Chapter 10
The Wastelanders

Alex stood back as far as he reasonably could, trying to regain his composure without looking like it. He had specifically avoided seeing Krew for the last two years, and now he saw why that had been a wise thing to do. His first instinct was to scream and tear his spiky hair out, but sense and reason dictated that they remain polite for the sake of business.

For all their sakes, he decided to go back and wait near the door.

Fortunately, Jak and Daxter were very quick to reassert themselves. "You Krew?" Daxter asked with his trademark confidence. "Well, we shook the heat, and your shipment's in primo condition."

"That's good, ey," Krew replied in a voice that was just as thick and sweaty as his body was, "because a cargo of rare Eco ore is worth more than ten of your lives."

With increasingly labored breath, Krew slowly hovered toward Jak with a grin that only held a handful of gross, yellow teeth. "Mmm, and of course, I'd be forced to collect... slowly."

Chuckling, he began to hover around Jak, who just glared back without losing any ground. "The Underground will take anyone with a pulse these days." Daxter then jumped onto Jak's shoulder plate, and Krew immediately took notice. "And what do we have here...? The Shadow's mascot of the month?"

Daxter tried to look defiant, but his concentration broke when Krew scratched his chin and rubbed the fur on top of his head. "Oooh, soft..." Krew noted as he moved back. Glancing at his bodyguard, he said, "Sig, this fur would go well with my silk suits, ey?"

"Listen, eh, tons of fun," Daxter cut in nervously, "anyone can see that... you, uh, and I have the real juice in this 'burg..."

Everyone else in the room exchanged confused looks. But Daxter kept nervously rambling on. "We're both players, right? We're both lookin' for a piece of the action, right? I think we can do business... right?"

"We did you a favor! Now it's your turn," Jak interrupted, having had enough of Daxter's finesse and style. "Why is the Baron giving Eco to Metal Heads!"

Krew's face managed to get even uglier with his rage. "Questions like that could get a person killed, ey!" he shouted, closing in on Jak menacingly. "Sig! ...Pay 'el Capitan' and his friend... a bonus."

Sig nodded and slowly advanced on Jak. Ready for a fight, Jak brought his arms up in a defensive stance. But Sig instead shoved a gun into his hands. It was a weapon unlike anything either Jak or Alexander had ever seen. The main body of the gun housed two thick gunbarrels stacked on top of each other, the lower one extended a bit further. On top of the gun was a large red disc-like cartridge, presumably for Red Eco ammunition. It was a large, heavy piece of weaponry, but it looked far more powerful than the KG rifles or pistols.

Jak couldn't help but grin as he took what was called the Morph Gun.

"If you want to see what this baby can do," Krew continued, "try the Gun Course outside. Show me some skill with that hardware, and I'll hire you for a job or two, ey?"

Jak looked down at the gun, back up at Krew, then back down at the gun. With a shrug, he placed the gun in the convenient leather pouch on his back and walked toward the door. They passed Alexander on their way out.

Before they could say anything, Alex said, "I'll just wait here." As much as he didn't want to be around Krew, he wasn't enthused by the prospect of watching Jak go through gun training.

The protagonist nodded and walked out the door, leaving Alexander with Krew. Sig walked toward the back of the building on some errand. With nothing better to do, Krew finally took notice of the Interference. "And who might you be?" Krew asked, floating toward Alex slowly.

Fighting back the bile rising in his throat, Alex managed to say, "No one worth mentioning..." He was beginning to regret his choice. Maybe he could just wait outside... He decided that was a good idea and went for the door as well.

But Krew flew a bit more quickly and cut him off, nearly making Alex throw up right then and there. The stench...

As Alexander backed off, Krew grinned and floated toward him. "Fascinating weather we've had in the last few minutes, ey? Lightning doesn't strike this city often, you know..."

Alex was too busy suppressing his bodily functions to see what Krew was getting at. He backed up against one of the booths, holding a hand over his mouth.

