Holostar Studios

Circuit looked curious as they landed outside the Secret Agent Clank studio. She had never been to a movie studio before. Heck, she had hardly been to another planet before. Ratchet guessed that everyone was inside filming a scene, so he told Circuit that she needed to be quiet. After agreeing, the robot jumped out of the ship and walked alongside Ratchet as they entered the studio. They walked through a little set where they had it snowing, but when Circuit accidentally stepped on a large button that was on the floor, the snow turned into rain. Circuit put her hood up and ran with Ratchet out of the room. They then entered a very large set that appeared to resemble a city. The whole placed was trashed, and what appeared to be giant robot ninjas were lying mangled on the ground. Ratchet explained to Circuit that Clank did all of this, which made the robot go wide eyed. But he assured her that he didn't actual harm any real people, and that the ninjas were just machines thrown together for the show. Still, there was so much destruction. It was almost like Clank grew to the size of a building and just started punching and shooting things.

After going through the destroyed city set, the sounds of people talking were heard through a pair of doors. Ratchet quickly peeked through them. After having his head between doors for a few moments, he looked down at Circuit and nodded his head towards the room. He also gave her the sign to stay quiet. After receiving a nod from the robot, Ratchet opened the doors and let Circuit walk in. She looked around the set, only seeing cameramen and a really loud director in a floating chair.

"Alright, back it up, back it up! Get into position..."

At first, Circuit was confused about what the director was talking about. Get in position? What position? That was when she spotted him. Her violet eyes lit up beautifully as Clank walked backwards on the set, several robot ninjas were following him. His eyes were narrowed in an angry position, and his black tux made Circuit completely melt. He was as handsome as she remembered. The female robot placed her hands on her chest and she quietly yelled.

"Clank!"

Ratchet walked up behind her, "Yep, Clank's a role model to all robots just for playing a secret agent...and, you know, not for saving the universe several times."

"Can I go and see him?"

"Not right now, they're filming a scene. But after they're done, go and jog that robot's memory. I'm sure that you two have a lot to catch up on."

"I just wish that he remembered me right now...then I could tell him how proud I am of him."

Clank liked having a show about him being a secret agent, he really did. However, he did find himself becoming rather bored with being a fake secret agent.

Every time he went to Holostar Studios, he ended up working until his systems shut him down for a recharge. He would spend days drilling scene after scene, hardly taking any breaks at all. And he got a harsh talking to from his director whenever he messed up a line or movement. It was almost as exhausting as saving the universe. But, of course, with Secret Agent Clank's popularity climbing, he had to produce more material in order to keep his fans happy. He couldn't just stop being Agent Clank because he was tired, that was just unfair to the viewers. And the people who worked on the set are good people who deserve the jobs that they had. Clank wasn't prepared to quit and strip everyone of their occupations, it would have been wrong. So he was trying to keep up with his director's ideas for the past few years, even if the constant working was making his systems age horribly. He would eventually need constant upgrades from Al in order to keep this TV series going, and that would be expensive. The life of a celebrity was definitely a hard one.

Today, they were filming Secret Agent Clank Season 5, Episode 16: Ninjas Forever. Agent Clank being targeted by a ninja-only guild called "Ninjas Forever", and he was apparently supposed to fall for their leader: Akira, the ninja princess, when she hypnotizes him with her eerie voice. Classic girl move. However, the actor who played Akira hadn't shown up, so they were currently filming what they could until they could find a replacement for her character. Right now, Agent Clank was being cornered by some red and blue ninjas, and he was supposed to to take them both out with karate chops to the neck. Now all he had to do was wait for the cue from the director and then-

"Clank!"

Suddenly, as Clank heard the sound of a female voice, everything around him seemed to slow down, like time itself was beginning to stop. Who was the girl who had just called his name? Was Akira's actor finally here? No...no that wasn't it. There was something in his memory banks just fighting to burst forth into his mind. He...he knew that voice. He had heard that girl's voice some time during his life. But who exactly was it?

The little robot turned his head and looked at the people who were watching him act. He looked through the crowd and attempted to locate the source of the voice. Almost everyone there was a male, so she shouldn't be that hard to find. It was when he looked over by the studio entrance that he saw Ratchet standing there. Why he was there, Clank had no idea. But wait...who was that robot standing next to him? The robot looked an awful lot like him, and its eyes were a wonderful shade of violet-

Clank's eyes went wide as he looked into the large eyes of the robot. His memory banks then went insane, so much so that it gave him a small headache. This robot, he knew who this robot was! But where had he seen her...?

"Wh-wh-what d-do you w-want from m-m-me?"

"You have such a cute laugh!"

"...Do you think that the person who made Klunk made me?"

