SpontaneousCombustion: Okay, I made a mistake last chapter. At the end of the chapter, I put that I was skipping the mission with Jinx, which I still am, but I forgot about the first mission with Brutter and actually draining the sewers and finding the statue of Mar. So, I apologize for that mess up. And any spelling or grammar mistakes I made, because I forgot to spell check everything.

Puck: Well, at least you admit to being stupid.

SC: You shut up! At least I don't try to catch invisible bugs. /Silence/ Yeah, that's what I thought. On with Chapter 17!

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Chapter 17

Meeting Brutter and Back to the Sewers

I jumped off the zoomer as I got to the Hip Hog Saloon. Jak was sitting out front waiting for me, obviously. "There you are."

I shrugged. "Not my fault, blame Torn."

"I plan to." He said, walking inside. I shook my head and followed him in. A Krimzon Guard brushed past us and out the door without a word or a glance in our direction. I stuck my tongue out at his back as the door whooshed closed and Krew flew down.

"The Baron sent his goons to harass me as usual, ey! Health violations! Back taxes! Everyone wants a piece of me! Aaahh well." He emphasized all this by waving his hands around as he spoke.

Daxter, of course, couldn't let this pass up and opened his fat, furry mouth. "Lucky for you there's plenty to go around!"

Jak and I laughed behind our hands as Krew glared at Daxter, who scooted next to Jak. "Ooooh, why you-" He didn't finish his sentence. Instead, he turned toward me and Jak. "Destroying that cargo in the Port was more important than you know, ey! I've got a new project going around, and I don't need anyone snooping around my shipments."

I crossed my arms. "What kind of 'project?'"

Krew smirked down at me. "Let's just say that if everything goes as planned, I'm going to corner the market in Metal Head trophies." He laughed creepily. "Anyway, I have another job for you. An associate of mine, Brutter, works with me in the forced labor trade."

Jak glared. "You mean the slave trade."

"Uh, I prefer 'freedom challenged.'" Krew said. "Lurkers are the cities low class labor. Brutter pays me handsomely to help him free Lurkers and get them safely out of the city. Ahhhh, it lifts my spirit to help those in need... and I NEED his money!"

Daxter interrupted him again. "LURKERS! We don't like Lurkers!" He crossed his arms defiantly.

"But you do like Gun Upgrades, ey?" Krew tossed Jak and I an Upgrade, which we clicked onto our guns. "There are three Krimzon Guard Transports carrying Lurkers to a 'project' that the Baron has outside the city. Take out the transports and bring the three Lurkers to Brutter's trinket stand in the Bazaar."

Jak and I walked outside. "How do we know where they are?" Jak asked me.

I paused to consider this. "Ah! Hold on." I pulled out my talk box and punched in the number for the Power Station.

"Hello?" Vin's voice fuzzed in.

I grinned. "Vin, do you think you could download the locations of three KG transports to those maps you gave me and Jak?"

"Why?"

"It's important. Please?"

"Alright, just don't tell the Baron I-"

"Ever saw and slash or talked to us. Yeah, we know. We don't have much time."

"Sheesh, alright. Hold on..." There was the faint sound of typing in the background. "Done!"

"Thanks, Vin." I shut off the talk box. "I'm good." I grinned at Jak and Daxter. "Alright, let's go."

I'm skipping this mission. It's not that Brutter isn't important, I just don't like this mission.

Jak hopped off his zoomer and walked towards the messy stand. Brutter turned around as Daxter hopped up on the counter. "Little Orangey warrior! You have do great thing for Brutter and Lurker people!" He grabbed Dax and kissed him numerous times.

Daxter spat several times. "Eeeck! No toucha the 'do!'" He pushed his fur back in place.

Brutter set him down. "Oh, sorry... You great guys! And girl!" He added, looking at me. "Brutter not forget. Brutter pay you back. You see!"

"Thanks, Brutter." I said, walking off. Five seconds later, the all too familiar ring of Jak's talk box went off. "Five bucks says it's Krew."

Daxter laughed. "Yeah, right. I bet it's the Tattooed Wonder."

The machine flew up. "Jak, I need you and Raye to get back to the Hip Hog, ey. I have another mission for you."

I grinned at Daxter. "You owe me five bucks."

