Thank you to everyone who reviewed or even just read my last part. Special thanks to "Unohoo" for reviewing with good advice! I love when people tell me what to look out for, things to include/remember, etc. Hint, hint… Also thanks to LeiaOrganicSolo, because she called Shae cool! You two rock! This chapter goes out to you.

I'd like to give credit here to my awesome beta, EcoSeeker247. Thank you infinitely for your hard work and kind comments!

Anyway, the first bit of this chapter gets a little slow, so feel free to skim it a little if you want. But you'll probably want to read what follows, as it contains actual information pertaining to the story.

Anita, love you! Hope you're having an awesome summer!

One more thing - Canadians spell things differently, so if something says it's spelled wrong, it might just be my way to spell it.

Disclaimer: I do not own the title "Jak and Daxter". Naughty Dog does!

Part 1: Chapter 5: Meeting Qualifications

"Okay, your turn," I said, taking a sip from the glass that Tess had set out in front of me. She'd said it was fruit juice, but it tasted a bit too unique for my taste. I made a sour face and pushed it away from me.

"My turn for what?" Tess asked, frowning both at my statement and my rejection of the drink. "It's just Jova juice, by the way."

"No, it isn't," I said, eyebrows raised suspiciously. I had tasted Jova juice and just plain Jova fruit many times, and this was not even close to it. "And it's your turn to answer one of my questions."

"I thought we were all even now!"

I sighed. "Tess, I think we can drop the whole 'getting even' thing now."

She rolled her eyes and scoffed, but giggled too. I had learned that Tess was a pretty easy going person, and that if she smiled or laughed, you were forgiven.

"Okay, we're just two friends chatting; no more favours owed. Are you happy now?" she asked.

"Ecstatic," I replied, "Now, your question." I lowered my voice and leaned in from my position on the bar stool. Tess, who was standing on the other side of the counter, mirrored me. Our heads were only a few inches apart.

"What were you doing with that battery from the message board earlier?" I asked, quiet enough that none of the other patrons would hear. We were moving into the night hours, and the Hip Hog Heaven Saloon was filling up fast. Thankfully, it didn't look like it would be a very busy night. Still, there was a near constant flow of customers coming up and ordering drinks. Very altruistically, Tess was letting her brunette partner Amber tend the bar, while she chatted up a storm with me. By the way Amber took it without a complaint, I got the feeling that Tess shirking her responsibilities was not atypical.

"How do you know that's what it was?" Tess challenged.

"Because I heard that the Guards were looking for someone who had tampered with one of the electronic message boards. You were holding a contraption, and you were hiding from them. Don't tell me I drew the wrong conclusions," I finished.

She stared at me intently, as if deciding whether to trust me. I met her gaze.

She sighed. "It was a data block, not a battery," she said eventually.

"What does that do?" I asked, intrigued now. I knew all this information unintended for me was going to come back and bite me in the butt, but I needed to know. "I mean, why did you have it?"

"Listen, I trust you, Shae, but you have to swear not to tell anyone. I've never told anyone else before," she said very uncharacteristically, "You have no idea how secret this information is."

"You don't have to tell me, Tess," I reassured her, but we both noticed how my body language was screaming, "Tell me, tell me!"

She took a deep breath, and very quietly, began her story.

"I work for a secret organization trying to put the city back in order." She spoke quietly and urgently, glancing around at irregular intervals, assuring herself that no one was eavesdropping. Her deep sky blue eyes were sharp and cold, as well as her voice. "Put the city back in order here meaning 'get Praxis off the throne'. It's called the Underground, and it's co-headed by an old friend of mine. He sent me on a mission: to replace the content of the one of the message boards in Main Town. I'm good with tools, but the KG caught me before I could replace the block." She paused, seeing if I was keeping up. I was, but I had a question.

"So the data block you had was the one you needed to replace?" I asked. She nodded. "What did it say?"

"It was supposed to bring favour and new recruits to the Underground, and reveal some of the bad stuff the Baron is doing. I don't know exactly."

"What sort of bad stuff?" I asked. I was full of questions.

"You mean you don't know?" she asked, raising her voice loud enough that a few people glanced up from their drinks and over to us. Tess waved them off, and they returned to their conversations.

"Word is that the Baron is cooperating with the Metal Heads. I don't know much else."

"What do you mean, 'cooperating' with them?" I asked.

"I said I don't know. But I do know that there's something going on here, and the Baron is more than just a bad ruler. He's all-around bad." She paused. "That's all I can tell you."

I nodded. I had half a mind to tell her what I had found out about Erol in the Prison, but decided to keep quiet for the time being.

