A/N: In case I neglected to do so earlier, I would like to dedicate this story to my friend Anita. She is going to a different school next year, and I may never see her again. Anita, you've been a great friend and great inspiration for five years. Lex is pretty much you, with your strange obsessions, great (and rebellious) attitude, positive spirit and hilarious jokes and sarcasm. I love you! I hope you love this story.

Disclaimer: I do not own the title "Jak and Daxter"; Naughty Dog does. No little quirks, sorry.

Please enjoy!

Part 1: Chapter 3: Troublesome Revelations

The Krimzon Guard Fortress was enormous. Locating one person was almost as hard as finding a needle in a haystack. Even knowing the layout absurdly well did nothing for you.

First of all, there were rooms to consider. Just like me, Lex would share a small living quarters with others in his rank. However, no one spent their time just hanging around. There were always things to do, patrol shifts to fill. It was not a weekend, so he wouldn't have gone home. But nonetheless, Lex would like as not have been there. I paged him for good measure, but as I expected, there was no answer.

That left many places to search. The gun course, the cafeteria, any one of the classrooms, the gym and the armoury were all equally likely guesses. And of course, patrol duty was still open. So, I picked one option and followed it through. One by one, I ruled out each part of the Fortress. Of course there were restricted areas, places where exclusively people like Erol could enter. Without a doubt, I was not allowed entry, but I doubted those rare privileges extended to Lex, either.

Was it Lex's break period? I had no way of knowing. They were mixed up every week or so. I was beginning to wonder whether that was done just for the sole purpose of keeping the Guards out of each other's business. If that was the case, it would make my job of tracking him down that much harder.

After an hour of searching, I was about to give up. I had already missed half-an-hour of class, although I couldn't have remembered which one if I tried. Normally, I would simply try to show up as often as possible. But if something else came up, I'd just shrug it off. I was disrespected and ignored by everyone in the KG. Why should I have treated them any different?

I didn't have time to change out of uniform, but I would not have been the first person to arrive clad in red armour. In fact, there was often more than one person still in proper KG attire. What one wore was not as high a priority as when one showed up.

I pulled out my schedule that was programmed to accommodate all the changes in schedule. But just as I was about to touch the button to make my timetable appear, I was knocked to the ground by someone who was clearly in a hurry. The force was like that of a transit train, and it threw me to the ground. I lost my grip on the agenda and it flew out of my hand. The device landed a few feet away, in the middle of a busy corridor. Had I been upright, I could have snatched it before anything happened, but sure enough, a large, booted foot stepped on the poor thing before I could even sit up and assess the damage done to me.

"Well done," I told the Guard who had crashed into me, but he or she had already taken off down the hallway, sprinting again. The figure bumped into several others on the route, but none took the same impact as I had. I might have gone after him, but there were other things demanding my attention at the moment.

I reached out and grabbed the electronic device before it could suffer the same fate over again. I was vaguely aware of a throbbing pain in my left shoulder, but I paid it no mind. I was more preoccupied with the damaged schedule in my hands. I crouched down next to the wall, out of harm's way, and gave the agenda the once-over. The screen was cracked, but other than that, it had made it out unscathed. I guessed it could handle a couple more simple functions before it gave out. When the screen flickered and turned dark, I knew my assumption had been wrong.

That left two choices: find my replacement schedule in my quarters, or simply give up. I surprised even myself when I began the trek back to the place with the bunk-beds that was barely an excuse for a room. I toyed absently with the broken gadget in my hands as I walked. My mind had drifted back to thoughts of the blond kid who had been arrested. Jak, his friend the rat had called him. I had to laugh – when it came down to it, the whole episode was too odd to believe. A strange boy and his best friend the talking rat who had fallen from the sky.

It would make a great story someday.

I puzzled over the whole of it for some time, but every question I posed came up empty. By the time I reached my room, I had given up on all but one query: Where were they?

The rat had run away before he had been snatched up. He could have ended up anywhere in a few hours. If he had kept running, and if he had a good sense of direction, he might have even made it to the other end of the city in the allotted time.

The boy had been captured by the KG, so he was presumably somewhere in the Fortress or in the palace. The thought caused a tremor to run down my spine; I would not wish either of those fates on anyone. Being in the palace meant being with the Baron, and that was automatically trouble. And the prison… well, it was a prison. What else was there to say?

