Chapter Eleven:

A Change of Plans

The humming of the engine under Jak's feet calmed his frayed nerves. The desert sun beat down hard on him, baking his very skin. The heat from the engine that seeped into the cab of the buggy made even his very toes sweat. It wasn't too much farther to Haven, for which Jak had mixed feelings for their arrival. On one hand it would get him out of the desert heat, and on the other he would have to think of some other way of stalling. Jak knew he was running out of time, and Krew was bound to loose his patience soon.

Jak wiped the sweat from his brow with the sleeve of his jacket. It was unusually hot, even for the desert.

Weather patterns were something he didn't have the time to contemplate. He had too much to worry about all ready. Keeping a delicate balance of delaying progress to the catacombs and looking busy, being sleep-deprived, not being able to eat, not to mention thinking about how to get Erin free from Krew without getting her killed, and worrying about her every waking moment, wasn't easy. As an afterthought, Jak glanced up from the dune sea before him and sought the edge of the horizon. The Day Star, now easily visible during the day, his ever-persistent timeline, grew larger by the day, heralding the doom that it would reign down on the planet.

Not to mention saving the world, Jak thought, adding it to the pile of worries he endured every minute of the day. If this kept up, Jak would be surprised if he had any hair left.

Jak sighed and refocused on his driving.

Each minute that passed brought him closer to Haven. The air started to grow cooler and more bearable as they approached the seaside city. Jak could feel the cool ocean air blow across the sweat on his face, bringing great relief to his scalding body. By the time he could smell the salt in the air, he could see the outer perimeter of Haven.

The light from the sun reflected off the Palace, which could be seen for many miles in any directions. It was like a pillar of hope. When Praxis was running the show, it had been more like a pillar of oppression, striking fear into the poor citizens of Haven City. Yet another proof of how much better things were. Jak now saw it as a mask, hiding the true, mostly unknown problems the city now faced. The crime ring was threatening to take control, while the Day Star was ever approaching, becoming the new oppressive force that haunted the people of Haven.

Jak couldn't help but sigh in relief when they reached the shade that the city offered. The constant beating of the sun was now downsized by the many buildings. Even without the rays from the sun, Jak's skin still burned with intensity. Now that the sun wasn't glaring in his eyes, Jak could make out the deep red color his skin had taken.

"Where to next?" Cass asked impatiently.

One thing that burned more than his skin was his hatred for Cass. Jak had blissfully ignored his presence the entire trip though the sands of the desert. Jak lamented that he now couldn't pretend he wasn't there.

"I'm thinking we should go and speak to Onin," Jak answered shortly. It was the only lie he could come up with to stall further. It was either lie, or take him to the catacombs, which would be extremely foolish if he was to gain any leverage over Krew. Jak wondered how tight Krew's hold on Cass was.

"She wasn't any help last time, why do you think this time would be any different?" Cass remarked scathingly.

"Perhaps she has found something in our absence," Jak answered smoothly. This was no time to let his temper get the better of him. Before Jak let his tongue get out of hand, he moved swiftly for the large entrance door to the garage.

They moved out from the empty garage to the street. Not many people were in the area, so Jak thought it was time to test Cass's loyalty to Krew.

"So," Jak started, as if bored and making an excuse for conversation, "What, exactly, did Krew give you in exchange for your… services?"

Cass looked up, obviously not fooled by Jak's little ploy. "Don't play with me, Jak, or you may find you've lost more than you bargained for."

Jak swallowed, quietly, not about to push the subject. Obviously Cass wasn't interesting in rejoining the good side of the law. Whatever Krew gave to Cass in exchange for letting him out of prison must be much more than just money. If Cass was willing to trade sides, again, the Krimson Guard would cut down his sentence and pay him well for his information. No, something was amiss with Cass.

Just then Jak's radio blared to live, he recognized Torn's voice on the other end.

"Jak, report to HQ, we have problems!"

The brief message ended as abruptly as it had started.

Jak paused in mid-step, waiting for more detailed instructions, but it didn't come.

"Krew wanted us to report in once we had reached the city," Cass spoke up.

