{/Part one in a mini-series story arc I'm writing. This introduces one of a few extra characters that will be making appearances at random... this one is the orphanage matron Rayne.
Many thanks to Aya and GreenElfie, who read this on DeviantArt and told me it looked okay. OOC-ness issues will be dealt with when I more-than-likely edit this later. Implied DaxTess, TornAshelin in later chapters.
Rayne's lullaby is "The Scarlet Tide" by Allison Kraus. In truth, Rayne is NOT a very good singer... ^^;/}
~=~Little Bits of Lightning~=~
Crashing into walls he could handle. It was the aftershock that he couldn't... especially when he happened to take out one or two Krimzon Guards in the process.
Jak scooped up Daxter's form in his arms and took off running. The little ottsel was okay... just jarred by the crash. Jak couldn't risk too much with him, though. He had to find a place to hide until the guards cooled off.
Firing off two shots behind him, nailing the guards hard enough to stun them, he spun back to look where he was going. If he was right, there should be a place near here that would willingly harbor members of the Underground. He just had to shake most of the guards, first.
After a good ten minutes of running, all Jak could hear was the guards shouting about how they had lost him, and he took a brief moment to look around. One of the central-road buildings caught his attention. Little ornaments hung in the windows, made of painted metal and broken glass. He could see pictures drawn in primitive charcoal held in children's hands hanging on the walls inside.
{The lady there takes care of a lot of kids,} he remembered Torn saying. {If you need to find somewhere to hide, go to her. Ask for Rayne. Just don't bother her too much.}
He didn't have time just then to worry about asking. He quickly slipped in the door, panting, glad to be out of the chase.
A chorus of small voices murmured in surprise as the strange teen stepped into the main room of the house. Children, at least twenty of them, stood around murmuring. The oldest, a boy, ran into the back, shouting a woman's name.
"Uhhhhh..." Jak stammered. "Uh, hi... look, I'm not gonna hurt anyone... my friend's hurt, and I just need a place to hide..."
"Merciful Mar!" a woman's voice cried, interrupting both Jak and the murmurs of the children. "Look at ye! Yeu poor boy... yeu're cov'red head tae toe in soot, an' yer face is scratched like th' devil 'imself had ye en 'is grasp! Donche worry, I've go' plenty'a medicines fer tha'!" Jak blinked in surprise as the thin whisp of a woman whisked out of a back room, speaking as she came out, long black hair swirling behind her, caught up in the energy of her movements. And such a strange accent! He stood speechless when she gently lifted Daxter from his arms, her long fingers gently stroking the ottsel's fur. "Oh, what a darlin' li'l fella... an' sae soft! Such a li'l piece of 'eaven, 'e es! Sae swee'! Doesn' look like 'e's 'urt too badly... jes' some scratches. Zoomer crash, I imagine?"
For a moment, Jak couldn't speak. She was either psychic or a damn good guesser. "Uh... yeah. We nailed a few guards on the way..." He coughed slightly, trying to regain his normally cool composure. "Sorry to bust in on you like this. We need a place to hide until they cool down."
"Oh, tha's no probl'm at all!" the lady exclaimed, still lightly petting Daxter's fur. "I'm Rayne. An' yeu?"
"Jak," the teen responded lightly. "And that's Daxter."
"Jak an' Daxter?" Rayne teased with a chuckle. "Soun's like a title fer somethin'." Smiling to herself, she told one of the children to prepare a bed in the back, as well as a basket with some blankets in it for the little ottsel. "Es thes li'l fella yer pet?"
Quickly, Jak shook his head, following Rayne as she started to walk towards the door the child had exited through. "No... he's my best friend, actually."
Rayne smiled lightly as she pushed the door open with her foot. The child had finished preparing the basket, and had gone about making the bed. The orphanage matron gently laid Daxter down in the makeshift sickbed, smoothing his fur again. "Et must be nice... bein' able to call a companion tha', ev'n when they're jes' an ottsel." Jak tried not to laugh at how surprised this woman would be when she really 'met' Daxter. "So yeu're Jak? Torn's mentioned ye at th' meetin's. Yeu've got quite a talent, bein' able to rile 'im as much as ye deu."
Jak rolled his eyes as he looked around the room, walking around somewhat absently. "Torn couldn't give a shit if I lived or died anyway." After a moment, he turned back to Rayne, who was pulling on a pair of thick gloves. "Say, don't mind me bein' rude, but why are you running an orphanage? You seem a nice enough lady. Why aren't you married or something?"
"I was," Rayne responded quietly, "but I hav'n't seen me 'usband fer high close tae three years now."
Jak blinked, then nodded slowly. "Oh... sorry I brought it up." He started to look around again, his eyes catching a picture on a shelf. Careful with the fragile frame, he lifted it in one hand. "...This is a nice picture. Is this him?"
Rayne turned from what she was doing to glance at him, then smiled softly, "Aye. That's m'weddin' picture. Ah, I was happy then... but I manage now." She turned fully, and Jak recognized the tell-tale traces of an oily green substance on her gloves. "Yer li'l friend will be fine. I rubbed some'a thes ento his fur..." She motioned to a health pack, broken open at the top to get at the eco inside. "...Could I, ah... getche tae 'elp me take me gloves off? I... can't touch 'em..."
Surprised as he was, Jak complied, pulling the gloves off the woman's small hands. She winced when some of the eco dropped off onto her arm, and Jak gawked in surprise at what happened. The stuff burned her skin, like a corrosive acid. Like dark eco would to a normal person. "...How in the...?"
Instantly, Rayne pulled away, covering the wound with one hand. "I don' like talkin' about it. Th' bed's ready. Why donche get some rest?"
"...Sure. Whatever." He sighed, unlatching the ring from the belts that crossed his chest. "Say, Rayne. Daxter... he'll be okay, won't he?"
The woman smiled at last, nodding a little. "Of course 'e will. 'e's a tough li'l fella from th' looks of 'im."
With that, she stepped out of the room, closing the door quietly behind her.
*****
"When I recall his partin' words, must I accept his fate or take myself far from thes place?" Jak blinked awake at the sound of a woman's voice singing. It was night... he could hear the guards talking outside. They were no longer looking for him. But the woman was sad as could be in her song... was she using this as a lullaby or something? He got to his feet, walking slowly into the main room, looking at the girl that held a three year old in her arms. The child must have been crying before, but at the sound of the quiet song, he had calmed. "I thought I heard a black bell toll, a li'l bird did sing. Man has no choice when 'e wants ev'rythin'..." Jak's mouth moved without words. She didn't have the best voice in the world, but it was nice... soothing. But she sounded sadder with each word. "We'll rise above th' scarlet tide tha' trickles down through th' mountain and separates th' widow from th' bride..."
"...That was really pretty."
Rayne almost jumped, but kept herself from doing so in order to keep from waking the child in her arms. "Oh! Jak, yeu scared me... Blaire had a bad dre'm... I 'ad tae 'elp 'im sleep."
Nodding, Jak knelt next to her, looking at the child. "...With such a sad song?"
"Th' Scarlet Tide," she answered simply. "Et's m'life en a nutshell. I remember ev'rythin' sae well. But donche worry too much weth et." She almost stood, but Jak beat her to it, lifting the child from her arms. "Oh... yeu're a saint, dear. 'e goes en tha' bed ov'r there."
Standing, the girl brushed off her knees as Jak spoke, gently tucking the child in. "Do you like it here? I mean... staying with all these kids in the slums."
Rayne just shook her head, walking around to check the other children quietly. "Ef yeu're askin' ef I'd give up thes' li'l'uns jes' tae leave, no. I don' think there's anythin' for 'em 'ere en th' slums, but Torn 'elps me keep 'em safe..."
"You keep mentioning Torn. You like him?"
To that, Rayne snorted, heading towards the back room. "Ha! Th'man's go' anger management probl'ms tha' Erol 'imself'd be jealous of."
Jak couldn't help but laugh as he followed her out, hands behind his head. "I take it you're not fond of the good commander."
"'e could be dancin' around en 'is knickers fer all I care, an' I woul'n't give 'im a sec'nd glance! Th'man's not go' an ounce'a kindness en 'im." She sighed, shaking her head. "'e an' I go way back."
"I won't press further." He watched with a toned down expression as Rayne leaned against the shelf where the basket containing Daxter sat, reaching into the basket to lift the sleeping ottsel from it. Her movements were so careful that he didn't even stir, and just curled up tighter into the warm spot he suddenly had when she cradled him carefully. "Heh... you like animals."
