I don't own Jak and Daxter, I only own Krane and Schorn.
I love how this is going here as well as how the writing of it is coming. I've written up to chapter ten of this on my other computer, and I can't wait to finish the Jak II storyline so I can freakin' move on. But seeing as how that won't be for a while, enjoy this chapter please
Enjoy!
The sound of a gun echoed through the quiet gun range followed by a mechanical noise. Suddenly, another noise and action of a target coming up drawn out like a KG popped up from the ground. It began shooting bullets out down the small hallway, and Krane ducked behind a wall to avoid it. The KG target fired once more, and grazed the front of her hands.
"Shit," she cursed, feeling the burning sensation of the shell.
After the KG cutout stopped firing, Krane came around the wall and fired at the target until it fell to pieces before her. Now that it was out of her way, she moved quietly down the last part of the gun range, waiting for a few more targets to pop up. The mechanical noise of one popping up caught her attention, and she turned around towards the noise, and fired, not bothering to look at the target.
"Ya lost a point for that one!" Jinx's voice said over the intercom.
Krane lowered her handgun to see that it was a cut out of a civilian. She sighed and heard noise of the bell which told her that her session in the gun course had ended.
"Shit!" she growled. "Shit! Dammit!"
Krane stepped out of the gun course and into a small room where Sig and Jinx stood, waiting for her. The door to the course slammed shut behind her as she slammed her right foot down to the ground in anger and frustration.
"I was almost there!" she yelled. "Dammit, that last civilian always gets me. Shit."
"Don't be so hard on yourself chili pepper," Sig said as he walked over to her and patted on the back.
It had been two years since Krane had been in this game or what she thought was a game. Two long years and yet to Krane, it seemed so short. Ever since she teamed up with Jinx, time seemed to be going faster since she had made friends with him. Through working with him, she met Sig and became a better shooter thanks to his training.
Krane's search for Jak had lead her nowhere. She couldn't find any traces of the man she had seen Marco playing, and looking for paperwork that involved Mar was even harder to locate. All in all Krane's search for the past two years had been nothing but a wild goose chase and the longer it took the learn anything, the more tiring it became.
"I'm going for a walk." Krane put her gun back on her holster, which hung off of her right hip. "I gotta walk off this anger."
"You gonna be alright?" Jinx asked, walking over towards her.
Jinx had come to know her anger by now. Krane had a temper; that he knew too well from an incident with a drunken man in Hip Hog Heaven. Through the verbal fight she had with the man, Jinx learned that Krane, no matter how much she wanted to, would not become physical. He didn't understand why she didn't beat the snot out of the drunk man, but he didn't question her.
Krane moved her right hand up and down in dismissal. "I'll be fine."
"Come back to the Hip Hog once you're done," Jinx said, patting her on the back as well. "I'll buy ya a drink."
She cracked a smile. "Alright. I'll be back don't worry."
After trading a smile session with Jinx, Krane stepped out of the gun range with the smile still on her face. She traveled down the walkway and looked at the people who didn't look at her strangely anymore. Since the two years, her appearance had changed to look more like them. Her ears were long and pointed now, and her outfit had become more of the Haven City look then before.
Her outfit was now a black tank top and brown pants that were tucked into her large boots. A belt was around her waist with her holster sitting on her right side so she could grab her gun quickly if needed. Around her hands were black gloves that kept the hot bullet shells from burning her hands, and the disc that contained her own world was in her pants, in a high pocket. The scar on her face had faded a bit, but the sight in her right eye had grown worse over time.
As the disc came to mind, a memory did as well: she remembered the last time she had been back to her world three months ago to check up on it. Things were still the same, telling her that her world had been frozen for some reason and wasn't going to change.
So many things had changed in the two years that Krane saw herself growing more attached. She slept in the Underground's HQ, and other then that she was always hanging out with Jinx or Sig. Her relationship with Jinx had grown into a friendship even after the 'date' she went on with him, but hadn't gone passed that. She didn't want a romantic relationship that would keep her here in this world.
She hadn't seen Schorn in two years.
Krane broke away from her thoughts when the sounds of screaming and yelling began to echo down the alleyway she was traveling through. She ran forward, towards the screaming and found a strange man-like creature tearing apart KG's.
"What the hell?" she asked out loud.
She ran closer to see an old man she knew as Kor, due to Torn and his connections, walking around with a child she had never seen before. She ran over towards Kor in case she had to protect him but when she arrived at his side, she saw what he had been looking at. The strange man creature had bleached skin with two horns sticking out of his head, and sharp, dagger like claws.
"What is that?" Krane asked as her jaw dropped open in shock.
"A warrior," he answered simply.
When the two stopped speaking to one another the KG around the strange creature fell, covered in blood. A few of the Guards began to scream out for their Mothers and for the Baron but instead of paying them mind, Krane's eyes remained on the creature. Right before her eyes the creature transformed to a white monster, to a normal looking being with blond hair and green highlights, blue eyes, and green goatee. A small orange rat walked up to his side, one that Krane recognized right away.
