Jak immediately set out to rescue Shining Armor, Daxter, Ar-Mar, and the others, making his way into the Fortress through the very same way Shining and Daxter had helped him escape. Security had been greatly improved, as the Guardsmen stationed there had better guns and armor, making them much tougher to take down. However, Jak decided it was time to show them exactly what he was capable of. Rather than using his guns, he downed several Yellow Eco cartridges, and then shifted into Dark Jak. As he'd expected, the transformation sustained the Eco charge, allowing him to blast Dark Yellow blasts of Eco from his hands far longer than he normally could, even as he leapt from platform to platform, using the physical boost of the Dark transformation to easily clear most obstacles. Another advantage he discovered with using his Eco abilities instead of the guns was that the fireballs could be thrown around corners much easier than bullets could...and the Dark Eco in them made the fireballs home in on the Guardsmen.
When he encountered a long path with several Guards swarming from pits on either side, he downed Blue and Red Eco charges, which also restored the Dark Eco inside him. Dashing forward, he slammed the Guards aside as he passed, not even giving them a chance to counter, some not even realizing they were under attack before they went down. When that path led him to an electrified fence blocking the way, he used the Blue Eco inside him to race up the wall and leap over the fence before smashing its power supply.
With the enhancement his Dark transformation gave his old Eco abilities, Jak was able to quickly make his way past nearly any obstacle he came across as he made his way to where his friends were held. He rapidly went up to each cell and ripped the doors off...much to the surprise of several of the occupants.
"You sure you've got control of yourself, Jak?" Shining Armor asked worriedly as Ar-Mar stared up at him in awe.
"Combining it with my old Eco abilities helped," Jak replied as he freed Daxter and Tess...who were in the same cell for some reason.
"Where's Mar?" Ar-Mar demanded angrily.
"Perfectly safe," Jak promised as he ripped open the last cell. "Samos, are you alright?" he asked, looking inside to see the Shadow.
Much to his surprise, Samos stuck his head around the cell door. "What took you so long?" he demanded angrily as Jak stared, slackjawed. "I added six rings to my trunk waiting for you guys to get me out of here-Great Yakow horns! What happened to you, Jak?"
"I'm pretty sure you already know what happened to me," Jak replied sourly as he reigned the Dark Eco in, reversing his transformation.
"Yes," the Shadow agreed. "It seems I have an older time twin...and now I can see just what a cranky old log I become. I can't believe it happens in only two decades!"
"And I can't believe what an immature sproutling I used to be!" Samos snapped back. "You really think your soft touch is any good for anyone working for you?"
"Says the one who used so much snide mockery that our 'chosen heroes' need it now because they don't know how to handle genuine praise!" the Shadow growled back.
"They told me themselves it works better for them!" Samos countered. "You should remember that already. I'm the one who has to worry about my memory at my age!"
"For adults, maybe, but not children!" the Shadow insisted, waving his arms angrily. "Do you have any parenting skills at all?"
"I'm the one with a responsible daughter remember!" Samos growled back.
"Yes, who knew enough not to contaminate the time stream by getting in contact with me until you were found!" the Shadow proclaimed proudly. "How she grew up so well with you as a parental role model, I'll never know!"
"Yes you will!" Samos snapped back. "You grow up to become me, remember?"
"Speaking of which!"
At that point, the Shadow carried out his threat to kick Samos 'where the Eco flowed strong'. Samos fell backwards, clutching the point of impact. "Well," he gasped out, his voice somewhat high pitched, "Keira wasn't likely to get any more siblings, anyway..."
Daxter stared at the interchange slackjawed. He then turned to Jak. "Can we keep this Samos?" he asked eagerly, gesturing to the Shadow.
"We do anyway," Jak pointed out. "He goes back in time to raise me and Shining, remember?"
Daxter blinked for a time. "This is so confusing..."
"For now, how about we head back to HQ?" Shining suggested. "Vin's activated the gate, so we should get out of here before the Baron sends more troops after us."
Jak smirked mysteriously. "I don't think we need to worry about that," he commented dryly. "Speaking of, though, I need to tell Keira that the mission was a complete success."
"Which mission was that?" Samos asked curiously as he got back to his feet.
"You'll see," Jak replied. "Let's just say that a lot of people are in for a big surprise."
As Jak refused to answer beyond that, the group made their way through the Warp Gate, eager to get back to somewhere that could be considered safe and plan their next move. Samos was also eager to see his daughter again. With how much Jak had changed, he couldn't help but be worried about her.
After all, there was a minor detail he needed to explain to her about her heritage as a Sage of Green Eco, especially if she and Jak were getting close...