Jak and 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.

A/N

Hi, I apologize for the delay. I was having some writer's block and was lured by the bright shininess of Final Fantasy VII. Aaaah, the pretty.

Chapter 11: Unexpected

The next morning they headed out to the bazaar in the hopes of meeting with the mysterious Onin. The marketplace was filled with people walking to and fro peering at all of the unique items the venders were selling. A shopkeeper and a customer haggled for prices at a jewelry booth, while an older woman tested the quality of the fabric at another. It was a vibrant place, more alive than most of the dirty cold city.

Toward the back of the courtyard was a tent with some strange pottery out front. It was the only one of its kind. Jak and Daxter exchanged a look. If there was a mystic to be found, it was likely there. They entered the tent, uncertain of what would await them.

Inside was a blind old woman with a large floppy hat. She wasn't quite what they expected. The rest of the room was filled with exotic objects that they had never seen before. That was a bit more like it.

Daxter poked at a strange creature that looked like a cross between a monkey and a parrot that hung from a hook. "Cool, check out this dead thing," she said.

Her finger pressed against its belly and the monkaw screeched. "Ow, touch the goods again bucky girl and you'll be," the creature let out an odd keening bird noise. "Counting with your toes!" The monkaw flew over to the old woman and perched on top of her hat.

Jak and Daxter wondered if that was the hat's true purpose or if it was just convenient.

The monkaw bowed. "I am Pecker!" At the incredulous looks he received the monkaw continued. "Yes, yes, I know, my mother, she was very vindictive. I am Onin's interpreter." He fluffed his wings, obviously impressed with himself.

The old woman, Onin as it turned out, twisted her hands in the air, creating magical auras with a grace that belied her age. Her movements were so entrancing that the duo almost didn't hear what the bird-creature was saying.

"Onin welcomes you, blah, blah, blah. The usual boring salutations. She says it is good to see you again, Jak," Pecker said.

Jak and Daxter looked at each other. Jak shook his head. "But we've never met before."

Pecker flapped his wings in an impatient gesture. "Before, after, it's all the same."

Tired of the bird's sense of self-importance, Daxter did what any immature teenager would do; she mocked him. "Oh, oh, let me try!" She put a hand to her forehead as if she was concentrating. "I see she wants . . . a yakcow bone! No, a yakcow bladder. Perhaps a sandwich." Jak tried to contain his laughter. The monkaw was not amused. Daxter continued, "For many moon she has waited for a juice pop? A jewel shop? Maybe a hard coc—"

"Close but no!" Pecker interrupted. "Onin says you seek answers about the Tomb of Mar." He broke up and scratched himself with his beak.

"So what do we need to know?" Jak asked. He wondered if Daxter would have been nearly as annoying if she had been turned into an animal instead of a woman.

Onin's fingers twirled and colors rose and fell with her stirring the air. Pecker tossed his head back and forth. "She's going on and on about mystical energy channels, evils curses and stupid-o crap. Forget that, you are cutting into my siesta time. Onin wants you to recover three artifacts from the Precursor Mountain Temple. Not two! Not four! Three!"

"We can count, feather brain," Daxter snapped.

"Oh," Pecker squawked. "I couldn't tell. I just thought they used your face for a bottle opener."

Daxter drew back her fist but Jak caught her. It would look really foolish if she punched out an oversized bird.

"Now get out of here. I have more important things to do than to talk to hero boy and bucked-tooth Betty," Pecker scowled. He turned, fluffed himself once more and fell into a deep sleep.

Daxter shook with fury as they exited the tent. "Can you believe that guy? Who does he think he is?" she ranted. "Jeez, and he was loud too, really loud. You ever meet anyone that loud before?"

Jak smirked. "I can think of someone."

Daxter turned her head. "Really?"

Before Jak could stick his foot in his mouth, Daxter's communicator beeped. She answered, "Hello."

"Daxter it's me," a familiar female voice said.

A huge grin spread across Daxter's face. "Tess, baby. Did you miss me?"

There was a giggle over the line. "Of course I did, silly. Krew has a job for you."

Daxter groaned. "Right." She looked at her partner. "So you want to go junk hunting or play with tons of fun?" she asked Jak.

"The artifacts will be there. Krew might die of a heart attack if we keep him waiting," Jak said.

Daxter smiled, "We'll be right there, baby." She turned the communicator off.

A couple of minutes later, they were at the Hip Hog Haven talking to the corpulent entrepreneur.

