A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I plan on double posting, if I have enough energy to bust out another chapter. Don't worry: not every mission will be a chapter or two long (that'd be ridiculous); only the important ones, especially if a new character is introduced, will be written in detail. That's what I did with the 'Sewers' mission. I didn't find it all that important. However, there will be flashbacks or references to past missions that weren't included in my story; I'll always let you know of each mission completed, even if I chose to leave it out.

She's Worth Defending

Chapter Seventeen: Time is Runnin' Out

It had only been a day; a day that involved the trio mucking around in Haven's sewers, but a productive day, nonetheless. Krew had sent them down there to take out a few turret systems that the Baron had installed. It was obvious that the Baron knew that the Underground was using the sewers as a hidden transportation system; a way for rebels to get from point A to point B without a threat. Not only that, but marauders frequented the sewers to find artifacts in the forgotten and disrespected architecture that lay underground. The Baron would never exclaim that to the public, though; he told the people of Haven that he was gracious enough to equip the sewers with 'high-grade, military systems' in order to keep the Metalheads at bay. Lies. All of it: lies. After finishing another task Krew had given Cara, Jak, and Daxter, they made sure to demand answers. Jak and Cara needed to know, granted for similar, but yet very different, reasons, but it wasn't something that could, nor should, be swept under the rug. Jak was curious - he was sure that the Baron's ways couldn't hurt him further, but whatever errands or evidence he could find could help him be introduced to The Shadow. Cara, on the other hand, desperately sought out answers. When Krew finally told them the Baron's agenda, she couldn't help but mentally kick herself in the ass. How could she have been so blind?

The Baron was giving away eco to Metalheads - that much was clear, but there was more to the ruler's bargain. It wasn't just a simple pawn with the Metalheads; the Baron was making direct trades with the Metalhead leader...whoever, or whatever, it was. He needed an enemy; he needed someone, or something, to fight. The people of Haven hated him, even two years after he fought his way onto the thrown, but they couldn't relay what they thought about him; execution was very much a thing in Haven now. How pathetic must one be to bargain what keeps Haven alive in order to play pretend war? Was this whole thing pretend? It's almost impossible to believe that the Metalheads could pretend.

Why couldn't Praxis just keep his fucking mouth shut and his fantasies locked away in that vindictive, little brain of his? Why did that prick, who was once just as irrelevant as everyone else, have to mess with a system that worked for Haven? Sure, Haven has never been the place of choice, but it wasn't ever this bad before. Everyone should have listened - everyone should have taken Praxis' threats seriously. No one thought a rebellious civilian could ever overthrow a whole government, but obviously, Praxis had his ways; pure manipulation.

Cara noticed that the HQ's storage of eco diminished quickly; that storage becoming a stash within months. Did the Baron lie about that too? Now that Cara had been working on the outside, it became very apparent that his man had lied about everything from the very beginning of his rule. The KG even had budget cuts! They lost a mass amount of pay, a sufficient amount of equipment, and cut all trades from Kras, which almost made them look suicidal. In an event just like this, except real, they'd be screwed. On that note, Cara felt much better about her decision to escape. Then again, she was on her way to a certain death, regardless.

Cara's eyebrows narrowed; a wrinkle on her forehead becoming noticeable as she kept her contorted expressions to herself.

'I failed - I turned, no, we turned on our leader; our only hope for a modest survival. What was I supposed to do? Starve? Die? I'm not alone. Many members remained loyal to our previous leader, but like me, many couldn't afford to. I needed orb; I needed a place to stay. I should have left with Torn when I had the chance.'

"Did you know?" A voice to Cara's right asked. It wasn't anyone other than Jak, for they had decided to walk to Torn's together. After all of the information Krew had dropped on their heads, they needed time to collect; they needed time to figure out what was going on and what they had gotten themselves into. More so, what they would tell Torn when they got there.

Cara kept her eyes plastered to the dirt pathway they were walking on. "No, I didn't." After she responded, she stopped when she heard the extra set of steps next to her stop walking. Cara looked up to see Jak just staring coldly at her. This came as no surprise: he hadn't trusted her since day one.

Jak's words dulled into a whisper, "What if I told you I don't believe you?"

Cara sighed in annoyance and turned back around to continue walking, "Then don't; I don't give a shit anymore," she said as she loosely waved a hand. At this point, Cara didn't care about Jak's outlook on anything. It was just back and forth and, frankly, she was getting sick and tired of it. There's only so much bullshit one can put up with daily.

