She's Worth Defending
Chapter Ten: Krew
A light flickered intensely; sputtering sparks from its bulb while it struggled to stay lit. A young boy grasped the robe of his elder as he winced behind the man, afraid of the only light source available to them.
"Now, now," the elder man stammered as he stopped momentarily to calm the young boy, "This shouldn't take long."
The boy's blue eyes looked up to the man's. His eyes held uncertainty and fear. He didn't know where they were going or what was going to happen. The boy only knew that they were in a dark, unfamiliar place. That was enough to scare him. The only thing that kept him walking with his elder was his friend: the young infant that never appeared to be afraid. The man struggled to hold her, for he held a cane in one of his hands. Every time the bulb shared a spark, the infant simply looked up at and then back at the man; as if she wondered why.
The sound of the man's cane striking the ground echoed as he walked deeper into an unknown room.
"It is about time," said an unknown voice, "I believe I requested you to be on time. You should know how busy a man of my stature is." The voice sounded irked and it also became evident that the voice was coming from across the room. "I also appreciate you bringing me to this luxurious place." He said sarcastically as he watched the bulb sputter once more.
Once again, the elderly man sputtered out his words, "I know, I know, believe me I know. You must understand how challenging it is to get around with two young children." He then chuckled nervously.
"I do not," said the unidentified man. For every passing minute, the man in the shadows became more peeved.
"Hm, well then, let's get down to business," said the old man.
"And what is this business?" The other man said as he stepped forward. He was now under the light and the young boy began to expect him. The man was tall, slender, and wore a nice suit. His nose was long and somewhat crooked and he only had hair at the peaks of his pointed ears.
"The children," the older man responded.
The young boy, who still had a firm grip on the robe, looked to his elder.
The mysterious man glanced down towards the young boy, causing the boy to wince and hide behind the robe's owner.
"What about them?" He asked in a repulsed manner.
"Eh," the older man cleared his throat, "I understand your plans; I know you are a busy man," he started.
The other man squinted his eyes in annoyance, as if he knew the old man was avoiding the main point, "Yes…?"
"But, I can not care for two children," the older man continued, "I just can't at my age; it is just too much."
It was quiet.
"Surely you understand," the older man added.
The man in the suit lifted his chin slightly, the sides of his face completely hallowed as he looked over the other man.
"Hmm.." He looked to the young boy, and then to the elder man and baby. Right now, he couldn't understand the older man's issue: the boy was silent and has remained hidden the entire length of their conversation, while the baby sat comfortable and content in the robed man's arms. With slight disgust, the man finally responded, "I suppose…"
The older man let out a sigh of relief, "Thank you, thank you." He began to walk closer to the suited man, but the suited man simply raised a hand that signaled him to remain at a distance.
"Which one?" The suited man asked firmly.
The older man seemed surprised, "Eh, what do you mean-…"
"Which child?"
"Oh, well, that would be up to you, I suppose." The elder man looked back towards the young boy. The young boy looked up to his elder with more fear than before. He didn't say anything.
The suited man walked past the older man, hands laced behind his back, and stopped. "Personally, I do not know why we left these two together for so long anyway." He glanced down at the young boy, who was now shaking. The man had a way with his words; every word slithered through his lips. He was an evil man. "You didn't let them interact, did you?"
"No," the older man said without looking the suited man's way, "I did not."
"Good," the suited man said as he kneeled down in front of the young boy. The boy gasped slightly and immediately stuck his face in the older man's robe, making the suited man chuckle. "This one seems to not like me, wouldn't you think?" He then stood, "The girl. I'll take the girl."
"The baby?" The older man asked in shock. He looked to the baby, "Are you sure?"
"Just give me the child before I change my mind," the suited man said firmly.
The older man nodded and began to hand the infant to the mysterious man, but suddenly there was pull at his robe. Both men looked down to see the young boy come out from hiding. His eyes were locked on the baby, confused by the exchange. That was his friend; his only friend.
Once the baby was in the suited man's arms, the young boy gasped quietly. Now, he was fully aware of what was taking place. This man was evil. If he left with his friend, he'd never see her again. He began to walk towards the evil man, completely dazed.
The suited man glared at the young boy that was approaching him, "What do you want?"
[Inspired by: In Infancy (Young Marco Remix) - Museum of Love]
The young boy's eyes were still locked on the baby.
