-Chapter Six, Goodbyes and a New Beginning-

A few days had passed since they arrived in this dimension. The early morning sun was still climbing over the horizon.

Every day, the crew would wake up before dawn to begin work. From salvaging parts to building the damn thing; it wasn't an easy task. Especially when their surroundings' technological ineptitude limiting their supply. Surprisingly though, Nefarious voluntarily chipped in. He was still sour over the fact he was stuck with a bunch of 'squishies,' let alone ones he hated; but likely their progress would have been slower without him. If it meant getting home faster, he was willing to put his prejudice aside. He made himself flexible when he tried taking over The Great Clock after all. If it hadn't killed him then he would survive bending his morals again.

Jens however, couldn't do much other than get them the parts and tools they fact left her frustrated, and yet she tried to enjoy the fascination the crazy circumstances caused her.

I mean, It's not like everyday that you have inter-dimensional beings sitting at your kitchen table working on some do-dad that's suppose to help them return home. That and she was rapped by Ratchet's stories about their home and their various adventures. It was one thing she couldn't keep her mind off of the whole time...


Jens was cooking breakfast with Clank, who volunteered to lend a hand. She even handed him over an oversize apron and chef hat. "How do y'all like your eggs?"

Ratchet turned over to them as he sat at the table with Talwyn. "You know you don't need to go out of your way Jens to-"

"Hey, I love to cook! Besides," She gave a hard tap on one of the eggs before breaking the shell as the yolk fell into the scorching pan, "You've been workin' your butts off the last few days. Think you could use a nice meal before you head off…"

"I'm just saying you did more than enough for us."

"I know, but it's my treat."

The lombax shook his head as he returned back to work.

Nefarious rested on the couch as he tuned into Ratchet's and Talwyn's conversation. Talwyn was reading off of a list as Ratchet confirmed it…

"Harmonic Stabilizers..."

"Check!"

"Ion capacitors?"

"Check!"

"1 1/4 Centicubit Hexagonal Washer?"

"Erm... uh..." Ratchet looked inside the machine. "I don't think it's in there. Where is it?" He looked under, around and behind him.

"Er, Ratchet?" said Talwyn

"What?"

She simply pointed to Ratchet's tail. There it was, hanging off of it. "Heheh, whoops. Must have put it there so I'd remember where it was." The Lombax then put the washer inside, gave it a few turns with his wrench, and closed the hatch in the back.

"That went well, didn't it?" He put the pocket Dimensionator on the counter, along with his wrench before turning over to Talwyn. "All the pieces are installed. Well, all the pieces we can get anyway."

"Breakfast is ready!" Jens shouted across the room as she carried two plates in her hands while Clank held another. She laid Ratchet's and Talwyn's plates on the table as she sat right beside them and Clank handed her the last one. "So you finished it?"

"Yup. Well, for the most part anyways."

"What do you mean for the most part?" Nefarious got up and walked over, "I looked over the whole draft, we have all the parts!"

"We don't have a ship."

"A ship?" He spun around to look for the schematic and he picked it up to read over it. "Why would we need a ship!?"

"To get home…"

Nefarious peeked through the paper. "Wasn't the point of building this device to return home..?"

"Yeah. But the device on its own won't get us very far."

Nefarious crossed his arms as he raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, the Dimensionator alone can only take one or two people with it, and we can't make another wormhole once we are back home for the others to pass through, but-"

"Meaning?" Nefarious interrupted.

"I'm about to get to that. But, the device is able to connect and work with transportation, such as cars, ships and the like-"

"Meaning?"

"Meaning if I could install it into Aphelion, I can hopefully use a ship as a loophole and travel with as many people as can fit in one. That way when I come back here I can pick you up."

"With the key word being 'hopefully'. What if this fails?"

"Then you'll most likely be stuck here. Though," Ratchet gave a blunt tone, "That doesn't sound like such a bad idea. Saves us some stress."

"Hey! We had a deal! We help each other all get home and then go our own ways!"

Ratchet sighed. "I was just joking Nefarious, you can calm your gears…"

"If I am being left behind then I refuse to be here alone. I want some kind of a guarantee that you'll come back." He jabbed a finger at Talwyn and insisted, "She stays with me. I'm guessing you won't risk leaving your girlfriend behind."

Ratchet let out a frustrated huff, "She's not my girlfriend. And a deal's a deal. I swear we'll-"

"I'll stay behind with him," Talwyn piped up.

"...Oh?" Ratchet blinked at the Markazian, surprised she would volunteer to be collateral. "You sure Tal?"

"He's right, he has no reason to believe we'll come back for him if we just leave him behind. Just make sure the Dimensionator works. Don't want to be stuck with him forever."

"He may drive you nuts," Ratchet quipped.

"He definitely will."

"I'm standing right here!"

