All right! Here's the next chapter! Thank you to everyone who's been reading, reviewing, favoriting, and alerting! I appreciate it! I'd say we're about halfway through the game at this point! :)

DISCLAIMER: Only my OCs, side plots, and minor alterations to gameplay are mine. Everything else belongs to Naughty Dog.


With a clank, the elevator stopped in a massive room where a strange-looking vehicle waited for us. "What is that?" I croaked as we stepped off the elevator and went to go stand in front of it. There was a dark tunnel up ahead, and a few rails led into it.

"It looks like the catacombs we saw in Haven City," Jak replied, "But where do they go?"

"There you are!" Pecker suddenly cried as he appeared out of nowhere.

"Pecker!" I gasped.

"Ahh," the moncaw sighed, "I'm so squawking happy I found you."

"Look!" Dax announced, "Jak got his seal back! And it opens doors!"

"Onin says we must get back to Haven City. She says the catacombs are the key to the planet's very survival!" No pressure there, huh? I couldn't help but think to myself.

"You guys up for a little ride?" Jak asked slyly, and we all grinned as we hopped into the car and took off through the sub rails.

"Whoa!" I gasped, holding on for dear life as Jak accelerated. Why did he have to be such a speed demon sometimes?

There were other moving bots up ahead, which Jak shot in order to get rid of them. Whenever there were gaps in the floor, he maneuvered the car and flipped us upside down, where we ended up riding on the ceiling.

"AHH!" I screamed, "This is crazy!" It reminded me of roller coasters at amusement parks, only much more intense. I could hear Jak laughing next to me, and I remembered he thought I was apparently funny when I was scared. Oh, well.

We continued to fly through the sub rails before finally emerging on the other side. Jak grinned as he parked the car and got out. "Not bad, eh, Dax?" he asked.

"Nope," Dax replied, facing me, "You okay, toots?"

"Ugh," I groaned, getting out and feeling like I was going to hurl, "I'm never going on that thing again." The others chuckled good-naturedly as I regained myself.

However, we all quieted down as a Precursor suddenly appeared in front of us. "You show promise, but your bravery will not protect you from the foes you must soon face," it announced as yet another shaft of light surrounded Jak, "Use this light power to help in your quest. It is what little we have left to offer." The light disappeared, leaving Light Jak in its place as he closed his eyes and formed a shield around himself.

"Whoa," Dax, Pecker, and I all gasped at the sight.

"Two Light Eco powers at once?" I asked, "That's pretty cool." The shield disappeared as Jak reverted back to his normal self.

"Let's go," he said, and he led us over to the elevator in the corner, which we rode on until we arrived in what looked like some mines.

"It looks like some kind of old eco mine," Jak surmised, "When Mar built Haven City, he must have carved out these old caves to get at the eco power."

"Sheesh!" Daxter piped up, "That Mar guy must've never slept much!" I chuckled into my hands.

"I'm going ahead to tell Onin we're back," Pecker announced, facing me and Jak, "Watch your tail feathers, you two! This is a spooky place." With that, he flapped his wings and flew away.


A little while later…

"Pecker was right!" I gasped as we finally made it out the other end of the Eco Mines, "This place was spooky!"

"Can you believe we had to kick those animals into the wheels?" Daxter cried. I shuddered at the image of those poor animals being put to work all the time.

Jak just shook his head. "That was crazy," he said, "Look up there!" He pointed to a clearing, and when we narrowed our eyes, we saw what he was referring to.

"That looks like more of Mar's armor," Jak realized as he sprinted over to it.

"Hmm," he said, studying it for a second before strapping it on both his legs. He paced for a little bit before grinning at Daxter.

I also nodded. I was impressed. "Very nice," I complimented, giving the renegade the thumbs up.

"Thanks," he replied, smiling at me before we moved on to a bigger room, where a mine cart was waiting for us. I couldn't help but think about how Jak and I got along really well one minute, and the next minute, we wanted to kill each other. I shrugged. Oh, well.

I watched as Jak pulled a lever in the corner of the room, which secured the mine cart and lowered it down to the tracks we had seen before.

"Jak!" Daxter cried, "Shoot those buttons below the track!"

I craned my neck and saw what he was referring to. Almost immediately, Jak pulled out his Blaster Gun and used that to lower certain parts of the track in order to make a path for the cart. "Follow that cart!" I shouted, and follow it we did.

There were a few close calls where the mine cart nearly fell off the track, but we managed to lower the track to save it. There were also times where we had to use our jet boards to get across certain railings, just like back in Monk Temple.

"Almost there!" Dax announced when it looked like we were getting close to the end, and after Jak shot the last button, we watched quietly as the mine cart blew up the wall in front of it.

