7

The stadium was a welcoming place of coolness. The humidity had increased as the day had progressed into the afternoon. The little boy tagged along behind Keira as they walked up the stadium stairs, sporting a large ice-cream cone she'd bought for him in the Bazaar after giving him breakfast. The door to the shop was already open. Keira walked inside, frowning as she looked around. She could have sworn she closed everything up before she went back to the hideout…

"Oy!"

Keira spun on the spot, then relaxed. The boy, however, was frightened. He jumped nearly a foot, and his ice-cream splattered to the floor. He ran behind Keira, burying his face in the back of her legs.

"Woah…sorry…"

Keira put her hands on her hips, fixing her companion with a scornful look.

It was Bill, her fellow mechanic. He was in his late twenties, with brown hair and eyes. Bill had shown up in her shop one night, in desperate need of a place to sleep. Keira had let him stay overnight, and got him a job after realizing he had a way with machines. Bill had evolved into her friend in the past few months, telling her stories about the Baron, Krimzon Guard and the Wasteland. One could tell Bill had seen his share of the bad side. His face was weathered and his body was scarred. This was most evident by the large jagged scar under his right eye. In spite of his menacing appearance, Bill was nice to most people he met. It may have had something to do with his British accent…

"Aww, you've scared him," Keira said, placing a comforting hand on the boy's head.

He peeked at Bill from around her leg, then hid again.

"Well…I didn't mean to," Bill tired to see around her, "What's the lil' runt's name?"

"He doesn't have a name; we can't figure it out. Torn told me to watch him today, so I brought him to work."

Bill laughed lightly, sensing the hidden disapproval in her voice. "Ol' Torn is still the same. 'E's been like that 's far as I can remember."

"Concise?" asked Keira.

"No; suffering from a stick up his arse."

Keira rolled her eyes, picking up the boy and balancing him on her hip.

"Did 'e make you a member yet?"

"No…"

Bill shook his head, walking up to the ruined car that sat on the jack. He picked up a wrench, gesturing to the boy.

"Oy, kid, I'll by you a new ice cream cone, alright?"

The child nodded silently, gripping Keira's shoulder. Bill flashed him a gentle smile. Keira walked to the area with a green and yellow checkered curtain. She sighed; her project would have to wait. The boy soon warmed up to Bill, who picked him up from Keira's arms and set him on the jack, proceeding to explain different parts of the vehicle to him.

Keira moved to sit at her desk, pushing aside drawings she'd made for new racing vehicles. She took out one of the papers she'd taken from Torn and began to read. Instantly, she was stumped. She frowned; usually things were easy to decipher for her, but this was different. The letters were all written in the planet's English, complete with the correct symbols, but what they described made no sense at all. The words were all jumbled, it seemed. Keira studied it for twenty minutes or so, chewing on the end of her pencil. Suddenly, she heard someone enter the building ahead. Keira turned to Bill.

"Hey!"

"Wha'?"

"Can you take him to the backroom?" she asked, quickly hiding the papers.

"What for?"

"I don't want anyone to see him, Bill! You heard what the Baron's been doing to find him!"

Bill nodded. "Right; got it."

Keira pointed hurriedly, saying,

"Take the back way- Go!"

Bill scooped up the kid in one movement, putting him up on his shoulders so as not to make it seem like they were in trouble. Keira made sure the papers were safely concealed, turning back to the car wreckage. It still needed a lot more work, and it was due back in Kras City in five more weeks. Hopefully she and Bill would have it done by then.

The visitor to the stadium appeared inside the shop. Keira greeted him with a smile. It was Errol, leader of the Krimzon Guard, and the best racer she'd ever seen.

"Hello Errol," said Keira, "What's going on? Is there something you need?"

"Oh, not really. I was in this sector, so I thought I'd stop by.

"I thought Krimzon Guards couldn't leave their posts for anything."

Errol smirked, shrugging only one shoulder. "I guess I'm an exception."

Keira shook her head, fishing in a drawer for her monkey wrench.

"Did you come to recruit me for your team again?"

"Not today," Errol said with a hint of a laugh.

He walked closer into the shop, moving toward the table, but something went wrong. Errol slipped, losing his balance. He grabbed for the table as a last attempt. It was enough to keep him on his feet. Keira was giggling, her hands on her knees.

"What the hell was that?!" Errol demanded.

