Soaring

Second Arc: Act Seven

"He wanted to hold her for ransom."

"You know what we could lose."

Jak's eyes snapped open. The darkness and silence around him alerted him and for a moment, he had forgotten where he was. Saga. He was in Saga. Jak lifted his hand to his forehead and wiped away the sweat that had collected above his brow. The words that had repeated in his head, he had heard them before but it was only now that he understood what it all meant. Why Kat was so overprotected and shielded from the world and why Krew had placed a bounty on her head. He wanted her for ransom and Jak knew now why. She was royalty and Jak was sure that Kal would have paid a pretty penny for her safe return.

Jak pulled himself out of his bed and sat on the edge of the bed frame. He sighed to himself and slowly pushed his body into a standing position. The creaking of the bed alerted Daxter and he sat straight up. Daxter peered over the side of his top bunk and looked down to see Jak ready to leave his room.

"Jak." Daxter whispered in the dark. "What are you doing?"

"There are a few things I'd like to take care of." Jak replied in a soft tone.

"What?"

"SHH!" Jak threw his index finger to his lips to hush Daxter. "Are you coming?" He asked.

Daxter grumbled to himself. His eyes landed on the other men, who were lost in their dreams. Daxter returned his gaze to Jak. He then frowned and proceeded to shoot the hero a set of daggers that nearly knocked him off his feet.

"We better not get in trouble."

"Don't worry," Jak said with a wink. "I'll be careful."

Jak pressed forward and exited the small room he shared with his group. With silent steps he entered the long hallway. He couldn't help but think how eerie it looked after dark when all the lights had died down. Jak stepped forward into the darkness with Daxter trailing not far behind. A few moments and careful footsteps later, Jak came to fork in the road; he looked forward then to the right. Which way? Jak grunted to himself before continuing forward. He knew he was heading in the right direction.

XoXoX

In the darkness a small set of footsteps echoed through the hall. A small Hedgepine crawled down the hall and he assumed he was alone. The family guardian came to the small fork in the hall and looked to the right. He saw two figures stepping down the hall. Stricken with shock, Bell-bell slammed his back against the wall and began to hyperventilate.

"T-that's Jak! The visitor from Haven City!" He said to himself and placed his tiny paw over his fuzzy chest. "He's going to kidnap the princess! I have to get Ms. Nana!"

XoXoX

Jak stood before a large white door. Golden crests rested on the door, or what he could assume from the darkness around him. He was sure of it; this was Kat's door. Daxter stood by his feet, his nails digging into his leather boots. Jak knew Daxter was nervous, but he knew everything would be fine. He reached his hands into the dark until his fingers rested against the cool metal of the door's knob. He wrapped his hand around the knob and slowly twisted it. After turning the knob as far as it could turn, he pulled forward and the door unlatched. So she left her door unlocked at night? How convenient. Jak could feel Daxter's claws sink further into his shoe, the tension was rising, and Jak could feel it himself. His heart began to race and all the hairs on his body stood up.

The door opened without a sound. Jak looked inside to see a huge bed spread out in front of him. A vale over the top netted the bed and kept its sleeper safe from any flying bugs that entered through the large balcony window. A vanity mirror sat to the right and showcased the many make-up items and hair do-dads the owner possessed. This was her room all right; this was Kat's room. Jak looked over to the large balcony to see Kat seated on the railing. The cool evening wind soared and caused her pink hair to sway. Her black tail was wagging back and forth, the black stiff hairs standing straight up.

Jak stepped forward, his boots making a small squeak on the tile floor. Kat reacted and turned his way. At first she looked shocked and her mouth dropped open. She pushed her backside off of the balcony railing and let both feet hit the floor. She parted her lips but no words could form. Her black tail began to shiver and shake the closer Jak approached. Her look of shock soon faded and she managed to crack a small smile.

"Do you need something?" She asked.

"I just wanted to ask you a few things." Jak said in a soft voice.

"You?" Kat lifted a brow. "Or we?" Her eyes fell down to Daxter.

"We." Daxter moved his body away from Jak's leg.

