Planet Oltanis
Weather: storming...and tomorrow, cloudy with a high chance of-
It was that time again. A time that the Galactic Ranger organization was used to at this point, and had learn to even grow a bit tired of. Every three weeks they were given a planet by President Phyronix to investigate for suspicious activity and villainous acts. It was just to make sure that each planet would be cleared of criminal activity one at a time that it never hurt to be extra careful. The Rangers, however, never really cared for these investigations because they found them to be rather unnecessary and even boring. A large groan would always break out over the group whenever they got the message from President Phyronix. They really didn't like doing it.
One Ranger, however, was quite excited to start guarding the planet Oltanis. Most likely because this was his first time doing it and hadn't grown tired of doing it like the other Rangers. The moment that Ratchet received the message from Elaris, he had himself and Clank in the Starjumper before Grimroth could ask where they were going. He couldn't understand why the others were dreading the trip. The thought of sneaking around the city, hunting down bad guys with big weapons and cool gadgets was enough to get him shaking with excitement. He was on the edge of his seat all throughout Captain Qwark's briefing, and then he was on the floor after Cora kicked the back of his seat. But that didn't kill his excitement.
Ratchet kept his eyes out the window as the Phoenix entered Planet Oltanis's atmosphere. He Swung his Omniwrench around as his tail swished back and forth excitedly. Travelling to new planets was one of his favorite things to do as a Galactic Ranger. If hadn't joined the team, then Veldin probably would have been the only planet that he would see. Grim would probably never let him leave the planet if he didn't have a good reason. And even if he did have one, he wouldn't have had a ship to travel in. So being a Galactic Ranger really improved his exploration life.
"Ratchet?"
Speaking of things that improved his life.
Ratchet looked down as he felt something tapping his armor. It was Clank. "Yeah, pal?"
"The Rangers are gathering at the entrance to the Phoenix. I suggest that we head there as well."
"I'll be there in a second," the Lombax said, looking back out the window. "I wanna see this planet that we'll be guarding. I've never been to Oltanis!"
"You always get excited whenever we come to a planet that we've never been to," Clank said, standing on the tips of his feet so could look out the window as well.
"Though I cannot help but be curious as well."
"It should be fun," Ratchet said with a nod. Several minutes passed by and the Phoenix dipped down into the skies of Oltanis. It wasn't exactly what the duo had expected. The ship was engulfed in a sea of gray clouds, bringing in a darkness. Ratchet blinked, his eyes adjusting to the dark, "Wow, those are some dark clouds. If I didn't know better, I'd say that there's a storm outsi-"
A rumble of thunder was suddenly heard and rain began pounding against the glass window. Ratchet smiled and his tail twitched with interest. He looked as excited as ever. He had never seen a big storm before. Sure, he had seen a short one here and there on Veldin, though it was rare, but not as on as big as this. His green eyes stared out the window, waiting for something cool to happen. He wondered if he was going to see some lightning, that would be so cool. Sure enough, off in the distance, a thunderbolt made its way through the clouds and flashed with a bright light. Ratchet seemed elated about watching this.
Clank, on the other hand, was feeling a bit different.
The robot had experienced and witnessed many things in his short life, whether it be hoverboard competitions, explosions or a planet blowing up. But he had never seen a storm before. At first, he was as interested as Ratchet. Then the thunder came, and he felt a little jolt in his systems. A very unsettling jolt. And it seemed to come from his chest cavity. Clank had brushed it off and concluded that it was simply his database reacting to recording something new so suddenly, and that it was nothing to worry about.
Then the lightning came along. Clank was well aware that lightning was simply discharged electricity and that it was a very natural process, however, when that lightning bolt streaked across the sky, he felt a bigger jolt erupt in his system and he took several steps back from the window. A very nervous and unsettling feeling then burrowed deep into his processor and refused to come out. It was hardly noticeable, but Clank realized that he was shaking. He didn't know what it was about that lightning. He...he didn't like. He just didn't like it. He wanted to get away from it. But Ratchet had other plans.
