Chapter XXVII: The 'Happy' Reunion

LES: Finally, the chapter I've waited so long to write! 26 chapters is a long time to wait. This one's gonna be a whooper, judging by the stack of paper that is waiting to be copied on to the computer, but I WILL do it! Even if it takes me a week! You can't blame me for over-doing it. I've been planning this chapter since I started this story.

It came as a blessed relief when the Duo stepped out of the smelly sewers and into the dirty, polluted City air. Well, both smelled pretty bad, but given the choice, Jak would choose the polluted air any day.

"So… what now?" Jak asked.

"Hey, I know! Let's go visit your girlfriend!" Daxter suggested.

Jak stared at Daxter. "What? I don't have a girlfriend."

"Of coarse you do! Remember that mechanic girl you flirted with?" Daxter asked. "You were TOTALLY digging her!"

"No, I wasn't!" Jak lied.

"She did give you the JetBoard." Daxter said slowly. "Perhaps she likes you…"

"I'd like to take this opportunity to remind you that she gave me the JetBoard because I'm working for the Underground." Jak pointed out.

"But she did let you keep it." Daxter ventured. "Maybe you could impress her by telling her how you destroyed those Metal-Heads!"

Jak sighed. "Fine, but only to prove that NO girl is interested in a Dark Eco Freak like me."

A short drive later, the duo ended up at the Stadium, in front of the mechanic's garage. "Go on…" Daxter urged quietly.

Jak took a deep breath and walked into the garage toward the curtain from which he could see her silhouette. Jak cleared his throat to get her attention.

"What?" Came an exasperated voice from behind the curtain. "Who's there?"

"It's us…" Jak began. "From the Underground."

"Krew's boys." The woman said casually.

"We destroyed those Metal-Head scouts…" Jak began, but the woman behind the curtain cut him off.

"Great, I'll send you a metal." She said sarcastically. "Now, if you DON'T mind, I'm on a deadline, so SCRAM!" She ordered.

Jak started to lose his already fragile temper. "Are you always this difficult?" He demanded.

Daxter, realizing the potential danger, took over. "Let me handle this." He told Jak, jumping off Jak's shoulder. "Listen lady…" He said, turning towards the curtain. "We beat your stupid course… and we can out-race anybody in the dumb City!"

Behind the curtain, the mechanic, Keira, lifted up her face shield in shock. "Wait… that voice…" She gasped. Could it be? After all her years of searching?

"Now there's just two things you need to know!" Daxter said. "One: We don't wanna join your stinkin' race team! And two: You just lost a date with Orange Lightning!" Daxter turned to leave. "Let's go, Jak." Both he and Jak turned to leave when the curtain finally opened and Keira stepped out into view.

"Daxter! It is you!" Keira screamed with delight.

Both Jak and Daxter froze, and then spun around. "Keira?" They both gasped at the same time.

Indeed it was Keira! She looked older than Jak remembered but, then again, it had been two years since they last saw one another. He wasn't a seventeen-year-old boy and she wasn't a sixteen-year-old girl anymore. He was nineteen and she was eighteen. He had changed so dramatically… Jak was suddenly filled with embarrassment. She hadn't even looked at him yet.

"Oh, I never thought I'd be so happy to see your furry mug!" Keira pinched Daxter's furry cheeks. Suddenly, she stood up and threw herself at Jak, pulling the surprise elf into a tight embrace. "Oh, Jak!" She cried as she embraced him. Jak slowly returned the embrace in a rather awkward way while Daxter laughed silently to himself. After a few seconds, Keira pulled out of Jak's arms. "And Jak, you look…" Keira paused. She couldn't believe her eyes. It was the same face on all the wanted posters. She had been telling herself for months that it somehow wasn't HER Jak that was accused of all those murders. But how could she deny it when the evidence stood right before her eyes. "Different…" Keira finished her sentence lamely.