"It'll have to wait, Torn sounded urgent, and I can't abandon my responsibilities as a Krimson Guard," the delay didn't bother Jak any, he wasn't in a rush to go and see Krew.

Cass seemed to think about it for a moment, and for a second Jak was sure he was going to demand that they stop in at the old Hip Hog first. "Very well," Cass commented, "I'll go report to Krew, you take care of whatever problems Torn is having."

Jak didn't know if he liked the idea of Cass reporting to Krew, alone. Would Cass say that he hadn't tried very hard to find the catacombs? On the other hand, it would keep Cass out of the problems that the Krimson Guards were having. Less information in the enemy's hands, but what would Cass need to report to Krew that he would risk leaving Jak unobserved?

Not that Jak could do anything to change Cass's mind. Without waiting for a reply, Cass turned and strode down the street in the opposite direction. A strange foreboding feeling came over Jak, had Cass gathered some important information from him that he wasn't aware of? Jak doubted it, he had keep his responses to Cass's insistent questions as short as possible. Jak was sure he had been as careful as he could be, of course he would, because he didn't wish to see Erin hurt.

Perhaps Cass is just going to complain that we haven't made any progress, Jak soothed himself, he couldn't possibly know that I know how to reach the catacombs.

With that calming thought, Jak breathed and hoped that his fears were unfounded.

With quick steps, Jak proceeded to the Krimson Guard Head Quarters near the center of the city. Though it wasn't as bad, the heat inside the city was still noticeable. It seemed to such the very energy from your veins, leaving you tired and wishing for a soft, cool bed to lie down in and never wake up. The effect seemed to be happening throughout the city, as not many people ventured forth from their homes to brave the energy-expunging heat.

Jak kept to the shady sides of the buildings whenever possible. His skin couldn't take much more of the sun, he walked from one shaded area to another, stepping quickly in between.

It didn't take Jak long, with his long, quick steps, to reach HQ. He was directed to Torn's office. The small office had nothing more than what Torn needed to do his job. There were no excess items, which were common in the other high-ranking officer's rooms. Torn's life revolved around the Krimson Guard, he hardly had spare time for anything else.

Torn pointed to the one chair positioned in front of his paper covered desk. By just a glance, Jak could see the long hours that Torn had been behind his desk. Toiling away, trying to figure out who the attacks on the KG were orchestrated by, and also trying to ferret out the spy amongst his own ranks. Jak wished that he could tell Torn the vital bits of information he held, but he knew the repercussions of such an action.

"What do you need, Torn?" Jak asked, wondering what other problems Torn could add to his constantly growing pile.

"The crime ring you infiltrated has become more active as late," Torn answered, getting right to the point. "In the past three days I've lost twelve officers!" The stress was evident in his voice. "What kind of message are we sending to the citizens of Haven if we cannot even provide protection for ourselves, let alone them!"

Torn sighed and leaned back in his chair. He seemed to be thinking of something else.

"Is there something else?" Jak asked quietly, not knowing if he could take any more bad news.

"Yeah," Torn started slowly, "Tess is missing as well. Either they just killed her, or they're using her to build more advanced weapons for their cause, whatever that might be."

Neither option concerning Tess's disappearance was a welcome thought. Jak suddenly felt a pang of guilt, he hadn't been there for Daxter when she had gone missing. Perhaps he should stop and see him later.

"I know you have been out and searching for Erin," Torn continued slowly, as if afraid to set Jak off, "but my guess is that the crime ring is behind all of these disappearances. I think you should go back undercover to their headquarters."

Jak noted the distinct "I think" instead of "I order." Torn was phrasing his words carefully, not wanting to anger Jak. In another situation Jak would have found it amusing.

"I'll do it," Jak answered. He was going there to meet with Cass and Krew anyway, so it didn't really matter.

Torn looked grateful, but didn't voice his appreciation. Jak quickly left the office, as if he was really looking to dig up some information at the old Hip Hog Saloon.

Jak reentered the sunbathed streets. It wasn't even midday, but the heat was already becoming unbearable. It seemed as if the wall of heat attacked him as soon as he dared leave the sanctuary of HQ. Jak quickly moved to a cool, dark alleyway and made his way to the place the crime ring called home.