"Shae?" Tess asked, pulling me out of my train of thought. "Are you okay? Do you need anything?"

I smiled and shook my head. "No, thanks. I think I'll just crash." I stood up and began to trudge over to the door that led to the back room, my footsteps as heavy and heedless as the previous night. I stopped with my hands on the door.

"Hey, Tess?" She turned her attention from where the customer who had filled my seat. "Thanks. And don't worry, your secret is safe with me."

She smiled. "See you in the morning."

I pushed through the door and seated myself heavily on the cot. I began to untie my boots. Once they were off, I looked up to face a small mirror. I studied my reflection, and for the second time that night, I was shocked by my appearance.

Tess had cut my hair, and it was now cropped short. It stuck out in spiky tufts, like it did even when it was long. However, she had left a thick piece to act as bangs hang in front of the left side of my face. It looked very cool, and even though it was short like Lex's and Erol's, it was unique enough that I looked like I was a cousin instead of a sibling. Plus, half of my features were concealed, so the left side didn't appear equivalent to the right, and my particular facial structure looked less questionable.

Tess was a certified genius in my book.

Smiling at my disguise, I flipped off the light and tucked into bed. If you ignored the smell of alcohol, it was one of the nicest places I could think to sleep.

As much as I wanted some alone time to think things over, the moment my head touched the pillow, I was out like a light.

The bass music from the bar played all night, and it was rather aggravating to have to listen to it. Whenever Tess came in, I lay still and made my breaths more deep and regular, but needless to say, I didn't get much sleep that night. The dark, distinct circles under my eyes were my most prominent feature at first glance in the mirror. I groaned and gaited sluggishly out to the main room.

Tess and Amber were cleaning the room, each doing her own work; Tess was wiping the back counter with a wet rag, and Amber was sweeping the floor with the help of an old broom. I remembered when I had one like that at my old house…

I shook my head and suppressed all those pleasant yet vexatious memories. There would be time to let my mind wander when I was alone.

Tess looked up and smiled at me. She was so cheerful. "Good morning!" she greeted animatedly. Actually, animated was probably the perfect word to describe her. All of her receptions and just her all around attitude were much exaggerated. It was reassuring to find someone like that in a world where nearly everyone was cheerless, serious, unimpressionable.

I returned the smile and the greeting. Then, after gathering a dusty tray from behind the counter, I went around and collected all the glasses and mugs. With the three of us working collectively, the task of neatening the dirty room was completed in record time. We made idle chitchat while toiling around, and I couldn't help but notice how nice it felt to be just… a girl. A fourteen-year-old girl enjoying herself with a couple of other girlfriends. As opposed to a fourteen-year-old Junior KG training with a couple of others in the same horrible predicament.

I sighed. It felt nice.

But I knew it wouldn't last; a hiatus like that could never last.

Later, we sat up at the counter, each of us in what had become our respective stools. Amber was telling us about her plans to get out of the work circuit, maybe join a racing team in Kras City. I admired her determination to live her own life, not the life she had been forced to live.

Just like you, said the little voice in my head. Yeah, I thought, just like me.

"What time is it?" Tess asked casually. Amber turned around to look at the neon clock set on the wall above the door.

"Eleven o'clock," she replied, and went back to her story. I was entranced by her life and dreams, but Tess snapped out of her tranquil mood. She did a double-take on the clock and suddenly had me on my feet.

"Tess, what are you doing?" I asked a split-second too late, for she had already torn into the back room. She was out just as rapidly, helping the small backpack onto my shoulders.

"Tess, seriously, what's happening?" I repeated, suddenly on high alert, my eyes and ears sharp and aware of everything around me, every bystander in the room, every detail and colour flashing around me.

"It's eleven o'clock!" she cried, which told me nothing. She was trying to push me towards the exit, but I planted my boots firmly on the floor, assuming a stable defence stance. By this time, Amber was on her feet, cautiously making her way around the bar, as if she thought Tess might reach out and strike her at any moment.

Once her grip relaxed, I whirled on her and tried to glare at her in a way that would prompt her to tell me what was so important (try being the operative word there). However, she was a bit taller than me, and of course, she merely countered with her icy stare.

We were locked in place, neither of us giving the other any leeway. Amber came up beside us. Apparently she had squelched her immediate fear of Tess.

"Okay, what's going on you two?" she asked firmly, her green eyes shooting between us. We both loosened up a bit.

It was Tess's turn to whirl on Amber now. "Eleven o'clock, in the morning, Am!" she shouted again, her logic only apparent to herself. "On a Saturday! You know what happens, right?"

