(The first thing I want to say is that this fic is dedicated to Amberdiamondswords. Fearful Overload was super sweet and after I read it, this story idea popped into my head. I have always wanted to write for Ratchet and Clank, but I have never had any good story ideas until now.
I hope I kept everyone in character. Cora and Brax were demonized in the making of this fic, but sometimes characters' bad qualities show the good ones in others. Dr. Nefarious is extremely hard for me to write, even though he is my favorite character...)
Disclaimer: I do not own Ratchet and Clank or any of its characters. But I do hope to get Dr. Nefarious as a Christmas gift.
A Doctor's Warning
Elaris sighed as she stepped into her small office. So far, the day had been going pretty badly for her. Besides it being 8:00 on a Monday morning, Brax had already cornered her about any new gadgets she had been developing (she didn't have any at the moment), Cora had cancelled their weekly Girls Night Out (for the sixth time in a row), and Qwark was in the middle of tracking down a very tardy duo that still needed a full training course (it sounded nice, but he apparently needed her help in bringing them to the Hall of Heroes). And she hadn't had her morning cup of coffee yet.
It was going to be one those days.
A few months ago, after the excitement had died down, the Rangers had needed to reorganize. Captain Qwark needed to win back his heroism, and Ratchet, as the Captain had admitted rather reluctantly, needed to act as temporary Head of the Rangers while he was away completing public service projects. Problem was, Ratchet barely had any training and little experience at a managing position. Cora and Brax had been giving Ratchet the training and information he desperately needed, but the last few months had been chaotic with her and Cora as acting Heads until Ratchet could take over.
She gazed into the dark office and stood there for a moment. Elaris did wish she had a bigger space to work with, but there was a certain charm to the small room. Maybe it was the long hours she had spent in there, but she felt at ease knowing everything she needed was at arm's reach.
She felt eyes rest on her, and she glanced back into the hallway to see if anyone was there. Elaris raised an eyebrow when she found nobody there. She shook her head and chuckled. She really needed her morning cup of coffee.
In just a few movements, she closed the door and flicked on the lights.
A metal hand closed around her neck and slammed her against a wall. She found herself staring into deep red optics that were brimming with rage. Fear filled her body as a grating voice reached her ears. "Scream, and I'll tear out your squishy throat."
Elaris whimpered and tried her best to nod, but every time she moved her head down, it choked more air out of her windpipe.
The robot let go of her throat and stepped back. Elaris rubbed her neck as she sized up her assailant. He was mostly purple from the neck down, had clawlike hands, and had an oversized green hea-
Elaris' eyes widened. "Doctor… Nefarious?"
He gave an evil grin. "Like it?" he said, turning to the side so she could see the wings on his back. "Apparently, when your body feels like it's being crushed into paper beneath two hundred thousand tons of steel, it's actually you turning into a robot and losing the majority of your internal organs."
"But how-" He snarled as Elaris moved her hand toward his face. She pulled her hand away and unconsciously tried to make herself smaller.
"How did you- But this- It goes against every law of science!"
His smile only seemed to grow wider. "It's a good thing then that I don't follow the laws."
The robot backed up a little, but Elaris stayed pressed against the wall. He was taller, and by the looks of his robotic upgrades, was probably faster too. If she tried to do anything, he could easily overpower her. "What do you want from me?" she asked, her voice full of fear.
He nodded toward his picture on her board. "See that, squishy? That was me when I just started working for the Rangers. Within a year, I quit my job because they treated me like trash, and it's going to happen to you too."
Elaris shook her head, almost violently. The doctor laughed quietly, and it made Elaris flinch. "Don't try to deny it, Elaris, isn't it? The Rangers had been treating you like garbage even before Drek started depanetizing planets." He leaned forward and lowered his voice. "You think that all it will take is a big crisis, that you'll be able to show how capable you are and the Rangers will finally give you the respect you deserve."
Elaris had been hoping that after the Drek crisis the Rangers would treat her a little better, and they had… But as the ancient saying went, "Old habits were the hardest to break." The doctor continued his rant as she remained silent.
"The huge crisis would fix everything! You would finally prove your worth as a valuable asset to the Rangers! They would give you a bigger space to work with, more respect, and not steal your food out of the break room fridge," the robot said, grumbling at the last part. "Except that's not how the universe works. They'll still treat you like a doormat, and you could save every planet in the galaxy twice over, but they will still bully and push you over every chance they get!"
Elaris noticed that the robot was fighting to control his anger. He had worked with the Rangers before; he knew firsthand how cruel they could be to their own employees. Cora and Brax had been trying to treat her better, but sometimes they would still ignore her advice, push her to create superior weapons at a faster pace than she was capable of, or mock her lack of a social life.
Elaris bit her lip as she realized the truth of the doctor's statements. "Yes," she admitted rather reluctantly, "they still treat me like a pushover, but it will get better."
Dr. Nefarious looked at her with disgust, as if he could taste the falseness of the statement. He shook his head. "Look Elaris, I've seen your work," he started, waving his hands in a dramatic fashion, "you're a revolutionary in your field, just like I was when I worked here. You deserve better than this, and you know it." The doctor held out his hand toward her. "Join me, and you will be given everything your squishy heart desires. Respect, power, and the recognition you deserve."
