Corad: Is it just me, or is there a problem with the document manager? Seems to repeating the...OMG!! That was nasty...quick! I need a peg!! Sharok! SHAROK!!
Sharok: I thought you said I wasn't in this story?
Corad: No time for that! Save me from the stench! It buurrrnnnssss!!
Sharok: (slumps off to find peg/air freshner)
Corad: Nah, I think we're safe now...it's gone...but yeah...back to it, it keeps repeating the first few words at the top of the page. It's quite infuriating O.o Well, no time for rambling. Let's cut to the chase :D Thanks again to Grey-sama for beta reading this for me.

Jak X (C) Naughty Dog, Atin (C) GreyJedi, Titus and Thea (C) Corad.

Just Another Threat

Chapter 4 – A Long Awaited Call

It was dark by the time Cutter strolled into the Bloody Hook and gazed around the semi packed room. No sign of his team yet, so he approached a table towards the back, sitting down in a slouch on one of the chairs. He hadn't waited long, before a fairly tall man approached, wearing some form of leather helmet.

"Did you complete Boss' request?" the man asked, sitting down across from Cutter and surveying him closely.

"Mission went successfully. The mouse escaped though. I scared him enough, so we'll see if he reconsiders," Cutter replied, grinning behind his mask. "Tell me Edje, what else does Mizo want me to do to this guy? He must feel threatened a great deal to want him dead so desperately." Edje sat back in his seat, crossing his arms across his chest.

"He just fears he'll win. The guy is nothing compared to Mizo, but with this being a "clean" racing tournament, eliminating him will be quite hard. Apparently something happened on the preliminary races, and the boss must've witnessed it. Beating Razer's score must say something," Edje replied, eyes following the far wall before resting on the entrance door. He spotted Shiv ambling his way towards them, looking quite pissed off at something. "What's happened to you?"

"Damn UR-86…he's a menace. I swear that machine doesn't know friend from foe! Had a practice race today amongst some of our team, and that metal trash heap…" Shiv finished, shaking his head in annoyance while he sat down.

"He's a good asset, no? So what if he targets a few of us. You're in Mizo's team because you can hold your ground and win. Don't tell me you're slipping, Shiv," Edje murmured, causing a stir of rage to shine through Shiv's eyes.

"Hell no! I'm not slipping, don't you worry about that. Try going up against UR though, and we'll see if you're still flaunting that cocky attitude around," Shiv spat in disgust, hunching over the table slightly. They were met with a slight chuckle seconds later, and turned their attention to the newcomer.

"My, we are getting worked up, aren't we?" Razer said, his voice sounding delighted at the thought. "You know, UR is not on our team for nothing. He kills all. No one survives while he's on the track," the pro racer mumbled, sitting down comfortably between Cutter and Edje. He took out a cigarette, lighting it in one fluid motion, before sitting back, content written on his face.

"You listening in on private matters, Raze?" Shiv growled, sending Razer what appeared to be a dirty look.

"No, No. You imbeciles were just talking too loud. I'm sure the whole bar could hear you," he replied, waving his hand in dismissal, taking in a drag of smoke and breathing it out again. Shiv tightened his hands to fists, and made a move to stand up.

"Don't get worked up, Shiv. Tell me Razer, you've been talking with the boss today, right? What's the next plan of action?" Edje asked, giving his orange haired friend a stern look before setting his sights on Razer.

The red clad man lowered his cig to the ashtray, tapping it a few times against the rim. "Hmm, the boss has no other plans until the first race tomorrow afternoon. Since I am not…qualified…for race one, I'll be leaving the reins for you to control, Cutter," Razer murmured, cracking a slight smile as Cutter seemed to be fuming.

"A nice way of putting, 'You suck', is it Razer? I must try that one sometime," Edje laughed, no one seeming to make a move to calm the masked man down. Eventually Cutter regained his composure, and turned to Razer.

"What does Mizo have in mind?"

"The usual. Just do all you can to blow him up, crash him into a wall…anything to eliminate him. And if that appears to be unfeasible, just win the race. We can't take risks. If he goes through to the second race, Edje and Shiv will need to show their colors. And, if by any small chance, he makes it through that, then I will personally destroy him," Razer explained, watching the satisfied expressions on his comrades' faces. One by one they began to leave, having obtained their orders, no longer needing to be around one another. And as Cutter was the last to leave, he grinned sadistically behind the mask, feeling bloodlust overtaking him. Titus would die tomorrow, by his hands.