The Port smelled just as bad as usual when Jak entered the area. Quickly Jak moved along the filthy walkway, making his way to Krew's hideout. When Jak got close enough, he could make out Cass leaning against the doorframe of the building, obviously waiting for Jak.

Jak approached, Cass looked up to greet him. "The Boss wants to speak with you."

Jak had a sudden dreadful feeling in his heart. But he calmed himself. Jak had known that Krew would loose patience with him eventually. No doubt Cass had expressed his feelings that Jak wasn't doing all he could to reach the catacombs. Jak would just have to take the brunt of Krew's anger, and explain that most of the information he got was from the Oracle, and that it was more like a riddle and not a map. As long as Jak kept his head, he knew that he could convince Krew why he needed him.

Cass stepped aside as Jak moved to the door, but, amazingly, he didn't follow him inside.

The instant the door shut behind him, cutting of the daylight, two pairs of very rough hands grasped him and forced his arms behind his back. Jak cursed at the sharp pains that ran up his arms at the sudden, unwanted movement. The two taller, bulky, and unseen men steered Jak forward by the painful twisting of his restrained arms. Jak's eyes adjusted to the darker room as he was forced forward. Many unknown and dangerous faced sneered at him and he was lead through the large group.

Once they had apparently reached their destination, Jak was thrown unceremoniously to the floor, amongst the laughter of the people in the room. The force of the toss made Jak hit his head on the filthy metal floor. Jak scrambled to his feet in a rage. He quickly spotted Krew, standing just inside the circle made by the many people around, intent on watching.

"Now, my boy," Krew spoke to Jak as if they were the best of buds, "may I inquire why you haven't made any progress into reaching the catacombs?"

Jak had expected Krew to be irritated, but this seemed much more than simple irritation. Perhaps his employer had been irate that Krew hadn't found a way into the catacombs, and was growing very impatient.

"I can hardly find any information as to its whereabouts," Jak lied, keeping most of his own irritation out of his voice.

"Now now, Jak," Krew continued, "you've worked for me before, and it has never taken this long for you to find something for me."

"This is different," Jak rebutted, "this is a hidden Precursor mystery. Of course it's going to take more than just a few days to find the answer. No one has found the catacombs in thousands of years, and the trail is dry."

Somehow, Jak knew, that Krew wasn't thoroughly convinced. Perhaps it was the sour look on his pudgy face.

"Really?" Krew asked, "I was under the impression that you haven't been working as hard as you should be."

"Says who?" Jak asked, knowing what the answer would be.

"Cass has informed me that you haven't seemed to be working as hard as expected, especially with your little girlfriend being held hostage." Krew's voice grew demanding, "Tell me, Jak, what are you hiding from me?"

Jak clenched his jaw, "I'm not hiding anything."

Krew made a gesture with his hand. Jak felt the pain crash into his skull before he heard the laughter of those around him. Jak collapsed back to the floor, nearly loosing consciousness. The blunt end of the rifle had hit him square in the back of his head. Jak clenched his teeth again and forced himself to his feet, not giving them the pleasure of beating him to the ground.

Jak swayed on his feet for a moment, placing a hand on the raw, bloody spot just above his neck.

Krew had an evil smile plastered on his face, obviously he was enjoying himself. Jak glared with the utmost hatred he could muster. "What aren't you telling me, Jak?"

"I've told you everything," Jak answered defiantly, it would take more than a blow to the head to make him talk.

A vicious scowl crossed Krew's face as he approached Jak, un-holstering the small pistol on his hip. With a swift moment Krew brought it down, hitting Jak right between the temple and his left eye. Jak fell to one knee from the pain.

"You think I'm a fool, Jak?" Krew snarled as he stood above him. Jak watched Krew's boots walk away, so Jak pushed himself back up on his feet. Krew approached someone in the crowd, spoke some unknown order that Jak couldn't hear, then turned back around to face Jak. The man that Krew had given an order to disappeared into the back of the crowd.

Jak saw that the rage had left Krew's face and was replaced by a smug smile. "Next question," Krew spoke as if he was asking questions for a friendly interview, "Where did you sneak off to that night in the desert?"

