6
Keira woke the next morning to the sound of a barking crocadog. She sighed, rolling out of bed. She stretched her arms above her head, letting them fall heavily to her side. She changed into regular clothes: a white tank top, blue slacks, and black boots that she'd managed to scrounge up money for. Grabbing her old pair of goggles off the nightstand, she popped a piece of gum in her mouth and into the bathroom. The dog was still barking, and Torn yelled at him to 'stay!' Keira smiled to herself, tying her hair back into a ponytail. She surveyed herself in the mirror, blowing the bangs from her eyes. She'd changed a lot in the two years she had been alone, her only companions the garage and the whiny racers coming in asking for repairs. She'd asked for the job on a whim and a prayer, and the manager had hired her on the spot; he'd seemed desperate. Keira had proven her worth for certain, having sponsored many racers in the past two years. She was looking for a team to start the season, but no one had come to mind yet.
Keira secretly harbored other thoughts, however…. She heard Torn's voice through the wall, shaking her head.
"Dammit! I said, 'stay!'"
Keira smiled to herself once more, carefully hanging the goggles around her neck. But her smiled soon faded. Torn…she wished he acknowledged her usefulness. She wanted to be an Underground agent, although she knew Torn would laugh in her face. 'You're only a kid,' he'd probably sneer, 'you belong in the garage, not alongside Ashelin and me.' Keira snorted at the thought. If Ashelin could do it, she could. She knew the only reason Torn let her stay in the hideout was because of her knowledge of the toolbox. Keira frowned; that was going to change. She straightened up and followed the barking to the main room.
"God…be quiet, please!!!"
Torn was over by the shelves lined with mugs, trying to locate a clean one. The little boy was sitting on the table, giggling at the crocadog, which was presently chewing on a stray boot, stifling the barking for the moment.
"Thank. God," Torn gasped.
He turned around, then gave a start. Keira giggled.
"Morning, Torn."
"Jeez…you scared me…"
Keira patted the crocadog lovingly, smirking as he went right back to chewing on the boot. She stood back up, putting her hands on her hips.
"Did you get any sleep?" she asked, crossing her arms.
Torn nodded, still searching for a mug. The little boy had noticed Keira. He waved to her happily. She returned the wave, smiling.
"Torn…" she began.
"What?" he asked, bringing a fresh cup of coffee to the table. He raised his eyebrows at her from over the brim.
"Well…I've been meaning to ask you," Keira sighed, "I've known you for a couple months, now, and I'm…I've been helping you out as best I can."
"Spit it out, kid," said Torn, sipping down his coffee.
Keira swore his veins were full of the stuff.
"Well, I was wondering…if you would make me…an agent?"
He didn't laugh in her face, but his reaction was about the same. He put down the coffee mug, swallowing.
"Sorry, Keira. I can't do that to you."
"Do what?! Why not? I bet you I can handle anything that your stupid missions can throw at me!"
Torn shook his head. The kid had moxie, at least. "You have no idea what kind of world it's like. You can't imagine the kind of hell our agents go throw, either just to get information or for actual missions."
"But I can actually get things done!!"
"Really?" Torn laughed, "It seems to me like one person can't really make a difference."
"How would you know?! You aren't getting anything done here! Some resistance movement! You can't even-"
She regretted her statement as soon as she looked up into his eyes. They were a light blue, which she'd never noticed before. He stared down at her, and it was almost like his gazed pierced right through her.
"Did I just hear you right? You don't understand, Keira. That's the end of it. You will not be a member of the Underground."
Keira was momentarily silenced by the venom in his words, but she managed to regain her ground.
"I'm sick of being treated like a child!" she snapped, "I can do more than build stinkin' cars! I want to fight- I want to do something!!"
"I told you once. I'm not going to say it again."
Keira glowered at him. "You're being a real bastard right now."
Torn's eyes locked with hers again. She visibly flinched. Redness crept across her face; it was apparent she'd pushed him once too far…
"You wanna do somethin'? Okay- fine."
"Really?"
Torn appeared furious, yet he smiled. Keira winced; he didn't mean it.
"Take the kid with you to the stadium an' keep him there until your shift is done. The KG are upping patrols in this sector today, and the stadium will be free of most of them."
He threw a com-link at her, and she barely had time to catch it. He turned and stalked down the hallay, saying,
"I'll have Ashelin or Tess pick him up after you notify me."
"Torn-"
"Get lost, Keira."
He disappeared from view. Keira sighed, for some reason feeling the sting of tears. She forced a smile at the little boy, who had been watching them worriedly. She held out her hand, and he jumped down to clutch it.
"It's alright," she assured him, "It's not your fault."
She headed for the door, then stopped. Her eyes fell to the knot of maps, pictures and recently stolen paperwork that littered the table. Without a glimmer of hesitation, Keira snatched up a few papers at random, quickly exiting the hideout. She rolled up the papers and stuck them in her backpack. Keira found her car in the shady care she'd left it in. Tess had done her a favor by putting a canopy above it to save it from the rain. Keira helped the boy climb into the passenger's side. She hopped in the driver's seat soon after. The engine sputtered to life after she twisted the keys in the ignition. The car rose to the regular hover zone with a jolt, and the kid yelped. Keira smiled.