Rayne grinned. "M'secret's out! I love li'l critters of all sorts, 'specially otts'ls. Never seen one sae soft b'fore, though..." She smiled when Daxter made a sound that almost sounded like a purr... Jak remembered the first time Daxter had done that. It had scared poor Daxter so badly that he hadn't slept for the rest of the night. "S'how long ye been with th' li'l fella?"
"Oh, a lot longer than you'd believe. He's a near constant companion. I'm glad he wasn't hurt too badly, though."
Smiling, Rayne leaned down to press her cheek against Daxter's fur, almost like she was listening to him breathe. "Well, he's adorable." There was a pause before Daxter shifted; whether because of being moved from his warm bed or because someone was snuggling his fur was unknown, but he did wake. Groggy blue eyes turned to the dark-haired woman, who smiled at him and scratched his back lightly. "Oh, I'm sorry, dear'eart... did I wake ye?"
Jak chuckled, reaching over to pat Daxter's head playfully. "Hey there, Dax. Good to see you up and running. This is Rayne... she's letting us hang out here until the guards settle down."
Without even thinking, Daxter snorted at his friend, ears tilting foreward in a sort of lop-sided fashion. "I'll thank 'er when my head stops hurtin'..."
The woman jumped in surprise, her jaw dropping open as she stared at the ottsel she held in her arms. "...'e spoke!"
"Daxter's just full of surprises," Jak grinned sheepishly.
"Torn neglects tae mention th' oddest things. Well, one way 'er th'other, 'e's still precious." Daxter mumbled to Rayne's comment, but didn't object to the attention when she lightly rubbed his belly past his arms. "Yeu two leavin' en the mornin'?"
Jak nodded. "We should. Torn's been pissed at me most of this week for something he hasn't told me yet. Might as well see if I can find out now."
Snorting, Rayne laid Daxter back in the basket. "Yeu'd 'ave be'er luck gettin' a straight answer outta Pecker! But good luck."
She smiled at him, then brushed out of the room. Jak decided that if he wanted a good rest, he may as well sleep now...
*****
"Vin? Uncle Vin, are ye 'ere?"
Before Jak had even thought to get up, Rayne was up and busy at her daily routine. Her first stop? The power station. Across the room in the building alive with the sound of computers, Vin nearly lept out of his skin, spinning to look at the dark-haired woman that stood there, chuckling at his antics. "For the love of the Precursors, Rayne! Not you too! Jak scares me like that *enough*."
Rayne just smiled, shaking her head as she sat down a small basket on a console with nothing on it. "Yeu're jes' worryin' tae much, Uncle. 'ere. I knew ye'd be busy t'day, sae I made ye lunch. Thought I'd drop et off on m'way tae the bazaar."
Vin blinked, then laughed a little, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly as he walked over to pick up the basket. "You really didn't have to do that, Rayne. I would've been fine." He paused. "And aren't you getting a little old to still be calling me 'uncle'?"
"Ach, like I c'n believe tha'!" the woman cried in response. "Yeu'd starve yerself b'fore ye stopped tae get a decent meal. Jes' don' ferget tae eat *that*." She smiled gently. "An' I'll only be teu old when I'm grey, Uncle Vin."
Grinning slightly, Vin waved his hand as if dismissing the notion and the comment. "Right, right... anyway, I'll be fine, Rayne. Who's the parental figure here, me or you?"
Rayne smirked, putting her hands on her hips. "I wonder sometimes." Laughing at the scientist's distraught expression, she reached over and poked his shoulder lightly. "I'll come by on th'way back tae visit fer a bit. Take care, Uncle Vin."
Giving a little bit of a sigh, the foreman nodded. "Be careful, Rayne... the KG's on high alert today, and I know they still know your face."
Rayne just nodded as she disappeared out the door. Vin just sighed, looking at a pile of boxes he had marked for delivery... and went about contacting Torn. Better then than never, after all...
*****
Jak felt much more comfortable with Daxter back on his shoulder, arriving back at the Underground hideout in a much better mood than he had left it in. Torn was at his desk as usual, eerily pale eyes skimming maps and charts. Smirking slightly at the older elf, he leaned foreward against the desk. "I had no idea you were so popular with the ladies."
Without even lifting his eyes, Torn muttered, "Do you have something important to say, brat, or are you just here to piss me off?"
"Rayne doesn't seem to like you very much," Jak replied. "She's a nice lady, I don't see how you can't get along with her."
Torn growled, lifting his head just slightly. The shadow from the overhead lamp cast darkness about those ice blue eyes, and Jak couldn't help but shudder at the haunting look it gave the Underground commander. "Some things are best left undiscussed, Jak."
"Not this, Torn." Torn sighed deeply, his eyes narrowing as Jak continued. "What's a woman like her doing working for the Underground? She's not a fighter. She's not built for it."
The ex-KG shook his head, running his hand back over his dreds. "Rayne is sort of a special agent. She prepares health packs for the Underground, and she helps with first aid when we can't get to our medic. She also lets us stay at the orphanage if we need a place to hide out." He reached for a sheet of paper, grumbling out. "I asked her when she first joined what she wanted, and she told me flatly that it was nothing I could give... looked me in the eye as she said it." His attention turned back to the teen. "Later, she told me that if I wanted to give her anything, the best payment was information on her husband, Mihk. So Ashelin gets that for her, and she does what she can."
Jak nodded. That made enough sense. But the conversation was far from over. From his perch on Jak's shoulder, Daxter piped up, "Okay, next question. Jak said that she got some green eco on 'er when she was fixin' up my wounds, and that it hurt her. What's up with that?"
At this, Torn's whole form tensed. "Rayne and Mihk were arrested three years ago for harboring Underground fugitives... that's when they were separated.' Then, he growled. "She spent six months being the baron's guinea pig... she's lucky to be alive." His eyes shot to Daxter, shooting daggers. "Don't you dare bring this up to her. The whole thing upsets her anyway... and we need her help." He decided, then, to change the subject, tossing the paper he held at Jak. "Here. I've got a mission for you."
The teen blinked, catching the paper with one hand. "Oh? And what's that?"
"Vin needs a delivery made to an associate of his back at the strip mine. God knows Vin won't go himself, so he wants you to do it."
Jak sighed lightly. "I'm always the delivery boy. Fine, fine, I'm on it. Tell Vin I won't be long."
"And Jak, if you see Rayne again, tell her I'll have her payment to her this evening. It's important."
*****
At that moment, Rayne was walking through the alleys of the slums, heading back towards the orphanage. Gloves covered her slim hands, and she grasped the closed bag in her hands very carefully.
"My dear Rayne... whatever are you doing out here, and so... alone...?"
Rayne knew that sneer all too well, and she jumped when she heard it, spinning to find herself face-to-face with Erol, a devilish grin resting on the angular features of his face. She tried to back away from him, but he blocked her every move, finally backing her into a corner. "You look positively ravishing."
"An' yeu look like a Lurker aft'r a night'a che'p booze an' foolery," hissed the woman in reply. "Le've me alone, Erol."
"Oh, my dear, is that any way to talk to me? I just saw you coming this way, and decided to say hello." He spoke as a snake might if it would, his voice smooth and sinister. "How are those charming orphans of yours?"
Frowning, Rayne made another attempt to move past Erol, who blocked her again as she spoke. "None'a yer business. I need tae ge' back. Le' me go."
Erol just grinned, one hand lightly toying with Rayne's dark hair. "You really are lovely, my dear... I would love to get you out of those clothes..." It was hard for him not to laugh at her horrified face. "And into a sleek red dress. Why don't you come to supper with me? Candlelight, soft music, solitude... no one to interrupt us..."
His words were cut short as Rayne's fist slammed across his right jaw. She hissed out lowly, "How *dare* yeu talk te me like tha'?! Ah'm no' yer toy tae play weth as yeu please!"
Growling, Erol grabbed Rayne's wrists, forcing her to drop the bags she carried as he shoved her against the wall. He grinned dangerously as he leaned close. "Gloves, my dear? Ah yes... eco packs. Delivering to old Torn? I recall that those little shots we gave you made you unable to touch them... and yet you give them to that wet-nosed deserter whore?!"
"Better th'n yeu havin' 'em, yeu twisted snake... yeu should bi'e off th' tip of yer forked tongue tae keep ye from hissin' sick innuendos!"
Erol frowned, but he didn't let her go. "You're a fool to cross me, Rayne." He leaned in further, his voice like a honey-dipped dagger as his lips brushed her ear, causing her to flinch. "And that just might cost you the lives of all those children..." Slowly, he grinned, feeling Rayne's body tense. "I thought that might get your attention. Yes, that's right, all of those poor children... burned in a horrible accidental fire. They can be saved, though... if you cooperate. Tell us where Torn is hiding... and come quietly with me. You'll be handsomely rewarded for your compliance. You and your orphans will be moved to suitable living areas in the red sector of the city. And... your husband, Mihk. He'll be returned to you."
