Sorry for the long wait, and in advance for another. I have a busy year coming up, and this chapter took a long time to write. I keep saying I hope things will pick up, but maybe now that the journy's started for Ratchet, it'll get things pumped. Its been built-up till now. The emotional part of the fanfic starts now ^^ As do most of the flashback subplots, so be prepared for oc's. The cragmites from 'Meanwhile on Reepor' will appear in later chapters. Hope you enjoy this chapter ^^

Lifeforce Chapter 10

"Kids aren't born to be bullies, they're taught to be bullies."
-Matt Bomer

(An Unhappy Ending part 2)

Watching

"Shh!"

Nevo ducked down lower as the search-light of the minion hovered above. Frumpus was on his knees behind a crate nearby, and had frozen like ice upon his friend's warning. Nevo, with shaking, aging palms, fiddled as quietly as possible with the blaster. He wasn't familiar with handling such devices, but it was necessary.

The part of Magnus that was still crawling with minions was, well, still crawling with minions. A century's worth of damage couldn't have been fixed much in mere months, and the factories for the Loki's pawns still remained. The parasite hadn't come back to Magnus, but he still found the nerve to use some of it still.

So, Nevo and Croid found it was their responsibility to shut the darn things down. Starting with the largest. He just hoped the overconfident Loki had forgotten to change some of the pass codes- Nevo had programmed quite a lot of this.

He shuddered a little. Those years where a hazy blur; like a nightmare. He didn't really know how he'd chosen that slavery-like fate over death.

Frumpus was peering over the crate, his hair making it quite obvious he was there. Nevo gave him a wave to alert of him of this- and his friend ducked down again.

He hadn't changed much...

The factory was inside and outside the mountain. With the gravity re-instated it would be easier to get in. Nevo wouldn't lie- he was terrified. But he couldn't let this happen again. It had almost driven them into extinction.

But, despite their noble intentions, it was a bad idea.

Suddenly Nemo found it was a lot bright- and looked up, almost blinding himself. The searchlight was right on him, a spotlight on a very unwilling performer.

The tharpod leaped back spontaneously like a started frog, just before the red-hot laser hit the ground where he had stood seconds before.

"Frumpus, RUN!" He scrambled back- and the clumsily footsteps of his friend came running behind him, and Frumpus hopped away from another shot from the defense mechanisms.

"Ah!"

Nevo finally managed to get back up, pulling Frumpus by the arm and running remarkably fast for someone his age. "No time to talk, flee!"

"How'd they spot us?"

"I don't-"

Something slid past his shoulder- but it was surprisingly not another laser. The tharpods turned their heads in a whip-like fashion as a dagger slid through the air and hit one of the spot-lights. Then, leaping over them like a metal frog, an armored figure slightly shorter than them jumped into battle. The armored, long-eared being jumped onto a searchlight droid, breaking it, then again onto a high one, closer to the minion factory.

The two tharpods stood, staring mutely.

"What on..."

Nevo adjusted his askew specs, eyes narrowed, trying to focus on the being. He could see the triangular ears, sleek limbs- and his aging sight could make out more than three standard fingers. His eyes widened and his specs slipped from his fingers to bounce back, alarmed, on his face.

"By stars, a lombax...!"

"What's that you say, Nevo?" Frumpus murmured back- but another laser hit in front of their toes sent them reeling back before he could answer. They had no choice- hanging around was as foolish as trying to approach in the first place.

Nevo and Croid turned and sped back to the nature's cover of Magnus, Croid casting a look over his shoulder at the armored lombax. Still fighting the minions- smashing them, punching them, kicking them- all blows with the aggression of a grivelnox.

Despite it, Frumpus felt the need to call back. "Thank you! However you are!"

Nevo was about to tell him not to draw attention when his foot caught on a rock- and he tumbled down a forestry slope, Frumpus tumbling after him. Their yells went unnoticed by the minions.

"Aaaaaaah...!"

Needless to say, the trip back to the Forest Lab, settled in a little more secluded place in case of the Loki tracking them, was not pleasant.

