"Now approaching Planet Terachnos," Aphelion chimed as she detected the intended destination.
Ratchet slumped in his seat and let out the biggest sigh of relief after he heard the words that he had wanted to hear for the entirety of the trip. Eleven hours of lower back pain and a cramped space with next to nothing on the radio. He really hoped that the job needed to be done on Terachnos was going to be worth such a long trip across galaxies.
The call for help came early in the morning while Ratchet and Clank were spending time on Planet Veldin in the Solana Galaxy. Ratchet hadn't even gotten his first cup of coffee when the distress signal came to the communicator. It was Clank who had to check the message because Ratchet could barely find his way to the couch when it came. After taking a few minutes to wake up, Ratchet had Clank play the message for him, as it came with a holo-message instead of text. Upon playing the message, a nervous Terachnoid burst from blue light of the hologram, his clothes were a mess and he looked like he needed a shower from the dirtiness of his clothes.
The Terachnoid, introducing himself as Dexter, brought news of one of the many research facilities on his home planet. Apparently, a Leviathan, a species that Ratchet and Clank collected many souls from, was being kept at one of the facilities, and it had recently given birth to a youngling. However, with two unhappy Leviathans not appreciating being held in captivity, the containment area's strength has been wearing thin with the two Leviathans constantly trying to bust their way out. Dexter reported that he would like the help of Ratchet and Clank with their mechanic skills and knowledge for building a better containment area. He would also like the two heroes around in case one of the Leviathans break through the walls and potentially injure the people within the facility, as he knew that the duo had dealt with creatures like Leviathans before.
Ratchet and Clank were a bit reluctant at first to answer the call for help because it was such short notice and the fact that the Polaris Galaxy was an entire trip unto itself. The two had just settled back down on Veldin and were planning on taking the day off and sprucing up the garage for their mechanic business, but after having a talk about it and considering the urgency, they found themselves taking off in Aphelion for a long trip to Planet Terachnos. And even with plenty of snacks and board games packed, Ratchet still found himself despising the long trip and he needed to stretch his legs badly. Hearing Aphelion notify them that they were approaching the planet was music to his big ears.
Ratchet pushed down on his lower back, hearing it crack a bit before settling. He rubbed the side of his head tiredly and muttered, "I hope that those Terachnoids have an idea of how they want to renovate that containment area. I'm a bit too exhausted from the trip alone to really put in my own ideas."
Clank placed a book that he had been reading for a few hours down in his lap and looked at his whining friend, "Perhaps the containment area is stable enough for you to rest for a few hours. I cannot imagine that the situation has reached critical levels, or else Dexter would have contacted us."
"I hope so," Ratchet said, putting his arms behind his head and leaning back in his seat. "I can't remember if they have Galaxy Burger on Terachnos."
"I believe that the only food available on Terachnos is brain food."
"Oh...wait," the Lombax turned to Clank and gave him a look. "Was that a joke?"
"I was waiting for you to catch on. Hehehehe!" The robot said, amused by his own joke.
"Alright, funny guy, settle that sense of humor. We're entering the planet's atmosphere. Let's hurry and find a landing space, I need to unbend my spine."
Ratchet pushed forward on Aphelion's controls and rocketed through Terachnos's atmosphere until the shining blue lights of the cities were visual below. The entire planet of Terachnos seemed to have a more sapphire color to it and it contrasted well with the pink colored citizens. Aphelion sailed over the blue landscape as Ratchet followed the coordinates that Clank has downloaded from the message that Dexter had sent. As they closed in on their destination, Ratchet spotted a landing pad over by the what he believed to be the research building. It was a large facility, which was appropriate if it was housing creatures such as Leviathans.
After expertly landing Aphelion as he always did, Ratchet opened up the cockpit and took in a large breath of fresh air that he desperately needed. He hopped down onto the ground and raised his arms for a satisfying stretch. He cracked a smile as he felt the discomfort leave his body, already feeling refreshed. Clank then hopped out of the ship and landed on the ground next to him, storing his book in his chest compartment for safekeeping. He scanned the area around them and turned to the large building behind them, pointing at it.
