(Edit: 10/28/2017 It has been brought to my attention that the receiver of this gift does not like my work anymore, and does not appreciate the hard work that was put into this story. This user has also apparently been bullying other users in this Archive, ones that do not deserve the flaming or abuse. Because of the disregard for others and the verbal abuse towards me and other people, this gift has officially been retracted.
This gift is no longer for the user, it is now a gift for the people of the Ratchet and Clank community. I figure I should gift this story to those that actually deserve it, and although I cannot give this to the people who were flamed or bullied [since that would single them out and I don't think they're prepared to get a gift that was originally for someone else], I hope the Ratchet and Clank community enjoys what I wrote, and accept my apologies for waiting so long before taking action.
I hope you enjoy the story you guys! I will try to get out the third part over my Winter Break, since school is taking up all my time, and the anniversary fic is a big priority on my to-do list. Enjoy!)
Disclaimer: I do not own Ratchet and Clank characters.
Comatose
Part 1
Have you ever felt like time was slipping through your fingers? Like you had to make one of the biggest decisions of your life, and the clock was actively working against you?
Ratchet squeezed the leather-covered steering wheel and gritted his teeth as Grim's words echoed in his head. He fought to control his rising anger as he pushed his foot down against the gas pedal.
Why don't you want to come back to Veldin?! Don't you know where your home is?!
The grey, beat-up 2009 Ford Mustang tore through the grassy fields outside the shimmering Midwestern city, trying to escape it all. Behind the car, the city beamed lights into the night sky, blocking out some groups of stars yet standing as a dominating symbol of human culture. The pale, silver moon hung right in front of the path of the car, and Ratchet glared at it as his eyes began to tear up.
You can't tell me you want to stay on that planet out in the middle of nowhere?! Sure, Veldin's a backwater planet, but at least we're part of a collection of planets in a galactic civilization! Compared to Veldin, Earth's a primitive wasteland! How could you want to stay there?!
The yellow Lombax shook his head and focused on the dirt path in front of him. Keep it together, keep it together, keep it together…
The car screeched to a halt right next to a lone tree that held an abandoned tire swing, and Ratchet slammed the clutch into Park.
He bit his lip, anger and despair churning in his stomach and threatening to release the dam behind his eyes. Ratchet squeezed his eyes tight and took a few deep breaths to calm his nerves. He swallowed as he regained some control over his emotions, and slowly opened his eyes as he looked back up through the windshield of the car.
Back at the city, the light pollution blocked out the stars from his view, but out here in the countryside, he was able to see the beautiful teardrops of light. The moon seemed larger out where Ratchet was, and beamed down on the grassy outskirts, illuminating the land around the car in a silver glow. The tire hanging from the tree stayed stock still, it's rope frayed near the base of the knot, as if someone had loved swinging on it for a long time before suddenly abandoning it to the elements of nature and the harsh effects of time.
Ratchet took one last, long, deep breath before relaxing his body against the leather-covered seat. He leaned his seat back, and stared out the windshield before giving a frustrated sigh and putting his seat back up in the driving position.
He glared at the steering wheel again before relaxing his body. His eyes burned again, the thoughts of Grim's furious face through the communicator brought him to near tears.
Ratchet leaned back as soon as the tightness in his chest disappeared, and slowly swiveled his head to look at the seats behind him.
On the seat diagonal to him, his Omniwrench sat, its silver and blue colors giving Ratchet a sense of familiarity and safety. It glimmered under the beams of moonlight streaming into the car, and Ratchet reached forward to grab it before slowly pulling back his hand.
He turned to the seat behind him and found his standard issued pistol on the seat behind him, its barrel pointed away from the driver's seat for safety purposes. It also held a silver color, with a rough, black grip and a grey trigger.
Ratchet stared at the two weapons before breathing and reaching out for the hand gun. He grabbed its handle, quickly checked to make sure the safety was on, and slipped it into the holster on his left hip. He waited a moment, before reaching back around his chair to grab his Omniwrench, a part of him refusing to leave it behind in the car.
His fingers wrapped around the handle of the wrench, and he drew his hand back as Ratchet delicately turned the wrench to avoid hitting anything in the car. He pulled it close to his chest and sighed as he turned and opened the car door.
As his large, steel-toed combat boots hit the grass, Ratchet adjusted his plain green T-shirt and straightened the harness on his back. As soon as he was done, he hooked the wrench onto his back and stood up from the car seat. His baggy, yet comfy, camouflage pants shifted with the weight on Ratchet's hip, where the handgun rested in its holster. The Lombax scratched at an itch under his aviator's cap as he eased the car door shut behind him, frowning as the itch grew.
He wiggled his finger under the brown cap and sighed in relief as he scratched at the pesky itch. After a moment, he pulled out his finger and stepped away from his car.
Ratchet took a few steps forward before dropping to the ground, his whole body suddenly drained of energy. The Lombax landed on his butt and flopped backward to the ground, barely noticing the bulky wrench on his back.
