Faithless: Here's chapter nine – It's going to be an incredibly short chapter and I would appreciate any reviews for it : ) I just realized something… Chapter Nine of this version is chapter seven on the other version. The next chapter is going to be very long, I promise.

Reviewer Response:

ALIJJ: I didn't know it was there until you mentioned it. As I said, I had someone else post it for me early because I got a lot for chapter seven.

Salamander Hanzo: … Lol?

Nostalgic Beauty: Well I'm glad you still like it : )


Semi-Automatic

Part II: Losing It


Chapter Nine: Wrong Person to Ask

Reckless driver didn't even begin to describe what Jak was. Maybe 'insane?' or 'suicidal?' hell, 'blood thirsty' was definitely a contender. Jak had experience with zoomers, that certain, but not with the kind they were in. He had started off testing the wheel, the reaction time, and the acceleration at a decent speed while it to avoid trouble. Once Jak got a handle on the machine it was another story completely.

To their luck there was a map inside the dashboard of the zoomer that Daxter knew how to use. Daxter called out where they wanted to go and a small green dot appeared on the far side. They were represented as a flashing red triangle at the far left of the screen. The ottsel began to press a set of buttons that started the tutorial for new drivers. An electronic voice began explain the 'Haven Transport System' and the rules traffic, which the three pointedly ignored, and ended with something about switching between Hover Zones. The voice, however, forgot to mention what the difference between Hover Zone A and Hover Zone B was. So, when Daxter pressed the button, the sudden fifty foot drop that caused Harry's stomach to launch into his throat wasn't so expected.

Or the crunch of metal as Daxter had brought the machine down on a Krimzon Guard.

It was then that Harry checked off vehicular homicide their ever growing list of crimes. The elf made a point of reversing over the guard and then slamming on the pedal to speed head long into a large patrol before backing again and spinning the zoomer one-eighty and taking off into the alleys. As K.G Bikes came after them from above and the guards on the ground below, the novelty of the Hover Zones quickly wore off. The constant up and down motion had his stomach either in his throat or his feet while he was jerked forward, back, and the sides.

The K.G, after an hour, finally gave up on the chase. Harry was sure they probably had another few of cleaning up the remains of their fellow soldiers. He had to admit he felt the same surge of satisfaction hearing the screeching of metal against metal when Jak ran over one. He didn't wear the same I-really-enjoyed-that grin on his face, but the feeling was mutual.

Even Daxter smirked. All around hate for the K.G.

Jak brought the zoomer to a halt at the edge of a large plaza. He leaned back in his seat and chuckled running a hand through his hair. "Heh, so think the guy wants this back?"

Between the red stains on the hull, the dents caused by clipping the sides of buildings, and the holes from the bullets even Harry didn't want to thing. He shook his head amused as he stepped out of the damaged machine, only glad to feel terra ferma under him.

He had officially lost his love for flying.

It was then a chill settled in him. He began to absently rub his arms for warmth. The wind striking his bare skin felt like a million pinpricks across his arms, hands, face, and cells had always been cold, but it was a stale cold. This was the damp, humid, stinging cold of the coast. Jak noticed this action. He didn't say anything, but began to fish around in his pockets.

"Er… I didn't think I'd need two pairs of clothing. No offence Wolfie, but I was planning on only breaking one guy out." Daxter said apologetic.

Harry once again didn't feel the urge to respond verbally. He shrugged a shoulder and then noticed that Jak was now holding white wrappings in his hands. The same type that were wrapped around Harry's fingers and up to his elbow. "I was going to use them as bandages," Jak explained placing them in Harry's broken fingers. "But, I doubt you want to walk around here with bare feet..." He considered Harry for a long time. "These should help till we can get you some actual shoes and clothes."

The human nodded his head and moved back to the zoomer. He sat in the seat and began to wrap his feet tightly. He had to admit his ankle, which he was sure was sprained or broken, felt considerably better with the pressure.

"… You are in some shape." Daxter spoke up suddenly. "You lose a fight or something?"

Jak cast his eyes to Daxter for a moment, but returned to looking at the alley they stopped beside. Harry knew that Jak assumed it was the guards. He had no doubt the 'beatings' weren't just something saved for him. A test of his healing ability, a guard laughed while breaking Harry's arm once, to see how much he could take.

In truth?

Harry had no idea what he had caused himself or what the guards had done.

He wasn't about to say that.

"Talkative one isn't he?" Muttered Daxter.

The hairs on the nape of his neck suddenly rose with a wave. His head snapped up to the alley with an alert look. The dead end alley had been free of people before hand; no soul in sight except for those in the plaza. Two elves had suddenly appeared at the end of the alley. Standing in the middle was a man with rust colored hair, hard eyes, tattoos, and a stern set face. He was talking quietly on a communicator to a voice that sounded distinctly like the elderly man Kor. Jak's shoulders squared as he, too, noticed the sudden appearance of the two. Neither of them liked to be caught of guard.