"That is the research facility that Dexter told us about. To think that they would manage to get a Leviathan in there."
"Yeah, these Terachnoids are passionate about their science, I'll have them that," Ratchet said, adjusting his gloves. He motioned Clank to follow him as he walked towards the building. "Come on, let's go in and take a look at the containment area. I wanna know what kind of damage we're dealing with here."
Clank nodded and trotted up next to Ratchet. The duo casually walked up to the entrance of the facility, opening the glass door entrance and entering. The white exterior with tiled floors and overall shininess really gave off the laboratory feel. Bright light fixtures hung from the ceiling illuminated the already bright white room, making everything a little too bright for someone without sunglasses. Portraits of famous Terachnoid scientists hung on the wall, each made famous for their investment in the scientific field, each one more wacky looking than the last. Well, science didn't judge looks, after all.
After taking in the looks of the lobby, Ratchet and Clank took notice of the desk near the middle of the room, which they presumed to be the generic front desk in every large building such as this one. They walked up to it and looked at the desk, noticing that no one was behind it.
Clank tilted his head and hummed curiously. "Hmm. Perhaps they are on a lunch break?"
"Well, we have to inform someone that we're here," Ratchet said placing a hand on his waist. He looked around for something that would help fulfill that need as he knew they couldn't go wandering aimlessly around a research lab. And the glimmer of a tabletop bell seemed to be his answer. He pressed down on the bell multiple times, letting it ring over and over. The sound echoed through the lobby along with his own voice as he called out, "Hello? It's Ratchet and Clank! Dexter called us here to talk about some Leviathans and the containment area! Anyone?"
Ratchet's voice and the constant 'dings' echoed once again through the room. The duo waited in a bit of an awkward silence, expecting someone to come and greet them after hearing who they were. However, no one like that came. No one came at all. Ratchet and Clank looked at each other with almost worried expressions, wondering what exactly the deal was. Ratchet looked back at the bell and put his hand back on it, giving it a few more rings just in case no one heard him the first time. He called out in a louder voice while spamming the bell.
"Hello? Is anyone-oof!"
Ratchet was startled by something grabbing him and yanking him away from the bell. He grabbed Clank by the arm as he was shoved behind the desk they were waiting at. A bit disoriented from the sudden movement, Ratchet shook his head and looked up, noticing that it was a Terachnoid scientist that had shoved him away. Clank landed on his rear next to Ratchet and noticed the scientist as well. They both looked like they were about to ask questions before they were silenced by the scientist.
"Shhh! Don't talk so loud! Are you trying to get eaten?!" The Terachnoid said in a panicked voice.
"Eaten?" Ratchet asked with a confused look. "Eaten by what?"
"By the Leviathan, of course! You're lucky that it didn't swoop through and eat the tail off of you!"
"The Leviathan? The one you are trying to keep contained here?" Clank said.
The Terachnoid nodded, "Yes, the same one that I told you about in my message. I'm Dr. Dexter, and it was so good of you two to come here on such short notice."
"What's going on here?" Ratchet asked, having a feeling that bad news was about to be delivered.
Dr. Dexter tapped his hands together, sweat running down the side of his head as he looked around outside of the desk. He pushed Ratchet and Clank closer to the ground with him and spoke in a quiet voice, a hint of panic laying dormant in his tone. "As you know, I contacted you two about the stability of our Leviathan containment center. For the past few days, we've been worried that the Leviathans were going to break down the walls and escape."
"Yes, we remember you telling us that, but what-" Clank started to ask, but Dr. Dexter quickly cut him off to finish explaining.
