The ABC's of Perfect Mistakes

Chapter Eighteen: R is for Repercussions

Parker groaned into the washcloth that was given to her, even though it was smooth and cold it still hurt. Though, she still scrubbed at the grime and oil that coated her cheek. She already wiped the blood from her ear away and Amberly did her leg, although she couldn't feel anything thanks to the painkillers Olivia gave her. Both blondes chatted at the table in Olivia's small apartment, Parker had a feeling they were talking about the current breakdown in the Krimzon Guard. She learned from Olivia, against Amberly's suggestions, that Erol was dead. For a second she couldn't feel anything, she was numb to the idea that Erol was gone forever and the feeling still tingled inside her mixing with guilt and joy.

"Parker!" Olivia shouted causing Parker to jump.

"What the hell Liv? Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

Olivia just stared at her before looking at something behind her, she turned to find Amberly standing next to her. "– for an implant."

"What?" Parker asked. "What are you taking about?"

Olivia sighed. "Park, you can't hear anything out of your right ear."

"It's still healing." She waited for an answer or a suggestion before Amberly touched her shoulder, Parker looked to her; she had a sad expression on her face.

"You didn't hear anything I said?"

Parker frowned and covered her left ear, she could still hear the ringing in her right ear but it was dull and fading. Amberly's lips started moving but she couldn't hear anything. She ran her fingers through her hair and dropped her hands to her sides. "What did you say?"

"I said, I think you've lost your hearing on that side." Amberly showed her the message on her communicator. "I called Lena, Slim and Vin are coming with a couple of hearing aids to try."

"Hopefully," Olivia started. "You won't need one."

"Have your heard anything about Jak and Daxter?" She asked sitting down.

"Last I heard, the Krimzon Guard are still looking for them." Olivia glanced to Amberly before sitting down beside Parker. "Listen, we don't really know where they are. After they left the stadium, the KG lost them and they haven't been seen since. Do you have any idea where they could be hiding?"

Parker shrugged. "After Jak escaped prison he's been after the Baron for the last month or so."

"And he won that pass for a tour of the palace."

"He's not on a tour." Parker snapped. "He's going to there to kill the Baron."

"That's all we need!" Olivia shouted. "A dead Commander and a dead Baron!"

"You know what that means?" Parker said with a smirk. "All hail Baroness Drake!"

"Oh God," Olivia shouted standing up. "We have to stop him!"

Jak's worse fears were confirmed by Vin. For a while he didn't want to believe what the trees told Samos. He hoped that the trees were wrong, but he knew, somewhere inside of him, Praxis wanted to destroy everything. Vin confirmed it for Ashelin, it would destroy all things, and once again he needed to save the world. He checked his communicator before he crawled into the ventilation system. Besides a message from Lena telling him he was a total badass on the track, there was nothing.

He jumped into the vent system, rolling into a crouch waiting to hear for any guards. He could hear chatter below him but nothing close to him. He crawled forward and jumped to grab a pole, he swung around twice before grabbing the next pole and did the same for third one landing comfortably on the small platform in front of him. He ran along to platform, not pausing to take out his gun to shot the guards that came towards him. He dodged their bullets and grabbed a crate, taking the health and gun packs. He jumped over the sentry gun's rapid fire. With his blaster mod he took out the guards that stood on the far side of the area, he climbed onto the next platform and ran along the edge looking for a way to get across the next section. He was considering doubling back and trying a different route when he saw that the glass was cracked, but more importantly it was held in place with a railing –the same kind he used to practice on when he was testing out Keira's jet board. He shot out the glass and grinded along the rail. He jumped over the fake platforms and dropped into a giant red room.

He took a moment to glance to the large table and the banners around the room. He saw the Praxis banner, the Mar banner, the city's banner, the KG's banner and another banner he'd never seen before –but he'd seen the symbol of three circles spinning around. He shook the image off and kept running, dodging the sentry gun. He knew before he got to the elevator it was locked so he took hallway next to it, breaking out his jet board again to grind along the random fence-like. He fired at every guard that came at him and shot down a chandelier's ring so he could get across. He broke the glass and followed the path to another elevator that took him to the main floor to the original room he used to enter the palace. He left in a hurry eager to get to the Weapons Factory outside of the city, he hoped the Baron would be there and he could finally finish this –and maybe save the Precursor Stone too.