Ratchet felt tears prick the backs of his eyes, but before they could spill down his cheeks, the Lombax rubbed at his eyes and took another calming deep breath. After a moment, he pulled his hands away from his face and stared up at the blanket of stars.
No matter what, his mind still wouldn't stop turning over Grim's words.
The whole thing had started a year ago, when the Solana galaxy had found a quiet little planet the inhabitants called Earth. Since nobody could really tell if the inhabitants were hostile or not, the President had sent his best soldiers to explore the planet: the Solonian Galactic Rangers.
The Rangers touched down on Earth in a country called "The United States of America" before promptly being taken into custody. After a month of security checks and reassurances from the Solonian President, the Rangers had finally been able to explore the planet Earth at their own leisure, however, there were a few rules and restrictions the Rangers had to follow in order to ensure their safety and the safety of the planet they now lived on.
One, the Rangers needed to live in a city near a military base, where the government could keep an eye on them, and provide a place to house the technology the Rangers had before they came to Earth.
Two, the Rangers were not allowed to use any of their Solonian technology outside of the base, including their ships, armors, and weapons. The humans feared that the new tech could fall into the wrong hands, and with that powerful of technology against the human "guns" …
There had been a fight over that rule, with Brax and Qwark arguing that they needed the tech to protect themselves and to help keep in touch with Solana, and with Cora and Elaris arguing that the loss of technology might help with the immersion into human culture and help keep the planet safe from any mad scientists or corrupt business companies trying to take advantage of the powerful weapons and armors. Ratchet had been fine with or without his weapons and gadgets, but when he had learned that Clank would have to be sent back to Solana or be destroyed in order for the Rangers to follow through on the rule, the Lombax immediately fought back against that restriction with every fiber in his body.
The rest of the Rangers had been pretty furious about that fact as well, and they had put aside their fighting to band together and save Clank. After that, the government allowed a few exceptions to the no technology rule. Clank could stay on Earth and walk around on his own or with the Rangers, but he had to have a tracking device installed into him in case he was kidnapped and he had to turn down any offers from anyone offering to study him. Ratchet's Omniwrench was also permitted, as a gesture of goodwill from the human government, although Ratchet needed to have the Omniwrench with him at all times or lock it up in a safe if he wasn't currently using it.
All of the fighting ended after that, with Qwark and Brax reluctantly agreeing to give up their technology to the government in order to better immerse themselves in human culture, and Ratchet being happy that Clank was safe. Clank was allowed special clearance, and Ratchet was able to keep his trademark tool.
Overall, the culture shock had been pretty jarring, but in the end, Ratchet was very glad that the human government made him trade in his advanced weaponry for the average handgun. A pistol was a lot more merciful on the human body than Buzz Blades or a Lava Gun, and Ratchet wouldn't have to deal with possible prosecutions of committing crimes against humanity.
And that's when it happened. Ratchet immersed himself in the new human culture, and found himself loving what the humans could offer him. It was simple, yet it was full of life.
A few months after Ratchet had saved up enough of the allowance the US government allowed him to have, the Lombax had bought a somewhat broken-down 2009 Ford Mustang from one of the humans for real cheap, and learned every aspect of the car while tinkering on it. He quickly picked up how to drive a car (along with Elaris and Brax when they volunteered to be the drivers for their roommates), and found utter joy in going to car shows that showcased the vehicles throughout the years.
The clothes weren't as protective as his old armor was, but Ratchet felt extreme comfort wearing the different kinds of Earth clothes. There were so many styles and choices in fabric, it was almost impossible not to find something that fit his taste. He loved wearing the soft, cotton work shirts and the sturdy yet comfy camouflage pants. Sometimes he felt naked without his armor, but in the end, it opened him up to a more trusting relationship with the humans he met, and sometimes allowed him to have a more friendly and informal relationship with the humans he did talk to.
And the video games! Ratchet had worked with Elaris to save up enough money to get them each a game system and a few games, and both of them loved the connectivity the multiplayer video games provided them. They played with other humans on those fun games, and while both Rangers got their butts handed to them plenty of times, they met some pretty cool humans from other sections of the planet through the games, and bonded with many of them while working together to take down another team or virtual enemy base. A few of these friendships actually extended outside the video game sphere, and both Ratchet and Elaris had multiple friends that Skype-called them from time to time.
The weapons on Earth weren't the best Ratchet had ever had, but spending time with his fellow Rangers on the military base, all of them learning how to adapt to the new weapons, had given Ratchet a deeper appreciation of his friendships with the Rangers. Cora and Brax had a pretty rough time using the weapons until a couple of military soldiers showed them ways on how to better control and aim the guns they were required to use. Both Cora and Brax made tons of friends on the base after that, and Ratchet had to admit, learning about the war stories the two Rangers and the humans had gone through was amazing. He learned more about how his companions handled themselves in times of crisis over the last few months than he had during the past few years, and bonded with the men and women serving their terms on the base.