"Speak for yourself. Here you are, talking about about how good my drawings are, while I am just standing here in the presence of an intergalactic hero! Not to mention that you yourself are very kind, extremely smart, and absolutely charmi-"

"I have never properly thanked you for everything that you have done for me up until now. I mean, I have thanked Ratchet many of times, but I never got around to thanking you. So...thank you."

"What would a hero like you want with a weakling like me?"

"Oh...well, I want to act more like you. I want to be smart and logical. So maybe I should spend more time with you."

"Well, you know that I love you."

"You no longer have to worry about me, Clank, Ratchet. Some things are best forgotten...and so are some people."

"You do not have to worry about me, Clank. I am going to be fine."

"I am in too much pain. May I please just lay down in the grass for a little while, please? It sounds most pleasant."

"Daddy, Clank, thank you for this great life. I love you both..."

"Ci..Cir...CIRCUIT!" Clank blurted out, making the little female robot jump. She was alive! Circuit survived the Hexzar Virus! He had to go see her at one!

"Cut! Cut!" The director yelled. Clank stood in his place, scolding himself for not remembering that he was being filmed as Agent Clank. The director looked annoyed as he hovered down towards him. "What the heck was that? What do circuits have to do with anything that you're doing?"

"Oh, um, I am very sorry sir but...m-may I take a quick break?" The little robot asked, trying to keep his eyes on Circuit.

"A quick break? I don't think so! We're in the middle of a scene here, we can't just take a break!"

"But, sir-"

"Alright, people, let's do it again! We'll film up to the point where Princess Akira shows up, and then we'll film everything after that! Get into position, Clank. And no more yelling nonsense. ya hear? Good, let's take it from the top!"

Clank looked at Circuit, who was giving the director a 'what the heck' look. Then she looked at the male robot and gave him a sad face. She really wanted to go and see him, but that stupid director wasn't letting him take his break, which was completely unfair. So, Clank gave her a sad shrug, then mouthed 'I am sorry. Just Wait there, I will be done soon', and he nodded when Circuit nodded. They started filming again, robot ninjas surrounding the robot actor. Circuit, however, was a bit angry. That mean director wasn't letting Clank see her, and he wasn't going to have any of that. There was no telling how long it would take for everything to be filmed, but she wanted to see Clank really, really badly. She had to think of something, a plan of sorts. Maybe a quick peek at that unattended script she could see would help her.

Circuit sneaked over to the director's chair, no one noticing the little robot's presence. Then, she jumped up and snatched the script off of his arm rest right before he floated upwards to see the scene better. Circuit flipped through the script, which turned out to be really good. It could do without the puns though. The little robot discovered that there was actually a female character that was in this episode, a ninja princess. And the actor had not shown up...

"Hmph, no one is going to keep me away from Clank," she said quietly as she took off her jacket, turning it inside out.

The little robot ran over to a crate the appeared to have some extra ninja outfit parts in case one of the actors lost something. Circuit jumped in and duh though it, grabbing parts of the black ninja's outfit. She grabbed a cloak and a mask. And she also located a white headband with a beautiful golden design. This must have been some sort of tiara for the princess's outfit, and she intended to wear it. After ducking behind a crate and putting everything on, Circuit observed herself in the mirror. Her black jacket and hood went perfectly with the caped cloak and mask. And the headband that wrapped around her head shined beautifully.

"As the actor people say: it's show time."

Clank took out the two ninjas that were cornering him, feeling a great sense of satisfaction as they fell to the ground after just one chop. However, he wasn't quite out of the woods yet. He turned around and discovered that he had a swarm of ninjas behind him. He sighed internally. He was going to be exhausted by the time that the filming was over. But he had to get done with it in order to see Circuit. It was extraordinarily difficult for him to contain his emotions. Circuit was alive, and he was very happy, but he had so many questions piling up in his mind that couldn't be answered until he was done. So he had to get through this, for Circuit. He turned his slightly so he could just peek at the female robot, but he had to fight back a confused look as he noticed that the female robot was gone. Ratchet must have noticed this, because he returned the confused look. Clank then mouthed to him.

'Where is Circuit?'

Ratchet's ears perked as he looked down at the ground. His eyes went wide as he noticed that Circuit was absent. He then mouth shouted 'What the heck?! Where did she go?!'

'I do not know! Find her!'

"I will, I will! Just keep going while I'll find her!'

'Just hurry up before she ends up getting lost-'

Clank was nearly taken down by one of the ninjas and he was forced to snap into focus. Alright, time to pretend to fight through some ninjas. The little robot prepared to launch himself at the army, and the army was ready to come and take him down. However, a single voice stopped them from doing anything.

"Ninjas, stand down!"

