Happy Holidays! I hope the wait didn't annoy people. I got a bad bought of right's block and got a bit run-down, but I managed to finish this chapter. It was fun to write some of these scenes and I hope it'll be fun to read. :) Thanks to the supportive reviews I've been getting.
Enjoy :D
Lifeforce Chapter 8
"Never explain - your friends do not need it and your enemies will not believe you anyway."
-Elbert Hubbard
Affirmative
Things hadn't gone a smoothly as Trisby planned. And to make matters worse, she had that deep-voiced blowhard crooning somewhere above.
"Where've you gotten to?"
Where indeed. Currently she was hidden behind the remains of a rather large minion, that had a very unfortunate fall when she shot the tender wire in its leg. Little missed details could be the deadliest, though she had no time to gloat about it. She was tired and he wasn't; lounging up there on his vehicle while she was basically chased around the room by blaster shots.
Trisby tried to force her breathing into a more calmed level as she re-loaded her blaster, swallowing a little. Her mouth felt dry. This much movement and excitement, she admitted, wasn't something she was used to.
...That made her sound old.
The cat -like creature rolled her eyes and slid lower as the not-so subtle noise of the throne moved a little closer. She could not see him, but he was looking for her. The minions where fighting Ratchet and Clank down below the broken floor, so it was just her, him, and a pair of canons.
There was a pause.
"Aww...hiding from me...?"
There was a rather disturbing note of delight in his voice; probably as savage as an axe murder in a horror movie, only fluffier. Trisby forced herself not to grumble. She was no mouse, nor prey. The very idea of appearing like that in his mind was infuriating.
"No matter. I'll find you..." He sounded cheerful; so high-and mighty. Trisby had had her fun toying with that remarkable shot temper, but she was tired of him now.
WHACK.
Abruptly, the metal scrap pile of minion she had been leaning her back against was swatted away like a bug from a tabletop, and she only just managed to leap onto her feet, turn and dodge the swipe herself.
Her pupils dilated a little as she found herself at the edge of the floor; the minions battling Ratchet and Clank below. A bit of a height for a creature her size.
The Loki grinned down at her with what only could be called gleeful, smug malice. And that was a mixture of hell. His arm was folded around his side casually; as if the whole fight hadn't fazed him at all. "Ah...there you are."
Trisby straightened up and scowled at him, tilting her chin a little. "So it would seem."
"Stubborn even in defeat. I expected a little more fight, given your..." He glanced upwards, as if searching for a word before smirking a little, eyes narrowed. "Headstrong words..."
"Clearly your head wasn't strong enough when the skinny robot b*tch-slapped it."
Fury flickered on his mug, and Trisby smirked in return. Bulls-eye.
"...I think I've had enough of your lip." He straightened up where he stood on the vehicle, though his smirk remained faint on his face. Trisby rolled her eyes.
"For the love of everything explosive, stop looking at me like that."
The amusement left his expression. "Hm. I suppose I should just kill you now, anyway. Ta-ta, My dear..."
Trisby had the split second before the shot to step back to what little space she still had behind her- and it was pure luck what happened next. The metal panel on the floor was hit like a seesaw; hitting one end down and sending her springing up- right onto the side of the purple throne.
The Loki's eyes widened, "What- what are you-?!" She ignored his splutters and leaped up to the antenna-like contraption on top, probably used for balance. She gave it a yank, quickly, and the throne gave a sudden jerk to the left.
"You where SO sure I'd die that you put your SHIELDS down?" Trisby grunted from above, hitting the device with her blaster next. There was a growl before and something grabbed her by the scruff, giving her a sharp tug.
Her eyes widened and she gripped the antenna, pulling herself forward and swinging to the other side. The Loki-possessed creature climbed up into view, looking murderous. Trisby noted that even in his tiny form, he was bigger.
...I despise you, nature.
He too grabbed the antenna and tried to pry her hands off with his claws. Trisby gritted her teeth and tugged back. He fumed, "I am NOT about to be defeated by a little simpleton like you!"
