A/N: Hello! I'm sorry I haven't updated in so long. Or maybe it hasn't been that long. I don't really know, I just know that it's been way too long since I've written anything. I mean, my writer's block was so bad, I couldn't write for this story, my new story I'm planning, any one-shots, or my original trilogy. This is just sad. But I'm back and better than ever, with increased vocabulary, people! This may get rough, so hold onto your seats.
Also, I can type faster! I got that whole paragraph down in about 30 seconds! YEAH!
Thank you to all the people that have read and/or review so far… you six know whom you are. This chapter goes out to LeiaOrganicSolo and EcoSeeker247. Thank you for helping me get over my writer's block. Of course, this whole story is still dedicated to my BFF, Anita. Love you, honey!
Disclaimer: I do not own the title "Jak and Daxter". Naughty Dog does! Now, let's start with the actual story, shall we? Thank you if you've read this whole thing. I tend to get carried away sometimes…
Enjoy!
Part 1: Chapter 4: Rocky Shelter
In retrospect, I can definitely say that running away was not one of my best ideas ever. But I didn't have that many options. My whole world got turned upside down; right was wrong, left was right, good was evil.
One might recall that I had planned where I wanted to end up. Well, I knew I wanted to end up outside the Prison, but my thoughts didn't go much past that. I was running like there was no tomorrow, so the direction in which I was going was not as high on my list of priorities as I would have liked it to be. Please feel free to laugh at my intelligence and good planning. Or lack thereof.
When my feet finally began to tire out, I collapsed on the ground. Fortunately, I had somehow found my way to the Gardens, so the soft grass cushioned my fall. I lay there for an indeterminate amount of time, panting and fighting the blanket of unconsciousness that threatened to envelop me at any given point.
My eyes slid closed against my will, but I was deep enough in thought that falling asleep wasn't going to be an issue. I tried not to think about my "adventures" in the Prison earlier… or yesterday. What day was it? I hadn't been sure of which day of the week when I had started the day, but I wanted to know if an entire day had passed since Erol had come to fetch me to go on the "hunt and arrest" mission. I opened my eyes. The sky was dark, but there were a few rays of sun peaking over the horizon.
Or, at least I thought the sun was over the horizon. It was hard to tell when I was surrounded by twenty foot tall industrial shield walls on every side.
Upon further observation, I was positive that there were in fact light pink and coral streaks in the sky. The question was, did that mean it was morning or evening. Only time would tell.
I registered that my eyes were closed once again. With considerable effort, I forced them open. Then I heaved a sigh of exhaustion rather awkwardly from my lying position. I was tired, more tired than I could ever remember being before. I needed to sleep. That much was obvious.
I hauled my body into a standing position, feeling like I was twice my normal weight. Stretching my back, I began to look for somewhere suitable to sleep. By the looks of things, I was in the Southern Garden, the one that joined with the Port around the corner. I moved sluggishly along the dirt path, trying not to draw too much attention to myself. But it wasn't too long before I realized I wouldn't have the energy to make it all the way to the Port.
Sighing disappointedly at this minor setback, my clouded eyes scanned the perimeter once again. I pinpointed a large, concealing boulder a few meters off the path. I forced my blistered feet to carry me the short distance, but it felt like miles. My eyes glanced at my surroundings one last time, but since no one appeared to be watching, I lay back on the cool grass. The boulder offered generous camouflage, obscuring me from view of any passerby.
The ground was nice, comforting. I placed my backpack behind my head to use as a pillow. The night was cool, but I didn't want to grab my sweater yet. It would have been nicer to find a restaurant or something of the like in the Port, but that wasn't going to happen. My present accommodations were moderate at best, but I had barely had the strength to bring myself to it, let alone bring myself somewhere else.
I finally closed my eyelids on my own accord, happy to be safe for the time being. Once I was rested, everything else would heal itself on its own. I would eat the following day, find something to occupy my time, maybe even earn a bit of money. The day had been disastrous, but everything would be sorted out soon. I would be completely and utterly fine.