"All right!" we all cheered as Jak and I high-fived each other.

"Let's get out of here," Jak whispered to us, and after taking out some more flying Metal Heads, we entered the newly accessible room, where we waited on the turntable for a second. It turned us around until we entered another room with a large platform in front of us.

"I never realized all this was here," I said in amazement as we stepped forward, stopping in front of the edge of the cliff. Up ahead was a passageway. Where did it go?

Suddenly, we heard footsteps, and when we looked up, we got the surprise of our lives. "Veger?" I gasped just as Jak widened his eyes next to me.

"The monks told me you were coming through the Precursor sub-rails," Veger explained as he approached us from his end, "Interesting, aren't they? The Precursors used them to build the world countless eons ago. The rail system leads deep into the planet where it's said the ancient ones wait to bestow unimaginable powers upon the worthy. I will save the world with that power, just as Mar did!" He turned away from us and raised his staff into the air. We all glanced at each other and raised our eyebrows.

"This is the kind of crap he was trying to feed me when he kidnapped me," I whispered to the demolition duo.

"I can only imagine, toots," Daxter whispered in response as Jak rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, you've done a great job so far, letting the Metal Heads destroy the Palace," he said to Veger sarcastically.

Veger kept his back to us. "Oh, you couldn't be more mistaken, dear boy," he replied, whirling around to face us.

"We're on a time clock, Jak! That light in the sky. Do you know what it is? Our nightmare has found us and the end is coming! I needed quick access to the catacombs below, so I attacked the palace myself! It will be our little secret." The three of us gaped at each other.

"So you're the reason we almost got killed that day?" I snapped, "You…idiot!"

Veger smirked at me. "I tried to make you understand all those times in the library, Paige," he responded, "But you refused to listen to me. The monks have given me enough secrets to go by. And now, I have no more use for you." You never had a use for me in the first place, you dumbass, I couldn't help but think to myself.

"What's he talkin' about, toots?" Dax whispered to me.

"I'll tell you two later," I promised him.

"Well, you're full of surprises," Jak piped up, not dropping the sarcasm.

"And you're full of Dark Eco!" Veger snapped in response as we all scowled at him, "You, your creator, and your rat are an abomination! But I will rid the planet of this scourge soon enough. Pure light will rule the universe, and I will be the bright light that shines to every corner of the world and destroys all shadows!" He waved his staff in the air again as he said all this. Geesh, I thought, He's just losing his mind, isn't he? Next to me, Jak stared at the Count with a "What the hell" expression on his face.

"Ahh, excuse me, Count Vulgar," Dax interrupted him, raising a paw in the air, and I couldn't help but chuckle a little bit in spite of myself.

Veger didn't look too amused. "It's Veger!" he growled, and we all shook our heads.

"Yeah, whatever," Daxter said dismissively, "Isn't it kinda nice to just curl up in the shade sometimes? Just chillin' it... watching the hot babes prancing around in their skimpy little bikinis. Ya know, how they just jiggle. I get that special tingling feeling in my tail." You would, Daxter, I thought as we noticed Veger getting angrier.

"Enough!" he thundered, "We will start the cleansing of the world with your demise!" He turned his back to us as he waved his staff yet again.

"Behold!" he declared, "I now command the very power of the ancient ones!"

"Veger!" I shouted, "What are you doing?"

But Veger ignored me and just stood off to the side as something broke through the wall up ahead. All our mouths dropped open in shock for a second as we took in the giant, orange Precursor Robot that was snorting and fixing its gaze on us. I couldn't help but gulp for a minute. I had never seen anything like this before!

"And this time," Veger hissed as he glared at us, "The Precursors will not have mercy on you." We all shot daggers at the Count as he walked away, shutting the door behind him and leaving us with the robot.

"Oh, he is so dead for this!" I growled as the Robot snorted again and slammed its Eco Sword on the ground a few times, forcing us to jump in order to avoid it. It then swiped at us close to our feet, and we pretty much had to keep jumping so that we wouldn't get hit. Just what kind of secrets did Seem and the monks pass onto Veger? At the same time, however, I didn't want to know.

Suddenly, the Precursor Robot shot something into the air, and when we got a closer look, we spotted blue and black spiders. "What are these things?" Jak shouted over the loud sound of both our Blaster Guns combined.

"I don't know!" I replied, "I've never seen anything like this before!"

The spiders growled as we continued to take them on, but the more we killed them, the more they split up into smaller creatures. "They never end!" Daxter gasped, but once we killed the smallest creatures, the Robot snorted again, whipped out some lasers, and started burning circles around us.

