VII

It was getting late and Elaris had gone to bed, leaving me to wander. I did not want to stay in the 'lab' and accidently mess with something I was not supposed to. A majority of the halls seemed identical, so I downloaded a map from the tourist website. It did make it easier to move about, though a few security guards tried to stop me. It took some convincing to prevent my forcible removal. Eventually, it grew to tiresome, and I moved to return to Elaris' office.

The last 48 hours had been difficult, to say the least. I could not disregard the fact of how close we were to losing everything. How easy it would have been for everything to fall apart. I single misstep. Considering all the probabilities, it was incredibly unlikely that even with Ratchet's assistance they would save the Galactic Rangers, survive the magnetic warbots, and be reluctantly recruited into Galactic Rangers as well. It was entirely unlikely and near impossible and yet they has successfully pulled it off.

"Clank! Clank!"

I turned around to spot Ratchet chasing after me. He was dressed in a new suit, deep blue with orange highlights and naturally the Galactic Ranger logo on the chest. He looked as though he had had a great day. He slid into position beside me, placing hands on his hip.

"How was your day?"

"Fine."

Curtsey. I did not want Ratchet to worry about me, after all he seemed to be enjoying himself.

"Man, you shoulda seen me, Clank! I worked will some of the coolest weapons today!"

Weapons. Great. Ratchet and I could barely drive and now he is being given weapons. I am sure that he will manage though. Hopefully.

"Where ya heading?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm heading to my room. Did they give you one?"

"No. I do not require one."

"Nonsense. C'mon, you can bunk with me…"

He led the way, walking down the hall and checking every now and then to make sure I was still following. He got lost once or twice. I knew the way to the dormitories, but he seemed to be appreciating just wandering and being in charge. Ratchet continued to talk about his day, stating each weapon he practiced with.

Combuster – short to medium range. Harsh Kickback.

Alpha Disruptor – stream of plasma. Multiple Targets.

Negotiator – long range. High impact rockets. Heavy Armor. Harsh Kickback. Fragile trigger.

Buzz Blades – Small saws that launch. Continually move toward a target.

Warmonger – Large rocket launcher. Heat Seeking.

Spiral of Death – Large Saw blade

Fusion Grenade – Highly volatile.

Ratchet spoke fondly of each but also described how he had difficulty operating them. I understood the struggle of adapting to new devices and experiences. Everything was new to me. My internal database was very helpful of occasion, which I try to keep updated.

Eventually, we reached the dorm area. Ratchet's room was marked as 1775 with a newly taped nametag on the door. It looked like it was barely holding onto the surface. Ratchet tapped in a code, unlocking the door. He motioned for me to enter first, closing the door behind us.

The lights turned on upon entrance, revealing the rather small room consisting mostly of a bed, desk, dresser and couch. There was a lamp as well. It lit the corner of the room that contained the desk. Ratchet flopped onto the bed, bouncing around until he was lying on his back again. He laughed to himself.

"Isn't this cool, Clank. We're Galactic Rangers!"

I was not sure how much of a Galactic Ranger I was at this point but I indulged him.

"Indeed."

He sat up.

"What'd you do today?"

"Elaris showed me around her office as well as some information regarding Drek and the destroyed planets."

"Bet that was pretty cool."

He yawned, lying back down. I am not sure he meant what he said.

"Man, today was crazy. We newly crashed, defeated an army of warbots, joined the Galactic Rangers, trained a little bit..."

"I does sound exciting."

Ratchet yawned again.

"Hey, Clank."

"Yes, Ratchet?"

He sat up, staring directly as me.

"You know, none of this woulda happened if it weren't for you."

That had not occurred to me. Even if I was not able to make it to Aleero City as planned, Ratchet helped me complete my mission, and we did save the Rangers. If I had not encountered Ratchet and never made it to Aleero City, the Galactic Rangers might not have made it and Drek would have gotten away with his plans. Now, we have a fighting chance. Now, Ratchet is fighting with me.

"I had not considered it."

"You're a real hero, Clank," he grinned, laying back down. "I'm goin' to bed now. Night, Clank."

"Good night, Ratchet."

It did not take long for Ratchet to lose consciousness and begin snoring. He shuffled around, tucking himself in and out of the blanket provided. I was not sure what I was supposed to do. I was feeling tired though. A little recharge would not hurt. I placed myself on the couch, watching Ratchet continue to move about his bed without actually waking up. I shut my eyes. This was nice.