I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed, favorited, and alerted this story so far! :) Here's the next chapter! After this chapter, the events of the game are going to start, but I wanted to flesh out everything leading up to the start of Jak II. Enjoy! :D
DISCLAIMER: Only Paige and Eileen are mine. Everyone else belongs to Naughty Dog.
Bold- Erol's POV
Italics- Audio Transmissions
By the time I passed by the same, brown tent, from before, I came to one simple conclusion.
I was hopelessly lost.
The street signs were no help, either, since they were written in that same writing that had been on Erol's door. I squinted my eyes and even tilted my head to the side as I tried to read this lettering, too, but nothing came to mind. I remembered my sisters trying to get me to read this writing- Precursor script, they called it? I was sure that was what this was. The most I had been able to read was "Commander Erol" from a website they had pulled up for me in one of their "Precursor language classes". I rolled my eyes. That was one of the times I wished I had paid attention to one of their lessons. I would need someone to teach me the language. But who would be willing to do that for me?
I was so deep in thought that I barely noticed that I wasn't even in the Bazaar anymore, but a completely different section of the city instead. I gasped to myself. How long had I been wandering around aimlessly for? In this part, there were bridges over a river, and in the distance was a large, circular stadium. Damn, I thought to myself, This city has everything, doesn't it?
Just as I was getting ready to approach the Stadium, however, I suddenly felt my KG communicator vibrate in my pocket, which made me jump as I pulled it out with a shaky hand.
"Where are you, Paige?" Erol asked from the other end, "I've been trying to reach you!"
"Near a large Stadium!" I replied back, "Why?"
"The Baron is requesting more Dark Eco. And with Peterson gone, you're the only other one. Get back here and refill two more syringes."
Whoa, relax, I thought to myself, but I would never dare say that to his face. "What are you doing outside the Fortress, anyway?" the Commander asked before I could reply.
"My shift is over," I tried to explain to him, "I just wanted to see the city."
"You can see the city later. Right now, the Baron is counting on me to get more Dark Eco, and I need you back here pronto."
I gulped. "Fine," I decided, "I'll be back in ten." I hung up and began to try and find my way back to the Fortress in the least painful and confusing way possible. Somehow, I actually managed to make it back, where I immediately slipped into my radiation suit from before and extracted two vials of Dark Eco, just like before. Why did Eileen have to leave now out of all times?
"Here," was all I said in a timid voice as I handed the Dark Eco over to Erol, who was smiling as he accepted it from me.
"Thank you, Paige," he thanked me in a smooth voice, "You're such a good girl. We haven't had someone as obedient as you in a long time." I blushed.
"You're welcome," I mumbled, "It's what I do." Nodding, the Commander turned to walk away, and I decided that it wouldn't hurt to just ask one question. I had followed all the other rules without question, so this one time couldn't hurt. Right? Besides, I was curious about Dark Eco and wanted to see what it could do.
"If I may ask, Commander-I mean, Erol," I began as I quickly corrected myself in addressing him, "What do you need Dark Eco for?"
Erol raised his eyebrows for a minute before grinning again. "You've been a good girl for the last week, Paige," he answered calmly as he began to walk away again, "You wouldn't want to break that good streak now. Would you?"
I was sure my mouth was hanging open in shock as the redhead strode away before I could say anything else.
"All right, Jak," Baron Praxis began, "We're going to pump a little bit more Dark Eco into your system today and see what happens." Jak closed his eyes and began to shiver. I hung back and let Baron Praxis do most of the work, and he watched as he sterilized needles and shoved one into both of Jak's arms and feet. Jak stared at me with pleading eyes. But I only smiled and waved at him, which made him all the more frantic.
"Ready?" Praxis said, "Initiate Dark Eco injection!"
In the next few minutes, both of us watched the Dark Eco travel through the transparent tubes and enter Jak's body. The boy writhed in agony in the chair, but was unable to break free due to his restraints. He gritted his teeth and tried to scream, but couldn't. "Injection complete," a robotic voice announced as the machine powered down. Jak collapsed and breathed heavily. Tears of pain ran down the side of his face, and the Baron cautiously approached him.
