Author's Notes: And so, we return from that slightly gruesome note to a war-torn city and its people. Also, I've decided to start off each chapter with a "quote" from people in the city. Maybe I'll do the same with the side story about Joker, Lucy, and Jinx. Actually, yeah, that's what I'll do.
Disclaimer: When I own Naughty Dog, and thus Jak and Daxter, I'll let you guys know by throwing a big party. And then releasing some games of my own.
"Behind the scenes of the city's most popular sport are the grease moncaws of the garages. These valiant men and women keep the NYFE racers going in their thrilling race with death and each other, and if it weren't for their incredible mechanical skills, few would be able to enjoy the Mar Stadium races as they are today." -Phil Herman, spokesman for the NYFE races
Present day...
It was just your average day in Haven City, if you counted the large amount of KG in the streets, the weary populace, and the paranoia hanging in the air normal. Perfect for a day fixing hovers and cannibalizing them for parts.
At least, that's what Jessie would have thought, if she wasn't too busy focusing on avoiding traffic to notice the reports frequently buzzing into the KG com-units, or the frightened, tired faces of the pedestrians and other drivers. Her black helmet and tinted visor hid her black and pink hair and light blue eyes, but all the citizens recognized her. It wasn't hard to recognize the hoverbike of one of the city's famous racers, or her black vinyl racing uniform.
Jessie got off her black converted KG bike, flipped the parking brake, and walked into the garage of the Mar Memorial Stadium. The smell of grease, exhaust fumes, and metal greeted her, and a rare smile appeared on her face. The scents of machinery could cheer her up like nothing else, except perhaps the smell of smoke and gunpowder that followed her uncle Jinx around like a crocadog.
"Keira! I'm back!" she shouted into the cluttered garage. The teal-haired young woman looked out from behind the curtain at the far end and smiled.
"Jessie? Good! Get over here and help me with this," she called, gesturing with one hand to the strange machine hidden by the rough cloth. Jessie rolled her eyes, but took off her racing jacket (revealing a crisp white tank top), tied it around her waist, and joined the other girl.
"What is it, boss?" she asked, looking at the weird contraption. Keira rolled her eyes and pointed at a certain bolt.
"Don't call me that. I need you to hold it steady while I tighten this bolt. If we're not careful, the entire thing could fall apart," she explained, holding up the appropriate wrench.
"Yes, boss," the other girl replied mischievously. Keira rolled her eyes again. With Jessie holding that section still, the mechanic girl managed to tighten that one tiny piece and keep the entire thing together.
"Thanks."
"No problem, boss. What is this thing, anyway? Looks kind of like this one weird machine I saw in a history textbook once. I think it was called a Rift Rider, or something," Jessie asked, kneeling down and looking at it curiously. Keira sputtered in shock, then managed a nervous giggle.
"Oh, you. No, it's just a... project... I'm working on," she answered cryptically. Jessie rolled her eyes and stood up.
"Well, it won't matter in a few weeks." Keira sighed and gave her sad eyes.
"Are you sure about this, Jessie? You don't have to go if you don't need to," she said quietly. Jessie shook her head.
"I'm sure. We had a deal, Keira. If you get a new racer before the season began, I'd stay until the end of the season. I already gave Krew your criteria for the racer," she replied calmly. "It's just a matter of time before he or she arrives. And if you don't like the guy, you can always ask for someone else. Besides, Jamie could handle anyone that gave you trouble. He's tougher than he looks."
"Of course I am. I have you for a sister; I'd have to be tough to survive your cooking," a young man said from the entrance of the garage. The two women looked out to see a young man with light blue eyes and black hair streaked with light blue. It wasn't dyed, though. Their hair was completely natural. That was part of the reason why the other Unfilled were so wary of them. No normal human would have hair like theirs.
"Hi, Jamie. Nice of you to join the party," Jessie quipped. Her twin brother smirked at her and waved at Keira.
"Hey, Keira. I brought us some food from the Hip Hog," he said, holding up a plastic bag with some Styrofoam boxes inside. Probably held some of the Hoggy Meals that were almost certainly not good for you, but tasted better than most of the affordable food in Haven.
"You better have remembered my order," his sister said mock sweetly. The young man rolled his eyes and held out one box. In permanent black marker were the words "Triple Hoggy Burger, no cheese, only ketchup" scrawled in the familiar handwriting of the old cook, Jon Harris. Ah, yes. Jumpy Jon, one of the oldest and most entertaining people still alive in Haven City. He could bring a smile even to Jessie's jaded face.
