(no subject)

[ddddropthebass]

Who: Jak and Bass
What: One year after the defeat of the Dark Makers, Jak is a brick with a gun doing what a brick with a gun does: clean-up. He comes across an unfinished project in an old Krimzon Guard facility and his work ends up following him home.
Universe/CR: Jak-Universe AU



Clean-up, they'd called it. Really, it was more to give Jak something to do, although it was necessary to maintain the peace they'd so carefully constructed. Old enemy storehouses needed to be examined, categorized and, in most cases, blown up. Jak was the most qualified warrior to deal with any potential resistance so for the more remote posts to where it would be difficult to transport troops, Jak was dispatched. It wasn't entirely to get him out of their political hair-

Well, it was kind of for that too. But Jak was never meant to sit behind a desk. Ashelin knew it, Torn knew it, Sig knew it. Even Daxter knew it, to a degree, which is why he stayed behind as Jak went out, and hadn't that been a tough decision. Jak had taken it in as much stride as could be assumed, being separated from someone with whom he'd spent almost every making moment, and Daxter was about as happy about it but there were responsibilities to which he had to attend now, least of all the management of the Hip Hog. Things with Tess were getting serious, and for some reason Dax was actually sort of good at helping write up diplomatic legislature, in some hilarious twist of fate. So that meant a lot of staying put, something that Jak was unarguably bad at doing.

Just a few runs, Samos had asked. To tie up loose ends. If left alone, loose ends always tie themselves, and never in a way you want them to. ...he could've gone longer with that string metaphor (included something about the knots and snares of life maybe) but Jak had already since lost interest and was ready to leave.

Krimzon Guard Depot Alpha-581 was on the outskirts of the Wasteland, on one of the southern islands and only barely accessible by land. The outer walls of the depot were rusted by water and bleached pale pink by the sun, salt crusting along the seams of the plates from where the waves slapped against the foundation. Inside wasn't much better; the depot was still, sand piled up in corners and the ocean breeze whistling through holes in the roofing, manufacturing equipment in varying states of disrepair, only a handful of Deathbots wandering about the facility in confusion. Another depot set for decommission.

Only...the power grid showed one room at the center of the compound with power consumption. Blowing the building sky high would undoubtedly take that room with it, except that the Krimzon Guard were infamous for using Dark Eco in the construction of their later models thanks to Errol. An explosion with Dark Eco involved could drastically affect the surrounding ecosystem, even all the way up to Spargus. That room would have to be investigated first.

In the center of a room, near a flashing panel indication a critical power failure, is a capsule. Inside that capsule is the body of what can only be a strange-looking young boy...either asleep or dead. The panel reads CATASTROPHIC POWER FAILURE: ACTIVATE UNIT? YES/NO in blaring, blinking red. A remnant of the KG to be sure, but...definitely nothing that they'd made before. Especially with the room stinking like it'd had been painted with Dark Eco.

Comments

[doeseverything]

"Okay, well I got a great plan for that: level it. Screw trying to clean it out and rebuild like a hundred years from now, who cares? It's not historic, it's a freakin' dump." Dax hates going there, Jak hates going there, everybody hates going there. Just drop a bomb on it or something. Fill it with cement, whatever.

[shadesofeco]

"That used to be our home," Jak says quietly.

[doeseverything]

"Well, it ain't anymore. Out with the old, in with the new!" Dax flips a hand, gesturing up at the ceiling of the bar. "This is home. Way better than the sand and the beaches and the gulls and whatever! Booze. And babes. And an adoring public, if you know where to look." Dax folds his arms, thumping his tail down hard on the counter. "Nothin' there worth saving."

[shadesofeco]

That's bullshit and they both know it.

Jak turns his head back to look up at the ceiling. "I guess at some point it was." Maybe that whole 'Mar saves the world and builds a giant wall' thing happens later. Or something. Time travel's confusing as fuck.

Ugh, lying here like an invalid sucks. Bracing himself on one elbow, Jak slowly heaves himself up to a sitting position. It's painful, but if he managed to drag himself four miles through the sewers with broken ribs he can sure as hell manage to get around in the bar. For now.

"So what did I miss?" One arm instinctively curls around his ribs as he reaches for his glass with the other to drain his "painkillers".

[doeseverything]

"Besides us scramblin' around, trying to find you? Nothing. It's only been a couple days." A couple sleepless days.

Daxter rests back on his haunches and watches Jak drag himself around the bar like an invalid. "Where the hell's your robot if he's not on the run from us?"

[shadesofeco]

"Uh..."

That is an excellent question, one Jak doesn't entirely remember the answer to. He was barely conscious when Bass dropped him off after all--

Ah, here's the bottle. He pours another glass.

"I think he said something about repairs. He got pretty messed up on the way back." To put it lightly.

