Hour 4

9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

"What the hell are you doing here?" It was Kleiver who was asking the trio when they finally got to the house. Like always, he seemed to want to bit your head off.

"I need to talk to your sidekick, Kleiver," Daxter explained. "It's very urgent."

"Why should I let you in? What have you ever done for me?" Kleiver was being an asshole like always.

"Not blow your head off," said Sig as he pointed his peacemaker at him.

"Now that's the answer I like to hear." Kleiver smirked. "Right this way."

***********

"So, This is Spargus," Greg was saying in awe and amazement.

"Quite something, isn't it?" asked Ashelin.

"How were they able to build all these things with so little people and in this much heat?"

"They probably started out with the basic structures to survive in and just slowly built up to what you see now. After all, only the tough survive out here."

"No kidding," commented Greg while he adjusted his glasses. He quickly checked his watch. "I can be here for another forty minutes tops before I need to head back to Haven."

"Understandable. We should probably check either the throne room or the volcano arena first since those are the only real reasons I would believe they would travel to Spargus for."

"I vote on the throne room." Mostly because he didn't like the sound of the volcano arena.

***********

"Make it quick," Kleiver told them after he led Jak and the others to Veger's room.

"I hope we do," was Jak's comment, being to the fact that he didn't like Veger very much. Why should he? Veger did kidnap him as a child and then try to kill him and Daxter. There was no reason to like him.

"Jak," Daxter said as he was about to open the door. "I need to speak with him alone."

"What!? Why?"

"I need to ask him something and I can't let any other people hear it. Don't ask why, I just do." There was a pause for a moment until Jak finally spoke.

"Fine, but I'll be right outside incase something goes wrong. Okay?"

"Okay." Daxter entered the room.

***********

"Now that is a beautiful view." Ashelin and Greg just arrived in the throne room and the doctor was looking out at the vast wastelands through one of the windows.

"It's really not so scary wonce you really get to see it, isn't it?"

"It doesn't look so bad from in hear, but I'm still not going out into that deathtrap."

"Good enough for me. Anyway, they are obviously not hear."

"There aren't any other rooms up here? They built this tower for just this small space? Why?"

"I don't know. I didn't build it. I just know that we should probably check out the arena now." Greg didn't like the sound of that.

"Oh, gee, look at the time. I better get back to Haven now." Ashelin wasn't fooled.

"You still have half an hour before you said we needed to go." It was obvious he was trying to avoid something. "You aren't afraid, are you?" Even though she knew the answer.

"What, no. I'm just worried I won't get back in time." He was a terrible liar.

"You got plenty of time. And if you're not scared, then you wouldn't mind coming along." Now she was either teasing, or torturing him.

"Fine." He just decided to hold out and face his fears; and try not to die.

***********

Veger's room was dark since all the lights were turned off. Daxter had spent the last few minutes just trying to find a light switch and was really starting to doubt that Veger was in here. All that doubt melted away when the lights turned on seemingly on their own, until Daxter's light adjusted and he saw someone next to the light switch.

"I never thought I would see you in here." The voice was definitely Veger's.

"I never thought I would come here."

"I don't blame you. I mean, after everything that I've done..." He trailed of in a depressed looking train of thought. Wait. Did he just admit that doing the things he did was wrong?"Anyway, why are you here?" There was an awkward pause before anyone spoke. Daxter was still shocked about what he said.

"I need you to answer some questions for me."

"Is that all? You came all the way to the wasteland just to ask me a question?"

"It's a bit more complicated than that. Veger, an ottsel died at the port near my bar a little over three hours ago." Veger didn't know what to say.

"oh, I'm sorry about Tess." Tess? Why would he... oh.

"It wasn't her." Veger didn't expect this and had a stunned look on his face. "I don't know who he was. I was hoping you could tell me."

"Why do you think I would know?"

"Because, after he died, he told me to find you." Veger didn't believe Daxter.

"What are you talking about? How could he say to find me after he died?"

"He wrote it down to me in a note, and I need your help to understand what will happen."

"What will happen? What do you mean by that?"

"According to him, something bad will happen within the next twelve hours. Don't ask. I don't know what it means either, and this letter didn't help much." Daxter took out the pieces of paper that were in the ottsel's clothes.

"What does everyone else think of this?" He was referring to the paper.

"They don't know about it. He wrote to make sure no one sees this except for you and me." Veger had absolutely no idea what was going on.

"It says I can see it. So, can I see it?" Daxter handed him the letter and Veger started to read it. The note said.....

AN: Ha Ha! You thought you were going to see what was on the letter, but your not. Wah ha ha ha ha ha haaaaaaaa!

***********

"Greg," Ashelin was calling for her temporary partner.

"There is no way in hell that I am going anywhere near there," she heard him shout from a distance away. Once he saw the combat arena, he understood why she called it a volcano. It was literally built into the side of a volcano with lava at the bottom.