"Look out!" I yelled, but we soon noticed that the Robot was creating columns that rose into the air.

"Try doin' somethin' with those mine carts!" Daxter suggested as we waited for the columns to cool off before climbing up to the top. The robot didn't take too kindly to this and began shooting at us on the way up. Just as I was hoisting myself up, I saw a blue ball of energy sail towards me, and I quickly lowered myself again to avoid the blast. When the coast was clear, I made it up to the top, took out my Blaster Gun again, and shot one of the mine carts while Jak did the same. With our combined fire, the mine cart suddenly fell from its position and crashed down onto the Precursor Robot, knocking it into the abyss below us.

"Is that it?" I asked as we lowered ourselves.

"I think so," Jak answered, "Let's go see." We raced over to the edge and glanced down, feeling victorious when we didn't see any sign of the Robot.

However, our victory was short-lived. The Precursor Robot suddenly reappeared, glaring at us and intensifying its attacks. "Crap!" I groaned, taking out my Vulcan Fury this time.

"We can do this!" Jak said encouragingly, and I nodded as we continued to battle the Precursor Robot. The whole time, I wondered why Veger was so afraid of shadows and the dark, especially Dark Eco. I shook my head once we began taking out more of those spiders from before. Veger. Did he honestly expect me to be hurt by the fact that he "didn't need me anymore"?

"Paige!" Dax shouted, and I quickly leaped out of the way of one of the lasers that was forming a column. Once everything cooled down, the Robot began shooting again as we climbed up.

"Rinse and repeat!" I yelled as Jak and I shot the second mine cart. Just like the first time, the Precursor Robot got knocked into the pit below us, but it recovered once again and attacked for one last time.

"I wonder how Veger got this power," Jak wondered as he reloaded his Scatter Gun, which he had switched to in order to deal with the last wave of spiders.

I shrugged. "I guess Seem said something to him," I replied. I shook my head as I thought about the Precursor Monks. Hopefully, they would realize that helping Veger was a bad idea.

It wasn't too much later that the Precursor Robot was finally down for good. With another roar, it fell into oblivion, leaving a new gun mod in its place. After double checking to make sure it wouldn't come back, Jak approached the gun mod and picked it up.

"Oh yeah!" Dax cheered as we all high-fived each other, "The boys and babe are back in town!" I laughed.

"Let's go topside and see what kinda trouble we can get into," Jak replied.

"Right behind you," I agreed, and we began to take the same path as Veger.

After riding the elevator up for a while, we got another surprise when the gate opened.

At first, none of us could move. We all widened our eyes and fixed our gaze on the sight in front of us. "Whoa!" we gasped in unison.

"Is this still Haven City?" I asked in shock. I almost couldn't believe my eyes; the city was a wreck! Ashelin wasn't kidding when she said things weren't looking too good.

"I think so," Jak answered, blinking his eyes, almost as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Let's see what's around here," Daxter suggested quietly, and nodding, we began to pick our way around the ruins, avoiding Metal Head scorpions that were in the area.

"This is horrible," I whispered. We continued to walk for a while until we spotted a huge white shield.

"This place looks as bad as my old bedroom back home," Dax commented, and we just shook our heads.

Suddenly, we heard familiar voices. "Jak, Paige!" someone cried, "Over here!"

We glanced up to see none other than…

"Samos!" Jak gasped, "Keira!"

"You're back!" Keira cheered as we rushed over to them. Unfortunately, they were stuck on the other side of the shield.

"You guys are okay!" I said in relief, "It's good to see you!"

"See Keira, I knew I could feel Jak's energy and that Paige wouldn't be too far behind," Samos said proudly, "It's good to see you again! Those passageways below the palace, they must be terribly important. The Metal Heads and KG robots are advancing toward them and we can't hold out forever."

At this, Jak smirked. "So the city needs me again, huh?" he asked, "What else is new?"

"They always realize they need you after they've done you wrong," I commented.

"Veger has turned on the force fields here," Samos explained.

"Veger's the one who attacked the palace!" Jak replied, "He said he was looking for something below... something in the catacombs."

"Veger?" Keira gasped.

"Yeah, he was going on about wanting to rule the world with all light or something stupid like that," I added. Keira just shook her head and closed her eyes.

"Well, you're just going to have to find whatever it is before he does," Samos said, "But first, you'll need to find another way into this section of the city. Take the sewers into the port, then find a way north to reach us. And you two, we're sorry for what happened. We should have stopped Veger."

"We'll stop him ourselves," Jak assured him.

"Good luck," Keira said to us, "Be careful down there."