"I have a shipment of explosives I need you to drop off for one of my clients," Krew said. "They've paid handsomely for it and I want to make sure it gets to them intact. It promises to be a lucrative collaboration and I will not take any chances."

"So you want the best, right?" Daxter asked.

"Don't flatter yourself, Rat. You two are good but not irreplaceable," Krew snapped. He fanned himself frantically, attempting to cool the sweat pooling on his face. "Ask for Jinx, he's my paying client. Take them to the cargo," he ordered, gesturing at Sig.

The dark-skinned man led them to a two-seater zoomer with a flat bed in the back. Nearby was a large crate, presumably the cargo. Jak and Sig strapped the crate to the flat bed, making it as secure as possible. Jak then took the driver's seat, leaving shotgun to Daxter. Sig gave them a quick salute and left them to their task.

The heroes zoomed through the city, obeying the traffic laws to keep out of trouble. This was an important assignment and neither one of them wanted to deal with the Krimzon Guard. Following the electronic map Krew had given them, Jak and Daxter found themselves wading deeper and deeper into the slums. Daxter wondered if they would ever have missions in the nice part of the city.

In the back of an alley next to some large metal doors were their customers. Two blond men had their backs turned to the approaching heroes. It looked like they were working on a vehicle.

Daxter jumped out of the zoomer and sauntered up to the pair. "Hey, one of you guys Jinx? We got your stuff," she said.

One of the blondes turned, a cigar poking out of his mouth. "Set it over there, squirt," he said, jerking a thumb to the side.

Daxter scowled and looked over at the other blond. She opened her mouth to snap back a reply when the other blond turned around as well. The retort never made it past Daxter's lips. Her jaw hinged open in shock. The blond stared back at her with the same kind of amazement.

After a moment, she found her voice. "Hal?" she asked.

The blond male smiled. "Daxter?"

Forgetting all social courtesy, the redhead launched herself at Hal, and wrapped her skinny arms around him, tugging him into a tight hug. "You're alive, you're alive!" she babbled.

Hal laughed and spun the young woman around, her feet lifting from the ground for a few moments. Daxter giggled at the feel of wind rushing past her face. This was amazing; Hal was alive! Her heart felt like it was going to explode in her chest. The Pariah had been her saving grace that first year in Haven and the news of their demise had been devastating. Seeing the dead walk again felt like a miracle. A second miracle really, when she thought about it. The first was rescuing Jak.

When she was able to stand up on her own two feet again, she looked over at Jak. He was staring at the little reunion with an unreadable expression on his face. Daxter coughed and straightened herself back up. Note to self, stop acting like a squealing schoolgirl. "Good to see you, buddy," she said, clapping Hal on the back. Daxter then jerked her head toward Jak and led Hal to her best friend.

"Jak, this is Hal. Hal, Jak," she introduced.

Hal quirked an eyebrow as he shook the other blond's hand. "You're Jak, huh? So the Rat actually busted you out?" he asked.

"You've heard of me?" Jak asked, letting down his guard.

Hal snorted. "Sure, you were pretty much all that Daxter talked about," he said. Daxter scowled and swatted the taller man on the arm. Hal yelped and glared at the redhead. "The hell was that for?"

"Hey, are you jackasses gonna help me with this or not?" Jinx snarled.

Jak turned to ask Daxter for assistance but she was already back to chatting with Hal. He resisted the urge to snap at his younger friend, she looked too happy to yell at her. The blond warrior sighed and went to the zoomer to help Jinx.

"Krew didn't tell us you'd be here," Daxter said.

"That's 'cause he doesn't know. The Guard might still be after us, so I'm keeping a low profile," Hal explained.

"Keeping it under the radar, huh? Staying away from prying eyes?" Daxter nodded, it made sense and it was the kind of thing Turk would approve of. "What about the rest of the crew? They hiding out too?" she asked.

"Stif's dead. Bullet tore right through him during the first volley. Turk and I got out. Have no idea about Gurn. I hope he's okay but who knows," Hal said, shrugging his shoulders.

Her stomach dropped a little at the news of Stif's death. Even though she hadn't been close with him, Stif had been her link to Jak, the first link of information she had heard since coming to Haven City. She had been hoping that since Hal was running around that the others would be okay. That was at least one person not coming to a reunion and it sounded as if Gurn's fate were also in doubt. Daxter asked, "So where's Turk?"

"He's a wastelander. Thought he'd like it better."

Daxter frowned. "I thought he didn't want to deal with Metalheads."