The city was extra humid that day, due to the previous bout of rain. The sky was a light blue, with high Sirius clouds. Traffic was light for this time of the morning, and Keira was thankful for that. She looked over at the child when they reached a stoplight. Her heart went out to him; he clutched the sides of his seat, looking fearfully over the side door. His eyes were wide.
"Did Torn feed you yet?" she asked, pressing the gas pedal lightly.
The boy shook his head. Keira sighed, pursing her lips. She turned to a different lane, looking behind her briefly.
"Let's get you something to eat."
She had learned in the past two years that the Bazaar yielded people of many personalities, as well as foods of all kinds. The very first time she had been in Haven City, she'd been thrown from the Rift Gate in her village and separated from her father, Jak and Daxter. When she came to, a kind woman had come and taken her to visit a wise old woman named Onin. A loud-mouthed talking bird (who reminded her too much of Daxter) spoke for Onin. It had all seemed so strange and ridiculous until the old woman addressed her as "Keira Hagai, daughter of Samos Hagai, the Sage."
………………………………
"H-how did you know that?!" fifteen-year-old Keira demanded, cowering in the corner of the hut.
"Onin says she has been awaiting your arrival," said the over-zealous bird, "You will prove useful in years to come."
"What? Tell her she's crazy!" Keira hugged her knees protectively, "You're crazy!!"
The old woman waved her hands, bangles and beads clicking together around her thin wrists.
"Onin says you are from a place very different from ours. A place called Sandover Village."
Keira's head shot up. She leaned forward slightly.
"That's right. How did-?"
"We've been expecting you, dear Keira."
Her wide green eyes flitted to the exit, then back to the bird. She couldn't bring herself to run. She shivered in her clothes, which appeared to be odd to the people who had seen her.
"Can you get me back home?!" she asked desperately.
"She says she regrets having to see you this way. She knows you won't adjust to this place for some time."
"I don't want to stay here! I'm leaving!!"
Keira stood up angrily, churning up the dirt beneath her bare feet, which were raw from the concrete outside. She headed for the exit, but the bird was talking again.
"She says you are worried about…Jak."
Keira spun around. That was it. "Alright! Who are you?! Are you going to help me or not?!"
"The boy you call Jak must play his part," the woman twirled her spindly fingers, "You cannot see him yet. Nothing is in place."
"Tell me where he is!" Keira growled, tears spilling down her cheeks, "Where are my friends?!"
"Young Keira," the bird sighed, "You mustn't dwell on the boy. He is the least of your worries. Onin says you have two present choices," the bird held up two feathered fingers, "If you do not choose, you will never see Jak, Daxter, or your father again."
Keira held her head in her hands, nearing complete breakdown.
"I'm dreaming…I'm going to wake up…!"
"Most are weary of their destiny in the beginning, as was the grand warrior who built this city."
"I don't live here! I have to get back to my village!" she screeched, "Will these choices of mine get me home?!"
"Onin says-"
"Just tell me, or I'll wring your scrawny little neck!!"
The bird fell silent. The old woman had the slightest curve to her lips. He looked down at her expectantly, but she waved her arms in a wide arc, wriggling her fingers once more. The bid sighed.
"She knows you love machines. Your first choice is to head to the stadim."
"But-"
"Your second choice, is to find this man."
The obnoxious bird handed her a picture. Keria studied the man, frowning. His brown hair was cropped short and it stuck up in different directions. He had blue eyes, and was wearing a uniform of some sort. He would have been handsome if his face hadn't of been tattooed with black bars. They stretched to his ears, neck and even his shoulders.
"Who is this?"
"He is a captain in the Krimzon Guard, and has just begun to realize the atrocities that surround him there. Find him, and tell him Onin sent you. He can protect him, keep you safe and hidden."
"I've never seen this guy in my life! I don't think I can just walk up to him and play the friendship card," she threw the man's picture at the red and blue feathered bird. He appeared angry at her actions.
"You were wrong about this one, you old hag!" he snapped at Onin, "She can't be the one you speak of!"
The old woman appeared irked at the bird's statements. "You could be wrong! She is supposed to be courteous, gentle and hospitable, just like in all the stories."
The bird pointed at her with a trembling finger. Keira winced.
" Heiress to the throne? The bearer of Mar's children? HA! I don't think so!"
Onin swatted at the bird to shut him up. Keira still stood by the doorway, waiting for the moment to leave. The bird had regained his aura of importance.
"You must choose, young one. You will see your precious Jak all in good time," he handed the man's picture back to her, "Which ever one you choose first- you will encounter the other."
Keira looked at the back of the picture, noticing a stamp had been marked in red.
"Show the seal to the man, and he will know you're reasons are legitimate. He will protect you."
"Will I find my friends and my father?"
"All in good time," the bird smiled knowingly, "All…in good time…"
