You are probably wondering what I'm doing back so early. And no, this is not an extremely late Christmas special or New Year chapter. I had wanted to do a Christmas special, but I came to the realisation that Ratchet and Clank would most likely not celebrate the earth holiday- or any earth holiday for that matter.
I considered doing another touching scene that would go more into Kaden, Alisters, and even Nasira's past together- but I have to keep it in it's designated chapter or my outline would get messed up and then I'd have to rework EVERYTHING (note: would not actually have to rework everything, just a lot of things).
So, I decided to keep from posting anything until this summer… that is, till my sister got envolved. No one knows why she does what she does, psychologist still wrestle with the mysteries of her mind in an attempt to understand the un-understandable. She doesn't read any of my stories (thank goodness. I think I'd die if she did) or is even that aware of my alternate life on Fanfiction, yet for some reason she felt the strong need to tell(threaten) me to write more for you guys before summer break comes.
And you know what… she's right (for once). You guys don't deserve to wait until summer! Besides, I've really missed posting and writing my chapters.
Now this doesn't mean I will be posting a chapter once a month or even more than that. I'm just going to post when I have another chapter all squared away. So postings may be longer than a month (probably not… hopefully) or shorter. But what matters is that I'm back!
Yay! I'm so excited!
Anyways, enjoy!
5339.4.125
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Max's voice spoke over the com as Kaden piloted his ship through space.
"It's just a routine checkup of one of our outermost bases." The Lombax joked. "What could possibly go wrong?"
There was silence on the other end.
The Lombax dropped his smile and sighed. "Things will be fine, okay Max? We double checked security and have several precautions in place. If anything goes wrong, I'll abort mission right away. You don't have to worry."
The com remained silent for a moment, then it picked up a heavy sigh from the other end before Max's deep voice rumbled out. "I know and I trust you'll use discretion. If things do start to look too dangerous, you'll pull out right ?"
"Yes sir." Kaden grinned as he gave a mock salute, knowing full well Max wouldn't be able to see it.
Max seemed to accept Kaden's reply and the com clicked, followed by silence. The Lombax continued to fly in silence through the empty blackness around him.
"Sir," Aphelion's voice caught the Lombaxes attention and Kaden's body tensed in anticipation. "Our ships signals has been picked up by Drophyd scouts. They have locked on our radio transmissions. We are now being followed in secret."
Kaden took a moment to calm his breathing. This was it.
Leaning over, Kaden pressed the com and spoke clearly, if not a little stiffly. "The Dimensionator is still secure. Estimated arrival to drop off, 8.4 hours."
Max didn't reply which meant he had heard Kaden's message. Step one of their plan was now initiated. The 'plan' was to draw Tachyon's forces out and lead him on a wild goosechase while Max's own forces moved in to catch the emperor by surprise and end him once and for all. Once the head was cut off, the rest of the beast would die.
But Kaden wasn't actually going to follow that plan. Even if Tachyon did send out the majority of his fleet after Kaden, there was no way the Lombax could dodge escape forever even if he was a talented pilot. There was only one way to end this and that was to draw the serpent out himself.
"Aphelion?" Kaden spoke once he released the com so no one but his faithful ship would hear his next words. "Send a message to Tachyon. Tell him I'll be waiting for him on Fastoon. He knows where."
"Are you positive about this, sir?" Aphelion's voice spoke with concern.
Kaden gave a curt nod, a serious expression darkening the usual cheerful features on the Lombax's face. "Our trap will work, I promise."
"But what of your arrangement with Max?" The ship inquired.
Kaden shook his head, "It would never have worked. Max's men would never have made it past Tachyons defenses even if I did draw away most of his fire power. But with the Dimensionator I can end this all. No one will ever know what happened to us."
Aphelion seemed uneasy, the ship giving off a shuttering hum. She knew what he was implying, and she didn't like it. But like a good ship, she did not disobey her creator. She never would, even if doing so meant her own demise.