"Mihk es alive?" Rayne questioned breathlessly.
"As alive as you or I, my dear." Erol stood straight, releasing the woman, who sunk to the ground as if all the strength had left her legs entirely. "You have three days. Everything I promised you will receive, *if* you tell us where Torn is hiding and who is working for him." The Krimzon Guard knelt in front of the lady elf, lightly caressing her cheek with his palm, delighting in the expression of mixed fear and disgust she showed him. "You know it's not safe for those children in the slums. You'll make the right decision, Rayne. I know you will."
Smirking, he turned and left, leaving the miffed and frightened woman sitting on the ground in the alley, alone.
But Rayne did not go to Torn when she finally stood. Gathering her bags, she quickly ran back to the orphanage. She had to think.
*****
The days passed slowly, and Jak usually now spent a few minutes before his day began dropping by the orphanage. The kids adored him, and they all knew his name. The oldest boy, Lian, often went on to Jak about how he wanted to be 'just like him' once he was old enough.
However, for some reason, Rayne seemed tense. She smiled weakly at him when he came, but avoided him for most of the time he was there. Something was on her mind, but she wasn't saying what.
He had delivered the information from Torn days ago, but she hadn't gone to collect. The kids asked him what was wrong, but he had nothing he could really say. He could just watch and wait, just as they did.
As he left that evening, he figured things would get better... he had no idea how hairy things were about to get.
*****
Rayne was fixing breakfast for the children in the orphanage when the door suddenly burst open. She expected at first that it was Jak, coming in before his daily runs to visit the kids, but no. There instead stood Commander Erol, watching her like a wild beast would its prey. Rayne nearly dropped the skillet, backing away from him. "Commander Erol...!"
"So, Rayne... have you thought about our deal?"
For a moment, her resolve wavered. Then, she lifted her chin, indignance written on her features. "I don' know anythin' about th' fug'tives yer talkin' 'bout."
Erol almost looked angry, but then he grinned as he stood before the dark-haired woman, eyes focused on her face. "Very well, then... Rayne, you and the orphans here are under house arrest until investigations can be further made into the allegations that you have been harboring Underground fugitives here."
"My 'ome es alwehs op'n, *Commander*." The woman spoke carefully, although she spat out Erol's title with a certain amount of contempt. "I go' no probl'm lettin' a poor stranger stay th' night, s'long as they keep out a' me business."
Wrinkling his nose in veiled disgust, Erol scoffed, turning his back on the woman. "You don't quite realize the situation you're in, do you? If you are convicted of the crimes you are accused of, you and these children could be sentenced to death."
"Yeu're no' half a man!" Rayne hissed, clenching her fists tightly. "Threatenin' innocent orph'ns! Yeu're no be'er than those monsters!"
She hardly had time to react before the commander grabbed her by the collar, flinging her into a nearby wall. Dazed and partially unconscious, she lay slumped there as two of the older children ran to her aid. Erol just snickered, walking outside and blocking the exits.
"Burn it," he instructed one of his men, his face perfectly straight, "until it smolders. I want to hear her and those children scream for mercy before they die..."
For a moment after the blaze started, Erol stood watching, his arms folded. The firelight created an eerie glow as it flickered and reflected back, dancing across his armor and the sharp, angular features of his face. As he turned, a chuckle rose in his chest... and as he hopped onto his zoomer to speed away, that chuckle turned into a roar of laughter.
It was good to be evil.
*****
Jak was on his way back from a late mission in Haven Forest, hoping for at least a few hours of sleep, when Daxter suddenly shifted violently on his shoulder. "Jak! Jak, look! Smoke! There's a fire in the slums!"
The teen blinked, looking up where his friend was pointing. Billows of smoke rose into the sky, and he could hear people shouting for help, leaping onto a zoomer as he shouted to his small friend. "C'mon, Dax... let's see what's going on."
"Jak!"
After a short time of driving, the familiar voice was welcome.
"Torn!" Jak lept from the zoomer he was on when he spotted the Underground commander, who appeared to have been trying to find a way into the burning building. "What the hell is going on?!"
The Underground leader hissed, turning back to the burning building. He was trying to hide a look of distress behind his stoic expression. "Erol torched the orphanage." He closed his eyes tightly, shaking his head. "Rayne and the kids are still inside!"
Jak turned to stare at the fire licking the wood outside the broken windows. He heard the children calling out from inside, yelling for someone to help them. Frowning, he decided he couldn't just sit and let this happen. He barely heard Torn yelling for him to stop as he ran foreward, breaking through what was left of the window to the smoking hell inside.
*****
The interior of the orphanage was thick with black smoke, obscuring most of Jak's vision. He could hear the children, but not see them, and before he could get up, another body landed beside him. The obscured figure put a wet shirt over his head as his familiar, gravelly voice hissed, "Stop being in such a hurry to die!"
Jak just grumbled, starting to crawl foreward. "Come on. Help me find them."
The two moved as quickly through the building as they could. Jak's only comforts were knowing that Daxter was alive, his head turkced beneath the wet shirt and his claws digging into the teen's back, and the sounds of the children calling for help... proof that *they* were alive.
Torn drew his crescent blade when they neared the door from where the noises were coming, standing long enough to hack through the weakened wood. Behind it stood gathered the soot-dirtied faces of nearly twenty children, huddled around a dazed and weary Rayne, who held to her the smallest.
"Torn!" she managed to wheeze. "Jak! Oh, thank Mar yer 'ere! We've go' tae ge' th' kids out'a 'ere!"
"I'll make an exit," Torn stated, moving towards a door.
After watching Torn hack away at the door for a few moments, Jak turned away. His shoulder felt light. Sudden panic flew through him. "Daxter?!"
The kids were already on their way out, and Torn was starting to lift Rayne, who was still groggy from being flung. The ex-KG turned briefly towards Jak then. "Come on! Let's get the hell out of here!"
"I can't!" Jak retorted. "Take her to Vin! I've gotta find Daxter before this whole place goes up!"
For an instant, an air of understanding passed between the two. Then, Torn nodded. "Be careful!"
Jak nodded in reply, then turned and ran back into the burning orphanage.
*****
Vin nearly jumped out of his skin when the door to the Power Station slipped open with a loud whirring of gears, revealing Torn standing there with a cloack wrapped around him. "Vin! A little special delivery for you."
The foreman let out a shaky sigh, resting one hand over his heart. "For Mar's sake, Torn! You'll give me a heart attack one of these days!" He paused briefly, pushing his goggles back to get a sharper look at Torn, wrinkling up his nose. "You smell like hickory-smoked bacon. What're you carrying?"
Torn frowned, shaking the cloak off his shoulders. Rayne was limp in Torn's arms, and Vin stared in a sort of blank shock as she was carried to him. "Erol torched the orphanage." He saw the look of panic that threatened to overtake the foreman, and he shook his head. "The orphans are safe. All at various safehouses around the slums to keep them safe until we find a new place for the orphanage. As for Rayne... she needs to stay with you for a while." Carefully, he placed the orphanage matron in Vin's arms. "You're her only family. Congratulations, Vin, you're a father."
"That's godfather... and that's not very funny, Torn, given the situation." An equal frown crossed Vin's face, and with a sigh, the scientist motioned for Torn to follow him. "Hurry... we can take her to my place." He briefly readjusted Rayne in his arms before gently handing her back over to Torn once the ex-KG had his cloak back on. "You'll have to carry her."
It wasn't far at all too Vin's apartment... as a matter of fact, it was within walking distance, hardly a block from the power station. Since he had a very difficult job, Praxis had grudgingly given him better lodgings.
"I appreciate this, Vin," Torn finally stated lowly as they slipped into the apartment as discretely as they could. "I can't keep her at the hideout. She and Kor aren't exactly the best of friends."
"Don't bother thanking me. Rayne's my goddaughter, remember? Someone's gotta take care of her." Vin didn't look at Torn as he walked over to a couch, pulling out a folding bed. "You can just put her here... I'll look at her injuries in a minute."
Torn took a look around as he waited for Vin to finish situating the couch-bed he was going to be placing Rayne on. "...Huh."
Vin blinked, glancing at the former commander over his shoulder. "What?"
"I half expected you to have the damn placed booby-trapped, paranoid as you are."
Giving a scoff, Vin motioned Torn over to the bed. "I'm paranoid, but I'm not stupid. If I booby-trapped this place, I'd only end up trapping *myself*."
"Good point," Torn drolled as he rested Rayne on the couch-bed, making certain she was comfortable.
