Jak and Daxter and all affiliated characters and places are property of Naughty Dog. No infringement of copyright is implied or intended in this fictional work.
A/N This chapter is dedicated to those who like the original ideas presented in this fanfic because boy, does this stray from game canon. WHEE!
Chapter 16: The Archives
Days passed. The two of them continued to work on missions but Torn had the foresight to include only the ones without Krimzon Guard involvement. He did it out of respect for Daxter and because he believed Jak would be unable to control himself around Erol's minions. The risk of injuring bystanders would be too great. Not only would innocents suffer but the cause would lose face as well. So Jak and Daxter stuck to simple courier missions and to clearing out Metalheads. Torn didn't care if Jak went ballistic around the monsters, the average citizen knew better than to hang around infested areas.
Day to day life went on much as before, at least that's how it looked on the surface. Daxter still talked and talked but she refrained from standing too close to anyone and kept her hands closer to her body. Casual touch was nonexistent and the redhead would slide just out of the way of friendly contact. No one noticed, except for Jak and Tess. Despite her efforts, Tess could not get the other woman to talk about Erol and broaching the subject just made Daxter freeze with a false smile on her face before switching the topic. She had become quite good at that.
As for Jak, he had stopped slipping into the bed at night after Daxter was asleep. Although it pained him, seeing the slight relief on Daxter's face that first morning after the incident told him everything. Daxter needed to define her own space and Jak needed to let her. This meant allowing Daxter to walk further away from him and acquiescing to her request for a larger zoomer so they could each have their own seats. It was in these little things that Daxter regained her sense of control. And control was something that Jak and Daxter would need if they ever confronted the Baron.
Today they were taking it easy, no missions, no Metalheads, just groceries and weapons. Daxter had found a large fruit stand and was currently occupied with one of her favorite activities, talking someone to death. "I wouldn't pay three let alone thirteen for this slop."
"It's very high quality, very fresh," the shopkeeper insisted.
"Fresh like my ass. I'll pay you five," Daxter said.
The burly shopkeeper slammed a fist on his stand. "Five, that's an insult!"
"This produce is an insult!"
Before Jak could step in, a shrill beep came from his pocket. He took the opportunity to ignore reality with gratitude. "Jak here."
"Where are you? Is Daxter with you?" Tess asked through the communicator.
"This sucker's as ripe as your mom, I'm not paying that!"
Jak covered his ear and turned away. "Yeah, we're together. What's going on?"
"We have some visitors here at Underground Headquarters who would like to talk to you," Tess said.
"Who?" Jak asked.
There was a playful lilt to Tess's voice. "You'll find out."
"We can be there in an hour," Jak told her. "Out."
"Ten."
"Five."
"Seven."
"Six and no more."
"Seven."
"Six and that's high buddy, and you know it."
"Six then."
"Fine." Daxter handed the shopkeeper his money and he gave her a full bag of produce. She gave him a smile. "Same time next week?"
The shopkeeper grinned. "You got it."
As they walked away, the blonde could not resist getting one last word in with his partner. "You really need to find another hobby."
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The Demolition Duo dismounted from the zoomer and walked the few yards to the resistance's secret entrance.
"What are we doing here again?" Daxter asked.
"Tess said that someone wanted to meet us," Jak said.
The redhead raised an eyebrow, suspicious. "Who?"
Jak shrugged. "She didn't say."
Daxter frowned, not happy with the answer. A few times, the twosome had to "make an appearance" at Underground meetings. Although The Shadow and Torn led the organization, they had to rely on patrons to keep their soldiers and spies equipped and fed. On occasion, those patrons wanted to see exactly where and to whom their money was going. Torn preferred using Jak and Daxter as examples. They were tough, could make decent conversation (well, Daxter could, Jak mostly grunted and tried to appear as unapproachable as possible) and their racing records added a bit of glamour. Under normal circumstances Daxter loved the attention, but the past few weeks had been far from normal.
The hero offered ideas. "It could be a client or some Underground hotshot." The exact things that she hadn't wanted to hear.
Daxter sighed. "Let's get this over with. I've got better things to do, like washing my hair."
The metal doors to the Underground whooshed open and they faced their mysterious hosts.
"Hi!"
A small bundle of green-haired energy hurled itself onto Daxter and wrapped its clubby little arms around the confused redhead's legs. "Keira?"
The child grinned with small white teeth. Being out of the brothel had done wonders for her personality.
"Hey kiddo!" Daxter said. She patted little Keira on the head. "Ya mind not cutting the blood flow to my legs?" The child shook her head "no" and clutched tighter.