"How do you feel?" he asked. Jak glared at him and bared his teeth.
"Can you move at all? Erol, unstrap him." I released the locks on Jak, and he suddenly stood up with a startling fury. He continued to breath heavily as he lifted his hands into the air and examined them. They were glowing a faint, purple color, which traveled throughout the rest of his body until he was completely lit. Other than that, nothing else seemed to be happening.
"I don't know, Baron Praxis," I mused, "Nothing seems to be happening so far. Do you think we failed?"
"Of course not! You know how long the effects of the test take to show themselves!"
"If you say so. Are there anymore tests you're going to perform today or should I bring Jak back to his cell?"
"I'm finished for the day. Bring him back tomorrow morning. We will resume the rests then." I nodded and led Jak back to his cell, but as I reached for him, he snapped at me like a wild animal. Nevertheless, he allowed me to take him back to his cell.
Once we arrived there and I pushed him inside, I said, "You were good today, Jak. The Baron and I are pleased with how it turned out." Jak glared at me and balled his hands into fists in response.
I smirked and pulled the door shut after promising Jak that I would be back to run more tests on him in the morning. "I feel optimistic about this war, Baron Praxis," I commented when I arrived at the Baron's office, "Now that we have a weapon to defeat the Metal Heads."
"Hopefully, he will be the key to ending this war," Praxis added, "Just as long as he begins to show some results."
"The Dark Eco better, because I've gotten word that there may be another Metal Head attack soon. Won't you please let me take my men out and fight them?"
Baron Praxis turned to me and gave me an incredulous look, which was to be expected after all this time. "I've told you before, Commander!" he reasoned, "You and your men wouldn't last five minutes in a battle with the Metal Heads."
"You don't know that! You haven't even given us a chance!"
"Do you remember what happened to me and my team?"
As I remembered the heavy blows Baron Praxis had taken in the Metal Head Nest, I instantly shut up. I nodded.
"I will not lose my Commander in the same fashion. I may have gotten out alive, but you might not. So, no. I want you here watching over the city."
"Yes, Baron Praxis. But I still want to fight one day."
"You want to fight too much, Erol," Praxis teased, "You should race every now and then to tame that part of yourself." I exhaled deeply.
"If there was a race going on right now," I replied, "Which there isn't." The two of us continued to contemplate the war as we looked out the window.
"So," Praxis spoke up again, "I've noticed that you've managed to get Miss Smith under control. You've done a fine job."
At the sound of Paige's name, I smirked to myself. "Controlling her is child's play," I retorted, "She's afraid of me. I can tell. She's like a dog. A naïve dog."
"As long as she remembers her place," Praxis reminded me, but I waved him off nonchalantly.
"Don't worry, Baron Praxis," I assured him, "You've got nothing to worry about. Paige will do everything I ask her to do. Everything."
After I finished using the ladies' room in the female Krimzon Guard shower room, I sighed as I glanced at myself in the mirror. I had only been here for a week, and already things were changing. If Erol and Praxis didn't need me for anything else, perhaps I could just leave and go out into the city again. After all, I was technically a Krimzon Guard, though not one in the actual force.
I must have had interesting luck or something, because as soon as I emerged into the Fortress hallways again, I ran into Erol. "Commander!" I gasped out of instinct, "I didn't see you there."
"Well, I'm here now," the redhead replied, and I frowned in response.
"Since you're my prisoner," he continued while I waited patiently, "You'll be under my watch at all times, but for now, you're finished for the night and will resume your job in the morning."
"So I can go out and look around the city for a little bit?" I asked with a little too much hope in my voice, which Erol picked up on.
"You catch on fast," he complimented, "But there's a catch." I sighed in defeat. There always was a catch.
I watched silently as he whipped out a high-tech looking bracelet from his pocket and wrapped it around my left wrist. "Wow," I whispered, studying the blinking lights, which Erol flicked off with the push of a button, "What's this for?"