The blonde woman noticed them first. She was, other than her platinum blonde hair, hidden in the shadow of the building. "No point in hiding you now…" Jak said under his breath as the woman alerted the second to their presence and both were staring at Harry with slight alarm.

Harry stood up and followed Jak and Daxter as they came down the alley. "We're looking for a man named Torn. Kor sent us… um… Are you… Torn?" Jak's words came out spaced as the man came closer to him than the elf was comfortable with.

Daxter piped up. "Maybe he's a mute, like you used to be."

The man's eyes snapped to Daxter for a moment with the expression any sane person would give a talking rat. The blonde rolled his eyes as the man stepped back. "New faces make me nervous." He told them. "Word is," He clasped his hands behind his back the way a soldier would and circled Jak, Daxter, and Harry. "You three are out to join the fight for the city. You know picking the wrong side could be… unhealthy." He raised an eyebrow as he took in Harry's battered form. The human kept his face neutral and dared him to say anything. Hopefully the dried blood covered up what the uniform was.

The elf was dressed in a blue tunic with brown elbow pads and bits of over lapping metal armor. At his neck sat a metal contraption that Harry couldn't identify with cords running under his arms to his back. Twin leather holsters crossed at his waist and were both filled with Eco-pistols. It set the human on edge, but he kept his face calm.

"We want to see the Shadow." Jak demanded point to himself and Harry.

Torn's eyes shot to him briefly before letting out a chuckle. "Not likely. If you wanna join something, why don't you two and your pet go join the circus?"

Harry and Jak took the insult for what it was, but Daxter was about to tell the man exactly where he could do with himself, but was halted when the man pulled out a wickedly curved dagger. He ran his thumb down the curve and cast his eyes back to them with a devious hint. "Heh, unless you've got the fur for a really tough task…" He paused. "Steal the Baron's banner from the top of the ruined tower and bring it back to me. Then? Maybe we'll talk." He tossed the weapon up and snatched out of the air at the end of his sentence.

Jak moved forward to ask where the tower was, but Daxter stopped him. "C'mon – This way." He pointed back down the dim-lit alley. They headed away from the two and back to the parked zoomer.

"That was bloody specific," Rasped Harry annoyed. "Where the hell is that?" He asked the elf who just shrugged.

"Don't look at me – I've been here as long as you."

Daxter let out a frustrated sigh. "You two are hopeless. The guy probably thinks that you are from Haven City and let's keep it that way. I know where we need to go, but… We should get some money for clothes for you." He glanced to Harry.

The human raised an eyebrow. "Wow, you are actually useful."

Daxter leaned forward on Jak's shoulder growling lightly. "Oh? And what can you do, Wolfie?" He demanded scornfully.

Harry couldn't suppress the dark grin that crept along his blood spattered face. "I can snap your neck."

The ottsel immediately backed down gulping nervously.

Jak suddenly let out a sharp laugh. "Can say I saw this coming. Dax," He dragged his attention away from Harry. "Which way is it?"

He pointed down toward the south edge of the plaza. "Through there."

The short ride between the alley and air-lock wasn't filled with any high-speeds chases, but the fast-talking rodent was able to cram months of bug extermination duties into the twenty minute drive. Harry wasn't particularly interested in hearing about large insect queens or the infestation in the Haven subway, but it was mildly entertaining. Although, the number of bugs kept rising at certain parts of his stories. Jak, not all bothered by the inconsistency, half listened with a smirk. Taking a final turn into another dead alley Jak eased off the acceleration to bring the zoomer to a stop. Harry stepped out of the vehicle without a word to the two and walked over to the edge of a large hole in the street. Below him was an airlock door, the door, it seemed, was the only thing in the Slums to have routine maintenance. The human slid down the bottom carefully avoiding his ankle and right arm and headed toward the door. The metal, unlike the buildings, looked less than a year old. Barely any rust had accumulated on the panels or gears.

Once they existed the airlock Jak let out a whistle as Daxter said. "This is Dead Town."

"Place fits the name." Commented Jak taking in the ruined buildings before him.

The human had to agree. Dead Town was what one would assume it would look like. At one time it could have been something grand, but it was now decaying and shattered. The sea water, once held back by a wall, had flooded the entire sector. Vines crawled across the ruins while glass, wood, and stone covered the entire sector. To Harry's relief the air seemed fresher, but the heavy scent of decay still lingered.

"Uh," Daxter started nervously. "They say this place is haunted…"

Harry picked his footing carefully as the mud was littered with sharp rocks and glass. Jak snorted at his friend shaking his head. "Ghosts aren't real, are they Harry?" The elf raised a green eyebrow over his shoulder, wanting Harry to back up the silliness of the idea.