A giggle announced the presence of others. Daxter looked up and found the offender. Tess stood with a hand covering her mouth, surrounded by Torn and The Shadow. And where there was child, there was mother. Arda stood off to the side, watching the display. The change in her demeanor was astonishing. Happiness and calm radiated out of the older woman's face. She had been given a second chance and was more than grateful.
Jak was surprised and pleased to see them. "I thought you two would have high-tailed it by now."
"Leave Haven? No. We have family here and there's still work to be done," Arda replied. "Besides, Keira wanted to see you again."
"Jakkie!" a tiny voice squealed and Jak found himself the new recipient of Keira's affections.
Jak allowed it, figuring that the child would eventually grow bored with him. He turned his attention back to Arda. "So you got out okay?"
"After we left you we went right to the waterfront just like you told us," Arda explained. A conspiratorial smile crossed her face. "Daxter was right about it being the ugliest bar there."
Daxter smirked at that. "Damn straight!"
"We met Tess and she took us to a safe house," Arda said. The woman's face softened. "I never got to thank you for what you did."
"And neither did I," a much older voice boomed. It was The Shadow, speaking for the first time since the duo had arrived. "Jak, Daxter, the Underground can't express its gratitude for your service in this matter. Arda is a valued member of our intelligence team and when her position was compromised she was in great danger. Your efforts most likely saved her life, and the Underground never leaves an agent behind."
Jak and Daxter didn't quite know what to say to that. For a long time they had thought of themselves as expendable. Was The Shadow's pronouncement just for Arda's benefit or did it really mean something?
While the adults conversed, a smaller guest had disengaged herself from Jak's person. Keira's curious eyes sought something to play with and spotted a row of books on a shelf. Each volume was bound in bright colors of some mysterious material. The little girl had to take a closer look. She toddled past the grownups, toward the bookshelf. Her target was in sight; it was the large volume with a bright green leather cover. The play of lines and wrinkles caught her attention, if the outside was that interesting then what of the inside?
The small girl stood on her tiptoes and stretched as far as she could. Her fingers brushed over the binding and found purchase on the spine. She tugged and the book tipped backwards into her outstretched hands. Unfortunately, the book was far too heavy for little Keira and the child fell right on her bottom. The air rushed out of her as the heavy book crushed against her chest.
"Keira!" Arda rushed to her little girl. She helped her daughter to her feet. "Are you all right? What have I told you about messing with other people's things?"
The green haired girl grinned, obviously fine. "It's pretty!"
The Shadow scurried over and snatched the tome. He held it out of the child's reach. "It is not pretty! This is a very important work!"
Never able to resist an opportunity to harass Samos, even if he wasn't the one she was used to, Daxter plucked the book from the Green Sage. She spun away out of his reach and moved to the other side of the room. "Why, what's it got? Beauty tips for the old and decrepit?" she taunted.
The Shadow growled and hobbled after the faster woman. "No. That is one of the only print copies of 'The Theories of Eco Dynamics' in existence!"
Daxter blew a raspberry. "Sounds boring, I bet there aren't any pictures." She opened the book and riffled through the pages, twirling around the Underground War Room. As she spotted various photographs and drawings she would make pithy comments. Jak tried to hold back his laughter but had a hard time of it. Arda shook her head while Keira attempted to follow the redhead to sneak a peek.
Torn stood to the side, watching the spectacle. He decided he would interfere if things went too far. As it was, he would just enjoy the show.
Daxter's lack of enthusiasm for the material enraged The Shadow. "This city would not exist if it was not for that book!"
"Yeah, yeah." Daxter turned a page and let her eyes drift across it. What she found stopped her cold. A look of shock mixed with something unidentifiable crossed her face.
"Dax?" Jak asked, concerned.
The sidekick did not respond so the hero moved next to her to see what had befuddled his partner. What he saw was a picture of a couple smiling for the camera. In their thirties, the man and woman both had red-orange hair and dressed like the people in Sandover had 500 years previous. The woman was pretty with a spattering of freckles across her nose and the man had a roguish grin with rather prominent buckteeth. What had given Jak and Daxter pause was the fact that they knew these individuals, knew them very well.
The Shadow failed to notice the change in their demeanor and had continued talking. "In fact, I doubt you would appreciate the years of work and effort that went into compiling this information. How many lands they traveled to and how many Sages they interviewed—Are you listening?"
They weren't. The Shadow took the opportunity to storm over to the stationary Daxter. "What are you looking at?" he asked. He peered over their shoulders and saw the picture. "Oh yes, Thom and Circe, the authors."
