Jak And Daxter Fan Fiction ❯ Red Hot ❯ Day One ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Jak. Make the dogs back down, please!

Red Hot

Day One

At twenty-four, Torn was one of the quickest and strongest of the Crimson Guard. He was proud of this fact, as well; he had something to rub in his colleagues’ faces. But to be given a troop to train this early was something he wasn’t so sure was a good idea. He guessed it would end up being a test, to see just how capable he was, courtesy of the Baron’s liking for such things.

As soon as he had the pleasure of greeting this troop, however, he wasn’t sure what to think anymore. It was a group of thirty men, two of whom were women, and to his complete surprise, one of them was Ashelin -- the Baron’s daughter. Knowing that she was here was either going to mean everyone else would be more careful, or a lot more impressive.

Having excelled at basic training, Torn himself wasn’t expecting too much out of a group of trainees as young as seventeen. Still, he was curious to see Ashelin’s capability, to see if Baron had already seen to it that she was a strong young woman. On the first day, he learned, she was already the top dog.

But not quite as impressive as he had been. Even so, he acknowledged her power early on, and so did everyone else. The Baron’s daughter, like himself, was more than impressive. She was seventeen, like two others, and in a huge contrast, those other two were tied for the worst.

On the other hand, it’d been just one day. They hadn’t even begun the hard part yet, and he told them as much at the end of the day, before dismissing them. To his surprise, Ashelin lingered, standing at ease. . .waiting for the others to leave. The look she regarded him with was almost disappointment.

“Do you need something, girl?” he asked, hoping she wouldn’t claim womanly things.

She lifted her chin, defiantly. “No, sir.”

“Then why are you still here?”

“Oh?” was her response, looking somewhat surprised. “I thought my father owned this building. And he already gave me free roam.”

“So you’re just leeching off your father, Ashelin?” He stepped closer to her, looking down on her although she was only just shorter than he. “Right now, you don’t answer to your daddy. You answer to me.”

She stared him down equally. “You don’t look nearly impressive enough to think yourself stronger than my father.”

“First, I don’t claim anything,” he snapped, “except that I am your superior. And second, are you challenging me?”

She gave a laugh. “I don’t think it matters. You couldn’t keep up with me.”

“That’s a bold claim for a little girl.”

“I’ve seen your records, Torn, and they’re not enough to prove you’re my superior.”

“So you are challenging me,” he said with a smirk. “I didn’t rise to this rank because of my daddy’s power, little girl. You’ll be smart to respect me.”

“When you give me a reason to, I will,” she replied without flinching. “Until then, you have my loyalty as a soldier, and that’s it. Put bluntly, you have your work cut out for you.” She turned on her heel then, clearly putting an end to the conversation. As she left, leaving him standing there, he couldn’t help his smile.

He always thought that training a troop would be a challenge, but now he was thinking it was going to be fun, as well. “Alright,” he agreed, though she had already disappeared. “I guess it’s time to impress you, little girl.”

Two days later, he had everyone gathered in the training grounds and explained what they were going to be doing next. Put simply, they were going into the wasteland as a type of intense training -- but short training.

“In the wasteland, sir?” one of the privates asked.

“Yes,” Torn answered, straight-faced. “I’m taking all of you into the wasteland. For one week, we’re going to remain out there. Anyone who survives, passes. Anyone who doesn’t. . .it was nice knowing you.”

“Isn’t that too harsh?” the other girl pitched in.

“Anyone who feels they can’t make it can always back out now,” he told her. He met Ashelin’s eyes, noting how she didn’t bat an eyelash. “We will meet here again at 0500 hours two days from now. Take whatever supplies you think you’ll need -- food, shelter, weapons, clothing, anything. But remember that whatever you bring, you have to carry. Anyone who perishes outside leaves their items to be claimed by any surviving member.”

“What happens if we’re separated, sir?” another private queried.

“If you can still survive the week, you pass.”

“Is there anything else we should know?” Ashelin said.

