Shell Shock Writers:
Rating: PG-RG
Warnings: Ratchet/Azimuth. Violence.
Disclaimer: We value our lives too much to even dare think about claiming Ratchet and Alister as our own. We borrow them for an RP, so don't worry. [Put the Wargroks back into your cage!]
Summary: Everyone's nightmare is to wake up in a cold, dark place without a clue where one is. Sadly, that's what's happened to us. What's even better, we have monsters and weird encounters to endure as well. And then there's them…
Lucky, right? If I ever get out of here, I will need some therapy sessions.
Chapter 13
According to the map, there were quite a few of these recreation rooms in the facility. The closest one seemed to be only a few corners and corridors away. Some of these were marked with a red color, however - perhaps that meant that they were dangerous?
Well, they would see just in a few seconds. They were already in said corridor, seeing said door in the middle of their path. Tiptoeing, Ratchet flanked the entrance's right side while Alister went to the other, readying his wrench. The elder nodded then turned to the panel which blinked as he touched it.
When he entered the room halfway, the first thing Azimuth noticed was the slight blue shimmer inside. Well, as it seemed there was no danger coming. The room itself seemed perfectly secure, too. Nothing special, just some appliances, some crates... Like a storage room. Holding the door open by loosely placing his hand on the door frame Alister waited for the younger. With a quick wave of his hand he signalized Ratchet to come as fast as possible. The distance may have been small, but there was no reason to risk more than necessary.
The door suddenly shut as soon as Ratchet had passed through, him spinning around as he heard the slide. A scream then tore through the room and through the corridors. Ratchet pried on the door, trying with all his might to pull it open again to free Alister. His hand was crushed between the frame and door's side, thumb and second finger bent at an awkward angle.
"Oh just- GODDAMN IT ARGH!" Azimuth pulled at his hand, with little success. It was stuck in between, and he could do nothing about it. "That just had to happen to me TODAY, RIGHT NOW, IN THAT VERY SITUATION. Of course. LIFE HATES ME OH JUST ARGH-" Only panting interrupted his pain-ridden rant. "Now if these goddamn Shapeshifters came as well, this day would be PERFECT."
"Don't tempt it!" Ratchet tore at the door, trying to push the head of his wrench into the gap to widen and hold it open long enough so that Alister could free his hand.
"Well, excuse me, BUT LUCK SEEMS TO BE LIKE THIS FOR ME THESE DAYS. I don't see YOU with a hand STUCK BETWEEN A SLIDING DOOR AND ITS FRAME, now DO I?" Alister snarled, face twisted in pain. "Oh just goddamn it, get the FU-"
Suddenly the Lombax halted. Over the pain, over his rage, his ears had perked, twitching repetitively. They picked up a strange sound; one that he had rather not wanted to hear. As soon as he realized what it was, the elder's ears drooped as he fell silent. Then he pulled even more frantically at his hand, now even stomping against the wall. "DAMN IT! Those damn guards are JUST what I need right now!"
Ratchet's ears and tail flared high, staring at the General. "What-what do you mea-" He interrupted himself - he felt vibrations on his fingers through the glove where they curled around the door. They crawled up his skin in icy waves, and through his bones they seemed to flow into his brain as the bones of his hearing translated it to a sound.
Giggling.
"Get away from the door! NOW!" Azimuth pulled and pulled, efforts almost in vain. He felt like his hand was slipping ever so slightly out of that gap; but it slipped so excruciatingly slowly that he would not make it. The dreaded sound came closer and closer, too, almost mocking them as it deemed their attempts of escape as useless.
A fine tremor went through the lithe body. The mouth worked silently as Ratchet slowly backed away from the door, staring like a rabbit caught by the gaze of a predator. Alister hated the irony of how Lombaxes had been once prey animals on Fastoon before they and their society evolved so much they could live inside the dangerous parts of the planet as well.
But enough of these anecdotes. He had better things to think about than historical facts; the safety of his own life, for example. Pulling and pulling, his hand slowly started to slip - a triumphant grin appeared on his lips.
It was reflected by a hideously innocent face of which only the eyes revealed the actual intention.
