Author's Notes: JESSIE AND JAK ARE GOING TO MEET NOW! I'M SO EXCITED! *DELIGHTED SQEUAL!*
Okay, I'll calm down now. Maybe.
So I'm gonna make an exception for one of the reviews, because I'd much rather address it up here. Yo, Basket in a Nutcase! Thanks for liking my story, and as for your question on Jak's whereabouts, I have a simple answer. Jessie's path hasn't crossed his that much, mainly because they haven't shared a lot of common areas. But don't worry. He's appearing for good now.
Disclaimer: Naughty Dog owns Jak and Daxter, not me. I still haven't gotten that email :.( All I have are my OC's, dialogue, and plot variations.
"You wish to know why I had the Sagai twins stationed in the Stadium? Because we need a way to keep an eye on Erol, and because Jamie said it was important to the timestream. He has powers not seen in this city for centuries, not since the great Gemini first appeared with Mar. If he had a vision regarding that structure, then I will not get in his way." -The Shadow, speaking to Torn about his decision to place Jamie and Jessie in the Mar Memorial Stadium
Jessie pulled off her robes roughly, not caring if the laces got tangled up, and folded it as she walked back to the city, grumbling all the while. Normally, visiting the temple would have made her feel better, but lately the Ecolians had been pressuring her to become a Vessel even more than before. That, coupled with her job in the Underground and at the Stadium, made Jessie a very unhappy camper.
A beeping noise distracted her just as she got into the airlock in the wall, and she let her communicator out. 'You have 1 new message' appeared on the screen, and she sighed. The only people who messaged her were Torn and the Shadow, mostly because they couldn't risk exposing her connection to the rebels. Having this screen appear meant she needed to go to the Hideout, even though she already planned on it. She clicked a button, and the text appeared on the screen.
'Jessie, we need you to come in. We have a vital mission for you,' was all it said, and she let out an exasperated breath. Why her? There were plenty of other people out there. Why did everything have to happen to her in the span of one day? Why couldn't she just give them the latest report on the situation in the Stadium and be done with it?
It wasn't until she felt the filtered city air on her face that Jessie realized the inner door had opened.
"It's nice to see you still alive," the city AI said pleasantly. She sighed and waved at the ceiling.
"It's nice to be alive," she replied, walking through the door. Antagonizing the city AI was almost as bad as slapping a KG in front of the Fortress: you only did it at your own risk.
Jessie did her best to avoid stomping down the ramp that led to the gardens, but the people that passed by could tell she was angry, and they stayed far out of her path. Messing with an angry Unfilled racer was never a good idea. The Unfilled may not have liked killing people, but they had no such qualms over injuring them, and all were taught how to defend themselves in the Unfilled School of Emergence. Of course, it was mostly so they could stay fit and healthy, but also because Haven City was a dangerous place. Jessie was part of the reason why that was so.
She shoved her robes into the bottom compartment of her bike, swung one leg over the seat, and gunned the hover forward, ignoring most of the traffic laws and nearly hitting a Hellcat when she drove into the Stadium section. The com-unit in her pocket buzzed when she passed through the gates, but no one stopped her. It was just the city AI scanning for the appropriate pass.
"Honestly, why does Torn have a mission for me? I already told him I was through with missions," Jessie grumbled, swerving around a corner and switching zones to avoid a transport filled with KG. She made the final turn into the Mar Stadium Plaza and got off her bike at the entrance to the garage. There was another hover parked beside hers, but she ignored it. It wasn't Jamie's two-seater, and it wasn't Keira's zippy zoomer, so it was probably some other mechanic's ride. Once parked, she noticed a light flashing on her dashboard, the one telling her that the steering fluid was low.
Before she went into the garage to get some power steering fluid for her hover, the young woman walked into the Stadium to place the JET-Board on its rack. Her boss could collect it later for any tune-ups it needed; she, on the other hand, needed to refill the fluid and get to the Hideout. When she walked into the garage on the other side of the huge building, though, she was in for a surprise. A guy with long, yellow-green hair and an orange rat were waiting near a two-seater Keira was working on. The young woman involuntarily took a step towards him, some part of her wanting to be closer to him – strange as it seemed – and she accidentally kicked a can of oil. The metallic clatter of it hitting the floor drew the attention of the odd pair, and the rat perked up and walked toward her.
"Excuse us, miss. Can you tell us where the two ladies who run this place are?" he said smoothly. She rolled her eyes and glanced back at the entrance. No one was watching, so she could be as rude as she wanted. It wasn't going to earn her any points with these guys, but right now Jessie just needed to let out some of her frustration.
"If you two are here for repairs, news on the races, or because you want to see the boss, you'll have to come back later. The boss ain't in yet, and I don't talk about business without her," she replied coldly. The guy scowled darkly and walked up to her, going one step closer than she liked. That... urge... to be nearer to him only got worse, and she hated being told what to do by her body. It made her feel out of control.
