Jak and Daxter and all affiliated characters and places are property of Naughty Dog. No infringement of copyright is implied or intended in this fictional work.

Now that the evil chapter is out of the way, it's time for one that I enjoyed writing more. Yeah, long chapter of doom!

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Chapter 5: Tess

Two weeks after parting from the Pariah, Daxter was no closer to finding Jak. She was tired, dirty and out of money. Things looked rough. She wandered the streets doing the occasional odd job, hoping it would led to more permanent employment but to no avail. Leaving the Pariah had been a bad move but she couldn't go back now. Well, she probably could but the idea of sitting through another session of "I told you so" from Hal and then telling them what happened at the bar—

No, she wasn't ready for that, maybe in a thousand years, but not now.

Through the haze of her thoughts Daxter noticed that she had circled this same street at least five times. She sighed to herself thinking that she should call it a night. That was when she saw her.

Standing in front of a bar was the prettiest blonde woman Daxter had ever seen and accosting her was one of the ugliest men Daxter had even seen. She was starting to wonder what it was about Haven City that attracted big ugly guys.

"No thanks, I'm not interested," the blonde said, trying to walk away.

"Come on baby, we'll have a good time." The thug grabbed the woman's arm. She shrieked in surprise.

Anger clouded Daxter's mind and she felt all common sense fly out the window as she marched over to the pair. "Hey! She told you to back off, buster!" Daxter drew herself up to her full height (which put her squarely at eye level with the thug's chest) and shoved him.

The thug stepped back in surprise. His face twisted into a scowl and Daxter questioned if this was such a good idea. "Why I ought to--"

The electronic buzz of a Krimzon Guard's voice broke through the argument. "Is there a problem here?"

"No officer, this guy is just leaving," Daxter said.

The thug glared at her but took the hint. After he departed, the Krimzon Guard bid the two women goodnight and moved on.

Daxter moaned in relief. She did not want to be little redhead paste tonight.

The blonde woman squealed and clutched Daxter to her ample chest. "You were wonderful!" she gushed.

Daxter was pleased at her sudden fleshy confinement. "No problem, babycakes. I saw a lady in distress and took it upon myself to be her knight in shining armor."

"Oh, how can I thank you?" the blonde asked.

"Keep hugging me like that and I'll think of something," Daxter said.

The blonde woman giggled and released the smaller woman. She smiled, extending her hand. "I'm Tess."

Daxter took her hand and squeezed. "Daxter, pleased to meet you gorgeous. What are you doing in this a place like this?"

"I was supposed to meet someone here but he never came," Tess said.

Daxter decided to lay on the charm. "Why anyone would ditch a babe like you is beyond me."

Tess giggled, flattered at the younger woman's attention. "It doesn't matter anyway. I still need to repay you somehow. Have you eaten yet?"

"Well—" The loud rumbling from Daxter's stomach answered that question.

The blonde nodded, as if confirming a suspicion. She regarded her savior. The torn clothing, the dirty hair and the skinny frame said it all. "You look like you've had a rough time. Where are you staying?"

Daxter considered lying, but there was something about Tess that made her feel guilty for even thinking about it. "I've been sleeping in alleys mostly," Daxter admitted.

Tess frowned. "That's not going to do. Come on, I'll take you home, get you cleaned up, I'll make you a nice dinner—Oh, and I bet I have some old clothes you can use and we'll doll you right up!" Tess grabbed Daxter's right hand and led her down the street.

Remembering her encounter with Minc, Daxter pulled away. "Hold on a second, toots. Why are you doing all this for me?"

"You saved me and now it's your turn for someone to save you," Tess answered.

Daxter was flabbergasted. "Oh, uh—"

Tess clapped her hands together and took Daxter's wrist. "Come on, silly. We have work to do!"

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Tess had a small apartment on the border between the slums and the parkway. The building was decent but noisy due to the nearby traffic. Over a quick dinner Tess talked about her job tending bar, her family and the political state of the city. Daxter was happy to let her talk; her own blabbermouth was busy stuffing itself. Besides, every time Tess took a deep breath it did interesting things to her chest and Daxter was not shy about ogling.

The two women cleaned up dinner and then Tess sent Daxter off to clean up herself. The shower felt wonderful. Daxter had noticed that during her confinement as a girl, she took more pleasure in the process of getting clean than when she was a boy. She wasn't sure whether it was a difference in awareness or that she just got dirtier in Haven City.

After her shower, Tess dragged Daxter into her bedroom. The poor girl wore only an oversized bathrobe as Tess had taken the liberty of disposing of Daxter's filthy old clothes. The blonde threw open her closet and routed through it. She tossed all possible candidates for Daxter onto her bed. From that pile she produced a set of shorts and a top. She tossed them at the redhead before going outside. "Try these on."

