A/N: Just putting a disclaimer that this chapter may have quite a few writing errors. I'm sick :-/, but I wanted to get this chapter up as soon as I could. I went back and revised it to the best of my ill ability, lol. Enjoy! *closes laptop, curls up into a ball, and pulls blanket above my head*

She's Worth Defending

Meet Your Partner

Torn stood on a small bank surrounded by grimy, swamp water, and watched in shock as the man from earlier, and his pet, made their way down from the ruined tower. The man, who was still unidentified, slid down an old, withered cable with a grin plastered across his face. The man's confidence caused Torn to send a suspicious glare his way while he crossed his arms. This wasn't the first time Torn had sent someone to retrieve the banner from the tower, but this was one of the first times that a rookie had succeeded in actually getting it. Torn couldn't help but wonder where this guy was from; he's not just an average civilian; he's hiding something. As Torn thought to himself, the orange animal flew through the air which caused Torn to contort his face in disgust over how useless he was.

The man jumped from the cable and landed directly in front of Torn. He kept the banner grasped tightly in his hands as he dug its pole into the soil. His animal friend joined him at his side no more than five seconds later, but landed flat on his back.

Torn was about to speak until the sound of crumbling rock echoed around the three of them. Torn stared out into the distance, which prompted the blonde man in front of him to turn around to spectate whatever the other was looking at. The two men covered their ears as the top level of the tower cracked; diving into multiple rock walls and hitting the first level of the tower. The rock fixture continued to break apart, piece by piece. The whole thing almost looked like it was in slow motion; the tower fell so smoothly, but made sure to forcefully crash into the water below.

Torn just watched with squinted eyes. Not only did this guy bring the banner to him with outright ease, but he also managed to demolish the tower in the process. He didn't even have a scratch on him!

"Yeah, I guess you guys are in." Torn said, his eyes not leaving the spot where the tower once stood. The man was about to speak, but Torn continued, "Meet me back at the Underground; the same place you went to before." Torn then turned his back and started to walk away, "I have a few missions already lined up for you." Gravel and sand crunched under Torn's boots as he started to make his way back to the security wall. He's not fond of leaving the city; he doesn't leave the confines of Haven often, but he's kind of glad he did. He has been a mole living underground for a long time and he needed some fresh air.

The animal lifted his head, but still remained on the ground in starfish formation, "Sure thing, Tattooed Wonder." He rolled his eyes and looked to his friend, "Can ya believe tha audacity of this colorin' book, Jak?" He teased quietly.

Torn stopped dead in his tracks, "Jak, huh?" He looked over his shoulder to the two behind him.

The animal had pulled himself up and started to strut over to Torn. "And I'mmm… DAXTER, but you can call me…" The animal posed and head his arms out, his small fingers impersonating a pistol in each hand, "Orange Lightnin'! Conqueror of the world! The hero that took down that screwy, dark eco sage and his psychotic, but still incredibly sexy, sister! Oh, oh, THE LURKER ASSASSIN!" Daxter flipped around and enthusiastically continued his speech, "I'm small, I'm fluffy, I'm orange, but don't you worry, my friend, that's what I want you to think! THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM, BABEH! Once you get a taste of this ottsel-…hey! Where'd he go?" Daxter asked, surveying the area.

Jak's eyes wandered around as well. Daxter and Jak made the same conclusion…

Torn had left.

Cara turned the knob for her shower as she smiled to herself. She couldn't get enough of taking showers; she took three showers everyday and it sure beat sitting around in the Underground and doing absolutely nothing. Torn still hasn't given here clearance to leave the Underground, so she, of course, had a bad case of cabin fever. Cara always found herself daydreaming about what her first mission would be like. She also happened to daydream a lot in the shower, which explains why she's always in there for so long.

The faucet of the shower spurt out a few trickles of water and made an odd sound, which made Cara raise an eyebrow, but she was quick to hop underneath the water when it finally started to function normally.

She ran her fingers through her sodden hair and then turned to face the stream. She kept her eyes closed and let the hot water indulge her until it unexpectedly stopped.

Cara narrowed her eyebrows in confusion and opened her eyes to look up at the shower faucet. She tried fiddling with the knob, but it only made short spurts of water shoot out in intervals, which made the weird noise start back up again. Cara groaned and handled the knob more aggressively; she was getting quite frustrated.