Amber's eyes widened. I thought I heard her mumble something along the lines of "oh," but her voice was fairly unintelligible.

"Okay, seriously, what is going on, you two?" I shouted, my impatience and anger getting the better of me. It might have been more effective to try to calm them down and politely press on until I had a suitable answer. But I knew my limits, and I knew that I couldn't put on such an act. I had no experience lying whatsoever. Then again, my face had always been hidden by a mask or goggles when it had counted.

"Look, Shae, you need to go," Amber said tersely.

"I understand that," I said, "What I don't understand is, why do I need to go?"

"The boss is coming in, and he doesn't like houseguests." Tess said. Her eyes were focused on me so intensely that one would think she was trying to will me out the door. It wasn't working.

I looked at her, at both of them, my expression somewhere between aghast and disbelieving. "That's what this fuss is about? You don't want your boss to see me, because he might get mad?"

"Seriously, you don't want to mess with Krew," Amber said, her eyes actually… worrisome?

"Obviously, you don't know me well enough. I don't care if some authority figure gets mad at me. I've grown up in the Krimzon Guard, and let me tell you, I'm the worst recruit they've ever seen. Disobeying the law is something of a passion of mine."

"I understand that, but Krew is ten times worse than anything or anyone you've faced before," Amber said. I gave her a look that told her to drop it.

"Am, why don't you go pack some food for Shae?" Tess suggested, and Amber (shockingly) complied, backing towards the counter I was now so familiar with.

"Shae, I don't actually work for Krew," Tess told me, completely off-subject, "I'm here as a spy for the Underground. Am and I aren't joking when we say you need to go, but I'm not going to just leave you like that." Something inside me lit up. I felt touched that this girl, Tess, whom I had met just over twenty-four hours ago, would go through all the trouble just to help me.

"Thanks," I said shyly, my head cringing away slightly to support my tone.

Tess smiled and pressed on. "Go to the Slums. The Underground operates in a dead-end alley in the near the northeast wall. You know the lower corner that got formed after the attack on Dead Town?" I gingerly nodded my head. I remembered that night vividly. "That's where it is. You'll know it when you see it."

"Okay," I said, "but how does this relate to me?"

Tess smiled in that sly way she had. "I want you to join." My eyes grew to the size of a Jova fruit, and I was surprised Amber didn't look over in alarm.

Tess giggled at my reaction, but quickly collected herself. "Seriously, you'd be great. I'm sure the leader, the Shadow, would love someone as quick and cunning as you. Torn might be harder to convince, but tell him I sent you." Torn. Why does that name sound familiar? "Don't tell him what you can do, show him. And don't take no for an answer."

She looked as if she wanted to say more, but Amber came over and placed the assortment of food into my backpack. She smiled and gave me a quick farewell hug. It felt odd, having someone so physically close to me. The only person I had hugged in the last year was Lex, and even that had only been once or twice. Like the time he had gotten completely beat up in hand-to-hand combat training, and they had dismissed him at the infirmary, saying the injuries would "heal with time". Or the time I had gotten in trouble for talking back to an officer, and Erol had shown up to lecture me, in that "special" way he had. Both of those wounds had left lasting scars.

Next, Tess gave me a hug, much warmer and more comforting than Amber's. I didn't know what to do to return the gesture, so I just kept my arms awkwardly around her middle.

"Good luck," she whispered in my ear, and I could almost feel the smile. I could picture the way her eyes lit up, the way her face brightened, the way the corners of her mouth turned up in a glowing, symmetrical grin.

We all waved goodbye, and I stepped through the automatic door, onto the bare streets of Haven City's Port. There were those automatic message boards distributed along the sides of the streets. The occasional Zoomer flew over my head. Everything seemed normal.

Then a squad of patrol KG marched by, and I reflexively stepped back, trying to dissipate into the shadows. It didn't work as adequately as I'd have liked, but they guards ignored me all the same. I let out a breath I hadn't known I was holding, and gradually began the long trek to the Slums.

Just like that, my peaceful respite was effectively over.

I stood there, in the dead-end alley near the Shield Wall in the Slums, and observed what was right in front of me: a wall. A big, concrete wall with an odd symbol hastily painted on in with poison green. I had to be missing something obvious, but it was merely a wall. No more, no less.

I knocked on the surrounding doors for good measure, but to no avail. I was smart enough to know that the wall was indeed the key, what Tess had been talking about. But I was not smart enough to see what she had meant for me to do once I got past this point.

