A/N: A two in one chapter for my good readers. It is really short, but my next one will be very long. I don't have time answer reviews. I don't own anything from Jak2. Please R&R. Thanks!

Chapter 20

Location: Fort Dark Warrior

Jak was pulled out of the mass of people and he came face to face with the General with the whip from day two. "The Master wants you," he barked into Jak's face. He kept his firm grip on Jak's arm and dragged him to the fourth part of the Fort.

Not that place! Jak thought while he shook his head. Tubal said he saw a guy go in there and never came out. Maybe I did something wrong. Great.

Jak was pulled into a set of big, double doors that opened for the two. Jak dug his heels into the ground when they were right at the doors. He wanted to shout a protest, but nothing could get out of his mouth.

"C'mon!" the General said while rolling his eyes. He yanked on Jak's arm, and the teen had no more fight in him. Jak stumbled forward and almost fell to the muddy ground. He got his balance back and was pulled once again by the General. "I don't have all day, kid," the General growled.

Jak was about to fight back, but the sight of the thing in front of him made him stop to look over it. The whole fourth part of the Fort was set aside for a big house estate for someone. A big white house stood in the middle with around five floors and a wrap around porch. A barn stood off on the side, and yakcows grazed over to the other side. The ground was filled with rich green grass, and a water fountain stood in the middle of a courtyard in front of the big house.

How can someone live like this when a group of slaves suffer right next door? Jak thought in disgust as they passed the courtyard. This place makes me sick! I would love to punch the guy who owns all this.

They entered the house and went up two flights of stairs. Everything was polished and sparkled clean. Paintings hung on every wall with many colors and different meanings to each. The floor was made of red carpet, and not a speck of dust was anywhere to be seen.

Can you say neat freak? Was the only thing going through Jak's head.

The General went down a hallway and he seemed to know where he was going. Jak had no idea how he knew. Every hallway looked exactly the same as the other. He stopped at a door and went in.

The room was a study of some kind. A desk was to one side with papers on it. Jak saw a folder on top of all the papers with his picture paper clipped to the front, and printed in red letters on the front said Dark Warrior Project.

There were a few bookcases around the room, and a window looked over the garden in the backyard. A globe of the elf world sat on top of a stand in the middle of the room. Two elves were already in the room waiting for him.

One was a girl who looked to be in her late 20's in Human years with short red hair that was pushed back behind her long ears. Her outfit was a white shirt under a long blue jacket with gold rope on the ends. She had white gloves that were first tight then puffed out all the way to her elbows. She wore long black boots that came up over her knees. She held her hands behind her back and looked over to Jak when he came in with stern, green eyes. This was not a woman to mess with.

The other elf was sitting behind the desk in a big chair. He had his feet propped up on his desk with his hands folded together in his lap. He was strong looking with wide shoulders. He looked tall, but Jak could not be sure because he was sitting down. He had dull blue eyes, and a thick mass of dark, brown hair and beard. He glared at Jak when he came in, and Jak looked down to the ground to avoid from meeting any of their eyes.

The girl cleared her throat to start and stood up taller than before. "May I please have Jak's folder, Mr. Devo," she said with a steady voice. The man behind the desk grabbed the folder with Jak's picture and tossed it over to the lady. She quickly caught it with one hand and narrowed her eyes at the man.

"Let's start here, shall we?" she asked while flipping through the folder to one spot she liked. She looked up at the man then to Jak who just gave a one-shoulder shrug. He had no idea what was going on.

"Fine, Amelia," the man behind the desk said in a grouchy voice. "Just tell the me and the kid why you're here."

"Address me as Miss Amelia, Mr. Devo," Amelia said while giving him a nod. "The reason why I'm here is because of a young elf in Haven City. He was taking over for Erol and looked over the Dark Warrior files and found this one."

"And who might this young elf be?" Devo asked while putting his feet off his desk.

"His name is Merlander," Amelia said with another nod. "But his name does not matter right now. What matters is that this teen is too young to be in this fort, Mr. Devo! You can't keep him here."