"We just wanted to know more about the racing contract," he growled in reply. Something dark flashed in his eyes briefly and made that rebellious part of Jessie leap in reply. She forced down the feeling, pushed him out of the way as politely as possible, and walked over to the shelves of hover fluids. One last canister of steering fluid awaited and Jessie wasted no time in grabbing it. She let out a deep sigh and turned around to look at them again.
"Look, I don't make the decisions about who races for us. That's the boss's job. She decides who races, and my brother and I take care of the NYFE racer. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get to my other job. My boss has apparently decided to call me in," she snarled. Normally, she would have at least tried to be polite to them – it was how her parents had raised her – but the combination of the urge and the Ecolians had really riled her up. The guy glared at her.
"You know, you're not making a very good first impression, for someone kind enough to point out that elevator," he shot back. Jessie watched him for a few minutes, thinking over what he had said, and barked out a harsh laugh.
"So YOU'RE the guy Krew sent! Listen, pal, I'm just in a really shitty mood right now, so don't take it personally. I admire your driving skill. Not many can get here in less than three minutes, but I just went through a really irritating moment and I need to get to my other job. My boss has apparently decided to call me in," she replied sullenly. The man didn't reply, but simply folded his arms across his, she had to admit, well-defined chest. If she wasn't too pissed off to care about how he looked, she probably would have found him at least somewhat attractive, if in the bad-boy sort of way she usually avoided. Erol was hot but crazy, this guy was hot but bad-tempered, and Kyle... Kyle had been hot but a two-faced son of a crocadog. With men like them around, it was a miracle the human race kept on existing. Precursors knew she would have sworn off guys altogether.
"Funny, because we need a ride to our job. Jak here somehow managed to turn off our hover and it won't turn back on," the rat said, obviously trying to lighten the mood. Jessie looked at the young man, who was now glaring, albeit a bit more kindly, at the rat.
"Nice to meet ya, Jak. Now scram. I've got a lot to do and you're taking up valuable time," she said, walking past the two to the Black Orchid. In the few minutes that it took her to pop the hood, replace the steering fluid, and push the hood back into place, the strange pair had followed her out. They were eyeing her hover with appreciation.
"You've got a black KG bike? When'd you pick that up?" Jak asked, for once not threateningly or grumpily. She smirked and climbed into the driver's seat.
"'Bout a year ago. Found her in a junkyard, ready to be melted down for scrap, and I paid for her repairs. A few mods, some spray paint, and a whole lotta TLC later, she was reborn as the Black Orchid. Now get lost," Jessie replied, giving them a pointed glare. The two of them simply shared a look.
"Do you think you can give us a ride to the Slums? We need to do something there," the human asked, in what was probably intended as a nice tone. On him, it mostly came out oddly, like if Jessie tried talking with a Kras City accent. It just didn't work well.
"And what makes you think I have room?" she shot back snarkily. They simply looked at the rear of her hover.
"That's a lot of trunk space for one small zoomer," he replied casually. The two humans stared each other down, until finally Jessie had to look away. Those blue eyes of his... they reminded her of something her father would tell her when she was a little girl.
"Remember, Jessie, eyes of blue, a hero true. Your mama has blue eyes, and she's my hero. You and your brother have blue eyes, so I know you'll be heroes. Blue eyes is how the Precursors tell us how someone is gonna turn out, because the eyes show you what's inside a person's heart."
Right now, there was mostly darkness in his eyes, nearly overwhelming the blue. But right at the heart of the darkness was a faint glimmer of light, and she had to focus to see the flickering gleam that fought against the darkness. Not many people in Haven still had light in their eyes, so what made this guy so special?
Jessie realized she had been staring too long and looked away. Well, she might as well give him what he wanted.
"Fine, but only until I get to my job. Then you're on your own." She admitted defeat and pushed a button on the dashboard, making the rear seat extend outward. Jak and the rat shared a quiet victory – for guys – and as soon as they were aboard, she gunned the motor and shot away.
Not long after...
Jessie pulled up a short distance away from the Hideout and dismounted, glaring at them.
"Okay, the Jessie Express has reached its final destination. All passengers be reminded that they only ride with the permission of the driver," she toned like the intercity express between Haven and Kras. The ride had restored some of her good mood, but it wasn't to last. Jak and the rat got off and stared at her in disbelief.
"Wait, are you...?" the orange rat asked incredulously. She raised an eyebrow, then decided it wasn't worth her time and started to walk toward the Hideout. With her luck, Torn would probably send her out on another mission to the Strip Mine to help Vin. She liked the guy, but he was sometimes a bit too paranoid for this city, even if Jamie did his best to help the guy calm down. There had been one too many times when he had nearly put holes in her during a rescue.