That was pretty good. I almost convinced myself.
The last thing I thought before falling asleep was that I had spent an unnatural amount of time on the ground that day…
"Hey, Miss, are you okay?"
I groaned and rubbed my eyes, not willing to sit up yet. Both suns shone very brightly, and the light they gave off had penetrated the thin barrier that was my eyelids. When the world finally came into perspective, I was a little shocked at what I saw.
A young woman, at least twenty years old, was standing over me, her shadow casting a bit of cover for my eyes. She had blond hair and blue eyes, the brightest I'd ever seen. She watched me with a concerned expression. It came to my attention that she had asked a question.
"Uh…" I replied. Smooth.
"I said, are you okay?" Her soft voice chimed like bells.
"Uh, yeah, I think," I said, and forced myself in to a sitting position. The girl crouched down next to me.
"What are you doing here?" she asked in a "let's get right down to it" tone that was firm but gentle at the same time.
"Sleeping," I told her hazily, roughly rubbing my fists over my eyes. "What did it look like?"
She looked taken aback. I hoped I hadn't offended her, but it was her fault. She had woken me up, and I tended to be a little irritable in the early hours.
"Sorry," she said, "but I just saw you there and thought you needed some help."
"Yeah, well, I'm fine, as you can…" Something occurred to me. "Wait, what are you doing here? I mean, you can't see me from the road." How had she found my safe little hiding spot? I wasn't visible from the road, so she must have been on her way over before she noticed me.
"Oh, well, I… uh… you see I was…" she stammered, and her face flushed. I hoped the smug look of satisfaction on my face wasn't too clear.
I opened my mouth to say something smart, but before I knew what was happening, I found myself shoved against the back of the boulder, the girl's hand closed over my mouth. I tried to scream, but she shushed me quickly, and for some reason I took her seriously. She moved with a speed and stealth that I didn't think was possible for someone like her to use. The top of her head peeped out of the side of the boulder, and she glanced around. Her hand remained over my mouth.
Suddenly, she moved again, pressing herself against the boulder beside me. I had to give her credit; she was good. Normally, I would have been thrashing and protesting against her, but something in her sharp eyes made me sit still and quietly. She turned away from me.
I heard voices behind us. I didn't recognize them, but there was still something familiar about the tone. I listened closely, applying my trained ears.
Unfortunately, the boulder proved to be very, very soundproof, and I couldn't make out any full sentences. But I recognized the tinny voice that came out of the headsets. It was a troop of Krimzon Guard. And the intent of their conversation was clear: something about a girl tampering with one of the electronic message boards.
Without alerting my neighbour, I shot my eyes over to her hands. They held some sort of battery pack, and she had a screwdriver tucked into her pocket.
My eyes widened, and I drew in a deep breath. Even as a Junior KG, I knew how much trouble she would get into for that. The girl next to me turned to her other side just then, and her eyes met mine. She was a smart girl, fully capable of putting two and two together. I opened my mouth under her hand, and prepared to rat her out. In that instant, we both stared at each other. My eyes shot daggers at her, hers were pleading.
That put me in a good position for negotiations. I pointed to the hand that was still clamped over my lips, and she reluctantly let it slide off my face and back into her lap, where it cradled the contraption in her lap. She watched as I glanced down at it again, then back up at her. I hoped she could read my mind. Or, at the very least, see what I was trying to tell her.
"Please don't," she said. It was barely a whisper, barely a sound at all.
"Why shouldn't I?" I whispered harshly. I used the threatening posture I had been taught in Guard training, although I was certain I wouldn't have the guts to give this girl to the KG. I was glad that I was able to keep up a good persona, unlike my usual "see right through me" self.
"I can help you," she replied, quiet as a breath.
"I don't need help."
"Whatever you need, really." She was practically begging.
I sighed. I couldn't hold up much longer against her pleading, crocadog eyes. "Fine."