Jens listened to the conversation before butting in, her mouth still full of food. "Couldn' you go one at a time and just hold hands or somthin'?"

"That could work too, but I doubt he would want to hold my hand." He tilted his head to Nefarious.

"What?" She turned to the doctor, "Are you scared of the 'squishie' germs?" Jens wiggled her fingers directly in his face as he took a step back and rolled his eyes.

"We also need to consider limiting the amount of wormholes we create within the short time span," Clank chirped, "We do not want to risk causing a tear within reality."

"Are you sure it'll work, Ratchet?" Talwyn replied, worried, "There's a chance this could go wrong in the end..."

"Trust me, Tal, we're going to get home in one piece. Clank, I'm going to need your help."

"Yes Ratchet, I am here to assist." Clank replied.

"Good, we'll leave soon." Ratchet then looked over to Jens. "Thanks for all the help, we appreciate it."

"Oh," She scratched the back of her head. "My pleasure. It's been a ride, just wish it lasted longer. I mean, no, I want you guys to return home and all, but-"

"You'll miss us?"

Jens gave a snort. "Maybe just a little. Rarely do I get company and all."

"We won't forget everything you did for us Jens," The lombax put his hand on her shoulder to assure her, "You've been a great friend, but you know we can't stay."

She exhaled before speaking. "I know, I know. I won't forget you guys neither. Seein' as, it's hard to forget someone who tried to kill you," she joked as she pointed over to Nefarious. He didn't bother to respond.

There was a small smile from that comment as Ratchet let go of her. "Anyways we should get ready."

"What! You ain't gonna finish your food? I'm insulted."

"...ok, after we finish breakfast then…"


Ratchet clipped the Dimensionator to his belt as the four grabbed everything they needed.

"Everyone ready?"

The group followed the Lombax out the door as Jens watched them leave. She kept her gaze fixated on them until they were no longer visible over the horizon.

The girl turned and looked around her tiny home. It felt too big now that it was so empty. She sighed. "Get home safe, alright…"


The four walked to the beach where both Ratchet and Nefarious first arrived. It was the best place to conduct this experiment. It was quiet and no one was around. They didn't want anyone to suspect anything more out of the ordinary than what they already had.

"You know," the Lombax spoke as they strolled down the path, "I'm kinda disappointed we didn't bump into Vorselon. He could have given us some answers. At least I'd hope."

Nefarious just rolled his eyes. "You know once you get him to start talking, you'll never get him to shut up."

Ratchet snorted. "Not wrong about that. But, if it's our only lead…"

"Ahem," Clank butted in, still on Ratchet's back. "I think we have company."

"Who, Vorselon?!" Ratchet shouted out; alarmed.

"More like a brat," The mad robot exclaimed.

There was Jens; trying to catch her breath after sprinting as fast as she could. Right beside her was a suitcase that she had carried along with her. "Man, I'm glad I caught up with you guys…"

The group just stared at her, confused. "Jens, what are you doing here?" Ratchet asked.

"Well," she huffed between her words, "After all the time we spent together and hearin' the stories you told about your home. I figured I'd ask, if I could, uh…"

The lombax raised an eyebrow. "Ask what?"

"Well, I, erm…"

"Jens?"

The girl tried to compose herself. "Well," She took a nervous breath in before finishing, "I wanted to ask if I can come along."

"What?" Ratchet was still trying to process her request. "I...don't think that's a good idea Jens."

"What? Why not?"

"Pff, besides the obvious?" Nefarious butted in.

"I didn' ask you, gear head!" Jens turned back to Ratchet, "Just hearin' everythin' about your home. The technology, your adventures; I want to see it all for myself!"

"I understand Jens, but it's too risky to-"

"But with everythin' that happened," She didn't let the lombax even finish his words as she tried to convince him, "it's obvious you could use the extra hands! I want to help! Besides, it's borin' here!"

Talwyn grew frustrated of silently listening to Jens's protests. "So you just want to come with us because it sounds like a free vacation? We have a threat to handle, Jens! This isn't some game!" She turned over to the lombax and was surprised to see a contemplative look on his face. "Please tell me you aren't considering this, Ratchet! Yes, I admit she's been helpful, but if she came with us she'd be a liability. We don't have half a clue of what's going on with this empire thing. And what if she can't return home, or she gets herself killed? We don't even know if this device is going to work to begin with..."

"Tal, I'm well aware of the risk. And I didn't agree to anything yet."

"But I promise to behave myself! Please let me come with you for a bit!" Jens looked like she was about to get on her knees to beg. "Please, please, please, pretty please…"

Ratchet just sighed. "Tal's right though. It's a huge risk and if this is as big of a threat as it sounds then you can get seriously hurt. I'm sorry, we have to say no…"

"But-"

"Jens, I get it. You want to help, but we can't just take you home with us."

As disappointed as she was she wasn't going to argue. "I...I understand." Jens turned around and started to walk the other way. "Good luck Ratchet."