"Oh, it's just some ice-cream I spilled…forgot to clean it up," Keira giggled again.

She walked up to him, grabbing his arm. He managed to step out of the pool of melted ice-cream.

"Don't go banning dessert now, please," said Keira with a smirk.

Errol's mouth twitched, as if he were trying to smile. Keira cleared her throat, walking back toward the car wreckage. She took a seat in front of it, beginning to scrape off a bit of charred metal.

"So what're you up to now?"

"Nothing much really," Errol replied, flinging goop off his boot, "Things are a bit hectic; the Baron's ordered all unescorted children to be arrested and have their status confirmed."

Keira dropped the monkey wrench. It slid across the floor with a clang. Errol picked it up, frowning.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

"Nothing…"

"Come on. There's more to it than that."

Keria's eyes flitted to the backroom, but only for a moment. Errol placed the wrench back in her hand gently. She sighed.

"Well, doesn't it seem a little…drastic?"

Errol hopped up on to the jack in front of her, frowning. He wore the familiar Krimzon Guard uniform but it was marked in different colors- blue and yellow instead of the standard red. He certainly was a person who seemed to think of his appearance. His racing mask was pushed to the top of his head; he had fiery yellow-orange hair that seemed to match his personality. Black tattoos crossed his ears and face, circling around his eyes and running down to his cheeks.

"I mean…arresting children can't be good for the Baron's publicity. Just listen to how crazy it sounds," Keira went on.

Errol nodded slightly, avoiding her eyes. He was suddenly interested in his boots.

"So you think the Baron is crazy?" he asked, quietly.

Keira sighed, looking up at him. Errol had never been one to accuse her of anything. She trusted him to a certain degree.

"Not… entirely," she said, continuing to make adjustments to the burnt-out car. "Don't you ever think that maybe he isn't really looking out for the good of the people?"

Errol appeared to actually consider her statement. He shrugged.

"The thought had crossed my mind…but then again, who comes into power after him? Ashelin?" he shook his head. "The city would be reduced to ashes in the span of a week."

Keira smirked. Ashelin was often the subject of her personal grievance; the woman was so readily respected, and had a great responsibility. She was second in command of the Krimzon Guard, Errol just outranking her. Keira knew Ashelin was a good person, yet she still found herself disliking her. She couldn't really explain why; she didn't want to believe she was actually jealous of Ashelin…

"You don't like her?" Keira asked as innocently as possible, sensing the distaste in Errol's voice.

"Can't say that I do, Keira," he replied, shifting his position on the table. He picked up a tool and studied it. "She'd be a decent person if she didn't spend all her time trying to piss off her father…spending all her time looking for that idiot of a man…"

"Who's that?" Keira giggled, twisting off a rusty bolt.

"His name is Torn," Errol spat.

Keira's hand slipped on the wrench and she cracked her fingers against the metal. She swore in pain. Errol was alarmed.

"Are you alright?"

Keira nodded, sucking her knuckles. "So, this Torn guy…you don't like him, either?"

"No," said Errol with a sneer, "He's a coward. He left the Guard about two or three years ago. A bit strange at the time- he was-" the commander winced, "Well-respected."

"Did he say why he left?"

"Oh, something about the treatment of the people…I don't know what his beef with the Baron was. I think there was more to it than what they told us. Anyway, at the time, he was in my position, and I was…partly jealous."

"'Partly jealous?' C'mon, Errol!" Keira smirked slyly at him.

Errol actually cracked a grin. He shook his head.

"Well, he left and I took over. It worked out for the best."

Keira continued to twist at the metal, her mind reeling from the information.

"So what happened to him?"

Errol shrugged, running a hand through his hair. "He could be anywhere. Probably rotting away somewhere in the slums."

Keira raised her eyebrows. He had no idea…Errol slid off the jack, standing beside her. He cleared his throat.

"I… I got something for you at the market place…"

"Really? What is it?"

Errol reached into the shoulder pouch he wore, taking out something. Keira smiled. It was a small bouquet of flowers. They were mostly pink, but a small trail of blue outlined the petals.

"I know it's kind of cliché," Errol was saying, "But it seemed to me like you needed something to cheer you up around here."

"They're beautiful," she said, still smiling. Keira took them in her hands, feeling the petals delicately.

Something about them was oddly familiar. She took in their scent, and a brief memory of the ocean flashed through her mind.

"So, do you like them?" questioned Errol.

