Chapter 13
Missing Elements

Alexander approached the clearing of the Industrial Sector where he knew the first turret would be. All he had to do was run up to it without getting shot, destroy the turret, press the button underneath, then rinse and repeat four more times while avoiding the Krimzon Guard and the supporting Heartless.

The Interference mock-sighed and drew out the Morph Gun. "The things I do for this game," he said to himself as he readied the Scatter Gun for its first test run. He'd been able to handle the rifle fairly well, but what about the shotgun?

Unfortunately, as he got closer to the security hatch proper, the turret suddenly popped out and pointed its multiple barrels in his direction. Alex thought for a second that it had detected the active Morph Gun or something, but then he wondered why he was trying to make sense of it when he was about to get shot.

Before the turret could finish aiming, Alex dashed up to it with his Quick Run and fired the Scatter Gun.

The force coming out of the gun was incredible, knocking the turret clear off its hinges with a blast of red firepower. At the same time, the shotgun slammed back into Alexander's gut, nearly bowling him over in return.

Okay, he thought. That's a shotgun.

The city-alert sirens brought him out of his reverie, and he slammed his foot on the red button that the turret had been guarding. Almost instantly, five Armored Knight-type Heartless appeared in a circle around the Lockshield Wielder.

"Ugh! No time for you guys!" Alex shouted as he headed for the nearest Zoomer he could get his hands on. If he stuck around to fight, he'd get overwhelmed in no time. Heading for the turrets was his highest priority right now.

As Jak and Daxter prepared to get on the JET-Board, the lights in the Stadium dimmed. Several red emergency lights switched on, bathing parts of the Stadium in a crimson glow.

"Hah! Perfect!" the armored stranger exclaimed, and charged forward on his Glider. Right off the bat, the enigmatic soldier caught Jak off-guard. Jak was nearly knocked over as the front of the glider crashed into him, throwing him and Daxter backwards. Thankfully, Jak managed to right himself and switch the JET-Board around so that they were traveling away from the enemy.

And so the chase was on.

Jak turned toward the nearest ramp and started grinding along the rail, hoping to put some distance between them and the stranger. But what immediately became apparent was that, despite its much larger size, the opponent's Glider was much faster than the JET-Board. The armored enemy came flying up the ramp after them, and it was all Jak could do to jump off to the ground below before they got rammed again.

The stranger continued along the upper pathways while Jak landed with relative ease, giving them a few precious seconds of peace. Just enough time to cobble together a plan of action...

Jak hovered near the edge of a half-pipe dug into the floor of the Stadium. The armored stranger flew off the raised pathways and landed a distance away on the other side. As soon as they made eye contact (somehow, through the other person's full helmet), the stranger charged toward them.

Daxter, barely more than a passenger along for the ride, only caught on to what Jak had planned at the last second. "Jak, what are you doing- WAIT, DON'T...!"

Jak performed a horizontal spin on the JET-Board. When he landed, the speed boost from the trick propelled him forward. Right at the edge of the half-pipe, he jumped up.

The two vehicles collided against each other and dropped into the half-pipe. Jak immediately spun around and tried to ram the stranger, but he was deflected and sent backwards. The stranger retaliated by charging forward with the intention of ramming Jak, but the hero barely managed to swerve out of the way. A chaotic, weaving dance of sorts ensued within the half-pipe, the two crafts bouncing off each other as the two combatants tried to catch the other off guard.

Finally, as they charged toward each other one more time, Jak jumped up and landed a hefty kick into the enemy's chest before landing back on the JET-Board. While the stranger staggered, Jak rode his hoverboard up to the lip of the half-pipe and got back up to the Stadium floor.

Shortly afterward, the armored stranger was riding up after him. It wasn't long before Jak found himself hounded once again, just barely managing to stay ahead of the faster vehicle.

They came to a series of flaming rings, suspended a few feet off the ground. Desperately wanting to gain some distance, Jak jumped through each one in succession, performing tricks for good measure.

When he looked back, he saw that the rings had all been knocked down by the enemy's large hoverboard. Instead of performing any acrobatics like Jak had, the enemy had apparently plowed through the flimsy hoops. The stranger seemed to be on fire, but there was no reaction to the flames on the armor.

"You have GOT to be kidding me!" Daxter exclaimed.

Jak looked back in front and noticed he was coming up on a quarter-pipe. Thinking quickly, he sped up with a horizontal spin and charged into the quarter-pipe, with the enemy right behind him.

"Daxter, hold on!" Jak shouted as they launched into the air. Daxter scrambled off the JET-Board and held onto Jak's leg for dear life.