They watched her walk off. Ratchet let out a sigh. "C'mon. Let's get going…"


Ratchet unclipped the Dimensionator off his belt with Clank already on his back. The lombax took a long breath in. "Well, here goes nothing…" He raised the device up above his head and commanded, "Dimensionator, find Torren IV!"

After the order was given, light shimmered around them as the Dimensionator activated as they covered their eyes from the glow it greeted them. It wasn't long until a bright flash took Talwyn and Nefarious by surprise. Just a blink of an eye later, Ratchet and Clank were gone.

Now there was nothing Talwyn or Nefarious could do but hope they were able to get back...


ZAP!

Ratchet glanced around the area. Seeing they had arrived back on Torren IV, he put on a small smile. "Well, looks like we made it home in one piece."

Clank got off his back, as the pair started to look around for Aphelion. "And it is good to be here."

"Ratchet? Where have you been?" Aphelion flew right out of the scrap pile she was pretending to be lifeless in. "You were gone for the whole week..."

"It's a long story; I'll talk it over with you as I install something." Ratchet hopped into the driver's seat, as Aphelion ranted.

"Seriously," She continued as if she was a mother scolding her child, "You had me extremely worried, I thought something terrible happened to you! You took so long that I started to act as trash so that I would not risk being stolen! Do you know that crime is rampant on Torren IV?!"

"Aphelion, it isn't crime, it's taking what someone doesn't want. That's why it's called junk."

"Hmph! Well, I am not junk and to think you-!"

"I know you aren't Aphelion. You've been more than just a ship to me the last few years. I'd still be stuck on Fastoon if it weren't for you." The Lombax regained his focus. "Ok, now how could I do this?"

"Do what?" asked Aphelion.

Ratchet inserted the device into the Infobot slot, suspenseful to see whether she could read it or not. "Can you run this program?"

"Yes, I can, but… I am confused. What is with this information about dimensional travel that it's trying to download?"

"Well…" Ratchet explained it to her as she started to download the software…


Nefarious stomped his foot impatiently. "You think they got back alright?"

"I don't know," Talwyn answered, "Hopefully they did."

"Well they better hurry up! The sooner we all return home, the quicker we can return back to our lives."

"You think Ratchet is just going to let you go? You're a wanted criminal, remember?"

"Oh, you can try to capture and arrest me, if you have a death wish."

Talwyn didn't bother to reply to his remark. All she gave was a cheeky smile before turning around to stare at the bright cloudless sky. However, her focus changed as a feeling of dread went down her spine. She swore she heard a soft yet deeply vile laugh from behind her. And it sure didn't sound like the doctor. "Nefarious did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Nefarious raised an eyebrow…

The two quickly scanned their surroundings and not a moment later, a projectile flew their way. It came so fast that they couldn't leap out of the way before it made impact, taking both of them up a foot in the air before landing right back on the sand. Nefarious shook his head trying to get back to his senses as he looked over to Talwyn. "You didn't break anything did you? I don't need to hear that rodent blaming me if you went and snapped one of your weak organic bones."

"Pff, nice of you to care."

Talwyn glared in the direction the missile came from. She reached for her blaster from her holster and insisted, "Come on, we have to fend them off before Ratchet and Clank come back."

Nefarious extended his hands, dark energy bursting from his palms. "Sure, sounds like a fun way to pass the time..."


"So that was what happened the last few days," Ratchet finished his story as he took out his Contstructo Bomb Glove and Plasma Slayer from Aphelion's storage compartments in her nose while she was still trying to wrap her head around the new information. Though with what happened with Tachyon, it wasn't so far fetched.

"And where are the others?"

"They're still in the other dimension." The lombax then turned over to Clank. "How far are we in the download?"

"Eighty-eight point five percent."

"But, why did you leave them there?" Aphelion questioned Ratchet's logic.

"Well," He hopped back into the cockpit as he watched the percentage on the screen, "That's where you come in. This portable Dimensionator can only transport two people at a time. But with you as a vessel, it would technically only count as one, right?"

"I see. Clever thinking!"

"Ninety-five point eight percent," The little robot then looked up, "Are you sure this will work?"

"I'm sure Clank. If not, I don't know what else to do…"

"Download complete!" Aphelion voice started to sound a bit anxious. "Hopefully this won't fry my systems. We're taking a risk here to begin with..."

"Don't worry, Aphelion, we'll be fine!" Ratchet swiped his hand in the air, and one of his fingers brushed the screen, causing the menu displayed on it to change. "Hey, I didn't know this was a touch screen!" he exclaimed, pressing on some menu items.

"It has always been part of my specs but you never showed any need to use it. Most of the time the holoscreen was only used for displaying coordinates or watching Behind the Hero and RoboChef."

"RoboChef?" Ratchet said, knowing he didn't watch that boring show. "Clank…?" He turned to the robot with a suspicious look.