"It's…" Jak paused at the look on Keira's face. He suddenly realized that she didn't know he could speak. She obviously couldn't believe that Jak had actually said something that was intelligent, not the usual grunts that he was forced to make as a mute. "It's been a tough ride…" Jak finished with equal lameness.

"Jak…" Keira began. "When…?"

But Keira's question, which was probably 'When did you learn to talk?', was cut short by Daxter. "I busted Old Jak out of prison here a few months ago. The Baron was pumping our boy here full of Dark Eco…" Jak's embarrassment increased when he watched Keira take a step back from him, as if he were a bomb set to explode. "And the Dark Eco did something to him! Now he's got 'super moves' or something…" Daxter paused before adding the next words in a whisper. "And a few anger issues as well."

Keira glanced at Jak, her eyes full of… disappointment? Jak could hardly bare it. Finally, Keira spoke again. "I've been looking for you guys forever!" She looked back towards the curtain. Through a small gap, Jak could see some sort of machinery. "And planning a way to get us back home. Somehow that rift took us far into the future… about five hundred years into the future."

"Wait! Are you saying the year is…?" Daxter began, but Keira answered.

"Two thousand, two hundred and sixty-nine." Keira said. Then, she instantly launched into a technical explanation… so Keira-like. "I've calculated the time-displacement and I think I've figured out a how to send us back home by…"

Jak interrupted her. "We found your father." He said. Keira instantly stopped and stared at Jak, who scratched the back of his neck while he drowned in even more embarrassment. "Well… sort of…" Jak corrected.

"He's working with the Underground, fighting the Baron." Daxter said while he shadow-boxed some invisible foes. "But he's… ah…"

"What?" Keira asked, worried about her father.

"You need to see him." Jak said. He wasn't able to explain exactly what was wrong with Samos. Amnesia was his guess. It probably would be better if Keira met him herself. "But, most importantly, I need to get to the Baron." Jak could hear the old vengeful rage creeping back into his voice. It seemed to put Keira off even more.

"You could try to win the Class One Racing Championship." Keira said. "The winner of that big race always gets to meet the Baron in the Palace. The only problem is that you have to qualify for the big race by winning the lower Class races." Keira paused, then her face brightened. "There's a Class Three race starting soon. You can drive for my team. But, Jak, we should think about getting out of here." Keira took off the face shield. "I don't like this place very much, and some of the people are creepy…"

Jak was about to reply when Keira's face blanked. She was looking over his shoulder, so Jak turned around and saw Krew floating into the Garage. "Jak, I NEED that Ruby Key you found, eh. A special client has requested it."

"Sorry about that, Krew." Jak said, retrieving the Ruby Key from his pocket. "I must've forgotten." Jak tossed the Ruby Key to Krew.

"Right." Krew said as he caught the Key, glared at it with his one good eye, before hovering out.

Jak turned around to resume his conversation with Keira only to find her getting out her TalkBox. "Oh, sorry Jak, but I have to call the Race Director and tell him that Bease Racing is back in this afternoon's line up. Sit down."

Jak found it really strange that, after two years apart, Keira was acting as though it were only yesterday when they last saw each other. Never the less, Jak sat down on the small couch in the corner of the Garage while Keira spoke with the Race Director.

"Can you believe…?" Jak began quietly as Daxter took a place by his side.

"No. She totally hugged you!" Daxter began. "And SHE was the one you were flirting with! Keira, of all people!"

"I know…" Jak said.

"And you totally…"

"Dax! Be quiet!" Jak hissed at Daxter as Keira walked back into the Garage.

"All set. You're set to be at the starting line in one hour or so." Keira said.

"One problem." Jak said. "In case you haven't heard, I'm in a bit of trouble…"

"A bit of trouble?" Daxter repeated. "That's the biggest understatement of all time."

"The POINT is that the Stadium is going to be full of Krimzon Guards." Jak said. "If they find me, I'm… well… dead."

