Clank's eyes drooped more and more as several hours passed by in the cold metal room. Hours on Hoven were the same as everywhere else in the universe, but for some reason, they felt like that they all took forever to pass by, creating one dreadful eternity.

Ratchet spent the time taking short naps and fiddling with his Omniwrench, taking time to attempt and talk to Clank every now and again, but the robot was too tired to really strike up a conversation, so most of the time was spent in silence.

Every now and then, Clank would find himself glancing upwards at Circuit, who had spent all of the time in the corner, making slight movements constantly. He was very curious about what she had over there. Whatever it is, it was enough to keep her busy for hours...and involved scissors by the sound of it. He would go over there and see what she was up to, but he forced himself not to. After what he had said to her, he wasn't sure if she wanted to talk to him right now. After all, she still had her back to him, signifying that she didn't want to even look at him. A sad aura loomed over Clank as his eyes stared at the floor. It seemed like that he had really messed up...and he felt horrible about it.

Meanwhile, over in the other corner, Circuit messed around with the dark green fabric, using the dark green thread to weave through it and bring parts of it together. She had been working hard at this for several hours, and it was almost complete. But there was one major part of this missing that would really bring this project together, and that was some sort of symbol or emblem for the neck button. Just having a green button there was too boring. What could she put there...!

Circuit smiled as she reached inside her chest compartment (it was a bit awkward because she had to lift her shirt up in order to open it) and went through the various fabrics that she had with her. She was glad that she never emptied these out at the Phoenix when she had brought all of these from home, cause then she wouldn't have been able to do this project. She pulled out some gray fabric, used a marker to draw the design on it so it was easier to cut, then used the scissors to begin cutting. A small smile formed on her face as she began finishing up her project. She hoped that he would like it.

Clank's limbs whirred stiffly as he finally came out of his curled up position and stretched. He had been in that position for hours, it kind of hurt coming out of it, but after taking a few seconds to stretch, he felt much better. He rubbed his eyes and yawned a bit. Ratchet told him to lie down and take a nap, which he gladly agreed to. The robot placed his back against the wall and closed his eyes, preparing to shut down. He hoped that Circuit would do the same; he didn't want her battery to run out if/when something bad happened. Setting aside his worries, Clank's head slowly sagged as he drifted off...but it shot right back up when he heard the sound of metal footsteps. But his heart jumped when he realized that the footsteps were coming' towards him. And the only other person here with metal feet was...

Tap tap tap

"Clank? Are you awake?"

"Y-Yes!" Clank blurted out, his eyes opening. Circuit was right in front of him, her big violet eyes staring down at him. He scrambled to his feet and brushed himself off, worried about what Circuit was going to say to him. Was she still mad about what he said? What was she going to say? Multiple negative responses jammed their way into Clank's mind. If he was an organic he would have been sweating. Well, he guessed it was time to hear what Circuit had to say. His optics lowered the slightest bit, prepared for the worst.

"That is good. Here you go," Circuit said, grabbing the back of Clank's hand and putting what appeared to be green fabric. He stared at it and blinked, then looked back up at Circuit. She placed her hands behind her back and smiled her usual cute smile, "You are right, it is not fair that I get clothing to keep me warm and you do not. After you made me realize that, I thought that you might like something to help keep you warm, so I made you this. It took me a few hours in order to get it right, but I am happy with the result, and I hope that you are too."

Clank tilted his head and then looked back down at the dark green fabric. He then used both hands to grip different ends of it, then he let it unfold as he held away from his body. The fabric unfolded and his jaw fell slightly. What he was holding was what he believed to be a dark green cloak. It was...marvelous. The stitching was flawless, no knots or broken thread to be seen. But what really caught his eye was the neck button, which consisted of a dark green button and a gray fabric gear. Circuit giggled nervously. "Sorry if the gear seems a bit ridiculous. I do not why, but whenever I think of your name, I always think of the 'C' as, like, half of a gear. It is strange to think that, I know, but I cannot help it."