"It turns out the containment area was weaker than expected. Two hours ago, the baby Leviathan broke through the defenses and squeezed out of the containment. We tried to restrain it, but when you're having sharp teeth and a thirst for blood threatening you, you tend to panic and just run away," he said, looking a bit embarrassed at his cowardice. Ratchet and Clank looked at each other with grim faces after hearing this horrifying twist of events. Dr. Dexter looked around outside the desk once more, growing more paranoid by the minute. "We put the building on lockdown and the staff has been hiding in a safe room. I rushed out when I heard you two making noise. We would have sent you a message once the whole situation started, but someone, definitely not me, dropped the communicator in the panicked frenzy."
"What should we do?" Ratchet asked, trying to figure a solution to this problem. "We could go after it, but do you want us to kill it?"
"Oh heavens, no!" Dr. Dexter said out loud, quickly covering his mouth as he realized how loud he was being. He brought his voice down and shook his head, "No, you cannot kill the baby Leviathan. Its mother is already upset because she no longer has her child with her. If you're up for it, all you have to do is find it and subdue it. My colleagues are currently working repairments for the containment area as we speak. If you can take care of the baby Leviathan in a timely manner, we should have what we need by the time you deal with it."
Ratchet and Clank glanced at each other again with concerned expressions. They certainly didn't expect a dangerous situation like this when they first entered the building. This was already bigger and more extreme than the purpose of this trip. However, as dangerous as it was, they couldn't tell Dr. Dexter 'no' and just walk out of the facility. They knew better than that. Besides, it was just a baby Leviathan. How much trouble could it be?
Ratchet tapped Clank on the shoulder, "Clank, what weapons do we have with us?"
Clank sat himself up and opened his chest compartment, digging around to find any weapons that he was carrying within him. After a few moments, he pulled out two items and observed them, "It appears that we only have your Omniwrench and a Plasma Whip with us."
"Oh hey, I've been wondering where that went," Ratchet said, taking the Plasma Whip into his hand. "Looks like it's fully charged. I think this'll be enough if it's just a baby Leviathan. If we were dealing with the mother, then I would be worried. But we should be fine with this."
"Oh thank goodness," Dr. Dexter said with a slight sigh of relief. "I thank you two for doing this. Even though we have impeccable smarts, us Terachnoids are not the kind of species that are good at dealing with confrontations. If you two weren't here, I do not know what we would do."
"We are happy to be of assistance, doctor," Clank said with a nod. Though there was something that they needed to know. "Do you know what part of the facility the Leviathan child is currently at?"
Dr. Dexter frowned and shook his head, "I'm afraid that I don't. The last place it was seen was in the containment area after it broke out. I don't know if it's still around there or if it's roaming around the rest of the facility."
"We'll have to search the building for it, then," Ratchet said, taking his Omniwrench from Clank. "You go and take cover in the safe room. Clank and I will come and get you after the job is done. Tell everyone in there that everything is going to be fine."
"I'll do that. I apologize that I won't be able to keep in contact with you during this. Just be careful around any dangerous looking equipment and please try not to break anything. We already have enough damage to repair with this child running amok."
Ratchet grabbed Clank's hand and swung him onto his back before giving a thumbs up. "You can count on us. We'll be back soon. You all stay safe."
"You're the ones who should be staying safe."
After thoroughly checking to see if the coast was clear, Dr. Dexter scuttled away back down the way he came, making a beeline for the safe room. Ratchet and Clank watched him to make sure that he made it to the room without attracting the Leviathan. After hearing the sound of a door close and lock, the duo turned around and went down the opposite hallway, which was eerily quiet. Ratchet's ears were standing up, prepared to catch even the slightest of sound. Clank kept his eyes peeled and checked every corner of every area that they went through. They couldn't afford to not be alert during this. Even though it wasn't a fully grown one, Leviathans were dangerous creatures that could shred up its prey with just a few swipes of its sharp teeth. After collecting souls from so many of them, Ratchet and Clank were well aware of these capabilities, and it was this knowledge that kept up their highest guard.
After taking a peek around the corner, Ratchet turned down another hallway that had a variety of doors on each side. There were many experiments being held at this research facility, such as energy dividing, mind manipulation, and even organ-growing. Ratchet had to give the Terachnoids credit, they really were into their sciences. If they were to reach a breakthrough in any of these fields, it could give help to a lot of people across the universe. At least...he hoped that it would. The mind manipulation sounded a bit iffy to him, but he was sure that there was a perfectly good reason for researching something like that.