The infant looked down to him and cooed. She didn't understand.
The young boy reached out to the baby and held the baby's hand.
She cooed once more.
"Alright, that's enough!" The suited man said as he withdrew the baby from the young boy's reach.
The boy pushed forward and reached out for the baby, but was only shoved away by the taller man. The push was aggressive and left him falling to the ground. The young boy immediately got up, tears welting up in his eyes, and went to lunge at the suited man once more.
"No…let's go…" The elder man said as he grabbed the boy by the arm. The boy began to cry harder and reached an arm out towards the baby, despite their distance. "Let's go!" The man tugged and was finally able to remove the boy from the room, leaving the, still, unidentified man a lone with the baby in the room.
The slender man chuckled as he heard the boy's cries echo down the hallway beyond, "It was nice doing business with you, Kor.." He then looked to the baby in his arms, "Now, what am I going to do with you?" He smirked.
The baby started to fuss. She frantically looked around the room, desperately trying to lock eyes with her friend; her only friend...and he was gone.
[-]
It was quite the evening in Haven City. Well, more so in the Industrial section rather than anywhere else in town. The civilians ran in every direction, screaming for safety, while the KG continued their search. There were many turret systems activated, vehicles patrolling the area, and alarms blaring throughout the city.
One guard approached another, assault rifle still in hand, "Any sign of them?"
"No, I have two units searching this area and another searching in the Industrial sectors," said the other guard.
"Well, keep looking!"
"Roger that!"
Both guards began to run to the areas that needed patrolling, but little did that know that they were being watched. Sometimes what you're looking for is right under your nose…
Jak, Cara, and Daxter watched the two guards pass by from a recess between two buildings.
"Pfft," Daxter laughed under his breath and whispered, "They're so stupid!"
"Oh, ow," Cara mumbled as she almost dropped the very hot, eco ore.
Jak quickly looked back at her and sharply whispered, "What?" Once he caught sight of the ore, though, he didn't even need an answer. The ore was burning through its cloth covering and he could clearly see how red Cara's hands were from holding it. Jak slowly peered out from the alcove and looked both ways. "Alright, come on."
Cara followed Jak as they made their way down the street, practically hugging the wall to remain hidden.
Daxter watched a group of KG run around aimlessly from the opposite end of the port. To him, they just looked like little, red dots; like a bunch of laser pointers all over the place. He chuckled, "Look at 'em runnin' all over the place. Dawh, they're so cute when they're clueless."
"Sh," Jak said as he looked up at Daxter. He got an exaggerated smile in return.
Cara looked up at the lighting on the building above them. "Is this it?"
Jak tried to peer around the building's structure to see, but the angle was off.
"Don't worry, I'll handle it," Daxter said as he hopped off of Jak's shoulder and onto the street. The ottsel sauntered out into the open and right in front of the building's entryway. Thankfully, no one was around. Daxter just stared at the sign and then looked towards his hidden friends, "Hap Hog Heaven?" He asked unfazed and in a voice of normal noise.
"Hip Hog Heaven," Cara whispered.
"Rip Fog Heaven," Daxter said.
"Hip. Hog. Heaven," Jak said in annoyance.
"Hogtie Kevin," Daxter said.
Both Cara and Jak sighed.
Daxter rolled his eyes and slugged his way back over to Jak and Cara, "Ugh, yes, Hip Hog Heaven, whatever, yes, we're here…" He waved a hand, "You guys are no fun."
"Gah, I can't take this anymore!" Cara said as she looked down at the eco ore, "I'm going inside!"
Jak watched and followed somewhat behind her, "Lay low, don't be obnoxious…" Jak opened the door, but stopped Cara due to her not responding, "Hey!"
"I got it!" Cara squealed, "I got it. Can we please go inside now?" She almost begged.
Jak rolled his eyes and followed Cara in, "Just don't do anything that's going to get us-…"
The door slammed closed.
"-noticed…" Jak closed his eyes and sighed.
Cara leaned over towards Jak and whispered, "I don't think anyone noticed."
The commotion only alerted one person: the only patron there. The man wore armor made from the skeleton of a Metal Head and that was enough to say that he shouldn't be messed with. Thankfully, he only eyed the three suspiciously and returned to his drink.
"Let me handle this, Jak. Watch my finesse and style," Daxter offered with confidence as he jumped from Jak's shoulder and towards the strange man.
