Edit: Hola, lots of changes made ^^ Revised this chapter quite a bit and the revisions may continue. Also new name. Yay! I'll get to work on the next chapter right away (I'm so sorry for those that are waiting) Enjoy ^^

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, places, and/or objects in this fic. They belong to Naughty Dog.

They had finally won. It had been a long, hard battle that took its toll. Parts of the city were reduced to rubble and lives had been lost or utterly upturned, but at least they won.

'So why doesn't it feel that way?' Torn questioned, swirling the contents of his cup before taking a swig. He turned his chair and surveyed the bar and its inhabitants.

The victory was felt by the city as a whole, the core of the celebration being held at the newly christened Naughty Ottsel, with fireworks and drinks being passed around. Regardless though, the enthusiasm was curbed by the apparent losses. Countless numbers of the Underground had been chalked up to the thousands of casualties. The remaining members sat in huddled groups taking deep swigs of their drinks, eyes glazed over and brimming with loss. Then there was Haven's heroes themselves. Jak, who was currently reminiscing with Keira and Daxter, had been forever changed by the dark eco experiments. Ashelin, sitting in a booth away from the crowd, lost her father and was now the Baron (Daxter tried calling her "Baroness" but a heated glare had silenced the ottsel) through succession. Torn himself almost lost Ashelin and the war in the progress. Everything considered, he couldn't tell who in the crowd was most damaged. He turned back, resting his elbows on the bar and closed his eyes, letting out a sigh.

'We killed Praxis, Krew, and Kor, while Erol went nuts and blew himself up, but it doesn't feel like we completely won…' he thought tiredly, then paused at the mention of one person's name. 'Erol…' The late KG Commander and champion racer had confused Torn the most. For as long as he knew him, the man always had a handle on things. He was level headed, albeit sadistic, but there was no notion that there was a screw loose. Then there was Jak. As soon as he came, there was a complete shift in personality, but why? Torn studied the elf in question in the mirror; he didn't look that impressive, at least at first glace. No longer able to contain it, he got up and approached Jak.

"…and remember when Lurkers were the things to fear? Oh man, can't believe our thinking back then!" Daxter regaled, letting out a loud bark of laughter that was joined by Keira's and Jak's. Torn cringed, itching to shoot the ottsel, but held it in and laid a hand on Jak's shoulder.

"Hey Jak, got a second?"

"Sure, what's up?" Jak regarded Torn, turning to face him.

"I'm curious about something, as I'm sure everyone is…why did Erol target you?" Torn questioned.

"I'm not sure. I mean, I was under the impression the guy was already off his rocker, but maybe it was the added victories over him," Jak replied, scratching the back of his head. Torn nodded, judging what he said to be true.

"That sounds like him. You could bruise that pride of his just by looking at him funny," he replied, "Couldn't tell you how many KG were sent to the hospital because o f him." The group fell back into silence, each studying their drinks or corner of the building. Naughty Ottsel was mostly empty by this point, 'Haven's Saviors' and a few dozing drunks were all that was left and Torn had resumed his seat at the bar. Keira, who kept her head down at the mention of Erol, shifted then hesitantly turned towards Torn.

"Torn?"

He grunted in reply, not even looking at her.

"You knew Erol long before this, right?" she nervously asked, pulling at her fingers, then rubbing her arm.

"Yeah, and?" He had a feeling he knew where this was going, but wished she'd get to the point already. Keira's face grew pink and she continued shifting about.

"Right, well…was he always like that? A person isn't that heartless from the get go."

Her question had gotten everyone's undivided attention and they now looked at Torn expectantly. He surveyed them each in turn, his gaze lingering on Ashelin who nodded. He groaned and rubbed his eyes before relenting what he knew.

"Look guys, I'm not sure what you're expecting to hear," he started, eyeing Jak in particular, "But Keira is right. The man you dealt with was but the leftovers of an orphaned boy who was forced into the KG. With the KG, you go in like an everyday average Joe Schmoe but come out a mindless drone that does all he can to survive and further himself. If there were any friendships, they never lasted long in regards to promotion and benefits. Essentially that's what happened to Erol although as you noticed, he became something far worse."