I stepped into the chamber, abandoned as always, and quickly found my replacement agenda. I considered changing into other clothes, but it seemed frivolous. All I needed was some extra supplies that I promptly tossed into my bag and I was off.

However, the world seemed out to get me today. Not ten seconds after I had exited the quarters, someone else bumped into my already bruised shoulder. The contact sent me flying into an adjacent wall, but thankfully not to the ground once again.

"Please tell me. Did I miss an update that said make sure you bump into Shae today?" I muttered, mostly to myself, but loud enough so that my offender could hear.

"No, it's just "crash in to your sis" day," he replied, in a voice I knew all too well. One that was almost always accented with sarcasm and slang.

"Hey, Lex," I said. I tried to make it sound friendly, but it sounded too rough for my liking.

"Something wrong with your voice there, Shae?" Lex asked, but he could never make his tone sound serious if he tried.

"Sorry, I guess I've just hit hard surfaces a few too many times today," I replied.

He laughed good-heartedly and helped my into an actual standing position. For a while, I had only been upright thanks to generous help from the wall.

Suddenly, logical thoughts came rushing back to me.

"Lex, I need to talk to you," I said with a tone of urgency. It would have sounded better if my voice had been calmer and more collected, but hiding my emotions was not one of my strengths.

"Sure," he said. "What's up?"

I opened my mouth to tell him about all that had happened, but quickly closed it again. I remembered that some of the hallways were bugged, even if the camera or microphone wasn't visible. Many had broken down over time, and no one had bothered to fix them. Even so, better safe than sorry.

"Not here," I whispered. I didn't want to say anything, but Lex caught on when he saw my eyes scanning the corners. "Outside the Fortress."

"I was just on my way to do guard patrol in the Slums. You're welcome to join me," he said. Then he looked me over and chuckled. "And it looks like you're all ready."

He was right. In retrospect, keeping the uniform on gained me a good few minutes of time.

We walked back towards the front of the Fortress, which took a good ten minutes at least. But the company was better the second time around.

"Hey, don't you have training or something?" Lex asked. I gave him a look, not saying a word.

We both laughed.

When we arrived at the front, Lex checked in and added me as a trainee. When the man regulating the in-and-out traffic asked why I was accompanying someone when I should have been in class, Lex put on a very authoritative voice and politely explained the situation. I had to stifle a laugh because my brother did amazing impressions. He was quite the opposite of me, in the way that he could lie without even trying. The door guard didn't even give us a second look.

It was lucky we were going to the Slums. We both knew our way around, so we were free to just wander and were never in danger of getting lost. Secondly, there was less security in this section, mostly because it was so poor. Residents were lucky to get an hour of electricity a day, so the cameras were never active. That gave us perfect privacy to talk without the risk of being overheard.

Walking through the Slums sent a pang of nostalgia through me. It was so real that it almost hurt. The large, stone houses were uneven and ranged from two to four stories high. Some parts were made of concrete, others wood. It was all filthy and broken, but it fit.

When Erol became head Commander, we had moved out of the Slums and into Main Town. But it was almost sad to have a nice house when you rarely got to visit it anyway. I remembered how life here was hard, but yet… simple. Living standards weren't quite up to par, but you knew your place, and so did everyone else. For the most part, everyone had friends that liked and supported them. I remembered spending time with girls from my class, having fun, laughing as if there wasn't a worry in the world.

Once we were safely distanced from the KG Fortress, I told Lex what happened, sparing no details. If he was going to give me advice, he was going to need all the information he could gather. I began from when Erol came to collect me from my quarters and continued all the way up until I ran into him. He listened attentively the whole time. All of his consciousness was focused on me instead of the patrol duty he was supposed to be doing. Obviously he hadn't come out to actually keep a watch on citizens. The way he saw it, "patrol" was just a fancy word that meant "get out of the stuffy, depressing Fortress for a few hours.

It was times like those where I was really appreciative of my brother. He was a joker, but he could be serious as long as he kept his mouth shut. And I could always count on him for good advice.

When my story was finished, I shut my mouth and allowed him time to take it all in. He shifted his gaze away from my goggle-covered eyes and watched the street. We were leaning towards the late evening. There was an orange glow from the sky, contrasted with some green radiating off of the green sun that was present all day. Shadows were becoming more prominent, and it gave the Slums an eerie feeling.

"Well, I see how that would be problematic," he said eventually.