"We're landing," Ratchet said. "Come on, we better go join the Rangers. Cool storm to be out in, huh, Clank?"
"Umm..." Clank hummed quietly as Ratchet grabbed his arm and hooked him onto his back.
The duo made their way to the front of the ship and joined the other Rangers, who were there waiting for them. After apologizing after being bombarded with questions about what had taken them so long, the Rangers turned to their captain and waited for instruction. Of course, Qwark made it fairly simple: watch the city and don't shoot unless you're shot at or if you're really, really bored. It was times like these when Ratchet wondered why people thought that Qwark was so brilliant. He really wasn't.
The door of the Phoenix then opened and they could see a large city that just smelled like criminal activity. Either that, or they were getting their hopes up way too high. However, one of the Rangers didn't exactly see a city when they looked outside. When Clank turned his head and looked over Ratchet's shoulder, a familiar jolt came up in his chest cavity. The skies were dark gray and rain was pouring down. It was storming on the surface of the planet and it showed absolutely no signs of stopping. That meant lots of rain, lots of thunder, lots of...lightning. Knowing that fact made Clank squirm a bit on his harness, but Ratchet shook his back in order to get him to stop. The Lombax turned his head and said that they would be out there soon, so there was no need to be so anxious. Then he admitted that he was feeling the same, so he had no room to talk.
Clank's head sunk lower into his torso. Ratchet thought that he was eager to explore the city, when in reality, he really wasn't. That lightning, he really didn't like it. He wanted to stay far away from it. But, if he stayed with Ratchet and went into the city then he would have to face it. If he didn't back off now, then he would be stuck in a constant state of...what did the organics call it? He knew that they had a word for that emotion. He just needed to remember what it-
BOOM!
A large boom of thunder echoed throughout the area, and it was that boom that nailed the word into Clank's mind. Fear. He was afraid. He was afraid of the lightning. It was strange, he had never shown any signs of having a fear of such a thing. He guessed that it took experiencing it himself in order for it to come out. But...why? Why was he suddenly afraid? Why was it so scary to him? All of these uncertainties and all of these pure and new emotions. It was quickly becoming too much for the robot. This always happened whenever he explored the supposedly illogical emotions. And each result always ended with a different reaction. And his reaction to his newly discovered fear of lightning was beginning to take place with the click of a harness.
Clank detached himself from Ratchet's back and landed with a 'clank' in the entrance to the Phoenix. Ratchet reached behind him and felt around his back, then he turned around. "Clank? What are you doing? I can't leave without you on my back. And are...are you...shaking?"
Clank hadn't noticed it before, but once he looked down at the rest of his body, he found his metal trembling. It was like he was vibrating. "Emm...th-that is not important. Ratchet, I think that I will remain here on the Phoenix."
"What? Why?"
If Clank was organic, he would have felt a sweatdrop roll down his face. This was something that he hadn't really thought of. Was he going to tell Ratchet about this new fear he was experiencing? Would...would he make fun of him for it? Ratchet didn't seem to have any fear of it, so he couldn't relate, and therefore might find it humorous. However...he couldn't be too quick to think this. Ratchet was his friend after all. He had been supporting the warbot since they first met. So, maybe...just maybe, he could-
"Hey, what's the holdup, rookie?" Brax asked, walking up to Ratchet.
Cora followed along, "Yeah, what gives?"
"I-I don't know. Clank got off my back and he hasn't given me an explanation yet. He said that he doesn't want to go into the city" Ratchet said, motioning his hands towards Clank.
Everyone's eyes settled on Clank, who coward before the unwanted attention. Great, nothing like pressure to help him with this. It couldn't get worse then this.
"Hey, guys, what's the problem?" Elaris asked, appearing next to Clank in the doorway.