"I do my best," the foreman stated. There was an uncomfortable pause as Vin covered Rayne with a blanket before standing straight, turning his attention to Torn. "By the way, where's Jak? if I'm taking care of Rayne, there's a few things I need him to do for me."
His words seemed to freeze Torn on the spot. "...He... shit! The orphanage! He's still in there!" His heart skipped. "Fuck! He'll die in there!" Quickly, he pulled up the hood on his cloak again. "Later, Vin! I'll send someone to help you as soon as I find Jak!"
Without letting Vin reply, Torn hurried out the door.
*****
Torn was only halfway towards the slums when he caught sight of Tess rushing towards him, carrying something bundled in her arms.
"Tess!" he called. "What're you doing here?!"
"Looking for Jak," she replied. "I found Daxter by the entrance to the hideout." Frowning, she pulled back the blanket to reveal an unconscious Daxter, singed but very much alive. "He's a little burnt, but I think he's okay. Problem is, I can't find Jak anywhere." Then, she frowned. "I saw the orphanage, by the way... or what's left of it..."
Torn's expression turned unusually frightened. "What's... left of it...?"
Tess nodded. "The whole place fell in on itself. I hope no one was..." Her voice drifted off as Torn's expression struck her as to the severity of the situation. "No! He wasn't..."
"He was looking for the furball..." Torn's voice was abnormally quiet, his icy blue eyes fixed on Daxter. "He was still inside..."
*****
It didn't take Torn much longer to sprint to the middle of the slums, and he stood in quiet disbelief in front of what was left of the orphanage. Whisps and tendrils of smoke continued to rise from the rubble as dying flames struggled to feed on the ash, stone, and charred wood.
"...oh, god..." He stepped foreward slowly, kneeling next to the destroyed building. "...I should've come back sooner..." A piece of metal stuck from the rubble that he recognized, and he reached out slowly, picking it up in a shaking hand. The shoulderguard from Jak's get-up. "...damn..." His other hand came up to rub his temples, covering his eyes. "...what have I done?"
*****
He needed time. His head ached, and after sifting through the rubble, he had found nothing left of his best agent. He couldn't think of how he was going to tell the others... Jak was dead. As much as he and the boy had bickered, Torn felt him trustworthy... he was one of the few people the war-worn soldier would ever consider leaving his life in the hands of. And now this...
Wearily, he ran his hand over his dreds as he trudged over the bridge to the slums. He would have kept right on walking had a groan not caught his attention. Looking down, he was stunned to discover that Jak was laying in the ditch beneath him, staring up at him through pained cobalt eyes.
"Jak!" A wave of relief swept over him briefly before he smiled slowly, sitting down on the edge of the bridge. "Well, this is ironic. I spend a half hour looking for you in the rubble of that orphanage... then, I even mourned your death. And here you are, hurt but alive. Maybe I should leave you here and say I never found you."
Jak's lip curled up in an angry sneer. "You wouldn't dare, you fucking *bastard*!"
Torn smirked, then climbed into the ditch, pulling Jak's arm over his shoulder as he helped him stand. "Come on, asshole. Let's go get your rat."
*****
"So... what happened while you were in the orphanage?"
Jak glanced over towards Torn from where he sat in the passenger seat of a two-seater zoomer. "Huh?"
Torn rolled his eyes. "When you were in the building that happened to be burning down around you. What happened?"
"I happened to see Daxter run out," Jak responded. "On my way, I saw something else, and I grabbed it and ran." He shrugged slightly. "I must've just breathed in too much smoke, and so I passed out in the ditch."
Slowly, Torn gave a slight, but wry, grin. "And you look like a roasted turken. It's a good look for you, Jak... no, really, it is."
Jak growled at him. "Could you stop being an ass, just for... I don't know... five minutes?"
In response, the Underground commander shook his head. "No can do. Besides, I thought you *liked* my "charming sense of humor"."
"Bite me."
"Ladies first."
*****
The room seemed far too dark to Rayne when she started waking up, rolling onto her side, trying to figure out where she was. She heard voices, but couldn't make them out, until one of them broke from the conversation. "Oh, Vin, she's waking up!" Whoever it was moved to sit on the bedside, lightly patting her cheek. "Rayne? Rayne, can you hear me? It's me... Tess!"
Rayne blinked a few more times to adjust her vision, and once the spots had cleared and the blurriness was gone, she found herself facing Tess, whose expression quickly went from concern to relief. "Oh, there we go! Vin was beside himself, he was so worried!"
"I was not!" A sigh came from Vin as he walked over to where Tess sat, folding his arms tightly over his chest. "It's good that you're awake, though. You weren't out as long as I thought you would be. It's only been a few hours since the orphanage--..."
The woman's eyes went wide. "Th' orphanage! Oh, merciful Mar! Are th' children all righ'?! They got out safely, di'n't they? An' Torn an' Jak?!"
When she got no response from either of the two, her heart dropped. She saw Daxter at the foot of the couch bed, curled up tight as he could, awake but not speaking. Tess fidgetted, tucking her hair behind her ear three times before she finally managed a soft sigh. "The orphans got out fine... and, well... Torn's okay, but Jak... he's..."
"Alive and kicking."
The voice from the door startled all four of the people in the room to awareness. Daxter was the first up, darting to Jak's shoulder as he playfully punched his friend's jaw with a tiny hand. "I knew a little fire couldn't keep ya down, Jak! Good thing you got out safe! That woulda been real cruel'a you, dyin' after I spent two years finding your sorry ass!"
Jak snorted softly, nudging Daxter with one hand. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever, Dax. It's good to see you, too."
Behind him, Torn let out a quiet scoff. "I found him in a ditch near the hideout. I can only guess he was going to see if Daxter had gone there. He's alive, though... I guess we should be grateful."
"Yeu dinnae hafte stay en th' orphanage sae long, Jak," Rayne murmured once the room had quieted. "The children were safe..."
The teen shrugged. "I had to find Daxter. Glad to see he got out safe. Oh, and I found this, too. Thought you might want it."
He passed to her a singed picture, and Vin's brow went up when he looked over her shoulder at the photograph held in her shaking hands. "It's your wedding picture."
After a quiet moment, Rayne looked up at the boy, smiling as she clutched the picture. "Yeu're a blessin' en disguise, Jak. Yeu'll save thes city... I know et. Yeu jes' watch."
This time, Torn rolled his eyes, purposefully shoving Jak with his shoulder as he brushed past. "Hmph. He's just a brat."
"I think Torn's a little jealous of the attention Jak's getting," Tess giggled with a broad grin.
"Hey, shut up!"
Those gathered in the room dissolved into a short bit of laughter at Torn's expense, and though the ex-KG looked somewhat insulted, he couldn't help but feel a little bit better that things had, in the end, worked out. At least, for now.
While the others continued talking, he made his way towards the window, gazing out at the people passing as the rain began to make its descent to the dirty streets below.
*****
"The plan went off flawlesly, Baron Praxis," Erol stated curtly, watching the city ruler with a straight face. He stood in conference with the man now, no more than ten paces from a straight-faced woman he preferred to avoid, who also stood facing their leader. "We were able to gain a good deal of information without them even noticing."
Baron Praxis gave a slight nod, his back still to the two figures in his presence as he watched the rain pelt the window in front of him. "Very good. Continue as planned, Commander. You are dismissed."
Erol gave a nod, then turned on his heel and stalked out. The woman watched him exit with a frown before turning her attention back to the city's ruler. "Are you sure that was wise? Letting him act with so much free reign?"
The words made Praxis turn, his attention focusing on his rigid advisor. "The commander is quite skilled, Lesca. I trust him well enough." His good brow lifted. "Do you not trust *my* judgement?"
As he sat behind his desk, Lesca shook her head, walking over to stand at his side. "I trust you with my life, sir." Her hand rested lightly on his shoulder. "I would follow you to the edge of this world... and beyond even that, if you asked me."
"Your loyalty could be your downfall someday, but it is commendable nonetheless." The baron steepled his fingers, suddenly appearing deeply contemplative. "I believe your unique skills may come in handy. Meet with our spy... gather what information you can. You know what to do if he fails you."
Slowly, a dark smile crossed Lesca's face. "Of course, Baron Praxis. Your wish... is my command..."
~=~End~=~
{/They called her the Widowmaker, and it was easy to see why. Lesca, former commander of the Krimzon Guard and now secretary and personal advisor to Baron Praxis, is a dangerous woman. Anyone who knows anything about her knows to steer well clear of her. And she has a personal vendetta against Torn...
Now, Jak is in a race against time to save the Underground commander from a deadly poison, but can he find the man who has it in time...?
