Authors Notes to Reviewers: To all those people who reviewed and told me that Jak was a Dark Eco magnet and told me that he'll survive...I just wanna say: I know that. Jak isn't an easy character to kill but even he survives he could be changed... just keep that in mind.

Anywho, thanks to all who reviewed so far. Appreciate the criticism... good or bad. Ok, enough with the mushy stuff and on with the story! Enjoy!

Daxter was enraged when he left Spran's office. It's been months and months and Spran hadn't found Jak. Daxter knew he was bullshitting. He could see it in the man's beady eyes. He was just keeping Daxter here on a false promise. One thing Daxter hated more than anything was to be taken advantage of. Oakan did it and now Spran did. His feelings were right. He had to do something, Jak could be in greater danger or even dead... no don't think about that Daxter! Jak's strong, he has to be alive... he had to be!

Daxter decided to get even with Spran and find out where Jak was and split.

Daxter slept in Colson's room while Colson was still in the infirmary recovering. He stopped his heavy drinking, when he saw Colson feeling better and saw the boss trying to take advantage of him. Daxter wanted a clear head. He needed it to be if he wanted to fulfil his promise to Jak and get even.

One night Daxter got up. He left the room and crept towards Spran's office. He peaked in the open door and saw no one was there. It was action time. Daxter rubbed his hands and sprang off in search for something.

Daxter fiddled with the laptop that stood idly on Spran's desk. Daxter searched through it with his limited computer skills and found out Jak's profile. It looked was the same picture as he remembered. He learned Jak was being held prisoner in the fortress. Daxter suddenly felt terribly guilty, afraid and angry when he read that Jak was part of the Dark Warrior program. He knew fragments of what the program was about. If Jak was a lab rat then Daxter had to get him out fast... if he wasn't dead. Mar! Why didn't he do this sooner? Jak could be dead all for he knew and not alive. No one survived the program. Ever.

"I'll take my chance," he murmured to himself as he memorized his prison number

Daxter looked around and eyed the boss's most favourite item. The Dreekle Necklace. The boss hovered over it everyday and sometimes he even caught him talking to it. It was disgusting, how he was so interested in it while Colson was slowly dying from the venom. Colson risked his life to get the stupid thing and he doesn't even give a squat about Colson.

Daxter grabbed it and tucked it under his cap. He suddenly felt woozy. He blinked and steadied himself. Confused he tried to understand what had happened but voices filled the tunnels and gave Daxter the need to leave.

He quickly dashed back off to Colson's room. He borrowed a few clothes and trinkets that were about Jak's size, he'd imagined. He neatly folded it and entered the tunnels again. He went through one of the exits and raced towards the fortress, determined to save his best friend if it wasn't too late.

The alarms blared again as Colson and Daxter ran through the maze of halls.

"I wonder if there is a Minator here?" Daxter quipped, "Because this place is a labyrinth!"

"I wouldn't be surprised" Colson mused

Colson ran down the halls. Running away from any threatening Krimzon Guard. He turned the corner and slammed straight into someone. He suddenly found himself staring down a gun barrel.

"Shit" he cursed

"We keep bumping into each other don't we sweet stripes" Daxter quipped seeing who was holding the deadly weapon

The military woman gave them a harsh glare, "What are you doing here and who is this?"

"This is an old friend, Colson. Erol was trading me in for Jak, with T.I.D.A.M" Daxter explained shortly

Ashelin frowned, "But didn't he wanted Torn?" She had a good long talk with Torn to get her up to speed on the situation that occurred a few days ago.

"Sure but the boss man wanted what I have... not really me" Daxter shrugged

"So Jak is with T.I.D.A.M?" she asked seeing he wasn't there with them

Daxter looked away and suddenly found something interesting on the floor. Guilt, anger and fear came all at once and he closed his eyes to try control his emotions. Ashelin got the hint that he wasn't here for other reasons.

"Never mind. If you don't get your ass out of here I can't grantee you freedom. Go back to the Underground, your absence, with the things going on, has caused a stir"

"Missing me already? I'm usually over looked" Daxter tried to joke but his heart wasn't into it

"The exit's over there" she pointed down a corresponding hall, "Hurry!"

