Chapter 3: The Discovery

"Err…Jak." Daxter began as they found themselves once again in the ancient blue sage's lab. "About what happened back there." Jak looked at Daxter and found his friend scratching the back of his neck nervously and leaning against one of the metal tables that was pushed against the wall. "Uh, can we leave out the part of me landing on top of you naked out of the story when we report back?" Jak's ears twitched at this and he raised an eyebrow at his friend's discomfort. "I mean, not that I'm embarrassed, but we both know that Tattoo Wonder will twist this around into a joke that I'll never live down."

Chuckling Jak nodded. "No problem Dax." He said as he was about to pull out his hoverboard once again, when a noise caught his attention. He heard Daxter curse and walk up behind Jak and pull out the dagger that he carried that was tucked into his lower back. The blade was new, something Keira had given the hero for killing Kor.

Sneaking up to the side of the doorway Jak peered around the doorway and spotted one of the feline type metal heads with a few grunts and drones following it. Jak pulled his head back and held up his hand to stop Daxter from making a single move and then held up four fingers and then two more and pointed the opposite way as he had spotted two that way as well. Six metal heads total. Daxter thought and nodded at Jak's signal to stay put as his best friend ran out of the hut.

Daxter watched from the doorway as Jak took out the feline by simply walking up behind it, grabbing it head and snapping it. The grunts and drone then took notice that he was there and began to attack him. One drone flew behind him, only to get a peacemaker shot right through its belly. Its companions, who were flying too closely with it, were also killed. That took care of the four. Then the two grunts attacked, one managed to slice Jak's jeans and dig into his thigh with the dagger-like stinger on the end of its tail. Jak cried out and that's when Daxter made his move and threw the dagger in his hand and struck the second grunt that was coming in for an attack from Jak's other side and killed it instantly. The one that managed to attack Jak soon wished it hadn't, as the dark elf grabbed it by the tail and yanked its stinger out of his thigh and proceeded to stomp the life out of it.

Running over to his injured friend Daxter pulled Jaks pack back off of his back and proceeded to look for a green eco life pack. Upon finding it he handed it to Jak, who was smearing the blood away from the wound in order to get a good look at it and hissed once he did. He took the offered life pack and smeared the healing substance over the wound and sighed as he felt the familiar coolness enter the wound. "Thanks Dax." He said with a smile and looked over at his friend who was now tying the pack up and carrying it.

"No problemo buddy." He said as he gave Jak one of his cocky smirks. The two then headed back towards Haven City after clearing the rest of the metal heads out of the area, which turned out to be a lot easier with Daxter throwing his dagger at the small fry and letting Jak handle the bigger ones. Once inside the city walls they made a beeline for a clothing store for some pants and boots for Daxter.

Torn looked at the red headed kid in front of him and blinked as Jak retold the same story this kid who was claiming to be the furball had just told them. Turning his head towards Ashelin, who had her hands on her hips the entire time, he asked. "Do you believe this?" he still didn't believe it. There was no way it could be true.

"If it is then there are secrets to eco that we've never known." She said as she rounded the table and stood in front of Daxter. Her eyes went from his face to his feet. Despite having changed species Daxter still had a rat-like look to him. The slight over bite, long hair, and wide wild eyes really made her wonder. "Okay. Daxter." She leaned forward and grabbed his face and was examining it when she saw where his eyes were looking at and snorted. "It's him." She then smacked him over the head for looking down her cleavage.

Daxter shrugged at Jak in his usual I-couldn't-help-it kind of look. "So now that Dax is back to himself, he'll need some training with guns and-"

"No." Torn stated shaking his head. "There's no way I'm training the rat to shoot. Knowing him he'd shoot himself in his ass or kill himself."

Daxter growled. "You wouldn't have to." Jak smirked. "I'd teach him." Everybody, Daxter included, stared at Jak. It only took Daxter a moment to go from shocked that his best friend would teach him how to shoot to excited.