Krew looked surprised for a moment. He grabbed Alex's covering hand with his fat digits and held it up, using his thumb to push down the cuff of the jacket. Alexander quickly pulled his arm back and choked down his own bile.

"Interesting..." Krew murmured.

"C-Cure!" Alexander groaned. Green light spread out from him as healing magic pushed away the feeling of nausea. He took a few deep breaths to steady himself, and glared at Krew.

"It's you," Krew stated simply, floating back with a mischievous smile on his face. "There are only a certain few... with those scars on their wrists."

Alex grunted angrily, averting his gaze from the crime boss. It'd been a long while since he'd been caught off guard like that. Weren't his magicked garments supposed to deal with that kind of stuff?

Krew looked thoughtful. "It's been a whole year, hasn't it? Not since Dead Town got its name..."

Alexander winced. Like he needed a reminder. "So what?" he muttered irritably. "Trust me, I'm not exactly on your side here."

"Hmph," Krew grunted. "That's not how this business works. We don't gather under one banner... We take turns, ey."

But he was cut off before he could continue with his analogy. Sig intruded upon the scene and looked at his employer. "They beat the course," he stated simply. "Got Bronze on it, too."

Krew looked like a greedy little kid. "Oooh... Very well, then." He seemed to consider something before saying, "Sig, you've heard of Alexander Karsath?"

Sig took a good hard look at Alex, who simply stared back. "...Yeah."

The crime lord grinned. "I was just explaining how a partnership might be... beneficial to both of us." Looking at Alex, he said, "It's a simple relationship when you get down to it, ey. You do what I want, and I'll give you the tools... to do what you want."

"Tough luck," Alex responded coldly. "I've already got all the tools I need. The magic, the shield... I've got it covered."

"Hmmhmmhmm..." Krew chuckled evilly. "Clearly. And you have the scars to show for it..."

Alex reflexively raised a fist. In a flash, Sig had the Metal Head skull on his rifle pointed at Alexander's chest.

The door to the pub opened, and Jak and Daxter walked through. Without missing a beat, Krew floated over to them with a business smile on his face. "Excellent shooting, Jak," he praised the protagonist. "Ever thought about being a Wastelander, hmmm?"

Sig lowered his rifle and rejoined his employer. Alex simply stood there and shook.

Jak glanced at Sig. "Can't say that I have," he replied honestly.

"Wastelanders find items from outside the city walls, ey," Krew explained. "Any artifact or weapon worth having comes through my hands. Work for me, and I'll throw some of the sweeter items your way, hmmm?"

"Kill Metal Heads? Get toys?" Jak said, stroking his goatee with a smirk. "Sounds good to me."

Daxter jumped onto Jak's shoulder. "Slow down, Jak and the fat man!" he cut in. "You two had better run that by me again, 'cause there's no way I'm going outside the city to face more Metal Heads!"

Krew quickly took the situation out of Daxter's hands. "Sig will show you the ropes," he said, floating away to let his bodyguard take charge.

As Daxter shook his head in dismay, Sig crossed his arms and grinned at the dynamic duo. "So you want to be Wastelanders, huh doughboys? Well, we'll see what you're made of when we get out in the thick."

From a ways behind Sig, Alex could see that Jak looked fairly intrigued. Daxter, on the other hand, was doing his best not to look too uncomfortable.

"Krew wants some new trophies to put butts in chairs at the Hip Hog," Sig explained. "So I'm gonna bag him five nasty Metal Heads at the Pumping Station."

Daxter gulped.

"Don't wet your fur, chili pepper," Sig reassured the Ottsel with a mad grin, "'cause we're rollin' with the Peace Maker!" With that, he hefted up his heavy rifle for them to see. Underneath the Metal Head skull was the barrel of a gun that looked frighteningly powerful.

In an instant, all of Daxter's fears were forgotten. "Woo! I need one o' those! Where'd you get it?"

"Don't ask," Krew cut in, flying back into the conversation circle. "Sig need somebody to watch his back while he hunts Metal Heads, ey?"