Colson nodded. With out a word or a look back he turned into the directed hall.

Lucky no one has caught me helping fugitives. Ashelin thought as she turned into another hall

Colson exited the fortress. Relieved to breath fresh air. The moon rose in the sky as the late afternoon sun disappeared. With no vehicles in sight to highjack, Colson hit streets in search for one.

"Why?" Daxter asked breaking the silence that was between them

"Why what?" Colson asked puzzled

"Why did you help me and Jak?" Daxter asked

Colson sighed, "I thought you left and took the Dreekle Necklace for your own, then I saw I was wrong..."

"Oh..."

"I'm sorry. Spran told me you betrayed the organization and took the necklace for your own. He said that you couldn't help your 'thieving ways' and stole the necklace to cash in" Colson explained

"And you believed him?" Daxter eyes went wide with surprise

"Sort of. The evidence was there but it wasn't like you to do something like that..."Colson trailed

"But you believed him anyway..." Daxter mumbled

"I'm sorry. I guess it was better to believe then you just leaving me" Colson stuffed his hands in his pocket

"I didn't just leave you... I had to go after Ja-" he broke off. He found he couldn't say Jak's name. He didn't know why he just felt guilty...

"I know" Colson filled in quickly, "But your the only real friend I ever had"

"What do you mean?" Daxter frowned

Colson sighed again, "Sure Ravenblade was a good mentor to me but I'm a bit of an outsider. I never get ranked up or make many 'friends' because I'm too nice. I inherit it from my mother..." He swallowed and forced himself to go on, "When I met you, you really stuck out for me too. When I was sick you were there everyday. When we raided that old Krimzon Guard you saved my life. For you just to leave like that with no reason I felt... betrayed and alone again"

"Well I did leave for a reason and for a damn good reason" Daxter said strongly, "I'm sorry for just leaving you like that"

Colson gave a smile, "S'ok. It's old news. Right now we got to get back to the Underground and deal with Spran. I just want to know what he's up to"

"What do you mean?" Daxter frowned

"Come on Dax" Colson rolled his eyes

Daxter cringed at the similarity with Colson to Jak in that pose.

Jak would have been here right now if it wasn't for you...

"Don't tell me you didn't notice! He even beat up Jak for it!" Colson continued failing to notice Daxter's earlier reaction, "He's after the Dreekle Necklace"

"I know that but you should have seen how he loved that thing" Daxter spat in disgust, "More than his own mother"

"I know. But he's lost greater jewels than this and hasn't gone to this trouble to retrieve them. He's up to something and while you carry the necklace your life is in danger" Colson pointed out

"While I carry it we have brought some time to what ever he's doing" Daxter pointed out instead, "I wont let him do that to me or Ja-...again"

That will never happen again. Jak is dead. Gone. Just like that.

"Are you with the Underground?" Colson asked as he hopped on the motorbike style Zoomer

"Yeah"

"You got to direct me. As you know I don't know much of the Underground" Colson gave a smile

Daxter mirrored Colson's forced smile and they raced off to the Underground hideout.

Ashelin walked passed dead Krimzon Guard. The hall was littered with them. Slash marks appeared all over their red armour and seemed to dig into the flesh underneath. The Medical Unit was fixing up those who were alive and covering those who were dead. Ashelin barely looked at them as she stepped over them. She seen worse, more bloody, more gory... more torturous. She approached the room that was at the end. It was the liquid room.

She paused before entering. It had been ages since she entered. An eerie silence filled her ears. The only sounds were her unit stomping their boots on the metal floor as they came and went. Then she saw a familiar person. Erol. He was lying on his stomach. He looked pale with blood spilling his motionless form. She grunted as she saw his dead carcass.

"A fitting ending to a fool" she muttered to herself

She approached him; she crouched and slid her fingers on his neck. His skin felt cool under her touch. Then she felt it. She blinked and stood motionless as she felt for the feeling again.

"Erol, you cheating bastard" Ashelin muttered with some slyness

Another bump under her fingers proved that Erol had a pulse. He was alive...barely. Even how much she hated the commander she still had a conscience to save him. She wasn't a tyrant like Erol... or her father.

