Arc the First: Rescue
Chapter Seven
They headed right back to the Hip Hog. Dax wanted a drink, needed a drink, and knew he wouldn't get anything more potent than fruit juice. Sig had decided, with phrasing that made it clear that this was a tyranny and not a democracy, that Dax was well on his way to pickling his liver. If he wanted any help rescuing his friend he'd drop the alcohol immediately.
He had. It didn't mean it was easy.
"Jinx doesn't normally show up until later," Sig said.
Dax twitched an ear. "So- information?"
"Our money's getting low. Got anything juicy?"
Running down everything Dax had overheard that sounded even slightly interesting took long enough that Sig was entering the Hip Hog by the time Dax was done. The Wastelander grunted, and headed for a booth at the back of the saloon. Krew wasn't anywhere in sight, thankfully, and the bartender had clearly only just arrived, as she was still setting up the bar to her satisfaction.
Suddenly the day looked brighter. Not by a lot- Jak was still prisoner, Keira was dating Erol, and Dax didn't know if he'd ever forgive her for that- but hey. Tess could make any hurt seem a little less, if only for a short while.
"Tess!" Dax jumped from Sig's shoulder to a table, and proceeded to go from table to table until he'd reached the bar. The tabletops were slightly sticky, but a hell of a lot better than the floor. "My sweet Tessy-kins, did you miss me?"
Tess gasped, and gave a little squeal. "Daxxie! Oh, sweetie, did I ever! You've been good for me while you've been gone?"
Dax gave a wordless croon. "I've tried, babe, believe me I've tried. But it's been a bad couple of days."
"Oh..." Tess immediately reached over and started scratching, talented fingers dancing up and down Dax's spine. He sighed, and slumped over.
"Tell me where it hurts."
"My heart," he replied. "Friend of mine stomped all over it."
Tess plucked him up off the bar, and cuddled him. If he'd been human, he'd have really enjoyed the sudden view, but as an ottsel he could only appreciate it for its aesthetic beauty. She glared over at Sig, who was pretending ignorance. "I'll hurt him for you, Daxxie."
"Wha?" Dax twisted around, and stared at Sig. "No, he didn't- different friend. Finally found one."
Tess began scratching behind his ears. "Oh?"
"Yeah. She's... Well. Let's just say it's the first time we've talked in a while, and it could've gone better."
"My poor baby. Give me her name, I'll break her face."
Dax chuckled, and arched his back. This was almost as good as perching on Jak's shoulder. "Nah. You don't have to do that. Just- she changed, y'know? Anyways, I'll deal."
Tess pursed her lips, but nodded. "If you change your mind, let me know. Now. I have an idea for a new drink, and you're just the guy I need to test it on. Virgin only, though, so no worries!"
Dax shrugged, an odd look for someone lying across a young lady's arm. "Tessy-kins, I'm yours. What's it called?"
Tess giggled, and let him down onto the bar. "I'm thinking of calling it a 'screaming orgasm'," she said. "What do you think?"
"Eh." Really? In this place? "Sounds a bit upscale."
"You're right." Tess grabbed several bottles, and lined them up on the bar. "What about 'a good screw'?"
"Now you're talking."
The drink was good, the company better, and Dax managed to while away the two and a half hours before company meandered in. With the first patron of the day, Tess became all business, and Dax returned to Sig to play the part of shoulder ornament.
One day, he thought, pulling out the well-worn grievance to worry at it some more.
Was it his fault he wanted to be turned back human? Yeah, he had other things in his life more important than that- rescuing Jak, helping Sig with whatever the big guy was looking for, finding a way back home if everything else worked out okay- but he really, really missed pants.
And, y'know, being tall enough to see over the counter without standing on it.
And it'd be nice not to have to dodge fur hunters. He sighed, and sprawled out around Sig's shoulder-spikes. Nice was a bit of an understatement, at that.
Granted, being two feet tall and fuzzy wasn't all bad- see Tess' reaction to him, which inevitably involved one hell of a good view- but the good sure didn't make up for all the crap he had to deal with.
At least he had a plan. Rescue Jak. Help Sig with the big guy's project. Find the others- Keira was at a known location, now, and Samos shouldn't be too hard to find- and find a way home. Once they were home... Yeah, then they could look into how to turn Dax-the-ottsel back into Daxter-the-human.
Dax frowned, and tapped a finger on Sig's shoulder guard. The big guy nodded, barely, and started pressing his current company for the truth, before broken bones entered into the conversation.
Okay, so the super-senses were actually pretty cool. He still wanted to shave in the mornings.
Not that he'd had a chance to shave before the dip in dark eco. Not the point.
Sig's current conversation partner got up and wandered off, looking a wee bit wobbly. "I missed that," Dax admitted.
"Nothing big. Just a reminder that he shouldn't try to pass a red fish off on me again. You've been thinking hard."
"Yeah." Not so hard his ears turned off, at least. "Just- I miss pants, and shaving without looking weird."
Sig chuckled. "Could always be worse, cherry. An' look, Jinx. Right on time."
Dax looked over at the door, and more particularly, the explosives expert meandering in through the door. The guy was blond; not a nice blond, more like someone had rubbed dirt into pure yellow. And he stank of the cigars he was forever smoking, which left him looking somewhat jaundiced, and stained his teeth brown around the gums.
Sig raised a hand, catching Jinx's attention pretty much immediately. The man smirked, then sauntered across the room, nodding to a few of the scum scattered around the tables.
The room had filled up while Dax was thinking. Somehow, he wasn't surprised. The guards patrolled heavily around this hour, so it was a good time for ne'er-do-wells to head inside for a quiet drink.
"Sig my man," Jinx said, sliding into the booth across from the Wastelander. "Long time no see, and you still have that rat."