Trisby felt rage boil inside her, "Excuse me?!" She let go of the antenna- and slid down to the front of the machine and pulled at a few wires before he could see what she was doing. He leaped back down and actually shoved her away- and she just managed to grab the side of the canon before plummeting off the hoverthrone.
She hung there for a moment, glaring at him, and getting a glower in return. Then, the ironically deep-voiced critter slammed a button down and the canons re-folded into the throne, and to avoid getting her fingers jammed she had to let go.
"Yipe!"
Trisby felt pain grip her arm as she fell onto it as her side collided with the metal floor. She quickly scrambled back onto her feet, swaying just once and stepping back a few steps from the throne. The Loki placed his hands behind his back, looking rather relaxed again. Trisby almost groaned.
...And she'd dropped her blaster. Wonderful.
"Did you honestly think you'd win?" Trisby slowly turned her gaze back to the owner of that oily tone, "Quite amusing, but foolish."
"Hmmm." She was done talking to him, and she gripped her sore arm with an irritated glower.
The canons whipped back out again and he jumped a little, arms out and stepping back. The Loki smirked at such a display of alarm, and again she felt fury boil in her blood. What a little creep he was.
But, instead of shooting, he went on, "This little endeavor of yours was pointless, you know." He leaned against the side of the throne and Trisby blinked at him.
...He's monologuing. Dear lord.
Ratchet and Clank, having defeated the minions, where peering over the side of the platform she stood on a few meters behind, staring. It seems they had the same thoughts, as Ratchet rose a brow and Clank shook his head.
Trisby stared wide-eyed up at him and raised a hand to rest her chin on it, wrapping her other arm around her side.
He continued, "Despite the simple methods of my associates, we are ahead of you and that posse who call themselves 'hero' and in a few short hours we may very well detain what we are after." He straightened up, looking quite please with himself. As he spoke on a little more Trisby glanced back at Ractchet, who mouthed:
Wasn't he going to shoot you...?
Trisby raised her hands and shoulders, shaking her head incredulously. She had no idea.
"I spent YEARS trapped in an infernal rock while the rest of the galaxy went untouched and 'saved' during the war..." Trisby spun back around to face him, hands behind her back.
He glared down at her yet smirked, one small clawed fist clenched. Her eyes widened a little, and she tried not to make it look like she was about to giggle at the absurd action."I will rip this galaxy apart, and wait till the last one to end it slowly. How is THAT for a return."
Trisby, during his little rant, had side-stepped to her fallen blaster and now held it behind her back. She placed it on the ground, hidden by her ankles, and clapped a little, actually smiling despite her aching arm. That was the funniest luck she'd ever had.
"Yay, that was a lovely monologue! I can tell you worked hard on it." The Loki stared at her with a slight, confused frown, as if wondering if she'd lost it. Annoyance came into the expression.
The canons twitched again; spinning a little on the inside, ready to fire. Trisby grinned and waited. Ratchet and Clank gasped.
A moment passed where nothing but a spark sounded in the chamber. The Loki's eyes broadened and he glanced down at his throne- and only then he notice the wires Trisby had fiddled with.
Then, the canons sparked again and exploded.
Trisby was thrown back by the blast- she hadn't expected it to be that powerful. She fell on her back with a thud and her ears rang painfully. She barely made out the pained grunt of the Loki who collided with the ground nearby, or Ratchet's whoop.
Clank, on the other hand, dragged himself back onto the platform from Ratchet's back, "Trisby, are you alright...?!"
She turned her head and forced her eyes open. The Loki was already standing nearby; without his throne or weapon. But neither was she. She felt a rare shot of panic hit her nerves, and she sprang up clumsily, drawing back. Her ankle screamed in pain and her arm still ached, but her brain was functioning fine.
The Loki snarled and turned to her- then noticed she was clutching her shoulder. A grin spread slowly and he crooned, "Aw, My dear...are you harmed?"
Trisby stepped back, glaring as he advanced, hands curled as if ready to strangle- and he was seconds in front of her when Ratchet sped up towards them, holding his wrench overhead, ready to swat the parasite where he stood.
"Gotcha!"
He managed to hit him on the shoulder and send him rolling backwards. Trisby sucked the air through her teeth, though grinned at the hit.
"Four."