"Thanks, bro. How was your other job?" she asked casually. Keira thanked him as he handed her a box with the words "Garden Salad, light dressing" in the same messy style as Jessie's meal, and gave them a clueless look. She had no idea that her two assistants/co-owners of the Muse Race Team were members of the Underground, sent to be Torn's eyes and ears in the Stadium. It didn't mean much action, but that was okay with them. Neither liked violence, especially not when it resulted in death, but that was only natural when you could feel the deaths of any Unfilled in the city. A religious community like theirs had its pros and cons, and being able to sense the pain of any other member was definitely of the latter variety.
Jamie shrugged and inhaled his food ("Turkhen HipNuggets with large fries") before answering.
"Ah, same as always. New guy came in while I was getting our food. Went out to do a job for Krew. Looked scary. I saw him a few days ago, in the Slums. Remember when that entire area was sealed off because some nut job escaped the Fortress?" he said nonchalantly. The two girls nodded.
"Oh yeah, I remember. Damn KG made it impossible for me to get home in time to catch a vid of the race I missed," Jessie remarked, taking a huge chunk out of her burger and glaring at a passing Guard. The red-armored man ignored her and went towards the garage for Erol. Nasty son of a crocadog, that one. Hell of a racer, but a huge pain in the ass. And unfortunately, Keira found him attractive, which meant poor Jamie could only pine after her like a puppy.
'I guess he is handsome, in a loopy sort of way,' Jessie grudgingly allowed.
Static from her boss' com-unit distracted her, and together the three listened to the caller.
"I've sent someone over, 'ey. He should be there in less than three minutes," Krew wheezed into the machine. Keira and Jessie shared a look. If this guy did make it, then today wasn't her last day on the job. It wasn't likely, though. Only two people (that she knew of) could make it from the Hip Hog Heaven Saloon to the Stadium in less than three minutes, and Jessie was one of them. Erol was the other, but there was no way in hell she would admit that.
Jamie chuckled.
"Okay, who came up with that one?" he asked, giving them each an amused, if pointed, look. Jessie grinned maliciously.
"Who do you think? I need to start up that business down in South Town, but not without making sure Keira was okay before I left. That's why I told Keira if she did get a racer, I'd stay for the rest of the season. I'm not leaving her at the tender mercies of some cutthroat racer from the underbelly of the city," she retorted. "Not that Keira can't take care of herself. Actually, I think I'd stay just to make sure she doesn't scare off the racer."
"Hey!" the subject of discussion objected.
"C'mon, Keira, let's work some more on that machine of yours. Time machine or not, it's just weird enough to have captured my attention," the girl twin said before pulling the other female mechanical genius behind the curtain with her.
"Jamie, please clean up our food! And can you check on the engine cables? I think we're running low," Keira called after giving in to Jessie's random urge to keep working. Actually, it was mostly so she could have some girl time with Keira before the racer arrived, but Jessie would never say that out loud. She didn't say a lot out loud.
"Can do," he replied, used to this sort of treatment. He didn't mind, though. Jamie worshiped Keira. If she told him to bring her the moon, he would do it. Probably put a little bow on it, too. Of course, he was only good with some of the smaller machinery of Haven, like com-units, headsets, etc., but that was why Jessie was here. She could handle weapons and hovers like they were no big deal. Together with Keira's incredible mind, they could build nearly anything, including one of the best NYFE racers seen in over a century.
Less than three minutes and a discussion on the traits of the newest hover on the market later...
The sound of a hover screeching to a halt near the entrance to the race garage caught the attention of all three mechanics. Jamie checked the timer on his wrist communicator. It was at just a little before three minutes.
"Holy Precursors, he did it!" he murmured in awe. The two women didn't hear, or else they would have known they were about to have company in the form of a certain blond.
"Ah... hello? Krew said someone was looking for a race driver?" a young man said from the entrance of their garage. Jessie looked up from handing Keira tools and raised an eyebrow. Interesting. Someone could drive as fast as she could.
What was more interesting was Keira's reaction.
"We're busy right now," she said, apparently speaking for all three of them. "You must be Krew's new errand boys. Look, I don't mean to be rude, you did get here fast, but I'm not interested in any new drivers right now, and we've got work to do..." she trailed off. It was painfully obvious she was trying to get him to leave, which was strange. If he didn't become their racer, Jessie would leave, and she was pretty sure Keira wouldn't want that just yet.