Keira listened quietly. "I'll think of something." She paused, and nobody said anything for about ten seconds. "Jak, could I talk to you… alone?" She stared pointedly at Daxter.

"Not wasting a second, huh?" Daxter commented. Jak's eyes narrowed dangerously. Daxter sighed. "Fine, I can tell when I'm not wanted. I'll be outside messing with the Guards." Daxter left.

Keira sat on the couch, a good two feet from Jak. "Jak, I…" Jak listened quietly, waiting for Keira to continue. "I want to know what has happened to you." She pointed to a wanted poster on the wall that Jak recognized as his own.

Jak took his eyes off Keira, leaned forward, and stared at his feet for almost a full minute before replying. "The last two years have not been so kind to me."

"What happened? Where were you? I must've looked everywhere."

Jak sighed before answering. "Prison."

"Prison?" Keira repeated. "What did you do to end up in there?"

"Nothing." Jak answered. "Unless standing in a confused sort of way in the middle of the street is a crime in this city."

"When did you learn to talk?" Keira asked. "I've never heard of a mute learning to speak before."

"On one of my first days in prison there was… an accident." Jak said. "I looked at a guard in a way that he thought was disrespectful. He tried to hit me in the face with the butt of a rifle." Keira gasped. "I tried to dodge the blow, but the gun hit my throat instead." Jak suddenly grabbed his throat as a memory of the pain he endured for his voice hit him full force. After several seconds, Jak could continue. "After that… I was able to speak. Not very well for the first few weeks, but I eventually was able to speak normally."

"Jak?" Keira said, looking for a second at the poster on the wall. "I want you to look me in the eyes and tell me you are not a murderer."

Jak winched. He knew this request was going to come sooner or later. But now that it had been asked, he would've preferred later. He couldn't even look Keira in the face. "I can't." He said quietly.

"What?" Keira asked, horrified.

"I can't deny… that I killed all those people." Jak said. Then he knew he had to justify himself in Keira's eyes, explain to her why he had become a monster. "Keira, you have no idea what sort of things happened to me in prison. It was kill or be killed. I made my choice, I chose to live. I killed the people that would've killed me before they could get a chance to."

"Jak… I…" Keira couldn't seem to get any words to come out. Finally, she spoke, but in an angry tone. "Jak, I can't believe you! All those times that I heard that you were a murderer, I just told myself that MY Jak was too kind, too good, to purposely take someone else's life! All those times Erol…"

Jak's gaze suddenly shot up to Keira. "Erol? You know him?"

"Of coarse, he's the top racer in the City." Keira said. "And don't you DARE try to change the subject, Jak! How could you murder those people?"

"Keira…" Jak began desperately. "You've got to believe me that I would've died if I didn't become stronger, if I didn't adapt. Besides, half of those murders weren't technically committed by me…"

"But you just said…" Keira began."

"I know what I said! But I'd rather not talk about it right now." Jak said, then he desperately made another attempt at changing the subject. "So, how are we going to hide my identity out on the track?"

Keira paused, thinking. "Wait here." She got up and left to get something, leaving Jak alone on the couch. The young elf sighed heavily. Well… I guess that could've gone worse… Jak thought to himself.

When Keira returned, she was carrying a package with such delicacy that it could have been some sort of holy relic. She sat back down on the couch, and Jak noticed at she sat much closer to him this time. "What's that?" He asked.

Keira opened the package to reveal a racing outfit, helmet and all. It was blue in color and it had a 'T' sewn onto both shoulders. The mask resembled the one that Erol had, except this one covered the entire head instead of just the face. Jak picked it out of the box to get a good look at the 'T'. "Who did it belong to?" He asked.

"My former racer, Tigran." Keira answered. "He got me the job and was a good friend." Keira didn't feel it necessary to tell Jak that Tigran had fallen in love with her, or that she had kissed him as he lay dying.

"Was?" Jak repeated, picking up the helmet and examining it. "What happened?"