Clank blinked a few times, feeling the soft fabric on his metallic fingers. Then he turned the cloak around and slipped his head through it, fitting it over his body. Circuit was right, it was warming him up already. The cloak sat comfortably on his shoulders, the gray gear laid peacefully on top of his metal case, and the hood sagged down on his back. The green eyed robot looked up at Circuit, who still had that cute smile. "Do you like it?"

Clank couldn't stop himself, he really couldn't. He took a step forward and hugged Circuit, who jumped, but she didn't push him away. Clank knew that this was fairly rude to just jump out and hug a girl, but he couldn't help it. He spent all this time thinking that she was mad at him, when in reality, she was making a cloak for him. She spent hours working on it, hours that could have been invested in doing something else, and all because she wanted to help keep him warm. He loved the cloak, and he loved Circuit. Speaking of which, he totally forgot to give her a response to her question, "I love the cloak, Circuit. It is most impressive. Thank you."

Circuit giggled and hugged Clank as well, but it didn't last for long because there was one thing that they had forgotten about.

"Ah-HEM. I'm sitting right here," Ratchet said, startling the two robots. "So whenever you two are uh...are done..."

The two robots rolled their eyes and separated, sharing the same unamused look. Ratchet could be such a romantic buzzkill sometimes...well, all the time actually. They would try to go somewhere private, but there was no privacy that this room could provide, so the two robots just sat down next to each other, Circuit placing her head on Clank's shoulder. Meanwhile, Ratchet checked his communicator, which was still buzzing with an empty channel. He was getting pretty worried about Sasha and the soldiers. They had been here for several hours and there was still no sign of anyone from the Phoenix. Though he knew that they were capable of defending themselves, he hoped that none of them were in any danger.

Another hour passed by and the evening was coming on to Hoven (though it was a bit hard to tell because it was always cloudy and snowing there). Clank and Circuit had fallen asleep, forcing Ratchet to stay awake and stay alert for any danger. Every five minutes the Lombax would find himself checking his communicator, only to be disappointed by a still empty channel. He sighed and rested the back of his head on the wall, the coldness of the metal working its way through his leather cap and green eyes fell down and stared at the two robots sitting next to him. A small smile came onto his face. Clank looked pretty good in that green cloak, and it looked pretty comfortable and warm. Circuit seemed to be incredibly talented when it came to making clothing. Ratchet wondered if she could make anything for him, though it might be a challenge because he was a bigger size than she and Clank. But it might have been good for Circuit to challenge her creative skills, then she could see what she was truly capable of...

...

...

...!

Ratchet's ears stood up as the silence that had haunted the area for quite awhile was interrupted by the sound of footsteps. Footsteps that were getting louder by the minute. Footsteps that were coming right for the room that they were in.

Alerted, Ratchet told Clank and Circuit to wake up because someone was coming (Clank and Circuit accidentally bonked heads when they woke up), then he grabbed his Omniwrench and stood up, facing the doorway. Clank grabbed Circuit and had them prepare themselves in case they had to make a run for it (all of this running was starting to get tiresome). They all grew more tense as the footsteps came closer...and closer...and closer...then they stopped, making them all feel a mixture of curiosity and worried. But that feeling was replaced by surprise as a figure suddenly stepped into the doorway, casting a long shadow on the floor. Ratchet nearly threw his Omniwrench, but he quickly stopped himself, the force of the sudden interruption made him throw himself down onto the ground. The figure laughed and then talked in a very familiar voice.

"I thought that I'd find you three here," Sasha said, taking the hood on her winter coat down.

"Mommy!" Circuit said happily, escaping from Clank's grip and running the Cazar, who picked her up and hugged her tightly.

"Thank god you guys are alright. I was worried sick until I finally found your escape pod over there. Circuit, you're not hurt are you? Clank?"

"No."

"I am fine as well."

Sasha sighed, "That's good."