Daxter watched as Cara continued to walk, her boots squishing with every step from their mission down in the sewers. The ottsel looked down to his friend, "I wouldn't take it personal, Jakko," Daxter sighed, "Everyone is in a crappy mood from tha sewers; everyone stinks." While the ottsel's friend looked up at him, that glance turned into a set of rolled eyes when Daxter decided to pat him on the head, "Just wait it out." Jak just watched Cara took off; his eyebrows furrowing with every step she took.

'Why the fuck did he even ask?' Cara asked herself as she continued to walk, 'What did he want me to say?' The more and more Cara thought about what transpired moments before, she became more and more angry. Needless to say, Cara was just as pissed about the Baron as Jak, but she had yet to be given the benefit of the doubt. Not to mention, her time of the month didn't make her emotions settle smoothly.

Then, a crack in the sky caused her and the town to jump slightly. Cara held a hand above her eyes and looked up.

Rain.

Yeah, that's exactly what Haven needed.

Cara looked around noticed there was a small patio with a tattered canopy in the distance. She didn't even think to wait for the other two; she just walked quickly to the area. She was done with today and wasn't looking forward to anymore conversation with Jak. It's funny to think about how excited she was when she first met him outside of the prison and how that excitement quickly died away. After finding shelter from the rain, Cara leaned up against the building and closed her eyes. For a moment, she pretended that she wasn't there, but she quickly confused herself. If she didn't want to be here, or at the Fortress, where did she want to be? She didn't know anywhere else. Cara couldn't believe how much Krew's words had screwed with her head. Not only did she feel the guilt from turning on their previous leader and working for the Baron, but, thanks to her, this guy was able to stick around and pay for the Metalheads to live.

"What's tha matter?" The ottsel asked, causing Cara's eyes to open and peer down, "A lil rain neva killed anyone." Daxter still sounded so happy; like he was oblivious to everything going on around them. She could tell Daxter spoke as genuine as he could, but that's not saying much.

Cara shared a small grin, "I just can't believe what's really going on here. It's so quiet right now; you'd never believe that there's a war going on."

"Yeah," Jak interjected, "I kind of find it hard to believe that you didn't know about the Baron's bargain." Jak, who had made himself comfortable on a barrel, looked to Cara. "You were in the guard; you worked for the Baron. How could you not know?"

Cara chuckled and shrugged in defeat, "You know what, Jak, I really don't know what to tell you anymore." She stood up off the wall and looked to Jak with a smile on her face. This smile was in no way friendly; it was a smile of no hope; a smile of defeat and slight anger. There was nothing Cara could say or do to change Jak's mind about her. "Yeah, I worked for the Baron - I didn't work with him, so call me ignorant as much as you want; I didn't know about all of his dirty work. I wasn't even a part of the experiments until way later, but honestly, I'm done trying to explain myself. I'm tired of being in this never-ending interview with you. So, believe me if you want...or don't!" Cara shrugged again, "I don't care! Because I'm pretty sure if I was trying to kill you, or if I was a spy, I wouldn't have taken it this far."

Jak's lumps into his throat were obvious. He could only keep eye contact with her for so long. He found himself looking away many times, which he cursed himself for. Cara made him incredibly nervous and, not to mention, uncomfortable. Truth be told, women made Jak uneasy. He never knew his mother and never had a female relative that he knew of or met. The only women on the island were Keira, the girl that both he and Daxter had a crush on since as long as he could remember, and Eileen, the elderly lady who insisted on collecting every fucking bird in the universe and even ate bird feed with her oatmeal every morning; he had no female mentor...ever. To Jak, women nagged, deserted, and couldn't be trusted. All of them, except Keira. He would do anything to be with her right now. He'd never let them get separated again.

"Oh!" Cara said as she turned back around, making Jak look back up at her reluctantly, "And I don't know if you know this, but as you were escaping the prison, because someone decided not to alert the guards, I was being dragged to a shuttle; a shuttle that was going to exile me to the Wastelands; where I would die.." Cara's voice became shaky at the end of her rant, which caused Daxter to pat her arm. "But I forgot, I'd rather work for the people who tried to kill me than break free, start my life over, and bring down those sorry bitches."

Then, it happened again. Just like it always does. Silent, judgmental stares that could stop a Metalhead dead in its tracks. Cara was somewhat hunched over, her breathing heavy from her vent, but she seemed like she was trying to process what just came out of her mouth. The owner of blue eyes continued to sit on the barrel and didn't dare speak a word. Jak's chest slowly heaved, as if it took every fiber in his being to not lay Cara out. She talked to him like she was actually worth shit; like she worked above him. He couldn't stand it. After what seemed like a staring contest, Jak's eyes shifted.