Daxter slipped the clothes on, adjusting straps and such as was necessary. When she was done she stared in horror at the mirror. Tess stepped back into the room. "Well?"

"No offense Tess, but I'd like something more than just glorified panties," Daxter said, pointing to the hip-hugging shorts gracing her body.

Tess put a companionable hand on Daxter's shoulder. "But you have such a cute little body. Why not show it off?"

Daxter grinned, "Thanks for recognizing my sexiness babe, but I need more fabric to cover the sugar."

The blonde grabbed a slightly longer pair of shorts from her pile. "Like these?"

Daxter said slowly, like she was explaining to a child. "No Tess, like pants. Long pants."

Tess was genuinely confused. "But why?"

"Because." Daxter paused. "Because."

Tess was staring at her with an expectant expression. Did Daxter really want to explain that she could, in theory, transform back into a boy at any moment and that she really didn't want to be wearing hot pants when that happened? Then again, anything else she said would probably sound equally ridiculous. Daxter decided to take the plunge. "Tess, I wasn't always a chick."

There was no condemnation on Tess's face, just a desire to understand. It was all that Daxter needed.

She found herself telling Tess about everything: Sandover, her transformation via Dark Eco, Jak's capture, her work with the Pariah and her encounter with the red-haired man at the bar. Tess sat and listened to every word. She did not interrupt; she just absorbed what Daxter told her. When she was done, the redhead waited for a reaction.

"Poor little thing," Tess said, stroking Daxter's hair. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Daxter leaned into the touch, turning her head to direct the strokes. At Tess's question, she frowned. "About what?"

"The bar?" Tess said.

Daxter shook her head. "Nah. I got drunk and woke up next to the wrong person, except they weren't still there."

Tess did not push the issue; this wasn't the time. "If you need to talk about it I'm here."

"Thanks, babe. At least I know Jak's still alive," Daxter said.

If the man had told the truth, Tess thought. She didn't want to burst Daxter's bubble, although her description of the man seemed really familiar. Tess withheld her suspicions for now and would just try to help however she could.

"I might know some people who could get more information on your friend for you," Tess offered.

"Sheesh, does everyone in this town know somebody who knows somebody?" Daxter asked.

"Pretty much," Tess said. She stood up and grabbed a long pair of pants. She held them in front of Daxter's legs. "I'll have to hem them a little, but are these better?"

Daxter scrutinized the offered pants. They were much more modest than anything else Tess had shown her and they wouldn't look funny if she transformed while wearing them. She nodded. "Oh yeah."

The quest for a shirt was much shorter. Satisfied that Daxter had clothes again, Tess set about making sleeping arrangements. She threw a pillow and some blankets onto the sofa and arranged them to form a little bed. "You can sleep here on the couch until we find you your own place."

"Sure I can't share the bed?" Daxter asked, wiggling her eyebrows.

Tess shook her head. "No silly, all boys, even former boys have to sleep on the couch," she said.

"Damn."

Tess turned out the light. "Goodnight, little sis."

"Night," Daxter called back. For the first time in weeks, Daxter felt safe and cared for. She closed her eyes and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

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The next morning Tess set out for work, telling Daxter that she would ask her boss if there were any jobs for the redhead. What Daxter didn't know was that Tess hadn't been totally honest about her occupation. She was a bartender but she was also an agent for the Underground. The previous night she was supposed to meet a contact who had never shown up. The contact had been carrying some plans for a weapons program that could be a potential threat. Tess had to assume that the contact was detained, captured or dead. Her Commander would not be happy.

She entered the Underground's Secret Headquarters by her usual route and found Torn, the Commander of the Underground, bent over several blueprints. He planted a scowl of frustration on his face. "I can't find anyone to take on these assignments. All my good men are either injured or dead," he said. He looked up at Tess. "Did you bring them?" he asked.

"He never showed up last night," Tess explained.

Torn pounded a fist against the table. "Damn it. Without the plans, blowing up the prototypes will be useless, the Guard will just rebuild them."

"But won't it still delay the project?" Tess asked.

The Underground Commander sighed, running a hair through his brown dreadlocks. "That's true, but now I don't have anyone who could even take care of that."

Tess immediately thought of Daxter. "What about getting someone to do contract work?" she suggested.

Torn frowned. "What are you talking about?"

Tess tried to explain. "What if someone wanted to work for us but not all the time?"

He waved an impatient hand at her. "Alright, I just might be desperate enough. And?"