At the apex of their jump, Jak disembarked from the JET-Board. He grabbed the board with both hands and – just as the stranger was rushing up from the quarter-pipe to meet them – smashed the bottom of the board into the armored enemy's body. As he did so, the propulsion system – reacting to the sudden impact against a solid surface – emitted an impressive blue pulse of force.

The result of this midair strike was simple: The armored enemy slammed straight down to the ground, the Glider crashing down to the side. Jak landed on his feet at the top of the quarter-pipe, with Daxter still clinging onto his leg.

Jak smirked and lifted his leg a little, looking at the Ottsel hanging onto his leg for dear life. "I warned you this time," he pointed out.

"Real funny," Daxter muttered, finally jumping onto solid ground.

Jak gave the JET-Board a glance. Just the fact that it was a hoverboard was cool enough, but this item was turning out to be a real keeper.

The red emergency lights of the Stadium switched back to the regular ones, bathing the skate park in its usual lighting.

After a few moments, the green knight beneath them groaned and pushed himself up. "W-Wow," the stranger said with a cough. "Guess that was a bad idea, huh?" Getting to his feet, he added, "Thought for sure I had you on that dinky little board there..."

"Ha!" Daxter shouted. "That's whatcha get for messin' with Daxter and his trusty sidekick!"

Jak facepalmed at the comment, but the stranger just laughed. "Oh, really?" the armored opponent said incredulously. "You think you're the hero of this story now? Hate to break it to ya, but your story's been hijacked by one of the audience. You're BOTH sidekicks now."

"Oh YEAH? Well..." Daxter started. But then he stopped and looked up at Jak. "Wait, did that make any sense?"

The Glider on the ground faded away in a massive cloud of darkness. The armored enigma just shrugged and turned away. "Whatever. I'm done with this. The bossman ain't gonna be happy, but I lost fair and square."

That got Jak's attention. "Who is your boss?" he asked, jumping down from the quarter-pipe to catch up with the stranger.

The stranger looked back over his shoulder. Even though his face was completely obscured, Jak could tell the stranger was smirking under the helmet. "What if I don't tell you?" the stranger asked in a goading tone.

Jak placed the JET-Board on his back and drew out the Morph Gun.

The armored enigma just laughed. "Look, buddy. I wanted a hoverboard battle because it was so goddamn appropriate. If we were to actually battle..."

In the stranger's hand, a shield with a keyhole appeared out of an inky black smoke. At the same time, a great portal of darkness rose up behind the stranger.

"You'd die in a matter of moments," the stranger finished, and stepped backwards into the darkness.

The portal dissipated, and that was the end of the encounter. Jak and Daxter were alone in the Stadium.

Daxter put a palm over his eyes. "Ugh. I hate it when bad guys play that 'enigma' card."

"Isn't this the first time we've had a bad guy like that?" Jak asked. "Gol and Maia were pretty upfront about it."

The Ottsel thought about it for a second. "Yeah, but I still hate it," Daxter replied.

Jak's communicator came to life, floating around the two. "Jak! Daxter! Are you alright?" Keira asked through the device.

Daxter grinned and took a bow from Jak's shoulder. "No worries, fair princess! The invader has been successfully repelled by yours truly."

The communicator turned towards Jak. "Thank you," she said, clearly knowing who the real hero was. "Come on back to the Garage. …You can bring the JET-Board with you."

Jak and Daxter smirked at each other.

When they got back to the Garage, Jak was immediately greeted with a running glomp from Keira, squeezing him tightly. "That was amazing!" Keira shouted. "I knew my prototype was good, but you pushed its capabilities past anything I'd ever expected!"

Daxter barely escaped getting crushed by Keira's arms around Jak's neck. Jumping off to the workbench, he glared at the cute couple and shouted, "Hey! When do I get my hug?"

Keira released the hug and shot Daxter a wide grin. "When you finally find someone who appreciates your…" She thought for a moment. "…personality."

"Feh," Daxter scoffed, folding his arms and looking away. "For the record, I'm fine, thanks for asking."

The mechanic looked at Jak. "How are you?" she asked, genuinely concerned. "It looked to me like he was out for your guts."

Jak laughed. "That guy? Weird, yeah. Crazy, yeah. Dangerous?" He held up one hand in a 'so-so' gesture. "I'm still figuring that one out."

Keira couldn't help but chuckle in return. "Well, weird and crazy come with the territory."

They laughed for a little longer, but then Jak paused and took on a contemplative expression. "The guy brought up a few questions, though…"

"What'd he say?" Keira inquired.