A solid ice formed around Jak's heart, Cass had noticed his absence after all. Jak had to think of some reason…

"Well?" Krew pushed, stepping forward, his pistol ready to deal Jak a second blow.

Jak could feel the blood flowing from the would above his eye. The red river left a skinny trail along the side of his face, tickling his skin as it went.

"Somewhere you shouldn't have been?" Krew taunted when Jak didn't answer. He stepped forward, pressing the pistol into the bloody wound on the side of his face. Jak grimaced, but still wouldn't reply.

In a swift movement Krew pulled back the hand holding the pistol and hit Jak again, in the same spot as before.

The pain ripped through Jak, which was much more painful than the first time. He fell completely to the floor this time. Jak could feel the flow of blood leaking from above his eye had become a flood. Jak wiped it off with his sleeve and tried to get back up to his feet. Before he could do it thought, two pairs of hands grabbed him again, pulling him up They held him so that his knees were still touching the floor.

Krew was inches from his nose, "We have ways of making you talk." The only thing Jak noticed was that Krew's breath smelled just as bad as it did when he weighed six-hundred pounds.

When Jak still didn't speak, Krew stepped aside. Jak looked up, he was drawn to the other side of the circle, where the people had started parting. Out stepped two guards, dragging in-between them was a thrashing Erin. Jak knew he couldn't hold out any longer.

The guards stopped and held Erin in the same position as Jak, down on her knees. They were just feet from each other, but it seemed more like miles. Krew turned his back on Jak and marched triumphantly towards Erin. He grabbed a handful of her brown-red hair and jerked her head up. Erin gasped, and Krew placed the barrel of the pistol at her temple. "Tell me what you know!" Krew yelled, obviously loosing what little patience he had left.

Jak opened his mouth instantly, ready to spill all he knew…

"Don't tell him anything!" Erin cut over the words that Jak was about to say.

Rage contorted Krew's features at Erin's words. An involuntary scream parted from Erin's lips as he struck her with his pistol in a fit of rage. Erin fell to the floor with the force of the blow, but the two guards on either side of her grabbed her arms again and pulled her back up to her knees. On the left side of her face, right at her cheekbone, a cut had formed where Krew had hit her, leaving a bloody trail down her face, much like his own. Jak's heart had lurched painfully, because he refused to give Krew the information he wanted, he had caused her pain.

"Tell me what I need to know!" Krew bellowed, placing the pistol at Erin's temple again.

"Jak," Erin's voice was pleading, perhaps knowing that he was about to give in, "don't."

Krew raised his pistol, going to hit her again. Jak instinctively tried to move forward and stop Krew, but the strong hands on his arms and shoulders held him back, he was helpless to stop it…

"WAIT!" The word left Jak's lips before he was consciously aware of it. Krew's pistol hand stopped in midair, waiting for Jak to divulge the information. Jak looked into Erin's brown eyes, he could tell that she was ready to take any pain to make sure that Krew wouldn't get what he needed, but Jak knew that he couldn't just sit by and let her take the pain of his refusal.

"I know how to reach the catacombs," Jak's voice was low, defeated. He couldn't force himself to look into Erin's eyes, not wanting to see the betrayal there. Instead he looked at the filthy, metal floor right in front of him. He knew he had betrayed the cause, betrayed everything the Krimson Guard had worked for to keep the world safe…

"Jak…" Erin's voice was low, pleading, and it cut through Jak like a knife to his heart.

Krew ignored Erin's plea this time, instead he moved forward until he stood right before Jak. "How?"

"There's a secret passage in the Palace that links to the catacombs," Jak said slowly, he could almost feel Erin's eyes on him, begging him not to do this. He had no choice if he was going to save her. "I can lead your men to it, if you release Erin."

"How do I know this isn't some desperate lie to cover the fact that you can't find anything?" Krew asked, rage still boiling under the surface.

"It's not a lie," Jak's voice raised in desperation as he looked up at Krew.

"Very well," Krew commented. "You lead my spy to the core of the planet, but the girl stays here until you bring him back safely."

Rage took over Jak for a moment, "That wasn't the deal! You said that if I brought you the information you'd release Erin!"

