Author's note:
I actually made my deadline with a day to spare! It'll be a week tomorrow since my last update and I've already got 300 views! All excitement aside, some of the reviews for the last chapter have given me food for thought and a few ideas for future chapters, which I will elaborate on in the review replies below.
Unfortunately, this chapter is a bit shorter than the previous one. This is partially due to there being only so many variations on smiting sandsharks, but mostly down to harsh re-editing to pace the story better. On another note, after re-reading the previous three chapters, I discovered a number of silly mistakes and even missing words in parts. My fault for relying on spell check, auto correct, and not properly going over my own work before posting. Expect to see a few minor tweaks to the other chapters soon if you plan to re-read them.
Review replies:
Victory Goddess - First of all, let me thank you for your feedback. I based Ratchet's moves off my own experience with the first game. Compared to the sequels, the original's controls when in combat are…clunky, and since Ratchet is kind of new to this whole hero business, I tried to reflect this to a degree. He'll definitely get a chance to shine soon though.
On that note, you seem to have partly read my mind. I plan for there to be breaks in the story where Ratchet can teach Ellen to fight better, but she might have a few tricks she can teach herself. As for Clank…Maybe~
I would recommend trying to track down cheap copies of the first two games, or better still buy the HD collection if you can find it. The games might be over a decade old, but they're still as fresh and fun to play as the day they came out. To answer your question, I definitely plan on covering the first three games at least, and possibly Deadlocked / Gladiator. Beyond that, I'm not sure. I'd probably only write for the main releases and skim over the minor games like Size Matters and Secret Agent Clank.
Amberdiamondswords - I'm glad you liked it. This story will be a bit of a slow burner in terms of their relationships, but I intend to give them a jump start in the next chapter or so.
Pokecats649 - Thank you once again. Your exuberance continues to inspire me.
AustinGamer117 - I assume you're referring to Ellen, in which case no. Rest assured, I have not nor do I ever intend to turn her in to a lombax at any point. It's been done to death, and sort of eliminates the entire point of 'fish-out-of-water' style stories such as this.
evil Ratchet96 - Thanks for reviewing. I've tried to follow the original plot fairly close to canon, but I will be taking liberties at certain points to enhance the storyline. After all, if I stuck slavishly to the script without adding something of my own, there wouldn't be much point in having an OC along for the ride.
destiny - Nice to hear from you again. Just wait until he finds out who his 'rival' for Ellen's affection is…
BulletWitch1985 - Sometimes it's good to go back and revisit old games you haven't played for a while, you might even come away with a new perspective. As I said in my response to Victory Goddess, I have every intention to continue with the series up to at least Up Your Arsenal and maybe Deadlocked (Gladiator for PAL release). After that I'm not sure, but if I did, I'd cover the 'R&C Future' story arc while glossing over the PSP games.
I'd like to take this opportunity to thank TehBdog and evil Ratchet96 for following and favouriting this story, as well as the established followers and favouritiers, (Is that a real word? Well, it is now) you know who you are.
As ever, I'm always trying to improve as a writer, so please read and review. Constructive criticism is welcome, flamers are not.
If you enjoy this story, please feel free to check out the other stories on my account.
Phew, longest note ever. If you skipped it, you probably missed out on some hints to future content. But that's okay, it just means less potential spoilers. Anyway, here goes chapter 4.
- RevenantReaper337
Disclaimer:
Ratchet & Clank, associated characters, organisations, and intellectual properties belong to Insomniac Games. All other real world organisations and products belong to their respective governments, companies, etc. Original characters, creatures, weapons, etc. belong to me. Cover art belongs to Nekolover3 and is used with her kind permission.
'Thoughts'
Flashbacks and inflections on words
"Speech"
Chapter 4:
Sandsharks and Celebrities
Outpost X11, Aridia
Solana Galaxy
G2.16.739 Galactic calendar
2:35am local time
The first thing Ellen noticed upon stepping foot on the planet's surface was not the shifting sands, nor the large scale construction site in the distance; but rather the temperature. Like the Sahara desert of Earth, the temperature during the night cycle on Aridia plummeted rapidly; the cool night air making Ellen shiver in her still damp clothing as she warily slid out of the cockpit to stand on the planet's surface. After a brief discussion, Ratchet, Ellen, and Clank had unanimously agreed to take a detour from their mission to find Qwark in order to search for the missing Skid and his agent on the desert planet. Things had been pretty tense on their approach run, but so far they hadn't seen any sign of the orbital defence missile batteries that had shot down the celebrity hoverboarder, and there had been a distinct lack of any reception committee once they landed much to her suspicion.