"We will," I responded, "See you on the other side." And waving, we headed over to the sewers.


It was a good thing I was close to South Town. I could see all the action from here.

Cameras were set up all around me, and what I was seeing surprised me to no end. Jak, Paige, and Daxter had somehow managed to defeat that Precursor Robot! How did they do it? Not only that, but they also told the ex-Underground leader, Samos, about what I had done. If he knew, then everyone would know, and nobody would ask for my help.

No matter. I would still go through with my plans. They would still have to turn to me eventually. If only those two freaks weren't so stubborn, I thought as I scratched my chin.

I thought back to something Seem had told me a week ago when I spoke with her. "I am working very closely with Short Ears," she had said, "I'm beginning to wonder if she was telling the truth. Maybe she doesn't have any knowledge of the Precursors. She is acting as if she does not know anything about their secrets."

"That's preposterous!" I had snapped, "She is friends with that Dark Eco Freak who has also spoken to them! I am sure that the Precursors will not allow him into their most sacred sites, so she's the next one in line!"

"It just seems very doubtful."

"I will not stand for this. Keep a close eye on them. They may surprise us in the end."

And it was after that conversation that the monks finally managed to help me gain some power to the point where I didn't need Paige anymore. But that was before she and Jak defeated the robot. It was time to put the next part of my plan in action.


"So let me get this straight," Dax began once we reached the exit of the sewers, "Count Vulgar thought you knew secrets about the Precursors from that mission you got?"

"Yeah," I confirmed, "He was bothering me in the library because he wanted to know what I 'knew'. And that was why he dragged me out to Monk Temple a few weeks ago."

In the sewers, Jak and Daxter had asked me about Veger's cryptic comment before our battle against the Precursor Robot, and since I had promised I would tell them, I did.

"Why didn't you tell us before?" Jak asked.

I sighed. "I didn't want you thinking I was actually going to join Veger," I explained, "He's just a bit out there, and it seems like he'll stop at nothing until he gets what he wants."

"We'll stop him," Daxter vowed, and with that, we emerged out into the city again, this time by the Port. There was a full-blown war going on here; KG deathbots roamed the streets while the Freedom League tried to fight them.

"Look!" Jak cried, pointing, "The Naughty Ottsel!"

"Let's go!" Daxter shouted, and we broke out into a run as we entered the familiar bar once again. It was much more spacious, and I noticed Kor's head had been taken down for now. Torn was also standing in the middle of the bar by a communicator.

"Ahh, the Naughty Ottsel," Dax sighed, "Honey, I'm home!"

"Jak! Paige!" Torn shouted, glancing up and smiling, "I never thought I'd see you two again!"

"Good to see you, Torn," I replied, smiling as well.

"Torn!" Dax gasped, "What are you doing to my place?"

"We needed a southern HQ for the war," Torn explained, "Plus, I kinda like the sign with the Ottsel Head outside."

"Yeah," Dax agreed, "It's cool, huh?"

"We use it for target practice."

"Hey!" Daxter snapped, and Jak and I chuckled a little bit. Torn then sighed.

"Listen," he said, "I'm sorry we couldn't stop Veger. We all are."

"What's in the past is done," I replied, surprised that I was quoting Samos.

"We just saw Veger," Jak said, "He's trying to use Precursor technology for something."

"Figures," Torn grumbled, "That guy always was one monk short of a choir. We have bigger problems now. Veger sent me on a suicide attack into the port and we got cut off. Now we can't get back to Freedom HQ. Our forces are divided and the KG and Metal Head fronts are squeezing us from both sides." I just sighed and shook my head. Veger, I thought, Next time, leave military combat to those who are experienced.

"Never fear," Daxter chirped, "The trouble twins and Paige are here!"

"Uh oh, speaking of trouble. We've got incoming blast bots from the KG city section. They're heading this way. Can you two handle it?" Torn pointed at me and Jak.

Daxter chuckled nervously. "Okay, so we've got a little fear. Hee hee... but Jak is here!"

"Come on!" Jak cried, and we exited the Naughty Ottsel to help take out the blast bots.

It looked even worse the further we ran down the Port. Other Freedom League soldiers were busy fighting the deathbots as well. We both collected some Vulcan Fury ammo before moving on to help with the fight.

"Jak? Paige?" two familiar voices cried, and we glanced up ahead as we saw Eileen and David standing a little further from us.

"Eileen! David!" I cried, firing another round from my Vulcan Fury.

"You're back!" David shouted just as he finished fighting off a smaller Krimzon deathbot, "When did you guys get here?"

"Just now," Jak explained, "We're trying to reopen the north side of the city."