"Plan's change," Krew stated flatly. "Perhaps you should have thought of that before you tried hiding information from me." The many other people in the place laughed. Jak had forgotten about them.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jak saw a commotion. He glanced and saw that Erin had broken free from her captors. It seemed slow motion as she moved towards him. Jak quickly jerked away from the arms that held him and pushed Krew out of the way, just as Erin threw herself into his arms.

They were both sill on their knees. Jak held on to her like a vice, making it hard for them to breathe, but he didn't care. He breathed her in, wanting to permanently burn her into his mind. There was so much he'd like to say to her, but he knew they only had a few seconds.

"I'm sorry," …for getting you into this mess, for betraying the Krimson Guard, for causing you pain, Jak thought, but whispered into her ear, "I'll find a way to get you out of here."

Erin was shaking in his arms. "I know you will."

The hands that they knew were coming gripped each of them, ripping them apart. Jak tried to hold on to her, wanting to make their contact last as long as possible. When they were broke apart, Krew smashed the pistol into Jak's face again. Erin screamed his name.

Jak rubbed his jaw, which burned from Krew's strike. He didn't mind the pain though, it was a small price to pay to hold Erin for those few peaceful seconds. "GO!" Krew yelled, "And don't come back until you've reached the catacombs!"

Jak climbed shakily to his feet. He looked around, but Erin had all ready been drug into the back rooms of the Hip Hog. Turning, Jak moved through the crowd of men, all who parted as he approached. Jak didn't look at all their sneering looks or laughing faces. He didn't care about them. He moved to the front door of the place and walked out into the bright, hot sunshine. The bright light made the backs of Jak's eyes burn uncomfortably. Finally Jak noticed that he had a killer headache.

He just ignored the pain and continued forward into the heat of the day. Cass, who Jak was sure was smirking and having a great old time, followed closely behind. First Jak was going to need a reason to visit the Palace, after the attempt on Ashelin's life, security had doubled around the place. He would make arrangements to meet Ashelin in the Palace for tomorrow, and after the meeting, Jak could get to the secret passage to the catacombs.

Erin opened her eyes, for the past few hours of the night she had been pretending to sleep. She knew she would have to make a break for it tonight, hopefully it would be before Jak moved for the catacombs. Whatever Krew wanted down there wouldn't be good for the city. Erin had said that she knew Jak would be able to get her out of there, but she knew that this was one of those times when she would have to help herself.

Quickly and quietly Erin moved from her bunk. She had been lying on her right side as to not put any pressure on the injured side of her face. Erin looked up to the ceiling in the partial light, finding the one loose tile. It didn't take long.

Moving under the loose tile, Erin ripped the bedding off of the cot and placed it directly under the tile. Once it was set, Erin was ready to move. She didn't have anything to bring with her anyway. She stood in the center of the sheets and crouched down.

With a flash, Dark Erin appeared. With superior strength, she launched upwards. Striking at the tile in midair caused it to fall down. It hit the bedding on the floor, muffling the sound. She hit the ground silently, then jumped again for the now open hole in the ceiling. She grabbed the edge to where the missing tile had been, and turned back into normal Erin. Erin pulled herself upwards into the small ventilation shaft, now free from the cell that had been her home.

Quietly Erin moved through the shafts, heading upwards to reach the roof. Erin kept her heart from beating too fast, knowing that some alarm would sound if they knew she was missing. She reached the roof without any mishaps. She climbed out of the shaft and onto the flat surface of the roof. She could feel the cool breeze moving in from the ocean. She was free.

Erin didn't know where to go from there. She had reached the outside, but now she was trapped on the high roof. She moved to the edge that looked out into the bay. The walkway below was about ten feet across, could she jump and make it to the water?

Erin knew she couldn't do it in her normal form, but in her dark form? Knowing that it would be the fastest way so that she could warn the Krimson Guard, Erin transformed into her darker self again. With a running jump, she threw herself off of the roof and towards the water. She hit the water with her legs pointing strait down, hoping to minimize the noise.

Once she had broke the surface of the water, she transformed back again. She swam back for the walkway and climbed up the small ramp that was used by people with hover boards. The air seemed much cooler now that she was wet, but she ignored it. She took off at a run for Krimson Guard HQ.