Ellen's thoughts churned as her eyes took in the strange spiky cacti-like plant life and the massive half-built structure teeming with worker robots that clawed at the sky. Who attacked Skid? What were they protecting? And why hadn't they engaged their vessel once it made orbit? All these questions would have to wait as Ratchet approached her with a wide smile on his face and a large tubular weapon clutched in both hands; a fuel canister slung underneath the main body and a flickering pilot extending from just below the wide-bored muzzle.
"Please tell me that's not what I think it is."
If it were even possible the lombax's smile seemed to grow even wider as he pointed the weapon skywards and depressed the trigger. A gout of flame spewed forth, lighting up the night and almost singeing Ellen's eyebrows in the process despite being stood several feet away. An awkward moment of silence passed once he had finished his impromptu demonstration before Ellen cautiously broke it. "Ratchet, where did you get that?"
"Isn't it great?" he replied happily. "It's called a pyrocitor. I got it from that vendor over there." Her eyes followed his pointing finger to a large blue-tiled cube nearby with a holographic logo depicting a capital 'G' projected from the top being orbited by the word 'Gadgeton' in a silvery blue font.
...
"You bought a flamethrower from a vending machine?"
"Uh, yeah. I needed a replacement for my bomb glove. Why, what's wrong?"
Ellen was aghast. She couldn't quite wrap her head around the idea that a company manufacturing weapons would distribute them in the same way as soft drinks, and said as such. "Aside from it being banned by law back home, what kind of irresponsible company sells a freaking flamethrower to the public? What if some kid got hold of it?"
"Actually, I believe there are several restrictions and safeguards in place for the distribution of personal defence weapons," Clank interjected.
"Yeah, and there's plenty of warnings and stuff with all their products." Ratchet held the flame spewing weapon up for her to inspect. "See?"
Ellen squinted at a set of barely visible small print stamped on the side of the gun's main body. "'Gadgetron is not liable for burns, scorch marks, property damage, etcetera incurred while using this quality product. Not intended for use by sentients under 18 years old. Incinerate responsibly'?!"
"See?" the lombax responded with a shrug. "Nothing to worry about."
Ellen heavily resembled a gaping fish for several seconds, trying to formulate a response as to how wrong it all was before finally giving up. This wasn't home; things obviously worked very differently here, especially with regard to the legal use of deadly weapons. Realising she was probably asking for a headache if she dwelled too much upon it, Ellen shook off the mental cobwebs and instead focused on the task at hand; trailing slightly behind her two companions as they made their way past the vendor. It wasn't long until they came across a downed escape pod in a narrow canyon, close to a distinctly nervous looking tie-dye shirt wearing alien that was instantly recognisable.
"It's him! Skid McMarx!" Ratchet exclaimed.
"That man from the infobot," Clank added as the celebrity hoverboarder turned to face them while plastering a look of confident nonchalance on his face.
"In the flesh, little dude! You guys get a load of that epic space battle I was in?"
"We saw you all right," Ratchet replied with a hint of amusement. "Screaming for help."
Skid practically squirmed as he tried to back-peddle his way out of the hole he'd dug for himself. "Uh... That was like, a war cry."
"Do you have any idea who attacked you, or why?" Ellen asked while neatly changing the subject. She did genuinely want to know, but she also felt a little sorry for Skid. Had she been in his position during the attack on his ship, she probably would have been scared witless.
"I dunno, little lady. We were on our way to hoverboard practice when my agent and I got ambushed out of, like, nowhere."
"Did he survive the crash, sir?" Clank queried.
"Eh, he's okay," Skid shrugged, apparently none too concerned. "But, I've had a little trouble getting back to my ship..." Following Skid's uneasy gaze, lombax, human, and robot watched as a pair of dull red, stubby-legged, snapping tooth-filled jaws with a shark's fin on their heads ran past. "...due to my sprained ankle."
"Oh come on!" Ratchet scoffed. It wasn't like he hadn't faced worse before on Veldin. Ellen didn't like the look of them any more than Skid did, but at least these things couldn't shoot back.
"If you can take out all the sandsharks, I just might have a spare hoverboard for you."
Ellen could practically see the gears turning in the lombax's head at Skid's blatant bribe, even as Clank tried to dissuade him. "We'd love to help you Mr McMarx, but we need to find Captain-"
"Shhh!" Ratchet interrupted. "One of your boards, eh? Hmmm... I've always wanted a decent hoverboard. Well... alright, you... just keep that foot elevated."