Alex, his pride momentarily swallowed at this point, also decided to rejoin the group on the other side of Sig. "Well... if we're heading out of the city, you're gonna need me. Heartless and whatnot..."

Sig nodded. "We'll meet at the Pumping Station. Listen, cherries, don't leave me dangling in the wind out there!"

Jak and Daxter got serious. More than ready to go, Jak said, "Let's do it."

Sig left ahead of them to scout out the area and give Jak and the group time to prepare for the mission. Soon after, Jak managed to hijack a heavy-double Zoomer for them to use. Alex climbed into the second seat, and soon they were flying through the streets of Haven City once again, heading back to the Slums.

"So what happened in there?" Jak quickly asked as he drove.

Alex tried not to grimace. He was hoping they wouldn't ask about the scene they had stumbled upon. Still, a noncommittal answer came to him quickly. "Let's just say I'm more popular than I thought I was."

"That's saying something," Daxter remarked from Jak's shoulder.

"It is," Alexander replied, pretending the Ottsel's jab had gone over his head.

They rode for a while in silence after that. Jak wove through the Industrial Sector and passed over a Heartless patrol. Alex was an uncomfortable passenger; he worried that the protagonists would press him harder and harder for questions about who he was and why he was there.

After a while, Jak said, "It looked like you were about to get shot."

"He caught me off guard," the Interference explained, completely honest this time. "He and I hadn't met before, but he'd heard of me. My abilities, my magics... they precede me."

"Hmph," Daxter grunted. "Better than everyone treating you like newbies! Right, Jak?"

Jak nodded. He dropped the Zoomer into the lower hover zone, setting down just a few feet above a wooden bridge. "We're here."

The trio disembarked from the Zoomer and passed through the security gate to the Pumping Station. As they stepped onto the sandy island, the glare from the setting sun forced them to shield their eyes somewhat. Near the first pumps ahead, they could see that the smaller critters from their last visit had been replaced by Metal Heads, mostly of the staff-wielding Juice Goon variety.

For a moment, Alexander forgot himself and cringed a little. Not only were the Juice Goons annoying in the game, the staffs they used were able to shock enemies with electrical energy. Having been electrocuted to the point of trauma, he wasn't sure he wanted to be anywhere near this breed of Metal Head.

Then the moment passed, and Alexander Karsath was back to being cold and professional.

Sig, their temporary Wastelander companion, had hidden himself behind a couple of trees as he watched the monsters ahead. But he heard their footsteps as they approached and welcomed them with a wide grin. "Hello, cherries. Ready to hunt some Metal Heads?" He rose from his kneeling position. "Follow me, stick close, and watch my six. It's gonna be fun!"

The Wastelander snatched up his rifle and charged across the beachhead toward the monsters. "Let's go!" He started taking shots at the Metal Heads, shooting red blasts of energy from his rifle and felling them within a few hits.

Jak followed suit, bringing out his brand new Morph Gun and charging into the fray. Each pull of the trigger brought on a shotgun-like blast of Red Eco from the weapon's Scatter Gun, knocking the enemies back and setting them up for another shot while Jak pumped the stock back to reload.

Alexander hesitated for a moment. Between two allies with ranged weapons, a melee fighter like him was liable to just get in the way. But he noticed a few Snaggle Tooth creatures rushing in from beyond the piping, apparently drawn in by the sounds of battle. Alexander rushed toward them with a Quick Run and started slicing into them with the Seal of Mar Lockshield.

That particular design was a weapon ideal for his physical combat, he'd come to realize. The blades, the balance, the speed... as much as he hated to admit it, it was a far superior weapon to the Heartless Seal design, even if it meant sacrificing magic for a while.

To finish this train of thought, Alex stabbed one of the shield's curved blades into the body of the remaining Snaggle Tooth. Its life ended abruptly, and its life energy scattered into tiny purple particles before fading away.

The battlefield was clear. Jak and Sig had taken out the rest. Lowering his gun for a moment, the Wastelander grinned and said, "Quick and efficient. I like it. Now let's go!"