The bitter smile on Hal's face said it all. "The KG changed his mind."

Before Daxter could ask any more questions, Jak's voice cut through the air.

"Daxter we've got to go!" Jak called out.

The zoomer had been unloaded and Jinx was glaring at the two idlers. Daxter refrained from telling the explosive expert to buzz off; she was talking to a long lost buddy here. She opted for tact instead.

"Right," Daxter said, waving at her partner. She turned her attention back to Hal. "Hey, I've got an in at the Hip Hog. You can come tonight and we'll both get smashed."

"Can't tonight, got to work. But give me your frequency," Hal said.

The two of them took out their communicators and exchanged numbers. "We'll do it on a night Krew's not there," Daxter said. "Free booze, Blondie."

"I can still drink you under the table, Rat," Hal said with a tinge of challenge.

"I'd like to see you try," Daxter said, a grin on her face.

"Daxter!" Jak called out.

This time, Daxter heeded the call and raced for the zoomer. She climbed in next to Jak, buckling herself in. She reached up to wave goodbye when the zoomer rushed forward, jerking her back into the seat. "What was that for?" she asked.

Jak didn't answer.

An uncomfortable silence descended on the duo. Daxter thought to say something funny to break the tension but nothing was coming. She had no idea why Jak looked so upset, or what had made him feel that way. As she was about to give up conversation as a lost cause, Jak spoke.

"Daxter?"

"Yeah?" the redhead replied.

Jak pulled the zoomer to a stop at the side of the road. "Why didn't you act that excited to see me?" Jak asked.

Daxter shook her head and blinked. The question was absurd. "What? When?"

"When you busted me out of prison," Jak said.

Daxter snorted. "Jak I was excited. Hell I was more than excited, I was practically pissing my pants but we were in a prison. I couldn't exactly throw you a 'Welcome Home' Party in Cellblock C." She made a goofy face, imitating Jak. "'Hey, shouldn't we be trying to escape?' 'Nah, let's party!'" Daxter did some jerky little dance moves to emphasize the point.

Jak wasn't impressed.

Daxter sighed and leaned back in her seat. "I thought he was dead, okay? I had been told that the whole damn Pariah group was pushing up daisies and then one day I find out that one of my pals is alive. Alive and knows what happened to the others. I spent a year with those guys. They taught me a lot, you get close to people like that," she said.

"What about me?" Jak asked.

"It was always about you, Jak. Hell, they were another way of finding out what happened to you. But they were my friends too. I didn't get that until it was too late," Daxter said. She felt her face tinge with red. She hated talking about this kind of mushy stuff. "Besides, I knew you were alive."

Jak looked over at Daxter, "The reports?"

"Yeah, but I also knew here," Daxter said, pointing to her chest. At Jak's incredulous look Daxter scowled. "Ha ha, laugh it up, big guy. Look, I knew bad stuff was happening to you, but that you'd be okay in the end. Know why? 'Cause I'd find you."

Jak was shocked at the simple statement of faith. "You believed that?"

"Sure, didn't you?" Daxter asked.

Jak looked down in shame. "There was a time when I didn't," he admitted.

"Oh," Daxter said and looked away.

It was true, after Erol had burst into the testing chambers bragging about bedding Daxter Jak had lost hope. He knew that if Daxter had gone after him, Erol would be able to hurt her again. Jak felt it would be better if she just stayed away, found her own life so she wouldn't have to see what he had become.

But to be completely honest with himself, Jak also believed that Daxter couldn't do it. Daxter wasn't a skilled warrior, or a strategist. The idea of her storming the prison and carrying him off seemed far-fetched at least and ridiculous at the most. Jak figured that the second Daxter saw a Krimzon Guard she would turn tail and run. The day that Daxter had come strolling in was one of the happiest and most surprising of his life.

Daxter had changed a lot in the past two years, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. And she had come through for him, even when he had stopped believing in her.

Jak reached across the vehicle and gripped Daxter's shoulder. "I should never have doubted you Daxter," he said.

Daxter smirked, her confidence returning. "Damn straight. How can you deny this face? Huh? Huh?"

Okay, maybe Daxter hadn't changed that much. Jak started the zoomer.

"So where are we off to, big guy?" Daxter asked.

"To get those artifacts for Onin," Jak replied.

"That'll be a piece of cake."

Daxter yelped as she flew through the air right off the side of the cliff.

"Daxter!" Jak shouted, dodging the snapping claws of an irate Metalhead.