"I've been thinking about it all afternoon, and it still doesn't make sense," I said. "It all happened too fast for me to grasp anything. One moment, it was quiet. Then pandemonium, and then quiet again. It's almost as if someone tried to shove too much into thirty seconds."

"I know what you mean." He fell silent again.

"So, got any advice?" I prompted after the silence became too awkward.

"Don't sweat it," he said. I stared at him incredulously.

"I'm sorry, what?" I asked, not sure I heard right.

"I said don't worry about it. This sort of thing happens all the time."

I stepped in front of him and pushed him to a halt. "And when was the last time the KG arrested someone who quite literally fell from the sky?"

Lex laughed at me, but I didn't find it funny at all. It shocked me that he was still cool after what I had just told him. He was always the one that understood me, that lived by the same morals and rules as me. But I was suddenly beginning to doubt that too. How alone was I really in this world?

Stop it, I told myself. I was being ridiculous. Lex was allowed to have his own opinions. Something that seemed crucial to me could just be another distraction to him. And I was going to have to live with that. Besides, one disagreement didn't mean we weren't still the troublemaker-siblings we always were.

Lex looked at me strangely, and I realized I was playing with the ends of my hair. A telltale sign that something was bothering me. I needed to learn to hide my thoughts better…

"Look," he began. "I'm not going to say everything's cool, because obviously it's not. But you should know that the Baron is getting more and more paranoid with a possible war with the Metal Heads on the horizon. He'd do anything to keep in power, and if he thinks arresting that kid is going to help, then nothing is going to stop him. It's wrong, but just go with it for now."

"Okay," I said, but I wasn't yet entirely convinced.

Something on Lex's person beeped, and we both directed our eyes towards the source. I couldn't locate it, but it meant something to Lex, because he turned sharply and walked in the opposite direction. I looked at him questioningly.

"Communicator. Time to head back," he explained. I nodded. Then I thought of something.

"Hey, Lex, can I ask you something?" I asked.

"Shoot," he replied. I rolled my eyes, but as they were concealed by goggles, the action was reserved for me.

"Would you be mad at me if I didn't join the Krimzon Guard when I'm sixteen?"

He looked down at me. "Of course not. Hey, if you get out, then you'll have done what I couldn't!"

"Then quit now!" I practically shouted. But he just shook his head.

"It's too late for that now," he said, completely losing his up-tone kind of voice. I wanted to ask more, but there was one word that I knew would answer it for both of us: Erol.

We made idle chit-chat on the trek back, but once again, my mind was elsewhere. Of course I didn't doubt that Lex was being sincere when he explained his position, but I couldn't help but think that mine did not mirror it. Call me stubborn, but I was not going to be moved on this. If I wanted answers, I was going to have to find them myself.

And that was exactly what I decided to do.

I left my uniform on when I got back to my room. I was going to need it. But I did remember to tie up my hair and tuck it under my helmet. That would attract a bit less attention, and I needed to be inconspicuous where I was headed.

I set off down the hallway. I kept walking until I got to a closed off corridor. The restricted section. It was restricted to everyone but high ranked KG, as the name suggested, but the answers I needed were behind these bars. To ensure no one passed, it was blocked by an electric fence. I evaluated the lock, trying to find a way to bypass it, but my head snapped up when my ears detected footsteps. Regardless of whether they were coming from the restricted zone or the open hallway behind me, I needed to get out of sight. At my age, even being near the blocked area meant trouble. As quickly as possible, I slid behind a wall, hoping it would conceal me long enough.

The footsteps approached quickly. I determined that they were coming from behind the electric barrier, and that they would exit the restricted zone momentarily. A different, simpler plan formed in my head. When the Guard passed through, the beams of electricity shut off. As he moved down the hallway, I had just enough time to slip past the fence before it came alive with high-voltage sparks once again.

My steps became less sure. It was strange to me, being in the Fortress but not knowing where my feet would take me. I tried to memorize my path in case I had to make a speedy escape.

My ears were on high alert. Any indication of movement and my head snapped up, searching for the source. But it always proved to be nothing more than a Metal Bug or muffled speaking from another room.

I searched for a long time. I doubted I would be able to find my way back out, I had ventured so far. But it was pointless to give up when I was so close to my answers.

