Disclaimer: I do not own Ratchet and Clank. I am only borrowing it for my amusement and the amusement of those who read this fic.

Title: Out of Bounds

Warnings: Maybe some spoilers for ACiT, slight cursing, stupidity

Pairings: None so far, and I don't really plan on including any.

Rating: PG-13 for language

Genre: Humor

Summary: They set out to find the Lombaxes, but Ratchet and Clank ended up getting more than they bargained for…

Notes: This is probably the stupidest thing I've ever written (with the exception of "My Big, Fat, Fake Wedding", anyway). This whole story was inspired by the son of a friend of ours. My husband and I had gone to visit them, and I brought along my copy of Ratchet and Clank. As soon as the kid saw Ratchet, he yelled, "I want a cat like that!" We all thought it was cute, but the gears in my head started turning and… well, you can read the result. It's a one-shot for now, but if I get positive reviews then maybe I'll continue. I'm on a R&C kick right now, taking a break from SSBB's Marth and Meta Knight, so… enjoy! ^_^

Out of Bounds

He had always had a thirst for adventure. Even as a little Lombax kit, he had shown his bold nature by climbing trees and buildings… anything he could, really. It had scared the living daylights out of Itra, the orphanage nurse who always looked after him. He had fallen several times, even broken an arm, but it never deterred him.

Even after the last adventure, he was ready for more. Clank couldn't understand how he could still be so eager. "I just think that we need some rest," the robot was saying as they flew towards their destination, "Just for a little while."

"Naah," Ratchet shook his head, "What would I do, sit on the couch for a week? Sounds great, but I really want to explore this planet. The scanners say it's the only one with life on it in this galaxy. Maybe it's the Lombaxes."

Clank only sighed as Ratchet started the landing process. The Lombax eagerly took in every sight that he could. So far, they were coming in over water. They soon reached dry land, and he maneuvered the ship around to find an open space. The forest gave way to fields, and he landed when he could see the distinct outline of a city.

"Look at this place," Ratchet said as they got out of the ship, "The sky looks really clear. I wonder where all the other ships are?"

"I do not detect any," Clank replied after a moment, "but there are life forms just over there." He pointed to the city.

"Great. Let's go," Ratchet began walking with Clank in his usual position on his back.

*****

What a mistake that had turned out to be. Not five minutes after entering the city limits, he noticed that the buildings were much taller than they had looked from a distance. The people were also very tall. They were huge--some standing at least twelve feet high--and covered in pinkish skin. A few people had stopped to look at him, pointing and whispering to one another. Someone had even taken a picture of him.

It should have been a warning to him that these people were not very experienced with life forms from other planets. After wandering around the city, Ratchet had suddenly been grabbed by one of the creatures wielding a metal hoop that went around his neck. When he cursed at them, they had gone into a flurry of excitement. He had been taken into a building, stripped of his clothing, and examined by at least a dozen of these people. If Clank hadn't busted his cage open, he may never have gotten out of there.

Now Ratchet was wet, cold, naked, and in fear for his life. He sat huddled behind a dumpster in an alley, holding Clank close to him as the robot scanned the area for hostile forces. A few of the uniformed guards had run past, but they hadn't noticed the two. It had started raining a few minutes before, and Ratchet could honestly say that he couldn't remember being so miserable. At least when he had been in prison, he was wearing clothes.

"None are in this area," Clank said, looking up at Ratchet, "Should I go find something for you to wear?"

"Y- yeah, we'll do that once those other people leave," Ratchet watched the passing crowds warily.

Something clattered behind them. They both instinctively spun around, ready to face one of the beings, but it was an animal. It had knocked over a garbage can lid, and was now looking at them with large green eyes. It's fur was orange, and it was almost the same size as Ratchet, though it stood on four legs.

"What the hell is that thing?" Ratchet asked.

"I do not know," Clank answered, "It looks a bit like you."

"Yeah, sure…" Ratchet muttered, backing away a bit as the thing came closer.

"Meow," it said.

"Uh… I don't guess you talk, huh?" Ratchet asked it, and it walked over and rubbed against his ankles. "You do look a little like me… Are you in hiding, too?"

"Meow," it said again, and leapt onto another trash can lid.

As Ratchet stepped forward to chase it, he was suddenly grabbed from behind. "Look at this!" a feminine voice said behind him as he struggled, "A cat! Poor thing looks starved."

"I don't know, Honey," a deeper voice commented, and Ratchet twisted his head around enough to see a woman holding him and a man standing behind her. "Are you sure it's a cat? It looks sort of weird. Look at those ears!" the man shook his head.

"Oh, it's a cat all right. What else could it be?" the woman turned Ratchet fully around and petted him on the head, "You poor kitty. Are you all alone here?"

Remembering what had happened the last time he'd spoken to these creatures, he said the safest thing he could think of: "M- meow?"

"See?" the woman looked pleased, "Oh, Honey, can we take him home? He's just what Alexis wanted!"

"Well… all right," the man nodded, "We'll drop him off at the vet and pick him up in time for Christmas."

"She'll be thrilled!" the woman squealed and hugged him close. Ratchet thought that he'd suffocate, but she released him when the man stepped forward and stooped to the ground. "What is it, Harold?"

"Look at this thing," Harold held Clank in his hands; the robot had stopped moving, appearing to play dead, "Didn't Jason want one of these?"

"Oh, Dear, we don't want to get him one that you found on the street!"

"Look, Jenny, I think it's working," the man pointed to the glowing orb on Clank's head, "And it looks brand-new. You can't find these for less than a hundred bucks, anyway."

"Well… I suppose…" Jenny sighed and gave Ratchet a pat on the head, "Now, let's get you to the vet! I wonder if he's old enough to neuter…"

As they were carried away by these strange beings, Ratchet wondered if perhaps they should have stayed with the white-coated beings. Being poked and prodded was not pleasant, but he didn't like the sound of "neuter."

End

Well? I know it's short--it was just an idea that I couldn't get out of my head. If you ask me to continue, I might. Thanks for reading! ^_^