"What?" was the only reply Clank gave him.

"The touch functionality has not been used for a long time," Aphelion continued. "Since my last owner that is…"

"Do you remember who your last owner was?"

"I am sorry, but that data seems to have been wiped from my memory banks. The initial crash, and nearly two decades sitting out in the open on a dusty desert planet, has completely erased the majority of my former knowledge. Some days I am surprised I can remember to pump oxygen into the cockpit while we are in space!"

His ears drooped down, as neither the answer nor the comment afterwards made him feel any better about his situation of being the last Lombax in the universe. While he knew he wasn't going to get the most positive response, he still hoped for some knowledge, even just a little bit. Ratchet wanted to know more about his race, but from Aphelion, Tachyon, Alister, and the IRIS Supercomputer, all he had were fragments and pieces.

Moving to the task at hand, the Lombax shook his head and regained focus. "All right, prepare for take off!"

"Affirmative!"

Ratchet looked down over to Clank, with a big smile. "Hang on Clank, I have a feeling this is going to be a bumpy ride!"

The engines roared from the flames shooting out of her thrusters as Aphelion hovered off the ground. Quickly after, she shot right out into the sky until a loud zap signaled the emergence of a wormhole. Aphelion flew through it, and the wormhole snapped shut with a bang. The only thing left behind were a pair of fire trails floating in the sky, twirling as their own momentum tossed them about...


ZAP!

Aphelion slowed down as they arrived at the beach. She gracefully flew down on the sand, with Ratchet and Clank quickly jumping out. "Ok guys, we're bac-"

Ratchet's eyes widened from the sight of Talwyn and Nefarious tied up by an electric barrier, struggling to get out. The girl spotted the lombax. "Ratchet!"

"Oh great, look who's back. Took you long eno-" Nefarious's teeth ground together as he was zapped by Vorselon from where he stood nearby.

"I thought I told you to stay silent!" Just from his tone, it was easy to say that he wasn't in the best of moods. Swiftly focusing his eye in the other direction, his bitter mug cracked a smile from the sight of the Lombax. "Ah, Ratchet. I thought you would never come. I was growing impatient. I thought I would have to destroy your friends to pass the time..."

"I'm not his frie-!"

Shocked again, Nefarious' eyes twitched from the anger and pain inside of him.

"Silence, or I will kill you!"

Ratchet growled, balling both of his hands into tight fists, not the least bit pleased that they had to bump into the smug bastard.

His opponent, on the other hand, enjoyed watching the fury in his eyes. The angrier he was, the more fun the fight would be.

"Well, well, how is my little friend doing?" Vorselon slithered closer to both the Lombax and Clank. The cheer in his voice didn't make the heroes feel any easier. His mechanical body still wasn't repaired, but there was no doubt he was capable of putting up a fair fight.

Besides, he didn't want to disappoint his client...

"We were fine until you showed up…" Ratchet raised his wrench, just in case the enemy would strike. And knowing Vorselon, he would, and viciously.

Though this surprise encounter finally gave Ratchet an opportunity to ask questions. Hopefully the Terraklon wouldn't annoy them to death...

"What are you here for?"

"I'm here to-"

"No wait, don't tell me!" The Lombax interrupted sarcastically, "You're here because that Laynie person sent you, right? You seem to love taking orders from her."

"Why you little!" Vorselon snarled. "Nobody pronounces my little Lania's name wrong!"

"Little Lania? Aww, that's so cute!" Ratchet put on a puppy dog face in mockery.

"Don't test me Lombax! It was an order from Lania to kill every single one of you, but I was going to be generous today and let them live." He jabbed a finger at Talwyn and Nefarious, "And I assure you, keep throwing around those insults, and you'll see how quickly I can change my mind."

"Ratchet, please shut him up already!" Nefarious shouted out in irritation, "Seriously, why did you have to get him talking to begin-"

Vorselon turned around with a dark glare as he boosted up energy from his palm. Nefarious was helpless to do anything but glare at it nervously.

"On second thought, you two have fun catching up! Don't mind me!"

"So Vorselon, Why are you working for this 'Lania' person anyway?" Ratchet asked

"Isn't it obvious? Look at my profession, I'm a mercenary! I take orders from the highest bidder!"

"So you're a greedy snob who only cares about how many bolts he's getting bribed with? Not exactly a flattering self-descriptor."

"It's not just about the pay, you filthy rat! It's also about making Empress Lania happy!" Vorselon then put his hands on his chest as half of his tentacles popped up in the air as if he just came out of a romance novel front cover. "Oh, my evil Terraklon heart starts beating ever so fast every time I'm with her…"

It took a second or two for Ratchet to process, and it took far less for him to finally burst out laughing. "That's just ridiculous!" His words were muffled from all of the cackling he was doing.

"Not to mention anatomically impossible." Clank followed.