Hello, was formed under hisses, You seem to be in distress. Azimuth could feel the numbing touch on his fingers, slowly creeping up his hand. Let us help.
"No way in hell!" The general tensed up. He knew if he didn't get his limb out of there soon, it would be over for him.
Had the single guard not been focused on Azimuth, it would have heard the sharp intake behind its head. Ratchet breathed fitfully, mouth open and its corners drawn back so that he gaped at the sight before him.
The numbness traveled further and further. Azimuth now certainly did not shout anymore as he used all his energy to free himself. Not quite simple if someone, or rather something like that Shapeshifter was pulling at your limb with an iron grip. Even worse if condescending giggles ridiculed all efforts.
In in in in in in... Gasping, Ratchet tried to muffle his noise but only succeeded in further air sucking while the CO2 collected in his blood. The pressure in his head grew and yet it felt like collapsing and as if he would float up any second, the ground slipping under his feet.
Azimuth had a hard time to stay calm. He tried to free himself with all this might, but with that damn Shapeshifter holding on to him, the task wasn't easy. A growl left him. If he could just free himself with his wrench…
All higher functions had shut off. The golden Lombax just stared ahead in a tunnel - the sides, pitch black, leading to the door where another Lombax was behind a door and the back of a red-purple creature shining through the gap between door and frame. The voice of the Lombax sounded familiar though no words registered in Ratchet's mind, but that head-
Something disgusting twisted in his stomach. It felt as slimy as the creature looked, with its body melting out from the door and the image coupled with the sensation caused a jerk in his brain.
Anger rose up.
Then rage.
For some reason, he hated that thing more than anything in the world.
He would kill it.
The wrench blurred into existence in the periphery. As he took the first step, a second emotion ratcheted up, trying to push him back and down. It told of danger and cold and numbness - sensations he recognized as true and existent with the creature now close by. Growing more frantic, the feeling flooded his body with go back that he nearly tripped when he stepped forward with the right leg, while the left on which he was standing tried to move back.
A mocking face looked at him. It was transparent, the color of the head shining through the white teeth and the glowing eyes which seemed to curl around the emotion, delighting in his sudden trembling.
It jerked again inside Ratchet's head and he snarled, raising his wrench, all fear forgotten.
"What are you doing? Get away from-" Azimuth could not say more. The wrench was lunged forward and right into the face of the guard. The elder ducked down and heard only a blood-chilling scream pierce the silence, then Ratchet's arm wrapping around him and pushing them both away from the door. To their luck they succeeded - and with an "oomph" both slid over the ground while the door snapped shut. Infuriated cries went through the metal, but then subsided as the moments passed.
They lied there, the sounds of both their ragged breathing intermingling with and interrupting each other. Ratchet was on his knees and hands, head bobbing up and down as he heaved but at least finally closer to a normal pattern of breath.
Alister panted still as he was sitting with his hands on the ground. With eyes widened he still stared at the door, fearing that the Shapeshifter would get in still. As there was no such sign, he let out a sigh of relief mixed with annoyance. "Seriously..." He groaned. "Two encounters in one hour are just way too much." He pulled a hand over his face. What he didn't notice, though, was that he had unconsciously wrapped his tail around something. Given the fact that it was soft and fluffy, it certainly lived up to the need of comfort he felt. "This is too much stress at once, urgh. I seriously need some kind of compensation for this afterwards."
"... No shit." Arms and legs sagged the rest of the way and Ratchet followed the motion, head coming to cushion itself on the back of his hands. A disgusting whole-body tingle spread over his skin that he wanted to scratch away, had he had the energy to do so. It spread even over his tail, making it twitch - the limb didn't get far, though, as something warm was wrapped around the end of it.
As oblivious as he was to his own actions, Azimuth did not realize his doom-bringing act. Instead he let himself fall onto the floor and took another deep breath, closing his eyes. His tail tugged at the fluffy something and pulled it closer. "I won't be able to take another encounter like this again. Urgh."
"I thought we were in a protected area..." Ratchet murmured blankly. Thinking hurt after the adrenaline rush - falling asleep in such an uncomfortable position never had seemed more tempting. The soothing feeling of warmth against and around his tail helped in making him even drowsier.