The ninjas looked confused as they were given a command by an unknown voice. But Clank's eyes were going wide as he recognized the voice. And his eyes went even wider as Circuit, who was dressed as a revised version of Princess Akira, stood above the ninja army. And by above, he meant on a fake cliff side that were actually painted stairs. She walked gracefully down the steps and right into the ninja masses. Of course, the robots made a path for her and bowed down. Their programming made it so they saw her as an actual princess, which was handy for Circuit. The female robot walked up to Clank, who was trying his best to keep his jaw up. But Ratchet, who he could see out the corner of his eye, wasn't holding his own jaw so well. The director looked confused as he whispered to a nearby cameraman.

"Who the heck is that? She's not Akira's actor!"

"Princess Akira," Agent Clank said as the robot walked up to him. Then he jokingly asked, "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"You know as well as I do that you hold no pleasure in seeing me," Circuit replied, placing a hand on her waist.

"I uh...heh-heh...I beg to differ," the male robot said, talking more to Circuit than Akira.

The female robot's face turned red under her hood, and she couldn't help but giggle. But she quickly got back into character, "Nothing makes a girl happier than a secret agent who wants to take down her ninja guild complimenting her. Come on, Agent Clank, you are better than that. I have been waiting a long time to meet you, and I do not want to waste time with playful banter." She reached into her cloak and pulled out a fake (but realistic looking) machete. The sight of the blade made all of the ninjas pull out their own weapons.

"Hmph, I am not one for fighting girls," Clank said, simply folding his arms and putting a smug look on his face. "Especially pretty ones."

"Hmm..." Circuit pretended to think of a devious plan of using her looks to swoon Agent Clank. Right now, he character was supposed to be thinking about hypnotizing Agent Clank into loving her. So, of course, she had to pause for a effect. Then she withdrew her machete, making all the ninjas stand down. She walked up to Clank and placed her hands on his shoulder. However, something happened as she did it. Circuit went from Akira grabbing onto a secret agent to herself grabbing onto Clank. She grabbed her mask and pulled it down off of her face. Then she looked up at Clank and spoke in a very soft and weird voice. "You spies like to have your little fun, and you sometimes forget about what your mission is about. With everything you have said already, agent, you have already gone far. But how far will you go for a weak girl like me? Will you see me as your enemy, like a villain, or will you see me as something else? If you learn to trust me, will you see me as your ally, your friend...your true love?"

Clank pretended to be put into a hypnotic state when Circuit talked to him. His eyes closed half way and he even swayed a little, making it look like that he was actually hypnotized. Then his hands slowly rose up and grabbed Circuit's hands, and he looked down at her. "I...I will always love you...Princess Akira...m-my Princess Akira."

Circuit smiled, deciding that now would be the right time. She leaned forward and shared a kiss with Agent Clank. Except, this wasn't Akira and Agent Clank. No...no this was definitely Circuit and Clank sharing a romantic moment instead of their characters. And it was fantastic for both of them.

The director hovered backwards and started talking to someone, "Wow, that kid is actually pretty good. I think that I'll offer her a contract. And, because she's just a stupid kid, I'll only pay her half of minimum wage, and she won't even know. I'm gonna take advantage of her little kid brain, and make a fortune off of her! Hahaha! What do you think, eh?" He looked at the person he was talking to and was startled as he saw the same Lombax face that he had fired years ago. "AH! What are you doing here?"

"Hey, director, you see that kid that you just called stupid? That's my daughter. And you see this balled up hand? That's my fist! And you see that bloody pulp? Oh wait, you can't because it's your face!" Ratchet yelled pulling his fist back and then launching it into the director's face.

Everyone turned to see what was happening, even Clank and Circuit. The director got up off of the floor and rolled up his sleeves, "Alright, Jeeves, you want some of this?!"

Circuit covered her eyes as Ratchet and the director got into a physical fight. This was definitely a sight that she didn't want to see. Clank must have known how uncomfortable she was with the fighting, because he grabbed her by the arm and started pulling her away, "Come, we do not want to be around while this is happening."

"Are we not going to do anything?"

"Do not worry, this has happened before. The camera crew will break them up, their wounds will be treated, and Ratchet will have to pay for the damage he has caused."

"Alright..."

Clank took Circuit out of the set, the ninjas bowing to their princess as she was guided through their masses. Then, with the sound of Ratchet and the TV show director fighting each other fading, the two robots ran off to Clank's trailer, where they would have a bit more solitude. After marveling at how wonderful his trailer looked, Circuit climbed up the stairs after Clank and entered the trailer itself. It was really nice. And everything was lowered towards the ground so short robots like Clank would have an easier time getting to things. The female robot wandered around a little bit as Clank closed the door. After taking a deep breath, he looked at Circuit, who looked back at him.

"...I suppose that you would like an explanation."

"That would be most helpful, yes."

"Alright...I will tell you everything."

