Hey! Look I'm back with a new name and everything ^_^ Sorry I've been gone for such a obscenely long time but I'm back now and with a new chapter, with *gasp* plot!

Thanks to:-

Sycoger164

Shark1

ShadowKattTears

For reviewing.

I don't own Jak Daxter or any other ND Characters.

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Chapter Four

Ruth Of The Red Eco

The next morning Trick and Kick when back to the stadium. They were planning to restart their racing team and were checking out the competition.

Ruth on the other hand wanted to get back to her own roots. Taking Hope and Strife with her she headed to what once was called the Hip Hog Saloon.

"I must say I'm glad to see that all those pictures of Blubber Butt has gone." Ruth muttered. "Though that Daxter guy must have one hell of ego."

"Hey....is that you?" Strife asked.

Ruth looked up and saw the picture of a woman with short red hair and black leather. She cringed. "Yeah...but back then the red hair was a wig, I still don't think Krew paid me enough to pose for that picture."

"Hi, can I help you?"

Ruth turned to the blond girl behind the bar.

"Yeah thanks er..."

"I'm Tess."

"Okay Tess I'll have some of that purple stuff." Ruth said pointing at the bottle that was already on the counter. "And do you have anything suitable for a kid back there?"

"Sure." Tess placed to glasses on the counter, Ruth gave the one filled with a pink soda to Hope.

"Hey Tess, I have the usual 'kay?"

"Sure thing Sig."

Ruth sat upright and looked over her shoulder. In the door way was Daxter, Jak and Sig.

"SIG?!"

Sig looked Ruth up and down. "Do I know you?"

Ruth looked down at her self.

"I guess I do look a bit different after the Red Eco Dip but, surly you recognise the girl who used to watch your six?"

Jak and Daxter looked from Ruth to Sig and back again. Then shrugged and got their drinks off Tess.

" Don't call me Surly." Sig replied. "Besides, I only ever worked with one girl and she's..."

"Remember the time we were camped out hunting metal heads and we were attacked while you were in a river having a..." Ruth said in a light voice.

"Ruth! It's so good to see you again." Sig clapped Ruth on the shoulder so hard that Strife fell off. "I thought you were dead, and I thought I told you that if you ever told anyone what happened back then I would kill you."

"Well you nearly broke my neck." Strife muttered climbing up into the counter.

Jak and Daxter were trying not to laugh. Jak wondered what Sig would want to keep quiet after confessing the existence of 'Poopsie' the Teddy Bear.

"We I had to prove I was me somehow didn't I, after all I've...."

Ruth's face fell her she looked down at her feet. Jak looked away, anger bubbling up inside himself at the pain on Ruth's face. Daxter turned away too, but only so he could flirt with Tess.

"I've been though a lot." Ruth finished lamely.

"So what happened to you?" Sig asked.

Ruth bit her lip.

"Hope, there's a cool game in the corner, why don't you have a go?"

Hope pulled out the pockets on her dress to show she had no money.

"Aww cute kid, here have a game on me." Sig said tossing her a coin.

Hope smiled nodded at Sig and ran off.

"Doesn't she know how to say thank you?"

"She doesn't speak, the nod was a thank you." Strife said from the bar.

"Oh so you have one of them too." Sig said. "Hope this one doesn't have as big a head as that one."

Sig pointed at where Daxter was still chatting up Tess oblivious to the fact he was being talked about.

"No he's no where that annoying." Ruth said looking at him as she spoke.

The red Ottsel got the hint.

"I think I'll join Hope to let you and your friend catch up." He said as he left to join Hope.

"Okay Ruth now that no one else is listening what happened to you?" Sig asked for a second time. "Krew was mighty mad when you never came back from stealing that statue of Mar. Wrote you and your guy's off for dead."

Jak was still listening but no one noticed since his eyes were still on his drink.

Ruth sighed looking down at her own glass.

"When the rain water started coming down hard I ordered the men to the higher part of the sewer, after all we could always go back for the statue. My men were more important than blimp boy's art collection."

Sig snorted. "Krew wouldn't have agreed."

"Like I care." Ruth snapped causing Sig to raise an eyebrow. "We ran but the rain water was to fast. Only me and Mik made it up to the higher levels, we were half drowned and the water was still rising. Then Mik stumbled, he landed on a switch. Part of the wall moved away, it was a stairway up. We scrambled up the steps and stumbled right into a bunch of guards and Metal heads."

"The Baron was given them Eco even back then?" Sig shook his head. "Why am I surprised by that."

"So that's what they were doing there...well the stinking metal heads ripped poor Mik apart, the Guards shot me, I thought I was a gonna."

"What happened after that?" Asked a new excited voice.

Ruth almost fell out of her seat when she saw Daxter sitting on the bar listening to her.

"GET OUT OF HERE RAT! THIS IS A PRIVET CONVERSATION!"

"Whoa." Sig put his hand on Ruth's shoulder. "The Ruth I knew was never this hot headed."

Ruth huffed causing a strand of her fringe to blow away from her face. "Well being submerged in Red Eco for hours on end day after day, month after frigging month would do that to you."

Ruth looked over her shoulder, Hope and Strife were watching them.