"It's standard procedure for all the nurses," the Commander explained as I rotated my wrist back and forth, "It's to let us know where you are at all times so that we can call you back here on an emergency."
Something in the back of my mind told me that that wasn't entirely the reason for the bracelet, but I decided it was better not to question that, so I just shook my head. Then again, I noticed Eileen was wearing one earlier, too, so that probably was it.
"Thanks, Erol," I thanked him, waving and walking away.
"It was my pleasure," he replied, smiling again.
As I walked through the Stadium section again, I glanced down at the bracelet, where a few green lights were blinking on and off. I guessed that was a good thing.
I marveled at the futuristic architecture and the vehicles some of the citizens were driving. They were like nothing I'd ever seen before. I would have to figure out what those were as well.
Earlier, when Eileen and I had taken a lunch break, she had mentioned something about a place called the Hip Hog Heaven Saloon in the Port. It was apparently one of her favorite spots in town, and I wondered what it was all about. Hopefully, I could get a map of this city so that I could find my way there.
"Excuse me," a voice suddenly began as someone tapped me on the shoulder, "Are you lost?"
I whipped my head around at first, trying to figure out who was speaking to me. Just like before, I had my hood up because of my ears, but when I turned around, I saw a girl who was around my age standing in front of me. She looked like the other citizens, except she had blue-green hair, green eyes, and a small physique. She looked familiar from when I would catch glimpses of my sisters playing Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy. I shook my head.
"You could say that," I replied, scoffing, "I've only been here for a week and I still have no clue how to get around here."
"I know how you feel," the girl responded, "I'm from out of town, too. I arrived here last week, and I've been trying to find my family ever since."
I frowned in sympathy. "I'm sorry to hear that," I apologized.
"It's okay," she said with a determined attitude, "I know they're still alive. I'll find them."
"Good luck with that," I told her, smiling as I brightened up at a sudden idea I got.
"Hey, would you know how to get to the Port by any chance?" I asked.
"I was just going there, too!" the girl cried, "To see if I can get any leads on my family."
"Want to go together?"
"It can't hurt." Grabbing my hand, she led me towards a parked vehicle…whatever it was called.
"I'm Keira, by the way," the girl introduced herself, "Keira Hagai."
Keira! I thought to myself, I remember my sisters mentioning her before, but not a lot. "Paige Smith," I replied, "It's nice to meet you, Keira." Keira smiled and then hopped into the driver's seat.
"Are we allowed to just take this…whatever it's called?" I asked, looking around for the Krimzon Guard.
"It's a Zoomer," Keira explained, starting the engine, "And it's part of public transportation. I…built one of my own back home."
Taking a deep breath, I climbed into the passenger's seat and looked around again. "Where's 'back home'?" I asked as Keira began to cruise through the streets.
Keira shook her head. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you," she said, "What about you? Are you from here?"
I chuckled and answered, "Not at all. You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
Keira raised an eyebrow. "Try me," she challenged. I didn't say anything in response as she drove us to the Port. How did she know her way around here so well already? Did someone show her around? Did she manage to avoid being locked in a prison cell like I was?
"We're here!" Keira chirped, suddenly parking the Zoomer outside the Hip Hog Heaven Saloon, where flashing lights were situated right above the entrance.
"Already?" I asked in surprise, "Things move fast here, don't they?"
"It takes time to get used to," Keira told me, "You will, too."
I quickly checked my bracelet again, which was still flashing green. I sighed in relief. I wasn't needed for anything.
Following Keira, I entered the Hip Hog Heaven Saloon, where the instant smell of strong alcohol greeted my nose. Others were smoking in a particular corner of the room, forcing me to cover my nose and coughed. The Hip Hog would be a place like this. These types of environments made me uncomfortable, just like the bars at home.
But Keira didn't seem to be there to drink, which made me relieved. Instead, she led me over to the bar itself, where she addressed one of the barmaids. "Excuse me," she began, "I'm looking for someone named Krew?"