"Hey Jak," Amberly's perky voice surprised him. "I'm sending you a location, can you meet us? It's just Parker, Slim, Liv and I." Jak was about to argue that he was busy but lost contact with her followed by a ping that showed him the group was waiting near the support towers in the Port. At least they were close and on his way. He took an abandoned zoomer and drove to the Port, he spotted the group quickly since Olivia was wearing her Elite Guard uniform.

He considered crashing his zoomer next to them but thought better of it, he was already on thin ice with Olivia and Amberly. He jumped off his ride and walked over to them. Olivia gave a giant wave and ran up to him.

"Please tell me you didn't kill the Baron!"

"No," He said crossing his arms. "For now."

"Do us all a favour," The boy a buzz cut said stepping up beside Olivia. "Wait until we find the Kid so we can put him on the throne and not her." He said pointing to Parker. She smirked and walked past the boy.

"Jak meet Slim, Slim meet Jak."

The boy, Slim, nodded to Jak. "The Dark Warrior Project subject, right?"

Jak tensed but Parker stepped between them. "Yes, he was a part of the DWP." She turned to Jak. "I need to talk to you." Jak raised an eyebrow before following her a little ways down the bridge. "What did you see in the Palace?" She asked.

"Ashelin, she accused me of working for the Metal Heads until she got Vin to confirm that if the stone were cracked open it would kill everyone."

Parker nodded and scratched behind her ear. "Yeah, I was with Vin when we got the call. Slim checked the math just in case Vin was wrong but, like always, he was right."

"Who's in-charge of the guard?"

"Liv is going to check but she's heard rumours that it might be one of our old friends…" She glanced away. "If what she says is true, both of them will come after the Underground and try to destroy them, for good." She covered her mouth and looked away, her shoulders started shake before Jak touched her.

"Hey? What's wrong?"

"Liv found a report, a death warrant…" She looked to him. "For me."

"What?!"

"Praxis' covering his bases, if we don't win this war and Praxis' still on the throne he'll put a bullet in my head."

"Hey," Daxter said jumping on her shoulder. "If we don't win this war, everything will be destroyed anyways!"

"Daxter!" Both Jak and Parker shouted.

"Hey," Daxter said looking between them. "He's planning on breaking the stone and there won't be a city to rule anyways."

Parker sighed. "It's a dark thought but he's right."

"Parker!" Olivia shouted running up to her. "There's trouble in Bazaars! My men are on route but they've requested more aid!"

Jak watched as Parker tensed, he heard that her home was the Bazaar. She turned back to him. "I gotta go," She didn't wait for his answer and ran after Olivia. Jak had to glance to her again as she passed catching a large gray hook on her ear. He glanced to Daxter, he saw it too.

"It's a hearing aid." Amberly answered from behind them. "Vin and Slim think she's lost her hearing in that ear." Jak nodded remembering the race and the blood, Amberly walked in front of him. "I asked myself who would be responsible for this and then I remembered it's you." She looked up and down at him in disgust. "You're the reason she was kidnapped, that she had to work with Erol and the reason she lost her hearing." She stepped up to him. "And when this war is over, Praxis is off his throne and the Kid is in power again, I will make it my personal mission to get you executed." She smiled. "But, since you did save her from Erol, I'm giving you the chance to live. Go back to your own time, like Keira wants, have babies and die when you're supposed to."

"You're a bitch." Jak snarled.

"I'm not gonna let my best friend make another mistake and you're the walking definition of a mistake. You already took her hearing, don't take her life too." Amberly turned and walked away.

"Can I shoot her?" Daxter asked.

"No, we need our bullets for the War Factory."

"Okay then, how about after?"

Jak chuckled. "Maybe."

Her new hearing aid was bugging her. Every once in a while it'll beep or pick up static, it pissed her off and she wanted to rip it out of her head. There was still a bit of ringing in her ear but she could hear some things. Slim said he'd give it a couple of days, her hearing might improve or get worse. She was hoping for the first. She shook her head, there was no time to think about herself. Her home, the Bazaars, was under attack and she knew they needed her.