Clank scanned the area around him and checked the incoming results. There were no irregularities in the area, so it was highly unlikely that the Leviathan was around where they were. He looked over his shoulder and reported this to Ratchet. "The Leviathan does not appear to be in this area of the facility. Perhaps we should try someplace else?"
Ratchet hummed in thought for a moment, "Yeah, we could do that...or maybe we could bring the Leviathan to us."
"Pardon?"
"It'll probably take a long time for us to sneak around this place and find the Leviathan. It could be on the move whenever we're on the move. It would be faster if we lured it out somehow."
Clank pondered this for a moment, "I suppose that it is an easier strategy for finding it. But how will we lure it out?"
"I uh...I have a good idea how."
Ratchet walked over to the wall and reached out his hand to feel it. Even with his gloves on, he could tell that this portion of the wall was made of a metal alloy. The walls in this area were particularly strong for the possibly explosive experiments being held inside the rooms. Ratchet looked down at his Omniwrench and almost cracked a smile. It was time to make a little noise.
Swinging his arm back, Ratchet prepped his Omniwrench and swung it forward, hitting the metal wall with it. The resulting collision made a large 'dong' noise that traveled down the entire hallway. Clank was about to ask what in the name of his father he thought he was doing, but the robot quickly realized that this was what Ratchet meant by luring out the Leviathan. Dr. Dexter had scolded the two for making so much noise back in the lobby because it could attract the creature. With no one to stop them this time, they could make all the noise they wanted. If the Leviathan could hear them, it would definitely be drawn to all the noise.
Ratchet hit the wall over and over again, making as much noise as he could with it. His ears were flattened again the sides of his head as they didn't appreciate the volume of the noise he was making. His arms were starting to feel funny from the vibration caused by the two metals colliding with one another. It was so intense that even Clank could feel it a slight bit. He gave it a few more swings before landing a particularly hard one that jittered his entire body. Ratchet lowered the Omniwrench to take a breather and for his body to settle back down.
"You think that did it?" Ratchet asked looking at Clank.
The two sat in silence for a few moments to see the results of the noisy diversion. Ratchet's ears stood up once more and Clank's audio sensors listened carefully. The silence that had haunted them before still remained and nothing had changed. They were apparently still alone as the Leviathan was not making itself known. Ratchet swung his wrench over his shoulder and traveled away from the wall and back down the original path they were taking.
"Looks like we'll have to try this somewhere else."
"It seems that way. Hopefully the Leviathan heard a decent bit of the noise and it in an area closer to us," Clank said, still keeping his guard up.
"I hope so. This whole Leviathan hunting thing is kinda creeping me out. Reminds me of a holo game I played once. You were stuck on a ship with this creature roaming around, and out of nowhere, it would drop down and eat your-GAHH!"
Ratchet yelled in surprise as a vent covering suddenly dropped down in front of him, crashing into the floor with a loud noise. The two quickly looked up as they had a feeling about what caused the cover to fall. For a more cowardly person, the sight above would have made them drop the the floor unconscious. Ratchet and Clank's eyes went wide as they saw bright yellow eyes staring down at them from the vent above. A hissing around came form it as parts of its glowing blue body were revealed. It slinked down towards Ratchet, hovering around him like a shark circling its prey. Ratchet raised his Omniwrench in defense and prepared his Plasma Whip. This baby Leviathan was only a bit bigger than him, but it was much more dangerous. Clank could feel Ratchet's muscles tensing up as he prepared his first attack.
However, the baby Leviathan was one step ahead of him. He let out a horrible screech as it snapped at him, launching itself forward and trying to take a bite out of the duo with its intimidatingly sharp teeth. After managing to dodge the attack, Ratchet took the opportunity to smack the Leviathan with his Omniwrench, sending it flying back. The Leviathan squirmed in a disoriented state. Ratchet took advantage of the few precious moments and activated his Plasma Whip. An electric blue whip extended out of the handle, crackling with electricity. Clank piped up as Ratchet carefully made his way over to the Leviathan.
