Chapter 6
"JAKIE! LEON!" Dawn screeched over the comm. "They're outside! They're outside! Jakie, hurry and get over here!"
"Ok! Calm down! I'm on the way!" Jakie answered.
"I'm watching the fortress… no sign of Jak yet. Jakie, hurry and get over to the Underground," Leon added.
"I know, I know. Dawn, get inside and get the map!"
"I'm on it!" the little ottsel looked around the roof for a way to get in and eventually decided on a small air vent. She quickly slipped inside, landing behind Torn's desk. She got up and quickly hopped on the desk and started looking through the many maps and papers scattered over the surface. "Where is it… where is it… aha! Found you!" Dawn held up her prize in triumph, but her victorious moment was interrupted by her comm.
"You got it?" Jakie asked in a hushed voice.
"Yep!"
"Great! Now get out of there before you're spotted! Leon said Jak is on his way over here now."
"Right! I'm on it!" Dawn switched her comm. off and looked around for an exit. She saw none. She looked harder, carefully scanning every corner of the hideout, and still the results were the same. 'Great! What now!' she thought frantically. She switched her comm. back on and quickly contacted Jakie. "Jakie! Big problem!"
"What's wrong?" Jakie answered.
"There's no way out except the front door!"
"Ok, don't panic! Um… give me a second to think… damn it!" Dawn stood there, tapping her foot impatiently, then she heard torn and Tess's fait voices outside.
"Did you hear something?" Tess asked. Silence.
"Jakie, what did you do?" Dawn asked quietly.
"Nothing," she whispered back, "ok, my dad is on his way, and he'll be going to Dead town soon after he meets Torn. Tess has to go spy on Krew… ok, Dawn, here's what you do. Find somewhere to hide and don't leave until I tell you it's safe. Torn will be leaving to watch Dad get the banner from Dead town, so the hideout will be completely abandoned and you'll be able to just walk out the front. Got that?"
"Yeah… yeah, I think so."
"Good. Get going!" the comm. went dead and Dawn hurried to find a good hiding place.
(Let's go see how Leon is doing, shall we?)
Leon was overall impressed by Jak's fighting skill. He had watched from the rooftops as the blond renegade massacred the guards to defend Kor and the kid. Of course, he scoffed when Kor had told him to find Torn. Several thoughts had come to mind. The first was the thought of his old man. Just seeing his again would be a hell of an experience. Another thought was that Kor was the Metal head leader. Oh, how he wished he could just jump down and slice Kor's head clean off his shoulders. But he knew the risk of doing that. One small change to the timeline could viciously affect the future. He knew better than to act so recklessly.
When Jak started heading toward the hideout, Leon quickly tailed him, being extra careful not to get noticed. That was the last thing he needed. Eventually, the dead end ally was in view and Leon hurried to join Jakie on her perch.
"Hey," he said when he reached her and poked her in the ribs.
"Hey. Dawn's stuck inside… we have more waiting to do."
"Ok…" Leon sighed, "Jak's over there." Jakie turned around and looked.
"Wow… oh, and Torn's down there." Leon looked down at the ally.
"He look's… young," he commented.
"Really, Leon! I thought he looked like an old man in his sixties!"
"Oh, shut up, Jakie." Jakie nudged him.
"Quiet. Here comes Jak." The two of them ducked lower and listened carefully as Jak approached.
"We're looking for a guy named Torn. Kor sent us," Jak stated when he was within earshot. Torn stepped up to Jak and looked him over and Jak staggered backward a few steps. "Uh, are you… Torn?"
"Maybe this guy's a mute, like you used to be," Daxter suggested. Fortunately, Torn chose that moment to start talking.
"New faces make me nervous. Word is your looking to join the Underground. If you want to join something," he turned and started walking away, "Why don't you and your 'pet' go join the circus?" he drew his knife and turned around, "unless you've got the fur for a really tough task." Torn approached Jak again, "Steal the Baron's banner from the top of the ruined tower and bring it back to me. Then, maybe we'll talk."
He flipped it in the air and caught it and smirked.
"What a show-off," Leon muttered. Jakie nudged him again.
"It's a bit hard to believe that those are our parents…" Jakie whispered. They watched a little longer as Jak left, then Tess, then Torn. When things were clear, Jakie quickly contacted Dawn and about thirty seconds later the trio was reunited and they headed back for their hideout with Torn's map in possession.
Kiri: And there you have it! Chappy 6! Leave a nice review and I'll update as soon as I can!