"I suppose that the red areas on this map signalize unprotected zones. We should stay away from them as much as possible." Alister pulled his hand to his chest and rubbed it a little. Numb pain was throbbing through the limb, but didn't hinder him to move his fingers. At least something.
Speaking of moving. That fluffy something wasn't moved very easily. He pulled again as he wanted to know what it was, but was too reluctant to get up and look at it.
Somewhen despite his exhaustion, his brain finally agreed to his body that his current position simply would not do, he rolled onto this back.
Odd. He frowned - what had pulled at the bush of his tail?
A rather surprised sound came from the elder when he heard Ratchet land beside him, just like he felt the fluffy thing closer as well. He turned his head to the side and blinked for a few times. "... Hello."
"Hi." Lazily Ratchet lifted a hand then let it flop back on his stomach.
"I take it that you're a little... out of power." Azimuth glance trailed briefly to his hand. "Me too. Just that it was slightly... forced." He looked back at the younger. "How about you? Are you all right?"
"Alright would stretch it. But I'll live. Was a weird feeling, like most of my mind was pushed back to wait in a tent or something. The only weirder thing I've experienced was me being drugged by goons of a Technomite. Stupid nightmare."
"... What." The general's eyebrows twitched as he could not quite comprehend the information given to him. When he couldn't come to a logical conclusion, he just let a sigh escape. "Either way. I was a little worried about you." He closed his eyes. "Back then when we were fleeing from the guards, you weren't reacting to anything I said or did. You were like... a puppet. Almost." His face twisted a little. "That changed when the Shapeshifters got a little too close, though."
"... What did I do?" The reluctance and the tone showed that he actually didn't want to know. But he asked anyway because he had no other idea with what to answer.
"You screamed." Alister paused. His hands folded, the unharmed one putting the other into the right position. "You didn't say anything, or moved at all. You simply screamed." Again he broke off. "In that very moment you scared me more than the Shapeshifters. Not because you were frightening, but..."
He stopped. His eyes widened as he realized what he was saying. Shaking his head a little, he reached up with his hand and massaged the bridge of his nose. "I'm sorry. I'm rambling."
"I was rambling too, so the score's balanced." Grinning goofily, Ratchet raised his hands. "A draw?"
"... Heh. All right, a draw." Azimuth chuckled and reached for the younger's hand, closing his own around it. "Even though I have to wonder whether this score is something to be proud of."
"Not really. It would rather count if it was about having enemies hit by their weak spots with the Plasma Striker, because you have to manually aim and the target cross keeps moving though you're not. Or about smashing Zyphoids, but only in a great number - like who's getting the fastest to have 100 of them down."
The elder grinned at that. "True. Competing like this and winning is much more memorable and worth mentioning than such a questionable score."
"That's not a score, that's the bad guys not wanting to quit. Worst is that they aren't like the usual guys I go against - heck, even all the bad guys' bosses are nothing against them!" He shot an arm up, waving it around as if he was encompassing something, though that was only visible to him. "Those... guards. They're just creepy." Creepy indeed - but actually with Ratchet, as despite his own words and own encounter with the Shapeshifters, he sounded much too cheerful.
Azimuth stared at him, a little perplex at the odd attitude. He decided, however, not to ask more about it, but rather put the blame on the lack of food. Almost instantly a faint growl went through the silence; whether it was from the elder or the younger neither was interested in. The general looked at Ratchet and grinned a little. "Well, perhaps we should go and find something to eat, hm?"
"Yeah, we should." Dangerously swaying as he stood up, the younger went to the door.
And knocked. "Anyone there? No?" It was silent beyond the door which seemed to appease him. "Good."
The elder chuckled a little at Ratchet before he got up himself and tugged slightly at the younger's arm. "Let's better not try our luck, all right?" Then he turned around.
Oh how lovely the sight of entwined tails is.
"HSGSAH!" Azimuth jumped away and tripped over his feet, falling back onto the ground. A quick flick with his hand against the armor's control panel and his visor was on full reflection. Quick enough so that Ratchet couldn't see his still obvious embarrassment.
"Alister? What's up?" The voice sounded a bit clearer now, worry for his mentor probably cleaning the remnants of the adrenaline away.