While Daxter was excited about this prospect, neither Torn nor Ashelin were. "You teach him." Torn said pointing at Daxter. "Dear Precursors. We're doomed." He shook his head.

"No offence Jak," Ashelin began, "But you're a bit wild when it comes to shooting, yourself."

"I was trained by Sig." Jak responded, his ears falling a bit at the last memory of Sig being killed by the metal head in the underport.

"Sig was a wastelander." Torn sniped. "He knew nothing-" Torn stopped talking when he heard a duel growl; one coming from the red head, and the more menacing one coming off from Jak.

Daxter suddenly lunged at the Commander of the new Freedom Guard. "No, you have no right!" he yelled. "Sig was way better than you, you fucking ASSHOLE!" While Torn was trying to push the red head away, he didn't have time to react when the red head suddenly gave a powerful punch right into his gut.

Jak pulled Daxter off of Torn and turned. "Dax and I are leaving." He said walking away, only to pause when he saw a balding man in a blue robe walk by them. His eyes widened as a memory suddenly came to the front of his mind. Shaking his head he and Daxter walked out of the throne room and subsequently left the palace.

Ashelin had seen Jak pause when Count Vegar walked past him and frowned. She didn't know Jak had met the count; but it would surprise her if the count had approached him once. "What do you want Vegar."

"My dear Governoress, I have coming here with some news." He sneered at her. The prestigious count thought he was not only smarted than she and the others, but also thought she didn't know about his eco experiments. Because of something Jak had said she had begin to look through her father's old logs at the now shut down KG Prison, which she was going to tear down and have a school built in its stead. The logs that her father and other scientists had left there had been brought over to the new mainframe computers that were currently being housed there in the palace. Inside those logs she had found that Vegar and the counsel were just as guilty for Jak's current state as her father and Erol had been.

"What news?" she asked being careful to keep her poker face in place and not show any kind of feeling towards the count.

"That our world is about to be destroyed, but there is hope." He smiled at her, hoping to cause her to lose that stone faced façade; but it didn't melt away.

"What kind of hope?" she asked her voice just as cold as her face. Torn was trying to ignore the entire thing, but was impressed by Ashelin totally ignoring the count's bait to get her worried.

"The kind that'll save us from…" he paused and smirked as he saw Torn's attention was suddenly caught. "the Dark Makers."

Ashelin had heard tales of the Dark Makers by her father and in stories and myths. She sighed. Its only one of his scare tactics. She thought. "Right." She turned her back towards him. "While you're trying to scare me with tales of the boogieman, I have real problems to solve. One of which is primarily caused by you and the counsel."

Vegar was knocked out of his state pretentiousness when he heard this. "What are you talking about?" he demanded.

"Eco experiments." She stated with a smirk and whirled around just in time to see his look of shock. "Don't try to deny it. I've seen the files and the results. Yours and the counsel's fingerprints are everywhere on the DWP experiments and several others; including one with light eco that just never seemed to get off." She leaned over the table at him. "I don't take kindly at finding out that the counsel in behind the reason that this city is sinking."

Vegar suddenly looked very worried, his ears having sunk almost to his shoulders. "I-"he began but was cut off by Torn.

"Don't even try to say you had no idea." He said his voice going dangerously low. "We all know your fingers are more than likely more sticky than Krew's after eating."

The count swallowed hard. "Which is why I'm dissolving the counsel and will be looking for new counsel heads to help me rebuild this city and while I'm at it, you and the rest of the council will be looking at liquidations of property and finances."

"You can't do that!" he screamed at her. "Those properties were given to us by-"

"The Mar family which from my father's logs and journal entries from various members of the counsel state they were all a part of the exile of King Damas and the death of his wife Queen Mar." Ashelin finished for him. "You'll have one hour to pack and find an apartment complex near the port or subdivision in the new section of the city that's being rebuilt in the former water slum area." She watched Vegar turn to leave. "Oh and don't try to take any of your credits. They've already been liquidated." She watched the count stomp out of the throne room, she could still feel her nerves bustling when suddenly she felt two arms wrap around her and looked behind herself to see Torn smiling.

