|Outskirts, Initiation Mission|

Torn watched the newest hopeful climbing the tower towards the Baron's flag from the sideline. Truth be told, he had already accepted the fact that he would have to allow this Jak to be a member of the Underground. The guy had been injected with Dark Eco and survived. That was something which only person before him had been capable off. Now that he thought about it, he should give her a call just in case.

He pulled out a communicator, putting it in his ear as he found the switch. The device beeped a bit, alerting him it was seeking connection. A click sounded before a voice he knew well after two years rang through without a hint of static.

"Hello, DE – Girl speaking," A young woman spoke up sounding chipper. She pronounced her name like 'Dee – Girl'.

"Valentine, it's me." Torn replied, not bothering to say his name. Valentine should recognize his voice. At once she replied to him, sounding frustrated.

"Boss, I told you to call me DE – Girl when we're on the phone. Someone could be tapping the lines." Torn kept looking up towards Jak, who was nearing the top of the tower.

"Nobody could've tapped this line if you did your work properly. Don't tell me you were slacking off again?" he said, pretending to be annoyed. At once the girl huffed.

"Of course not! I mean, there were a few hitches in the last programs I wrote for you, but it wasn't a huge disaster. Anyway, what'cha calling me for?"

Torn tried to think of a way to break it softly to her. After all these years of being the only one being infected by Dark Eco… how would she react to there being another survivor? Though she always put on the cheery façade, he had seen the real her, in more than one way. "Well…" he started, his voice trailing off.

"Boss, don't make me drag it out of you!" she warned. He could already imagine her waving her finger at him.

"Valentine… There's another Dark Warrior."

"…"

"Valentine?"

"Where is this person now?" she asked him, the playful tone in her voice gone.

"I'm watching him at this moment. He's doing the initiate test, and he's blazing through it like a storm, a lot better than you did at the time. Couldn't let him think he'd get in so easy, right?" he said, leaning against one of the crumbling walls that belonged to the ruins.

"I guess not. I'm coming over to headquarters. Do not let him out of your sight." Her tone of voice insinuated she expected Torn to somehow 'lose' the newbie. Even though she was a part of the Underground, there were more aspects to their friendship Putting on a playful face only worked around the people that knew her as DE – Girl. The people that knew her as Valentine knew more about her serious side than they sometimes wished to know.
"See you there, Valentine."

She broke the connection, leaving Torn alone on the line. She hadn't even bothered to say goodbye. Not that it mattered, the news he had just given her probably wracked up unwanted memories. He was rudely interrupted in his murmuring when the tower started crumbling.

He couldn't believe his eyes. This guy was ripping the tower apart, sliding down long – forgotten ropes as his Ottsel friend straggled behind him. How the guy did it would have been a riddle to Torn if he hadn't already known a person injected with Dark Eco gained better reflexes than most people. And they got an anger management problem to boot.

"I guess you're in." he commented to the gloating Jak in front of him, who gripped the flag tightly in his fist. He seemed to be feeling slightly better. It was like that with Valentine too. As long as she didn't have time to think she felt okay. It was when she was able to focus on the pain in her body that the anger rose.
"Well, come with me. I have someone you need to meet."

Jak blinked, seemingly surprised at that. "Who then?"

Torn grinned in a rare show of emotion to a newbie. "Your partner. And I'm not looking forward to your first meeting."

He was probably an idiot for bringing two people with rage problems together but he didn't have any better options.

|The Hideout|

Valentine paced around the small desk that belonged to Torn. It was littered with plans of attack, various weaponry manuals and loose shells from guns that didn't work anymore. Below it all was a map of Haven and its surroundings. She looked at the palace depicted on it, a disgusted sneer on her face.

A dark, damp room. The rattling of handcuffs and the stench of decrepit cells still soiled with whatever remained of the previous inhabitant. The screams of yet another victim falling prey to Praxis' endless search for the perfect warrior. And the cold, searing her veins, leaving her no escape but binding her in her own body, an endless prison of agony…

She shook her head. That was a past she didn't need to revisit. She bit her thumbnail as she resisted the urge to kick the chair as a way to relieve her inner pain. 'What am I supposed to say to such a person? 'Hi, my name's Valentine and I love romantic movies, walks on the beach and, oh yeah, I'm infected by Dark Eco, just like you!' That didn't sound intelligent even in her own head.

It was the waiting that was the worst part. She needed to be out there, doing something! Anything that would distract her. She sat down on the desk, looking at the wig she had thrown after entering the hideout. Seeing as how the Krimzon guards were still looking for her, even after four years, wearing a disguise was pretty much the only way to get around the city.

