to try, to tell him the location of Kor. He knew just where the traitor was, too. Kor had mentioned offhand the day before that he was meeting someone at the old Construction Site. He apparently doubted Vin would tell anyone, or perhaps hadn't meant to even say it aloud. But the important thing was that he had.
He tore his gaze away from the metal heads long enough to make a swep of the the floor. There. His comm lay discarded on the steel, glowing dully. It was, luckily, very close, just an arm's length away. He looked up at the two creatures, who were watching him closely. Throwing caution to the wing(or at least some of it) his arm shot out towards the little device. At the same moment, the Grunt he had previously kept at bay lunged for his arm. This time, his reaction wasn't quick enough. It's sharp canines sunk into it, causing Vin to scream loudly. His gloved fingers were already closed around the communicator, and instinctively yanked his arm away. Wong move.
The skin ripped, causing blood to spatter on the floor, and his clothes. He gasped in surprise and acute pain, and pressed the Jak button on his speed- dial as fast as he could. The metal head pair began to movie in, not playing any more, riled by the smell of blood.
"Pick-"he began to beg the phone, but Jak received with a click. During this time, Vin had slowly been moving clockwise around the room, very slowly, to keep the precious few feet from the metal heads.
"Jak..." he said in an undertone, not realizing how hard it was to speak. He swallowed, trying to sum his message up quickly. "Kor...Construction...Site..." he said, taking a shaky breath between each word. The transmission ended, however, when a particularly nasty throb went through his arm, causing him to drop the communicator with a gasp. It bounced off the floor twice, before landing in front of a Grunt. It immediately smashed it under a heavy paw—Grunts have a great distrust of technology.
Vin backed farther into the wall, or what he assumed was one. The Grunts stepped forward on cue. He took another step back, hand reach for a edge to hold onto. Strangely enough, it wasn't. Instead of hitting steel, his hand felt as if it went through a soft mist, and there was a slight hum in the air as he did so. In an instant, his mind began working again. Why hadn't he remembered?
'Of course, the—' he thought, but was cut off by a hard blow to the chest. In his moment of thinking, a metal head had finally sprung, and pushed him backwards with its crushing paws. The wind was knocked out of him, so much that he couldn't even cry out, as he was flung through the Warp Gate.
---------------------
Whee. That was fun. I finally got past the parts which I hate the most, the parts I wrote the worst. I edited a lot, still very not satisfied with it...oh well. Please review, pretty please.
Yay for people who still review even though I died! ; I'm not going to respond to them all this time, because if I don't update fast, my mom's gonna come home and I won't have time to update.
So nyah. Go read now. It's longish.
Vin's clammy fingers fumbled for the communicator, which he always kept handy at his wait. His panic-stricken face searched the mass of little buttons for the one labeled "Jak". He kept him on speed-dial, just in case. He also had the Underground and ambulance on the dial. You could never be too careful.
After a few tense seconds he found the button and pressed it, holding the communicator close to his mouth. It was only a matter of time before the rest metal heads realized that they could get into the city easily. "Pick up, pickuppickup!" he pleaded, and was relieved to hear the click of the other comm. Vin's mind told his body not to panic, and to inform Jak rationally of the situation.
But that didn't happen.
"The shield walls are down!" he screamed into the mouth-piece, "I repeat, the shield walls are down!" Vin paused, taking a breath, "SABOTAGE!" he yelled loudly, not caring if Jak's ears were damaged in the process. He needed to get across the urgency of the matter to the thick-headed teen. "Kor did it!" he continued. He was about to explain his accusation, when he paused. Time felt frozen to him for a second or two, as a bone-rattling bang reverberated through the laboratory. He grabbed the edge of a moniter to keep his slight body from toppling over. Immediately realizing what it was, his heart sunk.
"AHHHH!" he yelled, not meaning to scream in the moniter, "JAK! They're banging at the door!" Directly after this was said, a second bang nearly sent him off his feet again. The transmission ended as this force sent device onto the floor. Hopefully the message had gotten through to Jak. He told himself not to worry, though it was hard. He gripped the edge of the computer, knuckles turning white, as his eyes stayed locked firmly on the steel-inforced door.
