Chapter 2: Gone Missing

Location: Krass City

The streets of Krass City were the toughest, most dangerous, and strangest places that Keira Hagia had ever been; that of course included both the wasteland city of Spargus City and Haven City combined. In Krass City you literally had to sleep with one eye open and a gun in your hand; otherwise she was certain she'd have a bullet where her brain was. The only up about living in the dangerous mob infested city was the Krass City Racing circuit which Jak and Daxter were very close to winning.

Keira paused from her tuning up the Javelin X and smiled at the thought of Jak winning the racing tournament. It was enough to make her giggle because there was absolutely nothing that Jak couldn't do. He'd won the Haven City racing tournaments, freed Haven of its tyrant, destroyed the metal head Leader Kor, found his father, and handed Veger over to his father for whatever the king wish to do with the wicked count. This of course left her boyfriend with nothing to do but get into trouble or start another one of his and Daxter's adventures. That thought alone was enough to make her groan. Yes she enjoyed helping the boys out, but sometimes she just wished Jak would stop having to move constantly. Of course she understood why he felt he had to do something with his time; after all he'd been tortured and falsely imprisoned by Baron Praxis for two years of his teenage life.

Sighing she looked at the vehicle once more when she heard the door to the garage open. Grabbing her pistol next to her and her heavy wrench she stood ready to attack whoever was barging into her garage and stopped short when she saw the wasteland King and two of his men with him. Looking at the big guy she remembered Sig calling this guy Kleiver, but the other guy she was drawing up a blank. He had the KG tattoo's written across his face, which instantly made her leery of the man.

The kings eyes came in contact with her and he smiled. "Keira?" he asked trying to remember if this was who he thought she was. Keira smiled and put down her weapons, which caused the king to chuckle. "What you were going to attack us?"

"Only if you were with Mizo and his group." She giggled at the king's shocked look. "What are you doing her your Maje-"

Raising his hand he interrupted her. "I believe I told you and your blonde friend to call me Damas." He walked over to her where she was on the platform where the vehicle was. "I'm looking for my son."

"Jak?" she asked and the snorted. "Is he with Daxter?" as soon as she asked this the king nodded. "Knowing those two they're probably either killing metal heads in Haven or killing Marauders in the wasteland." She paused and put a grease cover finger against her chin. "Of course he could also be in the Precursor Labyrinth of tunnels under the Palace in Haven." She shrugged. "Those two could be anywhere. They're not due back here until the end of the week when the finals begin."

"I haven't heard back from Sig since last night when the boys left Spargus and-"

"You didn't say Sig was with them!" she exclaimed as she interrupted Damas, who looked at her in surprise. "If they're with Sig, then they're in the badest place on this planet killing any and all metal heads in the process."

"We check the nest Sig was su'pose ta clear out, but the Offsider was nowhere in sight and neither were those there boys." Kleiver said which got a glare from Damas at his second in command who shrugged.

Keira then pulled out her comm. unit and put the device on hover mode. "Daddy?" she called out when it connected to the caller.

"Keira? Is something wrong sweetie?" came her father's concerned voice. "I knew I should've-"

"Nothing is wrong with me Daddy, its Jak." She fiddled with her fingers before deciding to walk over to backpack and began to pack some things in it, including some green eco packs, gun ammo, and water. She then grabbed her jacket.

"Jak?" her father asked in confusion.

"He's missing." She said as she walked back over to Damas and turned the camera on the device towards Damas. "You remember his father? He hasn't seen or heard from Jak, Daxter or Sig in a full day."

"Ah. That's all." Samos snorted. "You're majesty has nothing to worry about."

"What do you mean!?" Damas demanded as he grabbed the device and glared at the old sage through the camera.

"If something happened to Jak, you'd know." The old man said cryptically.

"Daddy.." Keira warned her father. "Now isn't the time for your mind games."

The old sage sighed. "Go to Seem and ask her if she's seen your son." with that the old sage ended the conversation by shutting off the device and praying he'd done the right thing in lying to the king and turned to Onin.

The old blind seer signed to Samos. Don't worry. In order for this world to stay safe Jak and his companions must go through the fires of the ancients in order to come out all that much stronger.