She smiled, and her face lit up like both of the suns together.
We sat for a few minutes, waiting for the Guards to clear out. We were both on high alert, twitching at every sound or shuffle. Nonetheless, we remained completely inconspicuous. Rather inconveniently, the Guards had set up a temporary grouping place only a couple meters in front of our rock, and more and more kept arriving to give updates. It all sounded like mumbling to me, but I blamed the boulder.
Eventually, the Guards all signed off and went back to their normal patrols. The girl and I waited another five minutes before relaxing our rigid poses. We sighed with relief simultaneously.
"Thank you," she breathed. "Anything you want, you got it."
I thought about that momentarily. Anything I wanted? Well, I wanted Erol to be nice again, I wanted Lex to support me like he used to, I wanted that idiot Baron Praxis off the throne, I wanted the Metal Head monsters to all disappear and stop threatening our reasonably safe way of life, and I wanted my life to go back to normal. But I settled for something slightly more attainable.
"How about some food and a place to stay?" I didn't want to sleep in the grass again. Look where it had gotten me!
She smiled again. "Of course. I work at a bar in the Port. You can come there, I'll fix you a meal and I'll set you up with a cot in the back tonight."
I returned the smile. "Thanks." It seemed like I was getting more out of the deal than her, but I needed a place to stay for the time being while I sorted things out. And Erol had inadvertently taught me to always win at whatever costs. Looks like his pointless life lesson was actually turning out helpful.
We both stood up and stretched. Our heads would have peaked up over the boulder, but we took caution not to put ourselves right out in the open. My new friend took a step out from around the boulder, prepared to join in with the pedestrian traffic, but something dawned on me. I yanked her back by the arm that wasn't holding the battery pack.
"You can't go out there like that!" I practically shouted. She looked confused. "Your blond hair is way too noticeable. We'll need to disguise you. I mean, you were just being chased by a battalion of KG!"
She giggled, but frowned again just as quickly. She looked down, and I followed her gaze. Oh. She was wearing a pink tank top, jean shorts and boots covered with greaves of Precursor metal. She had nothing to disguise herself with.
I thought for a moment, and then had an idea. I reached into my backpack and pulled out the extra sweater I had stuffed into it. I shook it out roughly, and something caught my eye. Something blue and glowing tumbled onto the grass. My blue Eco crystal! I had forgotten about that. I handed the girl my sweater and reached down to grab the crystal. But when I looked back up, her eyes were fixed on my hands, her posture stiff. She looked shocked.
"What?" I asked, eyeing her curiously.
"That Eco crystal… where did you get it?" she asked, still mesmerized by it. I shrugged nonchalantly.
"You already owe me one favour… let's not push it," I said. She shook her head as if to clear her thoughts and smiled at me.
"Sorry. You're right. Let's get even first, and then we can start asking questions." She winked at me, and I jumped with a bit of a start. How did she know I had questions for her as well? I looked at her questioningly, but she just smiled and put a finger to her lips.
She swathed her beautiful blond hair in the sweater, and looked at me for approval. It looked ridiculous, but I tried to keep an impassive expression. I gave her a thumbs-up, and we stepped out onto the dirt road.
"I'm Shae, by the way," I told her, extending a hand in greeting.
She smiled and shook it. "Tess."
Tess walked with me back to the bar she had described. The Port was a large basin of foul, polluted water, surrounded by a few shops and, yes, bars. There were three exits; one led to the Industrial Zone, one led to a section of Main Town, and the third led to the Gardens. The bar Tess worked at, the Hip Hog Heaven Saloon, was placed between the exits to the Gardens and Main Town. Near the back of the Port, in the southernmost point of the city, were two large towers that connected electrical lines. Residents of Haven called them the Port Towers. We're a creative bunch.