"Can I get a Medical Unit here? We have a man down!" She spoke into her radio

She put her radio away and pushed Erol on his back. Air escaped through his mouth and a little bit was being drawn back in. Finally some members of the unit came and put Erol on a stretcher. Then took him away to the Fortress Infirmary.

She knew Jak had been here. The attack on the guards and then the gun shot wound in the chest on Erol. It had to be him. But she also knew he wasn't with Daxter so something happened to him real bad that even Daxter refused to tell.

She looked down at the liquid that bubbled and hissed in the tank below. A horrible feeling arose. Could Jak have fallen into the acid? She shook her head. No impossible. There was nothing in the liquid. No one was screaming and dying horribly in that yucky green substance. Wait a second... green?

She looked below and blinked to try to eliminate the illusion. She turned to a nearby solder.

"Lieutenant. Was this liquid purple before?" she asked pointing below the platform

The young solder peered down then looked up, "Yes ma'am. It was purple the last time it was checked"

"When was this checked?" she asked

"This morning, ma'am"

"Thank you Lieutenant" she dismissed

The solder walked away. Ashelin frowned. How could this happen? Dark Eco made the acidic liquid purple... so if it was green that meant it had no Dark Eco. Jak...or more specifically Dark Jak had been here... If Jak was some how alive... Ashelin didn't know.

She turned and walked out of the room.

Keira sighed. She sat on a bed in the Hideout. She was taking a brake from working on machines all day. Her face was pale and dark bags appeared under her eyes as her eyes were tried from crying. She was a strong woman... she knew that, but the past week she crumbled. It wasn't worry, anger or sadness... it was guilt.

The fight she had with Jak before Daxter won the Second Class Race played on her mind. Since she heard that Jak had been kidnapped was bad. She had faith in Jak that he'll pull through. But when Torn told them that Erol tried to get his hands on Jak was worse. She admitted... she had a relationship with Erol. Her heart was torn between the two men but she never knew this rivalry that raged between them. Maybe a little jealousy but that's it.

I should have seen it before! Why didn't I? I've been so stupid! She cursed herself

If she knew this hard rivalry between the two men then she would have saw through Erol and his lies early on. She felt hurt that Erol deceived her like that and even more angry with herself for believing Erol. She felt guilty for accusing Jak and making him out someone that everyone else thought of. She had failed him.

Now Jak is in danger and she never got to say goodbye. Not even a sorry. She could never say that she understood Jak now and ask forgiveness of him. She could never touch his pale rugged face or look into his bright blue eyes. She was so afraid that Jak she once loved will never be the same. No, she still loved him. He was different. She failed to support him when he needed him the most. This cut her deep.

"I'm sorry Jak. I promise to make it up to you... somehow" she whispered a silent promise

Suddenly the door slipped open and she stood up to see Daxter and another man coming in the hideout. Kiera blinked as she could have sworn the younger man had a familiarity to Jak. Young Jak. The Jak she grew up in Sandover village. But the young man had brown eyes and black dreaded hair, black undergarments and a red vest. Brown boots clogged in time with his athletic stride. It wasn't him.

Torn who had been silently planing the next operations looked up from his map and saw the two comers.

"Where the hell you've been?" Torn spat, "And who the hell is this?"

The young man blinked at Torn as Torn stared at the insufferable rodent.

"Eating fairy floss and candy at the City Fair" Daxter muttered sarcastically

"Daxter!" Keira cried and hugged the furry animal

"Hey Keira" he greeted, "Keeping my trophy shinny?"

"Yeah" she replied shortly

Torn grunted, "Since your disappearing act the high alert went down. Care to share?"

"Yeah. Erol wanted me all along" Daxter folded his arms

"Why in Haven City would he want you?" Torn scoffed

"Because Spran wanted what I had," Daxter explained

"And what did you have?" Torn asked

"A jewel that he values very much" Daxter shrugged

Torn frowned. Why would Spran go after a simple jewel like this? Spran is going to an awful lot of trouble plus setting up a deal with Erol to get it must be really important. How did Daxter end up with it anyway?