Clank chuckled and came to stand beside her, watching as the Loki bounced back onto the ground a little away from them. Ratchet approached and the being sneered at him.
"Alright, parasite, it's over..." He reached out a hand to pick him up by the scruff- but the creature snarled. The hoverthrone was damaged, but still functioning enough to keep flight- and not so far from the ground after the hit. He leaped back, then onto the throne, hitting one of the keys before Ratchet could catch him. He rose the throne up a little, his breaths a little labored.
"A minor setback, meddlers." He hissed through his teeth as the trio scowled up at him, "But I'm afraid you're too late anyway. I have enough information." He drew back on the throne, and pressed one last button- one that made the floor they stood on slid away completely and they fell into the lower, ditch-like area where Ratchet and Clank had been trapped moments ago.
"I leave you with a parting gift." The Loki darkly, and before he turned away and left them, he made eye contact with Trisby one last time.
Their gazes where, to put it simply, equally murderous.
"See you later." Trisby called after him in a sing-song voice. He growled and turned, moving away out of sight with the throne.
"Laugh all you want- at least you'll be positive in the grave!"
The minions appeared all around the sides above the square ditch, and Ratchet gripped his wrench. "Aw, great..."
ZAP.
What happens next would be...difficult for Ratchet and Clank to explain later. Just as the minions where ready to pounce down on them from above, something like lightning struck them. It swooped around like a flying river, or gas. It was hard to determine just what it looked like- a foggy, bright, speeding light that was as pale blue as frozen lakes.
Ratchet's eyes widened- and he was too alarmed to notice the light did not sting his eyes. The minions burst into flurries of metal where they stood, falling down to the ground; pale blue smoke rising off of them.
Then, it seemed to hover all around them like a pale blue fog. Some river-like strands of paler blue slid around them like ink dropped into clear water. A coldness gripped the room and Ratchet's fur stood on end. Trisby stared around in silence, slowly tilting her head.
Then, the floor raised up to level with the corridor doors again; the ditch no more. One of the doors slid open with a small beep. Ratchet and Clank remained still.
Clank slowly raised a hand to touch the blue fog. "Ratchet...do you suppose this is...?"
"Whatever it is..." Ratchet mumbled, feeling the odd need to be silent, "It saved our buts..." He glanced towards the open door. Trisby was already heading towards it, eyeing the blue fog quietly as she went.
Then, it faded away, as if it had never been. Clank stared after Trisby quietly before jogging after her, Ratchet following his lead for once.
"Trisby, do you know something about..."
"Ask IRIS."
The curt reply came as she turned to face them; standing before the familiar large screen of the Supercomputer itself.
"Welcome back, Ratchet. It is a please to see you again."
Ratchet cleared his throat. The blue fog was still fresh in his mind; the cold touch still present in his skin and fur. It was so...weird. He needed a moment to think- though he knew he couldn't waste anymore time. His blood began pumping a little more when he remembered Cronk and Zephyr still trapped in the asteroid base with the others.
"Uhh...what can you tell me about the Lifeforce?" He rose a hand as he said this, biting his lip. The screen flickered and an image appeared- a blue-print like image of a cloud-like substance. It looked more like a splatter in the 2D form.
"The Lifeforce. An energy-like aura, biologically present in beings from planet: Toranux. Not yet completely specified."
"The Loki planet?" Clank inquired. Ratchet's ears lifted a little.
"Affirmative. It was present in the forms of the 'Thora' race. Like a second immune system, it healed and protected their bodies from disease and long-term injury."
"That doesn't sound dangerous..." Clank commented quietly to Ratchet, a hand on his chin thoughtfully, "In fact, it sounds...positive. What could villains wish to do with a healing function?"
Ratchet looked back up at the computer. "Who are...or what are the Thora?"
The screen changed- and the outline form of a ghost-like being, one Ratchet found familiar, appeared. A tail, long arms, a pointed head...though slimmer than that of the Loki he'd seen. And, by the looks of it- pale blue with...pinkish hues around the chest.
