Chapter 3: Stealing the Baron's Banner
Music: Pretty Handsome Awkward by The Used

"Your market value, your resurrection,
you shallow concept, I hope you choke I hope you die,
I know you meant it, nice fucking disguise (so hollow)

Hey, are you okay?
You look pretty low
Very handsome awkward."

Mood: Coffee Craving! ^.^
Disclaimer: Writers lie, just like your parents

Jumping off the Zoomer and putting away the map, we started walking towards the door to the Underground. We were stopped by a bubble gum blonde with a stern face. Her hair was short and spiky with a headband.

To the right, leaning against a wall with one leg bent and her foot against the wall was a short-ish -she was about an inch shorter than the blonde – murky blonde haired girl. She had curly ringlet-ish hair that fell about to her mid back. She had pale skin and some slight fading freckles on her cheeks. Her penetrating green eyes were searching mine for answers, and when I looked closely I could see a slight gold ring surrounding her pupils.

She didn't look half as menacing as the other two people here, though she kept a straight face; she seemed like she was trying to be tough, to fit in. a fake mask. I didn't remember her, but hey, I hadn't played the game in so long, I couldn't even remember the other girl's name at the moment, though I was searching my brain for it, anyways, I probably forgot the girl. I didn't really remember that much from this game except the main points. I still felt like something was off though... I was almost sure she wasn't there before.

"We're looking for a guy named Torn." Jak said harshly.

"Kor sent us," I added helpfully.

I looked to the left and noticed Torn walking towards us. I nudged Jak and he turned and saw him, too.

"Are you . . . Torn?" Jak asked hesitantly. When he didn't answer Daxter jumped up on Jaks shoulder and stuck his face in Torn's.

"Maybe he's a mute like you used to be."

Torn started walking around us, looking us over, "New faces make me nervous. Word is you're out to join the fight for the city. You know, picking the wrong side could be... unhealthy." He said, sticking his face in mine. I forced myself to not flinch.

"We want to see the Shadow." Jak and I chorused together.

"Cute." The blonde said sarcastically… Tess. That was her name. Tess.

"Huh, huh, huh," Torn laughed. "Not likely. If you want to join something, why don't you two and your pet go join the circus?" He paused again to laugh at his own joke, and glanced to the side at the green-eyed girl so fast if I blinked I would have missed it. I glanced over to see her glaring at him slightly, arms crossed. "Heh. Unless you got the fur for a really tough task?" He asked, trying to ignore what the girl was doing, and looking at Daxter pointedly.

He reached behind his back and pulled out a short crescent blade, twirling it around his fingers. That made me nervous. "Steal the Baron's banner from the top of the Ruined Tower and bring it back to me. Then maybe we'll talk." When he finished his sentence, he spun it in the air, and caught it perfectly. I resisted the urge to open mouthedly stare at his obvious skill.

I turned around and saw the other girl. She started walking towards us, and I hesitantly walked over to her too. Jak followed me; we weren't used to leaving each other. It was a habit to protect one another. It was nice to know he had my back.

"He's not really that bad. You just have to get past his shell. He's actually really sweet. It really is just a new faces thing, he is a bit...cautious. But then again, I guess we all are in times like these, right?" She had a soft look in her eyes when talking about Torn, though I was still bewildered by her presence; she wasn't in the game before. I was sure of that now. If there was a new girl, how many more things had changed? Would my knowledge of the game be no help at all?

I nodded in understanding, and grabbed Jak's hand, pulling him in the opposite direction of the girl. "I'm Katie by the way!" She yelled after me.

"Maddy," I yelled in response, just before we left I saw her scowling at Torn, to which he replied something about ' being too nice', 'giving her name out to random people' and 'why he even tries'.

I ignored their little dispute and dropped Jak's hand and hopped onto a Zoomer and took off, knowing Jak would follow me.

Katie being in the game was really confusing me. I remembered Tess, and I remembered Torn. I didn't remember a Katie. At all.

I took out the pocket map and activated it, making sure we were going in the right direction of Dead Town. When I was sure that we were there, I hopped off, letting the Zoomer crash into a wall and explode.

Jak and Daxter caught up with me seconds later, and got off their Zoomer, letting it glide to the ground. Once Jak was near me, I grabbed his hand again. I had missed this. Ever since we had escaped, Jak and I had barely touched. When I had taken his hand back near Katie, I had remembered all the good things about Jak. All the things that I was sure were still buried in him. I just had to be the one to dig it up. I know that becoming a man who was always angry was inevitable for him, but maybe I could help him be a little happier.

I paused. But what if I turn into an angry person, too? Sometimes when I thought about it, I really was angry. I was angry at Praxis for turning me into a monster, I was angry at Marr for telling me to let them go through the Warp Gate. I was angry at the world for having my fate be the one it is. Sometimes I just wanted to yell, scream out loud to the world. Sometimes I just wanted to let the monster inside me out to let the rage building in me run its course.

I felt Jak kiss the top of my head, and pull me in the direction of the door.