Kaden himself felt horrible, but this was the only solution he saw to the universe's plight.
His plan had to work. For the safety and assurance of a bright future for his son, this had to work. For peace and reconciliation for Max and everyone else who had lost a loved one to Tachyons mad pursuit of power, this had to work. For Lombaxes to ever be free again and return to their own universe, this had to work. For his son to ever have a future worth looking forward to, this had to work.
This plan had to work.
But if it didn't…
At least his son was safe, far away from the danger and from ever falling into Tachyons hands.
5354.4.034
"Are you serious!"
Clank looked up at his friend, Ratchet, as the boy's shoulders slumped at the familiar sight before them. All the kids had been sectioned off into groups and the two friends were in a small room with a few others as they all tried their best to lose to a dummy. Ratchet's own dummy was almost falling apart, something that the boys could not completely claim as their handiwork. The whole facility looked abused and neglected with stained walls and cobwebs in every corner.
For the past half hour, Qwarks voice had blared over the speaker every few minutes to instruct the 'young cadets' on where to punch the dummy for each challenge. First it had been the mid section, then the face, then an uppercut, then a double jab, then a double jab in the mid section, then a double jab in the face. Now, how about a kick. Oh, and let's do a kick in the midsection, now the face, now… Clank highly suspected that the Mr. Qwark was making all of this up as he went.
"How on earth is anyone supposed to do poorly at this test?" Ratchet asked as he kicked and then punched the dummy, sending it flying before hit hit against the wall and rolling onto the floor.
"I am not sure, but they seem to be succeeding in failing." Clank pointed to the other kids around them who were all giving the sissiest punches and kicks Ratchet had ever seen.
"Aww jeez." Ratchet facepalmed as Clank carefully picked up the fallen dummy and set it back in its place.
"Alright Cadets!" Qwarks voice blared over the intercom. "You are all doing super, but how about you put a little more spirit into things. Now it's time to show that dummy how mad you are. Double jab and then kick it's head- no wait I already did that. Mmmm…. Ah! Punch once at its midsection and then its face."
"Uuuuuuugh!" Ratchet complained to the ceiling before sighing. "Fine, alright buddy. You go first this time."
Clank wasn't that good with the kicks, his short legs and square body made it kind of awkward, so he was glad that Qwark had decided to drop the kick this time. Drawing back his arm, Clank gave two punches- neither of which even reached the 'midsection' of the dummy. The dummy wobbled a bit.
Clank sighed.
"You know what," Ratchet said as he gave the dummy two quick punches that sent it flying against the wall again. "Maybe it's a good thing the bar isn't set too high here. At least we are assured to get in, right buddy?"
"You mean me," Clank frowned in disappointment, looking at his metal stick arms. "They probably wouldn't let me in the army anywhere else but here."
To tell the truth, the more Clank thought about the prospects of war, the more he was convinced he would only end up being a burden to Ratchet. Whatever his purpose had been before this, Clank was sure that he hadn't been built to go near a battlefield, much less be in one. He literally couldn't do anything.
But Clank wasn't going to let his useless design stop him. He'd failed Ratchet once, but he did not plan to do that again.
"No, don't think that." Ratchets stern voice responded to Clanks words and the robot looked up to see a very serious expression on his best friends face. "Just because everyone else thinks strength and worth is in size and looks doesn't mean their right. Don't beat yourself up over it, okay?"
"But I am not beating myself up. See." Clank answered honestly and presented his hands to prove that they had not been committing any acts of violence against himself.
Ratchet sighed, "No, no, no. That's not what I meant. It's just another figure of speech. You see, when people say- why are you laughing?"
Clank was smiling up at Ratchet cheekily as he chuckled. Ratchet's eyes widened as he realized he'd been had, but then he started laughing as well. "Wow, you're turning into a real comedian aren't you. Good one pal."