Vorselon just glared at the Lombax as his eye twitched with tranquil fury. He grasped his fist to hold back his anger despite it charging up.

Ratchet's laughter calmed as he then looked up at the Terraklon. "I never knew you were the romantic type, Vorselon!"

"Of course I'm romantic! You think us Terraklons are all about killing and torture?!"

"Well, yeah."

"Well not this Terraklon!" He pointed to himself in pride.

All three of them turned around to Nefarious who was now cracking up manically. "Oh, that's just rich. The fact that whatever puny remains left of you landed a catch," He would have jumped around like an idiot if he wasn't tied down at the moment as he looked over to Talwyn who just rolled her eyes, "Man, this Lania must have been really desperate to end up with-"

It wasn't until another zap from Vorselon's hands rang out that he finally shut up and remained quiet. "...Doctor, if you mind?" He was snarling through his teeth as he quivered in annoyance (and possibly embarrassment). It didn't take too long for him to get himself back together and regain his focus.

Ratchet just put his hand on his forehead. "Yeah, well, if you don't mind, can you let go of them please? Trust me when I say no one is really interested in your love life. If you could lay off of that topic too, I think we'd all appreciate it."

"You must think I'm a fool to acknowledge that kind of request."

"Which one?"

The Terraklon snarled as he fired up his hand quickly throwing an attack at Ratchet.

"Whoa!" Ratchet rolled out of the way before it could touch him only for the tip of his ear to get scorched, causing him to yell out in pain. "Damn it!" It stung, badly, but it would take more than a burn to bring him down.

Now furious, The lombax slowly got up and looked over to his robot companion. "Clank, go help out the others, I'll distract the goldfish…"

Clank nodded as he went over to the two trapped.

"Funny seeing you cry over a little scratch, Lombax," Vorselon mocked his foe, "I thought you would be used to the pain by now?"

Ratchet raised his wrench higher, spreading his legs far apart. "Can it Vorselon, let's just get this over with."

An electric pulse started raging from both of the mercenary's hands as he held a terrifying grin on his mug, playing with the power like a slinky. "I never thought you would ask!" He fired a bunch of bombs right at Ratchet as he got out of the way before they hit him. A second later though, they went off; emitting a shockwave

The impact made Ratchet fall to the ground as he landed face down into the sand. He spat out the dirt from his mouth as he saw the pistol Jens had given him a few days ago fall from his pants pockets. As primitive as it was, it was his only weapon. He quickly grabbed it and started to fire at his foe hoping it would at least leave a dent only for Vorselon to already have his holo-shield up and ready before the shots could hit him. They bounced off it and onto the sand. The Terraklon watched the bullets land beside him as he smiled. "I guess that last battle didn't teach you anything…"

Yeah, not the best choice of weapons to use...

Meanwhile, Clank was still trying to figure out how to free his friends from the barrier. "Please give me a second or two." The little robot tried to see if he could break through it by normal means but just touching it with his fingers gave him quite the shock. "Ow."

After shaking his hand a bit from the pain, Clank rubbed his chin in thought. "Hmm, seems this will be trickier than I originally thought."

Ratchet suddenly remembered he brought his Constructo-Bomb Glove with him when they arrived from Torren IV. Hopefully more powerful artillery would do the trick. With a press of a button, a grenade popped into his palm. "Taste this, fish tank!"

The lombax engaged his hoverboots charging right at Vorselon; tossing out several bombs as he circled around him. The Terraklon tried slithering out of the way of each attack. An impact of one of the bombs left him to fall to the ground.

"Yes!" Ratchet shouted out, happy that he was at least able to get one shot to bring his foe down. He shut off his hoverboots but before he came to a stop; a bolt struck him and had him flying into a boulder.

He rubbed the back of his pounding head and once Ratchet was able to regain his surroundings, he quickly took notice that Vorselon was already back on his 'feet' as he was coming closer and closer to him. A chilling grin went across his face as he boosted more energy from his hands

Ratchet tried to let another bomb out of his glove, but he was out of ammo. "Great." Still, he wasn't going to give up just yet.

The lombax got right back up. Only a foot away from him, Ratchet took out his wrench and gave Vorselon a good whack on his tank and a trail of the ectowater dripped down as the Terraklon growled in frustration.

He looked at the Lombax as he held a hand over the crack, trying to stop the flow. "You dare…."

The only thing Ratchet could do was smile with satisfaction. Though, that didn't last for long as Vorselon slammed his hand right to the ground letting loose another shock wave which took Ratchet with it once again.

Vorselon remained in the same spot with his hand covering the small hole.

Ratchet looked back over to Clank. "Um, Clank? How much longer…?" His stomach dropped. His foe's tank stopped leaking enough for him to let go of it and focus back on the Lombax.

"Clank?!" Ratchet called out.