Jak waved a hand dismissively. "It's not just what he said. It was how he looked. How his weapon looked."

Daxter jumped back onto Jak's shoulder. "WE have a few questions to ask our friend, the know-it-all." Jak gave an affirmative nod and headed for the exit to the race garage.

"Wait," Keira called to them, stopping the duo for a moment. She sighed in resignation and said, "I found a maintenance elevator in the base of one of the Palace's support towers. That old lift might take you up to the Palace, if you can find a way to turn on the elevator's power."

Jak nodded. "Thanks."

Keira walked over to the duo and knocked Jak lightly on the head. "And you didn't ask, but I'll let you keep the JET-Board as long as you're working for the Underground."

Jak grinned sheepishly and nodded again. "Thanks again. I'll keep an ear out for the Heart of Mar, Time Map, Rift Gate, and… your father."

"Be careful," Keira warned them as they walked out.

Using his Quick Run alone, Alexander weaved through the Slums and ducked into the alley where the Underground Hideout was hidden. He was breathing a little hard, but he honestly couldn't remember the last time he'd experienced such a rush.

A wide grin split the young man's face as the Hideout wall opened up, allowing Alexander to go down the stairs leading to the Underground's base of operations. As expected, Torn was inside, staring at a map.

The ex-Commander didn't so much as lift his head as he spoke. "I remember sending you to rescue Vin. I heard you were successful. Now… how does that translate to shooting up all the turrets between there and the Water Slums?"

Alex didn't lose his grin. Torn's 'what the hell' tone might've frightened him in the Guard, but out here it was his game. "What? I'm not allowed to cause a little trouble between missions? Have a little fun?"

Torn sighed and finally looked up. "You're not the type to just 'have fun.'"

"Oh, but it was glorious!" Alexander interrupted, his eyes lighting up at the memory. "Half a dozen KG Zoomers chasing me through the city. A platoon of Heartless at every turret. And there I was, blasting them with spells and gunfire left and right." He allowed himself a moment of pure glee. "It was SO COOL!"

Torn stood up straight. "Alex, you don't do anything without a clear purpose in mind. You might get your kicks along the way, but with you the plan always comes first."

Alex tried to keep smiling, but sighed a little. The ex-Commander had him there.

Sensing that he'd won the argument, Torn glared at Alexander and growled, "Now are you going to stop this childish game and tell me what your plans are?"

Now the joy was gone. Torn and he had a special agreement – that Alex would use his knowledge openly to give their side the edge – but there was a reason he was withholding this information. "You're not gonna like it."

"I'll be the judge of that," Torn muttered, but the expression on his face showed that he already didn't like it. The only question was how much dislike there would be.

Alexander took a deep breath and said, "I was restoring power to an elevator in one of the support towers. Pretty soon, we're gonna storm the Palace."

Torn's face twitched – his jaw didn't drop, but it most certainly wanted to. "Tell me this is necessary."

"We're not gonna break anything big," Alex assured him. "Just gonna get in, eavesdrop on a negotiation, kick Praxis butt, and get out."

For a brief moment, Torn was incredulous. "From the support beams? How do you- No, what, no. Forget it. Do what you have to do…" He slammed a hand down on the map in front of him. "…but I have a job for you first. And I'll bet you already know what it is."

Alex nodded. "Ashelin. At the Pumping Station. Make sure she's alright. …Does she know?"

Torn took a moment to think, apparently checking his mental list of 'people who know.' It was probably a small list. "…Yes."

"Alrighty then," Alex mumbled in return. Then his KG communicator started beeping. "Hold on…" he said as he fished the device out of his pocket and flipped it open. "Y'ello'?"

"We need to talk," Jak's voice cut through the tiny speakers.

"Uh, maybe later," Alexander said nervously. "Torn's got me doing another mission. Right after this one, though, we should have time to meet up. Does that work?"

"…Yeah, sure," came the reply. "Looks like Krew has another job for us anyway."

"Alright! See ya then," the Interference said before closing the communicator. He let out a sigh of relief. "Take a wild guess what he wants to talk about."

Torn rolled his eyes. "How did you survive doing this three times?"

Alex shot back a parting grin as he headed for the door. But he didn't say anything.

Krew wasn't anywhere to be found. Not initially. But the Hip Hog Heaven wasn't empty. There was a blonde woman working at the bar.

Naturally, when the duo approached, Daxter hopped right off and gave her his smarmiest smile. "Hey, sugarplum. You new here?" he greeted her, laying on as much charm as he could muster. "Well, whatcha got that's, uh, hot... and..."