Krew? Who was Krew?
Rubbing my shoulders, I looked around to try and relieve myself of my uncomfortable feelings when I suddenly spotted someone very familiar to me. No, two people.
In a secluded corner of the Hip Hog, I saw Eileen talking with someone at a table, but she wasn't wearing her normal Krimzon Guard nurse's outfit. The man she was talking to also looked familiar, and I recognized him as the rebel who had accosted me in the Bazaar earlier. He had auburn-colored hair, blue eyes, and a curved knife in his pocket. He was part of the Underground, and as I continued to watch Eileen talk to him in a hushed voice, I suddenly made a connection: Eileen must have been part of the Underground, too! No wonder she was acting strange earlier!
"May I help you two ladies?" an accented-voice greeted, followed by a bout of bad breath, and turning my gaze away from Eileen and the rebel, I came face to face with the person who had addressed us.
My God, the man was huge! He was wearing a green outfit with slight tears in the stomach area, and he was floating around in a mechanical chair. I was relieved; I couldn't see his legs, so he probably couldn't walk on his own.
"Are you Krew?" Keira asked cautiously.
"Yes," Krew replied, forcing me to discreetly wave my hand in front of my face, "What can I get you tonight, eh?"
"I was told you knew a lot about the city," Keira replied, "I'm looking for my family. Do you know where they are?" She slapped some photographs down, but Krew snatched them away in his chubby fingers before I could take a look at them.
"Are you okay, Paige?" Keira asked me.
I looked up from my lap. "Y-yeah, I'm fine," I assured her.
"Why are you wearing a hood, anyway?" the green-haired girl asked, frowning at the hood pulled over my head.
"No reason," I mumbled, pulling the hood even tighter. We were in a bar; I didn't want to whole crowd seeing my ears. I could tell Keira didn't believe me from the frown on her face, but she decided to let it go all the same, turning back to Krew, who wasn't paying much attention to me. Yet.
"Is there anything you can do?" Keira asked insistently.
"If you can help me with the racing bets," Krew decided, "Then I'll find information on your family, hmm?" Keira nodded, but from the look on her face, I could tell she was pleased.
"And who's your friend, eh?" Krew asked, facing me now.
"Paige," I mumbled, "Nice to meet you, too, Krew."
Krew chuckled, which made a chill go down my spine.
"So do you have a job?" I asked Keira as we sat in a booth after the latter was finished speaking to Krew.
"I'm a mechanic over at Mar Memorial Stadium," Keira replied proudly, clutching a wrench in her hand, "What about you?"
"I'm a nurse for the Krimzon Guard over at the Fortress," I answered, "That's a long story in itself. How'd you become a mechanic?"
"It's a long story," Keira said, "But I'm glad I found a job for now to keep me occupied until I find my family."
I smiled. At least one of us was lucky to avoid a prison cell. "That's good," I quipped, "I hope you find them soon. And I hope we can continue to stay in contact." It was true; Keira seemed nice, as well as strong. I hoped she found what she was looking for.
After parting ways with Keira, I trekked back to the Fortress, and my bracelet continued to flash green. I sighed as I entered the intimidating building again. I couldn't stop thinking about Eileen and the rebel from before. Should I ask Eileen about the Underground? Or should I wait for her to tell me? I wasn't sure what to do, so I decided to sit back and wait for her to say something.
"Paige?" a familiar voice greeted, and I glanced over my shoulder as Erol finished locking up his office for the night.
"Commander," I replied, "What's going on?"
"Paige," Erol repeated, "How would you like to take over regular Dark Eco deliveries?"
I was stunned. I wasn't expecting him to ask me this. "Deliveries, sir?" I echoed.
"The Baron and I need more Dark Eco, and you seem much more willing to give it to us than Peterson."
I was floored. I wasn't sure if this was a good thing or not, but I nodded anyway, since he wouldn't tell me anymore about it. "I guess I could do that," I decided, "Yeah, I'll do it!"
