A/N: Sorry this took so long, I know I missed the deadline; I apologize for the wait to the TWO people that reviewed. Was it really that bad? Or did the title and summary just not catch a single person's attention, and no one read it anyways? I rather not find out it was that second alternative, so if you like it, please review this time! I do not do any of those threats or offerings of cookies like other authors, though, so you'll have to stick with my heartfelt plea.
I should quickly declare my case for those who did read, though. I cannot type fast, so it takes me a little longer than the majority of other authors on this site. But then again, I would be willing to bet that I am much younger than other authors on this site. But the details of that information are confidential. I also went back and rewrote the entire thing, even though I was almost done, because frankly, it was so boring I couldn't even stand to write it anymore. I know it's not much better now, but I promise it will get better in the later chapters; I have it all planned out…
Disclaimer: I do not own the title "Jak and Daxter" or any related names, etc. However, I do own my own characters such as Shae and Lex, if I can even claim rights over them, I suppose…
Please enjoy!
Part 1: Chapter 2: Falling from the Sky
That had been two years ago.
Just two.
But so much could change in two years.
A person could change, for example. I changed; rather, the unexpected turns in my life changed me. I was no longer the innocent child I used to be. I couldn't afford to be her anymore. I was a member of the KG Youth League, in training to be a real member in a few years' time.
A real member like Lex.
Or like Erol. But I didn't want to be like Erol, not anymore.
Erol had become the thing I had always wished for his sake that he would become: Commander. After the last one quit, my oldest brother inherited his responsibilities. Baron Praxis had taken a liking to him, and that was that. He was now a Guard of the highest rank, which gave him a lot of money and privileges.
And I hated it.
In fact, I hated Erol. I hated the Baron for what he had done to him. I hated the KG for being so darn strict.
I hated a lot of things at the moment, but that was simply a part of my new personality. The same personality as all the other KG I worked with: hard, stern, hateful, vengeful. Everything I had worked not to become, I had become.
I hated this city for doing that to me, to everyone.
Lex and I stuck together to make it through the horror of everything. We tried to laugh, to have fun whenever we weren't being supervised by officers or other Guards. And when we did, we often got in trouble for it, which usually just made us laugh harder. There were so many inside jokes shared between the two of us, in a world where jokes were all but banned. We were seen as trouble-makers, delinquents.
And Commander Erol didn't approve.
"Shae, are you in there?" a voice called bitterly from the hallway, the owner banging roughly on the large metal door that separated me from him.
Speak of the devil, I thought. "What do you want, Erol?"
"I'm going on a hunt and arrest mission, and you're coming with me."
"Oh, am I, now?" I yelled back, annoyed. I didn't see why Erol felt the need to drag me on some stupid outing during my alone time.
"Yes, and no arguing! I want you out here in one minute, and I'm counting!" Erol continued to draw out directions while I outfitted myself in the standard KG armour. It fit badly, as I had known it would from the moment I had joined the Youth League. It was much too big, but that was the point. It made me look more intimidating, more authoritative. A fourteen-year-old girl did not present the same threat as an older, more muscular man. But youth weren't intended to go on missions anyways, so no one had given a second thought to letting us wear ill-fitting uniforms.
"Shae!" Erol shouted impatiently from the hallway outside my KG quarters. I lived here during the week, along with three other girls my age. But we didn't see a lot of each other, except for at night, and then we were generally too tired from the day's activities to do much in the way of keeping up even a meager conversation. In Youth training, your day consisted of eating, studying, training, and sleeping. It was a very isolating job.
Before Erol had the chance to yell again, I shot out the door and stood for a moment, staring at Erol coldly as he did with me. He was in his navy and yellow commander's outfit, accented with the same red armour as the rest of us. He always wore it when he wanted to look "official", which was all the time. Come to think, I don't think he ever took it off if he could help it…
Finally, he straightened up and motioned for me to follow him. I took the silence as opportunity to get on his nerves. He already saw me as a rule-neglecting trouble-maker; a couple fun insults couldn't do any worse.
"Hate to complain, because I know you mean well," I began sarcastically, "but would you mind explaining why you had to drag me on this little "errand" of yours while I was enjoying my one-hour-per-week of time to myself? You couldn't have waited to pull me out of class? Then I wouldn't object."
Erol made a show of rolling his eyes. "Grow up, Shae. You need a little discipline if you want to amount to anything in the Krimzon Guard."
"And what if I don't want to?" I asked rhetorically. "What if I want out of this little faction of yours? What if I want something more out of life?" The joke I had begun with was mostly lost in this last protest.
"Then I suggest you give up on those fairy-tale dreams and wake up to reality. This is your life now, and sorry to say, but there's nothing you can do to change it," he stated, effectively ending that conversation.
We walked in silence to the front of the KG Fortress, also known as the Prison Fortress. So named because it was host to the prison, but most guards were not allowed to go in that area. There were a couple of other men there who followed Erol out the door in silence, neither acknowledging my presence. Some might find it rude, but after a year of being ignored and disrespected by everyone (but Lex), I was used to it.
The two guards walked directly behind my brother, while I trailed along a few feet farther down the road. I wished Lex were tagging along too. I had been seeing less and less of him in the Fortress, and that wasn't helping keep me grounded. In this life, everyone was either an enemy or an ally. Lex was the only true friend I had, but as long as I had one, I was already a step ahead of most.