Next Chapter: "Tangled Web"/}
Many thanks to Aya and GreenElfie, who read this on DeviantArt and told me it looked okay. OOC-ness issues will be dealt with when I more-than-likely edit this later. Implied DaxTess, TornAshelin in later chapters.
Rayne's lullaby is "The Scarlet Tide" by Allison Kraus. In truth, Rayne is NOT a very good singer... ^^;/}
~=~Little Bits of Lightning~=~
Crashing into walls he could handle. It was the aftershock that he couldn't... especially when he happened to take out one or two Krimzon Guards in the process.
Jak scooped up Daxter's form in his arms and took off running. The little ottsel was okay... just jarred by the crash. Jak couldn't risk too much with him, though. He had to find a place to hide until the guards cooled off.
Firing off two shots behind him, nailing the guards hard enough to stun them, he spun back to look where he was going. If he was right, there should be a place near here that would willingly harbor members of the Underground. He just had to shake most of the guards, first.
After a good ten minutes of running, all Jak could hear was the guards shouting about how they had lost him, and he took a brief moment to look around. One of the central-road buildings caught his attention. Little ornaments hung in the windows, made of painted metal and broken glass. He could see pictures drawn in primitive charcoal held in children's hands hanging on the walls inside.
{The lady there takes care of a lot of kids,} he remembered Torn saying. {If you need to find somewhere to hide, go to her. Ask for Rayne. Just don't bother her too much.}
He didn't have time just then to worry about asking. He quickly slipped in the door, panting, glad to be out of the chase.
A chorus of small voices murmured in surprise as the strange teen stepped into the main room of the house. Children, at least twenty of them, stood around murmuring. The oldest, a boy, ran into the back, shouting a woman's name.
"Uhhhhh..." Jak stammered. "Uh, hi... look, I'm not gonna hurt anyone... my friend's hurt, and I just need a place to hide..."
"Merciful Mar!" a woman's voice cried, interrupting both Jak and the murmurs of the children. "Look at ye! Yeu poor boy... yeu're cov'red head tae toe in soot, an' yer face is scratched like th' devil 'imself had ye en 'is grasp! Donche worry, I've go' plenty'a medicines fer tha'!" Jak blinked in surprise as the thin whisp of a woman whisked out of a back room, speaking as she came out, long black hair swirling behind her, caught up in the energy of her movements. And such a strange accent! He stood speechless when she gently lifted Daxter from his arms, her long fingers gently stroking the ottsel's fur. "Oh, what a darlin' li'l fella... an' sae soft! Such a li'l piece of 'eaven, 'e es! Sae swee'! Doesn' look like 'e's 'urt too badly... jes' some scratches. Zoomer crash, I imagine?"
For a moment, Jak couldn't speak. She was either psychic or a damn good guesser. "Uh... yeah. We nailed a few guards on the way..." He coughed slightly, trying to regain his normally cool composure. "Sorry to bust in on you like this. We need a place to hide until they cool down."
"Oh, tha's no probl'm at all!" the lady exclaimed, still lightly petting Daxter's fur. "I'm Rayne. An' yeu?"
"Jak," the teen responded lightly. "And that's Daxter."
"Jak an' Daxter?" Rayne teased with a chuckle. "Soun's like a title fer somethin'." Smiling to herself, she told one of the children to prepare a bed in the back, as well as a basket with some blankets in it for the little ottsel. "Es thes li'l fella yer pet?"
Quickly, Jak shook his head, following Rayne as she started to walk towards the door the child had exited through. "No... he's my best friend, actually."
Rayne smiled lightly as she pushed the door open with her foot. The child had finished preparing the basket, and had gone about making the bed. The orphanage matron gently laid Daxter down in the makeshift sickbed, smoothing his fur again. "Et must be nice... bein' able to call a companion tha', ev'n when they're jes' an ottsel." Jak tried not to laugh at how surprised this woman would be when she really 'met' Daxter. "So yeu're Jak? Torn's mentioned ye at th' meetin's. Yeu've got quite a talent, bein' able to rile 'im as much as ye deu."
Jak rolled his eyes as he looked around the room, walking around somewhat absently. "Torn couldn't give a shit if I lived or died anyway." After a moment, he turned back to Rayne, who was pulling on a pair of thick gloves. "Say, don't mind me bein' rude, but why are you running an orphanage? You seem a nice enough lady. Why aren't you married or something?"
"I was," Rayne responded quietly, "but I hav'n't seen me 'usband fer high close tae three years now."
Jak blinked, then nodded slowly. "Oh... sorry I brought it up." He started to look around again, his eyes catching a picture on a shelf. Careful with the fragile frame, he lifted it in one hand. "...This is a nice picture. Is this him?"
Rayne turned from what she was doing to glance at him, then smiled softly, "Aye. That's m'weddin' picture. Ah, I was happy then... but I manage now." She turned fully, and Jak recognized the tell-tale traces of an oily green substance on her gloves. "Yer li'l friend will be fine. I rubbed some'a thes ento his fur..." She motioned to a health pack, broken open at the top to get at the eco inside. "...Could I, ah... getche tae 'elp me take me gloves off? I... can't touch 'em..."
Surprised as he was, Jak complied, pulling the gloves off the woman's small hands. She winced when some of the eco dropped off onto her arm, and Jak gawked in surprise at what happened. The stuff burned her skin, like a corrosive acid. Like dark eco would to a normal person. "...How in the...?"
Instantly, Rayne pulled away, covering the wound with one hand. "I don' like talkin' about it. Th' bed's ready. Why donche get some rest?"
"...Sure. Whatever." He sighed, unlatching the ring from the belts that crossed his chest. "Say, Rayne. Daxter... he'll be okay, won't he?"
The woman smiled at last, nodding a little. "Of course 'e will. 'e's a tough li'l fella from th' looks of 'im."
With that, she stepped out of the room, closing the door quietly behind her.
*****
"When I recall his partin' words, must I accept his fate or take myself far from thes place?" Jak blinked awake at the sound of a woman's voice singing. It was night... he could hear the guards talking outside. They were no longer looking for him. But the woman was sad as could be in her song... was she using this as a lullaby or something? He got to his feet, walking slowly into the main room, looking at the girl that held a three year old in her arms. The child must have been crying before, but at the sound of the quiet song, he had calmed. "I thought I heard a black bell toll, a li'l bird did sing. Man has no choice when 'e wants ev'rythin'..." Jak's mouth moved without words. She didn't have the best voice in the world, but it was nice... soothing. But she sounded sadder with each word. "We'll rise above th' scarlet tide tha' trickles down through th' mountain and separates th' widow from th' bride..."
"...That was really pretty."
Rayne almost jumped, but kept herself from doing so in order to keep from waking the child in her arms. "Oh! Jak, yeu scared me... Blaire had a bad dre'm... I 'ad tae 'elp 'im sleep."
Nodding, Jak knelt next to her, looking at the child. "...With such a sad song?"
"Th' Scarlet Tide," she answered simply. "Et's m'life en a nutshell. I remember ev'rythin' sae well. But donche worry too much weth et." She almost stood, but Jak beat her to it, lifting the child from her arms. "Oh... yeu're a saint, dear. 'e goes en tha' bed ov'r there."
Standing, the girl brushed off her knees as Jak spoke, gently tucking the child in. "Do you like it here? I mean... staying with all these kids in the slums."
Rayne just shook her head, walking around to check the other children quietly. "Ef yeu're askin' ef I'd give up thes' li'l'uns jes' tae leave, no. I don' think there's anythin' for 'em 'ere en th' slums, but Torn 'elps me keep 'em safe..."
"You keep mentioning Torn. You like him?"
To that, Rayne snorted, heading towards the back room. "Ha! Th'man's go' anger management probl'ms tha' Erol 'imself'd be jealous of."
Jak couldn't help but laugh as he followed her out, hands behind his head. "I take it you're not fond of the good commander."
"'e could be dancin' around en 'is knickers fer all I care, an' I woul'n't give 'im a sec'nd glance! Th'man's not go' an ounce'a kindness en 'im." She sighed, shaking her head. "'e an' I go way back."
"I won't press further." He watched with a toned down expression as Rayne leaned against the shelf where the basket containing Daxter sat, reaching into the basket to lift the sleeping ottsel from it. Her movements were so careful that he didn't even stir, and just curled up tighter into the warm spot he suddenly had when she cradled him carefully. "Heh... you like animals."
Rayne grinned. "M'secret's out! I love li'l critters of all sorts, 'specially otts'ls. Never seen one sae soft b'fore, though..." She smiled when Daxter made a sound that almost sounded like a purr... Jak remembered the first time Daxter had done that. It had scared poor Daxter so badly that he hadn't slept for the rest of the night. "S'how long ye been with th' li'l fella?"