"Wonder what he looks like…" she said, looking up at the ceiling. She didn't even have the slightest clue about what she had to expect. "Torn could at least given me some hints." She scowled at the ceiling, annoyed at the long wait.

The door that secured the headquarters zoomed open, the heavy stone wall grinding on the rails beneath it. She looked up, eager to see another one like her. Somebody who had survived. Torn was the first to come down, walking down the steps with an air like he owned the place. Which wasn't too far from the truth either.

And behind him was a blond – haired man who couldn't be a year older than herself, sporting a goatee and looking like he hadn't seen the light of day in years. It had to be him, no doubt about that. As their eyes met, she imagined could see the rage of the Dark Eco in his eyes. The eye contact sent a shiver through her spine.

A furry, small and orange creature leaped from his shoulder towards the desk where she was sitting. It smoothed its hair down, grinning at her. "Well, hellow to you, my dear comrade in arms," He said in what he probably considered to be a suave tone of voice.

She picked the creature up around its middle. "Your physiology is incredible." She remarked, looking him up and down.

The creature grinned at that. "Why thank you! May I say, yours isn't too shabby either."

Valentine ignored what he said, putting him on the table to check his tail. "You can speak, have the tail of an otter but the body build of a weasel. What are you?"

The creature turned around, scratching its ears. "Well, I used to be human, but when I fell into a pool of Dark Eco I got turned into an Ottsel. My name's Daxter, and my buddy over there is Jak."

Valentine looked at 'the buddy', the curve of a smile on her face. "Jak… my name is Valentine."

Jak looked at her, not really able to figure out what he should say to a person who sounded so gentle. This was the first actual introduction he had to someone in two long years. And the first in his life where he could actually reply to someone. Torn interrupted the introductions, taking lead of the conversation.

"Valentine is one of the key members of our organization. She's one of the best hackers we have in the Underground. Other than that, she also goes through life as 'DE – Girl', one of Haven's third-rate idols. And…"

Torn threw the girl he was talking to a short glance. Valentine seemed rather disgruntled at being called third-rate, but that was as good as it got in this city. "… she's also the only other known person to have survived the Baron's Dark Eco experiments for longer than a year."

Jak turned his eyes on the girl, seeing her in a new light. Was there, behind that seemingly happy exterior a person felt the same pain as he was at that moment? Valentine cocked her head at him, the hint of a smirk on her face.

"Well, it's nice of you to introduce us to one another Torn, but I do believe you're forgetting one important thing." She said, jumping of the desk and walking towards Jak.

Torn looked at her in confusion, not seeing where she was going. "That would be?"

Valentine gave Jak a pat on the back. "This poor guy hasn't even had the chance to rest up a tad and you're already having him running up and down the place. I don't doubt you already have a mission planned for him, don't ya?"

Torn shrugged. "What if I had? That's the way I handled living with you, isn't it?"

Valentine rolled her eyes. "Yes and see how I turned out? It's a miracle I didn't end up as grumpy as you." She was one of the few people Torn could act amicable with as long as she didn't push it. In front of two new recruits he didn't feel like losing face.

"Well then, Valentine, why don't you take your new partner with you and get him in working order. You of all people probably know best how to deal with this kind of thing."

"Was that a compliment, Torn?" she asked, before she dragged Jak away, up the steps. Torn didn't have the time to react, instead snarling at Daxter, who hurried off after his buddy.

When they got outside, Jak finally had the opportunity to talk to this strange new person. Friend or foe, he wasn't sure of it, but he intended to find out. "Are you really infected with Dark Eco?" he asked her when she started hotwiring a parked Hover bike.

Valentine looked at him in surprise. "What makes you doubt that?"

"Well, you're awfully… perky, for someone who's infected," He said, for lack of a better word on how to describe her attitude. She frowned when she heard that, putting the long, purple wig on her head. She flipped the twin tails back with a smooth gesture.

"You want proof? Well, I can't go psycho around here. But since you're asking so nicely…" she ran her finger across a small blade she kept in her belt. The blood flowing from her finger emitted a single purplish black spark before she pressed her thumb against the keyhole on the Hover bike. It started with a smooth hum.

"That's a trick you might find useful. Since the Baron pumped us full of Eco, we might as well be walking batteries. Now, can you drive a Zoomer?" she asked him.

Jak gave her an incredulous look. "What, you can't? But… shouldn't you be able to?"

"Well, I can't. And besides, I've been looking for a good chauffeur. I had to fire the last one because he kept getting us late every single time. If my partner can be my chauffeur, we already have a good cover for you."

