Chapter 14: That's home?
Music: 27 by Fall Out Boy

'If home is where the heart is,
then we're all just fucked.
I can't remember, I can't remember.
And I want it so bad, I'd shoot the sunshine into my veins
I can't remember, the good ol' days.'

Mood: Disappointed
Disclaimer: Writers lie, just like your parents.

Once we got out, we made our way back to the Underground, actually, more like we snuck back to the Underground. Apparently, the Baron had alerted the guards, who in turn were actually looking for us. Shocker, I know.

So we had to take to the outskirts of the city and make our way across the tops of buildings. Apparently, taking a Zoomer automatically alerted the KG's who swarmed us, and it took up too much time to take them all out, so we snuck and walked.

Once we made it back to the Underground, we found Torn and Katie glaring at us fiercely. Daxter jumped from Jak's shoulder to mine and hid behind my hair, skittishly. Kor was herding both the kids to stay on one side of the table and to stop touching things.

"The city is on high alert." Katie said.

"What the hell did you do?" Torn barked.

" Us?..." Daxter asked, peeking around from behind my hair. "Nothing. We've been... ah... sightseeing, right, Maddy?" He poked my head, and I flicked him irritably. He jumped off my shoulder and onto the table, where Katie was entertaining the kids.

"Really? Then why are the Krimzon Guard looking for..." He paused, looking down and reading off, "a dangerous young man with light hair, blue tunic, a young woman with spiky black hair, red half shirt, and a rabid orange rat"?"

The little blonde kid smiled with wide eyes, pointing at Daxter. "Ahh... Could be anyone." Daxter said, before flinging his arms out and adopting a cheesy grin. "Orange is the new black this season." I face palmed, shaking my head.

"Look, we've climbed up to the Baron's palace..." Jak started.

" and... we may tripped a few alarms." I finished, running my finger over the table. The blonde kid grabbed my finger in his tiny hand, pulling me towards him.

"Oh right... that too." Daxter trailed off. The kid grabbed my arm, standing up and pointing to my shoulder, bouncing a little. Oh… okay… kids… shoulder… piggy back rides. I unhooked my shoulder armor, throwing it on the table and grabbing the kid and setting him so he was straddling my neck. He immediately burrowed his face in my hair.

"What? I didn't authorize a strike on the...!" Torn started. No. He wasn't going to peg this on us.

"Hey. We don't have to listen to you," I sneered, walking back over to Jak, awkwardly patted the kid's head.

"We kicked the Baron's ass." Jak said before Torn could respond. Both kids looked up at him with wide eyes and Katie glared at him from where she was sitting on the ground playing with the brown haired girl. "Unfortunately, he escaped."

"And," Daxter started dramatically. "We overheard a secret meeting with the leader of the Metal Heads!"

Every body's eyes widened. "You saw the Metal Head leader?" Kor asked.

"Not really." I said, "He was on some communicator, but we heard him talking with Baron Praxis."

"The Baron is bribing the Metal Heads with eco!" Jak said, slamming his hand on the table. I felt the kid jump and wrap his hand tighter into my hair.

"Hmmph... it will never be enough." Kor said contemptuously. I looked at him questioningly, but he schooled his expression before I could get a read on it, leaving me confused.

"But the Baron's gonna double cross 'em!" Daxter interjected.

"Is that so? Well our good Baron's wonderful 'charm' must have angered someone, because there's word from the Wasteland that Metal Head armies are on the move again!" Kor said.

"Why didn't you tell us Ashelin was Praxis's daughter? Isn't that kind of important information?" I asked, looking at Torn with a raised brow.

"Yeah," Jak agreed. "What's your connection with her?"

"That's none of your business!" Torn barked, "Since you've stirred up the wumpbee's nest, you, spikes and whiskers here need to get four of our people to new safe houses; shuttle each agent to a location they specify. Move all of them without any casualties. Don't screw this up." He said, turning towards Katie, grabbing her hand and pulling her away from the little girl that was playing with the symbol on her necklace, and into the back room.

That necklace… It was Mar's symbol! Well, half of it. I thought back to Onin and her twirly air particles, and everything clicked. The two kids were the leaders everyone was trying to get on the throne. What the hell? They were just kids. They can't run a fucking city. They were way too young.

I turned away angrily, then I remembered the kid that was still playing with my hair, and kneeled to the ground to have him get off. He hopped off, untangling his hands and scampering off to go play with the little girl.

"Oh, you have such a way with kids," Daxter said in a sing song voice, pulling his hand to his chest and swaying slightly. "I'm sure if you didn't glare so much, and you know, stopped looking so angry, they would love you."

"Shut the hell up, rat." I said. Jak chuckled.

There was a two seater Zoomer sitting outside that Jak hopped into. I hopped onto the back of it, straddling the back of Jak's seat on the cold metal, holding on to the back of the seat, knowing whoever we were picking up was going to want to sit in the seat.

The first person was literally right at the end of the alley. He hopped in the car, and I handed him the open mini map. He punched in the coordinates of where he had to go quickly, giving it back to me. I put reached out and put it on the dashboard for Jak to see.

The KGs were still after us, and they started after us right when we got in the Zoomer, so, of course, we had a timer. The agent's new safe house was only a couple streets away, so once he got out we were zipping away.

The next guy was near the end of Sector 1, almost in Sector 2, By that time at least a half a dozen KGs were behind us on foot, and a few were in the Zoomers, so they all started running at us when Jak parked to let the guy get in. Almost before he sat down, Jak took off again.