And, last but certainly not least, was the energy and life in the people of Earth. They were hostile and wary at first, but after the Rangers helped out on solving a few global conflicts and were proven to stay docile to the general population, the humans had welcomed them with mostly open arms. There was still some distrust the Rangers faced from some humans, but overall Ratchet met tons of humans that were excited and curious about meeting their new visitors from space.
Sure, there were morons and xenophobes that gave Ratchet the cold shoulder, but most of the people Ratchet met out on the street were kind and welcoming. The Lombax had many times where a random encounter on the street would lead to a new friendship, at one point joining a dance contest with a few "hip hop" activists that taught both Ratchet and Clank a selection of new dance moves.
There was so much passion in the people of Earth. They fought hard for what they believed in and expressed themselves in every way imaginable, and Ratchet couldn't count how many movies, books, music, and art he had come across that had accentuated that passion. It was like having a whole galaxy on a single planet, with so much diversity despite the primitive technology.
It was everything Ratchet could dream of, and he absorbed every ounce of energy he could get from the planet's people. He threw himself headfirst into the culture and came out smiling and equally as passionate as the humans were. He was the first Ranger to accept and adopt the human culture to its fullest, and his heroics from saving the world from some global conflicts and his willingness to open up to the humans had earned the Lombax plenty of friends and fans (along with a few enemies) across the world.
That was the problem.
Ratchet snapped out his reminiscing and sat up from his horizontal position. He pulled his knees up to his chest and stared out at the dark green countryside all around him, finding peace in watching the fireflies float lazily over the grass blades.
Today had been the start of a week's worth of work the Rangers had to do in order to provide a crash course for their galaxy on planet Earth. It was their final two weeks on Earth before heading back to Solana, and all of the other Rangers looked forward to it. Qwark loved the attention he received on Earth, but he complained a lot about being separated from his older fans. Cora and Brax were both excited to head back to Solana and share the stories they had learned to their Solana friends, and even though Elaris was quite sad that she would have to say goodbye to her new friends until the next time she visited Earth, she was excited for when she could head back to her lab in the Hall of Heroes and finally begin working on the inventions she came up with over the course of the year (she had about six composition notebooks full of them). Even Clank was excited to head back, the little robot happy to return to the planet he made his first and best friend on.
Ratchet was the only one that didn't want to go back to Solana. A strong part of him wanted to stay on Earth, and continue to explore what the human culture could offer him. But give up Solana and Veldin?
Grim had called in the middle of the meeting the Rangers held over what to put in their presentation. When Grim popped up on the communicator on the wall, Ratchet had felt his stomach plummet to the floor in fear.
Grim had immediately shrugged off Qwark's questions over how the purple mechanic got ahold of the private channel the Rangers used to contact the Hall of Heroes and zeroed in on Ratchet. The mechanic chattered on for a full minute about how happy he was that Ratchet was finally coming back, and spent another minute giving the entire Rangers a highlight of how busy his garage had been over the past month. By the time he was done, Grim was thoroughly out of breath, and had the biggest relieved grin on his face. His eyes were glassy as Grim held back tears, and it didn't take a genius to see that Grim was overjoyed at the prospect of his somewhat adopted son returning to his home.
Ratchet's chest had tightened and he had fought to keep his voice from cracking, but he spoke up, and told Grim and the other Rangers the news.
"Grim," he had said before slouching a little in his seat, "I don't know if I'll be returning to Veldin. I've been thinking of moving to Earth with a more permanent stay in mind."
Grim's face fell like a meteor from space. His face twisted into one with shock and confusion, and before Ratchet could give any reason as to why he wanted to stay, Grim's face had morphed into one of pure rage.
"You're telling me," the mechanic had growled, "that you want to stay on that on a planet out in the middle of nowhere, away from any kind of civilization? You want to give up the planet you've lived on for your whole life for some planet that's full of drooling idiots that don't even know how to build a proper ship?!"
Ratchet had jumped up from his seat and begun arguing with Grim about how the humans were nothing like how Grim thought they were.
The mechanic listened to none of it. He had yelled at Ratchet through the communicator until he was beet red in the face, and the purple mechanic was almost brought to tears by the end of the argument.
"Fine, stay on Earth," Grim had said, his furious eyes tearing up Ratchet's insides. "You're not welcome on Veldin anymore."
After that, the communicator had shut off, and the rest of the Rangers struggled to focus on the presentation they had to create. Every one of them had their eyes focused on Ratchet, and none of them looked like they understood the Lombax's decision.
"You actually want to stay here?" Brax had asked quietly, the simple question increasing the tension in the room.
Ratchet hadn't answered him, and had focused on the project.
That was his problem, he loved Earth too much, and no matter how many times the Lombax had tried to deny it, it was completely clear.