I crossed to the opposite side of the alley and sat down, feeling strangely defeated. I had come all this way for nothing. By the looks of things, the streets would be my home tonight. My head leaned against the wall and I pulled my legs in, wrapping my arms around them to keep warm. It had taken me over an hour to walk from the Port to the Slums, and there had been light rain as I passed through the Industrial Area. So, I sat there huddled up and pathetic, feeling cold, wet, and miserable.

I closed my eyes and hunched my head as the sky began to drip cold, acid rain again. Thankfully, the roof of the house at my back protruded a bit, so it offered modest shelter.

There were many places to hide out and find shelter in Haven City, but I was too discouraged to find any of them. So I sat there, wet and crestfallen, and thought.

I thought about the people I knew. Tess, who was so selfless and helpful, who brightened my day and forced the sun to shine with her menacing glare. Amber, who was friendly and ambitious. Erol, who was so cruel and evil there were no words to describe it. Every time I thought about him it made my blood run cold. And Lex, my brother I knew so well and missed so much, the only element that guaranteed I regretted running off like that. I decided that if I was still alive in a week I would go look for him and give him a proper goodbye.

I thought about Haven City, and the Baron. I knew it was him who had turned Erol from the brother I loved to the core of all evil, and he was going to pay for doing that to my brother, to me. The Baron was the one that ensured that innocent people had to live in poverty, in these dead-end alleys with burning garbage cans and cramped, inadequate living spaces. The Baron was the one that had created the Krimzon Guard to "serve and protect" the city. Even though all he was doing was bringing on his own destruction.

I smiled in spite of myself. The Baron had it coming for him.

Then I thought about that blond kid, Jak. He was a mystery. All I knew was that he had fallen from the sky, his best friend was a rat, and he was being wrongfully imprisoned and experimented upon. What has the world come to, I wondered, when those are the only things you know about someone?

Then I thought of the answer: it meant the world had come to war. And in war, you had to pick a side. The choice was simple. It was either the KG or the Underground.

But how could I choose when I had a reason to fight for both, and a reason to fight against both at the same time? The KG was wrong and unfair, and its members were inadvertently destroying the city, piece by piece. But I had heard storied of the Underground rebels killing innocent people just to accomplish its goals of undermining the KG. Neither was good, but which was the worst? Which was the best? I needed to decide, and decide fast…

A strange sound coming from behind the wall with the Underground symbol startled me out of my reflection. The sound barely reached me over the drumming of the rain on the stone ground, but I heard it nonetheless: footsteps.

I didn't have time to react before the used-to-be secure wall slid open with a nasty grinding sound. Behind it was a low passageway. I reckoned it led to the Hideout. Out stepped a man with auburn hair tied back in dreadlocks and odd grey pattern tattooed on his face. I immediately attributed it to be the same one Guards sported. He also had two Eco pistols tucked into his belt, and a long knife sheathed on his back. He was unnaturally tall, and looked down at me with icy blue eyes.

To sum up his entire appearance, he scared me. A lot.

"Scram, kid," he said in an abnormally rough, scratchy voice. What does he do, gargle with nails? I thought. Despite my overwhelming desire to do precisely what he'd asked, I stood up and did my best Guard impression, trying to look intimidating as I'd been taught.

He smirked. "Cute."

"Are you, um, the Shadow?" I asked hesitantly. He cocked his head and looked at me strangely, as if he was trying to decide whether I was serious.

"No," he said convincingly.

"Go away, kid," he ordered, and turned back into the small corridor. He had to duck his head to avoid smashing it against the ceiling.

Once again, I suppressed my fear as I took two heavy steps towards him. He heard me and turned back.

"Are you Torn, then?" I asked, my voice sounding much more courageous than I felt. When had I developed the ability to lie like that?

He eyed me suspiciously. "Who are you, kid? And what the hell are you doing here?"

"My name is Shae," I replied, "And I'm here to join the Underground."

He gave a half smile, but it was still extremely cold and disapproving. I heard a low chuckle under his breath. "Funny."

"No, really," I persisted. Tess had told me not to take no for an answer. Then I thought of something. "Tess sent me."

He quit his sad excuse for laughing and stared at me. "Is that so?" he asked coldly. Every survival instinct I had was telling me to run right away, but still I held my ground.

"Yes. In fact, she recommended me."

"We ain't running a babysitting service here, kid. Now run away while you still can," he said. His tone sent chills through my spine. I actually shivered.

What had Tess told me? Show him what you can do. I thought. What could I do? I could fight well enough. I held a decent gun, but my aim was questionable at best.