"You know the group the Pariah?" Tess asked. Judging from the unimpressed glare, Torn had. "One of their members has gone freelance."

Torn groaned. "Just don't tell me it's that Stif guy, I'll take anyone else except him."

"No, her codename's Ottsel," Tess said.

Torn gave her a blank stare.

Tess sighed. "They sometimes called her Rat."

"Oh her, she could be useful," Torn said in a dismissive way.

Tess continued. "She did say that she wouldn't take assignments if she had to kill anyone." Actually, Daxter had never specifically said that, but Tess had a feeling the redhead would agree.

"She's Pariah, I'm not surprised," Torn said. He stood up and crossed the room to a large crate on the floor. He opened it and grabbed four circular objects. He placed them in a satchel and handed it to Tess. "Take these. The Baron's working on a new tank prototype, very big, very nasty. Tomorrow morning four models are going through a test run. The Rat needs to place these bombs on the prototypes' underbelly and destroy them. Once she sets them all in place she needs to press the red button. She'll have five minutes to get out. If she survives we'll consider giving her more work."

Tess clutched the bag. "Thank you, Torn."

She started to climb up the ladder leading out of the Underground Headquarters.

"Tess!" Torn called. The blonde paused. "You need to stop bringing in strays."

Tess just smiled and left.

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Daxter grunted in frustration and blinked several times to get her eyes to clear. She was on her back affixing a bomb to the vulnerable mechanics on the underside of a mammoth tank. The night air was hot and being stuck underneath several hundred pounds of metal was not helping. Daxter tightened a green wire and smiled in relief, that was the last one. She took the opportunity to wipe off her sweaty brow. All of Torn's bombs were in place so she could press the button and get the hell out.

Her finger sought the shiny button in the middle of the device and watched the red light blink on and off. It was set. In five minutes all four prototypes would be blown sky-high. That was when she heard the footsteps.

"No one's supposed to be here," she muttered. Daxter turned her head toward the sound and saw three pairs of booted feet marching right toward her! There were two men and one woman. One man was large with a metal faceplate that covered half his visage. The other man was thin with sparse white hair, nothing to write home about. The woman on the other hand was a knockout. Her red dreadlocks, facial tattoos, sexy uniform and a curvy body put a healthy leer on Daxter's face.

"Very impressive, doctor," she heard the large man say.

"Thank you, Baron. Of course they won't officially be ready for testing until tomorrow morning," the doctor answered.

The big guy must be this Praxis everyone talks about, thought Daxter.

"I still don't see what good these can do," the woman piped in.

"These armored vehicles will help us get rid of the rubbish that's plaguing our city," the doctor replied.

Daxter looked back up at the clock.

4:30.

She bit her lower lip. Go away go away, she thought.

"But these aren't designed for the terrain outside of the city walls, where exactly do you plan on using them?" the woman asked.

The doctor stuttered. "Well, I'm sure they could—they have many uses—"

Daxter rolled her eyes. Couldn't they have this conversation somewhere else?

"It just seems like an excuse to destroy the slums," the woman said.

The doctor squawked in protest. "Now see here—"

The numbers were ticking down lower and lower and they showed no signs of moving. Sweat popped out on Daxter's forehead. She did not want to die, not when Jak was still locked in prison and not while she was still stuck in this body.

Maybe if she threw something that would distract them long enough for her to get away. What about them? Did she really want to kill anyone, even accidentally?

2:15.

She was running out of time.

Daxter's hands sifted through the dirt below her and produced a good-sized rock. She chucked it to the side where it hit a metal pole with a soft dink. They just stood there; they were too deep in conversation to hear it.

1:00.

Screw them, she thought. Daxter rolled out from under the tank and sprinted to freedom.

"Hey! Stop!" she heard the woman call after her. Daxter ignored the ordered and vaulted over the low wall. The Krimzon Guards were on shift change so she scooted under the mesh fence without incident. Daxter sprang to her feet and hopped onto her parked zoomer. She sped away into the night.

Back at the compound, the red-haired woman cursed at the retreating Daxter.

"What was that?" the doctor asked.

The woman ignored him and listened for a moment. She heard a soft beeping noise—

"Baron! Get out of the way!" she cried and pushed the Baron away from the prototypes.

BOOM! BOOM! The tanks exploded, sending shrapnel everywhere. The woman fell on top of the Baron, shielding him with her body. After the last explosion rocked the field she stood up. "Is everyone all right?" she asked.

"Yes, thank you Ashelin," the Baron said, brushing himself off.

The doctor rushed to his superior's side. "My god, someone just tried to kill you."