It was then that I realized that that was the most intimate contact we've had in two years. Jak wasn't Jak anymore, and –though I hate to say it, - I wasn't me anymore. We had to start our relationship over from scratch again. I didn't know what was worse, that I was so ignorant about us changing before, or that I was still partially in denial that he wasn't the same care free boy from Sandover.

Truth is, we were two new people. We might as well have just met, because as we are, we were complete strangers with distant memories of past lives.

The door to Dead Town opened, and I gasped at the sight. It was so horrible, and there was a putrid scent in the air. It really was like a dead town. I looked out a noticed all the monsters around the town itself.

I didn't really remember how to fight very well when I wasn't the evil version of me,and there was two rat monsters scampering at the ground in front of us, ready to attack. I hesitantly kicked it, and it went flying. Strength – increased.

I ran ahead, hitting another monster, this time a large orange weasel-like thing. I found myself having to dodge its tongue before I was able to hit it. Speed – increased.

When I was running around, taking out monsters, I realized how free I felt. I looked around and noticed Jak doing the same thing, kicking and punching the swarming monsters.

We were only on the third island, and were about to climb some crumbling steps. Before running up them after Jak, I hesitantly dipped the toe of my shoe in the muck, just to see what would happen. I quickly withdrew it when it started to sizzle. I ran up the steps after a now laughing Jak. "Oh Shush!" I
quipped. "Better be safe than sorry!" I laughed.
We were quickly approaching the bottom of the Ruined Tower, and I could see the banner at the top.

...We had to climb that?

I took out one more monster, and then ran to the bridge that would lead to the tower. It was a bridge with a deep slope downwards, and you could practically slide down it. It was really long, too. Jak ran across it before me, and it started to crumble while he was halfway across it. Now Jak was on one side and I was stranded on another great… and I couldn't even jump safely because it was a long way and the dangerous liquid at the bottom was not something I wanted to land in.

"Maddy, you're going to have to jump!" Jak yelled up towards me.

"But, I'll fall!"

"I'll catch you!"

"But what if you don't?"

"Do you trust me?"

"Of course!" I yelled without thinking. But did I? Did I really trust this new Jak? I did to a point, but I didn't trust Jak with my life anymore. It was a sad realization, and I hoped that we would get back to that level of trust again.

"Then jump!" I took a deep breath, and ran forward, throwing myself over the edge before I could chicken out. I was flying through the air . . . and then I landed . . . in Jak's arms. He was right. He would catch me. He caught me.

"Told you so," He quietly said in my ear, making me shiver. "Now let's go."

I was still caught up in my revelation as we climbed the tower together. I still loved Jak. I had been so afraid that since Jak and I were two completely new people, we wouldn't love each other. But I still loved him, even though I knew what he had turned into. He couldn't help it. It wasn't his fault he was evil. Besides, hating him because he turned into a monster would be very hypocritical of me, seeing as I was one, too. Maybe we can be monsters together.

I was distracted by the thoughts in my head, and I didn't notice that the steps below our feet were starting to crumble. I was just jumping, flying through the air on instinct. But, I was too preoccupied by my thoughts to notice that the step I was jumping to was about to crumble and, obviously couldn't hold anymore weight.

If I had had my head on straight, I would have jumped to the step after it that was in easy jumping distance. The second my foot hit the ground of the step, it groaned under my weight and collapsed. And once again, I was falling. But this time, there wasn't a platform under me. There was just solid dirt 50 feet down, and I was plunging towards it.

But, just in time, a hand caught mine, and I was precariously hanging in mid-air by Jak's hand. He started to pull me back up onto one of the few stable platforms. When I was on steady feet, he pulled me into a hug. "Jeez, Maddy!" Daxter said, jumping on my head – the only part of me not consumed by Jak. "You really are a danger magnet!" He huffed.

"Yeah…" I trailed off. I couldn't stop looking at Jak, and when he turned his face and saw me looking, he gazed back with equal intensity. "I'm sorry…" I pushed my face into Jak's chest again, inhaling his scent. He smelled really nice, like the ocean and sandalwood and smoke and vanilla. It was comforting.

"Well, come on then, let's go!" Daxter said before hopping to the next platform, not bothering to look to see if we were coming.

"I still love you, Jak. I really do. I don't know what I would do without you."

He kept looking at me, and for one second, I thought he wasn't going to say it back. But then, he grabbed my hand and said, "Maddy, I love you so much it scares me." Before pulling me up on his back and jumping up the next few steps. "I'm not going to risk you getting hurt again."

He did have to put me down when we came to the bars protruding from the building, and we each had to do it separately. I refused to get on his back again, and after a few seconds, we continued our trek up the sides of the building.

When we finally reached the top of the building, I felt extremely accomplished. We had technically just completed our first mission. The Banner gave off a faint glow, and Jak and I walked towards it together. We put our hands on it, looked at each other, nodded, and tugged upward. Jak was a lot stronger than I was, so the force in which it came up was strong enough to knock me backwards. I looked at Jak's grinning face before getting up and sticking my tongue out at him. He raised the Banner high in the air and forcefully struck the top of the tower with it.