Sig jumped onto one of the two large alternating pumps, riding it up to the platform high above them. Jak got on the other one as Sig rose, then jumped up to the platform as well. Alexander skipped the process altogether, using a High Jump to clear the vertical distance between them.

On the platform were two of the green frog-like Puffer creatures, almost immediately dispatched by one wide blast from Jak's Scatter Gun.

From there, it looked like Sig was heading left... but there was a giant water tank in the way. "Alright," Sig said, "you guys get behind me now." He knelt down to one knee and held down the trigger on his weapon.

Jak, Daxter, and Alexander followed Sig's suggestion, but Alex placed himself a little off to the side in order to properly see Sig's Peace Maker charge up.

As he might've expected, the game's presentation didn't do the phenomenal weapon justice. Within the Metal Head skull at the end of Sig's rifle, a blue light started to shine. The light spread out and became an orb of white electrical energy surrounded by a blue glow. The electricity then reached a plateau in its growth and started to become more densely packed, with massive sparks crackling around the orb with insane speed and ferocity. The orb kept getting more dense and violent, and the rifle shook so much it looked like it might fly out of Sig's firm grip.

The Peace Maker was a terrifying electro-bomb inches away from going off. Alexander instinctively backed away toward the edge of the platform. "How far back did you say...?" he asked hesitantly.

Sig smiled and stood to his full height, still tightly gripping the Peace Maker weapon. Aiming down the sight at the tanker, he simply said, "Back."

He let the trigger go, and the Peace Maker left the barrel of the weapon with a thunderous pop. Instantly, the water tank exploded into many pieces, spraying torrents of water everywhere. A large piece of shrapnel barely missed Daxter's foot as it bounced by.

The path was clear. Alexander stood there with his jaw dropped, while Jak just stood there with an evil grin. "Oh hell yes," he said. "I gotta get one of those."

Alex had a little laugh. No doubt Jak was imagining using that on the Baron. Or the Baron's stuff.

Sig laughed as well and started down the path. "Well, who knows? You work hard enough for Krew and he may give you one."

The platform was followed by a metal bridge spanning over the water from one piece of the island to the next. On the right was a huge crate, and Sig flattened himself against it.

"Alright, there are two more of those fellas on the other side," the Wastelander said quietly. Alexander, of course, knew what he was talking about: two Juice Goon Metal Heads waiting on the other side of the crate.

Sig pointed at Jak. "You. Take them out."

Without another word, Jak ran around the crate and started firing at the first Juice Goon. Behind Sig, Alex was pleasantly surprised at how this was working out. It wasn't the escort mission he remembered from the game at all. Rather, they were on a job, working as quickly and efficiently as possible, with Sig as the official leader.

Then again, his memory had gotten fuzzy after spending so much time in Haven City already. And he was more than used to the way things worked around here. But at least he was working with competent people and not a platoon of Krimzon Guards.

Jak shot another Scatter Gun blast at the second Juice Goon and delivered a spinning kick to the creature's head. The Metal Head stumbled over the railing and toppled into the water far below. A turret popped up from the water beyond the island and fired high-power shots at the monster, finishing it off.

Daxter was just a bit put off by that. "O-kayyyy... Note to self, don't go out to sea."

"Great, kid, great!" Sig exclaimed, leading the party forward. "Don't get cocky."

Just ahead was a right turn in the platform. But a section of the path right after that turn was raised up, preventing any easy access. What was worse, Shadows and Soldier Heartless appeared on the platform as soon as they set foot on it.

"Jak!" Sig barked. "Lower the platform! We'll hold them off!"

Realizing that "we" meant him as well, Alexander immediately summoned the Heartless Seal Lockshield and went about smacking the dark creatures. Sig started firing at them as well.

Jak, meanwhile, dashed over to the raised pathway and grabbed onto the ledge. Mechanical clicking sounds started from below as the platform automatically lowered. With the job done, Jak brandished his Scatter Gun and blasted a few Shadows off the platform entirely.