Circuit stood there and told Clank everything that had happened to her: going to the Great Clock, spending a year with Sigmund, waking up on the Starship Phoenix, meeting Sasha and reuniting with Ratchet. Clank looked a bit sad when she told him about meeting Orvus, but her perked up a little when she said that she was now a Zoni just like him, and that her real name was XJ-0462. So they were truly two of a model. Then Clank asked her why she and Ratchet had decided to come to Holostar Studios anyway. Circuit shrugged and told him that she really wanted to see him again, which made Clank's face so red. He had forgotten how red his face would get whenever Circuit would compliment him or say something cute.

"Yeah, Ratchet mentioned your name and...and I sort of lost it. I told him that I needed to see you, that I could not wait until you were done filming. I am sorry about intruding on your episode. I was mad that your director would not allow you to take a break, and all I simply wanted to do was talk to you. So, I stole a script and some clothes. I do look ridiculous with this on."

"I like the headband," Clank said, pointing to the white and gold headband. "It actually looks rather nice on you."

"Oh...w-well, thank you. I like it too. I know that I usually wear nothing but a black jacket, but the gold of the headband kind of drew me towards it."

"Speaking of your black jacket, the one that you are wearing is not the one that I remember."

"Oh, um, about that. You see, one of the soldiers from the Starship Phoenix threw my old jacket away because it was dirty and torn up. Sasha felt so bad that she actually gave me this one." Circuit prepared to take her jacket off, but she hesitated and looked at Clank, "U-Umm...d-do not look."

Clank quickly nodded then covered his eyes with his hands, completely cutting off his vision. Circuit quickly removed the cloak and head band and took her jacket off, turning back to its original side. She put it back on and told Clank that it was okay to look now. The male robot uncovered his eyes and tilted his head at the sight of the new jacket. He got a bit closer and observed it. He recognized the Q-Force symbol, and then he read what it said underneath.

"Junior Cadet...? Wait, Circuit, did you become a soldier of the Q-Force?"

"Wh-What? No, of course not! You know that I am way too weak and afraid to join any sort of army or military!"

Clank sighed and placed his hands on his waist as he heard Circuit call herself weak and afraid. It was starting already. She was already going back to the self dissing, low confidence self. But maybe Clank would actually be able to help her this time now that there was no confusion or depression going on inside of her head. No Nefarious, no Biobliterator 2.5, no Hexzar virus to worry her. Clank made a vow to himself that he would help Circuit gain some self confidence. And he knew that Ratchet would help as well. But he would discuss that after the Lombax was finished beating up the director. So, he might as well begin without him. He walked up to Circuit, who was staring at the 'Junior Cadet' writing on her jacket, and grabbed her hands.

"Circuit, the last thing that you are is someone who is weak and afraid. Though I know that you do not like talking about it, but I must bring up the fight between you and Klunk. While Klunk was beating you up and attempting to murder you, you simply took all of it in. You refused to fight him back. You were not afraid of someone who wanted you dead. And then you delivered to Klunk the most beautiful speech my audio sensors have ever heard. You used words instead of violence, and it worked. You defeated your enemy by making them your friend, and that is one of bravest and strongest things that a person can do. You see yourself as these bad things, Circuit, you focus on the flaws that you believe you have."

"But everyone has flaws."

"I know that, even I am aware of my own flaws, but I do not focus on them. No, I focus on the positive things about me, and you need to start doing that as well. You are not a weakling who is too afraid to join the military. You, Circuit, are a sweet girl with talents that are beyond incredible, and you deserve better than what you experienced in your first memories of life. It makes we wish that Ratchet and I had found you much earlier than we did."

"Cl-Cla...Clank!" Circuit wrapped her arms around Clank. She sobbed lightly. "You are still the kind and thoughtful robot that I have come to love with all of my heart. And words cannot describe how happy I am to see you again. It is a year long dream that has finally came true."

Clank smiled and hugged Circuit back. She was right, it really was a dream come true, though he didn't know it until he looked into those still beautiful violet eyes. But the robot was happy beyond words. Circuit was alive and well, he could hardly believe it. But, he had the proof right in his arms. It was so great to have her back. So great, that Clank himself began to sob. Now there were two robots crying, but they didn't care about how pathetic they looked. They were in love, and that was all that mattered.

The ship is back people! I repeat, the ship is back! ClankxCircuit, or Clacuit, is at full force once more!

Yep, Circuit is now together with Ratchet AND Clank once more! YAAAAY!

But, not gonna lie, I don't really know what to do from this point. But I'm sure I'll think of something fast. In fact, I'm forming an idea as I type this sentence.

Make sure to leave a review while picking up your complimentary toaster!

This is Amberdiamondswords, Lordess if Diamond Swordness, pledger to Tobuscus, signing off!