"Suit yourself." She knew that there was no point in making him go. After all, he probably didn't do this stuff as a doctor. He just needed to get that note back to the forensics division. Ashelin had to search the arena alone. Thankfully, there weren't that many places to hide out in the arena and she was finished with her search pretty quickly. She decided that there wasn't any sign of them in Spargus and decided to take Greg back to Haven now. Ashelin walked back to the entrance where she assumed he would be, but was surprised when he wasn't there. "Greg?" No answer. "GREG?" No answer. "GREG!?"

***********

"Are you sure this is for real?" asked Veger once he finished reading the note. "Are you positive that this isn't some sick joke?"

"If this is a joke," answered Daxter, "then I ain't laughing. Were you able to understand it at all?"

"Most of this doesn't make any sense to me."

Daxter sighed in defeat, but then raised his head once he realised what Veger said. "Most of? You mean you can understand some of it?"

"Not much, but yes." This was hopeful to Daxter. "All I know is this name they mention here." He pointed to the point on the paper to where it said the name 'Ryg'.

"You know this Ryg guy?"

"I knew someone with the same name, but I don't know if he's the guy mentioned."

"What do you know about him?"

"Well," Veger rubbed his chin to show he was trying to remember everything about him. "I used to work with him in the palace. He was incharge of figuring out how the old precursor artifacts and machines work. The man was a genius and had all these cool ideas. You could talk to him for hours and never be bored. He always used to say that he would..." He was deep in thought again.

"What? He would do what?" Daxter was concerned by this.

"Oh, it was nothing. He always joked around a lot. That's all."

Even though Daxter didn't look convinced, he decided to let it go. "Do you know where he is now so I can ask him some questions?"

"I think I last heard that he now lives in Kras. You can probably look him up from there."

"I'll do that." All of the sudden, a thought came to Daxter. The ottsel told me that something would only happen to Haven and Spargus, not Kras. I wonder if this is important or just a coincidence. "I guess I should thank you for the info you gave me."

"It was the least I could do." Daxter didn't expect a response like that from Veger. What happened to him?he wondered, but he would have to leave that for another time since he needed to get to Kras.

***********

Ashelin had been searching all over Spargus for the doctor, but he was nowhere to be found. She started to fear for his life at this point. "Where are you Greg?"

"I'm right here." Ashelin jumped in place from the surprise voice behind her. Sure enough, it was Greg, who looked alright.

"God," she managed to get out between breaths while she was trying to catch it. "Don't scare me like that. Where have you been?"

"Sorry if I worried you, but I thought I say that Daxter guy and ran after him."

"And?"

"It turned out to just be a kangarat. Man, I've been chasing that thing everywhere in this town, and when I finally catch up to that thing, it turns out it was all for nothing."

"Next time, tell me what you're doing before running off." She was still a little pissed off at him. "You almost gave me a heart attack."

"Aw, I didn't know you cared." Ashelin wasn't laughing.

"Let's just get you back to Haven, okay?"

"Fine. I've had enough of this place anyway."

The walk back to the hellcat was silent and awkward due to the recent events. Neither of them wanted to break the quietness, but Greg couldn't help but reply to what he saw next.

"Man, those stupid kangarats are everywhere, and I can't stop thinking they're that ottsel." Ashelin looked to what he was talking about.

"That is Daxter! come on." Greg still couldn't believe that they finally caught up to him.

***********

"Do you mind telling me why you now want to go to Kras, or can you still not tell me?" Jak was getting pretty annoyed with Daxter asking him to take him places.

"I'm sorry Jak, but I just can't tell you. Believe me, I wish I could."

"Well, then can you at least tell me why you can't tell me?" Just before Daxter was about to answer Jak, they heard distant voices call their names.

"Jak, Daxter, stop!" It was getting louder.

"Ashelin?" Jak could recognise his friend getting closer to them. What are you doing here? And who's your friend?"

"Oh boy," was all Daxter could say.

"Finally, we found you," said the man that Jak didn't know. "Now, give us back whatever it was you stole from us."

"Dax, what is he talking about?" Jak was even more confused then he normally was now.

"Listen doc," Daxter tried to explain to the man the best way he could without telling him too much. "I'm sorry for what I did, but I had to. In about eleven hours, there is going to be..."

"Um, guys," Ashelin interrupted Daxter. "What is that?" She pointed to the sky and everyone turned in time to see what looked like a ball of fire heading straight towards them.

"Oh my god. Everyone get down!" The ball WAS heading towards them. They all started running as fast as they could away from where they thought it would crash and jumped to the floor the second it hit the ground in a giant explosion.

The next thing Daxter knew was that he was right next to a big crater with three other people. In the center of the crater were the remains of a hellcat and carrier.

"Greg," Ashelin said. "I think you're going to be a little late for your shift."

AN: Sorry this chapter took so long to get up, but my computer is a piece of crap and kept on freezing and crashing. Well, at least this chapter is longer than all the others so you had more for the time. Anyway, review.