"Very impressive." He said with a chuckle.

"I've wanted to do that for years." She admitted as she leaned in to kiss him, only for her comm. to beep. Sighing both pulled away from one another so she could answer it.

"You're transport is ready m'lady." came a gruff voice over the comm.

"Thank-you Captain Brutter." She said as she looked over at Torn. "Come on; let's go celebrate with our new friends."

Torn sighed as he looked over at the table with piles of paper work on it. "I've got so much to do." He tried to make her believe he was too busy for celebrating.

"Ten hut!" she yelled, causing him to go at attention. "As Commander of the new Freedom Guard I hereby order you to come with me to a function for this city."

"Yes sir!" Torn yelled without thinking, all the while keeping his back as straight as he could. "I mean, Ma'am."

"Besides big guy I want to see you on the dance floor." She said with a sultry look in eyes and a flirty meaning behind her words.

"Not likely." He flirted back as they closed in for a kiss.

Sometime after leaving the Palace, Jak and a still fuming Daxter made their way back to the newly renovated Naughty Ottsel bar, formerly named the Hip Hog Saloon. Once inside Daxter's sour mood vanished at the sight of the bar inside. There were booths on either side of the room, like before, however the boxing ring and stripper pole had been taken down and a nice large dancing floor had been put in. The second floor had been turned into ten fully equipped bedrooms, with their worn private bathrooms. Each room was the same color of white, with new pristine beds. Tess' idea was that if somebody was too drunk to go home, then they'd have to stay in one of the rentable rooms.

"Tessie poo, I'm home!" he yelled out knowing his girlfriend would hear him.

Jak looked around the bar and smiled. It's been a lot of work, but they'd been able to get this place up and running once again. Torn just had to bring his holographic table here after the party tomorrow. Turning he heard a gasp and saw Tess with a hand over her mouth and she tentively approached Daxter.

"Daxie?" she questioned as she peered under the mop of his hair.

Daxter pushed the hair out of the front of his face and smiled at her. "Yep, it's me!" he cried out as she suddenly grabbed him and pulled his head towards her chest.

"Ooo, Daxie, you're so sexy!" she pulled his face towards hers and gave him a big kiss that had his ears popping upwards and his arms going outwards in surprise as he moaned against her lips. When she pulled away he had a silly look upon his face that made her giggle.

"Mmm…yeah..I-I could go for more sugar; Tessie poo." He sighed as she laughed.

"Oh Daxie." She giggled as she began looking at his hair and clothing. "You need a makeover, and just in time for the party too."

"Oh, makeover yer sayin'." He suddenly didn't look so sure. "Err…what about Jak?"

She looked Jak over and giggled. "He's a renegade. He can get away with no grooming." She said with a shrug. Daxter's jaw dropped as he stuttered to come up with a reason why a makeover was a very bad idea, but Tess hushed him up with another kiss and manhandled Daxter up the stairs, though now he wasn't complaining.

Jak shook his head as he walked over to the bar and began going through the cupboards and the mini-fridge for something refreshing to drink and settled for a bottle of water. He'd just stood back up from going through the refrigerator when he saw LJ standing behind him. The little boy's once chin length hair was now cut and styled. Cut on the sides and tall on top. He chuckled and bent down to his level. "Did aunt Tess get a hold of you too?" he asked. The boy rolled his eyes and nodded before pointing at Jak's water bottle. "Thirsty?" he asked as he turned back to the unit and grabbed another bottle of water.

Jak looked at himself in the mirror and had to admit, he did look a bit rough. His goatee even looked a bit, scruffy. Looking down at LJ he asked. "Think I should shave it off?"

The little boy looked up at him, like he was really thinking about the question and shook his head no, before pointing at Jak's mid-back hair.

"Need a haircut." he asked LJ who nodded with a smile. "Hmm…Maybe I'll put 'em in dreads." He thought outloud as he and LJ enjoyed their drinks.