It's that boy! She thought. That boy I saw two years ago! What the hell happened to him?
"That was cool! Do it again!" the small orange rat said to the blond man.
"Something's happening to me... Something he did... I can't... control it," the blond said, moving his fingers in a pumping motion.
Kor stepped over towards the two. "Very impressive."
"Ehh, you okay Jak?" the small one asked the blond one.
JAK!? That's the Jak I've been looking for! No! It can't be! Krane began to run towards the blond man when the child Kor was with grabbed her pants and pulled her back. Who is this kid?
"What you just did was very brave. This child is important," Kor said, as the child walked forward, still attached to Krane.
"This kid? He looks kinda... scruffy." the rat walked over to the kid, and then looked up at Krane. "Who are you?"
Krane opened her mouth to answer when a KG warrior drove up to the group on a hovering vehicle with others following behind. They were going to assist those fallen KG the strange blond man had taken care of.
"You are in a restricted zone. Move along," the KG said in a ruff voice before taking off towards the injured KG's.
"Thank you for your help, but I must get this boy to safety," Kor said, taking the boy's hand away from Krane.
"Hey! What about us?" the rat asked.
Kor nodded, saying that he would answer. "There is an underground group raging war against Baron Praxis. Its leader, the Shadow, could use fighters like you! Go to the slums. Find a dead-end alley near the city wall. Ask for Torn. He can help you."
"I can take you." Krane stepped forward. "I know where Torn is."
"And you are?" Jak asked, stepping towards her.
"My name is Krane," she introduced. "I work with the Underground."
"I'm Jak and this is Daxter," Jak said as Daxter jumped on his shoulder as usual.
"Alright then." Krane began walking towards the Underground. "Let's go."
It was strange the person she was looking for was some kind of monster. He was killing KG's left and right and turned into a monster when he wanted. That didn't seem like the kind of person that she needed to be a hero, in fact it seemed like the exact opposite. Could this really be the man who she had been looking for after two years?
The more Krane thought about it, the more she disagreed with herself. This could not be the warrior that would help her home. No monster would be able to help her recover Schorn.
Jak and Daxter followed Krane to the alleyway Torn used to hide his Underground movement. Once they arrived in the alleyway, Krane noticed Torn standing outside with Tess as if something big were about to take place.
As they neared Torn, Krane turned her head to Jak. "Torn's down here. Watch what you say to him, he can be a bit of an ass," she warned.
"Great." Jak rolled his eyes.
Krane stepped back when the blond man and Ottsel approached but instead of going ahead with them, Krane stopped and watched them walk over. Before they could reach Torn, the blonde girl, Tess, stepped in front of them with her arms crossed.
"We're looking for a guy named Torn. Kor sent us...um...," Jak said. "Are you... Torn?"
Torn spoke to the blond man, telling him to steal the banner from the Baron's tower in order to prove himself. Krane had no idea why Jak wanted to see the Shadow, but she wasn't going to question his reasoning. While Torn and Jak spoke to one another, Krane stepped over to Tess to watch.
"Fine, we'll be back," Jak said as he turned away from him.
Torn chuckled. "You know how to get there?"
Jak stopped in his tracks. "No."
Torn folded his arms across his chest and grinned. "Krane go with him. Give him a map while you're at it will you?"
"Sure." Krane broke away from Tess, waved, and walked away with Jak and Daxter.
Jak managed to grab a two-seater zoomer and Krane jumped in the driver's seat. She began to get comfortable when she looked over towards Jak who was looking around with a grin on his face.
"You wanna drive?" she asked.
He looked towards her with his grin still on his face. "Yeah."
Krane moved out of the driver's seat and allowed Jak to slip in. Jak grabbed the wheel and looked around, getting ready to drive.
"You know how to drive?" she asked.
"Ye…no," Jak confessed.
"On a street, no!" Daxter broke in. "Over boiling hot lava, yes."
Krane blinked, confused. "Whatever, come on, drive. I've got a drink waiting for me."
Jak pushed down on the gas thus pushing the zoomer forward. Krane grabbed the side of her door, surprised that he had pressed down on it so hard. She looked over at him and he looked back towards her with a small, embarrassed laugh.
"I take it it's been awhile," she said, raising her left eyebrow.
"Uh…yeah."
Two zoomers later, Jak arrived at the door that would allow him into the Ruined Tower. He jumped out, letting Krane keep the zoomer, and looked back at her as she rubbed her forehead.
"I need that drink now," she said.
"Sorry." Jak shrugged.
"Here." She threw Jak a small map. "Get to know you're way around. Be careful kid, I want to see you alive again."
"Thanks for the concern!" Daxter said in his usual sarcastic tone and turned away.
"Bye." Krane waved.
Krane drove herself over to the Hip Hog Heaven saloon and walked into the bar. She saw Jinx and Sig sitting around as usual. She walked into the bar and took her normal seat beside Jinx who gave her a large glass with a deep blue coloring to it.
"Good you remembered which one was my favorite," she said, taking the glass underneath her right hand.
"What took you so long?" Jinx asked.