Nevo dabbed Frumus's scraped arm quietly with a small, stinging cotton ball. "That escape wasn't the most graceful." His friend commented to him, cringing a bit.

Dinkles was curled nearby, looking stressed. "Mew."

"I'm alright, Dinkles." Frumpus quipped, despite he and his cohort's rugged appearance. The cat-like creature mewed again, more softly. Nevo turned his attention back to the particularly nasty scratched, applying the last of the stinging formula before wrapping it up.

He sighed after a moment and moved into the other room, all the while speaking over his shoulder to Frumpus. "The galactic authorities are preoccupied with the invasions near the capital- and we've been left stranded here as the Loki's personal resource planet. " He sounded irked as he stood by his workspace, eyeing some of the machines.

"If they devoted-"

The roof caved in.

Something crashed straight through the thick layer of the roof, through metal and wire, with the force of a ballistic missile. Nevo recoiled with a yelp, falling smack on his back onto the metal floor.

The thing landed with a smash onto the workbench, denting it a little- but remarkably not breaking it down altogether. Everything went still and stone.

Nevo blinked at the thing- or rather the person- on the bench. Broken armour covered his legs and arms- but most of it was missing.

The lombax.

"Oh my..."

"Mew..."

...

Ickabar felt it again.

The night was falling over the sun-kissed planet of Fastoon. He could see it edging away from him like the many peers he had, unwilling to give comfort, and instead turning away to mind its own business, and leave. With that departure, he felt the chill of the desert night come in, and the shadows began to creep over him to mix with his dark fur.

His eyes flickered from side to side past his knees; the bony pair held up against his chest. Sometimes nights like these came along and he found himself preferring the silence, but not the emptiness. Better the devil you know, however. Being alone was easier than being in bad company.

"There you are, miscreant..."

Ickabar didn't turn around as the cragmite pattered to his side, looking quite annoyed. Icky sighed.

"Why am I a miscreant today?"

"Because you didn't answer when I was looking for you everywhere, numbskull." Came the blunt reply.

Ickabar felt a lump in his throat. On any other day, Percy's words would mean nothing. That was the way he was- he said mean things, but they were empty words, said instead of worry or any 'childish' emotion that the cragmite hated showing. But tonight they stung a bit.

"What are you looking at?" Percival's aggravated comment brought him back from his thoughts again, "You always drift off..."

Ickabar sniffled. That's when the silence fell. It felt cold around him and he gripped himself tight.

Don't cry.

It isn't worth it.

That's what Raymas had told him anyway. Maybe it was the reason he was so refined, calm and collected. It isn't worth it, he said. Percy said it, too.

But, he could feel dampness down his fluffy, purple-brown cheeks. But, now he felt that it was worth it.

"...Ickabar?"

He didn't turn to the cragmite. He couldn't face the criticism, empty and offhanded as it always was from him. He felt like his chest was a delicate ball of ice; one tap and it would go.

"Icky...?"

Then the voice got softer. His ears lifted just a bit, then drooped again. He felt heavy, his eyes, his ears. He couldn't ever move from this spot, not even for food. He would stay here and never go back to the jeers of the other lombax children ever again.

Softly, he felt a hand on his shoulder, holding tight with pointed fingers. A silent way of comfort from the creature beside him.

...

Ratchet awoke with a start. Clank was eyeing him curiously from the other seat. He looked around, licking his lips a little, still dry after his sudden nap. "Wha...?"

They were flying through space in Aphelion, and Ratchet suddenly remembered the day. It felt vague- the morning had went quickly, practically swallowing a quick breakfast whole and rushing out to Berrick- a planet Ratchet hadn't really heard of.

"Ratchet, I know it seems I keep asking, but is there something wrong?" Clank perceptive gaze bore into the side of Ratchet's face. The lombax sighed. No matter how much he'd tried to delude himself last night, and the time before that, this was getting out of hand. Time to fess up, he guessed.

He just hoped his story sounded a little less far-fetched than ghostly imaginary friends that turned out not to be so imaginary.

"Clank...remember when you saw visions of the Zoni and I thought you were crazy?" He didn't know how else to put it. Of course Clank knew he meant no harm, but the memories of that rocky time in their friendship where not exactly smiled upon. To this day Ratchet wished it never happened.