"Yes, I understand." He sighed as he looked at the comm. unit device in his hands. "But will his father if Jak doesn't come back unscathed?" that was a question that the old seer couldn't answer and that was what scared even her.

Twelve hours before….

Location: Wasteland

Jak quickly turn the Sand Shark just in time to miss being thrown by the metalpede and caught the creature with the gun turret as he quickly turned the wheel of his vehicle which spun the metal contraption a full three sixty and got the metalpede right in the chest with a barrage of bullets. The beast fell dead and Jak used a turbo to race off into the deeper parts of the tunnel systems of the cavern after the last of the metalpedes. "What's our count Dax!" he yelled as he looked at the red head who was squished up against the passenger's seat.

"We got five outta ten!" he yelled back as Jak hit another turbo and jumped a broken bridge. "Yaaaaaaah!" Daxter screamed as they flew over the dark pit of death.

This caused Jak to laugh at his friend's fright. "Come on Dax, it ain't that bad!" he yelled as they landed on the other side. Jak could hear Dark's laughter and had to agree that this was fun. The most fun they'd had in weeks.

So as they came into the last cavern they saw Sig's beast of a vehicle chasing the metal head into another tunnel system, or so it made the wastelander think as it suddenly changed direction at the last minute which in the end caused Sig's vehicle to almost crash into the wall of the cavern. Jak gave Daxter a mischievous look, which the red head returned. Jak turned off the head lights of his vehicle, with his enhanced ability of sight because of the treatments from dark eco for two years he had no problem seeing in the dark; even if Daxter did.

"Eeek!" he heard Daxter yell out and turned to see his friend duck down in his seat as Jak raced off torwards the metalpede. The creature could sense something was afoot and just as Jak came up to the beast he flashed his lights back up and blinded the beast. This cause the creature to rear up exposing his soft underbelly and the next thing the beast knew was death as Jak turn on his guns on the soft underbelly and killing the creature as the machine gun like turret turned the metalpedes inside into liquid and splattered it all of the vehicle and as the beast came down Jak quickly shifted gears and reversed before the dead creature to turn both him and Daxter into pancakes.

Jak looked at Daxter who gave him a thumbs up that he was okay. Turning his head the other way he saw Sig's vehicle come up next to his. "Not bad doughboys." He laughed as the two boys gave him a sour look.

"We got six!" Daxter announced. "We beat ya Sig, ya owe us now!"

Sig chuckled. "A deal is a deal. I'll get you both some good ole wastelander staff weapons."

"Woot!" Daxter whooped in his seat. "Now we're a talkin' man." He grinned at Jak, but stopped when he saw what his friend was starring at and turned his head upwards and gasped. "No freakin' way!"

Sig upon looking at the two boys looked upwards and his eyes widened as he spotted the swirling golden rings that had, before been dormant; but were now fully activated. The faster they spun the worst Sig felt and suddenly the good feeling that he always got after defeating a good enemy was gone and in its place was a feeling of impending doom. The faster the rings went the brighter the light in the cavern got until suddenly a blinding flash of said light caused all that were beneath it to suddenly cover their eyes and look away. When the light disappeared it revealed an empty cavern where there had once been two wastelander vehicles.

Location: Sandover

Samos stretched his arms over his head as he walked out of his newly constructed and finished hut. Looking out towards the small quaint looking village he couldn't help but smile. He saw both Jak and his new friend Daxter chasing each other around the fountain in the center of the village and couldn't help but smile at young Jak. The boy had been so sad for so long, with the death of his mother and banishment of his father; who until a few weeks ago, had been thought dead. His eyes saddened as he remember the older Jak in the feature and remembered how much trouble that boy had been in the beginning and how Torn had been so pissed when the boy had gone and attacked the palace. True his hatred had been warranted, but the boy had no patience. He needed to teach both boys the techniques on acquiring patience because both were going to need it; especially Jak.