He smirked. “There are metalheads beyond the city walls. There’s also wastelanders, most often seen in ground vehicles. These are threats we will face at some point. You’ve been warned. Now, are there any other questions?” He glanced about the troop, seeing uncertainty, fear, and despair on most of them. Ashelin, he saw, was one of the few who still had an unemotional expression.

And when nobody voiced anything for the next few seconds, he finally said, “Dismissed.”

Once again, Ashelin remained behind as everyone else trudged away. He was expecting that.

“Private?”

She frowned. “Are you doing this just to show me up?”

“I have your father’s permission to do this,” he told her. “He believes it’s a wonderful idea.”

“But are you doing it to show me up?” she repeated.

“No. I’m doing this to earn yours and everyone else’s respect.”

“Will I earn yours by surviving this challenge?” She took a single step forward, as though trying to invade his personal space.

It was too bad for her that he had plenty of commanding officers attempt the same thing throughout his training. “I have few doubts about your survival,” he answered her. “But I have a feeling you wouldn’t go through with it just to show me up.”

“I’m considering it,” she said, narrowing her eyes.

He chuckled. “0500, little girl. Don’t forget it.” He walked around her, partially to end the conversation, partially because he had other duties to attend to. . .and because she had left him standing there in much the same way two days ago. He glanced behind him as he did so, to see what her reaction was.

She was watching him, half-turned towards him, fists clenched tightly, glaring. It was going to be extremely difficult to earn her respect, but it also looked like such fun in trying. He left her there in a good mood, already piecing together what he’d pack for this training trip.

- - - - -

Ashelin wanted to punch his face in, hit him where it hurt most, break his ribs, cause internal bleeding, and make sure he had plenty of scars to remember her by. She had never been so pissed off in her life, not even when she first learned to hate her father.

At the beginning, when she saw Torn, her first impression had been that he was handsome in a kind of rugged way. Certainly those tattoos each soldier was given upon graduating (and she had not received them yet) worked for him, giving him a dangerous air she rather liked. If not for his service records she’d found on him, she would have liked him.

But damn it, his records were flat-out amazing. As soon as she heard she was going to be part of a troop under him, she had to go and find material on him, only to find she hated what it had to say. Torn, twenty-four years old, height six foot one, weight one-six-five, excelled in all fields, especially strategy and planning. His personal records were there as well, or at least a few of them.

He was a better shot than her, faster, stronger, smarter -- she hated him. Even being two inches taller than her was another blow to her pride. She’d been in training since she was a little girl, to make her the best at everything, and then Torn comes in from nowhere, a no-name no-family kid, who immediately shoots to the top of the charts.

A normal person would congratulate him on his natural talent, and certainly many of the other commanders would do so. He was good for the Crimson Guard, they’d say. Her father had laved praise to her about him -- her own father, who had wanted a son so badly that he trained his daughter ruthlessly because she was a girl.

Oh, no. She wasn’t about to give in, her pride demanded it. She had to beat him, be better than him, prove to everyone else and herself, and especially him, that she was the best, no doubt about it. She would go on this insane mission he’d concocted and her father endorsed. She would go, with few essentials, and she would make sure she didn’t get a single scratch the entire time.

Bring on the metalheads, the wastelanders, the heat of the desert; she would face it all. And sooner or later, she would swipe that smirk right off his face and wear it herself. That would be the ultimate conquer, to take that subtle amusement from him, to show it to him as her own. She smirked now thinking about it. She wondered what he would look like when she became the victorious one.

Two days later, at 0440 hours, she was the only one standing at the gates, besides Torn himself. With twenty minutes until it was time to go, she held no fear nor uncertainty, but Torn looked disappointed, even displeased. Apparently he had been expecting more than one person to show.

Her pack was beside her, resting against her leg. On her hip was a single pistol. She stood at ease, hands clasped behind her back. She was ready for this challenge, ready to show him just how capable she was. As time ticked by, she couldn’t look to see if anyone else was coming, but she didn’t need to; he was watching the paths left and right. And his expression got steadily darker.

“No one’s coming, sir?” she asked, unable to keep a hint of amusement from her tone.

A muscle in his jaw stood out. He answered, “It doesn’t look like it, private.”

“And you’re sad about this?”