The Hip Hog Heaven Saloon looked as inviting as a bar could from the outside, with a 3D neon sign that depicted a large hip hog, and below that was the name spelled out in the Precursor alphabet. However, it was not as pleasant inside. It was a cramped, musty place, with an old bar counter at the back and poorly lit booths lining the sides. There was what appeared to be a sort of boxing ring in the middle. And, of course, the entire place stank of alcohol.
I couldn't believe Tess expected me to sleep here. I was going to bolt back to my lovely boulder in the middle of the night.
However, the back room was actually somewhat nice. It was certainly small, dirty, and it stank of alcohol, but less so than the main room, and the all around feel was… cozy. My wonderful friend Tess pulled out a cot and a few blankets, setting them gently upon the makeshift bed. She smiled at me unexpectedly.
"I use this room sometimes, too," she explained. "You'll be just fine, but I may come and get some supplies at some point during the night. So don't say I didn't warn you."
Then we went back out into the main bar. Tess poured me a large glass of water, which I gulped down thirstily. I hadn't realized how thirsty I was. And once I thought about it, my stomach started growling. Tess poured me another glass and put some sort of meal in a contraption that looked strangely unlike a microwave. It served the same purpose, though, so I let my confusion slide.
Then, Tess had me explain what had happened. I told her the summarized version, downplaying many parts and excluding a few details altogether. I began from when I had gotten back from my little "errand" with Erol.
Oh, yeah, I also neglected to include my brothers' names and their positions. Not for them, but for me.
But Tess, smart cookie that she was, figured it out anyway. When I had finished my story, she was practically bursting with excitement.
"What?" I asked, and put another mouthful of stew through my lips.
"Your older brother… it's Erol!" she cried.
I looked around nervously, my head shooting from side to side. Fortunately, we were the only two in the bar, since it was late-afternoon. Apparently, it had indeed been early morning when I collapsed under the rock. I had run a good portion of the night. No wonder I was so tired.
I turned my head back to Tess. "How did you figure that out?" I asked.
"Oh, you look exactly the same. Your hair is the same colour, except yours is much longer, and your faces look the same." Oh, well, apart from that…
I realized I wasn't going to get far in this town if I looked exactly like Erol, the co-epitome of all evil.
"Tess," I began hesitantly, "could I ask you a favour?"
"No, we're all even now," she replied. I thought.
"What would it take?"
"Answer one of my questions," she decided.
"No way! I just told you my whole story – you owe me now!" I realized my voice was too loud again.
She giggled in the most girly way I'd ever seen anyone giggle. "No, you chose to do that. I get to pick this next question."
I frowned. Why had I suddenly spilled my life story to this girl I met not an hour ago? But there was no taking it back, and I trusted Tess.
"Fine." I surrendered. "What do you want to know?"
"Where did you get that blue Eco crystal?"
How was it that I knew that she would ask that question? Maybe the Precursors had enlightened me. And maybe Erol was the best brother anyone could ever hope for.
I thought back. I was careful not to relive all the emotions of that night so long ago, or I'd be sure to start crying. I only thought about Lex handing me the little box, explaining to me where it had come from.
"My brother Lex gave it to me," I said carefully. "He said he'd just found it lying around. Come to think of it, he said he found it near the Port. Maybe it was part of a bigger piece…?" I offered.
Tess nodded. She was visibly fighting to keep her expression collected. "Did he say where?" she prompted.
"I don't remember," I said, wracking my brain for any detail I may have left out. "Sorry."
"That's okay," she said smiling again. "Maybe we can look for it together!"
"Yeah," I agreed, but I knew the prospect of that happening was unlikely. "So, on to your part of the deal."
She looked at me, her eyes unreadable. I found it odd that someone who had as much difficulty as me trying to hide her emotions had such an expression in her arsenal. "What do you need?"
I took a deep breath. "I need to look different. Like, not at all like Erol. It's too dangerous. There may be… issues."
She smiled. It was an evil grin if I'd ever seen one. Well, except for Erol's. Once again, I asked myself how she could make her face give off such scary vibes.
"I can do that."
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~Fishyicon