Cara nodded and spoke harshly, but quietly, "So, excuse me, but if you two don't mind, I'm taking this information to Torn." Cara turned around and looked up at the sky from underneath the canopy. The rain poured down on Haven hard, but this didn't stop Cara from leaving her dry shelter. After Cara looked both ways, she walked out into the open with both of her hands cupped up to her mouth in order to keep warm. She walked with a quick pace until neither Jak or Daxter could see her anymore.

Daxter slowly walked to where Cara paused earlier and peered out into the distance. His orange, furry ears, that were momentarily dampened from the rain, were low and he had a look of uncertainty on his face. After letting out an exaggerated sigh, Daxter looked back to a sulking Jak with his ears perked up, "Drama, drama, drama," Daxter tsked as he walked over to Jak, "Hey, buddy, lemme ask ya a question."

Jak looked over just in time to see Daxter scurry back up onto his shoulder.

"Ya dun't think Cara's guilty in this still, do ya?" Daxter, although playful, asked curiously. "I mean tha girl's got her own set'of problems, obviously, but do ya think she's really out ta kill ya? Uh, I mean, if ya think about it, was she eva?"

Jak felt a rock slide down his throat. "You don't know what happened, Dax." Jak looked in the direction of the Fortress and saw that the rooftop was visible from there, "I wish I could forget."

Daxter moved his head obnoxiously as he peered in the direction Jak was looking, as if he had no idea what his friend was looking at. "Oh, pfft, yur still talkin' about that? Buddy! Yur out 'n yur neva goin' back!"

Jak dropped his shoulders and sighed, "I hope not."

"Well, let's get goin', shall we?" Daxter said as he pointed in the direction Cara sped off in.

Jak looked up to Daxter and stood up. The ottsel could tell that something was on his friend's mind - hell, when did Jak not have something on his mind? Why did Jak even bother to talk now? He probably expressed his feelings just as much now as he did when he was mute. Or, maybe, it was from a lack of experience. Poor guy: he always had to bottle things up. He's probably just so used to it.

"Ey, Jak," Daxter said as he took a seat on Jak's shoulder, "You know you can talk to me, right? Ya know, if somethin' is botherin' ya."

Without even sharing a glance, Jak acknowledged Daxter, "Yeah,...I know."

Cara couldn't help but wear a small smile on her face. For once, Cara was the first one to get back to the Underground, which meant she'd get to do the explaining to Torn, which also meant more kudos for her.

'Man, Torn's braids are going to unravel when he hears this.'

Cara marched down the stairs quickly as she heard the rock slab close behind her. Before Torn was even visible, Cara began, "Torn! You're not gonna believe this-.."

Torn quickly looked back to Cara from the table, but he wasn't the only one. Tess was there as well and had her legs wrapped around Torn's waist - her arms interlaced around Torn's shoulders.

"I, uh," Cara quietly stammered as she surveyed even the littlest of things. It was as if time stood still and gave Cara the unlucky advantage of being stuck in that spot. "I'm sorry if I..." Cara looked away, "If I interrupted anything.."

By this time, Tess had already hopped off the table and Torn had momentarily turned away with a grunt as he zipped up his pants.

Torn turned to Tess, "You know what to do - head to the Hip Hog. You're working undercover. If you feel that you're at risk of leaking information, just keep your mouth shut."

Tess smiled and turned towards the exit, "Roger that." The bubbly blonde started towards the stairs, but got distracted upon noticing that Cara had remained in the room. "Oh, hey! You heading back to the Hip Hog soon?" Tess acted as if Cara hadn't just seen her and Torn all up on each other, but Cara realized that there may have been a reason for that.

Cara just went a long with it, "Oh, uh, I don't know yet. I just-.."

"–Hm, where's Jak? Aren't you guys partnered together?" Tess asked, obviously hinting when she mentioned the word 'partnered'.

'Oh, like how you and Torn are partnered together? Hell to the no.'

Cara attempted to smile, but due to her thoughts, her smile ended up appearing a bit sarcastic. "..Yeah." Such a joyful experience.

Tess giggled and clasped her hands together, "Well, you make sure to tell him I'm your guys' new set of ears and eyes. I'll be at the Hip Hog playing detective; if Krew has any errand boys running in and out, I'll know. Oh, and also, did you guys get your communicators yet?"

Cara had to mentally pause and resume at how fast, happy, and subject branching Tess was in conversation.

'Ears. Detective. Krew. Running...Ha. Krew running,' Cara smiled to herself. Cara looked to Tess, who looked like she was waiting for an answer. "Oh, uh, no, we haven't. Or, at least, I haven't."