It was then that Daxter finally got a good look at the woman he was hitting on. The charm disappeared and a suspicious look took its place. "Wait, I've seen you before! You're with the Underground!"

Tess placed two fingers on Daxter's lips to keep him quiet, causing a wide smile to grow across the Ottsel's face. "Ssh! I'm Tess. Torn sent me to spy on Krew. Play along, and I may be able to get my hands on a few of Krew's secrets."

Immediately, Daxter's charm was back. "Ooh! I love 'undercover' work, baby," he said, pointing down at Tess's chest. "But, uh... two can work better than one." Looking down behind the counter and making a grabby motion with his hands, he said, "Let me help you out."

Tess giggled as Daxter jumped down behind the counter. A couple of bottles broke, and the sounds of an Ottsel gulping down massive amounts of liquid could be heard by Tess and Jak, who gave each other a glance. To Jak's surprise, Tess seemed more amused than anything else by Daxter's antics.

As Daxter continued to sample the wares, Jak noticed Krew floating nearby. Tess returned to work wiping down the counter.

"Jak," Krew declared as he floated toward them, "I need you and the talking rat to make a few collections for me."

Daxter, thoroughly drunk, popped up from behind the counter and gave Krew a lop-sided grin. "Hey there, fivvve chiinns..." he slurred, "how's crimes?"

Jak fought back a laugh, but Krew didn't seem to catch on. "What's his problem, eh?"

"Nothin'," Daxter growled. He fought to get on his feet (and stay there). "I'm just fine. Mind yer own business." A hiccup sent the Ottsel onto his back. The grimace instantly switched to a grin, and Daxter began to sing.

Krew decided to ignore the rodent as he hit all the wrong high notes. "Listen, ahhhh, I have six clients around town who are about to make money drops for me. I need you to collect each moneybag as fast as you can, and TAKE CARE of any guards who get curious, hmmm? Get to a moneybag too late, and some townie might pick it up."

"...feeling so DRYYYYYYYY!" Daxter screamed, hitting one last horrible note in his song. The Ottsel sat up and stared at Krew with a lazy expression. "Ya know what's the trouble with you, Krew...?" Daxter mumbled. "Ya got no vision..."

He gestured at the saloon as a whole. "Dis place could be a real swingin' joint... Hop Heg Hiven with more dancin', more mackin', more WOMEN...!"

Krew just shook his head dismissively as Daxter slumped against Jak. "Just bring all 14 moneybags before they disappear and bring them back here."

Jak tried his best to keep Daxter from kissing him on the face, while the Ottsel proclaimed his love and appreciation before collapsing over Jak's shoulder.

"If you lose even one bag, then don't come back, 'ey!"

Fortunately, Alexander wasn't hassled by Krimzon Guards or Heartless on the short trek between the Hideout and the security gate to the Pumping Station. The logic from the game still seemed to hold true; as long as he didn't impact any Krimzon Guards with his vehicle, he could simply fly by unnoticed. Which was good, since Alex had pretty much experienced his fill of fighting for the moment in the "take out the turrets" mission.

Alex adjusted the leather belt keeping the Morph Gun's holster attached to his body. He was really liking the new addition to his arsenal, even though he'd resisted it before. He'd already tried out the Scatter Gun, Blaster, and Peace Maker, so now he was just waiting for the opportunity to try the last remaining weapon mod.

Like on the group of Heartless that were waiting on the other side of the security gate, apparently.

"Oh, so it's normal rules outside the city, huh?" Alexander pointed out, reaching for his new weapon once again. "You guys just don't let up..."

Alex looked over the group. Shadows, two Wizards, and a... Defender. The little guys weren't going to be a huge issue, but the Wizards could cast powerful magic, and the Defender's huge lion-faced shield could shrug off damage. This was going to be a little more complicated than the groups in the city...

The Shadows jumped forward into the transfer room. Not wanting to get caught battling in the cramped space so close to the city, Alexander used Quick Run to dash past the main group and take the fight onto the sand outside.

After putting some distance between them, Alexander switched the Morph Gun to the Vulcan Fury mod and flipped it over. The gun transformed into its low-hanging machine gun form, with a laser sight right below the business end of the weapon.

Alex pulled on the trigger, and the barrel began to spin. Bright blue energy stabbed through the air, piercing a few of the Shadows in the group and destroying them. The Wizards responded with a fire and ice attack aimed straight at him. Alexander tried to dodge, but attempting to do so while still holding onto the heavy machine gun slowed him down, and he ended up taking the attacks head-on.