The robot turned his head to the side a little, a ghost of a smile of his metallic face. "Well, yes. I suppose I could have explained them a bit less...whimsically."

Ratchet grinned when he remembered Clank's first definition of the Zoni. He'd been so wondrous about them that he- in a rare moment- forgot to remain overly logical in his vocab.

They are little invisible creatures, who travel through time!

His smile faded. He couldn't stall.

"Well...I dunno how ta tell ya this, pal, but...I've been...seeing things." He turned his head- fearing the look- but Clank was staring at him with a surprised, but very interested gaze.

"Go on..." He prompted. Ratchet sighed, looking back ahead again, holding onto the wheel.

"Well...they're like dreams...visions, if they're not...and...it's like I'm someone else."

Clank rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "...Who, Ratchet?"

The miniature robot hadn't been expecting the answer, when Ratchet turned to him with that worried, yet serious look on his face. He could see...an unsettled look in his friend's eyes- the same strain on him that he had when trying to find out his origins, years ago when they first came to Polaris.

"...In the dreams, I'm Ickabar. I'm...Tachyon's little foster brother...back before it all happened." Ratchet's voice was soft. He could remember feeling the sun on his fur, the sand under his feet- but they weren't his memories. Yet they were as clear as day.

"...Ickabar...?" Something suddenly came to Clank. Back in IRIS, the blue fog...perhaps it had come kind of effect on Ratchet.

"The fog...perhaps it...done something." Clank muttered thoughtfully. "But how can the lifeforce- if that is what it was- cause memories? If it is an energy..."

"I don't know, Clank." Ratchet said, gripping the wheel, "But we're gonna find out."

Clank paused, taking in his stiff stature. He patted Ratchet's arm reassuringly "I am sure you are not insane, Ratchet. There will be an explanation...and perhaps...if these are real memories, then we may find out something about where this Lifeforce is."

Ratchet smiled a little. Clank didn't seem to bothered by it; and having someone else know made him feel like the weight in his chest had lifted a little. "Alright then..."

Aphelion's voice cut into their conversation. "We will near Berrick soon..."

"Great, Aphelion." Ratchet quipped.

"But there appears to be a large fleet securing it..."

"...Oh. Will our cloaking system be able to handle it?"

"Changes of success at 60%...with generous rounding."

Ratchet slumped back in the pilot seat with a grown. Worth a shot, right...?

...

"Heehe..."

Little did the lombax and his cohort know, they were being followed. Locking onto their position had been fine for him, as easy as taking candy from a baby. They hadn't been too careful when leaving the ship unguarded in their base.

Hee. A cute little asteroid base, completely surrounded by murderous fish with guns...

He leaned back in his seat. He proffered the dark; he could think more. In his own ship he was completely disguised. He'd worked on throwing off tracking mechanism and detections almost all his life.

He scratched an ear absently, thinking as he eyed the ship on the radar. Then, a bright, orange hand reached out towards the light of the radar, and a claw-like finger poked the little dot representing Ratchet's ship.

"See you theeere..." A smooth voice crooned, breaking into insane, low giggles.

...

Ratchet cringed as they sailed easily towards the planet. They hadn't been detected, and that would be great if it didn't feel too easy. Clank had the same thoughts, watching the radar in case of a surprise attack.

"It could be a trap indeed..." He murmured to himself. Ratchet gripped the steering control tighter and stared at the rocky planet below. Berrick was a pale colour of sand- not desert exactly- it didn't look hot. It looked dry, dusty and filled with canyons.

They drew closer, and at last they broke through the atmosphere. That was when a familiar voice called over the transmitter.

"Hey, you two."

"Trisby?" Ratchet asked, breathing out a little at whose voice it was. "We're-"

"Entering the planet, I know." She sounded annoyed at his stating the obvious, "We have a link with you and the base. I tinked with the cloaking devices on Aphelion to help you through, but I have to admit...it seems to have worked more than I expected."

"So ya think we're flying into a trap?" Ratchet asked, raising a brow.

