Okay! I know this is fast, but here's the first chapter of "The Last Charge", the final book in the Breaking Free Trilogy based on Jak X. I had started planning this one out while I was still writing "Fight the Power", so I pretty much know how the plot's going to go. If you haven't already, I suggest you go back and read "Living in Sin" and "Fight the Power" before reading this one. This is just the introduction, but it should get into the actual events of the game ina couple of chapters or so. With that in mind, enjoy! :)

DISCLAIMER: Only my OCs and side plots are mine. Everything else belongs to Naughty Dog.

Some mornings were harder to wake up to than others, which was certainly the case in the Franklin household.

"Ugh," Paige Smith groaned as the sunlight shined right into the room where she was sleeping. She yawned and stretched her arms over her head as she opened her eyes. That was the first time in a long time that she had gotten a good night's rest, especially after her most recent brush with a certain demolition duo.

"Morning, Paige!" Paige's best friend, Anna Franklin, greeted just a tad bit too cheerfully as she burst into the room.

"Ugh," Paige groaned again, "Hi, Anna. What time is it?"

Anna glanced over at the closest alarm clock. "Ten thirty," she reported, "Want to go to Dunkin Donuts and get breakfast quickly? I'll drive and then drop you off at home."

Paige yawned again. "Sounds good," she said, "I'm going to go take a shower." She threw the blankets off as she got up and hobbled over to the bathroom. As soon as she was gone, Anna dropped her perky attitude and picked up Paige's copy of Jak 3, deciding that breakfast would be a good way to ask her about everything.

Once the girls were on their way, Anna turned up the radio in the car and just occasionally glanced over at Paige, who was staring out the window. "How are you feeling?" she asked, "Do your scrapes still sting?"

Paige shook their head. "Nah, they're fine," she assured her, "So I thought I heard your TV last night. Were you up watching something?"

Anna paled for a second. "Sort of," she lied.

"Sort of?" Paige echoed.

Anna nodded.

Ten minutes later, the two of them pulled up outside Dunkin Donuts, and Anna cut the engine just as they went inside. After ordering bagels and buying orange juice, they took one of the seats in the furthest corner of the whole place. "Anna Franklin's putting us all the way in the boondocks?" Paige asked jokingly, "What's up with that?"

That was when the air at the table suddenly changed, and Paige noticed the serious expression on her friend's face. "Anna?" she asked, "What's wrong?"

Anna sliced her bagel in half and raised one half of it to her mouth. Once she was finished chewing to steel herself, she sighed. "Look, Paige," she began, "I wasn't completely honest with you when you asked about the TV. It was on, but I wasn't watching something."

Paige cocked an eyebrow as she drank some orange juice. "Then what were you doing?" she inquired.

Anna took another deep breath. God, this was about to get awkward. Reaching into her purse, she took out Jak 3 and slapped it on the table. "I got curious about this game," she explained, "So I went to play it again for a while, but then a message addressing the Guardian of Mar popped up." Paige's mouth hung open in shock as her face turned pale, and Anna knew now that her friend wouldn't be able to deny anything.

"W-what?" she gasped, "A message for the Guardian of Mar? What did it say?"

With that, Anna leaped up from her seat. "AHA!" she cried triumphantly, pointing at Paige, "I knew you were involved with that somehow. You didn't even ask who the Guardian of Mar was. You know who it is already. It's you!"

Paige was thunderstruck at first. She didn't know what to say, and she knew there was no way she could deny it. "I…well…umm…" she stammered, but Anna ran right over her.

"Why didn't you tell me you were sucked into the game somehow?" she demanded, "Was that what made you change last year? Before you decided to come out with us that night?"

"Anna, Anna!" Paige jumped in, "Slow down. How…how'd you figure out I was sucked into both Jak II and 3?"

"It's crazy, I know," Anna replied, "But it seems like the only possibility. I mean, the Guardian of Mar? How else could you have gotten that title other than actually being stuck in the game?" Paige froze. She had to admit that Anna had a point, but she never thought anybody would find out about what she had done in Haven City.

"Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?" Anna asked, sitting down once again.

"I…didn't think anyone would believe me," Paige whispered, still in shock, "But it looks like you do."

"You should have said something! You don't know who will believe you! Besides, the voice I heard wanted me to pass on a message to you."

"What message?" Paige asked warily.

But Anna was grinning mischievously. "I'll tell you," she said, "But first, you have to let me in on your adventures. Wouldn't it be cool if we went on one together? I mean, we'd be inside a videogame! How badass is that?"

Paige hesitated for a minute. It wasn't that she didn't want Anna involved in this, but getting sucked into the Jak and Daxter games had its high and low points. While it was pretty cool interacting with the game characters, the danger level was also much higher, and if you died, that was it. No second chances. Paige was thankful every day that she hadn't been killed in either adventure, though she had come very close a few times. "Uhh, Anna?" she started, but didn't finish.

"Come on, Paige!" Anna whined, "Just tell me! I promise I won't laugh."

"It's not that," Paige insisted, "It's just…I don't really want to talk about them." She looked away, refusing to see the look of anger and hurt on her friend's face.