"I don't think so," Ashelin said. "The testing is schedule for tomorrow and we made this visit at the last minute. No one was expecting us. The tanks were the Underground's primary target."

The doctor harrumphed. "Not that it did them a lot of good. I still have the plans for the prototypes, we can start rebuilding them immediately."

"Don't bother," the Baron said. "Ashelin's right. These tanks need to be adaptable to the terrain outside of the city walls. I have enough Krimzon Guards to take care of the Underground; I need weapons to destroy Metalheads. You can make me those weapons, can't you?"

The doctor's face heated. He gave the Baron a stiff nod. "Yes sir."

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The mission's success guaranteed Daxter a space in one of the Underground's many safe houses. As long as she did intermittent work for the revolutionary group she had a place to stay. The room was smaller than the one she had lived in with the Pariah but then again, she did not have to share. (Hal had been a funny, if somewhat messy roommate.) She never received assignments directly from Underground command but through Tess. Tess also worked as a go-between with her other employer Krew. Daxter would make deliveries for Krew in exchange for money, services for the Underground or the occasional gun mod.

Besides being a bartender/agent, Tess was also proficient at manufacturing guns. "It's a hobby," she would say with a giggle while holding a firearm that would make most Krimzon Guards wet their pants. During off days, the blonde would take Daxter to the gun range to show her how to use her latest modification. Daxter enjoyed using the guns, she just shied from the idea of using weapons more powerful than a scattergun against anything other than cardboard.

Daxter enjoyed her work, it was more satisfying than stealing but there was still a weight on her heart. She wanted Jak back.

She wanted to see him smile. She wanted him to laugh in his odd silent way. She wanted to sit on the beach and listen to the surf with him. She wanted to sleep under the stars like they had when they were boys (Daxter was always male in her fantasies). She wanted to see his face when Daxter finally won a wrestling match. Daxter wanted to go on adventures that didn't involve guns, bombs or Metalheads. She wanted to get scared of some stupid thing so that Jak would have to save her. Hell, she even wanted Jak to make fun of her teeth.

She had made some friends, good friends, in Haven City but it wasn't the same. They didn't know Daxter when he was a lonely kid, they didn't grow up in the same sleepy village and, most importantly, they didn't know Daxter when she was still a boy.

Her experiences in Haven had taught Daxter about patience but not about satisfaction. The only thing that could give her that was Jak safe and sound. Daxter knew that a break had to come soon. She could feel it in her gut.

And six months after Tess and Daxter met, the Underground was in chaos.

"Tess, send the order, call our spies back in, now!" Torn shouted.

Tess ran to the small communications station and slipped on the headphones. "Why? What's wrong?"

Torn leaned over her shoulder as she transmitted the message. "Remember the program the Rat told you about? It's true. The Baron's started a Dark Eco Warrior Program and her friend's right in the middle of it."

Tess's jaw dropped open. "What?"

"They're pumping his veins full of Dark Eco. I don't know what they hope to accomplish, but it isn't good," Torn said. "They heard about the Pariah information leak months ago but the Krimzon Guard has been biding their time hoping to catch the whole network. They're ready to move and our guys are in the crossfire."

Tess knew that this kind of retreat would severely damage their information network but without it many more would die. But there was one thing that Torn hadn't told her yet and she was certain that Daxter would want to know. "And the Pariah?"

Torn shook his head. "They're gone. The Baron sent a unit to their hideout and destroyed it. We don't know if anyone survived," Torn said.

Tess's eyes widened in horror, how was she going to tell Daxter?

"Tess?" The blonde looked up from her work. Torn sighed. "When you see the Rat, give her our condolences."

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Daxter did not take the news well.

"They're using Jak for what?" Daxter shouted.

Tess and Daxter were in Daxter's room at the safe house. The redhead paced back and forth, careful to avoid stepping on the merchandise for Krew that she had scattered all over the floor. Tess perched on the bed, trying to stay out of her way.

"Torn said something about injecting him with Dark Eco," Tess said.

Daxter stopped. "I don't get this, what are they trying to do? It doesn't make sense!"

"But it's true. We've had to evacuate our spies and the Baron even went after the Pariah," Tess explained.

Daxter flailed her arms in fury. "What? What happened?"

Tess dreaded this. "The Krimzon Guards attacked the Pariah's headquarters, they burned it to the ground."

"And the guys? Where are they?" Daxter asked.

"We don't know," Tess admitted.

Daxter's stomach knotted. She sat on the bed, shaking her head. "I can't believe it. Turk, Gurn, Hal, even Stif, all dead." She felt the wet sting of tears prick at her eyes and she wiped them away. It wouldn't do if Tess saw them.