The Ruined Tower groaned before it started to fall.

Uh oh.

In another location. From third person point of view.

Katie was sitting on top of the table where all the maps were, legs dangling below, her hands in her lap. Torn was standing in front of her, leaning towards her, his hands gently stroking her hair.

"Torn, I have to go see if they are okay, you can't go sending people out on death missions as soon as you meet them." Katie protested.

"Relax, they will be fine." He replied, seemingly trying to lean closer, but she leaned back slightly when he did so.

Katie shook her head. "That's what you always say, and then they never come back. You know how hard it is to climb that thing. I haven't ever seen you do that," She poked a finger at his chest. "Not to mention the water is deadly and the buildings are all falling down. They are going to crumble by the time they even step on them." She said, getting slightly upset.

"Would you relax, we can't go letting every stranger we meet in until we know they are strong enough. You should know that being nice at times like these isn't going to get us anywhere. Hell, they both don't look like they're over 17, maybe 18 for him." He replied, seeming annoyed, but keeping his position the same.

"But there's something about those two… I feel like they're special in some way." Katie pondered.

"But they're not. Those two are just going to cause more trouble!"

"Isn't that what you want?" Katie asked slyly.

"Not from those two. I see nothing but bad coming from letting them in. We don't even know how strong they are, and if they can't climb the Ruined Tower there not going to be able to survive here." He gestured around his head, meaning the city.

"That's not true, and you should know that. Those two have power, and you can tell as well as I can." She paused. "You know, you are a nice person, but why do you try to hide your feelings at everything? What the hell was Erol teaching you in that loony bin?" She said, and he tensed at the mention of his past and looked away from her, drifting off.

She laid a hand slightly on his cheek and his attention snapped back to her. "In a little while, we have to go down there and see if we can save them or not.

He huffed and said "fine." Before leaning in and kissing Katie. It was the kind of kiss where you could tell how the two felt about each other. You could visibly see Katie shiver, and you could hear Torn growl. The kiss quickly got heated, with Katie lacing her hands into his hair, and Torn wrapping his long arms around her waist.

Back to Maddy, Jak, and Daxter. Maddy's POV

We had to get down that tower, and fast. And I mean fast. The Ruined Tower was crumbling at our feet, and we had no choice but to jump. But, before we could, the ground gave way at our feet, and we started falling.

Luckily, we landed on a springy overhand, and I gracefully bounced off of it. I heard Daxter fall on it, and bounce off with a pained, "Umph!" Jak landed on a metal line – Maybe a electricity line of some sort, I didn't know if Haven City used those or not- and started skidding on it, I landed behind him, momentarily losing my footing before regaining it, and zip-lining down it after Jak, throwing sparks out from under me.

I saw where Jak landed, and timed my landing to where I would land next to him, I touched ground seconds after Jak in a sort of graceful catlike crouch. The power of Jak and my stance was ruined by Daxter falling, very ungracefully, behind us, puffing up a cloud of dirt.

I straightened my crouch and turned around. The Tower was falling down, leaning over and caving inwards until it was just a pile of crumbled bricks.

I looked at Torn's awe-struck face, and smirked darkly when he said, "Yeah… I guess you guys are in."

Katie squeaked, "I knew it! I told you so, Torn!" I looked over at her, and noticed she was running in my direction. She pulled me into a tight hug, and I froze. I wasn't used to hugs from anybody that Jak. Hell I wasn't used to physical contact from anyone but Jak. I remained frozen until she let go. Her face fell when she saw mine, and I had an inkling to feel bad, but I didn't trust strangers anymore. I didn't trust anyone but Jak anymore. Damn you, Baron Praxis. Damn you to hell.

"Torn!" Someone said, dragging me from my thoughts. A newcomer. "We need your help. We've found someone like the little one. She has the same sign!"

I didn't remember this. Uh-oh. More game changing things.

A/N: *queue long apologetic paragraph that I know most of you won't read*

HI! Sorry I haven't posted in… 5 days… I've just been SOOO busy. I could write a whole paragraph on what I've been doing but ill try to shorten it.(If you don't feel like reading a long pointless paragraph, please feel free to skip ahead) I had to build a catapult in four days and enter it in a contest, and I got second palce. I had to make a bow and arrow, which im still working on, I had to do a practice Wax Museum thing yesterday, I had to go to my brothers recital. On Friday I had Jazz band and a spring concer and I had to finish my catapult. I also got the Bow and arrow assignment then. On Thursday I had to practice with my combo band until about 5 and then I had to work on my catapult. On Wednesday I had normal band practice (Skool band) and that's the day I got my catapult assigned, and I posted the other chapter on Tuesday… AHh soooo packed. And look, it was a paragraph anyway… woo hoo.

Thank you all for reading, and I hoped you enjoyed it!

xMonster