He met her gaze. “I suppose I pinned my hopes too high on this troop. I’m. . .disappointed.”

She smirked. “You sound sad, sir. Do you need a hug?”

He took a step closer. At that, she felt herself straighten a bit, thinking that he wouldn’t really do it. He knew she was joking, right? But then he stopped and sent her smirk right back at her.

He was playing with her, she realized. She hated him more for it.

“No, I don’t,” he answered. At last, a whistle sounded that signaled it was five o’clock. He took a deep breath, then sighed. Shaking his head, he faced the gates, which slowly opened. “Just you and me, little girl.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t let anything get you,” she told him, picking up her pack and donning it. She came up beside him, facing the rising sun.

He glanced at her. “You’re really not afraid at all, are you?”

She smiled. “I’ve had worse thrown at me.” Literally, in some cases, she thought to herself.

“Heh. Well, I’ll give you one word to use as security, before we go.”

She was curious at that, though she didn’t show it. When she didn’t reply, he went on.

“Think of it as camping.”

She gave him a look that said his joke was falling on deaf ears. Then, with only a tinge of fear at the unknown beyond the city walls, she followed his lead out of the safety of Haven City.

She learned soon enough that he wasn’t exaggerating anything he’d said about the wasteland. Completely the opposite, actually; he hadn’t given enough warning. Her supplies consisted of a small amount of food, a fair amount of water, and a tan blanket she could use to stave off cold or use to hide, depending on the situation. She expected to find food and water at some place or another out here, even thought Torn might’ve already scouted ahead for places like that.

Negative on that, soldier.

“You’re a real bastard,” she told him, hours after dawn. It had started to heat up more than a little, to the point where Torn had taken off military-issue jacket and shirt. Despite hating him, she still had to admit that he looked good. He had a few tattoos on his shoulders and chest, which again seemed to work positively for him.

He laughed now, obviously enjoying this. Throwing a glance at her, he replied, “Why do you think so?”

“Because you are,” she all but snarled, having to take off her jacket as well. “I swear you made sure to pick a day with an exceptionally high temperature to be the first day.”

He chuckled. “Can’t take the heat, little girl? Not a good start for a whole week of this. And it hasn’t even gotten to midday yet.”

She groaned, she couldn’t help it. “If you’re not dead by the end of the week, I’m going to kill you,” she promised.

He shrugged. “You can try all you like, little girl.”

“I’m not a little girl!” she snapped.

“You might want to save what energy you have,” he warned her. “You’re going to need it.”

Oh, how she wanted to strangle him. Even so, she clenched her jaw, kept one hand on her pistol, and continued to follow his lead. It wasn’t until sometime later that he stopped, making her wonder just what kind of training he thought the average person could go through.

“Ha, found it,” he said, though considering he was looking on the other side of a rocky hill, she didn’t know what it was he found. He waved her over. “Come on, it’s about time we ate something.”

He disappeared behind the hill, so she jogged to catch up. When she looked, suddenly she didn’t hate him so much anymore. He had found, in short, an oasis. There were a few trees and a large pond, sparkling in the sun. If she didn’t know better, she’d think it were a mirage.

He was already halfway there, so she headed down. He sat at the base of one tree, dropping his pack next to him, then dug into it. She did the same, close enough to have an easy conversation with him, but still far enough that he wouldn’t think she liked him. Despite choosing a place relatively close, he didn’t say a word, much to her surprise. She thought he enjoyed messing with her, though now she was thinking that she had always started the conversations before.

“You knew this was out here, didn’t you?” she asked.

“Pardon?” was his response, around a mouthful of some kind of fruit she didn’t bother analyzing.

“The oasis,” she clarified, then took another bite of her bread.

He shrugged, the swallowed. “I’ve been out here before.”

She was honestly surprised. “How many times?”

“Several,” he answered, though it sounded more like he was avoiding a full explanation.

Okay, she thought. She sat back against her tree, still watching him, though she told herself it was because he was the only thing moving. Torn, on the other hand, kept his eyes on the move, looking from the horizon to rock faces to the water and at everything in between. He was on alert, she understood. And despite knowing it would be a smart move, she just couldn’t find anything interesting about what he was looking at.

