Chapter Three: Suspicious Times, Part I: Change

Metal Heads weren't always the smartest creatures in the world, but you couldn't say they were weak by any means. If a weak Metal Head did exist, they traveled in groups. Those groups stuck together and acted as one. Sometimes, it was worse than the stronger Metal Heads traveling alone.

Jak and his unneeded crew found such attacks to be frequent and irritating as they made their way toward Slavo.

Morning had arrived swiftly for Jak. The sun had only just touched the horizon before he was awakened quite roughly by his new admirer, Caylx. Luz and Gage had already started packing up camp. With barely enough time to eat something small for breakfast, the hero grabbed his things and his still sleeping friend and headed out with the others.

"I'm beginning to think they hate us or something."

"Drop it, Gage." Caylx sighed and grabbed her latest kill. She pushed each arrow embedded in its thick hide and out through the other side. She groaned when one broke.

"Ugh, I lost another one." The female soldier cleaned off the recovered arrows and placed them back in her quiver.

Their arrows were running low. Gage had already moved on to using his combat knife, her own having been taken in an earlier fight. Gage hardly noticed his own loss though; he almost preferred close and personal.

"Here." A sheathed blade appeared before Caylx. She lifted her gaze from her work to see the Captain standing before her. She held his gaze for only a few seconds before reaching out and taking the offered weapon.

"Thank you, sir." she spoke almost quietly. Luz nodded and lightened his gaze before turning to meet with Gage.

Putting the weapon to her waist, Caylx stood. In front of her stood the little rat belonging to the outsider. It was giving her a very strange look, one she felt disgusted by.

"What?" she growled. It did nothing to deter the creature.

"Oh nothing." the ottsel said innocently.

"You fight pretty good." Jak walked over strapping the morph gun to his back.

The female soldier said nothing. She only gave him the same look as she gave his pet.

"Look, I don't know what I did to piss you off, but I'm sorry okay? Things aren't exactly easy for me and Dax right now."

"We all have problems." She turned away and watched Luz and Gage. They would all be leaving soon anyway. The minutes passed and she realized that the twosome wasn't going to leave. Caylx took a breath and turned back around.

"You're good, but you shouldn't let it go to your head." She looked Jak square in the eyes.

"I think that's as close to a complement as you're gonna get from her, Jak." the little orange one muttered. Caylx still heard and glared.

"The three of you make a good team." Jak motioned to the other two. He had noticed how they worked together. They stayed close, but knew what to do if they were separated. There were enough Metal Heads that day, that even through their drain in energy, teamwork remained strong. It was something many of the recruits he trained failed to learn. "How long have you been together?"

"A long time," came the short reply. It almost seemed as if she were trying to end the conversation, but she continued onward. "My grandfather died when I was young and I came here. The Metal Heads had only first attacked. My grandfather was too clever for his own good. He died trying to save our pathetic village."

"Why are you telling me this?" Jak confessed that it puzzled him. Before, she had all but shunned him. Now, not much had changed, but she was at least continuing a decent conversation if being somewhat cynical about it.

"You want to watch the grass grow while they decide on the best route?" The female warrior raise a brow at him. There was silence again, just as uncomfortable as the others preceding it. Caylx was beginning to wonder why she had even bothered.

"It's how you fight." She broke the silence. "You can tell a lot about an opponent by the way he moves. There's a purpose to your fighting. Something to fight for."

"Always is. He's a hero. It's part of the package." Daxter jumped up to Jak's shoulder. He was feeling a bit left out, to be honest.

"Now's not the time for heroes, Orange One. Enough people die without heroics and more people die because of them."

"What do you fight for then?" Jak asked.

"It's time to go." Caylx instead answered. "Check your supplies. We rest again at mid-day."

"Not the friendliest person we've met, but she'll come around eventually. Who can resist the orange fur?" Dax said as they watched her walk away. He felt a drop in altitude as Jak knelt to the group to check what ammo he had left. It was hardly wore anything. Three red shells and a couple of darks that he was saving for an emergency.

"You've always got your eco." Daxter chirped from his shoulder.

"I don't know how well that would go over, Dax."

"Not everyone's a Havenite, buddy." The ottsel patted his friend's shoulder. "The other two seem to like you okay at any rate."

-----

The mid-day break came later than planned, not that it was unexpected. The Metal Head groups were beginning to clear out, but they were still out there.

"I knew there was an increase in Metal Head activity, but this is overkill." Luz muttered.

The group had settled a short distance from the stream they had been following. It was out of sight, yet the sound from the flowing waters could still be heard. Jak had gone off in search of food for Daxter and himself. He didn't feel right taking from the rations of the others no matter if he had done so the night before.

"Your friend doesn't talk much." Luz sat against a small tree as he pulled out a sack of dried meat and gave a ration to his two soldiers. Other than the rare comment, the Captain hadn't heard a single word out of their new companion since last night.

"More than he used to. When we were younger, he didn't talk at all. Keira and I always knew how to read him though." Daxter was facing the direction in which Jak had left. He looked upward as if remembering better days.

"What happened?" Caylx asked.

"Well . . . . I don't think I'm the one to say. Jak might tell you, he might not. Don't hold it against him if he doesn't. He had it rough for a while and no matter what he says, it still bothers him."

The object of their discussion returned a few minutes later with a small pouch of vegetation. There wasn't time for anything cooked, not when they were trying to make good time.

As the group settled down for a quick meal, they became increasingly aware of the quiet surrounding them. Even the streaming of the river seemed too quiet. Weapons were soon at hand and ready. Daxter's ears were straight, straining for anything that would warm them of their stalkers.

Within seconds, the area had become a battlefield. Half a dozen Metal Mantises had fallen from the treetops slicing out with their claws as they landed.