"They wrote this?" Daxter asked. Her lips curved into an awed smile.
The Shadow was surprised at Daxter's sudden interest. "Yes."
She looked up from the book. "Did they write anything else?"
"Yes," The Shadow answered, warming to his subject. "They wrote numerous books on Eco, Precursor Technology, religion, folklore, practically anything you can think of. All the texts were later collected into The Archives."
Daxter clutched the book to her chest. "Did they survive the Metalhead attacks? The first one?" she asked. The tone of her voice suggested she was afraid to ask.
Samos snorted as if she had asked a ridiculous question. "Yes of course, they did all their best writing then. Lived to be quite old if I remember correctly," he said, stroking his beard.
Daxter shoved the book at Samos. "Thanks, Green Stuff," she said. She grabbed Jak's hand and dragged him into the next room. Samos stared after the two and huffed.
"What has gotten into them?" he asked.
Torn shrugged. "I wouldn't know."
Curious as to what Jak and Daxter had found so important, Tess followed the duo into the next room.
Daxter and Jak were talking in low, hushed voices. Happiness shined out from their faces, a rarity in their new surroundings. Tess almost didn't want to disturb them. Almost. "Daxter?" Tess interrupted. The twosome turned their attention to the blonde bombshell. "Who are the people in the picture?" she asked.
Daxter giggled with a strange excitement and ran a hand through her hair. There was no dancing around the subject, Tess already knew about Jak and Daxter being from Sandover. Really, she was the only person from Haven City that Daxter could tell. "They're my parents," Daxter said.
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Like most people, Daxter could not remember early childhood; he had only impressions that it had been a happy and fulfilling one with very doting parents. The first significant change in his life had occurred the day he met a silent little boy just a smidge older than himself.
That morning had come far too soon for young Daxter. The mischievous boy had spent hours chasing fireflies when he should have been in bed. Finally, the energetic child had worn himself out and collapsed outside his home to sleep. His parents found him and tucked him into bed.
Now the sun was streaming through the windows, attempting to pry past Daxter's defenses. But Daxter was strong; nothing could defeat his desire for sleep.
A gentle hand shook him awake. "Daxter, Daxter honey, wake up." Except that.
The redhead's eyes blinked open, lured by the soft voice of his mother. "What?" he asked. "It's early."
Circe sat on the bed, a small smile on her face. "Only if you're a lazy sleepyhead!" Her fingers shot out, seeking the ticklish spots on her son's body.
The little boy shrieked and laughed, hands covering his sides to block her attacks. "Mom! Stop!" he gasped out between giggles.
Circe withdrew her assault and took to her feet. "Okay, but I want you down for breakfast in ten minutes."
Daxter's eyes lit up. When his mother made that sort of demand that meant that something special was going on. "What is it, Mom?" he asked.
"There's a boy in the village about your age that just moved in. We're going to go met him," Circe said.
"Wow, really?" Daxter launched himself out of bed. Sandover was a very small village and it had almost no children and children Daxter's age were even fewer. Although Daxter loved his parents, he really wanted a friend. Maybe this would be an opportunity to get one.
It had been a week since Samos had gone into the past with his small charge. He had been lucky in finding a suitable guardian for the boy Mar. A kind explorer who lived outside the Forbidden Jungle had been delighted in accepting the care of the mute child. Introducing the boy as Jak, Samos explained that he still wanted to tutor him but that he would be unable to actually raise the child. The explorer was fine with the arrangement, so Samos was satisfied that everything was well under control regarding the education of young Jak. The Green Sage would have plenty of time to listen to the trees and discern all the secrets of the ages without a child getting underfoot constantly.
Needless to say, the stowaway put a bit of a dent in those plans.
Arda's curious daughter had crawled into the Rift Rider undetected and fell asleep just before it had been sent back in time. Usually, Samos would have packed up the child and handed her over to her mother but now they were 500 years out of place for that. He had considered dumping the girl on someone else but something had made him pause. Although both young children, Mar and Keira had grown up very differently. Mar had been shuffled from guardian to guardian, never staying anywhere for too long. He had grown used to it and was fine as long as he felt he could trust the next caretaker. Keira, on the other hand, had never left her mother's care. To foist her off on a stranger would devastate the girl, at least she knew the Green Sage. He simply could not cast aside someone in need, even if they were small and needed constant attention. Besides, there was something in the way she smiled at all the trees and flowers and the way her eyes lit up when she was going to hear a new story. Or the way her tiny hands clasped together when trying to capture something that had caught her interest. . .
