Deserted Paradise

The ship swooped down from the clouds and steered towards a large cream building surrounded by palm trees. It sat neatly on the side of a cliff, and had small wooden staircases trailing down onto a large stretch of white sand. The deep blue sea sparkled like gemstones in the sunlight, and stretched as far as the eye could see. Ratchet was grinning so widely it hurt but he barely even noticed it.

The ship chimed in a sweet, female voice. "You have reached your destination: Jowai Resort." The ship lowered itself down past the cream building and towards a large grey landing area surrounded by a pale yellow wall. They dropped closer and closer to the ground until it finally stopped with a jolt. "Landing successful. You may leave the cockpit."

In a flash, Ratchet leapt out of the ship and onto the hard, dusty concrete. The view was amazing, even from the parking lot. There were palm trees surrounding them on all sides, and were gently swaying to the cool breeze. In front of them was the main hotel, which could only be described as a mansion. The walls were painted a light yellow that matched the sandy beaches, and there was a large fountain in front of the main entrance that spewed water in all directions. The entrance was a large, glass, rotating door, which gleamed in the sunlight. Ratchet was certain he was in paradise.

"So, this is a hotel?" Jinx landed beside Ratchet and caught Clank in her hands. "It seems a bit…showy."

"Exactly! That's the point!" Ratchet said softly. The sight of the hotel had completely taken his breath away. "They say that this is the best hotel resort in the Solana Galaxy! And we're standing right here in the parking lot!"

Jinx gave Ratchet a weird look and edged away from him by several centimetres. "You seem a bit too excited about this place."

Clank looked around the parking lot. While it was by far one of the best views he'd seen with Ratchet, there was one thing missing. "If this is the best hotel resort in the Solana Galaxy," he started, "then where is everyone?"

For the first time, Ratchet properly looked at the parking lot. Clank was right – the place was completely deserted. No golf carts speeding around, no bag boys carrying luggage, and no fat tourists in bright Hawaiian shirts. "Maybe everyone's inside." Ratchet said uncertainly. He took off towards the revolving door, started at it in awe for a few seconds, then dashed through them.

It looked even better on the inside than on the outside. Marble floors stretched as far as they eye could see, tall marble columns stood proudly be the revolving door, and there were several glass windowed shops with sparkling snow globes and printed t-shirts. There was a large marble staircase that went down several stories, with more shops on each floor. Some had giant white couches you could sink into, while others had simple hard leather seats with wooden coffee tables. Ratchet was pretty sure he could see a restaurant and an indoor pool on the bottom level too. However, there were still no people anywhere.

"Ratchet, I have done a complete scan on the whole building." Clank walked through the revolving doors. "I cannot find any organic life-form anywhere."

Without people, the whole place was eerily quiet and a chill went up Ratchet's spine. Pokitaru was the one place he thought was paradise, the dream holiday he pictured himself going on when he was back at Veladin. It was the place that gave him the slimmer of comfort there, and the one of the only things that took his mind off all the whispers and gossip about him. That and working on his ship.

"The Blarg couldn't have taken over Pokitaru. Could they?" Clank could do nothing more than shrug his shoulders. Suddenly, there was a scream by the revolving doors. Jinx was standing outside with her palms planted on the crystal glass.

"Ratchet!" she cried in a high, panicked voice. "I can't get in!"

"What?"

"There's a force field by the door! What do I do?"

Ratchet looked her up and down and burst out laughing. "Jinx that's just the glass panels."

She crossed her arms and pouted. "It's not funny!" she yelled.

"Yes it is!"

"It isn't!" She looked over to Clank, her eyes pleading for mercy. "Clank, tell him it isn't funny." But Clank was also hiding a low chuckle behind a hand.

"Alright Jinx, I'll help you in." Ratchet walked up to the doors and pushed against the glass panel towards Jinx. The whole door jolted forward and Jinx fell flat on her face. "Come on, keep up!" Jinx got to her feet and scrambled towards Clank. Ratchet took a final spin around and joined them.

"I can't believe you've never seen a revolving door." He smirked.

Jinx shot him evil eyes. "Are you done yet?" she snapped back.

"Yeah, I'm done."

"Good." Jinx took in the sights around them. "So…where are all the people?"

"I could not find any life form inside this building." Clank piped up. "Perhaps there may be some people outside on the beach."

"Good thinking Clank." Ratchet said, and pulled Clank onto his back. As he walked towards the stairs, he turned back at Jinx. "By the way Jinx, you do know what stairs are right?"