"The Thora. A related race of the Loki species. Now extinct, they lived on Toranux before the great war. They possessed talent in spiritual means, music, art and other forms of none-violent pursuits. They had a science division, though refrained from weapon-making as they believed it would lead to conflict. A peaceful race, they were targets of prejudice and abuse by their larger relatives, the Loki, who saw themselves as superior. The Loki, however, did not possess lifeforces, nor its healing talents."
Ratchet tilted his head. Again, healing- no violence. What could the Loki possibly want with it?
"What...what would the Loki want with it?" It was probably a very vague question, but surprisingly Ratchet got an answer.
"Not much more is known about Lifeforces. However, an Archaeologist from Fastoon discovered an artefact preserved from eons after the war and destruction of Toranux. The artefact contained the dislodged lifeforce of a deceased Thora. According to his research, it could be removed and given, but also had many more aspects than healing."
Ratchet and Clank exchanged eager glances- now they were getting somewhere!
The lombax smiled a little as he looked back up at the computer screen. "The research he did...is there any of it stored here? Details on uh, the other aspects?"
"Negative."
Ratchet tried not to groan- though his ears drooped a little at the answer. "But- where would we..." Clank stepped forward, deciding to be more direct.
"Tells us what you can about Ickabar Locksher and his work, if you please." He tilted his head.
Yet again, another image appeared. This time the faceless model of a lombax appeared; wearing a shoulder belt with a disc-like circle on it; and his stripes outlined in white. Two on each ear with curling sides. Beside the model was a pattern like the skeleton a leaf- Ratchet realized it must be the pattern of stripes on his back.
"Ickabar Locksher. Born and raised on Fastoon. He was discovered on the steps of a Council Office Building shortly after his birth; no parents or trace of family where found. He was transferred to the East Rim Care Facility, where he was raised alongside two foster brothers."
Ratchet tilted his head, noting all of this- but hoping for more. The no-parents thing caught his attention, though.
Guess it's always the orphans, huh, Ick...?
"He became an archaeologist and discovered the artefact a few years later. During the attack on Fastoon, he vanished along with the other members of his race. It is unknown what is fate was."
Ratchet breathed out slowly. It didn't give them much to go on...
"His research would have been left behind unattended- but an incident occurred that made Ickabar store it away in an obscure place. It is believed he discovered something dangerous about the Lifeforce whilst examining it. "
The lombax rubbed his chin slowly. IRIS did say before that not much was known about it...what did Ickabar find?
"Is there anything else you could tells us that could help?" A sudden thought came to him, "Would his...foster brothers have known anything?"
IRIS answered his first question first, as was expected. If it hadn't, Ratchet would not have been able to listen anymore. It was odd, really, how it could speak in such monotone about it...though maybe that made it easier to deliver.
"Ickabar discovered the artefact on Planet Berrik in the outer area of Polaris. Some evidence was left behind that may give clues to where he would go to decipher it. Ickabar Locksher's Foster brothers where not archaeologists. Raymas Lars, the eldest, was a scientist and has been missing for over twenty years."
"His other foster brother was the cragmite, Percival Tachyon."
Ratchet's blood froze. Tachyon...Tachyon...?
"W-wait a minute..." His voice wavered, his green eyes wide, " Tachyon was Ickabar's foster brother?"
"Affirmative. He left Ickabar behind after he discovered his true origins, then laid waste to Fastoon while Ickabar was there."
Ratchet stared up at the computer. A heavy, heavy silence followed.
Tachyon was a despicable creature, Ratchet knew. But this...
"How could he...?" He murmured. He slowly looked up. It probably didn't matter now, but...
"Is Ickabar...okay?"
But his question was never answered. Ratchet was struck by an unnerving sort of familiarity as the lights began to power down- then flicker before IRIS could give him any more information. Clank stepped back, and Trisby- who had remained silent up to this point- chewed on her lip.
The coldness from before returned, and a gust of the blue fog they'd seen burst through the door. Ratchet fell onto his back, and his head slammed against the metal floor. His vision began to blur.
"Ratchet! Ratchet, are you alright..."
"C-Clank...?"
"Ickabar! Icky, can you hear me?!"