I leant over to the agent, handing him to mini map. He punched in the coordinates and we were off, mini map in place once again.

"It's a good thing you're on our side," the guy said, patting my thigh before jumping out. The next guy was almost in Sector 3, and we had to cut back through the middle of Sector 2 to reach it.

The turrets were on high alert, and there was one just around the corner from where the next guy was. He got in the car though, and we took off, all surprisingly in on piece. The blast kept almost hitting me, and I had to press myself almost flat against the metal of the Zoomer so I didn't get hit. One time I actually had to dive into the small space in between Jak and the agent to avoid getting hit, almost kicking the poor guy, and shoving my face dangerously close to Jak's crotch.

He didn't notice though, thank Mar, he was too intent on his driving. Wouldn't that be a distraction? Your girlfriends face in you crotch.

I chuckled, pulling my feet towards me, curling my hands around my bare legs to form a ball, tangling my hands in the metal of my shorts, resting my head on Jak's thigh.

The last guy was literally a street over, so Jak had to make a huge loop and go back through the army of KGs to get to him. When he pulled up, I dove back over the seat and onto the metal, pressing myself flat, as the guy got in.

His safe house was in the Water Slums, all the way in the back. There were an excessive amount of pedestrians there, but Jak didn't seem to have a problem plowing through them, sending them diving to the side. The KGs didn't seem to either. I couldn't help but laugh when one of the people dove into the water to avoid getting hit.

"Good job," The guy said, getting out. "I'll make sure to tell the Shadow we're safe."

We took off, the KGs still following us, and the transmitter came out and Torn said, "The operation was a success. All Underground members are safe. Come back to the hideout. I have another mission waiting for you both that I'd like to go over."

We made our way back to the Underground. Torn was the only one there now, Katie, Kor and the kids must have left already.

"Scouts report movement in Dead Town. Creatures moving towards the Sacred Site. Just as before." Torn growled, getting straight to the point.

"What happened... ah, before?" I asked curiously.

"Metal Heads broke through the old city wall. We fought them, but then the Baron pulled back," Torn explained, shaking his head in disbelief, "leaving everyone outside the 'new barrier' to die. Only the Shadow stayed and somehow stopped the attack." Wait…

"And now you expect us to go out there again?" Jak said, voicing my thoughts.

"You catch on fast!" Torn said in a sarcastically proud kind of way, "If you prevent the Metal Heads from reaching the Sacred Site, the Shadow will be..." He paused, "most grateful. He might even ask to see you." He smirked wickedly before taking out a new bow and a gun barrel.

"Hey, I'm probably wasting this, but here's a Vulcan Barrel for that pea shooter of yours." Torn growled, throwing the barrel at Jak, who immediately snapped it onto his morph gun. Then he tossed me the bow and a set of arrows, "Katie found that at Krew's. Said you might want it. Believe me, you're gonna need 'em!" He walked off, satisfied.

I grabbed the blue bow, testing the strings and aiming an arrow. I saw Jak doing the same thing, pointin his gun at the wall, testing the weight of it, smiling like a kid with a new toy.

xMx

We made our way to Dead Town again, and Torn was right, the place was crawling with Metal Heads. They were mostly just normal Metal Heads until we reached a set of rickety wooden stairs that went up and dropped down the other side to reveal an island where a Metal Head was throwing Dark Eco Bombs at us.

Jak sniped it from a distance with his Blaster gun on the way down the steps. There were two more on the next island over, across a few floating pieces of wood that were acting as stepping stones.

About a half a dozen scorpion Metal Heads jumped from their camouflage of sand when we jumped off the last piece of wood. Those were easy to take out with the Scatter Weapons, but it was made a little more challenging due to the fact that we had to dodge flying Dark Eco bits.

There were a few Metal Heads waiting for us at the top and into the old building, along with a Metal Head with a Dark Eco gun (since when do Metal Heads get guns?)

There was another around one corner, and another through a broken down hallway, both of which, we easily took out. We exited the building after killing 5 or 6 more Metal Heads, having successfully cut through the building. We continued along a crumbling path high above the muck, pushing a few Metal Heads into the water below us before we turned a corner. There were two Gun Metal Heads there, and a falling down building to the left of them.

Jak used his new gun on them as I continued on, freezing when I saw the sinister looking building. It… It couldn't be. I felt my jaw drop. Jak and Daxter were still hi-fiving grinning about the new gun. I silently reached over a tugged on the corner of Jak's armor, getting his attention. He and Daxter turned to look.

"Is that... Is that..." Daxter asked before shaking his head. "No, it couldn't be... that's not..." He trailed off in desperation.

"It's Samos's Hut." Jak said gruffly, walking forward. I wrapped my arms around his waist, knowing he needed to comfort, tucking my head on his shoulde, opposite to Daxter.

"But... What?... How?... When?... Where?... Why?" Daxter said, ducking his head down and covering his eyes

"We're in the future, Dax..." Jak said, his voice muffled as he turned his head into my spiky hair. He took a deep breath before saying, "This... horrible place... is... our... world!" almost disbelievingly, his voice breaking on the last word. I just pulled my arms around him tighter, holding back the tears I could feel.

A/N: Hi… No one has reviewed on the last three chapters :C
Should I not bother with this story? I mean, if nobody likes it…
I know that an average of about 30 of you read every chapter a day, (The traffic grid says so) Is it not good enough to review?

I apologize for the shortness..

Please tell me your thoughts. I would love to hear them!
Feed the review monster!

xMonster