His thoughts then turned towards Daxter. The youth had no idea how much pain he was in for. Yes, he'd heard the older Daxter's stories on how he'd been turned into an ottsel, then how he and Jak had defeated the crazy dark sages and then how he'd been forced to decide on either saving the world with light eco or using it to turn himself back and then letting the world be destroyed by the dark poison. He shook his head at those thoughts. That wouldn't happen just yet. Besides, he'd be turned back later once Jak had destroyed Kor and he and Daxter went into the forest all those months ago….or would go.

Samos felt a throbbing in his temple and groaned. Best not to think about that just yet. he thought as he spotted Daxter's mother, Teresa Baxter and his father, Daniel Baxter; coming towards him. That was another thing he noticed that he'd never been told. Why didn't the boys talk about these two wonderful people?

"Greetings Samos." Daniel greeted the Green Sage with a wave, while his wife smiled at the green man.

"Mr. and Mrs. Baxter." He greeted back with a nod as he continued to watch Jak and Daxter chase each other until suddenly Daxter pounced and grabbed Jak by the waist, this caused both boys to fall. The fall ended with Jak on his butt and Daxter blinking at finally catching his friend. Both boys were silent for a moment until suddenly they burst out laughing.

"We wanted to talk about Jak's living arrangement." Teresa began as the two boys took off, this time Jak chasing Daxter down through the village towards the farmer's home and subsequently the beach down there.

Turning his head towards the couple he smiled. "Yes, I will be coming for him and his things now that my home his competed." He said and paused when he saw the worried look on the woman's face.

"Actually," her husband began. "We'd like to take him in and make him apart of our family."

This surprised Samos even more. "Well…" he began

"You're a Sage, which means you'll be too busy for a child as hyper and as needy as Jak is." Teresa said as she wrung her fingers into her red tunic t-shirt and looked at her husband for support.

"Besides that we've already as Daxter about having Jak as not only his best friend, but his brother," he turned his head down to the beach where the boys had vanished. "he likes the idea of having an older brother."

"Well," Samos began, "If you both are certain…"

The couple looked at each other and smiled lovingly at each other. "We are." Daniel said and then looked at his wife with sadness. "You see if we could, we'd have another child." Teresa looked sad, which caused Samos to look at her.

"You mean Daxter is your only child you could have?" He asked, "If you don't mind me asking…"

"We were attacked by Lurkers a year after Daxter was born." Teresa said, "I was pregnant again and was going to have another little one." She sniffled and began to tear up. "The creature came after me; I was carrying Daxter in my arms and was fleeing to somewhere that would be safe when I fell. I felt something break within me. I didn't think, I just got up and ran. When I got to Rock Village, the blue sage attacked the monster chasing me and my son. It was then I noticed that my skirt was covered in blood. I birthed that night a stillborn baby girl. Since then we haven't been able to have any children."

Samos felt his heart break for this couple at hearing their story on how they'd lost a child and could no long have any more. "I am certain Jak would love to be your son," he said and saw the joy in the both parents faces. "However, I do want to be able to teach both boys."

"That is fine." Teresa sighed as she went off to find the boys and tell them the good news.

Daniel looked at the sage. "What things will you be teaching them?" he asked them a bit worried at what his sons would be taught.

"How to read, write, some arithmetic, science, and how to take responsibilities and how to be patient." The sage began to walk off back towards his hut. "Just the main things one must have in order to survive this life."

Daniel followed the sage. "True." He smiled. "My wife and I will teach Jak the other stuff, like hunting, fishing, and fighting." He smirked, "Though I don't know what my wife with teach them."

Samos smiled. "I am certain she'll teach them what men cannot." The two men began to chuckle.

"Ah, but that's the thing men need the most, a woman." He smiled at the sage who raised an eyebrow. "I have a third cousin twice removed, she's a sage of eco as well, she lives in the wastes in the far, far north." Samos was about to say no. "She was married a long time ago, he died. They have a daughter named Keira. She's about a year or two younger that Jak."

Samos froze. "Keira?" he asked, Oh. was his only thought as Daniel told him more about his cousin and her daughter.

M-Angel: The only mention of Keira's mom was in Jak X Combat Racing; before then you never see little Keira. She definately wasn't with young Samos when he took young Jak through the rift gate, so where'd she come from? This is my answer. ^_^

Reviews are always welcome!