"Hmm...I don't know." Trisby drawled thoughtfully, "But be on your guard. Whatever reason there is for it, it can't be friendly. Anyway, dynamic duo; that archaeologist bunch told me Ickabar scouted around the canyon caves a lot- way underground. Don't be fooled by the plain look this place has above, it's a lot sharper down there."

"Do you have co-ordinates you can send us?" Clank asked, tilting his head. The sooner they got this done the better; Polaris need their help after they secured the Lifeforce.

"Uh-huh. Sending them now." Trisby sounded perfectly calm about all this, "Remember, be careful...something tells me that Mr Sore Looser had a hand in the security fleet hounding the planet."

Ratchet grinned. "The Loki's no problem for you, Trisby." She snorted- but laughed a bit. Probably the closest thing to friendliness she was going to give to them.

"Don't think flattery's going to help you, Ratchet." She remarked with a clear smirk in her voice, " It definitely won't stop the fleet from crushing you if they find out you're here. Get down to the canyons quick-time."

And they didn't need to be told twice. They landed outside the canyons some time later, and Ratchet hopped out of the ship quickly. The ground was hard and gritty, the canyon he stood in was dusty and hard. Not a sound could be heard. Unlike the canyon on Marto where Trisby was, they could see cleary. Not that there was anything to see.

Ratchet turned his gaze away from the bare landscape, and to the cave opening nearby. It was pitch-black inside, and wind whistled quietly from inside. It was deep, and probably went down a long way. He breathed in and began walking inside, the darkness engulfing him like cold water as he left the dIm sunlight of Berrick behind. He took a torch out from his pocket- the archaeologists had given him a pack to help him in the cave. Clank peered around as he began walking deeper and deeper.

Now Ratchet had been in dark places before, against giant monsters and other frightening things. He wasn't too bothered by it. In fact, he felt drawn inside. It was...cool.

Or is it part of Ickabar's archaeologist's nature, wanting to explore, to find, to look inside...?

He shook the thought away.

As he and Clank went inside, the figure that had watched them before observed them again- right outside the cave, in the canyon. His black cloak swept in the gentle breeze, a broad smile across and brightly furred face.

The Orange lombax giggled.

"How fun..."

...

Tachyon lay back in the seat of his throne, tapping his fingers together in a thoughtful manner. The mind. He felt a strange sense of calm- a good one, though, he could think.

Things were going as planned. A few planets had been taken back already, Reepor (in time he'd secretly continued developing it) was thriving with resource for the attacks. A small smirk spread on his features. The lombax and his allies where running around, looking for the lifeforce as it happened.

"A penny for your thoughts?"

The oddly cultured voice broke through said train of mind and he scowled, glancing sideways at the creature. He was in fact on a holo-screen nearby, examining his fingers/claws from wherever he was. Around Berrick, he assumed.

"Well?"

"There is no sign of the lombax." The Loki drawled, not at all bothered, though there was a sharpness in those green eyes- despite him not owning the pair. Perhaps he was more interested than he looked. More alert, even. Like a school child who just remembered he had homework and didn't know how to worm his way out of it. Tachyon tried not to smirk. Perhaps, he repeated, he wasn't as in control as he looked.

"I am certain you will not fail...?" He challenged. The Loki's head snapped up, but he forced himself back into a calm state.

It seemed he was more irked than usual, and the cragmite had a good idea why. The female creature- the small one that had beaten him. He reeked with wounded pride, and he was probably putting more thought on slaughtering her for revenge rather than catching the lombax. He sniffed. No woman, nor any creature of any form would have been allowed to insult him like she did and live. But, he'd let her escape and the sting of failure remained.

He ended up snickering- and the Loki ended up glaring furiously.

"What are you giggling about, Cragmite?" The Emperor in question turned around a little bit, his hands together in a high-and-mighty manner- he certainly felt it. He found it amusing.

"Oh, nothing at all, My Friend." He saw the unmasked disgust on the Loki's face- even on the cat's face as clear as day.

He fed off of that anger. He liked to watch his rival squirm on the inside- it was a small, unconscious victory.