"Yeah, I'm fine too, thanks for asking," Ratchet said, getting up off the ground and brushing himself off.

"I was getting to you," the Cazar said, her ears lowering a bit in annoyance.

Ratchet's ears mimicked Sasha's as he folded his arms. The four then settled down on the floor so they could be a bit more comfortable as Sasha gave them an update on the situation. Everyone on the Phoenix had been evacuated and made it out of the fight (mostly) unharmed. The bad news, though, was that they were scattered throughout all of the nearby planets, and only a few had landed here with Sasha, and they were currently at the Roboshack getting looked over by Edwina, who had told her where Ratchet, Clank and Circuit were. Sasha then told them that the person who attacked the ship still remained a mystery with her, but when she saw the looks on all of their faces when she said that, she knew that they knew something. It was then that they knew that they had to break the news to her, and it took a couple of stare based debates on who was going to tell her. It ended up being Clank. So, prepared for the reaction, Clank told the Cazar who was behind, or at least assisted, in the attack on the Starship Phoenix.

"Wyre?! It was Wyre who attacked you? You can't be serious!" Sasha said with disbelief.

"It is true, Sasha," Circuit said with a nod. "He attacked us while we were trying to find a hiding spot. He had a pack of robot wolves with him, the exact same kind that we saw on Zeldrin. He was the one who sent that wolf to attack us then."

"W-Well, I...I-I...I believe you guys b-but...wh...why? Why would he do such a thing? Why would he just turn on us, on me, and help attack the Phoenix?"

"That's the interesting and possibly the most concerning part of the story," Ratchet chimed in. "Clank and Circuit told me that they heard Wyre say that he needed Zoni."

"Okay, again with the Zoni stuff! What is a Zoni?" Sasha said, irritated. She had heard the three mention this 'Zoni' several times now, but she still had no idea what it was, and it was starting to get on her curious nerves.

Clank glanced at Ratchet (as Circuit played with a pebble that was on the floor), wondering what he thought about telling Sasha about the existence of Zoni. The Lombax raised an eyebrow before nodding his head to the Cazar, telling him that it would be alright. Besides, it was Sasha, she wouldn't end up like Nefarious and try to manipulate the Zoni or anything like that. So, Clank sighed a bit and explained to Sasha what the Zoni were. At first, she looked a bit...unconvinced at the sound of a race of small blue and purple aliens who could turn invisible and travel through space and time. But, as Clank went on to explain their ordeal with Nefarious all those years ago, her disbelief vanished and turned into amazement. Now that she thought about it, Circuit did tell her about a blue and purple creature that she met in the afterlife, Orvus she believed, and she had told her that he was a Zoni, but she didn't know what that was at the time. She became even more surprised when she found out that both Clank and Circuit were part of the Zoni race themselves. Sasha's daughter was part of a rare race, and she didn't even know! But, with all of this news and amazement, she still had one question:

"So...what does Wyre want with a Zoni?"

"That's what we're still trying to figure out," Ratchet said, scratching his ear. "But, whatever the reason, we know that it can't be good."

"It is very possible that he wants a Zoni so he can get to the Clock," Clank said with a worried tone.

"That's not possible. Only the Fongoids and Nefarious know of the Clock's existence. How could Wyre know about it?"

"I do not know. How could Wyre know what a Zoni is? All of this information is supposed to be kept a secret, but Wyre has discovered it somehow, and I wish to know how."

"But how are we going to get to Wyre and find out how he knows all of this?" Circuit asked. "If we try to go to the Phoenix then we will just be attacked again. And I do not want that to happen again. Do you have any ideas, Ratchet?"

Ratchet looked down at Circuit, who was staring right back at him with her big purple eyes, waiting for an answer. A frown came onto his face and his ears lowered a bit more. It was nice that Circuit was getting involved in all of this and showing a more heroic side of herself, but he believed that she had gone in deep enough. The Lombax reached forward and picked the small robot up, then handed her to Sasha. Circuit tiled her head at him. Ratchet ignored the look and turned his attention to Sasha. He pointed at the robot in her arms. "Sasha, I know we're in a tight spot right now, but we need to do this. Go to Edwina's and see if she has a ship that you can use. If she does, I want you to take Circuit home to Kerwan."

