"Pat? … Pat! … PAT!" A boy's tattooed head popped up from behind a large plate of metal that was the control panel fro the huge mechanical room that was Vin's home. And at the moment, Vin was staring at a screen as he floated on his machine.

"Does it work yet Vin?" Pat's head was smothered in cured eco from working underneath the room to fix some connections. Vin shot around the room excitedly.

"This recent project will be phenomenal! It will triple the energy output from the same amount of eco! Connect the gray wire 34D to the purple 62Y." With that connection, the electricity suddenly went out and Pat launched from behind the panel to catch Vin as he fell. Vin seemed undisturbed as he stepped forward expectantly, mumbling to himself.

"Come on… Come on…" Pat seemed a lot more composed than Vin as the scientist stared up at the central light, and let out a yell of joviality as the light flashed back on again and everything came back online.

"YES! It worked!" Vin suddenly jumped back on his levitation device and floated around to the screens then his expression warped lightning-fast. "THIS IS HORRIBLE!" Vin suddenly started babbling as Pat tried to calm him. "The coupling didn't maintain power. The shields have gone down in the mining area… If we don't get down there…" He suddenly stopped mid-sentence and entered a string of precursor into the machine and then gripped his hair. "ITS CATASTROPHIC!"

Pat pulled the machine down and coaxed Vin's hands apart so he didn't pull out the remaining hair he had. "Relax Vin, all you need to do is get it back online right?" Vin paced around the circular room hurriedly.

"It's not that simple Pat… In order to fix this, we would have to go to the eco mine and fix it manually!" Pat started for the portal ring and entered the coordinates to the eco mine.

"So we go then. Don't worry about it Vin, you know I'll protect you…"

Jak awoke and found that Nik was gone. He heard voices in Torns office. Nik was sitting on his desk, staring at her nails boredly as Torn spoke.

"Finally! The rat and Mr. Sleeping Beauty have awakened. She refused to allow me to wake you two up!" Jak walked in curiously... He had been used to waking up early for Samos' chores but he hardly expected anyone to protect his beauty sleep, especially in an alien place like this.

"What's going on?" Torn growled at Nik as she made a face at him and then turned away innocently. He leaned in on the table with a scowl at Nik before he turned back to Jak, who stood waiting with his arms crossed defiantly.

"One of our 'suppliers' needs his payment delivered – a bag of eco ore. Take the zoomer parked out back and drive it to the hip hog heaven saloon in south town. Ask for Krew – he'll be there. And don't let the barons guards stop you." Torn waved his knife around as he was prone to as he spoke… "By the way, when you get there, pump Krew for information. He's wired into the city, and may know what the baron is up to." Torn turned around and Dax jumped up on the table.

"You can count on us!" he put his hands on his hips challengingly despite the fact Torn was facing the opposite direction. In response Torn just nodded over his shoulder with a smirk.

"Are you still here?" Nik grabbed Dax before he was able to say anything else to get Torn pissed and followed Jak out. She stuck him on Jak's shoulder nonchalantly as she rushed forward and jumped on the zoomer. Jak looked skeptical at her zeal…

"Do you know how to drive one of these things?" Nik leaned into it and grinned with her hands on the handle and her feet at the pedals. Her answer wasn't very assuring to Jak.

"No, but I'm sure its not much different from a motorcycle and I know everything there is to know about motorcycles. Hop on!" Jak sat behind her cautiously, uncomfortable with the fact he was the one riding passenger, but his mind wasn't on that very long before Nik flattened the acceleration pedal and he was preoccupied with hanging on and avoiding gun blasts.

"I don't think I'm going to let you on another of those unless I'm driving." Jak held his head warily as they left the little zoomer in front of Krew's pub while they headed in. Some kid jumped on it and went into traffic a little after they came off it. Dax yelled after him but followed Jak and Nik as he realized they were leaving him behind. All three of them grimaced at the stench they found as they walked into the pub.