"Oh, a lot longer than you'd believe. He's a near constant companion. I'm glad he wasn't hurt too badly, though."
Smiling, Rayne leaned down to press her cheek against Daxter's fur, almost like she was listening to him breathe. "Well, he's adorable." There was a pause before Daxter shifted; whether because of being moved from his warm bed or because someone was snuggling his fur was unknown, but he did wake. Groggy blue eyes turned to the dark-haired woman, who smiled at him and scratched his back lightly. "Oh, I'm sorry, dear'eart... did I wake ye?"
Jak chuckled, reaching over to pat Daxter's head playfully. "Hey there, Dax. Good to see you up and running. This is Rayne... she's letting us hang out here until the guards settle down."
Without even thinking, Daxter snorted at his friend, ears tilting foreward in a sort of lop-sided fashion. "I'll thank 'er when my head stops hurtin'..."
The woman jumped in surprise, her jaw dropping open as she stared at the ottsel she held in her arms. "...'e spoke!"
"Daxter's just full of surprises," Jak grinned sheepishly.
"Torn neglects tae mention th' oddest things. Well, one way 'er th'other, 'e's still precious." Daxter mumbled to Rayne's comment, but didn't object to the attention when she lightly rubbed his belly past his arms. "Yeu two leavin' en the mornin'?"
Jak nodded. "We should. Torn's been pissed at me most of this week for something he hasn't told me yet. Might as well see if I can find out now."
Snorting, Rayne laid Daxter back in the basket. "Yeu'd 'ave be'er luck gettin' a straight answer outta Pecker! But good luck."
She smiled at him, then brushed out of the room. Jak decided that if he wanted a good rest, he may as well sleep now...
*****
"Vin? Uncle Vin, are ye 'ere?"
Before Jak had even thought to get up, Rayne was up and busy at her daily routine. Her first stop? The power station. Across the room in the building alive with the sound of computers, Vin nearly lept out of his skin, spinning to look at the dark-haired woman that stood there, chuckling at his antics. "For the love of the Precursors, Rayne! Not you too! Jak scares me like that *enough*."
Rayne just smiled, shaking her head as she sat down a small basket on a console with nothing on it. "Yeu're jes' worryin' tae much, Uncle. 'ere. I knew ye'd be busy t'day, sae I made ye lunch. Thought I'd drop et off on m'way tae the bazaar."
Vin blinked, then laughed a little, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly as he walked over to pick up the basket. "You really didn't have to do that, Rayne. I would've been fine." He paused. "And aren't you getting a little old to still be calling me 'uncle'?"
"Ach, like I c'n believe tha'!" the woman cried in response. "Yeu'd starve yerself b'fore ye stopped tae get a decent meal. Jes' don' ferget tae eat *that*." She smiled gently. "An' I'll only be teu old when I'm grey, Uncle Vin."
Grinning slightly, Vin waved his hand as if dismissing the notion and the comment. "Right, right... anyway, I'll be fine, Rayne. Who's the parental figure here, me or you?"
Rayne smirked, putting her hands on her hips. "I wonder sometimes." Laughing at the scientist's distraught expression, she reached over and poked his shoulder lightly. "I'll come by on th'way back tae visit fer a bit. Take care, Uncle Vin."
Giving a little bit of a sigh, the foreman nodded. "Be careful, Rayne... the KG's on high alert today, and I know they still know your face."
Rayne just nodded as she disappeared out the door. Vin just sighed, looking at a pile of boxes he had marked for delivery... and went about contacting Torn. Better then than never, after all...
*****
Jak felt much more comfortable with Daxter back on his shoulder, arriving back at the Underground hideout in a much better mood than he had left it in. Torn was at his desk as usual, eerily pale eyes skimming maps and charts. Smirking slightly at the older elf, he leaned foreward against the desk. "I had no idea you were so popular with the ladies."
Without even lifting his eyes, Torn muttered, "Do you have something important to say, brat, or are you just here to piss me off?"
"Rayne doesn't seem to like you very much," Jak replied. "She's a nice lady, I don't see how you can't get along with her."
Torn growled, lifting his head just slightly. The shadow from the overhead lamp cast darkness about those ice blue eyes, and Jak couldn't help but shudder at the haunting look it gave the Underground commander. "Some things are best left undiscussed, Jak."
"Not this, Torn." Torn sighed deeply, his eyes narrowing as Jak continued. "What's a woman like her doing working for the Underground? She's not a fighter. She's not built for it."
The ex-KG shook his head, running his hand back over his dreds. "Rayne is sort of a special agent. She prepares health packs for the Underground, and she helps with first aid when we can't get to our medic. She also lets us stay at the orphanage if we need a place to hide out." He reached for a sheet of paper, grumbling out. "I asked her when she first joined what she wanted, and she told me flatly that it was nothing I could give... looked me in the eye as she said it." His attention turned back to the teen. "Later, she told me that if I wanted to give her anything, the best payment was information on her husband, Mihk. So Ashelin gets that for her, and she does what she can."
Jak nodded. That made enough sense. But the conversation was far from over. From his perch on Jak's shoulder, Daxter piped up, "Okay, next question. Jak said that she got some green eco on 'er when she was fixin' up my wounds, and that it hurt her. What's up with that?"
At this, Torn's whole form tensed. "Rayne and Mihk were arrested three years ago for harboring Underground fugitives... that's when they were separated.' Then, he growled. "She spent six months being the baron's guinea pig... she's lucky to be alive." His eyes shot to Daxter, shooting daggers. "Don't you dare bring this up to her. The whole thing upsets her anyway... and we need her help." He decided, then, to change the subject, tossing the paper he held at Jak. "Here. I've got a mission for you."
The teen blinked, catching the paper with one hand. "Oh? And what's that?"
"Vin needs a delivery made to an associate of his back at the strip mine. God knows Vin won't go himself, so he wants you to do it."
Jak sighed lightly. "I'm always the delivery boy. Fine, fine, I'm on it. Tell Vin I won't be long."
"And Jak, if you see Rayne again, tell her I'll have her payment to her this evening. It's important."
*****
At that moment, Rayne was walking through the alleys of the slums, heading back towards the orphanage. Gloves covered her slim hands, and she grasped the closed bag in her hands very carefully.
"My dear Rayne... whatever are you doing out here, and so... alone...?"
Rayne knew that sneer all too well, and she jumped when she heard it, spinning to find herself face-to-face with Erol, a devilish grin resting on the angular features of his face. She tried to back away from him, but he blocked her every move, finally backing her into a corner. "You look positively ravishing."
"An' yeu look like a Lurker aft'r a night'a che'p booze an' foolery," hissed the woman in reply. "Le've me alone, Erol."
"Oh, my dear, is that any way to talk to me? I just saw you coming this way, and decided to say hello." He spoke as a snake might if it would, his voice smooth and sinister. "How are those charming orphans of yours?"
Frowning, Rayne made another attempt to move past Erol, who blocked her again as she spoke. "None'a yer business. I need tae ge' back. Le' me go."
Erol just grinned, one hand lightly toying with Rayne's dark hair. "You really are lovely, my dear... I would love to get you out of those clothes..." It was hard for him not to laugh at her horrified face. "And into a sleek red dress. Why don't you come to supper with me? Candlelight, soft music, solitude... no one to interrupt us..."
His words were cut short as Rayne's fist slammed across his right jaw. She hissed out lowly, "How *dare* yeu talk te me like tha'?! Ah'm no' yer toy tae play weth as yeu please!"
Growling, Erol grabbed Rayne's wrists, forcing her to drop the bags she carried as he shoved her against the wall. He grinned dangerously as he leaned close. "Gloves, my dear? Ah yes... eco packs. Delivering to old Torn? I recall that those little shots we gave you made you unable to touch them... and yet you give them to that wet-nosed deserter whore?!"
"Better th'n yeu havin' 'em, yeu twisted snake... yeu should bi'e off th' tip of yer forked tongue tae keep ye from hissin' sick innuendos!"
Erol frowned, but he didn't let her go. "You're a fool to cross me, Rayne." He leaned in further, his voice like a honey-dipped dagger as his lips brushed her ear, causing her to flinch. "And that just might cost you the lives of all those children..." Slowly, he grinned, feeling Rayne's body tense. "I thought that might get your attention. Yes, that's right, all of those poor children... burned in a horrible accidental fire. They can be saved, though... if you cooperate. Tell us where Torn is hiding... and come quietly with me. You'll be handsomely rewarded for your compliance. You and your orphans will be moved to suitable living areas in the red sector of the city. And... your husband, Mihk. He'll be returned to you."