"N-N-Nothing." Alister hid his tail behind himself. Lords, or LORDS. Why had he done that? Why, why, why?
"You sure?" Ratchet rubbed his forehead, the skin crinkling into a frown as that didn't help, so his second hand went to massage his neck.
"Yes! Why do you ask?" Azimuth growled in annoyance. "Hmph. I'm all right. There is nothing wrong with me. Never been. I'm all right. Still the same. Nothing new."
How miraculous sentient beings could be, stating the opposite of what was true.
"Umm... sorry I tried to care." The bite was back, though mostly softened by confusion and a bit of hurt. He turned away from the elder, looking for the panel to open the door.
"Wait!" Azimuth nearly jumped up. "What are you doing? If you go outside, the guards will come back immediately."
"... Oh." Ratchet let his hand fall to his side once more before he turned around again. Perhaps he should just examine the cupboards at the other end of the room instead. What were those devices there? Cooking appliances? Weird for Nefarious to have such things in his quarters.
Alister had gotten onto his feet again and stepped to the devices. They were indeed very similar to cooking appliances, and seemed to work the same way as the common ones. Now the only thing left to find was the food itself.
This question got answered as Ratchet took one cup into a hand, accidently pressing into a hidden indention. A beam of light shot suddenly down and into the cup, making Ratchet trip back what didn't deter the light beam as if having a target point in the cup. As soon as it faded then, the room had one elder Lombax leaning back with a terrified expression and a young Lombax sitting on his butt, still clasping the cup. Which wasn't empty anymore but filled with something, as Ratchet gaped down, that looked like - meat bun?
"... What." Alister stared at the cup, then at the machine, then back at the cup, then back at the machine.
"What sorcery is this?"
"An atomizer for food, I guess." Ratchet watched the meat bun hard, eyebrows knitted together while he drew the corner of his mouth away, a bit disgusted. And with a bit morbid curiosity, too - like a child seeing an insect which they found icky but exactly that ickiness also drew them to the insect. "What the hell is this?"
After a few moments of reflection and thorough observation, the elder had convinced himself once more that there was no sorcery in this room; and so some of his calmness returned to him. "A meat bun. Your ever-so-wonderful companion on your quest against hunger," Azimuth remarked dryly. He watched Ratchet poke the meat bun over and over again, still skeptical whether he could eat it or not. That went on for another minute until a low sigh left the elder. "You know what. I will play your guinea pig." And before Ratchet could say anything, he snatched the cup and picked up the meat bun, biting off.
"Ughh." Ratchet twisted his face but kept looking on, for any twitch in the elder's face. "And?"
"It is..." Alister closed his eyes and chewed contemplatively. Suddenly he jerked and crashed against cupboard, covering his mouth with one hand, the other holding the meat bun still.
Like a whip, Ratchet jumped up, grabbing Alister's arm with the meat bun, trying to pull it away. "Alister? Hey! Are you alright?"
"It... It is..."
"What is it? Come on, tell me!" He feared the worst as Alister was so lost for words, mumbling so lowly that he had to lean closer.
"It is..." The elder whispered, pulling his hand away from his mouth. A faint, but mischievous grin was revealed.
"Delicious."
And shwoop! The other bit of meat bun was put into Ratchet's mouth before he could protest.
A second later, little spreckles of it landed from Ratchet's spluttering mouth back on Alister's face.
With a swift wipe the bits were brushed off Azimuth's face. The elder watched the younger with an amused smirk as his plan had succeeded. Supporting his body with two arms on the cupboard, he waited a little. "And? Do you agree?"
Two green eyes above a chewing mouth shot lasers at the elder. The meat went easily down the younger's throat, as the taste was really good; admitting this was a completely different subject. So instead he glowered, "What the hell was that for?"
"You seemed so reluctant to eat the meat bun, so I went ahead and thought of a way to overcome that reluctance for you." The smirk turned mischievous once more. "I dare say, it worked."
"Hardyharhar. Very funny." Crossing his arms, Ratchet turned his face away and upwards, softly making a 'hmph'.
"Now don't be like this, all right?" Azimuth put the cup beneath the food atomizer once more, waiting for another meat bun to appear. Then he took it and bit off, a badly suppressed "mmh" leaving him. He waved the meat bun in front of Ratchet teasingly, chewing still.