"Remember, Dr. Dexter does not want us to end the creature's life."
"I know that. Where should I hit it to avoid injuries that would kill it?" Ratchet asked.
"Aim for the back and sides of the body. The damage done there should not be fatal or permanently damaging."
"Back and sides, got it. Thanks, pal." Ratchet raised the Plasma Whip and prepared to strike the creature's back. "Sorry about this, little guy."
Before Ratchet could attack it, the Leviathan suddenly turned its head towards him and let out another loud screech. It swung its tail around and knocked Ratchet off of his feet. The Lombax landed on his side so he would not harm Clank in any way. The Leviathan saw its downed opponent and snapped its jaws at him, ready to taste its dinner. Ratchet quickly raised his Plasma Whip and flung it, striking the side of the Leviathan before it could get too close. The creature let out a pained screech and a small whimper afterward as painful electricity danced around on the whip mark.
Now frightened by the injuries, the creature let out an intimidating screech before retreating back into the vent above, the blue glow that it created fading as it escaped. Ratchet watched it escape as he scrambled back up onto his feet. He placed his hands on his waist and let out a small breath.
"Looks like it's not a fan of taking any hits," Ratchet said, rubbing the arm he had landed on. He looked over his shoulder, "You alright back there?"
"I am fine. Thank you for not landing on me," Clank said with a nod. He looked up at the vent and blinked, "You are correct about the Leviathan. It sought out an escape the moment you struck it. But I do not know if that will frighten it enough to keep it from attacking us."
"Well, now that we know what this thing is capable of, we should have the upper hand next time. Though we do have to find it again."
"That is true. With luck, it shall stay in this area and attempt to surprise us again. I hope that you will be prepared this time. You were quite scared when the vent cover fell."
"Okay, I was not scared, I was startled. There's a very big difference. And trust me, I'm ready for all of this little guy's tricks. Now then, let's follow the noises of a distressed Leviathan."
Ratchet brushed himself off and adjusted his gloves before picking up the pace and traveling down the hallway once more. He looked up at the ceiling. The Leviathan was currently hurt and possibly disoriented, so it was surely going to create some noise if accidentally hits the sides of the vent in its injured state. Ratchet and Clank listened carefully once more and waited for any indication of where the creature was at. It couldn't hide from them forever. Either they were going to find it or it was going to find them. And if they wanted the advantage, they would need to find it first.
'Bang!'
Ratchet's wars twitched and Clank looked up as they heard a distinct noise above. That was definitely a bang caused by a Leviathan in the vents. And by the sound of it, it came from the left, down yet another corridor (it was a rather large facility). He prepared his Omniwrench and Plasma Whip in case he was going to be the victim of another surprise attack. He snuck down the hallway keeping on guard with Clank constantly watching his back. Ratchet raised his ears and prepared to listen again. If he could close in on it he could scare it out of the vents himself and take it down as it recovered from its confused state. But it all depended on whether or not he could get the jump on it.
'Bang!'
Ratchet and Clank looked to the left as they heard a much more close banging noise. It sounded like the Leviathan was in the vents above the room to their left. It looked like that they had closed in on it.
Carefully and quietly, Ratchet walked over and opened the door to a room read 'Danger! Chemical and Medical Research Lab'. It seemed like he would have to be extra careful not to break things in the room. He slid the door open and stepped inside. It was rather dark in the front part of the room. The only light being provided were a variety of glows being given off in the sealed half of the room. An electronic door closed off a room full of various chemicals and other strange liquids. And according to the hazmat suits that were lined up outside of the door, it was a very dangerous room to be in. The amount of carefulness that was required for this was making Ratchet a bit nervous.