Kat nodded a single time and turned back to her balcony. She placed her hands on the railing and looked out to the lush forest beyond the castle. The cool wind tickled her ears and caused Kat to flatten them. She shut her eyes for a moment and inhaled the forest winds. She fluttered her eyes open and saw that Jak was now leaning against the rail and was also looking at the Blue Forest. Was he actually missing Haven Forest?

"What is it?" Kat found the courage to finally ask.

"Where is your Mother?" He asked bluntly. "For some reason, Daxter and I were under the impression that your parents were dead."

Kat paused for a moment. "My Mom is dead. She died when I was pretty young."

Jak nodded. "Does your Father know Samos then? When you first arrived on Sandover, that's how we met, through Samos." Jak explained in a soft voice.

"Yeah!" Daxter jumped up and landed on the railing. "'Ol greeny said that they were good pals, for awhile anyway."

Kat returned her gaze to the forest and hummed to herself before answering. "My Father never met Samos."

"What?" The boys asked at once.

"When we were sent back in time," Kat's eyes stayed focused on the scenery beyond her. "We were told that a sage in that time would live there. Samos. We made up a background story but we really didn't know who Samos was."

"That makes sense." Jak said.

"You shoulda seen the looks on your faces when Samos showed up!" Daxter snickered as he spoke. "You and your sis were SO confused!"

A giggle managed to leave her lips. She lifted the back of her right hand to her mouth in an effort to keep more laughter from leaving her lips. Jak felt his chest grow warm. She was laughing and for once, he understood why. But there were still more questions burning in his mind and he had to get it off his chest. He couldn't stand for the secrecy any longer.

"You're a princess." Jak said as he turned his back to the railing and leaned against it. "Explains a lot, like why Torn was so overprotective."

"Yes." Kat said with a small nod. "Because I am royalty."

Daxter huffed to himself, "You think that's the ONLY reason?"

Jak ignored Daxter's comment and continued, "Explains why Krew had a bounty on your head."

Kat inhaled through her nose before turning to face Jak and Daxter. "He found out…somehow."

"About being a princess," Jak cocked one of his thick brows. "Why is it you and not Jam?"

"She doesn't carry any of the royal blood." She said in a simple tone.

"She's my half sister."

How could he be so dense? That was right, she had told him once before that they weren't fully related. Jak resisted the urge to slap his cheek with his hand. Instead he looked toward Kat, only to see that she was looking back at him. Her large hazel eyes staring deep into his, it made his heart flutter.

"We're only related by my Father." Kat replied with a small sigh. "My Mother was queen of Saga and my Father was a traveling Wastelander."

"How romantic!" Daxter over exaggerated.

"That's why I'm next inline to become queen." Kat's eyes darted to the floor. "And that's why I have to protect Saga with everything I can." Kat clenched her jaw but managed to continue. "Saga is my country."

The sound of boots on the hard floor caused Kat to jerk. She looked upward to see that Jak had pushed himself away from the balcony and was standing just inches away from her. A flaring red flush exploded on her face and caused her to gasp in shock. She stuttered once or twice, unable to form proper words. She stared into Jak's deep blue eyes and was nearly breathless.

She watched as he stretched his arms out to her and placed them on her shoulders. His warm touched caused her to jolt upright. All her muscles tensed and she was unable to move. Small, shattered bits of words continued to come from her mouth, none of it making any sense.

"You'll risk anything for your country and you'll go to any length to protect it." He spoke in a slow, soft voice. "I like that."

"I-I-I-I…"

Before her words could make any sense, a loud crashing sound alerted the trio. Jak was quick to pull Kat to one side, ready to shield her from anything. He looked toward the bedroom door to see a woman. She stood in the doorway with a fierce look of anger on her face. She was an older woman, old enough to be a Grandmother. Her thick gray hair was propped up in a tight bun and her brown WampusCat ears stuck out from the sides of her head. Her long brown tail slinked out from behind her back and wagged back in forth in aggravation.

"Nana!" Kat squeaked in surprise.

Jak looked over his shoulder and watched as the horror on Kat's face grew. Jak relaxed his arms and let them fall to his sides. It was obvious now that this was not a dangerous situation. Jak turned back to face the elderly woman and was met by the piercing yellow glow of her eyes in the darkness.