What he actually didn't expect was that Ratchet would jump up, dash forward and snap a bite off the presented meat. The General jerked the hand to safety, staring at the smug grin now adorning the golden-furred face.
Swallowing the bit he had in his mouth, Azimuth blinked at the younger. "... Seems like someone is hungry." Then surprise was replaced by satisfaction and the air in the cup with yet another meat bun. Taking another bite, he again offered the other half to Ratchet, smirking contently.
Ratchet snatched the piece away, shoving it completely into his mouth - his cheeks rounded and he had trouble closing his mouth, but once done, he grinned the silliest grin he could muster.
The abundance of face certainly helped him.
"... Hmph. You really are something." Chuckling a bit, he pulled the younger a bit closer before reached up and brushed over Ratchet's head.
In a mix of gulp and slurp, the viscose mass went down to the hole that was Ratchet's stomach. He activated the atomizer for another piece, picking it up. "Do you want that maybe?" He grinned even wider as he put it slowly into his mouth, but neither did he shove it in wholly nor did he bite a piece off. Instead he wriggled his eyebrows.
"Wait wha-" Azimuth blinked and looked at him with obvious perplexity. He wasn't sure what to do.
"Phom awn, phed id! I phaphed mine phoo, now your phurn." He wiggled the bun a little and leant in more, waiting impatiently for the other to bite off.
Although Azimuth certainly had not understood Ratchet's words, he did grasp the gesture's meaning. He blinked, one eyebrow raised before he let out a sigh with a faint smile. "I think I'll pass." He raised a hand and reached for the cup in Ratchet's.
The cup vanished behind Ratchet's back, though the smug expression was ruined as Ratchet grinned so wide the meat bun nearly fell out so he had to close it again. "Uh-uh-uhhuh." he scolded.
First baffled, then with a wide grin the elder looked into Ratchet's eyes. "Oh you. Turning all smug now, hm?" He sighed not quite in an annoyed, but rather in a theatrical way before he tilted his head a little and leant close. "Fine. You win. But only until I get ahold of that cup again." Then he bit into the meat bun.
Ooohh, that would have been too easy for Azimuth. Ratchet took a step back, gleeing silently as the elder's eyes widened as the treat threatened to be torn from between his teeth.
"Mnngh!" Almost instantly Alister stepped after the younger and followed him. He better not rip the meat bun, no no no. That would be a waste.
That Ratchet had not intended. Feeling curious and challenged both at once at the resistance, he took another, quicker step back. Just to see the reaction.
You are not going to get away like that. Azimuth's eyes gleamed as he was eager not to let the meat bun rip. No, no, he would follow Ratchet, step by step, and adapt.
And the other way round - what will you do when I change directions? He had to give it the General, when he stopped so did the elder.
As said, how would he deal when he suddenly moved forward?
Don't you dare to. Azimuth followed Ratchet infallibly, stretching out his arms to get a hold of him. When he did, his grip was but simply putting his hands on the younger - one on the shoulder, the other around the waist.
"..." That was now going in really weird territory. He recognized the stance and hands' position as familiar to dancing - and apparently Alister intended to lead.
Not that Azimuth was thinking anything of that sort. He was just simply trying to coordinate the steps so that the meat bun wouldn't be torn apart. Quite the tedious task, but Ratchet seemed to follow him slowly.
Growling, Ratchet shoved his face forward to get the advantage. What kind of advantage, he didn't know but he was sure that the General would have it much harder to counter step this move.
"!" Alister took a step back and pulled his face away a little. Sadly it was not as much as Ratchet had come forward and so he found himself closer to the other than before. He blinked, a little lost in the situation.
Advantage found. Pressing ON further. So or similar he thought, pleased the reaction. Just that the other wouldn't be able to invade, he surged forward, still minding to crash their foreheads together - but then something better came to his mind.
As much as the little dance has been entertaining, Ratchet now felt that he had to lead it to an end. One that would entertain him enough to take revenge for the indignity he had suffered from just now. Smirking, he took another fast step forward and stood on his toes. The meat bun was pushed deeper into both mouths; and when they were close enough to each other, he bit off his own part.