Leaving Skid where he was, they crossed into sandshark territory via a makeshift bridge and quickly found themselves under attack from a quartet of the mawed terrors as they burst from the sand just feet away. Before Ellen could even react, Ratchet already had his new toy sweeping in an arc across their front; a slightly maniacal glint in his eyes as he bathed the sandsharks with fire. A little shaken by the suddenness of the engagement, the redhead trailed behind with a palmed bomb at the ready as they halted at a fork in the canyon.
"We should split up, cover more ground that way. I'll take the right, you go left." So saying, the possibly pyromaniacal lombax raced off across a pair of crude bridges over a meandering sludge river, flambéing anything that crossed his path and leaving a trail of chargrilled corpses in his wake. Which smelled of barbeque chicken, for some reason.
Taking a deep breath, Ellen cautiously advanced down the left fork and through a fairly wide gully bordered by spiky plants and rocky outcrops. It didn't take long for her to run into a strange, fleshy green growth surrounded by sandsharks milling around; the human carefully judging the distance before quickly throwing a bomb followed by another two in rapid succession. The first landed at the base of the growth, shredding it and a pair of the red creatures in the same blast while alerting the rest to her presence. Spurned into action, another dozen of the snapping two-legged terrors propelled themselves out of the sand; charging straight into the path of the other two bombs and whittling their numbers further still.
A pair of survivors escaped the blast radius however and pressed their attack; quickly closing the gap and getting far too close for Ellen to use any more bombs without injuring herself. The nearest jumped straight at the human, intent on sinking it's teeth in to her arm, only to fall to a well timed dodge followed by a impromptu knuckle sandwich to the face via bomb glove. The last one meanwhile ducked around it's fallen sibling in time to meet a size seven boot in mid-swing that punted the little red bastard almost to the far wall of the canyon. Once she was sure that none of her opponents were likely to get back up, Ellen continued onwards to the end of the canyon without further incident, where she soon ran into Ratchet at the base of the wide-based pillar of rock that sat in the middle of the area; the smell of cooked meat drifting down from above along with wisps of acrid smoke.
"Hey," she greeted. "Run into any trouble?"
"Nothing I couldn't handle." He patted his weapon before gesturing with his head to the canyon exit. "Ready to get going?"
With a nod on the human's part, they both pushed on side by side until they reached the final resting place of the solarship Radical; the vessel half-buried in a jumbled pile of rocks and cacti but otherwise appearing to be virtually intact in spite of the crash landing. Before they could investigate any further however, what looked like the entire remaining population of sandsharks in the area erupted from the ground and swarmed towards them en-masse. Between Ratchet's pyrocitor and Ellen's bombs the horde quickly succumbed to their duel assault, leaving the three companions alone in the still night air with only the sounds of cargo transports passing overhead for company.
Skid showed up shortly after the area was finally sandshark free, and conspicuously lacking any gait from his 'sprained ankle'. Reaching the downed vessel, he typed his personal code into a keypad on the ship's side, causing the cargo access doors to swing open. After a brief rummage, a muffled cry of triumph signalled that Skid had apparently found what he was looking for as he held up a silver metal board with canard stabilizers and a pair of small thrusters on the back. "Here man, catch!"
He tossed it into Ratchet's waiting arms, the lombax's eyes lighting up at the sight of the gleaming hoverboard. Apparently, Christmas had come early. "A brand new Z-3000! You can't even buy these!"
"Well, I gotta bail. Catch you dudes at the hoverboard races." So saying, Skid, left through the other side of the cargo bay; though Ellen couldn't help but feel a little lost.
'Hoverboard racing?'
Mentally adding it to the list of things to look up later, Ellen joined the boys as they followed Skid's route through the crashed ship. Finding themselves on top of a cliff face with a sheer drop into the murky brown sludge below, the trio made use of a nearby cherry picker to bring them down safely to dry land. With Skid's agent still missing, they set off to investigate the distant construction site and search for any sign of his presence.
Jumping over a congealed pool of the brown sludge, they ran in to a few sandsharks that quickly fell to Ratchet's wrench and a well placed bomb. Ellen had no idea what the brown stuff was, but it seemed to have the same properties as quicksand if the half-sunken construction equipment nearby was anything to go by. As they passed a few incomplete girders, a thick set yellow-painted robot with a blow torch for an arm and an oversized red fuel tank on his back turned to block their path. Cranking up the fuel pressure, the robot turned his welding tool into a crude flamethrower that swept the area in a horizontal arc; preventing the intruders from advancing any further.