It had been difficult explaining to Keira why she could no longer see her mother. For the longest time she did not comprehend the situation, was unable to wrap her mind around it. But when it finally dawned on her, Keira's blue eyes had welled up with tears and she had wept with the loss. Samos held the girl throughout that first night, muttering the sweet nothings parents do and wiping away the wetness that dampened her cheek. The Green Sage hoped that with time and other distractions, the pain would lessen, or better yet, she would cease to remember Haven City all together. For now, he could only fulfill the role he had sought out, being a mentor to a young hero, and a role he had never imagined, being a father.
Today was Sunday and Samos had sent Keira to the Birdlady's that morning so he could prepare for his anticipated guests. The explorer, known to Jak as "Uncle," had invited a pair of academics he knew over to the Sage's. The couple had a child that was right around Jak's age. Uncle hoped that perhaps the boy would be a suitable companion for his mute "nephew." Samos, on the other hand, knew that this new boy was the same person who would be by Jak's side many years later in Haven City. Although his older counterpart had explained to him why Daxter had changed sex, the younger decided not to even think about it until the time came. It was much safer for his sanity.
To Samos' relief, the introductions went off without a hitch and now the two boys Jak and Daxter were doing what boys did best, running around and roughhousing. As agreed, Keira was returned that afternoon and now she sat on the sidelines, unsure how to approach other children. She had been the only child in the brothel and had not ventured far outside of it so this was all very new.
Samos and Daxter's parents, Thom and Circe, sat at a table partaking of some refreshments and keeping an eye on the three children. They were pleased that the boys were getting along and were wondering when Keira would step in. Samos sighed in contentment. Now that the hard part was out of the way, he felt free to indulge in his alternate agenda. The future safety of the world had been only one of two reasons why he had chosen to go into the past after all. He took a sip of tea and asked, "What is it that you do?"
Thom startled a moment, not used to small talk. "We're scholars," Thom answered.
Circe was better adapted to socializing than her husband. "Thom's specialty is Precursor Technology, I'm more of a folklorist."
The Green Sage felt his heart skip in anticipation. This was one of the most exciting moments of his life. Here were two of the most influential people of his time alive and in the flesh, talking to him. This was the sort of opportunity he had dreamed of as a child but never imagined to be a real possibility. "Fascinating," Samos said, a complete understatement. Now to formulate his next question, "Have you done any traveling?"
"Yes, that's actually how we met. Both of us were researching the Forbidden Jungle and stumbled across each other," Thom said. "We exchanged notes and found out we were looking for the same thing so we decided to team up."
"It was love at first write," Circe joked. "We've been together pretty much ever since." She squeezed her husband's hand.
"We went to different places writing and collecting data," Thom explained, a wistful expression on his face. "What can I say, we're information nuts."
"We haven't done much since Daxter was born," Circe admitted. She looked out to the field and smiled. Daxter and Jak were playing tag in the grass, having a grand old time.
"Priorities change when you have children," Thom said.
Samos followed Circe's gaze. Keira was standing behind a tree, just watching the two boys. Suddenly, she lunged out and whacked Jak on the shoulder. She shouted, "You're it!" Jak turned tail to follow her and Daxter laughed, glad the burden of being "it" was off his shoulders. The game had just increased to three players. Samos nodded. "Yes they do." He turned his attention backed to Thom and Circe. "Have you considered continuing your work?" he asked.
Thom and Circe exchanged glances. Their faces looked guilty as if even thinking about working was a crime. "Yes, but what about Daxter? We couldn't take him with us and we couldn't just leave him alone," Thom said. "Well, I do have a sister who could take him at night but during the day—"
"What if I took care of him?" Samos asked.
Circe shook her head, surprised at the offer. "Oh no, we could never impose upon you."
"It's not an imposition at all. I already watch Jak. Daxter could stay at your sister's house at night and come here during the day with Jak. I could teach him all about Eco and other matters."
"Eco? What do you know about Eco?" Thom asked with genuine curiosity.
"Quite a bit, I am a Green Eco Sage," Samos said, his chest puffing with pride.
"Fascinating. I've heard of other color Eco Sages but not one for green. This could be a rare opportunity to explore Eco Studies," Circe said.
"Eco Studies? I really haven't thought of it," Thom said.
"Neither have I."
Thom and Circe locked gazes; thoughts flowed and ebbed on their faces. It was as if they were sharing an epiphany without words. The old academic excitement was stirring in their brains, the call too tempting to resist. But there was guilt as well and uncertainty if what they were doing was right. Would Daxter be alright or would this drive a wedge between parent and child?