He wanted to permanently move to Earth, but that meant he had to give up the place he was born and raised in. Not to mention, moving to Earth would move him far away from the Rangers. Even with the Gigametric Warp-Drive he had invented before he came to Earth, it would still take two hours to cross the Milky Way galaxy over to Solana, and another half hour before Ratchet could make it to the Hall of Heroes. Two and a half hours was an eternity during a time of crisis, and it could mean all the world if Ratchet couldn't make it to the fight in time.
Ratchet didn't even know what Clank was going to do. The little robot wanted to go back to Solana, and Ratchet didn't want to force Clank to stay with him. It was Clank's decision in the end if he wanted to stay with Ratchet on Earth if Ratchet decided to move to the planet, but the Lombax had a feeling that Solana's favorite duo was about to be split up.
There were so many opportunities Earth could provide him, but Ratchet would have to give up a part of him in order to make room for a new one to be made. If he moved back to Solana, he wouldn't find the same passion and drive that he had found on Earth, and he had the feeling that he would regret not taking advantage of the opportunities Earth provided him. He could grow as a person and find a new sense of passion in life, along with making friends with humans that could easily take on the world.
But he'd have to give up his old identity in order to gain a new one.
A spark of fiery anger shot through Ratchet, and the Lombax shot from his sitting position and let out a scream in pure anger. Nothing changed in the beautiful country night around him, but the Lombax gripped the side of his head and roared at the starry night sky, his chest exploding in repressed emotions. He yanked the Omniwrench off his back and tore toward the tire swing.
Ratchet whipped his wrench at the swing and the tire swung back from the force of the hit. Ratchet battered the swing with his wrench and hit it a little bit harder each time the tire swung back to Ratchet.
Ratchet was never usually this emotional, but when faced with disappointment from his close friends and family and the possible loss of everything he had ever known, combined with the prospect of a better life and the ability to grow and immerse himself in another culture that he still knew little about left the Lombax in a fragile emotional state that threatened to overwhelm him.
"WHY! ISN'T! THIS! EASY?!" Ratchet screamed as he accentuated each word with a hit to the tire.
His eyes teared up, and as Ratchet closed his eyes to control his tears, the tire swung and plowed into the Lombax's unguarded chest.
Ratchet was knocked back from the blow, and stumbled backward on his feet before collapsing to his knees.
Tears poured out of the young Lombax's eyes, and he didn't put up anymore resistance to the tears. He eased his grip from his wrench and stared at the grass.
"Why isn't this easy?" Ratchet asked the ground quietly. "Why do I risk hurting people I love? Why can't I move somewhere new and have nothing change? What if I make the wrong decision?"
He squeezed his eyes shut and dug his fingers into the grass. "How is everything going to turn out in the end?"
Ratchet cried for a few minutes, shaking as heavy sobs escaped his chest and lessened the tension in his heart. By the time the Lombax was finished and able to calm himself down a little, he was thoroughly exhausted, both emotionally and physically. He slowly picked himself up from the ground, grabbed his wrench from the ground, and turned back toward the open country and the starry night sky over it.
"I need more time to think about this," Ratchet said to the open air, feeling a little more relaxed at voicing what he was feeling. "I need a few more days to think this over, I… I don't think I can make my decision right now."
The stars seemed to twinkle in approval, and Ratchet thought over his words.
He still did have time to think over this decision. He had at least a week and a half to make a decision for either planet, and while it was a short amount of time, it was better than trying to make a life-changing decision in one night.
He still had a little bit of time left.
A shooting star caught Ratchet's eye, and the Lombax's eyes locked onto the flaming rock as it shot across the sky. "I wish that this whole thing was over," he said to the shooting star. "I don't care how this thing gets worked out, but I just want this whole problem to be solved already. It hasn't even been a full day yet, but I don't know how much more stress I can take."
The star disappeared halfway through that sentence, but the Lombax felt a sense of relief flood his body, as if someone had heard his plea for help.
Ratchet sighed and forced a small smile onto his face as he made his way back to his car. He opened the door and took one last look at the night sky before sliding into the car seat, closing the door, and starting up the Mustang.
He pulled around the tree and headed back toward the city at half the speed he had been at while driving into the field. The Lombax sighed as he leaned back in his seat, one hand holding and controlling the steering wheel and the other hand leaning against the car window, holding up his head. He headed onto the main road that led back to the city, and after fifteen minutes, the grey Mustang pulled onto one of the streets leading through the suburbs to the city.
After a few minutes of navigating the suburbs, the Mustang finally pulled into the downtown area. Lights from the nearby shops and buildings illuminated the street in a golden glow, and even though it was 9:30 at night, there weren't many cars on the road due to it being a dreary Monday night. A few cars pulled in behind Ratchet, but other than that, the Lombax just cruised through the streets.
As he pulled up to a stoplight, Ratchet slowed the car down and stopped the car, cracking open his window slightly so he could get some fresher air in the car. He tapped his thumb rhythmically against the steering wheel and stared at the empty road ahead of him.
Suddenly, a flash erupted next to the window, and the Lombax flinched away from the window in shock.