"Veger is an idiot!" Eileen yelled as she and David ran over to help subdue more deathbots while we took on the bigger ones, "He sent us in here to fight and cut us off from Freedom HQ!"

"We know," I said to her, "Torn told us. How've you guys been?"

"Not too good," Eileen reported, "We've been taking heavy casualties. We're sorry about what happened with Veger, you two. We shouldn't have allowed that to happen." We all continued to take out the deathbots as she said this.

"It's okay," Jak retorted, even though I knew it wasn't okay, "We're going to knock him off his high horse as much as we can."

"Good," David said firmly, nodding, "He needs it. He's just lost his mind! You should hear some of the things he's said about you two."

"Like what?" I asked, but before he could reply, we finished taking out the larger deathbots not unlike the ones that had nearly destroyed the Underground hideout in the first war.

"Listen," Eileen began, "We've got to go. We have to continue fighting, but we'll talk to you guys again soon! Good luck! It's good to see you again!"

"Thanks!" Jak thanked them, "Good luck to you, too!" Nodding, David and Eileen reloaded their Vulcan Furies and took off into the chaos.

"Come on," the renegade said to me next, "Torn's calling us. He wants us back at the Naughty Ottsel." I nodded and we quickly dashed back to the bar, where Torn was waiting for us again.

"Good job, guys," he complimented as he pressed a button on the communicator.

"This is one intense war," I commented as I wiped some sweat off my forehead.

"Ashelin!" Torn cried, "Ashelin, this is Torn! Jak and Paige are back in the city!"

Ashelin's face appeared as a hologram. "Jak? Paige?" she gasped in happiness, "I knew I could count on you!"

"We're back!" I replied, "Ta da!"

"It's good to have you back," Ashelin said, "Maybe now things will look up."

"That new KG leader's probably pissing in his…" Torn started, but didn't finish, for suddenly, Ashelin's face began to go static.

"Wait…someone's jamming the signal…I think…"

"Torn?" Ashelin asked, "Torn, come in! Are you there?"

But her head disappeared as a new one took its place. No! I thought as I recognized the face and the hair, No, no, NO! It can't be! It just can't be…

"Erol!" both Jak and I shouted at the same time. Torn looked thunderstruck as well.

"I live!" Erol declared, laughing as my hairs stood on end.

"No, no, no," I muttered as I took a few deep breaths, "He's dead! He's dead!" I even pinched myself to make sure I wasn't hallucinating, and to my horror, I wasn't.

"Still fighting for the weak link, eh Jak?" Erol asked in a slightly metallic voice, "Well, I've had a few 'enhancements' since we last met. Even the Metal Heads have their biological weakness. But me? I'm pure metal!"

"No," I hissed under my breath again as I shook my head. So that was Erol in the desert that day! I thought.

That was when Erol faced me next, and I felt my heart pound as I wondered what he would say after all this time. "Hi, Paige," he greeted, increasing my heart rate, "Did you miss me?"

"No!" I growled, refusing to look at the communicator.

"That's a shame. I missed having you as my helper. But that'll change. I'd love to meet you two again." And with that, he was gone before either of us could say anything. I opened my eyes again as I rested my hands on the communicator to steel myself. None of us knew what to say. I could tell Jak was shocked, too.

"We must unite our forces or we're though!" Samos announced as he took Erol's place, "You've got to reach us, you two!"

Finally, Ashelin reappeared. "We need you to break through and link up with us before it's too late. The KG robots are growing stronger. That floating War Factory of theirs is spitting out more robots every day."

Torn took a deep breath and attempted to get our minds off what we had just seen. "We need to assault the KG front," he said, "If we can break through their defenses, we may be able to get back to HQ and link up. Care to make some noise?"

Jak exhaled as well. "We're always up for a little rumble, eh, guys?" he asked, facing us.

"Fish in a barrel, baby!" Dax chirped, "Fish…in a barrel." I laughed in spite of myself, but I was still rattled. Erol was alive.

"Come on," Jak whispered to me, "Let's get you out of here for a while."

Gulping, I nodded as I followed them out of the Naughty Ottsel. "Can you believe it?" I spat, "Erol's alive! But how?"

"I don't know," Jak answered truthfully, "That was…interesting."

"I'm going to pretend that didn't happen," I decided, but I still shook a little bit. I had hoped to never see Erol again after what happened the last time, and this was like my worst nightmare coming true. What did he mean by "enhancements"? What would happen the second time we met?

To take my mind off Erol's return, I followed the trouble twins as they found a rocket not too far away. Jak and I went to stand in front of it as Daxter hopped on.

"I'll handle this!" he announced, and in a flash, he was gone, taking off around the Port.