YAY this is probably my first CHAPTER-like chapter of this whole dang story. XDDD LMFAO well, anyway, I don't know how long it might be before I upload again. It could be tomorrow, it could be next month, I honestly don't know. Oo sorry... TTATT But I hope it will be soon! (Then again cliff hangers are fun XD)

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Ch. 15

Such a plain building. Same as all the others. Run down with old, moldy panes and darkened, broken windows.

Jak stood, only for a moment, studying the building's layout. Then he forced apart the rusted old hanger-type doors and walked into the darkness, gun in hand. He saw the room was large and completely empty. But a small side door caught his interest. He slipped inside the door and made his way down a long hallway which turned three times, all right-handed. He wondered if he'd end up in the same room but instead came out on the second floor of another large room, but unlike the first it was filled completely with giant, glass tubes reaching nearly to the ceiling There appeared to be a thick liquid inside the tubes, but the darkness held over them refused to penetrate enough for Jak to see what was inside the liquid.

Jak walked quietly around the mesh flooring until it lead him to a staircase. While walking around the second floor he'd seen a spotlight in the center of the cluttered room which illuminated only a rather large table and cabinet and a small footstool a few steps from it. He saw a shadow working busily at the table, and atop the footstool stood a simple metal cage.

Jak wisped down the metal steps noiselessly and made his way through the maze of tubes until he found the light. He looked around. The shadow from before was nowhere to be seen. But this concerned him only for a second, as he suddenly saw a small, orange lump inside the cage.

"Dax..." The word was nothing more than a breath and positioned lips. Without another thought he sprinted to the cage. Inside he saw his very ottsel, laying unconscious. He had to be unconscious. Just asleep right? There was no way he-- he was--

"Dax, it's me! Wake up!" he whispered. He touched the cage and wiggled it gently. "C'mon, Dax, get up! ... Please?" Never before had he resorted himself to begging just to get Daxter to do something. He'd asked, but never begged.

Jak swallowed hard. He could see just the faintest of movements from the small animal. Just enough to signal he was indeed breathing. But... why wouldn't he wake up? "Dax..."

"Well, well." Jak spun around, gun aiming in the general area where the smooth voice had originated from. In front of him stood a man only a few inches taller then he, who wore a grey jacket with red knickers and a cap to match. His jet black hair stuck out in sharp thin points from under his hat. His bright teeth shown against the shadows on his face created by his tall collar. "Jak, I presume? It's a pleasure to finally meet you. Little Daxter talks quite a bit when he's drugged, and most of his snaps are about you."

Jak ignored him and pointed his blaster at the man. "What did you do to him?"

The man cocked his head to the side. "Aw, Jak. I'm sure it would warm Daxter's little heart to see you so worried about him."

"Give me the key to the cage," Jak ordered. The brunette just laughed.

"There's something I'd like to show you first, Jak. If you don't mind..."

Jak opened his mouth to reject the offer, but before he could utter a sound the floor beneath him disappeared and a split second later he landed with a hard thud on the concrete floor. Rubbing his head, Jak looked up to see a square of light far above his head.

A trap door.

Suddenly a hand gripped his shoulder and he turned to see it was a mechanical line with a clamp on the end. Three more barreled toward him and before he could react they took hold of his last three free limbs. He turned his head and stopped struggling as he saw the mysterious man step out of the shadows. That meant there must be a door or stairs down here.

"Who the Hell are you!" Jak hissed. The brunette chuckled and removed his cap. Dark, shoulder length hair spilled in greasy wisps around his shoulders.

"You can call me... Kanith..." He bowed his head slightly, never taking his eyes off the blonde. "I am a man of science, Jak, and I've taken an interest in you and your furry little friend, Daxter."

"...So?"

"Sooo... The Baro--"

"I should have known the Baron was in on this!"

"Yes, Jak. He promised me full funding in this little experiment as long as I assured him you two would be no more at the end of it." Kanith's smile grew.

"Just what kind of experiment is this supposed to be, exactly?" Kanith just chuckled and turned his back to him. Jak watched as a small figure stepped clumsily out of the shadows to stand next to the brunette. Said figure was short with an almost skeleton-like frame. Spikey electric red hair jutted angrily from it's head and long bangs framed the pale face and deep blue-violet eyes stared lifelessly at the floor. A dark mask covered his mouth with a long plastic tube attached that reached back into the shadows behind them.

"It's amazing what one will find when they peek into a person's DNA..." Jak watched with wide eyes as Kanith removed the breathing mask, letting it drop heavily to the floor, and raised the body's chin.

"Look familiar, Jak?"

He was speechless. Not a single word left his throat, not a single phrase could even for in his head but one as he watched in mild horror as the red-head stared right through him.

"I just took a little of your friend's DNA and spliced it up with a few extra key components in the equivalent of a microwave and-- poof! You've got yourself a real boy." The humor in his voice couldn't even penetrate Jak's mind at this point.

The eyes still stared beyond him, blankly, as if they had nothing to hold onto.

It was him. It was really... It had to be. But those listless eyes... The fake looking hair, the gaunt, white skin...

It was Daxter.

But he looked like he was dead.