"Argh!" he yelled after he was burned and frozen by the attacks. He let go of the the trigger and regained his composure. "Still gonna need practice, apparently...!" He backed up a little to avoid a Shadow's claw attack, and muttered, "Let's mix things up a little. Magnega!"

An orb of swirling dark energy appeared in the middle of the enemy group, drawing all except the Defender into the center and spinning them around. Alex immediately followed up the spell with a volley of Vulcan Fury fire, the laser sight allowing him to fire directly into the Magnet spell and hit all the Heartless there. One by one, the trapped Heartless dissipated.

I might not be all that accurate, but I can control where the targets are!

The spell finally came to an end, revealing that the Defender was still intact (and, according to Alexander's Scan ability, undamaged). Alex pointed the gun in the monster's direction and fired, but each shot of blue bounced off the gigantic shield.

Alexander released the trigger, and the Vulcan Fury spun down to a halt. The lion face on the shield actually sneered back at him.

"Oh, real funny," Alex muttered. He switched the Morph Gun back to its dormant form and reholstered it on his back. In an instant, the Heartless Seal Lockshield was in his hand. "Fine. Let's do this shield versus shield!"

Alex ran up to the monster until he was within striking distance. The Defender made a move then, thrusting forward with the front of its shield. But Alexander, anticipating the attack, dodged to the side and dashed around to the Heartless's back. A quick flurry of slashing attacks found their mark on the Defender's exposed body, and a finishing bash sent it dissipating into the air, freeing a pink heart into the sky.

"Alright!" Alexander shouted to the open air. "Who wants to fight me now?"

In response, two more Defender's appeared further down the beach.

Alex slumped forward and sighed. "Oh, come on."

But even with all the Heartless interruptions throughout the Pumping Station, Alexander still remembered exactly where to go for this mission. A set of massive pistons on the large platform between the individual islands – ones that hadn't been active on previous visits – was now pumping up and down, creating the perfect set of rising platforms to reach the tall island plateau above it.

Alexander hopped up, walked forward up a little hill, and took stock of his surroundings. All along the edges of the plateau were trees, bushes, and other greenery, growing out over the cliffs. The hill rose up a little further and took a dip to the right, where it ended at a clearing just before the other edge of the small plateau. In the center of that clearing was a small pedestal, and a KG Hellcat vehicle was parked right behind it. The sun was beginning to set in the sky, casting the entire area in a red-orange light.

And that was about all Alex had time to take in before there was a loud THUMP, an arm wrapped tightly around his neck, and the barrel of a pistol pressed against the side of his head.

"Who the hell are you?" a female voice questioned him.

Alexander, more than a little off balance in the woman's tight grip, could only hold up his hands defensively. "Alex Karsath. Torn sent me."

There was a moment's hesitation, and the pistol pressed a little harder. "Prove it."

The Interference took a small breath to steady himself, then summoned the Lockshield to his right hand. He made sure that the face of the Heartless Seal was pointed at his captor.

Instantly, he was released. Alex stumbled forward and turned around to face Ashelin. She looked... exactly how he expected her to look. Red dreadlocks, tight-fitting jacket and jeans, KG facepaint, and several holsters and ammo belts adorning her arms, hips, and legs.

Ashelin didn't put away her pistol, but she looked slightly relieved. "Alex," she said. "It's been..."

"A year," Alex muttered, his eyes narrowing a little.

"I thought you were dead," Ashelin said immediately. "We all did."

"Might as well have been," Alexander remarked. He threw his hands up and added, "Hey, I don't blame you. It's your father... and Erol... and definitely Even."

Ashelin finally holstered her weapon and walked toward the Hellcat. "You probably hate them immensely for what they did to you. Torn told me."

Alex looked back behind him, where there was much higher hill overlooking their clearing. There was just more trees and shrubbery up there. "Yeah... Plenty."

"You and Even have completely changed things," Ashelin said forcefully, without turning around to face him. "And not just because of the Heartless on both sides of this war."

Alex kept his eyes on the hill. There wasn't so much as a rustling. "Yeah..." He glanced back at Ashelin over his shoulder. "What are you doing out here anyway?"

The Baron's daughter turned around and placed a hand on the pedestal. There was a orange metal emblem of Mar set upon the stone, the bladed yin-yang symbol shining brightly in the setting sun.

"Going through the motions for Even's benefit," Ashelin replied simply, before turning back to the Hellcat and taking a seat.

Alex was now very concerned and confused. There were supposed to be Metal Heads here. There was supposed to be a Metal Head attack right about now. Ashelin was behaving totally differently from how she acted in the game.