"I'm fine." Ruth growled. "Go back to your game."

Nether did but nether did they approached the short tempered experiment.

"Ruth."

Ruth looked up to see an angry Jak glaring at her.

"I like you, but if you threaten one of my friends again, I'll kill you."

"I'd like to see you try." Ruth said taking a step towards Jak.

Jak fisted his hands ready to show Ruth what he was made of.

Sig grabbed Ruth by the back of her rather skimpy red top and pulled her back onto her stool.

"Down girl, you don't want to mess with blondy here." Sig said. "He's killed more Metal Heads than both of us, smashed all of our gun range records, beat Erol in two races, Found the Tomb of Mar, Killed the Metal Head Leader, killed Praxis, helped Ashin onto the throne....Have I missed anything?"

Jak rubbed the back "The Metal Head Leader killed Praxis not me, and..."

"And he couldn't have done any of it with out me, right Jak." Daxter interrupted.

Jak rolled his eyes.

Ruth was looking at Jak in a way that made him turn even redder. She leaned into him.

"You really done all that?" She asked looking up at him.

Jak nodded.

"Where have you been all my life?"

"I...er..." Jak's anger was buried under embarrassment.

Hope was staring at Ruth. Strife was watching too but he looked annoyed more than anything else. Sig saved Jak by pulling Ruth away again.

"Easy girl he's taken." Sig told her.

"Relax I was just playing." Ruth said winking at Jak.

"Ah now that's the Ruthy girl I remember."

"Ruthy-girl?" Said a familiar annoying voice. "I'll have to remember that one."

Ruth turned to see Trick Kick and a girl she didn't know.

"Keria!" Jak said looking relieved to see her. "Come over here and have a drink."

"More like come over here and protect Jak from the over amours Ruth." Daxter said.

Jak 'accidentally' knocked Daxter off the bar.

Strife jumped up to Tricks shoulder. Kick looked at where Daxter had been, then to Jak and Ruth. Trick tried not to laugh, she knew what was bothering her brother, he should be the one with green eyes instead Hope.

"Somebody is jealous." Trick whispered to Strife. "And I don't mean Keria."

"Can't say I'm surprised." Strife whispered back. "They fight like an married couple."

"What are you two whispering about." Kick snapped at them.

"You dearest brother." Trick said smiling sweetly.

Keria meanwhile was eyeing Ruth.

"Ah so your the lucky girl, don't worry I won't steal him of you." Ruth said . "So how were lucky enough to bag the big hero?"

Keria smiled and the two girls started chatting.

Trick was at a lose end looking for something to so she spotted Hope playing, correction losing a game.

"I remember this game...Hey who beat my record?"

"That wouldn't have been the games master yours truly." Daxter boasted.

Trick started muttering under her breath and started playing herself.

"OWW!"

"Goldy." Daxter said in a sweet voice. "Your not meant to hit the red ones."

"I know that fluffy." Daxter pulled a face at the nick-name. "I'm....just out of practice."

"Suuuuurrrrrreeeee you are."

"Jak you there?"

Jak looked at his communicator. "What do you want Torn?"

"Come to the Palace I have a mission for you."

Jak looked at the bar, Strife and Hope was cheering on Trick at the Metal Head Mash game. Ruth and Keria were talking like the old friends. Kick was glaring at Ruth until Sig bought him a drink and the pair started talking to.

Daxter of course had resumed his flirting with Tess.

And for once Jak didn't feel angry.

With a sigh Jak turned back to the communicator.

"This had better be important Torn."

"Oh believe me it is. Now get down here, now." There was a pause. "And if you have to bring the Rat, gag him, I don't want to bother with his crap now."

Jak blinked at the communicator. Torn sounded tired, for him to let that show it must be important.

"Daxter I have to go for a bit, stay here will you?"

"Sure thing Jak." Daxter said not even looking away from Tess's face. Well he did look away from Tess's face for a second but it wasn't to look at Jak.

When Jak entered the Palace only Torn was there, Samos was probably at Haven Forest for some reason.

Ashelin's desk was covered in paper work, as was Torn's but Torn looked much messier.

"The day the Experiments entered the city Ashelin went to check out an alert at the Pumping station."

Jak wanted to ask what the hell this had to do with him, but something in the stoop of Torn's shoulders made him bite his tongue. temporally at least.

"She hasn't come back."

"So you want me to go looking for her?" Jak asked. "Isn't that what your guards are for?"

Torn glared at Jak.

"You've been all over that pumping station, you know it better than any of my men." Torn said. "I need you to find her."

Jak opened his mouth when there was a bleeping from Torn's monitor.

He flipped it one to see the face of the second mostly brown Ottsel with a Yellow underbelly and black markings on it's face.

"Hello Torn. I'm called Eric and I'm sure you recognise me from the tape you must have of my...companions zoomer crash. I used to be a Krimson Guard my self you see." It stoking a paw over his black markings. " So I know you must have recorded that incident. Anyway to the point. I have Ashelin, I'll contact you again to let you know what I want for her. And don't worry, she's unharmed, mostly...."

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Dunn dun dun dun Cliff hanger well kind of.