Jak's ears perked up, and he lifted his head while glancing over to the girl. This could be his ticket out of here. He had hope of getting out of the mess he was in. He tried to stop a smile from coming to his lips.

"And where does it say that the kid is too young?" Devo asked while folding his arms in front of his chest while glaring at Amelia.

"The teen is only nineteen in Elf years!" Amelia said in disbelieve that Devo would ask such a question. "Don't play dumb. I'll take Jak right now and head for Haven City. I'll set up a good family for him, and I'll think about charging crimes against you, Mr. Devo."

"But the kid is perfectly fine here!" Devo said while getting out of his seat and coming from behind the desk. "He has somewhere to sleep, food on his plate, and plenty of fresh air and exercise! Don't you, kid?" He nudged Jak's arm to get him to say something.

Hah! Jak thought while giving Devo a death glare that told him to back off. I get a hard floor to sleep on. I get tofu eggs in the morning. All I do all day is work out for the Baron's stupid project! Yeah, sure! I'm very happy here! Go jump in a lake, dude!

"Why does he not say something?" Devo asked Amelia.

Amelia gave a cold laugh that was mocking Devo. "It is clear you have not read the file on Jak. He is a mute."

"Mute?!" Devo yelled while looking back and forth from Jak to Amelia. "Where are his parents?"

"It does not tell," Amelia said while closing the file and setting it down on the desk. "So I will be taking Jak now, if you don't mind?" she grabbed Jak's arm and started to walk towards the door.

"Wait just a minute," Devo said while grabbing Jak's other arm. "It is not that easy."

Location: Outside Roxie's house in the Slums of Haven City

"Hop on!" Merlander said to Roxie as he rode up next to her on his Krimson Guard zoomer. He wore a new white shirt with a black jacket that had long sleeves but only came half down his body. He wore green pants with black boots and black fingerless gloves.

Roxie gave her new friend a warm smile while walking up to the zoomer. "Hang on," Merlander said while taking off his backpack and pulling Daxter out by the back of his neck. "I think this might be yours."

Roxie gave Daxter and Merlander a surprised look, and Merlander dropped Daxter into Roxie's arms. She stood there, stunned to do anything.

"It is okay, kid," Daxter said to Roxie while jumping up to Merlander's shoulder. "He forgives you." Roxie glared at both of her friends and sat in front of Merlander on the zoomer and pouted. She did not like the fact that she had gotten caught.

It took a while to get to Roxie's school. After a few minutes, Merlander finally stopped in front of the steps to the big Elf school. Roxie looked at the big building with dread in her big, green eyes. She fiddled with her books and slid off the seat of the zoomer.

"I'll be back at eleven," Merlander told Roxie. "I have Krimson Guard duty for most of the morning. Daxter can stay here or come with me."

"I'll go find a tree and sleep in it," Daxter said with a yawn. "You never sleep." He gave Merlander a wink and jumped off his shoulder in search of a tree to sleep in. Roxie looked to the ground and gave Merlander a shy smile before walking up the steps to the school.

Location: Pumping Station three days later

"I want to thank you for taking over my job when I was out for those few days," Erol was saying to Merlander as they walked side-by-side. Merlander wore his KG suit with his helmet off while Erol wore his regular outfit.

"It was no big deal," Merlander said with a shrug. "I had fun doing it."

Erol laughed out loud while taking out his pistol. "Having power has some good parts and bad parts," he told Merlander. He aimed his pistol at a Metal Head a few feet away that could not see them. He pulled the trigger and shot it right in the head.

"Good shot!" Merlander said with a nod. Erol gave his friend a smile and pulled the Metal Head skull out and put it into Merlander's backpack. Merlander returned the smile, but it was more of a sly one than friendly. Merlander had done everything the Baron told him to. He found Underground workers for his project but they had escaped for some strange reason. (Note the sarcasm!)

"How are you with your pistol?" Erol asked Merlander while jerking his head to another Metal Head. Merlander looked at Erol with some shock. This was a challenge. It was one Merlander was not going to turn down.

