The skies suddenly started to turn a bit darker, and while that happened Jak ran through the Industrial Section of the city, carrying Hikaru in his arms and Daxter on his shoulder. But… as soon as they went around one corner, they ended up running into a similar face, leaving him to stop suddenly.

"SIG!" Jak exclaimed towards him.

"There you are, chili peppers! I've been looking all over for you! Quick, back to the saloon – something terrible has happened over there!"

He brought his arm in a "come here" motion, leaving them to run down the allies of the section back towards the Southern part of the city. That just left Daxter to look on at his partner with a curious expression.

"Jak, what about the spirits? You saw what happened to Hikaru!"

"It's okay, as long as I find her somewhere to sit down she'll – or they'll – explain everything."

Daxter gave off a brief nod, leaving them to storm across the city, following Sig all the way back towards the Hip Hog, unknowing of the problems that they have faced down there.

As soon as they reached the port, they were looking at Metal Head corpses brought across walls, torn bits of their faces across the floor and dark eco oozing around the floor. As soon as they got into the Naughty Ottsel, they were looking at a room revoked of its Metal Head trophies, Tess being comforted by Torn and Ashelin, and an elderly man with green skin and a woodland-type dress sense sitting with Keira and a purple furry beast in blue clothing.

"What's happened to the Metal Head trophies?" Daxter asked with panic.

"They all flew out of the room and started scattering around the city!" Sig said with shock. "But how can they do something like that?"

"Wait a minute", Jak paused. "Could that explain the tear in fabric in the sky shield?"

The vision of the tear in the shield left Jak's facial expression to show a face filled with shock upon him. And then, the vision escaped from his mind, leaving him to look on at the others with a thoughtful expression.

"I'll be sure to take a closer look at the whole scenario later. But for now, I've ended up with a problem of my own."

She looked into her arms, and saw Hikaru coming to, opening her eyes lightly. He placed her on a chair near the purple beast and the green elder. At her presence, Tess's face started to turn white with fright.

"AIEEEEEE, GET THE VAMPIRE AWAY FROM ME!!!!!"

"Relax, Tess!" Ashelin smiled. "It's just that girl that Jak was guarding during their ambush at the Water Slums earlier this morning."

Ashelin brought her hands down upon Tess's hands, gradually causing her to calm down, with her skin color turning back to its natural color. Meanwhile, Torn just looked on at her with a straight face.

"Wonder what bit her lip, though."

"She claimed that she was Jak's sister or something", Daxter replied, "and that's after close contact with one of Jak's new gun mods!"

"What is it?" Ashelin asked Daxter.

"Jak said it was known as a "Spirit Gun", I think."

Jak gave out a brief nod, while at the same time the green elder stood up from his seat and looked on at the others with a thoughtful expression on his face. But Jak looked on at him with a lightly shaky emotion.

"Be careful Samos – she's still shocked by the whole experience."

Samos raised one of his eyes up lightly, before lightly nodding and going around the other side of Hikaru, placing a hand upon his shoulder with a confidential look showing upon his mouth.

"Come on, speak up young girl", he said with a confident and sagely tone. "You can handle it."

"It's true. From what I can see in his vision, there was me and him, in a scenario three years ago. I was on top of one wall, while he – being a younger child - was on the other side, looking for food and shelter. I also faced another vision of him going into the past to grow up, and then return here to continue his life…! I felt so sorry!"

She brought her head down, with her hair covering her confused-looking face. At the same time, Samos came closer towards her and brought his arm closer around her neck, wanting to get more answers from her and the "vision" that she was given.

"Who told you about all this?" Samos asked with a twitch of an eye.

"That flamin' Baron Praxis guy, but what does it matter?"

"Little girl", the purple monster started speaking with a middle-to-high pitched growling voice, "maybe Baron once knew about your timeline. After all, he ruled city after Jak's parents, so it'll only be fair to say that."

Hikaru looked on at the purple beast, whom gave out a light nod at the sight of her before standing up on both feet, edging closer towards her. While that happened, Hikaru continued to look down, feeling more worried over time.

"All I'm worried about now is how my parents could reject me at my early youth!"

She gave out a sigh, with her ears starting to twitch with more shakiness brought upon them. That left the monster to place a hand upon his chin, thinking of the scenario… until his eyes lightened up with hope.

"Say, Brutter got idea!"

Hikaru looked on at Brutter, the purple beast himself, and then she turned to face Jak and Daxter, their faces starting to show hope within them. The beast looked on at them all, and he instantly lead them out of the tavern, towards the Eastern part of the city.

