"Hey, aren't those your friends?" Taryn pointed down to a spot in the slums where Jak, Torn, Pecker and Ashelin were cornered by KGs.
"Oh, no! Ximon, get us down there!" Daxter said.
"Roger that, lil' furry dude," Ximon replied.
Ximon drove down towards the group. Out of the corner of his eye, Daxter saw Pecker struggling in the grasp of a KG. By the looks of things, he was being crushed and couldn't breathe. Daxter leapt from the van and landed on the robot.
"D-Daxter…" Pecker coughed as his eyes closed and his body went limp.
"Hey, let 'im go!" Daxter slammed his fist onto the KG's head. The robot released the bird and he fell to the ground. Pecker groaned and started to get up. He looked up at the robot, which was now busy trying to get Daxter off of its back.
Daxter jumped off of the robot and the cumbersome hunk of metal turned around. Right on cue, Jak blasted it with his Scatter Gun.
"There's too many," Torn said.
"In here," Daxter called from the back of the van. The group got in and the van ascended. Ximon pushed a button and the doors slid down. (A/N: that wasn't in the game, but it's part of the van now. The van's open on the sides, so think of a garage door closing them both)
The group had barely sighed in relief when they felt the vehicle jerk.
"We've got some extra passengers!" Taryn said.
"Hold on, I'll lose them," Ximon said.
Suddenly the van pulled a barrel roll and everyone landed in a heap.
"This isn't combat racing, you idiot!" Pecker squawked. He was jammed uncomfortably between Daxter and the wall.
Suddenly Ximon took a sharp left and the group slammed into the other wall.
"Ow," Daxter said.
"Lost 'em," Ximon said.
"Can you drop us off at the palace?" Jak asked.
"Sure thing, dude," Ximon said.
On the way to the palace, Pecker fell strangely silent. He was deep in thought. I don't believe it. Daxter saved me…I owe him my life…
When they arrived, Jak, Daxter and Pecker got out. Ashelin was about to when she got a call from FL Headquarters.
"They need us over at HQ," Ashelin told them.
"I'll drop you guys off," Ximon offered.
"Thanks," Torn said.
As the van disappeared from view, Jak started to walk inside. "Come on Dax, Samos wanted to see us."
Daxter started to follow, but stopped when he heard Pecker speak.
"Daxter?"
Daxter looked at the monkaw. "Yeah?"
"… Thanks. I owe ya one."
"Don't think I won't cash in." Daxter gave his trademark grin before catching up to Jak. Pecker smiled lightly, but then his smile faded and he took off.
"Dax, I didn't know you cared," Jak joked.
"Hey, I don't hate him. At least, not enough to let him get crushed by a KG," Daxter said, jumping onto his friend's shoulder.
"You think Pecker will ever pay you back?"
"I dunno. But if this war lasts much longer, he might get the chance."
"He'd probably fly for his life instead of risking it to save you."
"Yeah, you're right."
Pecker landed in the midst of the Metal Heads' city. He tapped his foot impatiently and looked around. The Metal Heads paid no mind to the monkaw, even though his colorful feathers made him stand out against the pale green and yellow.
Suddenly there was a rumbling and a spot on the wall opened up. Pecker took flight and entered the cavern.
"You're late, Pecker," a tall, dark figure stood silhouetted against the wall inside the cave.
"I'm sorry, I was too busy being crushed by one of those stupid KGs!" Pecker snarled. "I didn't see you coming to my rescue, Kaeden!"
The figure took a couple steps into the light. The creature had six or eight legs and massive arms with claws. Kaeden, Daxter's old nemesis, fluttered his torn bug wings and glared down at Pecker.
"You know full well why I can't leave here," Kor's right hand Metal Head growled. "If they saw me, Daxter would recognize me immediately. He beat me once, he knows my weaknesses. I want him dead!"
Pecker winced. "Yeah, um, about that…" Pecker shifted uncomfortably. "Y-you see, he, uh… he saved my life."
"So, let me guess, you're having second thoughts," Kaeden said.
"Does that mean I don't have to spy for you anymore?" Pecker asked hopefully. Kaeden's cruel laughter echoed through the cavern, and Pecker's heart sank. He didn't want Daxter to die anymore. As much as he'd deny it, he'd grown slightly fond of the ottsel. Things wouldn't change between them, oh, hell no.
But… there was something that nagged Pecker ever since he met Kaeden, ever since he agreed to spy for him. Pecker knew what it was now. It was his conscience, telling him that he'd betrayed his friends.