"Bell-bell told me you might cause trouble!" Nana snarled as she walked further into the room, with her index finger extended to Jak. "Keep away from the princess!" She shouted as she reached out to Kat and pulled her away from Jak.

"Sorry," Jak said with his hands lifted to his defense. "I couldn't keep my hands off." He ended with a devilish grin.

Bell-bell peaked out from behind Nana's legs and looked at Jak and Daxter. Seeing this, Daxter jumped down from the balcony railing and scurried across the floor until he was feet away from the guardian.

"Hey! I've been waiting for a LONG TIME to see these two kiss and make-up!" Daxter exclaimed. "You ruined it!"

"I have to protect the princess from any harm!" Bell-bell stood in his own defense. "How do I know you two aren't going to kidnap her?" Bell-bell then turned to Kat. "Are you all right, princess Kat?"

Kat released a small sigh before dipping her head down in shame. "Perfect."

Nana looked to her princess and gave her a solid tug on the arm. "And YOU!" She pulled Kat in toward herself. "Why are you allowing MEN in your room at night? You're in your bloomers for Precursor's sake!"

The redness on her face deepened. With her free left arm, Kat moved it behind her head. She began to scratch at her scalp and whisper something to herself. Nana gave the princess a second yank on the arm and began to scold her again.

"You will LOCK your door at night, do you understand me?" Nana hissed.

"Yes ma'am."

Nana released her tight grip on Kat's arm and looked to Jak. She stomped toward him with her right arm stretched out to him. She swung her hand at his face and took hold of him by the ear. He winced in surprise for a moment and watched Nana as she began to string him along. She walked with him and led him to the door.

"You will stay away from the princess!"

She then pushed Jak out of the room and slammed the door shut. She huffed before turning back to see that she had left Daxter in the room. On the other side of the door, Jak waited for Daxter's return. He mentally counted down to three and on three; Daxter tumbled out of Kat's room. He rolled until his back hit the wall on the opposite side of the door.

"Just hang in there, buddy." Daxter said while upside down. "You'll get your sugar…SOMEDAY."

Jak chuckled to himself. "This just makes the game more interesting."

XoXoX

Jak yawned. The lack of last night's sleep was now catching up with him. But was it worth it? He certainly thought so. But why did Kal have to call a meeting so early in the morning? Jak's eyelids were half open as he was looking at the king across the table. He sat with pride with Lov, Star and Nana by his side. Jak took quick notice of all the nasty glares Nana sent his way. Was it threatening? No, but it sure was entertaining.

"Nana, our family's nanny, has informed me that someone snuck out of his sleeping quarters late last night." Kal began the meeting by addressing his first concerns. "For his own safety, she is keeping his identity secret but I will say this," Kal eyed each male with angry eyes. "If I catch anyone with the princess they will be severely punished. Do we understand each other?"

Torn shot a quick glare to Jak. "We understand, right Jak?"

Jinx also turned to Jak and whispered, "'Ey man, we got 'dis far, don't fudge it up for everybody else."

"I was just taking care of some unfinished business." Jak said with a smirk.

"SILENCE!"

The men jumped to the sound of Kal's voice. They sat up straight and looked at the king as he continued, "Now to more troubling matters." Kal cleared his throat and lifted himself from his seat. "Torn, I have the perfect mission for you and your men."

"Yes?" Torn asked.

"As you've all ready heard from the princess, we've had our fair share of Metal Head problems." He spoke as he moved across the room and toward a single large window. "And I want you to take care of it." Kal lifted his balled fist to the glass and growled. "I want you to go into the desert and kill the Metal Head leader that resides there."

"Another Metal Head leader?" Daxter shouted in horror.

"Yes," Kal said before spinning around to face the men. "The princess tells me all about your war with Metal Kor. If you can do it again, defeat our Metal Head leader, then you will gain citizenship to Saga."

"Ah Jak," Daxter turned to his partner in crime. "Let's just pack our bags and head home! Kat's not gonna come with us anyway!"

Jak lifted his body from his seat and looked down to Daxter. "Kat's here to fight the Metal Head war, isn't she?" Daxter nodded. "Then if we can kill this Metal Head leader, then she's free to come back to Haven."

Jinx pushed himself back in his seat and placed his two legs on the table, crossing one over the other. "He's got a good point, 'der rat-boy."