Tess wrapped a comforting arm around the younger woman. "Daxter, we don't know that for sure. The Pariah could still be out there, just in hiding."

Daxter sniffed, her nose twitching. "You really think that, babe?"

There was a long pause. Tess did not want to get Daxter's hopes up but honestly believed that the members of the Pariah could still be alive. She nodded. "Yes, I do. And I know that they would want you to get your friend out as soon as possible."

"Yeah, they would," Daxter sighed. She leaned her head against the blonde's shoulder. "I should have believed 'em, Tess."

"How would you know? You said it yourself, why would anyone mess with Dark Eco?" Tess asked.

Daxter nodded. "Yeah. I guess." They sat in silence for a while, Tess offering and Daxter receiving comfort.

There were nights back in Sandover like this where Jak and Daxter would just sit together not saying anything. Sometimes Jak would have his arm around Daxter, as Tess was doing now, but often they would just relax side by side. Daxter remembered one night when they were very young, when Daxter had put his arm around Jak.

The older boy had been sobbing mute tears because his beloved Crocodog had died. The dog had been Jak's constant companion, even before he had met Daxter. The boy had seemed inconsolable and so Daxter did the one thing he thought to help, he made a promise. He told Jak that no matter where he was or how bad things got that Daxter would never leave him alone. Jak had beamed at him and wrapped both his arms tight around the smaller boy. Daxter, of course, had flailed in Jak's grip until he finally just let himself enjoy the hug.

Over the years Daxter kept that promise until that first day in Haven City. She had fled and nothing could bring her more shame.

Daxter cleared her eyes one last time and straightened herself up. It was time for action. She knew there was nothing she could do for the Pariah, as much as it pained her. But Jak was still out there and it was time she kept her promise. She cleared her throat. "Well, I know Jak's still in the prison and if he's in that project they aren't going to move him anytime soon."

"Right."

"Tess, I need to stop thinking that someone's gonna help me. This is something I gotta do myself," Daxter said, straightening her posture.

Tess concurred, a smile on her face. "Right."

"So, Tess where can I find a map?"

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Over the next three months Daxter cased the prison looking for a weakness. She memorized the shift changes and the gaps they left behind. She observed where supplies came in and out and the security surrounding it. She determined that the best way would be climbing the wall to one of the many air vents in the prison. The problem was the walls were too slick; she could not get the required leverage without special equipment, expensive special equipment.

Working with the Underground had given her food to eat and a roof over her head but now that wasn't enough. She was going to have to find additional work elsewhere.

Daxter sat on her cot in the center of a flurry of paper. Each piece had numbers and figures scribbled onto it as she tried to figure out a budget. Unfortunately, Daxter had never been very good at numbers and Samos had never had the patience required to give her more in-depth tutoring. He had always paid more attention to Jak than to anyone else, even Keira. She idly wondered how the green-haired girl had felt about that or if she even noticed.

There was a knock at the door and a soft voice called out, "Daxter?"

"Come in," Daxter shouted.

The door opened revealing Tess who was holding a large package.

"Tess, what are you doing here?" Daxter asked.

"I brought you a present." Tess crossed the room and handed the younger woman the package.

Curious, Daxter opened it revealing a pair of boots and a set of gloves. "They're nice. What are they for?" Daxter asked.

"They're a special gift from the Underground. You've been a big help to the cause and we wanted to say thank you," Tess said.

Daxter raised an incredulous eyebrow. "Really? I didn't think this was what-his-name's style."

"Well," Tess admitted. "Torn did say that if you could get your friend out of prison that would be one less weapon for the Baron to use against us."

Daxter smirked. "In other words, you told him and he bought it."

Tess shrugged her shoulders. "It works."

Daxter slipped on the gloves, trying out the fit. "So what do these babies do?"

"They grip objects on the molecular level allowing for better cohesion," Tess explained. At Daxter's baffled expression she clarified, "They help you climb stuff."

"Okay," Daxter said.

"So you won't need any other equipment, just these," Tess hinted.

Understanding dawned in Daxter's eyes. "I could go tonight," she realized.

Tess nodded.

Daxter launched herself into Tess's arms, nestling in her cleavage. "Thanks Tess baby, you're the greatest!"

Tess laughed and hugged the redhead. "Be careful, little sis."

"I will," Daxter promised.

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Yes, Torn is quite the grumpy guss but we love him anyway. And pet the Tess; love the Tess. If some people think that Tess is a little too accepting, remember this is the woman who took a two-foot tall, orange, fuzzy thing getting drunk and flirting with her in stride. She is the least judgmental person in the entire game series.

Warning: It might be a little while 'till the next one.