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Disclaimer: I do not own Jak & Daxter, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 4
- 5
- 6
Author�s
Note: *walks forward sheepishly* Hello. Look guys, I know this one took a hell of a long time
but there so many things that I got caught up on. There are a lot of
complicated emotions to get across and a whole lot of plot that I had to cram
into this one chapter. *sighs* I mean really, this chapter turned out to
be over 6000 words long. Anyway, please forgive me for the horrendously long
wait and I hope you guys enjoy this. Maybe the next one won�t take me as long.
Oh and thanks
to Razzek for her super duper beta�ing skills.
Disclaimer: Don�t own Jak and Daxter. Naughty Dog does.
Lucky Bastards.

Work
Chapter Five: Title and Registration

He had always prided
himself on his ability to talk himself out of any and every situation. It was
something he was just good at. A trait he was born with and it had served him
well throughout all of his nineteen years. But at this moment, as it had been
with many in the past few years, Daxter found himself without words.
Jak hadn�t said
anything since they left the temple. After the skirmish, and the transformation
back to normal, he�d simply picked himself off the ground and headed straight
to the transport.
To the untrained
eye, his friend�s actions would have been dismissed as normal schizophrenic Jak
behavior. And to be honest, it was. But it would take more then a scowl and a
vacant gaze to fool Daxter. If there was anything the ottsel knew it was Jak.
And his extensive knowledge on the subject told him that his friend was not
exactly at ease with what had just happened.
With this
assumption panning out to be more than feasible, the younger male was left with
but one of two options. He could go with the old standard and crack a joke to
lighten the suffocating atmosphere, or he could simply keep his mouth shut and
ride the uncomfortable silence out.
It might not seem
like it most of the time, but he did have some tact. So, he opted for the
latter. Besides, by the looks of the rest of the group, joking was the last
thing they wanted to hear right now.
Daxter hadn�t
failed to notice that none of the survivors of this doomed excursion had been
able to look his friend in the face. In fact, because of this Dax had made a
point to keep his own eyes in his vicinity. It was bad enough that the tangy
scent of blood was stinging his sensitive nose. He wasn�t too interested in
getting an unwanted look at the sources of it either.
You�d think with
all the time he�d spent with Jak and his socially challenged alter ego that
he�d be used to seeing folks on the ground bleeding out their vitals. Maybe so,
but before he had only been subjected to the violent ends of mindless, soulless
Krimson Guards. Or other times, as much as he hated to admit it, the hapless
Havenite that happened to be in the way when he and Jak were on a sprint in a
hijacked zoomer. But now�
He�d looked each
and everyone of Torn�s little troop in the eye at least once today and these
boys were definitely real. They were maybe really unfortunate, but still very
real nonetheless.
He had learned,
not just through his own experiences, but by watching those of others as well,
that it took a special type of person to walk a way from an encounter with Dark
Jak virginal psyche in tact. Not to mention that breathing thing still working
in their favor as well.
That Lee kid�
Yeah, he was still on the undeclared list. And the other one, Quin, he had been
lucky that it had only been a metal head that he�d gotten in the way of.
The most
disturbing of the boys, however, had to be that dark haired one in the corner,
hunched over and staring at his blood dyed hands. It was enough to send a chill
up the ottsel�s spine. It had to be the eeriest picture he�d ever seen in a
long time, all the more freaky because it was real. He wondered in a fit of
morbid fancy, what exactly was going through the kid�s head at the moment.
Did he get that
same light headed, queasy feeling when he caught sight of that sticky red substance?
And did he find himself breathless and dazed at the sight of old dark and
gruesome? Not that Daxter did anymore, but� he used to. And there was that
other thing, the thing that never seemed to go away. The ottsel wondered, did
the world slow to a crawl for him as well?
Dark Jak�s method
of rescue may not have be the gentlest he�d ever seen, but the demon had saved
that kid�s life. By the looks on the faces of the Torn�s little lackeys, they
didn�t seem to be all that impressed.
The ottsel tried
to ignore the judging looks his friend was receiving and turned his attention
back to Jak. The two of them were in the furthest corner of the transport. The
green blond looked to be sulking quietly, morph gun resting in his hands.
�Hey, buddy.�
Daxter tried weakly.
He really was not
in the sort of mood to be cheering anyone up at the moment but this was Jak. If
he didn�t try who else would.
His friend looked
up at him, a weak smile forming on his face. But there was something in his
eyes. He looked� was that nervousness? What could Jak possibly be nervous
about?
�Dax?�
It was the way Jak
had said his name that make something in him click, made his fur stand on end.