Without breaking stride, Ratchet quickly feinted to one side before flipping over the wall of fire. With a deft flick of the wrist he released his wrench at the apex of his jump; impacting the machine's face and staggering it long enough for one of Ellen's bombs to detonate the fuel tank. The blast was almost enough to bowl the human over, though Ratchet managed to tuck into a roll to avoid the worst of the impact upon hitting solid ground again.
"Next time... we do that from a lot further away."
Ratchet managed a chuckle at the breathless redhead's words as he climbed back to his feet. "Yeah, I think you nearly singed my tail that time."
Ellen faux scowled at the now smirking lombax. "You saying I couldn't hit you, fuzz ball?"
"Ain't managed it yet." With a taunting flick of his tail Ratchet was off again, leaving her to wonder if her new friend had a death wish.
'Friends... Are we really friends?'
Ellen had known Ratchet for what constituted to less than a day, yet she felt strangely comfortable with both him and Clank. She hadn't spoken much to the adorably small and politely spoken robot; knowing next to nothing about him other than the fact that he seemed well learned, if a little naive at times. Definitely something she resolved to fix at the earliest opportunity. Ratchet however was another game altogether; the redhead having grown to trust the furry feline in spite of the fact they had started off on the wrong foot, and not just because he'd probably saved her life.
Ratchet was brash, smart mouthed, and more than a little cocky; but his heart was in the right place when it came to doing the right thing, and he was easily a damn sight better behaved than most of the boys she had gone to school with. Ellen honestly didn't know anyone else who would go that far out of their way to help a complete stranger in their time of need, and right now he was also her best bet of surviving whatever trials lay ahead. She would definitely need to make up for snapping at him on Novalis, and maybe get him to show her how to better defend herself since danger seemed to revolve around their little group.
Another construction robot stood with it's back towards them, working on a drainage outlet while a bunch of sandsharks milled around it. Deciding not to look a gift horse in the mouth, Ratchet threw his wrench like a boomerang; tearing a rent in the robot's fuel tank and leaving it open to a pre-prepared bomb from Ellen. The explosive orb combined with the exposed liquid fuel source incinerated everything within a twelve foot radius of the initial blast; washing over the already parched ground and clearing the way ahead. As they approached the unfinished structure, Ellen began to appreciate just how big it was; ten storeys of shining steel and light, almost blocking out the horizon. It was becoming increasingly obvious that whoever shot down the Radical didn't want anyone to find this facility, and judging by the similarities between these worker robots and the combat models they had encountered on Novalis, Drek had to be involved somehow.
The entrance to the site proper was guarded by a quartet of alerted construction bots which were dealt with in a similarly violent fashion; Ratchet acting as bait as he flambéed any stray sandsharks while Ellen exploited the machines weak spots. Unfortunately these particular robots seemed to catch on quickly and spread out to minimise the effect of Ellen's bomb runs, making the human's task that much harder. After backflipping and pirouetting through the air with an ease that would make a trapeze artist jealous, Ratchet managed to isolate one robot and get in close where he could do some damage. Ducking under a clumsy swing, he unleashed a flurry of strikes with his wrench before finishing with an uppercut that knocked the machine's block off. With the last construction bot falling to a lucky bomb strike, the mismatched trio stepped onto the nearby service elevator that would take them inside the structure itself.
Reaching the top, it was clear that the facility was no where nearing completion; the route directly in front being inaccessible due to the missing floor section and nigh two storey drop. Hanging a right, they took out several construction bots while traversing narrow scaffolding and industrial grade conveyor belts; being ambushed from above by even more machines all the way. Moving up a floor almost to the apex, they took another service lift down to the basement level of the complex. The foundations were a myriad of sand, sludge, sandsharks, and killer robots scattered around a massive industrial reactor that would eventually power the facility. For now though, it was just a convenient way to ascend to the very top of the structure once it had been scaled.
Carving a path through the myriad of foes opposing them, Ratchet boosted Ellen up onto one of the reactor's maintenance platforms before hauling himself up. Repeating the process, they made it to the top of the reactor only to find a stack of large, riveted metal pipes arranged in a triangle and occupied by - what else? - more sandsharks. Taking a pipe each, Ratchet elected to hose his side with fire while Ellen tossed a bomb down her pipe before ducking back to avoid the resulting explosion. Peeking around the edge, she jerked back suddenly as a singed and very angry sandshark snapped it's jaws inches from her face; the redhead's quick reaction combined with the sandshark's momentum resulting in the red-mawed beast flying off the edge of the gantry and falling to the depths below while Ellen's heart leapt into her mouth.