The warbot lowered his head, scolding himself for thinking that things couldn't get worse. They could. They always could. But now everyone was looking at him, waiting for an explanation of why he didn't want to go into the city. He always went with Ratchet everywhere, so he couldn't just brush off this behavior. There was no way around this. Cora took note that he was shaking, which Clank had nearly forgotten about. This was actually the first time that he had ever trembled. It wasn't pleasant.
CRACK!
And neither was that.
Clank jumped and yelped as another large lightning bolt ripped through the skies and made his whole vision flash. His trembling increased and he took a step back. The Rangers noticed this, of course, and they quickly began putting two and two together. However, Brax was the first one to speak about it.
"Ohhh, I see. The little squirt is afraid of lightning! HA!"
"That seems to be the case," Cora said, folding her arms. She glared at the robot, sending a chill down his spine, "Come on, Clank, really? You've been through how many explosions and life threatening situations?"
"Ummm..." Clank tried to find words to help justify him, but Cora had a point. And that point was forcing him to shut up.
"What seems to be the problem, Rangers?" Captain Qwark asked, stepping in. He was about to enter the city when he saw the rest of his crew still gathered at the Phoenix, so he came back to see what the issue was. But all he saw right now was everyone looking at a trembling Clank. "What's his problem? Is he trying out some sort of new vibration function?"
"No, he's afraid of lightning, so he's not coming with us," Brax explained.
"Afraid of lightning? HA! Hahahaa!" Qwark laughed. "You can't be serious! What kind of Galactic Ranger is afraid of lightning?"
"This one, apparently."
"I...I..." Clank still struggled to find words to help him along. As if the lightning itself wasn't bad enough, now he was being made fun of by the other Rangers. He knew that he shouldn't have said or done anything. He knew that he should have stayed in the Phoenix in the first place. He knew...h-h-he knew...d-darn it. These emotions were building up too fast in him. He didn't have enough time to process all of them. And not to mention that emotional monster, fear, that was currently infecting his systems. Dear of the lightning. Fear of being made fun of. Fear of looking like a fool in front of Elaris. Fear of looking disappointing in front of Ratchet. It was...it was...t-too much...
"Awww, it the little robot gonna cry?" Qwark asked in a mocking voice. He would have continued, but an especially large lightning bolt erupted in the sky, along with a deafening-
CRACK!
That was it. That did it. That final insult and one lightning bolt broke him.
Clank screwed his eyes shut as he nearly felt his systems blow out. What felt to be the sensation of overloading swept over him. Then the sound of oil rushing hit his inner audio sensors. Then the oil found its way out, leaking from between his legs and running on the floor. Every took a step back so they wouldn't end up stepping in it. It was silent for a moment, the sound of Clank's metal clanking together as he shook and quickly grabbed the area between his legs.
Then, Brax shouted out, "Aw, gross! He peed himself! Sick, man!"
"I-I...I umm..." Clank whimpered in a high pitched voice. He stumbled as he turned around, "I-I am sorry-"
Clank then ran into the ship, leaving the puddle of oil behind. Elaris reached out and cried, "Clank!"
However, the robot was already gone. No doubt he was off to find somewhere to hide. Elaris lowered her hand to her side and stood there for a few moments, the look on her face becoming more and more depressed. Meanwhile, the other Rangers stared in disgust as the pool of oil began running down the ramp and towards their feet.
Brax took a step back. "Whoa, cleanup on aisle three...and four...and five...s-s-someone just clean this up."
Elaris listened to what Brax said, and, though it wasn't an insult or anything, she felt furious. It wasn't the joke itself, it was just...were they seriously just going to make jokes after what they had just done? Were none of them concerned or even feeling bad? Were they just to joke around and leave after cleaning up the...the...th-the mess? Elaris had been very tolerant of the other Rangers. She had taken in their insults, their ignorance, their brushing off, their everything. But this...this where she drew the line. For the first time in her life, she was going to talk back.
Elaris whipped her head around and shouted, catching all of the Rangers attention for once, "You guys are real jerks, you know that?"
Brax folded his arms, "Kind of mean of you to say, Elaris."