"So he traded you for Jak?" Torn frowned

"Well about to. He wanted to have the jewel first" Daxter explained

"What happened?" Keira asked, "Where's Jak?"

Daxter looked away then focused his eyes back at Torn.

"We managed to escape but we ran into Erol. Apparently Jak and Erol fought and Jak fell-" he broke off

"Into liquid acid" the young man filled in when Daxter said no more

"What?" Torn's eyes went wide for a second before returning to his frowning gaze

Keira didn't know what the liquid acid was but by the sounds of it, it wasn't good.

"So Jak is... gone?" Kiera asked the question that was also in Torn's mind

Daxter nodded slowly. Guilt rose up in Keira again. Now he was dead. She could never say sorry, she could never say she understood him now... she could never say she loved him again. She fought back the tears and concentrated on what was being said.

"Erol's dead too. I shot him," Daxter said bluntly

Torn nodded and breathed in a deep breath, "Why does Spran want with this jewel"

"We don't know. He's willing to do anything to get his hands on it" Daxter shrugged

"Do you still have it?" Torn asked

Daxter nodded.

"You have to stay low for awhile" Torn said, "Spran wont give up easy... that's for sure. I've got a safe house where you can stay for awhile. If Spran is that desperate to get it, there is no telling what measures he'll take"

Daxter sighed and nodded.

"Who's you friend?" Torn asked repeating on of his original questions

"Colson. He betrayed the organization and saved my life" Daxter introduced remembering how Colson got him out of the crossfire during the trade.

"You were with the organization?" Torn stared at the young man coldly, "Like I always said, new faces make me nervous. You can be around here for a while but I'm keeping a close eye on you"

Daxter was going to say something but he decided against it. Torn had every right to be suspicious but he'd show him enough trust to stay with him.

"I'll inform the Shadow of the latest news. I'll get you escorted soon as possible" Torn informed them

Kiera turned and left the hideout. She needed time alone... to grieve. She couldn't believe he was dead but something in the back of her mind said he was alive. Nah. It's just a feeling that I miss him. I just have to accept he's gone and he's never coming back! With that blunt thought a single tear ran down her cheek as she hopped onto a Zoomerbike and raced into the city.

A Krimzon Guard was investigating the Precursor metal tank. He was at the bottom, next to it. Another door led into the room but it wasn't at the top, it was at the bottom. There were stairs outside the large room that led down to the bottom and used the second door.

Hardly anyone comes down here. But they were ordered to do a sweep of the Fortress. That meant every nook and cranny of this place. The Krimzon guard walked along and quickly checked out the place. He got the creeps and as soon his check was satisfied he turned and headed for the door again.

Suddenly a slosh sound came from behind. He turned quickly with the gun pointed to whatever danger he was to face.

He saw nothing.

Getting scared he turned to leave. He'd ignored it as to be something in the acid. Then it came again. He froze and slowly turned. More sloshing sounded. Gathering up his courage he approached the noise. He looked up at the precursor tank. Knowing he couldn't see what was in the liquid he decided it was fruitless attempt to find out what was making the noise.

Eerie silence filled the large room. The guard grew scared and his grip tensed on the gun. He backed away from the tank knowing something wasn't right.

Suddenly a long purple claw gripped the side of the precursor tank, hitting the strong metal with a thunk. Then the claws dug into to the almost indestructible metal and scraped the side. The noise shattered the silence and the scared the Heebie Jeebies out of the guard. He sprang 10ft into the air.

He heard loud roaring. The young guard fell on his backside while trying to scramble away. This didn't slow him down. His legs kept on running, pushing him across the floor. Then seeing another hand grip the rim of the tank, in the same manner as the first claw, he went into a panic overdrive.

He felt something warm and wet in his underwear.

He was scared shitless. He crawled away from what ever the devilry that was coming out of the tank. It was like some sort of horror movie but it was real… real to the young lieutenant anyway. He finally scrabbled to his feet when he reached the door and taking two stairs at a time as he raced up them.

A purple fiend rose from the acid. Acidic water drained from its features. A manic grin appeared on its face as a crazy but evil chuckle gurgled from its throat.

Quick move to Chapter 10!

Thanks for the reviews! Keep sending them in! I always like to know how I'm going!