The sudden image of Nearly Headless Nick popping through the Gryffindor table in his first year flashed before him. "I'm really the wrong person to ask."

Jak suddenly stopped in his tracks and had his eyes locked on something to their right. Harry, having looked up in time and not walked head long into the elf, grimaced at him. He jerked his head toward a trio of frog reptilian… things. They were scratching at the dirt and jumping after flies that darted to close. Their eyes were going in separate directions akin to a chameleon. "That." He answered Harry's unasked question.

Daxter tsked thoroughly unimpressed. "Awe, c'mon. Those things are nothing!"

The elf gave him a dull glare. "Then you won't mind clearing them for us?" He placed both hands on his hips expectantly.

"N-nah." Daxter suddenly gained a confident air. "I wouldn't want to make you two feel worthless – Hey what the are you…"

While Daxter had been stammering Harry walked out toward the creature. He wound up the way a football player would and landed a solid kick to its side. It squealed as it sailed through the air and hit the brown water. To Harry's slight surprise and twisted amusement it actually popped once it hit the surface. He turned back to the two and felt a small smirk tug at his lips.

"Ten points!" Daxter laughed holding up both his hands with a grin.

The rest of the way to the banner was easier than Harry had expected for a 'really tough task.' They only ever ran across a few more of the green frogs or their orange and white counterparts that lashed out with their tongues when they came to close. They were considerably tougher than the green frogs, but just as stupid. As the moon rose to the middle of the starlit sky Harry found the temperature dropping yet again. His breath came out in clouds and his open wounds stung with the bite of icy air. The wizard once again came up behind Jak as they walked across a narrow stone bridge over a deep sludge filled pit.

"I'd hate to be the poor bastard that falls in –" The unmistakable sound of cracking rock came from directly underneath them abruptly cut Daxter off. Harry and Jak both went stalk still staring at their feet with wide eyes. Harry's eyes slid across the ten foot gap between them and the nearest ledge. Their eyes met for a moment and they both threw themselves over the gap. They landed safely as the bridge disappeared into the pit.

Jak had landed on his side, tucking his shoulder in to absorb the fall. Harry had landed on his feet and cringed as his calves absorbed the shock. His body couldn't take much more of this…

"Well… That was entertaining." Jak muttered brushing the dirt off his tunic and pants. "You alright?"

Harry nodded, but had already started toward a pathway of broken platforms. "I don't think," He rasped pointing to them. "These will be so thrilling. They'll fall through when we stop on them."

Jak considered this and then motioned for him to go. "You go first. You're lighter than me."

Daxter snorted. "Sure Jak, send the malnourished, skinny human guy first. Sheesh, such compassion." He shook his head in mock disappointment.

The blue eyed elf said pointedly. "He doesn't have armor or extra weight."

"… You callin' me fat?" He demanded accusingly.

If he could, Harry would have laughed at this. Instead he decided to test the crumbling block. He steadied himself as bits fell into the sludge below them. He cast his eyes over his shoulder and nodded silently to Jak. The elf followed behind him quickly as the steps crumbled only seconds after he had gained footing on them. The came to the final ledge and Harry spotted the red banner flapping in the breeze. Harry watched as Jak picked out of the ground and struck a triumphant pose for the hell of it, Daxter grinning from ear to ear.

The human joined them on the edge and for the second time that night, the rock gave way beneath them. Daxter let out a loud wail while the two Invisrins had enough presence of mine to lung forward with the last of the solid ground. They hit a tarp; Jak was forced upward and onto a cable to slide toward the end. Daxter landed rather painfully before being shot across the bay to the ground where Jak had landed safely.

Harry wasn't so lucky. He had hit the tarp and been vaulted forward, not up. His fingers clasped around a pole, but he lost his grip and fell into the water. Luckily, he had avoided the sludge and hit plain water. He pulled himself to the shore line, coughing and sputtering the rank water from his mouth and fell on to his back breathing hard. His open wounds stung furiously sending tendrils of pain through out his entire from. His body shuddered with exhaustion and the thought of taking a spontaneous nap, being it because he passed out or not, sounded like a good idea.

He didn't know how much longer he could keep pushing himself to keep up with Jak

It was just like back then.

This time Jak wasn't going to bail him out.

"Heh, wrong place to take bath, Bud." Daxter said somewhere to his left.

Harry just snarled hearing the gravel as Jak came closer to where he laid with his lower half still in the water. The water crashing up against his side causing fresh waves of pain to burn on his torso.

"Torn said we are in." Jak told him standing at his head. "...You look like a drowned Metal Head."

He scowled. "Go fuck yourself."