"There was an accident." Keira said sadly. "He was in the Class One racing Championship last year. He was doing great… winning, in fact. Then, without warning, the zoomer exploded. He was badly burned. He… might've lived if the outer covering of the zoomer didn't nail him to the track. He died there."

"That's… horrible." Jak said, putting the helmet back into the box

"Well, he was a racer. He couldn't ask from anything more than to die on the track." Keira said sadly. "I've been without a driver ever since because people think that Bease Racing is cursed."

"Cursed? Why is that?" Jak asked.

"About a month before Tigran's death…" Keira began. "The original owner Mr. Bease, was murdered right here in the Garage. No culprit was ever found." Keira sighed. "Bease Racing has been down and out ever since."

"So, where have you been staying in this hell-hole?" Jak asked casually. "You don't sleep here in the garage, do you?"

"Oh, no." Keira said. "When I landed here a year ago, I was taken in by a nice woman named Carla, a widow who lives in the Slums."

"Lucky you." Jak said sourly. "I got picked up by Mr. Evil Bastard."

Keira ignored this last comment. She pushed the package into Jak's hands. "There. Put it on." She pointed to a door that Jak assumed lead to a back room or something. Jak got up from the couch and headed for the door to change.

When Jak emerged from the bathroom, Daxter had already ventured back into the garage. "Whoa! Who are you?" Daxter asked, clearly not recognizing Jak wit the blue racing outfit and the full-head helmet, which would protect his identity.

"Dax, it's me." Jak said taking off the helmet.

"Jak!" Keira walked back into the Garage. Once she was in view, she stopped dead in her tracks, staring at the elf before her.

"What?" Jak asked when he noticed that Keira was staring at him.

"Oh… nothing." Keira quickly said. "Just a little deja-vu."

"Tell me about it." Jak said, remembering his own deja-vu experiences.

"Oh, right. I have to teach you how to drive the racing zoomers." Keira said.

"Wait a minute!" Jak began hotly. "I already know how to drive!"

"No doubt." Keira said coolly. "But racing zoomers are very different from the old A-Gav zoomer or even the zoomers here in Haven." Keira patted a strange-looking zoomer. "This is a Class Race-regulation zoomer. It's faster than a regular zoomer, but you can make it go even faster by collecting turbos on the track, they are pink… don't ask me why. The zoomer can hold three turbos at a time. When you have a turbo, press this button…" She pointed to a red button on the zoomer's control panel. "And you'll get a temporary burst of speed to get you over gaps or pass other racers on a straight-a-way."

"Wow!" Daxter exclaimed, impressed. "Just how long have you had this job?" Daxter asked.

"Two years." Keira answered before going back to explaining. "There are traps and gaps in the track. If you fall down into one, you won't be coming back to tell the tale, so jump them or go around them. Also, my zoomer isn't indestructible, so it will blow up if you bang it up too much."

"Wait… are we talking about racing or a gladiator fight?" Daxter asked.

"Both." Keira answered. "Now, purposely forcing another racer off the track or into a pit is illegal, but no one really follows the rules any more, so watch out for that. Taking shortcuts, however, is perfectly legal. If you find one, take it as often as possible."

"Anything else I need to know?" Jak asked.

"Er… yes." Keira paused before continuing. "I signed you up under a different name."

"What?"

"Only when you're racing, though." Keira said. "I'm sure you've noticed that 'Jak' isn't a very common name around here. So even knowing that your name is 'Jak' will arouse suspicion."

"I've noticed." Jak said, thinking about the weird looks he got every time he told someone that his name was 'Jak.' The Precursor worshipers had basically tabooed the name, so no one used it.

"So, what's my name then?" Jak asked.

Keira paused for several seconds before answering. "Seth." She said simply.

Jak shrugged. The name was okay. "Seth, it is."

"Oh, look at the time!" Keira looked up at the clock. "It's time to go."

"Already?" Jak demanded. Time hardly seemed to have pasted. But, sure enough, an hour was almost up.