It was about twenty minutes later that Daxter came downstairs. The makeover had entailed his hair getting snipped to chin length on the sides, the front now had bangs, and in the back was a long rat tail-like braid that was tied off with a green ribbon. Daxter also now had his ears pierced. The left had two golden studs down on the lobe. The right ear was pierced near the tip and had two golden studs as well. He still wore the shirt he'd been given by Jak, but now wore knee length shorts that had pockets on the legs and butt. He also had a pack slung over his head and resting on his left hip and combat boots that went half way up his calf.

"What'd ya think Jakie boy?" he asked in his most serious voice.

"Very nice." Jak said giving him two thumb up.

"He's a sexy Daxie now." Tess said as she kissed Daxter's cheek and walked over to behind the bar counter.

"Tess, you still have those clippers?" Jak asked real serious.

"Sure." She said with a giggle. "I need to get ready myself; I'll put 'em in the room across from mine."

"Thanks Tess." Jak said this as he stood up and looked at Daxter. "Watch him."

"No promblemo." Daxter looked over towards LJ. "Wanna play a game?" he asked the little boy who nodded as Daxter took him over towards the wack-a-metal-head game that was still in the corner of the room. "I've got the highest score." Daxter announced proudly. "Now the trick is…"

After showering and dressing in the clean blue shirt and black jeans that Tess had also lain out for him Jak went back into the bathroom and wiped the mirror with the towel. Picking up and brush he got the tangles out of his hair and then picked up the clippers and began cutting his hair until it was even and just below his shoulders. Upon hearing the door to his bedroom open he turned to look out and see Tess picking up his dirty stuff.

"Hey Tess," he spoke causing the petite blonde woman to jump slightly at being caught in his room.

"Yeah Jak?" she asked as she turned around and saw him looking at her through the doorway.

He held up the clippers. "Could you get the back?" he asked a bit embarrassed.

She smiled. "Sure!" she walked over to him and began to help ensure that his hair wasn't all messed up.

Daxter pouted as he drank some sort of purple drink that he'd found. LJ had beaten his score. How the heck did the kid do that!? He wondered as he heard the machine begin dinging again. Turning around he watched LJ play the game again. He was totally engrossed in it, so that when he felt somebody tap his shoulder he had jumped. Turning to see who had scared the living snot out of him he groaned at seeing that it was Jak.

Daxter smirked as he looked Jak over. The green, blonde hair was no longer wild or windblown looking. He had two braids on either side of his head, hair was combed straight back, curling slightly at the ends. His normal clothes, minus his pants now being black instead of tan and black combat boots; a black knife on his hip once again, but he was missing his eco ring and straps and the shoulder guard. He snickered when he saw that in both ears near both lobes were twin golden ear piercings.

"She got you too." he snickered.

"Hush." He slapped Daxter over the head, which the red head had ducked successfully. The two boys began to roughhouse just as Keira and her two fathers arrived. Little LJ looked up to the arrivals from his game and ran back to Jak and Daxter. Apparently the little boy didn't trust the ex-underground leader any longer. That or he just didn't want to be around two of them at the same time.

After they arrived when was Torn, Ashelin, Brutter, and Jinx arrived. The ex-mercenary sat down next to Jak. "Hey pretty boy," he said greeting Jak, who rolled his eyes at the nickname. "Kill anything lately?"

"Just metal heads near the ruins in the deeper parts of Haven Forest." Jak shrugged as the bomb expert snorted.

"Figures." He muttered as he brought a glass filled with a yellow liquid to his lips swallowed and then took a puff of his cigar.

Looking down at LJ, who made a face at the cigar smoke and Jak had to agree with his younger self. It wasn't a pleasant smell. Picking LJ up, he left the bar and sat down in a booth near the exit. He could still hear Daxter retelling how he bagged Kor's head and that Jak had needed his help as Keira suddenly sat down next to him. LJ climbed up on the table and overlooked the two and smiled at Keira, a little blush appearing on the boy's face; which caused Jak and Keira to chuckle.

