Jak and Daxter and all affiliated characters and places are property of Naughty Dog. No infringement of copyright is implied or intended in this fictional work. This is a slightly edited version to correct mistakes/make stuff make more sense and I took out the direct reference to Damas. God, I need a Beta.

A/N

I want to thank everyone for the reviews, comments and criticisms. What I like about questions and critique is that it forces me to examine motives for characterization or presentation or to reevaluate a problem or a mistake that I made in writing. I appreciate it and it helps make me a better writer. It also makes for a better story, which in the end is the most important thing.


Chapter 10: Vin

The conversation over the communicator was brief. "One of the Baron's mining operations is under attack by the Metalheads," Torn said.

"That's not our problem," Jak said, still flying high from the racing win.

Torn snapped, "It is our problem when the foreman's one of the Underground's best informants. His name is Vin, and he's just valuable enough to save. Find the warp gate at the Power Station and use it to travel to the Strip Mine so you can rescue Vin's pathetic hide."

Daxter snagged the communicator from Jak. "Hey, Tattooed Wonder, how come we get all the crappy missions?"

Torn enunciated each word. "Because I don't like you."

Daxter grinned. "That's not what you were telling us yesterday."

She heard him groan over the static. "Look, whatever deal the Baron made with the Metalheads is draining the city's eco. I don't know how much longer he'll be able to hold them off."

"We'll get your guy out," Jak reassured him. He turned off the communicator and handed it back to Daxter. She clipped it back to her pants.

"To the Power Station?" she asked.

Jak nodded and they left the stadium. Their zoomer was still there so they hopped on board. Neither of them had been to the Power Station yet, so Daxter relied on the map Torn transferred to her communicator.

As they neared their destination, Daxter noticed that this was a part of the city she had never seen before. It wasn't as dirty as the slums but it had a cold, metallic appearance. The red coloration on the walls did nothing to minimize the effect. There were several ramps that led to a boardwalk high above the ground.

Jak pulled onto one of the ramps and they cruised the sky road, avoiding Krimzon Guards and pedestrians. They came upon a door with a lightning bolt symbol and dismounted. Jak approached the door and it opened for him. Daxter scampered behind him, keeping an eye out for intruders.

Inside of the Power Station was a shimmering warp gate. It looked like the ones from back home.

"Huh," Daxter mumbled in disappointment.

"What is it?" Jak asked.

Daxter shrugged. "I don't know. I just thought it'd be futuristic and stuff. It looks the same as all the others we've ever seen." Daxter poked the side of the gate and looked up at Jak. "Yup, same stuff. Wonder if I can kick it?"

"Dax," Jak warned. She just grinned at him and they went through the warp gate.

The Strip Mines were as unattractive as they expected. Decades of picking and mining had left ugly gouges in the stone that cast dark shadows along the floor. There were few lights and they were dimming lower and lower. Soon the cavern would be cast into darkness. Luckily, they didn't have to travel far.

There was a small building with a red button on it near the warp gate. Jak pressed it and the doors slid open.

Inside was a laboratory and a skinny man, presumably a scientist, fiddling away with the controls muttering to himself. As the door hissed open he turned to face them. The man was thin with white hair and glasses. The suspenders he wore contributed to his scholarly, or nerdy as Daxter thought, appearance. His reaction to his rescuers was heartfelt.

He screamed. "Aaaaaah! Stay back!"

The skinny man drew a small pistol and began firing at Jak and Daxter. They ducked back out of the doorway, bullets whizzing by their heads. That didn't go as well as planned.

Daxter looked at Jak with pleading eyes. "Do something, Jak! This guy's nuts!"

Jak leaned back against the wall and called out. "Hey, are you Vin? We're here to help. Torn sent us."

"Stay back!" Vin shrieked, firing more bullets.

Jak growled under his breath. "Look, if we were here to kill you we would have done it already."

The scientist stopped firing. He popped his head out the door. "Oh, friendlies? Oh, thank goodness." He stepped outside and looked around. "So, uh, where's the army?"

Jak and Daxter shot each other an incredulous look. Daxter said, "We're it, buddy."

"What?" Vin cried out. "Just you two? The Shadow just sent you two? What do they think I'm worth?"

"I'm starting to wonder," Jak muttered to himself. "You can stay here and be Metalmeat, but Daxter and I are leaving before those monsters get back."

"Monsters?" Vin yelped.

The demolition duo ignored him and leapt through the warp gate. Vin followed after them, tripping as he did so.

Once they were back inside the Power Station and away from any possible Metalhead interference, Jak asked a simple question. "Who's the Shadow?"