"How the hell does Sig stand this!" A big guy standing near the bar turned around to face them with a stony demeanor as he heard Nik speak…

"One'a you cherries say my name?" Jak looked about to ask Nik something but Dax beat him to it. He grinned as Sig turned to them and spoke up before Jak could say anything.

"Let me handle this Jak. Watch my finesse and style." Dax jumped down from Jaks shoulder and Jak started to say something Dax obviously paid no attention to… "Everything's cool. Nobody panic. Hey big guy!" Dax walked right underneath Sig's legs and his expression changed in a heartbeat from confidently smooth to pure horror. Krew's massive rolls of fat floated down to meet them and they all found out exactly where the rotten stench was originated.

"He's even more disgusting in person…" Nik murmured to herself with a grimace. Dax didn't lose much time though as Jak stood slightly agape at how someone's cholesterol alone couldn't kill someone that fat…

"You Krew? Well we shook the heat, and your shipment's in primo condition." Krew panted slowly as he spoke and Nik couldn't help but laugh as he brought back a vague memory of how many people made fun of him for having a Canadian accent…

"That's good 'eh. Because a cargo of rare eco ore is worth more than ten of your lives." He floated forward and past Sig, since Dax had backed up upon seeing the giant he didn't have the discomfort of being directly underneath something so menacingly heavy. "Mmm, and of course. I'd be forced to collect… ah slowly. Heh. Heh." Jak put his hands on his hips as he tightened his face, attempting not to gag. Nik couldn't blame him although she was included in the close encounter since she was standing right beside Jak as the guy circled around trying to look menacing. Its really kind of funny that he tries to look like muscle when all he's really got going for him is sumo power he cant even stand up with… He continued to speak however since neither of us wanted to open our mouths in case we breathed in whatever it was that emanated off him and died on the spot. "The underground will take anyone with a pulse these days." Dax jumped up on Jaks shoulder and Krew seemed to stare at him like a turkey sandwich. "And what do we have here? The Shadows mascot of the month?" he extended his flabby hand and rubbed under Dax's chin almost gently with those mammoth stubs he called fingers. Although Dax gagged as he ran his greasy hand over the top of Dax's head. "Ooh, soft… Sig, this fur would go well with one of my silk suits. 'Eh?" He patted his stomach and Dax spoke up as he turned to sig.

"Listen, ah, tons of fun. Anyone can see you, uh, and I have the real juice in this burg. We're both players right? We're both looking for a piece of the action, right? I think we can do business right?" Jak lifted his hand to his face in exasperation as Nik chuckled into her own, Krew seeming to turn to Sig confusedly as if he had just noticed that the ball of fuzz could talk. Jak had enough of the silent act however and took his chance as Dax's voice died down in intimidation.

"We did you a favor. Now it's your turn. Why is the baron giving eco to metal heads?" Krew didn't seem to like the change in pace from Dax's intimidated attempt at barter chitchat and zoomed in on Jak, face livid with anger, (as much as it can change with so little muscle in his face…)

"Questions like that could get a person killed 'eh!" He tightened his little roll-fingers into a fist and looked over his shoulder to Sig. "Sig, pay "el Capitan" here and his friend a bonus." Jak backed away slowly as he expected a fight from the powerful-looking bodyguard who stepped forward. Nik on the other hand just stood waiting with a hand on her hip. She caught the gun he tossed at her and Jak took the one he held out. Krew continued his rant despite how two of the trio didn't seem to be paying attention at the new acquirement of their toys… "If you want to see what that baby can do, try the gun course outside. Show me some skill with that hardware, and I'll hire you for a job or two 'eh." Jak looked absolutely devious as he looked over the gun and Nik stuck it on her back after she got a feel for it. Dax jumped on her shoulder, eager to get away from the floating freak.

Nik: Hey, there's pat for you. I was going to have them go right to Vin since Pats in that area, but unfortunately I needed them to get guns first. Next chappi! Jak and Nik go to headquarters and the children from the beginning with meet again, supervenio occursus ne? lets see how they react maniacal laughter