With each new clang from the Grunts' skulls, it seemed to moan in protest, while the entire lab shook violently. It was nearly all metal, which carried the vibrations even farther. Vin's breaths were uneven now, as each passing second he grew more terrified. He tried to keep his thoughts straight, and figure out what to do until Jak arrived. His first idea was the most obvious. He turned around, and began typing quickly into one of the computers. It was difficult for him to not accidentally push the wrong button, as his hands were jittery. As he pushed enter, a robotic female's voice sounded over a speaker. "
Access denied. Laboratory security system not responding." His eyes grew wide, as he tried another code.
"System not responding." She repeated, and another bang on the door sent him off his feet this time, landing with a thud on the metal floor. Vin's eyes never moved from the door. He knew that at least more than one metal head was trying to get inside. If they did, he was dead, he knew that. His only hope was in the blonde Underground fighter, Jak. He wouldn't leave him here, would he? Jak was his friend, or something. They were on the same side, at least. He had saved his life once before, he could do it again, couldn't he?
Another bang.
Vin had help him out a lot, with the B-Zone conduit lines, and the Underground as well.
Another bang.
Jak would save him...wouldn't he?
---
Back in South Town, near the greasy hole-in-the-wall that was HipHog Heaven, Jak stood in the middle of the street, frozen. He stared at his communicator disbelievingly. The shield walls? They were down? That meant...a flow of thoughts rushed through his mind, as Daxter sat, silent, on his shoulder. For once, it was Jak who broke it.
"Let's go." He said firmly, face twisted as though he had made a difficult decision. Daxter looked at him questioningly.
"So, we gonna go save Vin's skinny butt?" asked the ottsel, claws gripping Jak's shoulder plate. He was surprised, and a little concerned, when Jak didn't answer. He just kept running, not too fast, down the walkway on the pier, rushing by the Slummers as thought they weren't there. His face was set, eyes narrowed, as he pressed forward.
"Jak?" said his furry companion cautiously. Jak kept running, not looking or caring where he was going.
"JAK!" said Daxter, a little louder. He could tell his friend was ignoring him, but couldn't fathom why. At the ottsel's shout Jak stopped suddenly, almost sending the little creature flying. After gaining his footing, he looked down at Jak, irritated. Jak continued to look straight ahead, his voice hollow. "We're going to get Sig. Vin'll be fine."
Daxter looked at him skeptically. But, defeated, he shrugged, nodding. Jak took off running again, too out of it to even notice a Slinger Hora-Quan slinking in the shadows.
--- Another bang, one of the countless. The sheer fact that the lab's doors had helf up to the relentless assault thus far was enough to boost Vin's spirits, if only a little. But that entire feeling of hope was snuffed out, as an ominous creaking of metal reached his ears. He yelped in panic, backing up into the computers, which were now useless. It was only a matter of time before—the scientist's thoughts were cut off as a gray-blue paw inched its way between the door and the frame. He gasped, not having realized previously how warped the door had become. A snarling and gnashing came from outside, and the paw was withdrawn.
One last bone-chilling screech of metal against metal shuddered through the lab, as the door slowly creaked open, revealing sputtering wires and dents in the outside of it. It feel to the floor loudly, and eight plated paws stepped slowly over it, their owner's eyes lcoked on the only living thing in the room—Vin, who was staring back in irrational fear. One of the Grunts' lips curled upwards slightly, revealing rows upon rows of impossibly tiny, sharp teeth. The other's golden eyes narrowed, and it took a careful step into the lab, shoulders heaving. It was all Vin could do to not scream, and hope Jak got their soon. Very, very soon.
He watched them enter the lab that he had once announced to be impenetrable, mind not computing well what was happening. He knew what they were, the most common brute strength force the metal heads had. Grunts, as they were named, are extremely common in areas with high eco concentration. It's their life force. But there weren't any more out there...they were all in the city now.
One of the creatures snarled at its partner, both of their eyes still on Vin. One slunk forward, teeth bared, putting very little space between the man and itself. Quickly, he scramble onto the computers, which were only about three feet high, but any space was good space. He tried not to slip on the slick surface.
"S-stay away! Shoo!" he shouted, hoping the noise would send the two away. No such luck. They remained, lizard-like tails swaying below their massive claws.