"Oh, definitely," Keira replied, "I love them."

"The woman I bought them from said they were rare. They only grow by the ocean. A long time ago, the Palace used to have a garden, and it was said Mar's wife favored these flowers above all others."

Keira frowned thoughtfully. "Mar certainly has tons of legends, doesn't he?"

She eyed the flowers again, trying to figure out where she'd seen them before. Errol half-smiled at her comment. Keira put the flowers to her nose and took in their scent once more. It was so familiar…

"Do I get a 'thank-you?' "

"Huh?" Keira snapped out of a daze.

Errol looked back at her expectantly.

"Oh, thank-you…"

She wasn't really aware of what she was saying, on the verge of figuring out her strange memory. It finally clicked- Home. That was what it was….

It was before everything, even before Daxter's bout with the Dark Eco on Misty Island. Back when he had a head of red hair and poor coordination…back when Jak was there to be with her.

The three friends had found a 'swimming spot,' an area of solace where they'd be free from Samos' nagging. There was a small water fall that fell into the cove, long grass and warm water. At night the fireflies would come out and light up the little bay, floating around like miniature stars. There was a rickety old dock that Daxter would always complain about, whining that the fisherman never got around to fixing it. Keira had lost count of how many times all three of them had fallen asleep there; her father would joke he'd carry her and Jak back home, but drag Daxter along by his ankle.

Keira remembered one night in particular, when Daxter had fallen asleep, leaving her and Jak alone to go exploring. The sun had almost set on the horizon, and the fireflies were out. Jak had taken her on a climb up the waterfall, finding a small plateau on top. They'd all tried to climb it before, but up until then, no one had succeeded. When the two had reached the top, they watched the sun sink into the ocean. It was then Jak had given her something, red in the face all the while: A large bouquet of pink and blue flowers. They smelled wonderful. Keira had thanked him and moved to kiss him on the cheek, but Daxter had fallen into the water below them, yelping. Both of them laughed at his expense, shaking their heads. It had been the first time Jak had showed her he liked her. Keira could still feel the gentle breeze on her face….

"Are you okay?"

She was snapped unwillingly back to reality. Keira suddenly realized she was standing in the shop, next to Errol.

"Yeah," she replied absently, "I'm fine…"

Errol stepped a bit closer to her. She blushed.

"Could I have a proper thank-you, then?"

He leaned forward slightly. Keira's first instinct was to do the same, but something stopped her. She could only think of Jak…

"I- uhm…," she stammered, "Thanks."

Errol frowned at her, as if the phenomenon of girls being repulsed by him was out of ordinary. He could feel the rare sense of embarrassment creeping up on him.

"I really love the flowers, Errol- I do."

Keira kissed him on the cheek, so as not to make it look like she was afraid of him or anything. She certainly wasn't; it was the fact that she couldn't get Jak out of her mind…

Errol seemed to regain some of his typical expression. The dim redness in his cheeks was fading. He nodded, taking a step away from her.

"You're welcome…"

There was suddenly a clatter of equipment in the backroom, which startled Keira briefly.

"Who else is here?" Errol wanted to know.

"Oh, just a fellow mechanic. He works in the second shop back there," Keira answered, "He's harmless."

Errol nodded. "Well, I'd better be going. I've work to do…"

"Okay…Be careful out there, Commander," she said, "And thanks again."

Keira flashed him a reassuring smile as he turned to leave. Errol's mouth twitched again. He held up his hand as he departed, nodding to her. When he had gone, Keira gasped. Bill came into view after a few minutes. The little boy followed, wearing a racing helmet that was much too big for him. Keira couldn't help laughing.

"What did that wank 'ave to say?" asked Bill, folding his arms.

The boy hugged Keira around the legs, and she returned the gesture, lifting up the visor that fell over his eyes.

"Bill, that's not very nice."

"Well…you don't know 'im like I do."

"Errol's just a friend," Keira informed him, shrugging, "I think we get along pretty well. He's a really great racer, you know."

Bill raised his eye brows. "Yeah, I know, kid. The 'Grand Racing Champion.' Everyone freaking knows, and he doesn't let them forget it."

"God, Bill- cut it out!" Keira snapped.

"Alright, but he's a Looney, just so y'know…"

Keira heaved a sigh, picking up the boy. Bill chuckled to himself, turning back to his work. He knew she was still young yet, but her taste in men certainly didn't look promising…