"Look, just go away now. I've about reached the end of my rope, and I'd prefer to have at least some sanity by the end of the day." With that curt remark, Jessie stormed off toward the Hideout and Torn, not even looking back at the duo. The door rose up and let her in quickly as soon as it detected her presence, and she had to be careful not to fall as she went down the ramp to the basement that served as the HQ of the notorious resistance movement to Baron Praxis' regime. Torn looked up as she came in, the older man standing over some sort of plan for another mission, and she ignored him and sank into her usual seat on a bunk just across from the table. It was her bunk whenever she had to stay the night for cleaning the few weapons the Underground had, and she guarded it like a mother bugbear protected her young.
"Good, you got my message. Now we just need to wait for the rookie to arrive," he said gruffly. The ex-KG sometimes impressed her, more often irritated her, and almost always infuriated her with his ridiculous demands, but she knew why he did it. This was a harsh, bitter war they were fighting, and Torn was only one man. Her father had told her to consider every part of a story, and that was why she sympathized with him. Not much, though. The man was a demon in human form.
"Rookie? What are you talking about?" she replied in confusion. That was when the door opened to allow Jak and the rat inside. The three of them stared at each other in shock until finally Jessie shot up and pointed at them.
"What the hell are you guys doing here?" she shouted angrily. Jak glared at her, then turned his angry look to Torn.
"What is she doing here?" he asked the man, ignoring her completely. She growled softly and looked at Torn. He chuckled roughly and put his hands behind his back.
"Jessie, it looks like the new guy needs someone to show him the ropes. We've sent him out on a few missions, seen how he works, and the Shadow and I both agree you're the best suited to his style. Train him however you like, but make sure he understands one thing: in the Underground, if you screw up even once, you're Metal meat," he informed the girl. She stared at him in shock, not believing her ears. Her, teach this rude asshole how to be a true rebel? Hadn't she told Torn she was through with missions?
"Torn, with all the respect you deserve," she began. 'Which isn't much,' she added silently, "I have no intention of showing these wet-behind-the-ears newbies how to fight or use the city's terminals to get what they want. I already told you, I'm done with missions."
The commander of the Underground smirked.
"Too bad. The Shadow himself wants you teaching him. Besides, Max turned out all right, for a fifteen year old boy with an Unfilled lady for a master. Just do what you did with him and you'll be fine," he ordered her. From the tone of his voice, she could tell there was no use arguing. Unfilled were taught how to read voices at a young age, mostly because it would help them gauge people who might not like their beliefs. There were always those humans who thought the Ecolians were just a bunch of zedonk crap, and didn't hesitate to tell the Unfilled exactly that. But Jessie knew they were real. Most of the people who didn't at least admit they existed also didn't have a temple or an Unfilled around them on a regular basis.
"Now hold on. Don't we get a say in this?" Jak asked angrily. The rat on his shoulder nodded fervently in agreement. Torn smirked and put a hand on Jessie's shoulder.
"Not if you want to see the Shadow. Jessie here is your new partner. She tells you to do something, you do it. As your mentor, she'll be going with you on missions and showing you how to do certain things, so try not to get too unfriendly. She can be really nasty when she's pissed off," he told them. So Jak and the rat wanted to see the Shadow, huh? Well, it was certainly different from most of the reasons people joined the Underground.
The two of them grumbled, but they must have really wanted to see the Shadow, because they didn't try to get Torn to change his mind. All they did was turn to Jessie and give her a wave.
"Well, Jessie, I'm Daxter, but you can call me... Orange Lightning," the rat introduced himself. He was a flirtatious little guy, but Jessie wasn't all that into animals. It wasn't a religious thing, just the fact that she liked animals as pets, not partners. Besides, if she was going to be teaching these two what she knew, she couldn't get into any entanglements. Her relationship with Kyle had proven that she couldn't handle a love life and a life in the Underground.
"I'll stick with Daxter, thanks. Now then, I've got business with Torn, so you two just run along. I'll meet you at the Hip Hog," she dismissed them, putting a fist to her chest in the usual salute of the Unfilled. Without waiting to see what they did, Jessie launched into her report of the situation at the Stadium, and the only sign that they had listened to her was the sound of the door opening and closing. With them went the feeling to get closer to Jak, and while part of her was glad, the traitorous side missed that sensation. But she couldn't afford to be distracted by that. If she was going to be free of those two, she had to train them as well as she could and have Torn approve her graduating them.
'I've really got my work cut out for me,' she thought ruefully.
Author's Notes: To the reviews!
fanficfanaticxoxo (chapter 5, Jan. 31) – Well, the negativity is necessary. The other Ecolians kind of blame her for what happened three years ago, because she was the one who came up with the idea to get rid of the "obstacles." And Umbra has had a few bad ideas in the past, as you'll see eventually.
Guest (chapter 5, Feb. 1) – Oh, she's being used all right, but not by the Dark Makers. Umbra's benefactor is the one who created the Dark Makers and the Metal Heads! Ah, but I've said too much already.
See ya later! Wild Cat 214, out!