"Huh?" Ratchet's mind fell into a haze. Clank's voice where echoes, fading into another voice. One that he found familiar...yet at the same time, completely new. He was no longer looking at the blurred metal ceiling of the IRIS question room. He could see...the sun making his vision fuzzy.
"Ickabar...!"
...
The sun was bright upon the sand, it burned the tiny grains below to a golden crisp. The light reflected off the warm, smooth surfaces of the buildings, bouncing back and forth. Trapping the world in a realm of warmth and glowing light.
Then, through the soft sand of the road, a pair of feet skidded across the boiling hot surface as if it were not hotter than cool stone.
"Whooo!"
The lombax spun around like he'd been ice skating, grinning brightly in the sunlight as he ran. His dark fur seemed to blank him out from the light building and scenery around him. He examined his hands, dusting off some sand from when he'd tripped on the ground before.
"Ickabar, honestly! Are you listening to me?"
He turned around, grinning a little.
"Erm...nope."
It was a normal day as far as he could say. The sun was shining, the streets where metal, and his borhers where furious with him.
Percy more than anyone else. As Raymas came forward; tall and green and very reptilian against the desert sun, Percy remained where he was, arms folded and head shaking in that condemning manner of his.
Raymas's posture was like always, too- stiff and stern, perhaps monotone like his voice. Soft, though. A pair of striped, brown eyes met his own and he smiled.
"C'mon, Ray, I wasn't going too far. And it's not as if I'm dancing along a cliff edge."
"You did that last week" Raymas said in a deadpan. Ickabar sighed to himself. He turned his head, and something in him sank just a little. While he'd been cruising along quite happily...it seemed some of the other lombaxes around their ages had been scowling at him.
His ears drooped a little and his smile began to fade. Percy wandered past him, Raymas continuing to walk. Ickabar found himself at the back of the trio all of a sudden, ears bent. He lowered his gaze, trying not to let their boring stares get to them as he turned and followed behind Percy.
The cragmite, two years his senior, turned and looked at him over his shoulder with a slight frown. He then glanced at the other furred people watching him as they walked.
"...Don't mind the miscreants."
Ickabar giggled a little, though his head remained a bit bent. "I thought I was the miscreant, Percy..."
"...You are."
Ickabar chuckled again, eyes closed- and blocked off from the glowers of his own kind. How odd he must have looked- his dark, purple-brown fur against the pale sand, his ice-like ices and the fact a cragmite was trotting along in front of him; not to mention the reptilian-like being walking ahead from an unnamed species.
Ickabar saw Percy glanced back at him. No anger or scorn was in his gaze, nor Raymas's. Not like the ones the others had just given.
He looked over his shoulder and stopped for a moment. No-one else was glaring at him anymore. They'd just lost interest for now. He sighed, glancing around a little. It felt...quiet.
Wait...who was that?
For a second he thought he spotted a tall, lanky figure in the alleyway. Black and skinny in the shadows...
"Ickabar, hurry up!"
"I...I'm coming..."
"Ickabar!"
"...wake up!"
...
Ratchet's eyes snapped open. The supercomputer's room was shaking- and by the sound of it, so was the rest of the vessel. He sat up. His mouth was dry, his head was pounding painfully. Clank peered at him worriedly.
"Ratchet, are you alright?"
"Y-yeah...I had the weirdest-"
The floor gave a sudden jolt, and Ratchet stumbled to his feet, almost toppling over again. Trisby stood by the doorway, ready to move, her hands clenched into fists.
"We have to go NOW, sleepy head! The Loki's trying to shake us out! We have to get out of here before his minions flood the place!"
"W-where?!" Ratchet called as she went through the door, he and Clank stumbling after her. His head still hurt badly.
"Berrick, you numskull! Like IRIS said!"
"We should must on the others!" Clank argued. Trisby rolled her eyes, miffed.
"All right, alright, let's just go anywhere that's NOT here!"
Ratchet groggily followed her down the shaking halls, head bent, heart pounding. He felt slightly sick, cold and hazy. What happened? What was that?
It was like...being someone else. Not watching, but...being.
As he ran, Ratchet couldn't help but wonder why the other lombaxes had glared so hatefully at Ickabar...who had smiled so warmly.
Moral: Do not monologue.