"Don't forget to ask about-…"
"-It's cool," Daxter reassured, "Nobody panic."
"Okay," Jak pinched the center of his eyes as he looked to Cara, "You just need to find something else to do right now."
"What?" Cara asked with a surprised laugh, "Like what-…"
"I don't care, just…go over there," Jak gestured to behind her.
Cara looked behind her and then back at Jak, "There's nothing over there."
"Exactly."
Cara scoffed and turned around, mocking him in a deep voice, "Okay, whatever."
Jak's eyes widened, "Hey.."
Cara turned around, "No, I get it.."
Jak shook his head, "No."
"No, I do, you want me fuck off and I'm fuckin' off," Cara goofed and then turned back around to walk to her timeout corner.
"Fine, be on fire, I don't care," Jak said nonchalantly before walking away.
Cara's eyes shot completely open as she looked down at her hands. She thought that pulling the cuffs of her sleeves over her hands would buy her some time, but no. That was stupidity at its finest. She was definitely on fire.
"Ah, no!" Cara looked around frantically, but still tried to remain on the down low, despite her, you know, being on fire. She spotted the bar and made a beeline straight to it, but ended up running.
Jak and Daxter, who were casually walking towards the mysterious, Metal Head man, stopped when Cara and her flames whizzed past them.
Sure enough, there was a built-in shelf behind the bar that contained ice. Without any hesitation, Cara tossed the eco ore into the ice and then stuck her hands deep into the cold. She let out a long, loud sigh of relief.
Jak, Daxter, and the man watched the whole show. The man shook his head, glanced at Jak with a raised eyebrow, and downed his shot.
So much for going in unnoticed.
As Cara bathed herself in ice from the elbows down, she noticed a huge, round shadow above her. She slowly looked up and was, honestly, alarmed by what she saw.
An obese, flying man, hovering above her. He glared down at her so harshly that she withdrew her hands from the ice and slowly started to step back. She couldn't take her eyes off this guy. She was disgusted, yet intrigued.
Daxter addressed the warrior, "Hey, big guy!" He then chuckled as he walked underneath his leg and towards the bar. Daxter eye's then met with the same sight as Cara and his eyes nearly doubled in size.
He started to migrate down from the ceiling and didn't look very happy.
"You Krew?" Daxter asked casually, "Well, we shook the heat n' your shipment is'in primo condition."
Cara, who had made her way back to her small crew, looked to Jak.
Jak's eyes gravitated from the large man's head to his tiny, little legs. He wore the biggest 'WTF' face Cara had ever seen.
The large man finally spoke, "That's good, ey?" The man took a deep breather, "Because a cargo of rare, eco ore is worth more than ten of your lives." The man, who they've become to believe is Krew, then glided right in front of Jak and surveyed him.
Jak stood up straight and put his game face on, despite how uncomfortable he was.
"Hmm…and, of course, I'd be forced to collect…ah, slowly," Krew said devilishly. The balloon of a man then turned to look at Cara, who was at Jak's side. He chuckled as he ran a finger across Cara's left breast, "The Underground will take anyone with a pulse these days."
Cara swallowed harshly as she kept her hands on her hips. She only glared daggers at the man in return, despite her wanting to do something a lot worse.
Jak watched it all happen. This guy was bad news; he already knew.
Daxter scampered his way up to Jak's shoulder. The ottsel's usual, giddy self had now been replaced with defensiveness.
Krew was quick to notice the ottsel, "And what do we have here? The Shadow's mascot of the month?" He then began to stroke the underside of Daxter's chin before rubbing roughly down his face, "Oooh, soft…Sig, this fur would go well with my silk suits, ey?" Krew chuckled while he patted himself.
"Listen, uh, tons of fun, anyone can see that you, uh, and I have the real juice in this burg," Daxter began.
Jak's mouth dropped at the sight of his friend trying to negotiate with this freak. Then again, it is Daxter.
Daxter continued, "We're both players, right? We're both lookin' for a piece of the action, right? I think we can do business, right?"
During Daxter's tangent, everyone looked at each other completely confused. Even Krew was speechless, which was nice.
Jak face-palmed himself and shook his head, hoping that Daxter would just shut up so they wouldn't all die, "We did you a favor!"
Daxter immediately cowered behind Jak's shoulder, while Cara's look of confusion turned into mutual support.