Sure enough, a second later, an announcement came over the speakers. "Attention all citizens: The Class Three Races is about to begin. To all racers: Please report to the track immediately."

"Go!" Keira urged, pushing Jak through a door in the back marked 'To the Track.' Jak barely had time to put on his helmet again before he was thrust out into view. "Racer Number Eight!" Keira hissed in his ear before shutting the door, she and Daxter would watch the race from elsewhere. The announcer was going over the races and the format of the races on the loud speaker.

"As you all know, the races will be divided into several separate races. The winners in each race will advance to the Class Two Races to be held in a few months." A pause. "And the big surprise of the day is the late entry of female-run Bease Racing! A Mr. Seth will be riding for the team! Incidentally, last year, Bease Racing was the favorite to win the Championship. However, after the untimely death of racer, Tigran, it looked like Ms. Keira's team would never recover…"

Jak didn't listen anymore. Instead, he walked straight towards the Racing Zoomer marked 'Number 8'. Once he was seated, he glanced up at the audience. At once, he spotted Keira, sitting in a special box, with Daxter at her side.

Finally, after ages of announcements, and all the racers were seated. (Jak noticed that Erol was not in this race. He could only assume Erol would compete in another race later that day.) The announcer began the formalities.

"Welcome to the Class Three Races to take place this day of June 27, 2269! Drivers, start your engines!" The air was suddenly full of the sound of roaring engines. Jak started his own engine with ease.

Jak then noticed that all the other racers were looking up in the stands and Jak followed suite. Baron Praxis was standing up in a special, private box. Jak could clearly make out the form of that bastard, Erol, sitting on his right side. Ashelin sat to her father's left. She was the Baron's daughter, after all, and she was forced to attend these events with her father. Seeing the Baron and Erol made Jak deeply regret leaving his gun back in Keira's garage. This whole mess could've been finished here. Jak growled to himself, but no one heard him. The full-head mask succeeded in muffling sound, but the negative side-effect was that it made it slightly hard from Jak to breathe. But it was slightly too late to regret leaving his weapon behind as the Baron gave a single nod, his approval from the race to begin.

A small hovering device floated just over the track before the racers. The light on the face turned red, then yellow, and then, finally, green. All the racers were off with a roar of engines and the deafening cheers of the crowd.

Almost immediately, most of the racers gravitated to the left side of the track as the first turn came, a mistake on their part. Jak was the one racer that took the turn on the inside, thus he spilled out of the very first turn in first place!

His luck did not last long at all. The man in second place was an ex-Krimzon Guard who was seriously amoral and lacked the capacity to feel pity (Much like Jak himself). As fate would have it, he was also very fast. This man caught up to Jak just before the next to the left by coming up on Jak's right. As soon as he was side-by-side with the elf, he slammed his own zoomer into Jak's in an attempt to drive him into a wall. Jak managed to recover a split-second before he became smeared on the wall. Keira's bike defiantly got scratched up a little.

Once Jak's eyes were on the track again, he saw the perfect opportunity for revenge. A large gap filled most of the next area. One would have to make a sharp turn to the right to avoid flying into the abyss.

Jak looked to his left and saw, to his delight, the racer was still there. "So, you wanna play dirty?" Jak demanded loudly over the roar of the race. The man didn't answer, so Jak yelled: "Fine!"

Instead of simply running the man off the road, Jak kicked out at the front end of the zoomer, sending the man into a spin. Caught in the spin, and trying desperately trying to get back under control, he couldn't anticipate the right turn nor execute it. He sailed right off the edge of the track into the darkness below.

In the middle of the turn, Jak picked up one of the small, pink turbos and it registered on the zoomer's display. However, Jak wasn't about to use it in a curvy area, where he could easily run full-tilt into a wall.

After several turns Jak came across a small gap. This one had a ramp, so it was easily jumped. Jak cross in without incident but the explosions just behind signaled that this statement was not true for all the races.