It was a quick encounter. Sig ordered them to keep moving, but Alex couldn't help but reflect on how surprised he was by all of this. If he'd been with a platoon of Krimzon Guards while fighting a bunch of Shadows and Soldiers, he'd be the one doing most of the work.

The weapons and abilities in the Jak and Daxter universe were not nearly as extravagant as those in Kingdom Hearts, Fullmetal Alchemist, or Chrono Trigger. No one could use Reactions like he could, no one could change their surroundings with alchemy, and no one could cast spells like Lightning or Chronos Break. The whole basis of his career in the Krimzon Guard was the fact that his abilities placed him above everything else this world could offer.

But the Morph Gun, and even Sig's own customized rifle... They provided distinct advantages over his abilities. Long range attacks, with lots of ammunition...

Alexander was finally getting to see another side of this world. A side where other people were actually competent, unlike Baron Praxis.

On the other side of the newly connected walkway was a left turn, which immediately led to a ramp down to the beach. But Sig immediately came to a halt and pointed upward.

The party's eyes followed his arm up to the pillar of the Pumping Station across the water. High above them, one of the big, quadrupedal Spider Gunner Metal Heads was pacing back and forth.

Sig knelt down and rested his gun on one knee. "There's our first target. Keep the other creatures back while I charge up a Peace Maker!"

The Wastelander pulled on the trigger of his rifle and didn't let go. An incessant, high-pitched whirring sound began to emanate from the machine. Almost instantly, random creatures started popping up out of the water to attack. But Jak started firing with his Scatter Gun before Alex could move in, sending them right back down into the water.

"Yeah!" Daxter cheered. "Take that!"

After a few moments of this, the monsters stopped coming. Sig stood up and aimed his rifle. The charged, sparking ball of blue electric death was there again, contained within the Metal Head skull at the end of the barrel.

"Uh-oh," Alex mumbled.

Sig lifted the trigger, and the Peace Maker round blasted out of the gun and swirled through the air toward the Metal Head. The lightning ball struck true, constantly shocking the surprised Metal Head for a few seconds as it stumbled around frantically.

As it fumbled toward the edge, Sig held a thumb up and watched. Eventually, the Spider Gunner tripped over the edge and fell to its watery doom, and Sig pointed his thumb down.

Daxter watched the splash and looked at the Wastelander. "You, uh... gonna collect that?"

"I'll come back for it later," Sig assured him.

They followed the ramp down to the beach on the other side of the water. They were up against one of the large pillars of the structure, and the beach continued to the right. And Alex knew that there were a bunch of Juice Goon Metal Heads waiting for them. He still didn't want to risk any electrocution...

"Hold up," he said, causing the others to stop. He moved forward, switching his Lockshield to the Crimson Catalyst design.

Slowly looking from around the corner, he saw the group of Metal Heads milling around. He was fortunately hidden by a few trees and bushes situated right next to the metal wall, but he could still see the group.

He clapped his hands and placed them on the sand. The Metal Heads had heard the clap, but it was already too late for them. Green sparks traveled across the sand and gathered under the monsters, while they just stared at the unfamiliar phenomenon.

Suddenly, Steelspikes stabbed upward from the alchemical reaction, making mincemeat of the entire Metal Head platoon in a matter of seconds.

Sig did a good job of merely looking impressed. "Nice. No wonder Krew's taken a liking to you, cherry."

Alexander grimaced. "I am so thrilled about that."

Sig just laughed.

They found their next target, and Sig opted to fire from the beach. As soon as he started charging up – as soon as that high-pitched sound started up again – a whole bunch of hostile animals started storming the beach.

They came from two directions, so Jak and Alexander had to split up and handle each wave of enemies separately. Alex didn't want to get too close to the ones with the long, barbed tongues, so he used a fair amount of Thundaga to zap them away.

"Hey, quick question," Alex said suddenly. "Why is it that everything has to attack us at the moment you're most vulnerable?" It was one of those things, one of those game mechanics that seemed like they shouldn't exist in reality...

