All right! Here's the next chapter of "Jak and Daxter: Living in Sin"! I've decided to change the title 'cause I think it's much catchier than "The Kansas Factor". I'm not only going to write from Paige's POV, but also from other canon character's POVs as well. Enjoy! :)

DISCLAIMER: Only Paige and General Lloyd are mine. Everyone else belongs to Naughty Dog.

Italics- Jak's POV

Wow, was this embarrassing or what?

I was only stuck in Jak II for a few minutes and I was already being arrested! Mom would have killed me if she ever found out about this, even though it wasn't my fault in the slightest. I didn't know that I wasn't allowed beyond the gates.

"Listen," I stammered to the guards sitting with me in the back of what they called a "Hellcat Cruiser", "I'm new to the city and didn't know about the gate. Can you let me go, please?" I batted my eyes innocently as well, hoping that these guards would take pity on me and release me.

"Sorry," the guard to my right apologized insincerely, "But orders are orders. If the Baron passes a law that citizens aren't allowed outside the city, then that applies to everyone. Even foreigners."

I sighed and wiped some sweat off my forehead. It was getting awfully hot in this cruiser.

"Do you arrest all foreigners?" I asked, "Or only me?"

"We arrest anyone who's a lawbreaker."

"But I'm a good girl!" I protested, "I follow all the rules! I'm not a lawbreaker!"

The other guard laughed heartily. "You are now," he said, and I glared at him. I wouldn't dignify his sentence with a response.

A little while later, the Hellcat suddenly came to a stop, and I had to regain myself before the two guards next to me grabbed me by the arms and dragged me out onto the street again.

"Come on!" I pleaded one last time, "Let me go!"

"Not until you answer for your crime," the guards retorted, "And your…unusual appearance."

There we were, back to the ears once again. I patted my ears for a second time and sighed irritably. How could I explain that this was all a videogame? Nobody would believe me if I tried to explain, and anyone who listened would think I was crazy. Therefore, I decided I wouldn't say anything.

I remained silent as the two guards hauled me into the large, red building in front of me, which they called the Fortress. The first sound I heard upon entering the Fortress was the sound of someone screaming, and I gasped in horror. What the hell was going on around here?

"This way!" the guards snapped, dragging me along as I fought against the handcuffs fastened around my wrists. Prison cells surrounded me on all sides, and other guards in the same red uniform sauntered past us, staring at me in the same manner the citizens in the Gardens had stared. I felt my self-esteem take a hit in that moment. No surprises there, huh?

After pacing slowly down a few hallways, we finally turned into another office-type room, where a name was inscribed on the door. "Commander Erol," I whispered to myself as I read the inscription.

"Commander?" one of the guards arresting me asked, knocking on the door, "Commander?"

Suddenly, a voice to our right pulled us out of our thoughts. "Have you forgotten, General Lloyd?" the deep voice asked in a short tone of voice.

We all tore our glances away from the Commander's office, and the man standing there made me widen my eyes in surprise. He was a large man, with a red cape, metal boots, and a metal helmet on his head and covering the right side of his face.

"Forgotten, Baron Praxis?" General Lloyd stammered, "Forgotten what?" So that man was Baron Praxis!

"The Commander is out arresting that boy," Baron Praxis explained, narrowing his eyes until Lloyd remembered. Boy? I asked myself, What boy?

"Oh!" the General gasped, "Right! I almost forgot!"

"This is big news for Haven City," Praxis continued in that same, intimidating voice, "Don't forget something like that again."

"O-of course not!" Lloyd replied, and I glanced from him to Praxis just as the latter shifted his gaze to me. For a minute, there was silence as I stared up at him and he looked me over, especially at my ears. I knew it was rude to stare, but I couldn't help myself. I had never seen anybody like him before.

"General," Praxis began again, "Who is this?"

The other guard spoke up this time. "We found her in the Gardens, sir," he explained sheepishly, "She…breached the gates!"

Praxis narrowed his eyes as he flicked his gaze back to me again. "Did you?" he asked, "What's your name? And why are your ears so short?" I gulped, but didn't answer.