Almost as soon as he crossed the gap, another racer came racing up from behind, passed Jak, and was off. For a second, Jak wondered how that man could've passed him with so little effort. Then he ran over another turbo and the answer became clear. He had used a turbo to bypass him. Jak decided it was time to hit the unfortunate racer with his own medicine.

The racer's turbo wore out quickly and the racer returned back to a speed that was slightly less than Jak's, showing that his zoomer wasn't was well put together as Jak's. Silently complimenting Keira for her zoomer work, Jak made the decision to hang back and surrender first place around the next few turns. Then, they were at a straightaway and Jak made his move.

Opening the throttle fully, Jak tore past the racer and lined up straight in front of him. Then Jak pushed the red button on the display, activating a turbo.

The turbo shot Jak forward, but not before throwing a jet of flame straight down the racer's main engine. No type of engine was built to withstand this sort of abuse, and the man's zoomer was not that well put together anyway. The zoomer exploded in a pretty big firework display. If Jak was lucky, then the explosion brought down more than one racer.

Jak passed the starting line to signal the end of one lap. One lap down, and four racers, at least, were already down. No wonder Daxter had called this a gladiatorial fight! It was… on zoomers…! Jak completed the first few turns, picking up another turbo as he went.

As Jak approached the big gap room he had a strange thought. Was it possible to jump the gap? It would allow him to totally bypass the curve and give him a good lead. However, if he misjudged the jump, or his zoomer's abilities, he would fall down into the same abyss that he had sent that other racer.

Jak only had seconds to decide. And he decided to go for it. As he got close he pushed the turbo button and shot out across the gap. It looked an awful long way once Jak was flying over the gap. He held his breath, praying to any Gods that were listening to help him make it across.

Thankfully for Jak, the Gods decided to smile on him… for once, as Jak landed safely on the other side.

"Ha! Try to catch me now!" Jak laughed as he shot off to complete the last four laps.

Jak was the first to cross the finish line, followed by the other three racers out of the original eight who managed to survive.

"And the winner of the first round of the Class Three Races is…" The announcer paused for dramatic effect. "Seth!" Everyone cheered as Jak's fake name rang throughout the Stadium. Jak awkwardly waved up at the cheering crowd, his helmet still on, causing him slight discomfort as it was doubly hard to breathe now that he had worn it for a while. He was also painfully aware that the crowd would not be cheering for him if they knew his true identity. Jak the murderer. Jak the renegade. Jak the Dark Eco Freak. Jak the monster.

Jak quietly accepted the small bronze Class Three trophy from a man that Jak assumed was the Racing Director. Once he had the trophy, he turned to walk away; only to find his path blocked by a familiar face.

Speak of the devil… Jak thought to himself. It was none other than Erol, the mega-bastard. Jak wondered for a second if he was there to arrest him, but then he realized that he had a full-head helmet and a fake name to protect him. There was no way for Erol to recognize him unless he gave himself away.

Erol studied the helmet, as thought trying to see through it. "So… ah… Seth, right?" He asked.

"Yes." Jak said, changing his voice slightly, making it deeper than normal.

Erol gave him a long stare, but Jak didn't say anything. "That was an excellent race today."

Jak decided to play dumb was the best option he had. "You're Erol, the Baron's right-hand man and the Champion of racing, right?"

"Why yes." Erol said with a look of pride. "And I suppose you are going to be the one to take my racing title away from me."

"Why yes." Jak said, impersonating Erol's pompous attitude. (He couldn't help it.)

Erol frowned, all fake-cheerfulness gone to hell. "I'd watch out if I were you. The last person who told me that died a horrible death. You'll go the same way as your predecessor: burned, pinned, and no one at your side but little Ms. Keira!"

"You are the one who should watch yourself, Erol." Jak hissed back. "Your enemies may be closer than you think. Remember, the bigger they are, the harder they fall."

