Chapter 6: Recurrence - Where One Goes...or Where One Comes From?

Keira's eyes snapped over to Ashelin as the woman volunteered and nearly choked. There was no doubt in her mind the baron's daughter would pull it off. The ire rising inside her made Keira feel so much stronger, as if she could do anything—would do anything!—to keep that redhead from showing her up!

"Let me. I want to do it."

No one seemed particularly surprised as she pushed forward. Ashelin politely stepped back, allowing Keira to approach the pool of white, glowing liquid. Daxter crawled up onto her shoulder as she knelt beside it.

"I think I know how to do this," he attempted to reassure her. "Just touch the Eco."

She dipped her hand in and was surprised that it felt like handling velvet rather than liquid. Keira could almost feel a strange pull coming from within and knew it was the ottsel beginning to draw on the Light Eco. A sense of triumph overcame her nervousness, and that greedy thought reacted to the living energy.

Without warning the Light Eco burned her!

Keira yelped, yanking away from it. The skin all along her hands felt as though she'd splashed hot motor oil onto them. Daxter tumbled off her shoulder and hit the ground, landing flat on his back. The look on his face was close to shocked and he stared at the pool of Eco.

"It was fine! It was working!" he insisted. "It was just beginning to flow through you and suddenly it recoiled on me!"

"Are you going to try again?" Jak wondered as he supported Keira to keep her from falling back.

Daxter shook his head. "It won't let me. I know that for a fact. If I try to do it, I'm scared it will kill her. I'm not sure if it'll work at all now."

The others glanced at her curiously, but Keira turned her face away. Deep down she knew why the Eco hadn't wanted her as a host. The ottsel had tried, but it was impossible if she couldn't accept it the right way for the right reasons.

"Well, someone has to do it," Torn growled. It was obvious he knew where this was going and he didn't like it one bit, but it hardly looked like they had a choice.

Ashelin raised her arm with the KG gauntlet and clenched her fingers slowly, green eyes growing hard. "Death or not, I'll give it a try."

But Keira continued to kneel by the pool's edge, staring at the shifting Eco and feeling tears build behind her eyes. For a moment she forgot Ashelin and simply thought about Jak.

Maybe she wasn't good enough for him. Ever since he'd found her the year before and she'd discovered the darkness inside, all she wanted was to be there for him. She would do anything.

Anything.

She cupped her hands and lowered them into the Light Eco. It burned again, but she ignored it, gritting her teeth to bear the pain. She looked deep into the liquid that reflected nothing but gave off a glow like moonlight. Even with death as a punishment…

Anything.

She tilted her head back and drank.

Everyone's voices abruptly became loud and then unnaturally faint. Her eyes closed tightly as Keira was overwhelmed by anguish from within, the Eco burning through every organ in her body and making every nerve tremble. She convulsed and fell to the arena floor. Little paw-like hands clutched at her and someone else pulled her upright.

She knew it was him and she wanted to speak. 'I know I'm weak, especially compared to you…but I'll do anything to be able to feel what you feel, to understand so I can comfort you. I want to share your pain and be there with you instead of apart from you. I'll do anything to help you…'

Daxter's desperate attempts to draw the Eco safely through her changed when he felt a peculiar response. For a moment he could almost feel emotions from the Light Eco itself, and his surprise at that nearly made him forget what he was doing. Even if it couldn't be anything real, he was sure there had been hostility that was now changing to smooth calm, allowing him to connect Keira and the Light Eco.

The searing heat running through her body changed, growing milder and less painful. The pain was still there, but it was different now; not quite physical.

Keira heard the panicked voices turn to those of bewilderment. Her limbs felt weightless. She saw Jak's bright blue eyes staring intently into hers. They mirrored sudden relief and his arms supporting her squeezed gently as if to tell her without words that he was glad.

She continued to stare at him and hardly noticed his skin and hair darken. He didn't even seem to realize it either, and when she changed he was still too caught up in staring at her to realize anything was different. They were too glad to be with each other to even observe the stark contrast between her bright skin and his shadowed skin.

Together they closed their eyes and leaned forward, their lips meeting and holding.

