Corad: Ok, I am sorry for the late update...again...finding time right now is just so hard. In two weeks I can update whenever I like, coz it's easter hols...and I won't have school eating my free time. If any of yas want to kill me, only kill me 99 percent, ok. Leave that 1 percent so I can keep updating. Well, on with the story. Thanks for the reviews too. You're all so very nice!

I own absolutley nout, apart from Sharok and the plot.


Chapter 19 – Meeting with Torn

Jak woke up early the next day; his arm aching like it usually did when he woke up, but today is wasn't as bad. Daxter had informed him the night before that his bandage could be removed soon, but Jak had told him that he'd want Samos or someone to look at it first. So, that was another thing on Jak's agenda today. The first one asking Sharok why he was on duty, if that's what he was even doing.

The young elf yawned widely, before slipping his feet out of the covers and placing them on the cold floor. He was unsure whether to wake his sleeping friend to bring him along, or if Daxter would be better just sleeping in. Knowing him, Jak will be gone and back before he even woke up. Deciding to go alone, Jak picked up the guard routine Torn wanted, and crept out the room and down the stairs into the bar. He could hear soft snoring within the room, and figured Erol was sleeping in one of the booths.

Although he wished to wake him just to peeve him off, he fought against it, and grabbed the closest snack out the fridge, before wolfing it down. Satisfied he had enough energy to last him before he got back; he began walking silently to the exit, but stopped before he reached the door. He glanced over at the booth the Erol was sleeping in. The ex commander looked uncomfortable the way he lay on one of the leather seats. His head and shoulders were propped up against the sidewall, and his legs were tangled amongst themselves and the table. Feeling slightly guilty which scared him, he left the naughty ottsel and picked out a nearby zoomer to ride.

He used the zoomer to navigate through the city, and soon found himself outside the Underground. He knew it was early (5 am) but he hoped that at least someone inside was awake. Parking the zoomer beside the entrance door, Jak leapt off and waited for the door to open. He heard it grind quietly along the hinges, before he was granted inside. The atmosphere inside told Jak that no one was awake yet, so he wandered down the stairs and took a seat on the table at the back of the room. He waited for a few moments, before he heard someone stir from the bunks.

"Jak, what are ya doing here this early?" he heard Torn whisper groggily, and looked towards the bunks to see Torn's tired face peering at him. He thought it best not to speak in case he woke the others, so he placed a finger to his lips to signal for the older elf to stay silent. Torn got the message, but dragged himself out of bed, and walked slowly towards Jak. He was wearing what Jak figured were his PJs or more like an old shirt and boxer shorts.

"So, what are you doing here, Jak?" he asked again, once he was close enough for Jak to speak freely. Jak gazed up to him to see faint bags under his eyes. "Well, I could still be sleeping you know. I have a tough day ahead of me. New metal head nest in the wasteland to blow up today with Jinx. Just spit it out," Torn snapped impatiently, crossing his arms and leaning on table.

"Fine, but I need to speak with you in private. I don't want to wake up the others," Jak replied, leaping off the table and leading the way out of the underground. Torn followed, and soon they were both in the upper section of the Underground, where the kitchen and bathroom were. Once they were settled in the kitchen, Jak turned to Torn. "I managed to find your guard schedule last night. I'm not sure if Ashelin has informed you yet, but…when I went on a mission yesterday, I found Erol. He was in bad shape, and demanded to see Ashelin. Has she told you at all?" Jak asked timidly, looking up into Torn's shocked face.

"She said we have a new recruit on the team, but said nothing about it being Erol. I'll kill him," Torn spat, his fists clenching tightly. Jak lowered his gaze to the floor, and continued. "Well, he's staying with me at the moment. I want him outta there though. So many times he's near me, I just want to evolve into my darker half, and shred him to pieces. I hate him Torn," Jak muttered softly, leaning against the kitchen counter.

Torn stayed silent and waited for Jak to continue. "Here's your schedule by the way," Jak said, handing over the folded up paper to Torn. "I have a question to ask. I saw Sharok yesterday, and he stated he was on patrol. I sort of looked at that roster last night out of boredom, and saw he doesn't start till next week. What's the deal with that?" the younger elf asked.

"Well Jak, maybe he was getting used to it. Training himself ready. I'm sure it's not a big deal for you to worry about. There are more important things at the moment, like keeping your nose clean. How did last night go, by the way?" Torn asked, looking down at Jak in interest. Jak smiled lightly. "Fine. No transformations at all. I think it does have something to do with the night or moon, so I'll just have to follow Samos' advice," the young elf replied, looking down at his arm.

"Torn, do you think this is ready to take off? I know you're familiar with most injuries, but is it possible for you too take a look at this?" Jak asked hopefully, holding out his bandaged arm. Torn looked at Jak in surprise, but took hold of his arm anyway. He examined it for a while, before deciding to off the bandage. "We'll have a look Jak. If it's no better, wrap it up again," the older elf said roughly, before unraveling the bandage.

It fell loosely from his arm, and landed on the floor between the two. Jak glanced down at his arm, and saw that is was healing slowly but surely. He knew he'd have a scar there for the rest of his life, but made no difference to him, seeing he already turned into a wolf because of it. "I think you can leave it off. Fresh air might do it good, but be sure to take it easy. If at all it starts to open up, put it back on," Torn mumbled releasing Jak's arm and turning to leave.

Jak bent down and scooped up the bandage, before following Torn out of the room and back down to the underground itself. Jak could still hear the heavy breathing from the others, and figured they'd all be asleep still. He stopped following Torn when they'd reached the table again, and the older elf had turned to him.

"Jak, Jinx and I are heading out in a couple of hours. Do you want to help destroy the new metal head nest in the wasteland? I'm sure we can use a third party member. Up to it?" Torn asked with a sly grin. Jak grinned back.

"Sure am. I wouldn't mind blowing up a few hundred metal heads," Jak whispered in reply. Torn rolled his eyes and handed him a note. "Take this. It says the location of the metal head nest, but if you want, we'll wait for you here. What'll it be?" Torn asked, sitting on the desk behind him. Jak thought for a moment, before electing to travel with Torn and Jinx. He knew it'd be easier for everyone, and besides, he didn't want to travel the wasteland alone, seeing all the marauders were still out there, picking the weak off one by one.

"Well, meet us here at 9. We'll head off straight away, so make sure you're here," the older elf said quietly, minimizing the noise in the room. Jak smiled one last time, before turning to leave. He walked slowly up the stairs, and turned back one last time to wave good-bye. Once out of the Underground, he took the zoomer he drove before back to the naughty ottsel, and leapt off quickly.

He wasn't quite sure whether Daxter would be up yet, but if not, he'd find something amusing to do. Maybe throwing raw eggs at the sleeping Erol could supply some entertainment. He smiled cruelly at the thought, before approaching the door and walking inside. He couldn't see any sign of Daxter and could still hear Erol sleeping deeply. So, he'd spent about an hour out and about, but yet the other two were too lazy to get up. "Typical," he muttered, before seating himself on a stool with a glass of "clean" water.


Corad: Well, there's another chapter done. I'm running out of already written chapters...panic is setting in. I will find time to write, even if it means I have to sacrifice watching the Amazing Race 2 and 6 on Tuesdays and Thursday. The last thing I want is to disappoint my fellow readers. It'd be living hell if I did. Remember, only kill me 99...wait...99.99 percent. Leave that 0.1 percent so I can update, ok. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see ya when I next update...which will hopefully be soon.