The serious moment before that forgotten, both 'cadets' turned their attention back to mindlessly hitting a dummy when Captain Qwarks overly hyp voice blasted through the speaker again.
"Aaaaaalriiiight!" Everyone in the room winced as the speaker screeched. "Is everyone ready for the last challenge?! Ooof course you are! Please orderly file through the doors labeled exit at the north side- or is it the south? No, definitely the north… I think. Here let me just-"
There was a shuffling of papers before the speaker shut off and everyone wordlessly started making their way to the door opposite the one they had come in. After all, there were only two doors in this room, and only one of them was labeled exit.
Latching on to Ratchet's back- because both kids figured they were about to be crammed into another large group again- Clank had the advantage of observing the people around him as his friends headed for the door. They all still looked scared, yet there was hope in their eyes knowing that they were close to the end of the tryouts. Clank felt excitement as he wondered what the final challenge was. Taking into account their previous 'challenges' the mini robot wasn't really worried.
The next room was just as bare as the last with unpainted cement walls and plain cement floors. There were guards that looked foreign to this planet who were forcing the group of young adults and children into straight lines. Bodies were pushed and shoved until slowly the semblance of rows of somewhat straight lines began to appear. Ratchet waved his hand in the air as if signalling someone over. Clank curiously turned his head to see who Ratchet was signaling to and smiled when he spotted Winnie face in the crowd, her large blue eyes acknowledging them. She made her way over and stepped in line beside them.
"Hey, how do you think you fared?" Ratchet asked. The room was a buzz of conversation so Clank and Ratchet both figured it was alright to speak.
Winnie just shrugged her shoulders, "Uh, probably better than I wanted. It is always so hard to fail those tests. I'm guessing you guys did exceptionally well?"
Ratchet just gave her a goofy smile in return which she rolled her eyes to.
"Winnie," Clank chose to speak and she smiled at him in acknowledgement. "Do you know what this last challenge is?"
"Pffft," Winnie tried to keep from laughing. "Challenge? There is no challenge, it's just another stupid test that no one takes seriously. Everyone is just set against each other and made to duel two on two- but since no one want's to win you guys are assured a victory."
Clank smiled with relief. He may not have been strong, but at least his resolve to win was much higher than anyone else's here.
"Hi friends!" A cheery little voice called out to Clanks left, and both Ratchet and the robot turned their heads to look down at a little blue girl who had just been shoved next to them by a guard. It looked like everyone was finally settling down as soldiers straightened out the few stragglers.
It was Susie, the small child of the washerwomen they met just yesterday.
"Oh hey there." Ratchet smiled back and Clank waved once to the girl who giggled upon seeing him on Ratchets back.
"Do you like being a backpack?" the girl asked as she smiled up at the two boys.
"Uhm…" Clank struggled to find an answer. Thankfully he didn't have to because Winnie looked past Ratchet and gave a greeting to the girl.
"Hi, I'm Winnie. What's your name and how do you know these two troublemakers?"
The girl brightened to hear Winnie's friendly voice, "I'm Susie. They are my friends. Are you their friends too?"
Clank wasn't sure how Winnie was going to answer, she seemed to not know either. Ratchet was looking at her expectantly so Clank decided to step in. He knew that Winnie was just as confused by the word friend as Ratchet had been only a few weeks ago. He also knew that if Winnie didn't say the right thing, Ratchet would be hurt and the small robot didn't want that. Winnie was there friend, even if she didn't quite understand what that word meant yet. "Yes, she is a very good friend of ours. I am sure that if you ask, she will be your friend too."
"Really?!" the girls already large eyes widened even more and she looked up hopefully to Winnie who just laughed.
"Now how can I say no to a face as cute as that." Winnie grinned as she bopped the girl on the nose with the tip of her finger, causing the child to giggle. Clank blinked in confusion and looked at Winnie with wide glowing eyes. He didn't know Winnie had this fun side to her.