"What?" Circuit said, a tad upset. "Why would you...?"

"Circuit, this situation is too severe for you to be here," Ratchet said firmly. "It's become too dangerous. If you fight with us, and I mean this in the nicest way possible, but you'll be killed in an instant. I've already lost you once, I'm not gonna lose you again."

Circuit stared at the Lombax with sad eyes before her gaze sunk down to the floor. Ratchet felt bad for her, but he knew that he had to make sure that she was safe. He looked at Sasha again, "Big Al will take care of her. We'll pick her up once this is all over with, alright?"

"R-Right..." Sasha looked down at Circuit, who seemed very upset. Big, sad violet eyes stared up at her, and they were saying 'please let me stay'. Sasha sighed, she would have loved for Circuit to stay, but Ratchet was right, she was in too much danger. She couldn't be in this dangerous situation with them, she could be killed! So, she placed a hand on the robot's head, "Come on, Circuit."

"W-Wait!" Circuit said, squirming her way out of the Cazar's grasp. She slid onto the floor then scrambled onto her feet. "I have to say bye." Ratchet felt sadness wash over him as Circuit said that, then he opened his arms a bit so she could jump up and hug him. However, his eyes went a bit wide as Circuit went past him and hugged Clank instead. "Bye, Clank."

"I will see you later, Circuit," Clank replied somewhat sadly.

Ratchet stared at Circuit with both disbelief and curiosity. He was sure that she wanted to say bye to him, but she had completely ignored him like he wasn't even there! This was definitely a first for her. It was almost like...though it didn't seem likely due to past events, but...it was almost like Circuit was...was mad at him...because he wouldn't let her stay. Was this it? Had Circuit finally learned to be mad and irritated by him? If it was, that was both great and depressing. Great because she was learning to express more feelings properly, and depressing because, well...she was mad at her father! But Ratchet couldn't really blame her, he would be pretty mad if someone made him go home during a mission. But if was for the best; he just wanted Circuit to be safe. And if that meant sending her home to stay with Al, then so be it-

Rrrrrrrr...Rrrrrr...

Both Ratchet and Sasha's ears perked up at the sound of a strange deep ringing noise. They both looked at each other, confirming that the other had heard it. Clank and Circuit didn't pick it up though, so they were confused about these strange expressions on their friends' faces. They watched as Ratchet slowly got up and walked over to the doorway, the cold wind tossing his ears about gently as he stepped outside. He told them that he would be back in a second, and that it was just the wind making that noise (again, Clank and Circuit didn't hear it, so they were still confused). Sasha found herself reaching forward and grabbing the two robot, pulling them towards her and hugging them tightly. Circuit coward a bit in her arms, but a reassuring Clank hand on her shoulder calmed her a bit. But the calmed feeling didn't last for long, because Ratchet suddenly came rushing back, nearly slipping on the ice as he grabbed onto the door way. His eyes were wide and he already had his Omniwrench at the ready.

"They're here. They found us. And they brought the Phoenix and a couple hundred Microdrones with them. So uh...get ready for a fight!"

Well...looks like they're gonna have a bad time (Insert Sans dialogue sound).

Things are gettin' kind of tense between the protagonists, huh? I can't explain it, but I just feel this...uneasy air between them right now. I dunno, maybe I'm just tired.

Anyway, what do you guys think about Clank's new cloak? Pretty cool, eh? I thought that it would look nice on him. Plus, I decided that just having Circuit wear clothing and not Clank was kind of awkward, so I gave Clank the cloak so it wouldn't seem so weird.

Ohhh boy, the next chapter is gonna be so...I'm not gonna say. I don't want to spoil anything. But...y'all might not be happy with me. Just a warning.

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

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