Following the gantry round the room once the way was clear, they soon came to an unfinished section that required the lombax and human to shimmy along while dangling from a ledge until they could pull themselves up to the next level. From there it was only a sort ladder climb until they were stood on the very top of this area of the structure. There had been no further clues as to the facility's purpose, but seeing as it was probably months from being finished Ellen supposed that it didn't really matter in the short run. With luck, Drek would be stopped long before the place was up and running.
Finally getting out of the towering structure and back on to more natural land, the sound of frustrated ranting drew them to the base of a large cannon that occasionally spat missiles at targets beyond the heavens. It was in the shadow of the orbital defence weapon where they found another escape pod, and a familiar figure wearing a trench in the floor with his constant pacing while desperately trying to make contact on his phone. "Aargh, no signal whatsoever! This down time is killing me!"
"Do you need medical attention, sir?" Clank politely enquired. Apparently machines and metaphors didn't mix.
"Don't be so literal, son! The problem is I'm stranded on this backwater planet and my star client is nowhere to be found."
"Hey..." Ratchet drew out. "We saw you on that infobot! You're Skid's agent!"
"Was Skid's agent," he corrected. "Haven't seen him since our ship crashed, and an agent without a client is like a flea without a dog!" Ellen frowned at the grossly appropriate analogy; she really didn't trust guys like these. "Say, you look like a couple of athletic kids. If you can bring back the championship prize from the hoverboard races in Blackwater City, I'll make you two my next stars! What do you say?"
"Thanks, but no thanks," Ellen replied. 'Especially since he admitted he's a damn leech'
Clank, in spite of his earlier naiveté, seemed to be on the same wavelength "We have no time for trivial matters, sir."
"Hmmm... I could be the next Skid McMarx!"
'...And Ratchet has stars in his eyes. Wonderful.'
Dragging an excited lombax in their wake, the trio used what can best be described as a very claustrophobic subterranean transport terminal to travel under the brown sludge; arriving at a similar station on the other side near to their original landing zone. Why Skid's agent never used it is anyone's guess; probably too busy trying to get a signal on his phone. Before leaving the area and heading back to the ship however, Ellen had a thought; or rather her stomach did.
"Ratchet?"
"yeah?"
"Before we go, can we grab one of those sandsharks? I'm starving."
...
"I'm sorry, I could have sworn you said you wanted to... eat... a sandshark?"
Ellen honestly didn't see a problem. Because of her brother's military experience and survival training, she was used to living off the land during their occasional camping trips together. Catching, killing, and skinning rabbits and other local fauna to cook and eat was second nature to her. As far as she was concerned this was no different; and with no local currency to her name she wasn't about to pass up on a free meal. Ratchet on the other hand wrinkled his nose in revulsion. Despite coming from a backwater planet, he preferred his meals to be already dead, packaged and stamped with a sell by date, thank you very much.
"Yeah, the ones you toasted earlier smelt so good," the human continued with a far away look. "All we have to do is cook one with your flamethrower and-"
"If I may," Clank interceded. "I believe sandsharks are supposed to be poisonous."
Seeing the disappointment in her eyes, and sensing an opportunity to get to know her better without being shot at, Ratchet proposed an idea. "Tell you what. When we get to Kerwan, I'll buy us lunch; my treat. What do you say?"
Ellen smiled, even as her stomach gargled in anticipation. "Sounds great. I'm so hungry right now, I could eat a horse."
Letting her take the lead on the walk back to their ship, Ratchet pondered her last words before hesitantly questioning the little robot on his back.
"Clank?"
"Yes, Ratchet?"
"What's a horse?"
...
"I have no idea."
I blame the fact that I had a random craving for chicken combined with a lack of sleep for the last part. Still, it sets things up neatly (kind of) for their visit to Metropolis, which might be a two part piece or an extended chapter if I expand upon what will technically be Ratchet and Ellen's first date of sorts. On another note, I've tried to slightly parody the game's lax approach to gun control laws. Even in space, weapon sales have to be regulated somehow.
Next time: food, firepower, and budding hints of romance.
Until then, please review and check out my other stories once they're posted and or updated.
Thanks for reading
- RevenantReaper337