"Mihk es alive?" Rayne questioned breathlessly.
"As alive as you or I, my dear." Erol stood straight, releasing the woman, who sunk to the ground as if all the strength had left her legs entirely. "You have three days. Everything I promised you will receive, *if* you tell us where Torn is hiding and who is working for him." The Krimzon Guard knelt in front of the lady elf, lightly caressing her cheek with his palm, delighting in the expression of mixed fear and disgust she showed him. "You know it's not safe for those children in the slums. You'll make the right decision, Rayne. I know you will."
Smirking, he turned and left, leaving the miffed and frightened woman sitting on the ground in the alley, alone.
But Rayne did not go to Torn when she finally stood. Gathering her bags, she quickly ran back to the orphanage. She had to think.
*****
The days passed slowly, and Jak usually now spent a few minutes before his day began dropping by the orphanage. The kids adored him, and they all knew his name. The oldest boy, Lian, often went on to Jak about how he wanted to be 'just like him' once he was old enough.
However, for some reason, Rayne seemed tense. She smiled weakly at him when he came, but avoided him for most of the time he was there. Something was on her mind, but she wasn't saying what.
He had delivered the information from Torn days ago, but she hadn't gone to collect. The kids asked him what was wrong, but he had nothing he could really say. He could just watch and wait, just as they did.
As he left that evening, he figured things would get better... he had no idea how hairy things were about to get.
*****
Rayne was fixing breakfast for the children in the orphanage when the door suddenly burst open. She expected at first that it was Jak, coming in before his daily runs to visit the kids, but no. There instead stood Commander Erol, watching her like a wild beast would its prey. Rayne nearly dropped the skillet, backing away from him. "Commander Erol...!"
"So, Rayne... have you thought about our deal?"
For a moment, her resolve wavered. Then, she lifted her chin, indignance written on her features. "I don' know anythin' about th' fug'tives yer talkin' 'bout."
Erol almost looked angry, but then he grinned as he stood before the dark-haired woman, eyes focused on her face. "Very well, then... Rayne, you and the orphans here are under house arrest until investigations can be further made into the allegations that you have been harboring Underground fugitives here."
"My 'ome es alwehs op'n, *Commander*." The woman spoke carefully, although she spat out Erol's title with a certain amount of contempt. "I go' no probl'm lettin' a poor stranger stay th' night, s'long as they keep out a' me business."
Wrinkling his nose in veiled disgust, Erol scoffed, turning his back on the woman. "You don't quite realize the situation you're in, do you? If you are convicted of the crimes you are accused of, you and these children could be sentenced to death."
"Yeu're no' half a man!" Rayne hissed, clenching her fists tightly. "Threatenin' innocent orph'ns! Yeu're no be'er than those monsters!"
She hardly had time to react before the commander grabbed her by the collar, flinging her into a nearby wall. Dazed and partially unconscious, she lay slumped there as two of the older children ran to her aid. Erol just snickered, walking outside and blocking the exits.
"Burn it," he instructed one of his men, his face perfectly straight, "until it smolders. I want to hear her and those children scream for mercy before they die..."
For a moment after the blaze started, Erol stood watching, his arms folded. The firelight created an eerie glow as it flickered and reflected back, dancing across his armor and the sharp, angular features of his face. As he turned, a chuckle rose in his chest... and as he hopped onto his zoomer to speed away, that chuckle turned into a roar of laughter.
It was good to be evil.
*****
Jak was on his way back from a late mission in Haven Forest, hoping for at least a few hours of sleep, when Daxter suddenly shifted violently on his shoulder. "Jak! Jak, look! Smoke! There's a fire in the slums!"
The teen blinked, looking up where his friend was pointing. Billows of smoke rose into the sky, and he could hear people shouting for help, leaping onto a zoomer as he shouted to his small friend. "C'mon, Dax... let's see what's going on."
"Jak!"
After a short time of driving, the familiar voice was welcome.
"Torn!" Jak lept from the zoomer he was on when he spotted the Underground commander, who appeared to have been trying to find a way into the burning building. "What the hell is going on?!"
The Underground leader hissed, turning back to the burning building. He was trying to hide a look of distress behind his stoic expression. "Erol torched the orphanage." He closed his eyes tightly, shaking his head. "Rayne and the kids are still inside!"
Jak turned to stare at the fire licking the wood outside the broken windows. He heard the children calling out from inside, yelling for someone to help them. Frowning, he decided he couldn't just sit and let this happen. He barely heard Torn yelling for him to stop as he ran foreward, breaking through what was left of the window to the smoking hell inside.
*****
The interior of the orphanage was thick with black smoke, obscuring most of Jak's vision. He could hear the children, but not see them, and before he could get up, another body landed beside him. The obscured figure put a wet shirt over his head as his familiar, gravelly voice hissed, "Stop being in such a hurry to die!"
Jak just grumbled, starting to crawl foreward. "Come on. Help me find them."
The two moved as quickly through the building as they could. Jak's only comforts were knowing that Daxter was alive, his head turkced beneath the wet shirt and his claws digging into the teen's back, and the sounds of the children calling for help... proof that *they* were alive.
Torn drew his crescent blade when they neared the door from where the noises were coming, standing long enough to hack through the weakened wood. Behind it stood gathered the soot-dirtied faces of nearly twenty children, huddled around a dazed and weary Rayne, who held to her the smallest.
"Torn!" she managed to wheeze. "Jak! Oh, thank Mar yer 'ere! We've go' tae ge' th' kids out'a 'ere!"
"I'll make an exit," Torn stated, moving towards a door.
After watching Torn hack away at the door for a few moments, Jak turned away. His shoulder felt light. Sudden panic flew through him. "Daxter?!"
The kids were already on their way out, and Torn was starting to lift Rayne, who was still groggy from being flung. The ex-KG turned briefly towards Jak then. "Come on! Let's get the hell out of here!"
"I can't!" Jak retorted. "Take her to Vin! I've gotta find Daxter before this whole place goes up!"
For an instant, an air of understanding passed between the two. Then, Torn nodded. "Be careful!"
Jak nodded in reply, then turned and ran back into the burning orphanage.
*****
Vin nearly jumped out of his skin when the door to the Power Station slipped open with a loud whirring of gears, revealing Torn standing there with a cloack wrapped around him. "Vin! A little special delivery for you."
The foreman let out a shaky sigh, resting one hand over his heart. "For Mar's sake, Torn! You'll give me a heart attack one of these days!" He paused briefly, pushing his goggles back to get a sharper look at Torn, wrinkling up his nose. "You smell like hickory-smoked bacon. What're you carrying?"
Torn frowned, shaking the cloak off his shoulders. Rayne was limp in Torn's arms, and Vin stared in a sort of blank shock as she was carried to him. "Erol torched the orphanage." He saw the look of panic that threatened to overtake the foreman, and he shook his head. "The orphans are safe. All at various safehouses around the slums to keep them safe until we find a new place for the orphanage. As for Rayne... she needs to stay with you for a while." Carefully, he placed the orphanage matron in Vin's arms. "You're her only family. Congratulations, Vin, you're a father."
"That's godfather... and that's not very funny, Torn, given the situation." An equal frown crossed Vin's face, and with a sigh, the scientist motioned for Torn to follow him. "Hurry... we can take her to my place." He briefly readjusted Rayne in his arms before gently handing her back over to Torn once the ex-KG had his cloak back on. "You'll have to carry her."
It wasn't far at all too Vin's apartment... as a matter of fact, it was within walking distance, hardly a block from the power station. Since he had a very difficult job, Praxis had grudgingly given him better lodgings.
"I appreciate this, Vin," Torn finally stated lowly as they slipped into the apartment as discretely as they could. "I can't keep her at the hideout. She and Kor aren't exactly the best of friends."
"Don't bother thanking me. Rayne's my goddaughter, remember? Someone's gotta take care of her." Vin didn't look at Torn as he walked over to a couch, pulling out a folding bed. "You can just put her here... I'll look at her injuries in a minute."
Torn took a look around as he waited for Vin to finish situating the couch-bed he was going to be placing Rayne on. "...Huh."
Vin blinked, glancing at the former commander over his shoulder. "What?"
"I half expected you to have the damn placed booby-trapped, paranoid as you are."
Giving a scoff, Vin motioned Torn over to the bed. "I'm paranoid, but I'm not stupid. If I booby-trapped this place, I'd only end up trapping *myself*."
"Good point," Torn drolled as he rested Rayne on the couch-bed, making certain she was comfortable.