"Shadow?" Vin asked, knees still trembling.

Jak sighed. "You mentioned him earlier."

"Oh, he's the leader of the Underground," Vin said.

Daxter shook her head. "Right, who's Torn then? The Underground Errand Boy?"

Vin explained, "He's the Commander, but the Shadow's the one that calls the shots. Torn runs the day-to-day operations."

"Torn's not a big picture guy, huh?" Daxter asked.

Vin twitched. "Oh no, he's good but he couldn't run an operation this size. He used to be the Captain of the Krimzon Guard but—"

"He what?" Jak snapped.

Vin shrank away from him. "What, what did I say?" he stuttered.

Daxter's eyes widened. This was unexpected. She planted herself between her partner and the scientist. "Back up here, Torn was a Krimzon Guard?"

Vin nodded, too terrified to say anything.

Daxter felt a hand grasp her arm. Jak jerked her to him, his eyes blazing with fury. ""Did you know?" he asked. She shook her head. Jak relaxed his grip and his face cleared. "We need to talk to him. Now."

"Okay, big guy. Mind not crushing the merchandise?' Daxter joked. As he released her arm Daxter made a mental note to not piss Jak off for the rest of the day.

On their way to Underground Headquarters, they swung by home to pick up their guns. Although Daxter thought that allowing an agitated Jak near a weapon was a stupid idea she went along with it. On the off chance that Jak didn't do something stupid they might get another job and she didn't want to be unprepared.

The second the zoomer stopped, Jak launched himself off of it and stormed down the stairs to the Headquarters. It was all Daxter could do to keep up with him.

As usual, Torn was the only one in and he was at his command desk. Jak marched right up to it and slammed his fists down. Papers flew in all directions.

"Why didn't you tell us you were Krimzon Guard?" Jak asked.

Torn shot him a level gaze. "It wasn't important."

"Not important!" Jak roared. Purple electricity danced around his narrowed eyes. Daxter moved forward to diffuse the situation but Jak's arm shot out and shoved her back.

Torn was not intimidated. "I left the Guard years ago. It doesn't matter anymore. "

"Torn—" Jak growled, his eyes turning black.

"I never hurt you, Jak," Torn said, his voice dead calm.

Jak deflated, his eyes were blue again and his skin a normal shade.

Daxter looked at Torn in awe. "How the hell'd you do that?" she asked.

Torn didn't answer her. There was something in his face that told her all she needed to know. This was a man who stared down Death on a regular basis and won. "One of my old Guard comrades was sent to the Pumping Station. There's been no word from her patrol," Torn said.

Daxter leered at Jak. "Her, huh?" Daxter asked. Jak snickered.

Torn scowled. "This is serious, Rat! I'm afraid she may need some help."

"Don't worry, we'll rescue your girlfriend," Jak said.

Torn snapped, "She's not my girlfriend!"

Daxter leaned against the table. "But you wish she was," she taunted.

Torn grabbed the front of her shirt and lifted her off the floor. "I wouldn't be talking, Rat," he spat out through gritted teeth.

Daxter swatted at his hands. She let out an indignant squawk. "Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Torn dropped her and she crumpled into a heap on the floor.

Jak laughed and helped her up. Daxter brushed herself off. "You don't mess with the sugar," she said.

"Just go to the damn Pumping Station before I kick you out," Torn snarled.

Daxter held up placating hands and rolled her eyes. "Sheesh, don't get your panties in a bunch. Let's go, Jak."

The two of them left Underground Headquarters, ready for another mission.


They reached the Pumping Station in record time as luck was with them and no one had stolen their zoomer yet. There were no Guards around so gaining access to the site was easy. Once inside, they hauled themselves up the Pumping Station platforms, Daxter grumbling all the while. "What the hell are we doing risking our necks out here for? Torn should save his own damn girlfriend. She'd better be hot after all this trouble."

Finally, they reached a high clearing near the top of the Station. Daxter lowered her goggles and looked around. Jak just used his unaided eyes as they had been sharpened by the Dark Eco treatments. He pointed to the side. "Over there."

Daxter swung her gaze to where Jak was pointing. The woman had her back to them and what a back it was. Her red, blue and black uniform clung to her body like a second skin. Her fiery hair was pulled back in dreadlocks that cascaded over her shoulders. "Hello, lady," she murmured. As the woman turned around, fear overcame Daxter's lust. "Ah crap, hide me Jak!" Daxter howled and ducked behind the blond.

Jak raised an eyebrow. This was odd, Daxter never ran from women.

The Krimzon Guard detected them and walked over, gun in hand. The gun was much smaller than Jak's or Daxter's but still held an aura of power.