Ratchet was just as surprised and stared at Winnie in confusion, "Winnie… are you okay?"
The girl huffed and pulled away, letting her tough girl act (Clank was sure that's what it was) slip back over her face. But then an idea sparked in her eyes and she smiled devilishly at Ratchet, eyeing his nose. "Aw, what's wrong 'friend.' Don't you know how friends greet each other? It's really easy. Here, let me-"
"Aagh- no!" Ratchet frantically swatted her hand- which had been inching toward his face- away from him while using his other hand to protect his sensitive nose.
Winnie only grinned fiendishly and Clank realised that Ratchets had only cemented his doom. The girl wasn't going to give up until she succeeded.
But fate was on Ratchet's side because right as she was about to lunge at him with pointer finger at the ready Captain Qwark appeared in another poof of rainbow confetti.
The whole room froze in fear, not because of Qwark's presence but because of the two armed officials that appeared behind him.
Clank noticed the change in atmosphere immediately, as well as how Ratchet curled in on himself as if trying to appear as small as possible. For a moment Clank was confused, until he managed to turn his head enough to see the two Cragmites standing beside Qwark with their weapons fully charged. When Clank saw the Cragmites, he cringed too.
The small robot's optics glanced toward Winnie, only to see her confused eyes stare in fear at the Cragmite soldiers in front of them. Actually, everyone was looking confused and scared. So then this wasn't normal, was it. That realisation filled Clank with dread.
It took Clank a moment to realise that the green captain guy (Captain Qwark was it?) was speaking to the crowd. Apparently Clanks processor had deemed Qwark's voice as inconsequential and had stopped translating his wavelengths into understandable audio. Focusing hard, Clank realszed that Qwark was calling out names of people with the lowest scores. Those who were called did not make a move, however, till the big green man finished. Even then they all remained frozen, waiting for the first brave or foolish soul to take the first step toward the exit. The Cragmite guards continued to glare from where they blocked the exits.
Finally, someone took the first step forward and then the rest of those whose names had been called moved as well, although they all shivered as they had to pass by the cold eyes of the two Cragmites who were probably memorizing the failures' facial features. Those who had failed were being marked.
It was then that Clank noticed that apparently neither Winnie or Susie's names had been called. The little robot didn't know whether to be relieved or worried.
"Okay cadets!" The green man's overly optimistic voice boomed out once the rejects had exited. "Wow! Doesn't it just feel great to have made it this far?!" The man took a deep satisfying breath of the not-so-fresh air. "Just breath in that glory, young cadets. Just soak it all into your tiny little bodies. But don't celebrate just yet because there is still one more test. It will be difficult, but I know you'll all try your best. Now, who's ready?!"
Qwark waited for the 'enthusiastic' crowd to respond. No one answered. Did this funny man honestly expect anyone to?
"Oh wait," Captain Qwark fumbled through several prompter note cards at his podium. "Nobody move! I have to read the directions first. Anyway- ahem- so things are a little different this year. I know you love the usual one-on-one matches. The thrill and excitement of battling it out against your neighbor or brother is unquestionable. The healthy competition that gets you all fired up to best the others in battle and prove, once and for all, that you are the strongest. Will you be fighting against a long time rival, or a close friend? The anticipation is killing me!
BUT!.. That won't be happening this year. Our great emperor Tachyon has generously given us funding this year and commissioned a new test that will fill your tiny explorer hearst with pure joy! I can just feel the excitement rising in the room. Before we can start- I know, I know, you are all probably dying to find out what this new challenge is. But we can't begin just yet so hold back your excitement- I must split you up into arbitrary, unmethodical, completely random, and with no pattern whatsoever groups of three to five cadets. The reason for this is because our last challenge of the day is a group activity where the teams with the highest scores are picked to become the emperor's new Veldin armed force!"