She bit her lip, wishing he would start talking first, instead of waiting for her every time. She wondered if he did it on purpose, just to piss her off. Trying to sound like she was actually adapting to this situation, she said, “What are you looking for?”

“Anything,” he replied simply.

“Anything,” she echoed.

He glanced at her now, giving her unwanted thoughts of how damn sexy he looked shirtless, tattooed and sweaty. Though at first he seemed to forming a better answer, after a few moments he smirked. It made her look away, just knowing he saw that she’d been scoping out every piece of bare skin on his body. She just couldn’t help it; she was young and her hormones were acting up. She knew it would happen, had been warned that it would -- and her father pointedly told her that she wasn’t allowed to date.

If she did, that man wouldn’t last much longer than how fast it took her father to track him down. That was only one reason why she didn’t have interest in men, though. The other was that she’d spent her entire life battling men for supremacy, and she wasn’t about to give in just for a fling. Besides which, men were intimidated by her.

Or most were, she amended, looking back at him again. He was watching the horizon now, but very still. His hand held an apple to his lips, like he had been in the midst of taking a bite when something caught his attention. That alertness made her look towards the horizon as well, wondering what it was that held his focus.

Then, very abruptly, he tossed the apple into the spring and got to his feet, drawing both of his pistols. She followed suit, putting her bread down on her pack and pulling out her pistol. A wild thought entered her mind that he might be messing with her, only to dash it away, knowing better. He wouldn’t make a joke like this, she told herself fiercely, especially not in such a dangerous situation.

Stepping closer to him, she said quietly, “What is it?”

He opened his mouth to answer, then looked sharply to his left. And try as she might, she couldn’t see what he was looking for. He said slowly, “Maybe nothing. . .”

She narrowed her eyes. He couldn’t really be playing, could he? “Nothing?” she echoed.

He straightened a bit, relaxing his pose. His eyes skimmed over the horizon again. “Huh.”

She tilted her head, having trouble comprehending what was really going on. Then he took a step back, putting his guns back in their holsters. “Sir?” she finally voiced.

He met her gaze. “Guess it was nothing.” Then, just as abruptly as he’d gotten up, he snatched his apple from the water and sat right back down.

She dropped her arms, wondering if he really thought a threat was out there, or if he was just trying to freak her out. Unable to decide, she sat back in her place, merely glaring at him as she went back to eating.

It wasn’t until he finished off his apple that he spoke. With exasperation evident, he said, “Will you stop glaring at me?”

She swallowed the bite in her mouth before answering, “I don’t see a reason why I should.”

He glared right back. “Don’t tell me, let me guess. You’re pissed off because you think I didn’t really see anything.”

“I didn’t see anything,” she told him.

He set his jaw, clearly angry at her. “Sometimes, out here, seeing a rock move can mean an attack from just about anything. And sometimes, a rockslide could be caused entirely by the wind. You don’t really have the luxury of overlooking anything.”

She thought about that, then said, “So what did you see?”

“I thought I saw a glimmer,” he said, glancing that way. “It could’ve been the sun, but it could’ve been a metalhead or a vehicle, too.”

She gave a nod. “You could’ve said that earlier.”

“You should just trust your C.O.,” he shot back.

“My C.O. who decided that putting the entire troop in life-threatening danger for an entire week would be good for them,” she pointed out.

“And look who was the only one to show up to this life-threatening danger,” he said with a smirk.

She opened her mouth, then shut it. She didn’t have anything to say to that, or at least, nothing that wouldn’t lead to his eventual discovery of her real motive for coming. “Maybe I have bigger balls than the rest of the troop,” she finally said.

He glanced down. As a reflex, she covered her chest, unable to believe he’d actually look. When he laughed, she just about saw red.

“Maybe you do,” he agreed as the laughter died.

One day soon, she promised herself, she would pay him back. Even if she had to attack him physically, it was going to happen.