"Ugh! What is wrong with you?" She was now yanking the knob back and forth, hoping to get a response, other than the rattling, from the shower.

Nothing.

"Oh, my god!" Cara whined, but quickly looked up to the faucet again when she heard the sound of something making its way through the pipes. She let out a sigh of relief, "Geez, finally!"

Unfortunately, water was not what Cara got.

Cara screamed as thick, brown muck broke through the faucet and all over her and the shower. She held her hands up in the front of her face as she spat out any of the mud that happened to get in her mouth. Cara made an attempt to try and turn it off, but the knob didn't work (surprise, surprise). The mud, literally, consumed her. Cara found herself slipping all over the place and desperately trying to get the faucet to stop flowing whatever gunk this was. "Stop, stop! Ah!" The faucet shot a final spurt at her face before it ceased.

Cara grumbled some profanity as she wiped the mud away from her eyes. She then extended her arms to the side and looked down to inspect the damage that was done.

She was covered.

Cara just stood there in shock and let her brain try to register what had just happened.

There is no way that just happened. I can't believe this!

Her eyes panned around the bathroom.

What do I do now?

Cara decided that the first step had to be finding clean water. She wrapped herself in a towel, despite her whole body being covered in mud, which was beginning to dry, and left the bathroom. She closed the door behind her, but, once again, jumped when she noticed that Torn was standing right outside, just staring at her. Cara thought about catechizing Torn for startling her again, but decided she'd give him a moment to gawk since she was covered in what looked like crap from head to toe.

"Oh. My. G-…" Torn began.

"Don't." Cara said softly as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She tried her hardest to not break down into a fit. "Where-…"

"Here." Torn said as he handed Cara a water bottle. Just one bottle, mind you, and it wasn't even completely full.

Cara eyed the bottle and then looked back up to Torn. "Thank you?"

Torn chuckled as Cara slowly walked past him, "I guess the Baron didn't like us taking out his turret systems."

Cara stopped and turned to look at him, her right hand clasping the knot of the towel firmly against her chest. "What?" Her eyebrows narrowed, "What did you do?"

"Heh," Torn smirked, "Let's just say that there's definitely less of a threat in town now. Well, until he gets his machines fixed, that is."

Cara wasn't really in the mood for Torn's sly attitude right now, but if it had to do with destroying the Baron's property, she was all in. This was actually good news. Maybe Torn would let her outside! "But, what about the guards?"

Torn stifled a laugh and waved his hand towards her as he walked away. "I wouldn't call those red shitbags a threat; more of an annoyance, really." Torn really hated the KG, but his eyes planted themselves towards the ground in uneasiness from his own comment. Sure, Cara wasn't necessarily a full-fledged guard anymore, but he even thought it was too soon to pull at those strings. Too soon?

"Hm," Cara pursed her lips and bit at the inside of her cheek. Although her time as a Krimzon Guard was over, and even though she knew what Torn said wasn't directed at her, the comment stung a little. It wasn't even Torn calling the Guard an annoyance that bothered her; it was the mere mention of them. She held deep guilt from the things she had been forced to do over the years. Just the though of the Guard and the Baron made her blood boil and stomach turn. Why did she waste so much of her life away working for the most corrupt ruler in history? Cara attempted to break the awkwardness, "Well…"

"Well, hurry and clean up, I have someone for you to meet." Torn leaned against the table and nodded to her in indifference.

"WHAT?" Cara's eyes lit up, but not in excitement. "NOW? Why now? Torn, look at me!" Cara started to panic. She started to pace and tug at all the dry mud in her damp, now stringy, hair.

"This isn't a fashion show; this is war; looks don't matter!" Torn yelled as he pummeled a fist down on the top of the table.

"Well, no shit, Torn!" Cara yelled back.

"Then what's the problem?"

Cara cleared her throat. "Hi, I'm Cara! I love to douse myself in mud and then prance around in only a towel, you know, just for the hell of it, but I really have my shit together!" Cara spat back sarcastically and falsely upbeat.

Torn sighed, closed his eyes, and then proceeded to rub one of his eyelids with his pointer finger. Cara was giving him a headache.