Kicking the nearest opponent, Jak heard Caylx cry out. One of the Metal Heads had caught her across the arm. As he tried to get closer to her position, a second Mantis struck out with its razorblade claws. Close combat was the only option for the lightning quick beasts; arrows proved to be too slow to ready and the morph gun would be out of ammo before Jak even landed a hit.

They were too fast, faster than Jak remembered. What had caused such a drastic change in the Metal Heads here and those of Haven? The thoughts were driven from his mind as the fighting continued in an almost tag team fashion. The hero landed a swift kick that sent one Mantis flying back. It hissed at him before backing off, the other taking its place.

Finally, when Jak thought it would never die, the Mantis fell. Jak couldn't take a breath before he remembered there was a second enemy he had fought. Looking around, he searched for it. Through a thin row of trees and shrubbery, he found it. In the next instant, the hero was moving. The Metal Mantis was stalking a preoccupied Caylx, her back turned as she fought her own adversary.

The beast moved silently and swiftly. It was almost upon her before Jak realized he couldn't make it in time. Willing his legs to move faster, he couldn't stop what happened next . . . .

-----

A feeling of charged energy washed over Caylx. The Metal Mantis before her dropped, a hilt sticking from it abdomen. Turning quickly, she only caught a glimpse of a second attacker. It was so close; she hardly had time to raise her arms up in protection.

Seconds, that seemed to last hours, washed by. When the attack had not come, the female soldier lifted her eyes. What she saw sent a heart stopping chill through her more so than any Metal Head ever could.

"Oh my god," came a whisper from somewhere in the background, it didn't matter who. Caylx could only help but stare at this new being before her. It was posed in attack-ready, down on its haunches, claws flexed. Dark, endless pools looked back at her. She stood frozen, only half noticing the sound of a soft thump from beside her. Looking down, there lay the carcass of the offending Metal Head, five narrow puncture wounds in its back.

There came a strange sound from this creature; almost like a soft keening noise. It tilted its head forward slightly, relaxing. Slowly, he moved forward, backing off when Caylx retreated instantly. The creature shrank back, then once more advanced forward, this time hesitantly. Caylx made a grab for her injured arm when she stumbled over a root. The creature moved in quickly.

"Stand down, Jak." a militant command rang out. Captain Luz moved to stand in front of Caylx holding the warrior's own gun against him. There came a soft growl from the pallid hero and Gage stepped forward, looking a bit unsure, as well.

"I said stand down." The order was given again, deeper and more forceful. Luz's hands tightened around the foreign object, prepared to strike.

"Captain." the woman called, trying to gain the other's attention. Jak seemed more primal in his current state. If that was the case, then he saved her and was only making sure she was without further injury. Thus the careful movements. Luz ignored her, however.

They remained at a stalemate until finally, Jak began to revert back. Color returned to his skin, claws retreated into harmless fingernails, horns vanished beneath blond hair, and eyes were once more dark blue.

When the change ended, Jak looked to the three soldiers before him. Hastily, he turned on his heel and began walking off. He paused a moment when he heard Luz comment.

"What are you?" It was a whisper and it was harsh.

Jak didn't reply. He walked on not even stopping to pick up a concerned ottsel who followed quickly behind.

-----

"I won't have him endangering our people!" the Captain snarled.

"How do you know he will? What if he was their protector?" Caylx countered.

"Since when were you sticking up for the new guy?" Gage asked accusingly.

"He saved my life. I think that merits a second chance, don't you?" she countered. "Sir."

Silence.

She sighed in frustration. "Luz."

"He's too dangerous." The answer was low. The Captain paced back and forth before his two subordinates.

"The Metal Heads are more agitated than ever. Salvo can't survive with only a handful of defenders, sir.

"He's a stranger, but maybe he will help." There was something familiar about him too, something she had known before if only for a short time. The female soldier had noticed it as soon as she saw him. Memories returned from a different time and she didn't know how to deal with them. Something was still very wrong with everything in this situation.

The silence came again only not as stifling.

"Fine, but if he shows of being a threat, he's gone."

"Agreed."

-----

Jak exhaled heavily as he got to his feet. "Let's go, Dax." The warrior turned and made his way away from the river.

Daxter kept quiet for a few minutes. He knew what bothered Jak, but what could he say? Hey, at least they can't exile us here. Right. That was a great idea.

"It's alright, Dax."

"No, it's not. You shouldn't have to prove yourself all the time! You saved her, it's not like you were gonna eat her or somethin'. Those cowards back in Haven took three years. I don't know about you, but I don't want to wait another three years to go home."

"I know, believe me, I know." Jak gave a small, yet failed smile.

"Where are you going, outsider?" a voice echoed.

Jak whipped around to find the woman he had saved earlier. She held a look of confidence and something along the lines of grateful knowledge.

"We're going to look for Mar. Daxter and I appreciate your earlier offer, but I think we both know it would be best if we parted here."

"You would be wrong. The offer still stands." Shock crossed Jak's face momentarily.

"You can look for this Mar person once you've restocked supplies. Gage might even have something for that gun of yours.

"Now we're even." Caylx headed back toward the new campsite. As she headed back through the trees, she called out, "Don't make me regret it, Jak."

A/N: Okay, here's the newest chapter. I have the other one ready. I'll post it in a couple of days. This was originally going to be a two part chapter with the next one, but during editing things change(technically it's still a two parter). I usually add a few things if something needs more clarification. Please, please let me know if there are any typos. No matter how many times I read over something, I still miss things. I was reading the previous chapters again to make sure this one flowed and I still found errors. I've read them five times at least.

Don't forget to check my profile for any updates!