"Quick answer," Sig replied immediately. "They don't like the noise."

Alex stabbed the last creature and pondered it for a moment. "Oh."

Sig stood up, took aim, and fired again. The Peace Maker ball sailed between a large opening in the pipework to strike another large Metal Head. As it toppled over, Sig motioned for them to keep moving.

As they made their way into the inside of the Pumping Station – the space between the two major rock formations around which the station was built – they took out another of Sig's Metal Head targets.

This one was only two or three stories above them. Under the treatment of the Peace Maker, it also toppled off its cliff and fell with a monstrous roar, bouncing off a couple of metal platforms in the process before crashing into the water.

Sig decided to be tricky with the fourth one. After getting down to the inside beach, the fourth target was on a stone cliff... on the other side of the beach run. And there was a metal bridge spanning the two sections in the way. Which meant that there was only a small window for the wild-flying Peace Maker to fit through.

"You're serious?" Daxter asked.

"Yep!" Sig said, grinning madly. "Gotta thread the needle this time!"

Alex tried not to be worried. He knew that, so long as nothing changed too drastically, things would progress exactly the way he remembered it. But looking at the shot from his position, it was still a crazy trick to pull off.

As soon as Sig started charging up that Peace Maker, all the creatures in the area started popping up out of the water to attack. Alexander was letting his magic recharge, his alchemy would be too slow, and his Lightning magic power was preciously limited, so he switched to the Seal of Mar Lockshield and started slashing away. Jak broke some KG crates nearby and restocked his ammo before returning to the fray.

So far, so good. Not a single thing had so much as touched Sig this whole time.

Sig stood up and double-checked his aim as he held the shaking rifle. Then a grin split his face again, and he let go. The Peace Maker blasted out of the barrel, spiraled through the air toward the bridge... and barely swung under it, sailing through to crash into the unaware Metal Head on the other side.

Alex, Jak, and Daxter were all equally impressed. Sig just cackled and shouted, "Metal Head flambé!"

He led the group across a small stream separating their beach from the main stretch, hopping across a few large rocks. Jak and Alexander lagged a little behind, having to take to the things one at a time.

Sig moved forward until he was nearly under the bridge... but then a large group of Heartless showed up, consisting of Soldiers and several of the "mini-magic" types: Red Nocturnes, Yellow Operas, and Blue Rhapsodies.

"Crap!" Alex muttered, dashing into the fray as Sig started firing at the Heartless. "Aaaaaaand..."

The red shots from Sig's gun ceased, replaced by awkward clicking sounds. He whacked away one overeager Soldier and growled, "Great. My gun's jammed!"

"There we go!"

Alexander jumped into the air and started slicing at the Yellow Operas, aiming to get rid of them before they could get a meager Thunder spell out. But the others were already getting started, firing Fire and Blizzard spells at the group.

Jak barely managed to dodge a Blizzard spell as it created a patch of ice at his feet. "Hey!" Daxter shouted. "They're using that magic stuff too!"

Sig continued to fiddle with his gun, ducking to let a Fire blast pass over him. "Get 'em while I fix my gun!" he ordered.

Alexander stepped back and brought up the Heartless Seal Lockshield. "Strike Raid!" He sent the spinning shield through a long line of the magic-type Heartless, destroying them with the powerful attack.

Jak kept shooting and punching at the Soldier Heartless, but one of them hopped onto Jak's back and raised a claw up to make a grab for the protagonist's heart. But Daxter stopped the dark creature before it could strike. "Oh, no you don't!" he shouted, pushing the Soldier off... and throwing off his balance in the process, sending the two tumbling onto the sand. "Woah!"

Sig finished messing around with his gun's insides and slapped it back into place. "Okay! Peace Maker is back online!" he declared, punctuating the announcement with a few shots at the remaining Blue Rhapsodies.

Alexander slashed up one of the last Soldiers, clearing most of the area... except for one. Jak, Alex, and Sig lowered their weapons and directed their eyes to the ground where Daxter and the last Soldier Heartless were brawling.