Cara was about to continue, but Torn interrupted her tangent. "You know what? Just go." His eyes shot daggers at her for a moment, but he quickly found something else in the room to stare at to avoid further rage. Torn's anger always got the best of him. "I'll deal with you later."

Cara rolled her eyes and turned to walk back towards the bathroom, water bottle still in hand.

"And I hope you know that you're cleaning up that mess." Torn said. This caused Cara to come to a screeching halt and whip her head in his direction.

"Hah! Like it was even my fault!" Cara said as she opened the door and slid through it's crevice. "I didn't know you were playing water war with Praxis!" Cara started to close the bathroom door, but stopped and stuck her head back out. "Hey, you should send one of your men to get it fixed! You said it's just from the Baron turning the water off again, right?" Cara found herself back into the bathroom, but kept the door cracked so Torn could hear her. "It's simple: just send someone out to turn the valve back on."

"And where's that located?" Torn asked in a drawn out, forced manner. He listened to the sound of water hitting the ground in the bathroom. There were small intermissions between the splashes due to Cara pouring water on herself, cleaning off, and pouring more water.

"You don't know where the valve is?" Cara asked surprised. She looked back at the door as if Torn would be standing right there. Thankfully, he wasn't.

"Not since they relocated it. We've searched a few times before, but never had any luck." Torn looked down at the table that held an unrolled blueprint of the city.

"Have you checked outside the city walls?" Cara asked.

"No?" Torn looked back to the bathroom door. Outside the city walls? Why would the city's water system be located outside of the city?

"Well, that's why. We moved it outside of the city eight months ago and actually built a depot out there." Cara said as she momentarily stuck her, now clean, head out from the bathroom.

"Interesting." Torn started to inspect the blueprint. He ran a finger over a handwritten icon on it that symbolized the old valve location in the Industrial section.

"Not really," Cara said as she emerged from the bathroom, "It's kind of hard to cause a drought in the city when the civilians have easy access to the valve." She winked and continued to run a towel through her wet, blonde hair.

"Hm," Torn's eyes looked around the room before looking at Cara, "So, where's the valve now?"

Cara let out a sigh of happiness from being clean and dropped the damp towel on the table, "The valve is at the new Pumping Station. If you go to the Slums and head towards the security wall, it's right outside of the gate. I mean, you can't exactly miss it, it's a giant hunk of machinery."

Torn crossed his arms, "Sounds too good to be true."

"Well, there are Metal Heads out there. Praxis thought it was a great idea to build the station around a cave that homed some Metals. I guess they still think it's their territory…and I'm sure they aren't complaining about the filtered water, either."

"So, turning on the valve will require some brute force?"

"Yeah, that sounds about right."

"Alright then, I'll send a member out when they return."

Cara immediately went limp and pouted, "Oh, not me," She looked away and spoke to herself, "Figures."

Torn groaned, "What? You want something to do? Alright. I have a small errand that requires good memory, nimbleness, and speed."

Cara's eyes beamed in excitement, "Yeah?"

Torn glanced her way, "You think you can do it?"

"Yeah!" Cara exclaimed while she tried her hardest not to squeal in delight and start jumping up and down.

This was it; the moment I've been waiting for!

"Coffee. Medium, dark, no cream or sugar."

"Oh, what the f-…" Cara's eyebrows narrowed as she began her rebuttal.

"What? Too complicated?" Torn asked as he shot her a bad-mannered glare.

Cara sighed, "No…I just…"

"Then why are you still here?"

Thankfully, Haven City's skies were gloomy and overcast like usual; making the journey around town less problematic. Civilians walked with no drive and ambition; they roamed around the city with no destination or sign of happiness.

Two…or, actually, three people in Haven did have a destination, though.

Cara continued to walk down the sectors of Haven with a hood on. Whenever she unintentionally made eye contact with someone, she quickly looked away. She couldn't help but hold herself as she walked, afraid that someone would recognize her and report her.

"I, Baron Praxis, ruler of Haven City, vow to protect my people from those dangerous monsters known as the Metal Heads. I will stop at nothing to put an end to this war once and for all!"