"Now it's your turn. Why is the Baron giving eco to the Metal Heads?" Jak held a stern glare and wasn't about to leave without answers.
Krew immediately swarmed the small group, "Questions like that could get a person killed, ey!"
Jak and Cara stood their ground. This was interesting. Why was he so threatened? What information did he know? It was time for him to start talking.
"Sig!" Krew called, "Pay 'el Capitan' here and his friends a bonus."
Sig began to walk towards the three. Cara took a step back, not sure what she'd be able to do in a fight with someone like this. She looked to Jak and saw that he was ready for a fight and had his arm extended in front of both her and Daxter. Well, most likely just to protect Daxter.
Sig then extended a shotgun to Jak, which, at first, Jak thought was a threat. It's funny how fast Jak's mood changed when he was gifted a weapon.
Cara also noticed that she was gifted a welcome weapon, "What!" Unfortunately, she wasn't acknowledged.
Jak, in awe, took the shotgun from Sig and looked his new weapon over. He had the biggest smirk on his face. Boys and their toys.
Krew smirked, "If you want to see what that baby can do, try the gun course outside. Show me some skill with that hardware, and I'll hire you for a job or two, ey."
It was quiet for a moment.
Everyone looked to Cara, who was peering over Jak's shoulder at the gun with a straight face.
Before Cara could say anything, Krew laughed, "Don't you worry, dear…I didn't forget about you. There's a dual set stashed away at the course. If you can find, you can keep it." The floating man then retreated to his originally spot near the ceiling.
Cara looked to Jak and scoffed, "Did you hear that? A duel wielding set? Seems-…"
Jak turned around and immediately headed for the door.
"What, wait…no…no!" Cara caught up with Jak and sped walked past him, "Those are mine."
"What are you going to do with them?" Jak asked as he stopped at the doorway.
"Uh, use them. You act like I've never shot a gun before. I was in the Krim-…"
"-SHH!" Jak clasped a hand on her mouth and then whispered, "Are you really that stupid?"
"What?" Cara muffled underneath Jak's hand.
"Don't say that around here! I don't know these people," Jak said as he glanced over at Sig and Krew to see if they were watching them. Thankfully, they weren't. "If you want to expose yourself, do it on your own time." Jak removed his hand, but not before shoving Cara away and, somewhat lightly, into the door frame.
"Ow," Cara murmured to herself as she rubbed the back of her head.
Jak turned towards the open, empty saloon, "Come on, Dax. We're leaving."
"Ooh, what is this? Y'now, for a crap joint, ya sure have a good bar," Daxter said, mostly to himself, or anyone that was listening, as he inspected the full bottles on the shelves.
Jak rolled his eyes, "Daxter.." Jak began to walk over, but Cara had a inkling.
She looked down at Jak's feet and extended a foot, causing Jak to trip over it.
Her victim immediately hunched over and stumbled forward. Cara huffed when she noticed that he caught himself.
Jak immediately turned around and lit up, "What the fuck is wrong with you?" Just like before, he was in her face, and Cara wasn't about to deal with that again.
"What? Can't deal with a taste of your own medicine? Now…excuse me, but I have new guns that I need to go pick up." Cara harassed Jak with a smile before attempting to walk out of the saloon.
"Right, like I can trust you with a weapon," Jak shot out as he shoved her again. This time, though, it was a bit more aggressive and it was obviously to get her out of the way.
Cara's back hit the door frame, but she recovered fast. She immediately shoved Jak as hard as she could out of the way and took off, leaving Jak and Daxter there.
Sig looked over at and watched as Jak cursed from being pushed into the side of the jukebox. Jak looked down at his hip and then limped two steps before dashing out of the saloon.
Sig chuckled and shook his head.
Daxter sighed dramatically, "I'm startin' to think that they'll neva get a long.."
"Siblings?" Sig inquired.
"Honestly," Daxter looked to Sig, "I have no idea." The ottsel then darted out of the saloon, but not before exclaiming, 'Catch ya later, big guy', followed by a 'Eh, hey! Wait for me, ya jerks!'
Sig often wonders about what he gets himself into, but this time, he didn't even know where to begin.
A/N: I will be going back and editing this piece. I might even change things a little, I don't know. I'm aware that there will be a ton of errors. I wrote this at like 4 in the morning, lol.