Why did he sound so unsure?
Jak was never
unsure about anything. That was one of the things that made him� Well�Jak. He
was the hero because he was the only one brave enough to make the split second
decisions. He was the hero because he was the confident one. The one that never
made a mistake and if by some minuscule chance he did, the Precursors usually
blessed him for it and it turned out not to be a mistake in the first place.
That was Jak. The bravest, luckiest bastard Daxter had ever laid eyes on.
So what it the
holy name of the Precursor rats gave him the right to say his name like that?
Like he was� Afraid!
Afraid of what!
But Daxter stopped
himself before he even had the chance to act on that sickening twist in his
belly. The one that wanted him to scream bloody murder at his best friend for
looking so weak when he needed him to be the strong one because, he didn�t
quite feel up to taking up the mantel at the moment. But he sucked it up and
with a sigh, he forced himself to look his friend in those eyes that seemed so
foreign to him now and hopped onto his shoulder.
Because that�s
what best friends did.
�What is it, big
guy?�
Daxter leaned in
with an eyebrow raised for effect. �Ya hungry? That�s what it is right? Yeah,
me too. Wiping out metal heads�ll do that to ya.�
It sickened him to
have to joke about something like this, but it�s what he did.
Jak�s eyes flashed
briefly, the emotion passing even too quickly for Daxter to catch it. That
happened from time to time and it never failed to annoy the ottsel.
The blond�s head
lowered back to the morph gun clutched in his hands.
�They shouldn�t
have come.� He said it so low, that even Daxter�s ottsel enhanced hearing
almost didn�t pick it up. �I shouldn�t have let them.�
Suddenly Jak�s
head was raised again, his blue eyes focused on the remaining members of Torn�s
troop. His nose twitched slightly before his head lowered again.
�It was supposed
to be just me and you.� Jak continued. �If I�d just said �no� none of this
would have ever happened.�
Daxter�s eyes
widened in disbelief, it had been a long time since he�d seen Jak like this.
Years even. They had both been a lot younger then. Daxter barely remembered the
reason for it now.
But it was
different now, Jak was different now and this wasn�t like him at all. Plenty of
people had died fighting metal heads. It was just a fact of life in this place.
Why was Jak all broken up about it now?
�Hey, hey buddy,�
Dax winced; he really didn�t want to go into this here. Those same boys they
were talking about were only a few feet away from him. These guys signed up fer
this sorta stuff y�know. They knew what they were getting into. So no more of
that feeling sorry for yerself, or them. Got it? Besides, you were gonna say �no�
ta ol� Tattoo Face?� A small grin, �I think not my friend.�
Jak still hadn�t
looked up from the morph gun, but Dax continued on anyway. As he fought down
the heavy feeling in his chest he coxed himself into pressing on.
�And this second
guessin� thing ya got goin� here buddy boy� It don�t suit ya, so I suggest ya
suck it up big time �fore ya give what�s left of these boys a real reason ta
worry what�cha gonna do next.�
The ottsel
produced a lame chuckle, barely loud enough for even his self to hear over the
roar of the transport�s engine. Even
though, he whipped his head around suddenly toward the troop to see if they�d
caught it. But something in the last thing he said must have clicked in Jak�s
thick head and the older boy finally looked up at him. That confused and lost
expression finally washed away from his soft features. The smallest twitch of
Jak�s lips sent an instant rush of relief to the younger boy.
Dax leaned into
the tangled mess that was Jak�s hair and ran his fingers through it absently. It
was the first thing he remembered about the last time he and his friend had
been in this situation.
The first time it
had been Jak�s crocadog. The stupid mutt had gotten himself lost in the Forbidden
Jungle and swallowed by a jungle snake. Jak had blamed himself for that too.
But that dog had been an idiot. Everyone had seen that except Jak. But
nonetheless, the poor guy wasn�t right after that for months.
Daxter had never
liked that mutt but seeing his friend so distraught over the drool factory had
sparked something akin to nurturing in the younger boy. Thus the petting thing
that surfaced now and then. Though lately, it only happened when Jak�s dreams
took a turn for the unpleasant.
He wasn�t even
sure that Jak noticed him doing it most of the time. But the change in his
friend was instantaneous.
�Yeah,� A small
smile, �Maybe you�re right Dax. Maybe I shouldn�t worry so much. I mean, I
never did before and things usually turned out alright, right?�
��Course they did.
You kicked those metal head�s asses and ya saved that kid too. Ya did good,
buddy. That�s all ya can do.�
Jak didn�t answer.
Daxter hadn�t expected him to. He just continued to run his tiny fingers
through his friend�s hair. Trying his best to ignore the other bitter thoughts
that surfaced at the barest notion that it just sucked that this was all he�d
ever be able to do to comfort his friend. But that didn�t matter now, his
friend needed him to be the strong one for once and he could do that even if it
killed him.