Merlander gave his friend a wicked smile and pulled out his pistol and aimed it to the Metal Head that was too far away to notice them. Merlander had a great set of eyes. He could see far away and did not have to take aim for too long. In two seconds the Metal Head was down.

"Easy," Merlander said to Erol while putting his pistol down.

"Where do you practice?" Erol asked while trying not to put up a fit because his lifetime friend who had always been okay at everything was now way better than him.

Merlander started to walk again and answered, "Different places. Mostly Haven Forest."

"Really?" Erol asked while raising his eyebrows in a bit of surprise. "I love the city. I can't stand having that stupid forest around. One day the Baron will finally get rid of it." Erol watched Merlander closely and saw a frown come to his friend's face. "Don't tell me you're attached to the thing, Merlander!"

Erol nudged Merlander with an elbow like they always did when teasing. They both laughed out loud but Merlander stopped laughing as quickly as it begun and said, "I've always liked the forest. It gives me a bit of fresh air everyday."

"Merlander as a tree hugger!" Erol said with a mocking voice. "I would have never guessed! Remember when you were only ten and threw a rock at that wumpbees nest? You swore that you would never love the forest again after that."

"I remembered that you dared me to do that," Merlander said with a smile. "You knew that I was going to get stung."

"But you were the stupid one and threw the rock anyways," Erol said and by this time the two old friends were dying of laughter because of the old memory.

"Elves are not that bright when they are ten," Merlander said to Erol.

"But you could not even spell your name," Erol said. "You were the worst speller in the world!"

"I still can't spell," Merlander said while pushing Erol away in a friendly manner. "Do you have a problem with it? If I recall you could not even get a F- in math. And you call me dumb! Kettle black!" They both looked at each other and cracked up laughing again.

After a long silence Merlander finally said quietly, "Why can't we be like that anymore?"

"Huh?" Erol asked with surprise. "We were always friends, and we are always going to be friends! What are you talking about?"

"Well," Merlander said while scratching behind his neck. "That whole talk before you got knocked out by that fruit. We were really in each other faces." They both remembered the long argument and yelling. It seemed like it was so long ago.

"I know you're working with Black Water, Mer," Erol finally said, and he was dead serious. "You said you were with both sides, and the Baron knows only one group out there that is for both sides."

"I don't want this war to mess up our friendship," Merlander said. "We were friends for so long!"

"But I became right hand man of the Baron," Erol said. "And you went your own way because of your own reasons. We are both very different."

"You have no idea," Merlander muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" Erol asked while looking over to his friend.

"Nothing," Merlander answered. "I just wish we could stay young. Everything was simple before we knew anything of Metal Heads."

"A life with no Metal Heads would be heaven," Erol said while taking out his pistol again and shooting another Metal Head to prove that he hated them. "And a world with no Underground workers would be heaven. They tick me off! Maybe turning off the water valve to the Slums will bring them out of hiding."

Erol and Merlander arrived at the water valve, and with a sharp tug the thing turned off. "This will do nothing, you know?" Merlander said to Erol as they made their ways back. "They have people in high places in the Underground."

"Right now it is the only thing the Baron can think of," Erol said. He then stopped and said to Merlander, "I want to stay friends."

"But I'm in Black Water, and you're all for the Baron," Merlander said. "How can we stay friends?"

"I don't care," Erol said. "As long as you don't get into the Underground I'm fine with it. Let's not make this war set us apart. Friends?" Erol put his hand out for a shake. Merlander smiled and took it.

"Friends," they both said with smiles. One was evil, and the other was fake and mistrusting. This was not a start of a new friendship. It was the starting of trouble.

A/N: So what is Erol planning on doing? And why did Merlander shake in the first place? These questions will be answered soon. Next chapter will be action and very long. This chapter was just to show you how close Erol and Merlander were when they were young. But people change. These two change into whole different people, or should I say elves? Please give a review. Thanks!