This is put up as PG-13, but WILL turn into R before long…

Disclaimer: I own nothing…well…nothing yet…but just you wait…::evil grin::

Daxter is kidnapped, two new Dark Eco Sages show up, and Dax is used for bait to lure Jak to his death…but what happens when "allies" rebel, innocence is lost, and love is found?

Taming the Darkness – Chapter 1 - Taken

It had been a normal day. Well, normal in the sense that since they had gotten up they had not been shot at, chased, hit, yelled out, or viciously attacked by a renegade Metalhead.

But, as it always is on those days, something goes horribly wrong and everything just goes to hell.

And that's well they were now—Hell. Daxter gripped Jak's shoulder as though it was his singular life line…and it was, but that's beside the point. They had been jet boarding through the East Bazaar when Jak, to no fault of his own, hit a curb on a turn which propelled both elf and ottsel into one of the patrolling Krimzon Guards.

It had been all downhill from there. The personally affronted guard sent out the signal to all of his buddies, and half the fucking army rushed in to fry the kid and rat that bruised the poor soldier's ego.

Daxter let out a scream as Jak twirled, knocking three guards down as he pulled out his Morph gun and switched it to Pulse mode. "C'mon Dax!!" he growled as he took off, weaving and dodging random shots from behind, and shooting with the Pulse Rifle whenever a guard got in their way.

"Over there Jak!!" Daxter yelled grabbing the older elf's ear and pointing to an abandoned zoomer not twenty feet away.

"Right!" Jak make a quick turn and dodged an oncoming tazer shot and jumped onto the one seat zoomer.

Smiling wildly, Daxter whooped and turned around as the zoomer lifted off the ground and went to take off. He stuck out his tongue and blew a raspberry to all the Krimzon Guards who were still trying to catch them.

"Sit down Dax!" Jak laughed as they sped through the gardens, dodging and switching flying altitudes to avoid more guards.

"What a pessimist!" Daxter held onto Jak's collar. "Do you think someone as cool and collected as I would be scared of falling off a zoomer!?"

Jak laughed again. Daxter was the only one who could really make him laugh. He shook his head and slipped around the corner and headed back towards the slums, knowing that it would be easy to lay low there until it was safe. "No…I just don't want some crazy pillock to come zooming over you and knock you off." He lifted one hand off the handle bars and flicked Daxter in the nose. "If I have to go down there and face a slew of goddamn guards because you're plastered all over one of their masks, I'll kill you."

"Har har." Daxter said sarcastically, but lowered his head and tightened his grip.

The rest of the ride was silent save for the normal sounds of Haven City. The red alert had been called off a little while after their escape from the bazaar, but they were not going to take any chances.

Jak found it quite disconcerting though, that whenever he flew by or over a Krimzon Guard, they would watch him intently for a moment before saying something into his helmet receiver.

Jak turned down one of the strips that lead to the dead end alley that held the Underground.

They had almost made it when Daxter let out a yelp of surprise and Jak was suddenly aware of the absence of weight on his shoulder.

"Dax?" He turned around to see a very familiar red head holding his best friend. Jak didn't even think as he jumped off the zoomer and stalked forward, a murderous glare plastered on his face. "What the hell do you want!?"

Erol laughed and shook Daxter's limp body in front of him. "He should be more careful…lest he be knocked down," He grinned maliciously. "Or snatched off…"

Jak let out a feral growl and lunged at him, only to feel the sharp pain of a Krimzon Guard Rifle smashing into the side of his head.

Erol laughed harder this time as he stepped forward and kicked the unconscious Jak right in the ribcage.

"Orders, Sir?" The Krimzon Guard that had struck down Jak stood at attention, his masked face unreadable. Erol's smiled disappeared for a moment as he straightened himself and held the furry ottsel closer.

"Dump the body in one of those trenches over there." He motioned with his hand in the direction of the ditch/trench a few feet away.

"Sir?" came the confused response.

Erol growled. "We want him to come to use willingly you oaf! Killing him right now would make the Baron very unhappy." He looked down at the unconscious Daxter in his grasp and smiled thoughtfully. "The Baron is going to use his little friend here to break that Eco Freak…he's going to break Jak in half!"

----

Jak groaned and rolled over, his arm instinctively reaching for the fur ball he usually shared a bed with. Wait…Daxter wasn't there. He groaned again this time as he cracked his eyes open to see exactly where he was.