~oo0oo~

It still amazed
Davis how quickly everything had went so horribly wrong. This wasn�t how it was
supposed to happen at all.
But�
Now that the
adrenaline was gone he felt only the slightest bit better, but he still
couldn�t think straight. Everything was so loud. He just wished there was some
way to make everything just stop. So he could at least think straight, if just
for a minute.
The air
conditioning of the transport made Davis� flesh tingle. He was cold, prickly,
sticky and covered in drying sweat. His uniform stuck to him, squishing and
pulling whenever he moved. He was miserable and he just wanted to go home.
He couldn�t shake
that annoying loose feeling� his limbs felt so numb. Just like last night. Last
night when he�d been stupid and drunken and...
He just didn�t
feel like himself at all. Most of the time that was a good thing. But now� Now
he thought that he should. He should be here. There was something to be learnt
from this.
There had to be,
right?
He ran trembling fingers
through his hair, only to have the unruly strands stick to and become tangled
around his filthy digits. He pulled his hand away from his head and stared at
the blood and now hair covered appendages.
He had forgotten.
How could he have forgotten that his hands were covered in another man�s blood?
His stomach
lurched at the thought. He�d believed he was ready for something like this. He
thought that he would be fine. But when he was in there, in the thick of it
all, running and shooting� and it all
had seemed so� Unreal.
But it was real.
All he had to do was ask Lee or Quin. If the boys ever regained consciousness
he just might.
Although, when he
really thought about it, he really didn�t want to know.
Vergil nudged
Davis suddenly and gave him that look the older boy always gave him when he was
acting in a way he deemed unacceptable. The raven-haired boy just glared back
nonplussed. With an exaggerated sigh the blond turned the other way. Cold gray
eyes immediately locked on their apparent savoir settled in on the far end of
the transport.
�He saved our
asses.� Davis muttered quietly.
�Yeah, but we were
supposed to be able to save our own asses, Davis.� The other replied with a
frown.
Davis just sighed
miserably and continued to stare down at his hands.

~oo0oo~

Jak didn�t quite
remember getting off the transport. He didn�t even recall going in his pack and
finding the gate pass. But he did remember the first burst of that wonderful
muggy yet ocean crisped air that rushed him as soon as the second set of doors
slid open. Then the feeling of being nudged roughly to the side as Torn and
what was left of his troop carried the injured past with the assistance of a
few Wastelanders.
Jak found that he
didn�t have it in him to feel any of the anxiousness that surrounded him. He
only felt the instant calm that he couldn�t quite explain when he entered
Spragus� walls.
There was a small
flutter of emotion, something that nagged at him for not following Torn and the
others and checking to see if they all were okay. But he just couldn�t bring
himself to act on it. The desire to be elsewhere was more persistent, so as
usual he went with the latter.
He barely listened
to the constant chatter of his companion as he made his was down the familiar roads,
nodding mechanically in response to what ever greeting he got along the way. It
didn�t matter what Daxter was actually saying, just that he was with him while
he was saying it.
And before he knew
it, they were on the wooden lift and then he was standing in his father�s oasis
of a throne room.
�It�s been a
while, huh Buddy?� Daxter said.
For some reason
this statement was clear in Jak�s ears. There was a strange hesitation in the
ottsel�s voice. Jak smiled softly at the sound. He knew that his friend was
worried about him. Afraid he�d say the wrong thing and dredge up a bad memory.
But Jak�s life was full of bad memories; they couldn�t hurt him any more. Not
with all the good ones there to stop them.
To be honest
however, his overactive emotions were the last thing on Jak�s mind. He was
still worried about his friend. Neither of them had spoken a word about Dax�s
confession last night. The ottsel was seemingly acting like it had never
happened. That was never a good thing with Daxter. The problem was, what else
was there to say really? Jak didn�t have a solution to the problem. He be
damned if he ever stopped looking for one though. But in the meantime, he just
wanted Daxter to be happy.
He watched his
friend as he dove head first into one of the mini pools of fresh water. The
ottsel came back up a minute latter, gurgling comically on a mouthful.
�Ah� I really
missed this place.� Dax said with a contented sigh.
Jak smiled at his
friend antics before making his way up to his father�s throne. He turned around
and got a view of it all from where the Sand king used to sit. He couldn�t
however convince himself to take a seat on the stone chair.
It just didn�t
seem right.
The two of them
hadn�t been here much longer before they were confronted with Sig�s frowning
face. Just the man Jak had hoped to run into at some point during their visit.
The newly crowed king of Spragus didn�t look too happy to see them though. Jak
hopped down to the floor fully preparing himself for a lecture.