Ashelin gestured toward the seat next to her. "Come on! I'll give you a ride back into the city. I'll explain along the way."

Now I need explanations?

The Interference ran over to the Hellcat as it fired up, the vehicle kicking dust in all directions. Alex barely had time to settle into his seat before Ashelin took off, leaving the Pumping Station island far behind in a matter of moments.

Once they were clear and high enough to pass over the wall, Ashelin slowed down a bit so that the rushing wind and the engine wouldn't drown her out. "Even's gotten desperate since you two escaped!"

"Glad to know he misses me!" Alex joked with a completely serious expression.

"He's been slipping," Ashelin continued, "showing his hand and making bad plays! Now the Metal Heads have caught on to his schemes, and they're no longer working together!"

Alex grinned. "Good! If the two of them are fighting each other, that's less work for us!"

Ashelin gave him a look that was far less mirthful. "The Metal Heads are losing! They don't have the power to fight back!"

Alex's grin fell. That was less-than-great news. If the Heartless were tearing into the Metal Heads, then that would only mean more Heartless to fight. And of course the Metal Heads would be losing – the Heartless were more or less invincible without a Keyblade wielder (or equivalent) on your side.

Ashelin looked ahead again and said, "As far as Even's concerned, him and my father are still allies! But that's going to change soon!"

Alexander went wide-eyed. "You can't do that! You'll get slaughtered too!"

Ashelin just looked at Alexander.

"Oh, hell no!"

"We know about the Lockshield!" Ashelin stated. "If you help us...!"

Alex turned away and slammed his head back against his seat. "Dammit!"

Ashelin said nothing more, and sped up the Hellcat Zoomer. Most of a minute was spent in uncomfortable silence as they flew high above Haven City. In that time, Alex struggled with an internal conflict between his better nature and his hatred for the Baron.

He wasn't finished by the time they landed in South Town, near the Port. Ashelin tossed him a KG pass with Yellow clearance. "For your friend!" she said as they came to a hover just above the ground.

Alex caught the tag and pocketed it. Still grimacing, he wordlessly disembarked from the Hellcat and stepped onto solid ground.

Ashelin turned the engine down a little so she could speak. "Think about it," Ashelin implored him. "When you decide to help us, meet us in the Palace. Your security clearance has been re-raised to Purple." She then fired the engine up again. "Welcome back, Alex!"

The Hellcat took off into the air, leaving Alexander with only his thoughts and a spare security pass. There was a single-seat Zoomer nearby, but Alex decided to take the time to walk. The sun was continuing to set, creating a brilliant effect between the light reflecting off the water and the shadows cast by the towers of the shield wall.

Alex sighed quietly. A moment of peace and tranquility. And then he had to explain to Jak and Daxter the truth about the game world. And then they had to go visit the Palace one way or another. This day just wasn't getting any better, was it?

Jak dropped the moneybags onto the bar. It'd taken a lot of gunfire, chasing Zoomers, and at least one explosion, but the job was done.

Tess didn't seem to be around right now, so she was either in the back of the saloon or reporting back to Torn at the Hideout. There was a black piece of tech on the bar as well – apparently, a Morph Gun mod. And it looked very similar to one of the upgrades they'd already applied...

Krew floated down behind them. "Mmm, quite the money collectors, eh? Here's a gun upgrade." He turned away and started fanning himself. "Now get out! I need my beauty nap."

Daxter rolled his eyes. "Trust me, brother. There aren't enough hours in the day."

Jak inspected the gun upgrade for a moment, then tried fitting it into the weapon. The slot it was supposed to enter was already occupied by a duplicate. "Actually, Krew..." he said hesitantly. "We already have this."

Krew spun around quickly. "WHAT?"

Jak tapped the upgrade against the gun.

"How did you...?" Krew started, but stopped when the door to the saloon opened once again. Alexander Karsath stepped through.

He immediately found the slimy crime boss floating in front of his face. "I suppose you had something to do with this," Krew snarled.

Alex looked past Krew (not an easy feat), and saw Jak with the superfluous gun mod. "Uh... Maybe?" he said sheepishly. "What's to get angry about?"

Krew poked a stubby finger into Alex's chest and leaned in very closely. "You still need me," he muttered in a low, raggedy tone. "Without my connections... You're nothing but trash."

Surprising himself, Alex managed to put on a serious expression and raise an eyebrow at the disgusting crime leader. "Sure we are. And we'll help you out... for information." He glared hard into Krew's beady eyes. "Like what Even's up to."