Dax favored the man with a dark look. The guy's whining voice was particularly painful for sensitive ears.
"Yeah. I was told you had information."
Jinx sneered. "Always do."
Sig folded his arms, not on the table. "Word on the street is that you've got information about the prison. Information you haven't passed on yet."
Jinx was too professional to blanch, but Dax heard the pulse in his throat speed up. A little. "What, me?" Jinx took a drag on his cigar. "C'mon, Sig. Don't I always tell you want you want?"
"Dunno," Sig replied. He sounded amused, but the last time he'd let anyone hear the humor in his voice, he'd broken both their arms. Jinx had been there, too. "There was that time about the patrols in the sewers."
Another drag on the cigar. "Eh, slipped my mind, that one. I'm a forgetful guy."
"Then you'd better find something to fix your memory quick." And all humor was gone from Sig's voice. Dax chanced a look at his friend's face, then looked away. This probably had something to do with Sig's history with Jinx. Dax wasn't sure what had happened, exactly, but judging from the sewer comment, Sig was still sore over it.
That wasn't usual. Sig had this thing, kind of like a time limit on how long he could be pissed at the criminals he dealt with. The way he put it, if he didn't let go of a grievance, he'd have no one to talk to.
But the sewer thing had to have happened before Sig had met Dax, so that was at least six months right there. And Dax hadn't ever seen Sig hold a grudge more than three, four weeks, tops.
Maybe this explains why we hardly ever talk to Jinx. And Sig's overreaction when Jinx had tried using Dax as an ash tray. Friend or not, you didn't throw someone into a mirror over something like that.
Jinx coughed, and waved the hand not clutching the cigar. "Well, maybe I know a few things, but they're pretty out there. Dark eco monsters and mad scientist stuff."
"I've got a pretty big suspension of disbelief."
"I bet." Jinx laid both hands flat on the table. His cigar waggled at the corner of his mouth while he spoke. "Well, fine. It's like this. Praxis listened to one too many of the crazies on his staff, and started playing with the explosive stuff." He paused to take a long drag, and blew smoke out in Dax's direction.
"Well, like I was saying, he decided playing with the explosive stuff sounded like fun, so he started pumping it into a prisoner here and there. To see what it did, I guess."
"And how would you know this?" Sig asked, his voice deep and rumbling so Dax had trouble understanding him. He was probably the only one with that trouble, considering he was so close to the source of the noise. Further away it probably wouldn't be so bad. Probably.
"Hey, I've been in the clink." Jinx grimaced, and rubbed at the inside of his elbow. "Once was more than enough. I cut a plea bargain- this was when they were still taking them- and haven't let 'em catch me since."
Sig half-closed his eye, and waited. Dax mimicked his friend, eyes half closed and focused on Jinx.
The explosives expert stubbed out his cigar on the table, then pulled another out from a jacket pocket. He didn't light it, though. Merely stared at it.
"Thing is, I heard they started getting results," he said, his voice quiet. "And then- I dunno, they've got a monster now. Haven't seen it, no one I've talked to has, but they've been taking it outside the walls wherever there's metal-heads, and letting it loose. You can hear the screams, if you stand in the right place."
"Sounds like an urban legend," Sig said.
"Hey, it weren't no friend of a friend of mine that heard the thing screaming, it was me. Out by the pumping station. There's an infestation."
Sig smiled, a thin curve across the lower half of his face. "And I suppose you know when they're going to use this thing?"
Jinx almost dropped his cigar. "Please tell me you're not going to try to look at it."
"Sure. I'm not going to try looking at it."
"Don't." Jinx frowned, and finally lit his cigar. "I mean it, don't do it."
"You don't have a say in what I do or don't do," Sig said. He unfolded his arms, and laid his hands flat on the table. It was a hell of a lot more intimidating when he did it than when Jinx had made the same gesture. Then again, Sig's hands were at least twice as large as Jinx's.
"Fine, than a word to the wise. If you see it, shoot it."
Sig's response wasn't a word, but it was a creepy-as-hell noise. Rather like a cross between a grunt and a growl, actually.
Jinx leaned back in his seat, and this time blew the smoke up towards the ceiling. "They keep this monster at the palace, I think. Least, that's what I've heard, though considering the source... Eh, take it with a pound of salt. They load it up into a transport, then head out, but don't ask me when."
"They head out when they feel like it." Sig stood up, and glared down at Jinx. "If this pans out, maybe I'll forget the sewer."
Jinx's nod seemed a bit too hasty, but Dax decided not to think about it. Some things he just didn't need to know, even if he wanted to.
Sig crossed the room, bumping into several men and not apologizing once. Then again, in this sort of place, apologies were a weakness no one could afford.
Only once they were in the open air did Dax feel tense muscles relax. "You really don't like Jinx."
Sig took a deep breath, as anger tightened the skin across his cheekbones. "You know I'm here on a mission."
"Aren't we all? But yeah."
"I almost had it. And his information was off."
Dax glanced sideways at Sig. "Is this about the sewer thing?"
"In part."
Well, okay then. "Gotcha. So, you think his info's good?"
Sig's lips twisted into a grim smile. "When he can be persuaded to part with it, yeah. Problem is, he'll part with it to anyone."
"Like the Guard."
Sig nodded. "Wanna bet they'll be keeping an eye out for me?"
Dax tilted his head. "But not for me. Let's find a place I can keep an eye on things without drawing attention?"
"And get you a comm. No way am I leaving you without means to contact me."
Dax grinned, and curled his tail around the back of Sig's neck.
One more chapter left in this arc, and it'll be posted May 7.
On a more personal front, still job hunting, but I've got a short-term part-time job, so I haven't gone on Unemployement Insurance yet. Always a good thing.