Jinx crossed her arms and tapped her feet impatiently against the marble. "Just. Keep. Walking." She said through gritted teeth.

He flashed a sweet and innocent smile. "Great!" he chirped and waited for Jinx to join his side.

As they explored the hotel, Ratchet realised the truth in Clank's statement. No matter how hard they looked, there was no one to be found. The large, outdoor pool remained still and lifeless, the sun beds unoccupied and the lifeguard seat empty. They walked on for miles, scavenging the hotel grounds for any signs of life. It was no different on the large stretch of beach. After climbing down the spiralling cliff stairs down to the scorching hot sand below, they only saw several closed shops and a large dock.

Jinx found a large rock to collapse onto. "Alright, am I the only one getting slightly freaked out by this?" She exhaled. She was tired but not just from the walking. Everywhere she looked there was a new thing she'd never seen before. Jinx was certain that her neck would break if she kept gawking at something every five seconds.

"There must be someone here." Ratchet said softly. "We just have to keep-"

"Looking? Ratchet we've looked around the entire hotel. There isn't anyone here."

There was the gentle sound of waves rolling against the sand and the sharp salty taste of the sea smothered the air.

"Alright." Ratchet mumbled. He looked towards the beach-side shops. They were laid out in two straight lines on some rustic wooden decking. One of the shops had an open store front, and various clothing items were hanging outside on clothes rails. Ratchet couldn't help but sneak a peek at Jinx's clothes. She was still wearing the Quark cadet t-shirt and the knee-length jeans. The clothes had held together with the exception of several tears on the jeans. Jinx looked more like a child rather than a teenager.

Jinx noticed Ratchet's stares and hugged herself self-consciously. She never liked people looking at her. "What?" she said.

"Do you want to get some new clothes?" Ratchet pointed towards the clothes store. "There's a shop over there. It's bound to have something you like."

Jinx looked down at her current attire. "You don't like what I'm wearing now?"

"It's just…you look like an 8 year old with that on." Jinx couldn't help but laugh at that. While it was true she didn't like the restriction the jeans gave her legs, and she hated the Quark t-shirt even more, she couldn't imagine herself in a different outfit. But Ratchet had already walked over to the store-front and effortlessly opened the front door. It seemed like the owners hadn't even bothered to lock anything before they left.

"Come on, it won't take long."

"Are you sure we can just take what we want? Isn't that, um, stealing?"

"Don't worry, I'll just leave the bolts next to the cashier."

Jinx sighed in response and walked inside. The room was filled with bright colours that illuminated the room, despite the lights being turned off. There were piles and piles of shirts, dresses, flip-flops, and any piece of clothing Jinx could think of. Some bore the logo of the hotel, while others were simply plain. Ratchet seemed to know exactly what to pick out as he walked over to a clothes rail filled with trousers.

He picked out a pair of baggy trousers and held it against Jinx's legs. "Hmm, seems the right size. Looks like it'll rip easily though." He returned the trousers back onto the rail. "Jinx why don't you look around the shop for something. Maybe you'll find something you like."

Jinx looked around the store. Shelves were filled with wooden bracelets, crystal lucky charms, and more snow-globes with the hotel building stuck inside. Swimsuits hung above her head, and there were several beach balls inside a large wooden crate. In other words, junk.

"How do you expect me to find something that won't fall to pieces in here?" Jinx frowned. She could see nothing worth getting.

"Just look around a bit more." Ratchet started to dig into a pile of shirts. "There must be something here."

Clank hopped off Ratchet's back and walked to the back of the store. There was a large blue door with 'Employees Only' painted across it. Clank merely pushed the door back and walked in.

Jinx decided to scan the shelves again for something worthwhile. A few moments later he called out. "Jinx, come in here. I think I have found you something."

It was a small room with a table snuggled into a dark corner and some plastic chairs scattered across the room. "What's so interesting about this place?" Jinx said while staring at a sleek coffee machine placed on the table.

"Here." Clank was shifting several cardboard boxes and placed them at Jinx's feet.

She raised an eyebrow. "Again, what's so interesting about this place?"

"Right here." He pointed at some words written in thick black marker. "Read what it says." Jinx peered down at the words. They certainly didn't look like any words she'd ever seen. It was only a sequence of circular symbols with lines drawn through them. Clank waited in anticipation before sighing. "You are able to read this, right?" Jinx glared at him. The words she didn't say were clear in her eyes. What do you think?