The faint brush of lips was only a coincidence, of course.
The elder froze in the middle of his movement. He remained in his position, mind blank as soon as he had felt the faint brush of lips. Only a few moments later his mind gave him a signal to swallow the meat bun half, and so he did, gaze blank as before still.
Ratchet simply drew back, chewing then swallowing his part of the meat bun. "Mmh... Delicious."
Silence from the other one. He still stood there, paralyzed and only able to blink. Had he imagined that just now or why was Ratchet that calm? He only knew that his lips tingled, just as much as that sensation traveled up his ears.
"That was the best meat bun that I have ever had. So delicious. Hmm." Ratchet's tongue flicked out and around his lips, slowly. He knew exactly that Azimuth was looking at him, and it pleased him a lot to see the elder's ears perk for an unknown, but assumable reason. But how to make it even better? Hmm...
Slowly he pulled off a glove, bringing his hand up to his mouth. He acted like there were some spots of meat left - a wipe with his thumb across his lips, his tongue peeking out.
"S... Stop that." Alister could only slowly turn away, head gleaming with heat. His tail waved back and forth agitatedly as he tried to calm himself down.
"Stop what? Can't I clean my face?"
"Well, you could do that in a... not-so... s... Forget it. Never mind." The elder shook his head fast. Compose yourself, Azimuth, come on. Compose yourself.
That turned out to be a harder task than expected as he felt something at his bush, prompting him to turn around.
"... Wasn't me," Ratchet pointed to their tails, which were intertwined again.
"Wha-wha-what-" Azimuth stumbled backwards, but didn't get far at all. For one, he walked right against the cupboards, for another Ratchet had gotten a hold of him.
"Whoa! Easy there!" A bit of panic spiked into the satisfaction of a revenge well executed; he had not quite expected that the steady General would suddenly stagger as if close to unconsciousness.
"I'm all right, I'm all right. Uh..." The elder stared at their tails, still entwined. He shook his bush, but as it seemed both tails were reluctant to let go. "What the-"
So engrossed by the situation, neither Lombax noticed really the door suddenly hissing open. A large figure stepped through, head tilting at what it had found.
"I'm sorry Ratchet, I... I don't know why I can't get my tail off yours, I mean... Argh." Azimuth would have dug his fingers in his fur had it not been for the helmet.
Knowing of the taboo of this act was one matter; being caught in a supposedly embarrassing situation due to this was another. And again another thing if you knew and were in it, but simply couldn't find any deep-rooted shame to react with because you had never learnt it. So Ratchet, despite being a bit embarrassed, just rolled his eyes, turned his upper body and took the base of his tail in his hand, going with the practical solution if their tails wouldn't separate on their own.
One, two hard jerks which made Alister groan some unintelligible noises, then Ratchet's tail let go of the other.
"... Thanks." Alister looked to the ground, tail swiftly hidden behind his back. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have- I mean, it was... Inappropriate. I mean, we are not that close yet, are we. B... Between you and me it would have been unusual anyway I mean, but... I..."
"Geesh, stop talking and relax, it was just an accident." Ratchet facepalmed, shaking his head. "If you were like that when you were younger, it's no wonder my parents loved to tease you. Heck, if your reaction is a reflection of the general Lombax, then it would be no surprise they also found it hilarious when they clung to each other's tails in public."
"Well, excuse me, but your mother and your father were of opposite genders. Of course nobody would object!" Azimuth groaned. "It's about values, you see. I can't just throw them overboard as if I never lived them." He shook his head frantically. "It's going against my principles to - to, you see-"
"Excuse me, am I intruding on anythin'?"
The answer came instantly as two wrenches hit him in the body, one into the stomach, one pinning his head against the now closed door.
"OW! What the hell was that for?" The intruder writhed in the grip, trying hard to get out of it.
"You sneak up on us and expect us to just stay calm?" Azimuth hissed. All embarrassment was forgotten. For the moment. "I don't think that this-" The elder stopped. He blinked behind his visors, his ears flicking. "Wait. Are you...?"
"Yes I am." The intruder replied with obvious annoyance. "Is that how you treat a friend? Sheesh. Next time I won't be nice to squishies anymore."