"You don't want me involved in any of this, do you?" Anna asked. She wasn't about to cry, but she considered herself to be Paige's best friend. They usually told each other everything. Or so Anna thought.

"It's not that," Paige repeated, "Anna…being sucked into a videogame isn't always fun. I made a lot of enemies both times, and I was nearly killed during many of the boss battles. When the game becomes reality, it's a lot different. I don't want anything bad to happen to you."

"So then we'll make sure we're not killed!" Anna reasoned, remembering how the mysterious voice had told her that she could become a part of the adventure if she wished. Well, she wanted to be a part of them now.

"Anna!" Paige cried, "It's not that simple! I mean, it has its perks, but-"

"I get it, Paige!" Anna snapped, "You want to keep that stupid Guardian of Mar title to yourself. You're so selfish sometimes! You've always only thought about yourself!"

Now Paige was getting angry. "I'm selfish?" she echoed, "I'M selfish? You're the one being selfish! I'm trying to prevent you from getting hurt and you're still insisting on traveling into a videogame! Don't you understand the dangers of doing it?"

"You apparently don't, seeing as how you still went after the first adventure," Anna mumbled.

"I didn't have a choice!" Paige snapped.

"There's always a choice, Paige," Anna spat, "You didn't have to play Jak 3, but you did." Before Paige could say anything else, Anna was already getting up from the table and clearing her stuff away.

"Anna!" Paige yelled, "You know what? I'm not going to fight with you over this anymore. You can believe whatever you want, but I'm telling you this for your own good."

"Then I guess you'll never know what message I was supposed to give you," Anna hissed, "Come on. If you're finished eating, I'll drive you home."

"That's not fair," Paige growled, "That message might be from the Precursors! You can't keep that a secret from me!"

"Then you should just tell me about your adventures!"

Paige remained silent, and Anna smirked in victory.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," she said, "You can't expect me to give you information when you won't do the same for me."

Paige had to admit that Anna had a point, but still. "Whatever," she said, "This is stupid. I want to go home."

The car ride back to Paige's house was awkward, neither girl saying much to each other. Paige couldn't believe that Anna thought she was being selfish. She was just trying to protect her friend.

As soon as Anna pulled up to her friend's front door, Paige climbed out and grabbed her bag at the last minute, for Anna was already shutting the door and taking off down the street. "Oh, that's really mature, Anna!" Paige shouted after her. She glanced down at her copy of Jak 3 and sighed. What message did the Precursors have for her? And what did this mean for her friendship with Anna? They had had arguments in the past, but they were usually able to smooth things over quickly. This time, however, felt different.

One year later…

The wind rushed past my ears as I kept my eyes focused on the go-kart track in front of me. Up ahead, I could see my friends getting ahead of me, and I picked up the pace a little bit as I rushed to catch up with them. I couldn't help but laugh as we all tried to push past each other. Eventually, I turned the wheel to the right as I slid past Rochelle, her boyfriend, Matt, and our other friend, Sam. Behind us, my sisters, Alana and Tracy, were also racing as Dad tried to get in front of them. Our father was a big NASCAR fan, so he loved racing of any kind. I guess it ran in the family.

Right now, we were all having fun at a company picnic for my mom's job, and they had chosen the park with a go-kart track. I had invited Rochelle, Matt, and Sam, and I could see they were enjoying themselves, too.

Suddenly, an alarm buzzed, signaling the end of this particular race, and Matt pumped his fist into the air as he sped in front of me and claimed first place. "Woohoo!" he cheered.

"Nice job, Matt!" Rochelle cheered as we all took off our helmets and climbed out of the go-karts.

"Haven't done that in a while," Matt sighed, "So, you guys want to go for another round or take a break?"

"Let's take a break," Sam suggested, fixing her ponytail.

"Want to get food?" I asked, "There's a concession stand over there."

"Sounds good," Matt replied, and he led the way as we went to buy junk food. After piling up on hot dogs, nachos, and soda, we took a seat at one of the square tables and began to dig in.

"I'm so glad we could all meet up like this," Sam mused.

"We've got to stick together," I retorted, poking her in the shoulder.

Rochelle laughed and was just kissing Matt's cheek when she suddenly glanced over his shoulder. "Hey look, Anna's here," she announced, and we all turned our heads to see Anna walking in with a few friends of her own.

"Anna?" Sam asked. I concentrated on my hot dog, but out of the corner of my eye, I could see her staring over at our table.

"What's she doing here?" Matt asked.

"I don't think she's here for Mrs. Smith's company picnic," Rochelle commented, "Maybe she's just here on her own."

"And you two still aren't speaking, huh?" Sam questioned, facing me.

"Nope," I confirmed, taking a large sip of soda, "It's almost been a year now."

"What happened between you two, anyway?" Matt asked, "It was really out of the blue that you two stopped talking to each other. You never said why, though."

She got angry with me because I didn't want her getting sucked into the Jak and Daxter games, I thought, shaking my head. "It's not important," I lied, "Just stupid stuff."