Cara looked to her right and saw one of the city's communication podiums, which casted a recorded, computerized interview of the Baron. The bright, red display of her old boss's face reflected off of her skin as she walked by and she couldn't but cringe when she heard his voice.

Meanwhile...

"I know! I know! Some booze? That should turn your frown upside down!" The orange ottsel exclaimed as he hopped around on his friend's shoulder.

"I'm fine, Daxter." Jak said slightly annoyed as he continued to walk down one of the sections of Haven. They had gotten lost, believe it or not. Everything looks the same here; the roadways, the alleys; it was ridiculous. Jak couldn't help but dread telling Torn why they were late, for he would most likely demean him for not knowing his way around.

"Ya, well ya don't seem fine ta me! I get it, Jak, prison wasn't where tha party was at, but for my sake, can ya lighten up a little? We can not afford for me to catch the blues too." Daxter said as he leaned against Jak's head as if it was a piece of furniture that he owned. "So, whata'ya say?"

Jak was about to answer, but was caught off guard when a woman walked past him. He only got a small glimpse of her face since she was wearing a hood, but her mysteriousness enticed him enough for his eyes to stay glued to her. She took no notice of him and continued to make her way down the road, which Jak secretly thanked her for. The woman didn't know that she had a pair of blue eyes plastered to her backside…and her lower backside.

Jak turned his head back around in complete indifference and picked his pace back up.

"What was that?" Daxter asked in a befuddled manner.

"What?" Jak casually answered, not even attempting to make eye contact.

"Tha turn of tha head? Were you lookin' for someone?" Daxter asked as he looked back, his head swaying all over the place in a desperate attempt to find whatever got his friend so distracted. "Who were you lookin' at?" Daxter pressed on the top of Jak's head to keep his balance, which caused Jak to groan in annoyance.

Daxter then caught sight of a nice ass.

"OoOoOh…" Suddenly, Daxter was in Jak's face. "Did'ya just do an ass check, Jak?" The ottsel wiggled his eyebrows. "Did'ya?"

"No." Jak said as he tried to push his friend back up on his shoulder and out of his view.

Yes. Yes, he did, but it wasn't like he'd ever meet or talk to that woman. He probably wouldn't ever see her again anyway. He's a man, a man that had been locked away for two years! He had every right to have thoughts and at least look! There were no females around at the Fortress, except for that bitch nurse. God, he fucking hated her. He hated all of them. Okay, and good mood gone.

"Ya did to! That was a very obvious, poorly executed, ass check, Jakarooni. I'm actually quite disappointed." Daxter lectured before making sure his face obstructed Jak's view partially, "If you ever catch sight of a dime piece, this is what ya do! Ya watch it, watch it jiggle and cradle itself, trust me, ya won't regret it. Then, ANAL-yze it!" Daxter snorted as he laughed at his own joke, but Jak paid no attention to him. Sure, he was 'listening', but he wasn't retaining any of his friend's advice. Who would, honestly? "Ya need to figure out what yur workin' with! An ass so flat that it could slip through a crack in tha floor - or - are ya workin' with an ass so fine that ya could flip a cup on it?! HAHA!…Jak? …Jak, are you even listening? This is important information!"

"I think we're here." Jak said, completely unfazed by Daxter's long, and apparently very influential, speech. They stood in front of the same rock slab that they came across before. This time, though, they were allowed to enter.

Daxter rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Ya know, I really wish we didn't have'ta go in there."

On cue, Jak completely disregarded his furry friend and walked down the stairs that the rock slab had previously concealed. This made Daxter glare down at Jak, cross his arms, and groan.

Torn immediately whipped around. "It's about damn time! Where the hell have you been?"

Before Jak could say anything, Daxter hopped off his shoulder and to the floor to intervene. "Listen, tough guy, this place isn't exactly the easiest joint to find! Ya got your special, rock door and, not ta mention, every alley looks about the damn same! I'm surprised we got here as fast as we did!"

"That's the point, you moron!" Torn shot back at the ottsel. "Anyway, Mark-…"

"Jak." Jak corrected.

"Whatever. Listen, the Baron is dealing some massive damage to the Underground. It's to the point where we are legitimately in hiding. We've had four people this week get picked by the Guard under suspicion that they're aiding us. I'm thinkin' that I'm going to partner you up with-…" Torn was cut short by Daxter, who made sure to talk over the conversation. This caused both Jak and Torn to roll their eyes and fold their arms across their chest.