Krew poked him once more. "Don't get too comfortable. Everyone's expendable." He then floated up and out of sight, leaving the three heroes alone in the bar.

Jak walked over to Alex, who tossed him the security pass. "That'll get you into the Bazaar district," the Interference said. "Now c'mon, let's get going."

The duo looked at each other for a second. "Going where, exactly?" Daxter asked.

Alex looked back at them. "You want to talk? Now that you have that pass, I have the perfect place in mind."

It took a little while to locate the tent hidden away in the Bazaar district. They ended up having to use Jak's mini-map to find the place (since there was a convenient tent-shaped marker pointing them towards it). By the time they arrived, the sun had mostly set, meaning that all the street lights were on.

Jak looked up at the faded skull emblem on the tent, then back at Alexander. "This. This is the place you wanted to talk at?"

Alexander nodded. "I've never been here before, but it should demonstrate pretty well what I'm about to tell you." He walked inside, and Jak followed.

Despite the size of the tent, there wasn't a whole lot of standing room inside. Boxes, crates, and bottles of various sizes and contents filled the perimeter of the tent, along with furniture, rugs, and several tribal-looking souvenirs. The tent was lit by a couple of candles in the center and a large stone head glowing purple in the back. The place smelled of incenses and earth, and it was more humid than the almost-night air outside.

In the center of the room, a frail old woman sat cross-legged, apparently deep in meditation. A wide bowl was attached to the top of her head. And just to Jak's left, hanging from one of the wooden supports above, was a multi-colored cross between a monkey and a macaw.

Daxter, mistaking the latter for usual South Town wares, poked the Moncaw on the mouth. "Hey, check out all the dead stuff!"

The Ottsel got his finger bitten for his effort. "OW!"

"Touch the goods again, rat boy," the creature raged with a hispanic accent, "and you'll be – arrrk – counting with your toes!"

The red-yellow-blue Moncaw swung from where it was hanging with its tail, flew up to the top of the tent, and dropped into the bowl on the old woman's head. "I... am... Peck-errr!" it said, trying to pronouncing the name in a fancy way.

Daxter grinned and nudged Jak with his elbow, while Jak himself stifled a laugh. Alexander went ahead and chuckled out loud, but then felt bad about being amused by the crude humor.

"Yes, yes, I know..." Pecker muttered, his dramatic flair gone. "My mother, she was... very vindictive." Moving on with a wave and a bow, he said, "I am Onin's interpreter."

The old woman's eyes opened. They were completely white. She clapped her hands together, and a spray of glowing blue dust filled the air around her. She then began to make symbolic hand gestures, which Pecker proceeded to translate: "Onin welcomes you, blah blah blah blah blah, the usual boring salutations."

Pecker observed Onin for a second more, then said, "She says it is good to see you again, Jak."

This caught Jak off guard. "But we've never met before..."

"Before, after, it is all the same," Pecker stated smugly.

"Oh! Oh! Let me try!" Daxter interrupted, cutting off Pecker before he could continue. Daxter studied Onin's hand motions intently and said, "Ahh... She wants a... She wants a yakow bone! A yakow bladder! No, no, I got it! For many moons, she has... waited for... a juice pop? A jewel shop?"

Pecker was near the end of his patience, so he flew off Onin and perched on a nearby stool.

"Oh, oh, I know!" Daxter continued. "She's got a hairball! A hair lip! A hairy chest!"

"Close..." Pecker said nonchalantly, before showing the extent of his anger: "but NO! Onin says you seek answers – arrrk – about the Tomb of Mar." At this point, Onin traced the symbol of the House of Mar into the air in bright blue, and the image stayed for a few seconds before fading away.

Jak folded his arms. "Uh, no... We came here looking for answers about this guy," he interjected, jabbing his thumb at the young man standing next to him.

Onin's hand gestures stopped, and silence reigned in the tent for an awkward second. Alex then found himself being glared at through the blank white eyes of the impossibly old seer.

Pecker tapped his claw-foot against the stool. "Alexander..." he said in a scolding tone. "You didn't tell them."

"Good, you do know about me..." Alex said quietly.

"Of course we know!" Pecker shouted suddenly. "When you arrived, Onin just went on and on for DAYS about the Interference event! Do you know how hard it is to sell trinkets when a seer sees something that big?"

Alex raised an eyebrow.

Pecker glanced to the side. "And yes, the existential drama was very traumatic," he added sarcastically, with a dismissive wave of his wing.

Jak looked to Onin and then Alexander. "So, is this it? Are we finally going to get the truth about you?"