"Alright, well make sure you get yours. That way, I'll be able to communicate with you if I see that Krew's up to something bad," Tess said.

Cara nodded slowly at first, but became quicker once her brain processed everything, "Yeah...yeah! Okay!"

Tess smiled and curled her fingers as she shared a lazy wave, "Alright, then. See you later!"

"Uh, huh," Cara said as she watched Tess walk past her and up the stairs, "Sure."

Upon hearing the rock slab close, Cara turned around and eyed Torn. So, him and Tess, huh? She wasn't really surprised. Tess had been the only girl member of the Underground for so long; it only made sense that she was Torn's girlfriend.

Torn made sure to eyeball Cara back, but it wasn't friendly. "What?"

"Oh, nothing," Cara chimed as she shared a goofy smile; making it obvious that it was, indeed, about him and Tess. With a small jumping motion, Cara managed to find a nice spot right on the table. "So," she said as she traced her finger over pen marks on some paperwork, "Anything new?"

"There always is," Torn spat out. He didn't look happy to be talking to Cara; his words came out sharp and extra raspy today. Hey, it wasn't Cara's fault that she walked in on an 'almost-sexcapade', though he surely acted like it.

"Woah," Cara said as she looked up with wide eyes, "No need for the attitude. It wasn't like I knew that you were canoodling with your girlfriend–"

"–She's not my girlfriend," Torn practically hissed.

Cara blinked a few times, completely thrown off by Torn's response. "Oh?" Cara asked, but then it all made sense. "Oh.."

Tess: the bubbly, blonde, only-girl member of the Underground = Torn's girlfriend? Nope; scratch that out. Tess: the bubbly, blonde, only-girl member of the Underground = yeah, you get it.

"So," Torn began, "The Baron is suffering an attack at the Strip–"

"–Wait! Hold that though!" Cara exclaimed as she raised her hands, "I have something to tell you, I almost forgot. It's really important."

"Important enough to almost forget?" Torn asked.

"No, it's just that you and Tess..." Cara began, but decided it wasn't for the best, "No! It's about the Baron."

Torn shifted his footing as he wore a smirk, "Oh? Then interrupt away."

"This war, it's all fake. Well, on the Baron's side it is, at least I think. The Baron wants the city to be attacked; he made a deal with the Metalheads–"

"–What?" Torn asked in absolute awe. "What do you mean deal–?"

"–He's giving the Metalheads eco, Torn," Cara said.

Torn looked away; Cara's information had his head spinning. He quickly looked back up, "And you're positive about this?"

Cara looked away upon realizing that she hadn't heard the news from someone that reliable. Cara spoke softly, "That's what Krew told us." When Cara noticed that Torn was looking away and completely silent, she figured she'd continue. "...Torn...the eco is almost gone; there's not that much left that the Baron can give..."

It was quiet for a moment: Torn couldn't believe this. Yeah, he knew the Baron wasn't liked by his people, but was he actually that desperate? Desperate enough to put his own men at risk in order to keep power? Torn scrunched up his nose as he thought to himself. Torn looked to Cara, "This comes as no surprise."

Cara looked up at Torn, "What do you mean?"

"What that fuck's doing; throwing his men at vicious beasts just to stay on that throne," Torn said as she looked away and shook his head. "Remind me of a time where he ever gave a shit about us."

Cara found herself looking at the ground and biting her inner cheek, but Torn's words made her look back up.

"I have a job for you. Our little chat reminded me: The Baron has a mining operation and it's under attack; I need you and–" Torn looked up when he noticed another person walking down the stairs.

Cara looked at Torn, awaiting an order, but his sudden silence confused her. "What?" Cara noticed Torn was looking past her, which caused her to look over her shoulder. Cue drumroll: ...It was Jak, her best friend in the whole, wide world. Cara quickly turned back around and hung her head low, "Fuck," she mumbled to herself.

"Hey," Torn said as he hunched over the table, "Nice of you to join us," he said slightly irked by Jak's late appearance.

Daxter jumped from Jak's shoulder to the ground, "Well, it's nice to see you too, buddy. Did you miss us?" Daxter asked playfully as he wiggled his eyebrows.

Before Torn could curse Daxter out, Jak interjected, "What's going on?" Instead of asking politely, like a civilized person, Jak asked as if he was pissed; like he got his feelings hurt by them relaying their next mission without him. His poor, lonely soul and dark, cold heart was crushed: poor guy.