"It says 'Combat Stock'." A smile tugged at Jinx's lips. Apparently the owner wasn't so dumb to realise that body armour was an essential item. Jinx grabbed the end of her tail and slashed it across the box top. Inside was a bunch of clothes neatly folded into squares. Piled on top was some shoes, and a weird looking mask.

Clank reached in for the mask and examined it in his small hands. "This appears to be an O2 Mask. Exactly what we are looking for." Jinx paid no attention to him. She plucked the clothes out and lay them onto the floor. There wasn't a lot of it though. A soft, blue shirt, some cotton shorts, and a pair of black converses. It was the main piece that stood out to her – a dark green jumpsuit with a holster belt.

It wasn't that it wasn't nice. Jinx was certain that the fabric was sturdy, breathable, and could take a lot of damage before bearing a single tear. It was the fact it was a jumpsuit and was the same style jumpsuit she wore back in the bunker. The only difference was that it was a different colour, but it still sent chills up her spine. But what else was there in the shop that she could wear?

"Give me five minutes." Jinx murmured.

Ratchet paced across the store impatiently. He hadn't expected Jinx to take so long. Why was it that girls took so long to change! "Come on Jinx, we haven't got all day." He groaned. Clank hid a smile with his hand.

"Hold on," Jinx called from inside the 'Employees Only' room. "I'm almost finished."

"Seriously? What's taking you so-" Jinx stepped out. Everything fitted her perfectly. The jumpsuit hugged her hips but not to the point it was embarrassing to look at. Jinx had left the zip halfway up her chest, and had pulled the shirt collar out over the jumpsuit. The sleeves went down to her wrists and covered the ugly markings. There was a perfect slit in the back for her tail to dangle graciously to the floor. The belt was slightly too big for Jinx and hung off to one side. The converses finished the outfit, making it both casual and look good at the same time.

Jinx smiled sheepishly and shuffled under their stares. "You like it?"

"More than like it!"

"It looks very good on you Jinx." Clank chirped.

Jinx's face grew serious. "Do you have enough bolts for it Ratchet?"

"How much was it?"

"Clank found it in a box in the back. There weren't any price tags attached."

"Guess it's free then!"

Jinx crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "Ratchet…"

"I'm joking! I'll leave some bolts on at the checkout."

A moment later then stepped back into the blistering heat. "What now?" Jinx said while she rubbed her fingers against the belt.

The place was still as empty as ever. Not a soul to be seen. "I guess we backtrack to the hotel again. We can plan our next move inside." As soon as the words left his mouth, there was a loud scream behind them.

Two people stood there. One, a woman, was dressed in a white dress and a large sun hat and looked like she'd been struck by lightning. The other was a small boy in a pair of blue swimming trunks and some goggles dangling off his neck. He looked the opposite to the woman, his eyes were wide and a large grin was spreading across his face.

"You!" the woman cried, and pointed a manicured finger at Jinx.

Jinx looked at Ratchet in confusion then back at the woman. "Yes?" she said slowly.

"You're the one from the TV!"

TV? What was this woman talking about? But the woman didn't stop. "You're the one the Blarg are looking for!"

Now it was Jinx's turn to freeze. The little boy made a move towards her. "Are you a real Bender?" he said in awe. But the woman pulled him back.

"Stay away from my boy you monster!" She shrieked.

Ratchet stepped in front of Jinx and pushed her back protectively. "Hey! Jinx isn't dangerous! The Blarg are the ones trying to take over the galaxy, not her."

The woman looked at him, then to Jinx, then back to him. "Just keep that…that thing away from us, or I'll call hotel security!" She hurled the boy over her shoulders and took off like the wind.

The ensuring silence between them was broken by a seagull cawing high above. "Jinx…I…" Ratchet trailed off. Jinx stared down at her feet and rubbed her arms. It had suddenly gotten very cold.

"Well, at least we know that there are people on the island." Jinx murmured. Ratchet moved to put his arm around her shoulder but she pulled away. "Let's try and find some shade. We can plan out next move there."

Jinx was already walking off before Ratchet could stop her. He glared in the direction where the woman and little boy ran off in. "What's their problem?" he huffed, "It's not like they were in danger or anything."

Clank followed his gaze. The woman was nothing more than a small dot in the distance. "I would like to see what the Blarg are broadcasting, nevertheless. Whatever it is, people will on the lookout for Jinx." Ratchet grunted softly and ran after Jinx.

Chapter 20! I can't believe we've gotten this far already!

I've nearly got the next chapter ready so there should be a reasonably quick update after this. From then on it's back to irregular updates :-(

Please R&R!