Erol laughed out loud as he stalked away. Jak watched Erol's back, thinking that maybe he had gone too far. As he watched Erol leave, an anger festered deep in his gut' he imagined a laser-sight playing across Erol's back. Jak's gun, however, was still inside Keira's garage. With a sigh, he turned to head there.

Jak placed the small bronze trophy next to the others in Keira's collection. "When is this City gonna provide some challenge, huh?" Daxter asked no one in particular.

"Funny, it was Jak I saw racing, not you." Keira pointed out.

"Oh, sure, go all technical on me." Daxter pouted as Jak removed the helmet with a gasp.

"Damn, how are you supposed to breathe in these things?" He asked. "I can't race if I pass out from lack of oxygen."

"Tigran hated it too." Keira said. "Most racers that use them do complain. However, it's necessary to protect your identity."

"I get it." Jak said. "But it doesn't mean I have to like the damn thing." Suddenly, there was the sound of footsteps and everyone looked up to see Ashelin walking into the garage. With a jolt, Jak realized he had removed the helmet, but he was still in the racing outfit. "Crap!" Jak swore.

Ashelin took one glance at Jak's clothing. "I knew it." Then she must've noticed the look on Jak's face because she added. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me."

"Oh… okay then…" Jak said uncertainly.

"I saw your race today." Ashelin said. "You were pretty amazing out there."

Jak suddenly grew embarrassed again, but he wasn't sure why. "Oh… um… thanks." He said, scratching the back of his neck. He noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. Keira was walking up to him. He suddenly realized that they didn't know each other. "Oh, Keira… this is Ashelin…" He pointed at the female. "She's just…"

But Keira interrupted. "Everyone knows who she is."

So much for that. Jak turned to Ashelin. "And Keira's a…"

But once again, he was interrupted by Keira. "A friend. A very good friend."

Jak looked back and forth between the two females, a little unsure of what was going on. But one thing he was sure of… Keira had described herself as 'a very good friend'. And that look in her eyes… could it be? Jealousy?

Ashelin ignored Keira and turned to face Jak. "I never thanked you for helping out with that ambush. You saved my life." Ashelin turned to walk out the door. Keira glared accusingly at Jak, who shrugged to show her that he didn't have a clue what was going on. He had been lost since Ashelin walked through the door. Ashelin paused just short of the door. "I'm not like my father, you know." She said. "Ever since I was a little girl, I would look down on the streets from that RIDICULOUS Palace… and I dreamed of a better place…" Two Krimzon Guards walked by, attracting everyone's attention. "By the way, they're hunting for you." She turned to face Jak. "If I were you, I'd watch out from Erol. I can't protect you from him." Ashelin then proceeded to walk out the door.

Finally, Daxter spoke. "Whew! She's a betty!" His eyes widened as he, unlike Jak, realized what had been going on for the past few minutes. "And she likes you, Jak! Not that I can account for her tastes." Daxter winked boyishly and Jak got a horrible sense of foreboding. Something horrible was about to pop out of Daxter's mouth. He wasn't disappointed. "I bet you'd love to pin some metals on her chest, huh?"

Jak was, in short, horrified. He glanced at Keira just in time to see the hurt radiating from her eyes. The pain was quickly replaced by anger. Without a word to Jak, Keira turned around and began to storm out of the garage. "Keira! Wait!" Jak called after her, but she wouldn't turn around. Jak spun around and glared at Daxter. If looks could kill, Daxter would've been drawn, quartered, blown up, and then flushed down the toilet.

"What? What did I say? What did you say, Jak?" Daxter asked, noticing Jak's murderous look.

"Dax, you… Can't you see…?" But Jak was apparently too angry to finish his thoughts. "Damn you, Dax!" Jak swore, stomping out of the garage. "Damn you!"

Daxter hesitated only a second before following Jak. "Well, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning."

LES: I'm sorry to say, that's about as intimate as it gets for quite a while. I hope that hug lasts a long time, because you won't see any more hugs or the like for a while!