Now that his speech was apparently over, Qwark stepped forward, cleared his throat dramatically, and then began to pairing the people standing next to each other into groups of threes. Clank was definitely seeing a pattern here.
For a second, and only a second, Clank heard Ratchet stifle a laugh when he saw what Qwark was doing. The second ended before it was done and Ratchet was again deathly quiet and still, even seeming to become smaller as his eyes glanced nervously at the Cragmite guards to see if they had noticed his chuckle.
Clank smiled. It was good to know that despite the overwhelming fear in this room, Ratchet was still Ratchet.
But Clanks small cheer was lost when his processor calculated, based on the un-random matching of cadets, he knew who their team member would be.
Winnie.
What was Clank supposed to do? If Winnie was going to be on their team, that would mean she would share in their success. Since Ratchet and Clank were set on doing their best, she would probably pass the exam too! But Winnie didn't want to pass. She didn't want to die.
Clank could try and flunk so that she wouldn't pass, but then Ratchet wouldn't pass either.
So the question was, which friend was Clank willing to let down?
"Ratchet," Clank whispered in a wavelength that he knew only Ratchet would pick up. "Winnie is going to be on our team."
The little robot felt Ratchet's back stiffen, and saw the worried glance he sent Winnie.
"What should we do?" Clank whispered again. Too late Clank realized he had just put Ratchet in a very difficult position. Ratchet would have to chose between keeping Winnie safe and fulfilling his dream.
By this time, Qwark was at their row and Clank could see Winnie counting down the line to see who she would be- her body tensed as she made eye contact with them. She knew.
"-And," Qwark pointed to Winnie, "You, pink-petite can go with the fuzzy-space-rat and widdle-baby."
Little baby?! Did that fool just call him little- oh, no wait. Clank widened his eyes when he saw the green sausage finger was pointing down at Susie.
Qwark continued his 'random' pairing, leaving the new team to stand awkwardly beside each other. Susie tried to smile up at them, but it was obvious she wished she hadn't made it this far. Winnie refused to look at Clank or Ratchet, instead staring with a hard glare at the opposite wall as if she were trying to see straight through it. Ratchet, for his part, gave Susie a wide smile and patted her comfortingly on the head, before bringing his attention to the same wall that Winnie was currently giving a death glare to.
Clank couldn't believe the big green oaf had skipped over him! Did this mean that he wasn't in the running? But his name hadn't been called with the rejects; and besides, Qwark said that the teams could contain up to five members. It was not his fault that Qwark was seemingly blind, which would explain his fashion choice.
"We fail." Ratchet said in a barely audible husky voice, pulling Clank out of his thoughts and answering his previous question. The robot strained to look at his friend and couldn't help the pride that welled up in his gear box to see the firm and confident spark in Ratchet's large, green eyes. The boy was giving up on his dream just to protect a sarcastic friend and little girl they barely knew.
Even as pride warmed his cogs, shame burned them too. Clank still remembered the day he had given over to his own selfish desires when his only friend had needed him. But no! No more! That was in the past, and Clank wasn't going to let the past define him.
The bumbling captain finished his pairing and, with a bunch of more bombastic words Clanks mike refused to pick up, sent them through a wide side door where their last test waited for them.
5339.4.127
A week, it had only been a week since Alister had taken in the small Markazian infant named Talwyn. Yet the general felt like it had been months.
And now things were worse than ever. Just two days ago something had gone horribly wrong. Somehow, somehow Tachyon had gotten a hold of the Dimensionator and now their universe was plagued by Cragmites once again. They were advancing upon the free galaxies like an unstoppable virus.
The universe was doomed.
Alister shivered as he hugged the small form of the child closer to him. He was alone now, just like her. Before, the general had held out hope that his friend Kaden was somehow still alive. But there was no hope for that now. Kaden would never let Tachyon get the Dimensionator while he lived.
He really was all alone.
Something wet rolled down his cheek, then another, and another as his world grew hazy.