�What the hell happened out there, Jak?!�
�What no name
calling? No Golden boy? We don�t even get a Cherry? He must be really pissed.�
Daxter muttered as he rung out his tail.
Jak sighed and
looked to Daxter out of the corner of his eyes. The ottsel immediately took the
hint. He sprung up on his friend�s shoulder and went straight into his rant.
�Look, big man, we
weren�t expecting no full on metal head invasion ourselves. Monk girl told us
that there was a small herd of the buggers and we get there and the friggin�
place is crawling with the creeps! We barely got out of there with our fur
intact.�
The ottsel tugged
on a patch of damp, ruffled fur for affect.
�I can see that.�
Sig said, unamused expression on his face. �I don�t know why I was expecting anything
different from you two. But why the hell did you cherries have to bring the
rookies with ya? Those runts coulda got you two in deep sh��
�It was ol� Tattoo
face�s idea, not ours!� Dax countered before the man could finish. �Precursors
know that we didn�t need anyone taggin� along and crampin� our style but Dread
head insisted! Said something �bout tryin� ta teach those boys a thing or two
�bout dealing with metal heads or some crap excuse.�
He leaned his
elbow into Jak�s head and crossed one leg in front of the other.
�Seems ta me they
ain�t gonna be any use stringing together coherent sentences, let alone taking
on any more �head�s any time soon!� A
smug expression flittered over is fur-covered features.
The new Sand
King�s only visible eyebrow lowered and he grumbled.
�Not my problem.
If Haven�s honorable governess wants to send its brave, young, dumb out to
their deaths then it ain�t no skin off my nose.�
�That�s not what I
heard.� Jak smirked.
Sig returned the
look.
�Well, cherry, I
don�t think I know what you mean?�
�Oh, ya don�t
huh?� Daxter grinned. �Well, we�ve been hearin� some things.�
�Do tell?� The
dark skinned man deadpanned.
Jak looked to
Daxter.
�Yeah,� the blond
added. �About you and Ashelin having some talks. Some top secret stuff about
the future of Haven��
�And this sand
trap you like to call a city.� Dax chimed in.
�Funny, I never
took you two as the type to keep up with rumors, let alone politics.�
The two friends just
stared back at the man. Sig scratched his chin in thought and leaned on his
ever presence peacemaker.
�Look you two,
what I�m about to tell ya can�t leave this room, got it?�
�We�re wai�tin��
the ottsel grinned.
�C�mon Sig, if you
can�t trust us then who can ya trust.� Jak said interrupting his friend.
Though, the
Wastelander was right. Jak was definitely not one for rumors or politics, but
something about this just seemed too good to pass up. Especially if it had
anything to do with something not even Ashelin thought he should know.
�Yeah, right.� Sig
tilted his head to the side slightly. �Well, Red�s been tryin� her damnedest to
make up for all the bullshit Praxis put in the works when he was in power.�
Jak couldn�t stop
himself from rolling his eyes.
�I told the
woman,� Dax said shaking his head. �She�s gonna put herself in an early grave
tryin� ta fix all the crap ol� tub of lard fudged up! That�s generations worth
of therapy bills she�s gonna be racking up!�
The blond whose
shoulder he was perched on growled softly in a fit of impatience.
�Yeah, well?� Jak
sighed.
�The banishment
proclamations seem to be next on her list of things to do.� The taller man
continued. �Only we ain�t interested.�
�What�s so �hush
hush� �bout this that we got to keep our mouths shut, huh?� the smallest member
of the trio barked.
�I ain�t finished,
rat!� Being irritated by Daxter was the norm, but this political stuff was
working on Sig�s last nerve. �But of course Red didn�t wanna take �no� for an
answer.�
By now the
Wastelander had worked his way around to the other side of the room over to the
throne itself. He was about to sit down when he paused suddenly. Jak locked
eyes with him, something passing between them too quickly for Sig to pick up on.
The tension lifted instantly however and he sat down stiffly, his eyes staying
on Jak�s a moment longer before he continued.
All of it happened
so quickly Daxter had barely noticed, but he had and he looked them both over
before he pressed on. �And?�
�She�s been
talkin� about letting the people decide or something like that. We�ve already
made our decision, but she keeps on insisting.�
�Typical Ashelin.�
Jak groaned.
�It ain�t sitting
well with some of the folks over in Haven, that for sure. Some of the Baron�s
former supporters are pissed as hell. Even the holier the thous that think we
ain�t worthy of being let back in are kickin� up a fuss.� Sig shuffled
uncomfortably in his seat. �It would only be givin� us permission to enter the
city again. We�d be fine with just that. Most all of the people here still got
family there. It would be good for trade or whatever� I just don�t know why�d
she�d go through all the trouble though. A lot of folks are pissed enough at
her as it is.�
It was starting to
make a bit more sense to Jak. Though he was still miffed that no one had told
he and Dax what was going on. If Ashelin were really in some kind of danger he
would have at least liked to know. Ashelin was prideful but she wasn�t stupid.
There had to be some reason why she hadn�t told them what she was planning yet.
�This would be the
first diplomatic anything in Haven� ever. Tricky stuff for a town that�s only
ever been ruled by a monarchy� or dictatorship.� Sig added looking round
suspiciously. �But it�s already looking like a hell of a lot of trouble to me.�
Jak and Daxter
looked at each other, mischievous smiles creeping up their faces.
�Sig ol� buddy,
y�should know by now that nothin�s too tough for the Demolition duo.� Dax said
as he crossed his arms over his furry chest. �Ain�t that right, Jak?�
The blond in
question simply nodded in agreement.
�And you should
know better by now that this ain�t your regular brand of trouble.� Sig said
shaking his head. �Some of the worst shit in history�s happened over mess like
this. I�d be a little more careful before I stuck my nose in it if I were you. Believe
me, if I had a choice I sure as hell would.�

~oo0oo~

He was awed into
complete silence. He was pretty sure he was gaping too. But they were just so beautiful
and so very colorful too. He�d never seen anything like them in all his
eighteen years.
But just as he was
about to reach his hand out to touch the glass, someone cleared his or her
throat not far behind him causing him to nearly jump out of his skin.
�How�d you get
back here?�
A woman with long
auburn hair was standing right in front of Knox when he turned around and she
did not look at all pleased. Her clothing, partially covered by an apron of
some sort, was in just as bad shape as his uniform. Though it looked like she
had tried to clean up as well, she was still covered in smatterings of his
comrades� blood.
She pushed an
errant strand of her graying bangs out of her eyes. She looked to be quite
tired as well as annoyed and that wasn�t making him feel any better about being
caught snooping.
�I�m sorry,� the
medic stuttered. �I think I got lost.�
�Really.� The
older woman responded, a complete look of non-understanding plastered on her
face.
�Umm yes, I was
just looking for my friends,� Knox continued. �To tell them the good news. Y-
you did a wonderful job, Doctor Ness.�
�It�s just Ness�
or Doc if you insist. Not Doctor though. My medical license was revoked along
time ago.� She said a strained look. �I�m sorry to hear about your partner
though.�
Knox dropped his
gaze to the floor.
�Yeah, um� Cutter
was a good guy. A bit of a coward, but a good guy.� He said solemnly. �I only
got partnered up with him about a month ago, though. After my last partner�
uh�� He shuffled his feet nervously, �I guess he just wasn�t cut out to be a
Freedom Guard.�
�Yes, well it
happens. I supposed in some way or another you�ll get used to it.� Ness said
with disgusted sigh. �You didn�t do half bad yourself though, I hear��
�Knox.� The red
head nodded rapidly. �Um� just Knox.�
�Hmm� well Knox.
It seems Haven�s med program didn�t completely go down the crapper once I
left.� She grinned at him.
He had to admit
that he was vaguely creeped out, but he forced on a friendly smile anyway.
�Ah yeah, I guess.
Uh�� He said turning to the colorful bins in front of him. �I was just admiring
your��
�It�s eco.� She
finished his statement for him. �Haven�t you ever seen it in this form before,
kid?�
�Uh� no. I didn�t
know it still came this way.� Knox said, staring wide eyed at the large
containers of the vivid liquids. �Haven doesn�t have many large supplies of eco
anymore. Dark is the most plentifully, but that�s all over, I guess.� Turned to
look at her as he went on. �And yellow. But only in gas form. That is by far
the most valued anyway. Y�know with them using it in all types of explosives
and artillery and stuff. They alter it with chemicals for the bullets though.
But I�m sure you already knew that.�
He blushed when he
realized he was rambling. He tended to do that when given the chance.
�But I have never
seen red eco like this before. You�d think with it being so hard to come by
that they�d find a better use for it then scatter gun ammo.� He smiled ruefully
and adjusted his glasses. �It really is beautiful though� all of it.�
�That it is, pup.�
She turned to the container of green eco in front of her, and checked the
gages. Her head snapped up when she heard Knox squeak.
�Whoa, is that
blue eco?� he gasped childishly and rushed to the far side of the room. �Blue
eco, the purest form of kinetic energy, the core force of movement. It�s been