Clank turned over to Ratchet as he took out his Geolaser. "I am still in the progress of releasing them."

"Well, I don't know how much longer I can keep this up for…" The Lombax quickly ran back over to Vorselon and gave another swing of his wrench. The foe got a hold of it however and swung it over his head with Ratchet still holding on. "Aah!" He landed flat on the ground. "Crap…"

Clank then spotted the hatch that was holding the barrier together. "Do not move." He fired up his laser and started to cut through the metal as Nefarious and Talwyn watched.

Ratchet's back was now throbbing and he felt dizzy. He looked up, and saw Vorselon staring right down at him with a smirk. He was about to slam his hand back onto the ground. Ratchet's opened his eyes wide in shock.

He rolled out of the way before the impact could hit him. "Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap…" Ratchet quickly got up running trying to find a viable spot. Taking out his pistol once more, he fired rapidly until it ran out of bullets and all he was left with was a paper weight.

"Any last words rat?" Vorselon's hands powered up again.

"Um, yeah, here's one," Ratchet then threw the gun at Vorselon's suit. Which only succeeded in bouncing off of him and spraying sand on his tentacles once it hit the ground. He just stood there baffled.

"...Did you seriously think that was going to stop me?"

The lombax offered him a cheeky grin, which only confused the Terraklon even more. "No, but I know this will. Nefarious?!"

"Stand back, Lombax!" Nefarious shouted from behind them with his jet boots lifting him off the ground as he fired up his attack. "Let's finish this once and for all!"

Ratchet leapt out of the way. Vorselon was about to follow, but was stopped dead in his tracks by dark matter raining from above. Nefarious laughed as if he was a child given a new toy and kept firing until he thought it was enough to take him down.

After getting the impression that he was taken care of; the mad robot hovered back to the ground and deactivated his jet boots as he rubbed his hands together. "He was always a pain in the ass. Anyways, now that he's taken care of, can we please-"

"Um, Nefarious?" Talwyn interrupted as she pointed at the smoke left behind.

"What?"

Nefarious saw a silhouette though the dusk cloud. It was only once the smoke cleared did he spot Vorselon still standing with a shield covering his whole body. The scientists' eyes just widened from the realization that his attack didn't even leave a single dent.

"How are you still alive?! Seriously, you should have been a pile of-"

Vorselon responded with nothing but launching a powerful shock in Nefarious's direction. This flung the robot far from his opponent. The Terraklon shut down his force field as he flicked the dust off of his suit like he was nothing more than a mild inconvenience. "Obnoxious piece of tin..."

Ratchet could see the fury his foe had just by staring at him straight in the eye. Vorselon had enough.

Once more, electricity roared from his hands and he slammed them down, letting out a shockwave directed toward Clank and Talwyn. The sand underneath them shifted violently preventing them from keeping themselves balanced.

"Clank!" Without warning, another assault came at Ratchet but this time he didn't have time to dodge as the impact caused him to be lifted off the ground and fly across the beach once again, only to have himself forcefully hit the ground a few times before slamming into another rock.

Before he could even get up, he was grabbed by the neck by Vorselon as he struggled to escape from his grasp. Ratchet couldn't get it out of his mind that this was going to be the end. He tried to reach for his wrench only for the bastard to kick it out of the way with his tentacles.

"How does it feel, Lombax, to finally face defeat?" The sadistic tone Vorselon held didn't help Ratchet feel any less afraid causing his tail to quiver in fear. "I had to so many times because of you, and I didn't like it one bit. But now, I finally will emerge victorious."

"Ratchet!" Talwyn ran over to them in hope to stop the Terraklon, but he took notice before she could even get close enough. A trail of electricity flew at her and pushed her aside.

"Talwyn!" Ratchet shouted her name as he tried to fight back. "Let go of me, you scum!"

"If you know what's good for you, you better stay back!" Vorselon warned Talwyn, "Unless you want to end up like your 'boyfriend' here…" He then returned back to the Lombax as a vicious smile stretched across his face. "What's wrong, Ratchet? Can't stand losing," His grip on the Lombax's throat tightened and Ratchet let out a strangled cry, "Or is the pain simply unbearable…?"

Nefarious rubbed his dome as his right eye wobbled around in its socket. He shook his head to return to his senses and saw the fish had hold of Ratchet. And that made him furious…

"…Don't worry though," Vorselon sneered, "It will be all over very short- GAH!" The Terraklon was caught off guard and pushed out of the way. Ratchet landed safely on the sand, rubbing his neck as he tried to regain his breath. As he looked straight ahead he saw Nefarious steps apart from him as the power from his hands died down.

Ratchet was baffled. Did Nefarious…just save him? No, that was practically impossible. This was Nefarious; he wouldn't be caught dead saving someone, let alone an organic life form. But that was the least of his worries…

"Ratchet," Talwyn still sounded distressed as she ran up to him with Clank, "Are you alright?!"