Torn sighed and shook his head. Apparently, he just needed to start over...again. Torn crossed his arms and began to slowly walk around the table. "One of the Baron's mining operations is under attack by the Metalheads–"

"–That's not our problem!" Jak interrupted, but Torn was quick to shut him down.

"–It is our problem when the foreman is one of the Underground's best informants," Torn began as he pointed directly in Jak's face, "His name is Vin and he's just valuable enough to save."

"–What?" Cara asked loudly, causing Jak, Daxter, and Torn to look over at her. "Vin?" Cara quickly walked over to Torn, "Vin as in works-for-the-Baron-and-suffers-insane-panic-attacks Vin?" There's no way he'd be working for the Underground and the Baron - that dude was a spaz; consumed by anxiety. Vin wouldn't even share a water bottle with Cara at work. 'No, no, no, germs!', he'd say, 'You could be a carrier of many diseases that aren't known to mankind yet!' Nope, it couldn't be the same guy.

Torn knew it had to be the same guy when Cara mentioned the panic attacks.

"So, you're telling me that, uh, you've got my back and, uh, that there will always be someone to cover my tracks?" A frazzled man, who wore a white, lab jacket and glasses, asked.

"Yes, Vin," Torn answered in a sigh.

The man looked around before running up to Torn, "The Baron might know it's me who's working against him behind his back," the man gasped, "He'll have me thrown out of Haven or executed. He'll kill me, bring me back to life with the research I've provided and kill me again! Or worse," The man then covered his mouth as a high-pitched whine escaped; muffled behind his hands, "HE'LL TRACK MUD INTO THE LAB!" With a small squeak, the man's knees went weak and he fell into Torn's arms.

Torn rolled his eyes and shook his head as he held the mad scientist.

Torn smirked, "Yeah, that Vin."

"What?" Cara asked, "How–?"

"–Can we save the updates for later?" Jak asked, causing Torn and Cara to look over at him. Unlike Torn, Cara's eyebrows were narrowed; a big, fat 'we weren't talking to you.'

Cara glared daggers into Jak's soul, "I was asking Torn a question."

Jak looked to Cara with a straight face, "Oh, whoops."

Torn, for once, looked to Daxter, as if saying: get your human under control. Daxter grinned and shrugged. Hey, there wasn't anything he could do.

Fearing that another argument may ensue, Torn quickly barked his orders, "Find the warp gate at the Power Station and use it to travel to the Strip Mine, so you can rescue Vin's pathetic hide."

"Hey, Tattooed Wonder!" Daxter hollered from the ground, "How come we get all tha crappy missions?" Daxter said as he jumped up onto the table. His hands were balled up in fists at his hands and his tail stood erect; he tried to sound intimidating.

Torn looked right at Daxter; Daxter's plan didn't work; he wasn't intimidated whatsoever, "Because. I. Don't. Like. You." With every word, Torn pushed his finger deeper into the ottsel's furry chest - until the animal fell off the table and onto his backside.

Daxter looked up from the ground with a thumbs up, "Fair enough."

Torn looked down to Daxter. "Whatever deal the Baron made with the Metalheads - the cities eco is almost gone," he said as he stood back up and looked to Jak and Cara, "...and his time is runnin' out. If we don't get the kid up on the throne soon, there may not be a city left to defend."

A/N: Question: are my chapters long enough for you guys? Are they too long - not long enough? Please let me know.

Also, it's been awhile, so follow along with me here (I don't remember who I've already responded to or PMed).

Ralph - Thank you! I'm glad you enjoy my little, filler chapters. Sometimes I can't tell if they're truly appreciated or not, lol. Funny how it could be such a small world, right? Adult Jak hates her, but Baby Jak needed her. Yes, I'm excited to write Jak 3, as well! Oh, Keira/Ashelin/Cara? You'll just have to see, though I can tell you it doesn't go smoothly, lol. As far as 'Dark Cara' goes, they don't know - she doesn't even know what exactly happened. All she knows is that when she got like that, she could see eco; she hasn't tried, nor has she had the opportunity, to fight with it yet (she doesn't know how to control it). Maybe it's an eco aversion, maybe she got stabbed, maybe she was born with it, maybe it's Maybelline.

Leach60 - You're welcome! You'll see flashbacks, in the form of nightmares, happen a lot more during the story.

Arashi Uzumaki-Namikaze - Aw, shucks, thanks! I really try to keep all of the characters in-canon, but they want to stray from time to time (we've had this talk, lol). I literally fight with them. Haha, well if you're eyes need a break, let them rest. I get that way when I right; like right now. "I amz legally blind."