Eventually I became too tired, and I slumped down in a dark corner to rest. Luckily, there was a vent above me, and it was transmitting a conversation happening in another room. It sounded like at least two KG. They were arguing. Actually, complaining was more like it.

"I hate… stupid patrol, I can… too hard…"

"…know, those rebels… bring them… do what the Baron says."

I only caught bits and pieces, but it was enough to discourage me to join. Up until now, the KG had been more or less what was expected of me. I sure as heck didn't like it, and I couldn't stand the idea that it would become my life. But now, I was beginning to think that it was really wrong, not just boring. Not wanting to listen anymore, I forced myself to my feet and continued.

I had to sneak past several open doorways, but I remained unnoticed. They were filled with Guards, most of who were preoccupied with other things. I didn't bother to stick around. I continued my path, but with no idea where I was headed, I was becoming bored. I had come in with the goal of finding some answers and not stopping until I reached that goal, but I was beginning to give up again. It would be a hard walk back, since I knew nothing of the path I was following, but I was running out of options. I decided that I would continue for ten more minutes, and then head back.

I sneaked on down the dark corridor. Nothing interesting presented itself, not even a strange noise.

Then I heard the buzz of a machine, followed what I guessed a lightning strike might sound like. It came from down the hall. I nearly jumped with excitement, but contained it and proceeded towards the noise. I tried to move stealthily, but I needed to keep a good pace, too. As I turned a final corner, I saw an eerie purple light flashing from another room. As I approached it, I noticed that the room was barricaded by heavy iron bars. I crept the remaining distance as fast as I dared, and stopped right next to where the gate began. What I saw was shocking.

It was no doubt a prison room. The air was filled with a foul stench, one that I didn't care to identify. On my level I could see at least half-a-dozen prison cells, each illuminated by an unpleasant green light. However, there were at least fifty more stretching the length of a deep pit in the middle of the room. And rising up from the center of that was a large platform, with the machine that was no doubt creating the sounds I heard. It was a colossal piece of machinery. There was a large tank suspended from the ceiling, and protruding from the bottom were several pointed shards that looked like needles and various other things like metal arms and claws. Underneath it all was a chair.

And in that chair was a blond man. No, it was a kid. It was the kid they had arrested earlier!

As the scene unfolded, purple sparks of electricity began to shoot out of the machine, almost as if it had overloaded. No, it wasn't electricity. It was Eco. Dark Eco. The most dangerous and deadly substance known to man. Dark Eco destroyed everything it touched, but the sparks seemed less harmful. Combined with the frightening hum, the mechanism began to look more and more threatening. The tank lowered, and I thought the movement was happening on its own. Then, beside the whole device, I saw a control panel being worked by a short man with fiery orange hair in a Commander's uniform. And the sneer on his face was almost laughter.

I took off back down the hallway, not caring where I went, who saw me. Meanwhile, I shouted at Erol in my head, thinking of every insult I had ever used and more. I ran like there was no tomorrow, but I was still in earshot of the room when the screaming began.

I clamped my hands over my ears and bit my bottom lip to keep myself from screaming. I didn't care what was happening around me. I could only form one rational thought. The KG were evil. And Erol was the evil mastermind behind it all.

I ran until I was out of breath. My head spun and my lungs burned, but even then I found the strength to keep running. I tore through the corridors until I ended up next to the electric barrier again. My feet stopped just a split-second before I was sent flying into the beams. I had the sense to stay put, hidden by an open door until someone came along. The beams shut off momentarily, and I bolted off again. I didn't think about where I was going, only about where I wanted to end up.

I stopped by my quarters, but only briefly. I changed into regular clothes and threw my KG uniform to the ground, disgusted. I didn't think I needed a backpack, but it looked useful, so I grabbed one anyway. Into it I put my trainee Eco pistol, a pocketknife, a couple water bottles, and a few fruits I had smuggled out of the cafeteria in the event that I'd get hungry one night. As an afterthought, I grabbed the precious blue Eco stone Lex had given me two years ago and gently wrapped it in an extra sweater. Then I took off again.

The door patroller shouted at me as I jumped through the exit, but I ignored him and kept running. My pace had slowed considerably, but I sprinted nonetheless. I had an excellent sense of direction, and was in no danger of getting lost, so I let my subconscious mind be my guide.

I ran for an undetermined amount of time. But the whole time, not once did I look back.

Nothing in the world would ever make me go back there.

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~Fishyicon