"Who the hell are you?" she snarled.

"Torn sent us," Jak replied.

The woman's eyes narrowed as she noticed Daxter's cowering form.

"You," she hissed.

"Lady, it was nothing personal," Daxter said, maneuvering Jak to keep him between her and the older woman.

"You nearly killed me!" she shouted.

Daxter dodged out of the way as the other woman swiped at her. "Hey Good-Looking, it wasn't my fault you decided to take a moonlight stroll with the weapons of mass destruction."

"Can I ask what's going on here?" Jak asked.

"No," the woman snarled.

Loud chittering noises filled the air. The three of them paused to listen. The Krimzon Guard pulled out her gun. "We've got company," she said.

Suddenly a group of Metalheads jumped into the clearing. Jak and Daxter were ready in an instant, guns blazing. They moved together so they were back to back, taking the creatures out from all sides. As they fought, the twosome risked glances at the female Krimzon Guard. Her small weapon packed a massive punch, as did her fists and feet. She launched herself into the air and smashed into a Metalhead with her foot, sending it flying. This woman was much tougher than the Krimzon Guards Jak and Daxter had seen.

If it was true that the rest of her squad was dead, then it was obvious why she was the only survivor. The battle was over in minutes and Metalhead corpses littered the ground. Jak stood over the fallen blobs of Dark Eco, allowing his body to absorb it.

The woman led them to a vehicle that awaited her.

"Since we took out those mean nasty Metalheads for you, are we even babe?" Daxter asked.

The woman scowled over her shoulder. "For now," the woman said. "And don't call me babe if you don't want me to rip your lungs out."

Daxter pumped her hands in the air. "Yes! You hear that, Jak? I've still got a way with the ladies." Jak sighed and shook his head. Daxter continued, "So how about those digits babe so I can look you up sometime? We'll party hard in the city. I've even got the place!"

The woman, as most people did, ignored Daxter. She turned to Jak. "Tell Torn that Baron Praxis is up to something. I think it has to do with that symbol."

She indicated a stump in the clearing that had a strange symbol on it. Jak was certain he had seen it somewhere before.

"What is it?" Jak asked.

"The Seal of the House of Mar, the founder of Haven City. The Baron and Erol have been sending us on suicide missions trying to find artifacts from the time of his rule," the woman said. An angry scowl crossed her face as she said this. "There's a blind soothsayer in the bazaar named Onin. She might have more information for you."

The woman mounted her vehicle and gunned the engine. It rose, kicking dust and dirt into the air.

"What's your name, sexy?" Daxter asked. She gave the older woman a cheeky smile. "I like to know the people I almost blow up."

The woman looked at Jak. "Is she on medication?" Jak shook his head. The woman scoffed. "My name is Ashelin," she said.

Daxter bowed. "A beautiful name for a gorgeous woman in uniform. Did I tell you how much I adore a woman in uniform?"

Ashelin rolled her eyes. "Can't you muzzle her?" she asked Jak.

"I wish I could," Jak replied.

Daxter frowned at her partner. He just smiled and mock punched her shoulder.

As Ashelin flew away she called out, "Tell Torn thanks."

And they did. Torn responded with his own thanks, a touch of red on his cheeks. Jak and Daxter exchanged knowing glances but chose not to comment. They asked him about the mysterious Shadow but the Commander told them it was impossible to meet with him. Things were too dangerous right now, but in time they could meet the Underground Leader.

Over the next several weeks Jak and Daxter continued their work for the Underground. The cause was gaining momentum and the name "Jak" circulated as an image of hope. The twosome kept their ears to the ground learning about the Baron's fears and weaknesses. They also wanted to discover the connection between the Eco shipments and the Metalheads but they never got very far.

What they did know was quite interesting. There was a small boy rumored to be the true ruler of Haven City. He was the son of the last King. The boy had disappeared shortly after Baron Praxis staged a military coup removing Damas from power. No one knew what happened to the boy, but there was a child who would wander the city who Torn believed was the heir to the throne.

When Torn had finally caught up with the boy, he had him taken to Headquarters. Then he called in his most trusted agents. As they weren't available, he called his most dangerous agents, Jak and Daxter.

"I want you two to take the kid to Kor at the Power Station," Torn said. He gestured to a small green-haired boy in overalls who stood by his desk. Busy tearing up a small backpack was a green Crocodog. Torn continued, "He's important to the cause but we don't have the facilities to baby-sit him."

"But we do?" Daxter asked.

"Just take the kid," Torn ordered.

The child walked forward, his little hands outstretched and gripped Daxter's pant leg. He looked up at Jak with a shy smile. An odd sense of familiarity stole over the blond warrior.