"Alright...where are you…?" Ratchet muttered, looking up at the ceiling. Ratchet muttered, looking up at the ceiling. It had to be up in there somewhere, he just had to find the opening to the vent so he could prepare an attack. However, after thoroughly checking the ceiling, there were no vent covers. The only thing that could be seen was a very suspicious looking hole that seemed to have been broken from the ceiling. Ratchet's ears lowered and his eyes went wide as he realized how big the hole was. About the size of a baby Leviathan. "Oh no. That's not good...where is-"
"Ratchet! Behind you!"
At the sound ot Clank's warning, Ratchet whipped around and saw some familiar yellow eyes staring at him from behind a cabinet. His ears lowered again and he gulped. They didn't close in on the Leviathan, the Leviathan closed in on them. And it was ready to try and rip them apart again.
Ratchet went for his Plasma Whip, but like before, the Leviathan was one step ahead of him and was already charging an attack. It opened its glowing blue mouth wide and let out a cloudy white mist that quickly surrounded the duo. Ratchet coughed as he accidentally inhaled some of it. This creature was much smarter than it looked. It set up a smokescreen so they couldn't see where it was! Ratchet raised his ears and prepared to listen to where the Leviathan was coming from, but he was a moment too late, and the creature charged through the mist and smashed its head into him. The two went flying back with such force that they went straight through the glass of the concealed room.
In the process of landing roughly on the floor with bloody cuts on his arms, Ratchet lost control of his grip and his weapons went flying from his hands. He let out a loud groan of pain as he slid on the floor. Clank quickly detached himself from the hex mount and rushed to the front of Ratchet, checking his injuries.
"Ratchet? Are you alright?" Clank asked, even though he knew for a fact that his friend wasn't alright.
Ratchet opened his eyes and prepared to answer his concerned friend, but a horrifying roar from the Leviathan as it thrashed its way into the room stopped him. He sat up and looked frantically around for his weapons. He saw them on the floor across the room and quickly rushed towards him. His hand stretched out as it came closer to the handle of the Plasma Whip. However, his hands just barely grazed the surface of the weapon as the Leviathan intercepted him. And, what seemed like an act of revenge for the Plasma Whip strike it had received earlier, the creature spun around and struck Ratchet with its tail, sending the Lombax flying back once again. Ratchet's back hit one of the counters holding up vials of liquid. With the impact of Ratchet hitting it, a vile full of pink liquid fell out of its holder and down onto the Lombax's head. The glass containing it shattered and it leaked down onto him, getting into his eyes, mouth, and several of his cuts.
"GAH! Ah, what is this?!" Ratchet yelled out as he was blinded by getting the liquid in his eyes.
"Ratchet!" Clank called out for his friend, worried about Ratchet not being able to see, and by extent defend himself.
The Leviathan thrashed around some more as it turned itself around. The small space it was in was making it uncomfortable and made it hard to it to move around with precision. Clank knew that he was on his own now, so he had to think of something very quickly while the creature was throwing its tantrum. He looked around at the various chemicals and tried to calculate a mixture that would help him in this situation. A stroke of luck hit him as he found hydrogen peroxide and a sulfuric acid mixture. This would do nicely.
Carefully watching the Leviathan and Ratchet, Clank took the two chemicals and popped the lid off the hydrogen peroxide. He poured it into the sulfuric acid mixture and shook it up a bit. The resulting combination began to bubble very quickly, meaning that this would work if he could aim it correctly. Clank turned to the Leviathan and raised the chemical combination. He threw it as hard and precisely as he could. The glass of the container smashed on the Leviathan's face and an explosion followed quickly after. Clank had made sure that it was far enough away from Ratchet so he wouldn't be caught up in the explosion.
After the smoke cleared, the Leviathan let out one more painful screech before it fell to the floor, unconscious from the close ranged chemical explosion. Clank felt himself relax, thankful that his quick plan worked the way he had planned to. But he couldn't relax for long, as he quickly dropped to the floor and ran over to Ratchet, who was clearing the strange pink fluid from his eyes.
"Are you alright? That were quite some hits that you took." Clank said, clearly worried.