- - - - -

By the time the sun set, Torn was feeling her ire. He had definitely gotten to her, which he wasn’t sure was a good or bad thing. She kept glaring daggers at his back, everywhere he went. She wasn’t engaging in verbal battles anymore. And she seemed to be waiting for a moment when he let his guard down, judging from just the way she kept eying him.

It was different from earlier, certainly. She had been close to blushing when he caught her looking him over, which had amused him -- and had gotten his heart going a bit faster. He’d had young women look at him that way before, even some women older than him, yet it was a bit different coming from Ashelin. He had to admit to himself that he thought her attractive, which was odd in itself. Usually he was such an all-business kind of guy, hardly thinking of the opposite sex. He’d had his youthful, hormone-driven time already, so he figured it was essentially over.

It was too bad that he’d seen that glimmer, or perhaps a blessing. On the one hand, it could have been sent from the Precursors to distract him, before he went on to say or do something he’d regret. On the other, it was so frustrating that the subject had changed at all. For a moment there it was as if she was starting to like him. Now she hated him again.

At least he knew where he was going. He’d been out here enough to know specific markers, making it easy to keep his bearing. Though he imagined Ashelin was lost; the city wasn’t in sight any longer. He was leading her on a trek that went around the base of a mountain, which took a while by foot. Now, with the sun almost gone, he put his shirt and jacket back on, glancing back to see if she would follow his lead.

Increasing her glare at him, she did so, and he rolled his eyes. He figured she would only keep glaring harder at him for a while now. That was silly to him, too; a woman like her should be used to men looking her over, and for more than one reason. Having such a sexy body, then being in the military? She had to be used to it.

Eying the base of the mountain, he saw the entrance to a cave that he’d been looking for. He picked this one in particular because he actually thought at least half the troop would come along. He supposed it showed just how much they didn’t trust him, that he would lead them all to their deaths. He thought it over again, having trouble actually believing that Ashelin really was the only one, that not even the others who kept a straight face had come.

Wusses, he thought. Heading into the cave, he glanced back once more to make sure she could see him. He had to wait a moment for her to come into sight, then waved to get her attention. Well, he thought, at least now he only had one person to look out for. Though granted it was the worst person from the troop. If something happened and she was hurt or killed, he just knew that the Baron would make sure to give him the same fate.

Going inside the cave now, he pulled out a palm light to shine on the floor. And there, he spotted, was the fire pit. He could hear her entering the cave now, following after him. She walked too noisily, he realized then, deciding he’d have to bring it up before they left.

“This,” he said now, turning towards her, “is where we’re sleeping tonight. Tomorrow we go deeper into the desert.”

She frowned at him. “Deeper,” she echoed. “You’re leading us deeper into a potential deathtrap.”

“What’s wrong, little girl?” he asked, half hoping that his usage of her nickname would help her relax a bit. “You’re not afraid, now are you?”

“No,” she answered, clearly thinking the worst of him. “But I don’t see any logic in this. You said it was going to be a test to see if we could survive a week out here, not that you would lead us directly towards danger!”

He raised a brow, then spread his arms wide. “How many of ‘us’ do you see here? Relax already. I didn’t intend to make this such an adventure, but since it’s just the two of us, I amended the plans. Now you get to prove just how capable you really are.” He smirked. “You should be thanking me for this chance.”

“Or,” she offered, “I could call you a murderous asshole. You can’t seriously tell me that you’re planning on making us go further out there where all the bad things you warned us about are.”

He smiled. “Once again, you make it sound like there’s more than us two here. Smaller numbers are less likely to be spotted, so you can put your mind at ease.” He shrugged. “Or you could go back, cut out early, and fail. Your choice.”

She narrowed her eyes to the extent that he could hardly believe she was still capable of sight. “What choice,” she shot back, finding a place to sit.

That was a victory for him. She finally gave in and accepted that he was in command here. Now all he had to do was gain her trust, earn her respect, and somehow keep their tempers from clashing the entire time. The latter seemed the most difficult.

Squatting by the fire pit, he dropped his pack, digging inside it for means to start a fire. Despite being the desert, it got more than a little cold at night out here, making the fire necessary for warmth rather than light. As he pulled out some matches, he said, “Did you pack a blanket?”