"Oh, I'm the mean one? I'm the one in the wrong here? Well let me ask you guys something if you're all so innocent. What did Clank ever do to you guys? What could that sweet little robot have done to make you guys want to pick on him like that? He's afraid of lightning, so what! We're all afraid of something! What gives you guys the right to make fun of someone's fear? That answer is: you don't! If any you were smart enough, you would have figured that out in your thick skulls from the beginning!"
Elaris's voice echoed throughout the area as she finished. She stood there, taking deep breaths, a hard look on her face. The Rangers were all wide eyed, shocked at everything they had just heard. Elaris had never snapped at them before, so this was definitely new to them. So new that they weren't exactly sure how to react. And Elaris didn't wait for them to react.
"I'm going to go look for him. If any of you has what it takes to apologize, you'll come and help me. And if you don't...then shame on you."
Elaris then left the Rangers, storming back into the Phoenix and disappearing from sight. The Rangers looked at each other, guns in hands, ready to storm the Oltanis City. What Elaris said was burning into their heads, and they had to admit it, they felt bad. However, there was one who felt absolutely nothing, and simply had the job at hand in mind.
Qwark stepped forward and loaded his Combustor, "Well...why don't we leave Elaris to vent in the Phoenix while we focus on the job. We can't let a self wetting robot get in the way of our duties, and you guys know that."
Cora and Brax looked at each other with doubting faces before nodding. As much as they felt bad, they sided with Captain Qwark. However, one Ranger kept his ground. Brax looked over his shoulder at Ratchet, "Come on, rookie! We're leaving...rookie?"
Ratchet glanced at the others, who were waiting for him. His eyes then went back to the Phoenix. He sighed. Though he loved nothing more than exploring a new planet and just living the dream of being a Ranger in general...he couldn't leave Clank. Not when he was like this. He backed into the ship, turning to the Rangers for a split moment.
"Sorry, guys. Go without me."
Ratchet, despite the Rangers protests, ran into the Phoenix, the door closing behind him. He looked back and forth before running in the direction that Elaris went in. His armor clanked against the floor as he quickly caught up to Elaris, who looked a bit lost. She turned as she heard someone running towards her, and she was relieved to see that it was only Ratchet.
"Hey Elaris," Ratchet said, gasping a bit.
"Good to see that Clank has other friends to support him," Elaris said with a smile.
"Yeah, I...I can't just leave him like that. Couldn't call myself his best friend if I did. Let's go find him."
Elaris nodded, then the two began to search the large ship. They knew that Clank had the ability to squeeze into small spaces due to his size, so they really had to look hard in order to find him. They searched Elaris's office, the training room, the piloting room, the cafeteria, each weapon containment unit, every vent, and every crawl space. However, they came up with zero results. It was obvious that Clank was a good hider when he was upset. And that was just making it more difficult for Ratchet and Elaris to help comfort him.
There were only one more place to look: the cargo area. Separated into two rooms, Ratchet and Elaris would have to take one room to search themselves. And if they didn't find Clank...well, they didn't know what they would do.
On their way down to the cargo area, Ratchet's eyebrows lowered into a curious scowl as a thought occurred. There was something that he had been wondering about ever since it had happened, but he was a little too embarrassed to ask it. Plus, it seemed a little disrespectful to Clank. But maybe Elaris could make an exception with it because it probably involved a lot of science, and Elaris loved talking about science.
So, Ratchet turned to Elaris as he walked next to her, "So...I have a question about Clank and umm...what...what he did. Cause, uhh...I didn't really know that robots could...could umm-"
"Urinate?"
"Yeah. I didn't know what robots could pee themselves."
"Well, it's not something that robots do on a regular basis like organics do. You see, unlike organics, when a robot feels an emotion, they have to process it and understand it and feel it properly. And sometimes there are incidents when a robot can become overcome with an emotion, causing a different reaction from their body. Like when a robot is happy, it laughs, and when it's sad, it cries, and when it's scared, it...well, you know that part. It's clear that Clank experienced a large amount of fear between the lightning and the torment he was getting from the others. The emotion of fear then plugged his system, making him unable to process it all. This caused his system to overload and cause oil to leak."
