Usually, cleaning up after doctors in a huge solitary planet's hospital wing is irritable to those who have the occupation. But since Talwyn heard about a galactic-wide search for a crazed 'planet-destroyer', she'd gladly wipe up the stray blood puddles and torn articles of clothing rather than subject herself, with Cronk and Zephyr, to the madman running loose in her home galaxy.

Not the best job, no, but at least she's got assured protection from both the cellmates AND the 'planet-destroyer'. Then there was a smooth voice over the intercom:

"Cellmate No.998344238 has arrived to the E.R. with multiple contusions around the cranial area, fractured femur, puncture wound to the oculus sinister and dislocated mandible. First response, please tend to the cellmate, as his condition is nearing critical levels and is beginning to physically convulse."

Like clockwork, about four-five workers groaned in agitation, and hurried through the automatic doors. Talwyn sighed, since she had just finished wiping up the last of the blood off of the operating table.

She placed the cleaning supplies aside for a moment when the first response came back, their chatter clashing together to create a disorganized conversation to the uninvolved, wheeling in what appeared to be a mass of red and orange, which was twitching on occasion with a gurgle. The Markazian heard bits and pieces of the conversation as she was reorganizing the antibiotics on the shelves:

"…first day here and can't even…"

"…thugs are all the same…"

"…what a cocky Lombax…"

Her head snapped up at the last comment, repeating, "…Lombax?" She quickly turned and caught a glimpse of a brown and yellow striped tail, kinked and twisted, hanging off of the cot as it went into another room. She was slightly dumbfounded, being that the only Lombax she actually knew was Ratchet, and he had told Talwyn and the other's he and Clank were currently vacationing on Merdegrew.

What was he doing here?

Her interest now piqued, she crept over to the door the cot went through, and peeked inside the door.

Well… it was Ratchet, alright. Except he looked like he got into a fight with an army and lost.

With what she managed to glimpse, he was well beyond that snarky Lombax she knew, and instead convulsing, shivering and sobbing mess, beginning to scream as the surgeons began to place the oxygen mask over his muzzle, "I can't see! I can't see!"

His right eye was well beyond healing, simply dark red and glistening with blood as it dripped down his cheek, making him scream louder.

But it was all she saw though, before an assistant reached for the door and slammed it in her face, a click following after. She straightened herself up and attempted to peer through the looking glass of the door. Covered.

But his screams were still apparent, until they reduced to loud sobs and babbling, mixes between, 'They all want me dead!', 'I'm innocent!, and of course, "I can't see!' which died down to silence in the passing time.

Maybe she'd be able to get a room number out of a co-worker of hers once he was placed in a room.

—-

With the lie that she was going on lunch break, she hurried along the corridor, ignoring the wolf whistles and cat calls from other cellmates in the medical wing. With the help of her co-worker, she was able to figure out which room the Lombax was in.

She was nearly lost in her thoughts to the point of passing his room, and skidded to a halt, catching the door frame to stop herself. The door was ajar, so she quietly pushed it open, and crept inside.

And sure enough, there he was, nearly his entire face wrapped up in gauze, except for his left eye. He was unconscious, of course. She walked up closer, a hand reaching out to gently shake the hero's bandaged hand.

A sudden flinch, and whimper. She drew her hand back, wary, and whispered, "….Ratchet?"

The Lombax's ears flinched at the sound of her voice as he slowly turned to her voice, his voice muffled through the bandages, "….Tal…?"

He attempted to sit up and cringed, slowly retreating back into the bed.

"What are you doing here, Ratchet?" Talwyn immediately asked, hands on her hips. "You know that just about all of these goons you beat are locked up in here!" She leaned in so Ratchet wouldn't have to strain himself, "You could've gotten yourself killed in here!"

"…I was arrested…" He mumbled, looking off to the side.

"…for what?"

"For something…. I didn't do."

Talwyn leaned back, placing herself in a chair. "… But… why would they do that?"

"Because I fit the description of some…rngh… loon they were looking for…." He muttered, shaking a bit.

"Me 'n Clank were just relaxing on Merdegrew…. when the authorities just came up suddenly and started pinning me down, reading me my rights… while they were interrogating Clank about his… involvement with me…"

Ratchet shifted his body to face Talwyn, his voice beginning to waver, "They brought me here, thinking I might… pull the same planet-bombing stunt that happened five years ago… and left me in the courtyard…"

"Two big burly guys… about th' size of Qwark, just came up… and recognized me…"

His eye that wasn't covered by the bandage glistened as he continued, "The-they shouted, 'New piñata!' then I-I was surrounded! I managed to knock out two of them before…."

He began to visibly shake, voice tapering off. Talwyn leaned in closer, placing a hand on his bandaged one.

"…Before what, hon?"

"…One of them hit me… in the back of the head… " He continued, voice shaking. "And two guys pinned my by my feet and wrists…. and…" He swallowed.

"One of 'em had something…. I don't know what it was… but he said something about, 'carving my eyes out' then it just…." He shuddered.

"I just…. blacked out…" He looked in front of him blankly, and added, "I…. do remember something…. before I blacked out…"

"What was it?"

"Two guys…. don't know who they were but… one was blue and the other was white…. it was really blurry and hard to tell…. but they helped me…. or… at least tried to…"

"They were standing near me… before I blacked out… I think the blue one was saying something… about tearing someone's guts out."

"Tal…" He then grasped Talwyn's hands. They felt clammy and cold through the bandages. "You have to help me… I have no idea where Clank is… or what they did to him… Please Tal…." His voice was cracking as he finally said, almost sobbing,

"Don't make me go back out there… please…"