"You should," Pecker said before Alex could reply. "You're literally the last people to get in the loop."

Alex winced as Jak shot him a glare. "Not. Helping. Pecker."

"Then you'd better get started!" Pecker retorted.

"Alright!" Alexander shouted. "...Alright."

He steeled himself and looked directly at Jak and Daxter. "I..." He faltered and looked away. "This world... I come from a world where this world only existed in a video game."

Daxter narrowed his eyes. "A video game," he repeated, unconvinced. "Really."

Jak's expression didn't change, except that he seemed to be waiting for more.

Onin started making more hand gestures. Pecker observed and stated, "Onin says that an Interference is someone who makes one of those fictional worlds real and becomes part of that world."

Alex nodded. "See? I know so much about this place, about you guys, because I've played the games and seen all the relevant information. I know where this story's coming from, and I know where it's going."

But he could see that neither Jak nor Daxter were buying it. Not completely.

The young man lowered his head for a moment to think, and then looked directly at the dynamic duo one more time. "My powers? They come from other game worlds I've been to. I have different sets of powers because I've been through several different game worlds. Kingdom Hearts. Fullmetal Alchemist. Chrono Trigger. And now I'm in yours: Jak and Daxter. You guys are the main characters.

"I know everything about you. I know that Daxter's an Ottsel because he fell into a pool of Dark Eco. I know he fell into that pool of Dark Eco because of an explosion Jak caused by throwing a Precursor artifact at a Lurker while you were on Misty Island off the shores of your home of Sandover 200 years ago. I know that Daxter becoming an Ottsel caused you two to go on your first journey, which ended up becoming a quest to stop Gol and Maia from taking over the world or something."

Alex turned toward Pecker and Onin. "I know that right now, you two were planning on sending us to the Precursor Temple outside the city to retrieve three artifacts. Them, combined with the three pieces of the Seal of Mar, would allow us to locate and enter the Tomb of Mar. But we don't need any of those things. I have alchemy, and I already know where the freakin' Tomb of Mar is. We can open that thing whenever we darn well please."

The hut fell silent. Even Onin seemed shocked.

Jak's arms unfolded and returned to his sides. After a few seconds, he said, "And you… know all this… because…"

Alex turned toward Jak. "Because I played the game. I saw this entire story play out, over and over again. And unless I work to change the future, it's going to happen exactly the way I expect it to."

Daxter cocked his head to one side. "So, wait, you're a time traveler?"

Instantly, the tension in the room deflated. "Dammit, Dax…" Alex muttered.

"I kid, I kid!" Daxter said quickly. "Not many guys know how I became a two-foot-tall hunk of fur. And not enough people know that it's all Jak's fault," he added, jabbing his little shoulder into his partner's neck.

Jak breathed deeply for a moment, ignoring Daxter. "Alright, let me get this straight. You made our game real. Then you got here the same time we did, two years ago?"

Alex paled a little. "That was… a fluke. I didn't mean to come here so soon, but it was a valid part of the timeline, and… I got stuck." He swallowed. "Worst mistake of my life."

"So why did you do it?" Jak asked. "Why have you kept on doing this multiple times?"

"Part of it is Even and his group of dark apprentices," Alex explained. "I gotta go to worlds like this to draw them out, so I can take them down. But… the key factor is that part of me wanted to be in this world, to make it real. Not to control your lives or anything, but to just… be a part of the action, with you guys. That's how it happens – by wanting it enough to give it a part of you in exchange."

Alex threw his hands to the sides. "Now you know."

Jak put a hand to his forehead and shook his head. "So what happens now?"

As Onin began making motions, Pecker interrupted by saying, "Onin says the Interference only has true power over the initial creation. Beyond that, they only have their own strength and will to effect change within the world."

Daxter looked to Alex. "Can we translate the translator?"

"He means that I'm not some sort of creator-god thing," Alex pointed out. "Everything I've accomplished beyond getting here, I've done under my own power." He folded his arms and gave Jak a half-smile. "And moving forward, that's how it'll continue to be. Exactly the same as before, but now you know that I have tons of information at my disposal."

Jak glanced out the hut. "That doesn't answer my question. What do we do now?"

Alex frowned. "Now?"

He thought back to Ashelin, and her invitation to come to the Palace and join the Baron's cause against Even. He had Purple-level clearance now; they could just walk right in.

He then thought about Vin, and how there was now an access elevator they could use to sneak into the Palace and get the drop on Praxis. And if there was a boss battle at the end of that, as Alex expected, they could kick the Baron's butt.

Alex grinned. "How would you like to raid the Palace, right this minute?"