She dismounted her zoomer and chased after a group of the Elite Guards. Olivia led the pack, her blonde hair wiping around her face. "Group Alpha, help those in the east! Group Beta, take the west! Charlie and Delta, cover both entrances!" She shouted running backwards. "Don't let any of those motherfuckers in!"

"Who are we fighting?" Parker shouted running after Olivia.

"Rogue KG Bots, I told the Baron they weren't ready!" She turned again. "And other guards that have taken the word 'order' literally! Gamma teams are patrolling the outside, Zeta team you stay with me and recuse as many people as we can!" She turned to another group. "Take out any guard that resists you! We are not here to kill our citizens we're here to protect them!"

Parker nodded and ran down a block, she dodged the mass of people who ran down the street in total chaos. The guards that were trying to regain order were either fighting with the outraged people or fighting with the Blast Bots. She took out her guns and ran behind the bot, she started firing at it. The machine started beeping, alerting it's guards that someone was attacking it. Parker rolled away from the guards that swung at her, instead she swung her arm around to stab the guard in their neck. She kicked him forward so that he landed on his face and tripped his fellow guards. She shot the last two before going after the bot. She climbed on top of it and smashed the gun down with the heel of her foot before firing down into its head. The Bot crumbled and started a series of beeps getting closer and closer together –Parker took that as a sign to leave. She ran and ducked behind a building as the machine blew up.

Next, she ran to Lena's shop. She stopped when she came to the street that Lucky's was on. Smoke filled the air and the flames burned from one wooden shop to another. Parker screamed so loud she caught the attention of the guards that stood around, a couple grabbed her and tried to drag her away but she kicked and clawed until they let her go. She dropped to the ground and broke out into a run, pushing past the people who cried in front of their homes or businesses. Some held tin boxes or their loved ones as they sobbed. Lucky Lena's wasn't on fire but the windows were broken and she could see smoke coming from the top floor. She kicked in the door and stumbled in, the smoke burned her eyes as she blinked away the tears. She coughed and shouted Lena's name.

"Back here!" Lena shouted. Parker staggered through the black smog, parting it with her hands only to get lost until she bumped into a wall. If her theory was correct, she was about to leave the main office area where Lena fitted her for her first set of knives. She followed the wall until she came to a door, the wood was cool and slightly ajar. Through the smoke she could see Lena on the ground trying to drag out a NYFE. "I can't move it!" She screamed through her tears. Parker ran to her friend and dragged her away from the twisted metal, Lena screamed as they walked through what used to be her old office and out the front door.

On the street, Lena screamed and tried to get away from Parker crying about her new NYFE and the Kras files she had. Parker considered going back inside and grabbing them when the building imploded. Fire shot out of the windows and up the outside walls. Lena dropped to the dirt ground and sobbed into her hands, Parker stepped back as a group of Elite Guards ran up to them. One picked up Lena and another escorted Parker away from the inferno that used to be Lucky Lena's.

Parker heard the explosion before she saw it, she drove into the Port and found that the War Factory was now a smoking wreck that matched the Bazaars. She blew a piece of hair out of her face and slumped on the front of her zoomer, she had a feeling that the city would be reduced to a smoking mess before the war was over.

Her communicator showed her that Jak and Daxter were at the Hip Hog. She turned towards the Hip Hog and stood outside, she leaned against the wall and watched everyone walk around the Port. Several people nodded to her or glared, everyone knew who she was. She was Erol's whore or a considered a traitor. She wished the people saw her in a different light but for some reason she couldn't make anyone happy. She touched her hearing aid, how long was she going to have it? Slim suggested maybe a couple of days because of her Green Eco but Parker had a feeling that it wasn't going to get better and she'd be hearing digitally through her right ear for the rest of her life. Although, she knew that Vin and Lena could make her a badass hearing aid, the only worry she had was that Lena would insert a communicator in it and could bug Parker when she–

A sudden spark went through Parker, jolting her from the wall. She touched her head as she felt her necklace get hot. She picked up the gem to see spider cracks appearing in the green surface. A horrible scream sounded from her left, she turned to look as five Grunts ripped into a group of people before setting their eyes on her.

TBC…