"Wow...that's both amazing and very disgusting," Ratchet said, placing a hand on his chin. "So Clank peed himself after becoming too afraid...heh, I guess robots are more like organics than we thought."
"Yes. But, just like an organic, wetting oneself is not something to be proud of for a robot," Elaris grimaced. "No doubt that doing that in front of the Rangers, mixed with the lightning, tore Clank's processor up. I'm surprised that he didn't perform an emergency shutdown on his system."
"Yeah, I've been meaning to ask about that. Are all robots afraid of lightning or...? Cause the fear just kinda popped up for Clank. I've never seen him so terrified. He should have just told me that he was afraid of lightning in the first place, then I wouldn't have brought him outside."
"Everyone has fears, Ratchet. It's just natural. Clank just discovered his today. He's never been exposed to lightning before today, so how could he have known that he was afraid of it before hand?"
"Yeah, you're right," Ratchet said, his arms dropping. "I just hope that we find him soon. I'm starting to get worried."
Ratchet and Elaris arrived at the cargo area, where they split up to search the two different areas. Elaris searched where crates and armor were stored while Ratchet searched where old weapons were stored. Elaris looked in every box that was even the tiniest bit open. She also looked in every corner and small space that she could find. She kept contacting Ratchet and checking to see if he had found any sign of the robot, but Ratchet wasn't having much luck. Elaris gave out a bit of a frustrated groan. Why was this warbot so hard to find? She knew that he was small, but this was getting ridiculous.
CRACK!
An almost deafening crack from a lightning bolt outside managed to find its way into the ship, making Elaris jump a bit. There was one heck of a storm going on outside. Granted, there was always a storm going on on Oltanis, but this one seemed rather violent. So violent that it could even make Brax sha...wait...what was that noise? Was she hearing the sound of...clanking metal?
Elaris followed the sound of what appeared to be shaking metal, tracing it to a small stack of crates. After shoving one aside, two bright green circles startled her, making her fall onto her rear. She placed a hand on her chest and gasped a few times before getting on her knees and looking back into the small space. Clank was sitting in there looking awfully distraught. That clanking noise, turned out, was coming from his trembling body.
Though he seemed to be absolutely horrified, Clank acknowledged the presence before him. Though he wouldn't make eye contact, he gave a small, "Hello, Elaris."
"Hey there, little guy. What are you doing all stuffed up in here?" Elaris asked, trying to sound a bit cheery in hopes of lifting his mood.
"My apologies. I wanted to seek refuge in a preferably windowless room."
"Refuge? Refuge from wha-"
CRACK!
Clank jumped and Elaris covered one of her ears as another loud crack sounded outside. The small warbot screwed his eyes shut and curled up into a little ball...er, cube. "Th-That..."
Elaris frowned, "Ohh, you poor thing. Come here."
Clank jumped a bit as Elaris slipped her hands underneath him and lifted him up. She pulled him over to her and cradled him in her arms, then she herself curled up into a ball, keeping Clank in a warm embrace. Though that all sounded very nice and very comforting, it was rather awkward for Clank. He had never been held like this before by Elaris, and it seemed quite embarrassing. It wasn't that he was uncomfortable with it, because he definitely wasn't, he...well...sh-she was holding him so close...and she was so warm...and...okay, that was enough description of the position. All that needed to be said was that Clank didn't necessarily dislike being held like this by Elaris and, if he were an organic, his face would have been bright red. That should cover what the warbot was feeling nicely.
"So...you wanna hear something?" Elaris asked.
"Hm?"
"After you ran off I umm...I maybe have...yelled at the Rangers...for the first time. I yelled at them about what they did to you. I'm not going to lie, but it actually felt really nice. I didn't realize that I had that much anger built up in me."