"I do my best," the foreman stated. There was an uncomfortable pause as Vin covered Rayne with a blanket before standing straight, turning his attention to Torn. "By the way, where's Jak? if I'm taking care of Rayne, there's a few things I need him to do for me."
His words seemed to freeze Torn on the spot. "...He... shit! The orphanage! He's still in there!" His heart skipped. "Fuck! He'll die in there!" Quickly, he pulled up the hood on his cloak again. "Later, Vin! I'll send someone to help you as soon as I find Jak!"
Without letting Vin reply, Torn hurried out the door.
*****
Torn was only halfway towards the slums when he caught sight of Tess rushing towards him, carrying something bundled in her arms.
"Tess!" he called. "What're you doing here?!"
"Looking for Jak," she replied. "I found Daxter by the entrance to the hideout." Frowning, she pulled back the blanket to reveal an unconscious Daxter, singed but very much alive. "He's a little burnt, but I think he's okay. Problem is, I can't find Jak anywhere." Then, she frowned. "I saw the orphanage, by the way... or what's left of it..."
Torn's expression turned unusually frightened. "What's... left of it...?"
Tess nodded. "The whole place fell in on itself. I hope no one was..." Her voice drifted off as Torn's expression struck her as to the severity of the situation. "No! He wasn't..."
"He was looking for the furball..." Torn's voice was abnormally quiet, his icy blue eyes fixed on Daxter. "He was still inside..."
*****
It didn't take Torn much longer to sprint to the middle of the slums, and he stood in quiet disbelief in front of what was left of the orphanage. Whisps and tendrils of smoke continued to rise from the rubble as dying flames struggled to feed on the ash, stone, and charred wood.
"...oh, god..." He stepped foreward slowly, kneeling next to the destroyed building. "...I should've come back sooner..." A piece of metal stuck from the rubble that he recognized, and he reached out slowly, picking it up in a shaking hand. The shoulderguard from Jak's get-up. "...damn..." His other hand came up to rub his temples, covering his eyes. "...what have I done?"
*****
He needed time. His head ached, and after sifting through the rubble, he had found nothing left of his best agent. He couldn't think of how he was going to tell the others... Jak was dead. As much as he and the boy had bickered, Torn felt him trustworthy... he was one of the few people the war-worn soldier would ever consider leaving his life in the hands of. And now this...
Wearily, he ran his hand over his dreds as he trudged over the bridge to the slums. He would have kept right on walking had a groan not caught his attention. Looking down, he was stunned to discover that Jak was laying in the ditch beneath him, staring up at him through pained cobalt eyes.
"Jak!" A wave of relief swept over him briefly before he smiled slowly, sitting down on the edge of the bridge. "Well, this is ironic. I spend a half hour looking for you in the rubble of that orphanage... then, I even mourned your death. And here you are, hurt but alive. Maybe I should leave you here and say I never found you."
Jak's lip curled up in an angry sneer. "You wouldn't dare, you fucking *bastard*!"
Torn smirked, then climbed into the ditch, pulling Jak's arm over his shoulder as he helped him stand. "Come on, asshole. Let's go get your rat."
*****
"So... what happened while you were in the orphanage?"
Jak glanced over towards Torn from where he sat in the passenger seat of a two-seater zoomer. "Huh?"
Torn rolled his eyes. "When you were in the building that happened to be burning down around you. What happened?"
"I happened to see Daxter run out," Jak responded. "On my way, I saw something else, and I grabbed it and ran." He shrugged slightly. "I must've just breathed in too much smoke, and so I passed out in the ditch."
Slowly, Torn gave a slight, but wry, grin. "And you look like a roasted turken. It's a good look for you, Jak... no, really, it is."
Jak growled at him. "Could you stop being an ass, just for... I don't know... five minutes?"
In response, the Underground commander shook his head. "No can do. Besides, I thought you *liked* my "charming sense of humor"."
"Bite me."
"Ladies first."
*****
The room seemed far too dark to Rayne when she started waking up, rolling onto her side, trying to figure out where she was. She heard voices, but couldn't make them out, until one of them broke from the conversation. "Oh, Vin, she's waking up!" Whoever it was moved to sit on the bedside, lightly patting her cheek. "Rayne? Rayne, can you hear me? It's me... Tess!"
Rayne blinked a few more times to adjust her vision, and once the spots had cleared and the blurriness was gone, she found herself facing Tess, whose expression quickly went from concern to relief. "Oh, there we go! Vin was beside himself, he was so worried!"
"I was not!" A sigh came from Vin as he walked over to where Tess sat, folding his arms tightly over his chest. "It's good that you're awake, though. You weren't out as long as I thought you would be. It's only been a few hours since the orphanage--..."
The woman's eyes went wide. "Th' orphanage! Oh, merciful Mar! Are th' children all righ'?! They got out safely, di'n't they? An' Torn an' Jak?!"
When she got no response from either of the two, her heart dropped. She saw Daxter at the foot of the couch bed, curled up tight as he could, awake but not speaking. Tess fidgetted, tucking her hair behind her ear three times before she finally managed a soft sigh. "The orphans got out fine... and, well... Torn's okay, but Jak... he's..."
"Alive and kicking."
The voice from the door startled all four of the people in the room to awareness. Daxter was the first up, darting to Jak's shoulder as he playfully punched his friend's jaw with a tiny hand. "I knew a little fire couldn't keep ya down, Jak! Good thing you got out safe! That woulda been real cruel'a you, dyin' after I spent two years finding your sorry ass!"
Jak snorted softly, nudging Daxter with one hand. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever, Dax. It's good to see you, too."
Behind him, Torn let out a quiet scoff. "I found him in a ditch near the hideout. I can only guess he was going to see if Daxter had gone there. He's alive, though... I guess we should be grateful."
"Yeu dinnae hafte stay en th' orphanage sae long, Jak," Rayne murmured once the room had quieted. "The children were safe..."
The teen shrugged. "I had to find Daxter. Glad to see he got out safe. Oh, and I found this, too. Thought you might want it."
He passed to her a singed picture, and Vin's brow went up when he looked over her shoulder at the photograph held in her shaking hands. "It's your wedding picture."
After a quiet moment, Rayne looked up at the boy, smiling as she clutched the picture. "Yeu're a blessin' en disguise, Jak. Yeu'll save thes city... I know et. Yeu jes' watch."
This time, Torn rolled his eyes, purposefully shoving Jak with his shoulder as he brushed past. "Hmph. He's just a brat."
"I think Torn's a little jealous of the attention Jak's getting," Tess giggled with a broad grin.
"Hey, shut up!"
Those gathered in the room dissolved into a short bit of laughter at Torn's expense, and though the ex-KG looked somewhat insulted, he couldn't help but feel a little bit better that things had, in the end, worked out. At least, for now.
While the others continued talking, he made his way towards the window, gazing out at the people passing as the rain began to make its descent to the dirty streets below.
*****
"The plan went off flawlesly, Baron Praxis," Erol stated curtly, watching the city ruler with a straight face. He stood in conference with the man now, no more than ten paces from a straight-faced woman he preferred to avoid, who also stood facing their leader. "We were able to gain a good deal of information without them even noticing."
Baron Praxis gave a slight nod, his back still to the two figures in his presence as he watched the rain pelt the window in front of him. "Very good. Continue as planned, Commander. You are dismissed."
Erol gave a nod, then turned on his heel and stalked out. The woman watched him exit with a frown before turning her attention back to the city's ruler. "Are you sure that was wise? Letting him act with so much free reign?"
The words made Praxis turn, his attention focusing on his rigid advisor. "The commander is quite skilled, Lesca. I trust him well enough." His good brow lifted. "Do you not trust *my* judgement?"
As he sat behind his desk, Lesca shook her head, walking over to stand at his side. "I trust you with my life, sir." Her hand rested lightly on his shoulder. "I would follow you to the edge of this world... and beyond even that, if you asked me."
"Your loyalty could be your downfall someday, but it is commendable nonetheless." The baron steepled his fingers, suddenly appearing deeply contemplative. "I believe your unique skills may come in handy. Meet with our spy... gather what information you can. You know what to do if he fails you."
Slowly, a dark smile crossed Lesca's face. "Of course, Baron Praxis. Your wish... is my command..."
~=~End~=~
{/They called her the Widowmaker, and it was easy to see why. Lesca, former commander of the Krimzon Guard and now secretary and personal advisor to Baron Praxis, is a dangerous woman. Anyone who knows anything about her knows to steer well clear of her. And she has a personal vendetta against Torn...
Now, Jak is in a race against time to save the Underground commander from a deadly poison, but can he find the man who has it in time...?
Next Chapter: "Tangled Web"/}