"What's your name?" he repeated in a more demanding voice, and Lloyd nudged me in the shoulder.

"You better answer him," he warned, "Or else your punishment's only going to get worse."

I sighed and tried to keep the tremor out of my voice. "Smith," I replied, "Paige Smith. And I didn't breach the gates! I had no idea that wasn't allowed! Please! Tell your men to let me go! I promise I won't do it again!"

"What were you doing beyond the city walls?" Praxis asked.

"I don't know!" I reasoned, "I was just there, okay?"

"Guards, put Miss Smith in a holding cell for now until the Commander returns with the boy. I will figure out her punishment then," Praxis ordered, and with a sweep of his cape, he was gone, striding confidently down the hallway.

"Come on, let's go!" Lloyd snapped, "Before any of us get into even more trouble!"

Damn, this just wasn't my day, was it?

As soon as Lloyd and his partner locked me in one of the cells we had passed, I began to pound on the door as they walked away. "No!" I yelled, "You can't leave me in here! I don't even know what's going on!" After pounding the locked door one more time, I slumped to the ground and stared dejectedly at my lap, twiddling my fingers as I thought about what to do next. I was beginning to hate this game more and more as time passed by. Why did my sisters love it so much? So far, all I saw were strict police officers and a ruler with a seemingly iron fist. How was I going to get out of here? More importantly, how was I going to get out of the game period?

Suddenly, I heard a door open and slam in the distance, and I stopped hyperventilating enough to be able to catch a glimpse of some of the action. Standing up again, I peered through the small window on my cell door, and a group of guards (which I had learned was called the Krimzon Guard) passed by me. One in particular caught my eye: a guard in a blue and yellow jumpsuit that stood out from the rest of the KG. He looked to be a couple of inches taller than me, and he had bright, orange-red hair that was mostly covered by a mask that was flipped up. Behind him were a squadron of Krimzon Guards, where two of them were carrying something in their hands. Or rather, someone. Was that the boy Praxis was referring to before? If so, then the man in the jumpsuit had to be…

"Commander Erol," I whispered under my breath, but apparently loud enough for Erol to hear. I watched as he stopped for a minute, and I backed up against the wall so that he wouldn't see me. I didn't even know him, yet I was afraid of him at the same time. To calm myself down, I glanced at the boy in the guards' arms, and it occurred to me that I had seen him before. I took in the unkempt blond hair and round face, and I gasped again as I realized where I had seen him before landing here. That must be Jak, I deduced, Damn, he looks so different here.

"Here's the boy, Baron Praxis," Erol announced, "Just like you asked."

"Excellent work, Commander," Praxis complimented, "Excellent work! We will begin testing in the morning. He is our only hope for winning this war." There was silence for a minute before the Baron continued.

"I see a raise in your future, Commander," he said, and Erol gloated.

Following that small conversation, I listened as a door opened next to me and then slammed shut, and I assumed that Jak was being thrown in the cell next to me. I closed my eyes and winced. I still couldn't believe I had managed to get into trouble! If only my friends could see me now.

With a creaking noise, my cell door began to open, and a few people entered the cramped space as I cowered against the wall in a fetal position. "There is also the matter of this girl," Praxis was saying as he approached me, "She was found violating Code 497." He moved aside to reveal Erol, and my heart zoomed up to my throat. Why was I so afraid?

"Her name is Paige Smith," Praxis continued, introducing me before I could get the chance to explain myself, "And she's obviously not from around here. Just look at her ears."

"Do you think she was with the boy when he showed up here? And she just landed somewhere different?"

"I don't think so. There's something strange about her that I can't put my finger on."

That was it. I was going to regret this, but this was a problem that I had had since I was little, especially whenever I was frustrated. "God damn it!" I snapped, "Enough with my ears already!" Horrified, I covered my mouth. I had just talked back to two higher officials! I was so getting in even more trouble for that, which was something I didn't need right now. Smooth move, Paige, I chided myself.

"Outspoken as well, Miss Smith?" Praxis asked, "You've just made your punishment worse: execution."