"Yes, well..." Clank trailed off, not knowing where to go with that sentence. Mostly because part of what Elaris said kept smacking him in the back of the head. His optics narrowed in a sad position. "Erm, Elaris? About what happened, I...I-I can explain. You see, because of my processor and all of the umm..th-th-the fear that I was feeling, it cause all of that...the oil, it caused the oil to...please do not think differently of me because of what happened..."
"Of course I won't. I know how that process works, and I'm aware that you had no control over what happened. Don't worry, I'm not going to think any less of you for it."
The robot blinked, "Thank you, Elaris-"
CRACK!
Clank yelped and flinched as yet another lightning bolt made the skies above crack. His trembling increased. Why wouldn't it stop?! Elaris placed a hand on the back of his head and hugged him a bit tighter, "It's alright, Clank. We're inside, the lightning can't get you in here. You're safe."
"I know...I just cannot help it..." Clank whimpered as he lowered his head. "Perhaps the others were right. This fear of lightning is rather ridiculous."
"We all have fears, Clank, it's part of life," Elaris said. "And yours just happens to be lightning. We can't blame you for that...and the others...just don't see that."
Clank blinked a few more times before thinking about what Elaris had said. Though, he was more concerned about the Ranger part than the fear is natural part. The Rangers were currently in a city without any supporters to help them in case they run into danger. And it was his fault because Elaris was here with him. The robot squirmed a bit in Elaris's arms, "Speaking of the others, you must go to the control room and keep in touch with them. If they get into trouble and you are not there to help them-"
"They'll be fine without me," Elaris interrupted. She settled Clank back down in her arms and looked at him, shaking her head, "I'm not leaving you here."
"But-"
"No 'buts'. Besides, I'd much rather sit here and cuddle you than deal with the Rangers." A moment of awkward silence passed after that sentence. Again, if Clank was an organic, his face would have been bright red. Even Elaris was blushing a bit. "Umm...I think that 'cuddle' was a poor choice of words. Heheh."
"Actually, the definition of it is to hold close in one's arms as a way of showing love or affection. And is that not what you are doing to me right now?" Clank asked innocently, tilting his head to the side.
Elaris chuckled a bit. Clank was very mature, but his curiosity was almost like a child's. It was actually rather cute, especially when he tilted his head like that. But, no matter how childlike he could get, he still had a point. She was cuddling him, she couldn't deny the dictionary's definition of it. She sighed and placed a hand on top of Clank's head, "Yeah, I guess it is. Heh, you're a little nerd, you know that?"
"Emm..." Clank seemed a bit confused with that question. Was Elaris attempting to insult or tease him, or was that a compliment.
While he was trying to figure this out, his processor froze for a moment, actually his whole body seemed to freeze, as Elaris kissed him on the head. "But you're my little nerd."
"Hehehehee..." Clank giggled a bit, blushing in a way.
Another thunderclap then sounded outside, and the warbot jumped of course, but Elaris shushed him and continued to 'cuddle' him until he calmed down. Shushing the little warbot whenever he jumped or trembled, or whenever the sound of thunder or the crack of lightning was heard. And, actually, she didn't stop after that. Even when the thunderclaps stopped, and the sound of rain became much lighter, Elaris stayed sitting on the ground with Clank in her arms. It was kind of hard to explain why, but she just thought that it was nice. Clank shared the same thought, a smile on his face as he stayed wrapped in Elaris's warm embrace.
Ratchet thought that it was nice as well, having watched the two for awhile now from behind some crates.
It's been waaaay too long since I've written a ClankxElaris fic. Been about over a month or so...that's too long. But I'm back to writing them, so hooray for that!
By the way, I feel like that I'm the only one writing these things. Y'all fellow authors should get in on this (if you ship it)! I'm lookin' at you, Cooper. Show me what you can do with this ship. It's a fun and cute one to work with, believe me.
Make sure to leave a review while picking up your complimentary toaster!
This is Amberdiamondswords, Lordess of Diamond Swordness, signing off!