[doeseverything]

Torn won't be happy about the KG bot running around unsupervised, but Dax couldn't give a fuck. If it kills somebody, they'll put it down. Which would probably be better in the long run anyway. "Yeah, well. Whatever." Sullen. He had kind of wanted it to be that fucker's fault. "You showed up without any of your crap. Ol' Morphy bit the dust, huh? I can get Tess started on a new one."

[shadesofeco]

If Bass kills someone, Jak'll shut him down himself. He'll feel like shit for it, but it's his responsibility.

"Yeah." Jak sounds way more broken up about it than he should. "Morph gun's gone, so's the hoverboard. Probably buried under a ton of rocks and sludge by now."

Stupid Metal Heads. Stupid Kor. Stupid Dark Makers.

[doeseverything]

"Pretty sure Keira could make a hoverboard in her sleep by now, big guy." Daxter would complain more, but Jak already looks pretty broken up about it. All he can really think about is how close they were to unearthing Jak's dead body with that damn beacon. The destruction of a gun and a board seem pretty insignificant in comparison to that.

Still, finding out that the KG bot didn't have anything to do with it leaves Dax without something solid to blame, and that unsettles him. He can go back to blaming Torn for giving Jak the job in the first place, he supposes. "Man Jak, this is seriously the last time you take bitchwork from Torn. That jackass doesn't know what to do anymore- where the hell are all the huge grand causes?! What the hell was supposed to be in that nest that a little flooding couldn't fix? He's trying to get you killed. Or collared, at least. And I thought I was the one who everyone thought was a pet-" Dax stops his mouth too late, wincing and looking away. He's angry because he was worried and he can't just turn it off. But that was too far.

[shadesofeco]

BUT THAT'S NOT THE POINT HE WANTS HIS HOVERBOARD AND GUN OK GOSH

Jak agrees for the most part, Daxter's right that Torn's been sending him out doing busy work for a while now. They all knew it, but it was keeping him occupied and shit was getting done so it was fine. But this cut it too close, this was putting him in danger for no good reason.

But then Daxter oversteps. It's not entirely his fault; Dax doesn't know everything that happened to Jak when he was in prison, no one does. He's never talked about it, not even when prompted or when it would have made life easier to explain. But he knows enough, even more than Jak realized at first. And he knows how he was treated when the experiments became public knowledge, when people realized who -- or what -- Jak was.

Enough to know better.

Jak's expression darkens and he slides the bottle off the bar, taking it back over to the booth.

"I'm tired. I'm going back to sleep."

This is not a conversation he wants to have right now. Or ever.

[doeseverything]

Dax heaves a sigh, that combo sigh he does where he thinks both that he screwed up but he can't apologize and also where he thinks Jak is maybe being too sensitive. Of course, he thinks everyone in the world is too sensitive except for him, so maybe that's his own problem.

"You just got up, you're not goin' to sleep. And Tess said if I let you have more liquor than blood in you that she's gonna make me sleep on the floor for the next month." Right. Blame Tess. You're kind of an alcoholic also Dax.

Daxter hops down from the bar and skips across furniture over to Jak's booth, pulling himself up onto the table next to him. "Look, they're still diggin' the place up. Maybe they'll find your crap all in one piece. Just...muddy and smelling like sunshine."

[shadesofeco]

Trust Daxter to miss the point.

See when Jak gets sensitive, he just gets surly and quiet and goes to blow things up. Unfortunately the latter is out of the question right now, so he's just going to sulk in the corner.

Easing himself back down into the little pillow nest they'd set him up with, he tries to get comfortable.

"Take it up with Tess." To be fair, he's already feeling that one glass way, way more than he'd like.

[doeseverything]

"Jak. I dunno if you noticed, but Tess builds eco guns. She knows how to make fourteen kinds of explosives outta just what's in that bottle." Dax points and leans forward conspiratorially. "I don't take stuff up with Tess. Tess lets me take stuff up." Distract him. That's the idea here. Dax is a little rusty, but he knows Jak, he knows this guy. They've been together practically their whole lives.

Don't apologize now (or kind of pseudo-apologize, which is what Dax does) because Jak won't take that well. Distract him from his thoughts first before they get bad.

[shadesofeco]

Jak lifts the bottle and squints at it, swishing the contents around. To be fair, it does taste highly combustible. He proves this by taking a swig and grimacing as it burns on the way down.

He knows what Daxter's trying to do, and if it were anyone else, stubbornness would make him push back twice as hard just on principle. But this is his best friend, and Jak lets him get away with a lot of shit no one else can. So fine, he'll play along.

"Just Tess, huh?"

He lowers the bottle to his lap, then tilts it towards Dax in a silent offer. They don't really need apologies.

[doeseverything]

"Excuse me? Yeah, just Tess! I don't take orders from anybody but my baby!" Grabs bottle and drinks some! Because the more he drinks, the less Jak has.

...all right okay he's also drinking because he likes it, sue him.