“Yes,” she answered stiffly.

He glanced up at her, noting how her glare hadn’t lessened, and how she seemed to be watching him again. If she kept that up, he figured he might just strip again, regardless of the cold. The thought made him smirk, looking back at the fire he was trying to get going.

A few sparks later and he stopped, hearing a rumble he recognized as an engine. Making sure the fire hadn’t been lit yet, he threw a sharp look at Ashelin, who didn’t seem to hear it. Looking back towards the entrance, he saw a glimmer in the distance.

He stilled, trying not to blink until he either confirmed it as a vehicle or dismissed it. Seconds ticked by, and then he saw it again. He got to his feet, moving to back into the wall closest to him -- opposite from her. Drawing his guns, he waved her over, since she wasn’t sitting up against the cave wall.

At first she was still glaring, apparently unbelieving, then she looked towards the entrance like he had. And like he had, she must have seen that glimmer, because she got up and quickly crossed over to him. As soon as she was beside him, he put out one arm to keep her back, out of sight. He glanced around the wall enough to have a view of the entrance, pulling back sharply when he saw two vehicles, both of which were much closer.

He hoped they hadn’t seen Ashelin as she moved, and when he looked, he noticed that both of their packs were still out in the open. That was stupid, a huge oversight on his part, and it made him grit his teeth. Since when was he that stupid? Even so, they still had a chance to go unseen, which was a thought he clung to.

And as he listened, Precursors willing, he heard the rumbling of engines get quieter. Unintentionally, he held his breath the next time he leaned forward, trying to see around the cave as little as possible. A single glance yielded the backs of two vehicles as they drove away.

He released the breath he’d been holding. Then, looking back at Ashelin, he pulled his arm away from her. Holstering both guns, he said, “Next time, move a bit quicker.”

She looked positively indignant, and he found himself liking it. She said, “I noticed you left your pack in the open.”

“As did you,” he shot back.

She tensed her jaw. “Maybe, but you’re the C.O.”

“Are you saying I should know better?”

“Yes.”

He laughed. “Why don’t we say neither of us earned any respect for the other from this event and call it over with?”

To his surprise, she seemed to accept that. “Fine,” she said, crossing back over to her side. “I don’t feel like arguing.”

Though he wanted to say something back, something that would rile her, he couldn’t come up with anything good. This was partly because of the way her hips moved when she walked, an aspect of her he hadn’t noticed before, since he’d always been in the lead. Giving a chuckle that was aimed almost entirely at himself, he followed after her.

He saw her lay out her blanket as he lit the fire, then they were both eating. Silence reigned supreme now, though he was more than used to it. He was the silent type, always had been. It wasn’t until Ashelin showed up that he started breaking that habit, but in his defense, she could make plants talk with that tongue of hers.

And now he was regretting thinking that, given it led inevitably towards what else she could do with her tongue. He shook his head to dispel those thoughts, hoping she wasn’t watching him right then like she tended to do. Unfortunately, a simple shake of the head did little to impede the course of his mind. Neither did it do much to prevent those very thoughts from giving him involuntary reactions.

With a kind of annoyed growl, he laid back, deciding that he might as well try to sleep it off.

“Let me guess,” she said now, catching his attention. “We’re going to take turns staying up, keeping watch?”

“Only if you want to,” he told her smartly. “You can either stay up, watching me sleep until I get up, or you can go to sleep.”

She narrowed her eyes. “And here I thought procedure was to rotate sleeping.”

He smirked. “Out here, rules are different. It’s late enough that nothing is patrolling, not metalheads or wastelanders. Trust me on this.”

She bit her lip. “And if this gets us killed?”

“You can say ‘I told you so’ in the afterlife.”

She rolled her eyes.

It didn’t take too much longer for sleep to reach him. After the day they’d had, he didn’t expect her to stay awake too much longer, either. The sun was always harsh out here, always tiring. Shade was only a brief reprieve. And his dreams, which were rare enough to remember for him, definitely involved a certain redhead and her hands on him. Even in his sleep, he was sure he would’ve smirked.

- - - - -

Day One: Completed.