"The princess is to stay here, where she belongs!" Kal shouted over Jinx and Jak.

"Hey, hey," Daxter stepped in to defuse the situation. "Until YOU croak then Kat doesn't really need to live here, does she?"

Kal's cheek twitched. "We're not here to discuss this in any event!" Kal was quick to change the subject. "Are you going to destroy the Metal Head leader or not?"

Jak turned to Daxter and equipped a smile on his face. "If we can do it once, we can do it again, right buddy?"

"If you say so!" Daxter rolled his eyes.

"What kind of weapons are we going to be given?" Sig spoke out and asked.

"Getting to that," Kal said. "Go to the village square and take any weaponry you desire. Explosives, guns, whatever you need."

Jinx jumped out of his seat with his fists lifted in excitement. "'Dis sounds great! Let's get goin' boys!"

"Calm down there for a minute, kiddies." Sig was quick to settle Jinx's excitement with his words of wisdom. "Once we get this Metal Head, what kind of benefits are we lookin' at?"

"If you kill this Metal Head leader for us, you will be considered knights." Kal said in a serious tone.

"Great," Torn smirked at his teammates. "We'll get this done before you know it."

"Then you should get going."

XoXoX

Jak stepped down the stairs with ease. The meeting he had just attended had alerted him more then he expected. He was pumped, taking on a second Metal Head leader? It was hitting Kor twice as hard. But before he could even think about fighting this Metal Head leader, he had to do something. He had to check in with Vin. His near-death experience was something Jak had to hear. Jak was sure that Vin had bitten the dust that day back in Haven City; it was best if Jak gave him a warm welcome back. Vin had made himself quite comfortable at Kat's castle, settling in to his own 'workshop' in the castle garage.

"Vin!" Jak called out to the older man after making his way to the large garage.

Vin jerked and turned to peer over his shoulder. Pleased to see Jak rather then Kal or any of his minions, Vin turned fully to greet Jak.

"How are you being treated here?" Jak asked with one hand linked to his hip.

"Ah," Vin lifted his hand to his head and began to scratch. "Things aren't BAD and well, they aren't too GOOD either. Kal's always ordering me around like a slave!"

Jak took a moment to look at his surroundings. The garage was a mess of broke vehicles, parts and cords of all sorts. Damaged Warp Gates and Eco runners linked to the back of the room. Jak could only assume that Kal was using Vin's capture to his advantage.

"So he's using your knowledge of Eco to help Saga, is he?" Jak said before looking back to Vin.

"Yes and he's a brute about the whole thing!" Vin shuttered.

"So Lov and Star saved you?" Jak asked. "How did that go?"

"Terrible!" Vin inhaled a chest-full of air and began his rant. "They grabbed and pushed and pulled! Like I wasn't scared enough as it was, here come two hooded figures to grab me and whisk me away!"

"Sounds like it was a rough time."

"'Rough' doesn't begin to explain how awful it was!"

Vin paused just before saying anymore. He lifted his index finger into the air and whirled around. Jak gave Vin a confused stare and watched as the white-haired man walked to he corner of his workshop. He began to dig and search through his desk for something. The sound of shifting paper work and pencils filled the air as Jak waited. After a second or two of searching, Vin pulled out a single item. He slid his desk shut and turned back around to face Jak. He stepped toward Jak, item in hand, and looked to him with a small smile. Jak looked down to his open palms to see the small purple device. It was the same device he had found in Dead Town and had given to Vin for study. Jak felt his heart jump at the sight of the small machine.

"This…" Jak said as he ran his fingers over the screen of the device.

"It was the only thing I was able to save on that day." Vin replied as his smile spread. "I still have plans on studying it." Vin retracted his arms and began to laugh nervously. "Actually, I've already learned a few things about it!"

"Oh?" Jak cocked his head to one side.

"I managed to crack it open," Vin muttered and lifted the item to his nose. "I found a strange Precursor artifact inside."

"Really?" Jak's interests were peaked.

"Yes," Vin nodded. "It seems who ever was using it, didn't know how to work it. I have to decipher the characters but from what I can see, its all messed up."

"Keep on it." Jak said with a grin. "I know you can figure it out."

"I'll get it done."

Act End.