He was crying.
"Nwo1!" A demanding voice broke his thoughts and a little hand slapped his face. Alister gave a start and pulled away, before realizing that the culprit was merely trying to pat his cheeks in some sorf to soothing gesture. At least, it was supposed to be soothing.
"Nwo ky, nwo ky. Iff okay2." The voice babbled up to him in its childish language.
The general looked down to see Talwyn smiling up at him in his arms with her huge blue eyes sparkling as she continued to pat his cheeks.
Everytime he held the child in his arms a mixture of love and despair would flood through and in him. The innocent creature always looked at him with those solemn green eyes as if she were claiming his heart forever. He knew he could never do her any harm. But at the same time whenever he cradled her fragile body in his arms Alister was reminded that he may not always be able to protect her, especially now.
He was a Lombax in a universe plagued by Cragmites, creatures that would tear him apart sooner than look at him. If anything, Alister was condemning the child to death by simply holding her.
His hands shook as the child gave out a gleeful sound and he almost dropped her.
"Shhhh," Alister bit his lip as he checked over his shoulder to make sure no one had heard them from their hiding spot in an alleyway. The general had left his ship to get supplies instead of making the same mistake from yesterday. Since the near disaster Alister had just managed to avert (he shuddered at what almost had happened because of that) after coming back from a supply run, the general had decided to bring the baby with him from now on.
Buying the things he needed was impossible not only because the storekeeper would probably report him immediately, but also because he barely had any bolts left. So yes, Alister had made this child, without her consent, an accomplice to burglary. He was a horrible guardian.
Talwyn didn't appreciate being shushed and stared indignantly at the Lombax, her bottom lip quivering ever so slightly.
"Wait," the general took a step back, his eyes widening. "Don't you da-"
"Waaaaaaaa!" The baby let loose a concussive cry that echoed in the alleyway.
Alister desperately tried to stop her but he was at a loss for what to do, just like every time she cried. How did any parent deal with this? And how could such a small creature make so much noise? For a brief moment Alister thought of his nephew and he wondered how Kaden and Nasira had dealt with their little pup. Alister's mind immediately went dark the moment he thought of Kaden and his family... They were no doubt dead, all because of him.
"Shush now. There really is no need to cry. Please stop before-"
"Hello!" A voice called out.
Alister heart literally stopped as he clamped a hand over the baby's mouth. Talwyn glared at him more intensely and bit down hard on his hand, but the general didn't even flinch.
"What is it?" Another voice joined the first. The general was sure they were getting closer.
The first voice, sounded like a female, answered, "I thought I heard someone crying."
This was bad, this was extremely bad. If they were found, there was no way anyone would take mercy on him and the child. They'd report them to Tachyon and then- no wait… this… this was good!
If Talwyn was found in his arms she was doomed, but what if no one saw him? What if they only saw the baby abandoned in this alley. Surely seeing the child abandoned in this miserable alleyway would pull on these people's heart strings, and the least they could do would be to put the child in an orphanage. There was no denying that right now anywhere was safer than with him.
Alister almost smiled as he realised his good luck. The child would be safe and he could honestly tell himself that he had done the best thing for her.
Quickly tucking the baby in a box that looked like it was only full of discarded rags, Alister dashed up a wall and hid on a rooftop where he could watch from above. Talwyn had stopped crying and instead was calling out in her baby voice, searching for her guardian who had disappeared in the shadows… Alister's heart stung when he saw the look of fear and betrayal in the child's young eyes. Could she even feel betrayed? She was too young to understand such an emotion. And yet her large blue eyes drove daggers into his chest as she whimpered, "Ki-ee?.. Ki-ee3?!"
"It's coming from over here." The female voice called out and then two figures appeared in the alleyway. They were inhabitants of this planet and appeared to be husband and wife.
"Look," the women called to her mate as she scooped up the bundle in her arms. "Just as I thought, it's a baby. Poor thing. What do you suppose happened?"