"WHEW! Being a big hero sure makes ya thirsty! Ha!" Daxter exclaimed as he walked towards a pipe that ran down the wall of the Underground. He pulled the lever and opened his mouth wide, ready to be drowned in delicious, cold water.

Torn contorted his face in disgust as he heard and awaited the gross, murky liquid that would be pouring out in a matter of seconds.

"BLAGAGAGA!" The mud shot out all over the place, just like it did when Cara showered and Daxter practically choked on all of it. "BLAH! BLECH!" Daxter didn't hesitate to spit everything he hadn't been forced to swallow on the ground.

"The Baron turned off our water to the Slums. He's willing to sacrifice innocent lives just to destroy the Underground." Torn placed a hand under his chin, "I'm not surprised; I've seen his evil before while serving in the Krimzon Guard." He then turned to Jak, "That's why I quit."

"You were a Krimzon Guard?" Jak asked surprised and somewhat frantic. He quickly composed himself with a small cough. "Heh, oh, that explains your charming sense of humor."

Torn ignored Jak's comment. "My friend tells me the valve to turn the water back on is located outside the city walls, at the Pumping Station."

"Outside the city? What about the security walls?" Jak asked, obviously interested in potentially his first mission.

"What about the Metal Heads? It ain't a pettin' zoo out there; peeps be gettin' deep sixed!" Daxter added.

"Find the large drain pipe in the north wall. It will take you outside the city to the Pumping Station; get to the main valve and open it. If you survive, the Slums will be indebted to you. If not, maybe we'll have a touching moment of silence in your honor." Torn said, surveying his new soldier that stood in front of him. Sure, he's tough and agile, but if he can't some Metal Heads, he's just dead weight. No skin off Torn's back, that's for sure.

Daxter mumbled, "I'd like to give you a touching moment."

*"Medium coffee! Dark, no cream or sugar!"* A voice sang from the Underground entry.

Torn looked up towards the door, "Well, look who it is. Good timing, did you make the coffee yourself?" Torn asked in asshole-like fashion.

Cara approached the table and set the coffee down, "You didn't tell me where to go, you know!" She chuckled and rubbed her hands together, "And it's really cold out there tonight."

Torn had his lips on the rim of his cup, but paused and looked at her. "It's always cold."

"Oh," Cara playfully frowned, "Well, I wouldn't know."

Jak stood there in awe as he stayed perfectly still.

Oh, my god, it's 'hood girl'. Wow, that's just my luck.

He slowly, but surely, sidestepped his way closer to the side of the room. He'd rather spectate the conversation going on, rather than be a part of it. Thankfully, the girl hadn't noticed him yet and that's the way Jak wanted it to stay.

"It's still hot," Torn said to Cara as he drank his first sip. "Not bad, newbie."

Cara smiled, but was suddenly bombarded by an orange ottsel. "Hey baby, ya doin' some of ink face's dirty work, too? 'Cuz, ya know, I love me some bad girls, if ya know what I'm sayin'..Heh, heh…"

Cara looked around before looking towards the ground. She figured the owner of the voice would be, I don't know, taller? "Woah," Cara knelt down, "What are you?" Her curiosity was completely replaced by a look of surprise, "Wait, I've seen you before."

"Dun't think so. I neva forget a face, suga', and I definitely would have remembered that…" Daxter circled around Cara and peered down at her butt, "WAIT! I HAVE SEEN YOU BEFORE!"

"Huh?" Cara turned around to face Daxter, "You have?"

"Ya! In town! Dat bootay got mah boy, Jak, quite discombobulated if ya know what I mean..ha!" Daxter said as he nudged her.

Jak just stood there with a blank expression and exhaled slowly.

Thanks, bro.

"Wait, Jak?" Cara stood up quickly and looked around the room, not noticing that he had been directly in front of her, leaning against a table.

When she caught sight of him, her heard practically sunk down into her stomach.

She didn't say a word, which made Jak a little uncomfortable.

This can't get anymore awkward.

Jak broke eye contact with her for a moment, but looked back at her when he noticed she was reaching up to pull down her hood.