"I got caught up in something with some kid," she answered. "He's trying to get into the Underground."
Sig laughed. "The Underground takes anyone these days."
The three laughed together and then each took a small drink of the glass in front of them. Krew floated by and informed Sig that he had a mission for him down near the Pumping Station so Sig took off, leaving Jinx and Krane alone.
"I'm getting a tattoo tonight," Jinx said, breaking the silence. "You wanna come?"
Krane thought about it for a moment and came to an answer. "Yeah why not? I don't have any other crap to do."
"Ya gonna get one with me?" Jinx moved closer to her only to be pushed away playfully.
"I've got too many already."
Jinx's eyes widened. "Really? How many?"
"One," she answered, taking another drink.
"Where?" Jinx looked around at the skin he could see but saw nothing out of the ordinary.
"On my back," she answered once her drink was away from her mouth.
"What is it?"
She giggled. "None of your business."
"Show me tonight." He grinned.
"Maybe." She returned his grin.
"Krane!" Krew called as he floated over towards her. Hearing her name being called out by him always ruined something.
"Yes Krew?" she answered, turning around to face him and placing her elbows on the table.
"The water in the Slums have been cut of at the Slums, I want you to check it out 'ey," Krew answered, coming closer to her.
"Why?" She raised her right eyebrow. "You have nothing to do with the Slums, why do you care?"
"I'm expecting a package of Eco Ore from the Slums sometime soon and I want no excuses not to bring it to me 'ey!" Krew hissed. "Now go, I don't want to hear anything else from you!"
"Fine." Krane held her hands up defensively. "I didn't mean to upset you, sorry. I was just wondering if Sig could do it?"
"No just go!" Krew turned away.
Krane jumped off of the barstool and stretched her arms upwards. Jinx looked over towards her and punched her on the hip in a playful manor and she hit him back in response. She then moved her arms forward, stretching her arms and shoulders when Jinx saw something on her left shoulder.
Is that it? He thought. It's really small.
"I'll be back," she said, breaking his thoughts.
"Oh." Jinx blinked. "Right, I'll be down at the gun course if you need me."
"Right."
Krane walked out of the Hip Hog, grabbed a zoomer, and took off towards the Pumping Station, not knowing that Jak had also been placed on the mission from Torn.
"Aaah, the valve. Allow me," Daxter said as he walked over towards the valve.
Daxter and Jak had gone through so much to get to the valve in order to turn on the water for the Slums. Little did they know that Krane was coming to do the very same thing.
The small orange rat struggled to turn the valve while Jak stood against it, laughing at how tough his friend was trying to act. Growing a bit bored, Jak hit the pipe, causing it to turn and create a vacuum. The vacuum soon sucked up Daxter, and he was bashed all around the pipe as he moved down to the last pipe near the entrance of the Pumping Station.
"Jak, help... Jak, help... Jak... please... help..." Daxter groaned out.
Jak jumped down and walked over to his friend. He released another pipe there, and allowed his friend to be spit out. Jak opened his mouth to say something when Daxter raised his index finger, cutting him off.
"Don't say it. Don't even chuckle! Next time, YOU turn the valve," Daxter said, his face in the sand of the beach.
The sound of a female laughing caught their attention. They looked towards the entrance to see Krane standing there, laughing at what had just happened. Jak allowed Daxter to jump back up on his shoulder and walked over towards her.
"Hey…" Jak blinked, trying to remember her name.
"Krane," she said, as her laughing came to a stop. "Did you take care of the water for me?"
"You?" Daxter asked, confused.
"Someone sent me out to do the same thing, looks like you've saved me a long trip up there." She pointed to the top where the valve was. "But I'll take you back, there's something I want to talk to you about."
"Alright." Jak shrugged. "I'm going back to the Underground."
"It's fine. My boss thinks I'm down here doing your job." Krane turned around to face the entrance door.
The three walked out onto the rickety wooden boards and blended into the crowd of people to avoid the KG. As they walked, Krane stopped at a small home that had been changed to a store and bought food for the three of them.
"Jak," she began as they walked into the city, "have you ever saved someone?"
He laughed sarcastically. "The world."
She twitched. "You've saved the world?"
"Once." Jak smiled. "Two years ago."
Maybe he is the one I'm looking for. Krane thought as she looked away. He is the Jak I've been looking for but…what's wrong with him? Can I really trust him?
"Do you think," she began, "do you think you could help me get back home?"
"Home?" Jak and Daxter asked together.
She looked back up towards the sky. "I'm not home right now, and I want to go home. I think that you're the one who can help me Jak. So will you?"
"Uh sure." Jak blinked, surprised that she would ask such a random question.
Krane wanted to trust him after waiting for him for two long years but a part of her just kept replaying the monster she had seen before over and over in her head. Could someone who was standing there, smiling and talking to her really be like that? But one other thing that was nagging her in the back of her head was if he really could help her. She had seen him as the main character but she had no idea what happened in the game or whether he was the real hero.
"I'll do anything to get back. Anything."
R&R please!