The night was going fairly quickly for Titus as he inspected his racing car for damage. With the incident that had happened early today, he was desperate to know whether any major damage had occurred. Luckily enough, he found nothing serious, save for a few dints and scratches here and there. Moving onto the engine, he began looking it over, making sure everything was in working order. Just as he began reaching down to adjust a cap, his communicator began beeping loudly. Fearing it may wake Thea from her sleep; Titus darted over to retrieve the device, hastily flipping it on.

"Yeah, Titus here? If it ain't important, I have work to be done," he muttered in a bored manner, waiting for the response at the other end.

"Well, that's a fine greeting. Haven't seen ya for a year, and that's all you have to say! Man, what's been pissing you off?" Titus' eyes widened at the familiar voice, and he held the communicator back as his old friend began ranting loudly at him. "Damn man, why haven't ya dropped round? Been waiting for ya!"

"It's been a while, Atin. How have you been?" Titus murmured, trying to keep his voice down so Thea slept undisturbed.

"You can't pull that 'how have you been' crap on me. I thought we were comrades? Why is it that you've failed to show your face, huh?" Atin kept yelling, getting increasingly angrier. Titus frowned, stepping out of his garage to stand on the lawn.

"I've only just arrived in Kras city this week! Besides, the hell should I've known where you are, man?! I've been working my ass off since arriving in this damn screwed city, and I don't need your attitude right now!" Titus yelled back, gripping the communicator tightly so that his fist shook. "I've had a near miss with some guys racing this year. I can't go out partying and look after Thea at the same time!" Titus fell silent, trying to calm his voice. He didn't want his daughter to awake, especially since he was talking about her.

"Hmm…your daughter huh? You mean your ex girlfriend hasn't picked her up yet? How do you do it, man? Looking after a kid and participate in a dangerous sport. I would've thought you'd have dumped the sport by now. Why keep racing, risking ya life?" Atin muttered in annoyance, finally lowering his voice. Titus growled, forcing his rage to subside.

"Racing's the only thing I can do. My passion lies in the sport. And if my ex ever came by to take Thea, I wouldn't let her," Titus replied, seating himself on the apartment doorstep.

"You mean you like looking after that kid? You're totally nuts, dude," Atin shot out, followed by a snicker.

"Wait until you have kids, Atin; then you'll see. Thea is my only joy left."

"Huh? And what about racing? Or isn't that worth your "enjoyment" anymore?" Atin snapped, and Titus could feel his old companion's temper rising.

"It's not betrayal, if that's what you're thinking. My main priority is raising and protecting my daughter. I still race, because I need the cash to support her. Moving away from this subject, how about you drop around tomorrow morning? Great catch up time; what do you say?" Titus proposed, and heard a loud sigh greet him.

"Whatever…where ya staying?" Atin asked, and Titus gave him directions before hanging up. A part of Titus felt nervous about their inevitable reunion, but another part of him felt utterly excited. He hadn't seen his old racing buddy for a year now, after having gone separate ways at the last grand match in Karmiin(1) city. Since then the racing team duo had done free cruising alone, doing their own things. It was daunting to Titus to finally meet up with his old companion again; time had a way of changing people. Finishing off inspecting his car engine, he locked it up for the night and wandered back into the rented apartment to his room. Thea laid sleeping snuggly in his room, sucking her thumb while she was curled up beneath the warm covers.

He smiled to himself, laying down beside his treasure and bringing her close, kissing her forehead lightly. She stirred a moment later, whispering "daddy" while gripping his arms gently in her sleep. "Yes Thea, it's daddy," he replied in a whisper, holding onto her tightly as he drifted off to sleep.

(1) Karmiin city – a large city to the far West of Haven, found in 'A Shadowed Journey'.

Corad: There's the second chapter :) Hope it was alright! I've never really written for Razer and his gang, so if they're OOC, please tell me. I'll aim to fix it. Also, GreyJedi, tell me if Atin seems out of character too. Well, I hope these two chapters were ok for you all. I started writing this again just this morning, so hopefully I can get it finished soon. It'll only be a relatively short fic :) Until next time ppl, take care!!