The streets were deserted at this hour of night, so Erin had no one to worry about running into. She ran as fast as she could, hoping that they wouldn't realize she was missing. She needed to bring Torn back with a whole squad of KG soldiers. If she could do that, then Jak wouldn't have to take Krew's spy to the catacombs, and then Krew would be out of the way.

It didn't take her long to reach her sanctuary. The KG headquarter building was within her sights. Erin ran with renewed energy at the sight. She reached the doors, pushed them open, and ran inside. It was much darker inside, without the light of the moon to show the way. Erin didn't care, she ran blindly for the other end of the large entrance chamber…

…And ran into something solid near the other set of doors into the halls.

It took a minute to realize that it was a person. Erin's heart leaped, could it be Jak?

"I'm looking for Torn," Erin gasped, out of breathe from all her running.

"Erin, is that you?"

Erin knew the voice, which gave her great relief. She looked up into the dark face as her eyes adjusted. He seemed very shocked to see her, very shocked.

"Cass, thank the Precursors! I just escaped from…"

"How did you get here?"

Erin was momentarily stunned, why did it matter now? There is much more important things to do now. "Please," Erin breathed, "Go get Torn, we need to stop him, stop Krew I mean, he's alive."

Erin wasn't sure why, but Cass was acting strange. Why wasn't he running to go get Torn? She knew who was behind all the problems in the city, and he was just standing there and looking at her in the strangest way…

If Erin hadn't noticed Cass was acting strange, she wouldn't have seen him pull out his shock gun. She quickly jumped back and the electrical charge missed her by inches. "Cass! What are you…?" Then it hit her, he was the spy!

Relying solely on instinct, Erin turned and ran from him. She heard him fire another shot at her, but it missed again. She ran back out into the street and just continued to run. She could hear his foot steps following. Erin turned into random alleys and streets as she ran, hoping to loose the traitor so she could circle back and get to Torn. Adrenalin was the only thing that kept her going now.

Erin ran and ran, not really caring where she was heading, as long as it was away from Cass. Accidentally, Erin ran into a dead end. Quickly she turned to run out again, but Cass cut her off, raising his shock rifle.

"How could you?!" Erin screamed, she was trapped, yet again.

She backed up as he stepped forward. In just a few steps he had her pinned against the wall. His rifle dropped to his side as he gripped the front of her dirty Krimson Guard uniform. Her jerked her forward so that their bodies were touching, making her look into his eyes.

"You're mine now," he whispered, as if he owned her.

Instinctively Erin brought her knee up to meet the spot between Cass's legs. He fell like a ton of bricks, but he didn't let go of her shirt. Erin grabbed his wrist and wrenched it off her. She felt the necklace that her adoptive father had given her, the only link to her real parents, break free and fall to the ground. Without stopping to retrieve it, she ran from Cass, who had collapsed on the ground.

Erin had taken just a few stepped when the electricity from his stun rifle hit her square in the back, knocking her to the ground unconscious.

It took all his strength to force himself to his feet. He walked over, unsteadily, to Erin's unconscious form. As if in retribution, he kicked her, hard, in the stomach. All she did was gasp for the air that he had forced from her lungs. Cass placed the rifle strap over his shoulder. With it safely in place, he reached down, grabbed her small frame, and slung her over his shoulders. Quietly he moved from the dead end alley.

Unbeknownst to the spy or the unconscious Erin, a person had witnessed part of the scuffle. A young boy, about ten, moved from the shadows of the doorway that belonged to his house. He moved to the far wall and picked up the small medallion that had fallen there. He rubbed it between his fingers for a moment, then let out a gasp, as if he had recognized it from somewhere.

Author's Notes: Ok, sorry for the delayed update. I betrayed you guys for the 7th Harry Potter book, sorry! I had to re-read the 6th one, so I could read the 7th one, so yeah, sorry. This chapter is longer than most that I have been posting lately, so hopefully it makes up for it!

The line Erin says, "I know you will" I stole from Kingdom Hearts, it's just such a sweet line that I had to use it! Well, I really had fun typing this chapter, so I hope you had fun reading it!