"Yeah, I think I'm fine," He sighed in relief before facing Nefarious. "Nefarious, you saved me…"

"Yeah, so?" Nefarious crossed his arms and struggled at the comment.

"I don't know, just seems...out of character, I guess?"

He rolled his eyes. "Don't push it; I only saved your Squishie behind because you're my only ticket home! Otherwise, I would have let Cyclops over there have his fun."

Nefarious turned his back to the lombax. Deep down in his circuitry, he knew he didn't need to save Ratchet. He could have easily let Vorselon kill the rat and stolen his ship, leaving the other two behind to rot, or worse if that moron stuck around. It wasn't out of the realm of possibility for him. He'd committed crueler acts before. Many, in fact.

But he didn't. Perhaps the last few days of begrudging cooperation were enough reason to let his mortal enemy live another day. As much as he hated to admit it; he would have been lost without him. At least now he was sure he was no longer indebted to him.

That, and the Squishy's death would be his reward, and he would not allow it to be stolen by some fish...

Ratchet picked up his wrench and looked over his saviour in contemplation. The Lombax wasn't sure if it was right to thank Nefarious or not. He was sure the doctor had acted out of some ulterior motive. He couldn't care less about an organic life, especially not his. But still, just to be nice…

"Well, regardless of the reason; thanks."

Though, being nice to someone you hate didn't leave a good aftertaste...

Vorselon slowly got up. The robot left a good dent in his body from that attack. All he could think about was what he was about to do to him to make him pay...

"Yeah, yeah, let's not harp on this. It really isn't a big de-"

Nefarious screeched as Vorselon ran into him and pushed him onto a boulder. "I've had enough of this!" He forcefully shoved his fist into Nefarious' chest and let out a powerful shock as his victim screamed in pain.

Vorselon took his fist out of the hole he had formed and stared angrily into the robot's eyes.

A huge opening within his chest was left as the wires hung out and his gears were left exposed. Sparks crackled as he glared up at his foe. Small coughs and dizziness overtook him as his eyes became dim, and he was feeling weaker and weaker by the second with every 'breath.'

A pleased expression was on the Terraklon's face after seeing the results. Considering all Nefarious put him though when he'd worked for him and the audacity of him interfering with his current job, he thought it was a rightful 'punishment.' And, boy, did he revel in every second of it...

"That's what happens when you mess with Lord Vorselon! Perhaps next time you'll think twice, doctor!" A dark laugh followed as he boosted up his hand for another blow. "If I'll allow there to be a next time!"

BOOM!

"Ah!" Vorsleon's tank flew right up into the air from an assault from behind.

His suit blew up on him before he could give the final blow. Nefarious' sight was still blurry, but he could easily make out Ratchet in the background holding up his Plasma Slayer. Smoke was still rising up in the air from its last use.

"Nice shot," Talwyn remarked.

"Argh!" Ratchet, Clank and Talwyn turned around from hearing the frustration coming from Vorselon, with his tank buried deep within the sand. "You rotten rodent! That was just a lucky shot! No one can defeat Lord Vorselon! No one! You hear me!?"

Ratchet could only roll his eyes before he walked over to him.

"Come back here and-" His eye looked up after noticing a shadow looming over him, as his ears lowered down and his pupil widened in fear. "Oh…"

The Lombax kicked him with his left foot as hard as he could with the Terraklon yelling as he sailed through the air.

"Wretched space rat!" Vorselon's voice became quieter the farther he went.

Talwyn stood next to Ratchet as he watched the enemy take off. "Well, at least that problem is taken care of."

"Trust me; this won't be the last we see of him. I know from experience." Ratchet turned around and saw Nefarious trying to get up, holding his chest. However, the robot fell right back down to his knees…

"C'mon," Ratchet started to walk over to Aphelion, not looking back, "Let's go."

As the other two followed him, Clank couldn't help but feel bad for the doctor. Leaving him behind would be waiting for death to take him. The small robot stopped in his tracks.

"Ratchet?"

The lombax stopped and turned around. "Yeah pal?"

"As eager as we all are to return home, I do not believe it is right to leave Nefarious behind."

One of Ratchet's ears drooped down with the other rose in confusion. "Um, what now?"

"He is in critical condition and his life is in danger. If he does not get the maintenance required he will die."

"And your point?"

"Nefarious saved your life, Ratchet. I think it would be the noble thing to return the favor."

"Wait what?" Was he hearing this right? Did Clank just say that they should help Nefarious? "You do realise this is Nefarious we're talking about here, right? Our enemy?"

"And the fact he kidnapped you once and tried to destroy the space-time continuum," Talwyn added. "Besides, it's not like he'd be grateful if we did save his life."