"No!" I yelled, "You can't do that! I didn't know about that rule! I'm sorry I breached the gates! I won't do it again! I swear!" I flicked my gaze to Erol, hoping that maybe somewhere in that attractive face, there was a trace of compassion, but he seemed just as cold as the Baron.

"You cannot plead your way out of this one, Miss Smith," Praxis replied, "You broke the law, and you will be given the same punishment as everyone else." I closed my eyes and pounded the floor again. Execution! Was the Baron out of his mind? What the hell was going on around here? Was it that serious that I needed to lose my life over it?

"Let's go, Commander," Praxis commanded, "We have an execution date to set and a boy to research." Sweeping his cape again, he exited the cell, and after looking me up and down silently, Erol did the same. As soon as they were both gone, I buried my face into my hands and began to cry.

Hours later…

The sound of a door opening forced me to open my eyes tiredly. As I rubbed some sleep out of my eyes, I realized I must have fallen asleep after my crying jag earlier. I felt a little better, but only a little bit.

"Paige?" a familiar voice asked, and I felt myself freeze where I was.

"Who's there?" I choked, "I'm not ready to die yet."

The same voice chuckled. "Who said anything about executing you?" it asked, and I turned around as Commander Erol sat on the bunk across from me.

"You and the Baron did earlier," I pointed out, flipping onto my side so that I could face him properly, "Just tell me what day I'm going to be executed and get it over with."

Erol shook his head. "We've decided to give you a reprieve," he announced.

At that, I felt the heaviness in my heart disappear. "A reprieve?" I echoed, "Really?"

"Yes."

I then narrowed my eyes in suspicion. "What's the catch?" I asked, "There's a catch, isn't there?"

Erol smirked. "Smart girl you are, Paige," he complimented, "Of course there's a catch: we won't execute you if you answer a few questions for us."

I sat up completely now. "What kind of questions?" I questioned.

"Like where you got your ears from. They're very…different." His eyes flickered for a minute, and my heart skipped a beat. I tried my best to hide how nervous I was.

I sighed. I knew that was going to be one of the questions. "Where I come from," I began, "We're all born with short ears."

"And where would that be?"

"Nowhere near this hellhole, that's for sure," I couldn't help but reply.

"What are you doing here, then?" the Commander asked pointedly, "And why were you outside the city walls?" I frowned, but refused to answer for the umpteenth time. He wouldn't listen to me anyway.

"I'm not the Baron, Paige," he said, "You can trust me."

Now I faced him. "Look, Commander," I started, but he cut me off.

"Erol," he said, holding a hand up.

I took another deep breath. "All right, then, Erol," I corrected myself, "I don't know how I got here. I've never broken a rule in my life! I'm usually good with that kind of stuff. I don't know what happened now!" The longer I continued to talk, the more I began to feel foolish, and the small smirk that was plastered across Erol's face grew larger.

Suddenly, the door to the cell opened, and I heard loud footsteps as I hid my face in embarrassment. "So, Commander," Baron Praxis began in his authoritative voice, "Have you gotten any concrete answers out of her?"

I looked up again in horror, realizing exactly what had happened. "You tricked me!" I gasped, pointing at the redhead across from me.

"Sorry, Paige," Erol laughed triumphantly, "But it was too easy."

I felt my face turn red with fury. God, was I that easy to manipulate? I would have to worry about it later.

"I've thought of another punishment for your crime, Miss Smith," Praxis announced, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he and the Commander smirked, "How experienced are you with working in a hospital?"

Everything around me was blurry as I slowly opened my eyes. I noticed then that I was in a prison cell with high walls and a locked door in front of me. I tried to scream and get out, but I couldn't. I opened my mouth in fury and wanted to scream desperately, but I knew nobody would hear me, least of all Daxter, Keira, and Samos.

Where were they now? Were they still even alive? And if they were, were they looking for me as I sat here? I curled up into a tight ball and stayed like that for the rest of the night as I wept silent tears.

What would happen to me in the morning? What did they mean they had been waiting for me? What was so special about me that I had to be ripped away from my own home and placed in this hell? For the first time in my life, I prayed. I prayed that I would get out of this situation alive, and hoped that there would be a light at the end of the tunnel.