"Not exactly. That last hit really did a number on my back," Ratchet groaned. He then looked at the liquid that was running down his hands. "What is this stuff?"
"I do not know. Whatever it is, it might be harmful to you."
"Oh great. What should I do? I can't just be covered in some weird chemical."
Clank looked around the room and quickly located what he was looking for. "There is a chemical shower along with an eye cleaner over there. Rinse out the chemical in there."
"Alright. It's gonna sting with these cuts, though," Ratchet said, getting up and rubbing his injured back. "Ugh...I'm gonna need some nanotech after this…"
After Ratchet took a short shower (with his clothes on, as they were covered, too) in the cold chemical shower and reluctantly rinsed his eyes out in the eye cleaner, he stepped out feeling somewhat refreshed. His injuries were still hurting, though. And the cold water getting into his glass cuts didn't help the situation. Meanwhile, Clank was keeping watch of the baby Leviathan, who was still unconscious.
Ratchet saw how knocked out the creature was and patted Clank on the back, "Quick thinking with the chemical explosion, pal. If you hadn't thought of it, I probably would have ended up way worse."
"Thank you. I suppose that science is the deadliest weapon of them all," the robot said with a smile.
The Lombax smiled as well and shrugged, "I dunno. I think I prefer the RYNO over chemicals. Now come on, let's get this guy back to the containment area and tell the Terachnoids that everything had been dealt with."
"Agreed. Though the chemical you were covered in is not causing any discomfort in you, is it?"
Ratchet shook his head, "No, I think I got it all out. If it was dangerous then it probably would have burned my eyes or something horrible like that. I'm fine, trust me. Though I could still use some nanotech. These cuts really sting and I hate it."
Despite having a sore back, Ratchet managed to pick up the baby Leviathan with Clank holding up the tail for him. They slowly yet surely moved the Leviathan back the way they came and dropped it in the lobby of the building. After taking a moment to recover from the long carrying trip, the two went to the Terachnoid's safe room and told Dr. Dexter that the Leviathan was subdued and was ready to be put back in containment. Though the Terachnoids inside were still terrified about the situation, and a few even screamed and ran away as soon as they saw the baby Leviathan laying in the middle of the lobby floor, they were relieved that the lockdown was now over and there was nothing to fear anymore.
The baby Leviathan was taken back to the containment area where its mother waited, angry that her child was missing for so long. Ratchet laughed nervously when he saw the size of the mother Leviathan. If this creature had gotten out instead of the child, then he would have much more than cuts and a sore back right now. Clank agreed with him, all the chemical explosions in the universe would be able to faze the large creature. But the mother was happy when the child was put back in the containment area, though she was a bit displeased when she saw that her child was currently "sleeping". But before the mother could release her rage, with the help of Ratchet and Clank, the Terachnoids set up an electric grid they had prepared in the safe room. Adrenaline really did lead to productiveness.
"That should do it," Dr. Dexter said as Ratchet and Clank lowered down onto the floor with the Heli-Pack. The doctor frowned as the duo approached him, "I am terribly sorry that you had to deal with this. We couldn't be more grateful that you subdued the baby Leviathan for us."
"Ah, it was nothing. I sustained fewer injuries than I expected," Ratchet said rubbing his backside.
"Right, we'll have some nanotech brought to you as soon as we can. In the meantime, you are free to stay here as long as you wish. There are plenty of tours you can take of the facility."
As wonderful as that sounded to Clank, Ratchet shook his head and waved off the offer, "That sounds, uh...interesting, but I'd rather start the long journey home. We have a business to run on Veldin, after all."
Dr. Dexter nodded, though he looked disappointed in the lack of interest in the tour, "I understand, there is no place like home. But if there is anything you ever need, just contact me. We here are in your debt."
"Thank you, Dr. Dexter," Clank said from Ratchet's back. He had spoken up because he had a concern, "But before we go, I must inform you that Ratchet came into contact with a pink liquid in the chemical and medical research lab. He cleaned it out, but should we be concerned?"