He grinned as she thought it over. It was a very tempting offer. She didn't want to betray the universe, but she just wanted little things, like a "thank you Elaris" whenever she gave advice or when she helped plan out a mission. She wanted to be an equal among her coworkers, not a pushover that helped them by just making the weapons that blew things up. She didn't want to hurt or endanger the universe, but with the way things were going with the Rangers, she didn't see herself becoming their equal anytime soon.
She took a deep breath, ready with an answer. "Doctor, I- "
The door to her room opened, and Clank, carrying a mug that was half the size of his body, appeared in the doorway. He dropped the coffee cup he was holding and leaped in fear. "Elaris, get back! He could hurt you!" The miniature robot darted between Elaris and the taller robot. Clank assumed a fighting style as he glared up at the doctor.
Elaris felt her heart explode with sweet feelings. The evil doctor could punt the tinier robot without even trying; it spoke of how much Clank was willing to sacrifice his life for her.
Dr. Nefarious glared back at the small robot. "Really backpack? I could tear your body into pieces without any real effort."
Clank remained with his fists up. "I will not allow you to come in here and threaten Elaris with your presence."
Elaris finally spoke up, courage filling her body at the sight of the tiny robot. "Doctor, your offer to join you is tempting, but I wish to remain here with the Rangers."
The doctor snarled at the two of them and waved his pointer finger at Elaris. "Mark my words squishy, nothing will change. They'll keep pushing you until you fall over the edge of sanity. Just. Like. Me." The tall robot tapped something on his wrist, and a moment later, he was gone.
Clank stood there for a moment, making sure the diabolical doctor wouldn't return to kill them. He looked back at Elaris with concern in his green optics. "Elaris, did he hurt you?"
Elaris nodded. "It's fine," she said, "it's just a bruise and it'll go away in a few days." She crouched down toward Clank. "I'm more worried about you. Are you okay? You were ready to lay down your life for me!"
"I am alright Elaris, thank you for your concern." Clank nodded toward the broken coffee cup, its contents a puddle on the floor. "I heard that you were in here, and I wanted to bring you a cup of your favorite kind of coffee." He then looked to where the doctor had been a few minutes ago. "I hope I wasn't too late. Ratchet and I just got to the Hall of Heroes fifteen minutes ago."
Elaris pulled Clank into a hug. "Aww, Clank, you weren't late. You came just in time, and I still can't believe you were willing to risk your life for mine!"
She put the robot down, and Clank put his hand on his head and turned his head away bashfully. "It was nothing Elaris. I did what any Ranger would do."
Elaris felt her heart drop and she sighed. "Clank, another Ranger wouldn't have done that. Most of the Rangers would have probably stepped in, but it would have been more to have some action instead of protecting me from harm."
She sat down, cross-legged, and rested her arms against her legs. Clank sat in her lap and looked up at her sad face. "Elaris, what is wrong?"
Elaris turned her head away shamefully. "Clank, Dr. Nefarious wasn't here to kill me, he wanted me to join him." The tiny robot's optics widened, but he didn't say anything. Elaris continued on, wanting to tell Clank exactly how she felt. "It may seem crazy, but both he and I have been treated poorly by the Rangers. He gave me an offer that would definitely improve my life, but in doing so, I would have to betray the universe." She looked into Clank's eyes, her own brimming with tears. "I would love to get a simple 'Good job' after we complete a mission or a 'Thank you' after creating new gadgets or a mission plan. I don't want to be shoved aside and ignored when I want to contribute something to the team. It hurts to be ignored, and I almost accepted the doctor's offer because of it." She looked away and squeezed her eyes shut, hoping Clank wouldn't think too badly of her. "Please don't hate me."
Clank grabbed and held onto one of her hands. "Elaris, I promise you that if you ever feel ignored or disrespected I will always be there to give you the recognition you deserve. You are very intelligent and I would never ignore any advice you are willing to contribute. If there is anything I can do to help you get better treatment from the Rangers, then I will do it." The robot turned his head away, bashful again. "Ratchet would say that I am being 'cheesy' again."
Elaris hugged Clank again, grateful that he now worked with her on a daily basis. "Clank, that was the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me, and that is one of the reasons as to why I turned Dr. Nefarious down. You've always been there to help me out, and I can't thank you enough." She kissed the top of his head, and Clank still remained bashful. Elaris chuckled and put the tiny robot down. She stood up and nodded toward the puddle of coffee. "Come on, let's clean up this mess and get to work."
Clank gave his signature giggle and walked to the bathroom down the hall to get some paper towels. Elaris smiled as she watched her tiny savior walk down the hall, his chest pushed out with pride and a goofy smile on his face.
"Oh Clank," she said, as Ratchet came around the corner and opened the bathroom door for his robot friend, "never change."
Yay! I hope everyone enjoyed the fic, even if I thought that I made Neffy seem flat.
I don't have any other Ratchet and Clank fics at the moment (I do have another ClankxElaris fic idea though). However, if any of you watch GOTHAM or Invader Zim, I do have fics on them.
I hope I didn't jack any material from Amberdiamondswords. I don't want to lose any of my toasters...
XD