The city started to turn darker to fit with the skies, and at the same time Brutter was seen leading Jak and his group back towards the Power Station. They went straight through an open door, meeting Jona face to face once again.

"Jona, we need to talk", Jak sighed towards him.

"Now what do you want with me? The Metal Head attacks are getting stronger! Can't you even think about taking care of them right now?"

"We've heard that you're being a little bit secretive around here, keeping something under our noses since Kor's defeat!" Daxter growled towards him. "Besides, if you're not scared, then why won't you leave the station, ponytail?"

Jona's expression slowly started to show a frightened expression about him. He looked on at Hikaru, whom gave out a light nod, and then over at Brutter, whom brought out one of his hands into a thumbs up gesture.

Jona gave out a hesitant sigh. "Alright, I'll admit, I've kept something secret in here since moving in."

He looked on at a nearby control panel, and went towards it. He tapped a few buttons, turning over a plate upon the panel and pushing a metallic blue box from out of the slot. The group looked on at the transformation with awe on their eyes.

"Inside this box, there lies the Precursor Stone, or what was left of it", Jona said with confidence.

"What made you want to keep it here?" asked Jak.

"Better here than inside Mar's tomb, ever since it was starting to decay after it was stolen from there."

Daxter gave off a brief nod, with his mind showing memories of how the Precursor Stone was taken from there, leaving the room where it was once held to crumble apart. He then looked on at Jona again, hoping to have the stone in his own two hands.

"So what do you think you'll need it for?" Jak questioned him.

"Let's face it – in case of emergency, break glass."

"Very funny mister, now just open the container already!" Daxter spat at Jona.

Jona gave out a hesitant nod, and pressed one of the buttons upon the container, leaving a slide to open up upon it, showing another encased box inside. That started to slowly open, leaving him to tap his feet with impatience.

"Come on, open up…!"

A few seconds later, the red box was fully open, leaving a glass slide remaining. That opened up almost instantly… leaving an empty case inside it. That caused him to jump up with shock upon his face.

"What the-!"

He looked closer into it, with his face showing hesitation and fright. He brought his hands in the case, feeling around it for any trace of the stone. But after a few seconds, he looked down with a depressed look.

"Uh-oh, what's gone wrong now?" Brutter inquired.

"It's STOLEN, flagnammit!!!" replied Jona with a stressed tone.

Hikaru's eyes widened. "But if you kept it in there all this time, then how can someone steal it?"

Jona gave out a light shrug, before walking his way towards the middle of the room, with his hair starting to go over his face. He then turned to face the others with a more hesitant look on his face.

"Unless it was left open during lunch break, then I have no idea", Jona sighed.

"Well either way, I'm just worried if it'll fall into the wrong hands!!!"

Daxter brought himself around Jak's neck, with a shaky expression upon his face. And then… all of a sudden, Jak's morph gun rose up into the air with a white glow showing right around it.

"Now what's going on?" Daxter said with a more fearful tone.

"The stone is that way, Jak", said a voice from the gun. "If you want Hikaru's questions to be answered, then I'm afraid it's your only option."

The gun spun around, before pointing outside, allowing a light beam to shine and turn towards the most northern part of the city. Brutter ran outside to see the end of the light beam trail, but… as soon as he did so, his attention was easily turned to a black crowd coming in from the north. He instantly gasped.

"Look out, Haven City! Metal Headers be coming around you!!!"

The occasional woman squealed within the civilian crowd below the station, while most of the men brought themselves up ready to fight them with either bare hands or a pocket knife. And then, the Metal Heads came around the corners, ready to fight them off.

"Be on guard, all of you!!!" Brutter continued to command.

And so those wielding weapons all charged together, trying to defeat their opponents. One half of the crowd seemed successful, while the other half ended up getting bruised and knocked to the floor.

"If that's how the people will respond to this, I'm coming with you to help claim the stone back", Jona smirked.

"But what about the station?" Jak asked with a surprised expression. "Who will look after it?"

"Brutter handle station while crisis occurs!" Brutter smiled while bowing in front of Jak. "Brutter ready for anything!"

Brutter brought his hands into a thumbs up gesture, before he headed inside, ready to tend to the electronic equipment. While that happened, Daxter looked on at the open door with a shaky expression showing on his face.

"You be careful partner – there's no way we're being a set of raw kebabs for them monsters!"

"Let's go already!" Jak scowled towards him.

Daxter immediately gave in a nod and jumped onto Jak's shoulder. At the same time, Jona took a hold onto Hikaru's hand, whom looked on at him with a shy expression. And then, all four ran down the slope towards the city grounds.

The path to the Northern part of the city will leave them on a journey that could change their lives forever…

-end of part 8-