I want to hug a Lombax…
056: Danger Ahead
A golden blur bounced up the side of the building with impossible speed, racing perpendicular to the ground. Bullets and lasers shot past the blur, ricocheting off the steel and glass of the building, barely missing their intended target, and angry cries rent the air as the mechanical soldiers on the ground watched their prey escape onto one of the high towers many balconies. Their leader would be most displeased.
On the balcony, Ratchet kicked the steel and glass double doors open and rolled inside, pointing his bladed guns around the room, ears flat back and golden fur bristled with the tension he felt coursing through him with the adrenaline. Finally, after a moment or two, he relaxed and stuck his weapons into their holsters at his hips, green eyes flickering over the room, not for enemies this time but to simply sate his curiosity.
"Ratchet, we need to move. It's only a matter of time before the guards inside are contacted." Clank said, still hanging off his partner's back, "And fighting in the halls with nowhere to duck is a little more than dangerous."
"Mm…" The Lombax grunted in response but did move towards the door, instead striding over to a tall, metal cabinet.
"Ratchet….what are you doing?"
"Hunting." Ratchet opened the doors and he growled, "And I'm catching my prey too…"
"Ratchet." This time the robot's voice was a warning.
"Shhhh." Lashing his tail around, Ratchet scrambled into the cabinet and walked down the cool, dark, steel hall that was a not-so-secret passage way, "I think we can bypass all those guards and security."
"It's never a good thing when you say "I think"…"
"Pessimist."
The hall twisted and turned and there were several intersections where Ratchet had to guess (much to Clank's displeasure) which way he should go. The only sounds were his breathing, his footsteps, and the occasional conversations he and his robot companion shared. These talks were brief and usually ended with Ratchet insulting his friend in a playful manner.
Still, past all his bravado antics and bad-boy snaps, the Lombax couldn't help but feel like something was going to happen. It was the sort of feeling he got when someone was behind him with a gun pointed at his back…the kind of gun that could blast his innards out. His hackles rose at the thought.
He felt Clank shift on his back and dropped to the floor just a thick, red laser swept over the hall. Had he still been standing it would have taken his head off. As he glanced up, more red lights reflected in his green eyes.
"Hey Clank."
"Yes?"
"You think there's going to be trouble?"
"Not so much as trouble as danger."
"So, danger ahead, huh? Well then…bring it on."
I think that one was a little lame. Maybe that's just me. I dunno.