Jak and I walked into the Saloon to see Krew looking at the bottles on the back shelf. "Years ago, when I was an art 'collector,' I hit the local museum to, mmmm, 'borrow' a famous statue of Mar, the founder of Haven City. In its hands, the statue held the Ruby Key to the city, an artifact of surpassing beauty. . . and, of course, priceless worth, 'ey!"

Daxter leaned forward on Jak's shoulder. "Oh, I just love art!

Krew swiped at Daxter, and missed, with the fan he was holding. "While smuggling the huge statue through the Sewers, a grueling rainstorm flooded the whole place. The statue and five of my best men were swept away!"

"That's terrible." Jak muttered.

Krew nodded. "Yes, a tragic loss. I've missed that statue ever since." Jak and I gave each other a disgusted look. "The Sewers has been so full of water and Metal Heads that I can't get anyone to go down there and retrieve the artifact!" He looked at Jak and I, smiling oddly. "But you two are special. You can do it." He touched my chin, making me jerk away.

Daxter leaned forward again. "Them? What am I? Chopped liver?" I laughed silently. 'Wrong choice of words, Dax.'

Krew grinned at Daxter. "Ohh, don't I wish, mmmmmmmmm?" He licked his fingers loudly. "Now go down there, drain the Sewers, and find that statue at the bottom. Bring back the Ruby Key, and it will open up doors beyond out wildest dreams, 'ey!"

Jak sighed. "Great, more mucking in the mud. . ."

Daxter leaned on Jak's head. "I hate to burst you're bathtub bubbles baby, but that ain't just mud down there."

I groaned as we walked out. "Don't remind us."

After dozens of Metal Heads and at least twice as many mines, which we avoided very carefully to make sure that none blew up, we reached the bottom of the Sewers and Mar's statue. We looked up at the statue, then at Daxter. He frowned and jumped off Jak's shoulder, then climbed up the statue with amazing speed. I laughed. "So you are good at something other than cowering in fear on Jak's shoulder!" I called.

"Ha ha. That was so funny that I forgot to laugh." He yelled down from Mar's scepter. He turned to the key and started trying to pull it out. After four or five tugs, it popped out and Daxter lost his grip on it, and it plummeted towards the ground. Luckily, Jak reached out and caught it before it hit the ground and, most likely, shattered.

"Whoa... got it!" He looked up at Daxter. "Where would you be without me, eh Dax?"

"Well, Jak, I probably wouldn't be two feet tall, fuzzy, and running around in a sewer without a pair of pants!" There was a pause, then: "God, I miss pants."

I shook my head. "Daxter, quit whining or we'll leave without you." He climbed down quickly and back onto Jak's shoulder.

"You know, Jak, if you had moved that fast a few years ago, I probably wouldn't be whining about pants!"

"Shut up."

"Ah, fresh air! Thank god!" Daxter said as we stepped out of the lift. I silently agreed with Daxter. Jak and I would rather fight a dozen Metal Heads rather than go back down there once again. Lucky us, we get to do both when we go back down there. Joy.

"Raye?" I blinked as Daxter called my name. "Earth to Raye. Come in, Raye." He waved his hand/paw thingy in front of my face. I slapped it away.

"Quit it." I snapped.

Jak sighed. "Don't make me separate you two." He turned to me. "If you're done spacing out, Vin just called. He's got a mission for us."

If I could've mushroom sighed, I would have. "Damn. Alright, but afterwards, I get to take a really long nap back at the hideout." I paused. "Or a HUGE cup of coffee."

"Deal." He laughed, walking up the nearby ramp. I followed begrudgingly, fighting the urge to yawn.

SC: I know the chapter is short, I'm sorry. But I'm going on vacation for a week and I needed to get this finished up and posted. And then I get to go to Michigan on the twenty-fourth, and not come back until the twenty-sixth of July.

Puck: Yeah, so she's not going to be near her PS2 or her computer.

SC: sob I'm gonna go through withdrawals! I need my Playstation and my fanfic! Waaaaaaaaaaaaah! Damn this sucks!

Puck: You'll have to forgive her. She's so used to having access to her electronics that she goes crazy without them.

SC: Crazy? I do not!

Puck: Yes, you do. You do until you get over to your dad's house, because he's got a playstation2 over there. Just not Jak 2. We're all just lucky that you're grandpa has AOL. Otherwise... Ooooh, scary thoughts.

SC: Death glare Shove it, you! R&R people!