documented that it can increase the follow of information across synapses in
the brain, causing one to have faster physical as well as mental reflexes.
Thus, actually increasing one�s physical velocity and cerebral as well.�
He turned to her,
a broad grin on his face and gleam in his brown eyes. �Wow� I never thought I�d
actually see so much of it in one place. There were even studies that tried to
prove the existence of further cognitive abilities in subjects saturated with
it. Um� but you probably already know that too.�
She chuckled at
that.
�Yeah, kid but
that�s okay. It�s good to know at least one other person does too though.� She
walked over to him and placed and hand on his shoulder. And this stuff�s damned
hard to come by, as you�ve probably already guessed. So, I�d appreciate it if
you keep what you�ve seen down here to your self.� She sighed and then added.
��One of the reasons I thought I kept it hidden well enough.�
�Oh yeah,� Knox�s
blush deepened. �Sure.�
There was an
awkward pause. Knox hated those. They usually led to him trying desperately to
fill them. And that usually led to him rambling on even more then usual and
embarrassing his self further.
�I had always
hoped to study it one day. Y�know, eco in general.� Knox said, scratching
absent-mindedly at the back of his head. �Go off to university and get a PhD in
Applied Eco Sciences and maybe even Anatomy and Physiology or something like
that. I don�t know� It doesn�t look like that�s gonna happen now. Not much use
for that type of learning in Haven right now.� He sighed, �Not that we had the
money to pay for it and all. Uh� my pop thought I�d make a better soldier
anyway.�
He dropped his
hand to his side and smiled weakly at the woman next to him.
�At least the
Guard paid for me to learn at least some stuff, huh?�
Knox let a nervous
laugh work its way out of his throat and immediately winced. He took one last
look at he colorful tubes of energy and turned heading for the door.
�Well, thanks for
not gutting me for snooping around.� He said forcing a smile up on his face.
�You, come back
here anytime ya like, okay, pup?� Ness called back to him.
His beaming grin
turned thoughtful in an instant.
�Really?�
�Sure, why not.�
�Well, thanks a
lot.� He chuckled. �Maybe one day I will.�
Ness shook her
head after watching the youngster go. She was getting soft in her old age and
she knew it. But she�d always been a sucker for a kid with an appetite for
learning. It was a shame to let such potential go to waste. But she wasn�t
going to go chasing after some runt either. If this Knox kid was seriously
interested, then he�d be back.

~oo0oo~

At
around midnight they had made it back to Haven. At about 1:45 am they had
finally drifted off to sleep. Then at what Daxter had so affectionately
referred to as �the ass crack of dawn�, (though more accurately it was about
6:50) Ashelin called them and requested their presence at Freedom HQ. But it
wasn�t until 10:13 am exactly that they finally made it in front of the woman.
Said
woman was not pleased about this, no, not at all. But she swallowed her anger
despite all of this. Because of course she�d only called them here because she
wanted something from them. Or wanted them to do something for her. And it
wouldn�t do with her biting their heads off before they could comply.
Or
at least that had been Daxter�s reasoning anyway.
�What
do you mean Sig already told you!�

Jak
smirked in response to the honorable governoress� outburst.
�Well,
c�mon hot stuff, how long did you think it was gonna take for us ta find out.�
Daxter scoffed. �I mean, c�mon� we got friends in high places. Me and Jak are
connected like that.�
Ashelin
rolled her eyes.
�Well
then fine. I suppose you already know what I want with you then, but I�ll let
Torn fill you in on the details.�
Off
to the side of the war table, looking a bit more worn then usual, Torn looked up
from a steaming mug of what one could only guess to be coffee. Daxter�s nose
perked up at the first whiff of it. His whiskers even twitched.
Jak
unleashed an eye roll of his own. His friend was a sucker for coffee� anything
with caffeine in it really. Not that he needed it. Precursors knew he didn�t,
but there was no reasoning with the guy once he got his mouth set on it.
�Ah�
Torn my good man�� Another sniff, �That wouldn�t happen ta be Wastelanders
blend now would it?�
The
Freedom League commander raised a hairless brow in suspicion.
�Yeah.
Why?�
�Uh
just wonderin�� Ah� where�d ya get it?� The ottsel twiddled his fingers
anxiously.
�The
Wasteland dumbass.�
Jak
snorted, biting back a bark of laughter.
�Why
you� Y�know what� forget it! It�s way too early in the mornin� for this� An� I
ain�t gonna be pulled inta no verbal sparrin� match wit ya when it�s obvious ya
don�t know who yer messin� with!�
Jak
figured that the real reason for him giving up so easily was just because Dax�s
brain still hadn�t caught up with the rest of his body. Or maybe he just didn�t
want to get on Torn�s bad side before he got a taste.
Ashelin
rolled her eyes again. This tended to happen a lot when she was in Daxter�s
presence.
�Oh
for Precursors sake! Over there!� the red headed woman said pointing at the
high tech supposed coffee maker on table by the wall.
�Oh
thank the Precursors! At least someone �round here�s got some manners! I
thought I was actually gonna have ta resort ta beggin�!� The ottsel said before
sprinted over to the maker.
After
a brief fit of violence with the machine, he was soon petting his newly filled
mug affectionately.
�And
I�d do it for you, baby.� Daxter added, his eyes only for the steaming cup.
�But first let�s get you all dolled up. Can�t have you just any old way now can
we, beautiful.�
Jak
pointedly ignored anything that came out of his friend�s mouth next, or tried
desperately to anyway. Even after all the strange things he�d seen, talking
dirty to hot beverages had yet to make in it on Jak�s list of normal
activities. Torn seemed to share the sentiment, as he was looking a bit
disturbed by now himself.
�Look
Jak,� The brunet finally said, shaking off the image of Daxter and his beloved
coffee. �I need you to head up a team of guards with me. Ashelin�s asked Sig to
a meeting and things could get pretty ugly around here if a certain group gets
wind of it.�
�You�re
hot little something ain�t cha� got m�mouth all waterin��
Now
that one was completely unexpected. Jak�s eyes widened and his face went red.
�Cut
it out, rat!� Torn growled.
�What!�
the ottsel crowed in defense.
�We
need you with us on this Jak.� Ashelin said after she was sure she wouldn�t be
interrupted. �Besides Torn, you�re the only other person I can trust with a job
like this.�

The
green eyed woman pursed her red lips and gave him that look she always gave men
when she wanted them to do something for her. Not that she had to give him
those looks any more, but Jak appreciated the gesture all the same.
�Sure.
Why not, me and Dax are always up for a little action.� Jak agreed.
�If
things turn out the way I hope there won�t actually be any, but I�ll be glad to
have you there all the same.� She said with a smirk.
�Sure
thing Red, we wouldn�t leave ya hanging.� Daxter chimed in. �Hey!� He stopped
mid sip. �Do we get one of those snazzy black suits? Y�know if we�re gonna be
bodyguards we should at least look the part, right?�
Torn
sighed in annoyance but gulped down some coffee instead of making a comment.
�Oww�
and a pair of sunglasses too!�
�Dax,�
Jak almost laughed. �I wouldn�t be caught dead in an outfit like that.�
�Hey,
buddy,� The ottsel said with a frown. �Have I ever failed you in the wardrobe
department before? I swear the guy wouldn�t know style if it crept up behind
him and bit him on the rear.�
Torn
did laugh at that.
�It
wouldn�t be an bad idea to put you in a uniform though, Jak.� The FG commander said,
a hint of a grin forming on his face.
Jak
snorted indignantly and scoffed, �You�ve got to be kiddin�?�
Unfortunately
for the blond, he seemed to be the only one to have a problem with this idea.
- 4
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