"You and me Jak, we're a coupla rebels. I mean, we got banished! To the desert! Some people might call that a result of war crimes against the people, but we know the truth. This lame city just couldn't contain our badassery. Had to export it, make everyone else in here feel better because they just looked so damn bad in comparison."

[shadesofeco]

Yeah seriously, don't blame your rampant alcoholism on Jak. He's a fucking saint.

He shrugs, or rather tries to. It pulls in a way that catches his breath and makes him wince. Damn it, don't make him use words. He hates that.

"Torn mention when the next shipment to Spargus leaves?" Because he really wants to ride along and get some more Light Eco. Also, it's a convenient change of topic from something uncomfortable. Not that Jak remembers what it was, come to think of it.

[doeseverything]

"Nope." Torn tries not to tell Daxter anything he doesn't have to know but ha. Joke's on him, because Dax knows anyway. "But it'll be in the next four days, probably. They've been loading crap up in the motor pool at the edge of the city." Dax takes another drink before shoving the bottle back closer to Jak. His tail thumps the tabletop in agitation. "You're lookin' for eco? I dunno if there'll be any white in there. Probably just the four."

[shadesofeco]

Yeahhhh, Torn's not as good at hiding intel as he thinks. Or rather, the Freedom Leaguers are absolutely shit at keeping their mouths shut and pretty much gossip nonstop when on patrol.

"Transport. I figure I can pick some up in Spargus." Jak winces as he reaches to slide the bottle a little closer. "You wanna come with?"

[doeseverything]

"You wanna take that bumpy-ass transport to Spargus with creaky ribs, be my guest. But sure, I'll go with." It'll hurt, but then Jak is a glutton for punishment. He'll serve it up himself if he can't find it elsewhere; it's better to let him do it to an extent and just stop him before he seriously hurts himself. "What about your robot?"

[shadesofeco]

Hey, he crawled through the catacombs and sewers with broken ribs, he'll manage an hour-long transport. Plus yeah, maybe a little of the masochistic thing too. It's not like he's a big bundle of anger and unresolved issues and takes it out on himself if there isn't something nearby to shoot, that'd be silly.

"Shit." Jak groans and tips his head back to thunk against the wall. He forgot about Bass. "I should wait for him to get back."

He really should have given Bass a communicator or something before he left, but considering he was about thirty seconds away from eating dirt it's not entirely surprising it got pushed aside.

[ddddropthebass]

Dax promises to pick up eco if Bass hasn't returned by then, which is good because he hasn't. In fact, he doesn't come back for over a week. At least there aren't any reports of some purple-headed kid killing people in the meantime, but it's like he just dropped off the radar. No calls, no sightings, no contact. Nothing. He's as good as gone.

...but then he comes back. Skin patched up, clothes clean and hair, thankfully, scrubbed until the smell finally came out (that's really what took most of his time, finding something to take the stench out of synthetic fibers) but he's back. And he dumps two items onto the table in front of Jak, probably overturning a bottle (or seven) but not really caring as he throws himself into the booth across from Jak and puts his feet up on the table. "'Sup."

[shadesofeco]

Torn stops by more than once in the time Bass is gone, expressing his... displeasure in the KG bot's extended absence. There's a bit of (deflated, in Jak's case) chest puffing and arguing, but at least the lack of reports means Bass isn't causing trouble. Even Torn can't argue that a preemptive strike against him would be a pretty shitty thing to do, and he's not that much of a dick. Plus he's learned that while Jak might not be particularly smart or good at strategy, he does have a habit of stumbling along the right path 99.9% of the time.

But that doesn't change the fact that Bass is still gone and Jak isn't healed, so Daxter upholds his side of the bargain. With a completely unnecessary amount of complaining, goes to get Jak some eco, leaving him alone and bored out of his mind in the bar.

Jerking awake in the booth, Jak sucks in a deep breath and blinks at Bass a few times before grunting and sinking back down. "Shit. You took your time." He digs a thumb into his eye and rubs at it. "The hell were you?"

[ddddropthebass]

"Doing what I fucking said I would, dipshit. I'm fixed." Bass spreads his arms like 'tada' before kicking the morph gun and hoverboard right into Jak's probably still-somewhat-cracked ribs. Not hard enough to completely break them, at least. Probably. "Here. So you can quit your bitching."

[shadesofeco]

Jak's still half asleep you jerk, so his reflexes aren't what they should be. He makes a startled wheezing noise and clutches his ribs, shoving his things away without even realizing what they are.

Wait.

His hand runs over the edge of the hoverboard and he cracks an eye open at it.

Wow, he'd say thank you, but you kind of just knocked the fucking air out of his lungs so no.

[ddddropthebass]

Bass lifts his chin and looks down his nose at Jak.

"...you totally thought I bolted, didn't you? You thought I wasn't coming back. I could've too, y'know. You didn't really give me clear orders. You fucking suck at that."