"Stay still." came a soft voice beside him. Jak jumped and realized how painful that made things. His head spun and his vision blurred as he collapsed back onto his pillow.

Images rushed back into his foggy mind, crowding out all thoughts of pain. A grinning Erol with the body of his friend dangling from one hand flashed through his mind. He didn't even know if Dax was dead…He just knew that…that Daxter was gone.

He opened his mouth to ask something but had a finger pressed to his lips. Opening his eyes again he stared pitifully at Tess.

"Jak," she whispered softly. "What happened to you?" Jak only grunted in response and hissed as the pain in his head erupted again.

He waited for the pain and nausea to pass before he said lowly, "He took him…"

"Who took who?" Tess asked confusedly.

"Daxter…that damn rat of his missing." Jak jerked his head to one side to glare at Torn who, as usually, stood behind his cluttered planning table.

"Daxter!? Who took Daxter, Jak!?"

Jak groaned and sat up, his hands going to his head as the pain brought the dizziness and nausea back. Tess gently grabbed his shoulders and tried to get him to lay back down. But Jak would have none of it, and pushed her hands away to stagger to his feet and make his way towards Torn.

"Erol. Erol took Daxter and they…"

"Knocked you out and threw you in a trench…That is unless you just fell over and hit your head on a pipe."

Despite the pain he was in from the knock to the head, Jak felt his temper rise dangerously. He clenched his fist and brought it crashing down on the table. Torn looked up with a raised eyebrow.

"We have to get him back."

"Ha! That worthless rat!?" Torn scoffed and motioned for Tess to leave. Jak watched her hesitate for a moment then stand up and make her way through the side door and into the main area of the Underground. The door clicked shut behind her.

"Yes…we have to—"

"We don't have to do a damn thing!" Jak's eyes narrowed. "That rat of yours is of no use to the Underground," growled out Torn, leaning over the table to put himself closer to Jak. "And he is of no use to me."

Jak glared, but said nothing. He was afraid if he opened his mouth to speak, he might just vomit all over Torn's maps.

After a long moment of glaring, the fires in his eyes blazing uncontrollably, he felt he could speak and, opening his mouth, said the first thing that came to mind.

"You have no idea how important Daxter is."

Torn blinked, this time looking slightly surprised. The emotions that Jak used when he spoke those words were raw and unfettered. Torn saw respect and an adoration in Jak's eyes that he had only seen when he looked at the small rodent. Could this dark soul truly care for someone that much?

Torn shook his head with a small laugh that through off Jak slightly.

"You know that no matter how you get to him, it will be a trap."

"I'm counting on it."

"And that I don't have the men to send with you for a proper rescue mission."

"I never planned on asking for your help."

Torn smiled briefly. "I'm so sure." He reached behind his back and tossed Jak a small canister. "This here is the last upgrade for your pitiful little gun." Jak promptly pulled out his Morph Gun and hooked on the cartridge. "I'm probably wasting this on you and your little rescue mission. Feh. Anyway, the rounds in there are like smoke or gas bombs. These, rather than stunning or injuring your opponent, will knock them out for a short period of time." Jak smiled despite himself. "It can hold only twenty rounds, and the spreading radius is about twenty-five to thirty feet. Here." Torn grabbed a small mask hanging from a nearby hook and chucked it at Jak's head. "Wear this if you even think about using that attachment. The last thing I want to see is the Barons smug face plastered on the view screen letting everyone know that due to the stupidity of one elf, the most powerful weapon in Haven City is once again his."

Jak grinned. He and Torn scrapped and butted heads often, but he was sure that Torn, despite his rather blatant dislike for Daxter, understood how much the two of them meant to each other. Jak fought back the slow throbbing ach in his right temple and turned on his heel to gather his belongings from his bunk.

As he headed to the door that led to the dead end alley he turned to look at Torn, but Torn was already glaring down at his maps.

Torn looked up after he felt Jak's eyes leave him and watched the door slide shut behind him. "Good luck kid. Your sure as hell gonna need it."

Jak stepped out into the night air, the warm breeze blowing through his hair. He'd go see Vin first to see if there was another way of getting that elevator back online again. If not…he'd have to improvise.

But no matter what…He had to find Daxter.

Daxter looked for him tirelessly for two years…and Jak would search for all eternity to find him.

End of chapter 1

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