'Anything, anything, anything,' her mind played over and over without any clear meaning of what it meant anymore.

All she knew was that her heart was beating faster than she could ever remember in her life, and that she could feel his beating in perfect time with it.

They were both unaware that beneath them, small intricate patterns in the arena floor were being filled by the shifting glow of both Light and Dark Eco. A small platform raised from the stone near the floating steps, in its center the empty impression of a heart.

There, the different forms of light gathered, changing and sparking as they twined together. Their color turned fiery and filled the small space like molten rubies.

Jak and Keira's kiss slowly broke and both of them faded from Light and Dark forms back to their original selves. They blinked at one another and the couple suddenly seemed to realize how close they were…and that everyone was watching.

He hurriedly helped the mechanic to her feet, trying to pretend he wasn't bothered by the fact there was an audience watching his drawn-out, very intense first kiss. By the rosy tint in her cheeks, Keira was thinking the same thing. He just wished it had been more of his choice rather than a compulsion, likely brought on by the nearness of their two Ecos.

"That was really dumb," he admonished, referring to her rash action. "Do you have any idea what could have happened to you?"

"That's why I did it," she replied in a softer tone. "The Light Eco never would have accepted me unless I was willing to sacrifice myself…unless I surrendered. I didn't realize that until I proved I could."

Jak gave a half-smile. He should have expected her to figure it out.

Behind him Ashelin also smiled, but for a different, sadder reason, and then she crouched low with one hand on the ground as the arena around them began to shake. The group had a hard time keeping their balance as everything trembled. Tess was the first to notice why.

"Look! Something's happening to the Ecos!"

They saw that each pool frothed and boiled until stones drifted out of the liquid and took form in the air. Two large rings floated there above the Eco, white and violet light swirling in random patterns within. The group gazed at them in awe, wondering why the Rifts had opened.

"So, are we going to use 'em or somethin'?"

Before anyone could offer a suggestion, Keira's eyes fell on the crocadog. "Oh no!" she cried out, pointing.

The pet had curiously approached the pool on the arena floor and jumped to one of the stepping stones rising up out of the Eco. Naturally at her cry the animal turned to look at her and slipped, plummeting into the liquid! It yelped in pain from the pure energy and paddled about for a few seconds, coming dangerously close to the swirling gate.

"Grab him, Daxter!" Tess called.

Always at her command, Daxter leaped to a stone and reached out a hand, coming within a hair of snatching the critter. Then suddenly the Rift started inhaling! He caught hold of the stone's edge, but could hardly cling there long with the gale-force winds tearing at him.

"Daxter! Get away from there now! Daxter! Daxter!" Tess screamed.

Just as he was about to lose his grip, Jak seized him by the tail and managed to brace himself. As he tucked his best friend protectively against his chest, the Dark Warrior looked back for the crocadog. Panic was written all over the little animal's face as it was suddenly swept up and out of the Eco.

As he watched, its glowing form disappeared through the Rift. The swirling colors inside vanished completely, leaving the ring that had contained it in midair. No longer held together by any energy, the stones crashed back into the Light Eco. Then the Eco itself sank down until there was nothing left in the strange indention at the center of the arena.

Daxter jumped to the ground and shook his head with some regret. "Poor little guy… I think he and me would have gotten along great after the whole savin' bit. He coulda been my sidekick on our next adventure."

Jak continued to stare at the empty spot. He'd thought for a moment the crocadog's form had changed and looked a lot like… No, it was probably just his imagination.

"Now the Heart must be sent into the future," the fat little Precursor said gravely, "for that is where it belongs."

"Why the future? I thought it had to wind up in the past," Ashelin asserted.

"Light Eco is a gate to the past and Dark Eco leads to the future. Since the past is no longer an option, it must travel through the Dark Eco's gate ahead until another Mar can claim it. That one will be able to send it to the first Mar."

"Really? Wow!" The ottsel seemed to consider something else. "Where d'ya figure the Time Map came from?"

Jak grimaced. "Honestly, Dax, I'd rather not know. Let's just get this thing sent wherever it needs to go."