"It's him, that's Ratchet the Lombax!"
A horde of rookie reporters, a mix of males and females, eager to get the latest scoop on their favorite Ranger, swarmed around the Mustang. They crowded around the driver's and passenger's windows and two of them continued to take pictures of the startled Lombax on their phones from the driver's side.
One of the reporters, a disheveled young college male that looked like he worked more than he looked at a bed, held up his work phone and cleared his throat. "Tell us Ratchet, how do you feel about the prospect of going back to your home galaxy after a long year on Earth?!"
Ratchet glared at the reporter. "No comment," Ratchet said firmly as he put his hands back onto the steering wheel.
The male reporter frowned as he continued to hold the phone to the side of the window, probably annoyed that he had to work to get that piece of info that would get him a raise in his paycheck. "Come on Mr. Ratchet, you haven't spoken to the press in over two weeks, and none of Earth's citizens are getting any information as to how everything is going to turn out in the end. Tell us what's happening with the Rangers."
Ratchet turned his head away from the reporter and stared at the road ahead of him. He fought to keep his anger from earlier from returning.
"Look guys," Ratchet began, little sparks of anger shooting through his body. "I can't tell you anything right now. Case closed, go home and have a wonderful evening."
One of the female reporters near the disheveled college man pushed a mic as close as she could to the crack of the window, a cameraman holding a large camera up behind her. "Ratchet, is it true that the Rangers are preparing something to show the citizens of Solana? What do you think the general reaction of Solana will be? How have they taken it so far?"
Grim's words shot through Ratchet's head and the Lombax gritted his teeth as his anger from earlier came back in full force.
The male reporter pushed his phone closer to the window, slipping a little bit of the device into the car to get a closer shot of the yellow Lombax. "Ratchet, have you kept in contact with any friends or family from Solana during your time on Earth? How happy are they now that you're returning home?"
Ratchet's blood boiled and the Lombax glared at the intersection. His breath came out in shaky rage-filled grunts, and his hands gripped the wheel in a death-like vice.
Stop bringing up the people that are disappointed in me. Stop asking me the questions I'm struggling to answer.
The man pushed the phone just a little farther into the car, now starting to direct the camera at Ratchet's lap in order to try and get the Lombax's comments. Ratchet felt his blood reach a boiling point, and he used every ounce of his willpower to hold down his rage.
The reporter took his silence as a "no" and smirked as he looked at the furious Lombax. "Ratchet, are you withholding comment because you want to stay here on Earth?" Before the Lombax could contest the question, the reporter shouted over to the other college-aged reporters on the other side of the Mustang. "Looks like we have a new hero for Earth!"
Ratchet felt his control snap and he snarled at the reporters near his window. Both of the humans yanked their equipment back and reeled away from the car, fear plastered all over their faces.
"ENOUGH!"
He couldn't take any of this anymore. He had to get away. Away from the reporters. Away from the disappointed and shocked Rangers. Away from Grim and his heartbroken face. Away from everything.
Ratchet slammed his foot down onto the gas pedal and glared at the road in front of him. The car stayed in place for a moment before shooting forward into the still red-lighted intersection.
Ratchet turned to look back at the reporters and that's when he saw it.
Everything turned into slow motion as the large, black pickup truck slammed into the side of the Mustang.
Ratchet felt a sharp pain erupt in his left side of his body before everything went black.
Elaris prided herself in her ability to reason things out. She was the main strategist for the Rangers, and the main problem-solver of the group. When it came down to it, she could probably find an answer to almost every problem, and there was very little that remained unsolvable.
Walking into her apartment to find her boss wearing a bright pink apron while eating Cheetos and screaming at the reality TV show on the tiny television in the kitchen while simultaneously making some kind of seafood dish was one of those unsolvable ones.
Elaris kicked the door shut behind her as she dropped her knapsack onto the breakfast bar near the door. "Captain?" she asked, an eyebrow starting to creep up her forehead.
The giant green-spandex-covered man whirled around, a hand pushed up against his mouth. "Uhlares," Qwark said around a mouth chocked full of food, trying to look as professional as possible in his red-hearted kitchen apron.
Back when the Rangers were deciding living arrangements, the small group all agreed that they would like to live off the military base and in a nearby, human-populated city. The problem was, the government was extremely worried about both Qwark and Elaris, one being the technological genius who armed the entire Solonian Rangers, and the other being the one who led them.
Elaris and Qwark had to stick together in order to protect one another if any villain came to kidnap them and hold them for ransom or torture one of them for powerful weaponry and armor. The government had only allowed the two of them to move off the base, if they promised to live with each other and carry at least three weapons and a tracking bracelet with them whenever they went outside.
Even if Elaris and Qwark weren't required to live together, it probably would have turned out that way. While it could have been girls with girls and boys with boys, Brax and Qwark together unleashed their more… destructive sides. Putting Cora with Qwark wasn't a good idea either, as Cora could only take so much of the captain's antics before becoming… aggressive. Ratchet and Clank were already rooming with each other, and it would be unfair for them to house Qwark while Elaris got a whole apartment to herself.