But the tables turned. He should have seen it coming.

"And what where you doing before I called?" the Loki drawled offhandedly, though malice laced his tone. He knew what his target was.

"Lamenting about brother dearest?"

Tachyon's expression darkened like a rainstorm cloud going over the sun. He sneered. "I have no relation to speak of. Nor do I care anything of this...furball that you mention." He leaned back, taking on a more calm pose. "He is of no importance anymore."

"He is of great importance whether you like it or not. Let's hope he didn't toss any useful information into the lombax dimension..."

Tachyon gripped the controls on his throne to try and relief some of his anger. How dare this...creature try and mock him.

"Let us hope that that woman of yours doesn't make your mind vague again."

The tables turned right back over. The Loki blinked once, twice, slowly. Tachyon turned n his throne, starting it up and moving away slowly and quietly from the holo-screen, waiting for the blast.

"...Wh-what did you just say?" The stumble in his voice- the first very time he let it happen- was hysterical in the Emperor's opinion. He resisted the powerful urge to chuckle and left the Loki to splutter in disgust- and mortification- behind him.

...

Trisby scowled furiously at the screen. It showed the basics; the planet Berrick; the security fleet around it, keeping it on lock-down as their own forces scouted the surface. But now they knew it wasn't just the fleet there, or Ratchet and Clank.

Someone had followed them. Another ship- by the looks of it, with incredibly sneaky cloaking devices. Trisby had only managed to catch onto it before it vanished again. There could be more.

The others in the main chamber- the warbots and archaeologists, had kept their distance from the cold, scowling woman. Something about her just wasn't friendly. Like how you wouldn't sit beside a poisonous (and very comeback-savvy snake.

Though, they felt a twinge of awe in between the distrust. She seemed quite good with technical things, intelligent- she managed to find the stealthy ship after all.

"So they helped Ratchet and Clank through the fleet...why?" Cantin, the robot, asked. Trisby scowled.

"Maybe whoever it is wants them to do their dirty work for 'um...finding the information that is..."

"Oooh, the ole 'follow' technique!" Zephyr piped nearby. Trisby nodded slowly, frowning at the screen. Whoever it was, it was no friend. More contact to the duo was dangerous with all the security around the planet- it could be intercepted- but Trisby would have to find a way through it.

They needed to know some creep was following them after all.

"So whadda we do? Stay here, trapped like rats?" Cronk barked from nearby. Trisby's ears flatted against her head to block out the noise, frowning to herself.

"No...we're going to start finding a way to keep the Loki preoccupied." She allowed a small smirk. One of the archaeologists- she hadn't asked their names really, the thin one with large goggles, cocked his head to the left.

"He's the leader of a species of evil spirits...and he's kind of furious with you. Scratch that, he was to murder you." He sounded wary- perhaps believing she should do.

Tribsy grinned, showing pale teeth as her foot flicked a towel beside her onto her head, and she pulled the edges down to mimic a humble woman's shawl.

"Should I be scared?" She cooed. Cronk and Zephyr chortled nearby, and Trisby cleared didn't take the issue serious either.

"Well, maybe you should be...a little..." The thin man ventured, his confidence in the matter wavering. Trisby rolled his eyes and tossed the towel away, laughed inwardly to herself, quietly.

"Oh, he's actually entertaining...though it got boring." His smile faded and she glanced back over her shoulder at the bunch. "Let's just get him out of the way..."

...

Ickabar has been quiet in school, the teachers would recall. Lively outside in the playground, chattering away all the time to his foster brothers...but when they weren't there, he was quiet. His ears drooped like a small, lost kitten. He blanked out among his race, dark fur against pale, icy eyes. Not ugly...just strange.

But not without effort. He'd try to build things, like the lombax children- like all the others in the species! But...he couldn't. Even they got frustrated; they began tiring of his innocent, pleading look as he stood in front of the class, snickered at and ridiculed silently by his classmates.

They grew annoyed, and it wasn't surprisingly. They reasoned he wasn't normal.

And that, again, wasn't surprising. He grew up around...those two.

The quote mostly surrounds this last paragraph.