He approached the mold by the steps where the Heart of Mar was. It looked exactly like the one they had sought before. Well, technically it was the same one. Jak hefted it in his hand and the ruby gleamed, its core burning slightly in the shadow.

Keira came up behind him and asked tentatively, "Can I help?"

He looked down at the short girl and the corner of his mouth lifted. He pulled her hand forward and placed the Heart into it, then he nudged her toward the swirling Rift at the top of the stairs. As she ascended to cast the artifact into the future, Tess approached the Precursor.

"Do you really think it will appear generations from now?"

He gave her a shrug. "One can never tell when or where something may wind up without the Time Map to guide it. Whether or not he sees the Heart of Mar again, I suspect this Mar has much more to do with the timeline and the fate of the world before he can safely retire."

"Well, at least he has Daxter to take care of him!"

:&:

An old woman sat beside the sage watching the sea rolling in. Her voice was cracked with age, her ears drooped as though heavy weights hung from them, and she kept looking down at her wrinkled hands as she spoke.

"Ever since she was a baby, Keira has been told that her father would return. I think his ship sank in a storm, but since you were there when my daughter died of that sickness yesterday, Keira assumed you were her lost father."

"That explains it. She's been calling me 'Daddy' ever since we buried her mother. I don't think I would have the heart to resist her," Samos said.

"I know you and the orphan boy will not be staying here long, but would you consider taking my granddaughter with you? I am too old to travel to even the nearest town and I can't take care of her much longer. It's a chore merely to walk this far to the beach…and I fear my last day is coming soon."

"Well, I do have an idea of where I'm headed, so I suppose I can bring her al—"

"Oh my! Sage, do you see that? My sight has faded somewhat in these last years, but I do believe there is someone in the surf down there," she pointed leftward along the shore.

Samos caught a glimpse of green among the waves and hurried forward, the woman following at a much slower pace. A young boy no older than four or five with buck-teeth coughed and sputtered in the saltwater, rubbing it from his eyes and trying to see at the same time.

The sage pulled him out and away from the crashing waves that were bringing in the tide.

The boy didn't seem steady on his feet and kept falling forward onto his hands. He also didn't seem to be able to talk very well either, giving Samos a partially-deep growl. His clothing was green and had the strangest series of what looked like spikes sewn into the cloth on his back, which was a stark contrast to his blond hair with a tint of orange to the ends. His long, thin ears waggled up and down, giving him something of an animalistic quality.

"How on earth did you find yourself out here? Where is your family? Where are you from?" the man asked.

With a surprisingly doglike yelp, he ducked away without answering and nearly ran into the old lady. She laughed humorously at his reaction and sat down on a rock. He blinked at her curiously, obviously not scared of such a harmless person.

"A young boy, are you?"

He shrugged and seemed surprised to be standing upright as she held him still in front of her.

"Well, what is your name?" She noticed the lost expression on his face and leaned closer, smoothing his wet hair down. "Do you remember anything at all, little one?"

"D-D—" he stuttered uncertainly, as though trying to remember something elusive. "Dax…ter."

"What a sweet name! You must be famished. Help an old lady up the hill, won't you? When we reach the house I'll get you something to eat. What strange clothes you're wearing. Never seen a fashion quite like that before. Reminds me of a crocadog…"

Samos stared after them. He knew that name from somewhere. His memory of the past was hazy at best, and yet he could almost recall a short figure with an obnoxious attitude… No, it was probably just his imagination.

Then it struck him what this meant.

"Oh no! Not another kid to take care of!"

Now the title takes on a completely new meaning, eh?

I went over many different possibilities for Keira, but it just didn't work out chronologically that she was really Samos's daughter. If that was true, she'd be 11 or 12 at most by the time Jak & Daxter rolled around, which (judging by her bra size) she most certainly was not.

As for Daxter's true identity, I noticed the moment the crocadog showed up that there was something distinctly human about him. It also might explain why Jak, Gol and Maia didn't turn into Precursors when they got super-dosed by Dark Eco. I just had to figure out how our favorite little crocadog would join his best buddy since he was left in the future at the end of Jak II.

Thanks for reading!