"Can't believe he's you." She said as she stopped chuckling.

Looking down at her Jak smiled. "Yeah, good times." He stated darkly, as he looked at the younger version of himself.

"When he grows up, he'll be a big hero." Keira sighed as she leaned subjectively into Jak. Looking around himself he saw nobody looking; not even LJ who was now watching Pecker and Daxter talking, and leaned in and gently kissed Keira's soft lips. The young woman next to him sighed as he began to deepen the kiss.

"HEY!" the couple jerked apart afraid that they'd been caught and saw Daxter yelling at Onin. "That's it! I'm cutting" ya off."

Onin's fingers began to glow and she threw some energy at Daxter, causing the youth to fly into the air and land on his back on the dance floor. "I wouldn't if I was you. When she gets this way it's never good." Pecker said as more symbols flew through the air at Daxter, who looked at Pecker. "Something about rubber tubing in certain parts of your mother." He said as more symbols came out from the seer's hand. "And that, you do not want me to interpret."

Just then the doors opened. Daxter, who was still on his back on the dance floor only saw something sharp and looking like a metal head. "ACK! A metal head!" he cried out.

Jak was up and out of his booth before he saw who it really was. "SIG!" both Daxter and Pecker yelled. "I knew that." Daxter finished off a bit sheepishly as he stood up.

"Sig!" Jak happily greeted the wastelander and clasped his arm with the older man.

"You didn't think some big nasty metal head was going to finish me off, did ya?" he asked in a joking manner. "Besides nothing could keep me away from the biggest party in town."

"I knew yer too tough for 'em big guy!" Daxter yelled as he came up next to Jak.

"Err…" Sig looked at the red head before looking at Jak. "Looks like I missed something." He laughed as he messed Daxter's hair up in the friendly way.

Daxter groaned as he tried, but failed to straighten it back up. It was then than Jak felt LJ tug his leg and looked down. The little boy looked up expectantly and then looked over at Sig who looked down at the little boy. His real eye going wide in surprise, while the mechanical was looking at the little boy real close. "Didn't know you were a dad Jak." He said testing Jak to see if the boy would lie to him.

Jak picked LJ up. "I'm not." He looked at LJ and then at Sig. "It's a long story."

"One I'll want to hear, real soon Chili pepper." His eyes never leaving the little boy's face as LJ suddenly gave Jak a tight hug around his neck.

It was after the party had settled down that Sig found Jak sitting on the ground with LJ playing with his croca dog and Daxter leaning against Jak's back as he and Tess discussed something.

"Ahhh," the old Sage breathed, smiling, "it feels good to finally be able to breathe free air."

"Yep, nothing like the smell of burning Metal Heads to get the olfactory nerves going." Daxter remarked, crossing his arms and giving the old elf his famous glare, which gained a nudge from Jak. Sig merely cleared his throat as he looked down at the red head."Alright, maybe for you it does," Daxter conceded, "but then, you're nuts!"

"Hey!" Sig said, sounding hurt thought anybody who knew the wastelander knew that it was more likely that Daxter had given him a compliment. "I'll have you know that I used to be a pretty normal guy. I can still remember when my mom used to tuck me into bed with my poopsie bear and a glass of warm, Yakow milk; telling me stories about Mar." There was a moment of stunned silence among the group, as every single person present turned to face the Wastelander, gapping at what they had just been told.

"Dude!" Daxter yelled with a laugh. "You've officially ruined your cred." Beside him Tess, Pecker and the even the croca dog began laughing at Sig's admittance.

Once they stopped some time later, and Samos, wiping the tears from his eyes, smiled up at the dark elf. "Jak," he said his voice strangely devoid of its usual harshness, "the future awaits."

M-Angel: Holy cow! This chapter was even longer than the last one. Way over 4,000 words. Jeesh! So what'd y'all think of this chapter? I truly want to know what you think of the story. I can't improve it if I don't know. *smiles*