"What are you talking about? You just said you wanted a new racer!" Jessie hissed bemusedly.
"Shhh!"
"Is there anything we can do?" he asked huskily.
Ew. Was he actually flirting with them? Okay, Jessie was liking this guy even less now. Maybe Keira had been on to something when she had turned him down. She wasn't too fond of Krew, but most of his workers were okay. Take her uncle, Jinx, or Jumpy Jon, or Sig. Three of the best people in Haven, and they worked for a shady guy like Krew. But this one was giving her a weird feeling that wasn't entirely pleasant.
"No! We're... ah... working on a secret, ah, ah... 'vehicle project,'" the teal-haired girl stammered awkwardly. Jessie rolled her eyes. There was no reason to hide the fact that they were working on something weird, even if the guy was one of Krew's men.
"Okay. Sorry!" he said grumpily. The black-and-pink-haired girl pushed off of the bench she had been sitting on and went up to the curtain.
"Listen, if you think you've got the guts to race in this town, try taking our prototype JET-Board out on the Stadium course. Beat the Stadium challenge, and maybe we'll consider you for our team," she taunted, pointing to the other side of the building. There was no answer, but eventually a pair of booted feet walked away. Jessie sighed.
"There. Problem solved. If he does manage to beat that, which I doubt, then I'll stay until the first race. If you don't have a racer before then, I'm going to South Town. Deal?" she proposed, holding out a gloved hand. Keira nodded, and the two of them shook on it.
"Deal. Now help me with this part. I need the tools handed to me quickly, or it could fall apart like that," her friend agreed, snapping her fingers for emphasis. Jessie grinned.
"Aw, but I like it when things are destroyed. Fine, fine, I'll make sure it doesn't break. Just don't ask too much of me." The two girls began working on what looked like the control panel for the "secret vehicle project" while Jamie dismantled a two-seater with terrifying speed.
Jessie and Keira were joking about the qualities of the average three-seater when the guy returned.
"We beat the Stadium challenge," he said proudly. Jessie winced, but she would hold up her end of the bargain. She would stay.
"Great! People do get lucky," she replied sarcastically. Keira shook her head and turned her cold gaze to where she figured the man was.
"Listen, don't you people have someone to collect money from, or beat up, or something?" she asked, desperately trying to get them to leave. Jessie nodded. That was usually what Krew's thugs did.
"You don't like us, do you?" he replied. Was that... hurt... in his voice? No, it couldn't have been. Krew didn't hire people for their feelings. He hired the toughest, scariest, most-likely-to-be-thrown-in-the-Fortress men and women he could find. In the case of women, they also had to be smoking hot. Thankfully, Jessie never needed to work for him.
"You work for that slime ball Krew. What's not to like?" Keira replied acidly. There were footsteps as the guy moved to the trophy wall. Jessie tensed up. If he put a single dent in the proof of how good she was...
"Looks like you've won a few races. Isn't it true the city champion gets to tour the palace?" the guy asked. She nodded slowly, then remembered he couldn't see her.
"Yeah... why?" she asked warily. What was this guy planning?
"Could you get me into the Palace?" Ah. That was what he wanted.
"A friendly visit, I gather," Keira said dryly.
"Yeah. I'm a real fan of the Baron," the man replied darkly. Jessie smirked. Maybe he wasn't all bad, if he wanted to get even with Praxis. The man was a tyrant, a usurper, and worst of all, he had imposed special taxes on the Unfilled for the Eco crystals they asked for. The Ecolians needed crystallized Eco if they were ever to become one with humans, like the Unfilled so desperately wanted. So yeah, Jessie hated the man. It was hard not to.
"Okay, I'll help you out, if you stop bothering us. I saw an old maintenance elevator at the base of one of the Palace support towers. That old lift might take up to the Palace, IF you can find a way to turn on the elevator's power. Try in the Industrial District. Now go away!" she revealed, holding up a wrench for added persuasion.
"Okay, okay, jeez. We're going," he said. And indeed, there was the sound of his feet going away. But strangely, there was only one pair. Who had been with him?
Author's Notes: Hey, there! Happy winter holidays, everyone! I'm gonna put the reviews down here, and talk about random stuff up top. So, without further ado...
Guest (chapter 1, Dec. 24) – Thanks! And seeing as the original was a bit short on the details, I'll take your liking it as high praise for the work of a preteen.
Wild Cat 214, out!