We eventually made it to the center of the Industrial Section, a large area of the city completely made of large metal walls. They created a labyrinth-like landscape along the East side of Haven's Shield Wall. It was designed to keep the Metal Head monsters out, and the citizens in. Along the streets were small shops, an old hotel, a brewery, several entrances to the transit station and the power station. But not much else; most commerce and entertainment happened in Main Town, the market, the racing arena and the Port. The Industrial Area served the purpose described by its name: large industries and construction.
There was also a series of elevated pathways that traced the streets, making it easier for pedestrians to walk on the higher ground and restricting the zoomer traffic to the lower part. Guards patrolled both parts, however, and at the moment we found ourselves full-stopped on the aerial pathways on the edge of a main intersection. Zoomers drove quietly below us, and pedestrians continued their mostly aimless strolls along the walkway. It was a normal day in Haven City.
"Hey, Erol?" I asked quietly. "What exactly are we waiting for? I thought this was some sort of "hunt and arrest" gig." I made quotations with my fingers as I quoted him from earlier.
"Just shut your mouth and be a little patient," he snapped. "I know that's a stretch for you, but it's good practise."
"Fine," I sighed, rolling my eyes before I closed my mouth for the second time that day.
We stood there quietly for a good ten minutes before something happened. But it was a big something, if ever I've seen anything. Without notice, the ever-present polluted clouds began to pull apart, leaving a small void of blue in the sky. A sonic-boom rang from the air, and a comet of purple shot out of the gap of blue, plummeting straight down to the platform adjacent to us. The effect was what I would picture an explosion of Dark Eco being like.
There was chaos for a minute. A few people got knocked down from the impact of the beam, while others ran away in every direction. A substance that I could only describe as Dark Eco dust floated around the crash site for a time before it spun off and faded into nothing. A few clouds drifted in bunches as well before they too dissolved into the air.
And from the pandemonium, two figures emerged.
It was hard to see from a distance, but from what I could make out, there was an elf and a little orange rodent. Thankfully or not, Erol began to lead the two Guards and me towards the area, and I could distinguish them more clearly.
The elf was a young boy, who couldn't be much more than a couple years older than me. He had messy, gravity-defying blond hair, but it had green tints near the tips. Personally, I found it slightly too unique for my taste, but I wasn't one to judge with my long, fiery orange hair. His eyes were also bright, a light cerulean blue, and he wore an odd blue tunic with a three-strapped holster that held nothing at the moment. However, he had nothing on the small rat beside him. It had orange fur, the same shade as my hair, short, round ears, a long tail, and an aviator's cap with goggles perched on his head. Both sported brown, leather gloves.
The boy looked at his surroundings with a look of fascination, as if he were seeing the world for the first time. I realized this might have been right. I couldn't eliminate any possibilities. After all, he had fallen from the sky…
The rodent threw a metal bar away from him with a noise of disgust. Then it said something angrily to its blonder partner.
But rats couldn't talk!
Could they?
I was about to find out either way. Erol marched right up to the companions, giving me a start when he pulled out his Eco-pistol. He rarely used it in action – it was only for show. Even so, I got noticeably more worried than usual.
"There he is: move in!" stated the accompanying guard on my left. It then occurred to me they were going to arrest the kid! But they couldn't do that. Even if they had the right, what about the reason? He had fallen out of the sky moments ago, and yet Erol had known the whole time. And why would they take in someone so young at any rate? He looked my age, if not only slightly older. Nothing made sense, but I was smart enough to keep my mouth shut – for the time being, anyway.
Our formation approached the two figures, who had righted themselves into a standing position. "Step away from the animal," instructed the same unknown guard who had spoken just seconds prior.
The guard on my right grabbed for the rat, but he skilfully dashed between his legs before any of us could react. He continued to race away, but Erol had more imposing matters at hand.
"Forget the rat! The Baron wants him," he said. The boy's eyes grew huge with fear as the three men surrounded him. I kept a safe distance behind them. I almost screamed when one of the guards raised the back of his weapon towards the blonde's head.
"We've been waiting for you, Erol said evilly, and the guard brought the blunt end of the gun down. Hard.
The rat yelled something from a distance. Something only trained ears like mine would be able to detect. "Don't worry Jak! I'll save you before you know it!"
I looked away as the Guards picked the kid up and began to drag him off. Erol marched behind them that time, making sure I didn't escape – I could tell those were his intentions when he kept glancing back every few seconds. I knew better than to run off, but I had to admit the plan had crossed through my head at one point.
We walked in silence. I neither acknowledged nor looked at the three people in front of me. I simply stared at my red combat boots while my mind raced with questions. How had Erol known the two companions would appear then and there? Why had they arrested him? Had the boy done something wrong? Where had he come from, anyway? And what became of the rat he had been with? These questions and more swirled around in my head, but I came up with no plausible answers for any of them.
If I wanted any kind of help, I would need to talk with someone. Someone close. And since Erol was effectively out of the question, I would have to settle for my second oldest but far more likeable brother.
My only problem was finding him.
I will try to be more consistent with updates once summer begins, but for now you'll have to bear with me. Teachers love to pile on the assignments and projects this time of year. But never fear: I will get the next chapter up… eventually.
So, questions, comments, applause or flames? Please click the review button and tell me your thoughts.
~Fishyicon