Elaris had the most amount of patience, was able to better balance out Qwark's reckless streak, and would be able to better protect him if any criminals tried to take a shot at the two Rangers.
Elaris really didn't mind. It was the logical solution to the problem, and everything worked out for the better in the end.
Although the weird stuff she caught her boss doing on a regular basis did throw her off a little.
Elaris laughed as she double-tapped the tracking bracelet to turn it off and unhooked it from her wrist. "Captain, what on Earth are you doing now? When I left, you were binge-watching 'Say Yes to the Dress' and yelling at the TV mom while trying to work on your speech for the President."
Qwark swallowed his food and wiped at his eye as he sniffled. "Phyllis was controlling her. I don't know how Daisy stood for it." The captain sniffed again as a sob-like sound escaped his throat. "And on the greatest occasion of her life..."
Elaris swiftly crouched down and yanked the switch knife hidden in her combat boot out from its place. She sprung back up and delicately tossed the covered knife onto the cover of her knapsack. She nodded to the seafood and the television as she reached for the small pistol in the holster on her belt.
Qwark looked at the mess before giving out an "Oh, right." He rolled up the top of the Cheetos bag and rubbed his powdery fingers on his apron, before chucking the bag onto the far end of the breakfast bar.
He gestured to the little TV and stepped out of the way so Elaris could see the show. All the girl could see was two women apparently arguing with each other over performing intercourse with the same man.
"Uh-huh." She gently grabbed both her knife and the gun and pushed them into her knapsack, still trying to understand the whole point of all the drama.
Qwark huffed and wiggled like a five-year-old that had been told to do something they didn't want to do. "Elaris, this is prime television on this planet!" He threw his arm over his eyes in a dramatic fashion. "The angst! The betrayals! The outfits! The conflicts!"
He broke from his character to grab a spatula and gently move the salmon fillet around the pan to gather up more of the butter and spices. After he stirred the salmon around for a moment, he tapped the wet tip of the spatula against the pan, put it down on a nearby kitchen towel, and resumed his previous dramatic pose.
"The drama!"
Elaris chuckled as Qwark peeked out from under his beefy arm to study her reaction. "If you say so Captain," she said as her boss dropped his arm from his face.
Qwark stood completely still for a moment before his face scrunched up in thought. "You know," he began, "what if we had our own reality TV show back in Solana? We could have the highest rated show besides Lance and Janice, AND we could make so much money off of it we would never have to work again!"
Elaris shook her head as she grabbed her knapsack off the counter and began to head for her room. "I don't think that would be a good idea captain. Especially without the others' permission."
Qwark sighed dramatically as he followed Elaris to the kitchen entrance. "But 'Laris! You guys would make a great cast of supporting characters in the show."
Elaris shook her head. "Sorry Captain, but I really don't think the others would like something like that." Elaris brightened after a moment of thought. "Besides," she said, shrugging her shoulders, "you can't have the cameras on you all the time, you may lose your mystery to the public."
The captain puffed out his chest in pride and put one his hands to his hips. His other hand wrapped around the edge of his large chin, and Qwark put on a smirk.
"You're right Elaris," Qwark said, his voice starting to dip into an arrogant undertone. "I can't have my adoring public get too much of me."
Qwark turned back around to his fish and continued on with his impromptu monologue. "If my fans got too much of me, I may not have any more secrets of mine to share. I'll have no spark!" He hooked his arm over his eyes again. "Alas! As much as I would love to give my fans the true hero they deserve, I must not go through with it."
A smile tugged at the corner of Elaris' mouth. "A wise decision Captain."
Qwark yanked off his apron and held it longways over the lower half of his face, like a cape. A wide grin flashed behind the apron. "Of course Elaris, I always make the best decisions!" He whirled his apron around, the tie now somehow back around his neck. The apron fell down the captain's back like a cape. "I am the most mysterious and charismatic superhero in Solana! I am the pinnacle of heroism and- NOT THE SALMON!"
Qwark darted over to the salmon as a burning smell began to fill the kitchen. Elaris rolled her eyes as Qwark quickly shut the heat to the stove off and moved the pan over to the sink.
She stared at him as he poured water against the fish to cool off the hot food before chucking the meal in the trash. He turned back to her after a moment of Elaris studying him.
"What?"
Elaris crossed her arms over her chest and gave the captain a knowing look. "You're going all out on Earth food because you want to impress that guy that goes into failing restaurants and yells at everybody, aren't you?"
Qwark gasped and reeled back in shock. "Gordon Ramsey is not just 'that guy!' And I will impress him with my superior ability master the culinary arts of this planet's food."
Elaris chuckled and turned away. She shifted her knapsack on her shoulders and headed for her room. "Just don't burn the apartment down Captain! I'll be in my room catching up on the Earth news and playing Overwatch with Rotem. Call me if you need me for anything!"