Daxter sighed. "Let's get this over with."

The three of them and the Crocodog walked through the town toward the Power Station. The kid tottered along ahead of them, his faithful pet at his heels.

"Great, why are we babysitting this kid again?" Daxter muttered.

"'Cause Torn told us to," Jak replied.

"Right," Daxter said.

They hadn't encountered any trouble yet, much to their relief. As they approached the ramps leading up to the boardwalk, a squad of Krimzon Guards approached them. The kid ran back to the demolition duo and grabbed Daxter's leg.

"This is a restricted area. You must vacate the premises now!" one of the Guards ordered.

"Since when?" Daxter asked.

The Krimzon Guard swung his gun around and shoved it in her face. "Since now."

Daxter raised her hands. "Hey, no need to get all commando on us," she said.

One of the other Krimzon Guards spotted the green-haired boy. "Hey, it's the kid the Baron wants!" He reached forward to snatch the kid when Daxter stepped in his way. The Guard shoved her to the side and that was when all hell broke loose.

Jak screeched as his darker half rose to the surface. The black horns poked through the stark white hair and Dark Eco crackled in the air. The Krimzon Guards froze in terror. In the squad rooms the Guards had heard stories about the dark beast that roamed the city and decimated the soldiers. Now they were face to face with it.

Daxter grabbed the kid and they ducked into a crawl space next to the ramps. She shoved the kid in first and moved in after him, shielding him with her body. The redhead wrapped her arms around him, holding the child close. Daxter stroked the kid's hair trying to keep him calm. He didn't squirm and he didn't cry. He just clutched her shirt, burying his face in her shoulder.

Outside the crawl space she could hear metal tear and screams of anguish. Loud roars and cries for help assaulted her ears. Daxter tried to sooth the child as best she could. "It's all right. It'll be okay," she murmured.

After what seemed like forever, the screaming stopped. Daxter loosened her hold and the child and listened. Nothing. No sound at all. She frowned. That wasn't good at all. She thought for sure Jak would say that it was okay to come out or something. There was no way to know what was happening unless she went outside. Daxter bit her lower lip, making a decision.

She turned to the kid. "Listen, I've got to go outside for a minute," she said. The kid looked up at her with terrified eyes. "Hey, it'll be okay. I'm just checking things out. So, you'll stay here. If I'm not back in ten minutes or if I don't tell you it's okay to come out," Daxter said. She thought for a second before giving the rest of her instructions. "Run like hell."

Before the child could make any sort of protest, verbal or otherwise, Daxter exited the crawl space and surveyed the carnage. The Crocodog was just outside guarding the entrance. Daxter reached down and scratched its head. "Good boy. Stay with the kid," she muttered before taking her first good look.

Giant splatters of blood covered the area and the scattered bodies of the Krimzon Guard were scattered all over the ground. She gulped to hold back her lunch and approached one of the bodies. As she came nearer, she noticed that the Guard was breathing. It was swallow, but he was still alive. Daxter looked at the others. They were also breathing. They were unconscious but that didn't matter to Daxter. What mattered was that they were still alive. Even after everything Jak was keeping his promise.

But if the Krimzon Guard were here, then where was Jak?

Warm breath stirred the hair on the back of her head. Daxter flipped around and found herself face to face with the Dark Eco creature. Since those first times in the prison, Daxter had seen Jak transform at least a dozen times. He would lose control on some Krimzon Guards or Metalheads and when he was done he would turn back to normal. "You didn't turn back," she muttered.

Daxter took an involuntary step backward. Dark Jak studied her with those unreadable black eyes. The redhead swallowed and she ran.

Dark Jak howled in outrage and raced after her. Daxter dashed away, determined to keep this as far away from the kid as she could.

Suddenly, he pounced. A great weight crushed into Daxter, sending her tumbling to the ground. Two massive arms reached around her chest and hauled her to a sitting position. She could feel the creature's claws poke into the sides of her arms. Not enough to tear fabric or flesh, but as a warning not to move.

Dark Jak was going something behind her she couldn't see, but she could feel him moving. Then he did something truly odd, he buried his nose in her hair and sniffed. While she was very glad that she was not being torn limb from limb it was still an uncomfortable situation. "Jak," she whined, squirming in the creature's grip.

The Dark Eco creature growled and hugged her tight to him and nuzzled the back of her neck, careful not to let the horns scrap her. After a moment she could hear Dark Jak's breathing slow and the heartbeat against her back beat at a normal rate. The muscular arms wrapped around her shrank and the skin went back to a normal shade.