"Pecker, don't be a fool," Kaeden said. "The second you agreed, your fate was sealed. You no longer have any choice. Either you continue to serve me, or I'll make sure that Daxter doesn't save you again."
Pecker gulped when he noticed that there were two hungry looking Metal Heads grinning at him. This was a whole new ball game. Now he knew someone would die. Him… or Daxter.
Just as Jak was going to open the door to the throne room, the building shook. At 3 miles above sea level, that was never a good thing.
"That can't be good," Daxter said.
"It isn't," Samos came into view, clutching a communicator in his hand. "Attacks are raging all over the city."
"What?" Jak was alarmed.
Suddenly the building shook again. Samos started out. "Come, we need to see what the city looks like."
Jak and Daxter hurried after him, both equally worried about what was happening. When they got outside, the scene had changed drastically from that which Jak and Daxter has left.
"Report," Samos said into the communicator.
Torn's voice came through. "It's bad, the city's become a battlefield. Mechanized death-bots have taken the industrial section, and the surviving Metal Heads have expanded their hold on the west side. We're losing ground on all fronts."
Jak and Daxter looked around. Sadly, Torn was right. It seems the Freedom League's efforts to keep part of the industrial section had failed. The entire sector was now under KG control. And it also looked like the Metal Heads had gotten all the way to the Stadium section.
"The Council's meeting tonight in emergency session," Ashelin said as she and Torn soared over Haven in a Hellcat. "Rumblings about you, Jak. It doesn't look good. They think your friendship with Krew helped the Metal Heads get into the city."
Jak shook his head while Daxter looked at the communicator sullenly. Looks like they finally believed the rumors.
"You don't believe that, do you?" Jak asked.
"What's in the past is done," Samos said sharply. "Right now Metal Heads are assaulting the palace. They're looking for something and I have no idea…"
Suddenly, the group heard a loud whooshing. They whirled around in time to see a bunch of bombs strike the palace. The building shook violently and started to fall.
"HELP! WE'RE FALLING!" Daxter yelled.
"Torn, look!" Ashelin pointed to the palace.
"Crap." Torn flew full speed towards the structure as the supports began to give.
"OVER HERE!" Jak shouted. Torn flew up beside them and Ashelin stood to make room.
"JUMP!" The group leaped onto the Hellcat and Torn drove away as the palace finished collapsing, destroying at least half of the city. As they flew over the wreckage, they couldn't believe the gaping hole in the ground.
"By the Precursors!" Samos gasped.
"It looks like some kind of tomb," Daxter remarked.
"You're close, Daxter," Samos said. "They're catacombs."
"What's the difference?"
Pecker paced back and forth in Onin's tent, glad that the soothsayer was blind. Suddenly the old woman's hands sprung to life and Pecker sighed in exasperation. She was psychic, so she still knew something was bugging him.
"No, I'm fine," Pecker lied. "I'm just a little antsy, I guess. I mean, the palace just collapsed!"
Onin made a few more hand signs.
"Well, what if Jak and Daxter were killed? We're doomed!"
Onin smirked a little and made a single hand sign, which translated into the ottsel's name. Pecker realized that he'd openly expressed concern for Daxter's life.
"Uh, well, y-you see, uh, I owe him one, and, uh, it wouldn't feel right if I never paid him back," Pecker stumbled through an explanation (read: big fat lie).
Onin raised an eyebrow at the monkaw. She knew he wasn't being truthful, but whatever he was thinking, he wouldn't share it.
Pecker went back to pacing, chewing his bottom lip. Please, please don't let him be dead. It'll be all my fault. I told Kaeden where he was…God, how am I going to get out of this one? If he's still alive, Kaeden will only keep going after him…unless I get him out of the city! But…how can I do that?
Suddenly Jak, with Daxter on his shoulder, came in. Pecker had to stop himself from heaving a sigh of relief.
"Onin says Thank goodness you're alright," Pecker said.
"I didn't see her hands move," Daxter said.
"Then you might want to get your eyes checked," Pecker said.
"Hey, birdbrain, you weren't even looking when you "interpreted" for her," Daxter shot back.
"I could spend all day explaining to you how I knew what she was saying, but I doubt you'd even understand half of it."
"Why, you…"
While the two started throwing insults back and forth, Jak looked at Onin, who winked. Jak smiled, showing that he understood. Pecker was the one who wanted to say that he was glad to see them alive. He was just too proud to admit it.