Making a split decision, I mustered all the strength I could and gave Torn a solid uppercut, right to the lower jaw. He stumbled back a bit, and his face was shocked. I grinned wickedly at him, feeling relatively proud of myself.

Before I could blink, I was met with a swift roundhouse kick to the chest. The force of the strike literally sent me flying into the adjacent wall. My head was bashed against the stone wall, and pain erupted at the back of my skull. I fingered it gently, but there was no blood. Just a bruise that would be the size of my fist in an hour. That one kick had banged me up quite a bit, not to mention that I was still gasping for breath. I wondered if the kick had cracked one of my ribs.

I stood up slowly, and faced Torn with an angry glare. He returned it, but infinitely more intimidating.

"Apparently you have a death wish," he said, cocking his head as he strode towards me. He didn't seem to have suffered any side effects from my attack. "I can help you with that, but I think Tess would get mad. So I'm going to tell you one more time: Walk. Away."

I weighed my options. On one hand, I could go back to Tess and tell her what had happened. But I needed to show Torn that I was strong and independent. I straightened up and said, "No." Then I braced myself to evade another hit.

But he said nothing, and just continued to glare his icy glare. Slightly encouraged by that, I pressed on. "I can fight, shoot and run. I'm extremely smart and cunning, and," I hesitated before saying the next part. "I have connections with the KG."

"We don't need connections. We have plenty of spies."

I took a deep breath. I couldn't take no for an answer, and this was the only way Torn would even give me a chance. "I have a direct connection with Erol," I said, enjoying it when his eyes widened.

"What direct connection?" he asked neutrally. But I knew he was dying of curiosity.

"Erol is… my brother," I said finally.

"And you could get information from him?" he asked, calling my bluff. I had run away from home, but with good planning and possibly some help, I was certain I could get him some valuable knowledge.

"Yes."

"You're not in," he said, and my heart fell. Had I just revealed my secret for nothing?

"But," he continued, "We might be able to use you. As long as you have some good skills."

I was jumping for joy inside, but desperately tried to collect my expression. "What kind of skills?" I asked in a reasonably controlled voice.

"Shoot that," he instructed, indicating a miniscule painted symbol on the wall at the back of the alley. My chest fell. My shooting was only moderate; how was I going to hit that?

He handed me one of his Eco pistols, and I took aim, exercising great caution to be precise. I held my arm out straight, gripped the gun tightly, pulled the trigger, and…

Missed. I missed the target by several inches. The world had still been spinning from my head wound when I had taken aim, so I appointed my weakness to that. Torn frowned at me, unimpressed. I smiled shyly, and returned the gun to him.

"Well, you can't shoot, but a bad shot is better than no shot at all. And I know that you have 'trained skills' in melee…." He trailed off, his voice dripping with sarcasm. I blushed slightly. "What can you do?"

Once again, I scrolled through my arsenal. Not fighting, not shooting, certainly not acting…

Then it dawned on me. "I can race."

"That doesn't help us," he snarled. "You'd do better at the stadium."

"But I can run errands, avoid guards, and make quick getaways. I can even be an escort!" I said.

Suddenly, Torn smiled evilly. I cringed again. "Then prove it," he said. "Compete in the upcoming Class 3 NYFE race."

"I'm not old enough!" I shouted. You had to be sixteen to compete in any official tournament.

"You're not old enough to join the Underground, either," he reminded me. "But prove you act older than you look, and maybe we'll talk. Place first, or you're as useless as you look, and you can run home to Erol."

That did it. "You can bet on it. See you in the winner's circle," I said, and intentionally tossed my bangs out of my eyes as I spun my head around. However, the action made my injury pulse painfully. As soon as I was out of eye and earshot, a groan escaped my lips and I clenched my head with my hand.

The rain continued to pour. As I walked through the crooked streets, wincing in pain, I tried to think of a way to somehow get into the NYFE race. And even if I won, how would I accept the trophy? Everyone would see my face, and I would be disqualified for entering illegally. And then, I would face horrible consequences that I didn't even want to think about…

Just then, I looked up and my eyes focused in on a house. It took me a minute, but with a flash, I recognized it.

My old house. The one I had lived in before Erol had gotten promoted, before I had joined the Guard, before Erol had become evil, before I had learned about the Underground, and before my world had been turned upside down.

Despite every command I was shouting in my head, tears began to well up in my eyes and my throat closed up. I didn't have time to crawl into a dark corner before I was letting out all the tears that had been held in for days.

A perfect end to my perfect afternoon.

I know most of you caught the whole "gargles with nails" thing. My only defence is I had to. I couldn't help myself.

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See you all next time!

~Fishyicon