She turned in his arms to look and was pleased to see the familiar blond staring back at her. "You scared the hell out of me, big guy."

Jak said, "I'm sorry." He pulled away from Daxter, wrapping his arms around his knees.

"Yeah, well that doesn't cut it when tall, dark and gruesome comes out to play," Daxter said.

Jak frowned, an edge of anger in his voice. "I said I was sorry."

"Screw your sorrys!" Daxter shouted. "I could have been—" She stopped. She couldn't say it, not with Jak looking at her like that.

"You were really scared," Jak said.

"Gee, what gave you that idea? Was it before or after I nearly pissed my pants?" Daxter asked. The smirk on her face took the sting out of the words.

Jak gripped her shoulder. "You know I'd never hurt you, right?"

Daxter took longer than she should have answering the question. Before she would have answered without hesitation but now that Dark Jak was in the picture, things were more uncertain. She had seen the violence he was capable of first-hand. But then again, after that first time he had never killed anyone. Sure, people got hurt, that was expected, but no one had died. That alone was a testament to Jak's strength of character. "Yeah, I know," she said.

Jak smiled and pulled her into a real hug, not the crushing embrace of the Dark Eco Creature. Daxter laughed and shoved him away. "Stop trying to smother me, we've got a job to do."

They went back to the crawl space and retrieved the boy. Daxter placed a hand over his eyes and directed him past the Krimzon Guards. No need to traumatize the kid any more than he already was.

When they reached the Power Station, Kor was waiting for them. He was an old man with white hair, large eyes and a walking stick. He wasn't quite what they were expecting. "Torn told us to bring the kid to you," Daxter said.

Kor nodded. "Yes, I'll be sure to keep him close." He gestured to the child and the green-haired boy walked over to him.

The boy looked back over his shoulder at Jak and Daxter, a sad expression on his face. The Crocodog growled at Kor, snarling at his ankles.

"How sweet," Kor muttered.

Jak reached down to stroke the animal and the Crocodog calmed. He barked and licked the blond warrior's face.

Kor stroked his chin. "Interesting. That insufferable mutt never liked anyone but the boy before."

The child smiled at that and nodded.

"I guess I'm just good with animals," Jak said.

Remembering the many times she and Jak had to herd Yakcows, Daxter snickered.

"I hope we have enough Eco to keep the Metal Heads at bay. During my travels in the deep Wasteland I saw some of the bigger ones. Awesome creatures," Kor commented.

Daxter said, "Yeah, I saw some like that at the Pumping Station. And there was this big one coming out of a rift once. He was ugly. I mean Metalheads are ugly anyway but this guy was—"

Kor scowled and interrupted. "I have some information for you. The Baron is conducting an excavation at the Dig. He is still looking for that ridiculous Tomb."

"Tomb?" Jak asked.

"The Tomb of Mar," Kor said.

Jak let this sink in. Ashelin had mentioned Mar when they rescued her at the Pumping Station. Apparently, whatever Mar did in the past was something that the Baron wanted in the present.

The mystery of Mar's tomb would need to be explored but that was for later. Right now, Daxter wanted a shower, food and to hang out with Jak and the girls for a while. The duo left the Power Station and trudged back to their apartment.

"You know," Daxter said. "The kid kind of reminds me of you."

Jak raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Yeah. Real quiet, never says anything. But he's got this smile that makes you never want to leave. It makes you want to do things for him, no matter how stupid they are," Daxter said.

This was interesting; Daxter hated kids. The fact that she responded to this one meant something. He teased, "Like going to Misty Island?"

Daxter rolled her eyes. "Especially like going to that stupid island," she said. "I never would have gone if you hadn't pulled that stupid 'you're my best friend' face."

"Yeah," Jak admitted. "But then the world would have ended."

"How the hell do you figure that?" Daxter asked.

"If we hadn't gone to Misty Island then we wouldn't have figured out that something was going on with the Lurkers until it was too late," Jak said.

Daxter frowned. "Could I have not been turned into a girl?"

Jak contemplated this for all of three seconds. "Yes."

"Damn it!" Daxter complained. She shoved him. "You suck, Jak. I want you to know that."

"Well, you suck too," Jak said and shoved her back. Soon they were in the middle of a grappling match in the middle of the city streets. Luckily, they were close to home and there were no Guards in sight. They pushed and tickled and laughed until, as always, Daxter was forced to surrender. As Jak dragged the smaller woman back up to their apartment, Daxter realized something. Things were falling into a routine, into a new definition of normal. Of course life was not the same as before, it was changing and evolving. And Daxter was starting to learn that she could live with that.