The husband leaned over and sighed. "Same as every other orphan in these hard times. With the economy how it is because of the war with the Cragmites, the parents probably couldn't afford it."
"Oh how sad." The wife sighed as she cradled the child. "What should we do? I suppose taking them to the orphanage would be too cruel. I've heard such awful things from there. "
The husband nodded his head quickly in agreement. "That place is struggling because of cut funs. We might as well sign her up for the work house."
"Is there no where she'd be safe?"
The man shook his head.
"The world really is falling apart around us, isn't it?" The mother sighed, looking sorrowfully down at the child in her arms.
Alister's ears had picked up every whisper the couple spoke to each other, and while it was disconcerting he at least felt assured that Talwyn wouldn't be going to the orphanage. By the way the mother was cradling the child Alister could guess that she had become attached to the infant already. The couple were well dressed so Alister was sure they would adopt her themselves grow up. Talwyn would grow up in a normal family with a mom and a dad and maybe even siblings. Things would turn out alright for her, Alister was sure… that was until he heard the husband next words.
"And it's because of that you know what we have to do." the male said quietly.
The woman nodded her head. "I wish times didn't call for this."
"I do to." the husband placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "But we cannot take care of her and our children. The kindest thing we can do for the child is to free her from this world."
Alister's blood turned cold. They were going to-
"Alright," the mother said, giving the child one last squeeze. "But let's at least put her to sleep so she leaves this world comfortable. I couldn't bare to think of putting her in any more pain."
"Of course honey," the man smiled gently to his wife.
The couple began walking out of the alleyway still speaking to each other, but Alister wasn't listening to them.
There was no way Alister was going to let her die! Not after his promise! Not after everything he had gone through to keep the child alive thus far!
But they were right, this world was falling apart and the days ahead looked grim. Tachyon was gaining more and more power and Alister wasn't sure how long he could survive before he was caught. Perhaps they were right, perhaps it would be better to let Talwyn go peaceably.
And then Alister thought of Kaden. Right now his best friend would be ashamed of him, Alister was sure. Kaden never would have given up on a life, not when there was hope for happiness. And would Alister have agreed to just killing Kaden's boy if someone else had suggested it? Of course not.
Besides, the look of betrayal from Talwyn when he had left her was engraned in his mind and haunting him even now.
Alister ground his teeth together as he began to follow the couple home from the shadows. The moment he got a chance he was going to snatch the baby away from them… but if it came down to it he was willing to expose himself to get her out of this situation. He felt that he had already let her down and Alister was not going to do that again.
Winnie, or Talwyn- but no one here knew her real name- blinked as she stepped out from the cold cement building she and the others had been 'testing' in and into the bright sunshine. For a few moments all she saw was white as the brightness of the sun ricocheted off the red stone and sand of her home.
A scowl was on her face as she tried hard to mask the pleasure that was blooming in her chest when she found out she would be teamed up with Ratchet and Clank. In truth, Winnie wanted to pass the tryouts. She had to in order to begin her mission the Galactic Rebels had given her. Of course she couldn't make it seem like she was too eager, or everyone would know something was up.
And then there was Ratchet and Clank. Those two were way too eager, and unlike her, they had a good excuse. They practically lived under a rock their whole life, for petes sake! Their eagerness could be blamed on their naivety and too much exposure to sun.
Winnie, on the other hand, had been verbally badmouthing the tryouts all her life and flunking each one every year. She couldn't just switch tracks all of a sudden, everyone would notice.
So she had tried to be 'forced' into doing well. Her plan had involved her getting herself cornered and then beat up by the bullies in the alleyway. Then, once they had given her a fairly sound whipping to warrant a berserk outburst, she would turn on them like a wild maniac. Everyone would merely think that they had gotten her to snap and then the bullies would 'force' her to succeed at these tryouts.