After the infamous fight last year, I had been right in thinking that this wouldn't blow over right away. Anna had completely ignored me in school, so I had begun hanging out with our other friends more. Anna, on the other hand, went on to find new friends, and she hadn't spoken to Rochelle, Matt, or Sam, either, even after we all graduated high school and began college. I felt a tiny stab of guilt for not telling her about my adventures, but she was also wrong to attack me the way she did. I was surprised she didn't tell anyone my secret in retaliation, so I supposed I had to give her credit there.

"You don't have to worry, Paige," Rochelle said, "They're not coming over here."

"Please," I scoffed, "I'm not even thinking about her. If she wants to be immature, let her. I'm not going to deal with it." Matt just shook his head.

I stole a glance at Anna, who was whispering to her friends before smirking at me and walking away with them. I just stared right back at her until she was gone.

"Paige!"

I turned to see my sisters racing towards me. I couldn't believe how much they had grown these past two years. "Hey," I greeted, "What's going on?"

"All this racing is making me want to play Jak X," Alana panted as she took her helmet off.

"Want to play later?" Tracy asked, "Paige still hasn't gotten around to it." Because I'd like a break from adventure for a while, I thought, but I would never say that out loud.

"Well…" I started, "Sure. Why not?" Hopefully, nothing would happen this time around.

Later on that day…

"Actually," Alana groaned as she held her hands up to her stomach, "Ix-nay on the X Jak-ay."

"Why?" I asked as I finished setting it up, "Are you okay?"

Alana shook her head. "I think I'm going to be sick," she said, "I must have eaten too much at the picnic today." She suddenly bolted up from the ground and rushed towards the nearest bathroom. I got up and followed her.

"Mom! Dad!" I cried, "Alana's sick!"

And with that, Mom, Dad, and Tracy all rushed to the bathroom to help Alana. "It's okay," I whispered as I stroked her hair, "Just get in bed and rest."

"But I want to play!" she moaned.

"Not in your condition, you're not playing," Tracy chided.

"We can play when you're feeling better," I said, "I'm going to go shut off the game." Alana nodded as she continued to throw up in the bathroom sink.

I bounded downstairs, where I saw that Jak X had made it to the main menu. Let's shut this off, shall we? I thought, but as I was going to do just that, I suddenly felt a shock from the game console itself. Wait a minute, I thought. I had never been shocked before getting sucked into a game, which could only mean one thing, even if this was one time I wasn't ready for it.

The Precursors! I thought, Wait, I'm going back!

Without my own volition, I felt the pain subside as I let the darkness take over.

Unlike the other times I had woken up in the Jak and Daxter universe, I felt rain hit my face as I opened my eyes and sat up in a rush. I was in the Port of Haven City, and the waters churned violently as a storm raged through the city. Everything looked neat, which made me assume that Haven City had been officially reformed after both wars. I wonder how much time has passed since the last war, I thought.

I steadied myself as I leaned on the wall for support, and I spotted the Naughty Ottsel in the distance. With that, I began to head over there, stumbling a little bit, but marching on all the same. What would everyone say when they saw I was back? I was sure they knew somehow; the Precursors had assured me that they would know. Almost there, I thought, watching as the Naughty Ottsel grew bigger and bigger with each step.

Once I was outside, I tentatively pushed the door open, and as I stepped inside the bar, the music stopped as all the patrons turned to face me. I could make out all the usual suspects: Jak, Dax, Keira, Torn, Ashelin, Tess, Eileen, and David. For a minute, we all just stared at each other, but then, they all broke out into smiles.

"Welcome back!" they shouted at the same time.

For a second, I was overwhelmed by this warm greeting, but once I moved a little further into the saloon, I breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm back!" I announced. I wondered how everyone had been doing since the last war, and most of all, had Keira and Torn found out about Jak and Ashelin's kiss? It didn't seem like it, but I knew now wasn't the time to ask.

"Onin saw you coming back," Keira reported as I moved forward to hug everyone, "She's kept in contact with the Precursors since last year."

"Typical Onin," I said, shivering as Tess, who was still in her ottsel form, reached for a towel and wrapped it around me.

"You must be freezing," she quipped, "Just sit here, and we'll get you something warm to drink."

"Thanks, Tess," I thanked her in a trembling voice. I glanced over at the demolition duo as they moved to stand next to me.

"Welcome back, toots!" Daxter greeted as he still walked around in his pants, a gift from the Precursors.

"Hey, Dax!" I replied as I accepted a hot cup of tea from Tess, "Thanks."

"How've you been?" Jak asked in his usual husky voice as he patted my shoulder.

"Pretty good, thanks," I assured him, "How about you?" The last time I had left Jak, he was still coping with his father, Damas's, death. I sighed as I remembered that day like it was yesterday.

"It's been an interesting year, that's for sure," Jak replied, "We got your note from last year. Taking off mysteriously again." He shook his head.

"Sorry," I apologized, "But I had to leave. I told you I'd be back."

"And you are," Eileen piped up, "It's good to have you back, Paige."

I looked around at all my friends. "Yeah," I agreed, "It's good to be back."