Qwark scoffed as he straightened his apron and turned his attention back to the TV. "Please, as an expert of the culinary arts and a trained superhero I am well able to handle anything in a calm and professional- YOU'RE THE REASON WE CAN'T HAVE NICE THINGS KEVIN!" he shouted at the television, pointing his finger accusingly at the man that just walked onscreen.
Elaris held back a laugh and headed into her room. She tossed her knapsack onto her bed and pulled at the necklace she wore. Hidden inside one of the jewels was a tiny laser tool that also counted as one of her weapons in case of emergency.
The girl reached around her neck and unhooked the clasp of the necklace. She delicately unwound the necklace from her neck and slipped into a small jewelry box on top of her dresser and sighed as she finally let out all of the stress from the workday.
She had no idea what to feel about Ratchet's declaration to possibly move to Earth. She was torn between a selfish desire to keep her friend with her and a desire to see Ratchet grow and thrive in a new environment. Elaris was both scared and anxious for Ratchet in the coming days: he would have to make a critical decision that would cause a drastic impact on his life, and Elaris knew from experience that those decisions were the hardest to make.
Elaris rubbed at her eyes and gave another sigh as she forced Ratchet's announcement out of her mind.
She was scared. Ratchet was perfectly capable of making his own decisions, but Elaris couldn't help but worry for her friend. What if his decision was fine now, but later on it turned on him and put him in a bad situation? How would they replace Ratchet if he dropped out of the Rangers? How would Clank react to his best friend staying on the planet? Would Clank also leave the Rangers with Ratchet?
There were so many questions that filled her head, and Elaris was worried sick for the Lombax. She didn't want Ratchet to go, but at the same time she wanted the cheery Lombax to live life the way he wanted to live it, and grow in new ways that helped him thrive in his environment. She wanted to tell the Lombax to move back to Solana, she wanted to tell him that he was making an enormous mistake that could impact him dramatically, but in the end, it was up to Ratchet, and even though Elaris didn't like it, she knew in her heart that she would support his final decision, staying in Solana or not.
The tall girl grabbed a remote off her nightstand and clicked on the television in her room, the channel already tuned in to the local news channel. As Elaris unpacked her knapsack, she caught glimpses of the nightly news.
"Good evening, this is Dev Parker and Helen Ramirez on channel 5 with the ten o'clock news."
Elaris took a quick look at the TV to see the two anchors straighten the papers in front of the them and smile at the camera.
"Tonight," Parker started, "Rising temperatures indicate global warming, but does everyone agree on it? Our special guest will be coming on later to give us that answer. Helen?"
The pretty female reporter turned to the camera with a smile on her face. "Politicians across the globe are debating over how to deal with the recent rise of xenophobia. People were fine with the Solana Rangers, but are they ready for-"
The female reporter's face suddenly widened, and she clapped a hand over her mouth in shock. She quickly slipped a hand behind her hair and pressed her earbud closer into her ear.
"Harvey… could-could you say that again? I-I-"
Elaris slowly reached her hand into her bag and pulled out a few stacks of reports that she needed to go over. She set them on her bed and scrunched her face in confusion as more of her attention shifted over to the news report.
What was going on? Why'd the reporter lose her resolve?
Ramirez took a deep breath and slipped on her resolve again after a moment of tense silence. She slowly raised her head back to the camera and spoke.
"Breaking news: The Solana Ranger formally known as Ratchet the Lombax has- has been involved in a horrific car accident."
Elaris' mouth dropped and her body froze in utter shock. "No, no, no…"
"We are about to show sensitive footage onscreen. If there are any children in the room or anyone else that is sensitive to this material, please leave the room now."
The screen to the right of the reporter lit up and a crushed, silver Mustang filled the main screen. Elaris felt bile rise up in her throat as she stared at the punched in side of the car. Her brain went through every possible reason as to why that wasn't Ratchet's car, that this was a huge mistake and that she was going to have a long talk with the owner of the station about reporting false information.
"Our group of reporters found the Lombax driving through the city at around 9:35 PM, and approached the vehicle when it stopped at an intersection. Our reporters began to ask questions about the current plan for integrating Earth culture into Solana, and witnesses say that the Lombax began to signs of visible anger before exploding at the reporters."
As the footage shifted to Ratchet in his car, Elaris quickly grabbed her phone, and tapped in Brax's number.
After a few dial tones, Brax's voice trickled through the phone. "Hey 'Laris, I know that Ratchet's announcement was really sudden, me and Cora have been talking about how we feel about it and we-"
"Brax…" Elaris choked out as she watched the yellow Lombax on the TV grow angrier and angrier before lashing out at the reporters. "Brax, are you watching the local news right now?"
"Uh no, me and Cora have been marathoning superhero movies on Netflix. Why, is there something we should-"
"It's Ratchet." Elaris shook violently as she watched the car shoot forward into the intersection, and get slammed into by a black pickup truck. "He's been in a car accident. A horrific one."