The redhead stretched her arms out as far as they would go, scrambling for any purchase by the cliff face. Her fingers snagged on a small outcropping and the glove did the rest. She hung on for dear life with one hand as she brought the other up to join it.

"Daxter!" she heard Jak scream again.

"I'm fine!" she shouted back.

There was a brief pause and the sound of scuffling. "Great!" Jak shouted. "Can you get my gun?"

Daxter gawked. "What? Why don't you use my gun?"

"I don't like your gun!" Jak called back. "Besides," he paused, still trying to fight the Metalhead hand to hand. "It's stuck up a tree."

For Jak and Daxter, retrieving the three Precursor artifacts had been an easy affair. Jumping puzzles and ancient turning mechanisms were old hat to the adventuring duo. After encountering only a few minor problems (mostly caused by Daxter overextending herself) they had made their way back toward the entrance to the city. Just before they could make a clean getaway, they had been ambushed by a very clever and dangerous Metalhead. It had made short work of Daxter and their firearms.

Now Daxter was clinging to the side of the cliff for dear life while Jak fought the creature with his bare hands.

The redhead peered down and saw that Jak's missing gun was about ten feet below her and to the right, dangling off a hanging root. If she was careful, she could, in fact, reach it. "Fine, just hold it off!" Daxter shouted.

She braced herself, remembering all the times she had scaled much smoother and trickier walls and began to move. It was slow going, Daxter had to make sure that the rock was solid so it wouldn't crumble beneath her weight. As she inched her way to Jak's gun, it occurred to Daxter that if she hadn't been wearing her gloves, she never would have risked this. Then again, she might also be dead.

She positioned herself next to the gun and reached out for it with one hand. It took a few seconds to dislodge the strap from the tangled root but it wasn't difficult. She slung the strap around her neck and started back up the cliff. As she climbed, she could hear the sounds of Jak's exertion and the Metalhead's fury.

"Hold on, Jak!" she yelled. Daxter pushed herself up and over the edge of the cliff to solid ground. At that moment, the Metalhead swatted Jak to within a few feet of the sidekick. She yanked the gun up over her head and tossed it to Jak.

He gripped the gun at the same moment the Metalhead latched onto his arm with a meaty fist. Before Jak could blink, the Metalhead twisted his wrist in a direction it was not supposed to go. The warrior's world exploded with pain. His vision darkened and focused on his shrieking nerve endings.

Daxter came forward to help but was smacked to the side by the Metalhead's other arm.

Working through his pain, Jak noted that he still had his fingers on the gun. He grimaced and pulled the trigger. The shot tore through the Metalhead's body, killing it instantly. It staggered backward, its claw releasing Jak. The stink of charred flesh rose through the air.

Daxter ran over to the wounded hero. "You okay, Jak?"

"Don't know," Jak admitted, cradling his injured hand. "We'd better get back to the Underground."

"Right," Daxter said.

Back at Underground Headquarters the news wasn't as bad as they had feared.

"It's just sprained," Torn announced after examining Jak. The Underground Commander wrapped the damaged appendage in numerous layers of tape to keep it immobile. Jak flexed his hand experimentally and winced.

"Great, so we just slab a little Green Eco on it and he'll be as good as new, right?" Daxter asked.

Torn shot her a look that would kill a medium-sized Metalhead. "Eco's scarce Rat, we can't waste any on a small injury like this," he explained.

"Small? Small?" Daxter shouted. "This is just some red-shirt Underground number cruncher, this is Jak! He practically is the Underground!"

"He just needs to keep off it for a few days, maybe a week," Torn said.

"A week?" Daxter protested.

"Are you deaf as well as stupid, Rat?" Torn asked.

Daxter scowled and opened her mouth for a raging torrent of obscenities when Daxter's communicator went off.

Beep! Beep!

Jak reached out and snagged the device off Daxter's belt. He turned it on. "Hello?" he greeted.

Keira's lovely voice piped in over the communicator, "Hi, Jak. Is Daxter there too?"

"Of course!" Daxter called out. She kept her anger in check; a lady was present, even if only in voice. "What do you need, sweetcheeks?"

"I need you guys to come in today. The Class Two Race is in two days and we need to practice," Keira said.

The blood drained from Jak and Daxter's faces. They looked at each other, the same panic echoed in the other's eyes. Daxter summed up the situation quite nicely. "Oh shit."

A/N

Is it totally wrong to be in love with that bottle opener line? Damn, that makes me laugh.