The hood dropped to Cara's back. She ran her fingers through her blonde hair in order to fix the pieces that were sticking out of place.

Jak's eyes widened.

WHAT. THE. FUCK.

…

Why wasn't anyone saying anything?

Even Daxter was quiet, which would usually be welcomed, but not as this time.

Torn stood there with his arms crossed. His eyes looked from Cara to Jak a couple of times, extremely confused about the situation.

Due to reflex, Jak stepped back and hit the table he was leaning on, knocking some things over. He swallowed the harsh lump in his throat as he glared at Cara, not knowing what to expect. Was this a trap? Was he being arrested? Was he going back?

Daxter walked in between the two. He looked up at Cara and then over to Jak. His ears slunk down slightly when he noticed how nervous Jak was.

Jak was standing up completely straight and his hands gripped the edge of the table behind him. Cara, on the other hand, started to slowly make steps to him.

"Jak," Cara finally spoke. "Do you remember me?"

Daxter looked at Cara when she addressed Jak and then quickly looked to Jak. What was going on? They obviously knew each other. Old friends? Ex-lovers? Nah, they couldn't be it. Perhaps rivals?

Jak lifted his chin slightly and his chest started to heave; his breathing heavy.

"It's me-," Cara began. She couldn't believe it. The man, who almost died multiple times on her operating table, was standing strong right in front of her. She wished she could hug him and tell him that the pain was over, but from the looks of it, he wasn't very inviting to the thought.

"I know who you are." Jak shot back.

Cara stopped and held her hand at her chest, slightly taken back by his tone. "I'm…" Cara began to walk closer to Jak once more and stopped when she was a couple feet away from him, "I'm glad…you're okay…" It was strange. She had spent so much time with him at the Fortress that she created a one-sided bond with him. She was always working and she barely made conversation when she worked for Praxis. Jak was the only person that she cared about there. He was different she knew that he had heart and didn't deserve to be there. Cara tried her hardest not to talk to him like a long lost friend; she knew that this wasn't what it was. It never was.

Jak watched every movement she made. He started to shake and grip the table even harder, causing the wood it was made of to creak. There was no part of him that wanted to converse with her. He, actually, was regretting coming to the Underground in the first place. Jak never wanted to see her again; he wanted her dead. All the abuse and treatments in the prison made him weak; a state that Jak would never admit he was ever in. Cara saw him this way. Jak thought he was in the clear to seek revenge and start new, but here stood a huge reminder of what had happened to him. He didn't want memories. He wanted to burn the Fortress and all the motherfuckers in it to the ground, including her.

Why would she happy I'm okay? If she wanted me to be okay, then she should have let me free from the prison years ago. Two-faced bitch.

"I'm glad you've made it a priority to introduce yourselves or become…reunited. You can continue the reunion later. We've got work to do!" Torn said as he walked over to the two. "Jak's going to the Pumping Station. Cara, you're going to head over to the Port. I have a package you need to pick up. Hustle back, I have another mission prepared for you two to complete together."

Jak shot a look at Torn, as did Cara.

"Together?" Cara asked, immediately looking back at Jak. "Wait."

"Yeah. Cara, Jak, meet your new partner." Torn didn't seem moved by anything that just went down.

Jak stiffened his jaw and immediately barged past Cara and headed for the stairs. Daxter looked at Torn and Cara nervously and then scampered to follow his very angry friend.

After both Torn and Cara heard the entryway door slid shut, they loosened up. Cara sighed and held herself. Her eyes fluttered a few times before she looked to the floor.

"Should I even ask?" Torn asked, very unamused.

Cara didn't hear Torn at first. She just continued to stare at where her former patient had stormed out. She had so many questions; one of them being why? Why did he hate her? She continued to look down as she rubbed her upper arm to comfort her nerves.

"He's a fuckin' asshole." Torn turned and began to walk past Cara, "Should fit in just fine." Torn clasped a hand on Cara's shoulder and shook it gently before walking over to his desk.

Cara just stood there.

For the anonymous people who reviewed: Thank you!

Ralph & ddddd: It means a lot that you think Cara's a good OC! I was a little worried at first.

M-Angel 05: Great, I'm glad you're enjoying it!