One Grunt seemed bored with the whole affair. It was hungry, and bloodthirsty. It stepped forward, and Vin clung to the shiny metal in fright, trying to still keep a small amount of distance between him and the creatures. He glanced over his shoulder, and saw the pit of darkness below him. It probably went down to the sewers of Haven, or lower. He hugged the side, not wanting his death caused by that either. He whipped his head back to the metal heads. The one was still very close, maybe enough to pounce. But he doubted it.
He was wrong.
Without warning, the Grunt sprang, sending it's tremendously heavy body into the air. Vin's mind shut down as he stared his death in the face. But his body responded with a reflex before his brain could, and his leg shot out, causing the Grunt's body to hit his shoe, not his chest, which is what it was aiming for. It fell back a few feet, but rose immediately. The only thing that had been accomplished was a quick aversion of death, but also making the Grunt furious. Eyes brimming with rage, it threw itself at the scientist again, and he kicked out at it once more. But instead of flinging the creature back again, it kept pressing forward, inching Vin closer to the edge of the console, near the pit. He could see the gnashing teeth too close for comfort.
His mind was blank. He was never the type to think of brilliant plans under pressure. At that moment, he knew one thing, and one thing only—Jak wasn't coming, and he was going to die. Though he often thought that, this time he was chillingly certain. To break him from his thoughts, the second grunt growled in irritation. It was tired of stalling, tired of playing cat and mouse. They needed to move on, meet up with the rest of the metal head army. It began pacing back and forth across the cold floor, waiting for the right opportunity. The other took a last attempted bite at his foot, then backed away towards its partner.
Vin could tell the monsters were playing with them, but not knowing the habits of metal heads well, didn't know what they might do next. But he did know what he had to do—he had to call Jak. Even if Jak was dead, he had to try, to tell him the location of Kor. He knew just where the traitor was, too. Kor had mentioned offhand the day before that he was meeting someone at the old Construction Site. He apparently doubted Vin would tell anyone, or perhaps hadn't meant to even say it aloud. But the important thing was that he had.
He tore his gaze away from the metal heads long enough to make a swep of the the floor. There. His comm lay discarded on the steel, glowing dully. It was, luckily, very close, just an arm's length away. He looked up at the two creatures, who were watching him closely. Throwing caution to the wing(or at least some of it) his arm shot out towards the little device. At the same moment, the Grunt he had previously kept at bay lunged for his arm. This time, his reaction wasn't quick enough. It's sharp canines sunk into it, causing Vin to scream loudly. His gloved fingers were already closed around the communicator, and instinctively yanked his arm away. Wong move.
The skin ripped, causing blood to spatter on the floor, and his clothes. He gasped in surprise and acute pain, and pressed the Jak button on his speed- dial as fast as he could. The metal head pair began to movie in, not playing any more, riled by the smell of blood.
"Pick-"he began to beg the phone, but Jak received with a click. During this time, Vin had slowly been moving clockwise around the room, very slowly, to keep the precious few feet from the metal heads.
"Jak..." he said in an undertone, not realizing how hard it was to speak. He swallowed, trying to sum his message up quickly. "Kor...Construction...Site..." he said, taking a shaky breath between each word. The transmission ended, however, when a particularly nasty throb went through his arm, causing him to drop the communicator with a gasp. It bounced off the floor twice, before landing in front of a Grunt. It immediately smashed it under a heavy paw—Grunts have a great distrust of technology.
Vin backed farther into the wall, or what he assumed was one. The Grunts stepped forward on cue. He took another step back, hand reach for a edge to hold onto. Strangely enough, it wasn't. Instead of hitting steel, his hand felt as if it went through a soft mist, and there was a slight hum in the air as he did so. In an instant, his mind began working again. Why hadn't he remembered?
'Of course, the—' he thought, but was cut off by a hard blow to the chest. In his moment of thinking, a metal head had finally sprung, and pushed him backwards with its crushing paws. The wind was knocked out of him, so much that he couldn't even cry out, as he was flung through the Warp Gate.
---------------------
Whee. That was fun. I finally got past the parts which I hate the most, the parts I wrote the worst. I edited a lot, still very not satisfied with it...oh well. Please review, pretty please.