Samos was not only witnessing history in the making but acting as a participant as well. This was beyond his wildest dreams. To help the great Thom and Circe on their quest for knowledge; the knowledge that would become the culture cornerstone of an entire civilization and the sole solace for a young man who would learn to talk to the trees.
Despite their obvious excitement, Circe and Thom still had concerns. Circe struggled to articulate a rationale for leaving her son. "It would be good for Daxter to have a teacher and a playmate his own age and it would be wonderful to write again—"
"Yes," Thom said. "And we won't be gone long."
"We'll have to be back for his birthday," the mother insisted.
Thom smiled. "Of course."
"Then we're going?" Circe asked, a hint of trepidation in her voice.
Thom nodded, still not quite believing they were doing this. He turned to the Green Sage. "But we don't have any way to repay you."
Samos smiled. "All I ask is that I can see your work."
"Of course, you'll be the first one," Thom agreed.
"Then it's settled?" Samos asked, unable to keep the eagerness from his voice. Imagine, being the first to see The Archives as they were being written. Not to mention the honor of tutoring the authors' only child! "How long will it take you prepare?" he asked.
"Not long at all, we can probably leave next week," Thom said.
Circe laid a hand on her husband's shoulder. "First let's see if Daxter will be okay staying with Jak." She was as eager to go as Thom but she wouldn't sacrifice her son's happiness for her own selfish wishes.
Daxter dashed up to the table. "This place is great. Jak and Keira are awesome, can we stay here forever?" he asked.
The red-haired man glanced at his wife. "I don't think that'll be a problem."
Thom and Samos shook hands on it and that was that. Daxter's parents explained the situation to Daxter and the child was excited to spend so much time with his new friend. He didn't really understand what was happening until a week went by and his parents hadn't come back. Daxter had cried and cried despite both Uncle and Samos explaining that his parents would be back. Fortunately, the first of many letters arrived and that calmed the boy down. The letters themselves were simple, but it reassured Daxter that his mother and father hadn't abandoned him, that they still loved him and that they would be back.
A few months later his parents did return for a brief stay but they lavished so much attention on their child that Daxter felt like they hadn't really gone. He was sad to see them go again but felt all right knowing they would return.
That first year was rocky but a pattern was established that satisfied both parents and son. For most of the year, Thom and Circe would travel abroad collecting data while Daxter stayed with Jak or Samos. They communicated by letter, relating small day-to-day happenings and obligatory "I miss yous." The more exciting stories would wait until the winter, when Thom and Circe spent the entire season at home. Winter was too dangerous to travel and they wanted to have a solid block of time with their son to make up for the rest of the year. Even during the spring, summer and fall months, the two explorers would drop by home for a few days and catch up with Daxter. Thom and Circe made it a point to always be there for Daxter's birthday.
It was a small gesture but it meant the world to him. Even if his parents arrived late that night, they were always there for his special day. Although Daxter would miss his parents the rest of the year, the letters and days filled with play helped ease the pain. Besides, during the other three seasons Daxter would have ended up spending most of his time with Jak anyway. When he got older, Thom and Circe took Daxter along with them on a few of their trips. Although he enjoyed being with his folks, Daxter found the trips dull and spent most of the time missing Jak and Keira and longed to play with them.
One day, he told his parents this and they went back to the old routine. Everything worked out well even until that last summer.
After Daxter's transformation, she wrote to her parents to say that "he" was fine staying by himself and encouraged Thom and Circe to continue traveling. She never told them about the Dark Eco or its effects upon her body. She had expected to be normal by the time they returned and that they would never know about the "accident."
Little did she know that she would never see them again, that the last time she would say "Goodbye" and "I love you" were on Samos' porch that last day of spring. That her parents would have no idea where their little boy had disappeared to or that their little boy was now a grown woman.
As Daxter showed the picture of her parents to Tess, guilt and sadness squeezed her heart. She hadn't given her parents much attention in her mind since jumping through time with Jak. There had never been a good moment for it except for that fleeting thought back in Dead Town. What a lousy kid she'd turned out to be.
Tess's finger traced the features of the two figures in the photograph. She smiled. "They must have really been something, huh?" she asked.
Daxter nodded, sniffling to keep from crying. "Yeah, they really were."
The beginning of this chapter I have no idea where that came from. The original beginning had much angst but I felt like I was writing myself into a corner with no escape and no inspiration. And then this weirdness happened, go figure. Also, I decided to focus on Samos' view of the infamous "Jak meets Daxter" scene because I thought it was more interesting. It fleshes out Samos in a way I haven't done in other parts of the story. I apologize that this took forever but that's what happens when I'm busy.