"You wanna piece o' me? Do ya?" Daxter started swiping at the Soldier, but the blows just glanced off its armored head. The Soldier quickly knocked Daxter to the ground and jumped on his belly. "Oof!" And jumped again. "Augh!" And again. "Hey!" And again. "Watch it!"

Alex looked to Jak and Sig. "You gonna...?"

"No."

Daxter pushed the Heartless off and stood up again. The Ottsel and the Soldier were nearly the same height. Balling his hands into little fists, the Ottsel squared off against the Heartless, muttering, "Alright, buddy. You think you can stomp all over me and get away with it?"

As if to answer his question, the Soldier charged forward and tackled Daxter, knocking him to the ground. The Heartless then proceeded to punch Daxter repeatedly in the face.

"Alright, that's enough," Alexander muttered. Taking a running start, he ran over to the Heartless and slammed his foot into it, launching it across the beach before it crashed and disappeared.

Daxter stood up and smoothed down his ruffled fur. "I coulda taken 'im," he assured the group.

Sig chuckled and continued down the path. Daxter let the matter drop and jumped back onto Jak's shoulder plate. Alexander allowed himself to laugh a little before following the rest.

Sig came to the end of the beach, looking out over the water. "Thanks for watching my butt back there. That was close!" He pointed up at the cliff above them. "Last target. Then we go home."

The Wastelander knelt down and started charging up the Peace Maker. On cue, animals started coming out of the water and headed for Sig. But Alexander and Jak kept them at bay, the process having become a routine at this point.

Before too long, Sig stood up and fired the Peace Maker at the last Spider Gunner. He waited, watched... and cheered as the Metal Head toppled into the water. "BOOM! Home team five, Metal Heads nothin'!"

"And there we go," Alex added, glad to be done with the mission. It was pointless work, but it had turned out to be more entertaining than he'd expected it to be. It was rare for him to actually have fun these days...

Sig moved to leave. "Tell Krew we got 'em all cooked and canned. I'm gonna clean Peace Maker and pick up the trophies."

Jak nodded. Looking around, he saw that the security entrance to the city was relatively close by. They had come full circle. "C'mon Alex," he said, moving toward the door. Alex followed suit.

"You did good, rookies!" Sig called after them as they walked away. Then, suddenly, he started running after them. "Hey, Alex!"

Alex turned around, a confused look on his face. "Yeah?"

"One thing," Sig said. "You knew a guy named Azelas, right? Worked with him a bit?"

The Interference blinked. He hadn't been expecting that. "Uh, yeah."

Sig nodded to himself. "Okay. I'll catch up with you later." And he resumed his trek back through the Pumping Station to collect the Metal Head trophies.

Alexander stood there, simply confused. But he didn't want to get left behind, so he quickly ran to catch up with Jak and Daxter. They were waiting for the security door to open.

"So." Jak started, in a tone of voice that instantly told Alex that he was in trouble. "The Heartless can use your brand of magic too."

For some reason, Alex was in higher spirits after the mission than he'd been before it. He just shrugged. "They and I are from a different world. A world with that kind of magic."

"You're from another world?" Daxter asked. "Hey, cool! So are we!"

Alex kept his face calm. They didn't know about the time travel yet.

The security door opened for them. As they walked through, Jak said, "Did you come through a Rift too?"

"...Sorta," Alex replied after taking a moment to consider his response. "A different kind of Rift. I got here first, and then Even and the Heartless came here after me." He turned to Jak as they waited for the second security gate to open. "That's why I'm here. I've been fighting people like Even for over two years now. But Even allied himself with Baron Praxis while I was chained up..."

"So you have to ally with us," Jak finished.

Alex gave him a questioning look. "You're alright with that?"

Jak shrugged. "Well, at least I'm getting some answers. That's a start."

"Fair enough," Alex admitted.

"And it means we're in the same boat," Daxter added. "Us heroes gotta stick together, right?"

Alexander smirked. "That's right, Dax."

And the door to Haven City opened.