A/N: My first J+D fanfic, so please go easy on me! Read/review, would be nice! And if you're reading this you probably already know, but go look at MikaHaeli8's J+D fanfics. They be good, ja!

Haven City IM

Jak Mar studied the grey box before him intently, running his eyes over the rows of buttons alongside it and the large monitor above. He reached out a hand and felt the cold metal of the box briefly before receiving a sharp slap on the wrist from his better half, Keira. He rubbed his hand gently; the woman may not have a Dark side like him, but it sure felt like it sometimes!

"So, what does this thing do?" he asked, resisting the temptation to touch it again.

The woman sighed. "It's a stationary positronic textual communications device, Jak."

"Uh, could I have that in English?" he had to duck a flying wrench before he got an answer.

"You can use it to talk to people anywhere on the planet," she explained irritably. "Honestly, I swear I must have told you that about five times already!"

Jak began flicking through the instruction manual, but felt an irresistible urge to ignore everything it said. He'd figure out how to make it work without needing to touch the manual, he was sure.

"Now, this is a very delicate piece of equipment so I've rigged up a second one for myself. I don't trust the way you handle my equipment."

"Oh?" Jak replied cockily. "You weren't complaining about the way I handled your equipment last night," he received another well-aimed spanner for the comment, striking just below where his legs met his torso. "Precursors, Keira, be careful!"

"I won't miss next time, are we clear?"

"Yes, ma'am," he gulped.

The next half an hour was spent setting up the two machines and connecting them to the network. Jak simply sat back with a mug of dark coffee while Keira worked to get everything up and running. When she was done, she disappeared for a shower, leaving Jak's terminal at a screen which displayed the words "Register," and "Log in." He stared at them for a few minutes, utterly confused by their presence and meaning. How dare they intrude upon him like this?

"KEIRA!"

The mechanic swayed back into the room, wrapped in a towel.

"Click the one that says 'Register' Jak," she sighed.

"Click?"

"Here, let me."

She grabbed a small half-egg shaped object at the side, making a tiny picture of a Blaster magazine move across the screen and pressed down on the egg when it hovered over the word "Register."

"Now, type in on the keyboard what you want your username and password to be. Then you can log in."

Very few of these words made any sense to Jak, but he obeyed willingly, tapping slowly onto the letters a unique username and password. By the time he'd finished that, Keira had left the shower and plonked herself in front of her own screen. He rather childishly tried to hide his screen from her prying eyes, but gave up when he realised that she wasn't in the least bit interested. Seconds later, Jak jumped back in surprise as a dialogue box appeared on his screen.

His mind thought this: "Another intruder into my territory. We'll see how long it lasts,"

But his voice said this: "KEIRA!"

"Precursors, Jak, what is it now?" she half-shouted.

"There's a box on my screen and I can't do anything about it!" he whined in the manner of a five-year-old.

"Oh, that'll be the friend request I sent you. Just click the word 'Accept' and then click on my name twice." The technician didn't take her eyes from the screen all the while she was explaining this, evidently enthralled in her own conversations. Jak shrugged and did as he was told. Another question suddenly dawned on him.

"How did you know what I picked as my username?"

"Oh come on, Jak, you're about as difficult to read as Daxter!"

Yet again, Jak's face was a vision of confusion. He wasn't sure if he was being complimented, insulted, or any of the above. He decided not to think about it, instead directing his attention to the screen. What met his eyes was a flurry of text-based exchanges, along with several faces and pictures, the meanings of which were lost on him. Tentatively, he began to type.

Jak_Mar:

Hello?

Mechanical Girl:

About time you spoke!

0r4ng3 L1gh7n1ng:

Oh, so THAT'S who you were talking about! How's it goin, Jak?

Jak_Mar:

Dax, that you? Why do you have all those numbers in your name?

0r4ng3 L1gh7n1ng:

Oh boy, you got a lot to learn about this thing!

Mechanical Girl:

Be nice to him, Dax!

0r4ng3 L1gh7n1ng:

Oh, like you were being a minute ago?

Mechanical Girl:

Don't you dare say anything

Jak_Mar:

Am I interrupting something?

0r4ng3 L1gh7n1ng:

Well your lovely girlfriend was saying some very un-lovely things about you

Mechanical Girl:

Urgh, Daxter when I get my hands on you I'm going to find the nearest pool of Dark Eco and throw you into it!

I hope you come out again as a Metal Head so I have a good excuse to kill you!

0r4ng3 L1gh7n1ng:

Relax, dollface, I ain't said nothing yet.

Torn Asunder has entered the room

Torn Asunder:

Morning.

0r4ng3 L1gh7n1ng waves at Torn

Mechanical Girl:

Hey Torn! Look who we got into this now!

Torn Asunder:

Great, another useless addition. Shouldn't you be protecting Haven or something?

Jak_Mar:

I dunno. Shouldn't you be stabbing people in the back?

Mechanical Girl:

Jak, behave yourself!

0r4ng3 L1gh7n1ng cracks whip

0r4ng3 L1gh7n1ng:

Speaking of whipped… Torn, what's Ashelin up to?

Torn Asunder:

She went out.

Mechanical Girl:

Oooh, that doesn't sound good. Something happen between you two?

0r4ng3 L1gh7n1ng:

Again.

Mechanical Girl:

Dax!

Torn Asunder:

And why would I tell you if it had? Keep your nose out.

0r4ng3 L1gh7n1ng:

So…

Mechanical Girl:

Jak, you've gone quiet. What's up?

Jak_Mar:

Nothing. I have to go out for a bit.

Jak_Mar has left the room

0r4ng3 L1gh7n1ng:

Coincidence? I think not.

Torn Asunder:

Now who's stabbing who in the back?

Mechanical Girl:

Guys, I doubt it's anything like that! Put a sock in it, both of you.

0r4ng3 L1gh7n1ng:

Gotta admit, it's some crazy timing, ain't it?

Mechanical Girl:

Jak's not like that. Not anymore.

Torn Asunder:

Glad you've got faith in him. I guess someone has to, at least out of sympathy.

0r4ng3 L1gh7n1ng:

Yeah, anyway… get your top off Keira!

Mechanical Girl:

That's it, Dax. You're losing your genitals. I'll put them in a box for Tess to keep though.

Torn Asunder:

Hah! You're in for it now you disgusting little rat.

0r4ng3 L1gh7n1ng exits stage left!

0r4ng3 L1gh7n1ng has left the room