"I am well aware of his crimes, Talwyn, but without Nefarious' help we may have never been able to build the device to begin with. He was just as much part of the team as you or I. It is unfair to use the machinery he helped build to leave him stranded here." Clank turned back to Ratchet, "I do not see the harm in putting our hatred behind us once more."

"Clank, even if he helped us; he's still a threat. You can't seriously expect him to change his ways right after he recovers."

"Lea-leave me here," Nefarious insisted as he wheezed in between words, "I refuse to be indebted to you squishies again!"

"See," Ratchet retorted to Clank. "He wants us to leave him here. C'mon guys, we're wasting time with this…"

"Ratchet!"

"Clank? C'mon."

The little robot didn't move from his spot. He then gave Ratchet a glare as he put his hands on his hips.

"Clank, don't look at me like that..."

Clank just tilted his head in response, unwilling to back down.

"Oh c'mon! Are you serious?!" Of course, Ratchet wasn't immune to his insistence. And the more he looked into his eyes, the harder it was to say no. Still...

Ratchet just sighed as he shook his head. "Sometimes, I think I'm way too forgiving. Fine, but I won't like it. Tal, help me out would you?"

Talwyn seemed baffled but she didn't continue the debate. "...Of course…"

They both walked up to Nefarious and put his arms around their shoulders only for him to rebutt in anger. "You came back?! What's wrong with you?! I'm not gonna accept any help from a Squishie like you!"

"Just for once, try to ignore the whole arch-nemesis deal…"

They carried the mad robot over to Aphelion. Clank followed and they all entered the ship.

"Oh my," Aphelion replied after 'seeing' the sight of the four cramped up in just a small space. "Are you conformable back there?" She asked humorously.

"…Aphelion, just get us home…"

"Right away, Ratchet!" Her thrusters fired up, pushing her above the sand as the passengers moaned in pain.

"It is quite stuffy in here, is it not?" Clank remarked.

"Just be lucky Qwark isn't with -Gah! Nefarious, your foot is going up my-"

"Shut it Lombax, I don't want to hear anything for the remainder of the ride…"

"This is going to be a fun trip home." Talwyn faced-palmed as Clank let out a cheesy chuckle.

Aphelion zoomed right into the sky and zapped into a wormhole once more, leaving this dimension and heading back to their own…


"Aaaaah! Ow!" Vorselon bounced into and out of the sand as he finally hit the ground, shouting out in pain as his head slammed into his tank with every bump. It finally came to a halt and stood up on it's bottom. He pouted, unamused, and sighed. "Filthy rat…"

There was then a loud blast and behind him a portal appeared. Coming out were two guards followed by a woman with blue skin and tentacles cascading from her head like hair. She glanced down at him with her golden eyes as she crossed her arms.

The Terraklon greeted her with a cheesy grin as he looked up. "Hi honey!"

Lania just rolled her eyes. "Well, this is a familiar sight. Let me guess; you didn't kill them?"

"Well, you see, I, well," He couldn't think of a single excuse. "Erm, no."

She sighed. "We'll discuss this later, Flint. Though if you don't mind me asking, why are you without your suit?"

"It, um, blew up."

"Ugh." Lania rubbed her temple in frustration. She then picked him up and carried him back with her. She didn't say anything more. As calm as she was now; Vorselon knew that it wasn't going to last once they returned to HQ. Far from it…


ZAP!

The gang arrived home at the Apogee Space Station. Aphelion entered the small docking bay, parking right next to Cronk's ship. As she came to a complete stop, Ratchet jumped out and Talwyn helped him get Nefarious out of the ship. They were greeted by Cronk, Zephyr and Qwark with worried, yet somewhat grateful looks on their faces…

"Miss Apogee," Zephyr said to Talwyn as he walked in, "Where have ya been the last few days? We were worried…"

"Well, since you're all back safe and sound, we can-" Before Qwark could even finish his own sentence, he took sight of Nefarious. He jumped up into the air screaming and landed into Cronk's arms. "Gah, what's he doing here?!"

"Get off of me, you darn fool!" Cronk fell right to the floor from Qwark's weight. The superhero then looked right down at him as he sat on the decrepit robot.

"Erm, um sorry."

Ratchet shook his head. "Let's just say it's a long story, Qwark. We'll explain it all later. Right now though, Nefarious needs our help."

Cronk and Zephyr took Nefarious out of their hands and walked him away to get him patched up, leaving the other four alone. The lombax sighed.

"Let's hope we don't regret this…"

His ears started to twitch from the sound of thumps coming from Aphelion's trunk. Ratchet took the defensive and raised his wrench high, preparing for whatever was hiding in there. Then a moment later…

Jens popped out and scanned her surroundings. "Man, that was one bumpy ride." She then saw the others. "Oh, hey y'all," the girl cheerfully waved.

"Jens…!?"

-End of Chapter Six-

A/N: So happy I got the first act finished. It was a lot of work but it was a blast. Six rewrites down, seven more to go.

See ya guys next month...