Ratchet was sweating. He only had 50 more seconds to complete his task or he would be killed. Swiftly moving from side to side on the grind cable, he evaded the shots of his angry opponents with ease. Now came the hard part. He pulled out his Dual Vipers and prepared for battle with his arch enemy. He gently glided down with a sort of menace that could only be seen in the eyes of a true tactician. He had a plan, and Ratchet was afraid of it. Ratchet saw his doom right before his very eyes when his opponent pulled out a Harbinger, more deadly than the likes of the R.Y.N.O. and more threatening than the Zodiac. As death smiled in Ratchet's face, he knew he wasn't going to go like that. Not there. But he did. His final words were that of a true hero: "You cheated."
"Gotcha," said Clank. The statement PLAYER TWO WINS! flashed across the screen. "It wasn't luck, Ratchet, it was talent." "What do you mean talent, you used a cheat code! Why did we buy this piece of junk anyway, I mean, look at the graphics. They're terrible!" "Are they, Ratchet, or are you jealous because I won." It was a strange thing indeed why Ratchet and Clank had bought the Dreadzone Champions video game for the new Insomniac Game Pyramid, considering that buying the game was supporting the Dreadzone franchise, the very show where Ratchet watched heroes lose their dignity and their lives. Then again, ever since the show had been toned down to battles using water balloons, the cause being supported wasn't the same that Ratchet had unwillingly participated in.
"Whatever," said Ratchet. "That's only one game. Just watch, Clank, I'll get you in this game eventually." Clank chuckled. "Eventually is the key word, Ratchet." The Holo-Vid suddenly gave off an annoying beeping noise. "Message for you, Ratchet," said Clank. The face of Abercrombie Fizzwidget filled the enormous screen. "Ratchet, my old companion, how are you?" "Mr. Fizzwidget, good to see you. I'm good. Still relaxing from my life being in mortal danger….again…..but I'm good." "That's grand to here! Say, we have sort of a problem in Megapolis. Apparently, there was a major blackout and the backup power vendor for the city is in the Thymal Galaxy, wouldn't ya' know it! Since the Solana Galaxy is right next door, would you mind traveling to the vendor and fixing the power? I'd be willing to pay you." "Of course," said Ratchet, "We'd be happy to help." "Great," said Fizzwidget, "I'll give you the coordinates." In mere minutes, Ratchet and Clank arrived at Planet Watisca, the home of Megapolis' power vendor.
Ratchet and Clank were done in no time. Seconds after fixing the vendor, Abercrombie Fizzwidget called to say their efforts were indeed successful. He transferred 20,000 bolts to their account in Bogon and they were on their way back to the Starship Phoenix. However, little did they know that there would be no Phoenix to return. A distress call arrived for Ratchet from Al on board the Phoenix. "Ratchet! The power to the Phoenix has been cut! Our oxygen levels are depleting by the second, all shields are down, and our emergency generator's overheated! Our only hope is for you to reach our power vendor on Watisca. I believe our number is E143. Oh, and HURRY!" The signal was then lost.
"Clank, how far are we from E143"?" asked Ratchet. "According to this map, we're not too far away." "Good. We're going there. Now." "But Ratchet, you know the rules of this planet, if we leave the specified vendor section without permission we will be vaporized." "Clank, we need to get there NOW. I've got my Tesla Barrier that should buy us some time. Now, let's go!" Ratchet and Clank dashed out of the D section and into the E section of the vendors. Sure enough, turrets and guards were swarming towards Ratchet and Clank. The shield could only hold for so long. "Ratchet, you know, I still have my Zapper Mod. These enemies could have been destroyed by now." "I know, Clank, but we have no time. People tend to think less rationally when their friends are minutes away from death." Ratchet hurried. The shield continued to decrease strength. Suddenly, Ratchet had an idea. "Clank, give me my OmniWrench." Ratchet took the wrench and clung himself to the turrets. He swung through them like a Swingshot, gripping on to each one and then letting go. The shield still managed to hold.
Finally, they had arrived at the vendor. "Okay, Clank, get ready to contact the Phoenix in 3…2….1…." Ratchet only hit the switch halfway. It was stuck. Ratchet noticed a small microchip lodged in between the slot and the switch. "Oh, for cryin' out…" BEEEEP! Al contacted Ratchet with a message. "Ratchet, the ship is going down, I repeat, the ship is going down! I have a backup plan, I just hope it works. Meet me on Planet Rivulet in the Thymal galaxy. Okay, so the plan is--." The signal was gone. "Clank, I…I….I failed." "Ratchet, we cannot worry now, we must trust Al and hope he's safe along with the rest of the crew. We must get to Rivulet and find out who cut the power." "Okay Clank." Ratchet used the teleporter to return to the main ship bay and set a course for Rivulet.