Brax stuttered for a moment before pushing out, "Come on 'Laris, this isn't funny."
"No, I'm not joking." The tall girl fought to keep her fear and anxiety from overwhelming her. "Ratchet's been hurt, and he might not live through this."
Cora's voice echoed out from the other side of the phone as Brax remained silent. "Hey Brax, what's with the shocked face, what happened?"
Brax seemed to shrug off Cora's question. "Elaris, what do I do, what do we do?" he asked, the normally gruff Ranger's voice strained and fearful.
Elaris took a deep breath, but before she could say anything, an image of the large hospital downtown flashed onscreen, and the tall girl quickly focused back in on the broadcast.
"Ratchet has been quickly rushed to the Merciful Angel Hospital, where he is now in an unknown condition awaiting medical attention."
"Elaris?!"
"Brax, grab Cora and meet me and Qwark at the Merciful Angel Hospital. You remember where it is? We passed it a few times when we practiced driving around the city."
"I think I know my way to it. You need me to pick up anything on the way?"
Elaris could barely think of anything other than getting to Ratchet. She grabbed her gun and knife off the bed and stuffed them into her knapsack as she held the phone with her shoulder. "I don't think you need to bring anything. Just grab Cora and meet us there."
She ended the call just as a very worried sounding voice trickled into her ear. "Brax, what the hell is going-"
Elaris hooked the strap of the knapsack over her head and quickly bolted out of her room.
Qwark stared at her as she bolted into the living room. "Uh, 'Laris, you okay-"
The tall girl fought to keep her voice level and firm. "Captain, Ratchet's been in a bad car accident, we need to get to the Merciful Angel Hospital now."
Qwark didn't argue. Not much could shake up Elaris, and with the obvious way the poor girl was struggling to hold herself, he could see that this was completely serious.
"Elaris, what are we going to do?" Qwark asked, quickly taking off his apron and throwing it to the side. "Something like this hasn't happened before! None of us have gotten this badly injured on Earth! Heck, we gave out as little medical information on us as possible, so the government or a criminal couldn't use it against us!" The captain stared fearfully at Elaris, not really knowing how to handle a situation he hadn't been fully prepared for.
Elaris took a deep breath to steady herself and clear her head. "Okay, here's what we need to do," she said firmly, more to calm herself than the situation. She pointed to Qwark. "Captain, you need to contact the base and see if you can get them to forward all of the medical information they have on Ratchet to the hospital as quickly as possible. Since it's a local human hospital and not the military base, they don't have his medical records and risk giving him something that can kill him in his weakened state. I'll get us to the hospital, and we'll see what we need to do after we find out how Ratchet's doing."
Qwark nodded as he shut off the TV and the kitchen lights in a few quick movements. "My phone's still charging, can I borrow yours for right now?"
Elaris tossed Qwark her phone as she headed swiftly for the door, the large man close behind her. He pounded in the number for the secure line to the base as Elaris quickly locked the apartment door behind them. As they headed down the open staircase, Qwark put the phone to his ear, and after a few moments, began talking.
"Hey there Sargent Patterson! Did you happen to catch the news a few minutes ago?"
They bolted for Elaris' dark blue Sudan. The tall girl unlocked the trunk and quickly snapped open the trunk door, the backseats already lowered so Qwark could sit in the back and have a little space to move around.
Elaris hopped into the car as Qwark lifted himself into the back of the car and shut the trunk behind him, all the while talking to the base's manager. Sargent Patterson, from what Elaris could catch as she stuffed the key in the ignition and started the car, was pretty shocked from the news and was currently trying to pull up the few medical reports he had gotten on all the Rangers and send it to the hospital. As she backed the car out of its parking spot, Qwark graciously thanked the Sargent in his over-the-top way and hung up the call.
Elaris looked forward, shifted into Drive, and pushed her foot down on the gas pedal as much as she could without crashing into something in the small parking lot.
The dark blue car maneuvered around the other parked cars and sped for the main gate to the gated community. Elaris gripped the wheel tightly, her knuckles turning white. Qwark stared ahead silently, unsure of what to say and not wanting to talk in case he said the wrong thing.
As the car slipped out of the gated community and sped into the main road, the two of them held their breaths, hoping that Ratchet was going to pull through the night.
"Man," Qwark whispered, rubbing his hands together, "I wonder how Clank is? Wasn't he in the accident too?"
The car stopped dead in the street as Elaris was hit with the heavy realization. Qwark slammed into the two front seats with a pained "oof," not expecting the sudden stop.
"Oh my god!" Elaris cried as she whipped the steering wheel around, turning onto another road that led away from the hospital. "CLANK!"
TheWhiteGuardian helped me with this chapter, beta-reading this and checking for any plotholes and such. I want to thank him for his help, and for anyone that doesn't know who he is, go check out his stuff. It's awesome, and I'll be working with him on a few projects in the future!
See you guys in the next chapter!
XD