Jak frowned at her. "You're kidding right? You're probably just as high on the Baron's wish list as I am."

She showed him a grin, getting on the back seat of the bike. "Valentine is, but DE – Girl is a great cover. If I tell the guards to beat it, they'll think I'm a minor star with a huge attitude problem. If we're lucky their girlfriends love my music and they'll ask an autograph. Now, less yapping and more driving, partner."

|Valentine's Home|

She pressed her palm against the touch plate, letting it read her fingerprints. The door beeped, opening up. Once they were inside, two sentry guns pointed at Jak and Daxter. Daxter screamed, throwing his hands up in the air. "AAAAAAAH!"

"Oh right!" Valentine said. "Computer, code 4zef!" at once the sentry guns retreated back in the ground. "Sorry about that. When the Baron's after you, you tend to get paranoid."

Daxter plopped on the ground, not looking pleased. "Paranoid? That's more like freaking insane, if you ask me! What the hell were you thinking, installing that shit in your house?"

Valentine pressed a finger against her lips, smiling. "Well, I do often have important people staying here. But since you and Jak will be living here with me for a while, I'll add you guys to the 'entry permitted at all times' list. That way you won't have to worry about the guns or other defense mechanisms."

"How many defense things do you have in this house?" Jak asked, looked around suspiciously.

Valentine shrugged. "Enough to keep me safe. I'm a hacker, not a fighter. Occasionally I'll dabble in things like finding a cure for Dark Eco, not that it's been easy. If they ever break in here, I would be as defenseless as a yakow calf. Anyhow, I'm going to prepare dinner. Jak… how does meat sound for a change?"

Jak missed a step when she said that. "Meat?" He couldn't remember the taste of it. All he had ever gotten while being imprisoned was a kind of gray, wiry gruel. "Meat sounds great!"

"Thought so. You go take a shower, you don't want to know how much dirt is going to come off. Daxter and I will do the cooking."

"Oooooh, so you're looking for some alone time with me, is that it?" Daxter asked, giving her a wink.

Valentine rolled her eyes. "Sure, that's it. Sorry Daxter, I don't do dates outside my own species," She replied, picking him up by the neck and taking him with her.

"That's what you're saying now sweetie, but once you get a taste of Dax you'll never want anything else," He said, squirming loose and climbing to her shoulder.

She flipped his nose before pointing to a shower. "There's the shower, partner. See you in a few."

|Half an Hour Later|

Jak walked out of the shower, clean for the first time in forever. Valentine had been right, the amount of dirt he'd rubbed off had been something for the record books. He felt a little better, but the Eco inside of him still made him want to hurt something, or scream. He walked further in the house, reaching the kitchen which was sparklingly clean.

Valentine and Daxter were singing together while putting the plates on the table. The song was rowdy, blaring from the radio in a corner of the kitchen. She was no longer wearing the wig, her long dark brown hair flowing down her back as she flipped a thick steak on a plate, yelling part of the chorus to Daxter, who yelled it back just as loud.

"What the heck are you two doing?" he asked. Were they getting in a fight? He had only been gone for a half hour. They stopped their singing, looking at Jak. Valentine reached behind her, turning off the radio.

"Ah, that was a song from the one of the most popular bands on the teen station." She explained, scratching the back of her head. "It's a pretty good stress reliever, and Daxter liked it too, so we thought we could sing a little. Anyhow, food's ready, so dig in."

Jak plopped on his chair, attacking the steak on his plate with knife and fork. He rolled his eyes. "This is soooo…" he didn't finish his sentence, stuffing more in his mouth. Valentine ignored this behavior knowing she had been just as bad, if not worse, the first time she had gotten a decent meal after having escaped.
Daxter ate with his hands, not being able to handle the utensils as well as he probably wished.

An uncomfortable silence fell across the table as they ate. Still, it was to be expected. Valentine wondered on how she and Jak would end up interacting once he had settled down. There was no doubt they would be spending a lot of time together, Torn always sent her along with new recruits when it was necessary. Though she wasn't much of a fighter, her 'Dark' mode was usually enough to handle a few Metal Heads or Krimzon guards.

The question was, would Torn permanently team her up with this blond stranger, or have them both work solo? Being separated from the only person who went through the same things she was felt wrong. Even if she couldn't open up to him at this point he didn't have the luxury either. They would need to learn to trust each other.

Trust… that was something both of them would have problems with.

|With special thanks to Epically-awesome for pointing out that between Daxter and Valentine things would not be interracial but more a mixing of species. I hate getting things wrong, but I'm always happy if someone points it out to me!|