"A pink liquid? It was probably my genetically altered pink lemonade!"
"Genetically altered...pink lemonade," Ratchet asked, raising an eyebrow.
Dr. Dexter smiled, "Yes, just a little side project of mine. I want to push pink lemonade flavor to its absolute limits! It's my favorite drink and I had nothing better to do at the time. But there's nothing to be worried about if you came into contact with it. If anything you'll smell like lemons for awhile. But other than that, it's a harmless substance."
"Thank goodness," Clank said happily. It was a relief that Ratchet was not in danger. Though getting pink lemonade in the eyes probably wasn't pleasant.
"Alright, we'll be headin' out now. See you later, Dr. Dexter," Ratchet said, turning around with a wave.
"Farewell, heroes. And thank you again!"
With the entire ordeal done, Ratchet and Clank walked out into the lobby of the facility one more time. There was another Terachnoid there waiting for them holding a crate full of nanotech. Ratchet eagerly opened it and let the nanobots patch up all of his injuries. The cuts on his arms closed and were fully healed and the wounds on his back healed as well, though it was still a bit sore. It was better than it was, though. After thanking the Terachnoid, the two headed out back towards Aphelion, feeling exhausted by their suddenly exciting adventure. They were happy to jump into the plush seats of the cockpit. And they were even more happy to take off into the cosmos and begin their long journey home.
Ratchet sighed to himself as he prepared for another eleven hours.
Meanwhile, inside the Terachnoid research facility, Dr. Dexter scuttled down the many corridors to the chemical and medical lab. He put on a hazmat suit as soon as he entered due to the sealed chemical room being shattered by the Leviathan attack.
The Terachnoid hummed to himself as he carefully stepped around the broken glass that laid on the floor. There certainly was a lot of damage. And it was just from a baby Leviathan attack. He hoped that Ratchet and Clank hadn't been too injured from the fight. The last thing they needed was a lawsuit. Though the duo didn't seem like the type of people to do such a thing.
Dr. Dexter stepped around more broken glass and the residue from a chemical explosion that was used to subdue the Leviathan. This was going to be one heck of a mess to clean up. Especially the small puddle of pink liquid on the ground. However, something didn't seem right. The vial that was shattered on the ground didn't look like the one that he kept the pink lemonade in. The pink color of the liquid didn't look quite right either. Curious about whether or not this was the pink lemonade or not. Dr. Dexter picked up the broken vial so he could read the label on his side. It was broken in half so it wasn't the full name.
'Cor Vene-'
The Terachnoid could feel his heart almost stop as he recognized the name on the vial. He dropped the container and more of the glass shattered on the floor. He had wide eyes as he realized what Ratchet had come into contact with. This was bad. This was really bad.
Dr. Dexter quickly turned around and ran for the exit of the room. Eight hours. That was how long it was going to take to develop inside Ratchet. He had to get in touch with the Polaris Sanitation Force before Ratchet could get back home and come into contact with an organic person. If he did, then they would have to quarantine another planet.
Sooo...new project!
I'm going to come out and say it right now, the plot of this fic is somewhat inspired by the plot of the game "Subnautica". It's a game where you crash land on a quarantined planet and you have to cure the disease in order to be able to leave. But I played with the plot a bit and made it into something that could be really interesting to work within the Ratchet and Clank universe. I made it a bit darker and more emotional so you guys can really get emersed and always be on the edge of your seats.
Also, this story is going to introduce a brand new OC I created. And I don't mean a one-off OC like Wyre, I mean an actual OC like Circuit and Azure. But Ratchet and Clank are going to remain in the spotlight, I promise. The new OC is a side character at best. The Lombax and Robot duo are the main stars, not the character I created.
So, as for this first chapter, it looks like the substance Ratchet came into contact with is more dangerous than pink lemonade. The main question is how will the substance start to effect Ratchet? I guess you'll have to stick around to find out.
Make sure to leave a review while picking up your complimentary toaster!
This is Amberdiamondswords, Lordess of Diamond Swordness, signing off!