But then Ratchet and Clank had to come to the rescue and ruin everything.
Of course, Winnie wasn't angry at them. The two were completely ignorant and didn't have a clue about anything. It still left her with a problem of getting into the army without making it look suspicious.
But now she was paired with the two battle eager newbies. It was perfect! The two boys had already created for themselves a reputation of being crazy. Everyone knew that the mini bot and cat boy wanted to pass the army tryouts. So now that she was paired with them everyone would think that she had passed only because she had been unfortunate enough to be teamed up with them.
She couldn't have planned this better herself.
Setting her mind back to the present, Winnie began studying the layout before her once her eyes adjusted to the bright sun. Her and the other tryees were gathered in a bowl shaped clearing with tall stone walls of a canyon hedging them in on both sides. The field ahead of them was hard rock with metal barriers set up like a huge maze. The barriers on their own wouldn't be able to keep anyone tall enough from cheating by climbing out, but she could see the waves of heat rising off the metal. No one would be able to touch those walls without burning. The maze look freaking confusing and as best she could tell there was only one exit which went straight to a drop off. The finish line was on the other side of the crevice which meant the only way across was to jump.
"Careful of those walls." Winnie's attention was snapped away from the maze by Ratchet's voice and she looked over to see a serious expression darkening his golden fur.
"Ya," she nodded in agreement. "Those things are dangerously hot."
"It's not just that." Ratchet shook his head, and for the first time that day Winnie realized that the boy was concerned. Why was he concerned? Hadn't he been looking forward to this day since she'd met him?
"Those walls have some real high tech on them." Ratchet continued to inform their little team. "If you look at the top off the wall you'll notice those almost satalite looking wires, they're energy conductors. And if I were to take a wild guess, I'd say they are conducting energy straight into a forcefield above us so there's no escape."
Winnie had a feeling Ratchet wasn't guessing. The stone cold recognition and surety in his eyes betrayed that he knew so. How did he know? He'd been living out in the desert all of his life. Right?
Ratchet then gave a half hearted laugh and smiled at her like the goof he was. "Oh, and the reason you see the heat waves on the walls is because the metal's been designed to actually convert heat into energy. So it's sucking in a crazy wellspring of energy just from the heat of the sun. No way that forcefield will come down anytime soon."
"A-hem!" Clank caught both Winnie and Ratchet's attention as he cleared his throat(?) and elbowed Ratchet in the back which must have been a code for 'stop-talking-and-turn-around-right-now.'
Ratchet immediately obeyed, followed by Winnie, and they both turned around to see the other member of their team crying.
Oh ya! Winnie had forgotten about the little blue girl. Her name was Susie, right? As Winnie looked back to see the fearful little girl, her stomach dropped. If she, Ratchet, and Clank passed then so would this small kid.
What should she do? Was one life really worth sacrificing of saving thousands?
No. The right answer was no. One life did not matter when compared to a multitude of lives.
But she still felt sick about it.
"Hey," Ratchet was the first to leap forward and comfort the girl. "What's wrong."
"I-I'm scared." The girl trembled as she looked pleadingly up into Ratchets green eyes as if searching for hope. "All those things," she pointed to the maze before them, "are going to hurt me and I won't see my mom again and-"
"Sh-shh." Ratchet patted her comfortingly on the back. "It's okay. It may look really scary, but you've got us, right? We'll make sure you don't get hurt and that you get to see your mom at the end of all this. I promise."
"I make that promise as well." Clank sensible voice spoke from Ratchet's back.
Winnie realized that they were all looking at her now. She wanted to promise this little girl the same thing too, but she knew she couldn't keep that promise. They all expected her too though… Ratchet and Clank were going to be so disappointed in her.
Why did she care whether what they thought of her?
She shouldn't… and yet… she did.
What baby Talwyn was trying to say:
1) No!
2) No cry. No cry. It's okay.
3) Kitty?.. Kitty?!
